Good morning. Yeah, 17 years, 17 years I've
sat under the ministry of Pastor Gene Harmon. I don't think I've
ever seen him do that. Forgot his Bible. Well, I didn't
forget it. I just forgot where I left it,
that's all. I'd like to ask you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles
chapter 7. I would bring before you this
morning a message most different than that of the
religious world that we live in today. A message that has been spoken
of before by many throughout the ages, but in few places and
in rare times. This message must be spoken of
with humility, just as it must be received with
a sense of humbleness of one's heart. Are you with me in 2 Chronicles
chapter 7? I'd like to begin reading at
verse 14. If my people, which are called
by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, Then will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now mine
eyes shall be open and my ears attended to the prayer that is
made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified
this house that my name may be there forever and mine eyes and
my heart shall be there perpetually. The prophet speaks here of a
house. Solomon, the son of David, after David had gone on to be
with the Lord, Solomon was made king. And the Lord came to Solomon,
and he gave him instructions to build a temple, a magnificent
temple. Up until that time, the temple
had been more or less a tent. And it had been transported here
and there wherever you want. And they had the Shekinah glory
in there. The mercy seat was put in there. Inside the mercy seat was also
the Ark of God, which kept the bud of Aaron and so on, the Ten
Commandments and so on. It was a religious building,
but it was more of a temple where God's people could come to God
and commune with God. Solomon had been instructed to
build a temple of stone. And God had given Solomon very
specific instructions, just as he did with the Temple of the
Tent, on how to build this building and how it should look. In Chapter 6, and then the Temple
was dedicated, in Chapter 6 the Temple was dedicated with sacrifices
and prayer. The Lord Almighty was to abide
in this temple, and this temple was to be a place of worship
and prayer. Well, the word here, sanctified, means to be set apart,
to be made holy. And I would like to consider
this morning the meaning set apart. Notice first, it was a house
chosen of God. And now, in verse 16, Have I
chosen? This was a house that was chosen
of God. It was not a house that people
chose to build for God, but a house that God had chosen a people
to build for Him. This was Israel, God's people. It wasn't just anybody off the
street that the Lord had brought in to build this temple. It was
God's people. And throughout the Old Testament,
our great Savior has spoken through the prophets in parables, pictures,
types. And this is no different. This
is exactly that. Our Lord is drawing a picture
for you and I to learn from here. This house is spoken of as a
dwelling place. A place His name will be praised
forever. And my name may be there forever,
it says in verse 16. He will be watching with great
concern over this house. He will have great care for it,
as it were, with His heart. And mine eyes and my heart shall
be there perpetually This house will be looked after
and cared for by Him. His eyes and His heart will be
there. That word perpetually simply
means a way that never ends. Does that not sound like a verse
we know in the New Testament, I shall never leave you nor forsake
you? Our Lord says this house I will
look after with my heart, the heart of God. What could go wrong? if God is looking after it. Well, we might think there's
a lot of things that can go wrong if God is looking after me. Look
at all the stuff that's going through my life. Yet we don't
see the whole picture, do we? Our Lord does. He promises each
and every one of His people all things are for our good. Even
the waves that were pounding on the ship When the Lord and
the apostles were crossing the sea, were brought for the good
of God's people, those who love the Lord, those who are called.
Even for the moment, the apostles didn't see that. No, they were
fearing, weren't they? They ran to the Lord. They ran
down to where he slept and said, Lord, do you not care for us?
Here he says, my heart is with this house forever. This temple had been set apart
from all other temples and all other buildings of the world
to be a dwelling place where the people of God could commune
with God. And that's what it is to pray.
And that's what it is to pray, to be in communication with the
Most High. Now turn over to the 17th chapter
of John, if you would. When one speaks of a church,
Most will picture a building such as this that we're meeting
in here this morning. And as we have seen, at least
in pictures, or maybe even in person, man loves to build fancy
churches, don't they? You ever seen the Crystal Cathedral?
One time I was in Utah making deliveries. They had asked for
volunteers to go help. And I had the opportunity to
make a delivery to the Mormon Tabernacle there. Oh my goodness. Those people know how to keep
a place clean. I went into the front office, because you've
got to go in the front office and check in before somebody
will go around to the warehouse and meet you back there. And while
I'm sitting there waiting for the receiving guy to come from
wherever he's coming to take me around to the warehouse, I'm
watching and there's people in white overalls and white gloves. And they're all over. I mean,
you sit down, and all of a sudden you notice there's somebody moving
over there behind the plants, and they're cleaning windows. And
I look over there, and there's somebody over there. And before
you know it, I'm looking around. There are people in white all over the
place. And there's gold everywhere.
Their steeple on top of their thing is solid gold. You don't
believe me? Take a look down here in Rancho.
If you're down here by Aerojet, they have a temple down there.
If you look above the hill, right above the car lots there, you'll
see a gold thing on top. And it's gold. I know I've been
to that church also. I've delivered some paintings
to them. Men love to make fancy churches, fancy buildings. Have you been to our church?
We have a band. We have this, we have that. This temple that God commanded
to be built was set apart from all other temples, all other
buildings. According to the scripture definition,
a church is actually a body of people. the church, or more accurately, a congregation,
a gathering of people called out who are coming together for
the purpose of worshiping and praying. Our Lord says back there in verse
16, my heart will be with that church, with that temple, with
that building. That's what that was. It was
a congregation of men and women from Israel that God had called
out of darkness by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who
were at one time dead and trespassing in sin, walking in the lust thereof,
called into the light of the Lord Jesus Christ to come into
this place where he had given them to worship and pray and
commune with him. A gathering of people called
out who are coming together for the purpose of worship and prayer.
A people called out for what? Called out of what? What were
they called out of? Absolutely. Called out of the
world. Separated from the way the world
worships. Well now wait a minute, John.
We're here on Sunday. That's what they're doing. They're
doing the same thing right down the street here. They're showing
up on Sunday to do worship, aren't they? We worship like no other worship
there is, folks. The world is not my home. I'm
just passing through. God's people are set apart from
the world. They're taken out of the world. That means that
they once walked as the world walks, talked like the world
talks, and even looked like the world looked. But now, in Ephesians
2.1 it says, And you hath he quickened, you hath he made alive,
who are dead, and trespasses in sin. You see why I'm saying
we need to talk, and I need to preach this with humbleness,
but you need to hear it with humbleness. That church down
the street, I'm not pointing my finger at them like they're
something lower than me because I was just like that one day.
Brother Mike was sharing this this morning about how several
people, many people are responding to his website, Free Willard. And many of them say they're
saved, but they don't act like it and they don't speak like
it. They talk about works. What's the difference between
us and them? God's grace. That's the only thing separating
me from the men in the world who walk this world and who have
always walked this world. God's grace. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sin, where in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world. according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation,
each and every one of us. In times past, in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. The
world is dead, folks. It's cursed to be burned up. Until that last one is called,
we will continue on. But when that last one is called,
when God has called His last child out of darkness, there's
no reason for Him to continue on. He's going to come back.
And He's going to pick up all that's here that belongs to Him
and take them to heaven. And everything else will burn
up in the brightness of His coming. The Lord is calling out His elect,
and when the last one is given life, when the last one is called
out of this world, our great Savior will return and destroy
all it is by the brightness of His being. God the Father gave
God the Son of people to praise Him and to be with Him forever.
This is that house He was talking about. I will care for it. Perpetually, unstopping, forever. God the Father gave God the Son
of People, but mankind sinned against God. And those who were
given to the Son must be made holy. They must be as holy as
God is to be in the presence of God. For God is so holy that
He cannot even look upon sin. To be as holy as God is, one
must have the price for their sin paid for. Scripture declares
that the wages of sin is death. But it also declares this, but God, I love that phrase,
but God stepped in for me. But God provided Himself my sacrifice,
where I could not. To be in the presence of God,
one must be made holy, sanctified, set apart. In 1 Timothy 1.15,
he says, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom
I am chief. Paul says that about himself.
Just as I was mentioning in Bible study, he says, Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. Paul understands
that he is just a man. A sinner saved by grace, just
as each and every one of God's people are. Just as each and
every one of you are. Not saved by anything that you
have done, not saved by any action that you may take, not saved
by any thoughts that you have, but saved by Jesus and Jesus
Christ alone. The world, the very world that
you and I were a part of and walked in at one time until the
Lord came and set us apart, sanctified us by the blood that was shed
on the cross. They worship by committing their
works to their imaginary gods. Well, I got baptized back in
1972, and I've been saved. See, I've been a Christian ever
since. I have heard that. And I know some of you have,
too. I made a decision to come after Christ and be with Him
when I was two years old. And I've been a Christian ever
since. I know some of you heard that too. These are all things that our
Lord sees as works. They were built with the hands
of men, with the minds of men. The world worships by committing
their works to their imaginary gods. God's people are called
out of this kind of worship. We are set apart from what we
once were. We are set apart from the world,
not by anything that we have done, and this is where the humbleness
comes in. I deserve what the world is going to get. I deserve
the wrath of God, the burning up of, the fiery pit. Yet by His mercy and by His grace,
He's taken that for me. He who knew no sin was made to
be sin for us. I must preach this with humbleness
because I am a sinner just as all are. But you must hear this
with humbleness also. For none of us deserve what God
has given us. None of us deserve the grace
and the mercy and the love that God has had for us. Aren't you thankful that just
because we don't deserve it doesn't mean He isn't going to love us
still? I'm thankful that His will is above mine. We are set apart, sanctified
from the worshiping false gods, and we are brought into a living
relationship with the true and living God, Jesus Christ the
Lord. The more we see our sin, the
more we see what we deserve, the greater His mercy is. For me, the easier it is to worship
Him and praise Him and give Him all the glory. You see, there's only two types
of religion. Feel free to go look. Google it. Look them up
on Google, whatever. You'll find there are two types
of religions. There's the religions that require
you to do something, give something, act some way, and then there's a religion of
grace. Sovereign grace. God's grace
and God's grace alone. Works and grace, they can't mix. Our Lord tells us in Hebrews
it's either works or it's grace. It can't be both. You can't add
your little bitty thoughts into it. You can't add your little
bitty emotions into it. It's either all of Christ or
it's not at all. You either earn your salvation
by doing something, and that's the way the religions of the
world say it, or you are saved by grace. unmerited favor. In Romans 9, 16 it says, so then
it is not of him that willeth. This is God's Word, folks. It
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, nor of him
that works, nor of him that does anything. It's not even your
will, your so-called free will. It's God's will. It's His mercy. It's His grace. But of God that
showeth mercy. This is the one and only true
way to eternal life. Salvation is of the Lord. The
mercy of God seen in the face of Jesus Christ the Lord. In
Ephesians 2.4 we read, but God who is rich in mercy for his
great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in
sins and hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are
saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us to sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness
towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. The sanctification, the setting
apart, the calling out is of God and of God alone. We, the
Church of God, have been called out of the worst religions and
we've been set apart in this world. Our religion is now the
religion of grace. Grace that has been shed abroad
in our hearts by He who works with the heart. Our High Priest is making intercession
for us right this very moment. Are you with me in John chapter
17? Verse 1, These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes
to heaven, and He said, Father... Interesting. God the Son is speaking
to God the Father. Can He be denied anything? Our
Father looked down on His Son, and He said, This is My Son,
and whom I am well pleased. Can He deny anything of His Son?
Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son
may also glorify Thee. As Thou hast given Him power
over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many
as as thou hast given Him, those
who have been chosen before the world was, those who were loved
before a star ever twinkled in the sky, all that the Father
hath given Him, those who were set apart, sanctified
by the Spirit, He, our Lord Jesus Christ, should
give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him, and this
is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on
earth, I have finished the work which Thou hast given Me to do,
and now, O Father, glorify Me with Thine own self, with the
glory which I had with Thee before the world was." Christ is eternal,
folks. That's what he's telling him.
I had glory before the world was. He wasn't always a man,
but he's always been Christ Jesus the Lord. In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word created everything. And the Word was
made flesh. I have manifest thy name, verse
6, unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world, thine, and
they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.
Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given
me are of thee. For I have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me, and thou hast received them, and
have known surely that I came out of thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me." How do we believe? By the gift of
faith. That's what faith means. I pray for them. I pray not for the world. I pray
for those, our Lord is telling us. He's speaking to our Father
and He's saying, I pray for those that have been called out. Those
who have been set apart from the world, sanctified, taken
out of, and brought into a living union with Christ Himself. I pray not for the world, but
for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine. And all
Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And
I come to Thee, Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those
whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as We are." Perpetually. Non-stopping. forever and forever
and forever. Eternal life, whosoever believeth
in him shall have eternal life. While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I
have kept, and none of them is lost. But the son of perdition,
that scripture might be fulfilled, And now come I to thee, and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves." When you have seen yourself as a sinner, and
the Lord has brought you to understand that He went to the cross for
the sins of His people, does that not bring joy to the hearts
of God's people? It's kind of a strange type of
joy. We see the trouble and the pain and the sorrowfulness of
what we have laid, or what has been laid upon our Lord for our
sakes. But oh, what joy that He's covered
it. He's covered it all. Nothing
is left to be done. God looks upon us, His children,
and He sees our sins no more. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world. They
are set apart. We are set apart from the world.
We worship the true and living God. We worship in spirit and
in truth. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them
from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world. Sanctify them, set them apart. Call them through thy
truth, thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the
world, even so have I sent them into the world. And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Our great Savior dwells in temples
that are made without hands. This temple that we read about
in Jerusalem was but a picture, a picture of the hearts of God's
people. New hearts. Not the old one made
of stone, but a new heart, one that trusts, one that believes,
one that belongs to Christ Jesus our Lord. He is ours, and I am
His. That's what He says. We belong to Christ. We were
bought by the shedding of His blood. If we belong to Christ, then
we have been set apart from this world. Unlike the world, we now
believe the truths, not part of, not a portion of, not a little
bitty scripture over here and some over here to fit whatever
we desire, whatever we want to tickle our ears with. I've got to tell you folks, in
the book of Isaiah we've been studying, God declares some pretty
ugly things. David, in this morning's study,
David went out and slaughtered two entire towns. And we're not
talking about men being slaughtered, we're talking about women, children,
old people. And then he took everything they
had. That's not pretty stuff. But that's not what you hear
about from most pulpits today. You hear about, Jesus loves everybody
if you just let Him love you. That's not the God of Scriptures.
The God of Scriptures rules everything, including death. 9-11 was not
an accident. This man who just slaughtered
these people in the mosque over here, that was not an accident.
There are no accidents. Our God rules, or He's not God
at all. If we belong to Christ and we
have been set apart from this world, we believe His truths,
all of His truths. Verse 18 of chapter 17. As thou
hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them
into the world." We have to continue, folks. We have to keep fighting
the good fight. What is that? Look to Christ. Don't ever look to your faith,
Daryl. Looking to your faith would be
a big mistake. Your faith is going to be weak in days. Look
to Christ, the author and finisher of your faith. He'll give us
the faith we need. Even when it's just as small
as a mustard seed, he says in scripture, it's faith given by
God. Perfect. Exactly what we need. Look to Christ. And for their
sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word."
We need to continue on in life because there's still those that
God has led as love from before the world was. The end of time
has not yet come. There's still one more somewhere
out there to be called by God out of the darkness that they
walked in. We have no idea who it is. We don't argue the truth as Brother
Mike said this morning. We proclaim it. That's all we
can do. Proclaim that Christ is God Almighty. The blood that He shed on the
cross is enough. Verse 21, that they all may be
one as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also
may be one in us. That the world may believe that
Thou hast sent me, and the glory which Thou gavest me I have given
them, that they may be one, even as we are one. If you have been set apart from
the world, then Christ has moved into the heart. Weddings. What happens when two men and
women get married according to scriptures? They're joined as
one, are they not? How often do we read in scriptures the
bridegroom and the bride? We are joined as one with our
Savior. When He says, I know you, He
knows us intimately. And the glory which Thou gavest
Me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as We are one.
I in them, and Thou in Me, and they may be made perfect in one.
And that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved
them as Thou hast loved Me." Can we wrap our heads around
that? God has loved us as He has loved His own Son? So much
so that He gave His Son to be our sacrifice? To shed His blood
that God the Son would go and die? Be crucified for our sakes? We can't even comprehend the
depth of that love. But a day is coming when we will.
When all things will be revealed. Right now we have this little
inkling picture. We look through a glass darkly
and see that The things that Christ has for His people. The
love that we have for each other. Marriage. These kinds of things
we see and we can relate just a little bit of what our Lord
is saying in His Word. I have loved you with an everlasting
love. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, and that they
may behold my glory which thou hast given me. For thou lovest
me from the foundation of the world. Oh, righteous Father,
the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these
have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto
them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. This is the love that God has
for His people. Even when we were dead in trespasses
and sin, even when we walked in darkness shaking our fist
at our Lord saying, I will not have this one rule over me, He
said, you are mine. Our Lord describes that previous
life of ours as a baby, a baby who was born and then left in
the field in its own blood and dirt and mud. And yet the Lord
walks by and sees that child and says, live. That's what He
does to each and every one of His people. Those that He has
loved from before the foundation of the world. He sets them apart
from the rest of the world. He sanctifies them, makes them
holy because they can't do it themselves. so that they can be in His presence
forever. We are set apart from the world
by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed upon that cross
just over 2,000 years ago. What perfect, wonderful, loving
blood it was. Do you see the love that God
has for you? Not for everybody. not for all
the world, but for all of those whom the Father hath given him
before the world was. Will you stand with me, please,
and turn in your hemlock?