Morning. I'd like to read y'all
a letter. It'll cut into our time. I'll
do my best to go as quick as I can during the message. I'll
try to be brief as I can be. I don't want to cut into y'all's
time in between services, but I want to read a letter that
our brother in Malawi had sent to church there in Kingsport,
Tennessee. And I want to thank you that
reached out to check on my wife. I sent y'all the article by Henry,
Don't Fumble the Opportunity. We had some received passes and
people, I didn't even know, I don't know how they knew, around this
country poured out calls and text messages and emails and
checking on her. I'm thankful for that. Thank
you. Thank you that checked on her.
Gabe had wrote, put in his bulletin, he said, we have a brother and
sister in South Africa he's been speaking with for about three
years. Their name is Christoph and Karina Gowes. And they recently
visited Brother William Mapote and his wife Annie, and they're
in Salima, Malawi. They went up to visit them. They're
from South Africa, they went up to Malawi to visit them, because
they heard they had brethren on that continent. That's a big
place. The distance they traveled would
be like going from Miami to Colorado. Why? They had family up there. That's what was important to
them. Christ dwelled in some people there. They stayed there
for seven days. And this is the email that Brother
Willie sent. He said, Brother Gabe and your family, hope everyone
is doing well in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christoph and his dear
wife Karina arrived safely here in Salima, Malawi on the 30th
of September. By God's grace, I and my wife,
Annie, welcomed them at the International Airport in Lilongwe very well. On Sunday, they were in our midst
during church services here in Salama Sovereign Grace Church.
I preached from Genesis 6, the message titled, How God Saves
Sinners. Been good to be in Malawi that
day. Better than South Africa, wasn't it? Long way away. He
wrote again, we have seen the story of the flood and how God
saved Noah and his family from the horrendous destruction by
putting them into the ark. We have seen from the scriptures
that the righteous judgment of God against sin and the mercy
of God revealed through Christ. We have seen again in the scriptures. that the Ark of God is a worthy
picture and a pattern of how the Lord is pleased to save his
chosen sinners and justify them in Jesus Christ. It was true
that the Lord blessed our fellowship and our times during the Sunday
church service here in Salima. We've traveled in different places
here, such as Salima Town, the capital city of Lelongwe, and
our Lake Malawi, and they departed 7 October. He goes on and says, unforgettable
memories, tears of joy are still fresh in our hearts. The brethren
here in Salima, we appreciate for their visit to us in a worship
together our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he quoted Paul's letter
to Philemon. I thank my God, making mention of thee always
in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast
towards the Lord Jesus, toward all saints, that the communication
of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every
good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have joy
and consolation in the love because of the bowels of the saints are
refreshed by thee, brother, your brother in Christ, Willie. That's
what God's doing in a little tiny place in the center of Africa.
I want to support those brethren. I want to pray for my brothers
and my sisters over there. And I want to encourage them.
I do. Don't you? Doesn't that refresh
your bowels? It did me. I hope it does you.
I just had to read that to you. John 18. We had a lot of views on YouTube
for the message. I was thankful for that. I think
we're up to 12 now. That ain't a lot if you got some
funny cat videos or something, but that's a whole lot for the
gospel. This is a continuation from Wednesday night. It was
just, I couldn't leave it. I had to stick with it. I wanted to
touch on these things. I'd said, I said, there's a lot
to be said about being entangled in the world. And my pastor was
faithful as a young child to tell us, he goes, I worry for
you. The two biggest worries I have for you is being caught
up in the things of this world and being caught up in the people
of this world. Where do you live in the world? What's in your house, people
of this world? It's not just something down
the road or up in LA. That's right here. That's us,
isn't it? Right in our own homes, my living room. But he told us
that, and he taught us things. What the scriptures say, what
God commanded for us to teach. But here in John 18, verse 18,
we read the servants, John 18, 18, and the servants and the
officers stood there who had made a fire of coals. for it
was cold. And they warmed themselves, and
Peter stood with them and warmed himself." It was a cold night,
they built a fire, and Peter went over and he warmed himself
with those other people there. It says down in verse 25, and
Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. He warmed himself there. I told you Wednesday night, I
said there's a lot that could be said about this. but I won't
touch on it. I'm going to touch on it now.
This is called Bible study. It's traditions of man. That's
what that is. It's religion and ceremony and
all those things. But hopefully we can study this
Bible and see Christ in it every time we open it. Every time. If I don't have that message,
I'll not be standing. You can learn that from Encyclopedia
Britannica. Get on Wikipedia and find out the history of Peter
and where he's born and all those things. You can do that at the
house. I hope the Lord show us Christ in this. 2 Corinthians
6. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14. Paul's right in the church at
Corinth, and he says, be not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6, 14. Be not unequally
yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion, communion,
oneness, fellowship hath light with darkness? And what concord
hath Christ with Belial? And what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk
in them. And I will be their God and they
shall be my people. Wherefore, come out. Come out from among them. And be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, I will receive you, and
will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty. Don't be unequally yoked with
unbelievers. You can't have communion with
them. You can't be fellows in the same ship. You ain't the
same boat, unless you are. I don't know. Isn't that what
the scriptures say, Amos? How can two walk together unless
they be in agreement? That's how it is, isn't it? And
that does not mean, I have to say this, somebody's got to tell
these young people, Colin Lincoln, y'all pay attention to it. This
doesn't mean you can't get your car worked on by an unbelieving
mechanic, okay? That needs said, doesn't it?
There has to be knowledge and there has to be understanding
with it. And I worried about this until this morning. Don't
be concerned with things of this sort. You set your affections
on things above. Now, good common sense and faith in God tells
you, go pay your SDG&E bill. They'll turn your lights off.
They will. We still have to live in this world, don't we? Pay
your bills. Show up work on time. Work hard
when you're there. You own a business? Be good to
your employees. God commands it. You work for a business?
Work hard for them. God commands it. Those are good
things. But that's just what we have
to do what time we think of Him. Well, we have our affection set
on things above. You can have your car worked
on, but you can't be in the same ship. You can't row together
in the same direction. You ain't a lot. Now, that's with the drug addicts,
and that's with the dope pushers, and that's with the people that's
all these bad things, right? Where was Peter? He was in the palace of the high
priest. He was in the utmost rooms of
the most religious place in town. Who was he with? The servants
of the high priest. I wanna cut it to the bone, so
I don't want people walking around thinking they're okay when they
ain't. You can't have fellowship with
somebody that ain't the same shit. You can't worship God with
somebody that don't know God, because nobody's ever told him
who God is. It can't, and to call somebody brother or sister,
I don't want to get too off, it has to be said. To call somebody,
that's my dear brother, that's old faithful brother so and so.
If it is, what made them that way? The blood of God did. And
that ain't a term to be thrown around lightly. Is that so? We'll see next hour. He calls
us brother. He's not ashamed to call us brother.
That's something, isn't it? Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly. That's what David wrote in Psalm
1. Everyone normally associates unequally yoked with marriage.
And that's the first thing we go to. Don't be unequally yoked. We don't marry an unbeliever.
Well, don't. Save yourself a whole lot of heartache and hurt. And
then people will butt and fight on that. But do what the Lord
says. But it's talking about fellowship.
The Lord says, I don't like putting away. I hate putting away. And he gave us bills of divorcement
only because of the hardness of our hearts. But the scripture
is not talking about that, it's talking about fellowship. Look
back in 1 Corinthians 7. 1 Corinthians 7, 12. Paul says, but to the rest I
speak I, not the Lord. If any brother hath a wife that
believeth not, and she is pleased to dwell with him, let him not
put her away. And the woman which hath a husband
that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her,
let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is
sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified
by the husband. Else were your children unclean,
but now they're holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let them
depart. For brother or sister is not
under bondage in such cases, but God hath called us to peace.
For what knowest thou?" He's saying all these things. He's
like, if you can live peaceably, if the Lord saves somebody and
you're already married, man or woman, don't make a difference,
and you can live peaceably with them, do that. And maybe the
Lord working in you, they'll say, what's got into you? And
you'll say, it ain't a what, it's a who. You're just different. You're
kinder and you ain't as mean all the time. Is it because you're
going down to that place? Now that may take decades. I
don't know. That's between the Lord and them. The Lord may use
that to call in one of his sheep. He may be. And if they leave,
let them go. Don't leave the Lord. That goes
against some advice that's common in this state. I'll stand up
and say it. It's what the scriptures say. It's a sad thing. You save your marriage, you'll
lose your life. If you do it for Christ's sake, if you save
your relationship with your daughters and your sons, and you forsake
the gospel for it, Lord said, leave them alone.
That gives me goosebumps all over my body. What a terrifying
thing. Chorazin, Bethsaida, he said,
if the works that was done in you, if that was done in Sodom
and Gomorrah, he said, they'd have repented in sackcloth and ashes years
ago. He healed that blind man. He said, don't even go back down
to that town. Leave them be. Oh, what a thing. For what knowest
thou, verse 16, wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband?
Or what knowest thou, old man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
Who knows? You know what David prayed? He
just couldn't eat and he was on the floor and he was a mess.
and they said, your son's dead. And he went, shaved his face
and he washed his hair and he put on clean clothes, put a little
cologne on and went down to the house of God all dressed up to
worship God. And they said, what's wrong with you? He said, well,
before the Lord may have been pleased to save him. And he did
and he killed him. So now I'm gonna go worship God. Look over Romans 12. Back a few
pages, Romans 12. Verse 14, this is hard, I know
it is, it's hard for me, but I pray the Lord make it so in
us. Romans 12, 14, bless them which persecute you. Bless and curse not. I struggle
with that, that's hard. Lord has to do that, he has to
walk in me to do that and I ask him to. Rejoice with them that
do rejoice and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind
one towards another. Mind not high things, but condescend
to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the
sight of all men, if it be possible. I can't talk with those folks
because they don't believe the way I believe. They're wrong,
I'm right. What? No. sanctifying yourselves
in a self-righteous way. He said, if it be possible, as
much as life in you, live peaceably with all men. I don't mean worship
with them. That don't mean tell them what
they believe is right, but don't be offensive. And my pastor did
a good job of explaining that this morning. If you've invited
your family, the biggest way you can show somebody you love
them is to ask them to come hear the gospel preached. And if God
says them, they'll say, that's the most love anybody's ever
showed me in my life. You drug me down. They'll say that. Lord may work in them. But then
too, if the Lord is starting to work in somebody and you go
home and they got a bunch of questions, try not to answer
the questions. You'll muddy it up. Just trust
the Lord to do the work. Trust him to work in them and
trust him to work in their hearts and let them sit there and be
alone with the Lord for a while. That's good. Live peaceably with
them. Don't go kick them in the shin and don't go take them to
the water and drown them in the water. Just live peace, peace,
peace. Turn over to Acts 2. Lord working
this in people and doing it. We have to, I live on this earth,
do you? I gotta work and buy groceries and get gas. I need
some clothes, I gotta go to the eye doctor. But the Lord's gonna
work in us to show us. He says, we've looked at this
a few times, Acts 2, but I pray the Lord would just commit this
to our hearts. I've heard it said several times,
we need some more people here at this church. It may sting
when we get to what was said to the Lord, but if he adds to
this congregation, here's the means he's going to do it. Okay.
Acts 2 42. And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking
of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul,
and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all
that believed were together, and had all things in common.
And they sold their possessions of good and parted them to all
men, as every man had need. And they continued, and they
continuing daily, with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house. did eat their meat with gladness
and singleness of heart, comma, does that have comma in your
Bible? Praising God and having favor with all the people, period. And the Lord added to the church
daily as should be saved. That ain't going out and getting
in religious arguments with everybody and getting in political arguments
with everybody and showing that I got my rights. That's living
peace with all men. Have favor with them. Be a good
employee. Be a good boss. Be a good neighbor.
Be kind to your neighbors. Maybe the Lord will use that
to bring them in. I think people I've been mean to. I think people
drive behind me on my road sometimes when I'm teaching that little
girl how to drive. If I could get out and say what's inside
of my head, I don't think they'd come to church with me. I think
that window stays rolled up. I want that. I want the Lord
to add to his church daily. He's going to do that through
his people, through his bride. That's where life's going to
come from. Life's going to come through the bride, isn't it?
Peter tried to get warm by that fire and he ended up cussing
everybody out by the third time. And then the Lord looked at him.
The Lord looked at him and he wept. Bitterly. He was right there in cahoots
with them people around that 55-gallon drum or whatever it
was, warming up, right there with them, trying not to talk
to them, but he's answering their questions, trying to find warmth
in someplace other than Christ, and God looked at him after that
crew, and he wept bitterly, wept bitterly. And then I thought,
too, I kept wanting to keep going with that, Lord's tomb, that
angel said, you go your way, and you tell the disciples, and
Peter, that he'd go forth to Galilee. Where was Peter? Whenever
that angel came there to the tomb and Mary and them was there
to anoint the Lord's body. And he said, you go tell the disciples
and Peter. Peter was at the same place when the Lord caught him
the first time, fishing. He went back to fishing and he
took some folks with him to look over John 21. Two pages to the left again, John
21, verse one. John 21.1, after these things,
Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias
and on this wise showed he himself. They were together, Simon Peter
and Thomas called Didymus and Nathaniel of Cana and Galilee
and the sons of Zebedee, James and John and two other of his
disciples. That's a bunch of them, isn't
it? Simon saith unto them, I go fishing.
They say unto him, we also go with thee. And they went forth
and entered into a ship immediately. And that night, they caught nothing.
Poor Peter, he gave up, said, I'm going back fishing. And you
know what that did? That influenced those other ones to say, we're
going to go with you. That's what ignorance does. It
breeds more ignorance. You know what fear breeds? More
fear, doesn't it? Poor decisions make poor decisions.
Unbelief breeds unbelief, and it's contagious, and that's sad,
isn't it? That's sad. These are all brethren. The Lord
told them, said, you believe God. Is that you? You've been faithful just as
a solid stone since the Lord first saved you? This is good
news to us. They caught nothing. Verse four,
but when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore,
but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said
to them, children, have you any meat? And they answered him,
no. And he said to them, cast the net on the right side of
the ship and you shall find. And they cast therefore. What
a command. Could you imagine if I was up working on an ice
machine or an air conditioner and somebody said, why don't
you flip that other switch? I'd be like, why don't you mind your
own business? I'm the expert. What are you doing? These are
commercial fishermen. But the Lord spoke. The Lord commanded. We'll see it next hour too. Joseph
commanded some things. Cast the net on the right side
of the ship and ye shall find. And they cast their forward.
And now they were not able to draw it in for the multitudes
of fishes. Therefore the disciple whom Jesus loves saith to Peter,
it's the Lord. That's God on that shore. Now when Simon Peter heard that
it was the Lord, he girt his fisher coat unto him for he was
naked and he did cast himself into the sea. He took off swimming,
fast as he could go to get to him. He gave up fishing again. It's gonna take more than once
sometimes. Look down verse 17. It's after
the Lord asked him twice already. He said, Simon, you love me?
You feed my lambs. You love me? Verse 17, he saith
him a third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And
Peter was grieved, because he said unto him the third time,
Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things,
thou knowest that I love thee. And Jesus said unto him, Feed
my sheep. You go preach, Peter. You go preach. You went back
to fishing. I pulled you back from that. You go preach again.
You go catch more men. And you know what happened? That's
what I said last time, too. He was so meek, he stood up in
front of thousands of people at Pentecost, the ones that killed
the Lord, that one that hit him in the face, maybe with a rod,
I don't know if he was there or not. The ones the Lord prayed
for, they don't know what to do. And he stood up and he said,
you killed him. They're sinners. God did this. It was his determinant
account of foreknowledge, and you're guilty. And I said, let's
pour some water. I won't profess Christ in public,
but by a believer's baptism. I thought about this. This is
common. This is where people take the scriptures and they
whip other people because they ain't got enough good sense to know what it means
because God ain't taught them yet. After that, Peter said, Lord,
you know all things. And he went and preached and
the Lord used him to save all those people. And Peter never,
ever, ever, ever forsook the Lord. He never, ever forsook
the people of God. He never, ever forsook the gospel
again. Right? Wrong. He's still alive. He was still housed in this body
of death. I heard a man quote one time over in Hebrews 10,
he said, if we sin willfully, after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sin. Let that fearful look of judgment. You better not fall
away. It's your fault. It's on you
now. God saved you. You got to keep yourself. That's
a lie. That's a lie. What happened to
Peter? Paul told us so in Galatians
2. He said he was there eating pulled pork barbecue with them
Gentiles, and some Jews showed up, and Peter got up, went over
and sat with the Jews, quit eating the pulled pork, and so did a
couple other ones. And Paul withstood him to the
face. Well, he just changed his mind. He wanted chicken instead.
He denied the gospel, he denied the Lord's people, and he denied
the Lord by doing that. I bet it was fish. He probably
went back to eat fish, Bob. Instead of pork. He did it again. That gives me so much hope. Doesn't
it, Hugh? That's me. That's me. I'm prone to wonder. I'm prone
to leave the God I love. Another preacher friend of mine
asked me the other day, he said, you want to go fishing? I said, physically
and mentally, yes. Let's go fishing. I'm glad I
don't own a boat. We'd be right out there with Peter. We laughed
for a little bit, I stuck my nose back down in the grindstone.
Lord had to keep me then. Back in our text from John 18. That's the kind of, that's the
kind of, I was gonna leave off there and we'll call it a day,
but I ain't. That's the kind of disciples the Lord has. Peter
ain't much, is he? That's the kind of people Christ
came to save. It is. Look here at John 18 verse 19. Now we don't have a big list
of questions there, do we? This is a general statement.
And I'm learning more and more and more as the Lord shows me
things that this is consistent. The people that wouldn't stand
with the Lord's preachers in this day, they wouldn't have
stood with the Lord's preachers 2,000 years ago. Ain't no different. If they're
mean to their wives in this day, they'd be mean to their wives
back then. If they don't like them now, don't like the way
they were things, they wouldn't like the way they were things
6,000 years ago. Wouldn't have made a difference. What do you think that high priest
asked him when he asked of his disciples? Well, people ask it
every day. How many people you got down
there? Well, how many's there? How many go to church with you? Same question people ask today,
how many do you have? What if the Lord would have answered?
He didn't answer, but what if he did? What would he have told
them? I've got 12, and one of them's a devil. Is that so? What about you disciples? Tell
me about your disciples. Is there anyone there that's notable?
Is there any famous people? Is there any theologians there? Those that have masters of divinity.
Are there any of those people there that's been aged many,
many years in the gospel? No, but I'll tell you what we
do have. We got some publicans, a bunch of crooks, mafiosos. We've got some deaf people, some
dumb people, some lame people, some blind people, a bunch of
harlots down there. There's a prostitutes down there.
That's what they are. Lowlifes, people despised by public figures
and everybody of the place. You want to come? Well, that's
not me. Not yet. He asked the priest, the high
priest asked Jesus of his disciples and his doctrine. What's our
doctrine? I get asked a lot if I preach
the whole council of God, that means there's one thing they're
wanting to harp in on. No interest in the whole council.
What's our doctrine? There's a sovereign God over
all things. Salvation's included in that, and that's who he's
talking to. He's our doctrine. Satisfaction substitution. He
provided himself a lamb, Jehovah Jireh, and he's risen. That doctrine
set right in front of him. Ruined by the fall, redeemed
by the blood, regenerated by the spirit. That's who's sitting
right in front of him. Every portion of that's concerning
a person. These young people know that, don't they? What's
profitable doctrine? Preacher says, our pastor told
us that Christ is our doctrine. A person's our doctrine. Good,
I hope they correct people like that and rebuke people the rest
of their lives. That's good things to know, Kyle. What's your doctrine? It's a
person. He's right there. John said, whosoever transgresseth
and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, He hath not God, but
he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father
and the Son." That's eternal life. Verse 19 again, the high
priest asked Jesus of his disciple and of his doctrine. And Jesus
asked him, I speak openly to the world. I ever taught in the
synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always resort.
And in secret have I said nothing. I was down there, I preached
every time them doors was open. I didn't hide nothing. There
wasn't no family covenant doctrine. Like, well, that's the high doctrine.
We only tell the elders and the bishops and all that stuff. Or
that's just what we talk about the family. We don't tell the
public those things. If a man won't preach it, he don't believe
it. That's so. Well, we don't say those things
out loud when you don't believe them. Yes, I do. Prove it. Preach it.
Well, I can't do that. We would lose numbers. That's
what that high priest was concerned about. Takes the power of God to do
that, doesn't it? The Lord said, I've done this in public. I've
said no secret things. I've told you plainly, and it
wasn't some hoity-toity, and I pray that the ever-loving Father
of the mercies of benevolence, and that blesses you with waters,
and just all this nonsense. He said, I'm the door. I'm the way. You see that bread?
I'm the bread. You gotta eat me, you're gonna
live. If not, you die. It wasn't a secret about that,
it's plain. He said, I'm God. And they couldn't stand it. These
things aren't hid. If our gospel's hid, it's hid
to them that are lost. We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus,
the Lord, and ourselves, your servants for Jesus' sake. That candle's not hid, is it?
Lord said, you are the light of the world. A city that is
set on a hill cannot be hid, neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth
light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine
before men that you may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven." Probably they glorify him because you'll
say all the good works is his doing. I know a dear elect lady
that takes that verse very seriously. Why? Her Lord said it. Isn't that good enough? You pray
it often for us, Bob. Keep this light on the hill.
Don't let us hide it. Don't let me be hiding it by
a fire trying to warm up by something else. He has to do those things,
and I petition him. I ask him for it. That's what
the whole first half of Ephesians 5 was talking about, not having
fellowship with worldly folks. Because you can't, he said, walk
in love as Christ has also loved us and given himself for us.
He's a sweet-smelling saver. For you were sometimes a darkness,
but now you're the light and the Lord. Walk ye as children
of light." He said, all things that are reproved are made manifest
by light. For whatsoever doth make manifest
is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou
that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
He's gave me light. I want more. The Lord's been
merciful to me. I need all the mercies. He's
grew me in grace, I want him to grow more. This is somewhere
either in this message notes or next message. This is a rhetorical
question, don't answer it. I just thought of Ronald Reagan
in this state coming from here and him asking Jimmy Carter,
are you better off now than you was four years ago? Don't answer
it out loud. Think about what the Lord's done
for you and grew you in grace and taught you things and settled
you and established you on that cross of solid rock in the last
four years. Has he done that, or has he just done it for everybody
else? He's done that for me, I want him to do more. John 18, 19. The high
priest then asked Jesus of his disciples and of his doctrine,
and Jesus answered him, I speak openly to the world, I ever taught
in the synagogue and in the temple, whether the Jews always resort,
and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them
which heard me. What I have said unto them, behold,
they know what I said. You go ask those ones I've taught.
Everybody listened to it. My dad would say that, but he
would flip-flop the words, depending on how mad he was. He'd say,
I know you heard me, but I need you to listen to me. And the
next time he'd say, I know you listened to me, but I need you
to hear me. And I said, well, is this the time I listen or
is this the time I heard? But there's thousands of people
in their ears, the voice of God went into them. But there was
a few. There's a remnant. They're hurting
the heart. He spoke to their hearts. He
spoke comfortably to their hearts. And to those, not to anybody
else, it's just in the head, to those that he's worked in
the heart, the ones that's least esteemed among you, go ask them.
You wanna know my disciples? Go ask them. They'll say there
ain't nothing just like me. And that's good news. Not many
mighty, not many noble. Well, tell me about your doctrine.
Well, first off, it's singular and it's a person. I don't know
much, but I know I was blind, now I see. And I know he did
it. Does somebody need more than
that explained to them? He said go ask them. How'd they hear? Somebody had to preach to them.
How shall they call on him whom they not believe? How shall they
believe in him whom they not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? That's
why their feet's beautiful. I told you that years ago. I
was five years old and Don Shelby was staying with us down in Pikeville. Henry preached on that, how beautiful
the feet of them that bring good tidings, bring us gospel. And I thought, what's wrong with
their feet? Like, how would somebody have pretty feet? And I was about
four years old or so. And there's all the adults down there by
that big table sitting in the dining room talking. And I slow
crawled underneath that table and he had his shoes off. And
I said, well, his feet's just like anybody else's feet. But fine to me,
years later, 16, 15, 16, 17 years later, however long it was, I
saw that that providence that brought him and the foundation
that God set him on that he declared was precious. That's what was
beautiful. That's what was beautiful. Well, he told Peter, go tell
all the world that good news. And he said, you'll fail, but
I won't. My word won't return to me void.
Let's pray together. Oh, Father, we're so weak. How
thankful we are that your strength is magnified in that. We're so
prone to wondering how thankful we are Christ steadfastness. We're so prone to not believe
and go fishing. We're thankful that Christ came
seeking to save that which was lost. Preserve us, Lord, as you
promised you will. Be faithful through Christ as
he must be, and he is. Make us look to him. Keep our
eyes set on him. Forgive us for what we are. Be
with our brethren around this world, Lord. We pray for our
brethren in Australia and in Africa and Asia, Europe, here. Lord knows that we don't know
of. Be with them as you've been with us. Grow them in grace.
Keep us. It's because of Christ we ask.
Amen. All right. I'm going to turn
that off so we ain't live and I'll mention something to you.