The blood ain't shall not hurt
thee, I o'er thee be kind. I want to crown you, and I o'er
to be kind. I will not, I will not desert
to his foes. I'll never, no never, no never
forsake. Thank you. We sing that a lot,
don't we? I like that. That last line,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake. That's why we sing it
a lot. Because I'm prone to wonder that he's not prone to forsake. Romans 8. Someone had a trip planned somewhere,
vacation this weekend. I said, you're going to miss
Romans 8. Look at verses 28 through 31.
We know all things work together. for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did
foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He, Christ, might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? This verse 28 is often quoted
by many, perhaps as much as John 3.16. But few really, really believe
this, that all things work according to God's eternal purpose. So few people really, really
believe that. One of you ladies was talking
to a man, came into the place where she worked, And she was
telling that man, she just was trying in her way to tell the
man that she believed in a sovereign God, that all things work according
to His purpose. And she said, I believe it's
God's, that if I get in my car and go down the road and am in
a car wreck, that that was God's will. And that man said, oh no,
no, no, no. Now this was a so-called Christian
man. A man that supposedly believes God's, the Bible. Said, oh no,
I don't believe that. And what they do believe is that
Satan did that. Don't they? Then he's sober. Right? We're praying to the wrong
person. Now, it says here, we know. Do you see who this is talking
about? This is talking chapter 1, verse 7 to the saint. Beloved
of God. Led by the Spirit of God. Who
are in Christ Jesus. Who have received the Spirit
of adoption. Whereby we cry. We. We need to understand who
the we in us is. Don't we? We know. All of God's. John 6, 45, our Lord said, they
shall all be taught of God. All thy children, Psalm Isaiah
54 is where that's taken from, shall be taught of the Lord.
He teaches them all that He's God. Isaiah 43, I'd love to turn
there again. It says, You have I chosen that
you might know that I am He. We know. We don't just believe
it. We know it. He's come and given
us an understanding that we might know Him that is true. in Him. In Him that is true. We know
all that are in Christ. That's verse 1, isn't it? Isn't
that how this chapter started? There is therefore now no condemnation
of them which are in Christ Jesus. You believe there was an ark?
Noah's ark? You believe that? You know, most
people don't believe that. Even so-called Christians believe
that's some kind of allegory. They believed the fall of Adam
and Eve was an allegory. We know it wasn't. We know it
was true. Those in that ark, all of Noah's
family knew the same thing, didn't they? They knew. You know what the
first thing they knew was? God is holy. when they saw the world perishing
around them, and they're not perishing? Why? Because we're in this ark. They
knew God is holy. He will by no means clear the
guilty. God is angry with the wicked every day. They all knew
that, didn't they? They knew His chief attribute
wasn't love. It's holiness. They all knew
that. God is righteous. They knew that. That everybody outside that ark
was getting exactly what they deserved. Didn't they? They rejected
God. They rejected the truth. They
all knew that God will not clear the guilty. That God is the judge. They all knew salvations of the
Lord. They all knew that we're in this
ark because He chose us, didn't they? We're in this ark because
He put us in this ark. We're in this ark because He
called us. He put us in this ark. And He shut the door or
we would have run out a long time ago. They all knew that,
didn't they? No exceptions. And we know. They all knew it was only the
mercy of God that kept them from perishing. Only the grace of
God that kept them from perishing. They all knew they were saved
one way or the other. They all knew that. No exception. And we know. You see? And why do we know? We all know this because He has
given us an understanding. That He revealed Himself to us.
That's why we know. He didn't leave us in darkness
even as others. That's why we know. All in Christ
know this. Because they're all taught of
God. And every man that hath heard and learned of the Father
comes to Christ. They get in the ark. That's what it means to be led
by the Spirit. Everyone that has the Spirit of God comes to
Christ. He's found in Christ. And brethren,
if you're found in Christ, there's no condemnation. God loves you. If you see Christ as your all,
God loves you. You're in the ark. And God reveals Himself. God
reveals His purpose. God reveals His sovereignty to
you. I am God. I will by no means
clear the guilty. But I have spared you because
of Jesus Christ. My purpose was concerning you
to bring you to my Son. I ordered all this. I elected
you. I chose you and put you in Jesus
Christ. I did it all. And what do you
say? Thanks be unto God. Right? Nearly everyone in here
has heard this story, but I'm going to tell it again. If there's
one person that had heard it in India, when my father was
a young Southern Baptist preacher, so-called, he didn't know God. He preached this typical, God
loves you, Jesus died for you. Thought he was saved. My mother
thought she was saved. They were in their 20s. They
didn't know God. Pastored a great big so-called
Southern Baptist church. Well, in God's Purpose, a man
was invited to preach there from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
His name was Ralph Barnard. Nobody knew too much about him.
And the preacher, just out of nature, chose an evangelist. We're going to have a revival,
so where do we find a preacher? And somebody said, there's a
fellow named Ralph Barnard in Winston-Salem. He called him. And they called him and he came
to town in Ashland, Kentucky in 1950. My dad was 24 years
old, my mother was 26, two years old. Alright, they're sitting
in a tent in the middle of Central Park with everybody, every member
of every church in Ashland, Kentucky. Barnard stood up and he said,
two biggest lies ever been told. He's saying neither one of them
is up. Number one, God loves everybody. He said, that's a
lie. God loves his people. Romans 8, 29 says the love of
God is in Jesus Christ. Outside of Christ, God's a consuming
fire. He doesn't love everybody. He
said, everybody tells this lie that Jesus died for everybody.
He said, it ain't so. Christ said he died for his sheep.
He said, there's goats. He didn't die for goats. He died
for sheep. And then shortly after, Dad said
you could hear everybody's jaw hit the floor. Because that's
what everybody believes in false religion. God loves you, Jesus
died for you, and all this stuff happens and he doesn't want it
to happen, but bless him, he's so sorry. God's so sorry for
you. That ain't God. And you're wasting your time
praying to a God like that. And everybody believes a God
like that, believing a false God, and that's not salvation.
This is eternal life, Christ said, that they might know Thee,
the only true God. But if you believe and know that
God, Ricky, it's all good. And it's all under God. Atheism is faith. It's belief. It's truth. Satan's not God. Man's not God. Man's not free.
God is. Why do people bother with the
good? Because it makes them feel good. Makes them feel religion. And they like to be in control
of their destiny. I've said this so many times,
that the thing that makes people exceedingly mad about the truth
is that this belief of the truth takes their destiny out of their
hands. People don't want their destiny
out of their hands. Well, that's exactly what makes
God's people glad. That my destiny is not in my
hands. It's in the hands of someone
infinitely wiser and better than me. Where am I? Oh, then Barnard came to that
church where Dad was pastoring. Alright, he was preaching from
Romans 8. 28. And that 24-year-old preacher,
he pointed his finger at him and he said, young man, stand
up and quote Romans 28. And Dad stood up and he said,
for we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God. And he sat down. And Barnard, they called him
Old Brother Barnard, didn't they? He was 40. At the time, he was
40, Kelly, 40 years old. And Dad and Mom thought he was
old. But he wore these glasses down, the reading glasses like
that. And he said, you didn't quote all of it. Stand up and
quote all of it. And Dad stood up and he said,
for we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, who is called according to His purpose. And Dad said,
when he said purpose, Barnard screamed at the top of his lungs.
Purpose! Purpose! God does everything
on purpose. He said, learn something about
the God of purpose, you'll know something about the God of the
Bible. Does that sound like Him, Ma? The God of the Bible. It ain't nothing by chance, nothing
by happenstance, nothing according to man, according to the devil.
It's all according to God who worketh all things according
to the counsel of His will, and none can stay His hand and say,
you can't do that. I just did it. God will work,
and who will never? That's the God of the Bible. Why do all things work together?
Because God's working them. That's why. We say things like
we hope it turns out. Well, whatever it is, will turn
out. Because God's turning it. This
world is turning. Yes, it's round. It's a globe. And it's turning. Exactly on
the axis God made it. Exactly the speed God made it.
If it goes a fraction of a mile per hour slower or faster, will
all fall off. If it gets a little closer to
the sun, it won't burn up. It'll freeze to death. Why? Evolution? God. Only a fool would say there's
no God. And everybody's a fool. Born
fools. Fool born every day. We're all
born fools. Why aren't we foolish? We were
at one time foolish, but God. Gave us understanding. All things.
We know all things. And I'm on my third or fourth
page of notes there. Let me go back. We know. We know. Garnet Guthrie. Most of you remember Garnet.
Sweet, dear, kind lady. The Lord taught her the truth
in her later years. And like so many, she was in
false religion, wasn't she? Like the rest of you. But God
had chosen her and revealed the truth to her. She renounced all
her old past and confessed the Lord and believers baptism. Now
knows the true and living God and the true Christ and who He
is and why He came, who He came for and what He did and where
He is now and the truth. And she loved the truth. Oh,
she loved the truth. And she did what I asked all
of us to do is to give me her funeral wishes. And she was in
a nursing home at the time. You remember, she was in a nursing
home. And he'd go there. She was just that insane, toothless
smile. She had dentures, you know, and
didn't wear them. And she'd have that big smile.
You'd go to cheer her up and you'd leave cheered. She didn't
have a complaint. She never complained. Content. God. She believed God. And she loved
the truth. Oh, she loved it. She loved truth
like Romans 8.28. And she asked me, she said, here's
what I want you to do. She wrote it all down. I want
you to preach my funeral. And she named the men she wanted
to carry her casket. And she said, preach Romans 8.28.
And she added these words, just like Sunday morning. In other words, don't do it different. She wanted everybody to hear
what she knew and loved. And she also said, 2 o'clock.
Make it 2 o'clock. This is before she died. Well,
God arranges the time. That's for sure. Just like Sunday morning. Just
like that. All things. That dear lady was poor, wasn't
she? Betty, your mama. Porn? Didn't
have much, did she? Living in that little trailer
for years? Was she happy? Oh, my. Wow. She believed God. On the other
hand, there's a very wealthy lady here in town that I've talked
to, too, about these things. And her husband died and left
her a multimillionaire. And she said when he died, she
said this to me, she said this to me. She said, I asked my preacher. See, I told my preacher, read
anything, but don't read Romans 8.28. Don't read that. She doesn't believe all things
work together. Most don't really believe in
God. If they don't believe that God's working all things, they
don't believe in God. Right? They believe in faith,
they believe in chance, they believe in whatever, in luck.
You've heard them say that before, haven't you? They ask them, how
did you get through this little luck and a lot of prayer? There ain't no such thing as luck.
There ain't no such thing as luck. It's all grace. It's all mercy. It's all purpose. Nothing happening by luck or
chance or happenstance. They don't believe all things
work together after the counsel of His will. They just rather
believe that God's a bystander in the affairs of man, like man.
That God's like a man. He's just waiting, hoping, wishing
that things will turn out all right. Right? That's what they
believe. They believe that Satan's getting
his way. They believe that man, if only
man would cooperate. That God just hopes and wishes.
They say things like this on their signs in front of their
so-called churches. It says this. God believes in
you. God has faith in you. What kind of God is that? Do
you want a God like that? That's no God. That's a God who's
wishing and wanting and hoping. He's no better than a man. Brother
Mike, I need a God who's God. I'm not saying that mad. I'm
just with emphasis. I need a God who has this world
in His hands. That evil is restrained by Him
and the rest of it works His purpose. Or else, if that ain't
so, I'm heading to the hill of men to get your fangs. Let's
get our guns. Let's load our wagons and head
to the hills. Why? Terror. Man, I'm afraid. Christ said, don't fear him that
kills a body and after that he has nothing he can do. Fear God
who said, I kill, I make alive. Fear God who after he kills casts
both body and soul in the hell. Christ said, I have the keys
of heaven and death. Is this the God you believed
when you first heard the truth? If it's not, you didn't know
the God then, and you need to know God. Is this the Christ you confessed
when you first thought you were saved? If it wasn't, you need
to get in that pool and confess, I didn't know the Jesus Christ
of Scripture. Now I do. Oh, they say God hopes all things
will work out. That's what they believe about
God. He's hoping all things work out. I'm here to tell you. Kevin,
that's why I'm here to tell you from God's Word, everything's
going to work out because God's working it out for good. For good. Hear me now. Don't hear me. I didn't say it.
Hear him now. For good. Whether it be good,
whether it be evil, whether it be life or death. We're not going
to get to it, but it says all these things. Will anything separate?
No, it's going to unite us. Nothing. Why? Because God has
ordered all things. And sure, don't you love that?
That's called predestination. What do you think about that?
Will you say these things? Here's what you need to say.
If you're a believer, here's what you say. If God be for us, what doesn't matter? Principalities,
powers, rulers of the darkness of this world. He's God. I wish I believed God, don't
you? All things. The attributes of
God work for our good, His holiness, His justice. You know, the justice
that ensures no one will be cleared and the guilty will not be cleared.
The justice of God ensures that those whom Christ died for must
go free. Do you hear me? You listen to me. The justice
of God demands that the soul for whom Jesus Christ died must
go free. The justice that says the soul
that sins shall surely die says the soul for whom Christ was
made sin shall surely live. Because the penalty has been
paid. Sins have been paid. Not half paid. Not partially
paid. Not you pay part of it. Jesus
Christ paid it all. And buddy, you've got to go free.
The justice of God says so. His attributes work together. His wisdom. He's too wise. Why did Satan tempt thee? Because
God purposed it. Why did man fall? Because God
purposed it. Why did everything happen the way it did? Because
God purposed it. He's too wise. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. Acts 15 and 18. Right? He said,
I the Lord do all these things. Deuteronomy 32, 39. I do all
things. His wisdom works together. His goodness, he's good. He's
too good to do wrong, to do bad. He's too good. The world's not
an innocent victim to God's justice. They're rebels against God. When people die and things happen,
do you think that all these innocent people die? God's too good. He doesn't punish innocent people.
Children that die. You know how good God is? He
takes them to glory, all of them. He keeps them from going through
a lifetime of sin and misery. Isn't that good? Let me ask you
this. If God loves everybody, and Jesus
died for everybody, why didn't He just kill Satan and take everybody
else? Sounds simple, doesn't it? Is he God? Why doesn't he just
kill Satan, be done with him, and take everybody to heaven?
Why? Because he doesn't love everybody. But buddy, those whom he does
love, he crushed Satan. And he's going to take them to
heaven. He's God. You have no peace, you have no
comfort, you have no hope, you have no salvation if you don't
believe this God. It's not doctrine. It's a person. We're talking about a person
here. His goodness, his faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. We
just sang that. Great is thy faithfulness. God
is faithful. His unchangeableness. He said,
I the Lord, I am the Lord, I change not. You see, he's purposed all
that. It doesn't need to change. The
only reason there's change, evolution says this, the reason there's
change is because something needs to be better. Well, God's purpose
is sure, order and sure. It's perfect. Why would He change
it? Why would God change? He doesn't change His mind. He doesn't change His purpose.
He doesn't change His promises. Whatever He promises, to whom
He promises, He won't change. Don't you love that? He doesn't
change. His love, whoever He loves, their
love forever. You know, we're fickle and finite
and fallible and sinful, aren't we? We love our children, don't
we? We love them no matter what, don't we? No matter what. Are
we better than God? That's what we're saying. That
people that God loves are in hell right now. What kind of
love is that? What kind of father is that? Brother Steve, what
kind of God, what kind of father is that that would let his children
perish if they had the power to not let it happen? That ain't
our God, Brother Steve. His love, His mercy, His mercy
endureth forever. His grace, the works of God,
all things work together. His sovereign power, His creation,
His providence. You know, the whole world exists
for the salvation of God's people. For God's glory and the salvation
of God's people. He said this in Isaiah. He said,
I gave Ethiopia and the Sea before you. He said, I gave Egypt for
your ransom. I created Pharaoh, raised him
up for this purpose, to let you go. All things, all people, all things,
world, the flesh, and the devil, though we think everything's
against us, and it is, but if God be for it. Troubles, trials, afflictions,
persecution, sickness, sorrow, good, evil. We don't understand.
Why does this happen? Why does that happen? You don't
need to know. You just need to trust God. Little things happen
that disturb us, don't they? We wonder, why did that happen?
Well, be assured of this. It had to happen or it wouldn't
have happened. That God purposed it according to His purpose.
And we don't see everything that He does. What we do need to see
is the big picture. I may use that illustration.
Like a tapestry. You've seen a tapestry, haven't
you? And we're all like people looking at the backside of a
tapestry. If you look at the backside of a woven rug or a
tapestry, it looks like a bunch of unrelated tangled mess, doesn't
it? You look at this world outside
of Christ and God's purpose, it looks like chaos. It looks
like this has happened independently. This has happened independently.
Look at this. Why did that happen? Why did that happen? Turn it
over. Turn around. Don't you see? A face! A face. That's what Ephesians 1 says.
That in the fullness of time. This is the purpose of God. He's
made known under His will to reveal His purpose. That in the
fullness of time, He's going to gather together all things in one, even in Christ. And all of God's people will
be in heaven, be in glory, Bonnie, be in the kingdom of God and
say, would you look? That's why we're here. And we'll
turn and look at each other, Bonnie, and say, you look just
like Him. Who did that? God did it. Worked it all again. Just this morning, you know,
I forgot these devices. There are many devices of men.
I forgot these devices, and John said, where are the recorders? So I said, I'll run home and
get it. Well, on the way home, I got
seven minutes, I got behind a fellow who was doing 22 miles per hour.
I looked at him, he was doing 22 miles per hour on Scuffling
Hill Road. Was I patient, ain't me? I wanted to pass him, you know,
they just paved it and there's no lines, so if there's no lines,
I can pass. No, I know the law. Why is this happening? All right,
ran out, got their devices, got back in the car, got behind them.
Lauren, I got behind somebody that was doing 12 miles an hour.
I'm not kidding you, I left my speedometer. He's just looking
here, looking there. He's not going to worship God.
Doesn't he know what I've got to do? Why did that happen? So I can use this illustration. All things. Make me stop and make me think
about God. It made me never not get mad at that little old fella
in that truck. Because I need patience worse
than anything. Let me give you a better illustration of that.
Danny Groover, down in Mexico, went to the shopping sent her
to the grocery store, and came out and couldn't find her car.
Anybody? Couldn't find her car. And she
looked everywhere, and Betty's just as sweet and kind and patient
and long-suffering as any woman I know. And she said, I was fit
to be tied. Couldn't find my car. She looked
and looked, and it took her maybe five minutes, but it seemed like
five hours. She finally found it, got in
her car, and headed the way she was going to head, and there
was a massive car wreck at the exact point that she would have
been had she not couldn't find her car. And she said, she first asked God for forgiveness
for not being patient, and thanked the Lord that she couldn't find
her car. All things. All things. For them that love God. Isn't
that what we were talking about? Those that love God. Who loves
this? Who loves this mission? Who loves
that God is God? Who loves God's right to be God?
Who loves that God is God? Who loves, not just to believe
the truth, loves it! Loves that God is God. Loves
that Christ is the only mediator, the only intercessor, the only
salvation, that all the things are in His hand. Loves that.
Needs it to be so. He's glad that it's so. Who loves
that? Those that God loves. Everybody else hates it. Hates
it. Smile. If you love God, This
guy, God loves you. And his son, he sent his son
down here to die for your sins and they're gone. And the Spirit
is leading you and guiding you and directing you, will not let
you go. And when it's time, he's going
to come back to you and take you all the way to glory. You
have his word on it. OK. All right, let's sing a number
267. 267. All things work. 267. Let's stand
and be seated. 267. All things work out for good,
we know, such is God's great design. He orders all at steps below
for purposes divine. For purpose is divine This is
the faith that keeps me still No matter what the test And lets
me glory in His will For well I know tis best For well I know,
tis Mary, the last verse, Someday the path He chose for me. If only I could see, In heaven
clear and light I'll be, Knowing her love for me. Always look out for you. So, I don't know. I don't know. I'm going to go ahead and start.
I'm going to go ahead and start. Thank you. Thank you very much. I don't know. I don't know. uh uh Thank you very much.