This message was prepared originally
for this morning here for you. After looking at it, I wanted
to preach it on the radio, so I did. But this is not the same
message, not even the same notes at all. I completely prepared
a completely new message, wrote it all out again, and just grab
it so you'll know what went into this. Although it is the same. The
things said in the radio message. Much will be repeated but we
don't have a new message. I often think about that I think. It's just my flesh thinking. That. Need to come up with something
you know. perhaps new but now. And I I
listen to preaching I listen to CDs and tapes by the brethren
and. You know what blesses me. More
than anything. I always get a great blessing. Comforts me. Convicts me and
comforts me and helps me and strengthens me and so forth.
It's the same truth, the same thing. God's sovereign mercy. His sovereign electing grace. I get it. I still get a blessing
out of that same thing. And I thought, well, I believe
God's people do too. That's what we want to hear versus
five through seven. Let's read this again. When Jesus
was entered into Capernaum. It came unto him a centurion.
Beseeching him pleading with him that is. Saying Lord. And you know he was. A tone of
voice I'll not try to. Imitate he was. pleading, Lord,
my servant, to someone he loved, someone he knew for years, that
lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus
saith unto him, I will come and heal him." The Lord Jesus Christ is God
who was manifest in the flesh, the great Savior. of his people
shepherd. Great shepherd who came to this
earth to seek he said and say that which was lost all that
the father gave me he came to seek them and find them and save
them redeem them from their sins and he did just that. And he
found them where he put them. There are no chance meetings.
Between this shepherd and his sheep. No chance. He knows where
they are and he goes. They don't know they're the ones
lost. You said they're not lost to him. He knows exactly where
they are and he goes find them. And no chance meetings. You're not here by chance. Or
am I? It's on purpose. This centurion over in Luke's
account of this same story Luke called him a certain centurion.
At a certain server. And you've seen many times with
me how that. God Almighty saves certain persons
whom he has foreknown before the world began certain individual
salvation you see is of the Lord and it's certain. Foundation
of God stand assure. having this feel. Means it's
it's wrapped up written in a book feel it's going to happen. The
Lord know of them that are here. And he comes to find them. Comes
to find well this man is certain centurion came unto the Lord
Jesus Christ beseeching begging him and he said he called him
Lord That's what he called Jesus of
Nazareth, Lord. You see, those whom the Father
reveals the Son to, and no man knows who he is unless the Father
revealed him. Those whom the Father reveals
Christ to, they call him Lord. No man, Scripture says, can call
him Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. His enemies. You have seen with
me how that his enemies the Pharisees referred to him simply as Jesus
didn't. Always. Jesus did we know who
he is. Son of the carpenter. They thought
of him and spoke of him and referred to him as just a man. But God
sees salvation and we see Jesus Paul wrote in Hebrew we see Jesus
And whenever it says Jesus in the Scriptures, that's the Holy
Spirit who's narrating, who's writing it. And he's distinguishing
this man here from the Lord God in heaven. Here's the man. He doesn't say Lord all the time.
He was telling us, if he said Lord all the time, who's he talking
about? However, they're one. They're the same. Explain it.
I can't. But this is the reason he's referred to by the Holy
Spirit many times as Jesus, to distinguish him. Are you with
me? To distinguish, so we'll know who he's talking about.
And Paul wrote in Hebrews, we see Jesus, a man, made a little
lower than the angels. We saw a man. Call his name Jesus. His child is born. Call that
child's name Jesus. But his name is Emmanuel. His office, his title, his true
person. See, a child is born, but his
son is given. He was ever with the Father from
the beginning. Who is he? The Lord. Jesus, the man. Christ, the Messiah, the promised
one. And so we see Jesus made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death. He's made
had a body for the suffering of death, being made a sin sufferer,
payment, a lamb, slain, as it were, slain. We're going to see
on the throne someday a lamb as it had been slain. We're going to see a man. We're
going to see a man. There's a man in glory. But we're
going to call him Lord and God, aren't we? as all of God's people
do now. Now, his enemies didn't, but
his disciples, he turned to his disciples one day and he said,
you call me Lord and Master. And they did. Read it. Every
time they referred to him, every time they spoke to him, they
said, Lord, Master. And he said, turned to them and
said, you call me Lord and Master and you say well. I want to say
well, don't you? You say, well, for so I am. I am. And that's how God's people
were referred to. So this man, knowing who this
is, Lord, he said, Lord, my servant, life at home, sick of the palsy,
grieves the torment. Lord, there's no hope for him. You're his only hope. That's
why I've come to you. If he's healed, it'll be by you. Nobody else. No one can heal
him. Lord, he's sick with a palsy. I mean, he's paralyzed. He can't
move. He can't come to you. He's powerless. He's impotent. He's unable. He
will not come to you. Lord, will you go to him? Better
yet, just speak the word. Anybody you know like this, like
this servant sick for the palsy, that was me. Wasn't it you? That was me. Still is at times,
isn't it? Still is. Our Lord said one time,
no man can. I said unto you, no man can come
unto me, except the Father which hath sent me, draw him. Drawing
Lord me I won't come I can't. My servant my son my daughter
my husband my wife my father my mother my friend my neighbor
who is sick of the polls. Is it home sick. You see that
he's at home he didn't come to the worship so he doesn't want
to come to the worship so he wouldn't come to the work he
will not come to the worship Lord. Unless you bring him. Right. I wouldn't. He's saying
sick Lord he's sick he doesn't know how sick he is that's how
sick he is. He's dead he's not just sick he's dead and trespassing
and he will not come unto you that he might have life would
you go to him and give him life Lord anybody you know. Good message, along with last
Sunday's. Come on. Come on. He said, Lord, he's
grievously tormented. I thought of how men and women
and young people are so tormented by sin, yet they don't know what
torments them. You know that people are tormented,
they have no peace, they have no no. contentment, no real satisfaction,
because God says there be no rest, there be no peace for the
wicked. Those who don't know me, those
who don't thank me, those who don't worship me, there's not
going to be any peace, contentment, satisfaction whatsoever. Not
going to find it. Be tormented as long as they're
in rebellion against God and Not giving God a thought, their
maker. You can't be at peace when you're at war with your
owner. Right? When you're trespassing
on somebody else's property without permission and without thanks.
There'd be no peace. Guilt. Guilt. Tormented. Young people are tormented. People are tormented by desires
and unfulfilled insatiable desires and lust for what don't know
but I need something. And you know here's the thing
is we don't know what we're tormented by until the Lord finally relieves
us of that. Like the sin it's sin is what
the problem is sin against God. Like the blind man you know people
are blind they don't know it until they have eyesight. People don't know they're blind
until they finally say, and I think, wow, I was blind, wasn't I? Listen
to this passage in 2 Timothy. Paul wrote to a young preacher
to preach the gospel, and he said, God, peradventure, perhaps,
hopefully, God, peradventure, and it's going to have to be
from him, God, peradventure, will give repentance. Goodness of God leads to repent.
Preacher can't. God prevents you will give repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth. Men believe a lot. And that they
may recover themselves like or like the parodical son come to
themselves. Who's going to bring a person
to themselves? Who's going to bring someone to see themselves
for what they are? Who's going to bring a person
to see You're a rebel. God, only God, if God, for adventure,
will bring them to themselves like that prodigal son and recover
them out of the snare of the devil. They don't even know they're
in it, but they're possessed by him. Demon possession is rampant. If you're not possessed by the
Spirit of God, you're possessed by some spirit. And it's not like Hollywood depicts
it. Oh without question all this
you know the look at our society how they're just look at their
bodies and look what they're doing to themselves. That's clear
and. Demonic. But there's demon possession
sitting in a church. Most of them are standing up
preaching. And they're in the snare of the
devil he said they're taken captive by him at his will. The God of
this world has them captive, tormented. They don't know by
what or who, by who. God, we know. We were there. Only if he who leads captivity,
captivity, comes stronger than him, binds that strong man. Huh? Who's that? Martin Luther
wrote that great hymn. Just ask who that may be. Lord
Jesus, it is he. He must win the battle. And he
went on to say, John, one little word. He just has to give the
word. Let my captives go. Deliver him. Sends the angel through the preaching
of the Gospels, deliver that one Which one that one no not
that that one that's my choice deliver him from going down into
the pit from being destroyed. I've got a ransom. Got a ransom. Got his name right
here. The Lord said to this man I will
come and heal him. Lord would you? I will. I will the Lord is not only able
to say to the uttermost or the group or the tormented most or
the palsy most the most palsy the Lord is not only able to
save the most paralyzed the most obstinate. You have someone you know you
think is the hardest headed maybe a son or a daughter or A brother
or sister, and you think they're so hard-headed, just like I was,
just like I am. The Lord is not only able to
save to the most paralyzed or uttermost, down the deepest. You know, when you hear about
somebody getting as low as they can go, and some of you have
family and so forth, that have hit rock bottom. That doesn't
mean they're hopeless. That means they're at the point
where there's the greatest hope for them. You know that? It really is. The Lord saves
the rock bottom. The lowly. The rock bottom. That way he's going to get all
the glory. It's going to be clearly seen
who did this. right. When he reaches down to
the bottom of the barrel, the fact is, everyone God saved is
at the bottom of the barrel. The worst. All his sheep are
black sheep when he finds them. They're the worst ones of the
bunch. He didn't come to call the righteous, he came to call
sinners, the chief of sinners. His greatest display of his great
salvation is hanging on that cross and right there beside
him is a murderer and a thief. Everybody, everybody wanted that
man dead. Christ said, nope, he's going
to live. Here's my final, well, while
I'm here, my final and greatest trophy. proving, showing that
salvations of the Lord, not in the man's will, my will. That thief on the cross said,
today you'll be with me in paradise. Well, this man, the Lord said,
I will come and heal him. Not might. The Lord didn't say,
I will come if you'll come, if you'll meet me halfway. Did he?
He didn't say, I might come if he'll do this or do that. He
said, I will, and he shall be healed. This is the salvation
that's of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will, and he shall. If I will
it, it shall be done. I purpose to save, they'll be
saved. I mean, plump saved, healed,
forgiven, all things. all manner of things wiped out
so much so you won't be able to find it. Now listen to this man's confession
of faith. The Lord called this man's faith
great faith. Only twice let the Lord call
faith great faith. Only two persons, both of them
Gentiles, not Jews. Here this man came. Here's his face. This man came
first, begging, didn't he? Beseeching, begging. He didn't
come expecting. He didn't come demanding. He
didn't come thinking, well, look, he ought to hear me or won't
he be glad to see me? He's a beggar. He came begging and he came calling. The Lord Jesus Christ, who he
was, acknowledging, worshipping him, like the leper. There's
a reason that story is before this one. The leper. It says
many followed him, many Jesus followers, but one came to him,
worshipped him, fell down at his feet. Oh, lots of people
say, Jesus this, Jesus that, and with their lips say, Lord,
Lord. That leper fell down at his feet and said, Lord. He worshipped. The leper, before he asked him
a thing, before he got anything from him, before he even knew
the Lord was going to do anything for him, he worshipped him. That's who the Lord's already
done something for. And this centurion, Lord, he
called him Lord, called him who he was. And look at verse 8.
The centurion said, Lord, I, am not worthy that you should
come to my house. I'm not worthy that you should
come under my roof." Old Peter, one time, when he
finally saw who the Lord was, that the Lord could, that he
is God, and read his very thoughts, no thought in his mind that the
Lord didn't clearly see. He said, depart from me, Lord,
I'm a sinful man. He said, Lord, I'm not worthy.
Salvation's for the unworthy. Sad to say it, isn't it? That's
why this building's not full. That's why this building's not
full. Certainly not full of doctors
and lawyers and those, you know, I'm not in beautiful people were
the people you know that got all be glad they're here. There aren't many centers out
there that just aren't. Lord said this is what the Lord says
here about this man's profession of faith. He said it's hard to
find. Especially among religious people. Oh, I used to be a center
preacher, but now I'm living the victorious life. Oh, are
you? Well. Salvation is for the unworthy. Mercy is for the guilty. Not
the righteous. It's not even for just the imperfect.
Oh, I have my faults, preacher, but nobody's perfect. That's
for sure. But this salvation, this salvation
is for those that deserve hell. Not the merely imperfect. It's
for the ungodly. That's salvation. This is by
grace. What's that mean? That means
everything you get is given to you. From repentance to faith. To restraint from sin, to calling
on him, to prayer, to coming by grace. Salvation is by grace. It's for the helpless. Meaning
those who Cannot help but their love God's love you know who
God loves. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
this is our Gomer I mean our Hosea this is our Hosea who came. by orders of the king to marry
a forlorn woman, not a sweet kind virgin, but a pretty virgin,
but an ugly used up old maid that nobody else wants. And she's
on the auction block and nobody else will have her and nobody
wants her. She's unlovely. And here comes the altogether
lovely son of the Most High God. See, whose love is going to be
honored here? Whose love is going to be glorified
here? Who's going to be glorified for saying, I do? Huh? When this marriage takes place,
this altogether lovely, beautiful, most high sun, prince of glory,
king of glory comes, who can have anyone he wants, and comes
and says, I'll take that one that nobody wants. Ugly, used
up, a goner, nobody wants her. You wouldn't give a dime for
her. I'll give my life for her. And watch what I do, for I'm
going to parade her down the street on my arm. Who's going
to talk about how she accepted him? Huh? What is everybody going
to be saying? Oh, what love, amazing love,
that he would love somebody like me. You see, this love is for the
unlovely. I'm not worthy. That's exactly who he came for,
the unworthy. and everybody in glory. There's
not one person in glory who thinks they belong there. In fact, every
one of them are singing in Revelation 5, this is the song of the redeemed. Worthy is the Lamb. Every one of us are unworthy. Worthy is the Lamb to receive
power, meaning All power is ascribed to Him. We didn't come because
we willed it, we came because you willed it. We didn't come
because we chose you, we came because you chose us. We didn't
come because we decided to, because you decided to. All power worthy
is the Lamb to receive, that is to be acknowledged that all
this power of the sinner repenting, coming, believing, calling is
of the Lord. Worthy is the Lamb to receive
riches, all honor, all accolades, all praise, all wisdom. Poor ignorant fools, that's what
we were. But He who is wisdom, strength. Worthy is the Lamb to receive
strength. He came to save Those without
strength, you see. And he did it how? By his strength. By his right arm. He made bare
by the grave his holy arm. And he keeps making it bare to
his people. And honor. Worthy is the Lamb to receive
all honor. All honor. Nobody in heaven is
going to be honored but Jesus Christ. Right? and glory and blessing in every
creature it says, blessing and honor and glory and power be
unto him, unto him, the Lamb. I'm not worthy. How many people really believe
that? You ask the average so-called
Christian, how many would actually say I'm not worthy of the Lord
taking the least notice of me. Like Jeremiah, not worthy of
the least. Or Jacob. Jacob said, I'm not
worthy of the least of thy favor. Or the woman. Here's the other
great thing. Crumbs. I don't even deserve
crumbs. That's what all of God's people
say. You know that? Every one of them
think themselves unworthy and they say he alone is worthy. And our Lord said of this man
in verse 10, he had great faith. Great faith. Because it's a great
miracle. You know that it's a great miracle
of God's grace to bring a proud sinner down. bring a proud center down. So
his confession was he came begging calling him who he was. Lord
said I'm not worthy and look at verses eight and nine. I love
this centurion said Lord I'm not worthy that thou should have
come under my roof but speak the word. All you have to do
is speak the Your word is your power. Verse nine, I'm a man
under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to this man,
go. I'm just a lowly centurion. I'm
not even the top dog. I'm just a foreman. But I say,
go, and he goes. I say, come, and he comes. I
say to my servant, do this, and he does it. Meaning, I have a
little power and a little authority. I have a little sovereignty here.
You have all authority. Whatever you say go. Whatever you say go. How many
really believe that how many really believe that God is doing
according to his will and the armies of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay
his hand. How many really believe that. How many really believe
that when God says go somebody goes. That when God says come
that they will come. How many believe when God says
do this and they'll do it. And nothing can stop how many
really. I'd love to see a show of hands in here. I would hope
every hand would raise. Very few people. Hard to find.
Oh they say God's in control but mostly with thunder and lightning. If you're not in control of man's
salvation or man's will he can't do anything about that he can't
do anything less man cooperate with. That's not. Sounds to me like man is a sovereign
one. Not this Jesus Christ. Not the
true Jesus that's another Jesus who can't who's standing outside
can't get in unless man let it but Jesus Christ of Scripture.
And aren't you glad. Aren't you glad. The Jesus Christ
of Scripture, the day he said, come, you came. The day he said,
repent, you repented. The day he said, believe, you
said believe. The day he said, do this, do
that, you did it. It is God that worketh in us,
both the will and to do of what? Whatsoever he hath. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? I'm still glad. It's still that
way. It's still that way. Oh, my. This Jesus Christ is none other
than David's Lord that sits in the heavens. They ask David,
what can your Lord do? It's not what can he do. They say that. My God can do
anything. My God is powerful. My God. Well,
let me tell you about my God, Jesus Christ. David Scott here's
what they David what can your God let me tell you what he has
done. Not what he can do but what he
has done. My God is right now he's not
outside my heart door open out he's seated because it's all
finished seated at the right hand of the majesty on sitting
in the heavens reigning ruling controlling all things. And he
had done. have ordered, purposed, ordained,
predestined, known unto God all his works from the beginning
of the world, wrote it all in a book, it's settled, it's sure,
it's certain, it's going to come to pass. He said, I've spoken
it, I will do it. He said, I've purposed it, it
shall happen. And he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. That's my thought. How many people believe that?
The average person were listening to this message. Would be getting
angry. And I'm looking into the faces
of people like the centurion. Who are so glad. To speak the
word. The only hope for my lost loved
one or whoever it is is is God will say the word. In the. When the Lord burst and marveled
at his faith he's not like I can't believe this is happening. That's not what that means. Well
how do you. Well I'm amazed. That's not. The parties quoted known under
him are all his works from the beginning. This is a Lord who
knows all things and purposed all things who work of all things.
This is this is written so much is written for our sake. To show
us that the Lord. The Lord honors. To us shows
us proves to us great faith is a marvel. You understand, great faith is
a marvel. We've already said for a proud
all right, here's a man. Here's a man who is raised in
a nice home, has all of the advantages. His parents are rich and all
that. He goes to the finest school. He works real hard. He obtains
degree after degree. He makes something of himself
in the world, so to speak. He gets a job. He earns money.
He does all of this to accumulate a big house and a fine position.
He's at the top. He's at the peak of You know,
as high as a person can go. He's a self-made man. And all
men like that are proud. Oh, they're so proud believing
that I did all this. Like old Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar,
look what I have done to take a person like that. and
convince them to bring that proud, high, lofty one down into the
dirt as a beggar and show them that you've done nothing. Everything
you have is given to you by the grace of God. The mind you have,
the ability, everything to bring that person down like that's
a great work and no man can do it. Only God can do it. It's
a great work. Great faith. There are people
out there who are brilliant, who are strong, who are go-getters,
who accomplish things, don't they? And that's what they think. I've done this. And it takes a great miracle
of God to show that person, you have done nothing. Nebuchadnezzar,
the Lord brought him down to where he was like a beast. Now
then, what are you? And the conclusion
there was to show, Daniel, to show that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of heaven and
among the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
David can measure now after he found all that out he said now
I know. God is God not me. Great faith. Great work of God. Great gift. He says a great gift. To show
me to see that Christ. Is your only hope that's a great
gift. Great gift very few today have. They really do. Verse 11 and 12, the Lord said
a very striking statement. He said, Many shall come from
the east and west, that is, from all over the world, shall sit
down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
Many Gentiles, sinners, but the children of the kingdom, those
who looked like it and acted like it and thought they were
God's people and Jews, you know, religious. Zealous. They'll come. I mean, they'll
be cast out. As our Lord said in Matthew 7
previously, he said, they'll say unto me, Lord, Lord, we did
many wonderful works in your name, the name of Jesus. Lord,
we've been zealous. We've been this, we've been that.
We, that's the whole problem. This man said, Lord, if you will. They're sharing his glory, and
now he'll not share his glory with another. He'll cast them
out, and there'll be weeping and mashing of teeth. People
that are incredulous. I've given my life for Jesus. I've won thousands of souls for
Jesus. The Lord sees right through them.
And there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I can't believe this. God's people will be there going,
I can't believe this. I can't believe I'm here. That's
what they'll be saying. Oh, my. Now, look at this. This
is really what I wanted to dwell on quite a bit. I've done it
again. So a preacher do you know they
take too much time one person. Verse thirteen Jesus said unto
the centurion. Go that way. And as thou hast
to leave. So be it done today. As thou hast to leave. So be
it done. Over in chapter nine he said
this of the A couple of blind men, he said, according to your
faith, so be it unto you. That really caught my attention.
As thou hast believed, so be it done unto you. How did he
believe? Well, he came to Christ. He came to Christ. Nobody else. He came beseeching him. It was
needy faith. What did he believe? That he
was needy. So what did he do? He came to Christ. He needed
him. It was seeking faith. He came. He's needy. So what is he going to do? I'm
going to go and ask that the Lord meet my need. His was humble
faith. How did he believe? I'm not worthy. His faith was calling faith.
Lord, how did he believe? He called. Ask, so be it unto
you. His faith was importunate. Nancy,
say that word, importunate. My wife and Nancy have trouble
saying that word, importunate. Importunate, meaning like the
woman in Luke 18. by her continual coming. She
keeps coming. She keeps coming. That's importunate. This man's faith. According to
your faith, as thou hast believed, you believe that you must be blessed and
you will not let go until you bless me. Does that sound familiar?
That's Jacob. Well, that's all the sons of
Jacob. Every one of them. Yes, sir. Christ said this in
that chapter, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earth? Like that, like this. Unworthy, continual, importunate
worshipers, shall he? As thou hast believed, so be
it unto you. Is that how you believe? You find yourself with this fellow.
Here's faith, and here's what it really means to believe. Bear
with me a few more minutes. Here's faith. Faith says, I need
help. How much help do you need? How
often do you need help? We just don't know how helpless
we are. So what does faith do? I'm going
to go where I can find help. That gospel's being preached.
The word of God's being preached. And I don't know unless some
man tells me I need help. Here's faith. I'm going. As you
have believed, so be it done unto you. Here's faith. I am hungry. I've been out in
the world and I've been living on husks and I'm thirsty. I've been out, like David said
in Psalm 63, I believe it is, my soul thirsteth for thee, that
God in a dry and thirsty land. I'm so thirsty. I've been out
in the world all week. Now I can't find anything to
satisfy my soul. I'm going to go where that water
is being served. I'm going back to the well. Jacob's
well when I first found it, as you have believed." So he had
no idea. He'll go home quenched. Here's
faith. I need mercy. I need mercy. I feel so guilty. I need to hear about my guilt
removed. Where are you going to hear that?
Where are you going to find it? Go where a man is proclaiming
it. Here's what I'll do. I'll go and hear that gospel
again because I'm such a sinner. I need to hear it as often as
I can. There is therefore now no condemnation
of them that are in Christ Jesus. I'll tell you what I'm going
to do. I'm going to go and hear that gospel because I'm unworthy. I need mercy as you have believed. So be it unto you. I need wisdom. I don't know enough
to make the slightest decision. I don't know how to deal with
my children. I don't know how to deal with people I work with.
I don't know how to deal with myself. I need wisdom from above. Here's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to go where the wisdom has expounded. As you believe, so be it unto
you. I just believe that my child
is lost, that my child needs Christ, and
there's only one way that my child is going to be saved, and
that's through the preaching of this gospel, that God is pleased
by the foolishness of preaching to save them like he did me.
So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to have my child under
the sound of that life-giving word, even though they don't
like it. As you have believed, so be it unto you. Isn't that right? The next chapter is the story
of some fellas. Four fellas had a friend who
was sick of the palsy, lying on the bed. They loved that man. He's going to die from this.
And they heard of Jesus of Nazareth, whose God come healing, saving. And they thought brothers. Oh,
Billy Bob. Well, around that hour, they
couldn't get in. What are we going to do? Come on. And they got up on that roof.
Two of them got up. You know how long it took them?
Don't drop him. He came up on the roof. Now what?
There's somebody in there that can help him. There's only one
person that can help him. This is real. There's one person. One thing. Tear out the roof. Gotta get Him to Him. And they
lowered Him down. Now. And it says, the Lord says, seeing
their faith, He said to him, your sins be
forgiven you. As you have believed, I'd love to believe like this
just one time, wouldn't you? I'm going to give you an illustration
right in our midst of the Lord's proving himself
in this passage, as you have believed. There's a lady, one
of our own. I'm not going to tell her name,
but you'll very soon know who it is. The lady in our midst
who is one of the most zealous for the truth. To get
it out. She takes nearly every which
she does she takes every bulletin. And give it to somebody. Everyone. She comes and and reads the note
the messages. Read them again. As for copies
of them so she can look at it again. It's tapes and CDs and
passes them out to everybody she can. I've spoken to her on
numerous occasions and. She has two children and she's
constantly speaking to those children all their life from
young people she's speaking to them about Christ. In hopes. The world. That the Lord. Has a father. who doesn't know
the Lord. And every time though she is
around that man, she's telling him about her hope and giving
him tapes. And for years he didn't want
it. Hated it like everybody else. And that old man is now ninety-some
years old. And she told me Wednesday night
with tears in her eyes, I believe the Lord has done something for
my father. Because he tells me now that
he's not worthy, that God is good, and thanks me for the messages
I've been given. As you have believed. The Lord honors that. The Lord
honors that. I believe the Lord will save
both our children. Or save one of them. Maybe the other, I don't know.
As you have believed. Do you believe that I'm able?
Do you remember you said that to someone else? Do you believe
that I'm able to do this? Oh, Lord. I believe, help I believe. According to your faith, so be
it. Christ is my only hope. So here's
what I'm going to do. I'm going to come here and I'm
not going to presume. Deliver your servant from presumptuous
sin. I'm not going to presume that
I'm one of the saved until I'm standing in glory. And my children need this and
that other person. If you love them. Somebody asked
me just yesterday, said, if you had a son, like your brother. My brother is a. Agnostic. He doesn't he hates this gospel. He doesn't believe this God at
all. And she asked me if you had a son like your brother would
you ever give up on him. See, he's just my brother. There's
no love for someone like a love of a parent for a child. There's
some love, you know, children for parents like that, particularly
daughters and their father. But I said, you know, no, if
that was my child, I wouldn't, I wouldn't give up. Not until
they're dead. Right? Not until they're dead.
The Lord honors faith, because faith honors him. And faith without works. And
this is very convicting to me, very, very convicting to me.
It's supposed to be. If the word doesn't convict us,
we haven't heard it, have we? God hasn't spoke to us. God doesn't
pat us on the back, pricks the heart. I need it. This convicts
me greatly. But there's the blessed promise.
Cornelius had his whole house there, Lord saved them all. Lydia, Lydia, the jailer, keep
naming them, keep naming them. As you have to live. Faith honors him, you see. Lord,
you said this. You said this. I'm going to take
it your way. You said this, and so I, you
said seek you my faith, I said thy faith shall succeed. He honors that because it honors
him. It's not congratulations. The Lord's not congratulating
us. He's proving himself to us. I told you. I told you. Now, act on it. Okay. See? I'm true to my word. And if he doesn't, what if he
doesn't? importunately. I keep asking
keep asking he doesn't do it. What are you going to say? It's the Lord. It wasn't his will, was it? But
if he does, you're going to say, well, he said he would. And he
did. All right. I quit.