I recently received an extremely
high compliment. This is second-hand, but I'll
take a compliment, second-hand, third-hand, or fourth-hand, any
way I can get one. As most of you already know,
Elder Bob Coffey and Rebecca are officially engaged now in
will be married in a few months. And Doris and I are so happy
with his choice. The Lord blessed him greatly
with an excellent young lady who loves the gospel and loves
the grace of God from the church where the gospel is preached.
But Rebecca, it was reported to me, was reluctant to leave
this church and move to Iceland. They talk about, have been talking
for some time about moving to Ashland. I know you're reluctant
for her to even entertain such a thought, but I'm told she made
the statement, I'm reluctant to leave my church and the ministry
of my pastor, Brother Paul. I've never heard his father preach
very much, and I don't know about moving over there and listening
to him. But just recently she said this,
I'm told, and I hope this is exactly the way she said it. I believe I can be happy now
at 13th Street because Paul's father preaches just like
Paul preaches. And that's a compliment to me.
That's a high, high compliment. And I appreciate it to preach
like your pastor. is indeed a compliment to me. He preaches the gospel. He could
be my pastor, very, very, very happily so. He's one of the,
well, I don't have to say, he's one of the few preachers that
I could sit under on a regular basis and be happy to do so,
because he loves Christ, loves the gospel, he loves you, and
he has a sincere heart. You write that down. I've known
him ever since he said the first word. But he does love Christ,
I know it, and I'm thankful for him. All right, turn, if you
will, in your Bibles. You did say that, Rebecca, didn't
you? Okay, thank you. That's confirmed
before all these witnesses. All right. I'll try to preach
this morning like he preached tonight when I heard him and
rejoiced. In chapter 3, a careful study of chapter 3, if we make
a careful study, we'll learn four things. I want you to think about these
four things. We'll learn four things if we
carefully study the third chapter of Romans. Verse 19 says, and
now we know. Having read the writings of Paul,
now we know four things. If you want to, you can write
these four things down. The first one is this, all the
world is guilty before God. Read verse nineteen, Now we know
that what things soever the law saith, the law of God, it saith
to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped. and all the world become guilty
before God. I know natural men and religious
men hate that truth, but we're guilty. There is no difference.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. From the
sole of our feet to the top of our heads, there's no soundness,
no goodness, nothing but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores.
We're guilty. Let every mouth be stopped and
all the world guilty. All right, here's the second
thing we learn, now we know. Verse 20. Therefore, this being
true, that the law condemns us, judgment curses us. Therefore, that being true, man
being guilty, God being holy, by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Now, that's true.
We're guilty, we're condemned, we're under the curse of the
law. If God is holy, then by the deeds of the law, by the
deeds of religion, by moral conduct, by good works, by anything the
flesh does, no flesh will be justified in his sight. We may
justify ourselves in the sight of others. I'm not as bad as
some people. I've done this, I've done that, like the Pharisees
said, I'm not even like that fellow, but we're guilty. And so by those deeds, no flesh,
no flesh, how many who know flesh will be accepted, saved, justified
in His sight, in the sight of Him with whom Paul said we have
to do. All right, the third thing, verse
21. We're guilty. Now we know we
can't save ourselves by any deeds or law or works. Thirdly, verse
21, but now the righteousness of God. Oh my, without the law,
without our obedience to the law, without our perfect obedience,
not without perfect obedience because Christ obeyed, but without
our obedience. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested And it's witnessed by Moses and
the prophets, by the writings of the Old Testament, all the
way through Genesis to Malachi, how men are saved by the grace
of God, by the righteousness of Christ, by His obedience,
by His blood. What is it? Verse 22, it's the
righteousness of God, the very holiness of God, not His essential
holiness, but that holiness which He purposed and provided for
us. the holiness of God, which is
by... Now listen, it's not by faith
in Christ. I don't have righteousness because
I have faith in Christ. That'd be works, wouldn't it? I have righteousness by His faith,
by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. That's the third thing. But now the righteousness of
God, the holiness of God. is manifested by the Word of
God, by the prophets of God, by the coming of Christ, that
there is a holiness, there is an acceptance, there is a righteousness
that men can have before God in his sight that justifies them,
makes them accepted in the beloved. But it's by the faithfulness
of Christ. It's by the faith of Christ.
It's by the obedience of Christ. It's by the faithfulness of Christ.
for whom unto all, and upon all them that believe, not them that
work, labor, purchase it, but believe." There's no difference. There's no difference. What we
find out? All are guilty. Every man's stopped. By the deeds
of the law shall no flesh be justified. Judgment of the law
and righteousness There's no difference. All that's seen it
comes shard, far shard of the glory of God. And that's what
we'll be judged by, the glory of God. Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. Now here's
the fourth thing we learn. All are guilty. There's no way
for a guilty man to be justified in his sight by what he does.
But there is a righteousness. There is a holiness, there is
an acceptance. God will be merciful to some
for whom Christ suffered and obeyed, who believe on him. Now
he tells us why. Verse 25, whom God set forth. Talking about the Lord Jesus,
God set him forth. God put him forth. God anointed
him. God set him forth in a prominent
place. God set him forth to be observed
by all, by angels and cherubims and seraphims and men and whomever. He set him forth. He set him
forth in the promises. See the woman. Behold, God will
give you a sign. A virgin shall conceive the son
of the virgin. He set him forth in the promises.
He set him forth in the pictures. In the Old Testament, cities
of refuge. Joshua, we study. The brazen serpent lifted up.
Passover land. God set him forth in so many
ways of spit and rot. High priest going into the Holy
of Holies, the mercy seat. God set him forth. This wasn't
done in a corner. People who reject Christ turn
their back on every evidence God Almighty has ever given.
Clear, strong, undeniable evidence. God set him forth in the promises,
in the pictures, in the God sent him forth in person, created
a star and hung it over nature in Bethlehem, said, there he's
born. Sent the angels down here from
heaven, said, we bring you good tidings of great joy and you're
born a savior in the city of David, Christ the Lord. Sent him forth as he walked this
earth and did what no man has ever done. Set him forth as he
spoke from heaven, and said, This is my son, in whom I am
well pleased. Set him forth on Calvary's cross,
when he hung a veil over the sun, and he refused to shine.
When he shook the earth, and the dead rose. Set him forth
when he came forth from the grave, and appeared for forty days to
five hundred people. None ever denied it either, none
of the five hundred. Set him forth when his disciples
stood and watched him ascend to heaven, and the voice of the
angel said this, saying, Jesus, which is taken up from you shall
come and like mine. Set him forth in the written
word that nobody can deny. God set him forth. Listen, one,
to be a propitiation, to be a sacrifice, a covering, a mercy seat, through
faith in his blood, to declare God's righteousness. for the
remission of sins of the past, even the Old Testament saints'
sins, through the longsuffering of God. Now watch. God set him
forth to declare, I say, listen, at this time, he has righteousness,
that he might be just, that God might be holy and just and righteous
and justify you and me. That's why he set him forth.
That's why he came. that God may be holy and just,
and yet justify all who believe in Jesus. That God might be just,
that is, His law honored by Christ, His justice satisfied by Christ,
everything He required of us, Christ obeyed, that God may be
God and not compromise His holiness and take folks like you and me
to glory. Salvation is by faith in Christ, not by works of any
shape, form, or fashion. And in chapter four now, that's
where I want you to go for a few minutes. In chapter four, Paul
illustrates salvation by faith, believing. I heard a preacher
on a religious station just not too many days ago making fun
of just believing. He said, don't tell me you're
saved by just believing. No, you're not saved by just
believing, but you're saved by believing God. You say, by just
believing God. He couldn't understand that.
He said, you got to do something. No. Paul takes, listen, two meanings. To illustrate salvation is just,
just by, is by just believing on Christ. Now, not by just believing,
but by just only believing in Christ. Not worse. And he takes
two meanings. two of the most prominent, highly
esteemed, garnered, God-used men in all of history, and shows
how these two men, both of them, were justified by faith alone. Abraham, Abraham of whom God said, He's
my friend, and Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom Abraham, I know
he's with God, my friend. And David, of whom God said twice,
man hath to be on high. I want to be saved like those
boys were saved, don't you? Exactly as they were saved. All right, let's see what he
says about these. What, verse 1, chapter 4, what shall we say?
That Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath
Well, he's a Jew's father. God told him, he said, I'll make
of you a great nation. He's the first Jew. That's right. They came from Abraham. But not
only is he the father of the Jews, he's the father of all
believers. That's right. We're called the
children of Abraham by faith. Those who believe are children
of Abraham, and we're the seed in Christ of Abraham. So what
are we going to say? What did Abraham think? Did he
find life? Did he find righteousness? Did
he find salvation? How did he find it? By works.
Listen to verse 2. Well, I'll tell you, if Abraham
was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory. Glory before
men. Glory before men. Contrary to
all that the Bible says. If he were justified by works,
if he were justified by what he did, he hath whereof to glory
before men, but not before God. What does that say? But not before
God. Not before God. God sees the
highs. And while God looked upon Abraham
and saw his faithfulness, and God saw his obedience, God gave
it to him, enabled And God saw his perseverance. And God saw him take his son
up to the mountain, give Lot the best land, leave his house
and father's house. But God also saw his heart. And
in his heart, God saw all of his failings and infirmities
and weaknesses and sins and imperfection. And God sees us here this morning.
As we've made a special effort to come, got our Bibles open,
singing the hymns, Pastor Mayhem preaching, but God looks past
this flesh and He sees the heart. And because of our heart trouble,
sin, we can't be justified before God. Not by what we do. Not by
what we do. Abraham couldn't either. Abraham
was a man. Man of God, but a man. Man of
God, but a son of Adam. And that's the reason he said,
what has he found? Righteousness. But he found it by works, not
before God. Well, listen to the next verse.
But what sayeth the Scriptures? That is something every one of
us ought to remember. What sayeth the Scriptures? You
know that. What sayeth the Scriptures? Most
of us would stay out of trouble when we're discussing spiritual
matters if we confine ourselves to what saith the scriptures.
Let me give you a little hint from an old man, been around
a long time, spent a lot of wasted time arguing religion, doctrine
with people. Your friends and your family
and the people you work with, don't spend your time telling
them what you think. Take them to the Scriptures.
That's the best thing you can do. If there's an issue arises,
any kind of issue, like this right here, what does Abraham
obtain? How did he obtain it? Well, let's see what the Scripture
says. Take them to the Scriptures.
Take them to the Word of God. Become acquainted with the Word
of God, and just turn to the Scriptures, and don't try to
reason, and illustrate, and all this. Just take the Bible. And read what God says about
his character, about his sovereignty, about his elective grace, about
the blood of his Son, about man's sin. Read the Bible to them. Let them answer to God, not me
and me. That's the reason your pastor
preaches verse by verse. A lot of preachers read a text,
close the Bible and start walking around here telling you what
they think, you know. An illustration of what happened to them down
in Kalamazoo, Michigan somewhere 45 years ago. What sayeth the
Scriptures? And you know, God told the rich
man in hell, if your brothers won't listen to the Scriptures,
they won't be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Didn't
he say that? The rich man said, send Lazarus
back to the earth. They'll believe if one rises
from the dead. He said, they've got the scriptures. Moses and
the scriptures, the Bible. If they don't hear them, they
won't be persuaded. Though you stand on your head
and bounce down the stairs and impress them greatly. Heal the
sick and the ill. Read the Bible. That's right. So what say the scriptures? I'll
tell you what the scripture says. Scripture says Abraham believed
God. Look at it. What's there in the
scripture? Abraham believed God. And it was imputed, counted to
him for holiness, righteousness. That word counted, imputed, reckoned,
is used 11 times in this one chapter. Charged to his account. Well, let's go back and read
the scripture. Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15. Turn back there with me. Genesis
15, verse—this is verse 5 and 6. Genesis 15. Oh, this is—that
counted so long ago. Let's read the first five or
six verses. Genesis 15. And these—after these
things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
Fear not, Abram, I am. I am. I am thy shield. I am thy exceeding
great reward. And Abraham said, Lord God, what
wilt thou give me? Seeing I go childish, and the
steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. Abraham said, Behold,
to me thou hast given no seed, no son, no heir, nor one born
in my house, a servant from my heir. And behold, the word of
the Lord came to him saying, the word of the Lord. The Word
of the Lord is incarnate Christ, and the Word of the Lord is written,
the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord is spoken.
It came to Abraham. This shall not be thine heir,
but he that shall come forth out of thine own bow shall be
thine heir. And he brought him forth and said, Look now toward
the heaven. Tell the stars, if thou be able
to number them. He said unto him, So shalt thou
see be. And he believed in the Lord. And it was counted to him as
righteousness. And he was saved right then.
He believed God. And let me tell you this. He
didn't, he didn't just give mental assent to some promises. He believed in that one who said,
I am thy shield. I am thy seating and great reward. He believed him who spoke. He
didn't believe there is a God. He didn't believe that perhaps
these promises could be carried out. He acted believing. He believed God, accounted to
him for righteousness. The object of his faith was the
word of the Lord. Not his works, not his riches,
not his righteousness, but his Lord, his shield, his reward. The perfect righteousness of
Christ, his shield and reward, was imputed to him at that moment
when he actually believed God. God has spoken to us out here
through his Word, through his Son. He spoke to our fathers
with a prophecy, spoken to us through his Son. I believe him.
I'm righteous. Now then, let's read this again,
verse 3. What sayeth the Scriptures? Abraham
believed God. He was counted to him for righteousness. Now, since so great a man, listen
to me just a moment, real careful, since so great a man, so strong
a man, so outstanding a man, as Abraham, was not justified
by his works before God, but by believing God, it follows
that none of us, his sons, ought to seek or expect to be justified
any other way. Is that not the truth? Since
he, Abraham, could not be justified by anything he did and all the
things he did, but he couldn't be justified any way except one
way, believe in God. A man's a fool to try to be justified
any other way. Because verse 4 says, to him
that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
A man who works and labors, you pay him off. His wages aren't
a gift. His wages are what he earned. A man who works and labors, his
wages are not an obligation. They are an obligation. They're
not a gift. You owe it to him. So that's what he's saying here,
to him that worketh. and his works accepted. It's
not a gift. Not a gift. But to him that worketh
not. Now all believers work. Listen,
all believers have works of faith, labor of love. All believers
work, but not in order to obtain salvation, but because they have
salvation. We believe on Him who justifies,
and Him who sanctifies, and Him who redeems. It's His faith,
His works, His faithfulness is counted by our righteousness.
It's not even our act of faith, it's the object of faith. So
to Him that worketh not for salvation, in order to obtain salvation,
but does one thing, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly,
His faith The object of his faith is counted for righteousness.
And then he turns to David, even, even David. Not only Abraham
was justified by faith without works, but David, even David,
in his own testimony, describes, listen, the blessedness of the
man under whom God imputed righteousness without works. Just by believing. Lord, I believe,
help thou mine unbelief. Not the labor of my hands can
fulfill the law's demand. In my hands no cross I bring,
sicker than the cross Christ I cling. Could my tears forever
flow? Could my zeal no longer know?
These for sin could never atone. Abraham couldn't find righteousness
any way except through Christ. Why would I even hope to? David,
sweet psalmist, man after God's own heart, king of Israel, mighty
warrior, type of Christ. Even David described the righteousness,
the blessedness of the man to whom God gives, counts, reckons,
imputes, righteousness, without words, saying, Blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven. Remember no more. Cast into the
sea, lock it out. How blessed. Paid for by the
blood. Oh, how blessed. Blessed are they whose sins are
covered by the blood of Christ, like the mercy seat covered the
broken So that God says, when I see the blood, not your works,
not your prayers, not your tithes, not your preaching. When I see
the blood, I'll pass over here. When I'm slaying the firstborn
in every home, I'll pass over here. Your sins are covered for
the blood. Blessed is he to whom the Lord
will not charge Oh, my goodness. Not one word,
not one spot, not one block, not one stain is on the books
of God against one of His elect. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can goodwill? It's Christ the God. David said, Blessed is the man whose iniquities
are covered. Blessed is the man that's got
nothing on the books against him. God, even God can't charge
him. Well, Abraham obeyed God. Look up and listen to me a moment.
God told him to get out of his father's house, go to land there,
show him. He did, not knowing where he's
going. God promised him a son when he
was a hundred years old. His wife was ninety-some-odd.
He believed God. When it came a dispute between
his shepherds and Lot's shepherds, Abraham gave him the best land.
When the kings decided it would make him rich, he said, No. I
said, Lift him hand to God. He said he'd supply my need.
You're not going to say you made Abraham rich. I depend on When
God told him to sacrifice his son as an offering for sin, he
obeyed God. He went to the top of the mountain.
When God told him, fifteen years after he first called him, told
him to circumcise himself, it's a painful thing for a man a hundred
years old. And every man in his household,
ever, ever certain that they might be It might be a token,
a token that God's people are different from all, no other
nation circumcised with the Jew. And a picture of the circumcision
of the heart where God cuts away our flesh makes us new. Abraham obeyed. When was Abraham
saved? When was he declared righteous? When was he actually accepted? Let's read these next verses. Now verse 8 said, Blessed is
the man to whom God will not charge sin, no sin. Now cometh
this blessing then upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision
also. But we say that faith was reckoned
to Abraham for righteousness. When was it reckoned? When was
it reckoned? How was it reckoned? When? when
he was in circumcision or uncircumcision. Was he declared righteous after
he left his father's house? After he submitted to circumcision?
After he gave Lot the best lamb? After he waited on his son? After he sacrificed his son?
Was he declared righteous at that time? No, sir. Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. When were you saved? When you
came to hold the people you believed on in Christ? When were you saved? When you were a bad person? When
were you saved? When you made a public statement?
When were you saved? When you persevered and grew a little in grace and started
loving people, started forgiving other people? When you believed
on in Christ. Really believed on in Christ. When God called Abraham and said,
Abraham, get thee out of our father's house. I'll make a great
nation. He said, I don't have any children.
Abraham, come out here and let me show you something. You see
those stars? So shall thy seed be. He believed God. Justified. He was an idolater. He was a
land idolater. But he honestly, in his heart,
believed God. And Brother Joe, that's when
he was justified. And that's when God will save
you. When you really, sincerely, between
Him and you, you want anybody there but Abraham and God. Get
the soul winner out between you and God. Don't fool around. That preacher said, call us,
we'll witness to you. Hang up the phone. Between you
and Him. I believe God. I believe His
Word. I believe Christ is our only
Savior. I believe he died on that cross for my sin. If I never
open my mouth another time, or give another dime, or walk another
mile, Christ is my Lord and Savior, and has been since the day I
believed on him. Now my friends, I can't make
it plainer than that. The Word of God can't make it
plainer than that. That's what I'm reading to you.
When was Abraham justified? When he did a work, any kind
of work. He was justified fifteen years before he was circumcised.
Isn't that right? When he believed God. Can you
believe? Can you believe? Young people,
I don't care if you're seven years old, eight or nine or ten,
from a child you've known the holy scriptures that are able
to make you wise. What is wisdom? Christ is wisdom,
to believe him. Don't try to memorize a doctrine. Don't try to get it all in order
so you understand it. Don't try to fix it all in A,
B, C, D, E, this, that, whatever. Just believe God. He created the heavens and the
earth and all things that we have. He's our God. He loves us in Christ. He sent
his Son to be the Savior, the only Savior. Our Lord died on
the cross for us. He didn't die because he was
a sinner. He died because he loved sinners and was paying
the debt for sinners. He was buried in Rose again.
He ascended to the right hand of God. He's our high priest,
our Lord, and I said, I believe him. Abraham didn't know John
3, 16, but he believed God. Abraham didn't even have a Bible
at that time, did he? God spoke to him and he believed
God. God has spoken to us through the Word. We must have a Bible
in order for God to speak, because God's not going to speak apart
from His Word. You're not going to see a vision or a sign or
have a feeling you're going to believe His Word. His Word. Believe it. Believe it. Verse 13, the promise. that he should be heir of the
world was not to Abraham or his seed through the law, but through
the righteousness of faith. Who is his seed? Notice that
doesn't say seeds. It's singular, to Abraham and
his seed. Would you take just a moment
and turn to Galatians, Galatians chapter 3, and I'll tell you
who the seed is, in whom the promise is given. And through
whom the promise is given, Galatians 3, 16, even to Abraham. Galatians 3, 16, look over that. Galatians 3, 16, now to Abraham,
you got it? This is so important. Galatians
3, 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were
all the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as many
but as a warn to thy seed which is Christ." Jew and Gentile,
chosen in Christ, redeemed in Christ. That's when God spoke
to Abraham and made the promise to Abraham and his seed. See,
Christ came through the line of Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
right on down the line. David, Christ. Seed of Abraham, the tribe of
Judah, the house and lineage of Jesse, and the son of David.
I make the promise that Abraham and his seed, and we are the
seed of Abraham. Well, read. Stay there. In Galatians
3, just a moment. Galatians chapter 3, another
verse we need to read. Galatians 3, verse 29. If you
be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed.
You're not just Jews, but Jews and Gentiles. You're Abraham's
seed according to the promise. Oh, that's so beautiful there.
Go down to verse 16. Therefore, it is a faith. It's salvation, righteousness
is a faith. Let me give you this and I'll
let you go. It is a faith. Believe in God. It's the promise
of life. the mission of sin, believe in
God. It is a faith that it might be by grace, gift of God, through
grace and mercy, not earned, not merited, not deserved, grace
alone. That the promise may be sure,
that the promise may be sure, any promise of God, depending
on my works, is a failure. Listen, even if God promised
us life, if we'd be faithful, how many of us could do it? Perfectly
faithful. If God promised us life by doing
certain things, could we do them perfectly? So it's got to be
a faith by grace that might be sure. Certain. If he says it, if he gives it,
if he promises it in Christ, it's sure. And sure, not to some
of us, listen, but to all the same. Old and young, we're getting
a little older, some of us, and getting a little forgetful. I got, went out under the tree
this morning, reading my text, preparing my message, start working
on it. Mindy came out and said, I'm
going over early. Dosh came out and Hannah came
out. We loaded the car and came over here. Got out of the car
and I said, honey, where's my Bible? Well, she said, I don't
know. I began to think, where could
my Bible be? I've never gone to church without
a Bible. I'm getting old and forgetful. My Bible was back
over there where I left it, where I was sitting. So someone's getting
old. But this promise is sure because
it's of grace. I don't have to I don't remember
everything anymore. I might even forget my name someday. I've got some friends who have
Alzheimer's. My daddy, the last few days of
his life, didn't know who I was at the time. I visited a friend. I had a friend, Roe Sparks. I was his pastor when I was 25
years old. And he listened to me preach
for over 40 years. And he got sick, and I went in
to visit him at the hospital one day. Oh, he loved preaching,
loved the gospel, loved great. I said, hi, Brother Rowe, how
are you? He said, who are you? Honest, Joe. He said, who are
you? His name was Henry, Henry Rowe. My name was Henry. We called
each other Henry. We got a kick out of that fellowship. I said, I'm Henry. He said, Henry
who? Was he saved? He didn't even
know his pastor. He couldn't have quoted one verse
of scripture. Yes, sir, he believed God. So the day may come, may
come. But it's not depending on me
remembering him. It's depending on him remembering
me. You know that right by now. Lord, remember me when you come
to UK. So it's sure to all to see, not
only to those Jews, but to the Gentiles as well. All right,
I've kept you long enough. I hope it's a blessing to you,
and I hope above all things, I pray above all things, that
one thing, one thing might be true of every one of us here,
young and old, it might be said of us, as it was said of Abraham, I believe God. I may be the weakest
of His sheep, the frailest of His sheep, the youngest of His
sheep, the dumbest of His sheep, the wanderingest of His sheep,
but I'm His sheep. I believe Him. Don't you? I believe
God. I believe Him. I believe Christ.
Kept my unbelief. Strengthened my faith. But it's
just in one object, and that's Christ Jesus. I went to visit a man, another
man, I'd been his pastor for a number of years. He never gave too much evidence
that he was listening, though. Ike was his name. Ulcers were bleeding, hemorrhaging,
he was dying. And I went to see him for the
last time. I said, I've come all for sorry. He started crying. He said, why is this happening
to me? He said, I've been in that church
ever since I was born. I've hardly missed a meeting.
I've been on the finance committee. I'm tired. I've done all I can
do for Jesus. Why is he doing this to me? I
tell you, I just almost dropped my Bible. I just, I went out
of there with a weight of this world on my shoulders. He hasn't
heard a word I said. That's the way he does it. Why
is this happening to me? Whatever happens to me is by
the will of my God, for my good and His glory, and the sooner
it happens, the sooner He'll take me home to be with Him,
because I believe God. Don't you? Our Father, thank
You for Your Word. Oh, thank You for Your Word.
And thank You, Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
that You've opened this Word unto us. And it's not just words
on paper or doctrines or creed or precepts, it's the Word of
our God, our Lord Jesus Christ. And you've given us an understanding
of the Word, the Gospel, and of Christ, and you've given us
faith, not unto us, not unto us, but unto thee, be all the
glory. You've given us faith to believe. I believe, we believe. It's imputed to us for righteousness,
and we're thankful for Christ's saving. I don't know. I don't know. Okay. you. you you Thanks. Hmm. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Okay. you