The message tonight, and I hope
you'll give the Word your undivided attention. The reason we sung
the song we did was because we're invoking the presence of the
Holy Spirit to be with us, because the things that are about to
be said and the things we're going to deal with are life and
death. life and death and should be
the joy and rejoicing of our hearts. So much more could be said on
the subject of repentance toward God. I can't seem to get away
from it. Repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. This morning we already stated
I want to preach as simply and as clearly as I can, but I also
want to do it in the best way I can. Repentance toward God, we saw
this morning. Repentance toward God is, and
Manoah's wife reminded him again of this this afternoon, It's
an ongoing thing. It's continual. It's continual. It's not a one-time thing. And
many people who come down front, you know, and weeping or whatever,
and make their whatever they do down front, and go through
that little scene and accept Jesus and everything's just fine,
and they live the victorious life from there on out. and they're
no longer sinners. Repentance is an ongoing thing.
It's a continual thing. I said this morning that we never
repent unless we repent of our sin, what we are, of what we've
done, sins, and our self-righteousness. Not trusting or esteeming Christ
as our. Those who never repent like that,
never have true faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. No one.
And there are millions of people out there. This reason I say
what I said this morning and what I'm going to say again tonight
is so vital. There are millions upon millions of people who think
they've repented and haven't. Who think they have faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, but don't. It's Christ plus. They're looking
to Christ and to themselves. And you never truly have faith
toward Christ unless you've repented in this way. So I said it behooves
us to know whether we've repented and what this repentance is.
And if we ever quit repenting, if we ever quit repenting, you
quit needing Christ, won't you? And that's what religionists
do. They clean up and quit this and that and the other, and they've
repented one time, and they've lived a victorious life from
there on out, and they don't need Christ anymore. They're
going to make it on their own. And the gospel won't be sweet
to you if you quit repenting, will it? And this is another thing about
repentance. It's not only an ongoing thing,
but it's a state of heart, a state of mind. This is what you were
saying, too. state of heart, a state of mind,
a state of being. It's not an isolated act. It's not a posture we get into
or words that we speak. But it's a state of the heart,
a constant state of the heart. It's the heart being constantly
sorrow over itself. Are you with me? It's not an
isolated act or words that we speak, but it's a heartfelt sorrow
over sin and a desire to change, and that's constant. You repent
all day long. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. Forgive me. Forgive me. All day long, Henry. You don't have to get down on
your knees to stay the heart. That's what it means to be contrite
before God. Have your heart always broken. The gospel, the ball of Gilead
comes and heals it. But the minute you get out from
under the sound of it, it's broken again over your own sin. And
as I said, only this true repentance will give a man or a woman or
a boy or a girl true faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Only helpless
sinners need a sovereign, effectual Savior. Only helpless people
need somebody to do everything for them, don't they? Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
Only guilty sinners need a perfect sacrifice. I mean, hell-deserving,
hell-bound, guilty sinners need a perfect sacrifice. I mean,
one that gets the job done. Only the unrighteous need imputed
righteousness. This is more than doctrine, more
than terms. This is faith toward the Lord
Jesus Christ. Only the unrighteous need that
righteousness that only Christ can provide. Only sinners, only
complete sinners need a complete Savior. Right? And listen to this. He said there
in Acts 20, verse 21, Let's just break that down a little bit.
Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. I failed to clearly illustrate
this morning. I started out by looking at John
and saying, I'm just looking at John. And I thought this afternoon,
you didn't finish the illustration. But if I'm just looking at John,
I can't be looking at Sherry. Right? I'm looking at John. If
I'm looking toward John, I can't look anywhere else. And if anyone's
truly looking toward Christ, faith toward Christ, they're
not looking anywhere else. Right? You either look toward
Christ alone, or you're looking in two directions. Right? You're
not double-minded. A double-minded man is unstable
in all his ways, isn't he? He's unstable. He's not grounded
and settled. He's on both sides of the fence.
If you're looking toward Christ, you're looking to Christ and
Christ alone. Is that simple enough? Faith toward Christ. It must be with an eye to Christ
and Christ alone. What I mean by that is, his person,
who he is, and what he's done, alone, plus or minus nothing. And then look what it says here.
It says, Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith that believes in the heart
not only believes that Jesus Christ is Lord, the fact of it,
but faith from the heart believes he's my Lord. See what I'm saying? What he's saying? He's our Lord. It's not just a belief of facts,
a mental agreement of his Lordship, but it's a personal persuasion.
Paul said, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuasive. He's able to keep that which
I committed unto him. He's my Lord. I know he's Lord
over all, but true faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ lays hold
on the horns of the altar, on the head of the sacrifice. He's
my Lord. Right? I know they coined that phrase,
your personal Savior. He is indeed, he must be your
personal Lord. He's my Lord and my Savior. We must lay hold on him. Did
you notice over in Jeremiah 23, turn over there with me, Jeremiah
23, did you notice as we were reading this morning what it
said there? in one verse, verse 27, faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ
is not like the soul winners say it, and they tell people,
and they're saying things like this, Believe on Jesus, and they
never declare who he is. And Romans 10 says, how are they
going to believe in Him of whom they have not heard? Right? They
are not going to call on Him they have not believed. They
are not going to call on somebody truly called from the heart for
one to save them who they don't believe must save them. A lot of people are calling on
Jesus. No man calls Jesus Lord but by
the Holy Spirit. Nobody is going to call on this
sovereign Lord Lord, save me or I perish. Except by the Holy
Spirit. And they've heard that, hey,
he's Lord. He is Lord. You're in his hand. And hey,
he is saved. He's the only one. He's the only
one that can save. You can't save. No man's going to call
on him whom they've not believed that he's Lord, and no man's
going to believe in him whom they've not heard. Look here
at Jeremiah 23, verse 27. Did you notice this? It says, our Lord said that these
false prophets think to cause my people to forget my name by
their dream. Did you notice that? That just jumped out at me. Forget my name by their dreams. His name? How do they forget
his name? I'll just turn there. In Exodus
33, the Lord said this is how he's going to show his glory. Moses said, Lord, show me your
glory. Show me who you are. Show me thy way. That's his salvation. Show me your glory. Show me who
you are. The Lord said, OK, I'll proclaim the name of the Lord
before thee. I'm going to reveal to you, John
Sheesley, what my name means. And he said in Exodus 34, verse
6, The Lord passed by before Moses and proclaimed, The Lord. The Lord God. And on and on. Merciful, gracious, long-suffering,
abundance in goodness, keeping mercy, forgiving iniquity, by
no means clear of the guilty. And on and on he went. He declared
that name to Moses. Moses knew what his name meant,
didn't he? And these fellows today have
caused people to forget what his name means. What does his
name mean? His name? His name is Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. His name
is Jesus. Call his name Jesus. Why? It means Savior. He shall save. And they're causing the people
to forget that name. His name is Jesus, because he's the Savior,
he's the only Savior, and he's a successful Savior. Christ,
Christ means the only representative, the only mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus. So Paul says here in Acts 20,
and look back at our text now. Paul said, verse 20 of Acts 20,
he said, I've kept back nothing profitable unto you. Paul says, I've kept back nothing
profitable unto you. What's the most profitable thing
people can hear? Christ. He said, I've preached
Christ. I've kept back nothing profitable
from you because I've preached Christ crucified. I've preached
the gospel, verse 24, of the grace of God to you. I've received
of the Lord Jesus to do that. I've done it. Preach the gospel
of the grace of God. That's Christ, too, isn't it?
Christ is God's gospel. Christ is the gospel. The gospel
is Christ. Christ is that unspeakable gift.
Grace means gift, that undeserved gift. That's what grace means.
The gift of God is the wages of sin is death. But the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is
that unspeakable gift. He is the grace of God. Of his
grace have we received grace. See? Grace for his grace. God's grace. We've received God's
most gracious gift, his Son, the gift of salvation. And then
Paul calls the people to account for his own preaching. He says,
Now you be the judge. And I said, I picked on Deborah.
You remember that? I said, Deborah, if you stand
up now, you ought to be able to say with full assurance from
your own heart, I've heard what you preach, and I know. That's
what Paul says here in verse 26. He says, I take you to record
this day. Henry Sword, you've heard a lot
of messages now. Miss Dan and various men. I'd hate to count how many messages
you've heard in the five short years. books of notes. And you've heard them. Many of
you have heard most of them. And you need to know, then, that
labor among you, what they're saying. What they're saying. Paul says,
I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood
of all men. I am pure from the blood of all
men. And I have not, verse 27, he says, I have not shunned to
declare unto you all the counsel of God. I take you to record
this day. I take all of you to record this
night. And you have the perfect right to not listen if I'm just saying vain words or entertaining
you. But if I'm preaching the gospel,
you need to sit up and listen. This is vital, this is life and
death. But I haven't shunned or declared all the counsel of
God. I testified before this congregation as I began this message by saying,
I confess my own deficiency in many areas, in every area, my
own deficiency in character and ways and means and wisdom. I've
got a long way to go in prayer for you and my abilities in preaching
and so forth, I have been faithful. I have not shunned or declared
all the counsel of God. All the counsel of God. And what
might that be? All the counsel of God. I mean,
a man who has delved into and expounded upon all the secrets
of God Almighty, that he knows all the ways of... In any manner am I searching
to find out God unto perfection? No. His ways are past finding
out, the scripture says. They are unsearchable. They are
unsearchable. Do we have all the revealed word
of God? I don't know. Look at Ephesians 1. Let's dwell
there a while. Ephesians chapter 1. Paul says, I have not shunned
to declare unto you all the counsel of God. And every true preacher must
be able to say that. He's a false prophet, isn't he?
He's not a true witness, is he not? He's not testifying all
that he's seen and heard from the Word of God. He keeps back
anything. Half the truth is a lie, isn't
it? Man, he gets up on the witness stand and tells some of the truth,
some of the truth, and not all the truth, he's going to be guilty.
He's told a lie. And you can pervert the truth
you've told by telling just part of it, can't you? You can lead
people to think wrongly by just telling half of it. Have you
ever done that? You've not told an out-and-out lie, but you haven't
told an out-and-out truth, have you? Ephesians 1. Remember, Paul is
bidding Ephesians farewell there in Acts 20. Remember the context. He's bidding
the Ephesian church farewell. He's going to leave them. He
was with them more than two and a half years. He's bidding them farewell, and
now later on he writes this letter to them. He realizes they're
not going to see him again, and he writes this letter to them. As I was writing the title of
my message down, I wrote Paul's farewell to the Ephesians, and
I put the text, Ephesians 1. No, it's Acts 20. But it ought
to readily make you think of the book of Ephesians. Paul is
talking to the Ephesians, and now later on down the road, he's
not with them, but he's talking to them again. He's writing them
a letter, writing back to them. And he reminds them of this counsel
of God that he had preached to them faithfully. Again, he said,
I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God,
and writing a letter back to them, he restates it again. Woe is unto me if I preach not,
and woe is unto me if I write not the gospel. That's the reason
these articles, everything must be full of the gospel. Now, look at it, Ephesians 1.
Remember, he's writing back to these people that he said, I'm
not shunned of a character. And he says it in bold and dogmatic
language here. He restates how man is saved. Verse 1, Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints which are
at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. That's us. Not
only the church at Ephesus, but that's to all the faithful or
those who . . . Why is anybody faithful in Christ? Because,
he said in chapter 2, verse 8, God has given you the gift of
faith. That's not of yourselves, all right? It's not, John, you
didn't just believe on Jesus. It's because God gave you the
gift of faith. To the saints, called to be saints,
he said to the Romans, The faithful in Christ are faithful because
God gave you faith. And that's what he says in verse
2, Grace is to you. Grace has been to you. See that?
Verse 2. Grace is to you, and peace. It's
all from God, our Father. The free gift of all spiritual
blessings, that's grace, is to you freely from God, our Father,
sovereignly and freely from God, our Father. And peace! God ought
to kick you out. ought to be done with you. God
ought to send you to hell, but he's made peace. He's ordained
peace. He's declared peace between us
and him. How? By the blood of Jesus Christ's
cross. He's declared it. Christ made it. Christ subtained
it for him. That's the reason he says, From
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Together, they made peace. Christ He was made the chastisement
of our peace, necessary for our peace. He was whipped. He took
our weapon. That's what that verse means
in Isaiah 53. In order for God to punish us,
Christ had to be punished in our stead. Verse 3, Paul said,
Bless me, God. Oh, blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who sent him, the one
who thought it, as well as the one who bought it. Blessed be
the architect of so great a plan, so great a building as this,
God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless God for sending
his son. He didn't have to. Bless God. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And
all that is within me, bless his holy name. Can you bless
God like that? Bless God for sending his son,
his only son, the son whom he loved. offered him up as a sin
sacrifice for such worms as we are. Now I know that thou lovest
me, God, for sending your son." That's what he said to Abraham,
wasn't it? Now I know, because you've taken
your son, your only son, the son whom you love, and withheld
him not from me. And that's how I know. How do
I know the love of God for me? He spared not his only son, but
delivered him up for us all. God, blessed be God. Huh? Huh? Can you say that? Say it! Blessed be God. Say it again.
Blessed be God. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Blessed be God. He chose a people in Christ,
verse 4, according as he had chosen us in Christ before the
foundation of the world. Not because he saw anything in
us, foresaw anything in us, but because he saw us in Christ.
That's why he saw us as Christ. He saw Christ on that cross all
the time. That's the reason he's called
the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. in order for God
to think upon us before the world began. You see, no one under
God had all his works from the beginning. And in order for him
to even think upon us before the world began, knowing that
we would be sinners, Christ had to be sacrificed. He had to be
the lamb slain before the world began. From the very outset,
when God first set his mind on us, we had to be covered under
the blood of Christ, because we would be sinners. He chose
us. Paul, you preach the election.
Yes, I have not shown to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
The lecture is unto salvation. I haven't shown to declare, but
I state it in bold terms, dogmatically, that unless God chooses us, we'll
not be saved. Right? He doesn't show us that. He's apologizing for the word
of God. He's not declaring that all the
counsel of God is I mean, he's got to stand up in front of his
congregation and say, election. an election before the foundation
of the world, before the children were yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to
the election, might stand. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger. Jacob have I loved, he shall
have I hated. Has no right, yes he does, he
can do that. Cannot I do with my own what
I will? So then, it is not of him that will that there be in
him the right, but it is of God to show him mercy. He must get up
and say that clearly, so that there is no mistaking what he
is saying. Oh, he's shunning to declare
all the counsel of God, right? Why would anyone shun to declare
such a glorious thing, anyway? Huh? Brother Binder, if you want
to find a message, remind me sometime, and I'll give you a
copy of the one he preached on election, one of the ones he
preached on election. And he said this thing of election
is not just a doctrine. He said this is a person And
he screamed through every message. He screamed from start to finish.
But boy, that old fellow got your attention. He said, It's
a person choosing persons to save them. Not a doctrine. It's a person choosing persons. And that's a glorious thought,
isn't it? I mean, hellbound, just as sure for hell as if there
was already there. Hellbound, walking toward the
precipice. of hell itself, and a person, a loving, gracious,
merciful, long-suffering person, reaching down and choosing persons,
and pulling them out of the muck and the mire and plucking them
as brains from the burning. It's a woman of doctrine. This
is talking about our salvation, what God had to do to save us
now. Why would anybody shun to declare such a glorious thing,
huh? And that gives God all the glory.
Doesn't an election give him all the glory and salvation?
Any man who shuns to declare it, he's taking some glory away
from God. He's a thief and a robber. Paul
said, I haven't shunned to declare it, I write it to you, I preached
it to you, now I'm going to write it. Blessed be God who hath chosen
us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Chosen in Christ,
given to Christ before the world began. That we might be holy
and without blame before God in love. The reason we were chosen
in Christ, not because God needed us, but because God's going to
get the glory and God's going to make something out of us.
Not what we could do for God. But just for God to show off
what he does for us, huh? Look at what I've done. Trophies
of his grace. We're going to be like trophies
in his trophy case. Look at what I've done. Look
at that Taylor Kinsley. Remember him? He angels, he devils. Remember that old boy lying in
the gutter? Look at him now. And the heaven itself is going
to go, whoo! Look what God hath done. Made him holy. I mean, he was
a maggot, a filthy, vile, wretched sinner. God wouldn't have anything to
do with him. Some men didn't want anything to do with him.
Look at him now, would you? Oh, my, that's not the same one.
That couldn't be him. No, he's no creature, all right.
But he is. That is Terry. That is Terry. And without blame. Oh, I wish I could preach just
like it ought to be preached. Chosen us to be without blame.
Everything about me is to be blamed. The record against me
is black. The books against me, I've lived
38 years now, going on 39. The books against some of it,
Henry's lived more than that, 63. The books, the records kept against
you, God should mark and nip what this Psalm 130 says. The
youngest wouldn't stand, the oldest sure wouldn't. The book
would be as big as this building against us, the record black.
But God beprays us before men and devils, and he says, I charge
you, let somebody find something against this man. Even the holy law of God can't
find anything on the books. The holy law of God says, I know
he's guilty, I know he's the son of Adam, let me look here,
and he looks at the book and all he sees is red. Or rather, white. Doesn't see
anything. All he sees is one big word,
stamp. Justify it. Clear it of all charges. That is something here somewhere.
Justify it. He's guilty of all points, he's
offended in one, I'll find a solution. Justified, without blame, before
the holy, all-seeing eye of God Almighty. Justification is more
than a doctrine, isn't it? Without blame, me, God, who is
he that condemns? Christ died. That's why he's
without blame, because Christ died. And without blame, before
God in love. The reason he did all this was
love. Oh, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us. Verse 5 says, He predestinated
us. Oh, Paul, you're not preaching
that, are you? Oh, I haven't shunned. I wouldn't dare shun
and declare all the counsel of God. No, he has predestinated
all things, having predestinated us. Not just lightning and thunder,
but people. Huh? Not just the times and the
seasons, but people. He predestinates people. Having
predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ was in on it to himself. God hath purposed, God
hath willed, God hath predestinated all things known unto God are
all his works from the beginning. That's why he's God. That's how
it works, doesn't it? If he didn't work that way, he
wouldn't be God. If things didn't go according
to his will, he wouldn't be God. If he didn't say, I'll work,
and he would let it, if somebody could let him, or deny him, he
wouldn't be God. He was predestinated all the
time. And all of God's elects given to Christ are predestinated
by God to be to be conformed to the image of Christ and bless
God. long list of things he mentioned.
Well, we'll list it, we'll let you know. Nothing. Nothing. Because it's eternal. Behold,
I have loved thee with everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. The Courts of a Man. Well, all of God's elect, and remember
those questions I told you to ask somebody about election? Who chose who, according to the
You choose God or he choose you? Huh? It says, according to the
Scriptures, he hath chosen us in Christ. Well, when did he
do it? After you believed? Huh? No. According to the Scriptures,
before the foundation of the world. Well, why did he do it? Why did he do it? Because he
saw something in you? He's going to need you? No, it's
because of the good pleasure of his will. And verse 6 says,
and it's this reason, "...to the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." It's
that grace, you see, it's all of grace, isn't it? The praise
of the glory of his grace. This King of Glory, praise of
his grace, God's gracious gift of Christ. And verse 6 says,
"...he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Because Christ
was accepted, we're accepted. Because he was approved, we're
approved. Verse 7 says it's in Christ that
we have redemption, and it's through his blood. We're accepted
in Christ, we're approved because Christ was approved, and we have
this redemption, the forgiveness of sins, through his blood. You see, it costs God something
to do this. And it was a high price, wasn't
it? That's the reason, people, this
thing of particular redemption, again, is more than a doctrine. Those who claim that the blood
of Christ was shed indiscriminately and just poured out on the ground.
And it's thrown out there for anybody to have it. Whoever would
have it can have it. And it's shed for all and effectual
to none. Those who say that have cheapened
that high cost, that high price that it took God Almighty to
pay for the sins of His people. Nothing, what can wash away my
sins? My best efforts, my morality,
my faith? Nothing but the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing. What can blot out my
transgressions? What can, what can, of all those
ordinances that are against me, that big black book I was talking
about that Henry has against him. What can do that? What can
cover that? He and I have got all of it.
Nothing but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Right? And it is the blood of Christ
which cleanseth us from all our sin. And he shed that blood for
his people. Right? for his people. Every
drop of Christ's blood was effectual to the saving of every person
it was applied to. Not one drop was wasted, for
you've charged God Almighty with shedding his own Son's blood
needlessly. Do you think God would take lightly
to that? Would I kill my daughter for
some purpose if it wasn't going to be effectual? If I had to
wait around to see if it was going to be worthwhile after
all, if I was frustrated, I wouldn't even think about it, would you?
Would God, who knows all things from the beginning? No. In him we have redemption. We
have it. Let's say that. We have it. When he entered into the holy
place, not made with hands, having obtained eternal redemption for
us. Having obtained eternal redemption
for us, when he had by himself tried to put away our sins, purged
our sins, when he offered us that one sacrifice for sins forever,
there remaineth no more sacrifice. We have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins. And that's according to the riches
of his grace. God's not going to throw that out there and see
what you'll do with it. He's going to apply the blood,
isn't he? Huh? Did that elder back in the days
of the Passover, did he take that precious blood that God
said, Now, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you? Did he take
that precious blood when they might not have much blood, just
a little bit of blood? Did he take it out and just throw
it in the streets? Huh? It was precious to him, wasn't
it? He took that blood and took a hyssop, and oh, my, he daubed
it, careful not to spill a drop, daubed it over the doorpost and
the lintel of that door and said, Oh, Lord, may this blood be effectual
to the passing over of my eldest child! That's the only thing
he's going to say, my eldest child, dear Lord! Precious be
the blood of the Lamb. He dared not waste it. He didn't
pour out the rest. It's precious to him. And unto
you which believe, it's precious. It's effectual. It actually does
something, more than a doctrine. It's God's glory. It's Christ. It's that high price. I'm trying
my best right now to speak of these unsearchable riches, the
cost that it took to save our soul. They've shunned to declare the
glory of his precious blood if they say it didn't really save. Right? Right, Rick? I'm telling you. Read on. And it's in this grace and this
blood he hath abounded toward us, this gospel. He hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and prudence, made it known unto us, make him
known unto us, the mystery of his will." He gets it from angels. He didn't even let the angels
in on this. He says, which things the angels desire to look into.
He didn't tell the angels. Perhaps not John, maybe not even
Michael the archangel. And he comes down to a woodland
worm, an old worthless sinner like you, and says, Let me tell
you about the mystery of my mind and my will and purpose, what
I purposed before the world began. I'll let you in on it. Are you
interested? You got time? Can you stay awake long enough?
Oh, God! Who am I, and what is my house,
that you have brought me here to let me in on the mystery of
your will? And you kept it here for all eternity. Elijah didn't see it, Elisha
didn't see it, Isaiah didn't see it as fully as you, Jeremiah
didn't see it as fully as you, which things the prophets did
not have been given to you. Do you see why we're more accountable
than anybody ever? He's made known unto us the mystery
of his will, and this will is all, and he did this according
to the good pleasure of his will, which he purposed in himself,
and here it is. Here's this will and this purpose
of God. Let's read it. That in the dispensation
of the fullness of time, when this thing is all said, it's
all been said. And when this thing has all been
done, when it's all over, and the dispensation and the fulness
of times, this is what it's all about, he will gather together
in one all things in Christ, both of which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in Christ. I'm not sure I can make good
on this. But it's in Christ that we will obtain this inheritance,
being predestinated, that he might gather together in one,
even in Christ, all things. That's the reason God Almighty
created planet earth. The sole reason was to glorify his Son. I've
tried to say it before, that God made people to behold his
glory. Isn't that what Christ said in
John, that they might behold my glory? Father, I will, that
they be with me where I am, that they might what? Share the glory? No, behold my glory. And that
makes the Father happy. Does it make you happy when people
brag on your children? Oh, you could sit and listen
all day, couldn't you? Oh, yes, you could. You could
sit and listen all day. Your grandchildren could listen
all day. God can listen throughout eternity.
The man and woman praise his son. Why? He's worthy. That's why. He's worthy. Worthy
to be praised. He's the greatest Love that no man needs, greater
mercy, greater grace, greater work, greater salvation. There
is no name given among men under heaven? Greater name? If given
him a name which is above every name? That's the reason he created
all things. The purpose for everything is
that God Almighty might show off his Son. And if we don't
get in the habit right now on planet earth of bragging on his
Son, That's what this is all about. That's what worship is. It's bragging on the Lord Jesus
Christ, from start to finish. Nobody else gets in on it. Nobody
else is up on the stage with him, are they? When he's by himself,
nobody helps him do that work. Right? By himself. Nobody gets
on the stage with Christ and shares the globe. But God has
sent him forth, like the sun. The sun is the brightest star
in the universe. Christ is called the bright and
morning star. There are many fair ones in heaven.
He's the fairest among them all. There are some little lilies,
but he's that lily of the valley. He's the rose of Sharon. And they all have the reflected
glory. They all have his fragrance on them. It's him, isn't it?
The Son, God has set forth his Son on display for every eye
to see. And he said, I've sworn it in
righteousness that every knee will bow unto my Son, and every
tongue will confess, hey, he's Lord. Some people, when he comes,
are going to confess it unwillingly. And as they're being bound hand
and foot to be cast into the furnace, they're going to confess
that he's Lord. Oh, yes, he's Lord. I see that
now. Some people are going to be confessing
it willingly. Because he made them willing. See, it's all the
praise of the Lord is his grace in it. Made them willing. And Most Beloved says it's always
after the counsel of his will. Paul said, I'm not shunned to
declare unto you all the counsel of God, the counsel of his will.
Let me close by saying that. Talk about the counsel of God,
and we could spend five more messages on that. That eternal
counsel. Did you see that there? It said
in Ephesians 1, if you read it, read it with me. It says he worketh
all things after the counsel of his will, of his own will. And the scripture says it's an
eternal counsel, ordered in all things ensured. Now, listen very
carefully, and I'll quit on this, all right? Let me have your undivided
attention. Talk about this counsel of God. It includes election, predestination,
all of this. That's in there. Paul just declared
it. All of salvation, from beginning
to end, is based solely upon this counsel of God Almighty,
this eternal counsel of God Almighty, who works all things according
to this counsel, this blueprint, this covenant that they drew
up together. this blueprint, this covenant,
this blueprint of the building that got this master plan, this
glorious blueprint by the great architect of salvation that he
drew up, and every member of that building must be in order.
Ordered in all things and sure, after this counsel of his own
will. It's not of the will of the flesh or the will of man,
it's of God. The scripture says, who did he take counsel with?
With whom did he take counsel? Stan, did God ask you? Sammy? Anybody in here? Who did he take
counsel with? That's what the scripture says,
with whom took our counsel. You remember reading that in
Jeremiah 23? Who has sat in the counsel of the Lord and heard
him say this? There were only three people
there. It was held zillions of years ago. Three people. No man was there. It was only
the triune God, and this is something like what it went. Did you notice
during the course of this trial we've been watching on TV, the
judge one time said, The court is dismissed, but I want to seek
counsel in my chamber. You see that? The prosecution,
the judge, and the counsel for the defense all went back in
the chambers of the judge, and they held counsel again. Nobody
knows what they said, until later. Well, God Almighty is the judge. He is the lawgiver, and in effect,
he is the prosecutor. or the bailiff, if you will. He's the bailiff, he's the one
that's sent to apprehend. Do I need to tell you who the
counsel for the defense is? The counselor, wonderful is his
name, the mighty counselor, never lost it. He's called the advocate.
Of sin he's called the defender. He's called the daysman, the
twixtus. So God the Judge in this council
that took place before time began, this council between these three,
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, God Almighty,
the Judge, declares man guilty. Know unto God all his works,
for he knows, he sees, man is going to be guilty. He's going
to fall, he's going to be guilty. God sees this before it ever
happened. Guilty. God passes sentence. Die. Death. I've got to die, I've got to
be just. I'm a just God, and I'm a Savior. So God says, well, I'm going
to be just, but I'm going to save some people. I've declared
it, I've decided to show my glory, my saving glory, all of my character,
my mercy, my grace, I'll show my justice on the angels. I'll
show my holiness on the fallen angels, and I'm going to show
my mercy and show my grace and show my love, show my long-suffering
on these worms called man. I've determined to save them,
and here's the ones I'm going to save. I've got it written
down in a book. God wrote all those names down in a book, and
he sealed them up. This is what happened in that
council. I'm not making this up. Seal that up to be read after
it's all over. See, look at that. Maybe a scarlet
line. And he said to the second person
of that Triune Council, here, you go save them. And the Council
for the Defense steps forward. Christ, the mighty defender.
He says, I'll do it. I'll do it. I'll go down there
and I'll live. I'll satisfy your law, I'll be
approved as a man for men, I'll live for men toward God, I'll
die under the penalty of your law to satisfy your hold of justice
against sins, I'll die, then I'll live again. I'll come out
of the grave and I'll only live before you as the great High
Priest, the mediator and the intercessor." of these that you
have given me in this book. Satisfy law and justice against
them, for them, and ever live to ensure that all of this is
carried out. I'll do it." That's what the
second person of the Council said. He agreed to do that. Now,
it's ordered in all things, sure. Then the third person, the bailiff,
comes out. The bailiff comes up and the
judge says, Now, these are guilty. They're not yet born. If they're
going to be born, they're going to be born in sin. They're going
to live in sin. It's your job to go get them. You go get them. Round them up. All that I've given to Christ,
all I've given to him to save, you go round them up. Seek them
out. Say to the East, give forth.
Say to the West, come on. Say to the North, you're coming.
Say to the South, repent. Give them repentance. Make them
repent. Make every knee bow that I've
chosen, and every tongue confess that I'm Lord, I'm God. Make
them call out for mercy. Make them cry out unto me, Lord,
save us. Save them. Go get them. Bring them to Christ. Give them
faith in Christ. Make them call on Christ. Send the gospel to them. Make
them believe the gospel. And then keep them until I send
my Son to bring them back to glory for me. Keep them. Keep them safe. Don't want one
of them to fall. My glory is at stake. My honor is at stake.
My words are at stake. My wisdom is at stake. Glory
of my Son, the blood he shed, all is at stake here. You get
them all. I will. I'll get them all." That's
the counsel. Paul said, I'm not sure I'm going
to declare it. God has made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure in Christ,
according to this counsel that he worked up all things according
to. You are our most blessed people.
You have been led in on a marvelous mystery. Thank you, Lord. Stand
with me, and I'll dismiss this in a minute. Our heavenly Father, it's just
too much. The gospel is just too much for
us. We can't enter into it as we
should. Oh, how the Spirit is so willing to rise up, as we
said, to mount on wings of eagles, fly into the face of God in praise
and thanksgiving at times. But oh, how we grow up on how
these feet of clay keep us grounded. Lord, we thank you for your gospel.
We're not able to receive it fully, we're not able to enter
into it as we'd like to, but, Lord, we do thank you. We do. We praise your name, we exalt
you, and we glorify you for all that you are and all that you've
done for us. To God be the glory, blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, according as he has chosen us in Christ
before the foundation of the world, that we might be holy
and without blame before him in love. Oh, Lord, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you
for the blessed gospel of your Son. May we pray that you might
make it more than just doctrine and more than just a creed, but
make it the very joy and rejoicing of our heart. May Christ be precious. May these thoughts of these things
he hath done be truly meat and drink to our hungry and thirsty
souls. May we feed upon him. We go in
the strength of this meat for a few more days, Lord, and come
back Wednesday night as we declare once again this council, this
glorious council, and look into this great mystery of your will
and purpose in Christ. Until then, we ask that you watch
over us and bring us back. Keep us in your love and favor
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Gather us again. fear thy name
and exalt your son. In his name we pray, amen.