Come ye sick, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and power. He is able, He is able, He is
willing, doubt not. Try it with me. Now, ye needy, come and welcome
God's free bounty, glorify. True belief and true repentance,
every grace that brings you nigh. Without money, without money,
come to Jesus Christ and lie. Let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream. All the fitness He requires is
to feel the need of Him. This He gives you, this He gives
you, tis Spirit's glimmering beam. Come ye weary, heavy laden, bruised
and mangled by the toll. If you tarry till you're better,
you will never come at all. Not the righteous, not the righteous
sinners Jesus came to call. Not the righteous, not the righteous
sinners Jesus came to call. Not the righteous, not the righteous
sinners Jesus came to call. I like that song, it's cute. Sherry said that that tune was,
the tune that's written there is to go tell Aunt Rosie. Oh boy. But that's the original
tune that's written there and that's the way we used to sing
it, not the way we just sang it. but the way it's written.
But I like that other tune better. OK. Turn with me in your Bibles
to John, chapter 17. John, chapter 17. I learned from first-hand experience
the other day something of the subtlety of
Satan in his attempts to keep our minds
from being stayed on thee. That scripture says, Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, that
is, who is looking to Christ. continually and not other things,
and to keep us from thinking on things above where Christ
sits at the right hand of the Father, to keep us from being
determined not to know anything but Christ and him crucified.
Satan's grand design is to keep our minds, our hearts, our affections
away from Christ and his gospel. Because that is the power of
God unto salvation. It's the keeping power of God
to—we're kept by his power. What is the power of God? The
gospel is the wisdom and the power of God. We're kept by the
gospel, the same gospel that saved us. We're kept by the same
means. And when we think on things of
earth and endless questions and so forth, our minds are taken
away from our peace. our comfort, our only hope. I'll
tell you what happened. I was reading one of the old
writers on this passage here in John 17, Thomas Merton. Outstanding,
outstanding book. And I was so blessed in the contemplation
of Christ keeping his people. Oh, I just was so blessed and
reading over the things he had to say, his saving grace and
power. And then he got to the last part
of verse 12. He talked about the son of perdition.
And he made some references to the son of perdition being like
the Antichrist over in Revelation 13, 16. He talked about, made
a few references to that number being the number of a man, 666,
you know, and how all of the old Puritan writers, most of
them believed it was the Pope, didn't they? is the Antichrist,
the spirit of Antichrist. But I got taken away. I was blessed
with contemplating Christ, the Good Shepherd, keeping me and
saving me and keeping me. And I got to thinking about the
Son of Perdition and Antichrist and all that, and I spent about
two hours looking at everything I could find on the Son of Perdition
and Antichrist and all of that. And I thought, I stopped myself,
said, wait a minute. Nobody knows who it is. Quit looking. Go back to looking
to Christ. Go back there. And I spent a lot of time looking
for the Antichrist. Satan will help you look for
the Antichrist. Yeah, he will. He'll help you
look for him. Just don't look to Christ. He'll
help you look all you want to for the Antichrist and look into
all his endless questions and so forth. Just don't look to
Christ. His design is to keep you from looking to Christ. And
Paul gave good counsel there, and his persuasion there in 1
Corinthians 2 too. I'm determined. I've come to
a definite conclusion, Paul said, and determination. I'm not going
to know anything. He said, I was taken up with
those things one time as a Pharisee, doctor of the scriptures and
the law. I was taken up with all those things. Not anymore.
I've seen him. Like he said over in Hosea, what
have I to do anymore with idols and endless foolish questions?
I've seen him. I'm taken up with him. And Paul
feared that over in 2 Corinthians 11. He feared that as a serpent
beguiled Eve. through his subtlety, so should
your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ,
from looking to Christ. So that happened to me, and it
made me stop and say, whoa, wait a minute. Those things are of
no profit. No profit. Don't spend all your
time on the son of perdition. Spend all your time on the Son
of God. That's who you dwell on. Well, verse 12, like I said,
is a sermon in itself. May God help us here. John 17,
verse 12. I want us to see here in this
one verse, very briefly, Christ's care for his people, the good
shepherd and his sheep, keeping his sheep. Look what he says
here, verse 12. He said, while I was with them
in the world, you know, he's praying to the Father here. He
says, Father, while I was with them in the world, I kept them. I kept them in thy name." I want
to dwell a little more on that on the next time we get into
this, but look at this part here. He says, I've kept them in thy
name, and those that thou gavest me, I've kept them. None of them is lost. Not a one. Not a one. I kept them," he said. Those you gave me, I kept them,
and none of them are lost. None of them. Now, he doesn't
say here, he doesn't say, Father, I gave them a free will, the
power to choose or reject. And the one he says is, I kept
them, didn't I? I looked up a verse of Scripture,
1 Samuel 2. It says this, and I want to jot
it down. 1 Samuel 2, 9. It says, he will
keep the feet of his saints, for by strength shall no man
prevail. He shall keep the feet, that
is, the life, the walk, the destiny of his saints, of his saints,
because by strength no man is going to prevail. Christ is not
only the author of our faith, he's the finisher of it, thank
goodness. Faith is not only a gift, but
keeping us faithful. He's the author and the finisher
of our faith. And Christ is not only the object
of our faith, he's the giver of it and the sustainer of it. He must, you know how, you know
how you are. You can't drum up one ounce of faith. He's got
to give it to you. He's got to keep you faithful.
And this is one of the greatest honors and glories of, of, of
the Christ, of the God-man, his saving, keeping, sustaining,
restraining power. Christ kept these disciples.
He said, I've kept them. Those you gave me, I have kept
them. He kept them in two ways, and he keeps us in two ways.
Stay with me. Listen to what I'm saying. He
kept them spiritually, and he kept them physically. He does
the same thing for us. Spiritually, he kept these disciples
from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Didn't he say that
Satan, Peter, Satan hath desired you, he wants you. He's got the world. Didn't he
say, didn't Christ say to some people, you are of your father
the devil, and the works of your father, that's what you do. Satan's
got them. He's got them under his dominion.
He said, but you're not of the world. And he says, Satan wants
you. He wants to enlist you. He wants
you bad. He lost you. Christ found you. Christ won't lose you like he
lost you. He says he desires you. Terry,
is he going to have us? No. Why? Why, Peter? Why? Christ said, I have prayed for
you. I won't give you. He desires you. I get so sick of these peanut
preachers talking about the devil and people. They don't know.
They speak evil of dignities. That's what Peter said. They
speak evil of dignities. They don't know who they're talking
about. Even Michael the archangel wouldn't speak evil of Satan,
wouldn't he? He said, the Lord rebuked you,
Satan. I can't even handle you. Didn't he? Remember when those
disciples got all puffed up and think they could take the devil
off? Remember? And the devils tore them and
made them run out of that place and exit? Say, Jesus, we know,
and Paul, who are you? No, Christ is the only one that
can handle this formidable foe. We're not wrestling with flesh
and blood. We're flesh and blood. We're not arm-wrestling with
flesh and blood. Principalities and powers, spiritual rulers,
wickedness in high places. But Christ can handle it. He
has handled it. Scripture says he has bruised
his head, crushed his head. He has. And Christ said to Peter
the same thing he says to us. He desires you. If you're a son
of God, a child of God, Satan desires you. Sometimes you feel
like he's got you, don't you? You better hope that Christ prays
for you. You better hope this prayer is
for you or else you're a goner, right? You can't fight it. He
can't paint a picture of the devil on a balloon and step on
the head of the devil. That's what they're doing. That's what they're teaching
children. He can't do that. Christ can step on his head,
though, can't he? He's got him under his foot,
doesn't he? He's got him under his foot. And not your resolve. Your resolve
won't do it. How many times have you resolved
something? Like old Joe. I bring him back up again. Never
going to look on a maid or whatever, you know. So I vow to vow. How many times have you done
that? About whatever. I'm never going to, I'm not going to do
that again. I mean, it ain't five minutes till you're doing
it again, is it? Peter. He, oh, I thank God for
recording the life of Peter in the Scriptures. What did Peter
say? Lord, though everybody in here deny you, I won't do it.
He's really the only one that did it. And in front of a little
girl. The Lord showed him, didn't he?
Peter, it's not by might, nor by power, is it? Not yours, anyway. Not by your resolve, Peter. You'll
power at the hands of a little teenager. That's us, isn't it? Peter, I prayed for you. No way you're going to stand,
not by might, no, by your firm resolve. And to be sure, like
that psalm you read tonight, God will bring down His people
to show them where their strength lies, to show them who keeps
them. Yeah, He will, every time. And
if you look to Christ, people, keep looking to Christ. I speak
to myself here. If we keep looking to Christ, we'll live. We'll
live. Take our eyes off, we'll live,
we'll die a slow death. I mean slow and agonizing and
painful. Look and live, the scripture said. Never perish. Never perish. Never, ever perish. Amen. You
mean, you're not preaching once in grace, always in grace, are
you? You better believe it, buddy. Why? Because by grace are you
saved. Yeah, once in grace, by grace
are you saved. He said it twice there in Ephesians
2, in case you forgot it the first time. By grace you're saved. Not almost saved, not helped
to be saved. Saved, right? Yeah, through faith, but that's
not of yourselves even. It's the gift of God. You better
believe once in grace. What I'm really saying, though,
is once in Christ, always in Christ. That's a better term,
isn't it? As He is, here we go again. As
He is, so are we in this world. That's my hope. I read it to
you in Colossians 3, 3, didn't I? Our lives and your lives are
hid, John, with God in Christ. Thanks be unto God who does not
see our sin. You mean the holy, omnipotent,
omniscient eye of God Almighty can't see my sin? That's what
it says. There are sins and there are
iniquities. I'll remember no more. I've cast them behind my
back. But God sees everything, not just sin. It's under the
blood. It's covered. Sure ought to give a man a license
to sin. No, it won't. It'll give him a license to praise.
It'll give him a heart full of praise and thanksgiving. It'll
give a hypocrite a license to sin. Give somebody that's looking
for an excuse to sin an excuse. but not a true child of God,
no way, no way. He kept those disciples spiritually
and he kept them physically. The disciples were always in
peril, in danger, always, all their lives, at the hands of
enemies. He sent them out by toons into strange places to
preach this gospel. They were always in peril. Don't
you know that their knees shook? Think about this. I just thought
about this the other day. Sending them out into a strange
place, didn't know... We're seeing some men do these
things. Ken Wymer and Bill Clark and Walter Gruber, Milton Hyer
and these fellas, going into strange places where they don't
know anybody. You better be cussing the Lord then, hadn't you? Go
in there, you don't know anybody. Walter and Milton have literally
been run out of town. Rocks, rocks thrown at their
trucks. Get out. Threatening their lives. And
these men, what strange doctrine. Are you bringing to us? Everywhere
they went in danger, weren't they? What was their, what was
their strength? What was their, who kept them?
Christ did. Go, I'll be with you, even if,
go, but, but, go, I'll be with you. We need to hear that, don't
we? Yeah, we do. I wish, I wish I believed that
more fully, but he kept them. through dangers and perils of
enemies and lands and friends. Family. He better protect you
from your own flesh and blood, or they'll wring your neck. Family. Christ said to them, look over
John 18. Look across the page here. John 18, verse 8. Remember
when they came to get him in the garden? John 18, verse 8.
And Christ answered and said, Now I've told you I'm he. If
you therefore you speak me, you let these go. And shortly after that, Peter
got his sword out. I mean, here's a band of soldiers
come to get Christ. Peter got his sword out and,
whoosh, he'd go aiming for that fellow's head and cut his ear
off. Why didn't they apprehend Peter
right on the spot and take him with the Lord? Why? Your thought
about that? Why didn't those fellows grab
him? I mean, that was cause to be beheaded, wasn't it? Sent
to the Roman gallows to be killed. Cut off the servant of the high
priesthood. Why didn't they grab him? Christ said, you let them go. OK. He kept them right up to
the end and all the way to the eternity. He kept them. And for
you, he kept them in danger of hunger and thirst. You know,
they were constantly, he constantly provided for their every need,
didn't he? He sent them out and said, don't take any money. But
Lord, no, don't take any money. And don't take an extra pair
of shoes. They're like, you're going to make us walk to get
all over Judea? With these sandals, they're bear
worn out now. What about the children of Israel?
It's said that their clothes never waxed old in 40 years.
Why? Good cloth? Good parachute? Were the disciples industrious
fellows, you know, and did a little moonlighting on the side? No! He said, I'll take care of you,
and he did. He fed them, stayed out in the wilderness, finally
getting hungry every now and then. They said, Lord, we've
got to get something to eat. He said, OK, what have you got
there? He's got five loaves and two
fresh. He said, look at all these people. That's enough. That's
enough. Pass it out. Ah, boy, you got a crucible and
a little bit of me on Rebecca. Make me a cake. It'll last. Storms, they'd get out to sea
in a storm, and they'd be scared, wouldn't they? And the Lord'd
be sleeping. That's probably what they should
have been doing. And they'd come running, Lord, don't you care.
Save us or we perish. Save us. I'm going to save you.
I'm going to save you. Go save you. And you, this world's
a dangerous place. This world we live in every day.
You all tonight are going to be going home and you're going
to pass within three feet of instant death, aren't you? One ton hulk of steel passed
in another one at 60 miles an hour on a dark two-lane road. That's what keeps you. Your ability
to drive an automobile? Now I've rode with some folks.
No, it ain't the ability to drive a car. The Lord keeps you, right? You
are immortal. A believer is immortal until
he's done with you. That's good news to me. That
doesn't mean we can walk out in front of a car. That's foolish. That's tempting the Lord. But
that means not to worry about it. Not to worry about anything. Now, let me get to my question
here. Can a believer Can a Christian ever fall away
or be lost? Ever. Can he? She? Can he? That's my concern. If you'd be honest with me right
now, if I'd ask you your worst fear, what would it be? That
you're going to finally fall away? Wouldn't that be it? Everybody,
I don't know how many times I've thought this, you think it too.
You think everybody in here is going to make it but me. Don't
you think that? Oh, you do, all the time. I'm
going to be the only one. Only one. Can a believer, though,
one who trusts in Christ, one who really believes Christ and
look unto Christ alone, ever fall away? Ever can. A professed Christian can. One that is one in name only,
in word only. One who merely professes to know
Christ, who has not been known by Christ. One who has, like
they like to say, accepted Jesus, who has never seen himself accepted
in the beloved, can. One who justifies himself before
men and not justifies God and been justified by God. A professed
Christian can. But a possessed Christian can't. Listen to me now. A believer
is not his own. If you're a child of God, you
are not your own. Right? What does the Scripture
say? You're bought with price. Now listen to the thought here.
You're bought with the price. You're not your own. You have
been chosen by God like a dog, hand-picked, paid for, given
to a good shepherd to keep you. You'll be kept. According to
the power of that owner, that master, you'll be kept. Say you
will. You're bought for and paid for
in full, you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah, you do. You're Christ's property. God's
property. If a man, if a man or woman ever
would see the glory, the mercy, the grace of God Almighty in
choosing him out of this mass of humanity and giving him to
Christ, You ever see that? They won't balk against election.
They'll praise God to the top of their lungs for this, for
choosing them. I can't believe. That's what
they'll say. That's what they'll choose to refuse to believe.
Not election. They'll just refuse. Why me?
Why me? They'll screw it from the scriptures
that it's them, but they'll give him all the honor and the praise
and him alone. And not only is God's election
his glory and his powerful right and his prerogative—he can do
it to whom he wants to—but it's positive grounds for my security
and my safety. Listen to that again. Not only
is God's election his glory and his right and prerogative to
choose who he But it's positive grounds for my security and my
safety. Look over at John chapter 6 with
me. John chapter 6. Look at it. John chapter 6. This is the Father's will. Look
at this. John 6 verse 39. This, Christ
said this, Verse 38, he said, I came down from heaven not to
do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me, this holy,
omnipotent, reigning, ruling God, this king over all the universe
who does as he will. I came down here to do his will,
and this is his will. He who worketh all things up
to the counsel of his own will, not your will, his will. His will, and none can stay His
hand and say, You can't do that. Yes, He can. He who wills it
and purposes it, and it will be done. He'll do it. He said,
I'll do it. I'll do all my pleasure. He who
will work, the scripture says, and who's going to stop it? He
whose will and decrees are determined before the foundation of the
world and are unchangeable. No man, not even you can change
it by your sin. I'll say wait a minute for you.
No, I said it. Not even your sin can take you
out of God's, out of God's salvation, out of Christ. Because this is
the Father's will. Look at it. who hath sent me,
that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but
raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of
him that sent me, that every one of them, weak, strong, old,
young, every one, not the ones that keep themselves, Not the
ones who are able, but the ones he's given him. Everyone which
seeth the Son, merely believes and trusts in him, may have everlasting
life. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. Every one of them. This is his
way. This is his way. That everyone
who trusts and believes Christ and comes to him with simple
childlike faith. I don't care how young. Every
one of them. who simply believe and trust
Christ, every one of them, may have everlasting life. Do you believe? Do you trust
Christ? Can you? Do you? Well, you believe this gospel. Lord, I believe, help thou my—saved. Chosen, sanctified, bought, called,
justified, glorified, given to Christ, kept by the power of
Christ. And I don't feel saved. I'm not
talking—I'm not trying to convince anybody that you're saved. I'm
trying to convince people that Christ saves. He's the good shepherd. He's
never lost a sheep, ever. He gives eternal life and they
shall never perish, the scripture says. Never perish. You know
what salvation is? Turn over with me to Ephesians
chapter 1. I could quote this, you could quote it, but let's
look at it. You know what salvation is? Ephesians chapter 1, verse
4. Is salvation you believing in
Jesus? No. That's the result of salvation.
That's the result of salvation. It's not the cause. That's the
result. Faith's a gift. It's an evidence of your election.
Okay? Look at Ephesians, chapter 1,
verse 4. Well, verse 3, "...Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual..." What are spiritual blessings? Salvation. All spiritual blessings, acceptance,
redemption, salvation, justification, sanctification, all these things,
in heavenly places or things, where are they? In Christ, according
as He hath chosen us in Christ for the foundation of the world.
Salvation is God Almighty choosing a people, choosing a people. Putting them in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Say, now here, go do for them what they can't do. It's as simple as that. Salvation
is somebody else doing something for you. Not you doing anything. Not you believing. Salvation,
we saw that in Galatians, didn't we? We're trapped by the faith
of Christ. We don't abide faithful, do we? We're unfaithful every day. Well,
why? It's not our faith. It's his faithfulness. He had
to believe God for us, didn't he? He had to live by, that's
what we saw one night, how that he had to actually live by faith
for us. I mean, it really is as simple
as that. It really is. And placed in Christ, positionally.
And here's the theology of it all. Placed in Christ. Salvation is to be chosen by
God and placed in Christ, positionally. That is, He's your substitute.
When God sees Christ, He sees you. All right? Positionally. You're representative. You're
mediator. When God hears Christ, He hears you. When God approves
of Christ, He approves of you. You don't do anything like that
woman this morning. She sat, she stood right there, stood
still the whole time. She didn't say, I want to do it too, did
she? Till it was all over. All she ever said in that whole
thing, no man, Lord. And that's what we say. Who is
he to condemn her? No man, Lord. Who can save you? No man, Lord. Can you save yourself,
old man? No man, Lord. Only you can save
me. Positionally, seated in Christ,
join heirs, and actually, actually, his people are actually given
to him to keep them. To actually keep them. Turn back
over to John chapter 10 with me. John chapter 10. Actually
given to Christ to keep them. Look at John 10 verse 28. Christ
said, and you can quote this also. Christ said, I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. Now, we don't see it, but we're
in a big hand, and it ain't all state. Right? You know, that commercial's
really blasphemous, isn't it? You're in good hands. And they
show these pictures, these big hands coming up, scooping up.
We're in hands, all right. Hands. But it ain't all state. We're in the hand of Jesus Christ,
and there's another hand, too. Look at verse 29. My Father which
gave of me, he's greater than all two. And no man is able to
pluck him out of his hand, either. You're in a double grasp. Christ
has got you. You're in Christ. Christ is in
God. Boy, you're talking about being
hid and kept. These fools say, well, you can get out yourself. Don't they? Have you heard that
before? Have you? You hear all kinds of nonsense.
They make a fool of the imaginations of men run wild. Well, you know,
nobody can pluck you out, but you can. He says, no man. You a man? No man can pluck them out of
my hand or out of my father's hand. No man. You're in good
hands. Good hands. Safe hands. The shepherd's
hands. Oh, they're tender. Wonderful hands. Working man's
hands. I've always admired hard working
men's hands. Calloused and rough and all.
When Christ got off that cross, he came to his disciples, he
showed them his hands, didn't he? Working man's hands! Scars! He'd been working a long
time. Finished the work. That was the
proof that he finished it. That's the seal of your salvation,
Terry Kinsley. In his hands, isn't it? I'll
be looking for what in heaven? Scars! Not mama. Scars! Where is it? Where is it? He's
holding up it. There he is. See those stars. That's him. Can't be any other.
And I'm in those hands. Look back at the text in John
17. I want you to look how many times he talks of a people given
to him. We've been given by the Father
actually to Christ. Given. God owns everything. He owns everything. But it says
there that he's given him, given everything to his son. Much like
we will pass down all of our worldly goods and so forth to
our children. It says that's what Christ did. He's well pleased
that his son had given him an inheritance. What was it? The
heathen. I've given you the heathen. What an inheritance. That's what
he said there in Psalm 2, wasn't it? I've given you the heathen
for your inheritance. What? He didn't get much, did
he? Oh yeah. Now wait a minute. One
day, he's going to get all the glory for saving you. He's going
to show you all a trophy of his grace. He's going to show all
the angels and all of the universe, cherubims and seraphim. He's
going to show them Henry Sword. You think, look at that old guy!
Look at him now! You saw him before? Now look
at him! They're going to say, he looks just like you. Doesn't
he though? Isn't he pretty? I did that. You ever show people your trophies?
We got football trophies and basketball, baseball and everything.
My parents have them all over there. I won that when I was
in this and that and the other. I did that. That's what you and
I are going to be. Just standing around. Just standing
around in heaven for Christ to show off. Look at what I did. You should have seen this one
before I got a hold of it. I won this one down there in
old Henry County or wherever. Saved him. Trophies given to
Christ, given to keep, to save, to save, to keep, to bring all
the way home. That was the covenant. That was
the agreement. Father said, now, I love these
people, and I've chosen them, but there's some work to be done,
and they can't do it, and they're in a mess. And they've got to
be justified, sanctified, called, glorified, all these things.
It's a great work. Will you do it, son? I'll do
it. You've got to bring them home
now. You've got to bring them home. You're willing, yeah, but
you've got to be able. I'll do it. I'll do it. There
you are. And that's what he says there
in Hebrews 2, isn't it? Someday he's going to bring them
all the way home and say, here they are. They're all here. His
father's not going to need to count. They're all here. Well,
look at how many times he says that people were given to him.
Verse 2. Christ said, You've given him power over all flesh,
and he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him. Look at verse 6. I've manifested
your name unto the men which you gave me. The last part of
verse 6. Thou gavest them me, and I've
kept them. Verse 9. I've prayed for them.
Not for the world, but for them you gave me, verse 10. All mine
are thine, and thine are mine, those you gave me, verse 11. And now I am not in the world,
but these are in the world, and I come to you. Keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, verse 12. While I was
with them in the world, I kept them in thy name, those that
thou gavest me, I kept, verse 24. Father, I will that they
also whom thou hast given me be with me." How many times? How many times? Do you make Jesus
Lord? Do you accept Jesus? Do you let
Jesus? You can't do anything. You are
not your own. That's blasphemy. You belong
to Him. We better pray, and this is a
saving prayer. Lord, it's not us to make you,
Lord. Show us that you are Lord. Show
us that you already are my Lord. That's what we need to be shown,
don't we? Not make him Lord. Show us that to this end he died
and rose again, that he might be Lord. Lord, that he is already
Lord. That's the saving knowledge inside.
If people ever see that, they're well on their way. See that he
already is Lord, that you don't make him Lord, he already is
Lord. That's a simple thing to us,
but that's a saving sight. Everybody doesn't see that, do
they? Oh no, this religious world is blind to that sight. They
think you make him Lord, don't you? And you need to pray, we
need to pray, not to that we have the free will to accept
him, not reject him, but pray that we might be accepted in
him. And pray that he lets us believe in him. That's what we
need to pray. Not let him do anything, but
that he lets us. Well, somebody say, well, here
in John 17, 12, he says, those that thou gavest me, I've kept. None of them are lost. Somebody
may say, let's just talk about the disciples. He just prayed
about disciples here. No, no, no, no, no. Look at verse
20, neither pray I for these alone, and not just say all these
things for the disciples' sake, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word, through the gospels, through
the epistles. Do you believe, Terry Kensling? Do you believe these
epistles, the word of the apostles, the epistle of the apostles?
Do you believe it, the gospel that they preach, that Paul preached,
that I'm preaching to you right now? This prayer is for you,
buddy. It's as much for you as if you were the Apostle Peter
himself. Yes, it is, buddy. Yes, it is. That's good news,
isn't it? Now, just talking about the disciples
here, all disciples and believers, we need to learn the blessedness,
the comfort, the peace, the joy, encouragement, the comfort, the
safety that comes from knowing our safe and secure and sure
care, that we're in crisis care, that we're not our own. That's
the only place peace is going to come. Because I live, you
shall live also, he said. And he said, I give unto them
life. And he said it's more abundant
life, more than what they've got now, an abundance of joy
and life. Only the Holy Spirit can. No
man can call him Lord without the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy
Spirit can give peace and comfort, conviction, all these things.
And I don't know who in here, I don't know who knows Christ
and who doesn't. I believe that most, anyway, of the adults that
are sitting here believe Christ, seem to give evidence of knowing
Him. It may be an unbeliever in here
or somebody who doesn't know whether they know Christ or not.
And you may not know what you need or even what you want. Maybe a young person. May not
know what you need or what you want. But I do. You need Christ. That's what
you need. You need Christ. You need a substitute.
He's the one thing that you need a substitute. You need a high
priest. You need blood. You need blood. You need a righteousness. You
need a lamb. You need somebody to take your
weapon. You need somebody to take your licking. Take your
weapon. Take your punishment. Young and old. Young and old
alike. You need a savior. A savior to
stop you from drowning in this world. To save you from the wrath
to come. You need a shepherd. You need
a shepherd to keep you, keep you unspotted, to lead and guide
you in all truth, to make you lie down right here, right here
in these green pastures beside these still waters. You need
a shepherd to restore your soul back to the God that made it.
You need Christ. You need Christ. And if you right
now, I can say this upon the authority of God Almighty's Word,
if you right now feel I mean right now. 807. Right now. Feel your need of
Christ. Really feel your need. And ask
him right now. To save your soul. You will be
saved. Would that be one? Somebody do
that right now. for the first time, really? If
you feel your need of him, that's what the song says, doesn't it?
All the fitness he requires, we just sang it, you probably
sang it with us, is to what? Do this, do great works? To feel
so much this and that and the other? No, feel your need of
him. Sounds simple, doesn't it? It
is. It really is. The work is not
simple on God's part. No, it took great and mighty
work. And there's no work upon our part. It's simply trusting
Him to do it for you. Is that our man in, or is that
just the truth? That's the truth. He'll save you. He said, All
that the Father giveth me shall come unto me. And he that, or
she, that cometh to me, it doesn't say how old, how young. He that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. No one ever. Ever I don't care how young you
really think not my not my decision or my. Discernment is it it's
in the hands of God Almighty. We just read that letter by Brother
Dan Parks both his children one of them under conviction now
and but it's eleven was eleven eleven year old son. Was baptized. Trust in Christ. I don't know. He can do it. Right? Suffer the little children to
come unto me, Christ saith. All that the Father giveth me
shall come unto me, and he that cometh, he, she, no matter how,
doesn't qualify that at all, does it? He that cometh unto
me, now let no wise cast out. No wise. No wise. Well, what
is it to come to Christ? Maybe you're confused upon this.
What is it to come to Christ? It's to believe him. It's just
to believe him. Right? He's not a physical person.
He's spirit. God's spirit. They that worship
him must worship him in spirit. It's to believe. It's to believe. To believe. It's to ask him to
save you. That's what you do when you come
to Christ. You ask him to save you. Where are you, Lord? God's in heaven. You can't see
him. Nobody does. Lord, save me, wherever you are.
Save me. That's what it is to come to
Christ. It's to trust Him. Lord, it's what you said right
here, based upon the Word. You believe the Word? I mean,
you believe it or you reject it? Do you believe that? Yeah, that's the Word of God,
all right. That's what it is to come to Christ. Trust Him.
Trust Him. Well, I don't feel I don't feel certain. I don't
feel like I've repented enough. I don't feel sinful. Sometimes
I feel real sinful and I feel like, but other times, salvation
is not in a feeling. If it was, I'd say, doubts or
whoever. Oh my, there's days I feel lost and days I feel saved.
Days I feel saved are days I'm probably in trouble. Sinners
are saved. Today you feel real rotten that
you're probably the safest, on the safest ground anyway. You're
always safe. But it's not feeling a certain way. It's not repentant
enough. Salvation isn't in a feeling.
They say, I really haven't had an experience. You don't have
it at first. The world's got this thing around.
They got the cart before the horse. Salvation's not in an
experience. There's a lot of people who've
eaten a lot of bad pizza the night before and had a bad dream.
And counted it as an experience, seeing Jesus. That's what happened
to Oral Roberts. He ate some anchovies on some
pizza and saw a 900-foot Jesus, you know. And it weirded him
out the rest of his life. That's not salvation, an experience
like that. It's trusting the Word. It's
trusting the Word of God, the Word of Christ, right here, black
and white. Right here. I believe it. Then the experience will come. Yeah. Yeah. Believe first. What did he say
to Martha and Mary there at Lazarus Town? They were worried, Lord,
if you'd have done that, Lord, if you'd only, and this is what
some people say, Lord, if you'd only speak to my heart in a powerful
way, if you'd only let the Scripture jump out and bust me between
the eyes and let me have a chill up my spine, you might be coming
down with a virus. That might not be the Lord doing
that. Lord, if you'd only let me just
go through some long period of conviction. It's taking God's,
it's taking His word for it. And Martha and Mary, Lord, if
only you'd have been here, and if only you'd have, Martha, Mary,
now wait a minute, He said, I'm the resurrection and the life.
Didn't I say unto you, if you'd believe, you wouldn't see the
glory of God? You don't see it and then believe.
Oh, faith isn't seeing and then believing. No. Faith is believing, and then
you see. And everybody in here—I'll put
myself on the spot here—everybody in here is capable of just trusting,
young and old, believing in Him. It's the work of the Holy Spirit
to save you, to convince you, and so forth. But everybody in
here, you're capable. You're capable. If God's willing,
if God's willing to enable you, you're capable. You've got a
mind. What I'm saying is you've got a mind. You've got eyes to
see this scripture, don't you? Huh? You've got ears to hear
the message I preach to you tonight, don't you? Young and old. And
God's true to his word, young people. The Lord Jesus Christ
is true to his word. He promised you the same thing
he promised me. It's not because I'm an older
fellow and because I'm stronger and this and that and the other.
No, it's all based upon the Word of Christ. Am I telling the truth?
And I'm not saved just because I resolved to be, because I went
through this and that and the other. No. I'm saved because
of what Christ did. And one day He just showed me
trust. If you believe that, yeah. Yeah. OK. Then the experience
came. Then the knowledge. Then the
personal communion started coming. Then he started bearing witness
with my spirit that I was a child of his. Yeah. Spurgeon said it's
like that fellow that went to the doctor and the doctor prescribed
some medicine for him. And this is the sure cure for
sin here. This is the means of salvation
here, the word of God, the gospel of your salvation. Now you've
heard the gospel of your salvation. Young people, you've heard the
word is able to make you wise in the salvation. Spurgeon said
that fellow went to the doctor, had an illness, and the doctor
prescribed him some medicines, said, here, take this, and so
many per hour, every six hours or whatever, and you should be
cured. And the fellow said, no, wait
a minute. Doctor, I'm real scared of medicine. I just never have
been one to take any medicine, and I've got to know this is
going to work before I take it. I just know I'm not going to
take any old thing. Taking those word for. What you fool go home and die
then right. That how you don't know if it
works if you don't take it. You got to take it right. What meets your first. The fact
that I picked that up. Now it's the water that meets
their. I've got the hand, there's the
glass, there's the water. It's no great thing, is it? Do
I get praise, honor, and glory for that? Am I taking credit
for taking notice of the water? Boy, it's good water. That's
what I'm saying about this thing of salvation. It's in Christ. God's given us a mind, given
us a heart. He's put us all right in here,
young and old alike, right in here to hear this very gospel
that's able to save your eternal soul. Now, can you trust him
at the risk of sounding real Arminian? Now, don't go around
running out on nobody, please. I'm saying it's all in Christ,
is what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. But can you trust
him? Abraham did. He's just a man. Right, Rick? He's just a man. Abraham was down a lot, down
in the midst of Sodom, and you're going to go through Sodom, this
world of Sodom. Does it vex your So does this word meet your need? Does Christ, you see Christ,
you really need him, you really want him? Well, all of that is
of the Holy Spirit. All of that. You can't create
a desire, that's for sure. That's the work of the Holy Spirit
and everything else. But he puts you here, he gives
you the desire and the ability and so forth, and if you can
just trust him. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Get rid of it. And He will in
time. He will. He'll cause you to grow in grace
and knowledge of Christ. And He'll give you that experience
you're looking for. Not some dream or vision or whatever,
but He'll solidify it all with this right here. He'll cause
you to rejoice in what's being said here instead of doubting.
Keep doubting. Keep doubting. He'll cause you to rejoice. Is
that everybody in here's hope? Everybody who has trust in Christ?
Your only hope is that He's true to His Word? Not what you've
done, not what you've felt and so forth, but this right here,
what I've said, the things I've said from God's Word, the fact
that Christ, the fact, yes, the fact, the truth, that Christ
keeps us and saves us. It's not in us, but it's in Him.
That's my hope. And that's everybody's hope.
You just trust Him. You just trust Him. And don't
listen to... You don't listen too much to what many men say.
You listen to the Word of God. He said, All that come unto me,
I'll in no wise cast them out. No wise. And He said, Did not
say if you just believe, you'll see the glory of God. You'll
see. You'll bear witness with your spirit. The Word is nigh
you, even in your mouth. Scripture says, even in your
mouth. Okay. Stand with me, I want to sing
this hymn number 40. Hymn number 40. Let's sing this, Sherry. Great is thy faithfulness. Thy
faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness, O
God my Father. There is no shadow of turning
with Thee. Thou changest not Thy compassions,
they fail not. As thou hast been, thou forever
will be. Great is thy faithfulness, great
is thy faithfulness, morning by morning. All I have needed
thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord,
unto me. We don't. I don't know if you
ought to give do this or not give people opportunity. Or not. To. Profess Christ. I believe truly from experience
from observing observing. Over the years, I believe that
people really want to confess Christ. They'll they'll confess
him. They will. I don't know. We don't give an
altar call. We don't pressure people to come
down front and make their salvation. Salvation is not down here. Salvation
is in Christ that I just preached. And you don't get saved when you
come down here. You don't get saved when you get in that water.
No. You have been saved if you believe
this gospel that I preached tonight. You merely confess Christ when
you get in that, that's confession of faith, in the pool back there,
baptism. And you confess Him before men.
If any man confesses Him before men, he will confess Him before
the angels and before the Father in heaven. I don't know whether
we ought to give people opportunity or not to do this for lack of
courage or whatever, but if anybody at any time ever wants to make
known what you feel like the Lord has done for you, young
or old, you feel free to do so. Come tell us and we'll just rejoice
and we'll put the donkey back there in the old time. Okay, let's sing the third verse.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endures. Thine own dear presence
to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright
hope for tomorrow. with ten thousand beside. Great is thy faithfulness, great
is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies
I see. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord,
unto me.