Zachariah chapter 9 and I'd like to read
verse 8, and God is speaking here, and
I will encamp about my house because of the army, because
of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth, and no
oppressor shall pass through pass through them any more, for
now have I seen with my eyes." Verse 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee. He is just, and having salvation
lowly and riding upon an ass, upon the colt, the foal of an
ass. We're going to spend, just prepare
us for what we're going to be looking at next week is that
verse 9 that is so full of the grace of our Savior the Lord
Jesus. But this verse 8 is too. I will
encamp about mine house The pastor that brought me the gospel many
years ago said he never argued about the subject of eternal
security. Never got in an argument about
it. Now there were many that wanted to argue with him about
it, but he never got into an argument about it. He just simply
said, it just depends on who saves you. Now if it's a priest
that saved you, if it's a preacher that saved you, if the church
saved you, if theology saved you, If your faith saved you,
if you saved you, well, there is no security in any of that. But, if the Lord saved you, there
is security in that. Salvation is of the Lord. If
it's the Lord that is encamped about the church, if it's the
Lord and not us, And we saw the glorious result of that encampment,
and that is verse 9. But we'll not go there tonight.
We want to look at this subject of the Lord encamping about mine
house. Now, there's no doubt that the
Lord had set up a system of guards around the temple that was being
rebuilt there under Ezra and Nehemiah, and Zechariah was a
contemporary of those two prophets, it's no doubt that there was
a guard set up about them, and there's no doubt that the Lord
was over the guards that were set up over them. But this is
reaching far greater than just guarding the temple that was
being under construction at that time. This is speaking greatly
about the security the church has in the one that has encamped
himself about the church. Now this Hebrew word is translated
some, encamped is used some 145 times in the Old Testament so
it is a word that is used often and it is mostly used in the
book of Numbers because in the book of Numbers we find the children
of Israel They were moved and then they encamped. And they
moved and they pitched their tent. That's what this word means,
to pitch your tent or to settle about it. And in the book of
the Psalms, there are three Psalms that I'd like to read here that
share with us the meaning of what this word encamped is. That
there is such security in the one who is encamped. Now if we
are trying to encamp ourselves, we're going to fall into a pit.
But if He is encamped about us, then we have this wonderful blessing
of having peace with God. We have this wonderful blessing
of being settled. We have this wonderful blessing
of not being turned by every wind of doctrine that comes along,
wondering if that would be right or if this would be right. We're
settled in the person Christ Jesus, and we're settled in the
Word of the Lord. We're settled there. So here
in the book of the Psalms, Psalm 27, would you turn with me to
Psalm 27? In Psalm 27, we have this word used, and it's used
in such a way, Psalm 27 verse 1. It's used here, it says, a Psalm
of David, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall
I fear? The Lord is the strength of my
life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies
and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled
and fell. Though a host should encamp against
me, My heart shall not fear, though war should rise against
me, in this will I be confident." So here we have a messianic psalm
in its rightful form. We have the ministry of the Lord
described in here, but the blessings that flow from what Christ has
for us, these blessings that come down, the sweet of early
and latter reigns, all of those pictures that are used in the
scriptures, we have though a host in camp against me, my heart
shall not fear. So God has given the church the
ability of being at rest even though it seems like there is
so much attack against the church and so much attack against the
word of God and so much attack against what the church stands
for and that their preciousness is in Christ and not in themselves
and that they worship a king that is a king of kings and this
constant barrage against this very thought is so prevalent
and yet the Lord said though a foe, a ho should encamp against
me my heart shall not fear now keep that in mind as we move
just a little bit further in the Psalms in Psalm 37 Psalm
37 We have here again the same word
is used, Psalm 37 verse 1. I'd like to start in verse 1
and we're going to read down through verse 7. And it says
here, a Psalm of David, fret not because of evildoers, neither
be envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon
be cut down like the grass and wither as green herb. Trust in
the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land
and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord.
He's not talking about Israel here. He's talking about the
church. This is the benefits that God has for every one of
His children. All those that He has called
out of darkness to His marvelous light, He has these rich blessings
for. They are ours to have. Trust
in the Lord, and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed. What land is that? The land of
peace, the land of milk and honey, the land that flows with all
the rich blessings of Christ. Delight, verse 4, delight thyself
also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine
heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in him,
and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy
righteousness as the light and judgment at noonday. Rest in
the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because
of him who prospereth in his way, because the man who bringeth
wicked devices to pass. We notice there in verse seven,
rest in the Lord and wait patiently, I'm reading the wrong psalm.
No wonder. Psalm 34. I apologize. It was a good psalm. Psalm 34. And I'm just going to read verse
seven. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear him and delivereth them. So we're going to find the same
word is used there in the book of Zechariah, chapter nine and
verse eight, that the Lord, I will encamp around the temple. I'll encamp around my church. I'll encamp around each one of
my children. I will do this. This is my responsibility."
The word is used a number of times, as I mentioned there in
the book of Numbers, and it mentions about the children of Israel
moving and settling down in a place, they encamp, they pitch themselves.
But we also have been introduced to this word one other time in
the book of Zechariah. So if you turn ahead to the book
of Zechariah, there in chapter 2, we have this picture, this
figurative language, About what the Lord does for his church,
and it tells us here in Zechariah chapter 2 there in verse 5 Zachariah
chapter 2 in verse 5 for I saith the Lord will be under her a
wall a fire roundabout and will be the glory in the midst of
her I will be a wall a fire roundabout this is what the Lord said about
the church about his people that he will take care of all of their
problems he'll take care of their protection he'll take care He
is the only one that can do that. Now, if we look at, take some
time to investigate how this happens and why it happens and
who it happens with, we're going to find out that our salvation,
our protection, the one who encamps on our part, the one who stands
beside, the one who surrounds us, the one who has promised
eternal salvation, this one has from eternity had this in his
mind. Our salvation was initiated by
God. Our salvation was in the mind
of God for eternity. Our salvation was in the mind
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit from eternity. We
cannot put a time limit on it. So we find it is that our salvation
was initiated by God and it's no wonder we find so many times
in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament this very
subject of what it was for him to initiate our salvation. We
have to go on record and say our salvation was not initiated
by us. Our salvation has always been
initiated by God. He is the author and finisher
of our faith. There is a verse of scripture
in the book of Ephesians that we often refer to, because it
summarizes so much of the Old Testament as well as the New
Testament, and it is Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 4. Would
you turn there with me to Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 4, and we
find in this passage of Scripture, like the Scriptures tell from
cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation, all stops in between, there is
an identification in all the scriptures that the salvation
that God has for his people and the encampment that he puts around
them and the wall of fire he puts around them is because he
initiated their salvation in old eternity as it's brought
out here in the book of Ephesians chapter 1. Now It would be great
to read this whole chapter, but I'm sure that you do that, and
I'm just going to let you have to take care of that tonight,
because this is a wonderful chapter. And I've said this in the past,
you cannot appreciate, enjoy, and be blessed by chapter 2 unless,
first of all, you have enjoyed and been blessed by chapter 1
of the book of Ephesians. Now we notice here in Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 4, according as He hath chosen us in Him. Now he comes right out and says
that our choice of him was because of his choice of us. This is
brought up over in the in the first John. He says we love him
because he first loved us. So He hath chosen us according
as He hath chosen us in Him. He has initiated this. He is
the one that prompted. He is the one that brings it
about. Salvation is truly of the Lord and all the encampment
that He puts around the church and all the encampment He puts
about every member of the church is because He has initiated salvation
from beginning and He will conclude it in the end, when we all are
before Him in eternity. It goes on to tell us here that
He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Lest we get ourselves involved in that, we are told by the Holy
Spirit through the writer of this, the Apostle Paul, that
this was taken care of long before there was a human being on this
earth. Before Adam was created, before Eve was created, God had
initiated salvation on the behalf of His people. Before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and here's the results of
this We should be holy and without blame before him in love. This
is god's promise He has initiated it. He's brought it about he
carries it through It's no wonder that if we're depending upon
something that we've done and we initiated it's going to fall
apart but if it's dependent upon god If it's dependent upon the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, then it's not going to
fall apart. It shall endure to the end, because
it will be as eternal as the eternal God is, according as
He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Now, we find many other places in Scripture, the Book of Romans,
John, Old Testament, Book of Isaiah, Jeremiah, we find throughout
the scriptures that God is dealing with a specific people. It was
illustrated in the book of Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy and
Exodus when He is dealing with a people that is a picture and
a type and a shadow of the Church. All the sacrifices that the high
priest offered was on behalf of Israel. Now that's just a
picture and a type of the shadow of all that Christ accomplished
on the cross is for the church. Spiritual Israel and he is encamped
about them to protect them. He shall lose none of his people. We go to the to the book of John. Join me in the book of John we
find here that Christ has promised not ever To cast out any of his
loss of his sheep now there there were lost sheep But when he finds
us and saves us were made alive in him we find out he's the way
we find out He's the truth we find out he's the life Everything
that we were in desperately in need of he is the fulfillment
of and here in John chapter 6 and verse 37 We have this wonderful
passage of scripture About the Lord's protection of his people
John chapter 6 in verse 37 now again It is brought up here that
we did not initiate this Religion has taught us from the very beginning
that it's up to you now. It's up to you now. It's up to
you nothing is up to us when it's salvation, because we're
dead in trespasses and sin. If it was left up to us, we would
never choose Him. But we're thankful that He initiated
it. He's the one that began it. He's
the one that, and I hate to even use the word thought it, because
it is an eternal condition that God has had on the behalf of
His people. He has chosen his people in Christ
before the foundation of the world. Here in the book of John,
chapter 6, and there in verse 37, the Scriptures share this.
All that the Father giveth me. Once again, he says, I have initiated
this. This is before the world began. This is a transaction between
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There are men, women,
boys and girls that are the recipients of this great act of grace. That He would be pleased to raise
us from the spiritual dead. That He would be pleased to give
us the new birth. That He is pleased to give us
His holiness. He is pleased to impute to us
His righteousness. And we have that as a sure foundation. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me." Now notice this, "...and he that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out." I ask a young man today,
why is it that God is an ogre to most people when it is brought
out that He will save people against their will? Why is God
an ogre? Well, he couldn't answer that
question because he didn't want to call God an ogre, but religion
has put God on the offense or on the defense simply because
they have to be in charge of it. Well, the scriptures tell
us plainly that if we're saved, it is a result of God and not
because of us. It's a result of God making a
plan in eternity to save some people from their sins. If he
intended to save everybody, it would happen. If Jesus Christ
died for everybody, it would happen. But God never promised
that, never did that, never performed that, and Jesus Christ knew exactly
who he was going to on the cross, who he was going to die for.
As it says here in John chapter 6 and verse 37, all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. Now this is almost a quote from
over in the Psalms, Psalm 94. So I'd like to travel over there
before we go on. In the book of the Psalms, just
think about the Lord encamping about his people, a wall of fire
about his people. they are under protection of
the most high god they're under protection of the one who laid
down his life a ransom for them they're under protection of the
god of heaven jehovah god the lord of hosts he has encamped
about them to protect them here in the book of the psalms psalm
ninety four in psalm ninety four and there in verse 14 Psalm 94
in verse 14 notice this with me Psalm 94 and verse 14 for
the Lord will not cast off his people neither will he forsake
his inheritance what a promise oh I've just sinned the most
terrible sin the Lord will not cast off his
people neither will he forsake his inheritance well I just I
just don't feel saved the Lord will not cast off his people
neither will he forsake his inheritance now we find out that all that
the Lord makes alive, all that God makes alive in Christ Jesus
shall be eternally with Him because they have already been eternally
loved by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. An eternal
love that God has for His people. It isn't based on time. It isn't
based on what we do. I was asking a question the other
day. If you don't confess your sins,
Norm, what does God do? And I said, well, he cannot hold
me responsible in the sense of I'm going to have to do better
to get his righteousness. Either I have it now or I will
never have it. Either he's given it to me now,
he's surrounded me now, he's encamped about me now, or he
has put a wall of fire about me now, or it will never be because
it is not up to me. I sin. We all sin. We have the
sinful nature. We're going to carry it around
to the last day we live upon this earth. And yet it is not
because of us not sinning or because of a sinning that he
has a good attitude towards us. His attitude to his church was
made up in the council halls of eternity, and it was drawn
up in a covenant of grace. That's his attitude towards his
church. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have chosen
you before the foundation of the world In fact the next verse
that we want to go to is over there in the book of Jeremiah
chapter 31 in the book of Jeremiah chapter 31 this wonderful subject
is brought up. How long has God loved his people? How long has God loved you? How
long has God loved his people? It wasn't just the day that we
went to church and heard something. It wasn't the day we were born.
It wasn't the day we were conceived. It wasn't the day that our parents
or our grandparents or our great-grandparents were married. That's not when
God started loving us. Here in the book of Jeremiah
chapter 31, Jeremiah chapter 31 and there in verse 3, notice
this wonderful passage of scripture. The Lord hath the period of old
unto me saying This is not something that just it didn't start after
the fall in the Garden of Eden It didn't start just before he
created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden This love that God has
notices. It is as eternal as he is You
put a time element on God that's how much he loved us and So it
says here, and we can't put a time element, I'm just a figure of
speech. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Now that's why we talk
about that this encampment is God's part. This encampment is
from God. This is what He does. This is
what He does for the Church. He's not just doing it to be
seen. He's doing it because it is part
of His covenant of grace, His agreement in the Godhead between
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. that he would encamp,
he would surround, he would protect, he would watch over, he would
make sure that not one of his sheep slipped through his fingers. I have loved you with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. So this is
why God draws his people to himself. I have loved you with an everlasting
love. There's not one that I know that
loves the Lord would say, well, I've been lovable all my life.
No, no, we've been very unlovable, and we continue to be unlovable
in many ways. But that's not the point. The
point is that this salvation begins and is fulfilled in God
Almighty. He's the one that puts the hedge
about His church. He's the one that puts an encampment
around his church. Why? Because he has a lot at
stake here. He has a promise that he's going
to keep, and he will not renege on that promise. He has put us
in himself. We have this wonderful position. All that the Father giveth me
shall come unto me, and he that cometh unto me I will unknowwise
cast out. Why? With loving kindness I have
drawn thee. I have drawn you. He never has
brought anybody into the kingdom of God with the law. He never
beats anybody into his fold. He is going to draw us with loving
kindness. It's the goodness of God that
leads us to repentance. It is the shed blood of Jesus
Christ on the behalf of sinners that turns us aside. It is that
great fire in that in that burning bush that drew Moses aside for
a moment and that's the person Christ what Gloriousness he is
and in the new birth. He draws our attention to him. We look to him We're drawn to
him. And so we find out that he had
an interest in us long before we had any interest in him He
loved us with an everlasting love. And in fact, he says in
time We love him because He first loved us. It is God's initiating
this great transaction of grace. God is the Alpha and Omega of
the Church's salvation and security. He is the first and the last
in all of this. Christ is the covenant head of
the elect. He is the one that represented
us before God on the cross. He is the covenant head. He is
the representative that we are so desperately in need of. Our
father Adam represented us, and he had a free will, and he fell. You know, the most perfect conditions
that have ever been upon the face of this earth was right
there, and Adam had it, and God had him in such a state of you
don't have to work for a living, fruit is there present every
day, no animal is ready to eat you up if you get out in the
woods. Everything was going, it was a state so grand, no sin
was about and yet in that state. Now we think people tell us today
that I have a free will in the state that we live in right now.
Adam had a free will in the state that he was in and he sinned
against the Holy God and represented every human being when he did
that. We were in his loins when he
did that. Now, we had a representative
and he failed utterly. Even when God came to him, he
never mentioned how terrible it was. And yet, God, in the
Council Halls of Eternity, before the foundation of the world,
He had this perfect, perfect love for His people who were
in sin. He had a perfect love for them.
He had a perfect atonement for them. He had a perfect payment
for sin for them. He took care of everything that
we needed. He took care of it Himself. And
in that, He promised to encamp about His temple. He promised
to camp around the church, to put a wall of fire about the
church. I'll lose none of them. I will do them good. So He chose
us in Him before the foundation of the world chose us in Christ.
He has made us to be what we are in Christ. He's the mediator
of the covenant. He's the only mediator. He's
the only go-between. He's the only one that stands
up for us. He's the only one that represents us. When we start
representing ourselves, we're representing a fool. But He is
God representing us. Christ is the surety of the covenant. He is the testator of the covenant.
The covenant is the Lord's, and He drew it up. It's His agreement,
and it was not made with us. It's made on behalf of us. The
testator, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father and the Son drew it
up, and in covenant mercy, they determined to carry it out, and
that's what's going on right now. He's saving His people from
their sins. promised to all the elect in
final perseverance, all those who are truly regenerated, effectually
called, truly converted, internally sanctified by the Spirit. This
is God's people and He has promised to keep them from falling. Going
on we find out that God never changes you know that is to our
advantage that God never changes towards the church he will forever
encamp about the church he will forever protect the church even
though there are Moses's David's and Abraham's and Peter's denying
the Lord Jesus Christ and everyone in the church is in that same
boat even with all of that the Lord Jesus Christ said I will
neither leave you nor forsake you I will not give up I change
not as it tells us there in the book of Malachi chapter 3 and
verse 6 for I am the Lord and I change not, therefore ye sons
of Jacob are not consumed. I am not going to change my mind
about you. I am not going to change my salvation. I am not going to change my purpose.
I am not going to change the one I have chosen and written
down in the Lamb's Book of Life. They have done something so heinous
as even David did. I am not going to mark him out
of the Lamb's Book of Life. I will save him. eternally. The elect are the children of
God. You know, I just love reading
about that, that we're adopted children of God, that He, before
the foundation of the world, and I've mentioned this a couple
of times when I've met people that have adopted children, they
chose those children. They went and chose those children.
Adoption. They went and chose those children
and then adopted them into their family. And that's what God is.
He chose His children and He adopts them into His family. He rules in His household. He is the one that is over the
charge. He has all the things in a contract. It is an eternal and everlasting
covenant, a contractual agreement. that Jesus Christ would lay down
his life for every one of those whose names are written in the
Lamb Book of Life. He would do that. He would do
that for all the folks between Adam and Jesus Christ on the
cross. But more than that, up to that
point, we could say, well, he knew all their sins. Well, he
knew all our sins. He knew the ones we committed
today. He paid for them on the cross. If you belong to God,
if God saved you with His eternal salvation, He knew all the sins
that you are going to commit today and tomorrow and the rest
of your life, and He paid for them absolutely and surely at
the cross. He changes not. The elect are
the children of God. They are called the children
of God. Now join me, if you would, in the book of 1 John chapter
5. 1 John chapter 5. trying to qualify what that means
well the the the apostle that wrote the book of revelation
by inspiration also wrote first second and third john by inspiration
and also the gospel of john by inspiration what does that mean
god gave him the words to write that's what it means he gave
him the words to write down and here in the book of first john
chapter five first john chapter five and there in verse 4, "...for whatsoever is born of
God," now underline that, "...whatsoever is born of God," now God gives
you the new birth, born of God, "...but whoever is born of God,
known only unto him." Now, we read through the Scriptures and
there's probably one person throughout the Scriptures that most of us
would have voted and said he has no he's not going to have
any part in the kingdom of heaven that's all the tarsus chapters
are written about him before he saved how well what a mean
person he was we voted out of the kingdom of heaven Vote him
off the island. He's no good. But in God's purpose
of grace, he intended before the foundation of the world to
save that person from his sins. And he did that. Now we have
wonderful writings by him. He's an overcomer. What? Because
he gave him the new birth. 1 John 5, verse 4, for whatsoever
is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith. Now in religion, we're
going to say, that's my faith. No, that's faith given to us. That's faith given to us. The
other night I looked out there and it was full moon. You know,
different times of the year when you see that moon come up and
it's full, we had cloud cover and it just broke through and
looked so beautiful, but there wasn't one ray of light that
was that moon's on its own. it only could reflect our true
light our true faith our true belief our true hope is what
God gives us and we reflected back to him that's what we have
is his faith we have the faith of God's elect even our faith
and the church says you know I never had this I don't have
it now except God give it to me And I won't have it tomorrow
except the Lord give it to me. It is God's faith. So, who is
it that overcometh? Those that are born of God. That's
what he said. And those are the ones, he said,
I chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world.
I've loved them with an everlasting love. I have worked out a work
of grace on their behalf just to have God deal with where we
were born, at the time we were born so that we could hear the
gospel of his free grace in Christ Jesus have us in the right place
at the right time that's a miracle of grace that he could do that
and that he would do that and yet he does it all the time so
he's the one that has this eternal love for his elect he's the one
that never changes towards the church that he is just calm towards the church. They are
mine. I put a hedge about them. I have
encircled them. I have a wall of fire about them. Turn with me, if you would, to
Psalm 125. As we think about the great,
the one that has the hedge, the one that is encamped about, the
one who has the fire, that's the one we want to know, that's
the one we want to talk about, because we don't have those things.
He has the encampment over the church. He's the one that has
the wall of fire about the church. He's the one that is protecting
the church. He's the one that has the church
in his mind from eternity. Well, here in the book of the
Psalms, Psalm 125, we go back here to this glorious book of
the Psalms, the Messianic Psalms, the ministry of Christ, the message
of Christ, here in the Psalms, in Psalm 125, Verse one and two. Notice this
with me. The Song of Degrees. When the
Lord turned, excuse me, 125, let me back up one. Verse one. The Song of Degrees. They that trust in the Lord shall
be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. How long has there been Mount
Zion? as a picture, a type, and a shadow of the Church, from
eternity abideth forever, as the mountains are round about
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth
even for evermore." This is not just a 10-year contract. It's not a 20-year contract.
This isn't a 30-year contract. This isn't an 80-year contract
This is an eternal contract that God has that he would put his
Encampment around his people that he would put his hedge about
his people that he would put his fire about his people Couple
more verses we want to look at another one is found in the book
of Jeremiah Jeremiah chapter 32 book of Jeremiah chapter 32
as he said I will encamp I will be a wall of fire I will be for
my people in the book of the of Jeremiah chapter 32 and there
in verse 37 chapter 32 and verse 37 behold I will gather them out of all
countries." You know, that's what he's been doing, that's
what he is doing, and that's what he will continue to do until
the last one is saved. He is long-suffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish. That whole passage of Scripture
is dealing with Christ coming back. Long-suffering to us-ward,
not willing that any of the elect should perish. The us-ward, that
all should come to repentance. I will not come back until all
of them are taken care of. I will gather them out of all
countries, whether I have driven them, in mine anger, and in my
fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them again unto
this place, and will cause them to dwell safely. And they shall
be my people, and I will be their God. It's just astonishing the
words that the Lord shares with the church. They'll be my people
and I will be their God. And we find out they were not
a people, but now they are the people of God. That's what the
church is. At one time they had no interest in God, but he gave
them an interest in the new birth. And I will give them one heart
and one way, and they may fear me forever. Respect me with the
greatest of reverence. for the good of them and for
their children after them, and I will make an everlasting covenant
with them, that I will not turn away from them." An everlasting
covenant, first article, I will not turn away from them. To do them good I will put my
fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from me. Yea,
I will rejoice over them, to do them good, and will plant
them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole
soul. For thus saith the Lord, Like
as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will
I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. as
the the uh... writer jeremiah was caused to
write these things he just said let us rejoice in god almighty
for all his mighty works towards the church that he said they
shall love me who were in the tea and i will be there people
will be there god they shall be my people and we just have
so much more than we ever thought was possible in the state we
were in in depravity beyond note in the book of john chapter ten
john chapter ten and then we're going to be in john chapter seventeen
john chapter ten the subject comes up again the lord counsels
his apostles the lord counsels his church the lord counsels
his people throughout eternity the same way here in the book
of john chapter ten verse twenty seven and twenty eight john chapter
ten verses twenty seven and twenty eight And this is all because
of God. He's the one that initiated it.
He's the Alpha and Omega. It is His faith. It is His blood. It is His work. It is His ministry. It is His covenant. And here
in the book of John, chapter 10, verse 27, my sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of My hand. What if I do this great crime?
If God has saved you by His grace, Abraham, David, Moses, if God
has saved you by His grace, given you the new birth, nothing can
pluck you out of My hand. He told David, you've done this
thing, but I'm not going to kill you. What a blessing. We'd be
dead every day, wouldn't we? If God should count iniquities,
if he should keep track of our iniquities, who shall stand?
And then John chapter 17, John chapter 17, and there in verse 12, We had a study tonight in the
book of Romans, there in chapter 3, and the first thing that the
religious people want to do when they hear about eternal security
is, if I believe that, I would go out and do this. Well, that
is just the wrong thing to say. You've already identified yourself
as not having security in Christ, because you're not born again
when you do that. God's people know what it is. We're brought
to that point. We sin every day. God brings
us to the point, Oh God, be merciful to me, a wretched man. But that
does not remove us from his position, the place that he's placed us
in. He does not remove us from Christ. Here in the book of John
chapter 17 and verse 12, while I was with them in the world,
I kept them in thy name. those that thou gavest me I have
kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition that
the scripture might be fulfilled." There are going to be those who
make their profession and they're going to end up on the left-hand
side just as God says. But to everyone that has been
written in the Lamb's Book of Life, everyone that Jesus Christ
died for, everyone that He initiated salvation for, He will lose none. Why? He is encamped on their
behalf. He has surrounded them on their
behalf. He has a wall of fire about them
on their behalf. And we are the recipients of
that great kindness of God. We're the recipients. We're not
the participants. We know what we would do left
to ourselves. So we're thankful that God does
not leave us nor forsake us. Well, God bless you as we look
at these things and rejoice in the good things of the Lord and
that salvation that is a great salvation.