We have spent some time in this
ninth verse of the first chapter of the book of Revelation. There's
just so much in there. This is a compact book. The verses
are so filled. And all the Bible is that way.
But when we have come to the book of Revelation, we have noticed
that the verses are just so full, and it's been to our advantage
to stop and pay a little bit of attention. And we can't do
any harm. It's always good to be in the
gospel. It's never a bad thing. It's
always a good thing. So as long as we keep our eyes
on the Lord Jesus and the purpose of this book, and if the Lord
should allow us to be in here for five or 10 years, or if he
should come back tomorrow, we've not wasted our time. So verse
nine, we noticed in that verse that John is used of the Holy
Spirit to be the secretary. And we noticed a few things about
the John and John one. And there's so many similarities.
In fact, the items that are listed with regard to John in the first
chapter of the book of John, John the Baptist as we know him,
the items of import to him are the same thing that is important
to God's people today. And that is our eyes are on the
Lord and we are constantly with our finger pointed, behold, the
Lamb of God. He has taken away the sin of
the world. Behold the Lamb of God. And it's our delight to
point people there, and it's our delight to get in that direction.
And the things that John said about himself, he must increase,
I must decrease, that's the whole principle of the word of God,
is God is great, and we're minuscule. Now when he gets turned around,
we're gonna have a problem. When we get ourselves bigger
than God, we have a problem. When we get ourselves bigger
than the purposes of God, we have a problem. So John was so
clear and plain about pointing people to the Lord, but also
his own view about himself. He is great. I'm just a man passing
through this life. And I have a privilege of pointing.
And then when we saw that he had some disciples, followers,
he was not one to say, stay here. We want to build a kingdom over
here. We want to build something valuable
to us. Those two disciples, when he pointed out the Lord Jesus,
they said, I think we'll go over there. And John says, I think
you should. Follow the Lord, go to the Lord, be with the Lord.
So that is very valuable, and we're gonna find that same thing
about John here in the book of Revelation. Now, he declares
to us that he is our brother, and we noticed during that short
time we were there that John, even as knowledgeable and as
the sights he had seen, and the persons and person he'd been
around, Oh my, the number of important events that had taken
place where John and Peter James and John in particular were the
only eyewitnesses of. So important. I'd want to go
to a conference if he was speaking, wouldn't you? If he was going
to be the featured speaker, I'd want to go hear what he had to
say. But he just said, I'm your brother. There was no elevated
position. He knew it took the blood of
Christ to save him. It took the grand scheme of salvation
to save him. It took God's grace to save him. He was a sinner born into this
world, a sinner by nature, and he was a sinner by practice,
and he was also a sinner by choice, and God saved him by his great,
free, and sovereign grace. and he's just a brother. I'm
just a brother. And then we noticed in there
that he's a companion. He's a partner, and he's a partner
in tribulation. Would you turn with me as we
just close on that thought of the companion in tribulation?
Turn with me, if you would, to 2 Corinthians chapter four. 2
Corinthians chapter four. The apostle Paul was used to
write these words of encouragement to us. Now, they were an encouragement
to him, but they are an encouragement to us. They were an encouragement
to the saints at Corinth, but they're an encouragement to us
also. And we find that this companion in tribulation in 2 Corinthians
4, beginning with verse 7, Now this verse is such a wonderful
verse about where we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we should
ever think of ourselves more than we ought to think of ourselves,
let's just remember we have this treasure in earthen vessels. We're just earthen vessels. We're
just pottery, if you please. And thank God that he's the potter.
But there's a treasure hidden in that earthen vessel. When
he saves his people, when he regenerates his people, the Holy
Spirit takes up residence And that residence that's in us is
of God. And we have a treasure in there.
We have the Lord Jesus. We have His Spirit. We have the
Father. We have the greatness of His
salvation. The down payment of our eternity
is with us and in us. And he says there in verse seven,
we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of
the power may be of God and not of us. Again, just a statement
about if we ever had a thought about boasting about what we
have and how we got it, let's just remember the Lord makes
it so clear we are what we are by the grace of God. That's all,
by the grace of God. And Paul said, if it wasn't for
the grace of God, there go I. I mean, we can see the derelict,
the drunk, we can just, the religious person, the high, lofty religious
person. If it wasn't for the grace of
God, there go I. I'd be sewed up in that and sold out to that.
Now, he goes on here in verse eight. Paul shares this, and
I think that he's speaking for the church. We are troubled on
every side. Now that's what we get from the
world. But notice, there is always a
spiritual, godly blessing that goes with it. We are troubled. And now, we are in tribulation.
And tribulation is going to sift out the chaff from the wheat. We read there about the the parable
of the sower, and when tribulation came along, some of those that
had made professions, those that appeared to have possession,
it wasn't. They left over tribulation. Now,
notice here, it says in verse eight, we are troubled on every
side, but not distressed. Well, God hasn't given up on
us. God hasn't given up. God hasn't
given up on us. God has not changed. He's not
changed about us. And then he goes on to say, we
are perplexed, but not in despair. Now we, we may be at a crossroads
in our life, but God has it all figured out. We may be perplexed. Trust the
Lord. We may not know what to do. We
may be perplexed, as it says there. We are perplexed, but
not in despair. I mean, one of these roads we're
gonna take, or he's gonna have us cutting across. But he's in
charge, and we're here, and we just don't know which way to
go. I think of the Apostle Paul. He had a real desire to go to
the east, a real desire. The Bible tells us he had a desire
to go east and take the gospel. Now, he wasn't going on a sightseeing
trip. He was going to take the gospel. And it says the spirit
stopped him. All right, I'll go north. The spirit stopped him. All right,
I'll go west. All right. A door was open, and
the spirit took him west. Now, we are thankful for that.
We're thankful for that. If it wasn't for that, we'd be
like China and Japan and all of the Arabic nations. We would
not have heard the gospel as often and as clearly as we have. In some of those countries, it's
against the law to mention the name of the Lord Jesus. So I'm
glad he went west. Now he had a desire to go other
places, but he was perplexed, but he was not in despair. Now
notice verse nine, persecuted, but not forsaken. I like that. Every human frailty that we have
is answered by a spiritual blessing from God. I'm persecuted, but
not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Every human frailty that we have,
the Lord is always the spiritual answer and the bearer upholder
of us. So, tribulation. The Apostle
John said that he was a companion, a partner in tribulation, and
he's on that island. as a result of persecution and
tribulation. He is there. And I don't know
what went through his mind. I kind of think what might have
went through my mind if I'd have been arrested and said, you're
going to a desolate island all by yourself, and it's not a very
good place to be. I'd have just wondered, what
are you doing with me, Lord? Probably just a little bit down
in the mouth over it. And yet, on that island, John
saw the Lord high and lifted up in glory that few people have
seen. So the issue of where he was
was just God's opportunity to share with him the glory of God. So I'm your brother, as going
back over there to the book of Revelation, I'm your brother
and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom. And tonight
we'd like to spend a little time and the patience of Jesus Christ,
the patience of Jesus Christ. Now I've looked at this, I've
broken it up into two parts. Number one, there is an attribute
about God, about our Savior, the Lord Jesus, that's termed
patience. This is the patience, what's
it say? The patience of Jesus Christ. There is a characteristic,
there is an attribute about the Lord Jesus Christ that we call
patience. It's given to us as that term.
But there is a fruit of that characteristic or that attribute
that overflows to us that we live by daily. Now, this patience,
this patience is the absolute power that overcomes all things."
Now, when we're talking about patience here, we're talking
about God's sovereignty. We're talking about an enduring,
not swerving, not moving, not going to the right hand or to
the left hand. This is unswavering. This is unmovable. This is not
a shadow of turning. This is the patience of Jesus
Christ bears witness of his sovereignty, bears witness of his Godhead,
bears witness of every stable thing about God. His patience
is an attribute that we delight in because there is a fruit about
it that gives us the ability to overcome. Jesus says, I've
overcome the world. And as a result of that, you
will overcome the world. Now let's look at this. Turn
with me, if you would, back to the book of Isaiah chapter 14. Isaiah
chapter 14, as we think about this patience of the Lord Jesus
Christ, He absolutely has power over all things. all the time,
without end, without beginning and without end. And here in
the book of Isaiah, I'm looking forward to Pastor Mahan's Gospel of Isaiah. I like the way he termed that.
It's a book he wrote, The Gospel of Isaiah. The book of Isaiah
has a lot to say about our Savior and a lot to say about our salvation. And right here in Isaiah chapter
14, we read some wonderful words about the patience of our Savior,
the patience of our Lord, the immovability Now I go down through
the gorge here, and it's gorgeous, but you know some engineers moved
a lot of rock. There's cuts down there that
are 40 and 50 feet of basalt. They cut so that they could put
a freeway through there. Now if you want to see it without
it, go through the old road a little. Even there they had to do some
cuts. When we come to the Lord, he is such a flinty stone that
there is no one that is going to carve through him, cut through
him, and make the passage more easily. He's immovable and uncarvable. There is not one bit about him
that anybody can move. not his purpose, not his will,
not his word, nothing can move God. He can't even be carved
on. He can't be made different. Now,
we may have an imagination about Him, but in His person, He cannot
be different. He is going to be what He's always
been, and that is God, and beside Him, there is none else. It is
the patience, the endurance, the overcoming of our Savior,
the Lord Jesus. Now, Isaiah chapter 14, verse
24, the Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, surely as I have thought,
So shall it come to pass. Now that's the patience of the
Lord Jesus, the enduring, endurance, immovability, uncuttability. You can't carve through him.
You're not going over him. I mean, he is immovable and uncarvable
and uncuttable. There is not one wit about him
that can be changed. I change not. I will not even
change my face for you." Now notice, going on here, Isaiah
14, and there in verse 24, the Lord of hosts has sworn, saying,
surely I have thought. Now isn't that interesting? I
have thought. Hasn't even said it out loud. The angels didn't even have to
hear it. He didn't have to say a word.
I've thought. Surely as I've thought, so shall
it come to pass. And as I have purposed, so shall
it stand. I am your brother and companion
in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience. What he's saying
is, I delight in God not moving. This sun may move and this earth
may spin, but my Lord spins not and moves not. I'm out here on
this island, but my God has not moved in his purpose. I'm seeing
his purpose, I'm understanding his purpose like I've never understood
it, but he's not changed. The results of me being here
is God's eternal, everlasting, unmovable, undeniable purpose. I'm here because God's appointed
it. Now he goes on to say, Here in
verse 25, that I will break the Assyrian is in my land and upon
my mountains tread him underfoot. Then shall his yoke depart from
off them and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This
is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth. And this
is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations for the
Lord of hosts hath purposed. Isn't that a good word? purposed. There's a related word called
predestined. I purposed, I predestined, I
made up my mind beforehand. I will not, I can't, we can't
even say I will not. We can say he cannot change. He cannot change. His patience
is from eternity to eternity. I am immovable, unchangeable. I do not change my mind. I do not change my ways. I do
not change my purpose. Here he says there, this is the
purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth. And this is
the hand that is stretched out upon all nations, for the Lord
of hosts has purposed. And who shall disannul it? I like that. Nobody. Nobody. You know what that does
to the church? Gives us a firm foundation. Now Mike and I are working on
a house that was a house one time. I just call it the dry
rot house. There's a lot of dry rot in it.
We've taken out a lot of dry rot. But today I told him, You
know, as bad as it looks, there is one positive thing. The concrete
seems to be pretty good. So we have something to set the
wood on. Now of all the trials and tests and winds that blow,
we always have the foundation. And it changes not. It is not
moved by time. It is not moved by politics.
It is not moved by prayer. It is not moved by anything.
It is always the same. And we have a firm foundation. We can always rest on that. It
is not moved. The patience of our Savior, the
Lord Jesus, it is always a constant. And we need that. Believers need
that. The world changes, but he changes
not. And then to find out, as the
Apostle John did, and we do over time, whatever happens, and it
looks like it's changing, our life is changing, is by divine
appointment. God is working all things after
the counsel of his own will. To be a companion in tribulation,
a companion in the kingdom and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ
means I can sit under my tree and rest. The winds are heavy. I'm on an island and there's
not much here. The winds are heavy and it's cold at times.
But I am at rest. I'm enjoying the patience of
the Lord Jesus. Turn with me, if you would, over
to the book of Malachi chapter three. Malachi chapter three. There's so much about this patience
of the Lord. We just term it the immutability,
the unchangeability of God. But notice this verse of scripture
right here, Malachi chapter three. This is such a delightful verse
of scripture because we are the absolute beneficiaries of God's
unchangeability. We are the beneficiaries. If
God should change, why wouldn't he change his mind about us today? And if he did, he would. I notice here Malachi chapter three,
verse six. I for I am the Lord. Now that word Lord means something
there. It means I am. I am the patient Lord. I am constant,
never changing. I am absolute. I'm sovereign,
but he says I change not. And that could be in all capitals.
I change not. Now the beneficiaries, us, therefore,
ye sons of Jacob, are not consumed. I have made a covenant. The Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit have made a covenant to save
a people, and therefore, you're not consumed. Now if I changed
my mind about my covenant, oh my goodness, which day would
it be that he marked us out? but I change not. I'm your companion
in the patience of our Lord. We delight in this. We rejoice
in this. We thank God for this. We are
so delighted because our whole spiritual eternity is based upon
the fact that God changes not. Our whole hope is based upon
that very thing. It's not based on an experience.
It's not based on a time. It's not based on words we said. It is based upon whether God's
going to change or not. The Word of God tells us so clearly,
we have hope, he changes not. We can hope, he changes not. He will not change his mind. Those names that he had written
down in the Lamb's Book of Life, those names that were graven
on the palms of his hands, those names that were on his shoulder
pads, those names that were on the breastplate, will not change. He will not get the whiteout
out. They will be eternal, right there,
just as he purposed before time. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of James, James chapter one. This, I am your companion
in this. We are partners in this. We will
thank God for this. When we meet together, we'll
thank God for his patience. His patience, the patience of
Christ, the endurance, unswerving, the deliberate purpose, even
with great trials. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ is
one that faced great trials while he was on this earth, but he
was unswerving, unswerving, unswerving. He didn't go to the right hand
or to the left hand. He had his face, I like what the old prophet
said, his face was set as a flint. And that just means no one was
gonna turn his head. He had a purpose in mind. And
his purpose was our redemption. But you remember when he was
just a young, just a babe, Herod says, let's kill him. Kill all
the male children under two. And God sent an angel, or sent
a dream to Joseph and says, get him down to Egypt. Get him down
to Egypt. And we just find that through
the life of the Lord Jesus. They had taken him out and killed
him, given the opportunity a number of times, but it wasn't until
his appointed time. And when his appointed time came,
he submitted himself to the judge of this world, old Pilate. I
lay down my life that I might take it up, no man taketh it
from me. Now notice here, book of James
chapter one. We just, we could just sit down
and thank God for this. We could just sit down and we
just have prayer meeting over this, this very thing. What's
it say? James chapter one, and there
in verse 17, the word of the Lord says, every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above. If you've had regeneration, it's
from above. If you have any gift, it's from
above. If you have any love, it's from
above. If you have any hope, it's from above. Every good gift
and every perfect gift cometh down from above. It's not from
this world. It's from above. It's from above.
It's from God. Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights.
Now notice the last part of that. With whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning. You know what that variableness
means to me? He doesn't have to stop and think
about what he's going to do. Now, Mike and I were talking
about this today. We call it ongoing engineering. When you get to remodeling, you
never know what you're going to find. So it's just ongoing
engineering. You pull up a board, okay, we're
going to have to do something else. We thought it was okay,
but it isn't. It's just variableness. Every
day is a day of variableness. We're going to go this way. No,
no, no, we're not going to go that way. Circumstances. But with him, there is no stopping
and having to think about what to do. His purpose is made up. It's already declared. He knows
the end from the beginning. And as we read over there in
the book of Isaiah, it says, I thought it, therefore it will
come to pass. That's so good. God's church
just says, oh, thank you, God. It's such a delight to have a
God that doesn't change his mind, not wringing his hands over what's
going to happen in the Middle East, wringing his hands over
whether he can get people to come to him or not. He is in
charge. He is the patient Lord. He's immutable, unchangeable,
a God that fadeth not away. He's not just here for a short
time. He's not like the mist or the
fog. He is always a high mountain stronghold in the day of trouble. He's always a cleft in the rock. He's always something strong. He never gives himself the impression
to us, well, he's just a little weakling. No. No. Loud voice. Loud voice. He speaks with a loud voice.
What's in the book of John, John says, part of his patience is,
his voice is like a trumpet. Unchangeable. He speaks like
he believes what he knows. The camp Nancy and I used to
go to, a preacher preached and he left the pulpit and was going
to his cabin and he dropped some of his notes and one of my friends
found the notes and right here it said, in these notes, weak
point, shout here. Well, probably that should have
been with the whole message, you know, weak point, shout here.
Well, you know, God, he doesn't have any weak points, he can
just, the voice of a trumpet. He knows. Now, turn with me to
John 16. John 16. In John 16, we look
at this patience. This is an attribute. This is
characteristic. This is the attribute of the
Lord, the patience of God, the endurance, the unswervability,
the deliberate purpose, even with great trials, But here in
John 16, verse 33, Jesus said this. These things I have spoken unto
you that in me you might have peace, in the world you shall
have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. I've overcome the world. I've
been the ruler of the world. I've overcome the world. I created
the world. I've overcome the world. All
opposition, all opposition, I've overcome. Now, that is the characteristic. That's the attribute. Now, what's
the fruit? Let's look at the fruit. Turn
with me to the book of 1 John. 1 John chapter 5. First John chapter 5, we find
the one that God used to write the book of Revelation, wrote
about this overcoming. There's a fruit in this patience
of the Lord. There's a fruit in this immovability
of the Lord. There's a fruit in this standing
straight. There's a fruit in this patience
and enduring. There's a fruit in this unswervability. There's a fruit that God gives
to us. He said, I change not. There's a fruit in these words,
I have overcome the world. Now notice here in 1 John, it
says in 1 John 5, verse 4, the word of the Lord says, for whatsoever
is born of God overcometh the world. Now there's a fruit in
him overcoming, and that is he grants us the blessing of overcoming. Going on to say, and this is
the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is
he that overcometh? the world, but he that believeth
that Jesus is the Son of God." What fruit do we enjoy overcoming? My goodness, there's a verse.
Let's go back over here to, where is it? Oh, Matthew 10. There we go.
Matthew chapter 10. Now this just used to scare me.
When I was in religion, this scared me. This just scared the
pudding out of me. Just scared me to death. You
know what? I found out I was looking at
it backwards. In the flesh, we look at things so backwards.
Have you ever looked through a pair of binoculars backwards? You don't see much and everything's
so far away. Well, have you ever looked through
them right way then? Boy, things come right up in
your face. They're clear when you're looking at it the right
way. In the natural eye, we got the binoculars turned around.
And we can't read, we can't figure it out, we just, it's out of
proportion. Now notice this, Matthew chapter
10 verse 22. The scripture says here, and
you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved. Whoa, and preachers used
to use that as a beating stick. Boy, oh boy, you're gonna have
to work hard, boy. You're just not gonna make it,
you're just not gonna make it going the way you're going. And
you know what? They were right on that point. He that endureth to the end shall
be saved. Now, when you turn the binoculars
around, you find out that God has already overcome, and as
a result, all have his children. This is the fruit of regeneration,
is overcoming and enduring to the end. This is the fruit, and
with patience we shall endure to the end. Endurance, why? He's
got a chain on us. My goodness, even if you're an
anchor, what use is an anchor if it doesn't have a chain to
the boat? Even if we are an anchor, what use are we if we're not
chained to the boat? We're lost. Thank God that even
on anchors, he puts a chain on us. Now, some of us, God, by
his grace, he's got us on a balloon. We're a balloon. Have you ever
been just a balloon attitude, floating around enjoying God's
good grace? He still has an anchor on us. Now, he that endureth to the
end shall be saved. Who's going to overcome? Those
that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall overcome. That's
what he says. Why? Because this is his fruit
to us. It's the squeezings out of him.
The apple is squeezed, we get the squeezing, we get the juice
out of him, the juice, the fruit of his ministry to us is we get
to endure to the end and overcome. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Luke chapter eight, verse 15, just a little bit ahead.
Now this is that same, same parable of the sower. Now notice
here, parable of the sower, Verse 15, Luke chapter 8, this is the
parable of the sword. In this we find out what tribulation
will do to people. Tribulation will either do one
of two things. It will cause us to leave or
it will cause us to be drawn closer. That's it. And I say as Greg Elmquist, leave
if you can. But that's the two alternatives.
We'll be drawn closer or we'll leave. Now, there are some leavers
in here. Now, notice the last one though, but that on good
ground are they which in the honest and good heart, having
heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. Now, that word is the same word
we find over in Revelation chapter 1 verse 9. This is the fruit
that God gives to us, and that is God grants to His people,
not because of them, but because of Him, the ability of enduring
to the end, finishing the race, going to the completion, not
having to worry whether I'll make it or not. It's in His hands. Now, we can just say, as those
four leprous men, If I stay here, I die. If I go into the city,
I die. If I go to him and I'm not his,
I do nothing but die. But if he should have mercy on
me, look at all I get. I'm not worthy of the least of
His blessings. I'm not worthy of the least of
His mercy. I'm not worthy of the least of
His grace. But if He should give me a little bit, then He will
cause me to overcome and endure to the end because He's got a
chain on me. He's got me roped. He's drawing
me with cords of love. Turn with me, if you would, over
to the book of Revelation, chapter two. Now in Revelation chapter
two and Revelation chapter three, there are seven churches that
God had this letter delivered to. And in each one of these,
we have this word overcoming, the fruit of patience. The fruit
of patience. Now notice here, this is, and
those who overcome, God has regenerated. It's not from above. Every good
gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above. It starts up
there and comes down. It's not created down here. We
don't create it. He gives it to us. He gives us
regeneration. He gives us salvation. He gives
us sanctification. He gives us justification. He
gives us endurance. He gives us the overcomingness.
He gives us it all. Now notice here in Revelation
chapter two, Revelation chapter two, talking about this gift,
this grace, this fruit of his patience. Revelation chapter
two, verse seven, the word of the Lord says this. Revelation
chapter two, verse seven, he that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says unto the churches. To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst
of the paradise of God. Hallelujah. What's that mean?
I get to feast on Christ. I will not starve anymore. I've
been eating pig's husks, husks of corn, but I get to eat of
the tree of life. Now he is the tree of life. Turn
with me to that same chapter, verse 11. He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that
overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Isn't that
good? Because when we get over there
a little bit further and find out what the second death is, death
and hell are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second
death. That is God's eternal justice on every unbeliever. And he has a right to do it.
Whether we agree with it or not, he has a right to do it. And
he says there, in verse 11, he that overcometh shall not be
heard of the second death. Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath
no part. Why? Because he is patient. He changes not. He endures. No one can come and make a mark
on God. I remember seeing an old western,
I think it was Gunsmoke or Have Gun Will Travel, and there was
a guy had a ring and he scratched it across the glass on the bar
and it left a trail. And everybody knew he had a diamond.
Scratch glass with it. You know what? There's not a
diamond that can touch God. There's not a word that can move
him. He is patient, enduring, unswerving. Turn verse 17, yes, verse 17
of that second chapter. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna. Whoa, there's some pictures. They will get to eat of the hidden
manna and will give him a white stone. Now, we're gonna get to
that white stone. A white stone was used. Have you ever heard of being
blackballed? Blackstoned? When you voted, it was a secret
ballot, and there was a black stone and a white stone in your
hand. And you went by to vote on somebody, whether it was condemnation. And Paul used this about his
words about Stephen. He gave him the black ball. He
gave him the black stone. Death. Jesus Christ gives us
the white stone. He votes for us. We're not even
in the competition, but he votes for us. Verse, I'll give him
the white stone, and in the stone, a new name written, which no
man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Now that's given to those
who have the fruit of God's endurance. Verse 26 of that same chapter,
he that overcometh and keepeth my words, and to the end, to
him will I give power over the nations. Chapter 3, verse 5,
he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.
My goodness, isn't it good to have the righteousness of Christ?
He is our clothing, and will not blot out his name out of
the book of life. Whoa, isn't that just about what
we read over there in Malachi? I change not, therefore you sons
of Jacob are not consumed. I'll not scratch your name out
of the book of life. I will confess his name before
my father and before his angels. Verse 12, he that overcometh,
will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no
more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the
name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh
down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my
new name. And then, verse 21, to him that
overcometh, will I grant to sit with me, whoa. in my throne. Overcomers. I've overcome the
world, he said. The patience, the endurance,
the immovability, the unscratchability. We can't even flick a thread
on his garment. He changes not. And he said to
those I've given the gift, I've given the fruit, they shall overcome. They shall sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and I'm set down with my father
in his throne. Just as the Lord Jesus sat down
when his work was finished, his people will sit down with him. It's his fruit. His people are
his fruit. Their endurance is his fruit. Their overcoming is his fruit. It is him that shall overcome. And every one of his children
that shall be presented spotless, just the fruit of God demonstrated
in front of all. See what I can do with a sinner. Trophies of grace. See what I
can do with a sinner. Then finally, if you turn with
me to the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation, we're fellowshipping,
we're companion, we're a partner in tribulation and in the kingdom
and patience of Jesus Christ. He's dead, stop, immovable. Here in the 21st chapter, verse
7 of the book of Revelation, we read this. He that overcometh
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall
be my son. Now that's almost a quote of
the everlasting covenant. This is the covenant that I'll
make with them after those things saith the Lord. I'll write my
law on their heart. I'll give them a new heart. I'll
be their God. They shall be my people. It's
the fruit of God in his people. And that is the only reason we'll
endure to the end. And that is the only reason we
will overcome. But it's a good reason. He overcame. He endured. He is patient. His people will
have the same. He gives to them his character
and attributes. As you see me, so shall you have. And we fellowship in his patience. My goodness, we delight When
we just get an inkling, our God changes not. That's so foreign
to us in the world, in religion. We're so used to God changing
His mind, changing about this. We're trying to influence Him
to change. They're trying to influence Him
to change the other way. And then when He saves us by
His grace and is pointed out to us, He changes not. You know
what? We just get to sit down and rest. Because He's God.