Good morning. Let's all stand
together. We'll sing hymn number 175. 175. Standing on the promises of Christ
my King Through eternal ages let his praises ring Glory in
the highest I will shout and sing Standing on the promises
of God Standing, standing Standing on the promises of God my Savior
Standing, standing I'm standing on the promises of God Standing
on the promises that cannot fail When the howling storms of doubt
and fear assail By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of God
my Savior. Standing, standing, I'm standing
on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ
the Lord Bound to Him eternally by the strong cord Overcoming
daily with the Spirit's sword Standing on the promises of God
Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, standing, I'm standing
on the promises of God. Standing on the promises I cannot
fall Listening every moment to the Spirit's call Resting in
my Savior as my all in all Standing on the promises of God Standing,
standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, standing, I'm standing. Be seated. We'll sing hymn number
40. Hymn number 40. Great is thy faithfulness, O
God my Father. There is no other. of turning with Thee. Thou changest not Thy compassions,
they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever
wilt 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. Summer and winter and springtime
and harvest, Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, join
with the To thy great faithfulness, mercy
and love. 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. Pardon for sin, and a peace that
endureth, thy new dear presence to cheer. Strength for today and bright
hope for tomorrow. Blessings all mine with ten thousand
beside. 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. If you have your Bibles with
you this morning, if you would, Open them with me to the book
of Lamentations. Read a brief portion of Lamentations
chapter three. While you're turning there, a
small announcement. Some of you may already know,
or a lot of you may already know, but Miss Elaine is in the hospital.
She's been in and out over the last couple days, but it's my
understanding she's there for, she was there last night and
is doing okay this morning. Might keep her for another day
or two. But if you would, remember them and remember her in your
prayers. Remember our pastor as they are gathered at the conference
and the other pastors there and the gathering there. Lamentations chapter three, we'll
read verse 22 through 26. If you're unfamiliar with this
chapter, I'd recommend reading the whole thing sometime and
read before and after what we're about to read. But to shorten
it up, the top of my page says, Jeremiah lamenteth the misery
of Jerusalem and bewaileth his own calamities. God's justice. remembering and reminiscing his
past, what he's been through and what he's done. But nevertheless, verse 22, it
is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his
compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will I hope in
him. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Let's
have a word of prayer. Our most high and heavenly Father,
Lord God Almighty, bow our heads and our hearts once more before
your holy presence. Father, we come to you through
your blessed son. Father, there's so much about
your word we don't understand. We can barely grasp the concept
of who and what you are. But Lord, we thank you for this
glimpse that you've given us. Father, we thank you that your
mercies are new each day and that the Lord's faithfulness
is great. He's perfectly faithful. Lord, we are so often faithless
and disobedient. We would wander away from the
fold, Lord, if you would let us. We thank you for hedging
us about. We thank you for keeping us.
Lord, we thank you for causing us to look to you. Lord, we pray that you would
keep us continually looking to you. Let's not turn to this world. Let's not turn to ourselves. Let us trust only in thee. You're
the only one worthy of trusting. and you're the only one able
to keep us. Lord, we thank you for your mercy
and your grace and blessed salvation found only in Christ. Lord, as
we are gathered here today, pray that you would meet with us.
I ask that you would give Brother Obi the strength and the ability
and the option to stand here and proclaim thy gospel. Lord,
let us bring honor and glory to thy name this morning. Let
us not bring report reproach on it. Let us not meet in vain. Lord, if we're here for vain
show, it's just. Would just be wasted unless you
would have mercy on us, Lord. Cause us to worship you. Lord, we pray for Miss Elaine
and her family that you would continue to provide strength
and mercy and grace and comfort, give guidance and wisdom to the
doctors. Lord, they're rather weak and
weary, that you would have mercy and be pitiful to them. We thank you for all the mercy
you have given, all the mercy you have shown. We thank you for your word, for
your blessed truth, for the gospel. Most of all, we thank you for
sending your only son to be our savior. Lord, we ask that thy word would
go forth cause it to go forth and prosper. Prosper in this
place, in this community, all through this nation and all over
the world, wherever your people are, Lord, cause them to come
to you. We ask these things for Christ's
sake, amen. Let's stand together as we sing
the hymn of the day in the bulletin. My shepherd will supply my need
Jehovah is his name In pastures fresh he makes me feed Beside
the living stream Beside the living stream He brings my wandering
spirit back When I forsake His ways And leads me for His mercy's
sake In paths of truth and grace In paths of truth and grace When
I walk through the shades of death, thy presence is my stay. A word of life-supporting breath
drives all my fears away, drives all my fears away. The sure provisions of my Lord
attend me all my days. His heavenly house is by a boat,
and all my work is praise. And all my work is praise. Be seated. Brother O.B. Williams is here to preach to
us again today. I think everybody here knows
him in case there's anybody that doesn't. He's a dear friend and
dear brother. He attended here for as long as I can remember
until he moved to Kingsport. We miss him. I especially miss
him because he used to sit right there where I sit and take care
of the sound and everything. Brother, you come on and bring
us what the Lord has to offer. Good morning. It's good to be back with you.
If you would, open with me to Philippians chapter 3. While you're turning, some of
you asked, and I don't know too terribly much, but Marvin Stoniker,
pastor of Fairmont, the church in Fairmont, I don't know its
name. Katie. Katie Baptist. He had a stroke
earlier this week. The last word we got is he's
doing better than he was. His heart rate was dipping real
low, and they figured that out and got that taken care of. Best I've heard, not much physical
issues. Hadn't lost any motor control,
but he's been confused, repeats himself some, and they've got
the We think they've got the cause resolved. And last we heard,
he was hopefully going into rehab tomorrow. Yeah. So y'all remember
him. Remember all the Stoniker family. Of course, Gabe is. concerned. He's actually on, he had an anniversary
trip, so he's out of pocket this morning as well. But remember
them, and I know they covet your prayers. One of the greatest blessings
we have in this life is coming together like we are this morning. to come together, to gather around
God's word, gather around his gospel. I didn't always find that to
be so. I can remember as a kid not wanting
to be in these services. But the Lord has been pleased
to make that a true statement to my heart. I covet these times. I look forward to them. I find
them to be very special every time. And as I got to thinking
on that statement, I started wondering exactly what is it
that makes this time so special, so relaxing, so comforting, such
a joy? And I couldn't help but compare
it to the life that we have to live outside of these doors,
this complicated life that comes at
us every day. From the time we're born, we
hear things like, you need to eat, you need to sleep, you need
to get up, Need to go to school. Need to get a job. Need to work. Need to work harder. You need
a vacation. You need to plan for retirement.
You need, you need, you need. The list goes on and on, and
it seems to never stop. What a relief it is when we come
together and we can focus on, we can worship our Lord Jesus
Christ. How often in our prayers, public
prayer, private prayer, we ask the Lord, Lord will you, for
just this short period of time, would you be pleased to put a
hedge about me? Would you make the world go away,
that I can focus, that I can truly worship. How I love the
simplicity and the singleness of the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. This present evil world in which
we walk day in and day out throws many needs to us. When we're
young, We can fill an entire day with, I need. I need the latest toy. I need
to get away. I need to go. I need to do. I need dessert. I need money. All day, every day. As we grow
older and a little more mature, we're better able to separate
need and want. But we're still not very good
at it. Our day is consumed with I need. Our actual physical needs are
so much more simple than we let on. We need to breathe. We need air. We need water. We need food. We need shelter. We need clothes. We need a place
to get out of the weather. The rest, large portion of it,
is things we want that we say we need. In contrast, we have a spiritual
need. One. One need. We must have the
Lord Jesus Christ. Our topic this morning is one
question, and I pray the Lord will enable each of us In our
heart, a true heart, an undeceived heart,
for this heart is deceitful above all things, may we answer this
truly for ourselves. Do I need the Lord Jesus Christ? Lord willing, we will look at
a man who has the need of Christ. Why he had this need, who he
looked to, and what causes a person to need. Philippians 3, we're going to
let Paul tell us his need of the Lord Jesus Christ and why
he needed him. We tend, because it's who we are, it is
our nature, we tend to worship and put above other men, above ourselves. We tend to do that with the apostles.
They're somehow better than we are. Yes, they had special gifts
given to them of the Lord to prove their message. But they
were men. The Apostle Paul was a man. He was a man just as we are.
He was born into the world a child. He grew. He learned. He was taught. He went to the
schools of his day. He played with his friends. And
he grew. He learned more. He took on or
was given more responsibility as he grew. He grew into an adult. And along
the way, He was told all through his life, just as we are, you
need. He was born a Jew. He says himself
an Hebrew of the Hebrews, but he needed to know the law. Not only was he told he needed
to know the law, but he was told he needs to be an enforcer of
the law. He needed to be a Pharisee. Not only did he need to gain
that title of Pharisee, but he needed to do better than all
those around him. And Paul chased those needs with
all of his might. In so much that he could say
in verse 3, if any man, am I in the right place? Verse four, sorry. If any other man thinketh that
he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I did it better. I'm more. But when God was pleased to reveal
himself to Paul, All these former needs, all these things he was
taught that he needed, they became burdens to him. Verse 7, but what things were gained to
me? Those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Listen to the determination
in Paul's letter. I count all things loss for Christ,
that I may win Christ. Paul's desire was to win, to
gain, to acquire the Lord Jesus Christ. He put forth effort to
pursue his goal of winning Christ. He needed Christ. And one quick side note, yes,
Paul put forth effort. Paul wanted to win Christ. Paul did things in his life that
he might know more of Christ. But Paul did not put any trust
at all in his doing of those things. He didn't hope that his
salvation was going to be found because he wrote many of the
epistles that became the New Testament. Paul's effort was
wrapped up in the faith of Christ Jesus. He looked to and he trusted
to Christ. That was his pursuit in winning
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, why did Paul need him? Why
did Paul need the Lord Jesus Christ? Verse 8, the end of verse 8, that I may
win Christ, verse 9, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Paul at one time, just as we
all do, placed all of his hope, all of his hope for eternal life
in the confidence of his flesh, the confidence of his righteousness,
of his doing, the works that he did to satisfy the law that
he had been taught. But when it pleased God, he struck
Paul down, and he revealed to him that his
righteousnesses, those things that he did, they were filthy
rags. They were an abomination in God's
sight. and that the only righteousness
that pleases God is the righteousness which he himself obtained, the
righteousness of Christ Jesus alone. Paul had tried to obtain
a righteous standing before God by the works that he did, but
he found that he came up short. He found that he was wanting
And he needed someone who was willing and able to fulfill the
righteousness of God. And he found that in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only did Paul need righteousness,
but he also needed for his own sins to be put away. It wasn't
enough for Paul that Christ had obtained a righteousness. But
Paul needed to be justified. The law that Paul knew so well
cried out, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And Paul found
himself guilty. Paul had sinned. He needed his
sins covered. He needed to be saved. Verse
10, Paul continues. that I may know Him and the power
of His resurrection. Christ our Lord came in the flesh. He obtained a righteous standing
before Almighty God, and for the love that He had for those
that the Father gave to Him, He went to the cross of Calvary.
bearing our sins, bearing our iniquities. He was wounded for
us in our stead. He was bruised instead of us. He bore the wrath of God that
I deserve. He shed his blood. He laid down
his life to satisfy the justice of God. and then Paul pursued
our Lord to the tomb. He needed Christ's substitutionary
death and he needed his resurrection. By his resurrection, God declared
that he was satisfied with the blood and the life that Christ
our Lord laid down. In Christ's resurrection, It
was revealed that God's justice had been put away by the putting
away of our sins. Oh, that I may know him, not
some things about him, not some historical facts, not his doctrine,
that I may know him, the person. our Lord Jesus Christ and the
power of his resurrection. Paul needed the Lord Jesus Christ
because he was a sinner, a sinner separated from God with no means
to make reconciliation. But in Christ. He was made nigh
unto God. Now we've seen why Paul needed
Christ, why he pursued him, why he wanted to win Christ and be
found in him. That's great for Paul but what
about me? What about you? Our question
is not does Paul need the Lord Jesus Christ? Does mom need the
Lord Jesus Christ? Do my boys need the Lord Jesus
Christ? Do my nephews and nieces? Do
my loved ones? I can't do anything for them. This is a personal question. Do I need the Lord Jesus Christ? Who are we talking about needing?
Many people, many people, you ask a random person, do you need
the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, of course, everyone needs
Jesus in their life. You didn't answer my question. You answered the question you
wanted to hear. You answered the question that you answer
just like you answer when the computer pops up a screen in
front of you that says OK or Cancel. You don't read that question. None of us read that question.
We look for the button that says Go Away. Whichever one will make
it go away quickest, that's the answer I'm going to give. Do I need the Lord Jesus Christ? Who is he? He is Lord. First and foremost,
he is God. Specifically, he is God the Son,
one with God the Father and God the Holy Ghost, but of no less
rank No less power, no less authority, no less God. There is one God
in three persons. It's not as many, well, as all
of us without Christ, without being taught, think. It's not
God the Father, who is greater than God the Son, who somehow
answers to him. who is a little greater than
God the Holy Spirit, is God, one God in three persons. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
eternal almighty God manifest, revealed in the flesh. Colossians 2.9 declares, for
in him in the Lord Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily." 1 Timothy 3.16, God was manifest in the
flesh. The Lord Jesus Christ is God. He is the Lord, singular, only. Turn with me to Isaiah 45. You
don't need to hold your place here. Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 verse 1 starts out
with, Thus saith the Lord. That is who is speaking. That
is Christ. Verse five. I am the Lord and
there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, speaking of his
people, speaking of his elect, those that he called. I girded
thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know from the
rising of the sun and from the west that there is none beside
me. I am the Lord, and there is none
else." Jesus Christ is the Lord God
Almighty. He is Jesus. He is a man. These fickle minds. We can't even comprehend what
that means. God confined himself to this. Why would he humble himself so? thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Wherefore, in
all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. As
a man, he is our high priest, touched with the feeling of our
infirmities in all points, tempted, like as we are, with one great
difference, without sin. He is a man, and he is God. He is not half one and half the
other. more one less the other. He is
man. He is God. He is the substitute bloody victim
who laid down his life on our behalf. The Lord Jesus Christ
is a man. He is Christ. This is his office. He is the Christ, the Messiah,
He is the Savior. Down in verse 20. Assemble yourselves and come,
draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They
have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image,
and pray unto a God that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them
near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there
is no God else beside me, a just God." Aren't you thankful our sentence
doesn't end there? A God that does right, that will
by no means clear the guilty, a holy, just God. Our Lord is a holy, just God. And I am thankful that He is
so. But for such a sinner as stands
before you, Him being a wholly just God alone is not good news
for me. The good news is there is no
God else beside me, a just God and a Savior. There is none beside
me. Look unto me. Is it so very difficult to look
unto Him who is altogether lovely? Oh, may the Lord be pleased to
give us eyes of faith to look unto Him today. Look unto me and be ye saved. You know who will look? Those
who need to be saved. Those who are drowning in sin
and guilt, those who are dead and in need of life, look unto
me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God,
and there is none else." The Lord Jesus Christ is the
just God and Savior of sinful men. Do I need the Lord? Do I need the Sovereign, the
Almighty God, to overrule me and to put in submission this
wicked, deceitful, sinful heart? He is Lord. He is not waiting
for me to make him Lord. He is Lord. He is the sovereign over all,
over all men and women, over all creatures, over all of creation. And all shall bow to him. We shall either bow to him in
humble adoration as our Lord, as our Savior, as our King, as
are all in Christ Jesus. Or we shall bow to him in abject
humiliation when we are brought as the rebels and traitors that
we are before the king, and he declares, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. Oh, Lord, be merciful today. make this heart bow. Do I need Jesus? Not the Jesus
we hear of who is unable, not the Jesus who is waiting for
you to accept him, but do I need Jesus, the victorious conquering
Jesus, who is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,
who obtained as a man a righteous standing before God. We sinners
against God stand at the very edge of eternity. I don't know if I'll draw another
breath, much less what's going to happen tomorrow, today. Today is the day of salvation. Do I need the Lord Jesus, the
accepted sacrificial substitute who has satisfied the holy just
God? Do I need the Christ? Do I need
the mediator between me and the holy God? Do I need my sins to
be covered from the One with whom all things are naked and
opened? You and I are just like Paul. In our sin, in our unbelief,
we all go about trying to establish a righteous standing of our own
before Him. We have defied the Lord. We have
thought so little of the precious blood God the Son shed. In our nature, we are rebels
and enemies of God. Do I need the Christ who has
made peace between God and men? Over and over I've said the words,
do I need? You and I will not need until
we know that we are lacking. Turn over to Romans chapter 7. We'll let Paul speak to us a
little more. Romans 7, verse 9. Romans 7, 9. Paul says, for I was alive without
the law once. Paul as a Pharisee knew the letter
of the law, but he knew it as a carnal law. He didn't know
it as a spiritual law. For I was alive without the law
once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, the commandment,
this do and live. And the commandment, which was
ordained to life, I found to be unto death. Paul couldn't keep the law, and it was a sentence of death
because he was guilty before it. And the commandment which was
ordained to life I found to be unto death for sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Paul thought what he trusted
in, what he thought was life to him in the pursuit of keeping
the law in the flesh, the carnal interpretation of the law. When
the commandment came, Paul became aware he was lacking and he died. It's slewing. Earlier I said
one of our base needs is air. While we're healthy, we don't
give a moment's thought to breathing. It's just done. But let an infection enter our
body. Let our airways be obstructed
for just a moment. And that need becomes all-consuming. So it is for us in the flesh. We know the law. We've been taught
it. It's in our heads. It's written
on our conscience. Just taking the Ten Commandments and we keep them just like Paul
did. best of our abilities and to
the best that everyone else who is just like us can see. I've not murdered anybody. I've kept the law. But when the commandment comes
to each of God's chosen, lovingly elected, called people, Sin revives. And you're made
to know. All the wickedness of this sinful
heart. How many? Have I murdered with a look? I have sinned against God. We are made to know. that we've
sinned against him and him only, the only one that it matters
against. We are made to know he is the
Lord. He's the sovereign. He's the
holy God. We're made to know that not only
have we done sinful things, but we do those things because it's
what we are, sin. When that commandment comes,
we find ourselves lacking in the sight of God and we find
we have a need. We need the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you lack? We read, all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. Oh, we're so wicked. We read
that, we read those words, we understand them, and we say,
but not me. I'm just a little bit better. Do you lack? Are you short of
the glory of God? I have good news. There is one
who is not. There is one who kept the law
perfectly. who perfectly glorified God,
the Lord Jesus Christ, flee to him, call upon him, ask of him. If you don't have the need, if
you don't find yourself lacking, beg of the Lord to reveal it
to you. Ask him to make you poor and
needy, for if he gives you a need, we have his sure promise that
he will fully satisfy your need. I want to close looking at that
promise. Turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter
15. Deuteronomy chapter 15. Deuteronomy
15, verse 7. If there be among you a poor
man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land,
which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine
heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother, but thou shalt
open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient
for his need. in that which he wanteth." As I read that, did you read
it as typically I read it? That you're the one that the
command is written to? That you're the one that has
something whereof to give? That you're the one to open your
hand wide? Even as a child, I can remember
such sermons and things like this were read, having nothing
of my own, nothing that I owned. It was all given to me by my
parents. Having nothing of my own, I would read this and I
would take this commandment to be written to me to be the one
to give. But what a promise. To a poor and needy sinner. Verse 11. For the poor shall never cease
out of the land. When I get haughty, when this
wicked, deceptive, evil heart springs up in me and starts telling
me, you've done something good. You're better. You have something
to give. That's when the eye of faith
stops looking to him who is all and in all and starts going,
maybe you've got something here. Thank God. When he sends those
things that we need, that shows to us, that reveals, there's
nothing good here. Look to him, trust him, go to
him. Verse 11. For the poor shall
never cease out of the land. Therefore, I command thee saying
thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to that poor
and to that needy in thy land. from one mercy beggar to another. I was without. In this flesh, I am without. I'm found wanting. I have nothing
to give. I have no hope of salvation until
one day. I was met by the Lord Jesus Christ
through the preaching of his gospel, who in his wealth, in his riches,
in his abundance, opened his hand wide to me. And he has met my every need. May God give each of us a need
for the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's have a word of prayer. Lord God Almighty, we come to
you once more. Lord, we thank you for this word.
We thank you for the message that we've just heard. Lord, there are many here who
you have revealed yourself to. You've shown, Lord, how we do
need you. That we are nothing and you are
all. Lord, but there are some here who may not know that yet. Lord, cause your word to prosper,
if it would be thy will. Bless it to our hearts. Cause
us to remember it. Let us never forget our need
of thee. We ask thy will be done for Christ's sake. Amen. Let's
all stand together and sing hymn number 318. 318. I need Thee every hour Most gracious
Lord No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford I need Thee,
oh I need Thee Every hour I need Thee, O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour, say thou
nearby, Temptations lose their grip when Thou art nigh. I need Thee, O I need Thee, every
hour I need Thee. O bless me now, my Savior, I
come to Thee. I need Thee every hour in joy
or pain. Come quickly and abide, for life
is vain. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee. Oh, bless me now, my Savior. I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour. Most Holy One O make me Thine
indeed Thou blessed Son I need Thee, O I need Thee Every hour
I need Thee O bless me now, my Savior I come to Thee You're dismissed. We'll meet
again this evening.