3rd Psalm. And look down in verse
17, and look what it says. Until I went into the sanctuary
of God, then understood I their end. I want to talk about understanding
the end, seeing the end, understanding the end of something. Now, we
understand, all of us understand, what the end means. It means
the termination of something, the finality of something, the
aim of a purpose of something, the goal, the goal. And there
are several places in God's Word where it talks about the end.
Simon Peter said, the end of all things is at hand. And Simon Peter, when they took
the Lord Jesus Christ in before the high priest and took him
in there to try him, The Scripture says that Simon Peter went in,
and he said, and he sat down to see the end, to see what the
outcome was going to be, to see what was going to come to pass,
what would end up, what price would end up at the final thing. And so I pray that God will give
us an understanding of the end. And sometimes the learning is
very, very difficult as an access case here. This is a psalm of
Asaph. See there how it says in the
beginning of it, a psalm of Asaph. And here's what he said. Now,
he had to learn some things. And he started out saying, truly,
God is good to Israel. Truly, God is good to Israel.
Every one of us can say God is good to Israel. We're God's elect
people. We're Israel. We're spiritual
Israel. We're the Israel of God. and even to such as are of a
clean heart." And, oh, beloved, here he is. But he says, he goes
on down in verse 2, he said, But as for me, my feet were almost gone, my
steps had well not slipped, for I was envious at the foolish
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Now, he says, God
is good to Israel. Good to Israel. Well, is He not
a part of Israel? Is he not a part of the one that
God is good to? But he turns around and says,
God's good to Israel, but as for me, am I not a part of Israel? What's your problem, Asaph? He
said, well, as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had
well not slipped, for I was envious of the most foolish things. I
was envious of the most foolish things. He was envious of the
things that's just foolish to be envious about. And what was
he envious about? I saw the prosperity of the wicked. I saw them, I said, here I am,
I'm a righteous man and I'm suffering and I see the prosperity of the
wicked. The wicked just have more than their hearts could
wish. He says, when it comes time for their death, they said,
there's no bans, there's no suffering, there's no extremities in their
death. Their strength, they're firm in their strength. And look,
he said, they're not in trouble as other men. They don't have
trouble. Everything goes well for them.
Big houses, lots of money, nice cars, no trouble, lots of friends. Things go well. And they're not
plagued like other men. And pride compasses them as a
chain. God hates a proud look, but they
walk around in pride and it compasses them as a chain. Violence covers
them up with a garment. And look here, their eyes stand
out with fastness. They have more than their heart
could wish. Oh, what are they going to do
with all that they have? But he goes on to say, that's
why he said, it's so foolish for me. The things that I was
in this, I was so foolish. They're corrupt, and they speak
wickedly concerning oppression, and they speak loftily. Oh, they
speak so high, highly of themselves, highly of their attainments,
highly of all that they're going to do, all that they've done
and going to accomplish. And look here, not only that,
but they set their mouths against heaven. God didn't do this for
me. I've done this for myself. God ain't done nothing for me.
I've done everything on my own. I've pulled myself up by my own
bootstraps. And their tongue walks through
the earth. There ain't nothing they don't know something about.
Always know something. Always got an answer for everything. And therefore, as people return
hither, and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them, I
mean, boy, everything comes out in great bunches for them. And
they say, well, how in the world does God know? What does God
know? I don't look to God. I don't
trust God. What do I need to trust God for?
I can do it. I, you know, that's nothing.
Is there any knowledge in the Most High? How many times have
you heard somebody say, well, if God was against me, you know,
He'd do this, that, and the other. If God was a good God, He wouldn't
let this happen. He wouldn't let that happen.
He wouldn't let this other thing happen. And so they use their
tongue just constantly against God. And behold, he says, look
what he says. Behold, these are the ungodly
who prosper in the world. They increase in riches. They
get more and more and more and more. And then look what he says. He said, I've cleansed my heart
in vain and washed my hands in incense. What in the world am
I trusting God for when I don't have nothing and they have everything?
He says, for all the day long I've been plagued and chastened
every morning. There's nothing but darkness around me. Heaviness,
heartache, sorrow, trials, afflictions, fears, anxieties,
But if I say I'll tell this, and I'll get up and tell the
Lord's people that this is the way I feel about things, I would
offend against the generation of our children. If I got up
and told everybody what went through my mind, and how I looked
at things, and what I was envious about, and how I dealt with things,
I would end up offending the Lord's people. And when I thought
to know this, it was too painful. It was like a laver in my eyes.
Until, He said, this is the way I was. This is what I was. This is the way I looked at things
until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I understood what was going
to be their end was. What was going to be their end.
Oh, they've got everything in this world that their hearts
could desire. And surely thou didst set them in slippery places.
Oh, I understood now the world and the prosperity of the wicked,
the ungodly who prospers in this world. You set them in slippery
places. They don't know they're in slippery
places. They don't have a clue that they're going through this
world slipping and sliding, and that their foot is just one step
away from going into eternity. And thou castest them down into
destruction. Oh, my, they're into destruction.
And it's God that's going to cast them down into destruction.
It's God. They say, well, does God know
anything? He knows where they are. He knows what they've done.
He knows how they've accomplished. He knows all the hard things
that they've said about it. He knows how that they trusted
in their riches. He said, and then you're going
to cast them down into destruction. And they're brought down, what's
this? And they're brought down to desolation. Desolation. That's when our Lord says to
that fool, he says, fool, he said, Lord, I've got more than
my heart can decide. He said, I've got so much that
I'm going to have to tear down my barns and build more because
I don't have enough to put it all in. And he says, now, soul,
you've got more than you know what to do with. Eat. Take thine
ease and be merry. And the Lord Jesus says, you
fool. You fool. Tonight, desolation's gonna be
yours. Desolation throughout eternity.
No hope without God. No hope without Christ. And he
says, you cast them down. You bring them to desolation
in a moment. And then, boy, I tell you, right
when they realize that they're fixed to leave this world and
they ain't got nothing, they can't cling to nothing that they
clung to in this world. They ain't got nothing in the
world to hold on to now. People selling by, hold on, hold
on, what are you going to hold on to? Hold on, don't go, don't go,
what are you holding on to? Oh, listen. And then they're
consumed with terrors. And then look what he says, though.
But when I, as is the way I was, I was envious of the most foolish
things. And in verse twenty, twenty-one,
he says, Thus I understood what a fool I was. Thus was my heart,
my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. He said,
You know how foolish I was? I am ignorant. I was as a beast
before them. I finally understood what I was.
What in the world kind of a man who has God, who has Christ,
who God is good to Israel, that's given him everything his heart
could desire, got Christ, and what else matters? And he said,
here I am in this foolish And I'm wondering about them, and
I'm just, and they have everything, and I don't, you know, and I'm
going through this, and I'm cast down, and I'm chasing, and I've
got great heartache and sorrow." And then he says, oh my, to think
these things and be this way before God. To be this way, what a fool have
I been. What an ignorant beast that I've
been. And, oh, beloved, let me show
you something. I understood what a fool I was. Look with me in
James chapter 5 and verse 11. James chapter 5 and verse 11.
Now, I tell you, we're going to see the end of something here.
Look in James chapter 5 and verse 11. Oh, my. God is my witness, and I believe
He is for some of you. That you are absolutely not impressed with anything anybody
has, anything anybody accomplishes, anything anybody has. I mean,
you're proud for your children, you're proud for people that
that's what they want to make their life. But we have to make
a living in this world, and we do that just like we stand out
in that rain. You get in, You get what you need to do, done,
and you get back in the house running. That's what it's like
in this world. And we've been, just give us
what's convenient for us, Lord. Don't give us poverty lest we
deny you. Don't let us go hungry lest we
steal and deny your name and take it in vain. And don't let
us be so poor that we steal and don't, just give us what we need.
And that's all, oh my, you know, it's awful to see people, that
their whole life is taken up with things to impress somebody
else with. That's why he says, the lust
of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
That lust of the eyes and pride of life means that you want everybody
else to see what you've got and what you've accomplished. That's so strange to me. You know, everything is status. You know, we got to impress people
with what we've got, where we've been and what we've accomplished. But does it impress God? What
impresses God? What's got God's attention? I'll
tell you the only thing that's got God's attention is the Lord
Jesus Christ. And if you've got a good job,
get up in the morning and say, God, I bless you that I've got
a job today. That's a lot of people that ain't
got one. If you've got health, say, oh, God, thank you that
I've got health. John Walmsley, Kimmy's husband,
on the 12th of December, Lord willing, he's going to give away
one of his kidneys to his uncle, his mother's brother. He's done
had one kidney transplant, and he's on dialysis now, and he's
the perfect match. He's going to go in. going to
give a kidney away. He said, they went in the other
day, just give me an illustration of what we're talking about.
If you want to be prosperous, you know, and his dad's a doctor,
Paul John's dad's a doctor, very fine man, and no doubt makes
lots and lots and lots of money, but they don't act that way.
But what I'm saying is this, that he said this today. He says,
we went in for this pre-op thing. And they asked me, he says, well,
what kind of medicine you on? What's your history of health?
He said, I don't need any medicine. Take a multivitamin. He said,
I've never been sick that I know of, except maybe a cold. And
then they turned around and asked Chuck, his uncle, what's your
medicine you on? And she had everything, his wife
had everything wrote down. He said, let's give that to me.
He was making a mess out of the names of them. And he went through
almost, I don't know how many minutes of reading all the medicines
he's on. And he, John said this, he says, you don't realize how
sick somebody is till you sit down with them and find out what
in the world, all the different medicines that they have to take. And he said, here I am, I'm going
to get the privilege. Now I'd say that's, to be able
to take one part of my body and give it to somebody else, and
that make him well. And they said just as quick as
that kidney's in there, and it starts filling that out, said
he'll get, start just in a couple of days, he'll be like a new
person. So why in the world would we
ever be envious of anybody? Oh my, that's what he's talking
about. And look at Job. Look over here at James chapter
5 and verse 11. Look what it says. Behold, we
count them happy which endure. You see, oh Asaph says, oh my,
God's good to Israel, but that's for me. I don't think God's too
good to me. Look what I'm going through here.
Everybody else is going through good things. I'm going through
bad things. And look what he said here. He says, but behold,
we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience
of Job, now watch this, and have seen the end of the Lord. What
God's goal for him was. What God's purpose for him was. That the Lord is very pitiful
and of tender mercies. Now, you want to see the end
of Job? Look in Job 42. Before you get to the book of
Psalms, look in Job 42. If you went to Psalm 1, you'd
go back one Pagan, you'd be in Job 42. Look, do you want to
see the end of Job? He said, then I understood their
end. Well, this is the end of Job, one of God's blessed people.
Now, nobody we can find in the Scripture that was tried more
severely than Job was. I mean, Job lost everything he
had. Lost his children, lost his health,
lost his possessions, lost everything that he had. Do you reckon Asaph
would have been envious of him? When he saw Job sitting there
scraping with the potshoes and scraping his balls, and those
three miserable comforters standing there telling Job, what an awful
mess you've made out of your life. You reckon Oasaph would have
been envious of him? But look what happens. Here's the end of Job. Look what
he says here in verse 10. And the Lord turned again, turned
the captivity of Job. When you're in great trials,
He calls it captivity, being held in bondage in the great
trials that he went through. And when he prayed for his friends,
now watch this, also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he
had before. Not just gave him everything
he had back, but gave him twice as much. Then there came unto
him all of his brethren. They didn't come to him when
he was down, and all of his sisters, and all they that had been of
his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his
house. And they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the
evil that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave
him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. Now watch
this. So the Lord blessed the latter
end of Job more than his beginning. And ain't that the way it's been
with us? We've got more in our end than we had at the beginning.
We know more about Christ, more about his word, more about...
And you know what our end's gonna be? What's this now? And he says,
for he had 14,000 sheep. You know how many sheep he had
before? Seven. 6,000 camels. You know how many
camels he had before? 3,000. Thousand Yolk Ashes before
he had 500. Thousand She Ashes before he
had 500. He also has seven sons and three daughters. You know
how many children he had before? Seven. He has seven in glory,
seven on earth. God double-hid the thing he had.
Oh, you see how the end of the Lord's people is? Now, oh my,
that's what we're talking about. Seeing the end. Seeing the end.
Now, let me turn with me to Romans chapter 10. Give you one more
before I quit here tonight. Let me give you one more. Romans
chapter 10. Seeing the end. Understanding
the end. Oh my, do you know what the end
of this world is going to be? The end of all this people with
all their power and all their wealth. Oh my, just what a shock people
are going to have. What a shock when they get to
the end and all of a sudden everything they've got just didn't amount
to nothing. Everything they've accomplished. Oh, that's why
God calls us strangers and pilgrims in this world. Well, don't drive
down no big stage. Hold everything loosely. And
some of y'all have experienced that. You've had things that
you've lost, dear things, precious things, sons and daughters and
husbands and wives. And oh, beloved, if you'd have
held them too tight, what a heartbreak it would have been to let them
go. And so Christ helped us to hold on to life so It's the Lord's
life. It's the Lord that gives it to
us. It's the Lord that takes it away. It's the Lord that does
for us. And, oh God, help us to always acknowledge the Lord
in all our ways. In all our ways. And, oh beloved,
listen. So he went into the sanctuary.
That's the way it is. You know, we'll go out in the
world and we'll get so tore up and we'll get so confused and
we'll get so Get our nose out of joint and get out of pocket
about this, that and the other. And then we'll come in and we'll
sit down and we'll hear the gospel, hear the Word of God. And we'll
say, I understand now. I understand. The Lord just spoke
to me. I understand. I understand. And
then look here in Romans chapter 10 and verse 4. For Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes." He's on the end of the wicked. And
now, beloved, here's an end that we want to see. And we understand
the end of this. Christ is the end. He's the goal,
the finality, the fulfillment, the termination of the law. of the law, the purpose of the
law, beloved, the goal of it, the whole of the law, and the
prophets were fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, and He's the
end of the law. Now, let's go back up and let's
go down through these verses together. And oh, we desire salvation
for our friends and families, just like Paul did for Israel.
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that
they might be saved. Oh, I want to see people saved.
I want to see people saved. You know how long it's been since
we've seen anybody confess faith in Christ? Do you know how long
it's been? Some people show some interest.
They show some great interest. But I ought to see somebody,
actually see somebody that truly endured a lot with Christ completely
and entirely. That's why he says, desire and
prayer to God for Israel, that they might be saved. Saved. And, oh, beloved, he bears witness
to their zeal. He said, I bear record. I bear
witness. I go on record before men and
God and angels and them in my own conscience that they have
the zeal of God. Oh, they're very zealous for
God. They take tithes of the men and
ours in coming. They attend the services, they
make long prayers, wear long robes, and oh my, they're wonderful
as far as their zeal goes. But it's not according to knowledge.
That's what I was talking about this morning, you know, when
Philip didn't have the correct view of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So therefore, since he didn't have the correct view of Christ,
he didn't see God in Christ. And I tell you what, if a man
doesn't have the knowledge that he must have, and has the wrong
knowledge, he'll go about to establish his own righteousness.
And that's what he says. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, how could they miss Christ? The law testified
of it every time they read the scriptures. When they read Moses,
they read about Christ. When they see Exodus, they know
that Abraham said that God is going to provide himself a lamb.
When they read Isaiah, they said, you know, that a lamb would come,
a man would come as a lamb led to the slaughter. That there
would be a prophet like unto Moses. That there would be a
king like David. There would be one who would
come and suffer. And that he'd be born in Bethlehem
of Ephra Judah. And oh, how could they miss him?
The law testified of him. The prophets spoke about him
continually and constantly. He was described, and his coming
was described in detail, where he would be born, when he would
be born. And I mean, they knew that he
was coming, they was looking for him, because when he was
born, Herod sent to have everyone that was slain under two years
old that was born, because they said, the king of Jews is born. Well, go kill every male child.
There ain't going to be no king over me. And oh, how could they
miss him? How can they miss him now? How
come people miss Christ now? How could you miss Christ? Paul missed Him until Christ
apprehended him on the Damascus Road. I missed Him until somebody
told me about Him. I missed Him. I didn't miss legalism. I didn't miss fundamentalism.
I didn't miss holiness. I didn't miss law-keeping, but
I missed Christ until somebody told me the truth about it. Now,
ain't that right? We're just like them, being ignorant.
But, oh, beloved, that's why he goes on to say they're being
ignorant. Ignorant. What are they ignorant
of? Of the most important thing in this world, the righteousness
of God. That's why Paul said, Brethren,
I would not have you to be ignorant. And they were ignorant of the
most important subject, is the righteousness of God. And that
righteousness of God that He gives, is what Paul is talking
about. The righteousness of God that He gives to His people.
How do we know? Because they go on about to establish
their own righteousness. And Paul said this in Galatians
2.21, If righteousness cometh by the law, then Christ is dead
in vain. And this is the thing about it.
If the law couldn't do nothing for us when we were unconverted,
and the law couldn't give us life, and the law couldn't sanctify
us, and the law couldn't change our heart, can the law do any
more for us after we're converted than it did for us before we
converted? Can it still sanctify us? Can
it do anything for our heart? Can it change our way of living?
No! That's why people, they want
to go back under the law and have at it. Just get back under
it all you want to, but I'm not going. I'm not going. And how
can you tell? They're going about to establish
their own righteousness, and that means a righteousness of
their own making. They make it of their own. They
tell about what they've done, what they've accomplished. I'm
living right. I'll tell you what, I'm making
Jesus. I'm going to give everything
to Jesus. I'm going to walk out for Jesus.
I'm going to give everything up to the Lord. I'm going to
quit my smoking, my drinking, my chewing, and doing around
with them who do it. So I'm going to climb down. I'm going to really
get my act together. And oh beloved, when you preach
the righteousness of Christ, and you know the hardest thing
in the world you ever got rid of and done, quit in your whole
life? is to give yourself, quit yourself. You understand what I'm saying?
To quit yourself is the hardest thing you ever done. Now, it's
easy to say, yeah, I'm not perfect. Oh, yeah, I'm not, you know,
I know I've got some sins. But to say, I'm nothing, I have
nothing, and I'm coming with nothing but empty hands, empty
heart, empty head, empty soul, and I'm coming empty of all righteousness,
all ability. I ain't got nothing to bring.
I ain't got nothing to bring. So, Lord, if you don't give it
to me, I won't have it. If you don't do it for me, it
won't be done. And I tell you, that's one of the... People say,
actually, no, it ain't. You cannot do it unless God does
something for you. Now, that's right. And, oh, what
is the righteousness of God? Well, then, in verse 4, Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness. Oh, my. Now, we don't talk anything
about establishing one here. It talks about God established
this righteousness. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Well, how
do you get this righteousness? How does it become yours? By
believing. By believing. Not doing, but
by belief. Moses, you know that salvation
has always been, righteousness has always been. Abraham believed
God. He was accounted here for righteousness.
Righteousness has always been by faith, never been by doing. And oh beloved, now Moses, he's
going to describe the righteousness of the Lord. Look what he says
in verse 5. He's going to describe it. You know, you want to be
saved and have a righteousness of the Lord? You want to establish
your own? That the man which doeth those things shall live
by them. You want to be saved by doing? You've got to live
by it. Live by doing. How many people have you heard
saying, boy, I really believe you've got to live it? I'll tell you what, if I ever
make it right, I'm going to really live it. Well, salvation's not
by living, it's by believing. It's Christ in you, that's the
hope of glory. And oh, he goes on to say, if
you're going to be saved by Him, you've got to do Him. Get up
in the morning, start. All day long start. Go to bed
doing it. Do, do, do, do, do. And don't
ever stop doing. The moment you stop doing, You're
a golden Jesse. Look what he says. But now, what
about the righteousness of faith? Those that believe Christ, those
who have this righteousness, those who Christ is in the loft
righteous. But the righteousness of faith,
this is the way it speaks. It doesn't say in your heart.
It doesn't ask for nothing. It doesn't look for nothing.
It doesn't say in your heart, who's going to send you into
heaven? Who can I get to go up to heaven to bring Christ down?
Or, in a little while, I'll get St. Patrick. I'll get Mary to
do it for me. I'll get Saint Joseph to do it
for me. I'll get Saint Jude to do it for me. I'll get one of
them saints to go up there and bring Jesus down for me. Faith
doesn't say that, no. And what's this? Who shall ascend
into the land? That is to bring Christ down
from heaven. Or who shall descend into the deep? Who can go and
make what Christ done and make what Christ did when He went
to the grave? Who can go and make what He did? That's for
me. Oh, who can bring up Christ again
from the dead and make what He did for me? No, no. The righteousness of faith looks
for nothing, asks for nothing but the Lord Jesus Christ. And
how the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. That's why
faith of the heart says, but what does it say there in verse
8? What does this righteousness of faith say? This righteousness
that looks to Christ and Christ the Lord? It says the Word is
nigh. We got it in our very mouth. We got it in our mouth, we got
it in our heart. What is it? It's the word of faith. And that's
what we're preaching. That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus. Confess that He's the only righteousness. Confess that He's my hope. Confess
that He put away my sin. Confess that He makes me acceptable
to God and nobody else can or nobody else does. That He alone
is all I need before God. It shall believe in thine heart
that God raised him from the dead. You see up there, they
want to bring him down or want to bring him up. But the righteous
is facing it. He's already come. And oh, listen,
thou shalt be saved. And I tell you what, and he goes
on to say here, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Do you believe? Oh, I believe.
Paul says, you know, I want to be found in Christ, not having
my own righteousness. What's that? Which is of the
law. But I want to be found in Christ, having the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Uh-huh. And watch
what he says now. For with the heart man believes
unto righteousness. And that's what he says, you
know, the faith comes in the heart first. Then the confession's
made. I'm confessing before God, I'm
confessing before the angels, I'm confessing before my conscience,
I confess before men, I confess before my wife, my husband, my
children, anybody that listen, that Jesus Christ is my righteousness
and Him alone. Well, I'll tell you, what's your
hope? Christ. And also, beloved, and that's
why it says there in verse 11, for the Scripture says, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. And that means they
shall not be brought to shame. Shall not be ashamed when they
face God. Will not be ashamed there. And so Christ is the end
of the law. Let me show you in Galatians
3 real quick. And I'll be done with this. I may finish this
up Wednesday night. I've got a couple more points.
But look in Galatians. We've talked about Christ, the
end of the law, the righteousness to everyone that believe. He's
the end of the law as a covenant. The end of the law as a covenant. He says there in verse 22, but
the scripture, Galatians 3.22, the scripture hath concluded
all under sin. You see how he says the Scripture
does it. Not the preacher. Not the church. But the Scripture. That the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Now I tell
you what, if you're under sin, and God gave you a promise of
Christ, and you believe Christ, then God's Christ was being given
to you. But before faith came, we were
kept under that law. shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be fulfilled." Trying to go about establishing
our own righteousness, but God comes, and He showed us that
faith which afterwards should be revealed. Worked for the law
was our schoolmaster. He'd come to instruct us and
to teach us and to make us understand, bring us unto Christ, that we
might be justified by faith. But after this faith has come,
we don't need a schoolmaster anymore, don't need the law anymore. And look at this, for you're
all children of God, how? By faith, by faith in Jesus Christ. And oh beloved, He's the end
of the law as a covenant, He's the end of the law as a curse.
He fulfilled the law in every jot and every tittle. It was
nothing but a shadow. But He is the substance. He's
the fulfillment of every prophecy. He's the end of all the promises. And how in the world does one
obtain this faith in Christ? Faith cometh by hearing, hearing
by the Word of God. And back, right over to your
right, in Ephesians 2. Right over to your right. You're
in Galatians. Look in Ephesians 2. How do you
get this faith in Christ? How do you get it? Look what
it says here. Verse eight, you get it as a
gift, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves. It's the gift of God. Not of
works, lest any man should boast. Oh my. And I tell you what, if
you ever, and I know this, if you ever believe Christ, ever
really believed from your heart, and you confess, and that's what
we do right now. We confess right now in our heart
before God. The only righteousness we have
before God right now is Christ. Is that not right? That's our
confession. That's our confession. When you
get down to pray, do you start... I found myself doing it today. I tell you, you talk about how
awful we are, how awful I am. I found myself today saying,
Lord, why in the world, how could you possibly ever bless me the
way I am? I come here this morning as empty
as a fired shotgun. And the Lord had mercy on me.
And I go home and I think tonight, God, how in the world can you
bless such a person? And then immediately I said,
I know how he blesses me. He blesses me for Christ's sake.
I was looking, I just, you automatically start thinking, boy, How could
God bless me? I'm so sorry. Well, He blessed
us when we were sorry. He blesses while we are sorry.
He'll bless us till He makes us perfect, you know. But we look and we start saying,
well, how could He bless me because I'm this way or that way? That's
for Christ's sake. For Christ's sake. And that's
what else have we got? Oh, bless His name. I wish he
was here right now. I'd just reach around. Oh, I'd
just hug him. I'd just put my arms around him.
Would you? Oh, bless his name. Bless his
name. Oh, our Father. Oh, gracious
God in heaven. How wondrously, wondrously, wondrously,
wondrously blessed are you. How wondrously blessed is your
son, the Lord Jesus Christ. that You allow us, bless us,
to know Him, to have Him, and make Him to be our righteousness
and our hope and our plea, our strength, our everything. We bless You for that. And Father,
as these dear