Go ahead and turn to Exodus chapter
15 As most of you should be aware
My text is Exodus 15 verses 22 all the way through Chapter 17
and verse 7, but I will not read through the text this morning
Exodus 15 22 through 17 verse 7 I will read a few verses that
will actually give us some of the context of why I will say
what I say this morning But let me preface it with my subject
And Paul if you so desire you can use that as my title does
conduct matter Does conduct matter and I will give you a statement
that But I'm not going to give any explanation to the statement.
I just want you to think about it. No work can ever gain salvation
before God. No human effort can ever gain
salvation before God. But there are many works that
do bar men from salvation. You hear what I'm saying? Now
if you think those two things are contradictory, then you've
just never experienced the grace of God yet. Let me say it, no work can ever
gain salvation before God. Human effort cannot gain salvation
before God. But there are many works that
do bar men and women, thousands of them, from salvation. There are those in this world
that say And they don't always say it this way, I am sure. But
you could tell by their demeanor and by certain words or at least
phrases they use, they profess a belief in the free and reigning
grace of God. But their conduct says something
absolutely different. But it's as if they would say,
since God saves sinners, I will just be the biggest sinner I
can so God will save me. And it don't work that way. Paul
said, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? It is
translated in the KJV, and I like it, God forbid. God forbid. Now consider this. Consider someone
or a group of individuals has a great experience, great experience,
They have great joy because they go through this great experience
and they give and sing forth expressions of great joy because
of this experience. Is that not what we've just read
when we began to look at Exodus chapter 1, 2, 3, all the way
up to chapter 15? Think of it. Here these Israelites
were freed from abject slavery, from a tyrant. One who said,
you got a quota of bricks to make, and I'm not even going
to give you the hay to make it with. You got to go gather stubble
from the field. And you still won't give me the
same quota. Here they are, freed from abject slavery. And this
was real. Yes, it teaches us a spiritual
lesson, but it was still a spiritual reality for these men and women.
Here they are, freed from abject slavery and rejoicing in it. And that's what our text thus
far has come. We looked at chapter 15, the
first part of it, last week. But immediately we read these
words, chapter 15, verse 22. So Moses brought Israel from
the Red Sea. And they just sang great praises
to God, had they not? Just experienced a great deliverance. And they went out into the wilderness
of Shur, and they went three days into the wilderness. And
that was the initial cry from Moses to start with, wasn't it?
We're going to go three days into the wilderness and worship
God. Did they? And found no water. Now wait a minute, they just
passed through a big red sea, water on both sides. God takes
them three days out into the wilderness and they find no water.
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters
of Marah, for they were bitter. And that means that it was salt
water. Doesn't mean just a bad taste in water. It was salty
water. And the whole expression of the
Hebrew, it means it was so salty, you dared, you couldn't stand
to drink it. They were bitter. Therefore,
the name of it was called Marah or bitterness, salty. And the people murmured, against
Moses saying, what shall we drink? Isn't this amazing? Look at all
they just come through. And what do they do? They murmur. Now do not say,
well, at least they didn't murmur against God. Yes, they were. You murmur against God's servant,
you murmur against God. You don't have to like me, but
if I'm preaching God's truth, you better listen to me You don't
have to like me, but if I'm preaching God's truth, you better listen
to me They murmured against Moses Look at chapter 16 They took
their journey from Elam and all the congregation of the children
of Israel came into the wilderness of sin, which is between Elam
and Sinai on the 15th day of the second month of their departing
out of the land of Egypt. This ain't been but a couple
months. And the whole congregation of
the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness and basically said, you took us away from all the
meat. And now we're starving to death. Now, God made the bitter
water sweet. God brought them to an oasis
in Edom. And now they just go several
days without some food and they're belly aching against God again. Now I'm not giving you anything
theologically profound. This is just the reality of what
took place. Look at chapter 17, verse 1,
2, and 3. and all the congregation of the
children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin after
their journeys according to the commandment of the Lord and pitched
in Rephidim and there was no water for the people to drink.
Now remember what he's already done for them in free sovereign
grace because they didn't deserve it because they've been murmured
against him. There was no water for the people
to drink. Wherefore, the people did chide. I want you to think
about this. This is not just expressing some
disappointment or some concerns. They did chide with Moses and
said, give us water that we may drink. Moses said unto them,
why chide ye with me? Wherefore, do ye tempt the Lord? Now I can, Moses, which is called
one of the meekest men on earth, start to get under his skin. Start to get under his skin.
And the people thirsted there for water. And the people murmured
against Moses and said, wherefore is this that thou hast brought
us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle
with thirst? This is but a foretaste of what
we're about to see from these people called Israelites. Go
read Exodus chapter 32, when Moses goes up into the mount
to receive the commandments of the Lord. They make them, they
have Aaron make them, a golden image of a calf, strip off all
their clothes, they sat down to eat and drink, and they rose
up to play. And I'm not gonna explain that
word play here in mixed company. They were naked. And then go read the book of
Numbers. These three little snippets here
in 15, 16, and 17 are but just a small foretaste of the rebellion
we see from Israel. Now have I told you the truth
thus far? I've told you the truth. Now consider this. Someone has
a great religious experience. before I even finish it. Turn
to 1 Corinthians chapter nine if you're following along. Someone
has a great religious experience. But let me warn each and every
one of us here this morning or anyone that hears my voice at
a later time, that is no guarantee that I have God's favor. 1 Corinthians chapter nine. But I want us to have the context.
Let's begin in verse 24. Know ye not that they which run
in a race run all. Now think of a marathon. That's
kind of what Paul's talking about here. Not a short sprint, but
this is a marathon. Know ye not that they which run
in a race run all. Everybody runs, but one receives
the prize. That is, the one that comes in
first, the winner. He gets the prize. So run. What? Well, I know it's not of
him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but bless God, you will
run or you won't finish the race. Exactly. Because it's not of
him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but everyone that God
gives grace to will, will, and will run. Amen. Or you won't
make it to the end. Now look, so run that ye may
obtain. Paul's not afraid to say it.
He don't back up and say, wait a minute, it's all by grace now.
Does he? I remember Henry May had another
message. He said, we know that we're beginning to be able to
preach the truth when we can preach John 3, 16 just as comfortably
as we do Romans chapter nine. Or we can preach comfortably
Romans chapter nine just as comfortably as we preach John 3, 16. And
not have to feel like we gotta explain both of them every time
we mention one or the other. Do you understand what he's saying?
Oh, I've got to always cover my tracks. No, no. And every man that striveth for
the mastery is temperate. We're not talking about going
hog wild here. We're not talking about going all out as hard as
you can go, because if you're in a marathon, you ain't going
to make it to the end. You pace yourself. You pace yourself. And every
man that's striving for the mastery is tempered in all things. In
all things. You can become too religious.
And bless God we are immoral, but you can become too immoral
too. Now you hear what I'm saying?
I'm warning us. And every man that's striving
for the mastery is tempered in all things. Now they do it to obtain
a corruptible crown. Some kind of physical earthly
prize. whatever it was. But we are incorruptible. This thing we're striving after
can't be seen with physical eyes. This ain't talking about some
crown you get for all your works and you get to throw them back
at Christ's feet. That's not what he's talking about. But look,
I therefore so run, not as uncertainty, so fight I. So this is not just
a marathon, it's a battle. It's a battle. Fight. I, not
as one that beateth the air. I'm not shadowboxing. This is
real. I have an enemy in here that
is real and I must fight and contend with him or her every
day of my life. But not only that, but I keep
under my body and what? Is Paul taking credit? No, but
he said this is what God's people do. And if you don't, the body
will win. You hear what I'm saying? If you don't, the body will win.
I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. Christianity's
all about subjection. From beginning to end. In every
facet of the Christian life. Subjection, subjection, wives
be subject to your husbands. That's not a request from God,
that's his command. And as we will see, his commands
are not grievous. If you're born of God. Now if you're not born
of God, you will murmur and complain and bellyache the whole blessed
way. And you'll beat the air. Because
you ain't gonna touch God. You ain't gonna touch God, but
I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that
by any means, what I preach to others, I myself should be a
castaway. Moreover, now he's been talking
about himself, giving exhortation, run, fight, right? But moreover, brethren, I would
not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were
under the cloud. You see it? Remember what I said?
Someone has a great religious experience, but that is no guarantee
of God's favor. Everybody in Israel that came
out of Egypt had great religious experiences. Did they not? And all passed through the sea.
That's the Red Sea. And were all baptized under Moses
in the cloud and in the sea. It protected them. Moses was
there obeying God's commands lifting up the staff Striking
the rock casting in a tree into the salty waters Look and it
all eat the same spiritual meat that manna was a creative act
of God Almighty And they all ate of it And it all eat the same spiritual
drink that's the water And Joe it was real water But the rock
that brought forth that water was something a little different
But they all still drank of it No, what are you saying preacher?
I ain't saying nothing. I'm reading you the Bible and
if this scares the bejeebies out of you, I'm glad I'm not
here always to soft pedal and make you feel good Make you feel
comfortable Nor is it true of me. I don't want Joe to always
make me feel comfortable. Look at it. Did all drink the
same spiritual drink? For they drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Not it typified Christ. I can't
explain this, but it was Christ. The Messiah was right there amongst
these people. just like the messiahs amongst
many people gather in sovereign grace assemblies. They go on
and they drink and they eat and they partake, just like everybody
else does. But, with many of them, all of
them but two. You think about it, how many
above the age of 20 actually entered into the promised land?
Out of these thousands, some say as many as 1, 2, 3 million
people, how many above 20 years old actually entered the promised
land? Two. Two. The rest of them, carcasses,
fell in the wilderness. But with many of them, God was
not well pleased. Now what's that mean? That means
God was totally disgusted with him. Huh? Was not well pleased. Now if you're in his son, he
is well pleased with his son and he is well pleased with you.
If God is not well pleased with you, guess what? You're not in
his son and God is disgusted with you. But with many of them God was
not well pleased, for they were what? Overthrown. These are not the words of God
chastening an erring child. This is not Hebrews 12. God chastens
those he loves, he overthrew them. Look, now these things
were our examples to the intent we should not. Is that what it says? We should
not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Don't be idolaters
either. As were some of them, as it is
written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up
to play. Neither let us commit fornication
as some of them committed, and that's spiritual or physical,
either one. Look and fail in one day three
and 20,000. God slaughtered them. Neither let us tempt, what? These people were messiahs back
then, oh yeah. Neither let us tempt Christ as
some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents. You see everybody wants to hear
about the serpent and look to the serpent and that's a solid
sound message But you remember some of them were bitten and
died and never looked They were bitten because they tempted Christ
They were destroyed of the destroyer now all these things happen to
them for in samples and they are written for our admonition
upon whom the ends of the world are come wherefore I Let him
that thinketh, he standeth. Standeth how? Before God. Not just, oh, I'm a good, solid
Christian. That ain't what it's talking about. I was taught that
for years, that this is talking about a believer, a born-again
believer backsliding. This ain't talking about a born-again
believer backsliding. This is talking about being in
rebellion and murmuring against God no matter what. The more
God's grace is poured out, the more you murmur and complain.
Is that not what's that took place? Wherefore let him that
thinketh he stand to take he lest he Fall and the fall is
the same word use word and their fail and one day three and twenty
thousand They're trying to show this point
from Scripture Just having a great religious experience is no guarantee
you've got God's favor and even if your experience is just like
others who do have God's favor. A life-changing experience is
of no spiritual or eternal value if it's temporary. Peter says
there are some people who have escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust, and they've done it through the message
of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They come to know something
about Him, and they have a religious experience, but then they turn
back. Is that not what he teaches?
It's in 2 Peter 2, 20, 21, 22, you can read it. He said it'd
be better for them not to have known the way of truth than after
they'd known the way of truth to turn from the holy commandment
that was given them. You turn back to the flesh, you're
a dog that's turned back to its vomit. Or like a sow that's been
cleaned up. But what's she do? She runs right
back to the mud. Don't kid yourself. Don't think God owes you anything. Well, I believe God saves sinners.
Yes, He does. But He saves sinners. He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous. I came to call sinners. What? To repentance! Repentance! That means you change
the way you think. That means you change the way
you believe. That means that you change the way you walk.
That means you change the way you live. Or you don't know God. You've
missed Christ. I don't care how much doctrine
you believe and how forcefully you believe it. These folks believe
God. Didn't they? But they didn't
believe God at the same time. Now take that and chew on it
for a while consider do the unregenerate only murmur No No, when I say
unregenerate, I mean someone's never been born of the Spirit
of God and Thus never believes that Jesus is the Christ. That's
an unregenerate person But are the unregenerate the only ones
that ever murmur? No, you can read you'll find Mo Moses complaining
sometimes You find Moses striking the rock twice. Preacher, why do you bring these?
This scares me. Do the unregenerate only have unbelief? Remember,
Hebrew says they didn't enter in because of unbelief. Do the unregenerate only have
unbelief? No. Believers have unbelief as
well. The unregenerate could have profound
religious experiences. Ride along with the regenerate. How then could I know the difference?
Is that a valid question? Oh, preacher, come on, preach
some grace to me. I am preaching grace to you. I am preaching
grace to you. I'm preaching what God's grace
does for somebody. God's grace is not an emotion.
It's an act of power and will and purpose from God. From God. Well, you must think you're something.
I am nothing. but bless God, the one who saved
me is everything. Consider again. We say faith
is the difference, and it is. Do you hear me? Faith is the
difference. That's where it's going to begin
with you. You either believe that Jesus is the son of God
or you're not born of God. Faith is the difference, but
listen, unbelief is not the absence of all belief. And I hope God
helps us to get a hold of this. Anybody hears me on TV later
at a later time, I hope God opens your eyes to see this. Unbelief
is not the absence of all belief. Unbelief can be false belief
as well as no belief at all. And I really don't think that
there is any human being that has no belief at all. Because
we all have some kind of belief. Whether it's ecclesiastical,
religious, or whether it's social or economic, whatever, we all
have something we live by. Things we believe that motivates
us to do what we do, say what we say, think like we think.
Unbelief can be false belief. Think of it, there is an improper
belief. Matthew chapter seven, 21 through 27, there's some people,
one of them's gonna say, Lord, let us in. You remember the passage? Let us in. And he said, well,
you're unbelievers. I'm not going to let you in.
Is that why? No, they said, Lord, we preached in your name. And
they said, these were unbelievers. These were people that had no
belief. We preached in your name. We did many wonderful works.
We cast out devils in your name. And he says, depart from me,
you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. What was the
problem? They didn't have some belief. They had some belief. It was improper belief. Is the
improper belief? And Christ explains it in the
next few verses two men builds a house. They both see the need
for a house And both of them see the need to build a house
Christ wasn't you worried about using illustrations about Dewey
was he they build a house, but what was the difference between
the two and They both seen the need, they both built, they both
built houses. The only difference was one was
on a rock, a solid foundation. The other was on sand. There
are going to be, no doubt, millions of people that will say, Lord,
let us in. We believe you. They said, your
belief is improper. Depart from me, you worker of
iniquity. There's also inferior belief.
That's in Matthew 10. There is an inferior belief.
Now I'm gonna jump ahead. Faith, belief, God-given faith,
God-given belief is never alone. Faith is energized by love, Galatians
chapter five. It means it's, worketh by love
is the KGB. It means energized by love. You
see, if the faith you have is not a faith of love for Christ,
you don't have the faith of God's elect. You just got a human worked
up faith. And it is an inferior faith. Look at what he says. Matthew
10, whosoever, verse 32, whosoever therefore shall confess me before
men. You see that? They ain't none
of us hermits living off by ourselves. You live where you live because
God Almighty put you there and you will either publicly confess
Christ or he will deny you. There's a place to start with
that. You go into the waters of baptism in obedience to the
command of Christ. Joe's right, you identify with
him. His gospel, his people. I'm going in the water, why?
Because he said so, that's the only reason I need. But think
about it. Whosoever therefore shall confess
me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is
in heaven. Isn't that glorious? And I'm gonna put it this way,
I'm not afraid, just for confessing him before men. You see that? But, whosoever shall deny me
before men, him will I also deny before my Father. But, we did
this, don't matter. Now look, don't you think I've
come to join everybody together? Now I'm paraphrasing, my gospel
would divide families. That's why I'm paraphrasing.
My gospel would divide families. You better quit worrying about
somebody else and worry about yourself. Of course, you go in
by yourself. It's a straight and narrow way.
And you go in by yourself. You can't take mommy with you.
You can't take daddy with you. You can't take your kids with
you. You can't take your spouse with you. You can't take your
kinfolk with you. You got to go in by yourself.
And if they remain outside, then they remain outside. It's that serious. But look,
verse 37. He that loveth father or mother
more than me You see it these people you're
not warning people about no love whatsoever But nothing competes
with Jesus Christ When it comes to that faith that is energized
by a God-given love for Christ Christ is top dog on He's it and yet yeah, he's top
dog whether you bow to him or not But this is about talk about
people that God saves and they bow to Christ is top dog We see
it. Oh, but I love this person that
love may put you in hell What's that say? He that loveth
father and mother more than me is not worthy of me. Well, I'm
not worthy. He's not talking about credit
or merit here. He's talking about an inner worth
that God's put down in there. This new nature that says, I
love Christ supremely. And he means more to me than
everything and everyone else in this world. He that loveth father or mother,
and this is not exhaustive. Don't think, well, that's just
about mommy and daddy. No, he'd have to go on for days
because Mason, he had to name everything in the universe that
exists. What is usually the most connected
thing? It's our family. But you love
your family more than you love Christ. You ain't worthy of Christ. And he that loveth son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his
cross and followeth me is not worthy of me. He that findeth
his life shall lose it. And he that loseth his life for
my sake, not for personal gain, not for my own recognition, not
for my merit, but because of Jesus Christ. He that loseth
his life for my sake, he go find it. So there's improper belief,
there's inferior belief, there's temporary belief. Christ told
a group of people who are called his disciples, yes or no? And he said, the second time,
he reworded it just a little, but it wasn't to soften up anything.
He said, unless God Almighty does something for you first,
you'll never come to me. That's basically what he said.
And it says from that, now the KGV puts time in there. Time
don't really, from that, it's from that statement, many of
his disciples did what? Went back, but it's not just
that, and walked, wait a minute, what? Wait a minute, what? Walked,
not just believed, but walked no more with him. Temporary belief won't cut it.
Only a God-wrought faith is the difference. And you go read Colossians
chapter one, and the apostle Paul says, you will continue
in the faith, and you will do so grounded and settled, and
you will do so in a way that you'll not be moved away from
the hope of the gospel, or Jesus Christ didn't even die for you.
You go back and read it. First Corinthians, chapter one,
verses 18 through 23. But a God-wrought faith, as I
said, is never alone. Faith, true God-given faith,
worketh, is energized. It's like your car, your car
is what? Energized by that battery. That
one little old thing right there, if you don't have that, you'd
have to go out there and do this again. And ain't none of us probably,
I don't know some of, I ain't never had to do this to start
my car. I like doing this. That's a whole lot easier, ain't
it? Something's got to energize the impetus of what makes you
believe, who you believe. Think like you think, live like
you live. It has to be love. Love. You can have faith and
not have love. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Paul even said this, 1 Corinthians
16 verse 22. He that loves not our Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be damned till Christ comes again. Isn't that
what he says? Why do men perish? Because they
receive not the love of the truth. The love. Oh, I believe in free
grace. The devil knows free grace is
what it is all about. He just don't love it. He don't
want to submit. He don't want to bow down. He
can't. And neither can you and I apart
from God's free sovereign grace. But whenever God gives you free,
sovereign grace, bow down, bless God you will. Now consider this,
who is it that loves the Lord Jesus Christ? Now isn't that
a valid question? Now I could give you, I've done
this before, I've tried to give illustrations of this and that.
Let's look at what Christ said about it. John chapter 14. Who is it that loves the Lord
Jesus Christ? I've got to move, but I don't
want to move too quickly on this right here. John chapter 14, are you there?
Look at verse 15. If you love me, keep my commandments. Which one? All of them. All of
them. If you really love him, you want
to keep them all. You don't pick and choose the
ones you like and the ones you don't like. Look, and I will pray the Father
and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with
you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive because it seeth him not. Because when you're an unbeliever,
although you may believe many things, you can't see what is
essential to be seen when it comes to this thing of love here.
You can't. Neither knoweth him. But ye know
him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not
leave you comfortless. I will come to you. How? In the
person of the Spirit. Thus Paul calls him the Spirit
of Christ. Christ has already come back,
folks. He did so on Pentecost. Yeah. No, no, I'm not saying
there's no second advent. I'm saying he doesn't come back.
He's here now. Is the spirit of Christ any less
than Christ himself? See, if you're a real Trinitarian,
you'll bow down when it comes to this right here. Christ is
where? In me. Or I got no hope of glory. I got no, now that's not the
way Paul says it, but that's what he's talking about. It's
Christ in you, the hope of glory. I will not leave you comfortless.
I will come to you yet a little while, and the world seeth me
no more. But ye see me, because I live, ye shall live also. And
that day ye shall know, and at that day ye shall know, that
I am in the Father, and ye in me, and I in you. We're like
this. We're like this. But look, he
that hath my commandments, and keepeth them. You know what that
means? You get a hold of them and you
pull them up here. Now I don't always do them. I don't always
do them. But I love them right here. I
don't even hate God's law. I wish I could keep the Sabbath
day and keep it holy. I wish I could truly rest from
my labors just one day a week. And I can't even do that. Can
you? Sometimes I battle when I go
to sleep in my dreams. He that hath my commandments
and keepeth them he it is that loveth me See Preacher that's see the commandment
means bow down to Christ Bow down to Christ Look And he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father. Now this is not cause
and effect. This is the result of. You're
actually going to experience God's love for you. He loved
us before the foundation of the world. But we knew nothing of
that by experience, Mason, until we find ourselves right here
keeping his commandments. I don't love that. I used to
hate this stuff. When it was first presented to
me, by a God sent man, I hated it. Now I find myself loving
it. Loving it. He'll be loved by my father and
I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Judas said to
them, not Iscariot. Oh, Judas didn't know nothing
about this love. Judas saith unto him, thou didst carry it.
Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us and
not unto the world? Same question people ask today
when you preach free sovereign grace. Jesus answered and said
unto him, if a man love me, he's like, I'm gonna say it again.
He said, if a man love me, he will keep my words. What he says
means everything to me, because Joe, that's the only connection
I have to him, at least mentally. Now he's in me, but I don't always
feel that. He will keep my words. What did Peter say? He said,
you gonna leave too? Remember that? They went back
and walked no more with him. And he looked up and said, are
you leaving too? And Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
hast the words You got to hurt just give us your word and Lord
bow us to it bow us to it consider Who is it that loves the Lord
Jesus Christ? Our Lord put it this way some folks said well,
we're Abraham's children John 839 he said if you was Abraham's
children you would do the works of Abraham You'd live like Abraham
lived. You'd believe like Abraham believed.
You would love me, he said. Did he not? Now Abraham didn't
even have a law to go by other than what was written down in
his conscience. Do you know that? Think of how much more responsibility
we now have. Mason, we got this whole book.
But we're still taught to be like Abraham, aren't we? Because
I'm not motivated by some fear. I'm motivated by love. If the
only reason I don't step out on my wife is I just fear the
consequences, it's not much of a love for my wife. Now is it? Is that what kind of relationship
you want? If you're in one, get out. Move yourself away from
it. I didn't tell you to go get divorced. Get out. Move yourself away from
it. That's no relationship at all
You know, how can you love someone in Christ or something in Christ
when it ain't in Christ Hmm How can you love something
or someone in Christ when that thing or that person ain't in
Christ? Oh you can But if you love them
more than you love Christ you ain't worthy of Christ and You see, God-given faith is energized
by love, and love is an obedient faith. By faith, Abel, what? Did something. Yes or no? He offered a more excellent sacrifice
that came. By faith, Noah, what? Did something. He built an ark. By faith, Abraham,
what? Did something, and he did a lot
of somethings. He left family and friends. Now
he tried to take his daddy with him, but God killed him in heron,
didn't he? Because daddy wasn't going. So
when you hang on to somebody else, you may be their doom.
Let them go. You don't own them, God does.
Whether they're saved or lost, they're God's material. They're
God's to do with as he pleases. Moses, Moses was raised up in
favor, Mac, I'm sure he had the world at his fingertips. And
he made a choice. Isn't that what the book says? Choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin just
for a little while. Now folks, that's salvation.
And now you go back to 1 Corinthians chapter nine and 10, and immediately
after where I started, he said, therefore, flee! Run from idolatry,
and what is idolatry? Putting anything else ahead of
God in the person of his son. Even if it's your mommy and your
daddy. Our conduct, I mean by that our
walk. I remember Earl said this years
ago, and God evidently opened my eyes when he said it. He said
that ain't taking a couple steps, that's a whole journey. Religious people today basically
do what they want to do, then on occasion they put in a little
spurt of good works. Don't they? No, you see, for
by grace are you saved through faith. And that's not of yourself. The grace, the faith, or the
salvation. That's what it means in the Greek. And that not of
yourselves, it's the gift of God. Not of works. You didn't
bring this up. You didn't work it up. You didn't
bring it to pass. Not of works, because ain't nobody
gonna brag before God. I'm paraphrasing. That's that
he should boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus. So Mason, it's a real actual
state to be in Christ. created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained. And what do we think
or believe about what God foreordains? It's gonna come to pass. God foreordained that we should
what? Do a few of them. No, walk, walk,
walk in them. Somebody say, I still don't know
the difference. Neither do I. Well, so my murmur, my murmuring's
just like the unregenerate is. And my unbelief is just as much
rebellion against God as the unregenerate's unbelief is. My
only hope is, oh God, save me in your son. Oh God, work in
me both to will and to do of your God, your pleasure, because
I won't do it in myself. You take your finger off of me
for a moment, I'll spiral on a downward spiral until God Almighty
stops me. Our conduct, that's our walk,
our way of living, does not determine our state before God, but bless
God, it does manifest it. It does manifest it. Even in
Lot, there's the manifestation of faith and love. Manifestation
a whole lot of other stuff too, and that was the only difference
between faith and love That's the only difference between a
lot in the sodomites You hear me Look at him in the cave Man
is capable of that's capable about anything Is he not? Subjection, submission, and love
for all these is the hallmark of those that are born of God.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, that means he
came and did what God sent him to do. He's that promised one.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is born
of God. And he said, well, they're gonna
do his commandments. They're gonna keep them. And the commandments
are not grievous. See, if it pains you to obey
Christ, you don't know him. You don't love him. You don't
believe him with a God-given faith. Yes or no? Yes. Yes. Consider this last
thing. In spite of all this rebellion,
God still showed tender mercies. Did he not? Go back and read
it again for Exodus chapter 15, 22, all the way through. Numbers,
Deuteronomy. Huh? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Malachi,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Right up now today at Crow, West
Virginia at Sovereign Grace Chapel. God continued his mercies, but,
but all of this mercy was to expose the unregenerate and fortify
the regenerate. Now look at it, Exodus chapter
15. Did you catch it when you read it? Exodus chapter 15. 24 and 25. And the people murmured against
Moses, saying, what shall we drink? And he cried unto the
Lord, as Moses did, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when
he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There
he made for them a statute and a diligence, and there he proved
them. He manifested them for what they
really were. And he's going to keep doing it. He's going to
keep showing you your flesh so you'll remember exactly what
you are by nature. So you will continually flee to Him from
idols. You hear what I said? So that
you will continually flee to Him from idols. Because you might
have an idol tomorrow that you never thought you'd worship today.
You hear what I said? You might find an idol in your
heart tomorrow that you'd never ever thought you'd ever worship
today. But if you're one of God's, and he's given you life, and
he's given you faith and love in his son, you'll flee from
that idol when he shows you what it is. You see, lost or saved, right
or wrong, elect or reprobate, God does the proving. And he
proves all of it, doesn't he? This is the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than the gold that perishes. That's
why we go through the tests we go through. Does it run you?
Does it drive you away from Christ? Or does it drive you to Christ?
There's the difference. There's the difference. Oh God. It scares me a little. Oh God, prove me. Mac, I don't want to wake up
in the last day and then hear, depart from me. You worker of
iniquity. This is Christ. The one who said,
I'm meek and lowly in heart, right? Depart from me, you worker
of iniquity. I cannot imagine the horror. And Joe, I don't want to ever
have to see it. Somebody says, well, that reverential
fear just out and out scared to death both or whatever, whatever. I know we make a lot of reverential
fear, and rightfully so, but Christ told the disciples, you
fear God that's able to destroy both your body and soul in hell.
That's a phobia. That's be afraid for your very
soul. Because one day God will put
the damned where the damned belong. Totally out of his presence.
Isn't that amazing? God is everywhere, and yet God
ain't going to be in the lake of fire. Isn't that amazing? So let's explain that, don't
have to. It's just what it is. It's just what it is, is it not?
All right, Joe, you come on in.