If you wish to follow along turn
to Genesis chapter 21 Genesis chapter 21 I Have actually two
passages to read as a text this morning but thus far we have
Come through The book of Genesis up to about chapter 17 and we've
looked at Abraham's call and and his latter life and his death
and his burial. This morning I want to begin
to look a little bit at Isaac. Look at Genesis chapter 21, verse
one. And the Lord visited Sarah as
he had said. And God always does as he says. What God says will be, will be. in spite of man and his fallen
state. And the Lord visited Sarah as
he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bare
Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God
had spoken to him. Therefore God does nothing haphazard. God does nothing off the cusp. What God has ordained to do,
he's also ordained the exact set time in which he will do
it. And Abraham called the name of
his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son,
Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And
Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made
me to laugh. That's the meaning of Isaac's
name. Look, so that all that hear, and I believe Sarah knew
what she was talking about. She's not simply talking about
all who hear physically, but all who hear spiritually. because there are many who hear
physically that do not laugh with her. But she said, so that
all that hear will laugh with me. Now turn, and as you're turning,
think of this, you are going through, turn to chapter 35,
and as you're turning these pages, you are going through the lives
of two men, Abraham and Isaac. And when you get to Genesis chapter
35, we read these words beginning in verse 27. And Jacob came unto
Isaac his father in Mamre, unto the city of Arba, which is Hebron. That is, it was Hebron whenever
Moses wrote these words. It was Arba back in that day.
It is just south of Jerusalem, which is Hebron, where Abraham
and Isaac sojourned. And remember that word. It's
not just there to describe a history. It's there to declare the state
of these men and women in this world. They were but sojourners
here. There is nothing in this world
right now or that has been all the way back to the fall that
is our eternal reward. Everything we have in Christ
has to do with that new place and new time, new heavens and
a new earth and a new Jerusalem. That's what it's all about. But
then look at what it says. And the days of Isaac were 104
score, that is 180 years. And Isaac gave up the ghost and
died. and was gathered unto his people.
You remember what I said about that? Was gathered unto his people,
being old and full of days. And then here's an amazing statement.
And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. My subject and title for
this morning is The Life of Isaac. the life of Isaac. Now I don't
have time to deal with everything, you clearly understand that.
But what I want us to do this morning is examine several aspects
of Isaac's life. We will look at examples, and
remember, an example is a real thing. We will look at examples,
we will look at types, we will look at allegories. I got tickled
the other day, I was listening to one of our brothers preach
a message, and I've done the same thing. I'm not meaning to
criticize here, but he spoke, he was talking about David, the
king over Israel, and he was talking about David, and he said,
David is a type of the believer. We get so used to sometimes saying
words, David's not a type of the believer. David is a believer. And I got tickled, because I
know I've said that myself. But David's not a type of the
believer. He may be a type of Christ, but he's not a type of
the believer. David is, and I say that in the
present tense, because God is not the God of the dead. He is
the God of the living. David is a believer. But we'll
look at some examples. We'll look at types. We'll look
at allegories. First of all, let's just get right to it. Isaac's
birth was a God-promised absolute certainty. must be born. And the reason
Isaac must be born is because God promised that Isaac would
be born. He was not born because of the
faith of Abraham. He was not born because of the
faith of Sarah. He was born because of the promise
of God. Isaac's birth, as I said, was
a God-promised, absolute certainty. Isaac was a product of grace. Grace. So was Christ. Not grace to himself, because
he is full of grace and truth, but he is a product of grace
to men. To men. Paul put it this way
in Galatians 4, the first few words. And when the fullness
of time was come, God sent forth his son. And notice it was when
the fullness of time was come, Mason Lilley, Jesus Christ was
conceived. and grew in the womb and was
born into this world as a man at the exact point in time that
God had ordained for him to be born. As a matter of fact, Peter
put it this way, you don't have to turn, but it's 1 Peter 1,
and I just wanna read this one verse to you. 1 Peter 1, it says
this, speaking of Jesus Christ, who has precious blood, that's
what it says in verse 19, His blood was precious. It was human
blood. Real human blood. But so precious
was it that Paul calls it in the book of Acts recorded by
Luke, the very blood of God Almighty himself. Human blood joined to
being of deity. But then it says of Christ, who
verily, therefore we don't debate this, do we? That word means
truly. for verily was foreordained,
that is, both Christ and his blood, that is, both Christ as
a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these
last times for you. Hear me now. Jesus Christ was
the Redeemer before there was ever an actual need for redemption. Amen. That's right. That's right.
Jesus Christ was the savior of sinners before there ever was
an actual sinner on the face of this earth. Jesus Christ and
his redemption is no afterthought or even second thought with God. Jesus Christ was God's first
thought. And I don't even know if that
really describes it as it ought to be described. I'm just trying
to put it in human terms so that maybe our puny little minds can
get a hold of it. The fall of Adam was no accident. Do you hear what I say? The fall
of Adam was no accident. God could have kept the tree
out of the garden, but God had purposed the redemption of sinners
by his son, so there would be sinners on the face of this earth.
God put that tree there, and he told Adam, he did not say,
if you eat of that tree, you shall surely die. Did he? He told Adam, in the day that
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. But Adam still should
not have eaten of the fruit of that tree. The whole human race
was plunged into darkness and corruption because of that fall. And many of Adam's sons and daughters
shall perish forever in their own sins because of that fall. But the point is this, Christ
is superior to everything, including the fall of man. Isaac's birth
was superior to everything and everyone else, was he not? But, not only that, turn now
to Romans chapter 11. Just as Christ was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, to be a redeemer, to be
the, no, be the redeemer of sinners. Bless God there are sinners who
have been redeemed. And they shall all, A-L-L, be
redeemed. Every person Jesus Christ died
to redeem and did thus redeem, they shall be saved. Listen to
Romans chapter 11. The apostle Paul puts it this
way, verse 25. For I would not, brethren, and
he's speaking mainly to Gentiles. For I would not, brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits. In other words, don't brag about
yourself. I'm boiling it all that don't
brag about yourself. You stand by faith. That's a
gift of God Be not high-minded but fear Okay Don't be wise of
your own conceits that blindness in part is happened to Israel
now What's that mean? Not every Israelite was blinded
As he said previously the elect were not blinded but everyone
else in Israel who was not the elect were blinded. Now look,
that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness
of the Gentiles become in. So what's that? Let me know.
Now if you look back, you see he's talking about every believing
Gentile has been grafted into the root stock of Jewish salvation. because Jewish salvation is in
a Jew. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, salvations
of the Jews. Literally, not that Jewish people
save other people, but that the Jew, the Lord Jesus Christ, is
the only redeemer, savior of sinners. Until the what? Fullness
of the Gentiles be come in. That lets me know, Jack Meadows,
that there's an exact number of Gentiles that God Almighty's
going to save. Does it not tell us that? God
didn't set up a time frame. This is the way much of Antichrist
religion speaks. God set up a time frame and as
many as can get in in that time frame, they'll be saved. No sir,
God has determined the actual individuals that he will save. And look, And I used to think
it, my mind, because I was taught wrong when I was very, very young.
My mind immediately, when it goes to verse 26, because I was
taught wrong, always my mind added in a word here. And so,
and then I would add in, then, all Israel shall be saved. That
is, after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, then God's
gonna save all of Israel. That's not what he's saying.
He is calling those of us who are Gentiles, who have been grafted
into the root stock of the Jewish blessings, we are God's Israel
because we partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree. And when is all Israel going
to be saved? When God calls in the last Gentile. Now God is able to graft even
broken off Jews back in. But Paul said that's his business.
That's his business. This is not about something God's
gonna do for Jewish people in the future. This is what God
is doing for Israel right now. And so all Israel shall be saved. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? The Apostle Paul put it this
way. But when it pleased God. Now notice what I'm saying. But
when, he could have wrote. But seeing that it pleased God. who called me by his grace. He
could have wrote that, Mason, it'd have been exactly true.
But it wasn't all the truth. He said, but when it pleased
God. So if I'm saved, I was saved
exactly at the moment God ordained for me to be saved. Judicially,
at Calvary, when Christ died on that tree, Mysteriously, when God Almighty
sends his spirit to come upon an individual and breathe spiritual
life into them. And experientially, when he sends
the gospel to those living ones and they hear that gospel and
then converted by that gospel to the person and work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And it all happens at God's specific
time. When the fullness of time was
come, Christ came forth. When the fullness of time was
come, every one of God's people finds themselves converted. Eventually
converted and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly,
Isaac, that is the elect, he was the elect. But God didn't
just choose Isaac, God chose to create Isaac. God chose to
make Isaac who Isaac was. You see, most people think of
election as here's this great big group of people, and then
God went about and started picking out this one. God picked out
that one. Every elect person, every person
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and that's exactly
what the book says. And that's exactly what it means. And it's
not hard to understand, it's just impossible to love unless
God Almighty regenerates you. And everyone chosen in Christ
before the world began, God purposed to create them in Christ Jesus
in time. And that's clearly what Paul
goes on to say in chapter two, for by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, the salvation, the grace, or
the faith, that's the meaning of the Greek, and that not of
yourselves, it's the gift of God. All three are the gift of
God, salvation, grace, and faith. Not of works, not of human effort,
any human effort, religious or otherwise. emotional or otherwise,
not of works, not of human effort. Why? Because we're not going
to boast before God. For we are his workmanship. What does it say? Created. Created in Christ Jesus. But Isaac the elect, we see he
then is mocked by Ishmael, is it not? mocked by Ishmael. You'll find that in Genesis 21,
verses eight, nine, and 10. So much so that Sarah said to
Abraham, cast out Ishmael and his mother. For Ishmael and his
mother shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. And
Paul then turns that in Galatians chapter four and says this is
an allegory, this is the two covenants, grace and law, and
you do not come into God's glory by law, you come into God's glory
by grace. If you seek glory before God,
if you seek justification before God, if you seek reconciliation
before God, if you seek acceptance before God, by your efforts,
law or otherwise, you shall be cast out. But if you're a child
of promise, just like Isaac was, you are accepted in the beloved. You know, men, it's so sad. But in our unregenerate state,
yet religious state, many of us, in our unregenerate yet possibly
religious state, we want an explanation for the Bible. We just don't
want the Bible as it's clearly written. I remember for years
I was looking for an answer to the election. What about you? Maybe some of you did. And being
brought up under religion, I wonder what that really means. It means
exactly what it says. Everyone here knows what an election
is. It's where you choose somebody
else. Ain't that an election? It's
simple enough. And yet I was taught, and I thought
I had the answer one time. I heard a preacher preach and
he said, well, what God did was he looked into the future and
seen what you would do. Believe, repent, hear the gospel,
and he chose you based upon that. And that's exactly opposite of
what this book says the election is. One, it says we were chosen
in him, not in ourselves. were chosen in Christ. It's based
upon his merits on our behalf, not based upon any merit accomplished
or wrought by us. Secondly, the Apostle Paul makes
it quite clear concerning Jacob and Esau that the election of
God was going to stand. that the purpose of God, even,
according to election would stand. That one was loved, and this
is what it says, and this is what it means. One was loved
by God, the other was hated by God. And it had nothing to do
with any good or evil that those two boys did or would ever do. The election is based upon God
himself. He chose according to the good
pleasure of his will. Mason, whatever that all is,
but he did not do it based upon what we would do or would not
do. And we best thank God for that. As I mentioned a Sunday or two
ago, let me tell you something, if God based the election upon
what we would do, we would all perish under just condemnation. Because there is none good, no
not one. There's none that doeth good,
there's none righteous, no not one. Our hearts are desperately
wicked above all things and we still don't get that yet. We
don't get it as it really is. It would probably frighten us
to death if we really understood what we are in God's sight by
nature. There was a day, and it was a
day, that God said, I will destroy all flesh. Isn't that what God
said? There was a day, an actual literal
day, when God looked down from heaven and viewed the cities
of the plains. extenuated in the two, Sodom
and Gomorrah, and God Almighty rained down fire and brimstone
out of heaven. Amen. And destroyed all but three
people. A fourth one turned into a pillar
of salt when she looked back, and our Lord said, remember Lot's
wife. Amen. Don't look back. No matter how hard the way gets,
don't look back. But you know, the Apostle Paul
then comes along, and he just quoting from the Old Testament
prophet, and he said, except we had been, except the Lord
had left us a seed, a remnant, a picked out number, a chosen
group, we'd have been just like what? We'd have been, I'd have
been, you'd have been, anyone who hears me, you'd have been
just like Sodom and Gomorrah. The heart of the Sodomite, folks.
is right in here by nature. Do you hear me? And anyone says,
that's not me, then this promise ain't for you. This promise ain't
for you. If you're that good, then you
go on. And you wait till you stand before
God. And we'll look at a moment, you will not stand. But there's a couple other lessons
here. Paul makes it clear. Isaac and Ishmael were an allegory. They're the two covenants. But
there's a couple other things I believe we can see here. We
see two other things. Covenant, yes, but there's a
couple other twos. My flesh and God's spirit. Isaac and Ishmael. A constant
battle, constant battle. And my Ishmael, that part of
me that is Ishmael constantly wars against that part of me
that is Isaac. It would malk. the very truth
of God in me. Because you realize, the apostle
Paul said, when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's
womb, then he faced this threat, to reveal his son, what, to me? That's true. But it's more than
that. To reveal his son, where? In
me. Now, in me, that is in my flesh,
my old, corrupt, adamic nature dwells no good thing, but bless
God, our bodies are said to be what? The temple of the Holy
Ghost, and that is mind-blowing. God Almighty, Mack Hatfield,
dwells in us. Isn't that something? Dwells
in us. But here's another one. Here's another allegory. Unbeliever
and believer. Unbelievers love to mock a believer. They especially love to mock
a believer when a believer falls. I thought you was a Christian.
Evidently, the believer should reply, you don't know what a
Christian is. Because a Christian is nothing
more than a sinner saved by the grace of God. I still have the
old Ishmael in me, and he all too often, for my comfort or
benefit, raises his ugly head, and he is as much a part of me
as the Isaac part is a part of me, but I am given by the grace
of God the right to say these words that the Apostle Paul says,
yet not I. But sin that dwelleth in me. Some think that's a cop out.
No, that's a cry of grace. That's a cry of truth. We have
the right to separate ourselves from ourselves, Joe. We have
a right to distinguish from ourself with ourself. It's no longer
I that do it. Thank God it is sin that dwelleth
in me. But number three, Isaac, the
converted sinner. You hear me? Isaac, the converted
sinner, knew God's way. Remember when going up to the
mount? They were going up to worship, and there was Isaac
and Abraham. Evidently, they had the mule
or whatever it was, and they had some wood, and they had some
live coals. And Isaac looks at his father
and says, Father, here's the wood, and here's the fire, but
where's the what? Where's the lamb? Where's the
lamb? Got to have a lamb. Where did he get that from? He
got it from Abraham. And I have scriptural reason
to say that, because Abraham was blessed of God, because God
said, I'm gonna show what I'm going to do in Sodom and Gomorrah
to Abraham, because I know Abraham's gonna teach his children the
right way. Isn't that what God said about the matter? Now let
me tell you something, the converted sinner knows God's way. And what
did our Lord say in John 7, 17? He that is of God, he shall know
of the doctrine. Whether I speak of God or whether
I speak of myself. Therefore when the truth is preached,
if any man or woman doesn't get it, doesn't believe it, doesn't
love it, whatever it might be, rejects it, whatever it might
be, that lets me know that at least at that point in time,
they are not of God. Because if God Almighty says
to you, live, then you will live. And Paul says the gospel, even
housed in these earthen vessels, the gospel is life unto what? Life. But that very same gospel
is death unto what? Death. And a dead alien sinner
who hears the gospel, it only adds to his or her condemnation. outside of a work of God happening
for them, they will perish, Mason, with more condemnation on their
head, and it had been better for them probably not to have
heard the way of truth than after they heard the way of truth to
turn from the holy commandment which was delivered unto them.
Oh, but thank God, he says, live to some. And he brings that gospel
of life and those two lives joined together, and this person believes
in Jesus Christ. The converted sinner. You see,
Isaac believed God's ordained means. God is to be worshiped
in a particular way. He knew that by upbringing. He
knew that by gospel interaction. Can you imagine just sitting
and talking with Abraham? Now, I have no reason to believe
that Abraham knew Jesus of Nazareth. but Abraham knew Jesus of Nazareth. You understand what I'm saying?
He may not have knew him as Jesus of Nazareth, Mac, but he knew
Jesus of Nazareth. Because remember, he was, as
a lamb, foreordained before the foundation of the world. And
even Jesus of Nazareth says, Abraham, rejoice to see my day. He saw it. He was glad. And he said, boy, let me tell
you about something. Somebody's coming. Our ancestors
called him the seed of the woman. A little bit later, one of Abraham's
descendants would call him Shiloh. And the law giver shall not depart
until what? Until Shiloh comes. Third, here's a fourth thing.
Let me move on. Isaac married a woman. You can go back and
look at it. I think it's maybe chapter 27,
I'm not for sure. But back in the book of Genesis,
Isaac married a woman. And here's an amazing thing about
Isaac. Go back and read the Old Testament. I mean, you find believers,
unbelievers, men especially. What were they doing? They were
marrying multiple wives. Were they not? Well, somebody
says that makes it right. Well, Abraham lied about one
of his wives, his first wife. So that don't make it right.
Just because you do it don't make it right. But here's an
amazing thing about Isaac. You know how many women Isaac
married? All of his years, 180 of them, Joe. That's amazing. And here stands
out a prime, prime type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the
Lord Jesus Christ has one bride. One bride, and one bride only. So much so that this bride is
called Under this auspice, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There are many different local
churches, but there is but one universal church. And if you're
not a part of that one universal church, you're not a part of
the bride of Christ. I don't care how much membership
you have in a local church. Jesus Christ loved the church
and gave himself for it. It. One Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one body. There is never a All men are
okay as long as they're religious. It's just not so. And yet that
is perpetrated upon the sons and daughters of Adam in our
day to no end. It doesn't matter as long as
you believe in Jesus. Remember, the devils believe
and they tremble. The one difference between the
devil though and the saved person is the saved person believes,
trembles, but loves. But loves. That saved person
believes, devils believe. They tremble, devils tremble,
but the devils don't love God. The devils don't love Christ,
even though they know his authority. Let me tell you, just being a
good Calvinist and knowing about the sovereignty of God don't
cut it. You must love Christ. You must love Christ. You see, when God Almighty regenerates
by his spirit and converts by his gospel, we are converted
to one man. That's Jesus Christ the Lord.
He becomes our song of Solomon, Solomon. Doesn't he not? Our
song of Solomon, Solomon. Here's number five. Isaac had
two sons. by this one woman, twins, as
a matter of fact. One was chosen, i.e., loved. Isn't that the way the Old Testament
and New Testament put it? Because when Paul spoke about
it in Romans 9 in the New Testament, he was quoting from the Old Testament. God hadn't changed. It's no different
now than it was back then. It'll be no different 1,000,
2,000, 3,000 years from now if the world were to stand that
long than it is right now today or it was back yonder. One was
chosen, that means loved. The other was rejected, reprobated,
thus declared to be hated by God. Those who are unregenerate
say that's not fair. Those who are regenerate say,
oh, I think God is not fair to us. Don't they? The unregenerate
man says, I don't see how God could hate Esau. The regenerate
man or woman says, I understand how God could hate Esau. I don't
comprehend how God could love Jacob. I comprehend why God would send
me to hell. I deserve it. I am so corrupt,
so deceitful in and of myself, and I don't even probably know
the half of it. But I know I deserve God's wrath,
yet he has shown me mercy in Christ. That, and I'll use just
a common there, that blows me away. That blows me away. You see, two sons. One was loved,
the other was hated. And Paul basically in Romans
chapter nine, let's go back and read it sometimes, basically
said this is just the way it is. You either bow before God
in it, or you try to fight against God concerning it. But if you
fight against God concerning it, you will lose. You will lose. Because here's the point, number
six. Isaac was deceived by Eve and Jacob. Wasn't he? You remember? Now that's hard
for me to wrap my head around this, but Jacob's mom, she was
a mom to both them boys, Jacob and Esau. She heard Isaac when
his sight was done gone. He was laid up in his tent. She
heard him say, it's time for me to bless. You know what I
said? I'm paraphrasing, it's time for
me to bless. And she had been, wait a minute,
told by God that the one to be blessed would be Jacob and not
Esau. But by tradition and custom, Esau was the one in line to get
the blessing. So she manipulated and worked
with her son to manipulate to where they could get Jacob to
get the blessing. Even killed a beast, made savory
stew for Isaac, because he loved Esau's savory stew, and then
took the skin off that beast and put it on the back of Jacob's
neck and his arms so that he could deceive his father for
the blessing. You know what? That was God Almighty's
sovereign purpose. That was God Almighty's sovereign
purpose. Go back and look at Genesis chapter
27, you'll see it. You know what this teaches us?
A couple things. One, sin dominates us all by nature. All of us by
nature. But let me tell you, even sin
is suffered by God to fulfill God's sovereign will. That is
absolutely clear when later you see the grandson of Abraham,
or maybe it's Isaac, but Joseph, when his brothers had treated
him despicably. A few of them were, Mason, they
were gonna kill him. One of the brothers talked him out of it.
They sold him into slavery, okay? And when it was all said and
done, what did Joseph say to them in the end? You meant this
for evil. And then here is his word. He
didn't say God used it for good. That's true, but it's more than
that. He said you meant it for evil,
but God meant it for good. We see this in the death of Christ
above everything else. Wicked men crucified Jesus of
Nazareth. They put on a malt trial and
lied about him. They sent him to die. A tortured,
a tortured death. Yet Luke is quite clear when
he records the words of the apostles when they were gathered together
one night. They said everything that wicked men did was exactly
what God before ordained to be done. Somebody says I can't get
my head around that. God doesn't ask us to get our
head around it. He says bow to me, this is who I am. Believe
my son because this is him. He is God manifest in the flesh. Think of it. Old John Bunyan
put it this way. This could be some rough language,
folks. Sin is the dare of God's justice. Sin is the rape of God's
mercy. Sin is the jeer of God's patience. Sin is the slight of God's power. Sin is the contempt of God's
love. Sin, says he, is a man's attempt
to cast God from his throne. Sin is man's attempt to murder
God. And yet we hear this same God
saying these words through the psalmist in Psalm 76 at verse
10. And it's a word, the first word
of it I almost always leave out. I read it this morning, I thought,
I've got to put that word in there. Surely, he starts out. Surely, so there's no debate,
Matt. We don't debate. I don't understand it. Don't
try to understand it. Don't try to figure God out.
Look at the last part of Romans 11. You can't do it. Surely the
wrath of man shall praise God. That's what it's all about. And
the rest of it. Surely the rest of the remainder
of wrath, he'll do what? He'll restrain it. You see, as
I've said before, that lets us know if God took his finger off
us, David Wright, we'd go hog wild like the beast of the field.
But God restrains us. And everything that's not restrained
is according to God's own sovereign purpose to bring himself glory,
even the sinful acts and being of sinful men. So much so, Joe,
you mentioned Habakkuk. I wanna read you this one verse.
Habakkuk chapter three, think of this. Chapter three, verse
two, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. Most people hear the Bible, boy,
they just, they just happy and everything just great. They leave
and they walk the aisles chewing their bubble gum, as they used
to say. You know, giving their heart to Jesus. Now look at what
Habakkuk says, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid.
Oh Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst
of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy. And that has
two meanings and both are valid. God in men's wrath. When men
are wrathful, when men despise you and your truth and your son
and his gospel, oh God, still be merciful. Saul of Tarsus better
be glad for that kind of mercy, don't you think so? I had better
be glad for that kind of mercy, don't you think so? In wrath,
me and my, in spite of my wrath. We're the children of wrath.
Wrath toward God, even as others. But also this, God in your wrath.
Roy Jr., God Almighty is both wrathful and loving at the same
time. But his wrath is toward the wicked.
His love is upon His people even before He regenerates and converts
them. You see, we've been chosen in
Christ before the world began. We, as the elect of God, were
never under the wrath of God. Never, never. But right in the
midst of wrath, let me show you the verse that the Apostle Paul
gives it to us now. Think about it. Here it is, Romans
chapter nine. Listen to these words. Romans
chapter nine, and it is verse 21. Hath not the potter power
over the clay of the same lump? And listen, none of us are better
than anybody else when it comes to God's sight. Now some of us
might stand a little taller than others when we compare ourselves
with ourselves. But when we compare ourselves with God's law, yea,
even with God himself, none of us stand the test. Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? They'll get what
they deserve. But look, at the same time, Joe,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, not
just some Jews, but some Gentiles too. Aren't you grateful to God? Grateful to God. But thanks be
to God, it's like this, where sin abounded, and it does. and it abounds not out there,
oh yeah, it abounds out there, but it abounds right in here. Today, while I'm standing here
preaching to you the word of God, my mind could wonder, Joe,
while I'm sitting here preaching the word of God, where grace
abounded, Or where sin abounded, what does it say? Grace did super
abound. That's the way you could put
it. Grace did much more abound. So that these words here are
true. Psalms 86. If you wanna read
it. Just look at what it says. Look
at Psalm 86. I'll read these words, say a couple things, and
we'll close. Psalms 86 and verse five. For thou, Lord, art good
and ready and ready to forgive. Aren't you glad? And ready to
forgive. You know what most people's problem
is? They don't think they really need forgiveness. Just a little
touch up maybe. Maybe a good old pat on the back
and a attaboy. Maybe that's what I need from
God. No, I need forgiveness with God. And if God ever brings you
to the place to where you're constantly aware of your need
of forgiveness, you'll thank God that he says, to forgive
and plenteous, isn't that good? Isn't that a good word? And plenteous. Paul Pelton, he's not just doling
out little bits of mercy. Plenteous in mercy, isn't that
good? Plenteous in mercy unto all them
that call upon thee. You see, Esau and Jacob both
buried Isaac. You know what that lets me know?
Every man, every woman, elect or reprobate, saved or lost,
every man one day, somewhere, will bow before King Jesus and
honor him. All the Esau's and all the Jacob's,
they're all one day going to honor Jesus Christ. Thank God
that there's this honoring he permits us now. Isn't that a
mercy? Father, may these things comfort
our hearts. May they encourage us. We pray
for some, Lord, not here, not able to make it, Lord, sick,
and then other reasons far beyond even that. Oh, God, you know
what every individual needs. Be with them. Oh, God, show them
grace and mercy in Christ. In his name, amen. Let's sing
number 24 out of the folder.