Greetings, friends, and welcome
to another broadcast of the Old School Primitive Baptist with
Elder Don Martin Sr. Stay tuned for another gospel
message of God's free and sovereign grace. Well, brethren, first
of all, I'd like to say that I am here in Tifton, this house gathering,
Brother Martin's facility, and that he would bless us with a
safe journey back to our places of abode for this night. And
I'm thankful that he has still got a remnant of people in this
time for eight years that have not bowed to need but still hold
on to that glorious hope whom we have to do, and of whom we
have been bound together by the Holy Spirit of our living God. If God permit, if you would like
to follow me in the scriptures to the 17th chapter of Matthew's
Gospel. We sang a song about the hiding
place, and about how that There came that time in the writer
of the song when he flew to Mount Sinai to find peace and rest. And he found nothing there but
a fiery mount of just a condemnation there. There was no rest and
no peace at Mount Sinai. There is none today at Mount
Sinai. Out of that, Mount Sinai came
down as was given to Moses In time in the book of Deuteronomy
we have the further laws, commandments, statutes and ordinances God had
given the children of Israel. Now keep in mind it's the children
of Israel whom God had given the law, commandments, statutes
and ordinances to. The children of Israel were under
the law and the commandments and they were under a duty to
do them. But they could not do them. No man can keep the law as every
god entitled to the acceptance and to the appeasing of God Almighty. That's right. No man has ever
done it. By no man shall they be ever justified by the deeds
of the law, the Bible says, that Paul wrote to the church in Galatia.
In the 17th chapter of Matthew's gospel, talking about the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ here, is what the word is in the original
Greek, I believe, translated into. He was transformed into
a metamorphic stage of where his glory had shone around about. And it goes on to say that he
was transformed before them, transfigured before them, and
his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as
the light. with him. Now here was two men
who hundreds of years prior to had lived a life in his mortal
realm and died at the death of mortal man, but yet were then
raised from the dead, resurrected, and were there in the presence
of Peter, James, and John, and Jesus Christ, speaking with him. Here was James and John Now how did they know who they
were? I would take and I would assume, which is not really a
good thing to do, but in my limited understanding, Moses, I greet thee, my dear
brother, or whatever. And Elijah, Elijah, my dear brother
prophet, I greet thee. I don't know how he said it,
but they knew who they were. They didn't have name tags on
them, brother, but they knew who they were. Now I want you
to keep in mind that these two brethren that were there, Moses
and Elijah, were representatives of two different aspects of God's Moses was the divine representative
of the law of God. Because the Bible says in John's
gospel that the law came out by Moses. He brought them down
from up there. He brought the tables down. And
though he broke them in despair and in anger because of what
he seen, the children of Israel do it in rebellion. He was building
the golden cabin of worship. He broke them, but yet there
were other tables made to take the place of them. Nevertheless,
the Law of God was going to be established. Even though the
first ones were broke, they were going to still be established
as the commandments of the Law of God before the children of
Israel. Moses was the representative
before Peter, James, and John of the Law of God. Keep that
in mind. Elijah He was the representative of
the prophets of God. Throughout all the time he was
the representative. In his gospel preaching about
Elijah, he said in the book of this and that, Elijah did this,
Elijah did that. And he also spoke about the prophet
Isaiah and others. But Elijah was the classic representative
of the prophets. So we have the law and the prophets
here. and he talked with them. And
the Bible goes on to say, then verse 5, While he yet spake,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out
of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, and whom I
am well pleased here the Son of God, the incarnate
God-man, the very fullness and the very image of the invisible
God. There was Moses, the representative
of the law. There was Elijah, representative
of the prophets. And God, the Son, was there. And a voice spoke from heaven.
The Father said, This is my beloved Son, of whom I am well pleased. He said, Hear! and give listening to the person
of the Son of Jesus. Not to the law any longer. Because
the law, the Bible says that the law ceased with John the
Baptist. Does it not say that? That means
that was the end of it. And there's going to be no more
law given. No more law going to be set forth
and administrated and under the cardinal ordinances. And in the
end, it ended with John. I'm bringing in a new covenant,
a new testament, Jesus said. I come preaching to you by a
new and living way through me, the way, the truth, and the life. who had determined all things
and declared the end from the beginning of all things, as the
Bible says in the book of Isaiah. Okay, we find out that from this
cloud comes this voice that says, Hear my son Jesus. And when the
disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. Let me tell you what, when God
Almighty spoke honorably, and slew them to the ground by
the almighty, omniscient, omnipotent God of heaven, because they didn't die, didn't
they? This scared them to where they
fell on their face. And the Bible says in verse 8,
And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man saved,
and that word saved is translated as well as except, okay? They saw no man except Jesus
only. What happened to Moses and Elijah? They were removed out of the
way. Furthermore, saying what John said about that the law
ended with John the Baptist as far as the prophets go, the law
and the prophets. God Almighty had taken Moses
and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration and removed them from the scene
that they Jesus Christ only and hear him
only from that day onward. We're about to listen to the
law. Now listen to me brother. I am not against the law. The
law fulfills the divine purpose. in the human realm that they
are guilty before God of sin. That's what the law does. It
points its finger on the almighty God of glory and to us and says
guilty, guilty, guilty. You are unclean, you're unworthy,
you are a I have to be transformed to be
able to enter into the kingdom of my darling son Jesus. And that transformation comes
one way. the foundation of the world,
before their sun had even had its round, and the moon reflected
the sun by night. Before all of these things occurred,
God had determined the people for his name's sake. And as they're
elected children, they're appointed children. for many that were ordained to
eternal life believed in God. You notice how they get it twisted
around? In Armenian, brother, they go
about and they say, as many as believe were ordained. That ain't
what it says. As many as were ordained. Hello. The ordaining was first. And then the belief followed
along. That's right. And so it is with God today.
And the way he calls his children, they're ordained to believe.
He opened up Lydia's heart that she would receive it would be
preached to her, right? God, unless God had opened the
heart of Lydia, she couldn't attend to nothing. Unless God
opened your heart to the truths of sovereign grace in that day
that He did, you couldn't attend to it to this moment. Oh, but
God has had mercy upon those of His elect remnant. He's come
to show that God is almighty, that God
is unlimited, that God is absolute, that His word is absolute. It's
never been proven to be anything contrary than to be absolute. That's the glorious thing about
it. The word of God is settled in
heaven. I don't know what all that means. Does that mean that
translation? I don't know that. All I know
is whatever has been revealed to me as the truth and has there
a witness with my heart, mind and soul by the spirit of God,
I believe is forever settled in heaven. And it's all based
around one thing. This one whose brilliance of
God Almighty shone from His person was the first time that I can
recall that Jesus was seen in a glorified manner. That the
brightness was so bright. He said that I'm the way, the
truth, and the life, and no man giveth the Father but by me.
All that the Father giveth to me, Jesus said, shall come to
me, and I shall know why and whose merit. Oh, unless the Father
has given you to His Son, you ain't gonna be a child of the
grace. You'll not be an heir of His.
Oh, you have to be given to the Father. These folks just say
God now has given all men opportunities. Now it's up to you. That's a
lie of the devil. He's called the people, and He's
calling them out, and only His sheep are going to hear His voice,
and they're going to what? They're going to follow Him.
They're not going to follow another. But they know the Good Shepherd's
voice. You know why? Because God's given them an ear
to hear it. They should be of God and hear
God's word. They should be not of God, Brother
Michael, hear not the words of God. Amen? It's simple as that,
Brother. You heard the word of God, but
you heard it because God opened your ears. And it was closed
up into that time. And when you heard that the Holy
Ghost bore witness with your heart, mind, and soul, you said,
Oh, woe is me! Oh, I'm a sinner undone! I'm
unclean! And that law poured into his
fingers and said, Cursed are you! Oh, what can I do? Where
is the antidote for my helpless, poor, needy condition? And Jesus
come to say, I am the one That's right. Churches today
are preaching about all you have to do is come forward and make
a decision. The opportunity is now set forth
and it's up to you. Oh, friends, if God hadn't chosen
me, I'd have never came. I never would have come. I didn't
have the ability to come. My nature was so depraved that
my will was bent on doing my selfish desire, to do what I
wanted to do. And people say, well, God will
never violate your free will. Let me say to you, if He don't
violate my free will, brother, I'm in desperate trouble. I'm
never coming to God. He takes and breaks your free
will and makes you willing in the day of His power. The Bible
says in the 65th Psalm, I believe about verse 4, that blessed is
the man whom thou chooses and causes to approach
him to be I know the Bible teaches about sinners, and has ordained them,
called them, appointed them, and has elected them into eternal
life through and by the means of His Son Jesus Christ, whom
we have to do today by hope and by faith. Faith and grace both. Listen,
you're saved by grace for you, faith and salvation. Neither
one of them are of yourselves. It's a gift of God. Faith and
grace are both gifts. Okay? Because Jesus is author
and finisher of that faith. He got on the author and finisher
of it. The Bible says it is by the faith
of. Listen to that little preposition
of. It is by the faith of. in Galatians. He says, by the
faith of the Son of God is how I live the life that I now live. It's the faith of the Son of
God. Now, do you look at any translation besides the King
James Version and you know what that preposition changed to? So when it says, Paul said, the
life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Other translations
say, the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith
in the Son of God. Oh, it's of the Son of God, who
is that author and publisher of that faith. He's the giver
of faith. And what's the Bible say? For
faith is the substance of faith, and hope for it, and evidence
of faith is not seen. There is a substance, brother,
to faith that we have been given. There is an evidence there. And
you know where the evidence is? It's in the person that is transformed
and been translated into the Son of God. But God's dear Son, the Bible
says, and we therefore are new creatures in Jesus Christ by
an operation of free and sovereign grace alone, and nothing else. One of my favorite verses, the Apostle
Paul wrote in his 2nd Epistle to 2 Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians
chapter 5, verse 21. He had made Him. God had made Jesus. Now listen to me. Jesus Christ
been tempted in every way, yet without sin. He was the God-man
deity manifested in the flesh of man. God clothed upon mortal
flesh. conceived of a virgin, born of
the virgin Mary, predestined and prophesied some seven hundred
and thirty years before by the prophet Isaiah. Now let me say
this, in an article I wrote some time back, it was about predestined
providence, or providential predestination, however you want to put it. And he'd given the revelation
that a virgin was going to conceive and give forth a child 730 years
before it actually occurred. Could anything circumvent that
from happening? Could anything ever stand in
the way? Could any event, could any man's
will or works or deeds change that from occurring? Absolutely
not. That's the reason why one of
them, among many, I believe in absolute predestination. Because
if it were not for absolute predestination, then what God had prophesied
730 years beforehand could somehow be circumvented, altered, or
changed and would not have come about. But just as God had determined
it on that very day that Virgin Mary was conceived and that baby
Jesus' body was taken in form and come to the maturity to be
born of her womb and Jesus Christ, the lowly body of this God-man
Jesus who laid in a manger alive And as he went into the city
at all that time, he was about 12 years old, and he went in
there and he ministered among the chief priests, and they couldn't
get over how this young lad had such an understanding and wisdom. Oh, I tell you, they were talking
to God then. Yet he hadn't manifested in his
fullness, but they were talking to God, and then as he grew, He was the King of the Kingdom.
Yet they didn't understand all what He said. They only saw bits
and pieces and only saw parts. Because He told them many times,
you can't understand these things now. You can't understand all
that I'm telling you now. But there will come a time when
you will. But you know what? The Comforter, the Comforter
is going to come. When the Comforter comes, He's
going to lead you in all truth. And brother, on that day of Pentecost, That was prophesied to be fulfilled. Jesus came. He came and He preached
about His kingdom. And now He has manifested it
to us. He's been raised from the dead.
He overcame death and hell for our sake. But all the Bible says
here in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, this same Jesus, who was tempted
in every way, who knew no sin. It says, for He, Jesus, had made
Him, Jesus, to be what? Sin for us, who knew no sin. That word knew in there means
He had never had been taken. Oh God made our Savior, the blessed
Redeemer, our sanctified Savior, that came down from heaven's
portals and come down here to this low ground of sin and sorrow.
He came down here. and was talking to Moses and
Elijah. And no doubt, in another part
of the gospel, Paul and Luke had made an expression that they
conversed with him about the things that he had to go through,
meaning the cross and so forth. And then even at the time before
he was going to bear that cross, the angels of God from thee, but nevertheless not
mine will but thine be done." Oh, it had to be done. By the
wicked and cruel hands of men did God determine by His determined
counsel and predestined purpose that these men take Him and nail
Him to that cross at His hands and palms and at His feet and
then put the crown of thorns upon His head that blood would
stream down His face and be shed for our behalf that He would
be redeemed forever. away from us, cast behind God's
back, never to be remembered again. Beloved, don't let sin
drag you down and let your past drag you down. We got victory
in Jesus. I'm not saying that we ought
not at times be reflected upon our past as a purpose of God. Now let me say this in closing. And if some will go as far as
say, well, God is the authorizer of sin. But let me just say this. If David, a man after God's own
heart, and then even had her husband
sent out to the front lines to be killed. It was a murder on
top of it. He was an adulterous murderer,
and if God had not determined that to occur, He could not have
written the contrite and remorseful Psalms that we have to read today
in the Old Testament. to reflect back on the love that
he had for God Almighty as a man after God's own heart. He will
bring us down to sin's depth at times to prove to us who we
really are and who Jesus Christ really is. And I'll tell you
what, God can take sin, to sanctify his people, and be
just in doing that. Now, brother, that's the gospel
that is hard for us to be preached in many places. But that's the
gospel I'm talking about. the Scriptures to reveal the
brilliance of Christ. Sin is a black backdrop curtain
behind the theater of Jesus. And he stands out gloriously,
bright and brilliant, before the sons of God, that we might
see him and behold him as the King of glory, Lord of lords
and Savior of sinners. Oh, let God be the glory, for
he is worthy of praise and honor. And brethren, I appreciate your and kindness towards undeserving
sinners such as me. God bless you.