Let me add my welcome to Winston.
It's good to see everybody out this morning. As you can see,
the title of my message is Eyes That See. It's from Matthew chapter
13. I've only put two verses up there. We'll be talking about this context
as we go through throughout Matthew 13 right there. But let's just
look at these And let me say this first before we start reading
in Matthew here. Somebody asked me, well, are
you going to have another message on ears that hear? Well, that's
included here. Those who have eyes that see
also have ears that hear. So no, there won't be another
message on ears that hear. Look at Matthew 13, 16 here with
me. Christ said, but blessed are your eyes for they see and
your ears for they hear. For verily I say unto you that
many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which you see and have not seen them and to hear those things
which you hear and have not heard them. The first thing we want
to see about eyes that see is that those eyes are blessed eyes.
They're not blessed because they see now. but rather they see
because they're blessed. Don't get that reversed, because
the seeing comes because of the blessing. Being blessed is not
the result of seeing, but seeing is the result of being blessed.
Seeing is the evidence that God has already blessed you in Christ
for his sake alone. So, eyes that see are blessed
eyes. Now, here's what we're going
to talk about today. What do blessed eyes see? Well, they
see three things, and this is what we'll see in the message,
three things. They see, first of all, what
before they did not see. They see what the natural or
the unregenerate man refuses to see, and they see what every
regenerate sinner before the cross desired to see. So that's
what we'll see in this message. Three things that the blessed
eyes, eyes which see, that's what they see. Look back at Matthew
13 and verse 16 again. He said, but blessed are your
eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Blessed
eyes see. They see what they before did
not see. Now this is not better vision. This is not seeing better what
they saw before. This is initial vision. In other
words, these eyes see what they never saw before. When a sinner
embraces the gospel, it's because they've been given a vision they
didn't have before they came to the gospel, before the Spirit
of God gave them spiritual sight. They didn't have this vision.
This is new vision. It's not better vision. It's
new. In the ninth chapter of John,
we have a scriptural example of a man so blessed of God. This man, he didn't appear to
be blessed of God. This man was a beggar by the
roadside. He was born blind. Blind from
birth. So he didn't appear to be blessed
of God. Nobody saw this man as blessed of God. But if you study
John chapter 9, you'll discover that it's not how this man started
out that counts. It's how he ended up that counts.
Because he started out a beggar by the roadside, but he ended
up praising and worshiping the Lord of glory. This man was blind
from birth to illustrate the spiritual condition of all of
us without exception. Christ's disciples wanted to
know why this man was born blind. They said, was it because of
his sin, some sin he had, or was it some sin that his parents
had? Now look with me at John chapter
9. Here's Christ's answer when they
ask Him, why was this man born blind? Jesus answered, Neither
has this man sin, nor his parents, but that the works of God should
be made manifest in him." Now, he's not declaring either this
man, of course, nor his parents to be sinlessly perfect. They
were sinners, just like all are sinners. But he said his blindness
is not from any specific sin in this man, nor from any specific
sin in the parents. But, You see the purpose I underlined
there? But that the works of God may
manifest in him. This man is a type of those that
are blessed of God. That's why all are born spiritually
blind, so that the works of God might be manifest in delivering
us out of that blindness. Christ healed this man of his
physical blindness only to expose a further blindness. See, he
was born physically blind. He was also born spiritually
blind. So Christ, although Christ had
given him physical sight, he still didn't see Christ as one
who was worthy of his worship and his praise. Look at John
9, verses 35 and 36 with me. This is further on down in the
discourse now, but Jesus heard this man encountered the Pharisees
of his day who wanted him to renounce Christ and say that
he was a sinner. And this man said, I just know
one thing. I was blind and now I see. So
they cast him out. They cast him out of their presence.
And Jesus heard that they cast him out. And when he had found
him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He's
talking to that blind man, blind from birth, that he had given
physical sight to. And he's asking him, do you believe
on the Son of God? And this man answered and said,
Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? He didn't recognize
Christ at this time as one to be worshipped, as the Lord, as
the Messiah sent that he should believe on. But look on in John
9 and verse 37. And Jesus said unto him, Thou
hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And
this man said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. This is
a picture of Christ giving spiritual sight to one that was lacked
before. He didn't have spiritual sight.
He didn't know Christ before. This is Christ bringing a sinner
to see what before that sinner did not see. Now, in case you
might think I'm seeing more here than is here, in other words,
taking the Scriptures too far. I could be guilty of that sometimes,
taking the Scriptures too far. I get a little carried away sometimes.
But in case you think I'm doing that here, look at what Christ
says in this discourse in John 9 and verse 39. And Jesus said,
for judgment I am coming to this world, that they which see not
might see, and that they which see might be made blind. Of course, Christ is not talking
about physical sight now. He's talking about spiritual
sight. He's speaking about giving spiritual sight to sinners who
are born spiritually blind. Sinners who are blind from birth,
just like this man was. These sinners see not, but they're
made to see. Under the gospel, the Spirit
of God brings sinners to hear the good news that that gospel
contains. He brings them to see the complete
salvation that God has accomplished through the doing and dying of
Christ alone for a people of His choosing. He gives them light,
sight, light. He gives them knowledge, specific
light and specific knowledge. Look at 2 Corinthians 4 and verse
6. It says, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness
has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You see, God
shines specific light in the hearts of his people. The world
was dark. It was void of light until God
commanded that light to shine. And the heart of a spiritually
dead sinner is void of this sight until God shines in the heart.
Blessed eyes start out in spiritual darkness, but by the mercy and
grace of God, blessed eyes don't continue in spiritual darkness.
Blessed eyes are confronted by the glory of God revealed in
the face of Jesus Christ. In other words, they're taught
how God is just to justify ungodly sinners based on the righteousness
of Christ. and that imputed alone. And blessed
eyes don't ignore or reject this newfound knowledge that they
hear in the gospel. Blessed eyes see, their ears
hear. They see how God is just. He's
doing right to save sinners. and to eternally bless them based
on the imputed righteousness of Christ alone. Most of you
are familiar with our radio and newspaper ads called Something
to Think About. Well, in line with this lesson,
here's a question for you sitting under the gospel. Here's something
for you to think about. Under the gospel, what do you
now see that you didn't see before you came to the gospel? It's
something specific. And if you'll just be honest
and be specific, you'll understand what that something is. Of course,
I'm telling you what that something is throughout the message, but
do you see it? Blessed eyes are eyes that see. First, they readily and thankfully
see what before they did not see. All right, let's move on
to the second thing that blessed eyes see. They see what the natural
or the unregenerate man refuses to see. Now, in this context
of Matthew 13, we have the parable of the soils, which is about
different types of hearers. It speaks of sinners who hear
the gospel, but for various reasons, they go virtually unchanged by
the revelation of that gospel. We're studying there today in
that chapter 13, and Christ taught this parable and many others
to the multitudes as they listened to him. And when Christ's disciples
were alone with him, they asked him why he spoke to the multitudes
in parables. They wanted to know, why do you
teach this way to the multitudes? And look what he says in Matthew
13 in verse 11. He answered and said unto them,
because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. And I like Mark's
version a little bit and we'll look at it because it has a phrase
in there that I like a little better than Matthew's, but let's
wait a second and we'll read that one in a minute. He said
here, I speak to them in parables because it's given unto you,
given unto you to know. It's given unto those who are
blessed of God to know. It's given unto those who are
heirs of the kingdom. It's given unto you to have the
mysteries of your blessedness, all spiritual blessings in Christ,
to have those blessings revealed to you. But there's a contrast
here, see? And now look at Mark adds a little
phrase here, but unto them that are without, It's not given unto
them. That's the contrast. Unto them
that are without. This is another group of sinners,
you see. These don't have the blessing of God. These are not
heirs of the kingdom of heaven. These are those to whom the knowledge
of the mystery of the kingdom is not given. Now Christ continues
his description and distinction of these two groups of sinners.
You got one who are given eyes to see. You got another not given
eyes to see. And Christ continues that distinction
of these two groups in Matthew 13 and verse 12. He says, for
whosoever hath to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance. But whosoever hath not from him
shall be taken away, even that he hath. Luke also recorded this
parable of the soils. One good thing about studying
the Gospels together, you know, one writer saw it or remembered
it, maybe, and recorded it a little bit differently than the other.
And sometimes that little bitty phrase or that little bitty word
gives a little more insight into what's being spoken of. So, Luke
recorded this parable of the soils, or this parable of the
hears, and I like the way he remembered Christ's exhortation
to his hearers in connection with this verse. He said, take
heed therefore how you hear, for whosoever hath to him shall
be given, and whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away,
even which he seemeth to have. You see that contrast here is
between the haves and the have-nots. To some will be given, They'll
have abundance. They'll continue to be given.
They'll be given more and more understanding. Their eyes will
be open more and more. Their ears will hear better and
better. Who are they? Those who have.
But these are contrasts with those who have not. These are
those who will not be given, but even what they seem to have
will be taken away from them. That's another little part of
Luke there that he added that word seemeth to have. You see,
men who think they're saved apart from the imputed righteousness
of Christ, they think they have the favor of God, they think
they have the blessing of God, but it's just a presumption because
the scriptures won't back it up. So they are those who seem
to have, and They won't be given anything, but what they seem
to have, even that will be taken away. Look on in Matthew 13 and
verse 13 and 15. Christ said, therefore speak
I to them. those who have not. I speak to them in parables,
because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither
do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing you shall hear, and
shall not understand, and seeing you shall see, and shall not
perceive. For this people's heart is waxed
gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and should understand with their
heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. So the
contrast is given. Those who have, to them will
be given more and more, even in abundance. But to those who
have not, They will not only not be given, but what they seem
to have will be taken away. Now to understand what Christ
is talking about here, there's a question we have to answer.
The haves and the have-nots. What do they have? What do they
have not? We've got to answer that question.
If you don't understand the answer to that question, you don't understand
what Christ is talking about here. What does one have that
brings God's abundance, and another have not, which robs them even
of that which they seem to have? What is that? Well, ultimately
what some have is the eternal blessing of God. Ephesians 1
says that some have been blessed with all spiritual blessings.
in Christ, and that some were blessed before the foundation
of the world, Ephesians 1, verses 3 and 4. And Paul wrote to Timothy
that God's purpose and grace were given to some, and again,
given before the world began in 2 Timothy 1 and 9. So, the
first thing that some have is the eternal blessing of God.
But how do you know one is eternally blessed of God? Where's the evidence? Well, that's what specifically
some have and others have not will tell us. Generally, it's
because they're blessed of God that some see and some don't.
But specifically, it's because some have an understanding of
and a regard for the redemptive glory of God, or how God can
be just and yet justify the ungodly. How can God remain just and yet
show mercy to a sinner who deserves nothing but his eternal wrath?
This is knowledge and regard that begins to identify and distinguish
every regenerate sinner. It begins to identify and distinguish
those who have and to distinguish them from those who have not.
This regard begins to identify those that are blessed of God.
This is initial regeneration knowledge right here. It's foundational
knowledge, the redemptive glory of God. How can God save a sinner
like you and me and be just to do so? How can He do that? Well,
He can only do it based on Christ's work alone. He has to exclude
everything found in us and save us and bless us and bring us
to glory based entirely upon what Christ has done for us.
This exhortation is to those hearing the gospel, God's gospel. Look back at Luke 8 and verse
18. Christ said, take heed therefore how you hear. He's talking about
how you hear the gospel. You see this parable, in the
parable the sower went forth to sow and he sowed the same
seed, but it was received in different types of soils or different
types of hearers. So he says, take heed how you
hear. Be careful how you hear the gospel. And let's talk about these four
types of hearers in that parable. First, you have that wayside
hearer. They heard the gospel. They heard
the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. And
it didn't faze them. They just kept on trucking just
like they hadn't heard anything. But then the next year is the
stony ground here. And he received the gospel. He
said, I've never heard anything like this. I really like this.
This salvation conditioned on another and conditioned on Christ
alone. Conditioned on the righteousness
he worked out without any contribution from me. I like that. But when
persecution came over the word, when his father said, now you
know that means that me and your mother are saved. You know that
means that he's saying that the religion you were in before is
idolatry. You realize that. He falls away. He falls away because of persecution.
And then you have the thorny ground here. He also received
the word with joy and he seemed to believe it but the cares of
the world. Everything in the world just
keeps getting in the way of him hearing the gospel, studying
the gospel, coming and fellowshipping with believers and praying to
the Lord and seeking the face of God under the gospel. And
then you have the good ground here, the here of one whose heart
is prepared by God, and he receives that seed in the good ground,
and he brings forth fruit, some 100, some 60, some 30. So, we're talking about those
who have a regard for the redemptive glory of God. We're talking about being careful
how you hear the gospel. And the haves are those who have
a regard for the redemptive glory of God, and they're contrasted
with those that have no regard for God's redemptive glory. They
didn't have any when they were born, and God hasn't brought
them to any under the gospel. In other words, these are those
who hear the gospel, but they refuse to see, they refuse to
perceive the necessity of the Savior and the salvation that
the gospel sets forth before you. The scriptures began to
demonstrate this contrast right after the fall. Bill mentioned
this in his message if you were here to hear it. Abel had a regard
for God's redemptive glory. How do you know he did? Because
he brought the sacrifice that God told him if they brought
the lamb, the blood of the lamb, he would accept them. He brought
the acceptable sacrifice which pictured and typified the Lord
Jesus Christ. His sacrifice pictured his unworthiness
as well as the worthiness of that lamb which he brought, the
worthiness pictured in that lamb which he brought. There's no
worthiness in the blood of the lamb, but it pictured the worthiness
of the one that would come and satisfy the law in its precept
and penalty. Now, how can I know that Abel
had a regard for God's redemptive glory? What in the scriptures
tells me that he had a regard? Because God received Abel and
he received his sacrifice. He received both. But on the
other hand, Cain, he brought the works of his own hands. He rejected God's way of salvation. He rejected God's way of worship. He set his own standard. and
he and his sacrifice were rejected. He's demonstrating no regard
for God's redemptive glory. No regard because he didn't regard
the way God said, if you come this way, I'll receive you. Think
of another illustration, our example from the Old Testament.
Bill mentioned this this morning. Jacob had a regard for God's
redemptive glory. How do you know? Because he sought
that birthright. Remember what that birthright
is? It's the right of the head of the household to determine
the worship of the family. To lead them in the worship that
is right according to God's word. Jacob had a regard for that.
He sought that birthright. He had to have it. And he got
it by trickery, but he got it by however means he could get
it. He had a regard for God's redemptive glory. Esau, on the
other hand, he had no regard for that birthright. He had no
regard for God's redemptive glory. He sold that birthright for a
bowl of soup. It meant absolutely nothing to
him. The scribes and Pharisees of Christ, they seemed to have
the blessing of God. I mean, they and everybody else
thought they had the blessing of God. I mean, they were the
most respected men in their day, scripturally speaking. They talked.
from the scriptures. But in the parable of the Pharisee
and the publican, it was the Pharisee who went down to his
house unjustified rather than the publican who came seeking
God's mercy alone and went down to his house justified. The Pharisees
saw Christ's miracles and they heard his message and they rejected
both and they sought to put Christ to death. They weren't turned,
they weren't converted by Christ's gospel. Consequently, some of
Christ's harshest words were spoken to the scribes and Pharisees
of his day. He called them whited sepulchers. I mean, you appear righteous
to men, but inside are dead men's bones. He called them blind leaders
of the blind. He called them those who trusted
in themselves that they were righteous. He warned his disciples
and those of his generation to beware of the doctrine of the
scribes and Pharisees, which is hypocrisy in Luke 12 and verse
1. God's redemptive glory is no small matter. Without an understanding
of and a value for God's redemptive glory, you see, there's no salvation
because if God's not glorified, Christ is not exalted. And where
God's not glorified and Christ is not exalted, there is no salvation.
It's a dangerous, even a deadly thing to hear the gospel, wherein
the righteousness of God is revealed and go on unaffected, unconverted,
unturned by the righteousness which that gospel always sets
before you. The Scriptures have much to say
to sinners who are exposed to the light, who are exposed to
the gospel, and reject its clear testimony. One of the things
it has to say is to do that is to judge yourself unworthy of
eternal life. Look at Acts 13 and verse 45. I think it was Paul and Silas
here. Anyway, Paul's the one talking
here. He had, first of all, brought the gospel to the Jews. He went
to them first. He said, but when the Jews saw
the multitudes who came to hear Paul's message, The Jews were
filled with envy and spoke against those things which were spoken
by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul in Barnabas waxed bold
and said it was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you, but seeing you put it from you and
judge yourself unworthy of everlasting life. Woe, lo, we turn to the
Gentiles. You see, to reject the gospel,
is to reject Christ, and to reject Christ is to reject the God who
sent Christ. It's to align yourself with those
upon whom God's wrath eternally abides. Look at John 3 and verse
36. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall
not see life, But the wrath of God abides on him. That word
believeth not, that's a stronger word than it sounds. Refusing
to believe the gospel is what it means right there. It's a blessing to see the necessity
of the Christ whom God has given as a savior and sacrifice for
his people. It's a blessing to see that.
Or as Randy preached a couple of Sundays ago, a couple of times,
to see the necessary Christ. The gospel is always a savor
of life to some, and it's always a savor of death to others. But
the problem, never the message. The problem's in the hearer,
you see. Be careful how you hear the gospel. Christ has done everything
necessary for those he represented to stand immutably and eternally
righteous in the sight of God. He was made under the law. He
was charged with the sins of His people. He put those sins
away on the cross of Calvary. He brought in the everlasting
righteousness by which God justifies ungodly sinners like you and
me. Sinners can't blame God for their rejection of such a Savior
and such a salvation. They can't blame God for their
rejection of a salvation that's complete in Christ and a salvation
that excludes all conditions by the sinner. Hearing the gospel
is a privilege not to be taken lightly. The gospel is not just
another message among many who are preaching true salvation.
The gospel is the only message out here preaching true salvation. And it's the sinner's response
to the gospel that declares. It's his response that gives
evidence of their standing before God. That's what Christ told
Nicodemus and John. Look at John 3 in verse 18. Let
me quote you John 3, 16 here. You can quote it with me. For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. And then look at verse 18. He
that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is coming to the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that
doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved. Contrary to popular interpretation
of this passage right here, this context of scripture is not telling
sinners that if they'll just do this one thing, believe on
Christ, that God will save them. It's not telling sinners to believe
that Christ died for them and get yourself saved. That's not
scriptural. That's anti-Christ, really. It
is telling sinners that the condemnation or the justification of sinners
is made manifest. It's made known by the light.
The light is the gospel. It's the gospel wherein the righteousness
of God is revealed. It's salvation conditioned on
Christ and Christ alone. The evil in this context is the
evil of thinking that God has saved you or blessed you. on
any other basis, but Christ-imputed righteousness. Now those who
do evil, that's those who hear the gospel, but go on thinking,
no, I know that sounds good and you say that's scriptural and
it looks like it is, but I believe God saved me another way. I believe
He saved me by my faith, by my good works, by my walking the
Nile, by my taking a preacher's hand or whatever. That's the
evil, and everyone that does that evil goes on doing that
evil, hates the light, the gospel, and they won't come and sit under
the light, lest their deeds should be reproved. Hear the good news
of the gospel. It's declaring a Savior who's
done everything to deliver the sinners he died for from the
wrath that we all deserve and to give those sinners an unchangeable
standing of righteousness in God's sight. It's declaring a
salvation that is complete in Christ and in Christ alone. The
gospel commands sinners to look to Christ and repent of your
evil. Repent of imagining that God could have saved you on any
other basis, but the righteousness Christ worked out. The command
and encouragement of the gospel is not to continue among those
who hear this good news, yet go on in rejection of it. Blessed
eyes are eyes that see by the mercy and grace of God the second
thing we see We see what multitudes in our successive generation
refuse to see. Now let me stress one more thing
before we leave this particular point. Why? Why do you see? Why do I see what before I didn't
see and what those religious people in my family and yours
and my friends and yours refuse to see? Why do I see when they
won't see? Am I smarter than they are? Am
I more zealous for my religion than they are? Now, you think
about some of those people. They're pretty zealous for their
religion. They'll blow themselves up for
the God they worship. So, it's not for any of those
reasons. There's only one reason, and
we read it back in Matthew 11, 13. He said, because it is given
unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom. There's only
one reason why anybody sees and embraces the Christ who's done
it all for his people to bring them to final glory, because
God has shown you his mercy and his grace. All right, let's look
at the third thing blessed eyes see. They see what every justified
and regenerated sinner before the cross desired to see, but
didn't see. Look at Matthew 13, 17 again.
He said, for verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous
men have desired to see those things which you see. He's talking
to his disciples here now. They've desired to see those
things which you see and have not seen them and to hear those
things which you hear and have not heard them. Everything given to the prophets
and the righteous men mentioned here, everything given to them,
like Bill said earlier, was in prophecy. It was in promise. It was in picture. It was in
type. It was veiled, in other words.
It wasn't a clear message like we have today. They desired to
see these prophecies and promises fulfilled. They desired to see
the anatype of all those types in the Old Testament. They desired
to see those types pictured as coming. They desired to see the
incarnate Christ. They desired to see the one who
would tabernacle and dwell among men, to see the righteousness
by which they were justified. They desired to see that righteousness
established in the earth. They desired to see in person
what they all saw by faith in promise, in prophecy, in picture
and type. You see, they saw everything
we see, justified sinners, regenerate sinners today see, but they saw
it through the eye of faith. They saw it through the promises
and prophecies, types and pictures in that Old Testament. Look at
1 Peter 1, verse 9 through 11. Peter says, Receiving the end
of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation
the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied
of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did
signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that should follow. You see, they had the Spirit
of Christ in them, testifying of that Christ who was to come.
They desired to see in person the Savior that they all saw
by faith. They desired to see what Simeon
was permitted to see. You remember Simeon? Look at
Luke chapter 2 and verse 25 through 32 here. Let's remember Simeon here. He
said, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon,
and the same man was just and devout, he was a righteous man,
God just said so right there, waiting for the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death, before
he had seen the Lord Christ. In other words, the Lord told
him, look, you're going to be alive until Christ comes. You're
going to see the Christ child. That's what he promised Simeon.
Verse 27, And Simeon came by the Spirit into the temple. And
when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after
the custom of the law, came for circumcision, then took Simeon
Christ up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people alike to lighten the Gentiles and the
glory of thy people Israel. Simeon knew that he was looking
at the promised Savior, the consolation of spiritual Israel, Jew and
Gentile. That's what every regenerate
sinner before the cross desired to see. They desired to see and
hear Christ in person. Well, let me remind you what
I've said here in just a few words here. Eyes that see are
blessed eyes, and blessed eyes see what before they didn't see. They're given new sight. They
see what the natural unregenerate man refuses to see, the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ revealed in the gospel. And they
see what every regenerate sinner before the cross desired to see. The parable of the soils describes
four types of hearers, as I've already said. All of these hearers
heard the gospel, but only one of these hearers saw the Savior
and the complete salvation that the gospel identifies and makes
clear. Only one of those hearers rested
their whole salvation in Christ alone. The gospel is a command
and it's an encouragement to all who hear it to align yourselves
with those good ground hearers, those who heard the gospel, who
bore and brought forth fruit. My prayer is that God would enable
all of us to do just that. May he enable us to be found
among them having eyes. Let's sing.