We started in 2 Timothy last week and we looked
at a few things concerning elect angels and we looked at a few
things concerning our salvation being eternal, having been saved
and called with the holy calling. before the foundation of the
world. And that's kind of where we left off, but there was another
verse in second Timothy. And I'll be honest with you,
I'm not, I can't remember if we addressed this verse last
week or not. And so I will just briefly go
over this because there's a couple of things that we, I really want
to get to this morning, Lord willing and providing that we
get there. I would like to look at for us
this morning. But a couple of verses before
we get to, because I've basically kind of been tracking through
the scriptures in order, but not necessarily have to keep
to that. We're not bound to follow those things. The Bible says
to do everything decently and in order, and I don't think we
have to literally follow every little detail exactly like I
planned it out, because the Lord can do what He wants to do. But
let's go to the Lord in prayer as we begin this morning. Heavenly
Father, we just thank you today for your grace and your mercy.
We thank you for all that you are. We thank you for this time
together as a fellowship. Lord, we thank you for these
brethren and sisters that have come today and desire for worship
and desire for the Word of God. And Lord, we just thank you that
we can come together and mutually meet to offer up praise and worship
to you, that we might edify one another today as we gather. We
pray that everything we do today will be pleasing to you, and
we know that that only can take place as the Holy Spirit comes
and gives us the ability to praise, to worship, to pray, to preach,
to sing, to listen, to understand. All these things come by your
hand, Father, and we just ask that you just give that to us
today. We ask that you would meet with us and help us today
to lift these praises to you. Father, we're so grateful for
the son of God who has died, who has given us life, who has
given us a life eternal, but also has given us his life that
we might not only know him, but we might live this life guided
and directed by him. And father Lord, I just pray
now for brother Larry this morning, we lift him up to you with his
shingles. We know father that you're incomplete,
And total control is the great physician that you give health
and you take away health. You give these things, Lord,
for your purposes. And none of us are unmindful
of that, but we know that you have your reasons. But Father,
we do pray for this brother of ours. And because of our love
for him, we ask, Lord, that if it be your will, that you would
take this away and not let this linger very long, if at any. Father, that the pain might not
be bad, but Lord, we just pray that you give him complete healing
of that. We know that you're capable of doing that with just
a word. And Lord, we just ask for that
for our brother. Lord, we just lift up his family
also that may need to minister to him during this time. Lord,
we just ask that you'll be with them and give them strength as
well. Lord, we love you and we praise you this morning and we
honor you. And before we convene on this prayer, Lord, we do want
to lift up Chris and Susie. I don't know why you've placed
them up on my heart, but Lord, I pray for them this morning
wherever they're at, whether they're at worship or whether
they're in their home. Lord, I pray that the truths
that were spoken the time that they was here, Lord, might continue
to linger in their mind And that seed that was planted, Lord,
I pray that maybe even another might water. But Lord, I pray
that you would give the increase. Lord, we just thank you again
for all that you are. And we ask these things in Jesus'
name, amen. Before I get started, is there
anybody that has anything that you'd like to share, anything
the Lord has ministered to you about, any men would like to
say a word or mention anything? Sister Louise coming down again,
we're good. Well, that's good. Well, maybe
the Lord will give it to her to move down here or something.
That's a long drive. But praise the Lord. Well, good.
We'll be glad to see her next week. And we'll sit and have
some time of fellowship afterwards and visit with her and everything. Good to have her down here. Anybody
else got anything that you'd like to mention or anything the
Lord's showed you and taught you this week, any of you men?
Brother, you got anything? Brother Mark, anything the Lord's
showed you? How about you boys, anything
the Lord's taught you this week? Besides obey your dad. All right. All right. Second Timothy, chapter
two and verse 10, Paul makes a statement here.
He says, Therefore, I endure all things for the elect's sake,
that they may also obtain the salvation, which is in Christ
Jesus with eternal glory. I put this verse in here, not
necessarily to break down all of what this verse is talking
about as far as obtaining the salvation, which is in Christ
Jesus with eternal glory. That's for another day. But to
show you that Paul, as well as Peter, two of the most prominent,
at least in the New Testament, of the apostle writers, they
both refer to God's people as the elect. Had no qualms calling
them the elect. And so today I don't see why
people find it so cumbersome or so controversial to speak of us
as the elect whenever we speak of that. Matter of fact, I'm
just recalling right now, and I don't even have this in my
notes, but in 1 John, John writes to the elect lady, And so we
see that the terminology the elect is not something foreign
to the people of God in the first century church. I mean that was
how they communicated about themselves and spoke of themselves. And
that term elect referred to a specific group of people. It wasn't talking
about the Jews as a nation as we've kind of hashed that out
already in our series on the doctrines of grace already. But
referring to everybody, we've already seen proof throughout
the scriptures especially with Paul in Romans 8, 9, and 10 and
11. We didn't go into 11, but in
all those verses throughout those three chapters, four chapters
that election is a personal thing, not a national thing. And so
whenever in the New Testament they speak of the elect, they're
not speaking of the elect nation of Israel as it was a gathered
people that was for a purpose to be a type, to be a foreshadow
of things spiritual, okay? And especially here because Paul
is writing to Timothy and Timothy was the ordained bishop of Ephesus. He was the first preacher or
first pastor of the church at Ephesus. And so this is a Gentile
church. He's writing to Timothy who is
the pastor of a Gentile church and he says and uses the term
elect for them. And besides Paul was the apostle
to the Gentiles. So he says here that I endure
all things for the elect's sake. So all of his ministry, all of
his evangelism, all of his preaching, his traveling, his mission, of
course that's what they call him, his missions, but all of
his going forth from Antioch and from Jerusalem and from all
the places where he was sent from, we see that Paul did all
those things for the sake of the elect to go strengthen the
elect to go teach the elect to because of him being the apostle
we know that he was one of those who was the foundation of that
first century church and from from there All churches that
has come has been laid upon that and the people of God in general
is laid upon the doctrines of that very thing. What Paul taught,
what Peter taught, what Luke taught, what all these men taught
that were the apostles of Jesus Christ, they laid that foundation. They received that of the Lord.
Paul made that statement many times. He said, I've received
this of the Lord. What I give to you It does not come from
man's wisdom. I received it from the Lord.
Peter, these things that I've got, I got from the Lord and
I'm giving them to you. So we see that these were the
foundation. That's why they said the apostles
are the foundation, Christ being the chief cornerstone. Now there's
nothing special about the apostles other than the fact that they
were called as special men with special gifts that God give them
within the church to lay a foundation of the gospel to be spread worldwide
and to be carried out from generation to generation. And here Paul
says, I, for the elect's sake, I endure all these things. And so he uses that term to speak
of all the people of God, those who have been given to Christ,
those who have been purchased by blood, those who have been
redeemed, those who have been saved by Christ. That's who he's
speaking of. And so we see here that that
term is a very common term that was used back then. And I don't
see any reason why we shouldn't be able to use that today. And
as I probably mentioned to you before, you know, I hear a lot
of times whenever I speak with Armenians, they want to say,
well, you know, why do you even use that terminology? That just
kind of pushes people away whenever you use that segregated type
terminology or that distinguishing terminology that dividing terminology
you know that he said that kind of that that terminology divides
people instead of unifies people whenever you start talking about
a chosen few you know well we're just speaking biblically brethren
is it so far gone today that that the people of God can't
speak biblically have we lost so much in our generation? Have we lost so much in this
time that we live in that the child of God can't even speak
in biblical terms without being criticized and persecuted? I mean, it's just that very thing.
I mean, we can't even use biblical terminology. I mean, even words
like propitiation and reconciliation and justification, these things
are foreign terms to most evangelicals today. You go into most modern
churches and you ask people that's been going there 20, 30, 40 years,
explain to them, how is a man justified? They can't tell you.
Or ask them, what's the difference between justification and sanctification? What is propitiation? They don't
know those things. And so it's been far removed,
and I think that there's no problem, and Lord willing, as long as
I'm here and pastoring and preaching, and as long as we're all together,
Let's speak biblically. Let's use biblical terminology.
And when people come in, let's not dumb down the scriptures,
but let's help and edify and bring people up to the scriptures. I remember my grandpa used to
always say that. Let's not dumb people down to the gospel and
the things of the scriptures. Let's help bring them up to those
understandings. Help bring them up, edify them,
use that terminology. Let them deal with that, you
know. I remember as a young preacher that whenever guys would talk
about things that was way over my head and still even today,
you know, we have the conversations. The guys are talking in spiritual
terms that, you know, the Lord has taught them some spiritual
things. I'll tell you, Brother Chet Dirks is a brother out on
the East Coast that pastors one of the oldest churches in the
United States. And that's, you know, that's
where we don't dumb things down. It causes me to want to learn
more. Whenever I listen to this brother preach, I don't want
to call him and say, you know, you really ought to start talking
a little more remedial because a lot of people don't really
understand and tell him, no, no, no. What that makes me want
to do is, man, I really need to study some more. I mean, this
guy is saying some things that sounds like the truth, but I'm
not putting everything together, and it drives me to want to study
more and find out. You know, I'm missing out on
some things. I want to find out what he's
talking about and pray that the Lord give me that understanding,
pray that the Lord give me that light, either one way or the
other, either whether what he said was wrong or what he said
is right, and now I understand that. So let's not dumb those
things down. So let's use the terminology. We don't have no
problem with saying that there is the elect of God. And say,
you know, we have the elect of God in Springfield. We have the
elect of God in whatever town, you know. Paul and Peter both
use those terminologies. Now, we see that again, if you
would, turn over into Titus. In Titus chapter 1, In verse one, Paul starts out
his letter to Titus, and he says, Paul, a servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness. So
here again, the term elect is being used, speaking of the faith
of God's elect. Meaning and again, I don't want
to go into a lot of breakdown of the faith of God's elect.
We we know that the faith of God's elect is not a personal
faith in and of themselves. It's a faith that's given to
them. It's a spiritual gift, but we see here and one of the
things that I might point out about faith here is that this
faith is not a common faith. that it is give to a specific
people. It's a faith that's given to
the elect and Paul says that he is a servant of God and apostle
of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's like the reason
that he is a apostle of Jesus Christ and a servant of God is
because he has been given faith The faith of all of God's elect
and that is the faith of Jesus Christ. It's the faith of Christ
that is given. So we see the term is once again
used of those who are a special group of people that the Lord
has called out a group of people that the Lord has given to the
sun that the sun has redeemed that the sun quickens that the
Son gives life, gives His Spirit to. That Spirit enables them
not only with understanding, but also that Spirit enables
them with spiritual gifts. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance, faith, understanding. These things are by the Spirit
of God. And so, again, we see a category
of people that Paul declares here. Now, as I mentioned, Paul's
not the only one that used that terminology, and if you'll turn
over to 1 Peter, we'll see that Peter also addresses the people
of God with this terminology. Of course, you know, someone's
gonna say, well, you know, now Peter, now he was the apostle
to the Jews, so of course that term is gonna be used, but we're
gonna find here that he's not just talking to the Jews, First Peter chapter 1 look at
verse 1 again It says Peter an apostle of Jesus
Christ to the stranger scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia
Asia and Bithynia now that's not Israel. That's not in Israel. I Okay. So his epistle is going
out now. Could there be Jews in those
churches? Absolutely. Absolutely. If you remember the Jews were
scattered and they went everywhere preaching the gospel and because
of that there were gathered in together people disciples of
Jesus Christ. Matter of fact, Jesus told them
that they were to go and to preach to all nations with a go go to
all nations with the gospel and To preach to them making disciples
baptizing them teaching them all things whatsoever Christ
had commanded and so thus we see that there are Groups of
people in all these places that were gathered around but here
Peter makes the distinction and gives them a name and In verse
two, elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the father through sanctification
of the spirit and to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ grace unto you and peace be multiplied. So we see
here that Peter addresses all these believers in Christ Jesus
as elect. And by the way, I just make mention,
he also calls them strangers. That's another term that's often
used to the elect that even Jesus himself, he said that we are
not of this world. Now, I think if you remember
back whenever we talked about that in John 17, How strange
that is for men who have only resided in the world. Jesus said
that they are not of this world. They were in the world. But they
were not of the world. They were not from this world.
And that's kind of strange. And I think if we look back,
I think Christ is speaking of their spiritual life, that which
indwelt that earthen vessel, that life that was hid in Christ
with God, or in God with Christ, or in Christ, that life that
was before the foundation of the world. He is life, in Him
is life. And we receive His life. He is
in us. Matter of fact, Jesus in that
17th chapter had some strong, strong wording that said that
He prayed and thanked the Father that we are one exactly the same
as He and the Father are one. Now that's pretty close. That's
pretty tight Union. And so the the elect is those
people the elect are those who are strangers in this world. The elect are those who are pilgrims
who are sojourners, those who are travelers in a place that
is not their home, but someone else's home. We are just passing
through. Of course, there's a good old,
you know, bluegrass song. My treasures are laid up somewhere
beyond the blue. I'm just passing through. But notice here, Peter refers
to them as the elect. Now, excuse me. In 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse
9, Peter says this, he says, but ye, again, remember
the context, we're talking about the elect, but ye are a chosen generation. Now that word chosen, I looked in the Greek. I tracked
it back through the Hebrew. I looked in 15 concordances,
25 dictionaries. I consulted several scholars
and that word chosen means chosen. You're a chosen generation. A
picked out generation. That word is elected. You're
a generation that has been elected, chosen, hand-picked, singled
out, grouped together and called out. A chosen generation. Now, this term generation is kind
of strange. I was looking at that throughout
this week and specifically at its usage in the Bible here. If you trace this word generation
throughout the King James Bible, you'll find that there's many
different ways that generation is used. Sometimes it's speaking
of an age group. Sometimes it's speaking of a
time period. Sometimes it's speaking of a
lineage of people. And it's funny here, Peter is
talking to an elect group of people or a chosen group of people,
but they're not all related. They're not all related. So he's
not talking about a lineage of people, but he's also speaking
to people across all time periods. So he wasn't talking to a specific
time group here. He's referring to, I believe,
and I'm open for correction on this, and I think I have scriptures
that will bear this out, but I believe he's talking about
all the people of God throughout all time. If you remember several
months ago or a year or so ago, we did an extensive study on
the two seeds. And we've seen how throughout
all of scripture, there is this continual parallel between the
people of God and the people of Satan. the elect and the reprobate. We see them called different
things. We see them signified in different ways, typed in different
ways throughout the Old Testament. We've seen rivers. We've seen
trees. We've seen mountains. We've seen
people groups. We've seen a lot of things that
show, but even specific things going down to talk about, even
within Jesus's terminology, that he has his children and then
Satan has his children. He said, you are of your father
the devil. If he's the father and that's
his children, they are his generation, meaning his lineage from his
loins. And I mean that symbolically,
okay? I don't believe that Satan, you
know, had relations with Eve like Daniel Parker and some primitive
Baptists believe. I believe it's talking about
a spiritual thing that there is a spiritual heritage of natural
man that comes and they are of Satan and then there is the people
of God spiritually speaking. But we see here he says they
are a chosen generation. Now I wanted to show you that
he is talking about an elect people here. He's not talking
about just Israel who was a chosen group of people at a specific
time. He's not going back to Israel coming out of Egypt. He's
not talking about Israel that was then the people of God when
Jesus came. He's not talking about the Jews
at that time who had been scattered across all of Asia and Asia Minor. Okay, he's talking about all
the people of God throughout all time who has been the people
of God. Now, turn with me if you would
to Psalms chapter 14. I want us to look at a few passages
of scripture because I want you to see that Peter is using terminology
and especially to those Jews who had been given
these scriptures for many, many years. Now, The Old Testament
Scriptures had been rightly available to the Gentiles until the Jews
were dispersed among them and brought to them the oracles of
God, the things of God in the Old Testament. Now, up until
that point, there was the Septuagint. The Septuagint had been already
translated. As a matter of fact, Jesus, some
of the apostles quoted from the Septuagint. But we see that the
Greeks had the Old Testament, but yet again, until they were
quickened of God, the understanding of those things that were signified
in those types and foreshadows, they didn't understand. So, in
Psalms chapter 14 though, starting in verse 1, I want you to follow
along if you would, because we see something revealed here about
this word generation, this chosen generation. It says here, we
want to see two categories of people here. The fool hath said
in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt. They have done
abominable works. There is none that doeth good.
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see
if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone
aside. They are altogether become filthy. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Then the question. Have all the
workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up My people as they
eat bread and call not upon the Lord? There were they in great
fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous." So what the
psalmist is saying is, yes, everybody has gone out of the way. Yes,
everybody is abominable. Yes, everybody doesn't have understanding
and doesn't seek God. They are all filthy, none is
good, no not one. However, among them, there were
some that gained knowledge, that had knowledge. And they were
in great fear of the Lord. Why? For or because God is in
the generation of the righteous. Ye have shamed the counsel of
the poor, because the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation
of Israel were come out of Zion, when the Lord bringeth back the
captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall
be glad." Yes, we were in that, but the Lord has brought us out
of that. But even though we are like them,
now isn't that the same language that we find in the New Testament
that says, ye who are sometimes walking like them, talking like
them, thinking like them, acting like them, by nature, wrathful
like them, by nature, children that deserve the punishment of
God, but, but what? The Christ. But Christ,
but God, who is rich in mercy, wherewith the love that He loved
us, give us something different, called us something different,
made us something different. And here we see that God is in
the generation of the righteous. Turn with me there in Psalms
over to chapter 22. Psalm 22. Matter of fact, let's... Let's just back up to verse 22. It says, I will declare
thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the congregation
will I praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise
him. All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify
him and fear him. All ye the seed of Israel. Now remember, While people may
think this is talking about physical things, we learn in the New Testament
that the seed isn't seed physical, it's seed spiritual, okay? For
he, and remember, that's another term for a seed, this is my seed
right over here. These five children are my seed.
They're my generation. I have generated, me and my wife
have generated these children. We have given these children
life, of course by God, but we have brought them life through
generation and they are my seed. They generate my name. They generate
my people, my posterity. They generate who I am. Whenever
these boys grow up and have children, they will have Children that
will be of my generation when these ladies have children they
will be of my generation Okay, they are my lineage. They are
from me Just as I am from my dad. Okay That's what we see
here for him Ye that fear the Lord, praise him, all ye the
seed of Jacob. Glorify him and fear him, all
ye the seed of Israel." Now, nobody can do that except those
who are born again, right? Those who are of God. "'For he
hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
neither hath he hid his face from him. But when he cried unto
him, he heard, My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation. I will pay my vows before them
that fear Him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that
seek Him. Your heart shall live forever.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord.
And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee." Again,
that's right there is a prophecy of the Gentile inclusion. But
it's not talking about every single person. For the kingdom
is the Lord's, and He is the governor among the nations. And they that be fat upon the
earth shall eat and worship. All they that go down to the
dust shall bow before Him, and none can keep alive his own soul. Here it is, verse 30. A seed
shall serve Him, It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come and shall declare
his righteousness unto the people that shall be born that he hath
done this. Now, brethren, we can take that
as literal all the day long as you want to take that. But brethren,
I don't know about you, but the spiritual application of that
verse is screaming loud to me. I mean, it is screaming loud.
A seed shall serve him. The people of God are quickened
so that they might serve Christ. And what is one of the main things
that they do to serve Christ? Not only do they bring him praise,
but what do they do? They tell others about what Christ
has done. Is that not what we're called
to do? Are we not to go out and tell them the good things that
Christ has done? I'm here today telling you what
Christ has done. Wherever you go, you're telling
people what Christ has done. You are a generation that is
serving Him. A seed shall serve Him and it
shall be counted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come and shall declare
His righteousness. Is that not what we preach when
we preach the gospel? We proclaim the righteousness
imputed, the righteousness that is the only true righteousness,
the righteousness that only can please God, and that's the righteousness
of Christ. We don't preach our righteousness.
We don't preach man's ability to be righteous before God, before
or after salvation, after quickening. He says they shall come and shall
declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born that
He hath done this. Yes, did this happen in a physical
way? It surely did. These Israelites told their children
and their children's children and their children's children's
children what had happened. But look at the spiritual application
of that, brethren. those ones that shall be born
what are we doing we're declaring his righteousness to them there
are many people that's out there that still have yet to be quickened
of god but whenever god quickens them you know what he does he
sends somebody to tell them about the righteousness that is in
them because when in quickening they're giving a spiritual understanding
to see their sin And what does that bring? Whenever you are
awakened spiritually and see your transgression before God,
it brings what? It brings sorrow, godly sorrow. It brings repentance. and they
need to hear the good news. That's why the Bible says that
the gospel that we looked at last week, the gospel brings
life and immortality to light. It tells us about the life that
we have in Him. It tells us the good news that
there's been a righteousness imputed. It tells us that Christ
took our guilt, took our shame, took the wrath for us. It tells
us these things. That is what's declared by this
generation. That is what's declared by that
seed that is accounted as a generation. They shall come, shall declare
His righteousness unto a people that shall be born that He has
done this. Any thoughts on that? Well, turn
with me or just look down, if you're like my Bible, just down
a couple of verses there. Look at chapter 24, starting
in verse 1. The Psalms are so rich. I love
the Psalms. They're just so rich with New
Testament doctrinal truth packed in there. Listen, it says, The
earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that
dwell therein. Now that's true of all things.
God has made all things and they belong to Him. For He hath found
it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy
place? Question asked right there by
the psalmist. Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath
clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul
unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing
from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them
that seek him. that seek thy face, O Jacob. Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The
Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift
up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King
of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the
King of Glory." There is a generation that seek Him. Now, does everybody seek Him? Did just this age group of people
seek Him? No. So we see here that these
people, these chosen people of God, they are those who seek
Him. Now that doesn't say that for
everybody. Those in hell, do they seek Him?
No. So it's not talking about them.
So we cannot say that they are of the elect. Well, some will
say, well, the elect are all those who believe on the Lord
Jesus. They become the elect whenever they believe. That goes
against everything the scripture says about election being prior
to whether they have done anything good or bad, okay? And before the foundation of
the world. I mean, we just have to throw away most of the scripture
to take that viewpoint. Here we see the ones who seek.
You wanna know who's those who seek God? Those who are the generation
of the seed. The seed seed, Christ's seed
is that generation that will serve Him and that will seek
after Him. Another one here in Psalms, but
it's over in the 112th Psalm. And I love this. I read it this
morning. Actually, I didn't even have
this in my notes, and I was reading this this morning at the house,
and I threw it into my notes here really quick because there's
such beautiful language here that speaks of what we're talking
about. Starting at verse one, Psalm 112. We'll read this and we'll come
back because I want to go on. I want to bring out a couple
other things about 1 Peter 2, 9, but we'll take a break. It
says, Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth
the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Now, let
me stop real quick and make a note here. Whether it be here or whether
you go to the Beatitudes where all the blessings are, you know,
blessed are they. A lot of people think that if
I will do that, then I will be blessed. That's not the way the
Scripture speaks. The Scripture is speaking and
says those who are doing this, they're doing this because they
are blessed. Those who are meek, it doesn't say if you'll be meek,
then you will be blessed. It said, blessed are they who
are meek. Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst after righteousness sake. They're blessed to hunger and
thirst after righteousness. They're blessed to be meek. They're
blessed to be this, okay? So here again, same thing. You're
blessed if you feareth the Lord, because the Bible says that the
natural man has no fear of God. So, if you have fear of the Lord,
that's been given to you. That's a good thing. You've been
blessed to be given the fear of God. You don't have to delight in
His commandments to get blessed. You're blessed because you've
been given to delight in the commandments of God. So, blessed
is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His
commandments. Here it is. His seed shall be mighty upon
the earth. The generation of the upright
shall be blessed. The generation of the upright. His seed shall be mighty upon
the earth. Whose seed? Christ's seed shall
be mighty upon the earth. The generation of the upright,
who's the upright? It's Christ. Now you say, well,
wait a minute, we're upright. We're upright. Doesn't the Bible
say that Job was an upright man? That Jonah was an upright man?
The Bible says that Adam was an upright man. But wait a minute,
all those had sin, right? All of them sinned. Every one
of those guys are sinners. Why were they upright? because
an imputed uprightness was imputed upon them. They were children
of the upright. They were a generation of the
upright. They had the banner of upright reckoned to their
account because of whose they were. These children have the
banner of Smith over their name. Why? Because they come from me. They're Smith because and even
my girls, they can go get married and their name will change. And
later than their children's children will have different names, whatever
their husband's names are. But guess what? There still will
be a banner of Smith over them and partly over their children.
My boys will carry on that. Why? Because they are my generation. Well, brethren, the Bible speaks
that Jesus has his own generation, not a physical generation, but
a spiritual generation. And here we see that this generation shall be blessed. Wealth and
riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth
forever. Unto the upright there ariseth
light in the darkness. He is gracious and full of compassion
and righteous. A good man showeth favor and
lendeth. He will guide his affairs with
discretion. Surely he shall not be moved
forever. The righteous shall be in everlasting
remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil
tidings. His heart is fixed, trusting
in the Lord. His heart is established. He
shall not be afraid until he see the desire upon his enemies.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor. His righteousness
endureth forever. His horn shall be exalted with
honor. The wicked shall see it and be
grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth
and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall
perish. Brethren, there is a generation
that is of the Lord. Ye are a chosen generation. Ye are a people chosen of God
to be His spiritual heritage, to be His spiritual blessing
receivers, to be those who are to receive all of His uprightness,
all of His righteousness, all of His who He is. You're to receive
those things because you are a chosen generation. Does anybody have any comments
on that before we take a break? And we'll take a break real quick
and come back in. And there's a couple other words
in here that it just thrills my soul to hear. And it's amazing
whenever you look through the scriptures to find what it means.
But if nobody has a comment, then let's take a break and we'll
meet back here just