I think I might need roller skates. Yes, I think I might need them at this point. Before we begin the message, I want to go to God in prayer again. I can't remember where this thing's at. When we get the message, we'll go to God in prayer. I want to remember those who are struggling.

Those who are struggling in the flesh, those who are struggling in the body, in the mind. God's people, though precious in the sight of God, it seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? God's people suffer the most. surrounded, enemies without and within, afflictions, trials, difficulties, and yet we recognize that these things are not at the will of our enemies, but at the will of our Father. Our Father has set these trials, our Father has determined to try our faith in the way that he is trying. And I know this, trials in the heart of the believer always instill reverence and godly fear and love because our God is merciful.

Our God is merciful. and gracious, slow to anger, and I like this, plenteous in redemption. That's good because that's what we need. I don't know about you, but I need plenteous redemption. I need abundant redemption. And it's good because the blood of Christ provides more. Scripture says it's double. It's double for all our sins.

So pray for those that are suffering. Pray for those that are, I know that Mitch and Carla are traveling to Texas and they're gonna spend several weeks with their daughter and now a new grandchild coming. So pray for them as they travel. I know, pray for them to have a good time, but I miss them. I miss them. And others. Anybody sick? Kathy or Sherry? Kathy's, okay, that's right, she took the, so Kathy's traveling. And Sherry, she's? Okay, okay, so pray for them as they're traveling. Boy, they got a bunch of jet setters, they didn't know that.

Okay, well, I pray Lord bless that and bring them back to us again. I ask your prayers for me as I preach the gospel. I long for it to come across as God intends in scripture. I mean, if you can enter into what the intent of his heart as he pours out his word to us, we would be blessed. And I do pray that the Lord would bring that across and give you comfort, give you peace as this is intended for. Let's go to him in prayer. Our gracious Father, again, we bow ourselves before you seeking mercy. We need your grace in this time. I do pray that you would magnify your word to the hearts of your people. Those who are here and those who are listening in other places, that you would be gracious to them, that you would be gracious to us all, and send your Holy Spirit to give us strength, wisdom, and understanding.

And Father, even in the teeth of our difficulties, we might find peace and comfort, that we would not be anxious, that we would not be fretful or worried concerning the providence of time, seeing that Christ is all our hope and salvation. Christ is all. Christ is all.

I beg you to forgive us our sins, our failures, our weaknesses. and fill us with your spirit tonight. Fill us with your word. You might go away saying it's been good to have been in the house of the Lord. Those that are sick, those who are suffering in the body and mind, and their families, and their troubles, and their work, and all sorts of afflictions, we do ask you to be gracious to them. Restore them again to us. We miss them so much. Those that are traveling, keep them safe. Guide them. Lord, we pray for them to enjoy their time, but we miss them so much.

Pray that you would draw more, even more to Christ through the preaching of your word. We pray this in his name, for his sake. Amen. All right, if you take your Bibles and turn with me now to Psalm 127. Psalm 127. I've entitled this message, Christ, the Builder and Keeper of Our Salvation. Christ, the Builder and Keeper of Our Salvation. This text begins with this title, The Song of Degrees for Solomon. Accept the Lord, build the house. They labor in vain that build it, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain. This Psalm, no doubt, was written by David for Solomon.

If you remember, David was a man after God's own heart, yet David was a man of war. David was a man used of God. He was as the sword of God upon the enemies, of Israel. He was a bloody man. And David has said in his heart to build God a house. You remember, he determined to build God a house. And he told the prophet what he had intended to do and the prophet said go ahead. And before the prophet went out the door, the Lord told him, said you go back and you tell David he will not build me a house.

Go to 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles chapter 22. 1 Chronicles chapter 22 and look at verse 6. David recounting the scriptures here, recounting that God had allowed David to store up all of the, that was needed for the temple. He allowed David to cut all the timber and measure it just right and make all of the nails and the gold and all of the fixtures. But he would not let him put it together. Look what he says in verse 6.

Then he called for Solomon, his son, and he charged him to build the house of the Lord God of Israel. David said to Solomon, my son, as for me, it was in my hand to build the house under the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me saying, thou has shed blood abundantly and has made great wars. Thou shalt not build a house under my name because thou has shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

Behold, A son shall be born unto thee, who shall be a man of rest. And I will give him rest from all his enemies round about, for his name shall be Solomon. And I will give him peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. And he shall be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.

Now, as we look at these scriptures, I want you to understand that this physically has to do with the building of the temple. This is no doubt. When David's telling Solomon in this psalm, except the Lord build it, they that labor in vain that build it. And you know what? Solomon was totally dependent then upon God to finish the project that God gave him to do. And so we know that this is a natural revelation of the scriptures. Now this may be applied to many things, right? May be applied to our homes, our families.

Except the Lord build the family. They labor in vain that build it. That'd be true, wouldn't it? You can labor all you want to in your family, except God keep it. There's no hope for it. Now we could preach that or we could preach that You know, you can preach that about your job, or you can preach that about anything, except the Lord do it. It's vain if you're just doing it.

But we know this, that the scripture has a greater purpose than those things. If that's all we preach, that's just frivolous. That's surface things. But the scriptures are deeper than this, and we know this, that this scripture, like in all scriptures, speaks of Christ.

And so that's what I want you to see in this text. I want you to see Jesus Christ. You remember, that's what the Lord said to his disciples in Luke 24. He says in Luke 24, 44, he said, these words I spake to you when I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses and prophets and the Psalms concerning me.

And so tonight in this text, that would be good if I had that on. I thought about that. Well, it's on now. So tonight I want us to see that this is not just speaking about an earthly temple or earthly families, but it's speaking about Christ and his salvation. Now, I've got several points about this and I want you to see the types that are listed here.

David, the one who wrote this psalm, the one who was rejected of God to build the house. I want you to see this first. David is a picture of the law. David is a picture of the law. In other words, the salvation of the church could not be built by the law. Just as the physical temple, David was rejected because he was a bloody man. He was a man of wrath. He was a man of war. He was not allowed to build the physical temple. Even so, the law, my friends, is a law of God's wrath. It's a law of God's vengeance. It's a law of God's anger. And the church, the salvation of the church, is not to be built upon the law.

Again, David, but yet I want you to know this. David, though he was a bloody man, though he was rejected, this is glorious in its type, David was allowed to cut all the timber for it. God gave him the very specific measurements of this temple, and he measured out the wood, and he cut the wood exactly as God determined. He was to make the nails, and the nails were to be made a certain way. And He was to make the doors and the pillars of gold and marble. He laid up all of these materials, yet God rejected Him from building it.

You know, this is a type of the law. Why? Because the law is set against the sinner. As David was set against the enemies of Israel, so is the law set against the enemies of God. Sinners. Sinners. The law of God is strict in its justice and its judgment, therefore, the law can do nothing for the sinner. It cannot help the sinner. In Romans chapter 3, you know, Paul describes man's nature He says in verse 10, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There's none that understand it. There's none that seeketh after God there. Listen to this. All together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good, no, not one.

And then in verse 19, he says, well, what about the law? That's going to be the question, isn't it? Well, if none of us is righteous, how about the law? Can't we just, can't we earn salvation by the law? Look what he says in verse 19. He says, now, we know that whatsoever things are law, say it to them that are under the law. Anybody want to be under the law? There's a lot of people that do. I know you in this congregation have no desire to be under the law. You understand it. But there are a lot of people that think that they can do it.

Listen, you that want to be under the law, listen to what Paul says. He said, the law has a purpose, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. by the law is the knowledge of sin. You see, God intended the law have a purpose.

Just like David had a purpose in this temple. He was to measure. He was to lay it out. But he was not to build it. The law lays out the righteousness of God. The law measures the righteousness of God. And then he measures your righteousness to see if you stack up and what do you find? That we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. The law has a purpose that we should shut up. That's all the law says to do is shut up. Shuts us up.

And so as we see this temple, remember what the purpose of the temple was? The purpose of the temple was where a sinner could meet with God, isn't it? The purpose of this temple was where God would dwell and that the sinners should come and that atonement should be made. That's what the temple was for.

But we see the law of God was by no means capable of removing sin or atoning for sin. The only thing the law can do is call me a sinner. That's all it can do. It can't justify me. Now, men try to justify themselves by the law, but they're not using the law lawfully. See, the law, in all its perfection, was only a shadow of good things to come. It wasn't the very image of the thing. Look at Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10. Look at verse 1. He said, For the law having a shadow of good things to come. and not the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices which were offered year after year, continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

For then they would have ceased to be offered." Isn't that right? If they did the job, they would have no need to be offered next year. But because they could not do the job, They were needed every year. In fact, they were needed every day. Every day there was a minimum of two sacrifices that were to be made. Every day. So every day a sacrifice was made.

There was a remembrance of what? Sin. See what law does? It can only cause me to remember my guilt. It can't help me to God. Not even the sacrifice. Not even this temple. could help us. Because that the worshippers once purged would have no more conscience of sin. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again of sins every year. So then the law, like David, could only lay up what was necessary. The law tells me that I should love the Lord my God with all my heart.

As a matter of fact, That's a good illustration of it, isn't it? The lawyer. Remember that lawyer came to Lord Jesus, that self-righteous lawyer came and said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, well, how do you read the law? Because that's what he was wanting to find out. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He was trying to obey the law. Well, he said, how do you read the law? And this guy, he stood up in all of his dignity.

He said, oh, You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, with all your body, and love your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus said, that's right. Okay, go do that. Now, when does the law What does the law require? Look at the measurements of it. What does it require? It's laid out for us. Holy perfection is required.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your being, and your neighbor as yourself constantly, continually, perpetually, not only outward, but inward. See the impossibility of that salvation being built by the law? You and I could never build that salvation by the law. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God.

And yet then when men hear stuff like that, they seek to justify. That's what this lawyer did. He sought to justify himself, the scripture says. He wanted a loophole. Isn't that right? What does everyone who wants to be under the law do? One thing they do is they begin to exclude certain parts of the law. That's the first thing they do. Well, they can't worship in the temple in Jerusalem because that's gone. We've got to exclude that. We can't offer sacrifices anymore. We can't have a high priest anymore. So what do we do? We just exclude that.

Now when does the law ever exclude you from that, even though it's impossible for you to do it? No, they say, well, I think the law means just the Ten Commandments, or the law just means the Sabbath, or the law just means, so you take one or two or ten of the laws and you leave 600 plus laws out. There's 613 laws in the Old Testament, 613. and we don't even know them. I remember talking to a man and he was asking about the law and I said, well, can you tell me what number 583 is? So if you don't know what it is, I'm sure you haven't obeyed it.

See, the law can only expose sin. It can only testify of what God requires. The law testifies on the sacrifice, doesn't it? Those sacrifices testified that blood was the only means of redemption. And yet we learn this by the law, that no amount of blood can atone for sin.

You can have thousands of beasts and animals slain and you can kill yourself and that's not going to be enough. Remember what that wicked king, he said, What would it do for me to be accepted with God? Should I give 10,000 rivers of oil and 10,000 rams and my own son for my soul? No, not sufficient, not sufficient.

Look at Galatians 3. This is surely, the book of Galatians should be the nail in the coffin of everyone who wants to be under the law. It just should be. The whole book is intended about that. And they only wanted to add one law. You know that? One law. Circumcision. That is the only thing they wanted to add. And look what he says in chapter 3 and verse 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under what? What are you under?

Curse. Now that just eliminates personalities and who you who men say they are, well I preach grace. Listen, if you're under the law, I don't care what you confess, if you're under the law, you're under his curse. Now I didn't say that, God said that. As many as are under the law, are under what?

Curse. For it is written, curse is everyone that continueth not in, listen to that, all things written in the book of the law to do them. But no man is justified by the law on the side of God as evident. That's just clear, isn't it? For the just shall live by faith and the law is not of faith. You see the diametric opposing there? Law and faith are diametrically opposed to one another and they don't ever meet. And so what is this telling me?

He said, our text says this, they that accept the Lord build the house. Accept the Lord, build our salvation. Everyone that labors to build their own salvation labors in vain. You put your hand to the work of this salvation, you pick up one nail, and you pick up one board of this temple and you try to put it together, it's in vain.

Remember Uzzah? I think that's one of the clearest examples of a man putting his hand to the work. David did the wrong thing. He sent that ark on that cart and the ark of the covenant began to stumble. And that man Uzzah, I think of him sincerely. I believe he with all of his soul reverenced the ark of the covenant. He did not want the ark to fall in the mud. He did not want the glory of God to fall in the mud. And I say to every legalist, I do not doubt your sincerity. I do not doubt your sincerity for the glory of God. You really want to glorify God? I believe you do.

But just like Uzzah, when he put his hand to the work of Christ, God killed him. And when you put your hand to the work of Christ, God will kill you. I don't care how sincere you are. You don't glorify God by trying to obey his law. You dishonor him. You diminish the sacrifice of Christ and say Christ's work was not sufficient. That's what you're saying. I don't care how sincere a man is for the glory of God. If he goes back under the law, listen to me, God will kill him.

His house will fall. The second thing is Solomon. Now Solomon, he was told of God to build the house. He was told of God to build the house. And Solomon, we know, is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. The scripture says in 1 Chronicles 22, He says, I shall have a man of peace build my house. His name shall be Solomon, and I will give him peace round about. So Solomon is going to be a picture of Christ.

The builder of our acceptance with God is none other than Jesus Christ. Why? Because he's the only one that put the law together. Remember, as David stacked that stuff and measured it and set it aside, the only one that was able to put it together was Solomon. As the law set aside all of its standards of holiness and righteousness and redemption, the only one to put it together was the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the only one. David was required of God to shed the blood of Israel, so is the law required to shed the blood of sinners.

Yet behold, we are all born sinners. So how then shall our salvation be built? Listen, it is going to be built by a substitute. A substitute. God has by the law established all that is required for salvation. But all our labor to build that salvation is in vain. But Jesus Christ, our Solomon, our Prince of Peace has come to establish the law to make us perfect before God. To establish our righteousness and our perfect redemption so that sinners may be accepted of God. And so look now then, if you want to see this temple built, you're only going to see it built in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

As our Lord Jesus Christ walked upon this earth as a man, what was He doing? Scripture says he was busy about his father's business. He was about business. Everything the Lord did, every step the Lord took, everything he did on earth was intentional, on purpose, for the obedience of the law of God for our righteousness. He came into this world to perfect our righteousness.

If you want to see what righteousness looks like, you just look at Christ. You want to see what a man obeying the law looks like, you have to look to Christ. He's the only ones that did it. He's the only man that has ever accomplished and satisfied the law of God. But not only that, he is our perfect offering, isn't he? Look at Calvary's tree. Look there and see the law being satisfied. If you look at the Lord Jesus Christ physically, in your mind, you would see a man whose flesh was ripped from top to bottom, that there was not one spot of his flesh that was not torn.

And yet, his hands were pierced, his feet were pierced, thorns were placed on his head, he was mocked and ridiculed, but this was not the greatest pain. The greatest pain he suffered was the wrath of God for our sins. And so there, our high priest did what no other high priest could do.

He made an acceptable offering to God. He made an acceptable offering. He took the sins of his people, and he bare them in his own body on the tree. So then he took all of the beams of the law, all of the nails and materials laid up in the law, and by his own hands he built our house. He built our salvation all by himself. This is the glorious work of Christ. that he made a way.

And you know, when he died, you know, the glorious beauty of that veil being torn in two. He always thought that veil was just a thin, thought it was a thin thing. That veil was so thick, I think it was three or four feet thick. And it was, I think, 20-something feet high.

And the scripture says it was ripped from the top to the bottom. Nobody could fake it. You imagine if somebody wanted to rip that thing, have to go from the bottom to the top. God ripped it from the top to the bottom. That showed us this. God made the way. The way is now open. Why? The law is satisfied. The law is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. His blood has atoned for our sins.

If you look back over there, I don't know if you're there in Chronicles or not, but if you look at that, you can see that this is not just speaking of Solomon. This text in 1 Chronicles 22 can't be speaking of Solomon. Look what the promise is. Back to 1 Chronicles 22.

Look at this promise here. In verse 10, He shall build a house for My name, and He shall be My son, and I will be His father. Listen to this, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom over Israel, how long? Forever. That's not Solomon. That's not Solomon. Solomon's throne had seized, but the throne of Christ was established forever. He is the Son of God.

God said, I'm going to send my son and I'm going to be his father and I'm going to establish his throne forever. Why? He's going to build my house. He's going to build my house. And so then, listen, the greater than Solomon is here. The greater than Solomon has come.

And what's the joy of this? When Christ came into this world, he said upon this rock, pointing to himself, upon this rock, I will build my church. And what? The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Who's building the church? The Lord Jesus Christ is building his church, building the salvation of his people. And behold, Christ having accomplished our righteousness, having accomplished our redemption by his one offering, the law now being satisfied by his blood offering and his obedience. Therefore, God raised him from the dead and has now established his throne forever. Who's ruling? Who's ruling today? Who's in charge? Our Lord Jesus Christ sitting on the throne and he is doing everything after the counsel of his, listen, his own will. He don't ask us what he's gonna do. As he asks you what he's gonna do, as he sought your advice, he doesn't. He don't need your advice. He does what he pleases.

And I'm thankful for this. It is the pleasure of the Lord to save his people. That's the joy of this, isn't it? When he came to do that specific work, it was for a specific people. And Jesus said, I love that in John 6, right? I mean, it's one of the most wonderful passages of scripture in John chapter 6, when he said, of all that the Father giveth me, I should lose what? How many will he lose? He said, I should lose nothing.

Friends, that's majesty. That's authority. That's deity. And his throne is established forever. Why? Because he did build the house of the Lord. He did build the salvation of his people. Now then, the temple. The temple itself, David's a picture of the law. He set aside all that is required, but could not build it. the law. Christ has come and taken the law, everything that was set aside, and built it. He built a temple by which sinners may come and be acceptable before God. Well, who's the temple? What is the temple? I think of the tabernacle. Remember this? The tabernacle. than that tent. Before it became the temple, right? It was a tabernacle. It was an old tent.

And they put badger skins on the outside of it, but inside it was glorious. If you read the account of what they had to do on the inside, they had purple and scarlet all over the ceiling. They used gold for thread to weave in all of the beautiful pictures inside of there. They had the golden candlestick and they had the laver and inside the Holy of Holies there was that incorruptible wood overlaid with gold and on the lid was solid gold.

So inside it was glorious. Now who could see that? Only the priests that went in there, right? They were the only ones that could see that. To everybody else it was not glorious. It was ugly. It was not attractive. It was unknown. But when that temple was built, the glory was not only on the inside, it was on the outside. It was beautiful, that temple of Solomon. One of the wonders of the world. Gold doors. Can you imagine solid gold doors? The glory of that temple was seen. What a picture of the gospel, isn't it? How it was hid. And to the world, not beautiful, nothing glorious about it. Until when? Until Christ came. And when Christ came, the glory was manifest to everyone.

Listen, this thing that Christ did was not done in a corner. This thing that Christ did was not done in the corner. All that Christ said and all that Christ fulfilled, if you would be honest, it is a glorious thing, a magnificent thing. He fulfilled all the prophecy of the Old Testament. Isn't that astounding? Over 350 prophecies concerning what Christ.

He was born of a virgin. He had to be born in Bethlehem. He was going to be killed and he had to go to Egypt. And he had come from Egypt. And then there would be a man preparing his way, John the Baptist. And then he would be baptized. Then he would provide righteousness. Then he would die. Scripture says how he would die. His hands would be pierced. His feet would be pierced before crucifixion was invented. Isn't that glorious? That's what Paul told Agrippa. He said, this thing went down the corner. When that temple was built, it was seen by everybody.

When Christ died and rose again, listen, you can't deny it. Anybody denies the work and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is an absolute dishonest person. They're dishonest with even history of people who don't believe it. Just not people you want to even talk to. They're disingenuous. But I know this. Accept God, reveal it. No matter how glorious it appears on the outside, accept God, reveal it in the heart.

No one would ever receive Christ. No one would ever believe in Him. Isn't that true of us? Though Christ had come and he had built the law and he established righteousness, yet when we came into this world, it was not glorious to us. It was not of any value to us. Until when?

Except the Lord build the house. They that labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord build the house. Except Christ obtain righteousness. Except Christ obtain redemption, except the Holy Spirit come and give you a new heart. You can labor for it all you want to, but your labor's empty. All man's labor to approach God, all his efforts of religion and vain ceremony are empty unless God give him life.

This is how dependent we are upon God to save us. The Apostle Paul in Hebrew and Ephesians 2, talking about us, he said we were strangers. He said we were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, no hope without God in the world. Does that sound familiar? That's how we were.

We were busy building our own little house. We were busy building our own little salvation, nailing it together. Mine wasn't even made of wood, it was cardboard. My little salvation I made was a cardboard cutout. It wouldn't have withstood any type of weather whatsoever.

But I tell you what, as long as I was without God, I thought it was good enough. I thought it was a refuge. And so did you. You thought your religion was a refuge. Until when? Until God came and built his house in us. He said this, but now in Christ Jesus, you who are sometimes far off, you're made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments."

You see what? The enmity was the law of commandments. God was at enmity against us. And you know what He did? He said He abolished in His flesh that enmity. For to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace, that he might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached to you peace, which were afar off and to them that were nigh.

For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father, Now, therefore, we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens and saints of the household of God, and listen to this, and are built, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Everyone that Christ calls, they are built on one foundation.

You're built. Who built? Who built us? Except the Lord built the house. They labor in vain that build it. The Lord built this house. The Lord called us. The Lord saved us. Matter of fact, he saved us and then called us, didn't he? Second Timothy 1.90 said he saved us and then called us. And so I ask you tonight, who's built your house? Who's built your salvation?

You that believe on Christ, you know this, He has. I'm gonna go into this last point and I'm gonna make it quick. Look at this, look back at your text. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain. This is the comfort of everyone whose house is built of God. Listen, he not only builds it, he keeps it. He not only builds it, he keeps it. I know it is the heart's desire of every believer to abide in Christ. Is there any other refuge, any other place you want to be? You that are in Christ, you desire to be anywhere else. Do you want to be half on Christ and half on the law? Is that where you want to be? No, we desire only to be on Christ.

Paul said that in Philippians, didn't he? He said that my hope is that I abide in Christ. He said, I count all things but done that I may win Christ and be found where? In Him. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but the righteousness, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ.

That's where we all want to be. That's where we desire to be. is always in Christ. And the scripture says this, that just shall live by faith. Isn't this how we are to live? Isn't this how we are to abide? Abide by faith in Christ. And so we get these exhortations in scripture, right? Scripture says this, keep yourselves in the love of God.

Isn't that what you want to do? You want to be outside of that? Anybody want to be outside the love of God? No. Keep yourselves in the love of God. Looking for mercy. Isn't that what you're always looking for? By faith, you're looking for mercy. In John chapter 15, Jesus said, As the father had loved me, so have I loved you.

Continue in my love. You keep my commandments. You shall abide in my love. Even as I kept my father's commandments and abide in his love, what is his commandment? To believe and to love, isn't it? That's his commandments. John chapter First John chapter 5 verse 1 through 3. That's what his commandments are, faith and love. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

He said believe me. He said trust me. He said, abide in me. With all my soul, I want to abide in Him every moment of my life. Oh, it is my heart's longing. Is that what I do? Is my faith always strong? Is my love not wax cold and indifferent? What then is my hope? What is my hope to endure? My hope is this. He who built my salvation will keep me in Christ. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 5, who are kept? How are we kept? Religion says by works, right? You gotta keep people. You gotta keep them in the church. You gotta give them some laws. You gotta give them some rules to keep them. That's not how I'm kept. We are kept by the power of God.

Unto salvation. Salvation's already built. Already ready. You know, your place is already ready. That's what he said, I go to prepare a place for you. Isn't that what he said? If I go to prepare a place, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you may be also. He's prepared a place now that he who has prepared a place promises to keep us until we occupy that place.

That's my hope of perseverance. Is what? Is preservation. We are kept by the power of God. Psalm 37, verse 23, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way, though he fall, yet shall he not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. How many times you fall? How often do your troubles and your afflictions and your griefs and your sorrows drag you to the earth so that you cannot lift up your head. And you say, how in the world can I be kept?

Well, see, this whole matter of salvation has nothing to do with you. You had no part in making it, and listen to me, you have no part in keeping it. Listen, you who believe, you want to believe because He gives you faith to believe. and you will believe. Without it, you can't claim to be a child of God. Without faith, impossible to please God. You know what God provides? Provides faith, doesn't he?

Why are we still here? Why do we still come and hear the same message over and over again? What is that? What is it about that? Why do you need it like you need food? Why does it refresh you? Does it comfort you? Does it encourage you? Does it strengthen you? It's the same message over and over again.

Why? Myriads have come in and seem to enjoy it for a while, and then they leave. Why? They were not kept. The only reason we're here is we're kept. And there is no other place I'd rather be than to be kept. When he said that, upon this rock I will build my church, and listen, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. They will not overcome it. This is our hope.

You remember when Paul said, ask those questions in Romans 8, glorious questions. God justified me. and Christ died for me. Now tell me who can separate me from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. If those two things are true, God justified me and Christ died for me. No one can condemn me and no one can separate me from Him. Why?

Every righteous act, he did it. The only offering I could ever make to be accepted with God, he made it. And then he applied it. And then he keeps it. Is it not wondrous that it, I mean, is it, I don't know, is it strange to you then that heaven is always praising him? That heaven is full of praise unto Jesus Christ. Constant, perpetual praise unto him. Why? He built it, he keeps it.

And I'm gonna give you this because it's in my notes and I got other things in there, but that last portion in chapter, verse two, it says, If He built my salvation and He keeps me, then why do I worry? Why do you stay up late at night and you don't get any rest? Why be anxious? Is there anything really to be anxious about? Well, no. If the Lord built your salvation, there's nothing to be anxious about. If the Lord keeps your salvation, there's nothing to worry about. And the more, does your worry help? I mean, I can ask that. Does it help? Does it make it better? It doesn't, does it? May God give us faith to continually look to Him who built the house, who built this salvation, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Look to Him who keeps this salvation by His Holy Spirit so that none of us shall fail. be accepted of God.

That's the hope that I stand on. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is what? It's sinking sand. I pray God will bless this to our hearts. Let's stand, be dismissed, and pray.

Gracious Father, dismiss us with your own blessings and use the words you please. Magnify our Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of your people. Cause us to sing his praise and magnify his work who has built our salvation by his own hands. And by the grace and power of thy spirit have now plied it in our hearts in a new man by which we believe and love. Keep us even as you promised in the faith, looking to him in Christ's name. Amen. you