WE KNOW

The title of the message this evening is We Know. We Know. Often people ask questions, and I don't always know the answers. I don't know about you guys, but frequently I feel like I don't know the answers. So many things. So many things we don't know. But I'm thankful. I'm very thankful that there are things revealed in scripture concerning things that we do know. So for just a few minutes this evening, I'd like to look at a few of these things that found in scripture that we know, that the believer knows. Things we know, things that we can speak with confidence. And one of them is found in Romans chapter three, verse 19. This is the first one, Romans three. And these are in no certain order. Romans 3 verse 19.

It says, now we know. We know that what things whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. This is the moral law of God. This appears in the whole word of God. It's the law which every man is bound to obey and to observe, both Jew and Gentile. All mankind is under God's law. There's no exception. And that law pronounces every man, every son of Adam, guilty. Guilty before Almighty God. And it stops every mouth. We have no defense. We have no alibi. We have nothing to reply.

The holy law of God exposes Our corruption, it exposes our sin, both inward and outward. Have you ever been brought to that point? Typically, we have an excuse or an explanation for just about everything. But there are times when there's nothing to be said. There's no defense, there's no alibi, there's no excuse.

And listen, Scripture declares that all have sinned. That's not isolated to one individual. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the problem is not the law. The law's perfect. The problem is within. The problem is this flesh. And the law, again, it's perfect.

And the law cannot save us because we cannot keep the law. Men talk about the Ten Commandments. Listen, go back to the garden. Adam couldn't obey one. The law, it declares us guilty. Guilty before a holy God. That's what we read here. We know that the whole world, including ourselves, is guilty before God. We know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law that every mouth may be stopped. I read it again. And the whole world become guilty before God. That's our true condition. That's it. Guilty before God. And the right attitude for all of us would just put our hands over our mouth and not say a word. We have nothing to say. Second, turn to Romans chapter 8. Turn over just a few pages. Romans 8, verse 28. Here's the second one.

We know. What do we know? We know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. We know. This verse doesn't say, well, it's my opinion. It doesn't say, I think. It doesn't even say, I understand. It simply says, we know.

We know this to be true. We know this to be true. Listen, it's as sure as the believer is redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. This is certain. We know, what do we know? We know that all things, that covers a bunch of ground, doesn't it? All things. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. All things, all, listen, what we call good things. Good angels, rulers, ministers, All things. Even all evil things. All good things. We enjoy, we enjoy when it comes around, we enjoy peace and we enjoy prosperity. We enjoy health and happiness. All good things. all of what we call bad things. War, famine, sorrow, sickness, even death.

That's what it says, doesn't it? Scripture. All things. And it says they work together. All these things happening, going on, they work together under God's direction and control to fulfill His purpose, to accomplish His purpose. You know what? Every time I read that, I think of Joseph. You know, Joseph, he's going to be exalted to the throne. But he's going to endure much on his way there, isn't he?

Remember that his brothers, they hated him. They could not stand him and they cast him in a pit. They faked his death and they cast him in a pit and they were determined to kill him. But one of his brothers, that's what Reuben said, let's cast him in the pit.

And then Judah saw those Midianites coming along and he said, let's just sell him to the Midianites. And at the age of 17 years old, 17, he was sold into slavery. We could probably just stop right there and look back at those two or three things and just wonder what good could possibly come from that. And then he was a servant to Potiphar, and things seemed to be going pretty good. And then Potiphar's wife cast her eyes upon him, and when he refused her, she went to Potiphar and made some false allegations, and he was cast into prison. And while he was in prison, remember that he interpreted some dreams. And those guys said, we'll remember you. And he was just forgotten about. More and more time he spent there in that prison.

And ultimately, after 13 years of that, Pharaoh had a dream and somebody said, well, I remember somebody interpreting my dream and they went down and they got Joseph and they cleaned him up and they brought him before Pharaoh and he interpreted that dream and Pharaoh said, you're going to be second only to me in my kingdom. He said this, he said, without thee, Joseph, without thee, No man will lift his hand or foot in the land of Egypt. And for seven years during that time of plenty, he laid up corn to the point that it couldn't be numbered. And in a short time after that, Joseph's brothers were sitting around and their dad looked at them and said, basically, why are you standing here staring at each other? Get down to Egypt and buy some corn so we might live.

And they came to Joseph. He knew them. They didn't know him, but he knew them. And he provided for them. and in time he made himself known to them, and when he did, they feared for their lives. Turn to Genesis 45. Look beginning with verse three, Genesis 45, verse three. Joseph said to his brethren, he's gonna reveal himself to them right here. He said, I'm Joseph.

Does my father yet live? And his brethren, I mean, can you imagine? They could not answer him. They were troubled at his presence. Don't you know they probably flashed back the last time they'd seen him and probably wondered, what's he going to do? What's he going to do with us?

And Joseph said to his brethren, he said, you come near. Come near, I pray you. And they came near and he said, I'm Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Be not grieved. Don't be angry with yourselves. that you sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.

These two years hath the famine been in the land, and yet there's five years in which there shall neither be earing nor harvest, and God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now, who sent him? Who sent Joseph? Who did all these things to Joseph? So now, it was not you that sent me hither, but God. And he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and Lord over all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Certainly there was some relief there, wasn't there?

But in time, their father died. Jacob died. Look at Genesis 50. Look at verse 16. Now his brothers, they didn't come deliver this message. They sent a messenger to Joseph. And that messenger said, thy father did command before he died, saying, and I read that and I wonder, did Jacob, did those words ever come out of Jacob's mouth? Or were they just trying to cover themselves? Thy father did command before he died, saying, so shall you say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto thee evil.

This sin, this wickedness. Let there be no confusion where that comes from. Let there be no confusion who's responsible for it. Man is. Man is. And Joseph's brethren, they knew that. They didn't say this. They didn't say, you know, we were just doing God's will.

David, consider David. Remember his great sin with Bathsheba? And then he basically murdered Uriah, her husband. David didn't try to justify his actions. He didn't go around saying, well, you know what, what will be, will be. He didn't say, this is God's will that I did these things. This is what he said.

In Psalm 25, he said, pardon mine iniquity. Whose iniquity? Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. In Psalm 51, he wrote, Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy loving kindness. According to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. He said this, he said, against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest. Where's the problem? It's me. It's my transgression. It's my sin. It's ever before me. Almighty God, writing through the prophet Isaiah, he said, for the transgression of my people was I stricken my sin, my transgression.

At Calvary, listen, God's Word declares this, that men did what their wicked hearts desired to do. Now they did what God before determined to be done. But they did what their wicked hearts desired. I don't know if you still have Genesis 50, but they said, forgive, I pray thee now the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto the evil. And now we pray thee, forgive the trespass of thy servants of God thy Father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face. And they said, behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said to them, he said, fear not. He said, am I in the place of God?

But as for you, you did think evil against me. But God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive. Now, therefore, fear you not. I'll nourish you, and I'll nourish your little ones. and he comforted them, and he spake kindly unto them. God is sovereign in all things, but man is responsible for his actions. Look at verse 20 there in Genesis 50. David, again, he tells his brother, he said, as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it to good to bring to pass it is this day to save much people alive.

We know, we know that all things work together for good, for good. Not necessarily our present comfort, but our eternal good. To be, listen, to be with Christ, to be made like Christ. That's what all these things are working together to accomplish. Who's he talking to? To them that love God. To them who are the called according to His purpose. That's not a blanket promise to everybody in this world. It's a promise to His people. To those who have received Christ, to those who love Christ, to those who've been affectionately called by His grace to saving faith. There is no mercy and grace outside of Christ. God outside of Christ is a consuming fire.

What do we know? We know all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Well, I need to move along. Here's the third one. Turn to 1 John 5, verse 20. 1 John 5, verse 20. And we know. We know that the Son of God has come. and He hath given us an understanding, and that we may know Him that is true, that we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ."

This is true God, and this is eternal life. The Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead. He's a man, and yet He's equal to God. He is God. And he came into this world, he was made flesh and dwelt among his people. Jesus Christ came in the flesh. And he came for this reason. He came to save sinners. He came to this world to accomplish the salvation of his people. And He did so by His obedience, by His suffering, and by His death on the cross. This says we know the Son of God. We know Him. And in knowing the Son, we know the Father. If you've seen the Son, you've seen the Father.

And we come to Him, we come to God in Christ by covenant mercy, by faith, by the will of God. and He is the true God. We know. Again, we know that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be guilty before God. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. We know that the Son of God has come and He's What a miracle of His grace. He's given us an understanding that we might know Him, that we might know the Lord Jesus Christ, who is true. And we're in Him as true. Even His Son, Jesus Christ. And here's the fourth point. Turn to 2 Corinthians 5 verse 1. Just a couple more points. 2 Corinthians 5. Verse one.

For we know, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. This body in which our soul dwells, it's an earthly house. It's from this earth. God told that to Adam. He said, in the sweat of your face, you're going to eat bread, and you're going to return to the ground. Out of the dust you were taken, Back to the dust, you're going to return.

And we know. We just read it there. If our earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, a tabernacle, that was a tent. A tent's a temporary thing. You put it up and you take it down. A tent doesn't last forever. It's frail. This body is frail. It has a short existence. Three score and 10.

That's what we read in scripture. And it's soon gonna be worn out and folded up like a vesture. And finally, it's gonna be destroyed. And when that time comes, this body will be laid in the ground. and the spirit, we read, returns to God. Let me read this verse again.

We know that if our earthly house and this tabernacle were dissolved, sometimes I see these commercials on TV, maybe you've seen them, and they're usually selling something, and it sounds just like a great deal, right? And then they'll stop and they'll say, but wait, there's more. It's even better, right? Well, just wait. There's more here. We know that if our earthly house and this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God.

A house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. In the heavens, a house, a habitation, a dwelling place made by God himself through the righteousness and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, a building of God, worthy of the one who constructed it. And it is, it's eternal. The nicest house on this earth is gonna last just for so long. a building of God eternal in the heavens.

And it's going to be enjoyed immediately, immediately after this tent is dissolved. Listen to just a few words from this song. Be still my soul, the hour is hastening on, when we shall be forever. forever with the Lord. When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored, be still my soul. When change and tears are passed, all safe and blessed, we shall meet at last. Well, last, here's the fifth thing that we know. Turn to 1 John chapter three. Verse 2. I should say that again. Wait, there's more. Look here. Look here in verse 2.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know, what do we know? That when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. This world, this world may not recognize us as sons of God, as children of God. I tell you, there's many, many days we don't recognize ourselves as sons of God. Our present condition is very short of God's glory.

Our bodies, constantly aging, Our flesh, death is ever before us. And in this flesh, we're subject to many miseries, many temptations, many trials. And we're aware, to some degree, of the sin and evil that's within us. What would Paul say? In this flesh dwelleth no good thing. All these things are true. Yet, at this very moment, we are the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be. What we shall be, but we know. We know from the word of God.

This promise, the word of promise, when Christ comes again, we're going to be changed to be just like Him. Paul writing to the Philippians, let me just read this to you in closing. He said, our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it might be fashioned like his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself." That's a pretty good thing to know, isn't it?

We know. We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. I pray the Lord would teach us, that he would comfort us, that he would cause us to truly know these truths. We know. All right, ready to come, ladies and gentlemen? Closing.

WE KNOW

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WE KNOW

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