The Mystery Of The Gospel (#2)

If you will for a scripture reading, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. The text that I'll preach from is in Ephesians chapter 6, but I want to read this to you over here because it has a great bearing on what I have to say. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 51, Now this is called the resurrection chapter. All through this chapter, Paul is talking to men about Christ's resurrection and our hope in him and how apart from the resurrection, we wouldn't have any hope. There'd be no reason to preach the gospel. There'd be no reason to believe. There'd be no reason to hope in anything if he'd be not raised from the dead. And he tells us why. because in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But he gets down to the end of the chapter and in verse 51 he said, Behold, I show you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, where the trumpet shall sound, What's the trumpet? That's the gospel, the preaching of the gospel. That's the trumpet. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

And just hold your place there and let me say a few things. I brought a message last week on the mystery of God. And as I began to prepare the message, I felt led of God to preach a series of messages on the mysteries of God. And since then, I've decided to deal with it in that message, two or three of these mysteries at a time. decided to deal with these things one at a time. These things are so deep, and they're mysteries. They're mysteries. And it takes a little while to get into them, to open these mysteries up. You don't just spit out a few words and walk away. And I saw real quick, I can't handle these two or three at a time. Maybe somebody can, but I can't. So I decided to take these things one at a time.

Now the word mystery, by God's own definition, cannot be revealed by man. They cannot be understood by natural man. It takes the assistance of God, the work of God, the hand of God, the spirit of God, however you want to say it. God has to reveal these things to you. You're not going to sit down and read this book and understand these mysteries. not going to happen.

The word mystery is—I'm probably going to pronounce this wrong, but it's musterion in the Greek, musterion. And it's the word in the original Greek, but the concordance is this. It's outside the range of unassisted natural comprehension. What's that mean? It means exactly what I just said. It's beyond your ability to understand.

So when he's talking about mysteries, he's not talking about something like you watch on TV. And after watching a few of them, you kind of get a hold of it. And about halfway through the movie, you got it. You figured it out. You're not going to figure this out.

What this mystery is talking about here is something hidden from the foundation of the world. In 1 Corinthians 2, verse 7, Paul said, we speak the wisdom of God. Now watch this, in a mystery. Even the hidden wisdom which God ordained, what's that mean?

God foreknows and foresees what God foreordains. He don't look down through the telescope of time and see something that you may or may not do. What he foreordains is what he sees. He declares the end from the beginning, the old prophet said, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand. what I've ordained is going to stand.

This is the hidden wisdom, now watch this, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. He's going to reveal this to somebody. That's exciting to me as a preacher. I know my words, they're not just going to go out and fall on the ground. Somebody's going to hear that God means for him to hear. And he's going to give them understanding. And when he does, they're going to lay hold of it. Brother Larry came here first time, heard me preach, went home mad.

Didn't like it. Didn't like election. He didn't like sovereignty. He didn't like those terms. And his friend Gene told him, said, well, it's not like they charge admission, Larry. You can come back. Sit and listen, it's not going to cost you anything. So he did. And after a few times, I looked over, and there were big tears running down his face. God has a people. And he's going to reveal this to them. He's going to make them understand. They're going to enter into it and say, that's it. That's it. Now watch this. I'm still in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

He said, which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. I know that that Roman pilot, that Roman prince, wherever you want to call it, pilot, I know that he heard who Christ was. You couldn't have judged this man and not listened to the witnesses. He knew something about what this man claimed to do and claimed to be. But he didn't know anything about it. If he had, he wouldn't have crucified the Lord of Glory. And I know that high priest and those Pharisees, they followed Christ everywhere he went. They heard every message he ever preached. But they didn't enter into any understanding of it like the disciples did.

And on one occasion, the Lord said this. I think it's in Matthew 11 or Matthew 13. It's right along there somewhere. He said, he told his disciples, he said, I know they're embarrassed, and you're embarrassed because I'm telling you these things in simple parables, and these are learned men with doctorate degrees and gowns and all on.

They're master theologians, and it's offensive to them. But it's not given to them. It's given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. It's given to you. He has a people out here. How will I know who his people are? He's going to give them an understanding.

These mysteries, and he said, we We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. God hid it on purpose. Our Lord, thank God. You remember when he cursed Capernaum and those cities where he did most of his mighty work. And right after that, he said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto me.

And then in verse 10 here in 1 Corinthians 2, he says, but God hath revealed them unto us. Who's us? Well, that's his preachers, number one, and number two, it's his people. He reveals things to men he calls into the ministry, and they stand up and preach these things before men, and he reveals it to them. He said, but he revealed them unto us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. And God, the Spirit, who inspired men to write the word of God, reveals the mysteries hidden in it.

Now, if you will turn with me now to my text in Ephesians chapter 6. My message this morning is on the mystery of the gospel. having penned this wonderful epistle, the book of Ephesians. My soul, what a book. You can't read Ephesians chapter one and not understand that Christ is the Savior. It's written in such plain, simple language. What a book, what a book, this book of Ephesians.

And now he gets down at the end of his letter and he makes a special request from them. Verse 18, he said, praying always with all prayers and supplications in the Spirit. How do you pray in the Spirit? Well, you pray according to what the Spirit's revealed to you. You pray, not my will, but thy will be done.

And we understand the mystery of the will of God. He tells us that in Ephesians chapter 1. Bounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, made known unto us these mysteries. And then here's my text. You pray with prayers and supplications in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplications for all saints. God's going to save his saints. His saints are his people. They're sanctified in Christ. Saints is just short for sanctification.

And then here's my text. And for me, he said, I want you to pray for me that utterance may be given unto me that I might open my mouth boldly to make known the mysteries of the gospel. Now, I want to show you some things, and by way of introduction, let's read it together over in 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Let's see if I can get you up to speed on this message here in 1 Corinthians chapter 4.

In verse 1, Paul says, let a man so account of us. What's he talking about? Is he talking about peeking at your bank account? No. He's saying, let a man so account of us. You come in here this morning, you sit down in this building, and you're looking up at me. Who's he? What's he doing up there? Well, that's what Paul's talking about. And he said, let a man so account of us as ministers of Christ.

Now listen, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now I'm going to tell you something about being a steward. If something's not given to you, you can't be a steward of it. He don't make you a steward and then give you something to be steward of. He gives you something and thereby making you a steward. When you come to this place of worship and you come here to pray and to hear and to be taught, You are to account of me or whoever else is in this pulpit as a steward of the mysteries of God.

And he said, I have not seen, you can read this over in 1 Corinthians 2, he says this right after talking about speaking the wisdom of God in a mystery, he says this, I have not seen nor ear heard Neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.

Nobody else understands this mystery, but God has called a man, organized a body of believers together, a congregation, he calls it, or an assembly. And he brings them together, and in his providence he calls this man as a pastor or as an evangelist, And he stands up before men, and when they look at him, here's what they ought to see. Here's a man that God has given the mystery. The mystery.

It's something nobody else in the world understands except his ministry and his people when it's revealed to them. And that's what he said. And we're stewards of this. We're stewards of it. God calls a man, he gives him explanations and things. You remember it said, without a parable spake he nothing to his disciples. I believe that's Matthew 13. And he's giving them these parables, and that's when those Pharisees and scribes got upset. It'd be like a science major coming in here, and then I'd start giving him some simple illustration of what temperature means. He'd be mad. Who do you think you are? What school did you go to? That's what one woman asked after I preached. She said, where's his diploma?

We're stewards of the mysteries of God. Old Barnard used to say you can't tell what you don't know anymore and you can come back from somewhere you haven't been. That's the truth. How do I know this man's called of God? He understands the mystery. And you know the funny thing about this is when God gives you an understanding of the mystery and this man declares it, all of a sudden you can see it on every page in the Bible. Isn't that something?

I read this book my whole life, heard untold men preach the gospel, and when I finally heard the gospel from God's man and he gave me an understanding of it, it was on every page. I couldn't find it to save myself. I wanted an understanding because what they were preaching didn't make sense to me.

How can a man be saved and lost and saved and lost and saved and lost? He's either saved or he ain't saved, isn't he? And the Bible talks about men being saved to the uttermost. Said that of Christ, his priesthood is unchangeable. He's a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Therefore, he's able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by him.

Oh, my. Paul said, let a man so account of us as ministers of Christ. And under the government of a sovereign, such as over in old England, you had a king, and the very next office was prime minister. You ever think about that? He's the prime minister. God has a people. Next, next is Christ. He's the prime minister. And we're all ministers of Christ. That's what Paul said. You need to account of us as ministers of the prime minister. Christ is the prime minister.

He's the shepherd. We're under shepherds. So what are you saying preacher? I'm saying I'd love to see a congregation come here one morning, sit in that pew and look at me expecting to hear something that this world has never heard. That's what I'm saying. Because that's what preaching is. That's exactly what preaching is. All of a sudden you hear something you never heard.

And preachers, whether they be pastors, teachers, or evangelists, are men called of God and given these divine mysteries. All right, so how is the gospel a mystery? I'm going to give you four things this morning. How is the gospel a mystery? Well, first of all, the gospel's a mystery in its purpose.

You know that this world is full of churches. You can't go through Magnolia. You could fill a piece of notebook paper up with all the different, if you just wrote the names down. I used to drive from here over to Marigold, Mississippi. Driving over there, I guarantee you, a notebook wouldn't have held all the names of the churches that we passed between here and there. The gospel's a mystery in its purpose.

Now turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I told you, while I go, I'm going to read this to you twice. Untold millions are gathering in buildings all over the world this morning attempting to preach a gospel that they have no clue about. And they're especially ignorant of its purpose. Generally, the first word out of a man's mouth is this. If you don't say it in his introduction, he's going to say it very quickly.

I used to travel and play my guitar and sing in churches before I knew the Lord. I didn't realize what I was doing But anyway, I've heard this a hundred times. The Lord has a wonderful plan for you. He don't have a plan for you. Huh? They don't understand the purpose of the gospel. Now watch this. Read verse 21. For after that, in the wisdom of God, Boy, that's way above me. The world, by wisdom, knew not God. No clue who God is. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Where are they going to get their knowledge? They're going here. They're going here. And I've known men and women who A whole idea of worship and fellowship is a constant debate over Calvinistic doctrine. Tulip. That's what I was told when I first began to study total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

And while each of these facts are true, they're not the gospel. And debate is not the purpose of God. in the gospel is to save sinners. That's why we preach, go into all the world, preach the gospel. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Isn't that why it's sent, to save? He that believeth not shall be damned. That's just so. That's how God's going to save sinners, through the gospel. Through the gospel. He sends the gospel to save sinners. In 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, the apostle writes to these saints at Thessalonica, and he said, we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Now watch this. Verse 14. Whereunto he called you by our gospel to give you a chance. That ain't what it says. To help you decide. That ain't what it says. He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You're going to see the glory of his sufficiency. You're going to see how God saves sinners in a person, not a plan, in a person. I'm going to rest my soul in his hands. Everything that he did is adequate to save my soul. Everything I do goes against me.

Well, what's he talking about when he says, we're called? They're called by the gospel. Called to what? Called how? We're called to faith in Christ, is what scripture says. We're called to repentance. We're called to life eternal, called to be saints. We're called affectionately.

When Christ stood outside that tomb and said, Lazarus, he wasn't talking to the world, was he? He was talking to one man, Lazarus, come forth. He didn't even say please. What happened? He came forth. He came forth? How come? Because he's irresistible. Now, if God calls, it's going to happen. If I call, it may or may not. But I tell you, when he called, I used to use that illustration.

We was upstairs. cold winters up in northern Ohio, and we heated with wood. And that stove would go down by morning, and they'd get it all fired up nice and warm down there, but the stairway door's shut. They figured enough heat come through the floor to heat us without heating the whole house all at once. Man, it was cold.

You could see your breath up there in the morning, and Mama coming. Honey, it's time to get up. And I'd lay there. And she'd come back three or four times. Honey, better get up. Time to go to school. I just lay there. Pretty soon, my daddy come over, son! Boom, my feet hit the floor. I knew there wasn't going to be another call. He was just going to call one time. Next time, my butt would have been hitting about every third step coming down the stairs.

God calls with an effectual call. And what that means is not that he so overpowers you like a drill sergeant in boot camp. It just means that his grace is effectual. His grace works in your heart. It works in your mind. He gives you an understanding. And he calls us. It's a command. It's not an invitation. This whole world believes the gospel is an invitation. It's not an invitation, it's a command. He commandeth all men everywhere to repent. And he commands us to believe.

And we're called to walk before God and men as a testimony of God's sovereign grace and to be partakers of the glory of Christ, that is to be beneficiaries of it. heirs of it, partakers of it, and then secondly, the mystery of the gospel is also in the power of it. How does this thing work? In Romans 1-16, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. And what he means by that is when he preached it, it worked.

That's exactly what he's talking about being ashamed, preaching something that don't work. Men do it all the time. Stand in the pulpit and say this and say that, and it don't work. It didn't work in them, and it ain't working in who they're preaching to.

But Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. To everyone, to just a few, no, to everyone that believe it. There's a power, a mysterious power that accompanies the gospel of Christ that enables men and women to hear, to understand, and commit their soul.

I'm persuaded. Isn't that what Paul said? Who persuaded him? God did. I'm persuaded. that neither life, nor death, nor principalities, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God." He was persuaded.

Another thing he said he was persuaded about, Christ came into this world to die for sinners, he said, of whom I'm chief. Turn with me over to John chapter 1. We're talking about a mystery that this whole world don't understand. And if you don't believe me, go down to any church anywhere around here. And sit down and listen to him preach. See if what I'm telling you is not so. He says over here in John chapter 1 verse 10, he, that is Christ, he was in the world.

And the world was made by him. And the world knew him not. How come they didn't know it? Because that's how God in his wisdom fixed things. That's what I read to you in 1 Corinthians 1. The world knew not. And he came unto his own, his own people, his own religion, his own temple, his own priesthood, his own law. He came to his own and his own received him not. But somebody did. As many as received him. Why would anybody receive him? Nobody knew him. His own rejected him. Why would some receive him while all the rest didn't?

Because to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to believe on his name. He gave them power to believe. Now watch this. which were born. They were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. He illustrated that to Isaac, didn't he? He said, he gave him that promise, Sarai, I'm going to come, this time you're going to have a son, you're going to have an heir. Boy, Abraham rejoiced.

No sons. Finally, they sat down together and tried to figure it out and got her handmaid to come in and lay with him so she could have a son. God wouldn't have him. But when God's time come, the whole idea of a son was passed. She was passed the years of childbearing, and he was passed the point. But she had a son, just like God said she would. And the church does, too. It'll have its sons by the promise of God. And I'll tell you when they're going to appear.

When it's impossible. When it's impossible. With men, our Lord said, it's impossible. You remember when he sent the rich young ruler walking away, and they said, well, who then can be saved? And he said, with men, it's impossible. But with God, all things are possible.

Peter states clearly over in 1 Peter 1, verse 23, that we're born again by the incorruptible seed or semen of the word of God. And then in verse 25, he said, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. I've heard men preach and what they call preaching all my life. Nothing ever came out of it, nothing that I received out of it but confusion. One day I heard the gospel and it came as Paul describes it to the saints over in Thessalonica, where he said, I know your election of God. First Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 6.

I know your election of God. Well, how do you know that, Paul? I'd kind of like to know it, wouldn't you? I'd like to know if I'm an elect of God. Well, he said, I know your election of God, and here's how he knew it. Our gospel came not unto you in word only. Well, how'd it come? Well, it come in power. That's what we're talking about, ain't it? That mysterious power. It came in power. Now listen, it came in the Holy Ghost. He's the only one that can cause the power to accompany the gospel. It came in the Holy Ghost, and it came with much assurance.

Oh, Pastor, I ain't got no assurance. Well, confidence in your confidence is not what he's talking about. When he's talking about assurance, he's talking about assurance in Christ. Christ is the all-sufficient Savior. And when the power of God comes in the gospel, he convinces you that this man is sufficient to save your soul. You don't need another thing except him. He's adequate for your walk. As you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. He's adequate for your atonement.

He entered in one time, one time, beyond the veil and obtained eternal redemption for us. His blood is all sufficient. He's the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. In Colossians 1, verse 12, Paul gives thanks to the Father who made us meet, that is, give us the ability to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life, or enlightened saints.

Delivered us, it says in the next verse, from the power of darkness. Oh, my soul. That power of darkness makes me doubt everything I read, everything I hear. The power of darkness. That's what causes us to sin. Did you know that? The power of darkness. Out of the heart. Oh.

Evil thoughts, adulteries. Oh, wretched man that I am. Now we're talking about a believer, talking about an apostle, a writer of scripture. And he's seeing himself and this power of darkness in him, and he's saying, oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this dead?

I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So them with the mind. What's that? That's that power of God that convinces you that Christ is all sufficient. And with the mind, I serve the law of God. With the mind of Christ, I see that law exalted and honored and kept in every jot and tittle." Do you see that? That's what it means. He overcomes your thoughts. That don't seem right to me. Well, it will if he comes in power. It'll seem perfectly right to you.

Paul calls it the mind of Christ. And in verse 1 of chapter 8, he calls it the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, that fixed principle that's in you. And John simply says this, greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. That's why you follow these men chosen of God. You can read about it over there. He calls them spirits in person.

John chapter 4. But oh, what a mystery, the power of the gospel. I don't know how he does it. I just know that he does. And he does it through men. And I tell you something, men, a man that stands up and preaches in monotone, he don't get it. A man will plead. A man will study. He'll present his arguments. He'll buttonhole you if he has to. Listen to what I'm saying.

He's not disconcerned. I'm not going to represent my Lord as a beggar. I'm not going to beg you to do anything. He's Lord. But I'm going to do everything in my power to convince you that He's all-sufficient. I'm going to do that. Does the Lord use that? Yes, He does.

You know, when he was addressing the Ephesians for the very last time over the Book of Acts, I think it's Acts 21 or 20, right along there somewhere. He's addressing them for the last time, and he said, I met with you and I preached to you with tears. Didn't he? With tears. I've done that to this congregation. I've pleaded with you with tears.

But that's not enough to change your heart. It takes the power of God. And that's the mystery, the power of the gospel. What is that power? It's the Holy Ghost. He makes it effectual. And then thirdly, the gospel's a mystery in its message. The gospel's a person. I wonder if we really know that. It's a person.

Paul stood up and he gave them a quick tour over at the church in Antioch in Acts 13. He took them on a tour through the Old Testament. Showed them this promise, and that promise, and this king, and that king, and this happened, and that happened. He's going all down through the Old Testament. And then he speaks these words in Acts 13, 38.

He said, be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man, what man? Jesus of Nazareth. Through this man. The man spoken of by the prophets, to him give all the prophets wit. His work illustrated by the law, established by type and figures and shadows all through the Old Testament. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things. from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

And then in Acts 10.43 that I quoted just a bit, to him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sin.

The mystery of the gospel to all but God's elect is in the message. The message of the gospel is the person of Christ. We preach Christ. Sometimes he calls it the cross, but it's the cross of Christ. The cross would be of little benefit without the Christ who was nailed to it. He's to be preached as God has set him forth as the propitiation for our sins, the mercy seal, the only way to God. And seeing him, perceiving him, believing on him and in him, we pass from death unto life. Salvation's in a person, it's not in a plan.

He said, all that the Father giveth to me shall come to me. They'll come to him for redemption, they'll come to him for righteousness, they'll come to him for authority. He's the Lord. And this whole generation calls him Jesus. I'll tell you 99 times out of 100, the apostles called him Lord. And they say, Master, and he said, you do well. Call me Master, for so I am. He's Lord of the dead and the living. Won't you make Jesus your Lord? You can't. He's already Lord. You can't make him anything. God hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. And he's Lord of the dead and the living.

Salvation's in a person, how? By eternal union with Christ, covenant union, representative union, spiritual union, or what the old preachers used to call vital union. That's that union of faith. And this world don't preach salvation in a person. They preach it in a plan, a decision, and signing cards, and coming to the front, and praying through. I can't even remember all this. terms they use. They're ignorant. This is a mystery. The mystery of the gospel is its message. And then lastly, the mystery of the gospel is in its effect.

When I moved back down here, I remembered a man that I used to know years ago down in Ball, Louisiana. I knew this man, and he used to attend when I preached there, listened to gospel preachers his whole life. And he's left every gospel minister that ever pastored anywhere near him, he left them. And he was going back to that same church And the last time I called him, he said, well, I quit going over there.

He said, now, don't get me wrong. He said, I understand the gospel's important. My friend, the gospel's everything. It ain't just important. It's everything. But he said, we got to have a little law. We've got a law enforcement officer here today. served most of his life as a law enforcement officer. That law ain't little, is it? Ain't no little law. It's all or nothing. You're not going to find favor with God with a little law. We need a little law. No, we need a lot of grace is what we need, not a little law.

The law cries out, you're all guilty. What thing soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law that the whole world might become guilty. And without excuse, he's going to shut you down. What are you going to say? You get pulled over for speeding, go down to the courthouse and tell that judge that. I didn't know it was 60 mile an hour. He said, well, you do now. You do now.

It's a curse, Paul said. Cursed is everyone who continues not in all things written in the book of the law to do. The law demands perfection. The law demands affection. The law demands unbroken obedience in motive, thought, and deed. And the mystery of the gospel lies in its effect. to whom the gospel mystery is revealed, it's found sufficient alone for salvation.

Christ alone. I don't need a little law. I don't need fear. I don't need a man to stand up and scream at me. All I need is gospel mystery revealed, and that's Christ. You know what the hope is? He calls that a mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory. We're not of them, Paul said, that draw back to perdition. We're of them that believe to the saving of the soul. I'll tell you why you'll never leave Christ. There's nothing better. There's nothing better. The effect of the gospel is this, love, joy, peace, Faith, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance. Against such, he said, now listen to this, there is no law. There's no law. So how's the gospel mystery? It's a mystery in its purpose. It's a mystery in its power. It's a mystery in its message. And it's a mystery in its effect.

Oh, but when I woke up here some Sunday morning and began to see this congregation coming into this place hoping to hear a word from God. If you knew that nobody else in this world understood this book, and you heard, there's a man down there that understands. He's approved of God. Wouldn't you come in here? I bet you could. I'm going to give you an example.

Old Rob Barnard stood up to preach. They was having a county-wide meeting. This was back in the 50s. Big tent meeting. Everybody was there, all the churches, probably 1,000 people. And they were in Central Park in the middle of Ashton, had all the speakers set up in this huge tent. And it was full and full outside.

And Barnard got up to preach. What happened, the old evangelist got sick. And he couldn't come. And they had to call somebody on short notice. And somebody said, well, I know a guy down there. He's named Rob Barnard. And they called him. And he come up there to preach. Rob got up to preach.

And of course, that microphone, you could hear a pin drop. He said, two biggest lies ever been told. God loves you and Christ died for you. Henry said you could hear a pin drop in that place. Every ear was fastened to hear what he wanted to say next. That's a mystery to men, isn't it? I thought God loved everybody. Not what he says.

He chose us in Christ that we might be before him being loved. All his love is vested in Christ. and those in him. That's who he loved. Jacob have I loved Esau of age. You care to read about their lives, you'll see Esau had a lot more going for him. He was a man's man. He was a hunter. He was a boy. His daddy loved him.

He favored him, in fact, favored Esau. But that wasn't God's elect. God's elect was in Jacob. The hill grasper, the deal maker, He's always trying to get around stuff. That was his leg. He said, I loved him. But when he said he loved him, he said it before either one ever did any good or evil. And he said it that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand. That's why he said it.

That's why he reveals these things. You're sitting around saying, well, man, I've never done anything to merit God's favor. You sure haven't. Ain't you glad it don't come that way? By grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. How did you get it? He just gave it to me. Gave it to me. Oh, my son. May the Lord help us to understand more and more what it means to come and worship him and to hear. And to hear from God, a message from God.

The Mystery Of The Gospel (#2)

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The Mystery Of The Gospel (#2)

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About Darvin Pruitt

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