My text will be from Hebrews
chapter 11. We'll begin by reading just one
verse, verse 13. These, those he had already spoken
of prior to this, but it's true of every child of God. These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Strangers and pilgrims, that's
my message. faithful pilgrims. Before we get into the text,
I want to just kind of lay a foundation. I want to read you some verses
from Matthew 24. You're welcome to turn there
if you'd like. Matthew 24. And let the things we read here,
these few verses, serve as a reminder Why we should strive to live
in this world always thankful, as Brother Henry said, thankful
that though we're in the world, we're in the world, no need to
pretend we're not. We're in the world. Oh, that's
true, but so is this. We're not of the world. That's
what Christ said. Remember, he told his disciples,
you're in the world, but you're not of the world. And the only
reason we're not of the world, with the world in our heart,
the only reason is this, Christ said, I've chosen you out of
the world. How about that? Now that ought
to cheer you up. God chose us in his son, and
his son, when he came, sought and found his sheep. I've chosen
you out of the world. In Matthew chapter 24, our Lord
leaves the temple for the last time. His disciples, it seems,
wanted to call his attention to the beauty of the temple.
And our Lord said, you see all these things, you see all these
stones, the day is coming, soon coming, that there won't be one
stone left upon another." You can say that about everything,
anything, anything man-made. You can say that about this place.
And then he left the temple, never to return, and went and
sat down on the Mount of Olives. And his disciples came to him,
and they were perplexed about what he said. So they asked him
this question in verse 3 of Matthew 24. As he sat upon the Mount
of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell
us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of
thy coming, and of the end of the world? And in the Lord's
answer to that question, among other things, he told them this,
verse 37, verse 37, But as the days of Noah were, so shall also
the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were
before the flood, they were eating, and drinking, and marrying, and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the
ark, right up to the very day, and knew not, now doesn't that
sound familiar? And knew not, verse 39, until,
knew not until, the flood came and took them all away. So shall
also the coming of the Son of Man be. Our Lord says plainly
there, when he comes again, the world will be in the very same
condition it was in in Noah's day. It will be exactly as it's
always been. The world, I've heard preachers
say, I've read, I don't agree with it, I think it's contrary
to God's word, that there'll be a latter-day revival, the
world, there'll be a sweeping revival and the world will be
converted to Jesus Christ before he comes back. I don't read that.
I don't read that. Paul told Timothy, beware, be
on your guard because men shall wax worse and worse. They won't get any better. Society
won't get any better. They may get religious, they
always have, and they'll continue to do so, but in their heart,
they'll be deceived. There'll be lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God. Now if that doesn't describe
our day, though, what would? This is what our Lord told the
disciples. That's how it was in Noah's day,
that's how it will be when he returns. And our Lord says three
things, especially, that would characterize the world until
the end of time. Until the end of time, until
he comes back. And these three things were characteristic
of the world in Noah's day, they were the same in the Lord's day
when he walked this earth, they're the same in our day, and they'll
be the same until he comes back. Three things he mentioned, didn't
he? The world is now, that's the first thing, forever has
been, and forever will be absorbed, infatuated, addicted to worldly
pursuits. That's important. Larry didn't
say that. Jesus Christ said that. Proving
that where their treasure is, regardless of what they may say
with their lips, but proving that where their treasure is,
that's where their heart is. It's in the world. It's in the
world. Eating and drinking, getting
married, giving in marriage, those are not sinful things.
The Lord didn't intend for us to think that. Unless we make
them everything. Unless that's all that we live
for. That's all that we think about.
Having this world, that's all that motivates us. That's all
that drives us. That's all we think about. That's
what the Lord means here when he speaks of being in the world.
And never, never, these things are two sides of the same coin. Anyone whose heart is in the
world, whose desire, ambition, their wants, it's in the world. On the other hand, the other
side of that coin is they never give a serious thought to eternity. That's what they did in Noah's
time. Noah built the ark. Some say 100 years, some say
120. And every day, every day that
he and his sons were building that ark was a testimony that
that generation judgment is coming. And they laughed at him. They
mocked him. He witnessed to them. He preached
to them while he was building. And they, as we just read in
Matthew 24, had not a clue until the day that Noah entered in
and we read that God shut the door. Noah was shut in and they
were shut out. When once the master of the house
is risen up, our Lord said, and shuts the door, shuts the door. Does he do that? Yes, he does. Yes, he does. He shuts the door. And you begin to stand without
and then knock and say, open to us, open to us. He said, I
don't know you. Go away, I don't know you. God
shuts the door. I, uh, more and more, daily,
especially watching the news. I mean, you're bombarded with
it. I mean, I don't want to go down and digress too much, but
I don't have to. You know exactly that it's so.
How evil, how insane, how absurd the things that's taught, the
things that are promoted, the things that are defended by our
own government. Evil, evil only continually. That's what God saw in Noah's
day and it's the same today. And just as those in Noah's time,
so men today never give a thought to the fact that they possess
an immortal soul. Never lay down and think. Wake
up in the morning and think, what am I going to get today?
How much am I going to make today? What am I going to do to every
thought from their heart? And mine is about this world. Never think, I've got an immortal
soul. I might be called out today.
I'm looking at every one of you and you're looking at me. Today,
today, we may be called out. Billy, you might be called out
to face God Almighty. My soul and most of our children,
our neighbors, they never give that one minute serious thought. Why? Because their heart's in
the world. All they live for is to gratify
the flesh with the pleasures of this world. Mr. Spurgeon said
this concerning that verse, the words of our Lord. He said, woe
unto those whose eating and drinking does not include the bread and
the water of life and who marry or are given in marriage but
not to the heavenly bridegroom. Don't know him, my pastor. My pastor, my faithful pastor,
Brother Don Fortner, commenting on those same verses, said this,
I tremble for the souls of men and women who gradually allow
the things of this world to become the primary concern of their
hearts. Oh, I wish he would stamp that
in our minds and memory. I'll read it again. for the souls of men and women
who gradually allow the things of this world to become the primary
concern of their hearts. Nothing in this world is more
destructive of men's souls than worldliness. By worldliness,
I mean the love of the world. I urge you, can you hear that
faithful man? I urge you, as you care for your
soul, love not the world. The second thing, the second
characteristic of the world in Noah's day, in our day, is that
it is completely, completely oblivious to eternal or spiritual
things. The natural man, and that's every
lost man or woman, young or old, the natural man, that man who
has never been born again, cannot see, cannot perceive, cannot
know anything spiritual. Nicodemus knew a lot of things,
but he didn't have a clue how to be just with God. He was a
teacher of the teacher. And what did Christ say to him?
You must be born again. If you're not born again, you
will never see, you'll never perceive, you'll never understand
anything spiritual. That was the case in Noah's day,
and nothing has changed. Man's not gotten any better.
He's still dead in sin. I mean, he may put on the tag
Baptist, Calvinist, or whatever, but if he's not been born again,
he cannot perceive the kingdom of God. Both religious people
and irreligious people, the moral and the immoral, are all alike
ignorant of the things of God. Just as the people of Noah's
day were ignorant of his salvation, God's salvation, the people of
our day are really naturally, naturally, it's their nature,
to be unconcerned about heaven. Is that not true? I mean, our
sons, our daughters, our neighbors on our left, our neighbors on
our right, most of the churches in Sylacauga this morning are
not hearing anything that'll do them any good, that will answer
the question, what must I do to be saved? As old Ralph Barnett,
I think it was, Most preachers are cheerleaders, clowns, entertainers,
and they're entertaining people on the way to hell. We passed
a place this morning packed that's doing that very thing. As it
was in Noah's day, our Lord said, naturally unconcerned about immortality,
judgment, and the glory of God. What about the glory of God?
What about the glory of God? We concern about the rights of
men and offending men. Old Darvin, I read in an article
he wrote a while back, he said, I would rather offend you than
to offend my God. No, I would rather offend you
than to offend God. Here's the third thing. Though
the gospel shall be preached in all the world, as our Lord
saith, for a witness unto all nations, and the vast majority
The vast majority of those who hear it are guilty of despising
it. Don't these empty pews prove
that? Is that not so? They despise
it. To despise the gospel is to ignore
it. That's to despise the gospel.
To give it no consideration, this message. This message, this
is the message that God sent me here 13 years ago to preach. The glorious gospel of the blessed
God that concerns God's Son. Glorious! Good news! God saves sinners. Look unto
me and be ye saved, Christ says. That is just as real today as
it ever was. And most people don't give it
a, they won't even come in for an hour to listen to it. That's
to despise the gospel. Give it no consideration, to
treat it like it's not worth hearing. That's to despise the
gospel. God help me never to be guilty
of that. Despise, it's not worth my time. It's not worth hearing. That's how it was in Noah's day.
That's how it is now. And our Lord said it will be
that way until he comes back. But that's not true of everybody. Perk up now. If you're drowsy,
perk up. What I just said, true of the
world, absolutely true of the world. But that's not everybody,
is it? Hmm? Except those days be shortened,
our Lord said in that same chapter, answering the question of the
disciples, in Matthew 24, verse 22, except those days be shortened,
there should be no flesh should be saved. But, but, glory to
God, Billy, there's a but there. But for the elect's sake, for
the elect's sake, those days should be shortened. Verse 24,
for there shall arise false Christ and false prophets, and shall
show great signs and wonders, miracles, signs, wonders, healthy,
wealthy gospel, insomuch that if it were possible they should
deceive the very elect. But it's not possible. And he
shall send forth his angels with the great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together his elect. From the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other, God's leg shall be saved. That's why the world exists today.
That's why you woke up today and this world wasn't destroyed
and God hadn't already taken us all to glory. Because he still
has sheep he's calling to himself. He's the great shepherd. He said,
all that the Father gives me shall come to me. And him that
cometh unto me, I'll know why I was cast out. This is why I
came down from heaven, he said, to do the will of my father.
And this is my father's will. Of all which he had given me,
I will lose only one. No, he said, I won't lose any. I will lose none. Thank God for
the election of grace. God's elect shall be saved. It
was true in Noah's day. I remember reading article Paul
Mahan wrote about Noah being saved and his, what was it, his
wife, three sons, and their wives, eight, eight in the ark. Those multitudes and multitudes,
millions and millions of people were destroyed. God shut the
door. And in that door, in that ark,
and Jesus Christ is our ark, there were eight souls saved. And Paul said, Noah was sure
happy for his little flock. There's always an election. This
is what Paul said, didn't he? Well, we often fall into that,
and your pastor does too. He's flesh. He's flesh. He's
no different than you are. Fall into that Elijah complex. What do I mean? You remember?
When Jezebel told Elijah, I'm going to have your head before
the sun goes down, he ran away and hid. Hid. Oh, I'm the only
one left. I'm the only one left. There's
nobody. I'm all by myself. Poor old me. Poor old me. They've killed all your prophets,
they've dug down your altars, and I am left all alone and are
seeking my life. Woe, woe, pitiful me. But what saith the answer of
God to him? Paul wrote in Romans 11. How did God answer him? And how
does God answer you and me today? I have reserved to myself 7,000
men who have not bowed their knee to Baal nor worshipped his
image." Even so, Paul said, even so. Just like in Elijah's time,
just like in Paul's time, and just like in our time, there
is an election. At this present time also there
is a remnant according to what? The election of grace. Thank
God for election. I love it. I just love it. Most churches you go in today
and say my text today shall be like that one I just read. There
is a remnant according to the election of grace. They would
rather hear you cuss than preach election as the Bible declares
it. not chosen based on foreseen
faith, but chosen based simply upon God's good will. Grace is always first. Thank God for election. Blessed
be the God and Father, Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus and
the church at Fairmont. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. according as he has
chosen us. You didn't choose me, Christ
said. I chose you. I chose you. He had chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love. Yes, thank God,
grace is always first. God always takes the initiative. He doesn't wait for you to take
the first step. He doesn't wait for you to open
your heart. He doesn't stand at the door
of your heart like a beggar asking you, please, please let me in. No, no, no. He chooses his people. The grace of God always takes
the initiative. If he didn't, nobody here would
be saved. If God Almighty hadn't come to
you, you'd have never come to Him. That's a fact. You'd have
came to the church. You'd have came to the altar.
You'd have came to the doctrine. You might have came to the water.
But you would never come to Jesus Christ until He comes to you. I come to seek. I do the seeking. And I do the searching. And I
do the finding, Christ said. And I do the saving. And I do
the keeping. And it will be me that presents
you to glory without a spot or a wrinkle or any such thing. He does it all. And thank God
that salvation is of the Lord. The old hymn writer put it this
way. I know I often quote it, but it's a good old hymn. Grace
first contrived the way, Philip Doddridge wrote it. Grace first
contrived the way to save rebellious man and all the steps that grace
displayed which drew the wonderful plan. Grace first inscribed my
name in God's eternal book. It was grace that gave me to
the Lamb who all my sorrows took. Grace taught my heart to pray
and made my eyes overflow This grace that's kept me to this
day, and will not, and will not let me go. Thank God, grace always
is first. As I said, we didn't choose Christ,
he chose us. We didn't give ourselves life,
God gave us life. We didn't seek him, he sought
us. We didn't come to him, he came to us. And we are bound,
Paul says, We are bound, oh child of God, are we not bound? Are
we not under obligation to give God the glory? Great things he
had done against the backdrop of seemingly the whole world,
and the world does, embracing a lie, being deceived, and God
saying, okay, you want it, have it. Believe the lie, believe
the delusion, but you'll be damned. That's the background when Paul
wrote these words, another blessed but. As Christ said, but you're
not of the world, but we are bound. If you're a believer this
morning, you are bound. You're under the strongest obligation. This is top priority. We're bound
to give thanks always to God, brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God had from the beginning chosen you. You. I look at the mirror and read
that and say, you? Me? He chose me? The salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. Where unto? He called
you by our gospel. Election doesn't make unnecessary
the preaching of the gospel. That's the means that God uses
to bring his elect to Christ. Whereunto he called you by our
gospel, woe to those that despise it, to the obtaining of the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Josiah Condor wrote this hymn. We'll have to sing it again.
I'll have to put it in our bulletin again. It's been a long time.
He wrote, it's not that I did choose thee, Lord, that could
never be. This heart would still refuse
thee if you had not chosen me. Thou from the sin that stained
me, washed me and set me free, and to this end ordained me that
I should live to thee. For sovereign mercy called me
and taught my opening mind. The world had else enthralled
me, the heavenly glories blind. My heart owns none before thee,
for thy rich grace I thirst. This knowing if I love thee,
thou must have loved me first. By the power of God's grace,
God's elect are made new men in Christ. Oh, my soul. My article spoke about joy in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth every time the Holy Spirit gives
life to a dead sinner. and stamps the very image of
Christ in their heart and soul. There's rejoicing in heaven.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God. Grace changes a
man's character. That's a sermon in itself. The true grace of God changes
a man's character. Trotting up an aisle, Some preacher
putting words in your mouth, making a decision, that won't
give you a new heart. That's never given anybody a
new heart, new desires. But grace, if any man be in Christ,
behold, behold, take a look at this, old things are passed away,
everything becomes new. God's grace in us is as effectual
as God's grace for us, what he's done for us. Grace gives a man
a new nature. My, so that's a forgotten element
in preaching today, isn't it? A new nature with evidence of
a new nature. I'm not saving my works, James
said, but you show me a so-called faith that doesn't have works
as its evidence, as its fruit, and it's a false faith. It's
a dead faith, and it can't save anybody, and that's what most
people we know have today. Just a head knowledge. A head
knowledge. but not a new nature. Only that
can make us new creations. Old Roland Hill, he was a plain
talker in his day, but he said this, I would not give half a
penny for a man's piety if his dog and cat were not better off
after his conversion. I read this just the other day,
yesterday, Saturday. It was one of the transcribed
messages that Brother Henry preached many years ago that Tom Harding,
the pastor in Pikeville, Kentucky, sends out every Saturday. I always
enjoy reading them. Henry was preaching from Romans
12. Let me just share with you a few comments that he made on
the first two verses. I beseech you therefore brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice. Larry, you mean it matters how
we live? Well, that's what we just read. Holy, acceptable unto
God, which is his reasonable service, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this
world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God. Henry wrote this. Remember that
good works and godliness are the result of grace. Our conduct,
our conversation are the results of God's grace in us and not
the cause of God's grace to us. A life of godliness, a life of
holiness, and a life of faith are the fruit of salvation and
it is certainly not the root of it. Be sure of that. Then Henry went on. The world's
music reflects rebellion. The world's dress reflects rebellion. This world's religion reflects
rebellion. And this world's language also.
Henry said, you can't even go to a movie because the language
is filthy and vulgar. When's the last time you heard
that? Why? It's worldliness. It reflects
rebellion against God. When you don't use God's name
in reverence, you use his name in vain. That is the world and
the greed of this world. Worldliness is a state of mind. And you and I, as the children
of God, are told and warned by the mercies of God, don't be
conformed to this world. Don't be like, who cares what
they're doing in Hollywood? Who cares what the latest fashion
is? Who cares the next insanity that
comes down the pipe? Who cares? Man, we've got something
better than that to cast our eyes upon, don't we? Henry went
on to say, Why do churches, why do the churches and the preachers
try to appeal to this world? Why do they do that? Why are
they trying to bring God down to this world? Huh? Oh, so most that goes on called
worship is nothing but an insult, a shaking our fist in the face
of God. It's dishonoring to God. Why
are they trying to bring rock music into the churches and make
it a thing of worship? Don't appeal to the world. We
are not trying to please men. We are seeking to please God.
Worship hasn't changed in 6,000 years. It's always been the same,
from the heart. It's still recognizing God, who
He is. Worship is referencing God. Worship is glorifying God. When we gather here, as we sometimes
sing, and whether we sing it or not, this ought to be our
heart's prayer. To God be the glory, great things
he hath done. To God be the glory. We can be
sure of this no matter when we live, where we live, the grace
of God will always be successful. I can see now that I'm going
to have to divide this message up. That'll be all right. Not give it all at one setting.
Don't want to wear you out. But no matter when we live, where
we live, the grace of God, listen, even in this dark day, if salvation
is all of grace, then it'll be successful. Robin, you've got
a son. Grandchildren. Your only son. I know you burned for him. He's
clueless. He don't want to know. So do
I. So do I. Son, daughter, grandchildren
don't want to know. Let me tell you about Jesus Christ.
Don't have time. Got to go do this, that and the
other. Watch grass grow rather than
hear that. Oh, should I throw in the towel? Bobby, should I just give up
on him? and say there's no hope for them. If I did, I would be
lying if I said I believe in salvation by grace. As long as
salvation is by grace, God can make that rebel son or that rebel
daughter come down and beg for mercy. That's what sovereign
grace does. That's what the great shepherd
does. Oh, that silly picture of him standing outside somebody's
door knocking. Oh, won't you please let me in? Oh, no. No, he by sovereign grace
unlocks the door himself. And he goes in and makes his
people willing in the day of his power. Oh, my soul. Picture
that rebel son or that rebel daughter or grandchildren or
most of your relatives, most of your neighbors, and hear God
say concerning them if he's pleased to do so, come down center and
watch them fall. Watch them fall. If salvation
is of grace, thank God that it is, we need despair of none. It's always successful. It was
for me. Why would I ever entertain a
thought concerning any rebel, any acquaintance I know, or anyone
I've ever heard of? that just have the knowledge
of that God Almighty cannot save. Listen. He said, listen, listen
to me. My ear's not heavy that it cannot
hear. My arm's not shortened that it
cannot save. Huh? He reached out his hand
for me. He reached way down for me. I was lost and undone without
God or His Son and He reached out His hand for me. Glory. Glory to His name. Another quote by Brother Don.
He said, I trust Christ because God took everything else away
from me. He stripped me. He emptied me. He stripped me. He beat me down. He bowed me. He broke me. He slew me. And Don says, how
wondrously gracious God is. That's what old Newton said,
didn't he? It was grace that taught my heart to fear. Newton was a wicked man. He was
the captain of a slave ship. He made his living dealing in
cargo of human beings. My soul. That's how he made a living. He sat in the office the quarters
of that slave ship and he pulled out a ledger and he dipped it
in ink and he wrote how many would probably die and would
deduct that from his ledger because they always suspected they would
pack them in there like sardines, like they were less than human
that so many of them would die before they reached their destination.
So he was calculating, how much am I going to make on this load? and then see him sometime later,
dip his quill in that ink, and write, amazing grace, how sweet
the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. I was blind, but now I see. It was grace that taught my heart
to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed. There were four things in our
text, I hadn't forgot about it, but I'll just mention them and
come back to them, perhaps next Sunday or the Lord willing. Four
things true of every believer, whether Abraham or Billy Cobb,
Faith is the foundation for these four things in our text. They
saw them, they seen them, they were persuaded of them, they
embraced them, and they confessed them. I'm a pilgrim, I'm a stranger,
thank God this world is not my home. Thank God that I'm just
passing through. Let the world have the world.
We're looking for a city whose builder and maker is God Almighty,
just like they did. All God's children are strangers
and pilgrims in this world. You don't feel comfortable here,
do you? If you do, something's wrong. Don't you feel uncomfortable
in the midst of this ungodly day in which we live? Don't you feel uncomfortable?
How can you feel at home in a place where they hate God, where they
despise God, despise his son, despise his gospel, despise everything
about him? Constantly, constantly, no God,
no God. Oh, how could a believer feel
comfortable in that? He can't. He can't. So he, like
these pilgrims, he sets his sights on something above. Looking for
that city, as David just said, wayfaring pilgrim, making our
journey to that city whose builder and maker is God. That city that
has no need of the sun, we read in Revelation, neither of the
moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it,
and the lamb is the light thereof. The lamb is the light thereof,
no darkness in heaven, no darkness outwardly, no darkness inwardly. The lamb is the light thereof.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates
into the city. Oh, Jesus, on thee our hope depends. to lead us on to thine abode,
assured our home will make amends for all the toil while on the
road. Amen. Amen. God bless you.