you still in Thessalonians? Well,
you shouldn't be. Go to Colossians. Colossians
chapter 3. Yes, I didn't forewarn you of
that. But we're going to be taking
our text from Colossians chapter 3. But we want to go back first
and read some verses from chapter 2. This is where Paul lays the
foundation for the exhortation in chapter 3. Here in chapter
two, Paul warns the believers about false teachers. Was there
any place, any church that Paul ever wrote to that he didn't
have to do that? Because did not always, if there
were not false teachers already there, they would come after
Paul and say, now wait a minute, wait a minute. Now, be careful,
be careful. This man's telling you to forget
Moses. We dare not do that. We dare
not do that. We can't just throw the law out
the door. Paul dealt with that all the
time. He warns them about these false teachers saying, just to
put it simply in a nutshell, it's Christ. We'll give you that. Plus, no, no, no, no. Paul said we won't stand for
that. We won't give way for that, not for a minute. It's not Christ
plus, it's Christ period. It's Christ is all and you are
complete in Him plus nothing minus nothing. Look at verse
6 of Colossians 2. As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Don't profess to be
justified by faith in Christ and then go to the law to try
to get sanctified. Oh, no, no, no. We're not under
the law. Walk in him just as you began,
just continue. Rooted, verse 7, and built up
and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man Whether this
man be a doctor, a reverend, a rabbi, a priest, beware lest
any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. After the tradition
of men, there you go, the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world and not after Christ. Look out on this nonsense that
goes on every week in the religious world and you thank my soul.
That proves they're in darkness because they never stop to ask
themselves, what does this have to do with God? In most churches
this morning, the stuff that's going on, as old Ralph Barnard
said, people being entertained on the road to hell, never stop
to think What does this have to do with Jesus Christ and my
eternal salvation? All this hoopla, all these games,
all this waving the hands and rolling the eyeballs and falling
out in the aisle, what does that really have to do with the worship
of God? It's vain glory. It's fleshly
glory, that's all it is. And Paul says, beware, again
verse 8, beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of men and the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ. For in him, Christ, dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in
him." Did you see that? And ye are complete in him, which
is the head of all principality and power. Again, Paul urges
them to beware of these false teachers, down in verse 16 of
chapter 2. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, what you eat or drink, or in respect of a holy day,
or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow
of things to come." See, shadows, pictures, types, but the body,
the substance, the fulfillment of those things is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your
reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding
into those things which he had not seen, vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind." Watch out there, Billy. Vainly puffed up
by his fleshly mind. This just now comes to my memory. Not so well that I can recall
who wrote it. It may have been Frank Tate.
But he said one time he was watching TV, one of these religious stations,
and that he didn't even have this volume on, didn't even have
the sound turned up, but he could tell the man was strutting around
like a peacock. I mean, just his actions was,
look at me, look at me, aren't I something? Focus on me, fleshly,
fleshly religion. This is what Paul speaks of.
Verse 19, while they do that, look at them, they never say
look at him, Christ, not holding the head, from which all the
body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit
together increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore, if
ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why,
as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances? Why are they trying to drag you
under these things? You're free. Christ has set us
free from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. If
that's true, why are we doing these things? Paul says, don't
you allow it. Verse 21. Touch not. This is what they're telling
you. Touch not. Taste not. Handle not. My dear grandmother's entire
religion was exactly that. Touch not. Taste not, handle
not. She was worried about me after
God saved me. I couldn't have been saved because
I still had this on my finger. Look what I'm showing you, Delilah.
A ring. A ring. That's a sin. I couldn't have been really saved
because I had that ring. Touch not, taste not, handle
not. Oh, isn't that sad? Which all
are to perish with the using. after the commandments and doctrines
of men. Oh, they go around with long
faces, no makeup. Oh, no, no, that's worldly. Long
dresses, long woes and moans, and usually real long tongues
to go along with it. Think nothing about that, nothing
about that. Just cover up this and cover
up that, everything but the eyes, but keep that tongue wagging,
and they think that's religious. Mm-mm-mm. Which things, verse
23, which things have indeed a show, that's what it's all
about. It's just a show, a pretense
of wisdom and will worship. You see that? Will worship. And
humility, supposed humility. And neglecting of the body, not
in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. Now, there's your
background. There's your background. And
this is why Paul had good reason after that warning. Goes on and
tells them here in chapter 3, look away from those things.
Those men that are telling you, look at me, listen to me, watch
me, give to me. It's all about me. And Paul turns
around and says, they're lying to you. It's not about them.
It's about Christ. Therefore, look at verse 1 of
chapter 3. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above. All these hucksters you notice
on TV, with very few exceptions, they're always talking about
wanting more of this world. I remember several years ago,
this one made national news. He wanted a bigger plane. I mean,
he had a private plane, a private pilot, but God wanted him to
have a bigger one. And people shelled it out to
give it to him. Isn't that sad? Isn't that sad?
They're always talking about the world. Paul says their bellies
are never full. It's never enough. Those are
not God's creatures. They're false prophets. They're
out for themselves. Paul says, no, don't do that.
Look away from these carnal worshiping teachers of man and do this.
Seek those things which are above. John Arrowsmith. I think back
in the 1600s, but he made a comment. He said, it ill becomes a child
of God to go around licking up the dust of this earth. That's
just a bad picture. That's just a bad picture. That's
a contradiction to claim to be a believer and grabbing all of
this world that you can get when there are people suffering and
hurting that you don't even notice. That's a bad, bad picture. Paul
says again, Seek those things which are above, where Christ
setteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things down here. I know we're not eating in heaven
yet, but God supply all of our needs. Christ said, seek ye first
the kingdom of God and all these things, food, shelter, clothing,
you won't do without, but that which is most important is seek
Christ and his righteousness. Seek those things which are above
where Christ setteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection,
your heart, your true love on things above, not on things on
the earth. For ye are dead and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When, notice that now, when,
not if, not if, there's no if about it. When Christ who is
our life shall appear Then should ye also appear with him, those
two words right there are pregnant with the definition of heaven,
with him, with him, not with mama, not with dad, not with,
no, with him in glory. My soul, what more reward could
a sinner want than that? Keep looking up. It's what Paul
tells them, telling them and telling us. Keep looking up. Keep looking above. Keep looking to Christ. That's
where he is. That's where your treasure is.
That's where your affection, your heart is. And that is where,
as the angels told the disciples, that is where, from above, this
same Jesus who ascended back to the glorious victory, after
that glorious victory, will come again from. Come back home, come
back here rather, to take you home to be with him forever,
so keep looking up. Somebody said to me the other
day, it might have been Robin, was talking to someone, but it
said, wouldn't it be something? Wouldn't it be something? Can
you imagine if right now, Right now, maybe you and I were sitting
on the front porch, but if Jesus Christ, just as the scripture,
if right now, oh, the sound of that trumpet would blast, the
skies would roll back as the scroll, and there he comes. Not that pitiful little Jesus
that can't have his way. Not that tar, that spare tar
of the heaven or a doormat out of hell. Oh, no, no, no, no,
no. There he comes, king of kings and lord of lords. What's he
coming for? To take his people home. That
where he is, there we may be also. And I know most folks think
that's just an old fairy tale. Well, let them think it. Don't
put any stock in what these scoffers and mockers say, because God
has appointed a time. We read of it in chapter 5 of
1 Thessalonians. He's not appointed us to wrath
or damnation. He's appointed his people to
salvation. I've got an appointment. And
so does every believer. You know, we have appointments.
I had one Friday. I thought I'd get in and out
of there in no time. It couldn't take long. And I
couldn't have nothing to eat after midnight, no coffee, no
nothing. It was a nervous wreck. I said, man, this better take
quick. We were in there all day long. It took the man 20 seconds
to stick a needle in my back, but we were there from 12 to
5.30. But it was an appointment. It was an appointment. Oh, sometimes
we have appointments we don't keep. Could be canceled by us
or someone else. Oh, here's an appointment that
I'm going to keep. Jesus Christ is going to see
to it. He's building Jesus Christ. and God is Father, to triune
God in that eternal everlasting covenant of grace appointed me
to everlasting salvation. And if I come one inch short
of that, they will have failed and that can't happen. I've got
an appointment in glory I got an appointment before the throne
of grace. I'm going to see Jesus Christ
with my own eyes, face to face with Christ my Savior. It's written
down in the book and nobody can take it out. How about that? That's where we look. Just keep
looking up. We're pilgrims and strangers
on this earth. I told the fella that was sitting
with me when they put me out, we were in one room, then another
room, and then another wedding room, and finally I'm on my back,
or no, on my belly, on the table, and this fella is the, well,
he puts you to sleep, the anesthesiologist, that's a big word. But we were
talking in the meantime, and he said, somebody had mentioned, knew
I was a preacher, a pastor, so he started talking religious,
and said something, and I said, It really doesn't matter. I said,
I'm just passing through. I'm just passing through. He
said something about being 72 and looking at my chart and said,
well, you're not in bad shape for the shape you're in. But
I said, it doesn't matter. I'm just passing through. This
world's not my home. I'm not pitching my tent here.
If I do, it's just temporary, like staying in a motel room.
My home is in heaven, where Jesus Christ is. Oh, that's what matters. I want to read a good article. I put a note here on my iPad
so I wouldn't forget it. I found this. This is by Brother
Paul Mahan. I thought of this message, I
heard him preach it out in Arkansas a few years ago when we were
there in Darwin's conference, but the title of it was, Our
Little Known Lord. Have you heard that message?
It's on free grace. Our little known Lord. And this
was his text, John 14 and 9. Jesus said unto him, Have I been
so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou
then, Show us the Father? The message was about if we knew
our Lord Jesus Christ better than we do, we would trust him
much better than we do. Now, you all got to say amen
to that. If we knew Christ better than
we do, we would trust him more than we do and honor him more
than we do. And this is the illustration
that Brother Paul used. He said he, for years, years,
he had a dog, a faithful dog, had it since he was a pup. It
wouldn't leave Paul's side. He was always next to him, unless
it just wasn't possible. I think Paul said he'd had that
dog for years and years. But one day, Paul noticed his
dog wasn't running like it used to or playing like it used to
do. We've been there. We've been there. It had grown
old. And someone told Paul, buddy,
it's time you put that poor dog down. He's suffering. He's suffering. Be merciful.
Put him down. And Paul told him, no, I'll know when that time
comes. You won't have to tell me. I'll
know. One day, Paul took his dog out. And that dog faithfully
followed Paul. And they came to a place. And
Paul said to his dog, lay down, boy. Lay down right here. And
he obeyed. Then Paul measured where he laid
him so he would know what length to dig his grave. It was time. It was time. Listen, children
of God, this is God's promise to each and every one of us.
Hearken unto me, God says, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant
of the house of Israel, which are born by me from the belly,
which are carried from the womb, and even to your old age I am
he, and even to whore hares will I carry you. I have made and
I will bear, even I will carry and I will deliver you." God
gives us his word on that. He knows when it's time. I like
that from Isaiah 46, don't you? He said, I was there when you
came into this world and I'm going to be there when you go
out of this world. I will carry you and I will bear
you. Oh, my soul. What a trustworthy
God. Old Martin Luther said to one
of his fierce opponents, an opponent of the free grace of God that
Martin Luther preached, that glorious gospel that gives God
all the glory. This man opposed that so that
he could uphold not God's will, but man's will, man's free will. Luther told him one time, buddy,
let me tell you something. Your God is just too small. If he depends on me, if it takes
my will to make God's will work, your God is just too small. He will do me no good. And that's
exactly what God himself said, isn't it? Isaiah chapter 45,
Isaiah 45. You can turn there, read it with
me. Isaiah chapter 45, verse 16. This is our Lord's very same
judgment against Israel. He said, your God's too small.
Isaiah 45, 16, they shall be ashamed. And that's not just
in that day, in this day. All these worshipers of this
little God that can't have His way, one day they're going to
be ashamed and confounded, all of them. They shall go to confusion
together that make makers of idols. But Israel, now that's
another story, God's Israel, God's true church, his true people,
they shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.
Ye shall not be ashamed nor confound the world without end. For thus
saith the Lord that created the heavens, God himself that formed
the earth and made it. He had established it. He created
it not in vain, not for nothing. He formed it to be inhabited.
I am the Lord, there is none else. I have not spoken in secret
in the dark place of the earth. I said not unto the seed of Jacob,
seek ye me in vain. No, no, no, seek me and ye shall
find me. I the Lord that speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come,
draw near together. Ye that are escaped of the nations,
they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image
and pray unto a God that cannot save. God tells them, your gods
are too small. Look unto me, I'm a just God
and a Savior. Verse 24 of Isaiah 45. Surely, surely, surely one say
in the Lord have our righteousness and strength. Don't we? Even
to him shall men come. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And all that are incensed against
him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed,
A-double-L, all the seed of Israel, it's not talking about the nation
Israel, it's talking about all his chosen people, all nationalities,
his true Israel, shall be justified and they sure shall glory. Do we not often? I know I do. God forgive me, but I do. Act
as though we believe that our God is just too small. Isn't that just a fact? Isn't
that why we wring our hands and paste the floor and weary and
a lot of times you just hear words out of my mouth and you
think, well man, how can that guy even be a believer? Ah, so,
doubting our God, our little-known Lord. The disciples asked Him
one time, Lord, don't you even care? Now these were believers,
and they had seen Him perform miracles that only God in the
flesh could do. There's no other reason. And
they woke Him one night in a storm as He slept. Lord, don't you
even care we're about to perish? Now remember, Christ was flesh. Christ was man. Christ could
feel. He's touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Can you imagine how that must
have pierced his heart when his own disciples, after all they'd
seen and all that he had did for them, don't you even, you're
sleeping and we're ready to drown. Oh, my soul, but I can't be Too
judgmental of them, because I've done the very same thing. Lord,
aren't you aware? Don't you know? Would you please
observe what I'm going through? Oh, God forgive me. God forgive
me. They had seen, and so have you
and I, Jesus Christ do things that only he could do. Only God
in the flesh could do what this man did. And that's exactly who
he was, without controversy. without controversy. Great is
the mystery of godliness. God, God, all of God, was manifest
in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached
unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up
into glory. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
John said, that which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked
upon, This is no fairy tale we're telling you about. And our hands
have handled, we touched him of the word of life. For the
life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and
show unto you that eternal life which is with the Father and
was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and
truly Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son,
Jesus Christ. The disciple asked him on another
occasion, speaking of a young man at the time with whom they
were quite taken. I mean, this young man was rich.
He was somebody. He sought out the Lord. Not many
people did. We don't need him. We know his
brother. We know his father, his mother. He's nobody. This
young man sought him out. Found him. And he did more than
that. When he found him, he bowed down before him. Pharisees wouldn't
do that. He got down in the dust on his
knees before Jesus Christ and called him Master. And you know
the conversation. And the disciples are standing
back, saying, boy, old buddy, we got a winner here. We know
him. He's rich. We could use him.
You know what happened? Sure you do. The Lord sent him
away sorrowful because he bowed in his body like most people
are doing this morning, taking a knee, repeating a prayer, and
their hearts never been touched by grace. That's why they do
that and go out and it don't make a lick of difference. Not
one lick of difference in how they live, how they think, their
desires, their love, their motives, and the worst thing you can do
is slap them on the back and tell them they're going to heaven.
Don't do that. Don't do that. That just embraces
them in that false hope. The best thing you can do if
God gives you grace and opportunity is jerk that rug out from under
them and pray that God would bring them down. That's what
Christ did. He sent that young man away sorrowful
because although he bowed his knee in the flesh, he never bowed
in his heart. And you can't have Jesus Christ
as a savior without bowing to his lordship. He's Lord Jesus
Christ. He's one individual. He's the
Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't bow, any sinner
that's never bowed to Christ, they can spit out Calvinism from
morning till night. If they've never bowed to Jesus
Christ, they're not a believer. They're gonna lose more than
a little reward because they're carnal Christians. No, they're
gonna lose their immortal soul if they've never bowed to King
Jesus, like this young man did. And the disciples said, who can
be saved? Remember that? Just like, Lord,
don't you care we perish? Isn't that question just full
of doubts? They'd seen him heal, open blinded eyes, unstopped
deaf ears, raised to death. Then they'd say, who can be saved?
Huh? Is he too hard a case for you?
What hope do we have if he can't be saved? And you remember what
the Lord said, with men, with him, with you, with me, with
the whole shooting It's impossible, but not with God. And He's God. He's God. That's why He's mighty to save.
He's still the same today as He was yesterday and will be
forever. He's still the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Don't those very titles
give you comfort? Is not the government of the
Kingdom of God still upon His shoulders? Has God suddenly taken
the rule of the universe out of the hands of His Son because
He can't handle it anymore? Of course not. He's still the
only wise God our Savior, to whom be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and forever. He's still able to keep me from
falling. Now that takes a mighty God.
and to resent me faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy. Oh, that takes a great God and
Savior, and that's exactly what he is. Old Martin Luther had
this in his will, his will before he died. He said, Lord, you've
given me my wife and children, and I have nothing to leave them.
I have nothing to leave them. But I commit them unto you, O
Father of the fatherless, and judge of widows, nourish, keep,
and teach them. He committed them into the Father's
hands. Our faith has no cause to fear. Christ needs no help from Caesar."
That's what old Spurgeon said. Let me read you this by old John
Newton. It's titled, My Politics. Could
have been written today. He wrote it in 1778. Old John Newton wrote, the times
look awfully dark indeed. And as the clouds grow thicker,
the stupidity of the nation seems proportionately to increase.
Sounds like America. If the Lord had not arraigned
it here, I would have very formidable apprehensions. But he loves his
redeemed children. Some are sighing and mourning
before him, and I am sure he hears their sighs and sees their
tears. I trust there is mercy in store
for us at the bottom, but I expect a shaking time before things
get into a right channel, before we are humbled and are taught
to give Him the glory. The state of the nation, the
state of the churches, both are deplorable. Those who should
be praying are disputing and fighting among themselves. At
last, how many professors are more concerned for the mistakes
of government than for their own sins? And I like how he ended. The whole system of my politics
is summed up in this one verse. The Lord reigneth, let the people
tremble. Let's just leave it right there. You remember Abraham, when he
brought back the bounty that was taken by the enemies of the
king of Sodom. And he brought it all back to
him. And the king of Sodom wanted to reward Abraham. Abraham, you
brought me this. He said, I want to honor you.
I want to reward you with this. You remember that? In Genesis
14, you remember what Abraham did? Huh? He said, no, keep it. I will not dare take it. Well,
what would have been wrong with Abraham accepting that? Here
was his answer. And Abraham said to the king
of Sodom, I left up my hand unto the Lord, the most high God,
the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from from
thee a thread even to a shoelace, and that I will not take anything
that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abraham rich."
Abraham was more concerned about God's glory than offending a
king. He was serving the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords, and what a contradiction it would have been in the testimony
of Abraham if the people that he was leading saw him get down
and grovel before an earthly king when he professed faith
in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I won't take a crown
from your table. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. The hymn that Joe wrote, this
one hymn, well illustrates this point. I ran across it this morning. I wanted to include it here.
Remember our text, if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above where Christ setteth on the right hand
of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. A Prayer for Worship by Joe Terrell. O Lord, our hearts and souls
aspire to lift us from this earthly mire. O may we think of heavenly
things and know the joy thy presence brings. Lord, let us see the
Savior's face, and let us taste of thy sweet grace. May opened
ears thy glories hear, and may we smell thy fragrance near. Be pleased to open heaven's store,
and on our heads thy blessings pour. O wretched, poor, and needy
we, where can we go if not to thee? O may this day be blessed
the most, that Jesus Christ becomes the host, to feed our souls with
living bread, and with our souls in joy to wed. For ye are dead,
and your life is here with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our
life, shall appear, then shall ye appear also with Him in glory. So keep looking up. Keep looking
up above. Joe preached last weekend, as
I mentioned I think in the article, last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
in Jackson, Missouri, where Brother Drew Dietz is the pastor. Drew
told me that after the last service Sunday morning, later that day,
Joe got a call from one of the men in his church back in Rock
City, Iowa. He told Joe, this man, that his
two sons had come to him and said that God had saved them. God had given them faith in Christ
and they wanted Joe, their pastor, to baptize them as soon as he
got back home. Last Sunday, he got that word. Drew said Joe was rejoicing all
the rest of the day. Drew said he doubted that he
slept very much that night, just rejoicing, just rejoicing, because
Drew talked And he and I talked about preachers and get discouraged
in the little crowd and everything. But Joe was just rejoicing. Joe
had no way of knowing that just in a few hours after waking up
last Monday morning, God would take him to glory. God would take him to glory. He went to his everlasting home,
not in Iowa, but in the mansions of glory with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Some of you have heard of the
tragic circumstances of Joe's death. Murder. But God took him home. Beyond
all sin and sorrow ever again. Drew, as we mentioned, is having
at this hour a memorial service at his church and another next
Sunday Moose Parks will preach at the church that Joe pastored,
I think, for 37 years. I was talking on the phone with
Drew the other night. He said, Larry, some folks seem
to want to dwell on the tragedy of how Joe left this world. There's
so much that's just impossible for us to comprehend, to make
sense of how it happened and by whom. But I told them, we're
going to focus on where Joe is now and who he's with now. that blessed Redeemer he has
been so recently preaching to us about, he was now seeing him
face to face. And I said, Drew, that's the
best thing you could do. That's the very best thing to
do. I once heard someone say that
it really doesn't matter when a believer dies or where they
die or exactly how, what means, by what means they die. It's
in whom they die. It's with whom they die. The
Lord Jesus Christ, that's all that matters. For this cause
we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward
man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal way to glory. While we look not at the things
which are seen, look up, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things
which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Oh, what can wash away my sin,
we're just saying? Nothing. Nothing. Here's the
only answer. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. If we walk in the light, as he
is in the light. We have fellowship one with another
and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all
sin." Little children. John said, my little children.
The Lord called them his little children, didn't he? John said,
my little children, these things write unto you that you sin not. Oh, don't sin. Don't sin. fight against sin, strive against
sin, don't give in to sin, but you will sin. What happens? Oh, if we sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Oh, precious is
the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know,
nothing but the blood of Jesus. Now may we look up above to him
who loved us and gave himself for us. and from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen. I want to close with just
a paragraph of another article that I saw in Brother Marvin
Stoniker's bulletin this morning. He said this was an article that
Joe wrote and it was in the newspaper there where he lived. His text
was this, Thine eyes shall see the king and his beauty. They
shall behold the land that is very far off. Brothers and sisters
in the Lord Jesus, Joe wrote, For the present time, we must
contend ourselves with hearing of the glories of our God and
King. We must rely upon the reports of others who have seen Him. But the day is coming, and it
will not be long, when by the Lord's coming to us at His return,
or by us going to Him as we depart this life to be with Him, we
shall see the King in His beauty. We shall see the king in his
beauty, and we shall view a land, Emmanuel's land, that stretches
afar. And to you saints who draw near
the grave, how blessed is this comfort for you, that you are
not about to cast off into the unknown, but are about to behold
your king in his beauty." That's exactly what Joe's doing now. Glory to the name of our blessed
Redeemer. God bless you. God bless you.
Amen.