So, come back with me to Hebrews
chapter two. We've had two or three messages
from Hebrews and we were looking at the danger, the perils of
neglecting so great salvation from verse three of chapter two
last week. Of course, let me remind you
of some fundamentals. The Bible is the word of God. Oh, trips off the tongue so easily,
doesn't it? Think how profound that is. This book is the Word
of God. God who is over all. You say,
well, there is no God, it all put itself together. Really?
You're gullible enough to believe that load of nonsense? Think
about it. Ask God to guide you in it. No,
the Bible is the Word of God. It is inspired. What that means
is it's breathed. It is breathed by God. It's breathed
by the Holy Spirit. Do you know this book is absolutely
miraculous? It is miraculously preserved. As much as unbelieving mankind
and eggheads of all sorts try to disprove its origins, the
more and more it is confirmed how absolutely, wonderfully put
together this book is, because it is the Word of God. It contains
the words of eternal life. Is that not relevant to you and
me? I think you'll find that it is. When you come to times
of crisis in your life, there is nothing more precious than
the words of eternal life. When Jesus asked his disciples
if, like many others, they would go away because they were only
seeking the things of this world, Peter, the apostle, said, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life. Nobody else does. In here, is
the key to true life. Oh, well, don't all the other
religions have words of wisdom? No, not in the slightest, not
compared with this. Pales into insignificance. In
here is the key to the purpose of life. In this book is divine
wisdom. In this book is what God says
concerning our conscious existence. Who am I? Where am I from? Where
am I going to? But the question is how to understand
it, because here's a problem. We are all by nature sinners,
and this book tells us in the first epistle to the Corinthians,
chapter 2 and verse 14, the natural man, that's you and me as we're
born, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God, for they're foolishness to him. This rubbish, look, I've
heard, I've heard old men say, not many months ago, to me, Oh,
we want nothing to do with this book because it's a load of nonsense.
The natural man, however wise he might seem in this life, the
natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God.
They're foolishness to him. Neither can he know them. Do
you know why? He tells us. Because they're spiritually discerned.
They must be revealed by God. You must, if you're going to
know the truth, it must be God that shows you the truth. Yes,
read this book, for in them you have the words of eternal life.
God must show it to you. Oh, pray that God would open
your eyes to see. Look at Luke 24. We were considering
this just the other day. Luke 24, this is the Lord Jesus
Christ with his disciples when he'd risen from the dead. Here
he is, he's accomplished salvation. He's accomplished the purpose
for which he came. And then in verse 44, he said
to them, these are the words which I spake unto you while
I was yet with you. that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me. The Old Testament, the Law
of Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms, what's it about? Jesus said,
it's all about me. It's all about him, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures. Oh, that the Lord
Jesus Christ, by his Spirit, would open your understanding
and mine, that we might understand the Scriptures. And he said unto
them, thus it is written, thus it behoved Christ to suffer and
to rise from the dead the third day. Is it your prayer that God
will open your understanding, that he will open to your view
the way to eternal glory? If it is, let's start with two
great truths. You know, we're talking about
you as a human being wanting to know God. Now, let's say we're
talking about human relationships. Let's say we're talking about
how do we get two people together. Well, what do you do with two
people that you're trying to bring together? You look for
common ground, don't you? Common interests, things that
they like. But with God and with us as we are, as sinners, no,
it's not like that. We can find no common ground
because God is so high and holy and pure and almighty and perfect,
and we as we are, As people are base and low and sinful and without
any glory whatsoever, we are, as the scriptures often describe
and as hymn writers call us, we're worms, we're worms, those
bugs that hide under stones, we're worms, we're nothing, we're
nothing compared with the almighty greatness of God. You see, it's
just not like human relationships. To be right with God, to come
into a relationship with God, you must understand something
of the sense of that which separates us from God. The sin that separates
us from God. In Hebrews chapter 1, we saw
the greatness of God portrayed. The greatness of God who is unknowable. We cannot know him, but he has
spoken. How has he spoken? By prophets
and by the patriarchs in the past but in these last days he's
spoken to us by his son it tells us and then he goes on to describe
how much better is the Son of God, the manifestation of God. God become man to declare God
to us. How much better He is than the
angels. Glorious beings, if angels appeared,
we'd all fall down in fear, as people in the past have done.
Not because they were primitive and ignorant, because what they
saw terrified them, because it was beings from eternal glory. But He is better than the angels. He alone, it says in verse 3
of chapter 1, is the one who has, what did I say was the problem
about the relationship between us and God? It's our sin. It's
our sin. It's the fact that our sin separates
us from God. But it says He alone, the Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest, He has purged our sins. He's washed them away. He's taken
them away. He's removed them. And oh then,
if He has done that, There is the way for the relationship
between a sinner and his God. What a peril there is in neglecting
so great salvation. What a peril there is of living,
as so many do, and dying, as so many do, as if not accountable
to God. You know, our life is but a vapor.
We'll see that later on in one of my references. In verse 5
of chapter 2, It says, for unto the angels hath he not put in
subjection the world to come whereof we speak. It's not angels
to whom we're accountable regarding eternity, it's almighty God,
almighty God. And then our chapter in Hebrews
2 from verse 6 goes on. One in a certain place testified. He's speaking of David who wrote
Psalm 8. So I want you to turn over to
Psalm 8. with me now, just for a moment, because the verses
that Peter read for us earlier, down to verse 8 or 9, there or
thereabouts, is a direct quote from the 8th Psalm. You know,
the best commentary on the Scripture is the Scripture, is other parts
of the Scripture. Look at Psalm 8, we opened with
it this morning. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent
is thy name in all the earth, the glorious being of God, who
most cannot see but is there all around. When your eyes are
open to the truth of God, everywhere you look, I'm looking out of
my window at the moment, and I'm looking at glorious flowers.
There's a magnolia tree that I can see, and it's in, oh, What
does that say to me? God, God is everywhere and in
everything. I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. He has created all things for
his own glory. Our God is a glorious being. He is above all things. Oh Lord,
look, capital letters. Oh Lord, the unknowable God.
Almighty God, the unknowable God. No man has seen God at any
time. Oh Lord, in capital letters.
Our Lord, my God. Small letters. Capital L, small
O-R-D. Our Lord. That's the Lord Jesus
Christ. By whom we know God. Show us
the Father and that will suffice, said Philip. Philip, have I been
so long with you, said Jesus? You have not known me. He who
has seen me has seen the Father. Can you imagine that a man just
looking like an ordinary man would say those words? Oh Lord,
the hidden almighty God. Oh Lord, who we know in our Lord,
the Lord Jesus Christ. How excellent is thy name in
all the earth. You have set your glory above
the heavens. You've set it above the heavens. You've revealed it to sinful
people. Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings. They're pretty lowly, aren't
they? hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, the
devil and his kingdom and all that is against him, that thou
mightest still the enemy and the avenger, that you might triumph. What does that mean out of the
mouths of babes and sucklings? In 1 Corinthians chapter one
and verses, let me see, where am I going? 1 Corinthians chapter
one and verse 19. It is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise, and I will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? In other words,
where is the one who thinks he's clever in this world? Where is
the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is
the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? This world thinks it is so wise
and yet, look around you, what a mess it's constantly making
of itself. For after that in the wisdom
of God, the world by its wisdom knew not God. But it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to say, would you be saved? Would
you know God? Listen to some preaching, and
I don't just mean any preaching. Oh, that God might lead you to
listen to true preaching, to the true proclamation of his
grace. The Jews require a sign, the
Greeks Seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews, the religious
folks, a stumbling block. And to the Greeks, the rest,
the Gentiles, foolishness, not fit to talk about. He reveals
it to babes and sucklings, the strength of God, the strength
of God. If God would be gracious to you,
he will make you aware, he will reveal unto you his excellent
name. How excellent is thy name in
all the earth. And what is it that he will reveal?
He'll reveal Jehovah Jesus, O Lord, our Lord. He will reveal Jehovah
the Savior. Jesus, he shall save his people
from their sins. The unknowable Lord, whom we
know as our Lord, whose glorious saving grace is above all else. What's the greatest glory of
God? Oh, that he's powerful, that
he's creator. Yes, all these things, but do you know the greatest?
He said it. He told Moses, I will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. His saving grace is above all
else. It's the supremacy of that name
who set his name. How excellent is your name in
all the earth. You've set your glory above the heavens. That's
the saving grace of God. All that I might know him, our
Creator God. Verse three, when I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars
which thou hast ordained. When I think of what you have
created, the vastness, the incomprehensible. You cannot get your mind around
it, can you? You just cannot get your mind around it. We're
in this realm of three dimensions here, plus time, and we just
cannot get our mind around. the vastness of the universe,
from that right the way down to the tiniest subatomic particle. All of it, all of it, it told
us in chapter one of Hebrews, verse two, all of it upheld by
the word of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Isaiah
said, as God revealed his truth to him in Isaiah 40, verse nine,
say unto the cities of Judah, say unto all of us here, Behold
your God, look at your God. In the light of that, what's
the question that the psalmist asks? Verse four, I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the stars which you
have ordained. So in the light of that, what is man? What is
man? That you are mindful of him,
that God even gives him a moment's thought. And the son of man,
that thou visitest him, for thou hast made him a little lower
than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. You
made him to have dominion over the works of your hands, and
you've put all things under his feet. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent
is your name in all the earth. Back to Hebrews chapter two.
All of those things, in the light of all of that, how glorious
is our God. There's a vast chasm separating
us as sinners from almighty God. There's greatness versus insignificance. There's excellent perfection
in God. There's utter corruption in us. There's divine majesty, divine
majesty, riches beyond comprehension. and the lowest of worth, the
lowest of worth. You look at places around the
earth where things are going on now, and you think, how can
man treat man so badly? The lowest of worth. There's
eternal permanence, and there's fleeting flowers. You know what
it says, again, in that chapter of Isaiah, chapter 40, verse
six. Think about this regarding yourself.
The voice said, cry, and he said, what shall I cry? Think about
this concerning you. All flesh is grass, worthless. And all the goodness thereof
is as the flower of the field, the best of you in your flesh.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth. because the Spirit of
the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth. But, but, but, the word of our
God shall stand forever. We're fleeting, we're here one
day, we're gone the next. We're fleeting and passing, but
the word of the Lord shall stand forever. But what about the Son
of Man? What is man that you're mindful
of Him? and the Son of Man that you consider Him. The Son of
Man? Now, I'm getting into realms
here that I'm sure I'm barely going to scratch the surface
with. There are profundities here that are so difficult. We must have God lead us and
guide us, but we I hope we'll get some grains of truth. What
about the son of man? What is man that you're mindful
of him, you great almighty God creator? But what about the son
of man? Do you know that's the name that Jesus the man used
of himself in the gospels more than any other name. He talked
about himself being the son of man. We see him in the Old Testament
again and again. Here's one example. In Daniel's
day, in the Babylonian captivity of about, when was that? That
was probably about five or 600 years before Christ came. And
Daniel and his friends had been taken, they'd been kidnapped,
and they were trying to make them, because they were the elite,
they were the clever guys of Israel. And they were trying
to make them into some really smart guys in the kingdom of
Babylon, in the kingdom of Chaldea. Nebuchadnezzar was the great
emperor and he did some rash things and one of the things
he did was he allowed there to be a huge great monument set
up and a random rule that everybody couldn't think for themselves
funny echoes of things of today but anyway people couldn't think
for themselves but when the trumpet sounded they all had to bow down
to this thing that he'd set up and worship it Again, similar
to things today. Mankind doesn't change, you know.
And three of Daniel's friends, I'm sure Daniel as well, but
three of them were seen that they were not bowing down to
Nebuchadnezzar's great big thing that he'd set up. And the rule
was, the law had been made, that anybody that didn't would be
cast into a fiery furnace and they heated it exceptionally
hot. And the three, I can't remember their proper original names,
but in their Babylonian names, they're well known as Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. And they were thrown into the
fiery furnace that would have just obliterated them in one
go. But God was with them. And Nebuchadnezzar
came near and looked into that furnace, and he said, what's
going on here? He said, I see four. He said,
didn't we throw three in? Yes, we threw three in. Well,
I'm seeing four. And one of them, like, this is
the words of Nebuchadnezzar. And one of them, like unto the
son of man. The one that God visits and cares
for. The son of man. What is man and
the son of man? That you should visit him. God
cares for him. God looks after him. The psalm,
quoted in Psalm 8, does it refer to mankind in general? What is
man that you are mindful of him? Well, to a certain extent, yes.
You put him over the works of your hands. Or does it refer
to the Son of Man, the God-Man, Jesus? God become man, God incarnate,
God in union with his people. How is it possible for God who
is holy to be in union with people who are sinful by nature? How
is it possible for holiness to be in union with sinfulness? Answer? The people with whom
he comes in union must be made holy. They must be made holy. And it's not through angels,
as verse 5 has told us, because they do not have the keys of
eternal life. But God has made man in the image
of God. It says that in Genesis, doesn't
it? In the image of God made he him. He made him a little
lower than the angels in the rank of things. He made him a
little lower than the angels. He put him in charge of creation.
Read that in Genesis in the early chapters. But there's still a
vast chasm. What is man that you are mindful
of him? What is man? The first Adam,
the man that was made in the garden, the first Adam, and all
those, including you and me, that come from him, are by nature
lost regarding God. We're alienated from God. So
the second Adam came. This is what 1 Corinthians 15
verse 47 talks about. The second man, speaking of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam, man, Adam, that's the same
word effectively, the second Adam is the Lord from heaven. The second man is the Lord Jesus
Christ, become man. Christ is the son of man, come. It tells us in Galatians chapter
4 and verse 4, when the fullness of the time had come, God sent
forth his son made of a woman, made under the law, under the
justice and righteousness and perfection of God, made under
the law. Why did he come? Why did God
send forth his son made of a woman, not of a man, of a woman? made
of a woman, not of a man. Why? To redeem those, to pay
the ransom price, to pay the release price from the curse
of the law. He came to redeem those who were
under the law. Who's that? His people, whom
he loved from before the beginning of time. He came with a mission
to redeem. It's the theme of scripture.
You might say, well, where does it say it? Well, I'll give you
an example. 2 Samuel. Chapter 7, verse 23, back in
the dark old days of the Old Testament, the days of 2 Samuel,
and it says there about Israel, Israel being a name of the people
of God. I don't think about that nation
in the Middle East today, it's got nothing to do with them.
Think about those who are the people of God. Israel, when we
read that, it's the church, it's the body of Christ, the people
of Christ. It says there, Israel, whom God went to redeem for a
people to himself. It says that even there, back
in 2 Samuel. So to whatever extent the words
of Psalm 8 apply to mankind in general, They really can only
be understood as applying to the man, Christ Jesus, the man. Verse eight, thou has put all
things, this, I'm back in Hebrews chapter two, thou has put all
things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all
in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under
him. But now we see not yet all things put under him, but we
see Jesus. who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for
every man. For it became him for whom are
all things and by whom are all things. in bringing many sons
unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. The man, Christ Jesus. Jesus,
you shall call his name Jesus. Why? The angel said to Joseph,
the espoused partner of Mary, his mother. You shall call his
name Jesus. Don't leave her. Don't leave
her. This child is conceived of the Holy Ghost, and when he's
born, you will call his name Jesus. Why? for he shall save
his people from their sins. This is God incarnate, God in
flesh. This is the Son of Man, who is
made a little lower, or as it can be translated, and I think
probably better, made for a little while lower than the angels,
for the purpose of suffering of death. As it says in Philippians
chapter 2, The Lord Jesus Christ, who being God, thought it not
robbery, in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God, but humbled himself, and came down from glory, and
clothed himself in clay, in the same flesh as we are, made of
a woman, clothed himself in clay. Why? To redeem us from the curse
of the law. To redeem his people from the
curse of the law, that he might, as a man, pay the penalty to
the justice of God that only a man can pay. God couldn't pay
it, but a man alone couldn't pay it. It needs a man who is
God, a man who is a real man, with real blood, to pay the price
of sin. It needs a man who is God, with
the infinite capacity of God, to save a multitude that no man
can number. In humiliation and death, God
the Son came, Born of a virgin, so without the sin of Adam. He
who knew no sin. Humble in upbringing. He just
was an apprentice in a carpenter's shop. He was a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. This is the eternal God contracted
to a span. One who had nowhere, he said
to those who would follow him. I have nowhere to lay my head.
He doesn't have a home of his own. He moved. with compassion
for those that he saw in sickness and distress. He was opposed
by the Pharisees. He was spitefully treated. He
was unjustly judged, and he was cruelly, unjustly murdered. He suffered the death, which
death? Even the death of the cross.
Do you know, in our so-called Christian religious world, oh,
they venerate the cross, they bow down before it as a beautiful
symbol. It's worn around people's necks
as a superstitious emblem. Do you know the cross in the
days of Rome, the cross was an object of shame. It was a death
that was reserved for the lowest, the meanest of the criminals.
He was made a little lower for the suffering of death. As it
says there at the end of verse 9, the King James Version of
the Bible is by far the best, the most accurate that there
is. antiquated language. The reason we use it is it's
so much better than the rest. But where it says that he by
the grace of God should taste death for every man, that's a
very poor translation. In truth, it's more like dying
every death, or dying the death for every one of those for whom
he died, which is not everyone without exception, it couldn't
possibly be. It's dying for what it says in verse 10, the many
sons that he's going to bring to glory. And where it says many
sons, it doesn't just mean many males. Here is the one place
where, I don't know whether to use the word transgenderism,
but there I've already gone and done it, but here there's neither
male nor female, neither male nor female. We're all one in
Christ Jesus, it says elsewhere. This is the elect of God, the
elect of God that he who knew no sin was made sin for, their
sin, he took their sin, that those elect might be made the
righteousness of God in him. He was made sin, he was made
the substitute for his people to make us the righteousness
of God in him. And why is that important? Because
that means we can be in a relationship with God. God cannot commune
with that which is sin. We must be made the righteousness
of God in him. He took on him real human flesh
and blood that he might pay with precious blood. not with corruptible
things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of
Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot, that he might
be made perfect through sufferings, that he might accomplish the
perfect will of God, suffering all that the law and divine justice
of God could require for the sins of his people, and now crowned
with glory and honor, in verse 9, crowned with glory and honor.
He rose triumphant from the grave. Salvation was accomplished. Isaiah
42, I think it is, verse 3, he shall not fail, the Lord Jesus
Christ shall not fail. He will save everyone whom was
given to him before the beginning of time. Why has he done this?
Because of the union between him and his people. Verse 11,
both he that sanctifieth, both he that makes a people holy is
what that means, and they who are sanctified, made holy, are
all of one. They're all the same. Christ
and his people are the same. They're in union, for which cause
Christ, who is God, almighty, holy God, become man He's not
ashamed to call his people his brethren. He's not ashamed to
call them brethren, saying, verse 12, saying, I will declare thy
name unto my brethren. Do you know where that comes
from? Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is the psalm of the
cross. It begins with the words of Christ
on the cross, written 1,000 years before he went to that cross.
It begins with the words, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Those are the words of Jesus
from the cross. And in that same psalm, he speaking,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God says, I will declare thy
name, the name of God, that excellent name. How excellent is thy name
in all the earth. I will declare thy name unto
my brethren. This is the church. Verse 12,
I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the
church. The church is the body of Christ. I'm not making this up. These
are all scriptures which for the sake of time we won't look
at now. But the church is the body of Christ. Verse 13, and
again, I will put my trust in him. God the Father trusted the
Son to come and do this. It tells us that in Ephesians
chapter 1 and about verse 12, who first trusted in Christ.
Christ trusted in the Father, and the Father trusted in the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, that Trinity of God, the persons.
There was a mutual trust in the covenant of grace. Children given
by the Father to the Son. Again, I will put my trust in
Him, and again, behold, I, this is Jesus speaking, the Son of
God speaking, behold, I and the children which He has given me.
Children given by the Father to the Son. The children given
by the Father to the Son. He says in Psalm 24, Lift up
ye heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,
and the King of glory shall come in. So the question is asked,
who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the
Lord mighty in battle. When he first came, he came to
defeat Satan, to capture the kingdom back from Satan, to accomplish
all that was necessary for Satan to be destroyed. And then it
goes on to say, lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come
in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts. The Lord with
all of his children, whom the Lord has given him. The Lord
Jesus Christ leading his army into heaven. Reason? Why did he come? Verse 10, to
bring them to glory, in bringing many sons to glory. This is the
ultimate purpose of God. We live as if this life is everything. We live as if there's nothing
else. But no, his kingdom triumphantly populated with sinners made the
righteousness of God in him is the ultimate purpose of God.
If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, this is what we, as believers,
anticipate. Here we have no continuing city,
but we seek one to come. Let me say that again. Here,
in this life, we have no continuing city. Our hopes and aspirations
are not tied up here, but we seek one to come, like Abraham. who looked for a city when he
left Ur of the Chaldees and went out and obeyed God and went where
God was leading him. He looked for a city which has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. This is his kingdom,
bringing many sons to his kingdom, to his glory. And this is glory
beyond our imagination. It says in 1 Corinthians chapter
two and verse nine, it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard
Neither have entered into the heart of man the things which
God has prepared for them that love him. Do I know what's coming?
No, I do not, but I know it's beyond my wildest dreams of bliss
in the presence of God. Out of the existence of sin,
out of the existence of this evil world of pain and of death,
Revelation 21, Verses 3 and 4, I heard a great voice out of
heaven saying, behold, The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them and be their God. Now listen to this, listen
to the tenderness of these words. And God shall wipe away all tears,
the tears of this life, the tears of this world. God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
for the former things are passed away. Chapter 22, verse three. And there shall be no more curse,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and
his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face,
and his name shall be in their foreheads. What did the Lord
Jesus Christ pray? I pray this, Father, that those
whom you've given me shall be with me where I am and shall
behold my glory. This is beyond words to describe. Psalm 16 puts it like this in
verse 11. In thy presence is fullness of
joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures
forevermore. What a wonderful prospect. What
a wonderful hope. What a wonderful assurance. But
you say, yeah, that's all well and good, but there's a big jump
from here to there, isn't there? There certainly is. Bunyan described
it in Pilgrim's Progress, as they approached the celestial
city. And Bunyan's Christian, making his way on his progress
towards that celestial city, saw that there was a cold river
to cross before he would arrive. There's a cold river we all must
cross, except Christ comes first to take us out of this world
now. There's a cold river to cross.
And we all, in our fleshly weakness shrink back from that river.
But believe me, believe me, it may seem more poignant to some
than to others, but it applies to us all. We're all, we all
must cross that river except Christ comes again. We all must
cross that river to enter that city. But Christian, in Pilgrim's
Progress, he had Hopeful with him, his companion. And Hopeful
said, don't worry Christian, there's a good solid bottom here,
you won't drown. He had him with him to encourage
him. to know that Christ was with him, and especially in that
time. I just want to read a verse before
we close, and we'll close with this. Two verses. Isaiah 43,
verses 2 and 3. Listen to this, fearful flesh.
Listen to this. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. That's God
speaking. That's our Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through that cold
river, I will be with you. And through the rivers, don't
despair, don't despair. There's a solid bottom, as Hopeful
said, they shall not overflow thee. As to Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego in the furnace, when they'll walk us through
the fire, Thou shalt not be burned. You won't be burned. Neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee. Why not? Why can we believe this?
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What
a Savior.