Be turning in your Bibles to
Matthew chapter 5. I want to ask a question, which
is also the title of this message. Why did Christ come to earth? Now as we ponder this question,
we don't have to make any speculations because we have the very words
of Christ himself to tell us why he came and why he did the
things that he did when he was here. Now when we read historical
accounts sometimes of people who have lived in the past, historical
figures, we are sometimes puzzled as to why they did some of the
things they did, why they made the decisions that they made,
the choices that they made. And sometimes their writings
give us insight into why they did what they did, their thought
process, but many times we're simply left to wonder. But not
so with our Lord. He makes it abundantly clear
through the things that He said to His disciples and to His Father
in prayer the exact reasons that He came to this sin-cursed earth.
Throughout the written Word that we have the privilege to have
in our possession, we're told the reasons why. And I want to
spend a little time tonight looking at those statements that our
Lord made concerning why He came to earth. But before we look
at the reasons that He came, I'd like to read some texts that
tell us the reasons that He did not come. I'm going to be turning
to quite a few Scriptures, so you can either turn with me or
follow along, whatever you'd like to do. First, He did not
come to do away with God's holy law. We know from Psalm 19, verse
7, that the law of God is perfect, it tells us. But because of the
frailty of our flesh, we can never ever be justified by the
law. And we are told why in Romans
8, verses 2 and 4. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now in Matthew 5, Christ tells
his disciples in verses 17 and 18, Think not that I am come
to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till
heaven and earth pass, One jot or one till shall in no wise
pass from the law till all be fulfilled." Here Christ is clearly
proclaiming that He is the fulfillment of God's holy law. All of the
requirements of the law had to be fulfilled by Him in order
for Him to be the perfect sacrifice. He, and He only, was able to
live a perfect life and therefore become the perfect sacrifice.
for our transgressions. We're told in the Law of Moses
that those lambs which were to be sacrificed were to be a male
without blemish. Over and over and over again
this commandment is repeated. Any sacrifice offered as a burnt
offering for sin had to be perfect to be accepted. There shall be
no blemish therein. And Christ was that perfect offering
for sin because we read in 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19, for as much as
you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain conversations received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot. And we know that Christ is the
fulfillment of the law because he accomplished all that the
father sent him to do. We are told as much in Acts 3.18
where we find Peter preaching to the Jews after he had healed
the lame man. He tells them, but those things
which God had before showed by the mouth of all his prophets
that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. So because
our Lord perfectly fulfilled all that the law required, and
because we are found in him, We therefore have nothing to
fear, because we, being in Christ, have also fulfilled all the demands
of the law. Therefore, we can rest in what
Paul told us in Romans 10, verse 4. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. The next thing
that we find that Christ did not come to do, we find in Matthew
9. Matthew 9, verses 12 and 13. where Christ told the Pharisees
after they asked His disciples why He ate with publicans and
sinners, He said, They that be whole need not a physician, but
they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that
meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice.
For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He said the same thing in Mark
2, 17. And here our Lord dashes the
hopes of all the good folks. If you're sitting here tonight
or listening over the streaming and you're thinking of yourself
that you're not that bad or not as bad as you could be, I have
some really bad news for you. Unless God steps in and breaks
your stubborn will and shows you how worthless your self-righteousness
is, you will surely perish. Because in this verse, our Lord
makes it plain The only people who qualify to receive the calling
of the Spirit are sinners. And don't miss that word, call.
There is no such thing as coming to God on your own. Unless God
sees fit to call you, you will forever remain in darkness. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy
1, 8 and 9, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God, who hath saved
us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Note the order
of the wording here. First, he saved us, Then he calls
us. In 1 Peter 2, 9 we read, But
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation,
a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And
that calling is reserved exclusively for one group, those who are
known as sinners. The next thing that Christ did
not come to do, we find in Matthew 10. Flip over a page or so to
Matthew 10. In verses 34 and 35, He says,
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to
send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law. And
a man's foes shall be they of his own household. And our Lord
makes a very similar statement in Luke 12, 51, where he says,
Suppose ye that I am come to send peace on earth, I tell you,
nay, but rather division. Now, some would think that this
is a strange statement coming from one who's called the Prince
of Peace, that he came not to send peace, that the peace spoken
of here in that title, Prince of Peace, has to do with the
peace that he gives to his chosen people in knowing that the work
required for their righteousness is finished. The work which ensures
our eternal salvation is complete. His work which now guarantees
peace between fallen sinners and a holy God is that hymn we
sing sometimes at Christmastime, Peace on Earth and Mercy Mild,
God and Sinners. reconciled. But here in our text,
in this text, our Lord is referring to the divisions that are caused
by the preaching of the gospel of a sovereign God who chooses
a people for himself. The gospel which proclaims that
man is hopeless to do anything to accomplish or even aid in
his own salvation. This word variance that Christ
uses when Christ says, I am come to set a man at variance against
his father, means a state of being in disagreement with another.
And this is what happens when you tell your friends or family
that their so-called righteousness is worthless. They don't take
it well. When you tell them that the only
righteousness which God will accept is the righteousness of
Christ, it sometimes causes a division that cannot be healed because
men and women will not easily give up their rags of self-righteousness. They would sooner part company
with their own flesh and blood than to part company with their
righteousness. The next thing we read concerning
why Christ did not come, you can find in Matthew 20. Matthew
20, verses 25 through 28. But Jesus called unto them and
said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion
over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon
them. But it shall not be so among
you. But whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life
a ransom for many. Our Lord gives us an example
here by His actions as to how we ought to treat our brethren.
We are to serve one another. What Christ spoke of here in
Matthew 20 that we just read is also found in Philippians
2, verses 5-8. Paul writes, Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation and took on him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. The very God of this universe,
the one by whom all things were made, came to this earth as a
servant in order to savingly minister
to the needs of his people. It would be understandable if
the one who created all things by the word of his power came
to earth as an exalted, splendorous king. And it would be understandable
if he demanded that all men see to his needs and wants and desires. And that would be right if he
did so. But wonder of wonders, Christ came to minister, to act
as a servant. This is way beyond my ability
to comprehend, but we're told that it's so. And because it's
so, because he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
we enjoy the status of being joint heirs with Christ. The
next thing we read that Christ did not come to do is found in
Luke 9.56. Luke 9.56. For the Son of Man
is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. Now when people find out that
we believe in election and predestination, their reaction many times is
to say, Well then, you believe that God chooses men to go to
hell. But that is completely opposite
of what we believe. All men in their natural state
live in unbelief. They are by choice and practice
already bound for destruction. But we believe, based on God's
word, that rather than choosing men to go to hell, Our blessed
Lord chooses men to go to heaven. He simply leaves the rest to
their chosen, natural, desired state of unbelief. Christ told
the Jews as much when they opposed him in their obstinate rebellion
in John 5, 40, when he said, and ye will not come to me that
ye might have life. You've chosen your supposed righteousness
over my saving righteousness. and you will perish in it. The
Lord Jesus, when He beheld Jerusalem in that account found in Matthew
23, said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets
and stonest them that are sin unto thee, how often would I
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, And ye would not. I reached out my hand in
your refuge, and as a result, he tells them in the next verse,
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. Our sovereign God
reasons with men, but they brazenly despise his grace. As described
in the first chapter of Proverbs, where we read, starting in verse
23, Turn ye at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit
unto you. I will make known my word unto
you. But we find natural man's reaction to that offer in the
next verse. I have called, and ye have refused.
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. But ye have said it not, all
my counsel, and would none of my reproof. So let no man ever
accuse God of destroying men's lives, because our Savior is,
by His very name, not the destroyer, but rather the saver of men's
lives and souls. Another thing that we're told
Christ did not come to do is to judge the men of this world
in their unbelief. John 12, 47 reads, And if any man hear my
words, and believe not, I judge him not, For I came not to judge
the world, but to save the world." Now, when I was doing this study,
I ran into a supposed conflict here. We know that God's Word
doesn't have any conflicting testimony, any conflicting verses,
but I was at a loss to reconcile this text with some that we're
going to read later concerning Christ sitting in judgment and
all judgment being given to the Son. So I talked about this with
our friend Marvin Stonerger last time he was here. I was working
on this note at that time. And Marvin helped me to understand
this. We talked about it and he said,
let me give it some thought. I'll call you back tomorrow.
And he did. In this instance in John 12, 47, it's referring
to our Lord's first coming. During His time on earth, He
did not judge any man because His purpose in coming that time
was to save men, not to damn them. He came the first time
as a lamb. He will return the next time
as a lion, as he's described in Revelation 5.5 as a lion of
the tribe of Judah. And we'll look at those verses
in a little while. So we've looked at some of the
things that Christ did not come to do. Now I'd like to look at
some Scriptures where Christ declares the things that He did
come to earth. to do. First, turn with me to
Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1. In Mark chapter 1, verse 38, it
says, And he said unto them, Let us go to the next town, that
I may preach there also. For therefore came I forth, Here
Christ is confirming what we read in Isaiah 61, verses 1 and
2. I'll read those to you. The Spirit
of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted. to proclaim liberty to the captives
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our
God, to comfort all that mourn. We know these two verses in Isaiah
are speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ because of what happened
when he read those verses in the synagogue at Nazareth at
the beginning of his ministry, Nazareth being his hometown. And that account we find in Luke
4. And after reading this text in Isaiah 61, our Lord told those
present, this day, if this Scripture fulfilled in your ears, He told
them, Isaiah was speaking of Me, when he wrote these verses. So in the next text that we read,
I should say in that text we read in Mark 1, Christ tells
his disciples that he came to this world to preach the gospel
of God's amazing grace to needy sinners. This great miracle was
listed with the other miracles which our Lord performed while
on earth. In Matthew 11, verse 5, when he was replying to the
two disciples of John the Baptist, you remember this story, They
asked him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? And Christ replied, Go and tell
John again those things ye do hear and see. The blind receive
their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel
preached to them. that our Lord didn't say in that
verse that I just read in Mark 1.38 that He came to do any of
the other miracles listed in His reply to John's disciples.
But He did say that He came to preach. All of the other miracles
are secondary to that miracle of the preaching of the gospel
of Christ and Him crucified. Why is that so important? We
find that answer to that question in 1 Corinthians 1.18, for the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us that are saved it is the power of God." How potent
is the preaching of the gospel? That's a good question. It is the power to save all sinners. It's the very might, the very
authority of the most all-powerful being in the universe. and the
power of God to save all sinners, which he declared three verses
later when he writes that it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. When the gospel comes
to a sinner, it doesn't come as a timid lamb. It comes in
power. Paul proclaimed in his letter
to the Thessalonians, when he wrote in chapter 1, verse 5,
for our gospel came not unto you, Lord only, but also in power. And in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance, exceeding, abundant assurance, gives us faith and
boldness to stand on that solid rock of the promises of God,
who cannot fail. And Paul reinforced that promise
when he wrote to the Corinthians in chapter 2, verses 4 and 5,
and said, in my speech, and my preaching was not with enticing
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God." That same power of God whereby we
are saved. And our Lord told His disciples
in Matthew 28, 18 where that power is to be found. He said,
all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. All of the
power of the triune God is found in the person of Jesus Christ,
as is every other treasure and mystery of God. Next, in Luke
chapter 19, verses 9 and 10, we find another reason why Christ
came to earth. Luke 19, 9 and 10. Speaking to
Zacchaeus, he said, This day is salvation come to this house,
For as much as he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man
is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Christ Jesus
had to seek us out because dumb sheep that we are are prone to
wander off and get lost. As we read in Isaiah 53, all
we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way. And that way would surely have
led to our destruction, if not for the Good Shepherd coming
to seek us out and to save us. While you're in Luke, turn over
to chapter 15 for a minute. Luke 15. This, of course, is a parable
of the lost sheep. Luke 15, verse 3. And He spake
this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred
sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and
nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until
he find it? And when he hath found it, he
layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with
me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. I say unto you
that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth
more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance. Here we see the tenderness with
which our Lord treats his sheep. He seeks out the wandering lost
sheep until he finds it and gently lays it on his shoulders and
brings it home. Nowhere in God's word is it ever remotely suggested
that the sheep ever go looking for the shepherd, ever. Yet modern
religion teaches men and women that they are the ones who make
the decision to seek the Lord. Nowhere in God's Word will you
ever find a parable of the lost shepherd being found by the seeking
sheep. That is a parable that has been
concocted by self-righteous works religion. And I never read that
last part of verse 7 and Luke 15, that I don't stand in wonder. How an occurrence that happens
on earth has an effect in heaven itself, that is beyond my comprehension
to understand. I say unto you likewise, that
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. That's amazing to me. In John
8.42, we're told another reason why Christ came. Christ came
because He was sent of the Father. He tells us in verse 42, For
I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came I of myself,
but He sent me." Our blessed Lord didn't just decide one day
that He was going to drop into earth and see what was going
on. No, He was sent by the Father. Paul tells us this in Galatians.
But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His
Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. In these two verses, we have
the entire gospel. We are told who sent Christ to
earth and why he sent him. Next, in John 10.10, Christ says,
I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. The
thief cometh not, but to steal. and to kill and to destroy. And then he proclaims, I am come
that they might have life and have it more abundantly. I am
the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. We find these verses in the middle
of our Lord's discourse on the good shepherd, which involves
the first 21 verses of this 10th chapter. And in this discourse,
our Lord explains, by using the example of a shepherd and his
flock of sheep, how he calls his sheep. how He leads His sheep,
how He protects His sheep, how He gives His life for the sheep,
and how the sheep will not hear any other voice but His. He has
other sheep, He tells us, that He must bring into this fold.
But it's not a life of bare existence where the sheep just barely get
by, but rather a life of abundant blessing. Psalm 40, verse 2,
speaks of this when it says, He brought me up out of an horrible
pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established
my goings. Like a lost wandering sheep,
we had fallen into the horrible pit of sin and could not help
our situation. But the good shepherd comes along
and brings us up out of the miry clay of self-righteousness and
dead religion and sets us upon the solid rock of Christ our
Lord. And once he does, He doesn't
just leave us to our wanderings anymore, but He establishes our
goings, and He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His
namesake. And we know where those paths
of righteousness lead. In the end, they lead to eternal
glory. Next, in John 9, back one page,
John 9, verse 39, Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this
world, that they which see not might see, and they which see
might be made blind. Now, does this statement conflict
with what we just read a few minutes ago when Christ said,
for I came not to judge the world? Not at all, because as I said
earlier, the first time our Lord came to earth, He came as a Lamb
to be made a sacrifice by which He would save men's lives and
souls. Because in the verse after, He
said he came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
We read in verse 48 of John 12 that he says, He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day. In the day of judgment of this
world, when men shall be held accountable for their unbelief,
our Lord will set in judgment. The day of mercy will be past,
and the day of severe justice will have come. Five times in
the book of Matthew, our Lord spoke of the day of judgment,
and each time there is no mention of mercy, but the strictness
of judgment and justice. And it will be the very Lord
whom men rejected who will be their judge. Christ told us this
in John 5, 2, where we read, The Father judgeth no man, but
hath committed all judgment to the Son. That same Son will give
the commandment to His holy angels to bind the condemned hand and
foot and cast them into our darkness. Next, in John 12, 27, we find
another reason why our Lord came to this earth. John 12, 27, Now
is my soul troubled, And what shall I say? Father, save me
from this hour, but for this cause came I to this hour. Here we find our Lord stating
the reason why He came, which was to die, to become the sacrifice,
to ensure His people's salvation. In verse 23, our Lord tells His
disciples, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be
glorified. Now, we normally don't associate
dying with being glorified. But in this case, it applies.
When a person dies, we don't usually say, this was his finest
moment, this was his greatest accomplishment. But in the case
of our blessed Lord, that is exactly what happened. When our
Lord was transfigured, which account we read in Luke 9, we
are told starting in verse 29, And as he prayed, the fashion
of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and
glistening. And behold, there talked with
him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory
and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."
His death was a culmination of his life's work, because it was
the very act which would secure, which would accomplish, the eternal
salvation of his chosen elect people, those whom he chose before
the foundation of the world, and I dare say that the death
of Christ was the greatest accomplishment that this world has ever seen,
because it secured forever the salvation of a number that no
man can number, which is why his last words before he died
on that Roman cross were, it is finished. I have accomplished
all that I came to do. Next reason for Christ's coming
we read in John 12, verse 46. I am come a light into the world
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. One of the meanings of this word
abide is to remain in a fixed state, which perfectly describes
how we live from the moment we drew our first breath. We lived
in a fixed state of sin and darkness. We had no choice but to live
there because we did not desire, nor did we have the ability to
change our circumstances. But in due time, God sent a gospel
preacher our way, and we became aware of our miserable condition,
but we were still unable to do anything about it. But the Spirit
of God came to us and brought the knowledge of the mercy of
God, brought the gift of faith, brought the light of Christ,
so that we no longer dwelt in darkness. That darkness in which
we had abode for so long. And now we have a new place we
abide, and that place is in Christ. That place where all the treasures
and wisdom of God are found. John 1-9 tells us that Christ
was that true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the
world. That light described in 1 Peter
2-9 But ye are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, and holy
nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises
of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light. And He hath given His Word, and
opened that Word to our understanding, as described in Psalm 119, verse
105. It says, Thy Word is a lamp unto
my feet, and a light unto my path. so that we now know the
way in which to walk. We're no longer stumbling along
in darkness. In John 18, verse 37, John 18,
verse 37, we read, Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king
then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that
I am a king. To this end was I born. And for
this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth. Everyone that is of the truth
heareth my voice." Truth means a verified or indisputable fact. And when our Lord told Pilate
that he came to bear witness to the truth, he was verifying
what is said in 1 John 5, verses 6 and 7. This is He that came by water
and blood, even Jesus Christ. Not by water only, but by water
and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that
bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and
these three agree in one. Now in the book of Deuteronomy,
chapter 19, instructions are given concerning the cities of
refuge. And it speaks of what proof is
needed in order to put a man to death for the crimes that
he was accused of. And it is required that there
be more than one to bear witness. As we read in verse 15, one witness
shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any
sin, in any sin that he sinneth, at the mouth of two witnesses,
or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."
So as required by God's holy law, we have three witnesses
required to bear witness to the truth of the gospel. It is not
just Christ alone, but it is the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost. So here's the answer to the greatest
mystery the world has ever known, that in eternity past, God the
Father gave to God the Son a multitude that no man can number. And in
order to redeem that multitude, Christ came, cloaked in human
flesh, willingly laid down his life in order to give those whom
he redeemed everlasting life. He came, as we read earlier,
to give his life a ransom for many. And as we looked at earlier,
that everlasting life that is given to us is a life of abundant
blessings bestowed on us by our God. A life which we will enjoy
for eternity, all because of the shed blood of Christ on our
behalf. Because of all which the Father gave to Him, He will
lose nothing and will indeed raise it up at the last day,
four times In the book of Revelation, Christ warns us, Behold, I come
quickly. This is a warning that the return
of Christ to this earth will happen without warning. He told
His disciples as much in Matthew 24. Matthew 24, turn there with
me. Matthew 24, starting in verse
42. Watch therefore, for ye know
not what hour your Lord cometh, but know this, that if the good
man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come,
he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to
be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready, for
in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. Who then
is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler
over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is
that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so
doing. Verily I say unto you, that he
shall make him ruler over all his goods. But, and if that evil
servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming,
and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and
drink with the drunken, The Lord of that servant shall come in
a day when he looketh not for him, for in an hour that he is
not aware of, and shall cut him asunder and appoint him as portion
with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. This verse makes it clear that
our Lord will return one day to this earth, and at this time
he will not come as a lamb to be sacrificed. This time he will
come to pour out his judgment. upon those who have opposed him
and his people. And unlike his first coming,
there will be no mercy. For those found outside of Christ,
judgment will be sure, be swift, and it will be horrifying. So
there you have it, in his own words, all of the reasons that
our blessed Lord came to earth. And it is indeed a wonderful
story, a story that we will delight in, for eternity as we sing the
praises of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. I hope the
Lord bless that to your heart. Lord willing, I'll be bringing
the message Sunday. and be going to Todd's Road to
preach for them Sunday night. So be in prayer for me. And a
week from tonight, Lord willing, our friend Frank Tate is scheduled
to be back with us. So be in prayer for Frank as
he prepares to come and preach to us. Lord bless you. You're
dismissed.