Philippians chapter 1. Pray that God will make the message
a blessing to you today. Pray that he would give me liberty
to preach it. One of the more resounding notes throughout
this epistle, this letter that Paul wrote to the church at Philippi,
one note that rings out again and again, over and over, is rather the note of joy, the
theme joy. If you didn't know it by Paul
telling us this in the epistle, you'd never think that he was
in prison because he just seemed so overjoyed. Chapter 3, verse
1, he says, Finally, my brethren, as though he had to remind them
of this just one more time before he was finished. Finally, my
brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me, indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Again
in chapter four, verse four. Rejoice in the Lord always, and
again I say rejoice. In the midst of terribly difficult
circumstances, even in the prospect of being put to death for his
faithfulness in preaching the gospel, Paul yet speaks with
unbridled joy concerning his love and joy in Christ Jesus. And he calls upon them to rejoice
in the Lord always. The words joy and rejoice appear
16 times in this epistle. References to Christ are found
61 times. There's 104 verses total in these
four chapters this letter Paul wrote. And out of those 104 verses,
61 times Christ is referred to. Now what's that tell us? It's
obvious that Paul's joy was in Christ and not his circumstances. Rejoice in the Lord. My circumstances
change. Oh, how swiftly they can change.
My feelings change. Feelings come and feelings go.
Oh, feelings are deceiving. But Jesus Christ, that which
is most needful. That which is, the Lord told
Martha, was the one thing needful. That one most important thing
in the life of every child of God is Jesus Christ himself,
and he never changes. He never changes. Change and
decay all around myself, I see, and in myself, but Jesus Christ
never changes. He was the source. of Paul's
joy. He's the source of every believer's
joy. He's the same. He's always the
same. He's always faithful. He's always
trustworthy. He's always full of grace and
truth. I glanced over at my wife Robin.
I promised to love her, to cherish her, to honor her until the day
I die. I may not always do that. I may
not always do that. I may not honor that promise,
I pray that God will allow me to do it, give me grace to do
it. Oh, but this I know, this I know, Jesus Christ is a faithful
husband. He's always, you can count on
him, you can count on him. Oh man, the arm of flesh, my
own or yours, will let you down. Jesus Christ will never let you
down. He'll never disappoint you. He's
always the same. in his grace, in his power, in
his love. He's always constant. He's always
reliable. The same yesterday, the same
today, and forever. Brother Don Fortner, his commentary
on this book of Philippians, Shelby asked me if I would write
the foreword to that commentary, and it was an honor for me to
do so. But Don said this, he said, I cannot rejoice in my
sorrows, but I can rejoice in the Lord who sent. I cannot rejoice
in my bed of languishing, but I can rejoice in the Lord who
makes my bed. I cannot rejoice in bereavement,
but I can rejoice in the Lord who gives and takes away as He
will. I cannot rejoice in my emptiness,
but I can rejoice in the Lord's fullness, full of grace and truth. I cannot rejoice in my pain,
but I can rejoice in His presence. His presence. Oh, what a sweet,
sweet promise. Our Lord said, I'm with you always,
even into the end of the world. There'll never be a time. There'll
never be a moment. There'll never be a circumstance.
You'll never pass through anything. In this life, as you make your
pilgrimage through this world to that city whose builder and
maker is God, there'll never be a moment, whether you feel
like it or not, that I'm not with you. I'm with you. I'm the
great shepherd. I'm the good shepherd, I'm the
faithful shepherd, and it's my responsibility to tend my sheep. Oh, what a sweet, sweet thought
it must have been for David. And for every true believer to
be able to say, the Lord, oh, he's my shepherd. He's the good
shepherd, he's the faithful shepherd, and he's the great shepherd.
Oh, and just combine them all together and embrace them to
yourself and say, he's mine. I am his and he is mine. Nothing, nothing can change that. Brother Don was an example of
that very thing, wasn't he? He was joyful during his suffering,
during his trials and sickness. I know I would talk to him often
and it was evident, it became evident that unless God undertook,
the doctors had done just about all they could do. We expected
to get the message and we weren't looking forward to it, but we
talked quite often, Don, and I would talk to him even when
he was in the hospital. And I told him on one occasion
not long before the Lord took him home, he was in the Cleveland
hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, during Christmas, and I called
him. I said, Don, I'm so sorry that you're having to spend Christmas
away from your family in a hospital. And he said, oh, Larry, don't
feel sorry for me. I said, Don, I'm gonna miss you. I'm sure gonna miss you. And
he said, Larry, don't you feel sorry for me? He said, God's
been so good to me all the days of my life. And he said, if he
takes me home, he said, that's going to be fine with me. That's
going to be fine with me. In fact, Paul gives us a blessed
reason to rejoice. I mentioned that joy was a recurring
note throughout this epistle. Paul, at the very outset of the
epistle, gives us the reason to rejoice. Verse six. I like this. I like this. This
is our text. What a joyful note it is. What
good news to every child of God this is. Listen to it. Being
confident. Oh, God, make me confident. Not in my own ability. Not in
my own power. Not in my will. Oh, but he is. Being confident. Look to the
Son of God, behold the Lamb of God, feast your eyes upon Him,
and you'll be confident in this very thing, that He which had
begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ. I found this hymn that Don wrote,
He'll not let me go. And I thought it would fit well
here. It emphasizes what we just said. He'll not let me go. Ashamed I am because my heart
is filled with doubts and fears. But God is greater than my heart
and all my sinful fears. Immutable his will remains, no
matter what my state. God's love and grace can never
change. His work he'll not abate. Did
Christ upon my soul once shine in matchless love and grace?
Then he forever still is mine, and I shall see his face. And
he does. He does. Oh, sometimes I think
I've told you this before. I've tried to imagine what it's
like for those brothers and sisters in the family of God that have
gone on to glory, what they must be doing now, what it must be
like. My imagination just can't reach that high. Oh my soul,
what it must be to look upon the face of the Lord Jesus Christ
without sin. When I see thee as thou art,
and I love thee with an unsinning heart. Ooh, now we just can't
hardly get a grasp of that now, but a better day's coming. My
soul through many changes goes, but I am yet assured His love
no variation knows, therefore I am secure. my soul into Christ's
arms I cast, missed all my fear and woe, assured I shall be saved
at last, for he will not let me go." There's your security. Not your grip on Christ, but
his grip on you. He will not let you go. Confident
of this very thing. Paul speaks of a confidence without
presumption. To believe what God says, To
believe the word and the promises of God is not presumption, it's
faith. Now to lean upon the arm of flesh,
that's presumption. To harbor a false hope and to
cling to that, that's presumption. To think that everything will
be well in the end even without knowing God or Christ, that's
presumption. But to believe God, to believe
what we just read in our text, that's not presumption, that's
faith. Faith is what God has promised God is able to perform. That's what Paul tells us here.
If God starts something, God's going to finish it. If He's God. If God starts something, God's
going to finish it. And Paul says, He that's begun
this good work in you, and oh what a glorious good work it
is, God will finish it. This great salvation, consider
this first of all, the first thing, Paul's confidence, Paul's
confident assurance. He says, he that hath begun. Where does salvation begin? Where
does it begin? Who starts salvation? Who takes
the initiative? Who is he spoken of in our text? Who's responsible for this good
work of grace? Somebody has to be. Somebody
had to begin this, like creation. Like creation. Ask yourself,
how did this happen? I like to sit out. Sit out back. Especially before, when a storm
is brewing. Oh, see the wind. Hear that thunder. Oh, my heart like the hemisphere.
How great thou art. An evidence of the greatness
of our great creator. Who's responsible for that? How
did it really happen? Was all this, this wondrous creation,
was it the result of a big bang? Now all the smart folks, that's
their answer. How did this all come about?
Who did this? It was the result of a big bang. It just happened. That's the
best they can come up with. It just happened. Oh, in answer
to how this creation came into existence, the answer is this.
We turn to the first page of the Word of God. The very first
sentence gives us the answer. There it is. In the beginning,
God. In the beginning, God. There
it is. Well, and the professors and
the intellectuals and the scientists and the philosophers say, oh,
that's just too simple. That's just a notion of ignorant
people. I'll take it. I'll take it better than your
Big Bang Theory. In the beginning, God created,
God did this, created the heaven and the earth. The psalmist said,
so often he spoke of the wonder of God's creation. Psalm 8, verse
3, When I consider thy heavens, thy heavens, the work of thy
fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, Again,
Psalm 19, verse 1. The heavens declare the glory
of God. They're the evidence of the greatness
of our God. They reflect our great God. And
the firmament showeth his handiwork. Isaiah 40, verse 22. It is he,
God, that setteth upon the circle of the earth. And the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers. That's not very flattering, is
it? that stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreads them
out as a tent to dwell in. And in answer to this question,
where does salvation begin? Who started it? The answer is
still the same. It's still the same. We can borrow
what we read in Genesis 1 and 1 and apply it to salvation. In the beginning, God. God. Was it man who started this good
work of grace, this great salvation? Really? Really? We're told that
it depends upon man. They could all come to nothing
if man doesn't cooperate, if man doesn't allow God, if man
doesn't give God a chance. Everything God wants to do depends
on man. The death of Jesus Christ will
be for nothing if man doesn't make use of it. Really? How can
that be? Because man, all of men, are
dead in trespasses and sins. That's the teaching of the book.
and our daddy died when Adam fell, we fell in him. Wherefore, Romans 5, 5 and 12,
wherefore, as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death. He didn't stomp his toe. Adam,
in the day that you eat of that fruit, you're gonna die. You're
gonna die. You're gonna fall. You're gonna
fall from God into the arms of Satan. In the day that you eat
thereof, you shall die. and death by sin, and death passed
upon just about everybody, oh no, death passed upon all men. We inherit the nature of our
daddy. You don't have to teach those
grandchildren to lie, they do it by nature. It's in them, they
get it from you. For all have sinned. When was
the last time you saw a dead man do anything? If you think
you have, then we need to talk. When's the last time you saw
a dead man do anything? You can speak to him. There's
no response. No response. He can't hear. He can't talk. He can't move.
He's dead. This is what our Lord said concerning
Lazarus. He told his disciples, Lazarus
is dead. And unless Jesus cried, oh, that
our children would be made by God's grace to realize this.
Until they do, until they're made to realize it, they'll never
feel their need. They'll never come to Christ
for mercy until they feel their need of mercy. Unless Jesus Christ
comes to the grave of Lazarus, unless he comes to where Lazarus
is not gonna come to him, it ain't gonna happen. Unless Jesus
Christ goes to the tomb of Lazarus, Lazarus will stay dead. And if
Jesus Christ, If Jesus Christ hadn't come to me, I would yet
be dead. The same is true of you. The
same is true of every believing sinner. Jesus Christ came to
you. He sought you. You didn't seek
him. He took the initiative. Salvation
is of the Lord. What other explanation could
there be for sinners that were dead to be made alive? Who else
is responsible? Who else could do it? Who else
has that power? The Son of God said all that
power the Father had committed into His hands. In Ephesians
2 and 1, you have He quickened. That's made alive. You have He
quickened, made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Thank God He didn't wait for Lazarus to take the first step.
If Lazarus could take the first step, He could take them all.
And thank God He didn't wait for you and I to take the first
step. If so, we would never have been saved. We would never have
been saved. Salvation begins with God. It's He that begins this good
work. Grace comes from the God of all grace. Grace that gives
life to dead sinners so that they may arise and follow the
Lamb, being quickened together with Christ. By nature we're
neither able nor willing, but grace makes us both. That as
sin had reigned unto death, even so might grace reign. That's
what I need. I need reigning grace. Nothing
less than reigning grace. I don't need a little bump in
the right direction. Don't need a little taste of
religion. I need more than religious spasms. I need Jesus Christ to
come to where I'm at just as he did Lazarus literally. I need
him to come to me spiritually and say, Larry, live, live, arise. And with that word, with that
command goes life. Life goes with it and we raise
from the dead being quick. It's this good work begins with
God. Salvation begins with Him. Grace
comes from Him. Grace that gives life to dead
sinners so that they can follow the Lamb begins with God. That
is, again, Romans 5. That is, sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. And here's a jawbreaker for the
fundamentalists. God did all this on purpose.
God did all this on purpose. People hear that you, yes, God
purposed to save. Whoever God saves today, he purposed
to save. And since he doesn't change,
he must have purposed them before today. I mean, it's not like
he wakes up like we do and he's got a new idea. He thinks of
something that he never thought of before. That's absurd. No.
If God saves someone today, he purposed to save them before
today, hence before the foundation of the world. Would you rather
God save someone by accident? No, no, no. God purposed to save. God saves people. purpose, the
purpose according to his mercy and grace. It's not an afterthought,
it wasn't his backup plan. Oh no, listen to this, in the
beginning God, second at the In answer to the question concerning
salvation, we are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God, not you, it didn't
begin with you, because God had from the beginning, in the beginning
God, God had from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Isn't
that a wonder? Isn't that a wonder? He chose
you to, Billy Cobb, why did God choose you to salvation? Anybody
but you, anybody but me. Oh, what wonder, what mercy.
God had from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. God have saved us. Could words be plainer? God have
saved us and called us with the holy calling. Why? not according
to our works, not according to foreseen faith, but according
to his own purpose and grace. And when did he give us that?
Which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. That pretty much takes us out
of the picture as far as being the cause of it, the reason for
it. Oh no, it's all according to
God's purpose, God's grace, God determined to show mercy. Moses,
I'm going to show mercy. I'm going to have mercy. Someone's
going to taste my mercy. Someone's going to experience
my mercy. Thank God. Old Josiah Condor
wrote a hymn. It said this, Lord, it's not
that I did choose you, that I know could never be, for this heart
would still refuse you had your grace not chosen me. You removed
the sin that stained me, cleansing me to be your own, For this purpose
you ordained me, that I should live for you alone. Here's the second thing. Paul
tells us in this text, this good work is begun by God, and this
work is indeed a good work. A good work. Oh, the work of
God's grace. What a glorious, gracious, and
good work. After each creative act, in Genesis
chapter 1, we read these words. And God saw that it was good. God saw that it was good. We
read that again and again. Until we come to Genesis chapter
2 and we read these words concerning Adam. And the Lord God said,
it is not good. It's not good. What? What? What's different now? What's
the exception? It's not good that the man should be alone.
I will make him a helpmeet for him. And even so, Even so, in
God's glorious purpose of grace, in that covenant of God's everlasting
grace, God purposed that it was not good that His Son should
be alone. Romans 8 and 29, For whom He
did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He, that is Christ, God's Son, should be
the firstborn among many brethren. It's not good that he should
be alone. And just as Eve was taken from
Adam, the church was chosen in Christ. And just as Eve was presented
to Adam by God, the church, the bride of Christ, was given to
Christ before the foundation of the world, and Christ took
her. Christ took her. God presented His bride, His
chosen, to His Son, and His Son said, I'll take her. I'll take
her. She's mine. I'll take her. Yes, she'll fall. I'll take her. I'll do everything necessary
to bring her back to myself. I'll do everything God Almighty
required. She's mine. She's my bride. And just as Adam took that fruit,
his eyes were opened. He wasn't deceived. The Bible
tells us that. He wasn't deceived like the woman. He knew what
he was doing. Christ took the forbidden fruit. God made him
to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the
very righteousness of God in him. Yes, Christ is responsible
for his church. Our husband is responsible for
his bride. Listen to this in Ephesians 5.
This is what Paul tells us here. Ephesians 5 verse 23. For the
husband is the head of the wife. even as Christ is the head of
the church and he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the
church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands and everything. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and he gave himself for it, that
he might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish. So men ought to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. For no man ever yet hateth his
own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it even as the Lord
the Church. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother. These were the words that Adam
uttered when the Lord God brought Eve to him. For this cause shall
a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife,
and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. Thou art my first
elect, God said, and then chose us, the bride in Christ our head. The institution of marriage in
Eden between our first parents was a shadow of that union long
before that, that was formed between Christ and his church. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. The sons of God. Therefore the
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now. Now. Well, Larry, I don't feel
like it doesn't matter. Now are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be, But we know that when
he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him
as he is. What a good work. There's none
better. There's none more glorious. And
Paul tells us also in this text that this good work that God
begins is a good work in you. In you. Salvation is not what
I do for myself. It's not produced by the labors
of my hands. I think I may have told you when
I was a young boy living in that cold camp, it was called, that
my father worked in. During the summer, these, usually
it was always charismatic Pentecostals, you know, throwing dust in there,
flip-flopping around, jumping over pews and this and that,
would set up a big tent. Long as there was a nickel to
be milked in the community, they would stay there all summer long.
One time a friend of mine were going home, going to his house,
I was spending the night with him, and they were still going
at it. We said, let's go in here and
see what this is all about. They scared us to death. The
man was given his altar call. Started counting the team. If
everybody that's in the tent tonight that doesn't know Christ
doesn't come up here this night, this night, doesn't come up here
and make their decision, they'll be dead within a year. And he
started counting. I said, Johnny, what are we going
to do? Johnny said, be quiet. He doesn't know what he's talking
about. Seven, eight. And I looked over and Johnny
was gone. He done shot up front. We went up there and they said,
oh, congratulations. Congratulations. Oh, you're doing
the right thing. Yeah, you're going to live for
the Lord. Didn't have a clue what they were talking about.
We left that night. You know how long that lasted?
You know how long that so-called conversion lasted? Overnight. Overnight. The next day when
the fear was gone, our decision went out the window. It's not
what we do that saves us. It's what God does. Salvation
is not a work that's done out here, it's something that's done
in the heart. It's God that worketh in you.
This is what Paul says in this same book, doesn't he? Look at
chapter 2 here in Philippians, verse 13. For it is God which
worketh in you. in you. That's what salvation
is. It's a work in you. For it is God that worketh in
you, both the will and the do of His good pleasure. I needed a new heart. There's
no soul winner that can do that. There's only been one great physician
with the power, with the ability to do that. Only He has the healing
virtue that gives sinners a new heart. Only the Lord Jesus Christ,
the great physician, can make us both willing and able in the
day of his power. Only he can enable us to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. In John chapter 1 we read, He
came unto His own, and His own received Him not. He was in the
world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him
not. But as many, that wasn't the
case with everyone. There were some exceptions. Why?
Were these exceptions smarter than the others? Were they wiser
than the others? No, we're told. The difference
was because of this, but as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed
on his name who were born. Here's the reason, who were born
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of
man, but of God, God. After describing the conflict
within every child of God, Paul in Romans 7 does, Paul cries
out, Oh, wretched man that I am. Have you ever done that? Every
true believer does that. Oh, wretched man that I am. Is
there no end to this? Is there never going to be a
truth to this? No, never. Never. Not as long
as we're in this. As long as we're in this flesh,
we'll experience this battle. And we'll cry it with the apostle.
Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? This is real. This is a real
conflict. This is felt in the depths of
our souls. But Paul didn't stop with that
question, did he? He answered that question. And
the only answer is this. It's not a deliverance that can
be wrought out by myself. I can't keep myself in grace
any more than I could put myself in grace. If I could will myself
in, as we're told that we can do, which we can't, then I could
wheel myself out. No. Who shall deliver me? Who
shall keep me? Who shall carry on this good
work of grace within me? The same one who started it.
Paul answered his question. Who shall deliver me? Here's
the answer. The only answer. Thank God, Paul said, through
Jesus Christ the Lord. There it is. All that religion
can do is just an outward show. is just a form of godliness,
a performance dependent upon man for its success. That gives
me no reason to rejoice. It gives me no grounds for a
good hope. Oh, but the reigning grace of
God that's in Christ Jesus, that does. That does. The work of grace in a sinner
is a work and an operation of God. Whenever a soul really believes,
really begins to hunger and thirst after righteousness, any time
a sinner knows that they're a sinner. You can count on it. This is
the word Lord's doing. Altar calls won't do it. When
a sinner stands and cries with the public, and I'm the sinner,
I need mercy, you can count on it. God's done something for
that man or that woman. Altar calls won't produce that.
Going up and making a decision won't produce that. Those usually
don't amount to much. But Christ in you, Christ in
you, This is the Lord's doing, and it's marvelous in our eyes.
I've told you, I think, before when I was a young boy back in
West Virginia, we'd hear that there was a swimming hole somewhere. So we would hike until we found
it. We'd go through woods and over mountains until we found
this swimming hole. And one of us would go down and
swim out. try to touch bottom, then come
up out of the water, and the rest of us are standing on the
rocks above the swimming hole, and he would shout out and say,
it's deep enough. I couldn't touch bottom. It's
safe. Go ahead and jump. Go ahead and jump. Oh, bless
God, there's a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's
veins, and sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty
stain, and it's deep enough. It's deepened up. It's never
lost its power. Oh, the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, has never lost its virtue. It cleanses from all
sin. Know ye not, Paul said, that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be
deceived. Don't believe the lies. Fornicators
and adulterers and adulterers, infeminate and abusers of themselves
with mankind, thieves and covetous, drunkards and revilers, extortioners
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And Paul says, and such
were some of you. And what hope do we have? Paul
says, you're not anymore. Such were some of you, and such
will yet be, except for this. We came to this fountain so rich
and sweet, and we plunged in and were made complete. We plunged
in. We were plunged in by the hand
of omnipotent grace. And when we came out, well, my
soul, would you look at that? Gone. Gone. Our sins are gone. Paul said, but you're washed.
You're not like that. You were like that. But so, Paul
says, now you are present tense. You're washed. You're sanctified. You're justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. Here's one
last note in this joyful song. This good work in you started
by God, Paul said it's going to be finished by God. You can
count on that. God never began anything that
he didn't complete. The wise man said, I know that
whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put
to it. nor anything taken from it, and
God does it that men should fear before him, that men could stand
in holy wonder and awe of such a God as that." Look what he
did. Look, can you imagine? Oh, can
you imagine? And I know we can't, but it's
nice to try. When we're all gathered around
the throne of God, and there we are with the great shepherd,
And He brings all those that the Father put into His hand
before the world began. And He says, Father, they're
all here. And look at them. There's not
a trace of sin in any of them. And there's a multitude that
no man can number. And they're all singing in perfect
harmony, worthy is the Lamb that He hath redeemed us with His
own blood. Brother Henry Mayhem was telling
a story. He said one time someone asked
him, do you believe that salvation is forever? And Henry said, well,
it depends. It depends on who does the saving. If man's responsible to keep
himself saved and to save himself, no, it won't last very long.
It won't last very long. But if salvation is God's work,
if God in the beginning does this work, then he'll carry it
on. It will be forever. This is God's
word. My covenant will I not break.
My covenant, it was made with the great shepherd. My covenant
will I not break nor alter the thing that has gone out of my
lips. That's exactly what Paul says here. What God starts, God
will finish until the day, Paul says, of the Lord Jesus Christ. The covenant of grace was made
from everlasting and it will continue to everlasting. Its
promises never fail. Its blessings are secure, sure
as the mercies of David. Redemption by Christ was eternal
It still is. It shall be performed and perfected.
The graces wrought in the soul, such as faith and hope and love,
will remain. The blessings of grace bestowed
as pardon, justification, adoption, salvation, are never reversed. God never repents them. They
ever continue. Such as are regenerated and pardoned
and justified and adopted and saved shall ever be. You know
why? Because salvation is God's will. It's God's work. Being confident,
again, of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it, will perfect it, will carry it on
into the day of Jesus Christ. Isn't that good news? That's
so much better than being told, God's done all he can do, and
now it's up to you. Ooh, I hope that's not true.
I hope that's not true, and thank God it's not. Thank God, according
to his word, God will perfect that which concerneth me. I love
what old Newton said. Through many dangers, toils,
and snares, and we all can identify with this. We can all say amen
to this. I have already come to this great grace that's brought
me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised
good to me. His word my hope secures. He
will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. The
earth shall soon dissolve like snow. The sun forbear to shine. But God, who called me here below,
will be forever mine. When we've been there 10,000
years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's
praise than when we first begun. God bless you. God bless each
of you. Bye.