All right, back in Revelation
chapter 21. You guessed my text, I imagine.
The last verse there, verse 27. The Lamb's Book of Life. Now
it shouldn't be difficult, John, for me to spend some time on
that. The Lamb's Book of Life. If a man can't preach from that,
he just can't preach. A few weeks ago, Robin and I
were invited to meet her cousin and a friend of her cousin's,
a business associate of her cousin's. Steve was her cousin's name. And he was in Birmingham on business. They hadn't seen each other for
only over 24 years. So we met him at the Cracker
Barrel, same one we went to, Delilah, a few months ago. But Steve was, as I said, on
a business trip with a friend named Ron. And while Robin and
Steve, you can imagine, had a lot of catching up to do for 24 years,
So when they were talking about cousins and cousins and grandmas
and grandpas, I didn't have a clue. So Ron and I had a little conversation
of our own while we waited for our meal. But eventually, Steve,
Robin's cousin, asked me some questions and said, you're a
pastor. I said, yes, I'm a pastor. Then he asked me questions about
the rapture, about the millennium, post-millennial, pre-millennial,
odd millennium. I told you that someone asked
Tim James about that, and he said, I'm a pan-millennium. What's that mean? I believe it'll
all pan out by God's grace. Steve told me that he attended
a Wesleyan church and had taught a Bible class there. And his
friend, Ron, who's sitting directly across from me, said that he
used to be a Catholic. But he had become an Episcopalian. And he said, have you heard of,
and he used a Latin word, I said, I don't have a clue. He said,
well, it means conversion. He said when he converted, when
he jumped from Catholic to Episcopalian, and it wasn't much of a stretch,
he said he went through a three-day conversion program, and then
on the third day, The third day, he said, was for the rest of
your life. And he said at the end of that, not the rest of
your life, but at the end of the program, he said the grand
finale was this. They gave you a cross. Gave you
a cross. These were his words to me. Larry,
it was powerful. It was powerful. Lifeless, useless
religion. Lifeless religion is worse than
no religion at all. That's right. A false hope is
worse than no hope at all. Let me tell you why. Not only
is a religionist lost by nature, as all men are, but they're lost
in religion. The Pharisees are a prime example
of that. And who hated Christ more than
the religious Pharisee? I ran across these lines when
I was thinking about this. If Christless sermons fall on
Christless crowds, allured by music and bewitching show, then
the lifeless will remain lifeless and their bubble will burst in
woe. Isn't that right? I finally said
to both of them, after they'd asked questions and told me what
they thought about things. I thought about what our Lord
told the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Herodians when they all
got together to try to catch Him in His words. Matthew 22,
you remember that? You can turn there if you like.
We'll come back to Revelation. Matthew chapter 22, verse 15.
You remember this. Verse 15, then went the Pharisees
and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. Boy, that was a fool's errand,
wasn't it? How they might entangle him in his talk. Verse 16, and
they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians,
saying, Master, we know that thou art true and teachest the
way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man.
They thought they'd butter him up a little. Where thou regardest
not the person of men, tell us therefore, what thinkest thou?
And this was a trap. They thought they were going
to trap the Son of God. What thinkest thou? Is it lawful
to give tribute unto Caesar or not? Verse 23. The same day he
sent those Pharisees their tails tucked. The same day came unto
him, verse 23, the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection,
and asked him, and you know the story, blah, blah, they made
up this story. Look at verse 34 now, verse 34 of Matthew 22. But when the Pharisees had heard
that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered
together. The only thing, they were always
opposed to one another, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. But they were
agreed on this one thing. They hated Jesus Christ. They
were agreed on that. We got to get rid of him. We
got to try to find some way to entangle him in his words so
we can accuse him before Caesar, before the powers that be. Look
at verse 35. Then one of them, which was a
lawyer, not a lawyer like an advocate, but a mouthpiece, asked
him a question, tempting him and saying, Master, which is
the great commandment in the law. Now look at verse 41, let's
skip on down. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, What think ye of Christ? And I said, Ron, Steve, that's
the issue. Nothing else matters. Not prophetic
speculations, not denominational doctrines, It doesn't matter
if I don't know Christ. What else? What's that matter? And that's what Jesus Christ
himself said. And while I was telling them that, Robin was
sitting next to me, I was praying, Oh God, bring this home to their
heart. What think ye of Christ? Remember what the Lord himself
taught. Here's the definition of salvation. And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou didst send." Billy, what else matters?
What else matters? If I could figure out the day
and the time, which a lot of fools have tried to do, and proven
that they didn't know what they were talking about, but if I
could prove the day and the time of Christ's return, what does
it matter if I don't know Jesus Christ? What does it matter?
Hmm. When we left that night, and
otherwise, don't misunderstand me, it was enjoyable. I liked
this man, Steve. I liked him. His job was very
interesting, but we won't go into that. But it was another
sad reminder. You'd have to bury your head
in the sand and deliberately deny that we're not reminded
of these things every day on every hand. I mean, every time
you listen to religious people open their mouth, I'm reminded
of what the Lord said himself in Psalm 50. Thou thoughtest
that I was altogether such as one as yourself. Is that right?
Isn't that what our religious generation stands guilty of? Me and Robin talk about this
often. Somebody will say something just plum crazy. This is what
I think. You know, when I go to heaven,
I mean, nobody goes to hell anymore. Nobody. Nobody goes. Everybody's
saved. And they think God is whatever
they want Him to be. They'll ask you a question, and
you tell them what the Bible says, and they say, but I think...
It's what I think. I like to think of God this way.
And God said, that's your problem. You thought I was like you. And
our children think God's like them. Our neighbors think God's
like them. They think God will accept anything.
Am I lying? All around us this morning, in
all of the churches in Sylacauga except this one, people are being
told how easy it is to be a believer, how easy it is to be saved. All
God requires of you is to take a few steps up here. If you ain't
willing to do that, just sign that decision card on the back
of your pew. It's easy as ABC. They think God's just like them.
It's not easy as ABC. Show me that in the Bible. Who
can be saved? The disciples of Christ asked.
He said, with men it's impossible. You can move your feet until
you get leg cramps. You can sign that decision card
until you get a crick in your finger. But until you know the
Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else matters. Oh, my soul. Oh, I wish
this generation knew that. But alas, they don't. A man's
definition. of righteousness. Is this not
also true? Depends upon his understanding
of who God is. Is that right? His understanding
or definition of righteousness depends upon his understanding
of God, his concept of God. God's the old man upstairs. I'm
going to bring him down here to my level. He'll accept anything. He'll accept my best. You know,
we all make mistakes. We've all sinned. God understands
that. The problem with this religious
generation is that they've never ever seen a holy God. They've never seen Him. They
have no inkling about how holy and how righteous God is. They
don't have a clue. And no one will ever see the
holy character of God Almighty until they see what happened
at Calvary. That's right. Christ didn't die
to get God to love people. God already loved His people.
That's why He sent His Son in the first place. It wasn't love. Love provided the sacrifice,
but why was it necessary? Who demanded the death of the
Son of God? A righteous, holy God did. The soul that sinneth, it must
die. What happened at Calvary? This
is what happened. Though I hope we rejoice being
reminded of it. Psalm 85 and 10. Mercy and truth
are met together. That's what happened, John. Righteousness
and peace have kissed one another. That's what the Lord Jesus Christ
did for his people when he offered himself without spot to God.
This is what happened at Calvary. God had made him who knew no sin to be sin for
us, for He had made Him, that is God made Him Christ to be
sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. That's what happened at Calvary.
That alone enables God Almighty to be just when He justifies
a sinner. I can't think of a better way
to express it than old Scott Richardson used to, and I've
told you this many times. Before God does anything for
you, before God does anything for me, He's got to do something
for Himself. And that's exactly what Paul
tells us in Romans 3, that He sent forth Jesus Christ For that
very purpose, Jesus Christ, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God, to declare, I say, at this time God's righteousness,
that he might be just, that he might be just. Our generation
never hears that, that God might be just and the justifier of
him which believeth in Jesus. When our Lord in that parable
in Luke 18 of the beggar and the braggart, The Pharisee and
the Republican, remember what he said, oh my soul, if you believe
on the Son of God, the Son of God says when you go through
those doors this morning, He's going home justified. Man, you might be going home
to a shack. You might be going home picking up heartaches and
troubles and trials, but you're justified in the sight of God,
and there nothing can change that. Glory to his name. Rejoice.
Rejoice. Mercy there was great, and grace
was free. Pardon there was multiplied to
me. There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. There God
was enabled by the death of his Son to justify this sinner. And
I'll never be unjustified. God's people rejoice. I read
this. It came across my desk yesterday. Marvin Stoniker's bulletin. Listen
to this. Marvin wrote, God's people rejoice
in the Lord always. Doesn't mean they don't have
heartaches. Of course they do. But they rejoice in the Lord
always. They rejoice that his grace is always sufficient. and
that His blood cleanses from all sin, that by His imputed
righteousness they are justified before the law, that His love
for them never fails, that by His providence all things work
together for good whether we realize it or not, that His intercession
for them before the Father is never ceasing, and that their
names, for His sake, are written in heaven." And that brings us
to our text. Verse 21. And there's surely
no wise enter into anything, enter into it anything that defileth,
neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie." Man, does that
mean nobody's going to enter in? But, there it is again, Billy,
that wonderful but. They which are written in the
Lamb's Book of Life. The Lamb's Book of Life. The
value of this book, that which gives it its worth, its inestimable value, is who
does it belong to? Whose book is this? The Lamb
of God. The same Lamb that John pointed
to when he said, behold, the Lamb of God. The same Lamb that
Abel offered up to God, a picture of Christ. The same lamb that
that night in Egypt when death was all around and that Passover
lamb was sprinkled on the doorpost and the lintel. And God said,
when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. That's that lamb, the
same lamb. That's his book. The Lamb's Book
of Life. That's him. That one who was
the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. The
same Lamb. His book. I read, I believe it
was in, well I'm sure it was, in Charles Spurgeon's biography. It's actually an autobiography.
It was put together after he died, but his secretary and wife
just gleaned from his sermons and personal writings, and it's
just about his words on every page. But it was in one of those
volumes that I read that Spurgeon had a great library. John, he
had thousands, you know this, thousands of books. And he had
one of the greatest collections of old Puritans, that was his
favorite, that existed in that day. But for any man that was
his contemporary, that was living during his own days, Spurgeon
always wanted, if he had a book of theirs, one that he thought
was worth having. He always wanted it to be personally
autographed by the writer. I think I read that he would have it sent across the sea in
America just to have that done and then, because Spurgeon never
visited this country, and then come back to him. He wanted that
autograph. That's what I always do. Always
did. with my pastor, Brother Don Fortner. If you go to the house this afternoon,
and you're welcome to do this, I've got all Don's books, every
one of them. You pick up any one you want,
and you open it up, and it'll say, to my good friend, Larry
Crest, I thank God for bringing you
into my life. I have a scripture reference. Everyone, everyone,
except two volumes, except two volumes, is commentary on the
book of Exodus. If you open that up, either volume
and look, there's nothing there. There's nothing written. Because those two books by Don
were published after Don had made his Exodus. out of this
world. They were at the publishers when
he died. But I don't mind that at all.
Bobby, every time I open that, and I see that blank page, I
think, oh, Don's made his exodus, his departure out of this world. Maybe that's better than a signature.
Like old Simeon, remember? He took the Lord Jesus up in
his arms. He said, oh, let me die. These eyes will never see
anything as glorious as this. Let your servant depart in peace
according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation. Or as Paul said in his last words,
I'm now ready to be offered in the time of my departure, exodus
is at hand. You know why? We have such a
good hope now because our names are written in the Lamb's Book
of Life. You can't know that until you believe on the Son
of God. I mean, you can't get to heaven and open the Lamb's
Book of Life, see the name, the Lamb of God, and then underneath,
that's not possible at all. But if you believe on Christ,
your name was there before the foundation of the world. Your
faith is the proof of it, the evidence of it. No wonder that
Christ said what he did in Luke 10. Remember that? And you don't
hurt my feelings if you turn to these places. I'll try to
pause to give you an opportunity to do it. But in Luke 10, you
remember this, verse 1, After these things the Lord appointed
other seventy also, Luke 10, and sent them two by two before
his face into every city and place whether he himself would
go, would come. And then they returned. They
went and cast out devils, they preached the gospel, they healed
the sick, and then they come back. Man, can you imagine the
jubilation? Can't you just see those seventy
as they come back to Christ? And they said, Master, Master,
even the devils are subject unto us through thy name, my soul. And you remember what the Lord
said to them? Verse 20, In this rejoice not, that the spirits
are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because of your names. That's exactly right, Bill. Your names are written in heaven. And no one can erase it. I can't erase it. My sins can't
erase it. My ungratefulness can't erase
it. Because the finger of God Almighty
put my name there, and it can never be blotted out. Christ
says, rejoice, rejoice, your name's written in heaven. And
he led them in that, didn't he? He rejoiced himself in that same
hour. And he said, oh, I thank you,
oh, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've hid these things
from the wise and the prudent. And you revealed them to babes,
even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. He rejoiced
in the election. All things are delivered to me
of my Father. And no man knoweth who the Son
is but the Father. and who the Father is but the
Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal Him." That's true. Of all the Lamb, or rather that's
true of all God's sheep, all the Lamb's sheep. Remember we
read this from Revelation 14 last Sunday. These are they which
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. That's just a fact. That's just so. People talk about,
what's heaven? That's where the Lamb's at. What
are you going to do? I'm going to follow Him there.
What are you going to do when you get there? I'm going to see
where is the Lamb? What else is there? What else do I need
to know? These are they which follow the Lamb wheresoever He
goeth. These were redeemed from among
men. That means something. Redemption means something. Christ,
if He redeemed me, I'm not going to hell. If Christ redeemed me
with His precious blood, my sins are gone. They're gone. He redeemed
me. My soul, people talk about a
redemption that those who supposedly were redeemed, whose sins Christ
bore on the cross, end up in hell anyway. What kind of redemption
is that? That's useless. And poor blind
folks say, oh, that's just sweet. Sweet? What's sweet about it?
He died for everybody and they go to hell anyway? What's sweet
about that? No, give me a redemption that
redeemed, an atonement that really atoned. That's what I glory in. And Christ said, they follow
me wherever I go because I redeemed them. They're the first fruits
unto God and to the Lamb. Remember what Christ, the Lamb
of God, said in Luke 9, verse 28? And it came to pass about
eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James
and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion
of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and
glistering. And behold, there talked with
him two men, which were Moses and Elijah. Just a little sidebar
here. How did Peter and John and James
know who they were? Because we'll be known even as
we are known. In glory, verse 31. Who appeared
in glory, that is Moses and Elijah, and spake of his decease, the
word is Exodus, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. They
spoke of his decease, his exodus, his departure. What else would
they speak of? What else would they speak of? Not Moses, the lawgiver, but
Christ who came to redeem us from the curse of the law. They
talked about that. Not Elijah, that great prophet
of God, but they spoke about that one who came to fulfill
everything that those fellows talked about and wrote about. The Lamb of God. His decease. That's what they talked about. His going out. And notice these
words. His decease that he should accomplish
at Jerusalem. You ever heard death talked about
in that way? An accomplishment? That's strange language, isn't
it? Death is anything but an accomplishment. It's the end
of everything man has here. It's letting loose of every relationship
and every possession. And they call that an accomplishment? It was for Him. It was for Jesus
Christ. Oh, what an accomplishment it
was. Afterwards he said, Behold, we
go up to Jerusalem, his disciples, and all things that are written
by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and he shall be
mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on. And they shall
scourge him, and put him to death. And the third day he shall rise
again. I like those shalls, don't you? He rose again. You know why?
Because he accomplished everything God sent him into this world
to do on the behalf of his people. Everything. Everything. Nothing undone. He obtained their
eternal redemption. He put away all their sins. He
brought in an everlasting righteousness, exactly as he said he would do.
And after he did it, he said, it's finished. Mission accomplished. void his name. I don't know that you've had
opportunity to glance at that or to read the article by Brother
Don in your bulletin today. They are gone. That's a keeper.
You ought to keep that. They are gone. Just a portion. Just a portion. Don said, I want
every child of God to realize the fact that at this very moment
all of his sins are gone. Hmm. completely, perfectly gone
through the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of
your sins from the cradle to the grave, sins before conversion,
sins after conversion, and sins of every kind are washed away
in Emmanuel's precious blood. Since Christ has died in our
stead under the sentence of God's law, we shall never be charged
with sin. Oh, John, lay your head on that
pillow tonight. Who shall charge us with sin?
It's Christ that died. It's God that justified. Christ
appears in the presence of God for us. Who's going to charge
us? God has removed our sins from his book, from his memory,
and from us. In Christ we have been freed
from sin. Bobby, I wish I could sing. I
feel like singing. Anybody want to join me? Did
you hear what Jesus said to me? They're all taken away. Your
sins are pardoned and you are free. They're all taken away. Worthy is the Lamb. Yes, it's
the Lamb's book. And He's worthy that it should
be so. Because in chapter 5 of Revelation, we won't turn there.
You know the story. There's the throne of God. And
there's a book written on both sides, front and back. God's decrees, God's purposes.
Who's going to fulfill them? Who's going to take God's purposes
and God's decrees, God's will? Who's going to accomplish those
things? And there was no man in heaven or earth that was found
worthy to take that book from God's throne. Who dared do such
a thing? And bring it to pass. And John
just cried. And we should cry, too. We would
cry, too, except for this. The angel said, John, don't cry.
You're crying for nothing. Behold. Wipe those tears away, John,
take a look. Behold, the Lamb, the Lamb of God, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah has prevailed and opened the book and loosed
the seals thereof. And John said, he looked and
he saw and the Lamb came and took that book. And they all
fell down and worshiped him and cried, worthy is the Lamb. Oh yes, this is the Lamb's book. Jesus Christ makes this promise
to each of his own. Take this to yourself, child
of God. Jesus answered Peter. Remember
that night when Peter said to Christ right before he went to
the garden? And he said, you're all going to deny me. Every one
of you are going to deny me. You're all going to forsake me.
And they did. And Peter said, not me. Not me.
I'll go with you to death. Let me go with you. Christ said,
where I'm going, you can't come. Y'all can't come. And Peter said,
Lord, why can't I come? Why can't I follow you now? Whither
I go, thou cannot follow me now, but thou shall follow me afterwards.
These are they that follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Oh, that's
another sweet word, isn't it? Afterwards. The psalmist said,
oh, I was so foolish. I was so ignorant. I was as a
beast before thee. Nevertheless, I'm continually
with thee. Thou hast held me by my right hand. Thou shalt
guide me with Thy counsel. And afterward, receive me to
glory." Afterward, Peter. You won't follow me now, but
you're going to follow me afterwards. After I've washed your sins away,
after I go to the cross and redeem you, you'll follow me afterwards,
that where I am, there ye may be also. Oh yes, these are they
which follow the Lamb. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. Yeah, they follow me. Rebels
don't follow me. They might profess to know Jesus,
this imposter. Oh, but if they know Him, they'll
follow Him. They'll follow Him. They'll love
Him. They'll love His people. They'll love His gospel. And
the reason they're not here, because they don't. They don't. I wish they were here to hear
it. They don't. Oh, but those who follow the
Lamb, follow Him all the way to heaven. He leadeth me. Oh, blessed thought. Oh, words with heavenly comfort
brought. Whatever I do, wherever I be, it is still God's hand
that leadeth me. And when my task on earth is
done, when by thy grace the victories won, even death's cold wave,
I will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me." Yesterday,
I really don't know why, but I was looking for something,
opened the drawer to my desk, and I have a notebook there,
and in it are records of funerals that I've conducted, or at least
attended. And of course there's the obituary,
the funeral notice, my sermon notes, and on most of them, Bobby,
there's a picture. May the 24th, the service for
Louise Hastings. 2012. I hadn't been here long.
She sat right there, didn't she? 2015, the service for Brother-in-law
Rogers. Oh, I miss him. Faithful, faithful
man. 2017, dear Bess, dear Bess. Then Kenny Goodwin. Four months
ago, Pat. I'll let you in on a little secret. She said to me one time, Larry, I'm like your big sister. Because you may know this, Delilah
might know it, Mitzi would know it. When I first came here, John,
I was pretty much computer illiterate. When I tried to do this bulletin,
I'd just make it, and I'd be calling Pat. Or I'd send her
what, something would go wrong, I'd hit the wrong button, I'd
call her, she'd try to walk me through, and she'd say, just
send it to me. Just send me what you got. I'll try to figure it
out. And she would. I called her one time. She wasn't even home. Her and
Terry was somewhere. And I said, Pat, I hate to do
this, but I've tried everything. And I'm about ready to throw
this computer out the window. Can you help me? And she always
did. I remember before I even moved
down here, she had a surprise birthday for me and her daughter,
Mitzi, up at her home. And then it was Saturday, and
about 2 o'clock, she said, you know, Terry was out there drilling
dogs and stuff, she said, now at 2 o'clock, everybody's got
to get out of here. Larry's got to study for tomorrow. Y'all
got to get out of here by 2 o'clock. My big sister. And then there
was my good buddy, Dave Coleman. I've told you that I was in Indiana.
We were visiting Robin's son. I had planned when I left to
go through Danville and visit my good buddy. He was sick, but
he died. He died on May the 25th, the
day before my birthday, 2019. Six days later, Brother Henry
Mohan died, so I went through Ashland and attended that funeral.
And then on 2020, April 29th, God called our dear friend, my
faithful pastor, Brother Don, home to heaven. We haven't followed
them yet, but we shall follow them afterwards. Listen to this. Revelation 20,
verse 15, and whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire. Oh, precious lamb of God,
thank you for writing our names in your book. I wish you rejoice
and give thanks to the triune God that our names are written
in heaven. In heaven. If we've come to the throne of
grace, brothers and sisters in Christ, that's what we read in
Hebrews 4. Let us come boldly to the throne
of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need because on that throne of grace sits the Son, the God
of all grace. If we've come to the throne of
grace, we don't have to be afraid of that great white throne of
judgment. No. No. Not at all. Not at all. Let me wrap this
up. In Exodus chapter 15, after the
children of Israel, by God's miraculous power, are brought
through the Red Sea, And the children of Israel are standing
on the other side and they look and there's all their enemies
just floating because they're covered up by those waters. Moses said, we need to sing a
song. My soul, we're not taking another step till we give God
praise for what he's done. And included in that song that
Moses led those hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands
Oh, a picture of heaven. In verse 13, they sing, thou
and thy mercy has led forth the people which thou has redeemed.
Thou has guided them in thy strength until thy holy habitation. Verse
17, thou shall bring them in and plant them in the mountain
of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou has
made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which
thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign forever
and ever. Listen to this verse in Revelation
15 and 3. And they sang the song of Moses,
the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and
marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are
thy ways, thou King of saints. In the last chapter of this book,
Revelation 22, verse 14, Look at this, or listen to this.
Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have
right, that they may have right to the
tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Imagine that. That they may have right? God's
people have a right to be in Heaven. That's exactly right. They've been made right They've
been declared righteous by God Himself through the righteousness
of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't get any more right
than that. They have a right to be there. Galatians 1 and
12, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet, that
means fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light. Pastor Joe Terrell, this quote
will be in your bulletin next Sunday and Brother Brent Worthing
will be here then. But Joe said this, when I look
at myself I worry about everything. When I look at Christ, I worry
about nothing. I think there's a lesson in there
somewhere. There sure is Joe. Keep your eyes upon Christ. And
these are his words to his church, behold I come quickly. And my
reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall
be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first
and the last. Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and
may enter in through the gates into the city." I'm done after this. Jesus, thy
blood and righteousness, my beauty hour and my glorious dress, Misflaming
worlds and these arrayed with joy shall I lift up my head.
Bold shall I stand in that great day. For who ought to my charge
shall lay. Fully absorbed through these
I am from sin and fear, from guilt and shame. And from the
dust of death I rise to claim my mansion in the skies. Even
then this shall be all my plea. Jesus has lived and has died
for me. Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,
whose boundless mercy has for me, for me a full atonement made,
an everlasting ransom paid. Worthy, worthy is the Lamb. I look forward to seeing that
in glory. Don't you? God bless you. God
bless you.