We're just going to look at one
verse today for our use in edification. Just one verse. And see if it's not so in your life. I know the younger we are, the
less likely this is proved out, but the older we get, It does. It does. Genesis chapter 49 and verse
19. Gad, a troop shall overcome him,
but he shall overcome at the last. Gad was in the tribe, obviously,
of Israel. They were at war like tribe. They were skillful in the ways
of warfare and weapons of warfare. But according to this verse,
as we would say, I guess, contemporarily, you win some, you lose some.
Gad shall be overcome, but not at the end. More particularly,
Gad is like every believer ever to walk in this world Sometimes
we're overwhelmed. Sometimes we're overmatched.
And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our adversaries are
too much for us. And I mean adversaries. I mean
Satan. He'll like to sift you as wheat.
The world likes to draw us in, dangle pretty things in front
of us, We go running after them and forget our God. Money, titles,
positions, friendships, all these things can allure the believer. But then there's a worse enemy
we have, and that's ourselves. That's the flesh, the old man,
the corrupt nature that will never get any better. until we're
in the grave. Satan, the world, and our old
vile flesh, it rejoices at our failures, it mocks our remaining
sin within us, and it rejoices to see us going after the things
of this world foolishly. And we all do it. But just as the game is not over
in the first half, the latter part of this verse, so too we
shall at the last have our sweet triumph in Christ Jesus. I remember when the Rams won
the Super Bowl, it was back and forth, back and forth. And I
had a friend in Tennessee who said, if we just had one more
half. No, you stop. at the fourth quarter. It's over. You stop at the second
half. So there is no. There is no. That's what these
people, these psychiatrists, psychologists and these people
like to play vain games. What if you were in this situation?
You know what? I'll just wait until I'm in that
situation. I'm not going to play those mind games. It does not
profit. But Christ's people, like Gad
here, we may be trooped upon trampled upon, laughed at, mocked,
or even martyred, but rest assured, Romans 8.28, nay, in all these
things, we are more than conquerors through Him, Christ, that loved
us. Christ is our banner, and we
know that His banner over us is love. Mr. Bunyan said, at the last, That
means forever, for nothing can come after the last. Period. End of paragraph. Let's look together at a few
passages and a few examples. Turn with me to Ecclesiastes
chapter 7. Ecclesiastes chapter 7. And verse 8, the first part of
this verse, better is the end of a thing than the beginning
thereof. Better is the end of a thing,
spiritually speaking, spiritually speaking, this book is a spiritual
book, better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. We
were born in sin to begin with. That's not profitable. Ruined
by Adam's fall, and this showed itself out or proved itself out
in our daily actions towards God, which we could care less
if there was a God. We cared about ourselves. We
cared about our position in society, our this's or that's. We didn't
want people to think bad of us. So we would do certain things
in front of them, make sure that they saw us. But that doesn't
glorify God. That doesn't glorify God. Better
is the end of a thing. To be as we are or were in our
birth is only to hear, depart from me, ye who work iniquity.
If we don't change, if nothing changes, if our spiritual status
does not change from birth, this is what we're going to hear.
Depart from me, ye who work iniquity. But oh, the grace of God came
along and came among men We heard the sweet notes of His everlasting
gospel. He caused us to repent, believe,
and be baptized unto Him. Better indeed is our end than
was our beginning. Philippians, you can stay there. Chapter 1 and verse 23 says,
For I am in a strait, says Paul, betwixt the two, having a desire
to depart, to die, to be at the last, and to be with Christ,
which is far better." Far better. We surely get beat up. We overcome. We get overcome.
All the time. All the time. Well, let's look
at several examples in Scriptures. Turn with me to Ruth. Turn with me to Ruth. And you know the story. Chapter
1, and now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled
that there was a famine in the land and a certain man of Bethlehem,
Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, his wife,
and his two sons. Verse 3, Emelech, Naomi's husband,
died and she was left with her two sons. Then her two sons died. Verse 5, Malan and Shilan died
also, both of them. And the woman was left of her
two sons and her husband. So she didn't have any sons.
She had daughters-in-law, but no more husband and sons. So then she
doesn't know what to do. So you know the story. She leaves
empty. There's a famine in the land.
She leaves. She's full. And then everything she knows
is gone, has died. So now she's in a strange land.
Everything is taken from her. She's in a foreign land with
foreign gods. She's in a pilgrimage just like
us. This is exactly what we are here.
It doesn't make a difference if it's the most wonderful little
town in America. There's ungodliness here everywhere
you look. She left her land and she returned
empty. But God, who is rich in His sovereign
free mercy, visited both Naomi and Ruth, and they, by the grace
of God, overcame at the last. Ruth chapter 4. Chapter 4, and verses 14-16. And the women of that land back
in her own country, the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the
Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman. that
his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer
of thy life, and a nourisher in thine old age. For thy daughter-in-law,
which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath
borne him. And Naomi took the child, and
laid it upon her bosom, and became nurse unto it." I would say that she was overcome. I don't know
how long a period. It may have been 70% overcome,
30% overcoming. It may be 90% overcome by the
world and the flesh and the lust of the eyes and 10%. But I know
this, God will not forsake or abandon those whom He foreknew.
He can't do it. And so Naomi was an object of
God's grace, how these women, Naomi and Ruth, they did not
deserve the least of God's favor, but they found it in a kinsman,
is what the scripture says, what this book says, they found in
a kinsman. And we know who our kinsman Redeemer
is, Christ Jesus the Lord. There's where mercy is to be
found, there's where grace is to be found. Apply to Him, or
go to Him, and seek Him. In your time of being overcome,
seek Him. Seek Him. Turn with me to Mark
chapter 5. Mark chapter 5 verses 1 through
15. The story of the demon-possessed
Gadarene. And there came over unto the
other side of the sea in the country of the Gadarenes, Christ
with his disciples, and when he was come out of the ship,
Christ, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with
an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs, for
no man could bind him, and no, not with chains, and because
he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains
had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broke in pieces,
neither could any man tame him. Always night and day in the mountains
and in tombs crying and cutting themselves with stones. That's
part A. Gad will be overcome. That's us right
there. Overcome. That's at the first. What about
at the last? Verse 15, you know the story.
Christ has mercy and compassion on them. He sends the legion
of demons into a swine and they go over the precipice and kill
themselves. In verse 13, Christ forthwith
gave the legion leave and the unclean spirits went out and
entered in the swine and the herd ran violently down a steep
place into the sea. About 2,000, they were choked
in the sea. that a swine fled and told it
in the city, in the country, and they went out to see what
was done. And here's after. Here's Gad
overcoming at the last. And they came to see Jesus and
saw him that was possessed with the devil, that had the legion,
he was sitting, he was clothed, and he was in his right mind.
Now, everybody who doesn't believe the gospel, that last phrase,
and they were afraid. People do not like when you hear
the gospel. People do not like it when you
come and hear where the message is being preached. And you come,
you know, do something else, you've got so many other things
to do. No. I'm going to hear the gospel. Because the Lord
could use that means to save my soul, my friend's soul. my
children's soul, my family's soul. This demon-possessed Gadarene
at the first was cutting himself and crazy and wild. At the last,
he overcame with the grace of God which is found only in the
sovereign Savior. This will always be the result,
the spiritual healing, sitting clothed in Christ's righteousness
and in our right mind. They say we've gone mad, that
we're fanatics. No, we see things aright only
by the grace of God. The world is upside down. Luke
chapter 16. Luke chapter 16. Verses 19 to the end of the chapter. You're familiar with this one
as well, the rich man. And Lazarus, the rich man was
clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. There's people that think that
they're so well-to-do that everything is fine. They want for nothing. That can turn on a dime. What
does the Scripture say about money, about riches? They're
fleeting. Not only do we fade like a leaf,
but riches are here. They have wings, the Scripture
says. So, don't think that because you have it nice now, you'll
have it nice tomorrow. This man fared sumptuously. There was another man, a beggar
named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, desiring
to be fed with crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover,
the dogs came and licked his sores." Well, that's his before. How
do we find Lazarus? Laid at the gate, open sores,
desiring to be fed, dogs licked his sores. That's pitiful. Oh,
how sin has ravaged us through and through and through the fall.
This is us. The Scripture says in Romans,
there's none good, no not one. As I'm reading this, and I'm
not making light of it or being light-hearted about this, Lazarus,
do something for yourself. That's what religion says. Pick
yourself up by your bootstrap. Exercise your free will. Do something
for yourself, Lazarus. Okay, it's not. Do something
for God. Better yet, do something for humanity. Do something about
this climate. Do something about this political
situation. You can't do a thing. Nothing. This is how vile and
corrupt we are. Can't do a thing. This is what we are from birth,
ruined, ravaged, and undone. God in Christ must become sin
for us to be made the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5. Verse
22, And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried
by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died
and was buried. But he ended up in hell and lifted
up his eyes Being in torments, seeing Abraham afar off, Lazarus
in his bosom, he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on
me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. He's still selfish. He's wanting
to take what Lazarus has now away. But Abraham said, Son,
remember, Constantly remember. That's probably a little bit
of what hell's going to be like. Opportunities to hear the gospel.
Care less. Do something else. This society
we live in today, there's always something to do. We were talking
not too long ago, Wednesdays, because Baptists, most of the
time they didn't do anything. Wednesdays is not sacred. Sundays are not sacred. It's
got nothing to do. The world, it's 24-7. Remember that in your lifetime
you received of thy good things and likewise Lazarus' evil things,
but now he is comforted and you're tormented. I think that's a constant
reminder. And besides all this, between
us there is a great gulf fixed so that when you would pass from
thence, you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come
from thence. Then he said, here he goes again,
I pray thee therefore, Father, you would send him to my father. For I have five brethren, and
he may testify unto them that they also come into this place
of torment. And Abraham's answer to him was
this, they have Moses and the prophets." The Bible. You start messing with the Bible.
It's got a little air here, a little air there. I'm not sure I'll
take this. I'm going to rip Ruth out. Esther doesn't mean anything
to me. the Law and the Prophets, this book. They have Moses and
the Prophets, let them hear them. Matter of fact, the New Testament
wasn't even written yet, so that's all they had. And it says, Christ
says, they are they which testify of me. And then Abraham says, and he
said, nay, Father Abraham, if I went unto them from the dead,
they will repent. This is what he said. You don't believe the scripture.
Faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word of God. And Abraham
said unto him, another rebuke, if they will not hear Moses and
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded the one rose from
the dead. If they will not hear the preaching
of the gospel, that's why, and I'm nobody and I'm nothing. And
I know I take my bottom rung at the feet of all these other
grace preachers, but I will not back off and say I do not preach
the gospel. I will say I do preach the gospel.
Bring the people, bring them here. It's better than a CD,
it's better than a tape, because this is that the Lord has ordained
in me to gather together. I declare This is what Lazarus' end was. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing
by the Word of God. You will hear His Gospel, and
you will believe the account of Christ, and trust Him, if
He so chooses to draw you unto Himself. There are so many other scriptures.
Lynn and I were talking about this one, and I had to just limit
it. There's more and more and more.
Thief on the cross. The woman with the issue of blood,
she was overcome. But at last, grace overcomes. Grace overcomes. So I close. How do we overcome? How do we overcome the sin, and
flesh, and Satan, and the world? Well, as I said in Romans 8.28,
that nothing shall separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ. We are more than conquerors. But let's close and look at Revelation
12. Revelation 12. Verses 9, 10, and 11. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceived
the whole world He was cast out into the earth and His angels
were cast out with Him. And I heard a loud voice saying
in heaven, now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom
of our God and the power of His Christ. For the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accuses them before our God day
and night. And they overcame. How do we
overcome? Satan, the world, the flesh,
by the blood of the Lamb. That is the only way. I'm not
going to offer you, I'm not smart enough to offer you self-helps,
how to pray, how to be a better father, or a better mother, or
better children. I don't have that wisdom. But
I know if you look to Christ and beseech Him for mercy, cry
for the blood, you'll overcome at the last.
Not by works that we do, but by Christ's pure and truthful
work, by his substitutionary accomplishments for all his people
at Golgotha. Because if we're left to ourselves,
we will never overcome, but will be overwhelmed in hell's fire
forever. So I beseech you, and beseech
me, come, come I say to Christ for protection today. Look to Him and live. Bruce, would you close us?