Let's open our Bibles to Deuteronomy
Chapter 33. The Gospel of Deuteronomy Chapter
33. I can't tell you how much I hate
to even suggest a disagreement with my dear friend, Brother
John Graham. But I've got to express it. I'm
not fighting a losing battle. We're not on a sinking ship. He who is our man of war is God
Almighty, the Son of God, our incarnate Savior. And he must
prevail. Did you hear me? Either he prevails
everywhere all the time with everybody or he's not God. One of the two. That means he
prevails by his church. He makes this promise. He said,
I build my church upon this stone. Peter's confession of him. I
build my church on this foundation and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. Did you ever see in any of your
historic movies or any historic illustrations or drawings of
an army attacking a place with gates in their hands? I've never seen it, never heard
tell of it. Gates are not weapons of offense,
they're weapons of defense. And the Lord God our Savior declares
that his church, marching with the battering ram of the gospel
through this world, shall knock down the gates of hell and prevail
everywhere. If I recall correctly, when I
first read your manuscript on this book, Brother Janet makes
a point of demonstrating the fact that the book of Revelation
is nothing more and nothing less than the final revelation of
God by his servant John, by his spirit to his servant John, the
revelation of Jesus Christ. And in that revelation, he proclaims
this message. the sure triumph of Christ and
his church by the gospel. That's what it's all about. That's
what it's all about. The sure triumph of Christ and
his church by the gospel. Some years ago I read a story
whether it's true or not I don't know but some fellows were playing
basketball in a gymnasium and the custodian had to wait on
them and while they were waiting he was just sitting over the
corner reading his Bible and one of the fellows came over
to him and said to him, he said, what are you reading? He said,
I'm reading the book of Revelations. He said, do you understand it? He said, sure do. He said, what's
it mean? He said, Jesus is going to win. Our great God prevails. Our Savior triumphs, not here
and there, not now and then, everywhere all the time. Everywhere all the time. I've
given this a lot of thought, and I give it more thought today
than ever. Should it be my prerogative to choose to live and serve God
in another generation, in another place, I wouldn't swap places
with any man who's ever lived. I would not swap places with
any man who's ever lived. This is the day God has made
for me. And this is the day for which
God has made me. This is the day God has made
for you. And this is the day for which
God made you. If that doesn't put some bounce
and joy in your heart, I don't know what would. This is what
God is doing. Listen now, listen. When you
get up in the morning and read the newspaper, if you do, And
you, oh, look at this. What on earth is going on? What
is God doing? Let me tell you what he's doing.
God's doing his will. His good pleasure. And this is
what it is. The salvation of his people. God is working in the world. the salvation of his elect. What does it take for God to
save his elect? Everything that is, has been,
and shall hereafter be. God does nothing by accident
but everything on purpose, sovereignly manipulating everything in heaven,
earth, and hell down to the very thoughts of a man's heart. And the actions of the devil
himself for the saving of his people, and it does it the very
best way it can be done, his way. So let us never be discouraged,
never brought to despair, never downcast. God Almighty is doing
what he will, and what he will is the saving of his people.
And maybe, oh my soul, maybe, maybe, maybe he'll use me and
use you in the accomplishment of that purpose. Deuteronomy
chapter 33. In this 33rd chapter of Deuteronomy,
Moses gave his blessings upon Israel. Moses is about to die. He's about to be taken up to
glory and he knows it. And he gives his parting blessings
to his people Israel. their blessings conferred by
God upon his people whom he calls Jeshurun through his prophet
Moses. Here in this chapter and in chapter
32 and verse 15, Moses calls Israel by a title that's used
just four times in all of scripture. The word is Jeshurun. The word
Jeshurun means upright or righteous people. Upright are righteous
people. Look back at chapter 32 verse
15. But Jeshurun, God is talking to his people Israel now and
he's describing them in their most ungodly fallen condition. Watch what it says. But Jeshurun,
the upright, the righteous people. Jeshurun, the upright, the righteous
people. waxed fat and kicked. Thou art waxen fat. Thou art
grown thick. Thou art covered with fatness.
Then he, the upright, the righteous people, Jesuit, he forsook God,
which made him, and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation. How
can this be? Does God call that holy, which
is unholy? Does God call that righteous,
which is unrighteous? Certainly not. Well, how can
God speak of his people in this horrible, ungodly, fallen condition
and say, this my people, their name is the upright, the righteous
people. because God from eternity accepted
his people in Jesus Christ the Lord. He accepted Christ, the
lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He accepted Christ's
obedience for us as our mediator and substitute, and accepted
us in him, not on probation, but as a holy, righteous people,
because the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Now you said, Brother Don, explain that. I've read about all I can
think to read about eternity and God's works in eternity.
And you know, the more I read about them, the more detailed
the writers are, the more convinced I am they're just as confused
as I am. You see, you and I are creatures of time. And I don't
care how smart you are. I don't care how much you studied.
You just can't quite get hold of eternity. We can't get our
minds around this thing called eternity. God is eternal. Everything with God is present. He never thought of anything. He never learned anything. He
never forgot anything. But the works of our God in this
business of salvation, we're told plainly in the Word of God,
Hebrews chapter 4, verse 3, were finished from the foundation
of the world. Paul tells us in Romans 8, we'll
look at it in a moment, that we were justified. and called
and glorified in Christ before the world began. Jude tells us
in Jude 1 we were sanctified in Christ before the world began.
Well, what happens when a person comes to experience the new birth,
when God gives you life and faith in Christ? We come to experience
in joyful experience that which God has done for us from eternity. He brings light, life and light
and immortality to light through the gospel, giving us life and
faith in Christ. In other words, in time, we come
to experience what God did for us from eternity. But before
ever we fell in our father Adam, we were accepted in Christ. Before
ever we sinned, we were righteous. Before ever we transgressed God's
law, we were upright. Before ever we were wicked through
the sin and fall of our father Adam, we were God's righteous
ones accepted in the beloved. And God never changed his mind.
So that when Israel had fallen into horrible fatness of idolatry,
and had forsaken their rock and had forsaken God. The Lord God
says, nothing has changed. You are my upright, my righteous
ones. You see, God always looks upon
his people with his son, in his son, one with his son, as his
son. God never looks on you who he
is. in any way except in His Son. God never looks on you who are
His, in any way except in His Son, an upright and a righteous
people. Be sure you take this personally. My brother, my sister, God always
looks upon you. And God always deals with you
as his upright, his righteous ones. Always embraces you and never
pushes you away. Always holds you and never turns
loose you. Always does his good pleasure
and favor toward you and never his displeasure and disfavor. Then the title Jeshurit is used
to describe the people of God as the objects of his love. A
people loved and blessed of God. Look at verse 1 of chapter 33.
This is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of God, blessed
the children of Israel before his death. And he said, the Lord
came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them. He shined forth
from Mount Paran, and he came with 10,000 of his saints. From
his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people. All his saints are in thy hand,
and they sat down at thy feet. Everyone shall receive of thy
words. Moses commanded us a law. even
the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob, the law. This is not something God gave
against you. This is something God gave for
you. It's called the inheritance of his people. And he was king
in Jeshurun, king among the upright, the righteous people. When the
heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together
in the last part of this great chapter, Jeshurun is used in
connection with our everlasting safety and the security of God's
people in Christ Jesus. Look at verse 26. There is none
like unto the God of Jeshurun. Who is he? Who rideth upon the
heaven in thy help. And in his excellency on the
sky, the eternal God is thy refuge. And underneath are the everlasting
arms. Now, would you tell me again
what it was I should be bothered by? Would you tell me again what
it is I should tremble before? Would you tell me again what
it is I should be afraid of? The eternal God is my refuge
underneath the everlasting arms of the Almighty. And he shall
thrust out the enemy from before them, and shall say, destroy
them. Israel then shall dwell in safety
alone. The fountain of Jacob shall be
upon a land of corn and wine. Also his heaven shall drop down
due. Happy art thou, O Israel. Who is like unto thee, O people? Saved by the Lord Who who can
be compared to you you who are God's people saved by the Lord
the shield of thy help and Who is the sword of thy excellency
and thine enemies? thine enemies thine enemies thine
enemies shall be found liars unto thee And thou shalt tread
upon their high places. I know this will astonish you
who think so highly of me, but not everybody does. And I every
now and then get a letter from some fellow who's a little nasty. Usually they don't send it to
me. They post it somewhere for the folks to see. And I sort
of draw my attention to it. And I might get a call or one
of the folks in the congregation. What are you going to do about
that? Nothing. How are you going to address
that? I'm not going to. How are you going to answer that? I'm
not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. Brother
Mahan used to tell us, I was much younger than him and he
used to tell us, younger preachers, he said, he said, fellas, if you
get into a spitting contest with a skunk, y'all don't have those
over here, do you? You got any idea what, you're
going to soon find out what one smells like. A skunk, oh, it's
horrible. Oh, you can't stand it. He said,
if you get in a spitting contest with a skunk, you might win the
contest, but you're always going to come out smelling like a skunk.
So the best thing to do is stay out of the contest. You see,
you and I are gods. You men preaching the gospel
of God's grace, we are God's servants. I don't defend myself
to anybody. Not from anything. If I'm God's,
he'll take care of me. If I'm not, I don't need to be
taken care of. It's just that simple. He said, your enemies,
God will prove them liars, and you'll tread upon their high
places. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, I don't much care what
you think about me. I'm prepared to wait until that
day when God makes all things manifest. The only other place
where this word Jeshurun is used is in Isaiah 44. I want you to
see it. Isaiah 44. The context is similar to what
we read here in Deuteronomy 33. It sets forth the blessedness
and security of God's elect because they are God's elect. A people
chosen, redeemed, and made righteous in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now hear me, you who are yet
without faith in Christ, Sinners are made righteous by the obedience
of Jesus Christ unto death, by the grace of God alone. And that righteousness is to
be had by every sinner who believes on the Son of God. It's there for the taking. Oh,
you can't mean that. Let's see if I can show you.
Is one of these for me? I don't know. I don't, there's two glasses.
I wonder if that's for me. Let's see. Just for me. It wasn't put there
for anybody else. How do you know? It's in me.
I just took it. I just took it. Oh, come to Jesus
Christ. Test your soul on the merit of
God's Son. Test your soul into the arms
of God's Son. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and all that He is and all that He's done is just for you. He's yours for the taking. Believe
on the Son of God and thou shalt be saved. And I can't do that. I know you
can't. I know you can't. I know you
can't. But if you can, you will. If you can, you will. And look
here in Isaiah 44, verse 1. Now hear, O Jacob, my servant,
and Israel whom I have chosen. He's not talking about those
folks who live on the other side of the world. He's talking about
God's elect. They just represented God's elect. Thus saith the Lord
that made thee. and formed thee from the womb
and will help thee. He made you. He formed you from
the womb. He gave you just exactly the
mama he had for you, and just exactly the place he ordained
for you, and just exactly the best circumstances for you. And
he raised you up. He made you. He formed you from
the womb. He will help thee. Fear not,
O Jacob, my servant, and thou, Jeshurun, Jacob, you tricky scoundrel. Thou, Jeshurun, you upright,
righteous one, whom I have chosen, for I will pour water out upon
him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour
my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring.
and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the
water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's,
and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another
shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself
by the name of Israel. Thus saith the Lord, the King
of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. I am the first,
and I am the last. And beside me there is no God,
and who as I shall call and shall declare it, and set it in order
before me, since I appointed the ancient people. and the things
that are coming and shall come. Yes, I pointed those two. Let
them show unto them, fear ye not, need to be afraid. Have
not I told thee from that time and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God, I know
not any. And then, back here in Deuteronomy
33, Moses speaks of his, the great blessings of God upon Joseph
and all his brethren. Joseph as you well know in the
scripture is given to us as an imminent type and picture of
our Lord Jesus Christ He was made King Prime Minister in Egypt
so that Pharaoh put everything in Joseph's hands and if you
wanted anything from Pharaoh He said go to Joseph You need
some corn, go to Joseph. You need some seed, go to Joseph.
You need some garden clothing, go to Joseph. Everything is in
his hands. That's our Redeemer, our great
Joseph. And in this portion of scripture,
all of Joseph's brethren were blessed with much good, but Joseph
was blessed with everything. Moses gave Joseph everything. The portion of the firstborn
is a double portion. That's what Elijah prayed, asked
for when Elijah was about to leave this world. He said, oh,
there may be a double portion of your spirit. That's the portion
of the firstborn. Christ is the firstborn. He is
that one typified here in Joseph, that one in whom God pours all
his blessings for his people. Now read with me, verse 13. of
Joseph he said, blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious
things of heaven, for the dew and for the deep that coucheth
beneath, for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and
for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief
things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of
the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth,
and the fullness thereof, and for the good will of him that
dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come upon the
head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was
separated from his brethren, His glory is like the first sling
of the bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people
together to the ends of the earth, and they are the ten thousands
of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. He said
to Joseph, he's that one who was separated above his brethren,
They sold him into slavery, buried him in a pit, and then they sold
him into slavery. Our Lord Jesus Christ was cast
into the pit of the grave after he died in our stead, being crucified
by our own hands. And now he's risen and exalted
above his brethren. And the Lord God has given him
power as that's portrayed by Joseph. He'll have a horn. You
folks all live in the city. We live out in the country. And
I'll tell you something you learn quick in the country. Animals
with horns usually get their way. They usually get their way. You give them a horn. a mighty
horde, a mighty horde by which he shall push all people where
he will, but particularly he's pushing the thousands and the
10,000 and the 10,000 times 10,000 of his elect to himself for the
saving of his people. You see, he works all things
together. for the everlasting good of a
chosen redeemed people. He manipulates and governs all
the affairs of the world for the very best everlasting benefit
of his chosen. That's how Christ rules the universe. He has power over all flesh to
give eternal life to as many as the father has given him.
And in Him, God has placed all blessedness. So that before the
world was, we were blessed of God with all spiritual blessings
in Christ Jesus. He chose us, He called us, He
redeemed us. He justified us, He sanctified
us, He accepted us. Everything that God could give
to a man, God gave to His elect in the God-man mediator Christ
Jesus before the world was. And He continues to heap nothing
but blessing upon us. Nothing but blessing. Nothing
but blessing. The heartache? Oh, that's going
to be good. Hang on. The pain? Oh, how good
that's going to be. Just hang on and watch God work. I don't know what I was reading
the other day coming over here. I read something by Spurgeon.
It may have been a sermon, may have been one of his articles.
I don't remember, but something by Spurgeon. He had been to visit with a man.
He was a pastor. He said he was the happiest man
I ever knew in my life. And the man was dying. And I
went to visit with him. And I asked him how he was, I
knew he was in excruciating pain. He said, oh pastor, this is the
happiest day I've ever known. But he's told me that before.
He said every time I'd go see him, I'd ask him about it. He'd
say it's the happiest day I've ever known. He said Christ is
mine and I'm his. Let's see what he's going to
do next. This is the happiest day I've ever known. The Lord
God Almighty has blessed our mighty Joseph and blessed his
gesture and his upright and righteous people with all favor by him. He's given us, as Moses gave
to Joseph, all the precious things of heaven and of earth and under
the earth. Father Peter, he's given us all
the blessings of God and all precious things are ours. We
are given the precious blood of Christ by which we're redeemed. Precious faith, precious, precious. Do you know why the gravel out
yonder in the road is, you can pick it up by handfuls? because
you can pick it up by handfuls. It's not valuable to anybody.
Just pick some up, put it in your pocket, take it home if
you want to. But precious things, precious things are rare, rare
gifts. Gifts worth everything. Precious. Oh, the blessed gift of faith. How precious a thing it is to
believe God. He's given us precious Savior. You see that faith God gives
makes Christ precious to his own. And he has a book full of
precious promises. Some years ago I read about a
young preacher. He was visiting an older woman
in his congregation. While they were visiting he decided
after he started reading a portion of scripture to her and praised,
he picked up her Bible and Just started thumbing through it.
Just every little bit he'd see T P. T P. T P. He found the curiosity got
the best of him. He said, sister, I see you in
your Bible just every few verses you have those two letters T
P. What is that? She said, oh honey,
those are the promises of God. T.P. that means tried and proved. Oh, how I proved him. Precious promises. Precious promises. And the trial of your faith,
more precious than gold that perishes. The trial. The trial. The trial of your
faith. The trial. More precious than
gold that perishes. How can that be? If I understand
this book all right, and I know I do, I wouldn't tell you this. Heaven's glory could not be so
glorious to each of us in the experience of it did we have
no trial of faith here. But rather, it works for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. So we look back
over the outs of time and rejoice in beholding how God Almighty,
through the things we thought most difficult, the things we
thought most heavy, the things we thought most hard to bear,
Oh God, that's what you would do. Oh, how good that was. How wise, how wonderful, how
blessed. Our God does all things well
for his own. But then in verse 16 of Deuteronomy
33, Moses makes a reference to the
goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush. The goodwill of him
that dwelt in the bush. What on earth is he talking about?
What on earth is he talking about? The goodwill of him that dwelt
in the bush. This is the only time Moses ever
refers to, it's the only time it's mentioned anywhere in the
Old Testament. That event that took place back
in Exodus chapter three, where the Lord God appeared to Moses
in a flame of fire in a bush that burned but was not consumed. And here Moses as he's dying
still has his mind on that event that took place long before. Back there when God spoke to
him in the desert out of the bush and a burning flame in the
midst of the bush. And there God revealed himself
to Moses. There he gave him his name, I
am, that I am Moses. No, no, I am God, the eternal,
self-existent, independent, only God. He said, my name's Jehovah. I am God, Jehovah, the triune
God who saves his people. That one who revealed himself
to Moses is Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. There, speaking
to Moses out of the bush, declaring to him what he would do, who
he is, and how he would perform it. What was that bush in which
the Lord revealed Moses? The word is what we would use
to refer to a thorn bush, a bramble bush. It's just a worthless bush. You don't use it for anything.
It's just a worthless bush. The only problem is it's got
thorns all over it. You'll see them out in the desert
in the western part of the United States, just blowing across the
desert. You don't try to catch one, they
got thorns all over them. They're just worthless, just
leave them alone. That's the bush. God was pleased
to reveal himself in that bush which came to exist only by the
curse of God upon the ground because of Adam's sin. God chose to take the black backdrop
of Adam's fall and our fall in Adam and there God reveals himself
in his goodwill, in his good pleasure, in his glory. You see
even man's sin and the consequences of it throughout
history are made to demonstrate the great sovereignty of our
God ruling and overruling evil for his glory according to his
will for our good. Some of us were talking the other
day, I don't pretend to understand most of what I preach, I just
know what the book says and when I know what it says I say it. Adam's fall was a blessed thing. God chose Adam's fall to be a
type of redemption by Christ. He tells us so in Romans chapter
5. He says Adam was a figure of him that was to come. How
can you figure that? Adam with his eyes wide open
saw what Eve had done. And as a representative man,
representing the whole human race, Adam violated God and violated
God's law and God's dominion. He said, you've got no right
to be God. And rather than lose Eve, he
chose to plunge himself into death with that woman he loved. What a picture, the second Adam.
Our Lord Jesus chose to make himself one of us and he came
here and took our curse, our sin, and our death that he might
redeem his people unto himself. That's the last Adam. That's our Redeemer. God Almighty
isn't put into a bind by men. God is never backed against a
wall. You don't get God in an arm lock
and tell him, now, God, you're going to do things this way.
Everything that comes to pass in time is brought to pass exactly
according to the will of God for the saving of his people
and the glory of his name. Well, this word goodwill. the goodwill of him that dwelt
in the bush. What's it referring to? It speaks
of God's delight. God's delight. Do you remember what God said
he delights in? Do you know what God delights in?
He delighteth in mercy. He delighteth in mercy. It pleases
God well. It delights the triune God. It rejoices God's being to save
sinners by His grace. He is showing us now the goodwill,
the delight of Him that dwelt in the bush. It was the goodwill
of Him that dwelt in the bush. that brought Christ down from
heaven into our fallen humanity. Now I know his nature was not
fallen, his nature was not depraved, but he came here the son of man
and took on himself the nature of fallen man and was tempted
at all points like as we are tempted. and suffered every trial,
every pain, every heartache any man on this earth can ever know. And then he was made sin for
us and bore in his body our sins
on the tree and took the sword of justice and with his father's hand poured
it into his own holy soul until justice is satisfied by his death
that he might save his people from their sins. It is the goodwill
of him that dwelt in the bush that caused our Savior to die
in our stead. buried him in the tomb, and by
the third day, he who had put away Sid, demonstrates that he
has put it away, being raised from the dead, declaring his
people justified, justice satisfied. With his own blood, he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. It is the goodwill of him that
dwelt in the bush, that causes the Son of God now to take up
residence in such things as we are. God Almighty, the incomprehensible, immense,
infinite God, stepped into humanity and he
became all that we are. He made us the righteousness
of God in him. He put away our sin and he comes
by the power of his spirit and saves the sinner by his grace.
Now, he's not standing on the outside knocking and waiting
for you to let him in. He's not begging for entrance.
He's not waiting on you to do something. Contrary to what's
commonly believed and preached everywhere. I'll tell you when
you will believe on the Son of God. I pray that you will right
now believe Him. Oh, that God might open your
heart and give you life and faith in His Son. I'll tell you the
first time you're going to know He's around. He's already on
the inside working. You see, the new birth is not
accomplished by faith. The new birth is experienced
by faith. Eternal life is not performed by faith. It's rejoiced
in by faith. God comes working in you. This is what happens in the new
birth. The son of God, just as God stepped into humanity, just
as God stepped into humanity. Did you get that? Jesus Christ,
Patrick, stepped into human flesh. He really did. In Him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In just exactly that
way, God the Son, by His Spirit, steps into you. And when you're
born again by his spirit, there's a new man created in you in righteousness
and in true holiness. It's called Christ in you, the
hope of glory. And now, since he's in me, I
believe him and I have hope of glory. What is the goodwill of
him that dwelleth in the bush? It is the salvation of his people,
Jeshurun. The salvation of his people,
Jesuit, the upright, the righteous ones. Now turn to Romans 8 and
I'll wrap this up. God's good pleasure is that joy
that was set before our Savior for which he endured the cross
despising the shame. God's goodwill is that joy that's
found in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repents. God's goodwill is the salvation
of his elect. There are a specific number of
them. I don't know how many there are. It's described as 144,000
in Revelation chapter 7. That is, it's a totality, the
full number of all the Israel of God, his covenant people.
A specific number, but a number that no man can number. And his
purpose is to save them. And he's gonna save them all.
Do you know why, how long has Great Britain been a, used to
be an empire? How long y'all been around? How many years?
Since about the fourth century? Somewhere in there? Yeah, he's
in, all right. That's a long time. Do you know
why God established a country of folks over here? And at one
time made you a mighty empire over the whole world? Do you
know why? To save his elect, that's all. No other reason. That's the only reason you exist.
Do you know why the United States of America revolted from British
rule and we fought a war and established another country over
yonder? Do you know why God gave to that?
Do you know why we have the freedoms and liberties and luxuries we
have? Just one reason, just one reason, the saving of his elect. God raises up nations and God
tears down nations just for one reason, the saving of his elect. Now listen to me. The only reason
God does anything. Well, Brother John, when I talk
about God's work, if you talk about something that is, you're
talking about God's work. If you talk about something that's
gonna be, you're talking about God's work. If you're talking about
something that has been, you're talking about God's work. For
of him, through him, and to him are all things. Whatever God
does with individuals, with families, with nations, Whatever God does
with all things and all the world is just saving his elect. That's all. That's all. I presume you got a pretty good
daddy, don't you? If he's a good daddy, I'll tell
you what he does. When you get out of line, he
makes your butt burn. If he's a good daddy, what he
does, they apply pain. Good daddies do. Daddies who
don't apply pain aren't good daddies. It's just that simple.
Good daddies do. Because you love that boy and
you want him to grow up to be a steady, dependable husband
and father and citizen. You want him to grow up better
than you did. Is that right? Yes. He might not understand
it, but soon he will. Hear me, my brother. Hear me,
my sister. I don't pretend to understand
the intricacies and details of the matters of God's providence.
But I understand it. My father is doing me good. My father is saving his people. My father is giving life to his
own. My father is building his family. And the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. When he gets done, he's going
to present you faultless for the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy. Now I promised I'd read Romans
8. Look at it with me. Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, then
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Now this
is what God is doing. He is working all things together
in providence for good to them that love God. Those who are
loved of God and those who in time are caused of God to love
him. All things working together for
them, for their everlasting good. But what, how is it he does this
according to his purpose? This is his purpose. For whom
he did foreknow, those he foreordained and loved and embraced and received
in Christ before the world was. Then he also did predestinate,
he foreordained, to be conformed to the image of his son. That
he might get the glory of everything. That he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. That's what he's going to do.
He's working everything together for good now to them that love
God. And he's doing it so that when
it gets done, you and I, as a great host of God's elect, as one body
in Christ shall be conformed to the image of him who is the
perfect man, who is God. just like him, in all his perfect,
holy character, exactly as he is. Now, how can you be sure
that's what's gonna happen? Because he's already done it.
That's what it tells us in the next verse. He said, at those
that he foreknew and predestined it, he called them. and He justified
them, and He glorified them. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? We live by and according to and in the
goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush. Amen.