Brother Brown's getting almost
as good at my wife at hand signals. She'll give me this, that, straighten
things up, button your coat, straighten your lapel out. I
told you one time if I get up and leave, you'll know she said
this, go change. So Larry lets me know when the
speaker's not on or the microphone's not on. Let's turn together to
Isaiah chapter nine. Isaiah chapter nine. Nevertheless, the dimness shall
not be such as was in her vexation. The prophet has been described
in a time of great judgment upon the nation. When at the first
he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
and afterward did much more grievously afflict her by the way of the
sea beyond Jordan and Galilee of the nation. The people that
walked in darkness have seen great lights. They that dwell
in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation
and not increased the joy. They joy before thee according
to the joy in harvest. And as men rejoice when they
divide the spoil, For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden,
and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as
in the day of Midian, just like you did in the days when you
worked by Gideon, your mighty servant. For every battle of
the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in
blood. but this shall be with burning
and fuel of fire, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the prince of peace. And of the increase
of his government and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the
throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Now I need
not remind you this portion of Holy Scripture is a prophecy
given by divine inspiration to God's servant Isaiah concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, describing his person and his saving work
as God's Messiah, our Redeemer, and our King. I am more and more convinced
as I read the Scriptures that these men by whom the book of
God was written in the Old Testament knew and understood far more
than we give them credit for knowing and understanding. Isaiah
is describing by divine inspiration who the Christ of God would be
when he appeared in this world hundreds of years later. He's
describing by divine inspiration what he would do and how he would
be known when at last the Christ has come. And he gives us these
things so that we can look back at the scriptures and say, when
we behold what Jesus of Nazareth accomplished, that's him. This is he of whom the prophets
spake. This is the Christ, the Son of
God. Our Lord is here described by
the names Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. These are titles that belong
to no one except the Christ, the Messiah, our Redeemer. In
this message, I want us to focus our attention on our Lord Jesus
Christ as our Counselor. His name shall be called Counselor. Christ is the Counselor God has
given to His people. And as long as Christ is my Counselor,
I need no other. Christ is the Counselor God has
given to His people. And as long as Christ is my Counselor,
I need no other. A counselor, I recognize, is
often a legal representative, an attorney at law, but it's
more than that. A counselor is an advocate. A counselor is one who gives
advice and direction. Now let me look into the scriptures
with you and show you how that the Lord Jesus Christ is our
counselor. I'll just make three statements
concerning it and the bulk of my time spent on the first one.
I want you to turn with me to the book of Zechariah first.
Zechariah chapter six. Understand this, the Lord Jesus
Christ was our counselor in the council of peace before the world
began. Throughout the scriptures, we
read of a council held before the world began. Now I readily
confess that I do not understand all that I know about that counsel.
But there was a counsel held. That is plainly declared in the
book of God. God says, my counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasure. The Lord Jesus, we're told in
Acts 2.23, was delivered up to die by the hands of wicked men
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. We're told
by the writer of Hebrews that the assurance and the security
of our salvation is based upon the immutability of God's counsel. I don't know about you, but that
arouses my interest. I want to know what God tells
us about his counsel. Look here in Zechariah chapter
six, verse 13. And speak unto him saying, Thus
speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is
the branch. You know who that man is, don't
you? Christ is that branch, and he
shall grow up out of his place. This one whose name is the branch,
he shall build the temple of the Lord. The building of God's
church is the work of Jesus Christ alone. Men can build religious
organizations. The building of God's church
is the work of Christ alone. Men build churches by plans and
programs. They search out demographics
and go places where it's most likely to have a successful church
and find out what folks want and they come and give them what
they want. But men do not build God's church. The Lord Jesus
said, I will build my church upon this rock, the rock of the
confession that Peter made, thou art the Christ, the son of the
living God. Read on, he shall build the temple
of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple
of the Lord. And he, he who builds the temple
shall bear the glory. That's only right that he should.
and shall sit and rule upon his throne. And he, this one who
builds the house of God, this one who sits and bears the rule
and the glory of God's house, he shall be a priest upon his
throne. This one who is the branch, the
Christ, the Savior, the Messiah, the Redeemer, he is a priest,
but he's more than a priest. He's a priest on his throne. He is both the prophet and the
priest and the king of his people. He's a priest who rules the world. A priest whose design, whose
purpose is the blessedness and acceptance of the people he represents. He rules the universe. And the council of peace shall
be between them both. What? The council of peace between
who both? Between the priest and the king. both offices standing firm with
him according to the counsel of peace. In other words, there
is a counsel, a determination, a purpose established by God
before the world was things agreed upon in the Holy Trinity before
ever time began and they depend only on one thing, that man. who is a priest on his throne. They depend only upon his work
as God's priest and his work as God's king. He who is the
priest and makes intercession, the priest who makes sacrifice,
the priest who accomplishes acceptance is the king who brings to pass
everything purposed in the council. I know this much. There was a
great, eternal, wonderful council held between the three persons
of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost before ever
the world began. Turn to Isaiah 49, Isaiah 49. This council, this covenant made
between the triune persons of the Godhead is a council, a covenant,
all together wrapped up in, and revealed in, and accomplished
by the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 49, verse eight. Thus
saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in
the day of salvation have I helped thee, and I will preserve thee,
watch it now, and give thee for a covenant of the people. I will give you to be the covenant
of the people. I will give you as the result
of the covenant to the people. Christ Jesus is both the gift
of the covenant and the embodiment of the covenant. I'll give you
to them to be the covenant of the people to establish the earth. To establish the earth, give
it purpose and meaning. It has no purpose. It has no
meaning apart from him. Read history however you want
to read it. Read it from the perspective
of liberal or conservative. Read it from the perspective
of any place you want to. However you read history, nothing
has any purpose, meaning, design. It's a senseless riddle. apart
from Christ. He establishes it all. That thou,
I'm sorry, I'll cause thee to inherit the desolate heritages
that thou mayest say to the prisoners, go forth. I'm giving this all
in your hands that you may say to the prisoners, go forth. To
them that are in darkness, show yourselves. They shall feed in
the ways, and their pastures shall be in the high places.
Now, when I think about this council, this covenant, there
are some questions that just automatically come to my mind,
and I expect they come to yours as well. Why did God hold a council? Why did God hold a council? Certainly
God did not need to gather information. God knows all things. The Lord
God Almighty did not hold a council to give himself great pleasure
and satisfaction as men commonly do. God has no deficiencies.
It was not that he might make deliberations. God doesn't need
to weigh things out. God doesn't need to think through
things. God doesn't need to consider
things, to plot a scheme. He's God. He's God. This eternal
council of peace held between the persons of the Godhead was
held for our benefit, only for our benefit. It is revealed for
our benefit, only for our benefit. He was hailed by God and is revealed
to us that we might see something of God's infinite wisdom, goodness,
grace, and glory. This great counsel of grace is
revealed in the scriptures in many ways, that we might understand
something about the unity of the persons of the Holy Trinity,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We tend to divide the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost up as if they were three different
people working in three different realms to accomplish three different
things. The book of God never does that. God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are one. Three persons in one
God. Three persons that are the one
God. Jehovah, the triune God. And all three persons in the
Godhead are always engaged in everything together. We read
in the scriptures about praying to the Father, through the Son,
by the Spirit. And that's certainly true. But
that doesn't mean you gotta be fearful of speaking to the Spirit
of God or speaking to the Son of God. We pray to God as our
Father, the one who is our benefactor in all things, to whom we belong
through the merits of God the Son, our mediator, and we can
only pray as we're led and taught by God the Holy Spirit. God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost were all involved
in the great work of creation. You see it plainly in the first
two chapters of the book of Genesis. You see it plainly in the first
two verses of Genesis. In the first three verses of
John's Gospel. You see it plainly in the first
three verses of the book of Hebrews. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost involved
in the creation of the world. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Ghost are all involved in the redemption and
salvation of our souls. God the Father planned it, God
the Son purchased it, God the Holy Spirit performs it, all
three persons. And yet there's not anything
involved in that great salvation, in all the works of grace, wherein
one person in the Trinity is isolated from the other. I love
the picture we have of it, of redemption in Genesis 22. Abraham
is going up to Mount Moriah to offer his son as a sacrifice,
portraying the Lamb, who is God, that God would provide for the
redemption of our souls. And here's Abraham with his son
Isaac. And the book tells us that they
rose up early in the morning, and they went up, both of them
together, to the place of sacrifice. God the Father and God the Son
going up together from the beginning of time before ever the world
was to the place of sacrifice that we might be redeemed by
the blood of his Son. Well, what was resolved? What
was determined in this everlasting counsel? When God says, my counsel
shall stand, what does that mean? What shall stand? What has he
determined in his holy counsel? Everything regarding God's creation
was settled in the counsel from everlasting. We've had several
folks, several of our men in the last several weeks to read
portions of Proverbs 8. Turn back there. Let's read it
one more time. Proverbs 8. Here the Lord Jesus is personified
as wisdom. It is wisdom speaking to us.
He who is wisdom. Proverbs 8 verse 12. The Lord
Jesus, our Savior says, I wisdom dwell with prudence and find
out knowledge of witty inventions. Verse 13. The fear of the Lord
is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and every evil way. And the forward
mouth do I hate. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding, I have strength. By me, by me, by me alone, kings
reign. By me, princes decree justice. By me, princes rule and nobles,
even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me, and
those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honor are
with me. Yea, durable riches and righteousness,
my fruits, is better than gold, yea, than fine gold, and my revenue
than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness,
in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may cause those
that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before
his works of old. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, wherever the earth was. Not as God. That could not possibly apply
to him as God. But as the God-man, our mediator,
as our substitute, as our covenant surety, I was set up with him
from everlasting, from the beginning, wherever the earth was. When
there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when he prepared the heavens, I was there. I was
there when he set a compass upon the face of the depth. I was
there when he established the clouds above, I was there when
he strengthened the foundations of the deep. I was there when
he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass
his commandment when he appointed the foundations of the earth.
Then was I by him as one brought up with him. and I was daily
his delight. The Lord God always looked upon
his son with delight. Our mediator, the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, that one in whom we are accepted,
the beloved, with delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing
in the habitable part of his earth, rejoicing in you, my people,
before ever you walked on the earth as you walk on this earth. Rejoicing. He wasn't rejoicing
in fish in the sea or lions in the jungle. He was rejoicing
in you, his people. And my delights were with the
sons of men. Not only did God Almighty in
holy wise counsel determine to make man in his image and after
his likeness. He sovereignly determined all
things regarding his creation. God help us to get hold of this.
Nothing in time happens by chance. Nothing, nothing. That doesn't
exclude anything. That does include everything.
Nothing in time happens by chance. Before the world was, he weighed
the mountains and measured the hills. Before ever time began,
he set the boundary of the seas and the course of the rivers.
He counted the sand and named the stars. He set the course
of the sun and determined the days of time. He numbered the
angels and ordained their form. And no man knows their form except
as God gives it. He ordained every creature's
form, every creature's size, and every creature's place. And
he set the place for the eagle's nest, and he set the path of
the burrowing worm under the earth. He's God. He's God. Isaac Watts well wrote,
keep silence, all created things, and wait your maker's nod. My
soul stands trembling while she sings the honors of her God. Life, death, and hell, and worlds
unknown hang on his firm decree. He sets on no precarious throne
nor borrows leave to be. Chained to his throne a volume
lies with all the fates of men, with every angel's form and size
drawn by the eternal pen. Christ was our counselor with
God when he determined all things regarding this world. But there's
more. Everything that should ever come
to pass in providence was ordained and fixed by God's immutable
purpose in the everlasting council. Scientists and philosophers and
infidels talk about Mother Earth and the laws of nature. Only scientists, philosophers,
and infidels, and folks who don't have any better sense, talk about
Mother Earth and laws of nature. But what men call laws of nature
are nothing more and nothing less than the decree of God Almighty. That's all. It's God's decree.
The order of God, the arrangement of God, they're carried out precisely
by the hand of him who has his way in the whirlwind. Some folks
quibble. and argued, tried to prove from
science some explanation for miraculous things in the scriptures.
Well, it's not possible for the sun to stand still. That could
not have happened. Not like Joshua recorded it.
It could not have happened. Scientific evidence shows it
could not have happened. God controls the elements, not
man, not man. No problem for God that caused
the sun to stand still and the earth to continue just as it
was. No problem for Him. He's God. I'm not talking about
Mark Daniel. It'd be a problem for you. It'd
even be a problem for me. It would even be a problem for
folks who think they control everything. It'd be a problem,
but not for God, not for God. God has determined from eternity
everything that comes to pass in time and he brings things
to pass in time according to his decree. Exactly according
to his decree. They're carried out precisely
by the hand of him who has his way in the whirlwind and rides
upon the storm. During the recent hurricanes,
I heard from several of my friends who were in the midst of it.
I'm thankful to know Him who rides upon the storm. To rest
in Him who rides upon the storm. God did not just wind this world
up like a spinning top and let it go. God Almighty, our Savior,
holds the reins of the universe. and everything he does now, has
done in past, or shall do in the future, is according to his
wise and merciful purpose of grace, as was the settling of
Joseph into Egypt, and all the difficulties through which Joseph,
by the hand of God, was brought, to set him on the throne in Egypt,
to save Israel alive. Everything God does is to show
forth his glory in the saving of his people for the everlasting
good of our souls. Spirit of God, give me grace
that I may learn to trust Christ my counselor. He's too wise to
err, too good to do wrong, too strong to fail. He really is. He has ordained every trial and he has ordained the weight
of all my trials. Thank God he graciously stoops
to order little trials that seem tough to prepare us for great
trials and make them little. Our light affliction. which is
but for a moment, our featherweight's trouble. I tried David never to think
about that statement, 2 Corinthians 4 verse 17, but I don't think
about everything Paul said up to that. shipwreck, imprisonment,
betrayal, banishment, judgment, being left for dead, our light
affliction, our light affliction, our featherweight affliction,
which is, but for a moment, this is how long it lasts. That's
all. It's just a moment, just a moment.
No matter how long it is, just for a moment. And it works for
us. Not it's going to turn out all
right. It is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory. He's numbered our mercies. He's
numbered the place and conditions by which we may be useful. He's
numbered the days of our pilgrimage. He's numbered the means and moment
by which we shall leave this world. And nothing's going to
change any of it. Nothing's going to alter any
of it. And all matters of grace were
settled and fixed from eternity in his blessed counsel. God determined
before the world was to save a people for the glory of his
name. He found a way by which he could be just and yet justify
sinners and never compromise his character, his word, or his
law at all. He found a way whereby he could
say, I will by no means clear the guilty. I will by no means
clear the guilty. I will be merciful and I will
forgive their iniquities, transgressions, and sins. And their sins will
I remember no more. You can't do both. You can if
you're God and you find a way. And the way he found was substitution. God himself became one of us. And he bare our sins in his body
on the tree. And God in justice punished our
sins to the full satisfaction of justice. God punished me in
his son. Utterly, fully punished me. And God forgave me of all my
sins and will not remember my iniquities because he found a
way. God determined who he would save. And God Almighty predestined
everything necessary to bring his elect to life and faith in
Christ at the appointed time of his love and to heaven's glory
at last, at the appointed time he purposed. Christ is an eternal
counselor. Here's the second thing. The
Lord Jesus Christ is God's counselor. I mean by that, he is the counselor
given to us by God, and he is the counselor who is himself
God. He's called the angel of the
covenant. Sometimes, fellas misread things
and fail to grasp things. I've had many friends say, oh,
I couldn't call Christ an angel. He could be an angel. I'm not
talking about a created angel. I'm not talking about one of
those heavenly hosts created a third of whom fell. No, no,
no, no, no, no. The word angel means messenger,
messenger. I'm your pastor. God identifies
me as the angel of Grace Baptist Church. Now, I hate to tell you
this, but you're looking at an angel. It's what one of them
looks like. It's what one of them looks like.
And he doesn't have any wings or a halo. He's just a messenger,
a messenger. Christ is the messenger of the
covenant. He is the messenger by whom God
makes himself known. He is that one who has seen God,
who knows God, and he declares God. He shows us who God He is. He is that one in whom resides
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Everything that God is
resides in Him who lived for us and died for us and rose again
and yonder He is and ye are complete in Him. The Lord Jesus Christ
being God's messenger is that one by whom the covenant is revealed.
He's the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel and excellent
in working. We read and understand God's
counsel only through Christ, our counselor. Look to Christ
and you'll understand all that God has done and all that God
is doing. And yes, all that God shall do. I have a full comprehensive knowledge
of history. Now, I'm not a good historian.
I like to read history and study history. I try to be aware of
history, but I have a full, comprehensive knowledge of history, past, present,
and future. Let me give you a hint. It's
not too hard. You write it out this way, H-I-S-S-T-O-R-Y. History is his story. It's his
story. his story of what he has done,
his story of what he is doing, his story of what he shall do.
God Almighty has put this world into the hands of Christ, our
counselor for the salvation of his people. He's calling out
a people for his namesake and he will put the world under the
rule of his son, little by little conquering everything until at
last all things are put under his feet. But I want to show
you something else. I want to show you the kind of
counsel of Christ he is. He gives counsel to his people
by his spirit through the ministry of the word. No, God does not
give counsel by audible voice in our day. The days of prophets
and apostles are over. Any man who tells you that God
spoke to him, told him something, don't pay too much attention
to it. Don't pay too much attention to it. Some years ago, Brother
Scott Richardson said, thought I came up to him and said, as
he got up to the church building, he said, are you the preacher
here? And he said, yes. He says, well, God just spoke
to me and told me you'd have me to preach here this morning.
And Scott said, that's strange. I just got through talking to
him and he didn't mention it to me. God doesn't so speak to man. He doesn't so speak to man. God
speaks today by his word, through the preaching of the word, by
the power of his spirits. And he does so ordering our steps. ruling our lives, instructing
our minds, and comforting our hearts. Indeed, that's the reason
he gave you such things as this man wants so much to be, a messenger
to show you his will, guide you in his way, and comfort you by
his word. Sometimes the comfort involves
a sharp reproof for unbelief and sin. Sometimes the comfort
involves a plain word that you need to hear. But my business
is to comfort God's people, to instruct God's people in the
way, to show you God's word, God's will, God's son. Our Lord
Jesus Christ, he's just the counselor we need. He's faithful, sympathizing,
and he's God all wise, the perfect man, the perfect man. Next time you need a counselor,
I suggest you go to him. He's just the counselor you need.
One third thing, turn to 1 John chapter 2. The God-man, Christ Jesus, is
our counselor with God in heaven right now. My little children,
these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an advocate, a counselor with the Father. Jesus Christ,
the righteous. And this is how he counsels for
us in heaven. He's the propitiation, the satisfaction
of divine justice for our sins. And not for ours only, but for
all God's people, wherever they are, anywhere in the world, for
the sins of the whole world. Here is Christ's counsel to you
who are undergoing trial as his children. Cast all your care
on him, for he careth for you. Here's his counsel for you, young
and old. Seekest thou great things for
thyself? If you do, you're gonna cause
yourself a lot of pain and trouble. Seek them not. Here's his counsel
for every languishing believer. I counsel thee to buy of me gold,
in the fire and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed. By me, the gold of my gospel
and my grace, the white raiment of my righteousness, and everything
will be just fine. Everything will be just fine.
Here's his counsel for every weary sinner. Come unto me all
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Here's
his counsel from Zion's pilgrims, or to Zion's pilgrims. I had a lady years ago, I haven't
had it happen since then, though I've had some try, but a lady
years ago who took it on herself to correct me for some theological
things that she perceived to be theological weaknesses. And
I wrote to her and got her a letter, and it was back before the days
of computers and internet stuff. I sat down and wrote her a long
letter, and then I called her by name. I knew her well, and
I said, I'm not much inclined to learn my doctrine and my theology
from a woman, so you can just keep your opinion to yourself.
I'm just not interested in it. I'm just not interested in it.
But the best counsel I've learned since God saved me, I learned
from that lady right there shortly after we started dating. She
turned with me to Proverbs chapter three and showed me this. Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart. and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths." And I proved it to be so every
day for 50 years. This is his counsel to you who
are his pilgrims. Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Now,
we're about to take the bread and wine. And this is his counsel
to you who are his. This do in remembrance of me. this do in remembrance of me? Just in case you weren't here
when I told you the story before. A couple of years ago, I was
preaching up in Fairmont. Shelby and I had dinner with
Brother Marvin Stoniker. And he, after lunch, he said, not
long before Brother Scott died, he came into the office one day
and said, Marvin, I want to give you something. He said, he handed
me this pocket knife. And I looked at him, I said,
Brother Scott, you think I need a pocket knife to remember you?
He said, Marvin, take the pocket knife and you won't forget me,
you'll remember me. And he said, thank you. And he
said, I put it in my pocket. And he said, Brother Don, I never
pull that pocket knife out. But what I don't think of Brother
Scott. When I get it off the chest of the door in the morning
and put it in my pocket, I think of Brother Scott. If I pull it out to clean my
fingernails, I think of Brother Scott. out of my pocket and laid it
on my chest drawer and I think of Brother Scott. He sure knew
how to make me remember him. I wondered until Marvin told
me that story all my life as a believer in this day of totally
spiritual worship why did our Lord Jesus give us bread and
wine, these physical elements with which He tells us to remember
Him. Not because there's something
special about the bread or something special about the wine. As a
matter of fact, it's the plainest bread you can get. It's unleavened
bread. And if you ate very much of it,
you'd think, let's have some salt or something. Now, the only
thing I can think of worse than unleavened bread is health food
bread. That's the only thing I think worse of it. But it's
unleavened bread. Nothing special about it. Nothing
special about the wine. It's, I'm not much of a wine
drinker myself, but I really don't like the wine. It's Mogan
David Passover wine. I just, I guess what Merle's
buying, I guess what it is. Some kind of wine that's, the
process is natural fermentation. It's just ordinary wine. But
I tell you what you can't do. Tell you what you can't do. Merle,
try it just a little bit, will you? Try to take that bread and
not remember him. Try to take that wine and not
remember him. If you're his, eat the bread
and thank God for him. And drink the wine and thank
God for him. And this do in remembrance of
him who loved us and gave himself for us. God performs, the righteousness
God gives, by which he covers our naked souls, is one sacrifice,
Jesus Christ his Son, so that we stand before him, all the
saints of God, arrayed in white garments, clean and white, just
like that man Christ Jesus, clothed in linen garments, with the writer's
acorn by his side. And then we see pictures in scripture
of God's severity. Oh, the severity of God. Yes, God is kind, gentle, good. And God is rigorous, sharp, severe,
and harsh in his judgment. I asked Sodom and Gomorrah. Somebody
asked me this week, seeing all the stuff going on, and said,
do you reckon that's something like what happened with Sodom
and Gomorrah? I've only been watching something on the Discovery
Channel. Please listen to me. You probably won't, but please
do, please listen. When you get a chance to see something produced
in Hollywood about this book, Go visit a moonshiner and get
you some moonshine or something worthwhile. Don't look at it. Don't look at it. If you got
to go to Hollywood to understand this book, you're in bad shape.
If you got to go to the Discovery Channel or the History Channel
to understand this book, you're in horrible shape. Don't do it.
Saw something on the Discovery Channel about Sodom and Gomorrah.
Read this book and I'll tell you what happened to Sodom and
Gomorrah. The severity of God. Ask Ndebebe Ndebayu. Ndebebe
Ndebayu offered strange fire to God. Do you know what? Every time I've ever heard anybody
in conversation mention Ndebebe Ndebayu. Do you know what they've
always asked me, Earl? I'll tell you the one thing they've
always asked me. Every time I've ever heard the
name mentioned, what do you reckon the strange fire was? Who gives
a flip? I don't want any of it, whatever
it was. The problem was they refused to offer God what God
required. That's the issue. They refused
to bring God's fire into God's holy place, and for that reason,
God killed them in the holy place. This is God severe? Ask Uzzah. He reached out to steady the
ark of God. He put his hand to God's salvation. God killed it. Is God harsh? Ask a man who went on a Sabbath
day one day to pick up sticks so his wife could fix some biscuits
to have gravy for lunch. He went out and gathered sticks.
God commanded the whole nation to pick up rocks and beat him
to death with them. Yes, God's severe. Is God severe? Severe in judgment when men refuse
the light that God gives them? those men who were gathered at
Sinai. And God said to Moses, if so
much as the hand of the beast touched this mountain, shoot
him dead. You put your hand to God's work,
you'll go to hell for it. It's just that simple, just that
plain. We read in the scriptures of
our Lord speaking about the marriage feast. I call you to faith in
Christ. I bid you come to Christ. Feast
on the gospel of Jesus Christ. No, I ain't hungry. No, I don't
want none of that. No, I want to go fishing. And
then those who are bidden, the Lord gets up and shuts the door. And many who are bidden come,
let us in. God shut the door, go on back
fishing. Go play with your toys. And then we see our Lord Jesus
in Gethsemane anticipating what would become of him when God
made him sin. And he broke out into a sweat
of blood and cried, oh my God. If it be possible, let this cup
pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
thine, be done." And he rose up and said to Peter, James,
and John, come on, boys. I'm going to accomplish what
I was sent here to accomplish. Father, glorify your name. And he was arrested, tried, mocked,
beaten, dragged through the streets in humiliation, nailed to the
cursed tree. And when he was made sin for
us, God Almighty skipped Gladfell
to pour out on him his harsh, furious, sharp severity like
all hell will never experience. The Lord God Almighty, finding
sin on his son, punished him with the utmost severity of justice,
crying, Awake, O sword! Against the man that is my fellow
smites and slay the shepherds. And God in his fury and severity,
in his anger, in his wrath, slaughtered his son. because his son was
made sin, that he by his son might be just and the justifier
of every sinner who comes to God by faith in his son." Oh, the goodness of God. Oh, the goodness of God. Oh, may God give you his goodness
in Christ. Spirit of God, give us grace,
constant, relentless, unceasing grace that we may abide in your
goodness, that we may ever cling to Christ, our God, our Savior,
our all. Amen.