Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham. I have three son-in-laws, and they all want to be my favorite,
and I let them think that. But Chuck Huffman, our daughter
Judene's husband, He thinks he's my favorite because
he's the oldest son-in-law of the three as far as marital status
is concerned. And I'm so thankful Chuck and
Judina are under your ministry. That blesses my heart. I know
they're getting fed. Well, I'm honored and thankful
to be here again this year. It's something I don't take lightly,
and the Lord has been pleased. give me and Judy a safe trip
across country with the exception of one little mishap. She had
to have a little dental work done day before yesterday and
she's in a little bit of pain but other than that we had a
safe trip and God is just good. I mean, he would be good if we
had a wreck and we went out to glory or got maimed. He's still good, but you know
what I mean. For his protecting hand to be
upon us all those many different miles, and there's just a whole
lot of other people out there as crazy as I am when it comes
to driving, and so I'm thankful. And we have some members of our
church here with us this year. Diane Berry and her son Cody,
and we're thankful they could be with us. And several of our
members have been here and they said please give this church
here in Danville their love and their greetings. Thankful for
your pastor, his wife Shelby. Dear friends of ours, they come
out twice a year to our church and we're delighted to have them
and they all send their love and their greetings to you. And
I'm thankful for this church. your stand for the gospel, your
love for Jesus Christ and his truths, and hosting these conferences
every year, just a manifestation of the grace of God in your lives,
and I am thankful I speak on behalf of my wife when I say
thank you for your hospitality. You folks are so good to us,
and I'm very thankful. There's a preacher, well, he's
not God's preacher, he's one of Satan's out in There's many
of them out there, but this one in particular out in California, out in the San Diego
area, made this statement. He said, any man who will teach
and preach that God's children have perfect and complete sanctification
in Christ is a false preacher. an excerpt from an article that
one of our dear brothers back home wrote. His name is Michael
Smith, and he's preaching for me tomorrow, and he'll be preaching
for me the following Sunday. And he'll be taking over as a
pastor of our church when I step down, which that's planned for
next fall. But he wrote, taking his thoughts
from Numbers 23-21, He hath not beheld iniquity in
Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is
with him, and the shadow of a king is among them. The brother Michael
Smith wrote, how right David was when he wrote of God, yea,
the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as
the day, the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
And he writes, our God knows all, and he sees all, even the
thoughts and intents of the heart. And yet what God does not see
is any sin whatsoever in his chosen people. God's word says
that he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him,
and a shot of a king is among them. How can the Lord God, who
sees all and knows all, declares that he sees no sin in his chosen
people? Because the Lord Jesus has removed
all our sins from us. Isn't that good? Brethren, that's the gospel. The Lord took care of our sin
dead and full. And we've heard that in four
messages already during this conference. That's the message
that God's preachers declare every time we have the opportunity
to preach. God sees no sin in his people. He has removed our sins as far
as the east is from the west and remembers them against us
no more. I was just reminded just a few moments ago of some
words by Pastor Henry Mahan speaking to a young preacher. He said,
don't worry about those preachers out there. He said, find you one sinner.
Focus in on that sinner and preach to that sinner and those preachers
will be glad to hear what you have to say. And that's not a
direct quote, but something to that, you know. And that's true. Any sinners out there? I've got
a message for you. God took care of our sins. We have been redeemed. Years ago, when we were meeting
in Hakomba, special meetings on a Brother Fortner, me and
some others were there. and we had a fishing trip scheduled,
and we met for breakfast that morning before we went fishing,
and we all gave our order, and one of our brothers ordered a
bowl of oatmeal, and Brother Fortner said, yuck! Well, we
have a way of expressing our likes and our dislikes, and we
can't help that. Those who have been enlightened
by the Spirit of God We express our love for his glorious gospel. That's because we love God. We didn't always love him, but
when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, we love
what God loves. We love his darling son, Jesus
Christ our Lord. We love his gospel. We love his
people. Those who are preachers of Satan,
who have not been enlightened, they can't help but express what
they feel, and they hate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why is that? Because they hate
God. And we were just like them. until
God, by his marvelous, wonderful grace, through the merits of
Christ our Savior, brought us out of darkness into his waiting
arms. Would you turn to 1 Corinthians
chapter two? 1 Corinthians chapter two. There's a reason for everything that God does.
He has purposed everything and He executes everything for the
glory of Jesus Christ our Savior and for the good of His people.
And in our unregenerate state, we hated the gospel. We hated
everything that had to do with the gospel. But God has changed
us. He has not changed the old man. He has given us a new nature. I've heard that already this
weekend and I express it to the best of my ability. There is
nothing in the old man that attracts God. He created a new man in
us. That's a new heart. He had to
do that. Nothing about the flesh, nothing,
attracts God at all. But God loves His Son, Jesus
Christ, and He loves His Son in those who have been quickened
by the Spirit of God. And here in 1 Corinthians chapter
2, verses 12 through 14, we read this, Now we have received not
the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that
we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
So we have received Christ. A man can receive nothing except
it be given to him from above. So under the preaching of the
glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, God sends the Spirit of His Son
into our hearts crying, Abba, Father. So we've received Him
that we might know the things of God. We couldn't know them
until the Spirit of God came in to teach us, that's his ministry. The ministry of God the Holy
Spirit is to take the things of Christ and reveal them to
God's chosen blood-bought children. In verse 13 we read, which things
also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth,
with which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual, comparing Scripture with Scripture. But the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they
are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned." And that's where we were. That's
why we had to experience the miracle of the new birth. And
that's God's work. That's not man's work, that's
God's work. and He alone can perform that
miracle, and when He does, we're going to express ourselves in
a way that's pleasing to our God. We'll express our love for
Christ, our love for His gospel, our love for one another, which
we didn't have before. And being under the preaching
of the gospel is another way that we express our delight in
Christ. We want to be here, is that not
right? I want to be where God's people meet. I want to be where
the gospel is preached. And that's because of that new
man, Christ in us, the hope of glory. Now turn to Galatians
chapter three. This is all free. I'm just laying a foundation
for my message. Years ago, early in my ministry,
God's providence brought me into an acquaintance was Brother Henry
Mahan. He started the conferences at
our church way back in the early 80s, 83, 84, somewhere in there,
85 maybe. And I was acquainted with two
preachers that I admired, really. I highly esteemed them. And they
found fault with Brother Henry Mahan after a couple of years
because they accused him of preaching and teaching gospel regeneration. I really didn't understand a
lot of those terms back then, but I knew one thing. Henry Mahan preached the gospel. He was God's preacher. I fell
in love with that man the first time I heard him. And those two
preachers tried to turn me against Brother Henry. Well, the Lord's
providence kept that from happening. And as I kept studying the scriptures,
I saw that what Brother Henry Mahan was teaching was what every
preacher believes. It's the Holy Spirit that quickens,
gives life to those for whom Christ died. But he does that
under the preaching of the gospel. Peter said, being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth forever. And we heard this already
during these meetings over in Romans chapter 10, starting at
verse 13. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. How shall they call upon him
in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him
whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without,
you see, the gospel must be preached. But this passage of scripture
in Galatians chapter three is what really confirmed to my heart
what Brother Henry Mahan and Brother Donald Fortner, Brother
Todd Nybert, you other preachers, what we preach concerning what
they call gospel regeneration is true. I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul said, and I echo those words,
for it, the gospel, is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
who believes. But here in Galatians 3, starting
at verse 1, Paul writing under divine inspiration said, O foolish
Galatians who have bewitched you! that ye should not obey
the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth crucified among you. This only would I learn of you.
Received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith? So they received the spirit by
the hearing of faith, under the preaching of the gospel. And
not only that, they not only received the Spirit under the
preaching of the Gospel, that Spirit remained with them until
they left this life. Verse 3 says, Are you so foolish,
having begun in the Spirit? Are you now made perfect by the
flesh? So it's the Spirit who begins the work and it's the
Spirit of God who continues the work until we leave this life
and go right into glory to see our Savior face to face. Now,
Turn to Romans chapter 9, the word of God teaches us that Christ
is coming again in flaming fire taking vengeance on them who
do not know God, who obey not his gospel. And there's a curse
pronounced on every person who would dare to preach a perversion
of the gospel. There's only one gospel, but
there are others who are preaching what they call the gospel, and
it's not the gospel. What, then, is the gospel? Well, the gospel is Jesus Christ.
And Jesus Christ is the gospel. Well, why does God reveal Christ
and these truths to some and not to others. Because God does
whatever He wants to do. That's why God does what pleases
Him. And our Lord Jesus over Matthew
11 prayed that way. He thanked God that He revealed
these things to the babes and hid them from the wise and the
prudent. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.
So let me give you four points. that I believe will help us to
understand a little bit better, maybe, or
at least agree with what God has already given us in the way
of understanding of what the gospel is. Now, folks, listen. God is a covenant God. And he has a covenant people. And those that Jesus Christ purchased
with his own blood are his people. And he came here, Jesus Christ
came here to fulfill all the conditions of the eternal covenant
of grace for his people. So these four points sums up
the gospel. God chose his covenant people
in Christ. God cleansed his covenant people
by Christ. God calls his covenant people
to Christ. And God keeps his covenant people
clinging to Christ. Chosen, cleansed, called, and
clinging. This is God's doings, and it's
marvelous in our eyes. And if we don't love gospel truths,
we don't love Christ. We have a man that's been coming
to our church for a little over a year now. He's deaf and dumb,
but he can read. And the man who has been bringing
him sits by him and points to the scriptures, having him turn
to them, and he's been following right along. Two or three weeks
ago he came to me after the services pointing, you don't have to turn
there, but pointing to Romans 11.5 which says, even so then
at this present time also there's a remnant according to the election
of grace. He was pointing his finger at
that And he pointed his finger at his chest, and he pointed
up with a big smile on his face. He delights in electing grace. God delights in electing grace. All of the writers of the Bible
delights in electing grace. I delight in electing grace.
God chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world.
He wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life before time ever
began. That's the Word of God. Why do these Arminian free will
works religionists hate that? Because it completely destroys
their doctrine of men's works unto salvation. They want a little
glory in what they say salvation is, and God will not share His
glory with anyone. Here in Romans chapter 9, and
we've heard this already, but let me read this, starting at
verse 9, Romans 9, we read, for this is the word of promise,
at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. And not
only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by
our father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. Now I didn't
write this, but I believe it. I believe every bit of it. And
the Bible tells me that God hates Esau, he loves Jacob. Now I can
understand God hating Esau. I don't fully comprehend God's
love for Jacob, do you? I don't fully comprehend God's
love for me. I can't even imagine God loving
me. But I shared this with our folks a couple of weeks ago.
God loves His chosen people. He has always
loved His chosen people. He loves us with an everlasting
love. And He loves His chosen people
in Christ. That's where the love of God
is. in Christ. And he loves Christ in his chosen
people. God loves his darling son. There's
nothing about this flesh that God can love. It's sin. God hates
sin. But he has always seen us in
Christ. And he has always loved us in
Christ. He loved Jacob in Christ before
this world was ever created. Before he was born, before he
had done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works, but of him at cause.
You see, these truths that are recorded for our learning stirs
the hearts of God's people to offer praise to the one who chose
us in Christ before this world began. And that's an expression
of love to our God for who he is and for what he has done.
That's part of the gospel. Now, election is not salvation. Christ is our salvation. But
election chose us unto salvation. We had to be cleansed And that's
our second point. Look over here in Romans chapter
8, starting at verse 22, Jesus Christ cleansed His covenant
people by Christ. We read, not in 22, verse 32,
I'm sorry. Verse 32 of Romans chapter 8,
he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all.
And this is what we read in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. We receive not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit of God, that we might
know the things which are given to us of God. It says he that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Brethren, when Jesus Christ went
to the cross, and we heard this by Brother Todd Nyberg last night,
he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. Our sins became his. He was made
sin for us. And God poured out His unmitigated
wrath on His darling son because he was sin in God's sight. Not
for anything that he had done wrong. He's the perfect, spotless
Lamb of God. But because He came to bear the
sins of His people, our iniquities were laid on Him. God made Him
to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. Jesus Christ was guilty before
God. And I don't understand that,
not one little bit. But I believe it's true, like
I heard last night. My sins were taken from me and
they were laid on Jesus Christ. And they're gone, gone, gone. Out of God's sight forever. Now
that took place in God's purpose before this world was ever created.
But it had to be executed. Jesus Christ had to come. He
had to shed his blood. He had to redeem his people.
And he did that. He didn't try to redeem us, he
didn't believe. that God could try to do anything?
That's implying that He can't get the job done. But I'm telling
you the truth on the authority of God's Word that God cannot
fail. And Jesus Christ is God Almighty.
And when He came here to do His Father's will, He did everything
that He was sent here to do. And that what He did was for
this hell-deserving sinner standing before you here this evening.
He took care of everything. that I ever did that offended
my God, and I stand before Him. And you also, if your faith is
in Christ, I stand before Him just as holy as God Himself. I didn't know anything about
that until my amazing, gracious God brought me under the preaching
of His glorious gospel. I had to be called out of darkness.
That's our third point. Jesus Christ redeemed his people
and God calls his covenant people to Christ. Now folks, listen. Salvation is not won't you pretty
please give Jesus a chance. Salvation is not by chance. Salvation was purposed by God
Himself back before time began. And we read that in several places
in the scriptures. 2 Timothy 1 God has saved us
and called us with an holy calling, but according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. So salvation is not by
chance. Besides, when preachers, when
false preachers make that kind of a statement before their congregations,
they're putting God in subjection to the sinner. And all things
are under the feet of Jesus Christ. Everything's in subjection to
Him. He's the risen, exalted, glorified God-man, the governor
over this whole universe and everything in it. He's working
all things after the counsel of His own will. And it was His
will the will of our great triune God that all for whom Jesus Christ
suffered and bled and died for would be called out of darkness
into his waiting arms so that we would know what God has done
for us and glorify his son for our salvation. That's God's doings. So he must call us. And he does. with a personal, inward, holy,
efficacious call. The first time I heard Henry
Mahan use that word efficacious, he said, you know what that means.
It gets the job done. And that's true. This is an effectual
call. You can't resist that. You might
resist the Holy Spirit in me, but you can't resist God the
Holy Spirit whose ministry is to bring those for whom Christ
died out of darkness into his marvelous light. So here in Romans
chapter 8, starting at verse 38, no, I'm sorry, 28, starting at verse 28, we read,
and we know, there's a lot of things we don't know, Well, some
people might give you the impression they know all things, but God's
enlightened children. You know, I just told somebody
the other day, the more I study, the more I realize how much I
don't know. But there's some things we do know. We know we've
passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. We know,
we know the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding
that we might know him. This is the true God in eternal
life. We better know Him and we better know His gospel. But
listen to this. We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God. Now catch this. To
them who are called according to His purpose. So when God calls
us, it's according to His purpose. Amen? It is. It's according to
God's purpose. He purposed to call us out of
darkness way back yonder. When the covenant of grace was
established between the great three in one, God determined
to call his people and give us an understanding of the sovereign
lordship of Jesus Christ. All things couldn't work together
for good if he's not in control of all things. My wife had that
problem on the way out here. When we had to go to the dentist,
that was not just an accident, a misfortune, bad luck. We don't have any dealings with
those three ladies. Lady Luck, Misfortune, and Mother
Nature. She lost that tooth because it was predetermined by God.
I'm telling you the truth. Everything that happens in time
was predetermined by God before time began. And when he called
us under the preaching of his gospel, when the Holy Spirit
called us into the waiting arms of Jesus Christ, it was according
to God's purpose. And he calls us so that we might
know salvation is of the Lord. from start to finish. He purposed
it, he planned it, he executed it, and he brings us into an
understanding of this so that we'll bow down before Jesus Christ,
the true and living God, giving him the praise and adoration
that he alone is worthy of. So God has chosen His covenant
people in Christ. He has cleansed His covenant
people by Christ. And He calls His covenant people
to Christ. And He keeps all of us clinging
to Christ and only to Christ. If your hope is in anything other
than Christ, get rid of it. Get rid of it. I'm warning you. I'm warning you that if you go
out into eternity thinking that Jesus has done his part and you've
done your part and you and God working together, you are going
to accomplish the goal, which is salvation, you're going to
be damned forever. Christ is the one we cling to. and the only one we cling to. Paul said in the last two verses
of Romans chapter 8, for I am persuaded that neither death
nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present
nor things to come nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord." Universal atonement is a lie
right out of the pit. If we believe that Jesus Christ
died for those who will spend eternity in hell, We don't know
him and we don't know his gospel. That teaches that what Jesus
Christ did is absolutely meaningless. And the difference between those
who go to heaven and go to hell who are under that doctrine,
the difference was not what Christ did, but what the man does. That's works religion. but we
cling to Christ. We cling to him as our very life
depended upon it, knowing we're safe in his hands and nothing
can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Now let me leave you with this. I ask all of us to give some serious
thought to this closing statement. If we have no interest in the
Christ of Holy Scripture, if we have no interest in the true
gospel of Jesus Christ that gives God all the glory, if we have
no interest in assembling with God's saints for public worship
on a regular basis, How can we possibly think that
God has any interest in us? Thank you. God bless you.