I'd like to begin this morning
by reading three verses of scripture from three different places.
I'd like you to turn there with me. The first is in the Psalms,
Psalm 100. Psalm 100. Just a verse. Psalm
100, verse 3. Know ye that the Lord, He is
God. He is God. It is He that hath
made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep
of His pasture. Now turn to Genesis. Genesis
chapter 1. We could quote this verse and
you could too. Let's look at it. The first verse,
the first verse of the Bible, in the first book of the Bible,
Genesis means beginning. We read in verse 1, in the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth. We'll go to the third
verse in a moment from which we'll take our text. It'll be
in Philippians chapter 1. In the beginning we read in Genesis
Not God's beginning, but everything and everyone else's beginning.
God was already there. God was already there. He had
no beginning. He had no starting place. All
began from Him. In the beginning, God. Highlight God. God created. Not that there was a Big Bang
Theory. No, no. A big bang and voila! Really? No. The creation, God's
wondrous creation, is not the result of a big bang, but the
result of a big God. In the beginning, God. God created. Created. Highlight that word
next. In the beginning, God created.
Not that God tried to create. Not that He attempted to create. Or wanted to create but for some
reason or other just couldn't do it. Oh no. No, we read God. He's God. God doesn't ever try
to do anything. You can begin in Genesis 1 and
1 and go all the way through to Revelation, the last verse
of that chapter. And you'll never find one verse
to even suggest or hint that God Almighty ever tried to do
anything. If you look for it, you'll be
on a wild goose chase. You won't find it. God never
attempted anything. We try and we fail. We're human. We're just children
of the dust. But God Almighty? No. God wills
it. And the very will gets the job
done. He's God. Now, the third verse,
perhaps you've already gone there. Philippians chapter 1. Philippians
chapter 1. Now take what we read in Psalm
100 verse 3. in Genesis 1 and 1, what we read
there and apply it concerning God, His greatness. Apply that
blessed thought to what we read here in verse 6. Remembering
that He is God. We're told in verse 6, being
confident of this very thing that he, that is God, that is
God. God which had begun a good work
in you will perform it, will continue it, will carry it on
until the day of Jesus Christ. The title of my message is God's
Good Work. God's Good Work. And that's where
we want to begin first. Salvation is God's work. I believe in salvation by work,
John, but not yours and not mine. God's great work. We're his workmanship. Salvation, like creation, is
God's doing. If not, if it's not, it'll never
be accomplished. It'll never be done. God will
never where he will always complete what he started. He'll perform
it, as we read here in the text, to completion. If God doesn't
carry it on, there's no need for him to have even started
it. That's exactly right. If God Almighty by His grace
doesn't complete the good work begun in every believer, If he
doesn't carry it on until the day of Jesus Christ, there was
no need for him to have ever started it. I think perhaps I
told you this story many years ago, many years ago, when I was
a young fellow. I was pastoring a little church
in Anstead, West Virginia. Hadn't been there too long and
A couple of my deacons said, Larry, won't you come up? We'll
visit in the neighborhood one evening. And I said, yeah, we
can do that. So we met one evening, one summer
evening, and still had a few hours of dark or rather daylight
before, after I got off work. And we went to various houses
and heard all kinds of lame excuses why they wouldn't come to that
church. But we went to one street and parked the car, got out.
Went up to this house. I was going up the sidewalk and
I looked behind me and my deacons had stopped. I said, what's going
on? They said, this is as far as
we go with you to this house. You're on your own from here.
I said, I don't understand. They said, that's the meanest
man in town that lives in that house. We'll stay back here on
the sidewalk and pray for you. And sure enough, sure enough,
as I stepped up on the porch, the door was open, but there
was no light on. It was dark. And I heard a fellow start cussing
and threatening to shoot me. And I said, he said, get out
of here. This is my property. I'll shoot
you if you don't get out. I said, you're right. You stay
calm. I'll back right out of here. But God will never do that,
Willie. He'll never do what my friend
said. Larry, from now on, you're on your own. We'll go so far
with you, but no further. Oh no. Our text tells us here
that God Almighty, that begun the good work in you, will perform
it until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. He always does. Does He not? God Almighty never
stops what He starts. Listen to this verse of scripture
that tells us that very comforting truth. I'm reading from Ecclesiastes. chapter 3 verse 14 I know the
wise man said I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever
nothing can be put to it nor anything taken from it and God
doeth it that men should fear before him Isaiah chapter 14
Let me read a few verses to you there along this very line. Isaiah
chapter 14. The Lord of hosts has sworn saying,
surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. My soul. Now, this is God speaking. Do not the very words just comfort
your heart. This is our God. If we're believers,
this is our God. I mean, who else could say such
a thing? As I have thought, so shall it
be. Surely as I have thought, so
shall it come to pass. As I have purposed, so shall
it stand. Verse 27, For the Lord of hosts
hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? The Lord of hosts
has purpose, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched
out, and who shall turn it back? Now if your concept of God Almighty
thinks that anyone can stop him from accomplishing his purpose
and will, can turn back any promise, any work, any of his purposes,
you think there is anyone and it's not the devil, it's not
you, it's not me, it's not all the powers in heaven and earth,
none can stop his hand or saying to him, what doest thou? And that's the God. That's the
God that has begun the good work in you that will perform until
the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me read another one or two
in 2 Chronicles chapter 20. 2 Chronicles chapter 20. I'm reading verse 5. The young
king Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem
in the house of the Lord before the new court. And what did he
do? He didn't stand there in God's
presence and pop his suspenders and say, look at me, I'm the
king. No, he knew he was in the presence
of the king of kings. And he came down, John, like
you taught this morning. He came down, he bowed. And this
is what he said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not that thou
God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all
the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not
power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? He went on in his prayer. Art
not thou our God, who did drive out the inhabitants of this land
before thy people Israel, and gave it to the seed of Abraham,
thy friend forever? Is this not our God? We were
going to turn to Daniel chapter 4, but John quoted it this morning.
Nebuchadnezzar, that proud, proud king. I mean, can't you just
picture him? He's on the balcony of his palace,
and he's just looking over his kingdom. And you know what he
said? Look what my hands have made. That's what he said. Look what my hands... Look at
great Babylon. God did all this. This is my
work. Man, I'm something. And God said,
I'm going to show you exactly what you are. And the next glimpse
we get of that great proud king, he's out in the field, down on
all fours, grazing like a cow. Not so proud anymore. And then
God returned his sanity back to him. And you know what he
said? He said, oh, I've learned a lesson.
I've learned something. God Almighty ruleth in the kingdom
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none, none including
me, none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? That all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as what? Nothing. That's not very flattering. Nothing. They're reputed as nothing
in His sight. He's the great God alone. God has never not finished what
He started. Put your finger, so to speak,
on any part of God's great salvation. And it's God's work and not man's. Choosing, for example. Choosing. You mean, Larry, you mean God
chooses to save sinners? You mean He does it on purpose?
Now, folks that have a problem with that, I would like to ask
them. How else could he do it? I mean, is he going to wake up
like me one morning and have a new idea? Anything God does
today, and he says, I am the Lord, I change not. If he does
it today, he must have purpose to do it yesterday, and yesterday,
and hence before the foundation of the world. God never has a
new idea. No, Paul said, we're bound to
give thanks because God had from the beginning, brethren, chosen
you. He chose you to salvation. Mr. Spurgeon said this concerning
election. He said, some men cannot endure
to hear the doctrine of election. I suppose they like to choose
their own wives. But they're not willing that
Jesus Christ should select his bride, his wife, the church. Well, he's done it anyway. God
had from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Concerning
redemption, what part did you have in that? What part did you
play in redemption? Jesus Christ, we read in Hebrews
1 and 3. when He had by Himself. Redemption is single-handed by
the Redeemer. When He had by Himself without
any assistance from you, not when it took place, not in time
when sinners believe. They're not making redemption
effectual when they believe. They believe because they were
redeemed at Calvary. When He had by Himself purged
our sins, He sat down. What about calling? What about
calling? Okay, okay, Larry. God gets all
the credit for election. Christ gets all the credit for
redemption. We had no part in it. What about
calling? Don't sinners take the first
step to God? Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No. They're dead in sin. They're not going to take the
first step. No, God calls us out of darkness, gives us life. Raises up the newness of life
Stamps upon us the very image of his son in whom he is well
pleased and he sees that image In all those he calls by his
grace and he's well pleased in them as well because they're
in his son again concerning calling Paul said in that same chapter
of 2nd Thessalonians where unto he called you We're bound to
thank God because he chose you to salvation. But Paul said that's
not all. He called you. He called you. Now you know you were chosen
to salvation. How do I know Paul? Because God
Almighty called me by his grace. He called you by our gospel to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether you're speaking of the
natural creation, the physical creation, or whether you're talking
about spiritual creation. Both are God's doing. Genesis 2 we read, God said,
let us, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let us
make man. What did we read in Psalm 100? It's he that hath made us and
not we ourselves. John quoted from this psalm this
morning. He read some of it. Psalm 139. The psalmist said, There, O Lord,
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works,
and that my soul knoweth right well. Yes, concerning the creation
of Adam, Yes. And all us from him? Yes. God, I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. Oh, but concerning that new creation,
making new creatures in Christ Jesus? Again, I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. This is the Lord's doing, and
it's marvelous in our eyes. And he that had begun a good
work in you, Isn't that good news? Isn't that good news? She'll
perform it until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. One hymn writer
put it this way, until God all wise can make mistakes. Doesn't sound right. Till God
all wise can make mistakes, his power abate, his love forsake,
his children must not cease to sing, the Lord omnipotent is
king. What a great and glorious work
God performs in the salvation of a sinner by his mighty grace. As our text says, if salvation
is God's work, we should be confident. We should be confident. Paul
wrote this epistle to the believers at Philippi. You remember in
Acts chapter 16 when he first went to Philippi? He'd heard about some women meeting
down on the riverbank to worship God. So he and Silas go down
there, and Paul preaches the gospel to them. Remember what
we read there? There's a woman named Lydia,
whose heart the Lord opened. How marvelous are thy works,
O God! He opened Lydia's heart, she
believed. Afterwards, in that same city,
Paul and Silas find themselves in the innermost part of the
prison. After being whipped by the jailer,
and they're singing praises unto God, confident, just confident. It's well with their soul. Silas,
let's sing, let's sing. Let's sing a song of praise to
our God. And there's an earthquake, you
know the story. And the jailer who was responsible for the prisoners,
if they escaped, he'd get his life in their place. And he assumed
when he saw the bars fly open, the gates fly open of the prison,
they're all gone, and he woke. And he saw that, and he said,
uh-oh, and he drew his sword out, he gonna... And Paul said, don't
do that. Paul shouted out, hey, don't
do that, we're all here, we're all here. And that jailer, God
Almighty opened his heart and he fell down before Paul and
Silas, the same men that he had beaten a few hours before. And
he said, what must I do to be saved? Oh, great. Great and marvelous
are thy works, O God. What a wondrous work His salvation
is. We next see a picture of that
jailer. That same guy that laid the lashes
upon the back of Paul and Silas, Paul and Silas are sitting at
his table in his kitchen having a meal, believing with him and
with all of his house, singing the blessed praises of the God
of all grace. In Genesis chapter 1, after each
creative act, we read, and God saw that it was good. After the creation of the man,
we read, and God saw that it was very good. It must be. God did it. God did it. Oh, when I see the stars, I hear
the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe
displayed. What should be my response to
that? Oh my God, how great thou art. But you know what a greater work
than that is? Than the creation of the heavens
and earth? It's this work that Paul speaks
of in our text. This great work of God's salvation
that he begins and carries on and will complete until the day
of Jesus Christ. That's an even greater work.
Did you hear that? That's an even greater work.
Really, Larry? Really? This is a greater work
than when God said, let there be light and light was? Oh yes,
it's a greater work when He shines into the hearts of our dark,
depraved nature and turns on the light and shows us the glory
of God Himself in the face of Jesus Christ. That's a greater
work. Really? What's so great? Let me ask you this. What's so
great about making a decision for Jesus? What's so great about walking
down a church aisle and saying the sinner's prayer? What's so
great about any of the other gimmicks used today for getting
saved? And my answer is nothing, nothing,
nothing at all. They're disgusting and they're
deceiving. They deceive the poor sinner
and they rob God Almighty. Oh no, there's nothing great
about it. Oh, but concerning God's real salvation, remember
what he told Nicodemus? That ruler, that teacher, that
instructor in Israel, Nicodemus, that which is born of the flesh
is flesh. And that's all it's ever going
to be. It'll never rise above it. It's impossible. Now that
flesh can make a decision. That flesh can walk hours. That
flesh can recite prayers. But that which is born of the
flesh is still flesh. You must be born again, Nicodemus. And that just knocked his socks
off. What? What? What do you mean? How am
I going to do that? I mean, am I going to enter a
second time into my mother's womb and be born again? What
do you mean? Our Lord said, born by the Spirit,
born from above. Remember what He told that religious
crowd that followed Him? He said, it's the Spirit that
quickeneth, John 6 verse 63. It's the Spirit that quickeneth.
gives life. It is the spirit that gives life.
What about the flesh? The Lord said the flesh profits
how much? 10%? 5%? 1%? How about zip? The flesh profits
nothing. It's the spirit that quickens
it. Now remember to whom our Lord spoke those words. Those
people had worked. They'd worked. They'd worked
with their hands. Because he left where he was
with them when he fed the multitude. This was the multitude that he
spoke these words to. When they saw that he was gone,
they got some boats and they worked. They rode to where he
was. When they got to the other side, he still couldn't be found.
And they hunted him down and they found him. They worked with
their feet. With their hands. With their minds. Because when
they found him, they said, this is what we think. This is what
we think. Isn't it ironic, sad, that people
believe whatever they think is so, makes it so? Huh? I mean, if they think, people
say, this is what I think. You say, salvation's of grace.
They say, well, this is what I think. I dreamed I was saved. Somebody told, I think it was
William Huntington that one time. Brother Huntington, last night
I had a dream that I was saved. He said, well, we'll just have
to see how you walk now that you woke up. That doesn't get
it done. People think whatever they believe
to be so, that makes it so. I mean, I hear it all the time.
Well, I must be a believer because, I mean, You know, I say my little
prayers, and I believe in Jesus, and I'm not a bad person, and
I've turned over a new leaf, and you know what? I think I'll
be okay. Are you a believer? Well, I think
I am. I hope I am. I might be. I'll just have to
wait till I get to heaven and see. Are you serious? Are you
serious? Oh, no. Christ said, it's not
what you think. It's not what you do with your
hands or your feet or your mind. The flesh profits nothing. Put
it all in one basket and Christ said it amounts to nothing. It's the spirit that must quicken
it. Therefore, he said to that same group, therefore, I said
unto you, No man can come to me. No man can come to me except,
except the Father which has sent me draw him in the arm of his
mighty grace. Otherwise he can't come to me. Now wait a minute. Those people
had come to our Lord with their feet. And all around us this
morning that's what sinners are being told. If you'll take the
first step, God will take the rest. Will you trot up here and
shake my hand and say the sinner's prayer? If you're not under enough
conviction to say the sinner's prayer, let me say it for you.
You're saved. Go on your way. Don't you ever
doubt it. Oh, my soul. My soul, that is so, so sad.
Christ said it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profits
nothing. Otherwise, if that great and
glorious work of grace is not wrought in the heart of sinners,
then Christ's words will be true in their case as it was to those
when he first spoke them. If you believe not that I am
he, you will die in your sins. And he was talking to Pharisees.
Pharisees, religious folks, you'll die in your sins. That multitude,
he said, that will stand before him in the judgment and say,
Lord, didn't we, didn't we, didn't we? That's the problem. All the work was your doing. We, we, we. Oh, God, give me grace to begin
a good work by your mighty power. Otherwise, I have no hope at
all. This good work Salvation must
then of necessity be God's work because only God can do it. Paul
in Ephesians chapter 2 said we are his workmanship and that's
sort of his crowning argument. He says by grace are you saved
through faith and that's not of works lest any man should
boast. It's a gift of God. And then
he goes on as if to say, so far as it being the cause being your
works, he says, remember, we are the work. We can't be the
work and the worker. We are the work. We're not saved
by work because we're the workmanship. He said, you're God's workmanship. God's workmanship. This is the
singular origin of all believers. All Christians are the workmanship
of God. We're not self-made men. Adam
didn't create himself, and neither does any believer create himself.
We can't make ourselves believers. We can't do it. We can't do it. God does it. The origin of our
being, not only as men, but as believers, is God alone. No man
ever became a Christian by chance. Spiritual life is not reforming,
turning over new leaves of the old nature. The old nature when
God saves a man and breathes into his spiritually dead soul
the breath of life, the very life of his son. Do you know
the old nature is not affected whatsoever? Do you know that?
People talk about the old man. The old man stays the old man. The old nature stays the old
nature. That's why you have that battle
inside. That's why the flesh lusts against
the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. And there'll never
be a truce. And that warfare will never stop
until that old man is put down in the dirt and we arise in the
resurrection. to be like him and then we'll
be satisfied. I like what Don said along this
line. Don Fortner, speaking of his workmanship, Don said there
are many who denounce as infidels those who preach natural evolution. A bug, an organism was stuck
in the mud and he flipped out on the bank and grew legs and
man evolved. No, we denounce that. But those
same men that denounce such a thing as that are themselves guilty
of preaching a spiritual evolution. Spiritual evolution. What do
you mean, Don? They tell men dead in sin that
they can take the first step to God. No. No way. No way. No. It's got to be by
grace alone or it will never get done. In the new creation,
The salvation of sinners, that's exactly what it is. Paul, in
Romans chapter 11, is contemplating that very thing. He's speaking
about the greatness of God's mercy and grace. He says, man,
who has known the mind of the Lord? Who's been his counselor? Who could ever advise him? Oh,
He's concluded all in unbelief, Jew and Gentile, that He might
have mercy upon all. And Paul just seems to arise,
or I should say bow down, in the thoughts of God's great mercy
and grace. And he just cries out with a
heart bursting with wonder and gratitude. And he says, of him
and through him and back to him are all things to whom be glory
forever and ever. Does your concept of God Almighty
ever produce that? Ask people about their God and
they'll talk about their little buddy. Oh, no. No, no. He's the great God and
Lord over all. In Genesis chapter 2, we read
about the creation of Eve. God taking the rib from Adam
while he slept a deep sleep and then bringing her to the man.
And Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 5, that's a picture of
Christ and His church. That's a picture of Christ and
His church. In chapter one he says, God blessed us with all
spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ according as
he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. Paul said this is a great mystery
in Ephesians 5 and 25, but I speak concerning Christ and his church.
Previous to that he had said, husbands love your wives even
as Christ loved the church. and gave himself for it. Remember
what Adam said? When the Lord brought Eve to
him, he looked at her and said, this is flesh of my flesh and
bone of my bone. She shall be called woman. The
word means she, man. Because she was taken out of
me. And he became responsible for
her. Oh, do you see what a beautiful picture of Christ and his church
that is. When Adam, or rather Eve sinned,
I don't know how long before Adam took that forbidden fruit
and ate it, but there was a time, there was an interval. The Bible
tells us that he wasn't deceived. He wasn't deceived. Eve was deceived,
but Adam wasn't deceived. Then why did he do it? Why did
he do that? I think because of his love for
her. She couldn't go to him, so he came to her. That's what our Lord did. That's
what our Lord did. He was made like unto his brethren.
Out of his great love were with he loved us and gave himself
for us. I love what Matthew Henry said
when I was preparing this message. I remembered his reading this
years ago, so I got his commentary out. And I wrote this down or
printed it off. This is what he said. Eve's being
made after Adam and out of him puts an honor upon that sex as
the glory of the man. If man is the head, she is the
crown, a crown to her husband, a crown of the visible creation.
And I thought of this verse in Isaiah 62 and 3. This is our
Lord speaking of his church. Thou shall also be a crown of
glory in the hand of the Lord. We'll be a crown. We'll be a
crown. We'll be a crown of glory in
the hand of the Lord, in a royal diadem, in the hand of thy God,
his bride, his bride. Matthew Henry went on the right.
The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam, not made
out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be
trampled upon by him. but out of his side to be equal
with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his
heart to be beloved by him. In this, as in many other things,
Adam was the figure of him that was to come. For out of the side
of Christ, the second Adam, his spouse the church was formed.
When he slept the sleep, the deep sleep of death upon the
cross, in order to which his side was open, and there came
out blood and water. blood to purchase his church
and water the spirit by the word to purify it to himself. Yes, Christ loved the church
and gave himself for it. And here's the result of that.
Turn if you will to Revelation. Again, Revelation chapter 14. Paul in Ephesians 5 said, Christ
loved the church and gave himself for it that he might purify it
to himself without spot or blemish or any such thing but that it
should be holy and without blame before him. That's what he did. That's what our bridegroom did. That's exactly what he did. And
when this good work that he's begun in us is completed, this
will be the most certain outcome. Child of God, pray for grace
and faith not to doubt this. Not to doubt this. Be confident
as Paul exhorts us to do. Here in Revelation 14 verse 3,
and they sung as it were, God's redeemed. They sung, as it were,
a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and
the elders. And no man could learn that song
but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed
from the earth. These are they which were not
defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb, whithersoever he goes. These were redeemed
from among men, not with all men, But they were redeemed from
among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And
in their mouth was found no doubt, for they
are without fault before the throne of God. Oh my! The blood
of Jesus Christ, God's Son, purifieth us from all sin. So there'll not be any trace
any trace of the trail of the slime of the old servant. No,
no, no. Not a trace. They are virgins. All their infidelities, all their
adulteries, physical and spiritual, all their fornications will be
remembered no more. They're without fault before
the throne of God. chapter 21 of Revelation, and
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And
I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. Adorned
for her husband. I remember years ago conducting
a wedding, and just a customary wedding. And the bridegroom stood with
the best man and the music began to play and the bride came through
the door, escorted by her father. Father,
I will that all those whom you give me be with me where I am.
They were yours, but you gave them to me, our Lord said, our
bridegroom said. But that young man, the bridegroom,
it was like he was afraid to look. He didn't know what he
was supposed to do. And I said, man, I whispered
to him, I said, look, look, go ahead and look. It's all right,
look at her. Oh, and he just let her. He just let her. I said,
that's your bride. Take a look. Jesus Christ loves his bride. He gave himself for his bride. He does everything for his bride.
And in the Song of Solomon, Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, says
to his bride, thou art altogether lovely. There's no spot in you.
Christ says that to his church. With His holy garments on, I'm
as holy as God's own Son. Let me close. The icing on the
cake, as we say, is this. I hope it will be to you. Our
text says, God who started this good work will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ. John, there's a better day coming
than this. A day when we'll awake and be
perfectly satisfied, how could we not be? Because in that day
of Jesus Christ, when God brings this great work of grace to completion,
we have to be satisfied because we're going to awake in His likeness. Behold, behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called
the sons of God. It doth not yet appear what we
shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is." I hope you'll notice
the article from this text in today's bulletin. It was a blessing
considering it. And what John said this morning
about his grandson JC and how he loved to hear him call his
name Dado, is that it? Well, you had a tough time teaching
him that one, didn't you? Dado. Oh, God the Father delights
to see the attributes of His Son in all of His children. That image of Jesus Christ that
He stamps upon every born-again believer, He looks at and He
rejoices, because it's His Son. He sees us in Jesus Christ, His
Son. And what a wondrous work of the
triune God it is and one in which all things work together for
our good. Oh, why wouldn't it? Because that ultimate everlasting
good that God is working is conforming us into the image of His darling
Son. When God is pleased to reveal
His Son in us, creating in us the image of Christ, the hope
of glory, He must be well pleased with His workmanship. My soul,
then He must and will continue to perform that good work of
grace in you until the day of Jesus Christ. Nothing can stop
it. Nothing can stop it. By God's
sovereign grace united to His Son eternally, I can never be
divided from my covenant surety. Sometimes, let me just be honest, There's been times, I hope they
won't be anymore, but they probably will be, that I've thought, well,
Larry, you've just gone too far. After
so much mercy, so much grace, God's probably just gonna wipe
his hand on you. Well, I can't Can't believe that,
John. No. That's the flesh. That's
the flesh. Oh, no. He's loved me with an everlasting
love. He purchased me at too high a
price to ever cast me out. He sacrificed his son for this
sinner. He made his son to be sin for
this sinner. How's he ever going to let me
go? I can never be divided from my
covenant surety. God's free love from everlasting
made me one with his dear son. Blessed union, strong and changing,
I am with my Savior one. God's free love from everlasting
made me one with his dear son. Blessed union, strong and changing,
I am with my Savior one. Glory to his name. God bless
you. Thank you for your attention.