Well, chapters 8 to 10 of 1 Samuel
concern the anointing of Saul as Israel's first political king. Samuel's sons, it seems, if you
read the account, Samuel's sons were not much better than Eli's.
You know, Eli's sons were wicked, Hophni and Phinehas. And Samuel's
sons, it seems, were not that much better. And the people said
they didn't want them taking over. The people didn't trust
them to take over judgment. It's surprising that, isn't it?
Doesn't it show us the grace of God and the weakness? Don't
trust in human flesh. You know, the people would have
been tempted to think, ah, because Samuel has been such a good prophet
and such a good judge in the land. Well, his sons are not
going to be like Eli's, but no, no, no. They were nearly as bad. They weren't quite as bad, but
they didn't have the trust of the people. And the people kept
saying, give us a king like all the other nations. Give us a
king. We want to be like the others. You know, the world around,
outside. We want to be like them. That's
what we want. Give us a king. No, you don't want a king, said
Samuel to them. You really shouldn't. Because
why? Because God is your king. God
is the king of his people. He's king of kings and lord of
lords. No, no. Oh yes, we want a king. We must
have a king. And Samuel took it to God and
said, look at the people. Look, they're crying out for
a king. And God said to Samuel, listen to them. Go on, listen
to them, do what they're asking for. And say, no, no, I don't
want, no, do it. He said, God said to him, it's
not you, Samuel, that they're rejecting, but it's me, their
God. They're rejecting me as their
king and saying they want a human king. But tell them, tell them
what they'll get. And if you read the account,
you'll know. Tell them what they'll get when
they have this king. You know, it always reminds me
of politics today and in all ages. You know, do you remember
1997 when Tony Blair's government was voted in with a huge great
majority and they sang that night, didn't they? Things can only
get better, things can only get better. And we now look back
now and we think, how much better did things get under earthly
political rule? the terrible, terrible things
that happened in the following years, the dreadful things, the
awful things that have come to light, and it is ever thus, because
men and women are sinners and fallen, and their best of intentions
are always corrupted with sin. And God said to them, you have
a king, understand this, he'll tax you, he'll take your sons
and put them in his army, He'll take your daughters and they'll
be cleaning his palaces and cooking for him and doing his bidding
and running and coming and going. You have a king and this is what
you're going to get." But despite the warnings, the people said,
no, no, no. We want to be like the Edomites
and the Ammonites and all these other ites all around who had
kings. We want to be like them. God
is the only true king of his people. Yes, we need political
leaders. Yes, we need political order. But God is the only true king
of his people, the only one. You know what the best form of
government is? Democracy, you say. Don't you believe it? No,
it's not. They say They say it's a terrible
system but it's the least bad of all the rest that we seem
to have available to us. By far the best is a benign dictator
but where are you going to find a benign dictator among the sons
of men? You're just not. They're always
going to be fallen and corrupted by sin but God is a benign dictator
of his people and he's perfect and he's sinless. So here we
are. Get us a king. but how to find
the right man now you can read the chapters for yourself but
as I was reading this I was struck by one verse just one verse and
I'm not going to go into the narrative surrounding it but
I just want to stop at verse twenty seven of chapter nine
look at verse twenty seven and as they were going down to the
end of the city this is Samuel and Saul and Saul's servant Samuel
said to Saul bid the servant pass on before us and tell the
servant to carry on, let him go ahead but stand thou still
a while that I may show thee the word of God and that struck
me stand thou still a while that I may show thee the word of God
that's the title of the message stand still a while you're sitting
down. That's okay. Sitting down will
do. But stand still a while. Stand
still. We live such busy lives. in such a busy world, don't we?
It seems to be getting ever busier. We've got high-speed comms. How
many of you find actually, I know, I know, because I'm the same,
they're addicted to your phones, you know? That thing that used
to be a way of speaking to somebody occasionally and used to, actually
I grew up without phones, we didn't have a phone in the house
I grew up in. My parents didn't get a phone until I'd long since
left home. So, you know, it was a It was a fearful thing to me,
was the telephone. When I started work, because
the first few years I was a teacher, so I didn't have a phone then.
And then I went into an office, as it happens, just up the road,
and I had a desk that had a phone on it! And then, I remember,
the phone rings! Shock! Horror! What do I do with
this thing? pick the phone up and answer the phone. Now, you
take it for granted, don't you? We not only have it as a phone,
it's a mini-computer that does all sorts of things. We've got
high-speed comms pleading for our attention all the time and
never giving us rest. And social media, oh I must be
looking at the social media because what's somebody posting now?
And there's all the broadcast media. There was Well, when we
first got a TV at home, there were two black and white channels
then, that's all. And now, hundreds, hundreds,
hundreds, not only broadcast ones, but other ones that you
can get in any number of ways. And you go to work, and how highly
competitive business is. How, I might, maybe a bit too
much poetic license to say how cutthroat it is, but it's incredibly
pressurized. Some of you know, I know, I know
from my days working that you're on some projects and the pressure
is just crushing at times. We live in such a busy world.
We've got financial and economic pressures and all of it is fuelled
by sin. All of it is made worse by sin,
by sins of covetousness and of lust and of selfishness and of
dishonesty. All of these things. And we feel
constant pressure to grasp every moment, every moment What are
you doing now? Look, eleven o'clock Sunday morning.
We're going to be here probably at least till quarter to twelve,
ten to twelve, at least that long. What could you be doing
with this time? Think what you could be doing
with this. Doesn't this time need to be
grabbed because you've got something else that you could be doing
with it? Even this Sunday morning, when we could be out in the sun
or doing things or earning money, But pause for a moment and just
think. Stand still a while. Pause. Think. What are you? What are you? Who made you? Oh, I wasn't made. I just evolved from slime. We
know that. No, we don't. No, we don't. The
broadcast media that tells you that, don't worry I'm not going
to go off into a great long rant about how utterly stupid evolutionary
theory is, although it is utterly stupid. The whole place rings
with intelligent design. You mustn't say that! All the
academic organizations, the one thing you mustn't say is intelligent
design. I'm telling you, we are creative beings. You never ever
got multiple complexity like there is even in the tiniest
spider. You never, ever got multiple
complexity like that without somebody designing it. Oh, it
all happened, give it enough time and it'll happen. No, it
won't. No, it doesn't. No, it ever does. Never, never,
never. No, you've been made. I've been
made. And you're a mortal being, aren't
you? Because you know this, you're
going to die. Aren't you? You know. It is appointed
to man to die once. We know we're going to die. We're
all going to die. We know that for a fact. And
yet you know that the thinking you inside, the thinking you,
you know is an immortal soul. You know I have an immortal soul
that will never die. And the one who's created you,
think of his nature, think of his power, think of his might,
think of the almighty being who is God, the creator, and as creator,
and as judge, think of his rights, think of his holiness, think
of his justice, think of your accountability, it is appointed
to man to die once, and then, the judgment, and then the judgment,
and then the judgment, Think of that. Don't rush on by. Don't
rush on by. Stand still a while. Stand still
a while. You know, we like walking. We
like walking a lot. We do a lot more walking now
than we ever did in our younger days, because we were so busy
with so many things. But we do a lot of walking now. And I like
walking. because at about three and a
half miles an hour you see so much more of what's there when
you're whizzing by at sixty miles an hour in the car you don't
see much because you're concentrating on not hitting somebody else
on avoiding somebody else hitting you you see so much more don't
rush on by so this is the first point shut out all distraction
all of us, anybody listening online shut out all distraction
shut out the distraction of work and of education and of family
and of joys and sorrows and of projects that you might have
and things that are worrying you all those things that make
you lie awake at night when you really ought to be sleeping shut
them out for a moment like the servant bid them to go on ahead
you know bid your servant pass on before us and he passed on
bid them to go on ahead of us just for thirty five or forty
minutes I'll try not to be longer than forty minutes just stand
still or sit still here and clear your thoughts of distractions.
Charles Spurgeon said when he was commenting on this he said
he wanted to preach like George Whitfield well I think he probably
did preach like George Whitfield in terms of the effect he had
but he said this about Whitfield he said people would testify
that when they used to go to church you know their church
they'd go to church and they'd spend the time in the service
and they'd be looking around the building and then, you know,
let's put it in modern terms, let's say a member of the congregation
was a property developer and he'd go to church out of duty
and he'd sit there in the church and all the time the preacher
was droning on he'd be working out how many flats he could convert
the building into and if he was an engineer and you know he'd
be thinking about his project and he'd be thinking all the
time the preacher's droning on he's thinking now if I do this
and I do that then that will come together yeah and he black
but when Whitfield came to visit when Whitfield came to visit
everyone who was distracted by their own thoughts couldn't couldn't
help but listen they all paid attention Because what Whitfield
said grabbed their attention. Spurgeon said, I want to preach
like Whitfield, I think he did. I think all preachers would want
to preach like that. So let it all go, all this distraction
for this brief time together in the presence of the Lord of
Glory. Do you know that's where we are? Do you know, you children,
do you know that? Do you know where you are now?
Oh, some of these little boys here will say, we're in Grandma
and Grandad's conservatory. No, no, as we gather together
as believing people, You're in the presence of the Lord of Glory
because the Lord of Glory has said, where two or three are
met together in my name, there am I in the midst. That's an
amazing thing to think about, isn't it? Just stop and think
about that for a moment. You go on holiday. You like going
somewhere hot. Some of you do. I don't. For me, the worst idea
of a holiday is lying on a beach and getting scorched. I just
don't like that. I like to be doing things and looking at things
and going places. If I go on a beach, it's to go
in the sea and then come out and get dried and go somewhere
else. But some people love lying on beaches. You take time to
sunbathe, don't you? You strip off and put your swimming
costume on. You lay your skin bare to the
sun. Well can I use that as an analogy?
Lay bare your soul to the word of God, to the gospel of his
grace. Isn't it worth it? Doesn't God's
word deserve your attention? If you take time to sunbathe,
doesn't God's word deserve your attention? let all other distractions
be silent and listen and be like we were thinking a few weeks
ago of that boy Samuel when he was a boy at the temple with
Eli speak Lord for your servant hearing is listening so it's
easy it's easy isn't it for life's busyness not business busyness
to drown out the most vital sound isn't it you know It was so busy
the noise of things drowns out the most vital sound. I remember
going, somebody persuaded me against my better judgment, one
New Year's Eve down to the South Bank near Westminster Bridge
for the purpose of hearing Big Ben. strike midnight. You know,
Big Ben's going to strike midnight. Do you know if you go on the
South Bank on New Year's Eve, coming up to midnight, do you
know the one sound, you'll hear a lot of sound, but the one sound
you will not hear from the South Bank is Big Ben? Because it's
completely drowned out by the noise of the crowd and the boats
on the river that all start honking their horns way before Big...
Do you see the analogy? It's easy for the busyness to
drive out, to drown out the most vital sound. Listen for the most
vital sound in your busy life. Question, question, are you in
need of saving faith? Are you in need of that faith,
that gift from God which assures you, which gives to you all of
the blessings of salvation. Do you know what the blessings
of salvation are? To hear that verse, it's appointed to man
to die once and then the judgment and for not a chill dread to
run through your bones but this, I know I'm in the everlasting
arms, I know that by what Christ has done he has justified me
from all my sin, I know that I will stand before the judgment
seat of Christ and there will be nothing against me. For when
God looks for iniquity in Israel and in Judah, what does he find?
Nothing. Why? Because Christ, for his
people, has taken it out of the way. Do you want that saving
faith for your soul? You know, Psalm 4 says, I will
both lay me down to sleep in peace, for God has made me dwell
safely. It says something like that anyway. If you want saving faith, where
are you going to get it from? Where does it come from? Romans
10, 17. Faith comes by hearing. And hearing? Hearing what? By the word of
God. Don't let it enter one ear and fly out of the other ear.
Are you hungry to hear the word of God? Stop. Stop a while. Listen. Are you hungry to hear
the word of God? I know some of you know what
it is to try and feed picky children. It's very frustrating at times
trying to feed picky. Isn't it lovely? Isn't it dead
easy feeding hungry children? They're so keen to be fed and
there's no difficulty getting them to eat anything. It's easy
to feed hungry children. It's easy to preach to attentive
souls. It's easy to preach the word
of God to souls that want to hear it. To those that are hungry
for righteousness. Blessed are they that hunger
and thirst for righteousness. Why? Because they shall be filled. That's what Jesus promised. Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness. They shall
be filled. So, can you sit still and listen and think on what
you hear and take time out from the frivolity and the levity,
the lightheartedness that is everywhere? I'm not saying wander
around with a big scowl on your face. I'm not saying don't ever
laugh, not at all, but don't you think that the whole of life
it's difficult to find any seriousness anywhere. Take time out from
frivolity and levity. You know, like I've told you
before, Facebook is a bit of a love-hate relationship with
me. Sometimes I like it to keep in touch, but most of the time
I absolutely hate it for all of the trash that's on there,
the rubbish. Serious talk is rare, isn't it? Serious talk
is rare. There's plenty of violent, self-centered
ranting, but serious talk is rare. As an immortal soul, ought
you, ought we all, not to listen to God's Word? Well, we should. Stand thou still a while, that
I may show thee the Word of God. So that's the next point. While
I show you the Word of God, I can show you wonderful sights of
nature. You know, we can go to places where there are wonderful
sights of nature. They're beautiful, they're awe-inspiring,
they're fantastic to see them, because, as I said earlier, there's
the hand of intelligent design of a creator God over everything. I can show you wonderful sights
of nature. I can take you to an art gallery
and show you great spectacles of human creativity, which really
are awe-inspiring in their beauty. But can anything compare with
the Word of God? Stand still a while that I may
show thee the word of God. Can anything compare with this
book that we have? There are great passages of it
that are very difficult to understand. You can read long sections and
wonder where is it going and what is it saying to me? But
its message is clear. Overall its message is clear.
It's a wonderful gift that God has given. He has given the thoughts
of the infinite, unknowable, in any other way, Creator and
Judge. He's God is Spirit, we cannot
know Him, we're creatures of flesh and blood and of time and
space. But He's the infinite, eternal
God who dwells in unapproachable light, who dwells in holiness. He's the unknowable Creator and
Judge. but he's brought down to human language. Where? In
the Word of God. In the Word of God he's brought
down to human language. Let me read Hebrews chapter 1
verses 1 to 3. Some of you will know these words
off by heart. God, God, who at sundry times
and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
son, whom he appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down
on the right hand of the majesty, on high, the Word of God. God
has spoken by His Son, whose name is the Word of God. His
name is the Word of God. God is supremely revealed in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Stand still a while while I show
you the Word of God. How am I going to show you the
Word of God? As He's supremely revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For in the beginning, says John, John 1 verse 1, in the beginning
was the Word. And the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. Without Him was nothing made
that has been made. The Word. The Word. Verse 14,
the word became flesh and dwelt among us. This is what John says,
one of the disciples writing it. The word became flesh and
dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Verse
18, no man has seen God. Do you want to see God? No man
has seen God at any time. Show us the Father and that will
suffice. Philip, have I been so long with you, and yet you
have not known me? The only begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. He has declared
Him to us. His name, Revelation 19 verse
13, His name, the name of the one who sits there in majesty
on his white horse of military victory over sin, the one who
sits there, it says his name is the word of God. That's his
name. The law, verse 17 of John 1 says
this, the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ. Stand still a while while I show
you the word of God. This is about salvation. This
is about salvation for eternity. How was salvation for eternity
procured? It was only procured by the death
of this glorious being, the Son of God. Is salvation worthy of
the death of God's Son? That's what it took. That's what
it took. that God became flesh that he
might die as a man to satisfy his justice on behalf of his
people. If it took that, surely, this
is my plea to you, surely it is worthy of your attention.
Saul was a young man who had no idea that he was destined
to be king. From the passage we read you
could see that. Why me? I'm of the tribe of Benjamin,
the smallest of the tribes. And I'm from a family that's
not known amongst the tribes of the tribe of Benjamin. Why
are you speaking to me? I mean, I'm nothing, my family's
nothing. Why should I be king? He had
no idea he was destined to be king. And what about you? What
about you? You're an ordinary person. young
or older could it be that as Acts 13 48 says God has ordained
you to eternal life you ordinary person God has ordained you to
eternal life because his people are made made kings and priests
with God like Saul was to be made king over the people of
Israel Ordinary people are called by His grace. Those that were
ordained to eternal life believed. His people are made kings and
priests with God. And look in verse 1 of chapter
10. Samuel took a vial of oil, a little container of oil, and
poured it upon Saul's head and kissed him and said, Is it not
because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? He anointed him to be king. there
is an anointing from God by His Spirit. There is an anointing
from God by His Spirit. John chapter 1 again, a lot of
references to John chapter 1. But John chapter 1 and verse
12, as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Believe
on the name of the Son of God and He will give you power. become
the sons of God. You can't do it for yourself.
It's not your believing that will make you right, but believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby demonstrate the grace
that God has had for you from before the beginning of time.
God gives us, his people, the mind of Christ. He gives that
mind of Christ to mortal men. he gives spiritual discernment
which the natural man lacks because as you know first corinthians
two fourteen the natural man does not receive the things of
the spirit of god they're foolishness to him neither can he know them
they're spiritually discerned and where do you get that spiritual
discernment? it is the gift of god you're saved by grace through
faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of god he bestows
it sovereignly do you know what a sovereign is? one with absolute
power absolute power none can stay his hand none can question
him about what he's doing he is God and he's sovereign over
all things and he bestows his grace sovereignly not by any
human agency except for what he says the foolishness of preaching
by which it pleased God to save those who believe no he gives
an anointing to his people to come out of darkness into his
marvelous light let me read from Hebrews again this time chapter
8 Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 10 this is quoting from Jeremiah
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days saith the Lord now listen to this if God has
ordained you to eternal life I will put my laws into their
mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them
a God and they shall be to me a people and they shall not teach
every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the
Lord you need to know the Lord for all his people shall know
me from the least to the greatest for I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities I will remember
no more in that he saith a new covenant he hath made the first
old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish
away so that's the covenant that God made with his people giving
them knowledge of him giving them a new spirit as Ezekiel
says if you read Ezekiel 36 a new spirit give I unto you taking
the stony heart out of your flesh and giving you a heart of flesh
this is conversion to Christ you see this word of God that
we're bidden now to stand still a while that I may show you the
word of God. Do you know this word of God
knows you inside out? We all have secrets from one
another, don't we? We all do, we all do. We all have secrets
from one another, but this word of God knows you inside out. Let me quote Hebrews again, Hebrews
4 verse 12. For the word of God is quick
and powerful. and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints, and it gets right to the core, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Will you stand still
and let me show it to you? As Samuel said to Saul, stand
still that I may show you the word of God. I'm not just talking
about this sermon, this message, I'm talking about Sunday by Sunday. Will you stand still and let
me show it to you? Will you stand still while others
who faithfully preach the gospel of God's grace will show it to
you? It will challenge you. It will force you to decide.
Oh, you say, oh, we don't believe in decisions. Oh, yes, we do. God makes his people willing
in the day of his grace. Oh, that he might make you willing
to believe the gospel. in the day of his power that
he might make you willing that he might give you the prodigal's
resolve what was the prodigal's resolve when he's feeding on
the pig's will give him that resolve I will go back to my
father and I will plead with him make me a servant in your
house but then you might still be wondering you might still
be wondering stand thou still a while that I may show thee
the word of God what would I show you of God's Word? We don't read
here what Samuel said to Saul, but what would I show you of
God's Word? What would I show you? What I
try to show you and what other preachers of the gospel try to
show you every time they preach. as Paul said, determined to know
nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's the message. That's it.
But what would I want to show you of God's word? These are
the things that I would want to show you. I would want to
show you something of the revealed nature of God because we look
at creation and we're all left without excuse because the fact
that a creator has made all of this is there and evident to
everybody. But that in itself does not tell
you about the true nature of God. It tells you he's great,
it tells you he's almighty, it tells you he's powerful, it tells
you that he is awesome, awesome, worthy of worship for all that
he's done, but it doesn't tell you the nature of the being that
he is. How he is the one who upholds
all things by the word of the power of Christ. How he is uniquely
sovereign over all things and supreme. How he is what it is
to be God. You know, the people that worship
a God that is pleading with us to let him do things, but we
just won't let him, that's not the God of Scripture. Stand still
while I show you the Word of God. I would show you, I would
seek to show you, because it's written throughout this book,
the supreme nature of God as God, sovereign over all things. He's holy. his unchangeable character,
his sublime perfections, his justice, his love. You thought,
says the scripture, this is God speaking to his people, you thought
I was altogether like one of you. You thought I was just,
you thought I thought like a man like you. Now, what does Isaiah
say? What does God say by Isaiah?
He says, my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor my ways your
ways. My thoughts are higher than your
thoughts, and my ways higher than your ways. God is on an
altogether different plane. I would show you from the word
of God the nature of the God with whom we have to do, the
nature of the God whom we all must face when we die, when we
leave this life, appointed to die once and then the judgment,
the nature of the God whom you must face. I would show you from
this word, I would show you the sin of man. I would show you
from this word your sin and your offense, and I mean mine as well,
against the character of God, I would show you the sin debt
that you have, that it is a debt that in your works and in your
flesh you can never pay, you can never satisfy the justice
of God, and God is holy and unchangeable, and God cannot sweep your sin
under the carpet without it being dealt with, and without his justice
being satisfied, and there's only one thing that will satisfy
his justice, and that is death. death, either yours or the death
of an acceptable substitute. And that's what Christ is. That's
what Christ is. I would show you your sin. Stand
still while I show you the Word of God. That's what I would show
you because this book makes it clear. The charge sheet is there,
written clear and large. You cannot avoid it. It's there.
Appointed to man to die once and then the judgment. I tell
you, Learn, learn of the peril you're in. It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God, for our God is a
consuming fire. I would tell you about the peril
of your state. I would tell you about your inability
to pay the sin debt. I would tell you about the demands
of God's law and of his justice on your immortal soul. And I
would, if God would enable me to do so, and I'm sure every
preacher thinks the same, I would bring you to say, to cry out
like that Philippian jailer did, what must I do to be saved? What must I do to be saved? How
am I going to face God in eternity as I am? What must I do to be
saved? But mostly what would I show
you from the Word of God? Mostly what would I show you?
The fullness of the salvation that Christ has accomplished.
Not made possible, accomplished. he has accomplished it, he has
finished it for his people. God in Christ. When Christ was
born in Bethlehem of Mary, made of a woman, God became what he
had not been till that point, and that was a man. God became
man. God contracted to a span. God in Christ, as a man, answers
and satisfies every just demand of the law of God for the sin
of his people specifically particularly that's what I would show you
I would show you how the whole word of God teaches this as those
disciples on the Emmaus road when Jesus walked with them the
risen Lord Jesus Christ and what does it say beginning at Moses
and the prophets. He expounded to them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. These are they, said
Jesus to the Pharisees, John 5, 39, these scriptures are they
that speak of me, of me. What a claim, what a pompous
claim if a mere man. what a claim that must be listened
to if he is what he is, the Son of God, God in human flesh. These are they that speak of
me. And in speaking of him, what do they speak? If you were to
ask me one verse you know on desert island discs when they
get to the very end and they say right that's it that's your
favorite music now if a storm comes and washes it all away
and you can only save one what would you save do you know what
verse don't worry all scripture is profitable but if i had to
save one verse it would be this i think you know what it is don't
you second corinthians chapter five verse twenty one for he
who knew no sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, was made sin for us,
his people, that we, his people, believing people, might be made
the righteousness of God in him. That's what I would teach you.
That's what I would show you. Stand still a while in this busy
world that I might show you that he who knew no sin was made sin
for his people. that his people might be made
the righteousness of God in him. Did you hear that? Let me say
it again. Made the righteousness of God in him. What do you fear? If you know that, if God has
given you faith to see that, what is there to fear? There
is nothing to fear of judgment, of eternity. There is nothing
other than a blissful longing to depart and be with Christ,
which is far better. Because in him, we're justified
before the throne of God. We have peace with God. How often
does Paul write his epistles and begin with grace and peace
from God, oh to be at peace. God is angry with the wicked
every day but oh to be at peace with God. This is what I would
show you of the word of God, that there is acceptance with
God, oh to be accepted by the God who is the creator of all
things, the sustainer, the infinite eternal God. acceptance with
him. Oh, I would show you that salvation
from sin. What does God call himself again
and again? God, our Savior. God, our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. What does the Word of God say
to you? What does it say to you? You've
stood still a while. You've stood still a while. Have
you stood still? Have you stood still and listened?
Have you heard it speak to you? Have you seen Christ as the only
refuge from eternal judgment and condemnation? Will you trust
Him with your immortal soul? Will you flee to Him? Will you
say, as Paul said to Timothy, I know whom I have believed and
I'm persuaded, I'm convinced, I'm convinced. I know whom I've
believed, I'm convinced. that he is able to keep that
which I've committed unto him against that day. What have I
committed unto him? The eternal well-being of my soul against
which day? The day of judgment when all
the books are opened. But I trust him that my name
has been written in the Lamb's book of life and I shall not
see judgment for it's already been done and accomplished in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Stand thou still a while not
just this week but week by week. Stand thou still a while that
I may show thee the word of God, because that is what the word
of God says to us. It doesn't tell us how to live,
though it does tell us how to live, it tells us the gospel
of grace in Jesus Christ. Amen.