Well, I've been doing a lot of
contemplating again, a lot of remembering. 49 years ago today, God was pleased to step into
my life and reveal his son in me. 49 years ago today, the Lord Jesus Stepped in and
took over. Just a short while after that,
just a matter of a couple of weeks, I saw a pretty blonde
standing in the mother and daughter department store in Winston-Salem.
She was working right behind my mother. And I was going up
to catch a ride home because I couldn't drive. I'd lost my
license. Then four weeks later, June the 29th, I bet I'm the
only man in here who remembers that Dave's first date, June
29th. I remember because yesterday
I got my license back. I'd lost them for 90 days. We
started dating. Shortly after that, God opened
doors and Folks started asking me to speak to this group or
that, one congregation then another. And I wound up marrying the prettiest
girl on campus. She was the queen of the campus
when she met me. When they would invite folks
to come down to consider whether or not to go to the Bible college
at Piedmont, Shelby was the girl that showed them around. And
then she married me and everything changed. But God had been so
gracious. so merciful, and he's been doubly
gracious in giving me the privilege these 49 years of preaching the
gospel of his free grace. From the beginning, though how
little I understood, to this day, the increasing, constantly
increasing message I have been endeavoring to proclaim as I
preach the gospel Wherever God opens the door, as I endeavor
to expound to you the word of God, showing you Christ in all
the scriptures, three things are prominent. Three things that
just overwhelm me. Three things that bow me before
my God. The first is the fact of our
God's great and glorious sovereignty. hear me, God help you to hear
me. He who is God, he who is God
has his way all the time, everywhere, with everybody and everything. Whatever is is because God ordained
it. Whatever has been, has been because
God purposed it. Whatever shall be, shall be because
God predestined it. Happy are those who have been
taught to know this God now before Him and worship Him. If the God
you worship isn't absolutely sovereign, absolutely sovereign,
I mean absolutely, so that he alone orders the very thoughts
of every man's heart all the time. If the God you worship
isn't in total control of heaven, earth, and hell, of demons, angels,
and men, good and wicked, righteous and unrighteous, if the God you
worship is not that God, your God is a puny pigment of your
imagination, an idol, and no God at all. Our God is in the
heavens. Listen to what the book says
about him. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. There are many
things about God's character that's all being acknowledged
and being talked about. And they use words. I just this
week heard a man speak with regard to God's sovereignty. He said,
in prayer, address him as our sovereign God. And he doesn't
believe God's sovereign anymore than he believes in that sovereign.
Just absurd. Absurd. The God of glory is absolutely
sovereign. He rules everywhere. And you
do not know God until you know God who sits upon the throne. He has his way in the armies
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay
his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? And then the subject of Christ's substitutionary effectual
atonement for sin. Oh, how this overwhelms my soul. I have studied 2 Corinthians
5, 21, I suppose, more than any text in this book since the day
God saved me. I've been overwhelmed with it.
And I acknowledge that I understand it less today than ever. I know
the grammar of it. I know the structure of it. I
know the Greek. I know the English. I know the
tenses. I know the words used. But this
mystery, oh, this mystery, this mystery. The Lord God, our great,
glorious, triune, sovereign God, hath made Him, His darling Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the God who is man, who
knew no sin. He hath made Him sin for us. The Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all. by a marvelous transfer of indescribable
justice and grace, God made his son sin. God made his son sin. Oh, blessed Lamb of God, that
we all for whom his son was made sin, might be made the righteousness
of God in him. By that same marvelous, infinite,
indescribable, mysterious transfer of justice and grace, all that
Christ is, God has made us to. the very righteousness of God
in him. As God justly rewarded his son
for our sin, he justly rewards us for our righteousness, the
righteousness of God that is in Christ Jesus, which is our
righteousness as really and truly as our sin was made his. Now this Blessed, blessed gospel
doctrine is what men refer to some despising it and belittling
it and snarling at it as limited atonement. That's exactly what
it is. That's exactly what it is. Every
sinner for whom Christ was made sin, because justice has been
satisfied. Must be, must be, must be made
the righteousness of God in him because justice is satisfied.
Payment God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's
hand and then again at mine. Christ who died for me, guarantees
my everlasting acceptance with God in heaven's eternal glory. If Christ died for you, he's
going to get you. If God chose you, he's going
to save you. This is the God we worship. This
is the savior we know. And then if you'll turn with
me to my text this morning, Romans chapter eight, verse 28. This is the title of my message.
Be still. Be still. I want to talk to you
a little bit about God's providence. Specifically, I want to talk
to you about how we ought to regard God's providence. Be still. My entire life, my entire life
has been a constant verification of that which is recorded in
this 28th verse of Romans chapter 8. We know. We know. If you're born
of God, if you're taught of God, you know this. If you're not,
you just recite the text and move about life in fret and worry
and go on as if God didn't exist. We know. We know. This is a matter of experience. This is a matter of revelation.
This is a matter that God has revealed in his word and God
has revealed in our hearts and God reveals every day in our
lives. We know that all things, all
things, all things in heaven, earth, and hell, All the good
things and all the bad things. All light and all darkness. All righteousness and all evil. All things, sickness and health. The birth of a child and the
loss of a child. All things. The marriage of a
couple and the dividing of that couple by death. All things,
all things. Sorrow and joy. Sorrow just as fully as joy. Joy just as full as sorrow. All
things, all things work together. Together. Now it's a secret to
understanding what you can understand of this. I don't mean you're
gonna understand. I mean this is a secret to understanding
what you can of it. Together, together. We look at
things Like that. Because all we can really focus
on at a time is just one thing. That's all. You ladies amaze
me. My wife, she can multitask. I can't. She can listen to a
sermon on a C.D. or one of those players, and
she can work and wash dishes, iron, vacuum the house, work
back here in the office, and actually hear the sermon. She
can listen and actually hear it. Not me. I can't focus on
but one thing at a time. And sadly, in our life events,
it seems that none of us can focus on but one thing. Just one thing, we experience
some difficulty. It stays on our minds. I mean,
it just stays there. You try to shut it out, it just
stays there. And the more you think about it, the bigger it
gets and just stays there. And we look at things like, well,
how can you say that's good? I didn't say that was good. I
said all things work together for good to them that love God. to them that love God. Who are
those people who love God? Them who are the called according
to His purpose. Now hear me, child of God. God
help you to hear me. Everything in your life. No. Everything in the life of
your family. No. Everything that is. Everything that has been. Everything that shall be. All
were arranged by our Heavenly Father before the world began,
knit together in one holy fabric of purpose and work together
in one holy machinery of providence. Ah, everything, everything. Here the inspired apostle declares
the holy, wise, good, adorable providence of our God. David understood this. He said,
stand still. He said, be still. Stand in awe. and sin not. Stand in awe and
sin not. Look at that Psalm 4 many, many
times this week, looked at it many times. Stand in awe and
sin not before your enemies, before God's enemies. Stand in
awe and don't behave in unbelief. Stand in awe and don't act like
one who has no God. Stand in awe and don't behave
as if God didn't exist. Stand in awe and sin not. Commune with your own heart upon
your bed. Commune with your own heart and
learn what God has taught you. Commune with your own heart and
learn what God has put in you in that new heart of life and
faith in Christ. And be still. Be still. Be still. Didn't you hear Satan
roar? Be still. But brother, didn't
you read the paper today? Be still. Be still. Didn't anybody
tell you about what your boy had done? Be still. Didn't anybody
inform you your wife left you? Didn't anybody tell you, your
children are gone? Be still, be still, be still. Rejoice in the Lord always. That was it. That word rejoice,
we tend to think of it as speaking of just what we commonly call
joy. You know, oh, I'm happy today.
That's not quite it. That's joy arising from confident
faith. We are the circumcision. We're
the circumcision who rejoice in Christ and have no confidence
in the flesh. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice with confident
joy of faith. Let your moderation be known
to all men. Be still. Be still. Let your moderation be known
to all men. The Lord's at hand. The last word of Psalm 4-4 is
this long pause. Stand in awe and sin not. Commune with your own heart upon
your bed and be still. And then David writes, seek.
That's just a long pause. If I understand it correctly,
that's what it means. You stop, sit down, and think about this
a while. Don't be too quick to offer an
opinion about this. Stand in awe and sin not. Commune with your own heart upon
your bed and be still. He said in Psalm 46.10 that Lindsay
read to us just as he was closing out the first session. Be still
and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. If our God is God indeed, if
the triune Jehovah is God, and he is, if he's my God, I ought
to be still before him. I ought to be still before his
enemies. I ought to be still before my
enemies. And I ought to be still before
all those things that so much trouble me. Nothing is more comforting
to a believer's heart. Nothing more effectually quietens
our fears and our hearts as the assurance of our heavenly father's
wise and good providence. Oh, how God's providence ought
to silence our doubts, quieten our fears, and make our hearts
still before him. I wish this were in a hymn book.
I would probably have him sing it every week or two. God moves
in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps
in the sea and rides upon the storm, deep, deep, deep, in unfathomable
minds of never failing skills, he treasures up his bright designs
and works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage,
take the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall
break in blessing on your head. So judge not the Lord by feeble
sense. Don't judge God by what you can
figure out. Oh, God forgive me for that.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his
grace. Behind the frowning providence,
he hides a smiling face. His purposes, oh, they'll ripen
fast, unfolding every hour. The bud? Often has a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err
and scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter, and
he will make it plain. I'm anxious for that day. when sitting around the throne
in glory, chatting with other saints of God and angels of God
and my God and Savior Himself, looking over the alps of time and having Him explain
to me how He has done everything perfectly well. God is his own interpreter, and
he will make it plain. Oh, how calm, I say, our hearts
ought to be, how still, but sadly, sadly. God forgive me, sadly. Our hearts
are seldom still. Our hearts are seldom quiet. Seldom is it that we stand in
awe and sin not, but rather we stand up and murmur and complain
and fight God. In the light of those things,
I have five barbed arrows God has shot at my heart, and I hope
he will shoot at yours. Number one, turn to Isaiah chapter
41. Isaiah 41. Verse 10. We have entirely too many fears. We have entirely too many fears
for a people to whom the Lord God has said, are you there?
Fear thou not. For I am with thee, be not dismayed,
for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea,
I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness. I look at you, and for many of
you I have walked with you in darkness, and wept with you in
pain, utterly incapable of doing anything to assist you. Utterly incapable of helping
you. But he who not only can, but
does help, says, fear not, I'm with you. I will uphold you. with the right hand of my righteousness,
I'll help you. David heard this and he believed
God. His faith in God gave him quietness
in heart. God's promises settled his fears,
didn't it? He said, yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. And he wasn't
just talking about the time, Rex, when you check in the hospital,
you've been riding your bicycle, you check in the hospital and
the doctor says, I hate to tell you this, you've got a terminal
disease, you're gonna die in a few weeks. That's not what
he's talking about. That's not what he's talking
about. He's talking about this life of death in this world. We're walking through the valley
of the shadow of death. It's all around us all the time. He said, I will fear no evil. Not from hell and not from you. I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. David talked about his enemies
who reproached him. He said, I will both lay me down
in peace and sleep. For thou, Lord, only, makest
me to dwell in safety. Let men say what they will, do
what they will. I found that best thing me to
do was shear my eyes, leave him alone, I'll lay down in peace.
God keep me. God take care of me. He said, when my father and
my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Turn to
Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six. Give him a second statement. Look at verse 28. We have far
too much anxiety and worry about earthly material things for a
people to whom the Son of God has said. Are you there? Matthew
6, 28. Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field.
Go out in the field and just stand there and look at those
lilies and think about it for a little while. How they grow. Did you ever see one doing exercise?
They toil not. Neither do they spin. Did you
ever see one labor? And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in
all his glory, Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these. In both his apparel and in his
wisdom, Solomon didn't compare to how God arrayed one of these
lilies. Wherefore, if God so clothed
the grass of the field, worthless grass, worthless grass, That
lily, once it's had its blooming day, is ugly, worthless. If God so clothed the grass of
the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven,
shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? The Apostle Paul wrote to the
Philippians who had ministered to him in his time of need. They sent and took care of him. He was in prison. The ladies,
I don't know what they sent. I expect they made him a batch
of cookies, maybe some bread, and took it to him. I don't know
what they sent. They took care of him the best they could. And
he said, he said, out of your great necessity, You folks who
couldn't afford to do anything. You folks who are just poor as
Job's turkey. You folks who don't have two
pennies rubbed together. Out of your great necessity,
you have bountifully ministered to me." And he said, you keep
on doing that for God's people. But my God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Why should I worry, fret, and
pace the floor by day and by night when God, my Savior, has
promised that my Father, for His sake, will provide everything
I need in this world and in the world to come? I've proved it
again and again and again. I've proved it over and over
again. Our Lord Jesus asked His disciples, said, lacked ye anything?
Lacked ye anything? I've never found it costly. I've
never found it costly to believe God. I've never found it costly
to obey God. I've never found it costly to
do what I knew God would have me to do. I've never found it
costly to trust the Son of God. I've never found it costly to
preach the gospel of His grace. I've never found it costly to
be identified with His cause. How He's proved Himself over
and over again. Lacked ye anything? Nothing, Lord. Nothing. Why should I concern myself then?
about that which God has promised He will do, and the Lord God
has proved He will do. Look at verse 31, Matthew 6.
Therefore take no thought, say. The idea expressed here is no
anxious thought. It doesn't mean that a man shouldn't
take thought about providing for his family, absolutely. It's
irresponsible and ungodly not to do so. But no anxious thoughts
say, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal
shall we be clothed? For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek. Child of God, our Savior says,
you who are loved and chosen of God, redeemed by my precious
blood, called and saved by my grace, don't spend your life
with your hearts overloaded with care about food and drink and
clothing and all these things that come day by day and go day
by day. That's what the ungodly live
for. That's what the unbelievers live
for. After all these things do the Gentiles seek. This is what
they live for. I recall years ago, this has
been a long time ago, nearly 40 years ago. My wife was having
to go to school to get certified. The state of West Virginia recognized
her degree, but the first time they'd ever recognized a Bible
college degree for teaching. And they said, you have to go
back to school to get certified. And she was going to school with
a fellow who lived close to us. And he was much older than us. He was going to school at night,
working a full-time job, and going to school at night in the
summertime, because he knew if he got a next degree, he could
get a bigger retirement. And you know who got his next
degree? And never do his first check. Drop dead. But this is what we live for.
Oh, let's get all we can and can all we get and make sure
nobody else gets it. Don't live like that. Children
of God don't live like that. Don't be careful about these
things. That's what the Gentiles seek after. For your Heavenly
Father, Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of
all these things. God, teach me that. But seek
ye first. Seek this preeminently. Seek
this to the exclusion of everything else you seek. Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything you need to eat,
drink, or live in shall be added to you. Everything. I've been
young and now I'm old. That's what David said. He said,
I'll tell you what I've never seen. I've seen lots of folks
begging. I've seen lots of them. I've
had lots of them come to the door here. I've had lots of them
I've met on the streets. I've seen lots of folks begging.
But I'll tell you what I've never seen. I'll tell you what I've
never seen. I've never seen the righteous forsaken and I've never
seen his seed begging bread. Never seen it happen. Take therefore no thought for
tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take care, take thought for the
things of itself. You ladies who worry and bite
your nails, you men too, and you go to the doctor, get him
to give you something to calm your nerves and settle you down. Did you
ever worry about yesterday? Anybody here ever worried about
what happened this morning? I'm talking about an hour ago, or
yesterday, or 10 years ago. Anybody? No? What are you worried
about? What might happen in a minute?
What might happen tomorrow? What might happen the next day?
What's going to happen to me when I get to be an old man? What's
going to happen? My dear mother, bless her heart.
She acted like she was scared to death. She wasn't going to
have enough money to bury herself. She said that one time to me.
I said, Mama, I promised you something. I called her mother.
I said, Mother, I promised you something. I promised you something. When you die,
we'll get you in the ground in three or four days. Somebody
will get you in the ground. You don't have to worry about
that. We worry about everything. Everything. Everything that doesn't
exist. Everything that hasn't come to
pass. Just things we anticipate might come to pass. Don't worry
about that. You may not be breathing tomorrow.
Tomorrow's evil will take care of itself. Why invent any ahead
of time? Now, look at John 6, 37. John
chapter six. Here's my third statement. We have far too many doubts concerning
God's mercy, love, and grace. for a people to whom the Lord
Jesus has said, John 6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall
come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast
out. Now hear what he said. All that
the Father giveth me. Talking about God's present grace.
He gave him A multitude no man can number in eternal election
before the world began. But this talk about right now,
right? I'm preaching to you, eternity bound folks. And I'll
tell you before I get done, I know exactly who today is coming to
Christ. I know exactly who's coming.
Every one of you who are effectually given to Christ by his father
in the regenerating power of his grace and call of his spirit.
If God gives you to his son today, you're going to come to his son.
If God gives you, now, yeah, I can pray and play tricks with
you, I can manipulate your mind and massage you psychologically
and get you to make a profession of faith, get you baptized, join
a church, teach Sunday school, go be a missionary, become a
preacher, but I can't bring you to Christ. That's not my business. And that's really, I don't play
those tricks on you. I simply proclaim the gospel of God's
grace and wait. All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me and him that cometh to me. Oh, but I don't know how to come,
Brother Dodd. I don't know whether I feel bad enough. I don't know
whether I've repented enough. I don't know whether I believe
enough. You don't know what all I've
done. How do I come? Any way you can get to Him, come
to Him. Any way you can get to Him, come to Him. If my heart's
not heavy enough, well, come on, what you got? My thoughts
aren't right enough. Come on with what you got. Come
with your sin and confess Christ your Redeemer. And this is what
the Savior says, him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast
out. No matter what, no matter what,
him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. I give unto
them eternal life, he said, and they shall never perish. I preached
about this a lot. I know many of you have trouble
here, and I acknowledge I do too. God, forgive me. My shameful,
sinful, baseless doubts are inexcusable. I won't attempt to justify them.
Upon what grounds dare we call into question the mercy, love,
and grace of God? We have absolutely no reason
to entertain any doubt concerning him. Did he promise and shall
he not perform it? Perish the thought. Spurgeon
once said, the scripture says, he that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. I believe the Son of God, I have
everlasting life. That's pretty good reasoning.
The Scripture says, he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting
life. I believe on the Son of God.
I have everlasting life. But what about your evidences?
I can't find anywhere in this book it talks about anything
like that. Do you? I can't find anywhere in this
book. I'm getting sick of folks saying, these are the marks of
a real Christian. This is what a real Christian
is. These are the things that identify a real Christian. Find
me that in this book. Find me that in this book. These
are evidences of faith. Find me that in this book. The
evidence of things not seen is faith in Christ. I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Sometimes I feel like I believe
him, but not much. Sometimes I act like I believe
him, but not often. Not often. I always behave in
front of you like I believe him. Well, not always, but most of
the time. Most, you might catch me out of order sometime and
I snap too quick. You might do that. Generally,
I behave in such a way that you folks look at, yeah, he behaves
right. That's the way a man ought to
live. He doesn't smile as much as he ought to, but he behaves
right. But those things, those things
give me no assurance, no peace, no joy, oh no, no. I believe in the teeth of my
cold, hard, depraved, corrupt heart and my vile imaginations,
my murderous lust. Oh, I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. I'm saved. God said so. Is that what He
said? The Apostle Paul was a sinner saved, like you
and I are, by grace, just like you and I are. And that sinner
who struggled with that thorn in the flesh, that horrid, horrid,
horrid, evil thing in him. That Apostle Paul who, after
all his instruction and experience and reproof of others, Went to
Jerusalem and shaved his head and took a Jewish vow. Acted
like a man justified by works. That man, that man, he said when
he was getting ready to leave this world, I know whom I believed. And I am persuaded. I'm fully convinced. that he's
able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that
day. He said, I'm ready to depart. The time of my departure is at
hand. I have fought a good fight. I've finished my course. I've
kept the faith. What's that mean? Oh, he's kept
the faith. Oh, look at all he's did, all
the places he's been, all he's written. Look at that, he's kept
the faith, never compromised. No, I've continued from day one
to believe God. I believe God. I believe God,
I believe God, and I keep guarding that, lest anything intrude. God's mercy and grace for his
people are steadfast and sure. That means, Don Fortner, don't
doubt God's love because of something you think or say or do. His love's unconditional and
free. Don't question His grace because of your sin. Where sin
abounds, His grace much more abounds. Don't be suspicious
of His mercy because you don't deserve His mercy. His mercy
is for the undeserving. Don't doubt His faithfulness
because of your unfaithfulness. His faithfulness stands forever.
I can't tell you how I thank God for these words given by
God, the Holy Ghost, in bold letters of inspiration. If we
believe not, yet he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. The foundation
of God stands assured, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them
that are his. Though all my heart could feel
condemned for want of some sweet token. Christ Jesus, my Lord, is greater
than my heart. His word cannot be broken. Fourth, look at John 16, verse
33. We spend entirely too much time grumbling and complaining about
our trials and troubles for a people to whom the Lord Jesus has said.
Are you there? John 16, 33. These things have
I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the
world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have
overcome the world. I've experienced this by observation
all the years of my life as a believer, and more intimately in many ways
as a pastor. Folks who have the greatest,
heaviest trials, heartaches, and burdens, who are believers,
say the least about them. Have you observed that? Folks
who carry the greatest weight say the least about it. Folks
who have the greatest trials say the least about them. Folks
who, you look at them and they go, my soul, my soul, how can
they be so happy, so pleasant, so peaceful? Never murmur, never
complain. It's called believing God. Folks
who get a hang there every now and then, that's all you hear
about. The folks who, once in a while, they got out in their
shed that they don't go in. I hadn't been in it in three
years when the water faucet was dripping, the most terrible thing.
So nobody does that. That's just how foolishly men
and women behave. We grumble over nothing. We gripe
about nothing, nothing. We ought not be surprised, children
of God, when trouble comes our way. We ought to be surprised
when it doesn't come. As long as we live in this world,
we're going to have trials, troubles, temptations, and sorrows. Brother
Bruce and I have a dear, dear friend with the Lord now, Pastor.
He got up one morning years ago and said to his wife, said, let's
pray. Let's pray. We're about to experience some
real trouble. The Lord has blessed us so much.
We've seen so much good. I'm just sure we got some trouble
coming. That God doesn't pray and got a call. His son walked
in the house and shot his wife to death. Trouble. Trouble. And you know
what? I don't know about you, I never
heard him complain about the trouble. Not one time. Not one time. This is the Lord's
doing. This is what God does. Tis my
happiness below, not to live without the cross, but the Savior's
power to know, sanctifying every loss. Trials must and will befall,
but with humble faith to see, love inscribed upon them all,
this is happiness to me. God in Israel sows the seeds
of affliction, pain, and toil. These spring up and choke the
weeds that would else or spread the soil. Trials make the promise
sweet. Trials give new life to prayer. Trials bring me to his feet,
lay me low, and keep me there. Did I meet no trials here, no
chastisements by the way? Might I not with reason fear
I should prove a castaway? Bastards may escape the rod,
sunk in earthly vain delight, But the true born child of God
must not, would not, if he might. One more word. One more word. You don't need to turn to Hebrews
chapter 8 or chapter 11, but listen to this. We have entirely too much attachment
to this world and to this present life for a people who are looking
for a city whose builder and maker is God. Abraham did. By faith he sojourned
in a land of promise, as in a strange land, dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God. I don't have any idea what kind
of tabernacles, what kind of tents Abraham lived in with his
family. but they were just tents. They were just tents. I know
Abraham was blessed of God with much wealth, but he lived in
a tent. That's something that you fold
up and take down real quickly. That's something that won't abide
very long. It's a temporary residence. It's a residence that you carry
with you. Just a tent, just a tent. The
next three nights, Shelby and I planned to stay at a motel.
We stayed at a lot of motels. And every now and then we'd stay
in places that if you'd known what they were beforehand, you
wouldn't choose to stay there. But most places we'd stay. Most
places I find something out of order. There may be a crooked
picture. We have a lamp in our den. I
laughed at Shelby a dozen times a day. She straightens the shade.
It just will not stay straight. She straightens it a dozen times
a day. But you know what I've never seen her do? I've never
seen her straighten the shade in a motel room. I've never seen
her straighten a picture hanging crooked in a motel room. We'd
look at it and laugh at it. We'd look at it and talk about
what folks call art and laugh at that, but never bothered with
it. Now, if it's dirty, something's
out of sorts. She makes the bed every day. She straightens things
up, cleans things up, gets things in nice order, but I've never
been concerned about that motel room. It just doesn't bother
me. How come? Because I'm leaving in the morning. Doesn't belong to me. I'm leaving
it in the morning. Oh, God, teach me. Oh, my God,
teach me to live in this world as you have taught me by experience
I ought to do, passing through here, looking for a city whose
builder and maker is God, through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.