I want to speak, God enabled
me to you this morning, on this subject, a family matter, a family
matter. The article I wrote in memory
of our dear departed friend and brother in today's bulletin,
a tribute to a faithful friend, Brother Loyal Rogers, After I
sent it out by email, I got more responses from that than anything
I put in the bulletin. From quite a few people, from
various places, telling me that it was a blessing, a comfort
to them. And to be honest with you, I
was a little surprised by it. Shouldn't have been. I suppose
God can use even a weak vessel like myself. Because I wrote
it as simply and as plainly as I could, so perhaps, know perhaps
about it, I imagine that's why it was a blessing. Because I spoke what I want to
speak to you about this family matter. I spoke there in memory
of Brother Lowe about the reason of his hope. The reason when
I walked away from his grave, I was confident, I was confident. If this word of God is true, I'm confident that I shall see
him again. I shall see him again." Our faithful high priest made
that request, didn't he? That might not be the right way
to put it. He's expressing his will. He's claiming this as one of
the things from his father, one of the things he earned. that
he deserves, that he has a right to. And God, the Father's will
and the Son's will are in perfect agreement. Perfect agreement. Look at verse 24 again. What
a rich, rich verse. So full of comfort. So full of
comfort. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may
behold thy glory. which thou hast given me, for
thou lovest me before the foundation of the world." One hymn writer expressed it
like this. Our great high priest, that one
made likened to his brethren. It is my sweet comfort, Lord,
and will forever be, to think upon that glorious truth of your
humanity. This day there saith it in our
flesh, upon the throne of light, one of human mother born, in
perfect Godhead bright." No wonder Paul said, great is the mystery
of godliness. Forever God, forever man, my
Savior shall endure, and fixed on Him, my hope remains eternally
secure. Fixed on him. If my hope, if
my hope when I depart this world, and I'm going to pretty soon,
pretty soon, and so are you, so are you. I'm not talking just
to us senior citizens. I'm talking to whoever the youngest
one in here may be. Very soon we're all going to
depart this world. And just about everybody you
talk to, if I would shake hands with each of you individually
as we dismiss this morning and are leaving, would ask you, do
you have a hope of heaven? I dare say everybody would. Just
about everybody would. What's the reason for it? What's
the reason for it? What's the foundation for it? If my hope, when I'm ushered
into the presence of God Almighty, God Almighty, read God's Word. Don't take these foolish notions
so prevalent in our day, describing God as the man upstairs and blah,
blah, blah. Read God's word as he describes
himself, that just, holy, righteous God that demands perfection. Did you catch that? God demands before anyone enters
glory, enters into his presence, they must be perfect. Now how does your decision measure
up to that? How does your religious experience
measure up to that? Perfect? That's what he said. That's what the book teaches.
Oh, but if my hope, if my hope is fixed on Him, my great high priest, Jesus the
Son of God, if it's fixed on Him, when this passing world
is done, Like Bobby sang a moment ago, when God Almighty declares,
who created the heaven and the earth, I'm through with it, and
time shall be no more, and he folds it up and just lays it
aside as easily as I did that handkerchief just now, and he
ushers all mankind into his holy presence. If my hope is fixed
on Christ, it's a good hope. It's a blessed hope. As Peter
said, it's a lively hope, and it's a sure and a steadfast hope. Listen to this verse from the
wise man, Solomon. The wicked is driven away in
his wickedness, but the righteous had hope in his death. The righteous has hope in his
death at Brother Lowell's funeral as we're doing this morning.
I spoke to saved and unsaved. I spoke to people who knew God
and I was speaking to people who didn't know God. I spoke
to the family. I spoke to the family. And those
who are without Christ are not members of God's family. There
is no such thing as the universal fatherhood of God. There is no
such thing. Yes, he's the creator of all
men, but he's not the father of all men. He's the father of
those who are in Christ Jesus, his darling son, and none else.
This is a family matter. This is for whom our Lord prayed
in John 17. I want to speak about that this
morning. Christ redeemed are described
as the whole family in Ephesians 3 that are in heaven and earth. We're one. We're one. Even though
we're still in the world, yes, we are. Yes, we are. In the world, we read, but not
of the world. Chosen out of the world, not
for good in me, not for good in me, oh my soul. Mike, if I had any sense, any
discernment, any concern at all for my immortal soul and I thought
that my acceptance before God Almighty depended upon anything
in me whatsoever, I could not sleep tonight. I would toss and
turn, bite my nails, paste the floor, woe is me. Oh, but if
my hope, if my hope is in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, then I
can lay down and rest. I can rest. Yes, we're still
in the world, brothers and sisters. And like Lot and Sodom, we're
vexed by the debauchery, the depravity, the brazen, open depravity
that goes on more and more all around us. But God's grace has
made us to differ. That's what the scripture says. Who makes thee to differ from
another, Paul asked. Who distinguished you? He's writing
to believers. Who made you to differ? A child
of God? Now, I'm guilty of it. I suspect
every believer is. We tend to take the place of
the Pharisee and look down on someone. Oh, God, forgive me
for that. That's a denial of what I'm trying
to preach. That's a denial of God's grace. It's only God's grace that made
us the different, John. God forgives us for Christ's
sake. Has anybody did anything to me
that I shouldn't forgive in the light of that God has forgiven
me for Christ's sake? Forgive ye one another. Grace
has made us to differ. Oh no, as Mr. Newton said, I'm
not what I want to be. I'm not what I ought to be. But
he said, thank God, I'm not that rebel. I'm not that depraved
sinner, that prodigal, that captain of a slave ship that made his
living in the cargo of human souls. Thank God, I'm not that
man anymore. What happened to you, Mr. Newton?
Why are you not that man anymore? Amazing grace, how sweet the
sound that saved a wretch like me. Grace made him to differ. and God's grace makes every sinner
who experienced it to differ. God's grace is effectual. God's
grace is effectual. Now, if I did such things but
I don't do it, I don't do it, but the climax of most churches
is the altar call. We don't have an altar. We don't
need it. Christ is our altar. But that's the climax of the
service. Now, people can walk forward for multitudes of reasons,
and they do. Because Jesus is held out as
a fix up any problem that you may have. Are you sick? Well,
he'll take care of that. Do you want to be healthy and
wealthy? Well, come up here. We'll take care of that. No,
no, no. No, that's not the issue. That's not the issue. The issue
is my sin. My sin. And religion says, Come
forward. Come forward. Stand up. But God's free grace says, come
down sinner. That's what makes us the different.
God's grace. God's grace. It makes us sons
and daughters of God. Nicodemus, you must be born again. And that teacher, that Pharisee
of Pharisees, that instructor of Pharisees, didn't have a clue
what the Lord was talking about in John 3. Didn't have a clue. How can a man be born again,
he said. And Christ said, well, if you're
not, you'll never enter the kingdom of God. You must be born again. It's a necessity. But he never
once hinted that it was something that Nicodemus could do for himself. He said the very opposite. The
wind blows where it wills. You can't control it. Even so
also is everyone that's born of the Spirit. It is the Spirit,
our Lord said again in John 6. It's the Spirit of God that quickeneth,
that gives life, spiritual life. It's the Spirit that does that.
The flesh profits nothing. The flesh profits nothing? The
flesh profits nothing? That's exactly right. Nothing. God's grace makes us to differ. Turn, if you will, to Hebrews
chapter 11 for just a moment. As I said, we believers in Christ,
no matter in what day we may live, we are still, as those
described here in Hebrews chapter 11, Pilgrims and strangers. Pilgrims and strangers in this
world. As our Lord prayed in John 17, the world knoweth them
not. The world hates them because
they're not of the world. I've chosen them out of the world.
But here in Hebrews 11, look at verse 9, speaking of Abraham. By faith he sojourned in the
land of promise. as in a strange country dwelling
in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob that heirs with him of
the same promises. For he looked for a city which
hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." He looked
beyond this present through faith, or rather, look on down, if you
will, at verse 13. This is what I want. more than anything, more than
anything. It doesn't matter when I go,
how I go, where they put me after I go. All that matters is this,
these all died in faith. I died by the grace of God, embraced
in the arms of my Redeemer, Believing that he has kept me to this day
and he'll keep me in that day when he calls me to be with himself. Oh, to die in faith. To die in
faith as pilgrims and strangers in this world. And thank God
we are child of God. Let the world have the world.
Don't be influenced by it. Don't be influenced by it. Look, if you will, now back in
John 17. Let's read the will. Let's read
the will. The testament of our great high
priest. That's what it is. This is the
reading of the will. Child of God, read it often. This is what your Redeemer. This is the will of that one
who loved you with an everlasting love. Never been a time that
he didn't love you. Oh yeah, I can't get much of
a grip on that either. But he loved us with an everlasting
love. That's why he came. That's why
he came. That's why in that covenant of
grace, that everlasting covenant of grace, when God the Father
entrusted into His hands the Lord Jesus Christ our surety,
entrusted into his hands all his chosen. He agreed, Father,
in the fullness of time, I'll go and I'll do whatever's necessary
to bring them back to glory and to present them back to you without
a spot or a blemish or any such thing. Ooh, that's good news.
That's a glorious gospel. It's not dependent upon anything
they do. The success, the realization,
of that covenant of grace is dependent upon what he did. Glory to his name. You remember, well, some of you
don't. You're too young. I remember.
It was years ago. Don't remember the date. Maybe
in the 70s, 80s, not important. But when Howard Hughes died,
remember when Howard Hughes died? Somebody said, I wonder how much
he left behind. He left it all behind. He left
it all behind. Just like you're going to do.
He left it all behind. But I remember on the news for
weeks after his death, they couldn't find the will. They couldn't
find his will. I mean, the man, of course, I
think he was odd to say the least. All those billions and billions,
no will, designating who's going to get it. And then they flip-flop
from that extreme to the other extreme. Man has a tendency to
do that, doesn't he? People begin to come forth, lawyers,
They all claim to have a will. This is Howard's will. And people
just started coming out of the woodwork, oh, my dear Uncle Howard. Oh, yeah. I'm kind to him. I can trace my roots back to
him. I deserve a piece of that. It was just mass confusion. I
really don't know if it was ever settled, if it was ever settled. But I know one will that's forever
settled. That's the will of that one we
just read of here in John 17. His last will and testament is
settled. There's no debate about it. Our
advocate with the Father prays, Father, I will. This is what
I will. Are you listening, children?
This is a family matter. I will, Father. That all those you have given
me, does that describe you? My soul father, this is my will
and testament for them. That testament that I've ratified
with my own precious blood. That they be with me where I
am. My soul, death doesn't seem so
frightful when you realize it's going to bring me to be where
he is, Mike. Death is the door into his presence. My death's going to be the door
that I'm going to step through that quick. And there he is. This worthless, helpless sinner,
the Lord Jesus Christ his Father, I want him with me. I want him
with me where I am that he may behold my glory. This is what
David prayed when he laid up on his deathbed. You remember
that. In 2 Samuel, oh my, what a checkered
life the psalmist led. What heights, what heights he
ascended to by the grace of God and mercy of God. The Lord is
my shepherd. Oh, what a song. And that same
man, oh, you see him plumbed out, just plunged back down into
sin, took a man's wife, had that man
murdered to cover it up. Is that the same individual?
Absolutely. When he lay dying, though my house be not so with
God, Man, I've had heartache. I've had rebellion. My own son
tried to murder me and take my throne. There's been incest in
my family. My house is not as it ought to
be with God. But you know what David looked
to? Not his highs, not his lows, not his mountaintop experience
or his valley of anguish and woe. No, he said, God had made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things to ensure
this is all my salvation and all my desire. This is all my
hope. And he closed his eyes, resting
in the will and testament that was his song upon his deathbed,
and he went to be with his Redeemer. I will, Father, that all those
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am." Child of God
will not turn there. But I encourage you to read in
Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 9 where it speaks of a testament,
a will, is not in force, cannot be disposed of while the testator
is yet alive. And then he goes on and applies
that to Christ. Our testator is alive. He that
wrote the will, died to ratify the will, now sits on the throne
of sovereign majesty, making certain that all that he wills
is coming to pass. I'm he that liveth was dead and
behold I'm alive forevermore. The key of death must be turned
by him who is infinitely wise and powerful and good. Father I will. Do you hear that? Do you hear that child of God?
That is spoken by that same One who wheeled through creation
of all that you see. It's simply an expression of
His will. That is spoken by that One who
has His way. Now, pay attention here, everybody,
you young people especially. I know you'll leave here. You
could if you want to. I don't encourage you to. I encourage
you not to. but you can go to a lot of other
places this morning and they'll tell you about a Jesus that needs
your help, a Jesus that can't have his way. That's not true. That's not true. If you trusted Jesus that needs
your help, needs your help, you're in trouble and he's in trouble.
If he needs my help, he's weak as I am. He's like me. And child of God, multitudes
are believing in that other Jesus. No, no. The God of Scripture,
did you follow along, did you read with me or listen while
I read John 17? Does he sound like he can't have
his way? Does it sound like he didn't
have his way? Father, how will they be with
me? I will that they be one. I will
that you keep them. None of them is lost, Father.
None of them is lost except him who wasn't mine to begin with.
All mine are thine. And I will that they be with
me where I am. Isn't that good news? No wonder
Paul said in Philippians 1, to depart and to be with Christ
is far better. Far better. In the Greek, it's
much stronger than that. Paul said, Oh, to depart and
to be with Christ is far, far, far better. So much better than
remaining here. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. His prayer is
heard. He sends his angels down. And
swiftly as lightning leaps from a cloud, that very moment, his
are ushered into his presence forever. Far better. In the time of Queen Mary, she
wasn't referred to as Bloody Mary for nothing. Had God's people
slaughtered, butchered. But two believers were condemned
to death during her reign. One was a cripple, one was blind,
but they were tied to the same stake to be burned. And the lame
man tossed his crutch down and he said to his blind, believing
companion, be of good cheer, he said. For death will cure
us both. You of your blindness and me
of my lameness." In just a minute, this is what I said to Brother
Loyal the last time I saw him. Went to the hospital to see him,
to see how he was. And I said, Brother Loyal, the
Lord willing, I'll see you when I get back. And I hope you'll be better. or I'll see you in glory." And
we'll be Plumwell. We'll be Plumwell. And bless
God, death has taken him, and death will at once free you fully,
child of God, and perfectly and perpetually from all sin and
from all possibility of ever sinning. Oh my, isn't that something? Isn't that something to think
about? Father, I will. Standing at the
cross, we sang about it, at Calvary, mercy there was great and grace
was free. Standing at the cross where our
testator ratified his will by the shedding of his own blood,
he sealed his will. His blood of the everlasting
covenant, standing there, behold, where redemption was obtained
for us. Where redemption was obtained
for us. Not where He tried to put away
my sins. Rubbish. Rubbish. That's not
good news. If he didn't put them away, nothing
I do will put them away. If he didn't put them away then,
they'll never be put away. Oh no, standing there at the
foot of Calvary, I see him obtaining eternal redemption for the family. Christ by himself purging our
sins away. And I hear my great emancipator,
my great high priest. Oh, even then, even then, grace
is pouring into his lips and he's speaking it out in fountains
of living water to his people. Hear him, child of God. Hear
what our great high priest says to the family. It is Finished. It's finished. I've brought in everlasting righteousness. I've put away the sins of my
people. I've redeemed all that God gave me by my own precious
blood. And now, Father, I will that
they be with me where I am. He has given us a right to enter
in through the gates into the city. Now God Almighty, that
I mentioned earlier demands strict perfection. Now God Almighty
on the basis of our substitute can in absolute justice justify
a guilty sinner. He can justify a sinner without
any infraction of his absolute justice because He made Christ
who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the
very righteousness of God in Him. Oh, the love that drew salvation's
plan. Oh, the grace that brought it
down to man. Oh, what a mighty gulf the God-man
did span at Calvary. Those paperweights that I brought back as a souvenir
has within, inside of it, a little picture of the New River Gorge
Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia. That's where I lived. Several members of my family
still live there. Mike, before they built that
bridge, I was still living there because I think they completed
it in the early 70s. But you would have to drive down
a mountainside on a little winding narrow road. And if you met another
car coming in the opposite direction, one of you would have to back
up because most of the time it wasn't wide enough for both of
you to pass. You'd have to back up until you
found a place far enough to get over. But you would wind down
that mountain and then cross that old bridge over New River
and then wind back up the same narrow little road up the mountain
on the other side. It took about 45 minutes, and
we're talking six miles. Something like that. When they
built that bridge, they spanned those two mountains. Just spanned. And now you zip across just like
that. The Son of God spanned that great gulf between
a holy God and my guilty soul. He spanned it with his own precious
blood. And he brought me nigh by the
blood of Christ. I, who once was far off, have
been brought nigh. Oh, what a mighty gulf he did
span at Calvary. Near, you've heard it, you've
heard it, but it's true. Near, so near to God, nearer
I cannot be, for in the person of his dear Son I am as near
as he. And Father, I want them. with
me where I am. That's what took place on June
27th when our dear brother was called home. The great shepherd of the sheep
said again, Father, I will that they be with me where I am. And I think, as I mentioned in
the article, his daughter, grandchildren, they were willing that he stay
with them. Oh, but he who loved him infinitely more than they
ever could said, no, I will that he be with me. With his Redeemer
forever. John Bunyan wrote in his famous
allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, He said, now I further saw that
between the pilgrims and the gate of the celestial city was
a river, but there was no bridge to go over. And the river was
very deep. And at the sight of this river,
the pilgrims were much stunned. But those who went with them
said, you must go through or you cannot come to the gate. The pilgrims then began to despond
in their minds and look this way and that, but no way could
be found by them by which they might escape the river. Oh, but
listen. When you pass through the waters,
I will be with thee. When you pass through the rivers,
they will not overflow thee. Though I pass through the valley
of the shadow of death. Thou art with me. Thou art with
me. He who loved me, in whom I was
chosen, who came especially for me, who lived for me, who died
for me, he's going to take my hand and lead me to be where
he is forever. Oh, glorious gospel. Let me wrap
this up. Let me wrap this up. Where I
am. Take that with you. Take that
with you, family of God. I want them to be with me where
I am, in the Father's house. All the Father's children gathered
around the table. I remember reading an article
by Brother Maurice Montgomery. I think I sent it to one or two
of you. But he said when they were still at home, his brothers
and sisters, several of them, like my own, four brothers, four
sisters, the mother would not allow them to begin eating until
the last child came in and sat down at the table. Then she'd
say, OK, OK. You see the picture. We're going
to sit down at the table of our great King and Savior, and He'll
say, Father, they're all here. They're all here. Of all those
you have given me, I lost none and will feast at the table of
His everlasting grace and glory forever. and forever and forever. Glory to His name. If there's joy among the angels
of God in heaven, and God the Father himself at the hour of
conversion, when the great shepherd brings
another prodigal home, he says there's rejoicing in heaven,
My, what will it be? What will it be when all those
prodigals are brought to their everlasting home? What rejoicing! What rejoicing! God the Father,
Son, Holy Spirit, angels looking on in wonder and all the children
of God rejoicing as well. Listen to this and I'm finished.
Zephaniah chapter 3. This is God. This is God speaking
about the family. He will rejoice over him with
joy. He will rest in his love. He will rejoice over him with
singing. Isn't that amazing? God will
do that over his son's redeemed bride. I will rejoice over them. Let's sing to his praise and
glory now, and then we'll be dismissed. Brother Joe.