I invite you this morning to
turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 68. Psalm 68. I was asked to deal with a certain
subject this week, which I'm going to do my best to do. But I had nothing for one that
is not beneficial to all. We're all in the same boat. Henry
said that's what fellowship is. Fellows in the same ship. We're
all in the same boat. We all suffer from the same sin,
suffer from the same curse. We're all subject to the same
God. And we all, as one man said,
have a life to live, a death to die, and a judgment to face. So I hope what I've prepared
this morning will be a help to you. Psalm 68, and there's actually
three verses beginning in verse 18, but I'm just going to read
verse 20. He that is our God is the God of salvation. And unto God the Lord belong
the issues from death. Who is our God? Who is our God? David said, our
God. Well, I read through a few of
his Psalms, and this is what he says about our God. He said,
our God is in the heavens. Our God is. He's in the heavens. And he hath done whatsoever he
hath pleased. Our God. He said, our Lord is
above all gods, whatsoever the Lord pleased. That did He in
heaven, in earth, the seas, and all deep places. Who is our God? He is the eternal, all-sufficient,
all-wise God. He is the everlasting, almighty,
unchangeable God. He's alpha and omega. He's the
first and last. He's the beginning and He's the
end. And He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. All
things were purposed by Him and then worked together to accomplish
that purpose. If anything at any time is left
to chance, if anything at any time is left to circumstance,
then everything purposed of God would be in doubt. Now you just
think about that. That man drew that rifle in that
bookstore down in Dallas, Texas, to shoot the president. If a
gnat would have flew in his eye, he'd have missed, and history
would have been changed. If anything, at any time, is
subject to circumstance and chance, then everything that God has
declared is in doubt. The unchangeable God would have
to change because circumstance demanded it. The all-wise God
would cease to be all-wise because something happened he didn't
foreknow. The almighty God would be overcome by chance and circumstance. And all the promises of God would
stand in doubt and God would be proved a liar. He and he alone declares the
end from the beginning. He alone declares my counsel
shall stand, and I'll do all my pleasure. I've spoken it,
he said. I'll also bring it to pass. I've
purposed it, and I'm going to do it. Not even an insignificant
sparrow can fall to the ground, Christ said, without your father. But we don't think much about
sparrows, do we? But I tell you this, not one
of them gonna fall to the ground. One of them hit one of the windows,
one of my patio doors the other day, fell over on the ground
dead. Old Sparrow. I thought about this verse when
I seen it. Not one of them can fall to the ground without your
father. Who is our God? He is the God of all glory. Oh, the depth, Paul said, of
the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable
are His judgments and His ways past finding out. Of Him and
through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Our God, the true and living
God, David said, is the God of salvation. He's the God of salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation
is not in the hands of fallen man. Salvation is God's greatest
work. I want you to just think about
that for a minute. This is His greatest work, Russell. I'll
tell you, I'm pretty awed by creation. I was out last night
late taking some trash out, and I looked up at the sky, and there
was a little bit of clouds, but mostly it was clear. And boy,
you looked up there, and you could see things that, I mean,
I just see little dots of light, but I'm told that they're huge.
Big as our sun, but just further away. And you look out there,
and we send them probes out there, and they go way out there, and
the only thing they discover, it goes that much further. It
looks like it does from here, out there, looking beyond. I'm
pretty awed with creation, but salvation's as great as It is
His greatest work. All of His other works are because
of this work. He writes in Romans chapter 8,
the earnest expectation of creation. Now you think about what He is
saying here. The earnest expectation of creation waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God. Creation, he said, was made subject
to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who subjected
to shame and hope. This thing of creation, God created
what we see, who we are, where we are. He created all these
visible things because of this great work of salvation which
He purposed from all eternity. This is just the stage upon which
the glory of God is going to be manifest. My soul. He put a perfect man
in paradise. He gave him everything his heart
could desire. And he couldn't even keep one
commandment. He couldn't keep one commandment.
You reckon God's going to take his greatest work and put it
into his offspring's hands who have now fallen into grave? You reckon he's going to trust
that into your hands? You think God would trust His
greatest work in the hands of Adam's cursed offspring? God
is the God of creation, the God of providence, and the God of
judgment. But what people don't realize,
He's also the God of salvation. Salvation is according to His
purpose. It's for His glory. And it's
according to His sovereign prerogative. It's not of Him that willeth.
I read that to you a few moments ago. That's not what men are
being told. They're being told it is of Him
that willeth. But God said it's not. So it's of very little consequence
whether you're willing or not, isn't it? It's not of Him that
willeth. And it's not of Him that runneth.
Men and women are being told it is of Him that runneth. You
have to run. You have to do this. You have
to do that. Salvation depends on it. No, it don't. Not of him
that willeth, and it is not of him that runneth. It is of God
that shows mercy. Salvation is in His hands. It is in His hands to give or
withhold. And God is no Indian giver. He
is not going to give you something and then take it back. If God
gives, He gives forever. Now you remember that. He gives
forever. Men and women have been lied
to so long that free will works religions almost second nature
to them. But John tells us at the outset
of his gospel that believers are not born of blood, and they're
not born of the will of the flesh, and they're not born of the will
of man. They're born of God. Man's will along with his mind
and heart, they're all in bondage to his fallen nature. The idea
of children being born and innocent, that's an heretical dream is
what that is. If children didn't sin, children
wouldn't die. But they die. And Paul said,
where there is no law, then sin is not imputed. Nevertheless,
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them who didn't sin.
according to the similitude of Adam's transgression. That is,
they weren't given a law to keep, but they sinned anyway. They
sinned against the light of conscience and the light of creation, and
they were sinners by nature. They had no law to obey, they
had no commandment to keep, but were sinners by nature, and sinners
in their minds and hearts. And he's talking there about
infants and small children. David said, they go astray as
soon as they be born, speaking lies. And men and women are dead
in trespasses and sins. They're traveling with the rest
of fallen men down the broad road, running toward hell as
fast as they can go. That broad road of destruction.
And they walk together with this world. And they follow the course
of this world. And they find common ground with
this world. It's the only place they can
find common ground. And they find acceptance with
this world. This world's pleased with religion.
They're not upset about religion. They're pleased with it. They
love it. And our Lord said, if you were
of this world, the world would love its own. It loves you. But you're not of this world.
I've chosen you out of the world. Therefore, the world hateth you.
Our God is the God of salvation. And if any man rise up out of
the ashes of humanity and out of the curse of nature given
him at his birth, it is 100%. Are you listening? 100% owing to the sovereign grace
of God. God don't have to cause you to
do anything. All God has to do is leave you
alone. You already have the potential. All he has to do is just lift
his hand and let you go. That man born of God was not
rewarded for his works or will, but was called of God because
he was chosen of God before the foundation of the world. Now
listen to the last line of my text here in chapter 68, verse
20. Unto God the Lord. belong the issues from death. Now let me give you some things
here that will help you. First of all, let's talk about
God the Lord. Who is God the Lord? God the
Lord is God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who he's
talking about here. To him alone is committed the
salvation of God's elect. God the Father gave it to him
from the very outset, from eternity past. Gave it to him, trusted
it into his hands, and God rested. You ever think about that, when
God created the world and it said he rested from his works?
Well, how could he rest? Didn't he know that Satan prowled
the earth? Didn't he know that Satan was
going to come into the garden and tempt Eve, and because of
Adam's love for Eve, he was going to sell himself out to? Did God
not understand what was about to take place? Did He not know
that the fallen angels were here, and that Satan, along with those
rulers of the darkness, was going to corrupt men? Did He not know
that man in his fallen condition would never seek Him? But they
glory and go off into false religion. Did God not know any of those
things? And if He did, how could He rest?
He could rest because He gave it all into the hands of His
Son, the Mediator King. And His Son is going to save
every man that God purposed to save. It's in His hands. Unto God the Lord belongs the
issues not of death, but the issues from death. God made with His Son an everlasting
covenant of grace. He entered into a covenant or
contract or agreement or whatever you want to call it with His
Son on the behalf of a people predestinated unto the adoption
of sons according to the good pleasure of His will. And the
sole purpose of Jesus Christ taking to Himself human form,
being born of a woman, was to fulfill those covenant obligations,
to fulfill and obey that covenant agreement with His Father. He
said, I come not to do my own will, but the will of Him that
sent me. And this is the will of Him that
sent me. Of all which He has given me, I should lose nothing. Oh, I'm telling you what, He
made an agreement with His Father and He become our representative
and covenant head. Jesus Christ did not come into
this world and live under the law and die on the cross, leaving
the victory of that work to be based on whether or not somebody
is going to believe on Him or not. He didn't leave it. The gift of faith, I want you
to listen to me now, the gift of faith is the gift of the ascended
Savior, the ascended Savior, the victorious Savior. Look back a few verses in our
text, back at verse 18, Psalm 68, 18. Thou hast ascended on
high. Thou hast led captivity captive. Thou hast received gifts for
men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might
dwell among them." If you care to look in your spare time back
over to Ephesians chapter 4, verses 9 and 10, you'll see how
the Holy Spirit applies that very verse of Scripture. He applies
it not only concerning the faith of God's elect, but also the
appointment of His prophets, apostles, evangelists, and pastorate
All of that was connected with Psalm 68, 18. And I'm telling you this, universal
salvation is the doctrine of universal antichrist. Universal
salvation is the result of universal darkness and ignorance and confusion. Listen to Ephesians 2, verse
4. But God, who is rich in mercy,
For His great love, wherewith He loved us even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace,
ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that, that is,
in order that. In order that, in the ages to
come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God who gave it, the ascended Savior. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Our Lord said to the Pharisees,
You believe not, because you are not My sheep. As I said unto
you, My sheep hear My voice. They hear My voice. And I know them, and they follow
Me. God the Lord is the Lord Jesus
Christ, and unto Him belong the issues from death. There's issues
concerning the called out of death and darkness. What are
these issues? Well, there's issues of justice.
Justice must be satisfied. There's issues of righteousness.
None but the righteous is going to be saved. There's issues of
righteousness. We must have a perfect righteousness.
issues of sonship, issues of eternal purpose and inheritance,
issues of heaven and hell, issues of everlasting torment or everlasting
bliss. Unto God the Lord belong these
issues. Everything concerning the salvation
of God's elect has been committed into His trust. God hath made
Him to be unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Are we clear on this so far? Salvation's of the Lord. It's
of the Lord. Where did it begin? In the mind
of God. I can't even conceive how far
back eternity is. But ever how far back it was,
that's when God chose us. Christ is all and in all. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and He said, Ye are complete in Him. And that man or woman who comes
to Christ, he tells us in John chapter 6, he comes because he
is drawn of the Father. He comes because he is taught
of God. And he comes because it is the
eternal will of God. And that man who comes to Christ
was given to Christ before the world began. And all that the
Father giveth me, he said, shall come to me. And him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out." He won't cast them out because
they're perfectly justified by his accomplished redemption.
He will not cast them out because they're clothed in his spotless
righteousness. He will not cast them out because
the Comforter abides in them. He will not cast them out because
they've been entrusted to Him. He will not cast them out because
they cannot be separated from the love of God which was entrusted
to Him. He will not cast them out because
their salvation manifests the very glory of God. Though you believe not, yet he
abides faithful. He cannot deny himself. And while faith is the gift of
God, and while we are kept by the power of God through faith,
and we're of them who believe to the saving of the soul, we're
filled with unbelief. Are you aware of that? We're filled with unbelief. The
Lord's own apostles said, Lord, we believe. Help thou our unbelief. Well, preacher, what are you
trying to say? I'm trying to say this. Faith is not your Savior. That's what I'm trying to tell
you. Faith is not your Savior. Christ is. Faith is the gift of your Savior
to you. It's not your Savior. Faith is
not your justifier. Christ is. Faith is not your
sanctifier. Christ is. Faith is not your
redeemer. Christ is. Faith rests in Him. Are you with me? Everything God
has for the sinner, He entrusted in Christ. And everything that
Christ agreed to do according to that everlasting covenant
of grace, He did. He did. And faith rests in Him. It commits the keeping of your
soul to Him. Paul said, now I want you to
listen to this. He said, I know that I have believed. That ain't
what that Scripture says. Is it? He said, I know whom I
have believed." Oh, there's a big difference there. You better
hear what I'm telling you. There's a big difference there
between believing that I believe and knowing whom I believe. Faith
finds peace in Him. I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded that He is able to keep back which I have
committed unto him, how long? Against that day. Oh, you see
the difference? Turn with me to John, the 21st
chapter. Last chapter in the book of John. What will I have to go through
before I die? I don't know. I don't know. But I know this. David said, precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of his saints. Oh, it's precious. Precious to him. The scripture
says the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Now this holds your place there
in John 21. Let me tell you something. We who believe have already died. We've already died. We died that
cursed death in our Savior. We died and was buried with Him
and was raised up victorious in Him and seated with Him in
glory. We've already died. Now when He gets down to the
end of all that in Colossians 3, He said, now you're dead.
You know that. You're dead. And your life is
hid with Christ in God. And when He shall appear, we'll
appear with Him. Don't ever look beyond your Savior
for assurance. Now let me tell you something
here about this man before I read this scripture to you in John
21. I want to tell you a story about a man who thought he could
trust in his own faithfulness and in his own strength. He was
looking within for his ability to hold on. He meant well by
what he was doing, but he was doing wrong. And he was a big
man. Powerful man. A man of stature. I'm talking about Peter. And
I'll give you some idea of his stature. When they caught those
fish, our Lord numbered them here in this 21st chapter. He
said they caught 153 fish. It was about to turn the boat
over. Peter drew that net in by himself. Now, that's a big
man. That's a big man. Before the
crucifixion, he rebuked the Lord. The Lord told him that Satan
desired to shift him like wheat. But he said, I prayed for you
that your faith fail not. And he rebuked the Lord. And
he said, now, you must be talking about John or one of these guys.
He said, I ain't going to leave you. I'm not going to leave you. I'll
go with you unto death." He meant every word of it. He meant every
word of it. Though they all forsake you,
I won't. I'll fight to the death. I'll resist to the end. Now look
at it. Look at this big man, this big
powerful man of stature, this dedicated man, this committed
man. I want you to see. over there
by the fire in the darkness. And before a little maiden, just
a maiden, she said, boy, you look like one. He said, I don't
know him. And he cursed so she wouldn't
even think he was. You think about that. I won't
leave you. I won't do these things. Oh, see him over there by the
fire. See him after the resurrection.
Same man. Quit the ministry. He said, I'll
go fishing. He didn't just quit the ministry,
but he got the rest of them to quit the ministry and come with
him. Oh, the weakness and frailty
of men. Now listen to what the Lord tells Peter. Now this is
after a lot of water went under the bridge. This is after the
Lord called him up and said, Peter, do you love me? And he
told him all those things. John 21, verse 18. He tells this
big, stout fisherman. He said, verily, verily, I say
unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest
wither you. You did what you wanted to do.
You were strong. You were stout. You girded yourself. You provided for yourself. You
did all these things for yourself. You went where you wanted to
go. But when thou shalt be old, you're going to stretch forth
your hands. and another is going to gorge you. And he's going
to take you where you don't want to go. Huh? These bodies are growing old.
They're subject to disease and corruption. May come a time when
I don't know who I am. I went down to visit Brother
Glenn the other day and he didn't know who I was. After I explained
to him for about five minutes who I was, he acknowledged me,
but I could tell by the look on his face, he didn't know who
I was. We might not know who we are.
Might come a time when I don't know who I am. Might come a time
when this flesh is left to manifest everything that's in it. I might
lay there in a bed and curse. Let me tell you something. Before
it does, before it does. Why don't you stretch forth your
hands? And let Him gird you. And let Him take you where you
don't want to go. Pretty good advice. Pretty good advice. He said,
I'll carry you where you don't want to go. Commit yourself into
the hands of Him who controls All the issues of death. Lord, you know my heart. You
know my heart. And I know you. I know you. I know what you've revealed to
me concerning yourself. And I'm persuaded you're able
to keep what I commit unto you. I commit myself. I commit myself. Rest yourself in the arms of
Him who preserves all things. Give yourself into the hands
of Him who said, no man shall pluck you out of My hands. When
you do, here's what you're going to discover. He's been carrying
you all along. All along. It was Him working in you that
caused you to believe. It was His Spirit in you that
caused you to be born. It was His Spirit working in
you, causing you to cry, Abba, Father. He's been carrying you
all along. But, oh, ain't it nice in your
heart to know when you've committed yourself to Him who's been carrying
you. He's been carrying you from all
eternity. He's been carrying you since
God put you in Christ before the world was. There's a scripture,
I can't call it, some of you older men might be able to recall
it, over in Proverbs, where he talks about the Lord before ever
angels or men sang upon the earth and they rejoiced with the sons
of men. Well, there wasn't any men to
rejoice with, was there? There was in Christ. There was
in Christ. There was in God's purpose in
Him. He's been carrying us all along.
You don't really think it was your determination that kept
you in the faith, do you? We're kept by the power of God
through faith. You don't really think it's your
mental abilities that gave you an understanding, do you? This
is a revelation of God. It's God who worketh in us both
to will and to do of His good pleasure. Paul said, we give
thanks to the Father who made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of enlightened saints. Unto God the Lord, God our Savior,
belong the issues from death. Am I trying to belittle this
thing of faith? Not one iota. But I'm telling
you this, faith don't rest in itself. Faith rests in Christ.
And there going to come a time when you may not know enough
to believe. You might not even know who you
are or who the Lord is in that day. But you committed yourself
into His hands. And ain't nobody going to pluck
you out of His hands. Nobody. And he tells you over
there in Romans chapter 8, he said, neither life nor death
nor things present nor things to come, not anything, not any
creature, not devils in hell is going to separate you from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus the Lord. Now if God be for us, who can
be against us? And God the Lord has committed
these things. They are in His hands. All these
issues from death. None of them's in mine. They're
all in His. Now that's where assurance is. That's where it's at. It's in
Him. Not in me. It's in Him. Let's rest in Him.