As you know, last weekend, along
with Brother Darwin Pruitt, Brother David Pledger, I went out to
San Diego for the ordination service for Brother Eric Richards. And at those services, it's customary
for one of the preachers to give a charge to the congregation
and for one to give a charge to the pastor. And I was asked
to give a charge to Brother Eric as their new pastor. And as I
prepared the two messages I would be preaching, I was confident
in preparing them. These are messages of such importance
that I believed God would have me to bring those messages to
you, and I prepared them with that in mind. Turn with me back
to the first chapter of the book of Revelation. This book begins with the declaration
that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. The revelation
of Jesus Christ. It is the revelation of the person,
work, and accomplishments of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. John
sees the Lord Jesus as he is here revealed to him in a marvelous
picture of triumph and glory as our great Savior. The word
is given telling us that those who read this book are blessed
in reading it, blessed in hearing it, and blessed in keeping those
things that are written in the book. That is how blessed of
God we are to have God's word here before us, have the ability
to read it or have it read to us, and to hear it, to hear it
with understanding so that we are made to believe that which
is written. how blessed we are to whom God
gives these great privileges of grace. And then John addresses
himself in verse four to the seven churches which are in Asia. And he speaks of the Lord Jesus,
declaring him to be the faithful witness, the first begotten of
the dead, the prince of the kings of the earth. And look how he
describes him in verses five and six. unto him that loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his father. To him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen. It is my desire, my heart's
desire, that God would reveal his son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
in you today. that God would call you to know
the blessedness of not having only heard, but heard with understanding
so that you believe the testimony of the Lord Jesus, that you might
leave here today with this blessed assurance that you are among
those loved by Christ, washed by Christ in his own blood, now
made to be kings and priests under God, one who does business
with God in the holy place, having the power of God's Spirit reigning
within you, subduing your flesh, so that you and I who are born
of God are men and women who are kings, the power of God living
in us, subduing our flesh, subduing the things around us, and priest,
Men and women who do business continually at the throne of
God at the mercy seat in the holy place And then John said
behold he cometh Behold he cometh. I love the way it's written not
he's going to come Behold he cometh he's on his way here for
us now with every tick of the clock with every turning of each
page of divine providence. With every work he does, our
Savior is coming for his church, his bride, the people he loved
and washed in his own blood. And when he comes, every eye
shall see him, shall see him in his glory as our triumphant
king. The whole message of this book
of Revelation is that Jesus Christ, our King, reigns on high. He is King. His will is done. He is triumphant. And being in
union with Him, we too shall triumph at last. He tells us
in chapter 2 that when He's done, our Lord is going to cause the
world to bow at our feet. Isn't that amazing? He will cause
the whole world to bow at the feet of his church, one with
him, upon his throne. And then our Lord introduces
himself. I am Alpha and Omega. The beginning
and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which
is to come, the Almighty. He says, I am the beginning and
the end. The first letter of the alphabet,
alpha, the last letter, omega. That means I am everything. The Son of God says, look to
me, I am everything. I am God in the flesh. God who is, who was, and who
is to come, the Almighty. You trust me and well you may
trust me. And John says, that I was in
the Spirit on the Lord's day. And he has a vision of the Lord
Jesus in his glorious majesty, walking among seven golden candlesticks
with stars in his right hand. And John speaks concerning this
vision that he has of the Lord Jesus, as he is given now the
revelation of Jesus Christ. He sees this God-man. walking among seven candlesticks,
golden lampstands, just walking among them. And he's holding
in his right hand seven stars. There is an intimate connection, an intimate connection between
the revelation of Jesus Christ and these seven stars and these
seven golden candlesticks. There is an intimate connection
between the revelation of Jesus Christ and these seven stars
and these seven golden candlesticks. Now look at verse 20. The mystery
of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the
seven golden candlesticks This is one of those mysteries that
is now unveiled. A mystery is something that was
hidden, that's secret, and can't be known except by a special
revelation. And the Lord Jesus says, now
I'm going to give you the mystery. I'm going to take away the veil.
This is what the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks
mean. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.
And the seven candlesticks, which thou sawest, are the seven churches. Now here's my title this morning.
Pastors and Churches. Pastors and Churches. There is
an intimate connection between the revelation, the knowledge
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and pastors and churches. The
Lord Jesus makes himself known in the saving of his elect, his
church. And he makes himself known through
the labors of pastors and churches working together throughout the
ages. John is here speaking here concerning
this mystery that's given him. And before I show you things,
I won't turn this message, let me make four statements. And
then I'll show you seven things about this mystery. Four statements
that are of immense importance. Number one, this is nothing new
to you. I've said it many, many times.
The greatest blessing God can ever bestow upon any community
is to establish in her midst a local church where many women
gather in the name of Christ to worship him. The greatest blessing God can
ever bestow upon any community is to establish in their midst
a local church where men and women gather to worship the Lord
Jesus. A local church in the New Testament
sense of the word is a congregation of saved sinners united in Christ,
united in the name of Christ, united in the service of Christ
to worship him, to serve him. committed to his gospel, his
glory, his will, his kingdom, and the saving of his people.
Number two, the greatest blessing the Lord God can or will bestow
upon any local church is to give that church a pastor after his
own heart, a faithful gospel preacher who will feed his people
with knowledge and understanding, knowledge of His word, His will,
and His work, and understanding of the needs of the hour. God
said, I'll give you pastors after my heart who shall feed you with
knowledge and with understanding. How blessed are those people
to whom God gives a faithful pastor. I say things that I know
are usually misunderstood, because people want to misunderstand
them. I say them plainly, and I say them in many places where
I go, such as this, to emphasize to the people to whom I preach,
you and others, to this generation, what a blessing it is when God
gives a faithful posture to a people. What a blessing it is. Pastors are the ascension gifts
of the Lord Jesus Christ to his church. Read the fourth chapter
of Ephesians again sometime in the next day or so. When you go home this afternoon,
just read it. Just read that fourth chapter. When our Lord
Jesus ascended on high, he gave gifts to his church. Gave gifts
to men that the Lord God might dwell among them. And these are
the gifts he gave. Prophets, apostles, and evangelists. Prophets, distinctly referring
to Old Testament prophets. There are no prophets today.
Apostles, distinctly referring to those by whom he gave us the
New Testament and explained to us his word. Those first 12 apostles,
Paul being the apostle chosen out of due season to take the
place of Judas, who by God's decree and purpose fell and lost
his bishopric. Apostles ceased with the finishing
of Holy Scripture. There are no apostles today.
I know there are folks who like to think they're prophets and
like to think they're apostles. There are no such things today.
We have the complete finished Word of God. The word evangelist
refers to missionaries, if I understand it correctly, men who establish
churches and assist churches in establishing in the gospel
of God's grace. What Mother Groover's Walter
and Cody do down in Mexico, what the Hellers do in New Guinea. Establishing gospel churches
and establishing churches in the gospel of God's grace. Not
just itinerant preachers going around preaching here and there.
and then they go somewhere else. But merely assist churches and
establishing churches in the gospel of God's grace. Paul told
Timothy to do the work of an evangelist. Seek out God's elect,
seek to establish gospel churches, and help those churches to be
established firmly fixed in the truth of the gospel. And he gave
pastors teachers. That's the office he gives for
churches this day. Pastors teachers. The word is
really pastors who are teachers. All pastors are teachers. If a man doesn't teach you the
word of God, he is not a pastor. If a man doesn't teach you the
word of God, he is not a pastor. God's servants in his churches
are pastors whose responsibility it is to teach the church of
the living God. And these are the gifts of Christ
to his church for the perfecting of his saints, for the edifying
of the body of Christ that you don't You're no longer tossed
to and fro with every wind of doctrine, but your feet are firmly
fixed in the Word of God. These men are men who ought to
be known, loved, and highly esteemed for their work's sake. Turn back
to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians 5. Don't ever imagine it a light
thing to look upon faithful men contentiously. 1 Thessalonians
5, 12. We beseech you, brethren, know
them which labor among you, who labor among you. Faithful
men labor in the word and in the doctrine. That's the reason
the first deacons were established in Acts chapter 7. So that those
who were called to preach the gospel could give themselves
to study and to prayer and to preaching. And faithful men do. They labor in the word and in
the doctrine. I find the older I get, the less
time I have for anything else. Because this is more and more
consuming every day. Faithful men labor among you,
labor for your souls, so know them, and who are over you in
the Lord. They're your overseers. They
are men placed over the family, men whose responsibility it is
to take care of the family, men whose responsibility it is to
govern the family. They're over you in the Lord.
and admonish you. They teach you. They instruct
you. They teach you the doctrine of God and they admonish you
to apply that to your lives. They admonish you to things that
will help you to live for the glory of God in this world. And
disdain them very highly in love. Hold faithful men in high esteem. That means, Mark, when you think
about them, think highly of them. And when you talk to Sherry about
them, talk good about them. Speak of them respectfully, honorably. When that boy hears you talk
about a preacher, a faithful preacher, don't let him hear
anything but good. Nothing but good. You will harm him and yourself
if you hear otherwise. Esteem them very highly in love. How come? For their work's sake. They labor for your soul. They
labor for the cause of Christ. They labor for the glory of God.
Esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Now watch
this, and be at peace among yourselves. I put the article in the heading
of today's bulletin. You can mark it down. You can
mark it down. Churches at peace are churches
that highly esteem God's messenger to them. Churches in turmoil
don't. Be at peace among yourselves.
Pastors are to be obeyed as those who watch for your souls. Paul
tells us in Hebrews 13. Esteem very highly in love for
their work's sake and obey the word of the gospel they preach
to you. Obey their faith, their doctrine,
the example they give. Obey them. And then third, understand
this. The single most important aspect
of every believer's life is the assembly of God's saints for
public worship. I recall the first time I made
that statement in public, I saw the shocked look on the faces
of many, especially preachers. The single most important aspect
of your life as a believer is the assembly of God's saints
for public worship. If you really gave consideration
to what opportunities are before you in this place, every Sunday
morning at 10 o'clock, Sunday morning at 10.30, Sunday night
at 6.30, Tuesday night at 7.30, if you really understood and
appreciated what possibilities are set before you and before
your sons and daughters, you wouldn't absent yourself from
these meetings for the world. You wouldn't do it. You wouldn't
do it. I'm not about to browbeat folks
and try to get you to come to church and do what you ought
to. I'm not about to do it. I'm not going to be beating your
doors down trying to get you to come. But I'm telling you,
if you had any idea what you give up when you give up the
worship of God. This is the one place in the
world, the one place in the world where God promises to meet with
his saints. This is the one place in the world where he promises
to speak to men and women. This is the one place in the
world where he promises to gather with his people. The one place
in the world where Jesus Christ promises to make himself known. Is that right, Murrow? There's
no place like this. There's no place like this. Nothing
so valuable. You neglect public worship, I
assure you, you neglect private worship. You neglect public worship,
I assure you, you neglect private prayer. You neglect public worship,
I assure you, you cannot walk peaceably and comfortably and
edifyingly with God in this world can't be done. Paul speaks of
this assembling of the saints together, and not forsaking the
assembling of yourselves together, but exhorting and admonishing
one another, urging one another to be steadfast in the faith. And then he warns the apostasy
that follows the neglect of this assembly. Mr. Spurgeon told a story once, many
years ago, of a young pastor who had been preaching for a
while, I'm sorry, an older pastor had been preaching for a while,
and one of the men in the church who had been very faithful, very
steady, always present, began to miss for this first one thing
and then another. So, you know, stuff comes up. Stuff comes up. Not much comes up you don't bring
up. Not much comes up you don't bring up. Stuff comes up. I had so many things to do. I
believe I quit doing some stuff. I quit doing some stuff. Spurgeon
said this fellow started absenting himself from the house of God
and the pastor went to visit him. They chatted for a little
while. They just sat and talked. As they talked a little bit,
the pastor reached over and took some tongs and pulled a red hot
coal out of the fire and laid it over by itself on the edge
of the hearth. And they talked a little while longer, and the
pastor reached over and picked up that cold coal and held it
out. And the man said, I understand.
I'll be back in my place. You can't survive on your own. You can't survive on your own. Well, Brother Don, we believe
in grace. All right, you go ahead. Number four. Those who despise
God's servants despise God. Samuel, don't hang your head
so low. They've not rejected you. They've
rejected me. Samuel was feeling bad because
the children of Israel wanted him to make him a king. And God
said, Samuel, the heaven despised you, they despised me. Our Lord
sent his disciples out with his word. He said, the man who receives
you receives me. The man who opposes you opposes
me. The man who gives you a drink
of water gives me a drink of water. The man who abuses you
abuses me. And I take it just that way.
And those who seek to divide God's church, bring upon themselves
the judgment of God. The Son of God places such high
value upon his servants and upon his church, his people, that
he considers anything done to them, either bad or good, as
being done to him. Now let me tell you what that
means. Pastors must be very careful
in their treatment of God's people. Pastors must be very careful
in their treatment of God's people. Pastors are to esteem their brethren
as their brethren. They're to esteem God's people
as God's people. I was commenting concerning this
out in San Diego Looked right at Amy Coleman. I said, I've
been your pastor all your life And I'll tell you something.
You've never heard from me You've never heard me say one negative
thing about any member of Grace Church in Danville She's no heaven
Why? Don't I know anything bad about
Bill Raleigh? Well, maybe a little But you ain't gonna hear it You
ain't gonna hear it That's my brother. That's my brother. He's one with Christ. And that's
how he's to be esteemed, thought of, and spoken of all the time. Well, we just want to be honest.
Well, if you want to be real honest, talk real bad about yourself. You want to be real honest, you
talk about your hypocrisy. And you talk about your coldness,
and you talk about your mean spiritedness, and you talk about
your bad disposition, and you talk about you don't like this
and all. Not being honest, you're being mean. Talking about one
another. That's horrible. It's horrible.
Pastors didn't do it, and the people shouldn't do it. And that
means also churches must be very careful in their treatment of
God's pastors. Brother David Pledger made this
statement. Preaching from Ephesians 4, San Diego, he said a gift,
somebody gives you a gift. I bet you've got some gifts your
husband gave you, haven't you? I'm talking to you. Yeah. You've
got some gifts he gave you, haven't you? Might not have been terribly
expensive, but they were costly at the time and they're cherished
because they're given by someone who loves you at cost. Pastors
are the ascension gifts of the crucified Son of God to his church. Cherish them as such. Cherish
them as such. Both God's servants, gospel preachers,
and his churches are constantly protected and provided for by
the Lord Jesus. And let me show you seven things
with regard to this mystery of the pastors and churches, the
mystery of the stars and the candlesticks. First, each of
the seven churches has its own angel, its own messenger from
God. The seven stars which thou sawest
are the seven churches. The seven stars in Christ's right
hand, they're the angels of the seven churches. They represent
those messengers of Christ to his people. All true gospel preachers
are stars in Christ's right hand, placed where he would have them,
protected by him, provided for by him. They're in his hands,
in his hands. I have made it a determined policy
all the years I have been preaching. Never to seek anything from anyone. Never. Never. Never ask for anything. Never seek anything. Never indicate
that I want anything. Just not going to do it. Well, why wouldn't you do it?
Well, let me know if you need something. I don't need anything. I don't
need anything. Well, just give me a call if
I get you something. Give whatever you want to, wherever
you want to. But you're not going to get a call from me. Not on
my behalf. Not going to happen. How come?
Because I'm Christ's servant. I'm His servant. And He provides
for His servants. And if He quits providing for
me as His servant, I'll go do something else. It's just that
simple. It's just that simple. Gospel
preachers are men in his hands and they're compared to stars
stars Stars like preachers are made by God Stars like preachers
give out light in the midst of darkness True gospel preachers
like stars are men on fire Burning with zeal for the glory of God
and burning with a word from God that must be delivered. Sometimes they think, well, what's
the use? Nobody pays any attention. Sometimes I wonder if anybody
ever hears anything I say. And I get to think, I'm like
Jeremiah, and I say, well, I won't mention his name anymore. I'll
just quit this. I'll just quit this. But his
word the prophet said, was in my heart as a burning fire shut
up in my bones. And I was weary with forbearing,
and I could not stay. You see, faithful men, gospel
preachers, every true pastor is an angel of God to the church
where God has put him, with a message from God for his church. Now,
notice this too. There were seven stars, seven
angels, and seven churches. No more angels than churches,
and no more churches than angels. God always provides exactly the
right provision for his church in every place. My pastor, Brother
Townley Davis, I recall him saying when I was 16 years old, 17 years
old, God never made a possum that it didn't make a persimmon
tree. And it never made a preacher that it didn't make a pulpit.
God doesn't have any freelance preachers. If God's called you
to preach, God's got a pulpit for you. And if God doesn't put
you in the pulpit, God ain't called you to preach. Second,
every true local church is a candlestick. Candlestick. A holder of light. a holder of light. We are not
invictors of light, but holders of light. The light we get from
Christ is all the light there is, all the light we have, and
all the light we want. We want no more. We need no more. We hold forth the light of divine
truth revealed in the gospel of God's free grace. We hold
forth the light of truth. Now, just for your benefit and
the benefit of anybody else who hears this anywhere in the world,
let me tell you how to spell truth. Some folks don't know
how to spell very good. You spell truth this way, T-U-L-I-P. He spelled truth, T-U-L-I-P. Total depravity, unconditional
election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance
of the saints. That's how you spell truth. And
any departure from T-U-L-I-P is a departure from truth, from
Christ who is the truth. Each local church is called a
candlestick, but it's called a golden candlestick to express
its indescribable great value. This little place sitting out
here on this hillside, this building where we meet, here we are, this
little band of nobodies. Who do you think pays any attention
to you, nobody? Who places any importance on
Grace Baptist Church in Danville, Kentucky? Nobody. Nobody except
God. Nobody except God and God's people. Nobody except God and sinners
saved by God's free grace who need His mercy and His grace
in Christ Jesus the Lord. Now, look at the third thing.
All true gospel churches are united in Christ who is in the
midst of them. The head of every true church
is Christ. Absolute loyalty to the Son of
God is the responsibility of every church and every believer.
And all true believers are one in Christ. We're one in Him. One in Him. His word is our law. His will is our goal. His glory is our desire. We're one in Him. We seek the
benefit of His people, the increase of His kingdom, the glory of
His name, the furtherance of His gospel. That's our purpose
for existence. Number four. And I think maybe this needs
a little emphasis. There's no such thing as a perfect
local church. Now, I know that's shocking to
some folks. It ought not be, because lots of folks have been
looking. I know folks who've been looking
for just the right church for 35 years. I know folks who've
been, they go here for, oh, it's just what we're having. No, that
wasn't it. It's just, it's just, no, that wasn't it. I found something
wrong, found something wrong. If you find the perfect church,
Mark, stay out because you'll ruin it. It's exactly right. This is a
house of sinners saved by God's free grace. And I'm going to
tell you what you can find right here in Danville, Kentucky at
Grace Baptist Church. I'll tell you what you can find.
All you've got to do is peek out of one eye a little bit.
You're going to find lots to find fault with. Right here. Right here. Old grouch. Grumpy old man. Hard-nosed. Unbending. Insist on things being done a
certain way. And it's going to continue that
way. It's going to continue that way. It ain't going to change.
It might get worse, but it ain't going to change in any way at
all. Not going to happen. Not going to happen. And you'll
find plenty out there. Folks who come in don't speak
to you. I came to church before nobody even spoke to me. Who
did you speak to? There's no such thing as a perfect
church. Read the New Testament. I think
there was a church called Corinth You remember the folks? Remember
somewhere I drive out west. I don't even remember where it
is another I go through a little community called Corinth and
They have a place called Corinthian Baptist Church. That's every
time I drive by that side. I believe I'd have named it anything
else anything else Corinth Bickering backbiting gossiping
philandering drunks in the midst of that church in Corinth. Is
that what's found there? Have I misstated anything? And
Paul writes to them and says, to the saints of God at Corinth. How could he do that? Why do
you talk about all this stuff, Larry? Call them saints. Why
talk about that? You know what love does? You
know what love does? Love covers evil. That's what it does. We can't
live like that. You can with yourself. The church
at Galatia, the church at Colossae, they all had their faults, but
they were true churches with many excellencies. Our Lord Jesus,
I think, I think, was a pretty good man. I think Claus he'd
measure up to you. I believe he would. I think he'd
measure up to Bobby Estes. I believe he would. Do you know
he went to church almost every day for three and a half years
with Judas Iscariot? And knew full well who he was
and never said a word about it. Never said a word about it. spoke in such a way that when
he was crucified, his disciples would understand Judas was the
man. When he finally spoke, he spoke
in such terms that Judas betrayed himself. He never said one word
to expose a thing. Not one word. How exemplary that
is for you and me. If the Son of God could live
in the midst of Judas Iscariot's company for three and a half
years every day, I ought to be able to get along with you, and
you ought to be able to get along with me. We read our Lord's letters to
the seven churches, and we see that one was loyal to the Lord,
another wavering. One's on fire, another losing
its first love. One has a great reputation, though
it's dead. Another is in great poverty,
though it's very rich in grace. One church abounds in every good
work while another is fast asleep. In the churches most full of
life, some are dead. In the churches most dead, some
are full of life. Loyal faithful men, loyal faithful men, don't abandon
and forsake the ship when it's in trouble. They don't do it. They don't
do it. They rally to save it. Fifth, the Lord Jesus reveals
and manifests himself to his churches in such a way as to
meet their needs. These seven churches and these
seven angels represent God's church in all ages of time. They represent the whole of God's
people in this world through the ages of time in all our different
circumstances and trials. And the Lord Jesus comes to his
churches as he walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.
I was up early this morning trying to picture this. The Lord's just
walking. between the candlesticks. He
is walking this candlestick. There's one over there in Lexington,
one over there in Pikeville, and he's just walking. in the
midst of his candlesticks, walking among them, continually walking
among them. And there he makes himself known
as each candlestick, holding forth Christ the light. As the
word is declared and the light is held forth, the Lord Jesus
walks among them and makes himself known to meet the needs of each
one. To Ephesus, he reveals himself
as he that walketh in the midst to observe and correct. To Smyrna,
he's the living one who gives the crown of life. To Pergamos,
he comes the sharp sword to sever and slay, to divide and destroy
from her all that would destroy her. To Thyatira, his eyes are
a flame of fire, to see all, see through all, and consume
all that was dross. To Sardis, the Savior comes as
he who had seven spirits of God, to quicken, revive, and give
life. To Philadelphia, he is he that
hath the key of David, to open to the faithful all the bountiful
treasures of God. To Laodicea, He's the faithful
and true witness to expose her pride, her sin, to call her to
repentance and chasten and correct her. Number six, the Lord Jesus,
who walks in the midst of his churches, preserves and keeps
them. Yet, he requires of every local
church and every person in it, loyalty. faithfulness, perseverance,
no matter what the difficulties. He holds us in his hand. He keeps us by his grace. But
he requires, Oscar Bailey, of you and your pastor, faithfulness,
loyalty, fidelity to the end. He requires that we continually
give ourselves to him. And he gives us grace sufficient,
love immutable, faithfulness sure, and a hand that's strong. Now, one more thing. The Lord
God will preserve or remove this candlestick. It's right here. Sammy, we got
something here, buddy. We got something here I wouldn't
take the world for. We got something here, a candlestick
in the hands of Christ, holding the light of the gospel He's
given us. But He will preserve or remove this candlestick or
any other according to our fidelity or our infidelity to Christ and
his gospel. Look at chapter 2 verse 5. Remember therefore for whence
thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I
will come unto thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of
his place. Accept, now repent. Judgment must begin at the house
of God. It always does. When our Lord
spots unfaithfulness in us, He'll do one of two things. If we're
His, He will chasten us and drive it from us. If we're not His,
He'll judge us and sweep us away in His wrath. No true church, no true believer
has anything to fear except indifference to Christ. Nothing else. Nothing else. There's not a power
on earth or in hell that can do us any harm. Nothing. Nothing. Oh, but how destructive
indifference to Christ is. How destructive. If a local church, this local
church, is to be preserved and persevere in the service of Christ. Every member must overcome those
things that hinder obedience and impede faithfulness to Him.
Look at chapter 3, verse 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and
am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear
to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. After the first night services
in San Diego, Friday night, I'm sorry, Saturday, after Brother
David Pledger got done preaching, I wrote something down. And I read it to that congregation. I wrote it down for me. and for
you. I want to read it to you. I wonder what God might do with
a man utterly committed to the Lord
Jesus Christ, utterly committed to his will, utterly committed
to his glory, utterly committed to his gospel. Oh God, I sure would like to
be such a man. I wonder what God might do with
a local church utterly committed to Christ, his will, his glory,
his gospel. It's yet to be seen. I sure would like for us to be
such a church. Amen. Let's stand together for
prayer.