If God the Holy Spirit will enable
me to do so, I want to talk to you for a few minutes this morning
about seeing the glory of God. Seeing the glory of God. That which is the only thing
worth seeing. That which will fill and gladden
the soul when it is seen and known. That in comparison with
which nothing is worth seeing is the glory of God. That which
righteous men desired to see and look into but saw only in
shadowy types and pictures and glimpses. That which Moses prayed
for when he was in the tabernacle face to face with God. And that
which we who believe earnestly desire and seek from him is the
glory of our God, that which everything in heaven and earth
was made to reveal, that our eyes were created to behold,
that which our minds were ordered of God to appreciate, that for
which death came into this world, that it might be overcome by
everlasting life, that for which God allowed sin to enter into
his creation, that he might take away sin by righteousness, that
for which the Lord Jesus, God's darling son, took on himself
our nature. and came into this world and
lived in righteousness and died under the wrath of God and rose
again, that for which all this was done is the revelation of
the glory of our God. Turn with me, if you will, to
John chapter 11 again. John chapter 11. Our Lord is standing before Lazarus'
tomb with his sisters Martha and Mary and the mourners who
came to mourn with them and the Jews, the Pharisees who came
to watch it. As our Lord stood here, it seems
that Martha questioned both his wisdom and his power. I'm a little reluctant to say
that. The Lord didn't severely reprove her, though he seems
to have slightly reproved her. But Martha seems to have questioned
the Lord's wisdom in that he did not come earlier and prevent
her brother from dying. She said, Lord, if you'd been
here, my brother had not died. And after he came, she seems
to question his power. Without question, she was born
of God. She was loved of God. She was
taught of God. She believed that Lazarus would
rise in the last day, but she questioned the Lord's power to
raise him from the dead at that present moment. She, uh, she
seems to think that because Lazarus had been dead for so long, he'd
been dead for four days. She seems to think he's beyond
hope. How often we think like Martha. We behold one, the Lord's laid
the reins on the wild ass' neck and said, run as you will. And
we tend to think that after a while they're beyond hope. Not if they're
gods. At the appointed time, he will
come and call them by his free grace. He will. Arrest them in
his love. He will bring them to himself
Martha said I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection
at the last day, but she didn't seem To be able to trust Christ
for the present She walked by sight Not by faith Like us Martha
was weak faltering, failing. She struggled with unbelief. Do you? Oh my God, how I struggle with
unbelief, with unbelief. How I pray for grace to believe
my God. Martha struggled with unbelief.
Then in verse 40, Jesus saith unto her, said I not unto thee
that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory
of God. Martha was acting according to
reason, not revelation. She was walking by sight, not
by faith. And the Lord Jesus gives this
word of reproof and this word of instruction. He said, Martha,
if you would believe, you would see the glory of God. But this
is not a word given to Martha alone. These things are written
for our learning and our admonition that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have hope. They're written for
you and for me. The Lord Jesus says to you and
to me, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God. In another place, our Savior
said, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. But here, he's not talking about
seeing God himself so much as seeing that which distinguishes
him as God. seeing the excellencies of his
being, the excellencies of his character, those things that
distinguish him and set him apart from all that men claim to be
gods and all who would claim to be gods. These things set
God apart as God. If you would believe, you would
see the glory of God. It's through the knowledge of
his glory, through seeing his glory, that we reach the knowledge
of God himself. I recall years ago, some of you
knew Brother E.W. Johnson who passed it out in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Brother Larry went after his
place a number of times. He used to preach every year
in Ashland. And E.W. was a, he was a brilliant fellow. I remember years ago he made
a statement. He said, he said, a lost man
can see everything a saved man can see except the glory of God. A lost man can see everything
you can see who believe God except the glory of God. And he wasn't
talking about some ecstatic, charismatic experience. He was
talking about seeing that which is revealed in Jesus Christ. This is what the apostle says.
God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Salvation then involves beholding
the glory of God. The glory of God is spread out
before us in all his wonderful works. The psalmist said, the
heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament showeth his
handiwork. It's written out in the book
of God over and over and over again. The glory of God is embodied
in Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, in whom dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. And it is the glory of God that
we declare and proclaim to all men in the gospel. The glory
of God. That's the thing we desire. That's
what we long to see and must see. We who believe. We who believe. have dedicated
ourselves, our lives, the totality of our beings to God's glory. Every time we bow our heads in
prayer, in private and in public, our hearts cry, is Lord, show
us your glory. Is it not? Lord, show us your glory. Why
then do we see so little of God's glory? Why do we see God's glory
so little and see so little of it? Our text tells us there's
one reason. Unbelief. That's all. The fact is the text
tells us two things. The one thing that prevents us
from seeing God's glory at any time is our own unbelief. And the second thing that our
text tells us is that God Almighty puts the highest possible honor
on faith in Jesus Christ. This is the honor God puts on
faith. Believe and you'll see my glory. He said, him that honoreth me,
I will honor. And those who honor God are those
who believe him. And those who believe him are
honored by him in seeing his glory. Now when I talk about
faith, because we live in this nutty society where brilliant
men everywhere talk about faith and have no clue what faith is.
If you have some kind of faith, that's good. No, that's not good. People are faith, Buddhist faith,
Baptist faith, Brahman's faith. It doesn't matter. Just have
faith. No, no, no. We're talking about faith. We're
talking about faith in Jesus Christ, God's son. Everything
else men call faith is but a delusion. We're talking about faith in
Jesus Christ, God's darling son. Now, I want to make five statements
in this message, and I won't be long giving them to you. Number
one. Need to see this first. It is
the purpose of God. To make his glory known. And everything God does, it is
his purpose to make his glory known. In Isaiah chapter 63,
listen to this, verse 14. The prophet says, so didst thou
lead thy people to make thyself a glorious name. In Psalm 106,
verse 8, the psalmist said, nevertheless, he saved them for his name's
sake. God's purpose in creation, in
providence, in redemption, and in grace. God's purpose in everything
is his glory. Not just that he be glorified,
but that men everywhere know and behold his glory, particularly
In our text, the Lord Jesus speaks of God's glory being seen in
bringing life out of death. It was for this cause that Christ
came into the world, that he might reveal the glory of God
in abolishing death by his own death on the tree. He came to
remove the penalty of sin, which is death. to undo the work death
had done, to destroy him that had power over death, that is
the devil, to swallow up death in victory. This work, this work
of redemption, this work by which our Lord Jesus brings life out
of death is the work of God and of God alone. Even God's strange
work, his acts of judgment, are for his glory. We're told in the Psalms, the
righteous man understandeth the judgments of the Lord. And the
righteous do. The righteous do. You pick up
your newspaper or listen to the folks on radio or television
who talk about hurricanes and floods and earthquakes and tornadoes. Listen to the philosophers and
the preachers and the news media. Listen to them all. And you realize
real quickly they don't have a clue. They don't have a clue. The righteous understand this
is God's work. Strange work, yes, but it's God's
work. You mean, Brother Don, that all these catastrophes being
called up around the world are God's acts of judgment? Of course
they are. Of course they are. They are
but preludes to everlasting judgment. And we understand that men and
women who experience these things fully deserve God's judgment
just as we do. Just as we do. And the only reason
we haven't yet been wiped off the face of the earth with some
kind of cataclysmic judgment is because God has a people whom
he will call out for his own namesake. We understand even
God's strange works are for his glory. This is what the book
says. Listen carefully. For the scripture saith to Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might
show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. The reason God created that pool
of water over across the big water called the Red Sea, the
reason God raised up the nation of Egypt, and the reason God
raised up Pharaoh to sit on the throne was so everybody'd know
who God is. That's the reason he did it. How do you explain that? How
can you explain how these things are going to show forth God's
glory? I don't know. I don't have any
idea, but I do know this. Of him and through him and to
him are all things to whom be glory forever. And I say amen. And you can say what you want
to. Amen. I know that God made all things
for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of judgment. I know
that vessels of wrath fitted for destruction shall be instruments
by which God glorifies himself just as vessels of mercy are
for prepared under glory. Everything in God's creation
is ordained, designed and brought to pass. Everything is ruled
and governed by our God and disposed by our God for his glory. Everything no exceptions in the
last day We get a picture of this in Revelation chapter 4
where all the Saints bow down and cast their crowns Before
his throne and cry thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor
and power for thou has created all things and for thy sake They
are and were created That's first thing God's purpose in everything
is his glory, to show his glory. And when God wraps this thing
up, when God wraps this thing up,
everybody in heaven, earth, and hell will see that everything
in God's creation has been for his glory. All right, second,
second, I want you to see this in the scriptures. It is the
desire of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, our mediator, our
substitute. It is the desire of our Savior
that we see the glory of God. Turn back to John 1 verse 18. John chapter 1 verse 18. Sin has blinded our eyes and
hidden God's glory from fallen man. Christ came to unveil the
Father's face and to make us see His glory. No man hath seen
God at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. He has opened Him up and showed
Him to you. This was the errand upon which
Christ came into this world. Yes, he came to save his people
from their sins. But his errand in saving his
people from their sins was to reveal God's glory. Turn over a couple of pages to
John chapter 12. You remember in Ephesians the first chapter
three times. Three times the apostle tells
us that all god's works of grace are for his glory He he made
us accepted in the beloved According to the praise according to his
own will to the praise of the glory of his grace He's chosen
us and called us that we should be to the praise of his glory
who first trusted in christ We're born again and sealed by the
spirit to the praise of the glory of his grace here in john chapter
12 verse 27 The Lord Jesus is anticipating his sacrifice. Now
is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father,
save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto
this hour. Father. Glorify thy name. And the father responds. I have
both glorified it and will glorify it yet again. Look at chapter
17. John 17 These words speak Jesus and lifted
up his eyes to heaven and he said father the hour has come
Glorify thy son That thy son also may glorify thee and look
down in verse 4. I Have glorified thee on the
earth How is that? I have finished the work thou
gavest me to do. The Lord Jesus seeks our eternal
blessedness, and he knows that our blessedness is to be found
in beholding God's glory. What are you without God's glory? What am I? Less than nothing. Our existence is meaningless,
vain, and empty. Oh, but if you will look to Christ
and behold the glory of God in his son, the son of God delights
to show sinners the glory of God and then showing them his
glory fills the soul of every believing sinner with gladness
and joy. To say that Christ desires the
salvation of sinners is to say much. that he desires the holiness
of his elect and the comfort of his saints is to say a great
deal. But to say he desires to make
known to me and in me the glory of God. Oh, what is that? He says, I'll make you to see
and to know that which as soon as it is beheld fills you with
life and joy and satisfaction. He says, he says, come to me
and you'll never thirst. That is, I will give you water
to drink that will quench your thirst and cause you never to
thirst after anything else. Take this manna and feed upon
it. I'll give you bread to eat. The
world knows nothing of. The Lord Jesus tells us that
we should behold his glory. telling us that we should behold
that which gives satisfaction to our souls. Now, here's the
third thing. It's God's purpose. It's God's
purpose to show his glory. Our Savior desires that his people
behold God's glory. Those two things are established.
Why then? Why? Do so few see the glory
of God? And why do those to whom God's
glory is revealed see so little of his glory? The answer is very
simple. Unbelief. It is our unbelief
that keeps us from seeing the glory of God. That's the reproof
given in our text. If thou wouldest believe If thou wouldest believe, what he's saying, Merle, Hart,
Don Fortner, if you would believe, if you just believe, Bob, if
you just believe, if thou wouldest believe, thou
shouldest see the glory of God. Our Lord Jesus faced and dealt
with many evil things while he walked on this earth. Self-righteousness
appalled him, disgusted him. But there is no evil that our
Lord beheld and reproved so sharply and more often than unbelief. The unbelief of the scribes and
the Pharisees, the unbelief of the common people. But that which
he reproved among his disciples more than anything else is unbelief. Read the book. Read the book.
Unbelief. This generation scolds people
for wearing shorts and wearing too much jewelry or not wearing
enough, wearing makeup or not wearing makeup, Chewing tobacco
or smoking it or choosing not to. Or drinking a little glass
of wine or not having a glass of wine. Or going to the picture
show or not going to the picture show. And makes people feel good
who know nothing about faith in Christ because this generation
knows nothing of it. I'm talking about the religious
world in which we live. The Lord Jesus beheld unbelief. and was grieved
with it, grieved with it, pained by it. The disciples, those men who were believers,
they saw much and then they saw so very little. They believed
much and then they believed the Lord Jesus himself so very little. much like you and me. We shouldn't
be too quick to judge them, too quick to condemn them. How slow
we are to believe God. You read the gospel narratives
and you wonder, how is it those men could be believers and not
understand the Lord's language when he told them he was going
to go to Jerusalem, going to suffer and be put to death and
rise again the third day? How could they be believers and
not believe that, not see that? He said it plainly. He said it
plainly enough, didn't he? But none of them seemed to believe
it except that poor Harlot, out of whom the Lord had cast the
unclean spirits, who washed his feet, kissed them, and anointed
them in preparation for his death. She's the only one of all the
disciples who clearly understood, he's fixing to die for us and
rise again. She's the only one who clearly
understood it, and yet he stated it over and over and over again. How is it that these disciples
who passed out pieces of bread, just, I'm talking
about just kept breaking them, They broke five little loaves
of bread, often enough to feed 5,000 men on one occasion and
4,000 on another. And they took two little fish,
two little crappies, two little bream, maybe less than that,
two little fish, and distributed those two fish to five thousand
men, and on another occasion four thousand, and then took
up twelve baskets full of leftovers for the next day. How is it they
could be in the midst of a storm and think the Lord is laying
asleep in the ship and they're going to die in his presence?
Master, carest thou not that we perish? How is it that those
very same men, those very same men could see the Lord Jesus
walking across the water in the midst of a terrible storm, and
as He's about to walk by them, be scared to death, because rather
than seeing Him, they thought they'd seen a ghost. Well, how could that be? Turn that around a little bit.
Don Fortner, how is it that you who have seen and tasted and
experienced God's grace so manifestly, that you who have seen God work
so wondrously, that you who have been the object of God's unexplainable,
wondrous interventions of providence. How is it that you tremble in
fear before anything? That you don't believe God and
see his glory at any time. It's unbelief alone that keeps
sinners from Christ. That's the only thing. It's unbelief alone that keeps
God's saints from enjoying the boundless privileges that are
ours in Christ. It's unbelief alone that keeps
any believing sinner from enjoying the peace of God that passes
understanding and walking before God with full assurance of faith. It's unbelief alone that keeps
you and me from enjoying the fulfillment of God's promises. The master said, where two or
three are gathered in my name, there will I be with them. That's
what it said. Down here in this 11th chapter
of John, look down at verse 56. We're like these Jews. They sought
for Jesus. and spake among themselves as
they stood in the temple. What think ye that he will not
come to the feast? We open his word and don't expect
him to speak to us. We bow before him in prayer and
don't expect him to hear us. We come to his house and observe
his ordinances and don't expect him to show himself. Don't you expect him to be at
the feast? After all you've seen and heard and experienced, how
is that? Has he ever failed once to show
himself faithful? Rather than believe in God with
confidence, we tend to walk by faith like
a man walking across a frozen lake on thin ice. Always afraid it's going to break
beneath us. Timid and fearful. It's unbelief. Our unbelief that hinders our
Redeemer from performing his works of wonders with us and
in our midst. Do you remember what the Lord
said when he was in Galilee? Matthew tells us, He tells us
that when the Lord Jesus was come into his country, he did
not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Mark states
it even more strongly. Mark says he could there do no
mighty work because of their unbelief. Now, the hand of God
is not prevented from working in our midst by our unworthiness
or by the multitude of our sins or our inability. The hand of
God is prevented from working by our unbelief. Brother Don, you just can't say
that. I didn't. Mark did. Matthew did. The Spirit
of God did. Unbelief lays hold of Christ's
hand and says, work not here. Unbelief, like those men who
came out of the city when the Lord Jesus had healed the maniac
of Gadara and saved him by his grace, says, depart from our
coast. It's unbelief that prevents us
from seeing God's glory. It's unbelief that prevents us
from seeing the glory of God's works. even though they're wrought
right before our eyes. Those folks who ate the loaves
and fishes, the master said, you followed me not because you've
seen the glory of what I did. Not because you believe me, but
because you expect some more bread and some more fish. That's
all. They ate bread fed to them by
the bread of life and didn't know it. They didn't know it. They couldn't see it. All they
were interested in was the bread and the fish. There were some who, standing
here at the tomb of Lazarus, the Lord Jesus said, Lazarus,
come forth. And Lazarus, I don't have any
idea how he came out of that tomb, Larry, but he came out
of that tomb. He came out of that tomb bound in grave clothes,
hand and foot. And as he came out of the tomb,
the master said, loose him and let him go. And they unwound
the grave clothes, and Lazarus walked home. And some of the Jews believed. And the others went and told
the Pharisees. They beheld the most mighty of
miracles. Couldn't see anything in it.
Couldn't see anything in it. And often, we who believe see the Master's work and see
no glory in it, see no wonder in it, see no mystery in it. We're like a fellow I try to
compare us laying in bed last night trying to think about sitting
down on my back porch. I can see a long ways across that hill
out there. Every time Brother Walter Groover is here. It's
never failed in the 21 years we've been living out there.
Every time he's sitting in that living room, he'll get up first morning he's here
and he'll look out there sipping his coffee and he'll say, did you ever want
to strike out across those hills and see what's on the other side?
I know I drove around and I know what's on the other side. But
I can see a long ways, but I can see things moving. And you know
what I'll do? I'll sit down on the porch and squint and look. I'll try to hide the sun and
try to see something on that hill. And I got a good pair of
binoculars laying right behind me. Rather than getting up and
going to get the binoculars, I'll just squint. Well, it ain't
worth seeing. And that's much the way we are.
Beholding God's works revealed in his word and revealed in our
experience and revealed in the knowledge of his grace. We have
faith God's given us, and yet we bother not ourselves. The glory of God wrapped up in
his works can only be perceived by this faith. Faith pulls aside
the veil. Faith in Christ sees God's glory
in his works because faith in Christ sees the glory of God
in the face of Christ. Now listen to me. The charismatics
look for and see nothing but carnal miracles. And Satan gives
them what they want. The believer sees in every miracle
performed by Christ a picture of God's grace. And in that miracle
of his grace is the revelation of his glory. We don't look for
or need carnal signs. We have the word of God's grace.
Far better. that we do look for and seek
to believe our God and see his glory. But like Martha and Mary, we who've seen the glory of God
in Christ yesterday and have hope of seeing the glory of God
tomorrow in the future, for the present, live so much by reason. rather than revelation, so much
by sight rather than by faith. And that grieves our Lord. For
that, he reproves us. Unbelief dishonors God and quenches
the work of his spirit and keeps us from usefulness. In our text,
the Lord Jesus is calling for us to believe God. If thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God. Have faith in God. Only believe. Be not faithless,
but believing. Trust God in everything and for
everything. Give thanks. Even in the most
trying of circumstances, say to yourself, is anything too
hard for the Lord? With God, nothing's impossible.
You see, faith honors God, as I said earlier. And God honors
faith. He always does. Ask Job. Job. Starts off with a man whom
God declares perfect and upright. A man who lost everything and
all these things, Job sinned not and charged not God with
folly, but he bowed his head and worshipped. And you read
the chapters and Job has tried and tried. Those, the loss of
his family and his wealth and his health was on the beginning
of trials. His three friends come around
and mocked him and derided him. Men who were supposedly supporters
of Job had made his life miserable. And read what you want to between
the chapters, but you get to the end of the book. And this
man who bowed his head and worshipped God, this man whom God declared
perfect, who believed God, enduring the trial, enduring the heartache,
winds up doubly blessed. Does God honor faith? Ask Abraham. Abraham, give me your son. And
Abraham took Isaac to the mount and staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief. And when he came home, Ron, he
brought his son back from the dead. And God multiplied his seed.
Does God honor faith? Ask Hannah. She went into the temple and
asked God for a son, just one son. God, give him to me, and
I'll give him to you. And she brought her son to God,
and God honored Hannah like he honored few. Asked Naomi. She
said, the Lord has restored, just as his name says he would.
Does God honor faith? Always, because faith honors
God. Now. Here's the third thing,
the fourth thing I want you to see. If we would believe. We would see. The glory of God. Our master's words here are.
This is what it said, Martha. If you just trust me. I would
do for you far greater things that you could ever ask or think. If you wouldn't trust me, there's
nothing I wouldn't do for you. No length to which I wouldn't
go for you. No limit of the power I would
exercise for you to show you the glory of God. And it says
the same thing to you and me. Why can't I believe? I have never had a trial like
Abraham's trial. Have you? Give me your son. Never. I never had such a trial.
And yet I stagger at God's promises when I stump my toe. But his promise stands. If thou
wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God. You who do not know my Redeemer,
if right where you sit you would believe, you would see the glory
of God as he showed himself to Moses in the mount, as he hid
him in the cleft of the rock. Did you notice what the Lord
God said about his name as he's wrapping up the revelation of
himself and his glory to Moses? He said, I am the Lord. Forgiving iniquity, transgression
and sin. Forgiving iniquity, transgression
and sin. Iniquity, missing the mark. Transgression,
kicking down the fences. Sin, the evil that you are. Everything
that is used in the book of God to describe sin. I forgive it
freely. And will by no means clear the
guilty. visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
and the children's children under the third and fourth generation.
Well, how can both be true? How can both be true? How can
God declare himself one who forgives iniquity, completely, freely
forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, who will by no means
clear the guilty? Only one way. And that's the
glory of God in the face of Christ. God Almighty, in the sacrifice
of His Son, doesn't make sinners just as though they had not sinned. He makes them sinless. Sinless. So His forgiveness is
absolute and complete. destroy every ungodly person. He will slay every transgressor,
visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children and the children's
children forever and everlasting damnation. God Almighty, in the
sacrifice of his son, found a way by which justice could justify
the ungodly. Because by the sacrifice of Christ,
by his obedience unto death, sinners are made completely guiltless
before God Almighty. Believe God and go home guiltless. Believe God and go home justified. Believe God and go home rejoicing. If we would believe, we would
see the glory of God in his wise and good providence. in his ordering
of all things, in the sickness, and in the death, and in the
resurrection, in the pain, and in the delight, in the sorrow,
and in the gladness, in the stripping, and in the clothing, in the crushing,
and in the lifting up. recognizing that God in his wisdom
is doing us good according to his purpose and calls us to believe
it. He calls us to believe it. If
we would believe, we would see the glory of God in the works
he performs in our midst and what he has done and what he
is doing and what he shall do. Turn to Ezekiel 36. I've got
to wrap this up, but I want you to see this. Ezekiel 36. But Brother Don, you talk as though somehow this
believing God is something that we're responsible to do. It is. This believing God is something
that God's work somehow is determined by I believe in him. No, no,
I believe in him is determined by God's work. And yet God's
work will be performed through the faith of his people believing
him. My friend, Brother Sid Buggins. Found that I was doing a little
bit better physically, and he he reminded me of this passage
right here, Ezekiel 36. Not that there's anything to
us or our prayers, he said, but the Lord said, not only would
he give us his blessing, but he would be sought for the blessing. And we've been seeking the Lord
for you. Look at Ezekiel 36 verse 33. Thus sayeth the Lord God
in the day that I shall have cleansed you. From all your iniquities,
I will also cause you to dwell in the cities and in the waste
shall be builted. And the desolate land shall be
tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that pass
by. Now skip down to verse 36. Then the heathen that are left
round about you shall know that I, the Lord, build the ruined
places and plant that that was desolate. I the Lord has spoken
it, I'll do it. That's pretty plain, isn't it?
Now look at the next line. Thus saith the Lord God, I will
yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it
for them. That's what it says, isn't it?
I will yet for this be inquired of to do it for you. I'm convinced we see little of
God's work in our midst because we don't expect it, because we
don't believe it. God's going to save his elect.
Yes, sir. I'm convinced the reason we see God save so few is because
we don't seek his grace for his elect. When Zion, what does the
book say? When Zion travailed, she brought
forth her children. God says, put me in remembrance.
Let us plead together. Oh God, give us grace to do so.
And that's my last statement. This faith, this faith by which men and women
behold The glory of God. This faith is the gift of God. So Lord, here we wait helplessly
before you. It is ours to believe. God, I can't. I can't muster faith from within. I just can't. I just can't. Oh, then Lord, turn me, and I
shall be turned. Work in my heart with that power
by which you raised Christ from the dead, and I shall believe. and believing, believing I'll see your glory
today, and yesterday, and tomorrow, and in all things, and forever. Amen.