Let's turn to the book of Isaiah,
chapter 9. Isaiah, the ninth chapter. In the seventh chapter, verse
14, the Spirit of God gave Isaiah a word of prophecy telling us
of the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that he would
be born of the virgin Then in chapter 8, the prophet was given
one who would typify this one who would be called Immanuel,
worshipped as Immanuel, God in human flesh. Isaiah said, I went
in unto the prophetess, and she bare Meher Shalahashbaz. His name, Meher Shalahashbaz,
means haste to the spoil, speed to victory. And he is clearly
one who is set as a type of the Lord Jesus who was brought forth
from the prophet's house so that he might stand as a picture of
Emmanuel because his land is called Emmanuel's land in the
eighth verse of chapter eight. And then in the following passage,
the rest of this eighth chapter, there's a word of judgment. Israel
and Judah brought upon themselves the judgment of God by which
the nations would finally be utterly destroyed. They, by their
unbelief and rebellion, brought upon themselves the hand of God's
wrath. Understand this. I repeat it. I repeat it as much for you as
for others around the world who, by whatever means, hear this
message. We recognize God's absolute sovereignty and rejoice to declare
it. We recognize that God Almighty
rules everything in this world in time, exactly as he ordained
from eternity. Nothing happens in time that
God did not purpose in eternity. But judgment is that which men
bring on themselves. God's judgment is never arbitrary.
It is that which is brought upon men by their own willful disobedience
and rejection of the revelation of God that's given to them.
Israel today stands as a land engulfed in religious darkness
because they chose darkness rather than light. Be warned. Be warned. Yet The judgment of God upon
Israel, the casting away of that nation, is as much a part of
God's eternal purpose and according to God's decree as was the virgin
birth of his darling son. Indeed, the casting away of Israel
made way for the coming of Christ to the Gentiles, that God might
save his elect. And then in this ninth chapter,
we see what the prophet is inspired of God to write concerning the
coming of the Lord Jesus 750 years before he came. This clearly
is a prophecy about the first advent of our blessed Savior.
And Isaiah here was inspired of God to tell us what will transpire
when the Savior comes. As we look at this clearly, I
want you to see that this is talking about the coming of our
Lord Jesus, Emmanuel in the flesh. But understand that that which
is written here about his first coming in the flesh is in every
way applicable to his coming to you at the appointed time
of mercy when it comes to call his own. Isaiah 9 verse 1. Nevertheless, the dimness shall
not be such as was in her vexation when at the first he lightly
afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and
afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the
sea beyond Jordan and Galilee of the nations. The people that
walked in darkness have seen great light. They that dwelt
in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light
shined Thou hast multiplied the nations and not increased the
joy They joy before thee according to the joy in the harvest and
as men rejoice when they divide the spoil For thou hast broken
the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod
of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of
the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in
blood. But this, this battle, this conquest,
this victory shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us
a child is born, and unto us a son is given. And the government
shall be upon his shoulder, And his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of his government
and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David
and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice, with discernment and with righteousness from henceforth
even forever. Now, here's the certainty of
all this. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. The opening word of this ninth
chapter is a message in itself. Nevertheless. Oh, what a word. Nevertheless. When the Lord God
is talking about well-deserved wrath and judgment, He tells
his prophet to write nevertheless. When God says nevertheless, he
is saying there is still hope. I will be merciful and wrath. Our God remembers mercy. In the
worst of times, God's people have a nevertheless with which
we are comforted in the worst of times. Something to allay
and balance our troubles. I rejoice to say with David,
when I behave as a brute beast before my God, nevertheless,
I'm continually with thee. Thou hast holden me by my right
hand. When my soul is spotted, under
God's chastening rod, and I'm full of heaviness. My heart is
rejoiced when I hear God declare, nevertheless, my loving kindness
will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness
to fail. Often, like the nation of Israel,
we provoke our God to wrath. Yet it is written, nevertheless,
he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry. Though
often we believe not, yet our God remains faithful, and it
is written, nevertheless, the foundation of God stand assured,
having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And though
we see all things here dissolving and coming to an end, and they
are, the sooner we learn to not only
be content with it, but to rejoice in the fact that everything here
is dissolving. Everything here is coming to
an end exactly as our God ordained. Nevertheless, we, according to
his promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Oh, thank God for that big, big
word, nevertheless. I'm thankful it's there, aren't
you? Back here in Isaiah chapter 9, this word nevertheless was
a truly blessed word for Israel and Judah. Isaiah was inspired
of God to inform the nation that though judgment would come upon
them, judgment that's spoken of here was a matter of absolute
certainty that would be performed by the zeal of the Lord. It was
not to be the forerunner Judgment, but the judgment here described
was the forerunner of great mercy the universe what? Nevertheless
the dimness what's been described in the latter part of chapter
8 Shall not be such as was in her vexation When at the first
he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali
That is under Tiglath-Pileser in second Kings 15. I and afterward
did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea." That's
under Shalmaneser in 2 Kings 17. He afflicted her more beyond
the Jordan and Galilee of the nations. The prophet of God had
been describing God's judgments which were to come upon the nation.
The nation would be engulfed in spiritual blindness, cut off
and left desolate in unbelief and hardness of heart. Yet, while
pronouncing God's judgment, the prophet speaks of God's judgment
upon this apostate nation as a door of mercy to God's elect
throughout the world for the gathering of God's elect remnant.
In this ninth chapter, Isaiah prophesied that these times of
Israel's great darkness and desolation would be the time of greatest
blessings upon the world. He's talking about this gospel
age in which we live. Hold your hands here in Isaiah 9 and turn
to Romans chapter 11. Let me show you. Romans the 11th
chapter. Verse 25. The times Isaiah is describing
here are these gospel days in which we live. When the gospel
has been taken from the nation of Israel and declared to all
the Gentile world. Romans 11 verse 25. I would not,
brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery. All
that he's been describing in this 11th chapter of God sent
blindness to the nation of Israel. He cast off that physical nation,
that he might gather in another nation, that he might send light
to another people. I would not that you be ignorant
of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits,
that blindness in part is happened to Israel. They're not all cast
off. Some of the Jews are God's elect,
just like some of the Gentiles are God's elect. They're not
all cast off. But blindness in part has happened to Israel until
the fullness of the Gentiles become in. Until all God's elect
among the Gentiles are converted. And so, that is, when all God's
elect are gathered both out of the nation of Israel and out
of all the four corners of the earth, out of all the Gentile
nations, then all Israel shall be saved. Not the physical nation. You don't have any idea. Well,
I do know how, because God blinds men's eyes. People have the notion,
some have it, that being born of Abraham's physical seed gives
a man an advantage before God. Anything in this book is crystal
clear. It's crystal clear that's not the case. Grace doesn't come
in bloodlines. It doesn't come in Abraham's
bloodline, and it doesn't come in Fortnum's bloodline. Grace
comes by free grace, by God's decree. God's elect, God's Israel,
is a nation that's a spiritual nation. David is king over a
spiritual nation. He sets upon a spiritual nation,
and that was God's intent forever. He's coming to gather out all
the elect among the Gentiles, and so all Israel shall be saved,
as it is written. There shall come out of Zion
the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Our text then back here in Isaiah
9 is a prophecy of our Lord's first advent. It's all about
our great Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that this is
a proper interpretation of the passage because the Holy Spirit
tells us that precisely in Matthew chapter 4. Look at that passage,
Matthew chapter 4. Want you to turn in the scripture
and see that what I'm showing you saying to you about this
prophecy is Exactly according to the Word of God itself So
very important that you understand when we preach to you that we're
not just giving our opinions I'm not just telling you what
I think a passage means. I often hear fellas address scripture
and they Come to the pulpit and bring the studies to the pulpit.
I don't I leave my studies back yonder When I come to the pulpit,
I come to you with what God says in his word. And if it's not
what God says in his word, if I'm not absolutely convinced
of that, I'm not going to stand up here and talk about it. This
is what the scripture says. This is talking about us in this
gospel day, Matthew chapter four, verse 12. Now, when Jesus had heard that
John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. and leaving
Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum which is upon the sea
coast in the borders of Zebulun or Zabulun and Naphtalem that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet
saying the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtalem by the
way of the sea we just read that didn't we that's what we read
right back here in Isaiah 9 by the way of the sea beyond Jordan
Galilee of the Gentiles The people which sat in darkness saw great
light and to them which sat in the region of the shadow of death
Light is sprung up from that time Jesus began to preach and
say repent For the kingdom of heaven is at hand The passage
then here in Isaiah 9 is a prophecy of our Lord's coming. It speaks
of that which took place when he came to the nations and preached
the gospel in his day while he walked on this earth in his earthly
ministry. And it's talking about how he
comes to centers in the mighty operations of his grace, saving
them by his matchless power. Oh, it may just be. Tonight he will come to one of
you. and thus show himself to be that one of whom Isaiah speaks
in this passage. Hear what God says in his word
then about the Son of God. The first thing we see here is
that when the Lord Jesus comes, he gives great light to those
that sit in darkness. Look at verse two. The people
that walked in darkness have seen great light. They that dwell
in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
shined. Now here's a description of all
men by nature. No exceptions. Every age group,
every segment of society, they all sit in darkness. All men and women by nature Live
in total spiritual darkness. Total spiritual darkness. Have
no understanding. Have no perception. Don't have
a clue what this book teaches. I don't mean they're without
religious knowledge. You can learn religious knowledge.
You can be taught it from your youth. You can learn theological
knowledge and orthodoxy. You can be taught it from you
when our little girl when our daughter faith was three years
old I sat her dad and instructed her in a catechism that I had
written and she could stand up and recite orthodox doctrine
Better than any preacher in our county where we live better than
any of them and she's three Did she know it? No, no, she could
just recite it and she knew the difference when she heard otherwise
I recall When she was just a young girl, she went down and spent
some time with one of her cousins. And she asked me what to do. When it came Sunday, I said,
well, go to church and try to ignore what's said. Just keep
your mouth shut. That's not the place for you.
And so she went with him. And we talked to her when she
got back. And she said, well, it was just
telling us to be good. And she knew the difference.
But she didn't know. She didn't know. It was just
what was taught in the head. Men and women can learn anything
in theory, but you won't know anything spiritual unless you're
taught of God. The natural mind is carnal. It is sold under sin, and there's
no understanding in that heart of enmity against God. The Jews,
when our Lord came on this earth, were men and women who had the
rich traditions of all the revelation of God given to them alone for
2,000 years. 2,000 years. They had the prophets, they had
the priests, they had the ceremonies, they had the temple, they had
the sacrifices, they had the oracles of God, they had their
synagogues scattered all over the area, and they, every Sabbath
day, read the Word of God. They could pick up those scrolls. We've got our Bibles laid out
in chapters and verses and they put paragraph marks in them so
you can find things really easy. They had scrolls. And they could
just pick them up, open it up right away. They knew exactly
where it was. And they didn't really have to do that. They
could memorize it. And they could point you to it
and quote it. They had pieces of scripture
stitched into their garments. And our Lord came and said, you're
in utter darkness. This is what he said to the Pharisees,
the best trade of them. You do err not knowing the scriptures
nor the power of God. Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus
and he said, we know thou art a teacher come
from God. And our master, was a pretty
good preacher. He was a pretty good preacher.
He stepped out of Nicodemus. He says, Nicodemus, you're as
dumb as a box of rocks. He didn't really say that, did
he? Well, sure he did. He said, you don't know anything.
You don't know anything. Except a man be born again, he
can't see the kingdom of God. You can't see it. Not as though
the kingdom of God can be apprehended with the physical eye, but you
can't understand it. You can't discern it. Except
the man be born again, he cannot enter it and he can't see it.
You must be born again. We're no different. Our Lord
tells us by the apostle, ye were sometimes darkness. That's a pretty good description.
Not in darkness, darkness. You were sometimes darkness,
but are now light in the Lord. When Christ came to us, we were
darkness. You who are without Christ are
darkness. Darkness. Sometime back, The
young man I'd known all his life came by with his father and visited
him with me in the office. And he was having some conflict
with his professors. And they were arguing with him
about their teaching evolution and teaching things contrary
to the word of God. He'd been raised up to believe
the scriptures, raised up to believe God. And his father actually
said, I've been trying to tell him he shouldn't do that. And
I differed with his father. And I called him by name, I said,
now listen, if you're arguing what you believe, argue it. Yes, sir. I wouldn't sit in a
college classroom. I say to the young people I have
associated, I wouldn't sit in a college classroom, Bible college
or otherwise, and listen to a man rob God of his glory and denounce
the things that are precious to me and me say nothing about
it. I'm paying that man's salary. I wouldn't think about it. I
wouldn't think about it. If I believed it. I dealt with that just that
way the whole time I was in college. And anybody there tell you, most
people didn't like it. But I wasn't about to sit and
listen to that. But now don't go try to defend
what mom and daddy believe. You'll fall on your face and
embarrass yourself. Don't go argue about something because
you just want to stand up for something different. Oh, no, no, no. You
who are without Christ are in darkness, utter darkness. The carnal, natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they're foolishness
to him. Neither can he know them, because
they're spiritually discerned. What are you talking about, Brother
Don? You don't have a clue what you're like. Not really. What you do know, you won't acknowledge. You don't have a clue how depraved
and corrupt your heart is. You young folks with your mamas
and daddies and grandma and grandpa, listen to me. You don't have
a clue how corrupt your heart is. When I stand here and talk
about the lust of the flesh and the evil that's in us, you think
to yourself, I'm not that way. I know how you think. I once
lived in darkness too. You don't have a clue who God
is. You don't have a clue what the rich glory of Christ crucified
is. You don't have a clue why the
Son of God had to die. You don't have a clue what the
results of his sacrifice are. You're utter darkness without
Christ. Many women are blind because
since the sin and fall of our father Adam and our sin and fall
in him, we dwell in a land, in the land of the shadow of death. Oh, man by nature is spiritually
dead and it dwells in death, in the constant shadow of death. Dwells in spiritual death and
dwells in the shadow of everlasting death. Separation from God. Alienation from God. Utter helplessness. Dwell in the land The shadow
of death. That's where you are outside
Christ. That's where you are as we come
to the close of another year this next week outside the Redeemer
dwelling in death and nothing before you but eternal death. But look at verse two again.
When the Lord Jesus comes to sinners in saving power and grace,
he gives them the light of life upon them. Upon them, those who
dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined. Upon them hath the light shined. Now hold your hands here and
turn to Matthew chapter 11. You who hear the gospel of God's
free grace, you hear these men constantly express in their prayers
How thankful we are for the privilege of hearing the gospel. How thankful
we are for the privilege of knowing our Redeemer. And you who do
not know Him, sitting in the land of the shadow
of death, without hope, separated from God, alienated from the
life of God, understand this. There are few in this world few
in this world to whom God sends the gospel. Few. And many to whom he sends the
gospel as you now hear it preached to you. He never allows to hear
the gospel. I recall Brother Joe Terrell
saying to me sometime back, he'd been having some visitors come.
He said, up where we are, that's not real common. He said, I always
wonder, wonder why the Lord sent him in mercy or in wrath because
it is always a saver of life unto life or a saver of death
unto death. You won't hear God's word indifferently. It won't happen. It will either,
it will either rise up against you in judgment or it will rise
up for you in judgment. One of the two. Look at Matthew
chapter 11 verse 20. Then began the Lord Jesus to
abrade the cities where most of his mighty works were done,
because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Now, Brother Collier,
I don't know what to say about that except what it looks like.
He says, if I had done for them what I've done for you, those
folks would still be around. But the word that I've sent you
and the things I've done in your presence will cause those men
in those generations to rise up in judgment against you, and
yours shall be the greater condemnation. Read on, verse 23. And thou,
Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven,
shalt be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which
had been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have
remained to this day. If the Sodomites had seen and
heard the things you've seen and heard, they would have repented, and
I wouldn't have destroyed them. But you don't. You don't. But
I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. At that time,
Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent and has revealed them unto babes. You would be wise and I would
be wise. Every time we have opportunity
to hear the gospel, to hear it. And every time we hear the gospel,
as we come into the house of God, ask God, Lord, open my eyes. Let me see wondrous things out
of your word. God, open my ears and speak and
calls me to hear. Oh, God, open my heart. Brother Joe prayed just a little
bit ago. We've seen and heard. Now, God, let us see and hear
again. Let us see the wondrous things
you have for us in your word. Else we will come and go in darkness. There's a method by which God
does this. It is a matter of absolute sovereignty
whether he gives you light or doesn't give you light. A matter
of his absolute sovereignty whether he reveals himself to you or
leaves you in darkness. It's a matter of God's absolute
sovereignty. He owes you and me nothing. He owes us nothing. Understand that. He owes us nothing. He owes our sons and daughters
nothing. It's a matter of his absolute
sovereignty. But if God Almighty gives you the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, it's going to
be through the foolishness of preaching. For it pleased God through the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. God brings
life and immortality to light through the gospel as it is preached
unto you. We preach the gospel, Paul said.
I'm not ashamed of the gospel. It's the power of God, the power. It is the dynamite, the explosive
power of God under salvation. What do we do? We preach the
gospel and we watch God work. But the God of glory, has chosen
to save sinners by no other means. Now, look back at our text in
verse three. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes
in the saving power of his grace, he multiplies the citizens of
his holy nation, the Israel of God. Thou has multiplied the
nation and not increased the joy. Now this is the same nation that
Peter speaks of in first Peter chapter two. And he's speaking
specifically in reference to this passage in Isaiah. He said,
you're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation at
peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him
who had called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. When
Christ comes in the saving power of his grace, he enlarges the
nation. He, uh, He causes the borders
of Zion to be enlarged. He adds to his kingdom. He added
to his church on the day of Pentecost 3000 people at one time. He added
daily to his church such as should be safe and still does. Now,
when I say that, understand this. We recognize that God's elect
are a specific number. And God never writes anybody's
name in the book of life that wasn't written there from eternity.
And it never takes anybody's name out that was written there
from eternity. We recognize that the number
is one hundred and forty four thousand. It's never one hundred
and forty four thousand and one. And it's never one hundred and
forty three thousand nine hundred ninety nine. It's a specific
number. And they are all chosen of God
and shall be called by God. But we don't know who they are.
until God calls them by the gospel, giving them life and faith in
Christ. So that now when the gospel comes to you, comes to
you as the word of power, causing you to believe on the Son of
God, it comes to you making manifest that you're one of God's elect.
You're part of this blessed kingdom. God has included you in the number
of his family. But when Christ comes, and multiplies
the nation, Isaiah says that he increases the nation, but
not the joy. You see that? He increases the
nation, but not the joy of the nation. He's not increased the
joy. I read that and scratched my
chin and scratched my chin and read it some more. The fact is,
whenever Christ comes in saving power and grace, The first thing
he does is to send a flood of sorrow. The greatest sorrow I know is
guilt before God. The greatest sorrow I have ever
experienced is the knowledge of what I am in my inmost being,
nothing but sin. And when Christ comes to multiply
the nation, he causes those who are born of his spirit to know
something of the sorrow of their own nature, of their own being
before God. Now, sometimes folks present
these things, this godly sorrow, this sense of guilt, as though
these are our conditions of grace. Not at all. Not at all. They're signs of grace. They're
the first indicators of grace. They're the first thing that
happens when God comes in and the power of his grace. The Holy
Spirit convinces you of sin, of your sin, convinces you not
of the evil that you do. That's not hard. Convinces you
of the evil that you are. And when he does, turns you to
Christ the Redeemer. He sends his spirit to strip
away our righteousness that he might clothe us with his. He
condemns us by his law and slays us that he might give us life
and free us by his grace. He humbles that he may exalt.
He abases that he may lift up. He makes us to hunger and thirst
after righteousness that we might be filled. He causes us to seek
him. that we might find him. And then
look at the next line in verse three. They joy before thee according
to the joy in harvest. As men rejoice when they divide
the spoil. Now, there are no contradictions
here. First, he says it doesn't increase the joy. Then he says
it causes them to joy. If God graciously breaks your heart
in repentance, He will flood your heart with joy. God keep me from exaggeration
on such wondrous things. I said the greatest sorrow I've
ever known is guilt and sin. It honestly is. It honestly is. I've known some other sorrows,
but none like that. And the greatest joy I've ever
known is the joy of faith. Oh, the joy of faith. I recall well my anticipation
of marriage. Shelby and I had been engaged
for a while. We'd been separated for nine months. I was in school
1,000 miles away. And I came home one day and six
days later we were married. And I recall the anticipation.
And I remember the joy of her coming down that aisle and me
watching her. And I remember the joy of taking her in my arms
as my wife. I remember the joy of our child's
birth. I remember well the joy of those
two grandchildren being born. All together is nothing like
the joy of faith. He increases joy, multiplies
it like the joy of a man who after a long, long, long summer
gathers in a full harvest. But it's a full harvest that
somebody else planted, and somebody else watered, and somebody else
gathered. His was all blasted and withered and gone. It's the
joy of a man who gathers the spoils of victory
after a war, a long and bloody war. But it's a war that somebody
else fought and somebody else won. It's the joy of complete
forgiveness. The joy of absolute reconciliation
with God. Of God smiling at me and letting
me smile in his face. The joy of being one of God's
sons. Oh, behold what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the
sons of God. The joy of a good hope. to one who once had no
hope. Read on. Look at verse four.
When the Lord Jesus comes, in the mighty operations of his
grace, he comes to chosen redeemed sinners and gives liberty for
bondage. Liberty to those that sat in
bondage like like Gideon delivered Israel from the Midianites by
the power of God's spirit So the Lord Jesus brings us into
the glorious liberty of the sons of God with the fuel of fire
That is with the fire of his word by the power of his spirit
look at verse 4 For thou has broken The yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. If the
Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Our Lord Jesus led captivity
captive. He led him who held us captive
into captivity, bound him with a great chain, and he sets us
free. Free from the curse of the law,
free from a guilty conscience, free from the tyranny of Satan,
free even from the fear of death. I went to the doctor this morning
and, you know, had some difficulties. And I told Shelby coming home,
I've been praying two things. I'd like, if God would allow
it. One, I don't want to leave her as a widow. I just don't
think she could get along without me. Maybe the Lord will take
us together. And I sure don't want to be left
alone without her. And the other, it sure would be nice to go quickly.
So, you know, if the ticker stops all of a sudden, that's a whole
lot better than laying around here. But death, I told Dr. Henderson years ago, death is
not a problem. Dying is not a problem. I just
don't want to be long in the process. That's all. Just don't want to be long in
the process. Dying? We're not going to die, Bob.
We're fixing to live. We're fixing to live. He that believeth on
me shall never die. You believe that? We're fixing
to live. and to drop this robe of flesh
is but to enter into life. And the Son of God comes in saving
grace to a man whose greatest fear was death. Fear death. Oh, I had some other
fears, but I was raised in those days when boys, especially big
boys, weren't supposed to be afraid of anything. And I saw
to it, nobody ever saw fear on my face. Nobody. But I go to bed at night horrified,
horrified, scared to death of dying. And that which was once my greatest
fear is now my greatest anticipation. Soon, I'll drop this robe of
flesh and begin to live. Christ comes and gives liberty
to those who sat in bondage. We live in this society where
everybody likes to talk about being free and living at liberty. I laugh at them. See this fellow
there, put tattoos all over the body and look like fools and,
oh, I want to be different. How come you got the same kind
that fellow's got? Everybody's in bondage. Everybody's in bondage
except those who've been set free by the Son of God. He gives
us liberty as conquerors. Conquerors who've prevailed over
the foe and gather the spoils. Israel goes over to those fellows
on the Red Sea and gathers up all their weapons, that's where
they got theirs, and gathers up all the jewels out of Egypt
when they leave Egypt to go across the Red Sea. They gather up the
spoils. Conquerors. We are more than
conquerors through him that loved us. More than conquerors. What on earth can that be? More
than conquerors. I've had a few battles when I
was younger. I used to get in scrapes a good
bit, but I never was more than a conqueror. I about always whipped
a fella, but I never was more than a conqueror. I always was
looking over my shoulder to see who he had got to come with him.
Always fearful of getting whipped again. Satan shall never prevail. Darkness shall never prevail
against you. Evil shall never prevail against
you, not you who are in Christ. For greater is he that's in you
than he that's in the world. And we have prevailed with him
never to fail, more than conquerors. He has so thoroughly conquered
our foes that they shall never rise against us. Now, when Christ comes to give light to those that sit
in darkness, to increase the family and kingdom of God, to
give the blessed joy of faith and the glorious liberty of the
sons of God, to give us victory over sin and Satan and death
and hell and the grave, I pray that he will do that for you.
Oh, may he do that for you. Then you'll behold him as he's
described here, And you'll say, this is He. Lord, this is our
God. We've waited for Him. And He
will save us. This is the Lord. We waited for
Him. And we will be glad and rejoice
in His salvation. Let me give you something I picked
up just this afternoon. going over in my mind a good
bit. One of the few good hymns of
modern times. One sat alone beside the highway
begging. His eyes were blind, the light
he could not see. He clutched his rags and shivered
in the shadows. Then Jesus came and made the
darkness flee. When Jesus comes, the tempter's
power is broken. When Jesus comes, the tears are
wiped away. He takes the gloom and fills
the life with glory. For all is changed when Jesus
comes to stay. From home and friends, the evil
spirits drove him among the tombs He dwelt in misery. He cut himself as demon powers
possessed him. Then Jesus came and set the captive
free. Unclean, unclean, the leper cried
in torment. The deaf, the dumb, and helplessness
stood near. The fever, rage, disease had
gripped its victim. Then Jesus came and cast out
every fear. Their hearts were sad as in the
tomb they laid him. For death had come and taken
him away. The night was dark and bitter
tears were fading. Then Jesus came and the night
was turned to day. So men today have found the Savior
able. They could not conquer passion,
lust, and sin. Their broken hearts had left
them sad and lonely, then Jesus came and dwelt himself within. When Jesus comes, the tempter's
power is broken. When Jesus comes, the tears are
wiped away. He takes the gloom and fills
the life with glory. For all is changed. when Jesus
comes to stay. Amen.