Let me read our text again, Isaiah
chapter 52 and verse 7. I want to finish what we started
this morning. I want you to look at this in three points. God is sovereign in creation.
He is sovereign in providence and He is sovereign in salvation.
And all this is good news. And I trust you saw that this
morning. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth
good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion,
Thy God reigneth. And my subject this evening is
the doctrines of grace in a positive light. the doctrines of grace
in a positive light. Now, I want to say that before
I get into my message, because sometimes we set forth the gospel
as if it's something negative. I heard a fellow preach one time
from 1 Corinthians 15, that Christ died for our sins. And he spent
45 minutes trying to tell us that Christ didn't die forever.
And by the time he got finished with that, I had no interest
in what else he had to say. He worked me out on the negative
aspect of the gospel. And one of the things that you
notice as we dealt with this this morning, and as you just
read it, that it is all rosy. You can't find any bad news in
this verse of Scripture. And what are the doctrines of
grace? Whatever they are, and I'll try to tell you in just
a minute, we'll do it here, there's nothing in those things that's
negative. There's no bad news in the gospel. It's only good
news. And when you and I say the doctrines
of grace, we're just talking about the gospel. The doctrines
of grace are just the gospel. And without going into any detail
in all of that, let me use it this way, the old time way, the
way we used to years ago. Let me just, let me say, what
are the doctrines of grace? It's this. And to make it simple,
and since I'm around friends that know what I'm talking about,
and I don't have to stop and qualify everything, let me just
say it's this. What is the gospel? First of
all, it's totally practical. We've all heard that, haven't
we? What is the gospel? It begins with this. It's totally
practical. Man is totally practical. You say, Bruce, what in the world?
How in the world are you going to bring any good news out of that? Well,
just hold it there, and we'll see. We'll see how the Bible
brings good news out of it. Man is morally depraved. All men are morally depraved.
Bruce, how do you know that? Well, I know it by experience.
I see it in my own self. I have to fight against immorality
all the time. I never see you drunk. I never
see you using God's name. I never see you going out on
your wife. You don't see what's going on inside. That's where
I'm talking about. The heart of man is deceitful
above all things and desperately weak. Who can possibly know it? None but God can know the heart.
That's how deceitful that the heart is. And you and I cannot
know it unless He makes it real to us. That's the only way we
know it. Man is morally depraved, and
it's not that he's trained to be that way. It's not that he
grows up in society and he gets mean and deceitful and learns
to do bad things. The wicked are strange from the
womb. They go astray as soon as they
be born. I'm not surprised at what man
does, and you're not either, because he's totally depraved. What is it that a man cannot
do, and will not do, if the Lord God does not keep His hand upon
him? I've done some things, and I've
thought things, and I've thought how in the world could a human
being be so wicked? But I tell you what, brethren
and sisters, it's a lot worse than I even know, and it's worse
than what you know. Our feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in
our way. Do we wonder why we've had so
many wars in the last century? And why there's wars and divisions
and controversies going on everywhere now? Well, here's the thing.
Man is totally depraved. Mortally. Mortally. Man is spiritually depraved.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
They are foolishness unto him, and neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned. No man can come to
me, except my Father which sent me draw him." If I had to have
one verse of Scripture that taught that man was spiritually and
totally depraved, it would be John 6.41. No man can come to
me. And that's where life is, in
Him. And until we come to Him, we
have no life. And we cannot come to Him. Somebody said, well, we will
not. Well, that's so too. But I'm not talking about what
a man will not do. I'm talking about what he cannot
do. He cannot come to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus
even says to His children, Without Me, you can do nothing. You can do nothing spiritually. You can have no thought, no meditation,
no faith, no repentance, no humility. You cannot walk before God in
fellowship with Him. Without Me, you can do nothing.
Now, what's the good news behind the third refraction? I mean,
He's born in sin. He's a sinner by practice. He's
a sinner by choice. And he's hailed as a sinner. What's the good news? Well, look
over in verse 10. Here's the good news. Here's
the good news about told in the practice. Look over in 1 Timothy
chapter 1. Look here in verse 12. I think Christ Jesus, our Lord,
who hath enabled me, for he counted me faithful, putting me into
the ministry. I was before a blasphemer. I was a persecutor, injurious,
that I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly and unbelievingly.
And the grace of the Lord Jesus was exceeded above them with
faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus." Here's the good news,
I told you about it. This is a faithful sinner, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, of whom I am speaking. If there's any good
news about being totally depraved, morally and spiritually, and
the only good news I can think about it, but it is this, that
Jesus Christ came into this world to save totally depraved sinners. Now, that's good news, isn't
it? You know, we get up Sunday after Sunday, and some, I know,
I know some that come here, bless their heart. I know one lady
that used to come here, and every time she'd come here, she'd laugh,
but she left this toilet. It'd take her weeks until she
got over it. And she quit coming. She couldn't take it. I know
another lady said, she started telling me one day, well, every
time I come, you just get on to me. And people get offended
in that, you see. And they think you're just, they
think you're just mean to them. But it's not that we're mean
to anybody. It's not that we're trying to
offend anybody when we open up people's wounds of sin and depravity
and enmity. All we're trying to get them
to do under God is come to realize that they need medication. They need a physician. And Jesus
Christ and his blood and his death and his grace is that God. He is that physician. That's
all we're doing. There's good news for sinners. There's a Savior for sinners.
This man receiveth sin. Ain't that good news? Old Scott
Richardson used to say, bless his heart, he said, you go ahead
and convince me of what a sinner I am. And the more you convince
me of what a sinner I am, The more cause it will give to me
to come and trust Him who is the Savior's Son. So depravity is what you
and I are involved in, and it's bad. It's bad. But there's a
Savior for sinners. That's the good news of that.
There's a Savior for sinners. Total depravity. Secondly is
unconditional elixir. You know, every time we teach,
I didn't hear what Brother Larry taught last week, I didn't hear
what Brother Glenn taught, but I bet you they hit on one of
these truths. Just about everywhere we go in the Scripture, you'll
hit on one of these truths or more. Total depravity, unconditional
election. What do we mean by unconditional
election? Well, we mean that God has already
chosen those that He's going to save. Backyard in eternity,
he made a covenant with his son, and he gave his son a host of
people out of Adam's race to save them. God didn't look down
through time and saw anything that they would do or not do. He chose them out of grace. The cause of him choosing them
is found in his own heart." Listen to the description. We're bound
to give thanks to God for you, brother and beloved. God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation. You've not chosen
me. I've chosen you. Lord, it was
not that I did choose you. That could never be. This heart
would still refuse you. But thou hast chosen me. I have
chosen you in our name. God has, from the foundation
of the world, chosen you in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 1 verse 4. Listen
more to chapter 11, verses 5 and 6. Even at this present time,
there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, it's no more
of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of
works, it's no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. See what
Paul is saying about election. It's not of works. It's not anything
God saw that the sinner would or would not do, but it's according
to the election of grace. Election took place before the
world was, And all men were not elected. I heard a fellow trying
to preach on my way out to Montana on the radio, and he was teaching
that all men are predestined. And then God leads it up to the
will of man to make that effect. No, that's one thing about election. It's unconditional. The cause
is found in God, and all men are not elected. Election is
not taking place now. Nobody's putting in their vote
in the ballot box. It already took place before
the world was. The cause is found in God, and
thank God the number cannot be decreased, and it cannot be increased. It's fixed. It's fixed. And it's discriminated. That
means it's God's choice. God's sovereign choice. If there's
one thing this world doesn't like, it's discriminating grace. They talk about grace, but discriminating
grace. When they say that, when we say,
the scripture says that God chose Jacob not because of any good
that was in him. And God passed by Esau not because
of any bad that was in him. They cannot endure that. They
cannot endure that. The thing about election is,
it's unconditional. Not to an office, not to a position
in the church, not to merely receive certain spiritual gifts,
but to salvation. God has chosen you to salvation. Now, what's the good news? That's
a fact. Election is a fact. An unconditional
election is the truth. What's the good news? Look over
in Romans chapter 9. Here's the good news. And if
it's not good news, it's not the gospel. Because the gospel
is good tidings of good things. Look in Romans chapter 9. Let's go all the way back here
to verse 11. Look at this. Romans chapter 9, verse 11. The children, Rebekah had two
children, the Isis, Jacob and Esau. And the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of
works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say of him? Is
there unrighteousness with God since he did this? God forbid.
For he said to Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy.
I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion, so that
it's not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but
God that shows mercy. For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I
might show my power in you, that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. Therefore have thee mercy on
him without mercy, and whom he will impart. Thou wilt say it
to me now. Well, therefore, why does he
yet find fault? For who has resisted his will,
and who can resist it? Nay, but, old man, who are you
to reply against God? Shall the famed farm say to him
that farmed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Don't the potter
have power over the clay? of the same love to make one
vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What if God willed
to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endeared with
much longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?
And that he might make known the riches of his glory, and
the vessels of mercy, which he hath afforded for pardon for
good? even as that he is called, not of the Jews only, but also
of the Gentiles. As he said in Hosea, I will call
them my people, which were not my people, her beloved, which
was not beloved. And it shall come to pass that
in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people,
there shall they be called the children of the living God. Isaiah
also cried concerning the children of Israel. Though the number
of the children of Israel be as the sands of the sea, a remnant,
a lacked remnant, shall we say, he will finish the work and cut
it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make
upon the earth." And as Isaiah said before, look at this. Here's the good news of the election.
God has done it. He's chosen Jacob. That's by
Esau. And here's the good news. Elijah said, Isaiah said before,
except the Lord of Sabbath hath left us a seed, that he let people. We have been as Sodom, and been
made life unto the Lord. See what Paul said, and see what
Isaiah said. If God had not chosen anybody,
we would have all died. That's the good news, actually.
Here's the good news about unconditional election. And if this world loved
its fellow man and sought its good as they should, this world
would rise up with one united voice of praise and thank God
for his electing grace. Because if he had elected nobody,
we'd have all perished. That's what Paul said. That's
good news, brothers and sisters. Election is good news. It's good
news to this world. God has done no man any harm
in electing Christ. What harm did he do Esau? Esau
done himself harm. Esau is the one who sinned. And
Jacob would have perished too if he didn't have been elected
by God. That's the good news. That's
the good news. Thirdly, limited atonement, particular
redemption. What is it? What is particular
redemption? Well, it comes down to this,
doesn't it? When Christ Jesus died upon the cross, he died
as a real substitute. That's what it basically comes
down to. If Christ stood in somebody else's stead, that was real substitution. And that person in whose stead
he stood up for will be saved. He went to the cross with a definite
purpose in his mind, and he accomplished that purpose. And all through
the scripture, you and I can read what this purpose is. It was to satisfy the broken
law and justice of God. That's why Jesus Christ went
back. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied."
Brother Bob just read that. When the Lord Jesus hung in agony
and pain upon the cross, and in suffering, God saw that. And God said, I am satisfied
with that suffering. I'm satisfied with His death.
God could never save a sinner at the expense of His law. He can never save anybody at
the expense of his justice. We often make this statement
that we're not saving the law, and we're not. But you know,
we're not saving at the expense of the law either. The law had
to be satisfied. Somebody had to fulfill it, and
somebody had to die under its curse. Christ has redeemed us
from the curse of the law. He was made a curse for us, and
that was His purpose, to fulfill the law. What did Christ do? Brother Glenn told us this morning.
He put sin away by the sacrifice of Himself. Put sin away. You say, Bruce, I see sin all
in me. I think I see sin in you too. But brothers and sisters,
let's be honest. Is sin put away or not? We often make the statement,
that's how God sees it. Your pastor would often say it.
The way God sees it is the way it is. How does God see it? He sees no sin. Why? Because sin is put away. That
was the purpose of Jesus Christ on the cross. By one offering,
he had put away sin. Put it away. Behold the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The gospel is good
news, ain't it? particular redemption is given,
because that means the purpose that Jesus Christ had in His
death, He accomplished. He fulfilled it. What was His
purpose? To reconcile alien sinners to
God. Listen to Romans chapter 5, verse
10. If when we were sinners, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son, Much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Reconcile
us to God. Moved all the enmity that was
between us and God, and now we're friends. God is our friend, and
we're God's friend. How did that come to pass? Who
spanned this awful guff of enmity? Jesus Christ. And that was His
purpose, to do that. In the death," listen to this
now, in the death and burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus,
salvation on behalf of elect sinners were secured. That was secured. No elect sinner
is waiting to see if he's going to be saved. Salvation has been
secured before he was ever born. Ain't that a wonderful thought,
dear elect soul? You hear this evening that all
your trust is in the Son of God? You're resting upon Him for your
all in all? Do you realize your salvation
was accomplished before you were ever born? And He did nothing for himself.
Everything the Son of God did, He did on behalf of others. Did He do all? for everybody without exception.
Did Jesus Christ on that cross suffer and die for everybody
without exception? If He did, then we have to face
these two things. If Jesus Christ obtained eternal
redemption for every man without exception, we've got to face
one of these two things. Every man is going to be saved.
No single person is going to be lost. Hell must empty itself
out and send all of its inhabitants to heaven, because Jesus Christ
obtained eternal redemption for them. And if He did it, they
must be saved. Or, if He did it for everybody
without exception, and everybody without exception is not saved,
then Jesus Christ failed in what He did on that cross. If he had
did as much for Pharaoh as he did for Moses, if he did as much
for Judas as he did for Peter, if he did as much for the elect
people as he did for the non-elect as well as the elect, then he's
failed. Because look at the multitude,
brothers and sisters, entirely, as you and I together here will
see. When you and I read in the Scripture,
that Christ died for all and He died for everyone. He's the
propitiation for the sins of the whole world. We must look
at these statements in the light of their context and in the light
of the whole Scripture. All the elect is included in
every man. All the elect are included in
the world. that he obtained propitiation
for. Every man is the elect people
of God. It sounds very kind and consoling
and generous to say that Jesus Christ died for everybody, without
exception. That sounds so kind, doesn't
it? It sounds so confident to this
world. But it's not first and foremost generosity. It's not
first and foremost kindness, and it's not first and foremost
comfort that you and I are seeking after. We're seeking after the
truth. What's the truth concerning the
atonement of Jesus Christ? I cannot see how it can be comforting to know
that Jesus Christ endured the cross for nothing. Is that comforting to Him? Is that being kind to Him? To
think that He died for naught? That He suffered and obtained
redemption for men, and yet they perished anyway? It may sound kind, but it's not. A redemption that does not redeem? A blood that does not purge?
A price that does not ransom? Is that being truthful, brothers
and sisters? And that's what we're after, isn't it? Not comfort, not consolation,
not kindness to this world. We want truth. Give us truth. Is it kind and comfortable? to
say to Christ or to God or to any believing sinner that there are multitudes who
are perishing in hell this evening for whom Christ did just as much
for as he did for the believers. How are you going to find any
comfort in that, dear soul? How can you find any assurance
in that? You may perish, too, then. Yeah, you feel good today,
you feel comforted today, but tomorrow you may be in hell.
What's the difference between you and them? Is it in you or
is it in your Savior? And if He failed to redeem them,
even though He attempted to, maybe He's yet going to fail
in redeeming you. I don't like these bridges that
gets everybody on and nobody across. You take an engineer
that would build a bridge like that, he ought to be prosecuted.
Take a bridge that's narrower, all right, but thank God he goes
all the way across the river. That's what I like, don't you? Don't get me on a bridge there
that dumps me off in the middle of the street. to publish that Jesus Christ
obtained a full and eternal and free redemption for everybody
without exception, and yet most of them perish. That's not good
news. Therefore, it can't be the gospel
canon. Why is particular redemption
good news? Without turning over there and reading it, you can
mark this down. Luke chapter 9, verse 28-31. There's two reasons
it's good news. Particular redemption is good
news for this reason. First of all, it tells us that
Jesus Christ did indeed accomplish what he set out to accomplish.
You remember that verse of scripture, Romans chapter 9, 28-31. You
can read it when you get home. The Lord Jesus was upon the Mount
of Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah came down and
appeared to him in glory. Glorious form. And Peter and
James and John was there, and they heard all of this. And Elijah
and Moses spoke with the Lord Jesus about His death, that He
was to accomplish. That word accomplish means this,
to furnish completely. And it's the same word in 2 Timothy
3, 17, talking about the Word of God. We have the Word of God,
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished. into all
that works. Is the Word of God all we need?
Does it thoroughly furnish us? That's the same word, accomplish.
He accomplished in His death. It means also to fulfill, to
complete, to carry out to the full, to finish to perfection. Be watchful and strengthen the
things that remain, and are ready to die, for I have not found
your works perfect before God." That's what the Lord Jesus said
to the church of Sardis. Your works aren't perfect before
God. Was His work perfect before God?
Could that charge be brought against Him? Brothers and sisters,
I say with regret, the Lord Jesus could very easily rebuke me and
say, I have not found your work perfect before God. And I'm ashamed. God help me to grace with men
my ways. But you'll never say that about
Him, no. Why? Moses and Elijah said, Death
that you will accomplish. You're going to complete it.
You're going to finish it. Not just dying. That's a miracle
in itself. But what he was to accomplish
by his death. Daniel told us about it in his
prayer. He's going to make reconciliation for iniquity. He's going to put
away sin, make an end to it. Everything he sought to do, brothers
and sisters, that God required him to do for the salvation of
his people, he accomplished upon that cross by his death. That's the first good news about
it. The second good news about it is concerning us, this myth,
Romans 8, 30, 31 through 33. Listen to this. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's will? It's God that justifies. Who
is He that condemns? It's Christ the God. You know why a believer can laugh
and rejoice when he suffers, even facing
sin and death and the judgment of God? You know why a believer
can laugh in the face of pain? Christ died. You can set the
death of Christ in your soul against everything and say this,
who can condemn me? That's not bragging. You've got
to do that. You've got to lay hold upon the
death of Christ by faith and set it against everything. Oh,
the warfare, the conflict within. I feel so sinful. Yes, but Christ
died. That's the victory. that overcomes
the world, and sin and the devil and judgment. Who is he that
condemns? It's Christ that died. Why would
Paul make such a statement of that, if he believed that Christ
did as much for those in hell as he did for those who are saved?
No, he said this. You Romans, listen to this. If
Jesus Christ has died for you, you are saved. You'll never be
convicted. Sin has been put away. You've
got to do it. The fourth thing is this. Irresistible
grace effects your calling. And what is that? What is it? When we talk about irresistible
grace or effects your calling, what do we mean by that? Well,
it means all those erect souls that God has chosen, And all
of those elect souls that Christ has redeemed by His death, they'll
be called, and they'll be regenerated. They'll be given faith and repentance
and the graces of the Holy Spirit in their heart. When He calls,
He'll be in such a way that they will come to Christ. You and
I don't mean when we say that, that everybody that God calls
will be saved. I called, and you refused. I
stretched out my hand over everybody. You do always resist the Holy
Ghost. God suffers a lot of people to resist Him, but not the elect. Not the elect. The Lord makes that wonderful
statement in that message of John chapter 6, where He says,
No man can come to me except my Father which hath made me
draw him. He made this statement. He said, it's written in the
Prophets. Here's what's written. They shall all be taught of God.
Who's he speaking about? The elect. They're going to be
taught of God. Every man, every one of them,
every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, what does
he do? He comes to me. Every one of
them, that's what we call, we think so-called, a man. I mean,
you just already see the good in that. I don't even have to
give you verses through the good in that. You see it there. I was talking last week,
and he brought me a CD that I haven't heard. He preached on one of
my favorite songs, something or other. And without hearing
what he said, I just about bet you, just about bet you, he touched
on this. When I go home and read, I'm
just about to say, I told you, I told you, I knew you'd take
on that. I jotted this down, listen to this. Psalm 107, here's
some of the things it says. Here's what we mean by effectual
cause. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they
cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them
out of their distress. That's the effectual cause. A
man gets into trouble in his conscience. And what does he
do? He cries. God, we worship you. And God hears him and saves him
and delivers him out of his misery. Verse 12 and 13 of that chapter.
He brought down their heart with labor. They fell down and there
was none to help. I've fallen and can't get up.
Then they cried to the Lord. in their trouble. And He heard
them and saved them out of their distresses. Verse 18 and 19,
Their soul abhorred all manner of meat, and they drew near to
the gates of death. Then they cried unto the Lord,
and He heard them and saved them. And verse 27 and 28, They reeled
to and fro, and they staggered like a drunken man. They are
at their wits' end. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distresses,
and maketh the storm a calm, so that the ways thereof are
still. Then are they glad, because they
are quiet. So he bringeth them unto their
desired place. O that man be praised and glorified.
For what? For he has your glory. He has
your glory. Why is it good news? It's the
only thing that will save us all. You see that in yourself,
don't you? You begin to realize, I've told
people this now, ever since I've come to understand, if God had
to deal with me the way he did, I'd still be lost. If he'd just
come to me and warned me, and left it up to me, I'd still be
lost. But I often tell you, the Lord brought me to the end of
my soul. He tripped me up. He crossed my path. He brought
down my heart with labor to the place I could not go on with. It was impossible for me to go
on. I found this secret desire in my heart. Lord, I need you. Lord, I need you. And if God
dealt with everybody the way He dealt with me, He'd save everybody. That's what we mean by Christ
the Father. And it's not only encouraging good news to you,
but any good news when you think about your lost loved ones and
your lost friends. Can God save them? They're so
stubborn, they're so rebellious. Darkness fills their understanding.
They have no desire for the Lord. They don't need Him. Can the
Lord change them? Yes, He can. Thy people shall
be worthy. You let the Holy Spirit hover
over them and break them and call them. I tell you, they'll
get where they keep sleeping tonight. The things that they
used to love and be satisfied seeking will come to be vanquished. They will all be vanquished.
And this desire will set up a new one. Come on. I want to have peace with God. I want to be wrapped with God. I didn't work at that church. It's not my work. If it's my
work, that's why this place is so empty. It ain't my work. When he thinks it's my work,
we can be saved. We can pray to that angel. Lord,
save your people in this place. Pope Spurgeon used to say, you
can tell what a man really believes if you hear him pray. He said, you go hear an Armenian
pray, and after you pray, see if he's still an Armenian. He
may be an Armenian in name, but he's not an Armenian in his heart.
He said, you can tell. They go to prayer, and they say,
oh, Lord, save my child. Wait, Spurgeon said, brother,
stop right there. Hold your prayer for a second.
Let me ask you this question. I thought you believed in free
will. Why don't you tell him to save himself? Why are you
praying to God to save him? Do you believe God can save him? What is that? It don't sound like free
will. It don't sound like Armenianism.
Why do you pray for a man? If you don't believe in your
heart, God's able to save you, to change you. We don't have to wait for the
Lord to save somebody to pray for them. We pray, Lord save
them. They're dead, give them life.
They're lost, save them. They're in darkness, send them
out into the light. The last one is this. Perseverance
of the Savior. I used to call it perseverance
in some sense. And that's still a good word, but there is no such word. But
the saint of God, the believer, is preserved. He's preserved
in Christ Jesus. And yet, at the same time, he
endures. He perseveres. Why does he persevere? Because he's preserved. Every true believer has probably
fallen, but no true believer has fallen
away. What do we mean when we say perseverance
of the saints? You are kept by the power of
God. My Father is greater than all,
and no man is able to pluck Him out of my Father's hand. Thy God reigneth. I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. The gifts of God
are without repentance. The steps of a good man are ordered
of the Lord, and the Lord delighteth in his ways, and though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down." Why? The Lord orders. The same one who opposed the
stars, opposed the planets, opposed the world and the universe. You
think he's pretty stout, don't you? You go out and try it sometime.
Let a little star fall out of the sky, see how big it is when
it gets in your hand. You ain't gonna oppose it. But there is one who does oppose
it. All of you. And the same one who opposed
this universe, with his hand of a fire-kicking power and might,
opposed to the living, even when he dies. God has told him to
wear his hand." And I don't think anybody's going to get any more
than that. You say, I'm following. Have you followed the Holy Spirit?
No, sir, you won't. You will not. You shall not. Adam Clarke talks about the believer
being on probation. If there's anything on probation,
it's the love of Christ. You say, Bruce, what do you mean?
Well, I mean this. When you and I face tribulation
and persecution and sorrow and famine and nakedness, are those things really against
us? to see if we can endure it, or
is it against the love of Christ? Who's really on trial? Is it
us, or is it the love of Christ? You know what Paul says? The
love of Christ is on trial. I am persuaded. Who persuaded
him? God persuaded him. What was he
persuaded of? That neither death, nor life,
nor angel, principalities, powers, Things present, things to come,
life or death. If there's any other preacher
out there that I've met, none of these things can separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. It's not
us, brothers and sisters. It's not about us. If we could
ever see that there's a greater cause outside of ourselves, it's
not about us. It's about Him. The battle is
the Lord's. Stand still and see the salvation
of the Lord. It's the love of Christ, if anything,
is on trial. You put the love of Christ on
trial. Put it on trial. Let everything come against you.
It will never be overcome. You are more than conquered with
Him, that love of Christ. If one of the elect for whom
Christ died, could fall away and be lost forever and ever.
What would that mean? What would that mean? Well, it
would be one thing if Christ ceased to love you. That's for
sure. That's pretty well going to go
ahead and plead for Christ's love of those people who are
perishing in hell. If that's love, I don't think I want anything
to do with it. If Larry would stand outside
his burning house, while his little grandbaby was burning
inside, and say, I love you, but I keep coming down to get
you. That ain't love, is it? If a flexed soul should perish
in hell, Christ has ceased to be. If he falls away, Christ
has ceased to make intercessions. Christ did not save him. God has ceased to be his Father.
Don't say, God is my father. Not anymore. He used to be, but
no more. The Holy Spirit ceased to indwell
him. He has left him forever. He's
come unsealed. He ceased to believe. He ceased
to hope. He ceased to worship. And I'll
tell you something just as dreadful, that no God's elect can follow
up. Just one, just one, that he can
hold up as a trophy. You fail, son of God. You come
to try, you try to accomplish, but you fail. I've got him right
here. Here's a trophy. had won the victory over the
Son of God. Brothers and sisters, it'll never
happen. It'll never happen. It's not about our system. It's
about history. Not until I say so. Not until
I say so. But until I make it clear. Say unto Zion, thy God reigneth. He reigns in creation. He reigns
in power. He reigns in grace.