Some of the old preachers were
masters at connecting their subject with the Scripture. Spurgeon
was one of the greatest of these. What I'm referring to is, I have
a subject this morning, a general subject I want to deal with,
and I want to give it a title. And I want the title to fit the
subject. And here's my subject. Our Lord
said, if you love me, you keep my commandments. And I thought,
well, cause and effect. But that doesn't fit. It just
doesn't fit. It's more than that. And then
that scripture that our Lord said, he that seeth the Son hath
everlasting life. And I thought condition and results. I don't care a whole lot about
that word condition. Too much emphasis on us. So then it occurred to me that
our Lord said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
This is true. That's true. He that seeth the Son, believeth
on him, hath life. That's true. This is true. And
I thought about Abraham and Isaac walking up that mountain. And
Isaac wasn't a child, he was a big boy. And he knew something
was wrong. He said, Father, here's the wood,
here's the fire, where's the lamb? And Abraham gave me my
subject. He said, my son, God himself
will provide. It won't be a cause or a condition,
it'll be a provision. God himself will provide the
lamb, and you'll be saved. You'll be saved. That is provision
and results. That's a sure provision God will
provide, and that's a sure result. Write it down. That's so. If
they've been of us, John said, no doubt they've been continued
with us. Our Lord said, if you believe
not that I am He, you're dying, you're sinners. The provision,
the results. So, turn with me to Philippians. I've discovered where I'm supposed
to preach this morning. Last night, some of you got amused
at me trying to find out what I was going to preach from. And
I know now. Philippians chapter 1. It's going to be a comforting
message because the provision, of his mercy and grace is a sure
hope and a sure result. Philippians 1, let's take these
one at a time here. Paul said, if there be therefore
any consolation in Christ. Well, my brethren, there is.
There is consolation in Christ, and more than that, there's confidence
in Christ. I know whom I have believed and
I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which I've committed
to Him against that day. There is consolation in Christ
and a blessed and sure and living hope in my Savior. I know that,
you know that. What's the next one? If any comfort
in love, is there comfort in love? What love we're talking
about? We're talking about the eternal
love of the Father. Yes, there's deep abiding comfort. We're talking about the love
of the Son, who gave Himself for us. We're talking about the
love of the Spirit, who is our comforter, and the love of the
brethren, which is so pleasant and so sweet. That's what I find
here. I find a love for Christ Love
for the Father, love for the Son, and love for each other.
The Lord's in this place. I know it. I know it. What's the next one here? He
says, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, is there a genuine
union among us, a oneness of heart, Such a communion of mind
and soul and spirit in Christ Jesus, yes there is. There is a sweet communion spirit. When one weeps, we all weep.
When one rejoices, we all rejoice because we love one another. It's not just a profession. It is a fact. It's a provision
of God. He shall have brought his love
in our hearts. And our Lord said, by this you'll
know my disciple. By this you'll be my disciple
with you. Love one another. That's a sure
provision and a sure result. It's just so. Look at the next
one. Is any bowels of mercy? Why does
the scripture use that word bowels? I'll tell you what that word
means. It means inward affection, genuine inward affection that
springs up from deep, deep, deep within. Is there a genuine inward
affection between us? Is there deep pity and sympathy? Is there any real depth to our
love for Christ and love for one another? Absolutely, there
is. I know it. You know it. We feel
it. We rejoice in it. The Lord made
the provision, gave the provision. The Lord provided. And it is
a sure, certain, blessed hope. Now read verses 2 through 5. This being so, if there is any
consolation in Christ, comfort in love, fellowship of the Spirit,
genuine real affection within, then fulfill ye my joy, that
ye be like-minded. Having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done through strife,
vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem the other
better than themselves. And look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on the things of others and let
this mind, this spirit, this love, this joy be in you which
was in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is what Paul found out and
discovered and wrote about in Romans 9. Turn for a moment to
Romans chapter 9. Romans 9 verse 1. This is what the Apostle Paul
meant right here. This very thing we're talking
about. He says in verse 1 of Romans 9, I say the truth in
Christ. I lie not. My conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have that I have. This is not the old Saul of Tarsus
talking now. This is the one God provided
grace and mercy in his heart and made him a new creature. This is Paul. I have great heaviness,
continuous sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according
to the flesh. Oh, that doesn't sound like the
old Saul, does it? That sounds like Paul. And that's
what we find right here. There is comfort. There's consolation. There is deep, deep, sweet affection
in the heart of believers. And I want to talk about this
now. I'll give you five statements. Five statements in regard to
this subject. Assure provision and assure results. The provision of God in us and
the results. And here are the five statements,
and you can jot them down if you want to. But here's the first
one. Where the grace of God is revealed
in the pardon of sin, the glory of God will be uppermost. When the grace of God is revealed
in the soul and heart of a sinner, the glory of God will be uppermost. Turn with me to Numbers. Numbers
chapter 12. I want you to read something
here. Numbers chapter 12 verse 3. Numbers 12 verse 3. Listen to this. Now the man Moses
was very meek. Very humble. Above all the men which were
upon the face of the earth, this man Moses was very meek above
all the men on the face of this earth. Why? I'll tell you why. He saw the Lord. He saw the Lord. Let's read about that and I'll
turn over here to Exodus chapter 3. He saw the Lord. That does
make a difference. That makes every difference.
That makes all the difference. He saw the Lord, and he was brought
down. Listen here in Exodus 3, Exodus
3, verse 3. And Moses said, Now I will now
turn aside, and I'll see this great sight, while the bush is
not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he
turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of
the bush, said, Moses, Moses. He said, Here I am. And he said,
Draw not nigh hither. Put off your shoes from your
feet. The place wherein you standeth
is holy ground. Moreover, I am the God of thy
fathers. The God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and Moses hid his face. He was afraid to look upon God.
That's how he got so meek. That's how he was brought down.
That's how he was humbled. He saw the Lord. I'll tell you
about another man. Turn to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6, verse 1. Isaiah 6, verse 1. You've read
this many times. Let's read it again. Isaiah 6,
verse 1. In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw the Lord. You know, I noticed one time
in chapter 5, Isaiah was writing here and he talked about, woe
is you, woe is you, woe is you. About five times, woe is you. What happened to this fellow?
Let's see. In the year that King Esau died,
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne. High lifted up, His train filled
the temple. Above it stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings. With
twain, He covered His face. With twain, He covered His feet.
With twain, He did fly. And one cried unto another and
said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth
is full of His glory. And the post of the door moved
at the voice of him that cried. And the house was filled with
smoke. Then said I, woe is me. What happened? He saw the Lord. Woe is me. I am undone. I am undone. I'm a man of unclean
lips. I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips. Why? Mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of Hosts. When God reveals Himself to the
heart of a sinner, God brings him down. Provision results. I saw the Lord and I cried, Woe
is me! Be merciful to me, a sinner.
Here's a second statement. Our Lord said this, To whom much
is given, he'll love much. Let's turn and read that in Luke
7. Luke chapter 7. Luke chapter
7. To whom much is given, he'll
love much. To whom little is given, he'll
love little. This is provision and results. Alright, look here at Luke 7
verse 36. And one of the Pharisees desired
him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's
house and sat down to meet. And behold, a woman in the city,
which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meet in
the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster box of ointments. Somebody wrote about this, said,
this woman was on the outskirts of a cryopot. And she heard the
Lord speak. The Pharisees and people were
there and she was listening. And then she heard the Pharisee
invite Christ home to eat. And he accepted. And they left. She went home and got in the
hiding place a precious, rich, expensive, alabaster box of ointment. I'm going to go there, that Pharisee's
house. I'm going to walk in. I'm going
to anoint his feet. That's how this came about. So,
this verse 37, And then a woman in the city was a sinner when
she knew, how did she know it? She heard it. She heard him talking. When she knew that he sat at
meat in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster box
of ointment and stood at his feet behind him, weeping, weeping. and began to wash his feet with
tears. You know, they lay down when
they were eating. Isn't that right, Brother Don?
On cushions. His feet were sticking out this
way. And, of course, the shoes were removed. The sandals were
removed. His dirty feet were sticking out there. And she stood
there and then she fell down on her face and kissed those
feet. And her tears poured over those
feet. And she took her hair down and
dried his feet. You talk about silence. You talk about silence. She washed
his feet. Let's read on. She stood behind
him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and wiped
them with the hairs of her hair and kissed his feet and took
that precious ointment and poured it on our Lord's feet. Now, when
the Pharisee, which was bid and saw this, he spake within himself. He didn't say it out loud, but
he was sure thinking. If this man were a prophet, if
he were one of God's men, if he were a prophet, he would know
who this woman is and what manner of person she is, and he wouldn't
let her touch him. And our Lord answered. And he
said, I have something to say to you."
And he said, what's master sale? There was a certain creditor
which had two debtors. One owed him 500 pence and the
other just 50. And when they had nothing to
pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, Simon, which of
them will love him the most? Just answer that. The little
boy had to answer it. And he said, well, I suppose
he knew good and well what he ought to say. I suppose, I suppose
that he to whom he forgave the most. And our Lord said, you
rightly say. And he turned to the woman and
he said, see this woman, I entered into your house and you gave
me no water for my feet, not even natural courtesy to wash
my feet. She washed them with tears. and
wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss. This woman came in, and I came
in, and she hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head withal,
you didn't annoy it. But this woman hath annoyed my
feet. Wherefore, I say to you, O my, her sins which are many
are forgiven, for she loved To whom much is forgiven, they love
much. But to whom little is forgiven,
that's the result. Nothing. A hymn writer wrote, he washed
my eyes with tears so I might see. The broken heart I had was
good for me. He tore it all apart and looked
inside and he found it full of sin and foolish pride. So he swept away the things that
made me blind. And then I saw the clouds were
silver lining. So I understand it's best for
me that he washed my eyes with tears so I could see. To whom much is forgiven. That's a guaranteed result. He'll
love him. He'll love him. All right, here's
the third one. Peter said, unto you that believe,
he's precious. To you that really believe him,
love him, trust him. And you do. I know you do. Peter
said, Lord, you know everything. You know I love you. You know
that. To you that believe, he's precious.
We go through some Conflicts and trials and troubles. And one fellow wrote this, he
said, once it was a blessing, now to me it's the Lord. Once
it was the feeling, and now it's His Word. That's what we're talking,
His Word. Once the gifts I wanted, now the giver I own. Once I sought for healing, and
now for grace alone. Once it was my working, now it's
His shall be. Once I tried to use Him, now
He's pleased to use me. Once the power I wanted, now
the sovereign I own. Once for self I labored and lived,
now for Christ alone. To you that believe, He is precious. I saw something one time in the
scripture indicating that to a lot of people he's not precious.
I want you to turn to the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation
chapter 6. I read here about a strange prayer
meeting. We talked this morning about
the religious Pharisees and other religious things that people go about doing
and so forth. A strange prayer meeting. In
Revelation chapter 6, here it is in verse 15. Who was there? Well, it says, Revelation 6,
and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,
every free man. That's who was there. Where did
they meet? All right, listen. They hid themselves. They hid themselves in the dens.
They hid themselves in the rocks, in the mountains. What did they
pray? Who did they pray to? He said,
and they prayed to the mountains. And they prayed to the rocks.
And what did they want? Fall on us and hide us from the
face of Him that sits on the throne. Hide us from the face
of the Lamb. They didn't want to see Him,
meet Him, or know Him. Hide me, oh my, from the wrath
of the Lamb. I'll tell you this, to you that
believe, He's precious. To them, that's the whole problem. He's not precious. He's not precious. All right,
watch this now. Our Lord said this in number
four. Our Lord said, be ye merciful
as your Father in heaven is merciful. Who's going to be merciful? The
man for whom God has provided that grace. And I'm going to
give you two illustrations for this point. Two illustrations. Turn to Luke 18, where mercy
is given, mercy will be shown. Luke chapter 18, where mercy
is given, mercy will be revealed. It will be the results. His mercy
begets mercy in us and from us. In Luke 18, verse 18, listen,
and a certain ruler Asked him, saying, good master, what shall
I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, why
callest thou me good? There's none good but save one,
that's God. You know the commandments. Do
not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false
witness, honoring your father and mother. Oh, he said, all
these have I kept for my youth. When Jesus heard these things,
he said, Yet likest thou one thing, sell all that you have, and distribute
it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and
you come and follow me. And when he heard this, he was
very sorrowful, he was very rich, and he went away. That's interesting,
isn't it? But here's another rich man,
one page over in your Bible, Luke 19. Another rich man that
our Lord talked to about redemption, about salvation, in Luke 19,
verse 1. And Jesus entered and passed
through Jericho, and behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus,
which was chief among the public and he was very rich too. And he sought to see Jesus who
he was. And he could not for the press
because he was little of stature. And he ran before and climbed
up a sycamore tree to see him. For he was to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw Zacchaeus. And our Lord said to him, Zacchaeus,
make haste, and come down, and come down, for I must abide at
thy house. And he made haste, and he came
down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, when the
Pharisees saw it, they murmured, saying, This man's gone to be
the guest of a man that's a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said
to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the
poor. If I have taken anything from
any man by false accusation, I restore unto him fourfold."
The Lord didn't say a thing, as I guess, about his possession.
When this rich young ruler came to him, the rich young ruler,
he said, what am I going to do to have eternal life? Go sell
what you have and give it to the poor. No, I can't do that. Zacchaeus, no sooner did his
feet hit the ground, when he met Christ and saw Christ, then
he opened his heart to give to others. The Lord didn't say a
thing to him about possession. Not one single thing. He said, you just come down.
I'm going to your house today. And Zacchaeus said, Lord, have
my goods, I'll give to the poor. If I've taken anything wrong
for that historic fourth hole. And then the Lord said, listen.
He said, this day, salvations come to this house. Boy, you
talk about provision and results. Right now. Right now. I tell people this about giving
and about sharing, about helping others. I say, now, if the Lord
seems to plant something in your mind, about doing something for
somebody, do it. Don't sit back and analyze, I
don't know if I can afford this or not. I don't know whether
I ought to give this much and more or whether I ought to do
this. Go back to where he planted his seed and do it. Isn't that
correct? Because if you sit around and
analyze what you can afford to do, it's not what I can afford
to do, it's what he's able to afford me to do. And that's what he said. This
day, salvation has come to this house. Watch, for as much as
he also is a son of Abraham. You know something? That place
was full of sons of Abraham. Fleshly sons of Abraham. It was
full of them. That was a son of Abraham by
nature. This man, son of God, son of
Abraham, seed of Abraham by grace. When God provides, God supplies. When God provides, there's a
result that nobody else can do, only God can do it and does it. Only one. The Lord said nothing
to Zacchaeus. about helping anybody. But just
as soon as that old boy's feet hit the ground, we said, open
up his heart to everybody. In closing, my back to my text, Philippians
chapter two. Philippians two. All right. Verse five. Philippians two,
five. Let this mind be in you. which
was also in Christ Jesus. Here's the greatest provision
and result, the greatest theme of all. Who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, took on himself the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God Almighty also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name, that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,
and things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under
the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God. Old David Brainerd was a missionary
to the Indians in New York and Pennsylvania way back years and
years and years ago. He lived among the Indians. He
ministered to the Indians. He learned their language and
he preached to them. And somehow I picked up where
somebody read this or told this about an Indian chief that was
converted onto Brainerd's ministry. And Brainerd was sitting in the teepee
or wherever they lived, and this Indian chief came in. And he
said to Brainerd, he said, missionaries said, chief, give his headdress
to Jesus. Took off that big headdress,
you know, with all the feathers and laid it down at the missionaries'
feet. And Brainerd said, well, how
am I going to handle this now? He just told him the truth. He
said, well, Chief, he said, the Lord Jesus doesn't need your
headdress. That's, don't do that. You just keep it. So he left. Jesus don't want my headdress?
No. And he came back. And he came back with his big
bow. And that quiver or whatever they
put on their back, you know, put the arrows in. He came to,
he walked in, laid the bow and the sheath or whatever the arrows,
hold the arrows. He said, Chief, give his bow
to Jesus. And he said, Chief, I'm sorry,
the Lord has no use for your bow. The Lord doesn't want my
bow, no. He came back after a while and
brought his moccasins. He had to have his moccasins,
but he dropped it at the missionary's feet and he said, Chief, give
his moccasins to Jesus. He talked to him. He said, Chief,
these things that don't move the heart of God, He doesn't
want your headdress, your bow, your arrows, or your moccasins. He had a strange look on his
face and he said, Jesus no more, none of these things. No. He
left. He's gone for a while. Brainerd
didn't know whether he was coming back or not. That's why he came
back and he stood in front of the missionary. He said, missionary,
chief, give himself to Jesus. Yeah, you've got to hold up.
If He has you, He has everything. That's all. That's all there
is to say about it. The Lord, and He provides. He
provides. All I am, I am what I am by the
grace of God. That's all. Anything else is
not worth having, is it? Alright, this has been a great
three days and I thank you for inviting me Let me preach to
you and thank you for your grace and your fellowship and your
goodness. God's people are good. They're good people. God made
them good. All right. Thank you, Pastor.