Salvation is by grace, altogether
the work of God's grace. But grace alone never saved anyone. Our only righteousness before
God is Jesus Christ the Lord. But having the righteousness
of Christ imputed to us alone will never take anyone to glory. We were chosen to salvation and
indeed saved in God's eternal decree. But God's eternal decree
by itself never saved anyone. How we thank God for the precious
blood of Christ by which we are redeemed. But the blood of Christ
by itself won't get you into heaven. Now if that hadn't gotten
your attention, I don't know what will. Let's turn to Zechariah
chapter 8. And let me show you what I'm
saying. Zechariah chapter 8 verse 6. In this context the Lord God
is giving a word of prophecy assuring the children of Israel
that he would build his temple, he would gather again his people
into their land and establish the city of Jerusalem. And all
that was typical of the prophecy that is here declared concerning
the salvation of God's elect. Zechariah chapter 8 and verse
6. Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
if it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people
in these days. If you think this is a great,
marvelous thing I've said, just almost too good to be true. Don't imagine that it is. Don't imagine that it's marvelous
in my eyes. It would be marvelous in the
eyes of the remnant. Should it also be marvelous in
mine eyes, saith the Lord of Hosts? Thus saith the Lord of
Hosts, Behold, I will save my people from the east country
and from the west country. And I will bring them, and they
shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people,
and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness. Now let
me read you a historic commentary on this prophecy. Turn to Matthew
chapter 19. Matthew the 19th chapter. Matthew chapter 19 and verse
16. Our God says, if it's marvelous,
if it seems a wondrous thing, too difficult to be done in your
eyes, don't imagine wondrous as it is. that it's too difficult. Now here's your commentary. Matthew
19 verse 16, And behold, one came and said unto him, Good
master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal
life? Some of you are sitting here
just like that. What good thing shall I do? You
wouldn't quite use those words. You've listened to myself and
these other men here preach and teach the word too much for that.
But you're still sitting there thinking, I know I've got to
do something. Well, just tell me what it is I've got to do.
Verse 17, And the Lord Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou
me good? There is none good but one, that
is God. To call me good is to call me
God. But if thou wilt enter into life, you came asking me on what
grounds you can enter into life, by what good work? Keep the commandments. Keep the commandments. He saith
unto him, which? There are hundreds of them. Which
one are you talking about? Thou shalt do no murder. Thou
shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt
not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother,
and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. That's all. That's his fellow's response.
That's all. Well, I've done that all my life. The young man saith
unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up. But
still something missing, what am I lacking? What lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, that's what
it is to be saved. That's what it is to have eternal
life. That's what it is to enter into
the kingdom of God. If thou wilt be perfect, go and
sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. But when the young
man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions." He looked at the Lord Jesus,
all his teaching, eternity, eternal life, kingdom of God, And he
looked at his life. His life. Not just the money
he had in the bank, though that was included. His life. You can
save your life and go to hell, or you can lose your life and
go to heaven. Just that simple. Just that simple. Do you mean
walking down an aisle and saying I believe in Jesus won't do it?
Not hardly. You mean being talked into a
profession of faith won't do it? Not hardly. You mean being
baptized and joined in church won't do it? Not hardly. Go sell
everything you've got. I'm here to tell you, you will
never possess Christ unless you sell everything you've got to
heaven. Everything you've got. Buy the truth and sell it not.
Buy it without money and without price. Give up the whole of your
life to Him. Either that's what faith in Christ
is, or I don't have a clue what it is. That's it. This fellow said, well, I believe
I'll hang on. I just thought I needed you. I just thought I wanted you.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a
rich man shall hardly with great difficulty. A rich man shall
hardly with great difficulty. Anybody here rich? So it's talking about physical
riches, material riches, or spiritual riches. Yep, that's what it's
talking about. Folks who've got anything in
their possession, hold on to mine. You're going to have a
tough time getting into the kingdom of heaven. Verse 24. And again
I say unto you, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle. Now when you read that, what
do you immediately think about? If you hadn't heard somebody
else explain it away. You think about your mama's or your grandma's
or maybe by this time your great grandma's sewing kit. And she's got a little needle.
And you've seen her try to stick thread through that needle. Well, that can't be what he's
talking about. That is exactly what he's talking about. You
mean it's easier to stuff a camel through a needle's eye than for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of God? That's exactly what he
said. That's exactly what he said. Verse 25. When his disciples
heard it, they were exceedingly amazed. Is this a marvelous thing in
your eyes? You think this is impossible?
Well, God, if that's what it is, if that's what it is, we've
got to give up hope. Saying who then can be saved? Don't think it's a marvelous
thing in my eyes. But Jesus beheld them and said
unto them, with men, this is impossible. If any of this depends on you, if you've got to do something, if you're getting through that
needle's eye, That straight gate called salvation. If you get through there, if
you give up all your riches, give up all your goodness, give
up all your righteousness, and take Christ and Christ alone,
something is going to have to be done to you. With men, this
is impossible. But with God, all things are
possible. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Behold, I will save my people. I will save my people. What a
tremendous declaration. What a blessed assurance of the
certain salvation of God's elect. This is the Lord's doing and
it is marvelous in our eyes. Oh, I hope never to get over
the astonishment of it. Astonishment of it. God Almighty
loved me. The Son of God loved me. Gave
Himself for me. And determined from eternity
to make me His. Called me by His grace. Rode
me in His righteousness. made me an heir of His kingdom
and of His grace. I was lost and undone without
God or His Son when He reached down His hand for me. I'm astonished. And I'm more astonished today
than I've ever been. I'm astonished. You see, the
fact is It's no easy thing for a sinner to be saved. No easy
thing. Turn over, if you will, to 1
Peter again. 1 Peter chapter 4. People have this silly notion
that somehow salvation is easy. Nothing could be further from
the truth. is no more. Now listen carefully. Salvation
is no more than saying, I believe in Jesus. If salvation is no
more than walking down a church aisle and leaving an aborted
bench or an altar somewhere and repeating some silly prayer that
folks call the sinner's prayer after somebody tells you how
to say it. That's all it is. If salvation is no more than believing
in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. If that's all it is,
believing those facts, would you please tell me why Judas
Iscariot's in hell? Would you tell me why Simon Magus
perished in his iniquity? He understood all those things.
He believed all those things. Can you tell me why Demas at
last forsook Paul and perished? Why Deopthes was destroyed? Those
men all had a far greater experience of religion than just coming
at the end of a psalm service, at the end of a sermon to the
front of the church and having a preacher shake their hands
and tell them their say and slap them on the back and assure them
everything's alright. No, no, salvation, salvation
considerably more than that. Here in 1 Peter chapter 4 and
verse 18. Peter says, if the righteous
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear? That word scarcely is a very,
very poor translation. Peter is not suggesting that
God's elect just barely get into heaven as they say by the skin
of their teeth. He might have been sane, but
he didn't do much good. He just got to have a skin in
his teeth. I laugh to keep from weeping.
Peter is not suggesting that the believer will live all his
life with fear and trembling and hesitancy and at last he
will enter into heaven with great, great trepidation. Oh, no. No, no. God's saints shall be
ushered into heaven in a blaze of glory. Every one of them. Triumphant in Jesus Christ, victorious
by His grace. But what does this word scarcely
mean? The word really means the very same thing that God asked
back in Zechariah. Difficulty. If the righteous
be saved with difficulty, His meaning is, if the righteous
be saved with great difficulty, what shall become of the ungodly
and the unbelieving? Now, it is a matter of great
difficulty. Great difficulty. Turn back to
Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah the 40th chapter. I want
you to see this. God says, Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people. Tell Jerusalem that her iniquities
pardoned. She had received of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins. How on this earth can that be? Really does it take to save a
sinner? What does it take? I want you
to look in the book of God with me and let me show you. Begin
in John chapter 15. The Gospel of John chapter 15. Let me give you seven plain statements. seven things that are absolutely
necessary to the salvation of a sinner. Number one, God's election. Number one. Salvation has got
to be by somebody's will. It's got to begin with somebody's
will. And that cannot be yours because
you have no right to make the choice. Salvation is God's. And here in John chapter 15 and
verse 16, our Savior tells us, you have not chosen me. Well, yes, they did. Yes, they
did. I can show you in this book,
wherever one of those fellows standing before him right now
chose him. Matthew left his table and followed the master. Peter
and James and John left their nest and followed the master.
But our Savior says, ye have not chosen me. Well, they can't
both be true. Yes, they can. They most surely
can. The Lord Jesus is declaring,
all that's involved and you're coming to me, choosing me, following
me, you don't have anything to do with that. You didn't choose
me. I chose you and ordained you. Oh, how I thank God for free,
sovereign, electing love. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren beloved of the God, of God, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. The only thing,
the only thing that has kept us from perishing
with the world, the only thing that distinguishes us from other
men, the only thing that keeps us for being engulfed in that
religion you were talking about earlier today. God chose you. God chose you. And wouldn't let
you go. Now you've heard me declare many
times, we are saved, we have been saved from eternity, in
and by the decree of God. No question about that. Scriptures
plainly reveal it. But election itself is not salvation. The decree of God itself is not
salvation. If that's all there were to this
business of salvation, none of us would have it. None of us
would have it. It takes something more. than
election and predestination and the decree of God Almighty to
save a sinner? Because God in heaven is holy
and righteous and just and true. So number two. Turn with me back
to Isaiah chapter 40. I want you to look at it carefully
now. What does it take to save a sinner? It takes the blood
of Jesus Christ, God's Son, shed as a sin-atoning sacrifice and
substitute in the womb instead of those people loved of God. A year or two ago, some lion, Yehu,
sent out a letter to some friends and said, Brother Fortin, he
teaches that we're saved from eternity. Do you know he doesn't
believe the blood of Christ is necessary for our salvation? What men won't do. Look here. Isaiah 40. Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably. Speak to
the heart of Jerusalem. cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Don't you love
the way he puts that? He doesn't say, cry to her that
her warfare can be accomplished. That her iniquity can be pardoned. That she can receive of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins. Oh no, the preaching of the gospel
is not the declaration of possibility. It is the declaration of fact.
Her iniquity is pardoned. The warfare is over. It is finished. The battle is over. It's finished. The warfare is over. You have
Received of the Lord's hand, cover for all your sins. Who
are you sending it to? Anybody who believes it. Everybody who believes it. All
God's Jerusalem. Verse 3. The voice of him that
crieth in the wilderness. That's the preacher. Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway
for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked
way shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. Now look
at verse 5. And the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 40 in verse 4 describes
great, apparently insurmountable difficulties which lie in the
way of God saving His people. God could not. God could not. And if this man says God could
not, you better mark it down. I have a reason for saying God
cannot anything. God could not get to us in mercy,
and we could never get to him for mercy until these difficulties
were removed. But then in the fifth verse,
the prophet says, the glory of the Lord is revealed in Christ
removing them. Mercy could never have been exercised
toward guilty sinners so long as justice stood as a high mountain,
separating the sinner from God, demanding satisfaction. But our
all-glorious substitute, the Lord Jesus, by the one sacrifice of himself,
fully satisfied the justice of God Almighty. so that he consumed
the wrath of God, so that he extinguished the fury of God,
so that there is no fury left in God for us. But still, standing
between us and our holy God are the high mountains of our sins
reaching up to heaven, calling for wrath upon us. But by that
same great act of atonement, that same great blood shedding,
the Lord Jesus, who bear our sins in His own body on the tree, bear them away. He put them away when He had
by Himself purged our sins. He sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. I love the way the scriptures
describe that, purged. I guess I like it because I'm
as sinful as I am sloppy. And I like whites, like white
shirts when I wear a suit. And that lady over there, she
sometimes rubs her knuckles raw, scrubbing spaghetti sauce out
of my shirt. Scrubbing gravy out of my shirt. Put some Clorox on them and go
to the table. Look at that. Nice and white. But should you take this nice
white shirt out here in a few months and lay it on some freshly
fallen snow, you would realize that all the scrubbing she had
done as she scrubbed her fingers to the bones hadn't made a white
shirt. Because compared with that white,
this thing's dingy looking. Now listen to me. The blood of
Jesus Christ, Bill Raleigh, has purged our sins. There's no stain, not even a
dingy appearance left. Purged! and therefore sat down
on the right hand of the majesty on high. And this same Jesus
who leveled the mountains of God's offended justice and the
black high heels of our iniquities is he who makes the crooked places
straight and the rough places smooth by the revelation of himself. Hear me, without the shedding
of blood is no remission. Look at Romans chapter 3 one
more time. Romans chapter 3. This is why the scriptures declare
plainly that God could not save apart from the shedding of Christ's
blood. Because God is just. And he cannot be a just God and
a Savior without a justice-satisfying sacrifice by which iniquity is
put away. Romans 3.24. Being justified freely, freely
to us, by his grace, at this great cost, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. whom God has sent forth in his
eternal decree, in his word, in the preaching of the gospel,
through faith in his blood, he sent him forth clearly to all
who believe, to declare, God loves you. God loves you. Gospel preachers don't stand
on the street corner and holler, God loves you. I don't have any
reason to imagine that God loves you until you believe on His
side. None whatever. And you don't
either. God loves His elect. And the only way you know it
is when they believe. But you don't. To declare His righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed, look at this now,
through the forbearance of God. Now, folks probably say, in the
Old Testament, God save folks on credit. He swiped the discover
card and said we'll charge that later. What nonsense. He knew that Christ was going
to die and therefore he justified folks on credit. That's not what
forbearance is. You read the book of 1 Peter,
2 Peter chapter 3 verse 15. The Spirit of God says account
that the longsuffering of God. The forbearance of God is salvation. So, for the remission of sins
to pass through the salvation of God, to declare, I say, at
this time, His righteousness, looking on Christ the Lamb slain
from eternity, that He might be just and the justifier of
him that believeth. And therefore the Lord God says,
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness
way back yonder in Genesis. Just exactly as you now believe
God and it is counted to you for righteousness. God requires
righteousness, God requires satisfaction, and Christ did it. Take some
notes. In Romans chapter 11. What does
it take to save a cell? Everything. Everything. I've been saying
that to you so often, I hope you were expecting it. Everything. Everything that is. Everything that has been. Everything
that shall be. Everything. Everything. When
Paul describes the believer being completely saved, made a new
creature in Christ, his next word is, all things are of God.
Here in Romans chapter 11, Paul has been describing the salvation
of God's elect. In chapters 1, 2, and 3, he tells
us of man's universal depravity, corruption, and inability. It's
a full dessert of humanity for everlasting damnation. Beginning
at the end of chapter 3, he declares to us God's finished work of
redemption, righteousness, and justification in His Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he goes through that right
up until you get to the middle of chapter 8. And in the middle
of chapter 8, he begins to describe for us how God has brought all
this to pass that now we believe and walk by faith in Christ.
And he describes his providence. He tells us about all that God
did with the Jews in all the Old Testament. beginning with
back yonder when he said, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated. He goes right on through the
history of Israel and tells us how that finally the Jews crucified
the Son of God, despised the gospel of his grace and said,
we will not have this man. And the Lord God sent blindness
to them and hardness of heart. so that they could not see and
could not believe as it is to this day. Yet there is a remnant,
according to the election of grace, even among them. And it
did all this so that the gospel might go to you, to the Gentiles,
to folks who well deserve the reputation the Gentile world
had among Jews. God, I thank you that I'm not
a dog or a woman or a Gentile. That's just exactly the kind
of reputation we deserve to have among any people. Not just me
and you, all the Gentile races of the world. Because we were
a vile, ungodly, lascivious, fornicating, adulterous, idolatrous,
blind, ignorant, dumb, superstitious people just like the whole Gentile
world is returning to today. But God sent blindness to Israel,
that He might save His elect, the true Israel, represented
in that Old Testament people, scattered among the peoples of
the earth, in the north, the south, the east and the west,
even the uttermost parts of the earth. And then He wraps it up
and He says, And so all Israel shall be saved. Now look at this. chapter 11 and verse 33. You mean God made vessels of
wrath and vessels of mercy and God cast off the Jews and God
gathered in the Gentiles and God sends his gospel here and
sends his gospel there and God arranges everything to work together
for the good, for the accomplishment of this purpose? Oh, I just I
couldn't worship a God like that. He's the only one you will worship.
Every other God you'll barter with. Go home if you dare, if you've
got the stomach for it, and turn on the religious channels and
listen to folks barter with God. Swap this for that, tit for tat. This is the only God you'll ever
worship. He who really is God. Now listen to one worship. Verse
33. Oh, the depth of the riches. Both of the wisdom. Oh, what wisdom. Oh, what wisdom. And the knowledge of God. How
unsearchable are His judgments. and his ways past finding out. You ain't never gonna figure
him out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath
been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him,
and this shall be recompensed to him again? Lord, if you will,
I will. Lord, if you'll do this, I. Do that with your rabbit foot,
God, not the God of glory. For of him, that's the source. And through him, that's the means
by which it's done. And to him, that's the end, the
terminating point, are all things to whom be glory forever. And where is his glory? His glory
is great. in salvation. What does it take
to save a sinner? Everything. Nothing in God's
universe, nothing in God's universe is excessive, unneeded, unnecessary,
redundant or superfluous. Nothing. Everything is ordered
exactly according to divine wisdom from all eternity for the saving
of God's people to the glory of His name. I could shout, that's my God. That's it. Turn to John chapter
3. John chapter 3. What does it take to save a sinner? Not only is it necessary that
we have blood atonement, by which our sins are put away, and righteousness
is imputed to us, we must have a righteous nature imparted to
us. Christ must be formed in you.
You must be made partakers of the divine nature. You must have
that new man created in you, which is created in righteousness
and in true holiness. You must be born again. Well
now, Brother Don, you can't say that that's necessary. I can.
The Lord did, didn't he, Brother? Look here, John 3, verse 7. Marvel
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Must be. How come? Back up to
verse 3. Jesus answered this foolhardy
religious infidel, Nicodemus, and he said, Barely, barely I
say unto thee, except a man be born again. Look at it. He cannot see the kingdom of
God. Can't see it. And he's not talking
about a physical vision. He can't perceive. He can't understand. He can't know anything about
God. Spiritual things. Looked at it
in verse 5. Nicodemus said, this brilliant
fellow, you know. Religious folks could come up
with some, they come up with some amazing comments. I mean,
folks who are confronted with truth that they can't understand,
confronted with the claims of God in the gospel that they can't
understand, they stand there and look at it, and they don't dare say it. They
don't dare say it. That's amazing. They've got to make a comment.
Here we go. Nicodemus. This fellow, he had
a PhD in theology. He was something else. He would
bring it. He had graduated from the highest academic schools
and seminaries in the universities around Jerusalem. Look at him.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he's old?
Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Can you imagine a man asking
such a question? Only a religious fool who refuses
to bow to truth. But bow he will. The Lord Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, born from your mother's womb and born
by the womb of grace, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. You can't get in without being
made holy on the inside. You can't get in without having
righteousness put in you, having that formed in you which is called
Christ in you, the hope of glory, that new holy thing that is born
of God. How does God perform this work? By the mighty,
irresistible power of His grace and His Spirit, giving life to
the dead. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath eternal life. The Lord Jesus said, I am the
life. What happened when God saved
you? Christ came in, that's what happened.
Christ came in. He said, well, but I believed. Yeah, yeah, indeed you did, because
Christ came in. But I chose him, indeed you did,
because he chose you. And your faith in Christ, now
you listen to me, your faith in Christ is just as necessary
to the saving of your soul as God's decree, Christ's blood,
Christ's righteousness, and the Spirit of God coming in you.
Just as necessary. But that too is God's gift. It's
not at worst lest any man should boast. He that believeth not,
what does the book say, is damned. He that believeth not is damned. Yes, you must believe on the
Son of God. These things are not optional things. These are
exactly according to God's purpose. Tell you something else. Turn,
if you will, to the book of John. Now, you turn to Ephesians 1. What does it take to save a sinner? It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. There was a man sent from God
whose name was God. The same came for a witness to
bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. That's why I'm here, to bear
witness of the light that you might believe. Now look what
happens, Ephesians 1.13. In whom you also trusted, after
that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
How is it that God forms faith in a sinner? He sends a preacher,
just as He did John, declaring redemption accomplished. Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord. And you heard of the
accomplishments of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and hear Him!
You couldn't help but to believe. I've got to have. That's the
righteousness I've got to have. That's the atonement I've got
to have. That's the sacrifice I've got to have. That's the
power I've got to have. That's the God I've got to have.
You believe and thy people made willing in the day of thy power. Not only that, the believing center had got
to The Believing Center has got to be preserved to the end. Preserved. At first, when I was preparing
these notes late last night, early this morning, I wrote down,
got to persevere. And that's the truth. That's
the truth. But since everybody else in the world tells you how
necessary it is that you hold on and hold out and hang on and
hang out, I thought I'd tell you how you do it. How is it
that you persevere? We persevere in faith only because
He perseveres in grace. You're kept by the power of God. The righteous shall hold on His
way because His way holds Him. I've often illustrated it. Grandchildren
are still small enough and I'm still strong enough I can still
use illustrations. Take those kids, swing them around. Boy,
when they were babies, I know, might get arrested, you might
say you didn't do it then, but I still did. I'd take Will, I'll do Grace,
just like I did Faith. And they'd clasp their little
fingers around my finger, their hands around my finger. And I'd
hold on to them. And I'd swing those kids. Swing
them high. Just swing them around. Faith
just cringed. I'd swing them around. And they
were holding on with all their might. But their safety had nothing
to do with the power with which they held on to me. Never. Their safety was all together
in the hands holding them. Now hear me children of God.
Your safety Your salvation has nothing to do with the power
by which you hold Him. It has everything to do with
the faithful, omnipotent, indestructible, unchanging power of Him who holds
you in His hands. The hands of omnipotent grace,
pierced by the hands of divine justice as your substitute. One more thing necessary. One more thing necessary. Just as necessary as the purpose
of God. Just as necessary as the blood
of Christ. Just as necessary as the new
birth. Just as necessary as faith in
Christ. One more thing. by some means
or another, this body of sin got to die. Flesh and blood shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. And yet, in this flesh, in this
body that I now live in, in this same body, the same one, the
same body, I'm going to see my God. But I can't be. Oh yes it can. Oh yes it can. Not long now, this body, this
natural body, shall be sown in the earth in corruption, to rot. Go back to the dust. If you can
get by with it, Don't pick on me, don't put me in a box, just
put me there like golden dust. I'll be alright. No dishonor
at all. This body is going to the dust
where it belongs from whence it came. A natural body. And then, by the power of God,
our Savior coming in His glory, it shall be raised A spiritual
body. Now, Brother Darwin, I have been
doing my dead level best to see if I can get some idea of what
that's talking about. I don't have a clue. A spiritual body? Well, maybe there is a clue.
God is spirit. He has no parts or members. But all God is, dwells in a spiritual
body whose name is Christ the Lord. Raised up just like Him, just
like Him. In all His glory. Sown in mortality,
raised in immortality. Sown a carnal body. raised a
glorious body, sown because of sin, raised in perfect righteousness. So what about if the Lord comes
for you to die? That would be all right. That
would be all right. I'll just bypass the process. For we shall
all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. Christ
God's and this corruption shall put on everlasting incorruption
to the praise of the glory of His grace. Amen.