If you have your Bibles, turn
with me to the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews chapter 10.
We'll lay a little bit of ground work
out of chapter 9 before we get into the 10th chapter. But our
text, our main text, will be in the 10th chapter. If you will, notice verse 7 and
8 of chapter 9. I'll back up to verse 6. Now when these things were thus
ordained, the priest went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing
the service of God. But into the second went the
high priest alone, once every year, not without blood, which
he offered for himself and for the heirs of the people. The
Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way into the holiest of all
was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing, which was a figure for the time then present in
which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not
make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to conscience. Now the Apostle, which I believe
was the Apostle Paul, in this chapter tells us about two persons
who enter into the holy presence of God himself, into the holiest
of all. First of all, it was the priest
that had been ordained to this ministry and to this work. And
the second is mentioned in verse 11. But Christ, being come an
high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls, and
of goats, and of ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth
to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit Offered himself without
spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God Now beloved after our Lord Jesus Christ had entered
in to the holiest of all It was the there was no more priest
no more blood atonement because Christ is our high priest and
in verse 24 The priest as the scriptures told us, went
in once every year, and he came out. But in verse 24, for Christ
is not entered into the holy place made with hands, which
are the figures of the true, but are to heaven itself now
to appear in the presence of God for us. And in verse 26,
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world,
but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Our Lord Jesus Christ,
He entered in and He stayed. He stayed when He went in to
the holiest of all. Now as you would look into chapter
10 with me, I would like to mention Couple of things here the writer
talks about someone else Entering in into the presence of God,
and that's you and me now We had the priest and we had the
Lord Jesus Christ entering in to the holiest of all in the
ninth chapter But then in the tenth chapter it talks about
you and me entering in through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and verse 9 of this 10th chapter, then said he, Lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that
he may establish the second. By the which will, and he refers
back to that will when he said in verse 9, Lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. By the which will we are set
apart through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all. And every priest standeth daily,
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can
never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. For by one offering, in verse
14, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now
we're told in verse 17, and their sins, that is the sins of God's
people that were covered by the blood of the everlasting covenant
which our Lord shed and which he took in to the holiest of
all and placed upon the mercy seat. He says that their sins
and iniquities will I remember no more. Now what this means
is that their sins are gone. They don't exist anymore. That
is the people that our Lord was representing in the holiest of
all. In the mind of God they exist
no more. That is our sins. And on the
books of God, God says, I don't even remember those sins that
my people had committed. They were so taken away. Beloved,
this is the power and the greatness of the blood of our Lord. There
is no sin in Christ. The believer has no sin. holy
and without blame, the Bible describes him, perfect and complete
before God. Now, I want us to look at verse
19 of chapter 10. Having therefore, beings that
Christ has entered in, And there's no more earthly priest that we
have to wait upon as he lifts the veil, the corner of the veil,
and goes in and then comes out offering a sacrifice which would
prevail for another year. But the Lord Jesus has went in
and He's forever. sanctified us that we might be
able to enter ourselves now into the very presence of God, saying
their sins and iniquities I will remember no more, and have now
where remission of these is, there's no more offering for
sin, having therefore brethren, having therefore brethren. Now
you take note here that he's not talking about every son of
Adam, but he's talking about the brethren. He's talking about
the children of God. He's talking about God's people.
He's talking about people of faith. Those who had been given
God, who had received faith from our God. Now he says in verse
19, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus. God's people have liberty to
enter into that holy place by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have no liberty, the word
boldness means liberty to enter into the presence of God through
the shed blood of the Redeemer. His blood cleanses us, purifies
us, sanctifies us, so we can come into the very presence of
God. Isn't that something that a sinner,
a poor sinner, a poor unclean, and that which is born of a woman,
can it be unclean? only through the sanctifying
and purifying blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, beloved,
we now have boldness. We can enter boldly into the
presence of God through Jesus' blood. His blood cleanses, purifies,
sanctifies us so we can come. Now in verse 20, it says, by
a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. Not like the old priest as we
described that would slip in under and back out of the veil,
but the Lord Jesus Christ, He went in and through the veil,
by a new and living way, through the veil. No lifting up of the
veil, though it was, it's as though it was not there anymore,
and it was not. Hold your finger here and turn
back with me to the book of Matthew chapter 27. The book of Matthew
chapter 27 and look at verse 50 and verse 51. Verse 50 and 51 of Matthew chapter
7. 27 that is. Jesus, when he had cried again
with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Now beloved, the temple
still stood in Jerusalem at the time of our Lord's death. And
Jesus cried with a loud voice, he yielded up the ghost, and
behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top
to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. So when he says that he has consecrated
this new and living way through the veil, it means that that's
what he's talking about, about the veil being rent in twain,
this veil was from wall to wall and from ceiling to the floor,
and it was four or five inches thick, but when our Lord gave
up the ghost, when he died, this veil was rent in twain, and Now
the way is open into the very holiest place for the people
of God as priests of God themselves to enter in and to fellowship
with the Lord and to make their prayers before God. Now, the
way to God is open. It is open. And these scriptures
plainly set that forth. There is nothing to keep a believing
soul from coming into the very presence of Almighty God and
worshiping and making their prayers known unto God. And so in verse
22 of Hebrews chapter 10, he says, Let us draw near then with
a true heart. Let us draw near with a true
heart. In full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us
draw near. Seeing then that with boldness
or liberty we can enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
let us draw near. God's people are to draw near
with a true heart. They're to be persuaded of the
things that the Lord Jesus Christ has done in order to bring them
into that place of communion and fellowship with their Lord.
And therefore, they're to take advantage of that. And they're
to come boldly. We read back in the 4th chapter
this morning that we're to come boldly to the throne of grace. and we're to make our requests
known and receive grace to help us in the time of need. But here
he talks, and I want us to focus this morning on two things. I want us to focus on two words,
I should say, and those two words are boldness and assurance. And I want us to look a little
bit at these words this morning. And as we said, the word boldness
means confidence or liberty, liberty to come in to God's presence. And the word assurance, he says,
he describes this assurance as being full assurance. Now assurance is what Paul was
talking about when he made this statement. He said, I know whom
I have believed. And what John was talking about
when he said, we know that we have passed from death until
I, and what David was saying when he said, the Lord is my
shepherd. They were talking about full
assurance. They were talking about the fact
that they believed God with a faith that was unstaggering, a faith
that accepted the revelation of God about what Christ had
did in their behalf, and therefore they had full assurance that
these things were absolutely true. Now when we talk about
confidence before God, when we talk about boldness before God,
and full assurance before God, the question arises, Preacher,
are you saying that people who have faith, who have true faith,
who have God-given faith, Saving faith are free from doubts and
have full assurance. Well, no, I'm not saying that
at all. I'm not saying that there's no
doubt in our lives. I'm not saying that we never
doubt when I'm talking about boldness and full assurance before
God. No, that's not what I'm saying.
Being in the flesh, we have a lot of fears, we have a lot of doubts,
we have a lot of pessimism. But, beloved, I want you to hear
me out this morning. I want to say this. I believe
with all my heart that God gives the gift of faith unto His people. And this faith is created by
God in the soul. And those who have received it,
they received it as a gift of grace. And this has been given
by God, and this is a perfect creation. This faith is a perfect
creation. There is no doubting in faith. Now just listen and hear me out.
There is no doubting in faith, and no faith in doubting. Faith itself, this that is the
gift of God, it never doubts. Now listen and hear me carefully.
Faith and doubts are opposites. I said there is no doubting in
true faith, and there is doubting now, of course, in me, but not
in faith. There's doubting in me, and so
we make a distinction between me, the old man, and the new
man, and there is no doubting in faith, in true faith, and
there is no faith in your doubting, none whatsoever. Now, to explain
this or illustrate a little better, turn back with me to the book
of Romans, chapter 7. The book of Romans, chapter 7.
You wonder how the apostle could talk about us having full assurance,
how he could talk about us having boldness. Well, let us look at
this a little bit. In Romans, chapter 7, a familiar
chapter to many of us, Notice in verse 20 the apostle says
now if I do that I would not Now may we say it this way now
if I do that I would not other words if I doubt I if I doubt,
if I have struggles in my soul, if I have rebellion, if there's
a war going on and there's things and thoughts that go through
my mind and heart that I don't approve of. He says, now if I
do that I would not, it is no more I that do it. What more
would he mean by that? He means that it's no more the
spiritual man that does it, the true I in a believer, but he
says that, but sin that dwelleth in me. He makes a distinction
between himself and the sin that dwells in him. And we must do
that if we're going to properly understand this thing of faith
and this thing of assurance. Now he goes on to say, I find
then a law that when I would do good, I find then a law that
when I would do good, when I would believe God, when I would walk
with God, when I would serve God, when I would honor God,
evil is present with me. Have you ever experienced that?
He says that while I'm doing the things that I know God approves
of, I find a law that evil is present with me. Now in verse
22, he says, for I delight in the law of God after the inward
man, my new nature. This nature which is of Christ,
which was created in me, this faith believes the Word of God
and delights in the Word of God. It always delights in the Word
of God. The new man always delights in
the Word of God. Now, Paul says in verse 23 and
25, but I see another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Well, who shall deliver me from
the body or from this other self? This other self, wherein is this
evil, wherein is this rebellion, wherein is this sin and the doubting
and the struggles, wherein we find all of this which is contrary
to God. Who is going to deliver me from
this other self? He says, I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself
serve the law of God. But with the flesh, the law of
sin. Now then, this other self. There
are two armies at war in God's people. Spirit, we know, and
the flesh. Now the spirit, it is not flesh. The spirit is born of God. No
flesh in it. And that flesh is flesh, and
there is no spirit in flesh. There has to be a distinction
between the two. Now there is grace. And there
is corruption. There is no corruption in grace,
and there is no grace in corruption. Brethren, follow me carefully. There is faith, and there are
doubts. And there is no faith in doubt,
and no doubt in faith. There is love and there is hate.
There is no love in hate and no hate in love. Spirit and flesh
are not the same. They dwell in the same person,
but they're not the same. Love and hate are not the same.
They dwell in the same person, but they're not the same. Grace
and corruption are not the same. They dwell in the same person,
but they're not the same. And one day the corruption and
the hate and the fear and the sin and the doubt will all be
buried. We'll bury it. When this old
man is buried, it will be buried. But we must understand that we're
not talking about the same thing when we're talking about the
renewed man and the old man. They're two different things
all together. The renewed man, his spirit and
life and faith has been created. And this new man loves God and
serves God and always believes God. Now when I say that faith
has no doubts, I'm not talking about that nature of yours that's
constantly struggling and rebelling and that sin and that doubt and
that human pessimism. I'm not talking about that. I'm
not talking about that at all. But when I'm saying that faith
has no doubts, I'm saying that it believes God. Your old man
never had any faith. Your old man on his best day
never had any faith. Your old man does not believe
God regardless of what you feed on out of the scriptures. It's
the new man that has no doubts that believes God and believes
the testimony of the Word of God and stands and believes and
testifies to the truthfulness of the Word of God. I'm talking
about that faith that is born of God. It cannot have doubt
if God created it. If God created it, it cannot
have doubt. I'll illustrate that like this.
We know that the natural eye, the very nature of a healthy
eye is to see. It's to see, and it does see.
It sees all the time. And the only time it doesn't
see is when the lid is closed. And we know that the eye of faith,
and we know that faith always believes God, but there are times
whenever the old man gets in the way. And therefore, the seeing,
while the eye continues to see, when the lid is closed, it is
not able to see. And so many things hinder us
in the way, but they are not of the new nature. But we have
full assurance and boldness in the new nature to enter into
the holiest of all. Now there are five things that
I want to give you quickly this morning about faith. About this faith in which there
is no doubt. This faith that the Word of God
teaches us has been given to us as a gift. For by grace are
you saved through faith, that not of yourselves. It's a gift
of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Five things.
Number one, this saving faith Receives Christ as he's presented
in the word of God and does not doubt Anything written of him
Do you believe his word? Have he asked you that question. Do you believe his word? Well,
you know you say well preacher. I'm a believer, but I don't believe
his word. You're no believer my friend
A believer believes the testimony of the Word of God. It believes
the record that God has given of His Son. It believes that
record. Now, I believe what it says about
Christ. I believe everything the Word
of God says about Christ. I do. On my worst day, I believe
everything in the new man and through the new man, by the new
man, everything the Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe in His eternality. I believe in His incarnation.
I believe in His righteous life. I believe in His sacrificial
death. I believe in His ascension to
heaven and His exaltation at the right hand of God. I believe
in His intercessory work, His coming again, and His ultimate
triumph over all of His enemies. I believe it all. I believe it. Do you believe it? Well, if you're
a believer, then you believe it. And you believe it not with
the old man, but you believe it with the new man that's being
created in you. I wouldn't get up here this morning
and try to talk you into believing the Word of God if God hadn't
given you faith by which you could believe with a true heart
the things of God. I believe the testimony of Scripture. Now, faith does not doubt the
Word of God. I may not understand it all,
but I believe the record that God has given of His Son. Now if you do not believe the
record, I say to you, if you do not believe all of the record,
what God has been pleased to reveal to you, then you're not
what the Scripture calls a believer. You're not. You're still in your
sin and in rebellion against God. True faith claims... Listen
to me, the second thing I want to say is this. True faith claims
nothing of God or from God except in Christ. True faith. In other words, if you have true
faith, your true faith claims nothing from God. You're not
looking at the general mercies of God. You're looking at the
specific mercies of God and blessings of God that are found only in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you don't have any
trouble with that, do you? Well, the new man won't have
any trouble with that because the new man has been created
in the very image of the Lord Jesus Christ and loves Christ
and will serve Christ and honor Christ. Now, everything I have
from God, of God, that brings me to God, is not because of
me, or what I've done, or am doing, or will do. It's all the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let me say that again. Now
I want you to understand that I'm talking about true faith
claims nothing of God or from God except in the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now this brings us down to the
very heart and core of the gospel of free grace. Salvation is by
God's grace alone. The new man, the new man, the
new man thanks be unto God for the new man. Because I can believe
God when I have the new man dwelling in me. Now, let me say that again,
what I just got through with. Everything I have from God, of
God that brings me to God, is not because of me and what I've
done, am doing, or will do. It is the person of Jesus Christ. God-given faith lays hold on
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He that has Christ
has God, and if you have not Christ, you have not God. In
Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we're
complete in Him, who's the head of all principality and power. We're complete in Him. The Bible
says in Ephesians 1 that we're blessed with all spiritual blessings
in Him. And the Bible says in 1 John
chapter 5, He that hath the Son has life, and he that hath not
the Son of God has not life. Romans 8 says, He that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not also through Him freely give us all things? Or is that
okay with you? Is it okay? What is there to
doubt about this? What is there to doubt? It's
all in Christ. Everything is in Christ. The
new man and faith lays hold of Christ. And he believes Him and
believes that all that God has for a sinner is in Christ. And
do you doubt this? Well, if you doubt it, then you
have not true faith. Well, the flesh doubts. The flesh
is the doubter in this situation, and not God-given faith. There's no doubt in that. My
faith knows what God says about Christ is true. Amen? My faith
knows that. What God said about His Son is
true. He didn't question about it.
I can come bold. I believe that that veil was
rent in twain. I believe that through the will
of God, the one offering of the body of Jesus Christ sanctified
me forever. And I am just as clean and pure
as I need to be to enter in to the very presence and fellowship
with God. Bold to do it. Not as bold maybe
as I ought to be. But bold to do it. and full assurance. He said, Preacher, I don't know
if I'll ever get any assurance or not. You can have full assurance. The new man has full assurance. He's got it. That new man is
not struggling like the old man. The old man is the one doing
the struggling. The ups and downs is all in the
old man. Your old man is your enemy and
the enemy of faith and will never ever sit by without trying to
cloud the issues and make your life a miserable life. What do you suppose Paul said?
Oh, wretched man that I am! Who's going to deliver me from
this other self that the King James Version says is the body
of death? My faith knows what God says
about Christ is true. My faith knows that everything
that God has for a poor sinner is in the person of Jesus Christ,
and I don't go anywhere else to find anything else. I don't
look for anything anywhere else. I found it all in Him. He's my
all in all. He's my treasure. He's my salvation,
and I find it all in Him. Does anyone object to that? Or
doubt that? You doubt that? Oh no, it's all
in Him. Of course not. Nobody is going
to object to that. Alright, now the third thing
about true faith. God-given faith receives Christ
according to the order that God has revealed Him in His offices. The Bible says in the book of
Hebrews that God who in sundry times and in different manners
spake in time past to our fathers by the prophets. They had prophets
in the Old Testament. You know, beloved, the Bible
reveals that that's one of the offices of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our prophet. Our prophet
to teach us. Our prophet to instruct us. Our
prophet to reveal God unto us. He's the manifestation of the
Godhead. It dwelt bodily in Him. And He
reveals God to us. He's our teacher. He is our instructor. And we listen to Him. Are you
willing to submit yourself to the prophet? He's the teacher. God said He's fulfilled the office
of the prophet. And He's my servant. And you
do well to hear Him. And true faith does receive Him
as prophet. It receives Him as prophet. Don't
question what He says. Submit to it to the best of their
understanding. Alright, and then the second
office was that of priest. I told you that the Lord Jesus
Christ, you know the priest in the Old Testament was the one
who collected the blood and went in with the hyacinth and seven
times sprinkled it on the mercy seat. Well, our Lord Jesus Christ
is our great high priest. I believe him to be my high priest.
I don't need a priest now. I don't need one. Somebody said,
well, I've got a priest that I visit once a while. I have
one, but he's in heaven at the right hand of the Father. He's
my priest. And he's there making intercession
for me. He's there pleading his blood on my behalf. And I don't
look outside of him for any priestly work. Christ is my priest. And he's the priest, and God-given
faith embraces him as the one who is satisfying and pleading
before God as our advocate, his blood on our behalf. And I accept
him as my priest. The Bible said he with his own
blood entered in once for all to obtain eternal redemption
for us. Once for all he entered in. He's
the priest. He's my priest. And I don't need
any other. Bless the Lord. And I think true
faith grasps him and holds to him as that priest of God. Now then, also you know that
there was kings in the Old Testament. And you remember David was raised
up to be a king over Israel. And the Bible teaches us that
the Lord Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Ah, would it be alright for me
to say he's my sovereign king? He's my sovereign. Now my old
flesh is rebellious like yours is. But if you was to cut me
in the heart, you would find that Christ reigns in here, and
that He is my Sovereign. He's my King. The Lord is my
King. And I strive by the new man always
to submit and bow, and the new man always bows to Him, His Lordship. King of Kings. Do you? Is there
something in you that says God's right? God is right. He always
is right. Something in you that says, you
know, I don't feel like it, but I know that God is a sovereign
on the throne. And I know that His ways are
right. And I submit to it. Do you doubt
this? That God has made His Son to
be prophet, priest, and king? Do you doubt this? No, we bow
to it. to the Lordship of Christ. Now,
fourthly, and we'll hurry in here, faith maintains its claim
on Christ based on His Word whatever the circumstances of life. Now, I want you to get this,
this God-given faith, this faith which God has put in the soul,
it maintains its claim on Christ, based on His Word, whatever be
the circumstances of life. Take Job for an example. Job
had everything, and then he didn't have anything. He had nothing. No cattle, no sheep, no herds,
no children, and no health. But while he was in that state,
did faith ever leave him? Absolutely not. It did not leave
him. He said two things. Though He
slay me, number one, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. I'll trust Him, whatever my circumstances
are. True faith maintains its claim
on Christ based on the testimony of the Word of God, whatever
be the circumstances. What did He say secondly? He
said, I know that my Redeemer liveth. and that he shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth, and though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. That's what he said. And I believe
he knew what he was talking about. His faith never failed him. You remember in the Word of God
that our Master talked about two houses. About one that was
built on the sand and the other on the rock. You probably remember
that. And the Bible says that the rains
came. Now the rains, you listen carefully
because I have to hurry. The rains came, that is trials
from heaven. That represents trials from heaven.
And the floods came, that's trials from earth. And the winds blew,
and that's trials from you don't know where. Mysterious indeed. And the house that was built
on the sand, Jesus said, it fell and great was the fall of it.
And let me say that whenever the house is built on anything
else besides the rock, Christ Jesus, it will fall. Let me say
it this way. Presumption will fall if the
attack is strong enough. Feelings will fail if the attack
is strong enough. Self-righteousness will fail
if the attack is strong enough. Excitement and emotion will fail
if the loss is great enough. Church affiliation will lose
its attraction if the trial is hard enough. Trials will break
down a man who trusts in himself because himself is destroyed
and so he has no one to whom he can look. But the true believer,
his confidence is not in himself. His hope, his faith is not in
himself. And when himself is destroyed
and broken and stripped and humbled, he is looking in the same direction
he was looking when he had all because he's looking to his God,
the same God that he was looking to before he was stripped, humbled,
and broken. And so faith, the faith of God's
elect, looks steadfastly to Christ. It looks steadfastly to God,
whatever the circumstances may be. Now the fall of the flesh
only reveals what it is, and that is flesh. Christ will never
fail you. God-given faith, faith of which
God is the author and finisher. It says he's the author and finisher. Well, why do you suppose it would
say that? Because if he's the author of it, he will see to
it that it is finished. The songwriter said, the soul
that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not desert to
its foes. That soul, though all hell should
endeavor to shake, I will never, never, no, never forsake. No doubt about it. God is not
going to forsake His people that look to Him in faith. Christ
is all, and there's no doubt about it. He's prophet, priest,
and king. No doubt about it. In all my
circumstances, be they what may, we'll work together for my good
and His glory. No doubt about it. Is that true? Is that true? I'm talking about
somebody that's got something more than just an emotion. Something
that's more than presumption. Something more than just, you
know, they got up and clapped two or three times when somebody
was singing a song. I'm talking about somebody who's
got something more than just been somewhere where some hoopy
was going on. I'm talking about somebody whose
soul is anchored in the faith of Jesus Christ. Now then, last
of all, I want to say just a few things here in closing. You say,
but preacher, what are you saying? When you talk about this confidence
and this boldness and this full assurance, doesn't that kind
of talk beget pride? Doesn't that beget self-sufficiency? Well, I make haste to say, no
sir. Not in the area of faith. It does not promote pride and
self-sufficiency. In fact, I believe it does just
the opposite. True faith, the more true faith
is exalted, the lower it is in its own estimation. For example,
the more I understand of God's holiness, the more I understand
my own depravity and my sinfulness. The Bible says in the book of
Romans, where is boasting? And Paul said, it is excluded.
By what law is boasting, by what law is it excluded? He said,
by the law of faith, the law of faith. The more he reveals
to me about his word, the more I realize how much I don't know. It don't make me proud, because
God has revealed himself to me and made Christ known to my heart.
I just know the more he shows me, the less I really know truthfully
about him. Brother, sister, only the self-righteous
has trouble with pride. Mercy-beggars don't have any
trouble with pride. Mercy-beggars, I said. I don't
know whether you want to number yourself among them or not, but
I'm numbered among the mercy-beggars. I need God's mercy. And when
they're dressed up, that is a child of God, a man in true faith,
in His beauty, they know it is His beauty. Don't they know that? I think they do. When they're
given knowledge of Him, they know it's His knowledge. When they have a blessing, they
know it came from Him. That's what they know. No pride
involved in it. And when they have a trial, they
know the Father ordained it. They know it's God's people.
And when they have an open door, they know He opened it. They
know that. What is there to be proud about?
Not a thing. I have nothing but my sin. What
do you have? Nothing but my sin that's really mine. No doubt
about it. That's all that's mine is my
sin. The reason that we're not rambling
morons this morning is by the grace of God. Now, whether you
believe that or not. But I know it to be a fact. No
doubt about it. It's only the grace of God that
keeps men and women, makes men and women to differ. Now, the
reason that I'm not in jail this morning is by the grace of God. It's by the grace of God. You
say, well, I don't know all about that. Well, you may not know
all about that. But the reason that I haven't
committed crimes that others have committed is only by the
grace of God. And if you think otherwise, it's
because you don't know yourself. You don't know much about yourself. You don't know much about that
old man, that old man, that whenever he's pushed and pressed and when
he gets into a bind, you don't know much about him, do you?
I can tell by the look on your faces. Most of you don't know
anything about the old man. That always is an unbelief and
always is full of rebellion against God and God's ways and against
the truth of the living God. But it's in both of us. It's
in all of us this morning. Well, let me say that what on
earth is there in our lives to be proud of? Bolsters of fools. They're not believers. They're
fools. Let me tell you this story and
I'm finished. There was a shabby old man very
poor, very shabbily dressed, was working, Spurgeon said, in
a gentleman's garden with a group of laborers who were working
in the flower beds and in the yard. And the gentleman came
out of the house and he was particularly attracted to this old man who
was ragged and dirty, poor, clothes just barely hanging on him. And
he looked at him and he sized him up, this gentleman did, and
said to himself, he's about my size. So he went into the house
and he bundled up a suit of clothes, and shoes, and a nice shirt,
and a hat. And he went out and when the
men were about to leave, he put them under the old man's arm
and said, is some things for you." And later the gentleman
was in a village close by and he saw this old man. And he was
all dressed up. And the gentleman walked up to
him and said, I hardly recognized you. You're a different man. And he said, no, no. I'm the same fella, the same
beggar. It's just your clothes that make
me look so good. And that's true. There's no doubt
about it. And there's a poem that I used to quote once in
a while that says, I am blessed. I am blessed. My rags are gone
and I am dressed in garments not my own. I'm married to the
Lord, the Lamb, whose beauties I can ne'er explain, nor half
His glory show. And that's true. No doubt about
it. No doubt about it. Father, in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we commit this service to you.
We just pray that you'll own the message and we pray that
you'll use it to edify and to build up the hearts of your people.
I pray thou will give the spirit of illumination to our hearts
to be able to draw that line between the old man and the new
man. And that we may be able to say amen to all those things
that were said about what true faith really does. May you strengthen
us. And may if there be one lost
soul in our midst, we just pray that thou will give them the
gift of faith. Put within them that faith that
never doubts. Put within them that renewed
heart that will live forever with the Lord. When this old
body dies, it shall go to be with the Lord, that new man,
with Him for all eternity. And later to receive a glorified
body like unto His, wherein there be no sin. Old nature gone forever. Hallelujah. Praise your name.
Just use the message and edify our hearts. We beg it in Jesus'
name. For His sake. Amen.