If you have your Bibles open
to the book of Isaiah chapter 12, let me read this short chapter
again. I think it is worth reading over
and over again. And in that day thou shalt say,
this is one of the favorite sayings of the prophet Isaiah. In that
day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast
angry with me. Thine anger is turned away, and
thou comfortest me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid,
for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also is become
my salvation, my deliverer. Therefore with joy shall you
draw water out of the wells or fountains of salvation. And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among
the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto
the Lord, for he hath done excellent things. This is known in all
the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant
of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the The Apostle Paul said in the
book of Galatians chapter 4 and verse 19, My little children
of whom I prevail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. Paul says in this verse of Scripture
that he prevailed like a woman having a child for these people,
these Galatian people. And he says it will happen until
Christ be formed in you. Now we have long understood the
Word of God to teach that this thing called salvation, this
thing called redemption, is Christ in you. It is Christ in you. In Colossians 1 and 27, Paul
wrote, To whom God would make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory, whom we preach. So Paul is saying
here that the mystery of the gospel is that salvation is Christ
being formed in a person. That is the Lord Jesus Christ
in you. He is the hope of glory. We have said often in years gone
by that a Christ not in you is a Christ not yours. He is not
yours. You say Christ is my Savior.
Is he in you? Is He in you? Has He been formed
in your heart? Has His very nature been implanted
in your soul? In Galatians 1 and verse 15,
Paul says, But when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb, and called me by His grace to reveal His Son
in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen. Paul says
in this verse of scripture that God separated him from his mother's
womb, called him by his grace, in order that the Son of God
might be revealed in him, that he might preach him among the
heathen or among the Gentiles, the Son of God being formed in
him. And Colossians 3 and 4 says,
when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you
also appear with him in glory, Christ who is our life. Beloved, salvation, redemption,
reconciliation with God is being joined to a person. Salvation is a person. That person
is our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I fear that there
is some in our day who put their religion on. They put their religion
on on Sunday or on special occasions they wear their religion. They can discard their religion
as easily as they put it on because they think that religion is the
outward appearance. They think that it has to do
with the way one comes across to his fellow members of the
human race. It has to do, they think, with
the outward show. But Paul said in Galatians 2.20,
he said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, he said,
I live. Yet it is not I at all that is
living, but Christ liveth in me. liveth in me. Paul said religion is not a thing
you can just put on on Sunday and wear to church. Religion
is not something you can just put on on a special occasion
and go out into the public and act like you're somebody you're
not. Religion is Christ, true religion, is Christ living in
a man. To where it can be said that
yet it is not I at all, but Christ who liveth in me. And so we see
then that the work of redemption and the work of salvation is
you being in Christ. There are so many, many passages
of scripture that is a blessing to read. I remember in 1 Corinthians
1 and verse 30 where the Apostle Paul said, he said, Of God are
ye in Christ Jesus. You're in Christ Jesus who is
made of God unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. And then in that glorious first
chapter of the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, and I say it's
a glorious chapter, wonderful chapter because of that which
it reveals. We see where in verse 3 that
we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. God's people have been blessed.
And they've been blessed with all spiritual blessings. All
God's blessings for His people are in His Son, Christ Jesus. And if you be in Christ, all
God's spiritual blessings are directed toward you. And then
he goes on to explain further in verse 4, according as He hath
chosen us in Him. In Him. He's chosen us to salvation,
to everlasting life in Him. in Christ. It was in reference
to Christ. It had nothing whatever to do
with us. It was unconditional as far as
we were concerned. It had everything to do with
Christ. You see, God planned and purposed
our salvation from eternity past and chose us in reference to
Christ. You see, He could do that. Now
you see, He could do that because He could count on His Son. He
could depend upon His Son. He could depend upon his Son,
Christ Jesus, to fulfill all the demands that he made of men
under the law. He could depend upon him doing
that. He could depend upon him providing a perfect righteousness
on the behalf of his people. He could depend upon the Son.
Now, he did not choose us. He did not choose us apart from
Christ, because only in Him is there life and salvation, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved. We're accepted before God. You
say, Preacher, don't you say that too much. Can't say it too
much. You cannot. Because we still
have people that have been under the sound of it, but still never
heard it. Your acceptance is in the Beloved
One, in the Lord Jesus Christ. How else could God accept you?
You're a proud hypocrite if you have the idea that there's some
other grounds upon which a thrice holy God could accept you. You're a proud rebel. If you
think there is, there is no other grounds upon which God Almighty
could accept a sinner like you and I, except on the basis of
accepting us in His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're
all sinners. We all have failed. We all have
come short of the glory of God, Romans 3 and 23. We all, judged
by God, there is not a just man on the face of the earth that
doeth good and sinneth not. Not one. All have sinned and
come short of God's glory. And so in the beloved one, We
have redemption, we have salvation, we are saved and are being saved
through the merits of this One that God has accepted in our
place. You see, God has accepted Him
in my place. Hallelujah! You see, God can
do that, you see, because He's perfect. The Lord Jesus Christ
never sinned. No guile found in his mouth.
He was righteous. Perfectly righteous. So God could
accept him in my stead and I could be blessed as he ought to be
blessed. And he was treated on Calvary's
cross like this sinner ought to have been treated, and this
sinner ought to have went to hell, and Christ went to hell
on the cross for me. And so we can rejoice this morning
if we're in Christ Jesus. Now we need to understand that
truth. That is the very heart of the gospel. And then Paul
said further in the 11th verse, in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance." Now you see,
if you are in Christ, you have you have received God's inheritance,
the inheritance Christ ought to have received. Now there's
not a one of you here this morning that would have the audacity
to stand in the face of God and imply that you deserve to have
the same inheritance as his beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anybody here that way? Nobody
here would do that. But isn't it wonderful in whom
We have obtained an inheritance being predestinated unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ according to the good
pleasure of His will. And it's glorious that we will
be glorified together with Christ and that we will have in eternity
what He deserves to have. Now, I don't see anything offensive
about that gospel, do you? Now, if there's something about
that that is offensive to you, then it would only be because
you're a proud rebel and that you're still alienated from God,
not reconciled to God. Beloved, listen, I believe that
God the Father, God the Holy Father, that He deserves to have
a people just like His Son, to worship Him throughout all eternity.
Is that alright with you? God's going to have that kind
of people. It's the kind of people He's going to have. Now in order
for us to understand this a little better, there's about three things
that I want to mention to you in the time that we have. And
I'll attempt to be as brief as I can. But in this work of redemption,
this work of God saving a people, this work of God choosing a people
in His Son, this work of God, this saving and redeeming work,
it must be considered as it truly is an eternal work. It is an eternal work. Not only a work in us, but a
work for us. I would invite your attention
to a very familiar passage of scripture found over in the book
of Romans, chapter 8. This work must truly be considered
as an eternal work. Notice, if you will, in verse
29. Now you take heed to that word
for whom there. Whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn
or the pattern among many brethren. That all others would be just
like him. But in for whom he did foreknow. Here we find ourselves all the
way back in eternity before the world began when only God was. We see ourselves projected back
into eternity and God has foreknown a people. Now you see in this
that this whom he foreordained Here he goes on to talk about
them. First of all, he says they've
been predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son. And
moreover, whom he did predestinate, in verse 30, them he also called,
and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified,
them he also glorified. Now for those whom he foreordained,
They were on this end of the stage, now those same people,
he says, he also glorified their way out there on that end of
the stage. So you see that it is an eternal work. an eternal work that the Lord
has done. Now these, this them, them, and
whom he justified them, he also glorified. So you have whom and
you have them. Now they're the same people,
are they not? But don't you see here that it
has been an eternal work that has gone on here by the Lord. He calls these people, this whom,
in the Bible he calls them his sheep. His elect, his brethren,
his church, spiritual Israel, his people, the whom whom he
foreknoweth. Now note this as you read verse
30, he glorifies these people. And in 2 Peter 3 and 13, I'm
interested in the Lord's glorifying of His people. And in the fact
that He has in His eternal purpose said, them I also glorified,
them He also glorified. I'm interested in this. Because
I'm interested in being of that number that is talked about here
when it says whom and them. I'm interested in being involved
in that. In 2 Peter 3 and 13, Peter said,
nevertheless, we according to his promise look for a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. We're going to
be glorified. We have been chosen, ordained
to eternal life, and we will be glorified together with him. Philippians 3 and 20, for our
conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change. our vile body that it
may be fashioned like unto his glorious, his glorious body. So you see, beloved, it is in
our future to be glorified, but God has spoken of it, God has
spoken of it as if it had already come to pass. Psalm 17 and verse
15, As for me, David said, I will behold thy
face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with
thy likeness. God's people are going to be
like the Lord Jesus Christ and they're going to be glorified
and have a glorified body just like he has. In 1 John 3 and
2, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. We're going to be like the Lord
Jesus Christ. We're going to be conformed to
his image during our lifetime, and then we're going to be like
him. when we get to glory, get to heaven. Now in Revelation,
if you would turn to chapter 21, I would like to read a few
verses out of the 21st chapter of the book of Revelation. I'm
saying that this work of salvation, redemption, is an eternal work. God had it all in view from eternity
past when only he was until the very end, until all of that mass
that he's redeemed are all gathered together in glory and are assembled
around the throne of God. Now then, starting with verse
1 of chapter 21, let's read down through verse 5. And I saw a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John,
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride, adorned for a husband. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
This is when we are in a glorified state. And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
For the former things are all passed away. God's people are
there with him, and they're shut in with him for all eternity
in a glorified state. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, for these
words are true and faithful. And so we see then that if you
take the Whom, back in Romans chapter 8 verse 29 and then verse
30, and think if you will of the decades and the centuries
and the millenniums that took place between those two words,
Him foreknowing a people and Him glorifying those people,
you can see how that it is an eternal It is an eternal work,
whom and them. Those he loved in Christ, those
he chose in Christ, those he gave to Christ, those who he
ordained to be like Christ, he glorified. He glorified them. So long before time began, God,
in an eternal counsel, purposed to have a people, and these people
like the pattern, the Lord Jesus Christ. So it is an eternal covenant. His Lamb, the Bible speaks of
the Lamb of God and how that he was slain in the mind and
the heart of God before the foundation of the world. And then in Revelation
5 and verse 6, as the unfolding of the of the scene there in
heaven, John saw in the midst of the elders there stood a lamb
as it had been slain. You see the same thing here.
That is Christ was the lamb slain in the mind of God before the
foundation of the world. And then John in the end time
In the end time, in the time when all things are coming to
its conclusion, he sees this Lamb as it stands in the midst
of the throne as it had been slain. Same Lamb. And you think
of the eternal aspects of this. Think of the many things that
have transpired between the Lamb chosen in eternity past and the
Lamb exalted in eternity to come. the eternal work of God. Now this is very important for
us to see. All that took place in the millenniums
between the two, God had it all purposed and yet he speaks of
it as being something that in the scriptures as if it was just
one right after the other. And so it's an eternal work that
God has done. Acts 15 and 18 says, known unto
God are all His works from the beginning of the world. God knows
all that He purposes and plans to do, and it's all known to
Him from the beginning of the world. So this work of salvation
is, as I see it, an eternal work. Christ is the author, not only
is the author, but he's also the finisher of the faith. Salvation
is of God from its origination to its completion. It is all
of God. Now, beloved, this whom and them,
as I said earlier, I want to be among these at the feet of
Christ in that day. I want to be among these. Now,
as one old prophet of God said, there's plenty of room in heaven,
but there won't be any vacancies. There won't be any vacancies.
Plenty of room in heaven, come on in. But there won't be any
vacancies when all of the Lord's people are assembled home in
heaven. But I sure would like to be there.
And I believe by the grace of God, because of Christ Jesus,
and because of my being in Him, accepted in Him, and having the
same inheritance that He will have in eternity, I believe,
by the grace of God, I will be there. Now the second thing I
want to talk a little bit about, that I understand this also,
and that is that the work of God in the saving of his people
is a lifetime work. It is a lifetime work as far
as the elect are concerned. Now, you just follow with me
a little bit here, and I believe you will agree with what I'm
saying. This is no new doctrine. This is very plainly taught in
the Word of God. I understand that this work of
God in the saving of His people is a lifetime work. God intends
for us to be conformed to the image of His Son. It is God that
worketh in you both the will and to do of His good pleasure. To those who are being saved,
Christ is the power and the wisdom of God. And so we believe what
the Word of God says. This work is a lifetime work. It will take as long as we live
for God to save us completely. Brother Glenn came in this morning
and said that he was going to be, how did you say it? He said
he was going to be perfect someday or something like that. And we
agreed that someday he would be. But God is still working
on him. God is still working on him. God is still working
on all of us. If we are his children, he is
working on us. And we're confident of this very
thing that He that begun a good work in us will perform it until
when? Until the day of Jesus Christ. God is working on His people. And He will continue to work
on His people. Now then, Paul said, now is our
salvation nearer than when we first believed in Romans 13 and
verse 11. And in Jeremiah 1.5, we see where
that God began with Jeremiah before he was conceived in the
womb. I invite you to turn back with
me to Jeremiah chapter 1, and we see that God begins with the
elect. He begins with the elect before
they're ever born. He knows them before they come
into this world. He wrote their names down in
the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world.
You say, well, I don't know whether He knows them or not. He knows
them. He knows them. I'm telling you the truth. God
knows His people. And here in Jeremiah 1 and 5,
He says, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. Before
that seed was put and planted in your mother's womb, I knew
thee. I knew you. And before you came
out of the womb, I had already set you apart. and ordained you
to be a prophet unto the nations. I had already done that. Now
you see then that God started with Jeremiah before he was formed
in the belly. And God said, I know you, I know
you. And then, of course, if you turn
over in the Word of God to the book of Romans chapter 9, you
see the same thing again. And God begins with his people. Let me make this statement to
you this morning. If you're one of them, one of
those whom has been foreordained, them who is in the mind of God
glorified, then God is knowing you from your mother's womb.
God is knowing you. The Bible says of John the Baptist
that he was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb.
I believe that all infants who die in infancy go to heaven.
I believe every one of them, I believe every one of them are
regenerated at the time of their death and are taken into glory. I just believe that. That's what
I believe about babies dying. Now God will do right about babies. But that's what I believe about.
But I want you to know that Jeremiah was one knowing of God, and John
the Baptist was one knowing of God, filled with the Holy Ghost
from his mother's womb. And so God is knowing you. He
did all of his knowing at one time. And that was before the
foundation of the world. Now everyone coming into this
world, hear me out carefully, has the hand of God on them for
mercy or for wrath. Everyone coming into this world
has the hand of God upon them from the womb for mercy or for
wrath. Now let me show you that here
in the 9th chapter of the book of Romans. Here in the 9th chapter
of the book of Romans, in verse 10, And not only this, but when
Rebekah also had conceived, by one, even by her father Isaac,
for 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. God, how do you
know that? I know that because I know all
things. And I know that because I'm going
to set the circumstances. I'll be the one that triggers
all the events that take place in these boys' lives. I know,
I know Jacob and Esau and Jacob have done no good or evil, but
I, God says, have a purpose. Now, beloved, we must ever bow
our knee to the fact that God, the holy God of heaven, has a
right to have a purpose of His own. Now, is not it better that
God have a purpose, this holy and just one, this one who is
too wise to err and too holy not to do right? Isn't it right
and proper that He have a purpose? Oh, you say, well, I think he
should give consideration. Well, there again, that's rebellion
against the God of the Bible when you suggest that you know
better or somebody else knows better. And whenever you hear
somebody like Mitch mentioned a while ago saying it's not fair,
My friend, you're talking to a irreligious, you're talking
to a rebel against God, you're talking to an unconverted soul,
when you hear it come out of their mouth, it's not fair when
it comes to God. God Almighty is thrice holy,
we shall not contend with God, shall the wax contend with the
fire? My friend, we shall not contend
with God. God has a right to do what he
will with his own. He's a sovereign God and he will
do what is right. And we must believe that. Sanctify
the Lord. May this be a place Hallowed
ground here, where God, hallowed ground in this place where God
is always sanctified. God is always set apart. People
come through that door are people who say, God is right, regardless
of what happens to me and mine. God is right, and I'm going to
accept that, I'm going to believe it, and I will not allow myself
to ever entertain the idea that God can be wrong about anything.
He is not wrong. He never will be. You say, well,
I don't see it that way. Well, you may not see it that
way, and it may not even look that way from where you're at,
and I would agree with you. It may not look that way, but
you see, God started this thing long before any of us showed
up, before we got on the scene. And He knows a man from the womb,
and He says, Jacob, He said the elder here is going to serve
the younger. And in your eye and other people's eyes, the
eyes of the Jewish fathers, it should have been the other way
around. But God said it ain't going to be that way. It's going
to be this way. Because my purpose is going to stand. It's going
to stand. And I will do all my pleasure
and it will stand. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved? I loved him from the womb. But
Esau have I hated. Esau have I passed by. I passed
him by for reasons known to myself. And God's got a right to have
them reasons, friend. And you need to bow to that.
God has his right to have his reasons. Praise his name. So
we say it again that everyone coming into this world from their
mother's womb, they have the hand of God upon them, the hand
of God for mercy and grace and salvation and everlasting life,
or the hand of God for wrath and judgment. This is true. This
is what the Word of God teaches. Now, beloved, do you believe
that God knew Saul of Tarsus before he was born into this
world? I believe that God knew him.
He knew him before he was ever converted on the road to Damascus. You say, well his life was a
mess. Oh yes, but he was religious,
he was very religious, and he was a blasphemer, and he was
a persecutor of the Lord's church, but God knew him. He knew him
when he came out. Paul said in Galatians 1 and
15, I read it to you a while ago, that it was God who separated
him from his mother's womb. God did this, Paul said. He separated
me from my mother's womb. He was right there in the room
when I was born. He was there because I was one
of his chosen servants, one of those chosen sons of God. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ is
a revealing Christ. He reveals himself. He does not
try to hide from anybody. He reveals himself. And the Lord
Jesus Christ will be revealed to the heart of those who had
the hand of God upon them when they came into this world for
mercy and grace, be revealed to them in His good time. You say, can you tell me when
that will be? No, but I'll say in His good time. in his good
time, they will be revealed to him. Now for an example of that,
I want you to turn back with me to the book of Luke chapter
2. Let me read you a short story
here and you will see exactly what I am talking about. Now
as the Lord knew Saul of Tarsus, here we see there was a man by
the name of Simeon. And behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost
was upon him. And it was revealed unto him
by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up
in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now let us bow
thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. mine eyes have seen thy salvation."
Now, beloved, I assert to you that, and declare to you, make
bold to say that what happened here to Simeon will happen sometime
or other between the cradle and the grave to everyone whom God
has laid hold of in old eternity, those whom ye foreknow. And God
will lay hold on them in time. Christ will be revealed to them. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ himself
said this in John 6 and 40. He said the same thing. He said,
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
seeth the Son may have everlasting life. Now what was he saying?
Was he saying that only those who were living at that time,
who looked upon the Son prior to His crucifixion and His ascension
back to glory, that they would have everlasting life? No, no,
no. That's not what he's saying.
He's saying that all of those that have been called of the
Father, chosen of the Father according to His will, that they
will see the Son and will have everlasting life. Now, this is
what the Lord Jesus Christ says. They will see Christ in His power,
they'll see Him in His wisdom, they'll see Him in His redemptive
glory, they'll see His saving work on their behalf. It'll be
revealed to them through the preaching of the Word of God,
and they will hear the glorious message of the redeeming work
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and suddenly it's revealed to them.
Suddenly it's made known to them, and they know that Christ is
their Christ, and they died in their room and stood in place.
You may be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, who knows when this occurs, but
sometime or other, if you're one of the whom he foreknew,
then you will be one of them whom he calls and them that he
justifies, and them that he glorifies. It will happen, my friend. I
don't know how long it will take, but it will happen. And then
again, too, I want you to know this, that you will be kept.
You will be kept as a child of God. Here you come out of your
mother's womb. The hand of God is on you for grace and mercy.
Hallelujah. You will be kept. until that
time of your regeneration. And that regeneration is in the
hands of God. You will be kept. You will be
kept. God will keep you. He will. He
will keep you. And then after you experience
this revelation, of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will yet be
kept, as the songwriter said, until the river rolls its water
at your feet. He shall bear you safely over
until the Lord Jesus you meet. And so, my friend, you will be
kept. Now you say, well, but what happens
if we fall away? Well, you're not going to fall
away. You say, well, you may fall away for a while. Well,
you may fall away for a while. You're not going to fall away
permanently. The Word of God is full of stories about the
people of God and how that they have slipped. And the Bible talks
about them falling seven times, and the Lord lifting them up.
And you read in the scriptures about David and his fall, and
about Peter and his fall, and it's clearly taught in the Word
of God that God's people are God's people, and there isn't
anything going to change that. They're the Lord's people. They've
been given eternal life. None shall pluck them out of
his hand. They have eternal life. They shall be kept, as we said,
until the river rolls its water at our feet. And in Jeremiah
chapter 32, these are great verses. In verse 38, And they shall be
my people, and I will be their God. They shall be my people,
and I will be their God, and I'll give them one heart. I'm
going to give my heart, God says, in one way that they may fear
me forever for the good of them and for their children after
them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will
not turn away from them to do them good. God said it's an everlasting
covenant. It's settled with my people.
I will not turn away from them to do them good. I'm going to
do them good all of their lives from the cradle to the grave.
I will do them good and in eternity I will still be doing them good. I will make an everlasting covenant
with them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts
that they shall not depart from me. I'm not going to depart from
them, and my fear will be in their hearts that they shall
not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them
to do them good. I will do them good. I'll rejoice
over them. Now you see, God said this. He
didn't have to say this. He did say it. And I'm telling
you that there is such a thing before a person receives the
grace of God experientially into the heart, that is, That is prevenient
grace that God does keep. And I've heard testimonies from
many of this grace. For some reason, they didn't
perish in an automobile accident. For some reason, they came back
off of the battlefield. For some reason, this happened
and that happened. But they were spared until a
regenerating power of God came upon them. And so God's people
will be kept. And I am confident again in Philippians
1, 6 of this very thing that he that hath begun this work
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. I believe that
God's people must persevere. Must persevere. And they will
persevere. They will persevere. God has
put His fear in their hearts. Now, you know, every once in
a while you have an influx of people. They come into the church
and after a little while, they endure for a little while and
then most of them leave. And you say, what's happened?
Well, you see, what's happened whenever this occurs is the fact
that some stay. And those that are being saved,
they normally are the ones that stay. I'm not saying that God
didn't lead his people out of one church into other churches.
I'm not saying that. And I will not say that, because
God can do what He pleases about that. That's His business. And
they're His children, He can do what He wants. He can plan
them wherever He wants to plan them. But I'm saying that oftentimes
there are those who do leave out of the building, but there
are others that stay. because God is saving those people. Now if you get somebody that
goes off and stays off and will not come in and come back into
the way, then it is evident that God never had his hand on them.
But if God says you're my child, ain't nothing going to change
that. You can change your name if you want to, and you can change
your address, you can change anything else about yourself
you want to, but that ain't going to change the fact that you're
His child. You're His child, and you will
be forever. And that ain't going to change.
Thanks be unto God. I kind of feel a little bit sometimes
like I'm preaching up against something here this morning,
but I hope not. I hope not. Well, so if God puts
you in the way, then you will never leave the path. We cannot
cease to be his children. It is an eternal work. It is
a lifetime work. But then there is indeed a day
of divine visitation. And these verses that I read,
or that I read to you, and that Randy read to you earlier, out
of the book of Isaiah, if you want to turn back there just
quickly, I'm going to let you go just a little bit here. But the
book of Isaiah, chapter 12, and I mentioned earlier that this
was one of the key phrases of Isaiah. one of the key phrases
of Isaiah. There is a day of salvation,
a day, a definite day. Now I do not ask, I do not think
that you should be looking back for a day in your life when you
actually experience the Lord's salvation. I don't think you
ought to do that, because you get to trusting in a day instead
of Christ if you do. Most of God's people, the revelation
comes, you know, like the sun coming up on a foggy morning,
burning the fog off. The revelation comes in that
way. And God is not, He is not, you know, subject to 24-hour
days like we are. But in that day, in the day when
the Lord chooses, in the day when the Lord pleases, there
is a day of salvation. Paul talked about that in 2 Corinthians
6 and 2. He said, I have succored thee.
And he said, in the day of salvation. And this is the day in which
God is revealing himself unto his people. We're living in a
time when God is yet calling out and yet saving a people. A time when a sovereign Redeemer
is confronting and meeting sinners in the way. Those sinners that
he chose in eternity past, they will come to know the Lord. And
so here in Isaiah chapter 12, in that day, thou shalt say,
O Lord, I praise thee, though thou wast angry with me, thine
anger is turned away. And thou comfortest me. This
is talking about the salvation, the day when a person receives
that glorious salvation that has been purchased, paid for,
planned by the Lord Jesus Christ, which has been prophesied in
chapter 11. This Lord Jesus Christ said,
we will praise Thee. That's the church speaking up. I will praise Thee. Though Thou
wast angry with me. God's people feel that God was
angry with them before they were reconciled to Him experientially.
They feel that. But now that which we felt was
against us has been turned away. And you have comforted Me. You've comforted me. And hallelujah,
isn't it wonderful when God comforts His people and brings them out?
Glorious, glorious salvation. Now, I want to say this, we don't
have a Savior who is unrevealed. He is a revealed Savior. We know this Savior. And I talked
to you earlier about the fact that He is pleased to reveal
Himself. And we don't have a Savior who
we do not know. We know this Savior. We know
this Redeemer. And we do not have a husband
we do not know. The church does not have a bridegroom
that they do not know. He is revealed unto them. And they know this one. There's been this day of the
Lord wherein He has been revealed. Now the woman at the well, you
remember the woman, the story of the woman at the well, at
Syker's well? And you remember that her life had been a mess. Oh, how messed up her life had
been. And been married time after time,
and was living then with a man who was not her husband. And
you remember that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to her. And you see, this is a picture
of what we've been talking about this morning. And that God's
people, and we know that this woman was purposely saved by
the Lord, no accident, because Jesus had said prior, I must
go through Samaria, have to do it. I must, why? Because there's
people there, my people are there. And so I must save this woman. And so he had foreknown her,
and so in time, there was a day when she had Christ revealed. Oh, when the Messiah comes, he'll
tell us all things. I that speak unto thee am he.
I am he. And so he revealed himself to
her. And she believed on him. And then you remember Jacob,
how he went out and wrestled with the Lord all night. Jacob
was a contriving deceiver, and yet there came a time when God,
there was a day when the Lord revealed himself to old Jacob. Jacob was never the same after
that. He lived after that. Not only that, but that's where
God changed his name to Israel. And he was never the same after
that. Just like the woman at the well
was never the same after this day. This day when the Lord was,
his anger is turned away and they're comforted and they say,
Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid.
They're trusting in the Lord from that day. And you remember
Moses. Moses was about 80 years old. But you know how the hand
of God was on him, from the bill rushes, you remember? How he
was a comely child, and the decree had went out to kill all these
male children, but yet here he was floating in a basket, and
taken into the house of Pharaoh's daughter, preserved all those
years. There he made an attempt to deliver
the people of God, and killed one of the Egyptians, and buried
him in the sand. This was before Moses really
had come experientially to really know God. But when he was 80
years old, I believe, at the burning bush, is when God revealed
himself as the great I Am unto Moses. And this is a very picture
of what we've been talking about this morning. But there comes
a day of divine visitation. A day when God will visit. A
man's soul, if he's purposed to save him. Now, in several
places, this phrase, and in that day, shalt thou say, O Lord,
in that day, is found, and in Isaiah 11 and 10, I'm not going
to have you turn there, Isaiah 2, verse 11 and verse 17, and
then Isaiah 25, 9, Isaiah 26, 6, and then, of course, here
in Isaiah 12, in that day, in that day. And like I say, don't
go looking back for a day. Just believe that there was a
day when God confronted your soul, if you're a believer. Because
you see, beloved, we're saved in the context of the faith we've
got right now. Not in the context of the faith
we had 10 years ago, or in the context of the faith we had 20,
40, 50 years ago. In the context of the faith right
now that we've got in the shed blood of our Redeemer, in His
preciousness, in His ability to save. And we're believing
on Him right now. You've trusted Him now, today. Somebody says, it's not that
I trusted Him 30 years ago. Well, praise God, I did trust
Him over 50 years ago, but I'm not looking back to that, I'm
looking at right now. Oh John, do you believe today that Jesus
Christ shed His blood, died in your room and stood in place,
and do you believe that God has accepted you in Him today? Do you believe that? Hallelujah,
I believe it. today that God has accepted me
in the Beloved One. Therefore, he says, for the Lord
Jehovah is my strength and my song, and he also has become
my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall you
draw water out of the wells of salvation, out of the fountain
of salvation, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that day,
there it is again, shall you say, Praise the Lord. Call upon
his name, declare his doings. The Bible says, Whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And in that day,
shall you say, Praise the Lord. And he said, Call upon the name
of the Lord. Call upon his name, declare his
doings among the people. And that's what happens in a
testimony meeting, when somebody truly knows what God's done for
them, and they stand up and say, I want to tell you what the Lord's
done for me. Well, make mention also, he says, that his name
is exalted. Well, God has given him a name
which is above every name. And that name is a high name.
It's an exalted name. It's that name which is above
every, as we said, every name. Sing unto the Lord. And God's
people have a song in their hearts that they sing unto the Lord.
Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs making melody unto the
Lord. They have a song in their hearts. God gives it to them. And why? For He hath done excellent things. Would there be anybody here that
would look over, survey what things the Lord has done and
come up with any other conclusion than that he hath done excellent
things? Well, brethren, when it comes
to me and God allowing me to be involved in his redemptive
purpose, well, from my standpoint, that's an excellent thing. Praise
his dear name. I glory in the God of my salvation. And he says this is known in
all the earth, these excellent things. How is it known in all
the earth? By the church going into all
the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. That's how
it's known, that's how it's known in all the earth by the word
of the Lord going out being published. Now cry out and shout thou inhabitant
of Zion, all the children of God are inhabitants, spiritual
inhabitants of Zion. For great is the Holy One of
Israel, who is Christ, who is in the midst of thee. Did He
not say, Where two or three of you are gathered together, there
am I in the midst. I am in the midst of the brethren.
I will sing in the midst of the brethren. God is in the midst
of His people, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, beloved, look
to that day that the Lord has given you. Whether you can pin
it down and say it was on February the 8th or 9th Such and such
a year? No, no. Some people can do that,
and I'll have any problem with it if they can. But don't trust
the day. Trust the God who saved you in
that day. Trust His power and His grace. Well, these were the things that
were upon my heart this morning, and I hope that they were not
so scattered, the remarks were not so scattered, that I was
kind of feeling my age this morning, I guess. Nevertheless, I hope that these
things were clear enough to where you could grasp them and get
a blessing out of focusing on these things. Our salvation is
in the hands of the Lord. And that's whose hands? I'm glad
it's in His hands, aren't you? Father, we thank You for Your
Word, we thank You for this privilege of preaching this morning, and
we ask that You will own this message and bless Thy people
as they meditate upon this, maybe coming from a little different
angle, but Lord, might they be blessed and encouraged and strengthened
by what they've heard. And we do pray that there be
one here who has just received, maybe today, a revelation of
the fact that God's hand is upon them for mercy and grace. Might
they rejoice? And as they are comforted, might
they be willing to confess? Oh, that their faith would be
one that would confess. The scripture says, he that believeth
and is baptized, he that believeth with a faith that will confess
itself shall be saved. And I pray, Father, that if there
be one here in whom you've done this great and excellent work,
they would not hold back. but tell about the great work
of God, the excellent things the Lord has done for them in
their life. We ask it in Jesus' name, and
for His sake, Amen.