After the service tonight, we
need some of you men to set up the tables and chairs for the
church dinner next Sunday, and there will be no PM services
next Sunday. And also there are three wooden
high chairs that need to be put together if someone could do
that. They're in the far right corner
in the fellowship hall by the audio equipment. Verse 16. We considered this
staggering statement Paul makes with regard
to every believer last week. Know ye not that you are the
temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you. Now, look at this incredible
promise. Verse 21, therefore, let no man
glory in men for all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas
or the world or life or death or things present or things to
come, all are yours. They belong to you. And you are Christ's and Christ
is God's. Now, I don't know of a bigger
promise in the word of God than the one I just read. All things, all things are yours. Whatever comes under the umbrella
of all things is yours. Now, I want you to think of the
magnitude of that statement. Literally, this is not speaking
figuratively. This is literally all things
are yours. I think of when the writer to
the Hebrews. Said, let your conversation be
without covetousness and be content, be satisfied
with such things as you have. What do you have? All things. All things. That is the personal possession
of every believer. That is why Romans 8 28 is true.
All things. Work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. All things are yours. Meditate on that. It's true. This is not hyperbole. This is the truth. I'm not saying
this by way of sensationalism, but everything Jeff Bezos has
is mine. He doesn't know it, but it's
mine. God is using whatever it is for
my good and his glory. Whatever we're talking about,
all things, whatever belongs to Christ, we're joint heirs
with Christ. Whatever belongs to him, all things are yours. You belong to Jesus Christ. Isn't that wonderful? I'm his. I belong to him. I am my beloved
and he is mine. And Christ is God's. Now who
is meant by the personal pronoun? Yours. All things are yours. Who is included in that personal
pronoun? Is this addressed to every son
of Adam? Is this all men without exception? Can all men say this
with regard to themselves? Everything belongs to me. If your parents were very wealthy
and died and left you a will and they left you everything
and it's stated in that will, all things are yours. Could somebody
come up and stake a claim to that? Well, I'm included in that,
yours. No. No one could stake a claim
in that but to whom it was meant for. All things are yours. The promise is not to all men,
but it's made to the people described in verse 16. Know ye not that
you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you. Now I want you and I want myself
to think about the magnitude of that statement. While I'm
talking to you right now, the Spirit of God, the third person
of the blessed Trinity, the creator of the universe, dwells in me. He dwells in you if you're a
believer. He's there whether you're aware
of it or not. He dwells in you. Romans 8, 9 says, if any man
have not the spirit of Christ, he's none of his. This describes
all of God's people. The people of which God said,
I'll be to them a God. I think about the Lord saying
that to you. Speaking of you, I'll be to them a God. And they
shall be to me a people. All things are yours. These are the people chosen by
God, given to Christ, redeemed by Christ, born of the spirit
of God. They are heirs of God and joint
heirs with Christ. Therefore it said of to these
people, all things. Every spiritual blessing. All
that God has to give to the sinner, this world, things present, things
to come, all things are yours. Believe that all things are yours. Now notice in verse 16. Know
ye not that you are the temple of God. And when Paul says, know
you not, he's saying you're behaving yourself like you don't know
this. Know ye not that you are the temple of God, the dwelling
place of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if any man defile the temple
of God, Him shall God destroy. Well, that's strong language,
isn't it? For the temple of God is holy,
which you are. I know our King James says, which
temple you are, but leave out the word temple. Which temple
is holy, which you are. Temple of God is holy. Every
believer is holy. You say, well, I don't feel holy.
Well, you're still holy. You come from God. You're not
of this world. You come from him who is other.
The Lord said with regard to his people, they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. You know the reason you
don't feel like this world's your home? Because it's not.
You're from somewhere else. You have eternal existence in
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. The scripture says every believer
is holy. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, if you're called a saint, saint means holy
one, sanctified in Christ Jesus, chosen to be holy, according
as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy. You don't feel holy, I'm sure,
Feelings come, feelings go, feelings are deceiving. God's Word says,
with regard to every believer, they are holy. Listen to this scripture from
Hebrews chapter 10, verse 10, we read that we're sanctified
by the Spirit of God in the new birth, by the which we're sanctified,
made holy, declared to be holy through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. The blood of Jesus Christ made
this man, that's talking to you, holy. It makes the men and women who
he died for, that I'm talking to, holy. We even read of the sanctification
of the Spirit, being made holy by the Spirit of God, which temple
you are. Now, I want to ask a question. Do you believe you're holy? You are in Christ. You are now. I realized that
the natural man doesn't have the spirit and doesn't understand
anything about holiness. You have to have God, the Holy
spirit. You have to be given a new nature to understand anything
about holiness, but the natural man doesn't have a spirit. He's
got a soul, he's got a body, but he doesn't have a spirit.
Remember in Genesis chapter two, verse 17, where the Lord said,
in the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die, that very day,
not somewhere down the road, that very day. Now, his body
didn't die, his soul didn't die, but his spirit did. died and
that is what Paul is talking about when he says you're dead
by nature. We were dead in trespasses and
sins. We didn't have spiritual life
but those that God elected and Christ died for and are birthed
by God have a spiritual nature that a natural man just doesn't
have. Listen to this scripture as many as received him John
chapter 1 verses 12 and 13. But as many as received him to
them gave you the power to become the sons of God, even to them,
which believe on his name, which were born, which were birthed,
which were fathered. That's the way to look at this.
This is a divine begetting, not a blood, not of the will of man,
not of the will of the flesh, but of God. birthed by God, being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word
of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Child of God, you are
holy. It's hard to say that, isn't
it? David said it. He said, I'm holy. I belong to
the Lord. I've been born of God. Now I want to ask you a question.
Can God sin? No. He's incapable of sin. Utterly incapable. He can't lie. He can't change. He can't be
different than what he is. He can never act contrary to
any of his attributes. God is Holy, amen. You believe that? God is holy. God cannot sin. Let me ask you
another question. Can that which he birthed sin? No, no. He birthed every one of his people
into the kingdom of God. Turn with me in first John chapter
three. We looked at this in Sunday school this morning. 1 John chapter 3. Whosoever, verse 9, 1 John chapter
3, whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed,
the seed of God, that spiritual man, that which is begotten of
God remaineth in him, and he, what's the next word? Cannot
sin. He lacks the ability to sin because
he's born of God. Look in 1 John 5, verse 18, for
we know that whosoever is born of God
sinneth not. You know, if you have something
other than a King James version, you might hope you don't. King James is the best. But if
you do, it might say he doesn't practice it. You know, that's
Utter dishonesty. Someone looking at it. That's
not what it says. It says he does not commit sin. The new man does not sin. We know that whosoever is born
of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself,
and the wicked one toucheth him not. Now I want you to think
about that statement. The wicked one toucheth him not. Now, the
wicked one came to Peter, remember? And the Lord said, Satan hath
desired to have you. that he may sift you as wheat. And how he was sifted, he was
turned inside out. Well, it says the wicked one
toucheth him not. What else did the Lord say? But
I pray for you that your faith fail not. That's the new man
that believes that failed not. The wicked one toucheth him not. Now, Satan can, apart from God's
grace, can do with us Anything he wants to, I have no doubt
about it. He's got plenty to work with, with all of us. But
the wicked one toucheth him not that which is born of God, the
new man. Now this is what the Bible teaches.
It can't be denied. And if someone is thinking, but
I still sin, you still have the nature you were born with. You still have that nature that
has all the appetites of sin that it ever had. That's the nature you're born
with, but thank God I have another nature and greater is he that's
in me than he that's in the world. That is why sin can't have dominion
over a believer. Yes, it's because we're not under
the law but under grace, but it's also because of this. I've
got a nature that's stronger than my old nature. Now what
do you mean by that? Well, there was a time When I
couldn't believe, I couldn't repent, I had no love for God,
I thought I did. I thought I did, but I didn't. That's when I was under the complete
dominion of sin. But when God gave me this new
nature, birthed by the Spirit of God through hearing the gospel,
through believing the gospel, I was given this new holy nature. Now understand this about the
new birth. It's not the flesh. being changed and enabled to
believe the gospel. That would be a denial of total
depravity. That would be a denial of what
Romans 8, 7 and 8 says, the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. It's the spiritual man that believes. It's the spiritual man that loves. It's the spiritual man that repents.
And there's really no understanding of sin unless we're given a holy
nature. It's that holy nature that delights
in the law of God after the inward man. And every believer can say
this, I delight in the law of God. after the inward man, that
new man given, that new creation, that new creature. If any man
be in Christ, he's a new creation. It's a creative act of God. It is that one and only one that
is holy that can claim this promise. That man who is holy, that woman
who is holy. Isn't that mysterious? That we
could be holy and we are holy. Born of the Spirit of God. Now that's the man that this
promise is made for. Look in verse 17, the man in
whom the Spirit of God dwells. If any man defile, the temple
of God, and you're always going to have people trying to bring
you down. You will. If any man defile the
temple of God, now if something's holy, it's immutably holy. It
can't quit being holy. What about Adam when he fell?
He wasn't He was innocent. He had an innocent nature. He
had a sinless nature. But he wasn't holy because holy
is that which comes from God. What about the holy angels? Well,
so to speak, they're set apart to God. There's no question about
that. But some of those angels fell because they didn't have
holy natures. They could be brought down. But
the believer has that which is holy in him. Every single believer,
a holy nature. Now let's go on reading verse
17. If any man defile the temple
of God, him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy,
which you are. Let no man deceive himself. If a man thinks himself to be
something when he's nothing, this is what the holy nature
perceives. You know, it's the holy nature really that owns
the sins of the old man. The old man doesn't really understand
what sin is in the first place. The only person who's born again
is the only person who understands sin. Let no man deceive. If any man thinks himself to
be something when he's nothing, he deceives himself. Be not deceived.
I love that scripture, this scripture. Be not deceived. Evil communications
corrupt good manners. If you make unbelievers your
friends, they will bring you down to their level. Be not deceived. Evil communications, corrupt
good manners. I love this, 2 Corinthians 11
three, Paul said, but I fear lest by any means as the serpent
beguiled, deceived Eve through his subtlety. So your mind should
be corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ. The simplicity. Oh, I don't want to be corrupted
from that, do you? And only by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
by the work of God's grace shall I not be. Now look what he goes
on to say in verse 18. Let no man deceive himself. If
any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, if you
seem or appear to be wise in this world, you appear to have
the tools and abilities to succeed in this world, Do not be deceived
into thinking that that ability has any value in the things of
God. It doesn't. That which is highly
esteemed among men. These are the words of the Lord.
That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
the sight of God. If any man among you seems to
be wise in this world, let him become a fool. that he may be
wise, truly wise. Look what the Lord says about
human wisdom. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. For it's written, he taketh the
wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knoweth the
thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore, let no man
glory in men. Now you remember what was going
on. I'm of Paul. I'm of Paulus. I'm a Cephas. And the real pious one said,
I don't follow any man, I'm of Christ. That's what was going
on in this very chapter. And here he's correcting them
about this. Don't you glory in men. I don't care if it's the
Apostle Paul. Don't you glory in men. I don't
care if it's Peter. Don't you glory in men. Man at his best state is what?
Altogether vanity. That's me, that's you. Do not glory in men. The word glory means have confidence
in, to boast in, to rejoice in. Now we can rejoice and hope in
the glory of God. That's what Romans 5 too tells
us to do. We can glory in tribulation,
knowing who sent the tribulation and what his purpose in sending
it for. We glory in that we've now received
the atonement, according to Romans 5. And you're familiar with this,
I hope. Of him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
redemption, that according as it's written, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Now, this is the one of whom
it can be said that all things are yours, those that glory in
what they should glory in, the Lord. I have confidence in the
Lord. I rejoice in the Lord. I love what Paul said in Galatians
chapter six, verse 14, when he said, God forbid that I should
glory saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know
that's what every holy man says? Without exception, that's an
evidence that they've been born of God. God forbid, perish the
thought, may it never be that I glory in anything. Any work
I perform, any man, I glory only in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I have confidence only in him. I think of what Paul said, we
are the circumcision which rejoice in Christ Jesus. Glory in Christ
Jesus. We have no confidence in the
flesh. No confidence in men. We glory in Christ and have no
confidence in the flesh. Therefore, let no man glory in
men. And then he gives us this promise
for all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
You know, they were arguing what preacher they were under. Paul says, the preachers are
yours. Now there's a very real sense in which the preachers,
that I'm the servant of the Lord. He says that in chapter four,
verse one, let a man account of us as ministers or servants
of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. That's what
I am, if I'm God called, but I'm just a man and I belong to
the church. You know, when people talk about
clergy lady, I hate that with a passion, like the preacher
is some kind of different. He's, he's clergy. He's up here.
And then you got the lay people that is evil. That's all that
is. What are the preachers? Whether
Paul or Paulus or Peter, all things are yours or the world. The world. And I'm not being facetious when
I say Central Kentucky is mine. Part of the world, isn't it? China's mine. Russia's mine. You see, because everything belongs
to my father. And everything belongs to Christ
and I'm a joint heir with Christ. This is not hyperbole. All things
in this world, they're mine. Does that mean I can go into
somebody's house and say, yeah, this is mine? Of course not.
Of course not. But it's all a part of those,
all things working together for good. Every event, every molecule
in this universe is working together by God for the good of his people. All things are yours. This is my father's world. Listen to this scripture in everything. Give thanks. First Thessalonians
5 verse 18, in everything, in everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. It's working together by God
for your good and his glory in everything. In everything, the
things that are unpleasant, the things that you hate in everything,
give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you. What he says next, or life, the
world or life. Now, Christ Jesus is the life. He said that, I am the way, the
truth, the life. His life is the light of men. His life is my life. That is my personal history. His life is my life. Next he says, or death, or death. You know, I, was crucified with
him. That's what scripture says. You
are crucified with Christ. All of the benefits of his death,
whatever they are, they belong to me. Every single one of them. When we think he spake of the
deceased, which he should accomplish what he accomplished by his death.
When he said it is finished, the salvation of all the elect
was accomplished. That's mine. And when we talk
about physical death, that's the day everybody dreads. To
the believer, that's gonna be the best day of your life, is
the day of your death. You're gonna wake up in perfect
conformity to the image of Christ, perfect likeness to him. I can't
describe heaven as I would desire to, but I know this. The best day of this man's life
is the day I quit breathing, because I'll be in the very presence
of Christ beholding His glory, seeing His face perfectly conformed
to His image. All things are yours, life, death.
What's he say next? Things present. Things present. Now we're living in time, aren't
we? One of these days we're not going to be in time anymore.
Revelation 10 says, it doesn't say a time coming, but it says
time shall be no longer. And we'll be in eternity at that
point. We won't know anything about yesterday or tomorrow. We won't know days or minutes.
It's eternal. But there's right now. Things
present. There is therefore now. No condemnation. Right now. Present tense. There
is therefore now in the present, no condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus beloved. Now, are we the sons of God right
now? Now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed. It's coming up. I'm on the downhill
slide right now and I'm glad it's coming up. Now is my complete
salvation when I awaken to His image. It's nearer than when
I first believed. Being now, present tense, now
justified by His blood. Now unto Him that is able to
keep you from falling and to present you faultless before
His presence with exceeding joy. To him be glory both now and
forever. Things present. Things to come. All of providence that has not
yet taken place. That's working together. You
know, we don't have anything to worry about. Nothing. What is it you're worrying about? I don't know how else to say
it. I'm speaking to myself. You know, it's real stupid to worry.
It's just stupid. Everything. to come is for your
good and his glory. All things are yours and you're Christ's and Christ
is God's. Now here's the security of all
this. Let's turn to John chapter 10. John chapter 10, verse 22, And it was at Jerusalem,
the feast of the dedication, and it was winter, and Jesus
walked in the temple on Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round
about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to
doubt? Was he making them to doubt?
I don't think so. Oh, remember, never manspeak
like this man. How long does thou make us to
doubt if thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you. And you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not because you
are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." Now, I don't know
how words can be more plain. He didn't say, you're not my
sheep because you don't believe, did he? He said, you believe
not because you're not of my sheep. Who are the sheep? through
the people he died for. He said, I laid down my life
for the sheep. That's the elect. That's every
believer. He says, you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep
hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all. No man's able to pluck them out
of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." Then
the Jews took up stones again to stone him. One last scripture,
John chapter 17. Verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone.
This is his great high priestly prayer for his people. He says,
I'm not just praying for the 11. Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also. which shall believe on me through
their word. We're doing that right now, aren't
we? We're that group. Them also, which shall believe
on me. I believe on him. I trust him
only as everything in my salvation. I believe on him. I do. I believe
on him. Here's why. That they all may
be one. As thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us. That the world may believe that
thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me, I that are yours, the glory that
God gave to his son, he has given to every believer. That they
may be one, even as we are one, I in them, thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one. And that the world may know that
thou has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me. Father, I will that they also
whom thou has given me be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory, which thou has given me for thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world. Oh, righteous father, the world
has not known me, But I've known thee, and these have known that
thou hast sent me. And I've declared unto them thy
name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast
loved me may be in them, and I in them. All things are yours. Now, as we observe the Lord's
table together, and we think of the broken body, and the shed
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, because of his shed
blood and broken body, all things are yours. Come, pass out the
red wine, please.