Okay. Yeah. You know, this lady, she does a trance at night. She does a trance. Like a cat or a lion, you know. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. th th Oh, look at that. That's a good one. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Did you have a major role? No. Okay. So mostly, you start right there. And she's called, she represents two persons, you know, people who participate in the work that we do. Of course, Petra is not in this, but she did, you know, I don't know. I mean, yes. But it's something she's only been there for an hour and a half, so it's not, you know, she's not part of it.

Well, I mean, honestly, she was the last one. The high school alumnus needs to be settled. Because I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I don't know if he's going to be able to come back. I It's working. Thank you very much. I'm sorry about that. Thank you. How are you doing? Thank you. Thank you. I'm not sure. I don't know. I've been watching guys. th th th th Yeah. Okay. I don't like it at all. I like it. I like wine. I like wine. I like wine. Thank you very much. th th th th th It's birthday. All around. th th th th Thank you. It's been two years. It's been a long time. It's been a long time. We'll take pieces, and she can work across the board, and she can bring them in. And so there's times when I want to just talk to her, and she can talk to me. I'm sorry, I don't want to say that. So she can work with me, and that's a great thing for us. And then, so that's basically all. It's just, it's a lot. Because it's made, like I said, it's a piece of tradition. It was done on both sides.

Good evening, everyone. Did you take care of the computer? OK. Let's open this service with hymn number 16.

The Lord is King. Let's stand together. Number 16. Joe, you close that.

The Lord is King, lift up, lift up Thy voice
Sing His praise, sing His praise
All heaven and earth before Him now rejoice
Sing His praise, sing His praise
From world to world the joy shall ring
For He alone is God and King
From sky to sky His banners ring
Sing His praise, sing His praise The Lord is King, let all His world
Great is He! Bow to His will and trust His tender care
Great is He! Great is He!
Nor murmur at His wise decrees
Nor doubt His steadfast promises
In humble faith fall on my knees
Great is He!

The Lord is King, and bow to Him ye must
God is great, God is good
The Judge of all, to all is ever just
God is great, God is good
Holy and true are all His ways
Let every creature shout His praise
The Lord of Hosts, Ancient of Days,
God is great God is good.

The Lord is king throughout His vast domain.
He is all, all in all.
The Lord Jehovah evermore shall reign.
He is all, all in all.

? Through earth and time one song shall ring ?
From grateful hearts this anthem spring ?
Oh rise you saints, salute thy king ?
All thy days sing his praise

Please be seated. For our call to worship, we're gonna begin reading Isaiah 40. The first 11 verses in Isaiah 40. Verse one says, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight in the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said, cry. He said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all the good goodness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth. flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass.

" The Lord just told him to tell the children of Israel, comfort ye, comfort ye my people. He said, well, how do you want me to comfort them? Tell them they're grass. Tell them they're grass. When we realize that we're nothing but grass, then we'll need a savior, won't we? The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him.

Tonight we're gonna be talking about rewarded, The title of the message is Rewarded, Favored, and Honored. He said, his reward is with him. In verse 10, behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we've came into this place tonight with the hopes of seeing your face by faith and the hopes of worshiping you. We cannot do that, Father, unless you send your spirit and power and you give us your truth to declare plainly. We pray that you would still our minds for a moment. You would cause us to focus on you. You would shut out the noises of the world and the worries and troubles and cares of this life and that we would be able to see you high and lifted up and seated as our finished, as our successful Savior. Lord, thank you that the reward is Christ and this great salvation that you had wrought by your by your own hand. Father, we pray that. You would cause us to enter into the thought Lord of you carrying us as a lamb. As he just said here in verse 11, you do carry us. You keep your people as you promised you would. Thank you. Leave us not to ourselves. Pray that you would be with those who are sick, afflicted, unable to be here. We asked Lord that you would be with. those who are traveling, pray you give them traveling mercies. We ask all these things in Christ's name, amen.

Number 340, nearer, still nearer. Number 340, let's stand together again.

Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart,
Draw me, my Savior, so precious Thou art.
Fold me, oh, fold me close to thy breast.
Shelter me safe in that haven of rest.
Shelter me safe in that haven of rest.

Nothing I bring, not as an offering to Jesus my King.
Only my sinful, now contrite heart,
grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.
grant me the cleansing thy blood doth impart

nearer still nearer lord to be thy
Sin with its follies I gladly resign
All of its pleasures, pomp and its pride
Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified
Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified

? Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last ?
? Till safe in glory my anchor is cast ?
? Through endless ages ever to be ?
? Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee ?

Please be seated. We're gonna be in the book of Proverbs, the 13th chapter. this evening, if you would like to follow along. As we've seen already, Solomon continues his contrast. In this particular time, it's the wicked messenger and the faithful ambassador, and then he goes on to consider walking with the wise and the awfulness of being the companion of fools. So again, It's those left to themselves, and it's those who the Lord has called out of darkness. It's those who the Lord has saved. The Lord has brought them to the knowledge of the truth, and those who are left to themselves.

Here in our text, what I want to focus on tonight is three precious truths given to God's elect. Three precious things, if you would, that the Lord gives to his people, and they are the reward of the Lord, the favor of the Lord, and the honor of the Lord. And this is all by his doing, as we know, every one of these, if we are the benefactor of it, it has to be him that has to be the one to bestow it and he gets all the glory for it. But these are given to his chosen people on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ because of the finished work of Christ.

Now let's read this Proverbs 13, nine through 18. The light of the righteous rejoiceth, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. Only by pride cometh contention, but with the well advised is wisdom. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathereth by labor shall increase. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Who so despises the word shall be destroyed. He that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. The law of the wise is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. Good understanding giveth favor, but the way of transgressors is hard. Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge, but a fool layeth open his folly. A wicked messenger falleth into mischief, but a faithful ambassador is health. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refused instruction, but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.

Rewarded, favored, and honored. All men by nature that believe in the Bible. Now, believing in the Bible doesn't mean that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, I just wanna say that. So often people think believing in the Lord is the same as believing on the Lord. That's not true. The message that was given is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house. That's what scripture tells us. So it's believe on. But those that believe in the Bible, they want to have favor. They want to be honored and rewarded. But the problem is, is all they can see is what we see with these natural eyes.

Those who don't know Christ, the ones that have not been brought out of darkness into light, those who have not been born again yet, cannot spiritually see or do anything. And we know why that is, because the scripture tells us clearly we were born in sin, we were shaped in iniquity. Our depravity is, we couldn't describe how depraved we are, how bad that we really are. But the only way that person's going to know that. is if the Lord reveals it to him, if he gives him repentance and faith. And in doing so, now I see myself as the sinner, the chief sinner, saying, Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner. And I see the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, I see him as God, not just a weak, insignificant being, but a sovereign Lord, a sovereign God.

This is what the Lord gives to his people on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ. Men naturally conclude about what God, their natural conclusion about who God is or what God is or what he has done cannot ever be true because the natural man receiveth not the things of God. Our minds cannot enter in to the things of God. He says, my ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. As the heavens is above the earth, so is my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. I'm going to have to be born again if I'm going to receive anything spiritually. That's the whole point. He's going to have to teach me because I can't learn this. This is not something that we can learn on our own. These are not physical blessings. This isn't a get rich scheme. This isn't for health, wealth, and prosperity. This is talking about the riches that's found in the Lord Jesus Christ. The reward that's found in the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessing that's found in the Lord Jesus Christ. The favor that the Lord's people have because we're in Christ. The honor that the Lord gives to us because we're one with Him as His bride.

This is the good news of the Gospel because if the Lord requires me to be honorable, He requires me to be faithful. If he requires me to be good, if he requires me to be gracious, he's going to have to be the one that does it because we can't produce that naturally. The flesh is enmity against God, the scripture says. Remember this, in order to understand anything about who God is and who we are, and how he saves sinners, how he saves sinners, how he saved his people from their sin. The Lord's got to be the teacher. He's got to be the revelator. And he promised he would do that to his chosen people. Our hope is this, that God was pleased to elect a people, to predestinate them to be conformed to the image of his son, to ordain their salvation from before time ever began. And then in time, send forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. See, you and I are cursed because of the law. We can't fulfill the law. We can't please God in and of ourself. We can't do anything to make God do something or prevent God from doing something. So that's why we need a savior. We need a substitute. We need a surety. And that's who the Lord Jesus Christ is.

If the Lord doesn't save us all by grace, there will be no salvation. That's what he has to do, is he has to save us by grace. And therefore, we have the interjection of the gospel. How he successfully accomplished the salvation of his people. How he didn't try. How he couldn't fail. When you start, when you're able, if the Lord calls us to see who the Lord is, we realize he can't fail. There's rest in that. There's rest in that.

saved His people from their sin by being our substitute. By living the life that we couldn't live. By dying the death that was not going to do us any good to die. But He did it perfectly so it accomplished the required sacrifice. He shed His blood for the remission of sin. And by His sacrifice put them away. By imputation made us the righteousness of God in Him. By taking our sin unto Himself. After he was successful, he said, it is finished. And he was raised the third day as evidence of our justification. He was raised because we were justified freely by his grace. We were resurrected in him. We were resurrected with him. Now we're seated with him in the heavenlies. When he sat down, we sat down in him.

And you say, what does this has to do about the first part that you just said? Well, I'm getting to that. I'm getting to that. We have to, we're building a, if you will. We have to put the cornerstone first and this is how that's going to be. We're seated in our Lord now. Therefore we're kept by His power until we awaken in His likeness. This is the Gospel, the promise of salvation for the Lord's people. This is our only hope. The Lord leads me to myself. I will not choose Him because the flesh cannot and will not choose God. It's spiritually dead. And that's something men don't preach. They don't tell you that you don't have a choice. They tell you that you have all the power, that you can control God, that you can make him save you by giving him your heart, or you can make him save you by praying a certain prayer, or you can make him do this. I can't make God do anything, and neither can you. Not one thing. He's God. I'm not God. He has all the power, the scripture says. So if he has all of it, how much is left for me to have? None. Everything God requires, we can plainly see He provided in His Son. Everything He requires for my salvation, for the salvation of all the Lord's people. Everything required, He provided in His Son.

Which brings us to our first point. And I'm going to try to get through these, not to I'm not worried about time so much. I don't want it to be confusing. And I pray the Lord, pray for me. The Lord allow me to preach this where it wouldn't be confusing or it doesn't sound jumbled because you know how I am sometimes like rabbit trail this and that, but yeah.

So look at verse 13 with me. Who so despises the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. He that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. Now I thought, what could that possibly mean? So I pulled out my Hebrew dictionary and I looked up the words to try to figure it out. And let me tell you, this is glorious. The Lord allows us to enter into this, what, what these three things it's found right here, what the words mean. It is this fear means reverence. Commandment means precept and ordinances. Reward is to be in a covenant of peace. I'm going to say that again. Fear is reverence. Commandment is precepts and ordinances. And rewarded is to be in a covenant of peace.

So what he's saying, if God's given you faith and repentance, first of all, it's not because you did anything to get it. You don't get to accept or reject faith and repent. That's the gift of God by grace alone. But if he has given you this, then we will reverence his ordinances and his precepts. We didn't do that before. We didn't see Christ as the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. We had to be found in him. That ordinance that happened on the cross of Calvary, what took place there, what God required for the sacrifice, salvation of his people, sacrifice of his son. We, uh, adore. We don't just reverence. We adore that, uh, what the Lord, what his precepts are in that. His precepts and His ordinances. We bow to that. We bow to His sovereignty. We never did that before. We never had reverence towards God. We might have had a thought of who God was. Might have had a little bit of fear of something, but we didn't really know who God was. Only the Lord's people are the ones that truly fear the Lord. Truly. Because they see Him as He is. And it makes us shake in our boots, don't it? And yet, as we're going to get to in a minute, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. That's actually, that's where we're at right now. It's the covenant of peace. That's what he said. That's what that word right there, rewarded, means, is the covenant of peace.

Because he's the doer of all of this, we have found ourself in the covenant of peace. Now, is that different than the covenant of grace? Absolutely not. It's one and the same. It's the exact same thing. Covenant of grace, covenant of peace. And the covenant of grace far exceeds time. Far exceeds time. The ones that were chosen in Christ were chosen before the foundation of the world. They were given to Christ before time ever began. That's the covenant of grace. That means you're gonna be saved based upon what God does, not based upon what you do. No man can be saved based upon what they do. If God requires something, he must provide it. We now bow to his sovereignty. We now say truth, Lord, no matter what the Lord says. We have peace with God. Even though we have godly fear, our fear is reverence to him. It's not that we are Are we afraid of God? I mean, it's that's a only because our hope is found in Christ. We know we don't have to fear the wrath of God. That's the best way I can put it. If it wasn't for Christ, we would have to fear God's wrath. But because he put away our sin, the sin of the Lord's people, we don't have to be afraid. We now reverence him. We now honor him. We now worship him. Because he's the doer of this, we have a covenant of peace with God.

Now I want to slow down because this This hit me, I guess you could say, between the eyes. We have peace with God. the God of this universe, the sovereign creator, the one that demands perfection, that demands holiness, that will not acquit the guilty, the one that will not allow anybody to talk their way out of a problem or what they're guilty of, not gonna be able to give an account and then hope the Lord says, oh, you know, you were a good person, I'm gonna let you pass by. No, if he spared not his own son, he's not a respecter of persons. He's not a respecter of persons. So we have peace. with God because Christ fulfilled the law, Christ satisfied its demands, Christ endured the wrath of God, satisfying justice once and for all, everything do me and everything do you, if we're the Lord's, then Christ Jesus took that whenever he was made to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's exactly what the cross was. It was more than just a transaction, but it was a transaction. That's what happened. He was made sin for us and we were made the righteousness of God in Him. We're no longer guilty. I have peace before God.

When you lay your head on your pillow tonight, Know that if you are in Christ, you have nothing to fear, nothing to fear, not death, not sickness, not pain, not sorrow. You have nothing to fear because the Lord is not going to put anything upon you that doesn't pass through his hand first and for his purpose and his glory and for our good and for our good, no matter what it is. We have peace with God.

Imagine sinful vile creatures of dust. So that's what we are. That's a pretty good definition. Having peace being at perfect peace. through the finished work of Christ with God." How glorious is that? We use words like peace, but don't really think about it. When the Lord looks at us, he says, when he talks about us looking at him, he says, with one look from you, you ravished my heart. That's how he looks at us. He don't look at us in anger and in wrath. He doesn't hate us. He loves his people. That's the glorious part about being in Christ is that he loved his son and we are in him, one with him, the scripture says.

Listen to what Isaiah 26.3 says, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. keep him at perfect peace whose mind is settled. Now, how am I going to keep my mind on him? As soon as we step foot out of this building, where's my mind going to go? I'll be thinking about tomorrow, working. I'll be thinking about this, be thinking about that. It's true. So how am I going to, because the new man created in righteousness looks to Christ by faith all the time. He never stops looking at him. He never stops trusting in him for his salvation. Now the flesh can't do that. It's just impossible. But thanks be to God, everything He required, He provided. He causes us to be birthed into the family of God, giving us faith to see God as He is, as our Savior, and see our need by giving us repentance, everything He requires, He provides. The only way our mind can say upon Him is if He gives faith to do so, otherwise we won't. The only way we can trust in Him is if He causes us to trust in Him, because you know You know as well as I know, we like to trust in ourself. We like to take matters into our own hands.

If something breaks, and I find more and more, the more I do that, the more it breaks, it works. You know, give her done something and you go to fix it, whatever it may be. And you get almost halfway through it. You're really struggling. What should have been a 30 minute job turned into a three hour job. And you said, you know, I haven't even prayed about this yet. And I was just, this happened to me this week. I was convicted. I was like, why ain't I crying out to the Lord? Why ain't I asking for him to have mercy on me? Let me fix this the right way. And, um, woe is me is what Paul said. Woe is me. I, uh, Isaiah said, woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell with a people of unclean lips. Job said I was vile, behold I am vile. Paul said in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. He says that which I would do I do not, but that which I want to do I can't do it. The thing I don't want to do that's what I end up doing. And that's us by nature. And that's clear evidence that we can't do anything to please God. Our flesh is enmity against God. We have to have the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we want this peace, If we want this peace, if we want to reverence His ordinances and His precepts, and we want this covenant of peace, it's going to come through and by being bestowed by grace by the Lord Jesus Christ, because of His finished work. That's the only way. It's the gift of God on behalf of His Son, only given to His elected people at the appointed time. He's now given us reverence to His precepts and ordinances, thereby revealing thereby revealing we have been made partakers of the covenant of peace. I'm not saying, and I want to be clear on this, I'm not saying if you have reverence or if you try to have reverence to his precepts and ordinances, then you'll have part in the covenant of peace. That's not what he's saying here. He's saying you have reverence to the Lord's ordinances and precepts. You love him now. You don't hate him like you used to. Our flesh hates God. Everything about God right now, our flesh hates God. But if he's given you repentance and faith, and he's given you the reverence for the precepts and ordinances, that's evidence that you're in the covenant of peace. Evidence. Not the cause, but evidence.

Our second point tonight is found in verse 15. Good understanding giveth favor, but the way of transgressors is hard. Good understanding giveth favor, but the way of transgressors is hard. Favor. Favor, the favor of God. What a glorious thought to know that we are favored. Of the Lord. Favored of the Lord. You ever heard somebody say, well, that's my favorite person. I'll say that about my wife and children. Sometimes it's my favorite person, the Lord. To his son, that's his favorite person, and because we are in him and we will wake in his likeness. We shall be like him, we shall be made like him, we're gonna be his favorite person too. He don't see us as we are, he sees Christ Jesus and his righteousness. That's the good news of the gospel.

This verse is saying, good understanding giveth favor. Good means precious, understanding means wisdom, and favor means grace. Precious wisdom giveth favor. Well, who's wisdom? Who's wisdom? It's the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? He is the wisdom of God. He is precious. He is precious. If we're the Lord's, we're taught of Him, we will have good understanding, therefore revealing because of what Christ accomplished, we now have favor with God. Can you imagine, you say, what kind of favor do we have? How about being called the sons and daughters of God? sons and daughters of God. The Scripture says in John chapter 3 verse 1 and 2, behold what, 1 John chapter 3 verse 1 and 2, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Brethren, now are we the sons of God. We're not waiting for that to happen. Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be made like him, for we shall see him as he is. We are the sons and daughters of God right now. We're not waiting for that right now.

And if we're his children, what would he withhold from us that we needed? He owns everything. He owns everything. Somebody said, we get afraid sometimes of different things in life, but what would he withhold from us if were the apple of his eye. What would he withhold? What would you withhold from your child if it was in need? Nothing. You'd give him anything you could. So it is with our Savior, our Father. The favor of God is a direct reflection of the love of God. The favor of God is a direct reflection of the love of God. And I'll remind you that these words mean good, means precious, understanding, means wisdom, and favor means grace. So favor is given by grace. The Lord's wisdom is precious. If he's given us wisdom, And we're precious in his sight. Do you see what he's saying there? If he's given you wisdom, you're precious in his sight because he's given you Christ. And he's pleased with his son. He's pleased with his son.

When you get this wisdom, we don't think like we used to. We see him as God. We see him as holy, as just, as sovereign, as true, as righteous. We see us as vile, corrupt sinners. who can do no good in his eyes. Somebody said, well, I'm not that bad. We're a lot worse than we think we are. So much worse than we think we are. That's just what the scripture tells us. We were born in sin. Understand something. This is important. Sin is not what we do. Yeah, we do sin, but sin is what we are from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet. Therefore we sin. I use this example with my children, and I've used this to you several times, but a dog doesn't become a dog when it barks. It barks because it's a dog. Well, we're sinners by nature, by practice, by choice. So if we're going to have wisdom, it's gonna have to be bestowed freely by grace. That's what he's saying here. If we're gonna have favor of God, which is also translated grace, grace and favor, one and the same, then it's gonna come just by that grace alone. It's the only way.

And the last thing, I guess, or blessing, I guess we call these blessings, that's a good way to put it, is found in verse 18. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction, but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored. Honored. Can you imagine being honored by the Lord? honored by the Lord. Did you know the scripture says that the marriage supper of the lamb, he's going to gird himself and serve his people. That's remarkable. Unbelievable, isn't it? I mean, it's, uh, why would he serve us? That's just who he is. That's what he chose to do for his people. Um, We would say probably with Peter, Lord, don't let it be so. And the Lord said, well, if I wash your feet, if I don't wash your feet, Peter, then you have no part with me. Peter didn't want the Lord to wash his feet. I guess he felt maybe guilty, maybe prideful. I'm not sure what he felt exactly. Probably just unworthy, unworthy. But the Lord told him, Peter, if I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me. And Peter said, well, don't just wash my feet, then wash my hands and my head too.

So when we see that in that light with the marriage supper of the Lamb, Delighted, delighted for the Lord for what's gonna take place then. Honored. First word is regardeth, second word is reproof, and third word is honored. Regardeth means to take heed, reproof means chastening, and honored means to glorify, to glorify, or to be honored, or to be honorable.

Only God's elect can take heed to the chastenings of God. You know why? Because the scripture says clearly, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. And if he chastens you not, then your bastards are not sons. That's what the scripture tells us. You don't have a father. We see chastening. Is it true that we see chastening as pleasurable? Absolutely not. But we're able to rejoice in whatever trial, whatever circumstance may be happening. Know who is seating on the throne. That's why we can rejoice. Knowing that the work is finished, knowing that whatever comes, The Lord is the doer of it. The Lord is the doer I can rest in that I can rest in that and we are able to take heed to chastening Why because he said my sheep hear my voice And I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life his sheep There's goats and sheep and a goat don't become a sheep and a sheep don't become a goat Goats and sheep that's it. I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither. So any man plucked them from my hand

I Only God's elect can take heed to the chastings of God. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. He loves his people. You say they don't love everybody. No, he doesn't love everybody. Scripture's clear on that. You can read Psalm 5, 5. It says, Lord hates the workers of iniquity. You know what? The workers of iniquity are those who are working to try to fix their sin or try to get better to please God. That's iniquity. That's what that is. So it's exactly the opposite of what we think naturally we should be doing. I should be doing this to get better. When in actuality, all I'm doing is committing iniquity and the Lord hates the workers of iniquity.

So who does the Lord love? His people, his son. That's who we love. And that's who he chastens. Whom the Lord loves, he chasteneth. And the Lord said this, they all shall be taught of me. My sheep hear my voice. They all shall be taught of me. He's going to teach these people. Psalm 119 says, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. The ability to take heed, the ability to obey the commandment, to believe on the Lord Jesus, that's the commandment. He didn't say commandments. Notice that, that's important. I forgot to write that down. The word, think that was in a different verse. Oh, ok it is verse 13, "'Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.'" That word, commandment we've already went over that. But that commandment is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's the commandment.

But the ability to do so, we don't naturally have that ability. We have to have faith in order to believe. We have to have faith in order to receive. We have to be made alive first. So think about it like this. We're spiritually dead. We're dead men walking. So there's no choice that we can make in the flesh that's going to change anything spiritually until God says live. See, he has all the power. Scripture tells us that God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, and that's us, the darkness, and Christ is the light. That's what he does. The ability to take heed, the ability to obey the commandment, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that's not an invitation, by the way, that's a command, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and only those that can believe will believe. Only the Lord's people can believe, and only they will believe. If we can, we will. I've said that before on many occasions. I'll say this, if you can leave the church, you will. But we're kept by His power, not our own. We're kept by Him, not myself. Why? Because we're bought with a price. Only those that God chose can and will choose Him because they've been made alive.

But that choice is not salvation. Maybe I shouldn't even say it like that. You understand what I'm saying, though. When you get married to your spouse, that's a choice, I understand that. But afterwards, you continue to choose them. You continue to choose them. I'm saying this, salvation's a choice, yes. It's the choice of God, not man. My choice didn't save me. God saved me. Because of his precious blood, he has made his people honorable. Honorable in his sight.

I'm reminded of Gomer. If you remember the prophet, the Lord came to the prophet and said, Hosea said, go down there and marry a harlot, marry a harlot. And what he was doing was, is he was teaching him how the nation Israel was, how they kept leaving the statutes of God, how they kept not honoring the precepts of God, as I just mentioned already. And it was like, he called it harlotry. That's what he called it. And he goes down there and marries Gomer, that's her name. And yet she continues her harlotry even though she's married.

So during that time, Hosea is leaving gifts on the steps of Gomer. And Gomer thinks, so this is all from my suitors. This is all from the men that I'm with. And it was Hosea the whole time. It's Hosea the whole time. The scripture calls the Lord's that's that's us, by the way, I just thought I would mention that we don't even see the blessings of the Lord until he finally reveals it to us. But he has left all those gifts for us. He married what we were spiritually dead. We're spiritually adulterers. I mean, that's just how it is. And that's who he married. But yet, He don't bring up the sin, He calls us honorable. You are honorable in my sight. Why? Because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are honorable in the sight of God. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us. Therefore, we're honorable in His sight. Why? Because Christ is honorable, and we're in Him. We're in Him.

Thank God by His accomplished salvation for His elect, His people are made to reverence. his ordinances, revealing that they are chosen recipients of the covenant of peace, the same as the covenant of grace. We're given precious wisdom, all by his grace, precious wisdom, the Lord Jesus Christ, revealing we have favor with God because of Christ, not because of us, but because of Christ. And we take heed to the chastenings of the Lord because we are taught of God, revealing that we have been glorified in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what this, these three verses, That's what these are. Verse 13 was rewarded, verse 15 is favor, and verse 18 is honored. That's what the Lord's telling us here. I have done all of this, and is it not wondrous in our eyes? This is how God has rewarded his people, favored his people, and honored his people, by giving them Christ as their portion. Christ as their portion. All because Christ accomplished salvation. He didn't try. It's all by grace. Can't say that enough. It's all by grace.

Let's pray. Father, we ask that you would take these words and bless them to our understanding for your glory. Thank you for the rewards found in Christ. Thank you for the honor that your son has given to your people freely by grace. And thank you for favoring your people because they're in Christ. Christ's name, amen.

In closing, let's turn to number 355 and stand together one last time. Number 355.

From every stormy wind that blows
From every swelling tide of woes
There is a calm, a sure retreat
Is found beneath the mercy seat

There is a place where Jesus sheds the oil of gladness on our heads, a place that all beside more sweet, it is the blood-bomber.

? There is a scene where spirits blend ?
? Where friends hold fellowship with friends ?
? Though sundered far by faith they meet ?
? Around one common mercy seat ?

Ah, whither could we plea for aid, When tempest, desolate, dismayed, E'er how'd the hosts of hell defeat, At suffering saints no mercy see? Ah, where on eagles' wings we soar, And sin and since bless no more, And hem come down our souls to greed, While glory crowds the mercy seat.

You're dismissed.