This morning for our Bible study
I would invite you to turn to 2 Timothy 2 Timothy chapter 2
and let's read verse 19. Nevertheless the foundation of
God standeth sure. Having this seal the Lord knoweth
them that are his. Now this second epistle written
to the young pastor Timothy, Paul was about to leave the battlefield
and enter into glory, where a crown of righteousness was laid up
for him. He said this in 2 Timothy chapter
4, he said, I'm ready to be offered The time of my departure is at
hand. I've fought a good fight. I've
finished my course. I've kept the faith." He had
seen and experienced many things in his life which caused him
grief and concern. False prophets and false brethren
seemed to abound on every side. was being commonly received as
the truth of God. The faith of some who professed
to be believers were overthrown. But the Apostle Paul was about
to leave, when he was about to leave the care of these churches,
he found a source of great comfort and encouragement in his soul. And he writes this promise to
Timothy, the young preacher, and he says, the foundation of
God standeth sure. There's nothing more comforting
to the hearts of God's servants and God's people than the fact
that the church of God is safe. The work of God is certain and
secure. Though the earth be removed,
though the mountains be carried in the midst of the sea, the
believer says we will not fear. The foundation of God standeth
sure. Our Lord gave this promise again
In Matthew 16, he said, I'll build my church upon this rock,
upon Christ himself. I'll build my church in the gates
of hell. Even death itself will not prevail
against my purpose. You see, my friend, and here's
the point that I hope I can sound the note on clearly this morning.
The foundation of God standeth sure. Now we know, let me give
you these three or four things, we know the foundation of God's
eternal purpose. God's eternal purpose stands
sure. God works everything He works
according to His eternal purpose. And we know the foundation of
God's eternal purpose stands sure. God's purpose, God's decree
will be carried out exactly as He intends. He works all things
after the counsel of His own will. We may be defeated, We
even may be discouraged, but God can never be frustrated. God can never be defeated. God's
design in creation, God's design in redemption, in providence
shall be perfectly accomplished. Everything in God's vast universe
will glorify himself. Everything he does, we read this
in Romans 11, verse 36, we read, Of him, and through him, and
to him are all things to whom be glory. Our God is in the heavens,
David said, and he has done whatsoever he has pleased. The foundation
of God's eternal purpose. will be done, it is certain,
and it is sure, and we find great comfort and hope in the fact
of God's eternal purpose. Secondly, the foundation of God's
everlasting covenant, this is a covenant of salvation, the
covenant of grace, it stands sure. Listen to this scripture
in Isaiah 54, verse 10, the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall
be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither
shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that
hath mercy on thee. My covenant, God said, I will
not break, nor alter the thing that's gone out of my lips. The
covenant of grace is ordered in all things and is sure." The
covenant that was ratified with the blood atonement of Christ,
that eternal covenant of grace whereby God chose a people in
eternity, gave them to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came in time
and secured their righteousness, secured their salvation with
his obedience and his death. And my friend, that covenant
of salvation in Christ stands absolutely certain and sure. Thirdly, we know this. The foundation
of God's gospel. The foundation of God's gospel.
You see why Paul wrote with such confidence? The foundation of
God stands sure. The foundation of the gospel.
The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The good news of salvation
to the guilty. Salvation to sinners. The foundation
of the gospel stands sure. The word of the Lord endureth
forever, and this is a word whereby the gospel is preached to you. For two thousand years or more
the word of God has withstood the attacks of infidels, both
secular and religious. Though the mockers come and go,
the word of God is not changed. The gospel of God stands sure. It has passed through many fires,
but it's unaltered. The truth of this blessed book,
Jesus Christ and Him crucified, is the only way of salvation
remains unchanged and unchangeable. Salvation has always been, by
the purpose of God, by the grace of God. Jesus Christ is God and
He as God is the same yesterday and today and forever. He shall
not fail to secure righteousness. He shall not fail to secure redemption
for all His people. This is our only hope. The only
hope for a perishing sinner is the foundation of the gospel
stands sure, based upon the merit, righteousness, and blood of Jesus
Christ. Salvation is of the Lord, and
being so was always dependent and determined and accomplished
by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. That's why the gospel is sure,
certain. It's not conditioned upon the
sinner. It's conditioned upon the sinner's substitute, Jesus
Christ. His blood is the blood not of
bulls and goats, but His blood is the blood of God Himself. His blood was given to wash away
and cleanse all the sin of God's people. And by that, he obtained
eternal redemption for them. We read this promise in 1 John
1, verse 7. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses
us from all sin. And because he is the effectual,
anointed mediator and savior of sinners, he's able to save
to the uttermost all that come to God by him. We have no ability
to save ourselves, but my friend, as God our mediator, God our
savior, the Lord Jesus Christ has all power and all ability. He said in his prayer in John
17, all power is given unto me in heaven. and in earth. God hath given me power over
all flesh that I should give eternal life to as many as the
Father hath given me. You see, my friend, the foundation
of the gospel stands sure because it's based upon the performance
of the mediator, the messenger of the covenant, Jesus Christ,
not my puny work. That gives me hope. The foundation
of the gospel stands sure. Here's the fourth thing we know.
The foundation of God standing sure. The promise of God. Now you think of all the promises
of God. Peter said, we have the exceeding
great and precious promises. The foundation of God's promise
stands sure. We can say with Abraham, who
was fully persuaded, who believed God that all that God had promised,
God is able to perform. The Lord our God will graciously,
wondrously perform the word of his promise to us. We've tried
them. We've proved them. Not one of
them is broken. My friend, God's word is certain
and sure. Let God be true in every man,
a liar. The Lord will do what he has
promised. God is unchanging. God is faithful
to his word. He will be true to his word.
Listen to this promise in Isaiah 46. Remember the former things
of old? I am God. There is none else.
I am God. There is none like me, declaring
the end from the beginning, from ancient times to things that
are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand. I'll do all my pleasure. calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that would execute my counsel from a far
country. Yea, I've spoken it. I will also
bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it." You see, my friend, the foundation of God's Word, His
promise, His gospel, His covenant, His purpose, it stands sure. Doesn't that give you comfort
in your heart? that God Almighty, who is everlasting, His word,
His covenant, His promise is certain, absolute, eternal, and
sure. That's our hope of salvation,
a good hope through the grace of God. Now here's the second
part of this verse. Nevertheless, he said, the foundation
of God standeth sure. This is 2 Timothy 2, verse 19. Having this seal, having this
seal upon it, The Lord knoweth them that are his. Having this
seal, we know the foundation of God is sure because it has
his seal, his approval, his grace, his love, his mercy, his grace
engraved upon it. The Lord knoweth them that are
his." The old preacher from England, Charles Spurgeon, said, those
that are his, he is always known to be his, for they were his
from before the foundation of the world. They are His known
ones. When He deals with them in grace
and comes into their hearts by His powerful operation, He watches
over them by His special providence, knowing the way they take, never
losing sight of them. The Lord loves His own. The Lord knows His people by
discriminating love, by discriminating sovereign, electing merciful
love. God knows his own in a way that
he does not know the rest of mankind. He chose them in eternity
and distinguished them sovereignly to be the object of his grace,
to be the object of his special love before the world began. Knowledge here, as in many other
places in scripture, is put for love, and in this sense it is
represented as a seal of the covenant. Love is stamped upon
every part of the covenant of God's grace. He says in John
13, having loved his own, he loved them to the end. We read
the promise in Jeremiah 31, verse 3, the Lord says, I've loved
thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness
will I draw thee to myself. Every blessing of grace flows
to the guilty sinner from the great fountain of love in the
heart of God. Here in his love, John said,
not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son
to be the sacrifice for our sin. The Lord knows his people by
an intimate communion, not only by a discriminating, sovereign,
electing love, but by an intimate communion, a union of faith.
He makes himself known to them, and they make himself known to
him. They receive him, embrace him, and confess him publicly
as Lord, God, and Savior. Our Lord says this in John chapter
6. He said, All that the Father
hath given me will come to me, and those that come to me I will
in no wise cast out. There is that intimate union
of faith. God gives faith, and a sinner
willingly, openly confesses Christ and receives Him by faith. David
said, Thy people shall be willing in the day of God's power. You
see, the Lord knows His people. The foundation of God standeth
sure, having this sign, this seal upon it. The Lord knows
them that are His by discriminating love, by intimate communion with
them. He knows them, and the sheep,
as Paul said, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded he's
able to keep that which I've committed unto him in that day. Lastly, the Lord's special, loving
knowledge of his people will preserve them. We're kept by
the power of God. The Lord knows who they are,
where they are, and what they need, and how to preserve them,
how to keep them. and bring them safely home, all
those for whom God Almighty gave to the Lord Jesus Christ in that
covenant. He stood as surety and mediator
and savior and sacrificed for them, and none of them will perish. All the elect of God shall be
saved. We're kept by the power of God.
through faith. You see the promise of this scripture?
The foundation of God stands sure, having a seal. The Lord
knows His people. He will save them, call them,
justify them, and glorify them in Christ Jesus.