Now, turning one more time to
Luke chapter 3 verse 15, and as the people were in suspense
or in expectation, all men wondered, reasoned, debated, mused in their
hearts of John, They were thinking about John, whether he were the
Christ, the Christ of God, or not. Now I'm entitling our sermon
and our lesson from these verses, and I'm entitling the message
the message of John the Baptist, the message of John the Baptist. Last week I told you about something
about the character of John's ministry, how he was so bold
in the face of opposition, how he was so full of the holy zeal
for the glory of God, the courage that he demonstrated among men,
bold and full of zeal for God. He was a man without compromise,
wasn't he? He was a man without wavering
in his ministry. He had one message. He knew what
that message was and he kept hammering it away. Christ. Christ. Behold the Lamb of God. Now in
the message today we see more of the ministry of John and especially
about his message. About his message. I love what
John says in John chapter 3. We read just a moment ago where
John said, The Lord Jesus Christ, He must increase, He must increase,
but I must decrease. John was always pointing sinners
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a man sent from God to
bear witness of the light. And he did that so faithfully
until the Lord put an end to his ministry. That is truly what
every God-sent preacher does. He points sinners to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now again, let's look at verse
15 in Luke chapter 3. The people that were attending
John's ministry were in expectation or in suspense, and all men reasoned
or debated in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ
of God, the one promised Messiah. Now, one of the effects of faithful
gospel preaching and a faithful gospel ministry is to set men
to thinking. I want you to think upon these
things, to set men to thinking. These people reasoned in their
heart about John, whether he were the Christ or not. That
is, he put them to thinking. to thinking. It is not wrong
to think about the things of God. When the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ is declared, and we're talking about the true
preaching of the gospel, it is heart-piercing, heart-warming,
comforting, and thought-provoking. You cannot hear the gospel of
God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and come away indifferent. That is, you cannot hear the
gospel of God and come away indifferent. It'll either be a saver of life
unto life or a saver of death unto death. Now, if you hear
what is said, you'll either love it or hate it. You'll either
believe it or reject it. It is always a hopeful sign.
It is always a hopeful sign of conversion when people begin
to think and stop and consider about the things of God. How
about thinking about our sin? How can sin be put away? Thinking
about our salvation, do I need salvation? Thinking about the
things of God. Some old writers said, thinking
no doubt is not faith and repentance, but it is always a hopeful sign,
isn't it? Thinking about the things of
God. When hearers of the gospel begin to ponder in their hearts,
Think in their hearts we ought to thank God and take courage
when sinners begin to think about their soul. Judgment about God. Thinking about Christ is not
true faith though, is it? But there's no true faith without
thinking upon Him. Consideration is not conversion,
but there's certainly no conversion without considering the Lord
Jesus Christ, is there? Now, hold your place here and
let's turn to a couple of scriptures. Over here in the book of Hebrews
chapter 3, we're told to consider Hebrews chapter 3, look at verse
1. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of a heavenly calling, consider Thee, notice that's capital A,
The Apostle and High Priest of our profession, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who was faithful to Him that appointed Him as also Moses
was faithful in all his house." Consider the faithful one, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Consider Him. He's worthy of
our thoughts. He's worthy of our consideration.
Turn over to Hebrews chapter 12. Here's another scripture
on that. In Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2,
it says, "...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the
cross, despising his shame, and is set down on the right hand
of the throne of God." Verse 3 now, Hebrews 12, "'For consider
him.'" Consider Christ. What think ye of the Lord Jesus
Christ? Consider Him that endures such
contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and
faint in your mind. Consider the Lord Jesus Christ. He's worthy of our consideration. He's worthy of our thoughts.
The gospel of Christ, when it is preached, it should always
cause us to consider Him, but not only to consider Him, but
to trust Him for all of our salvation. Oh, may God be pleased to cause
us to think upon Christ and to consider Him and then to trust
Him for all of our salvation. What think ye of Christ? Someone
said, that's the question of all questions. What do you think
of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, it's the believer. To the
believer, He's altogether lovely. To the believer, to you who believe,
He is precious. To the believer, Christ is all
and in all. You see when John preached the
gospel, the people thought on these things. Now back to the
text, Luke chapter 3 verse 16, John answered and sang, John
answered the crowd, sang unto them, sang unto all, I indeed
baptize you with water, But one mightier than I cometh." Now
you see what he does immediately? He takes their attention away
from him and points the crowd to Christ. One mightier than
I cometh, the lachet of whose shoes I'm not worthy to untie
his shoe. He shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire, fire. A gospel ministry always exalts
the Lord Jesus Christ. A gospel ministry and a man who
sent to preach the gospel of God always exalt the Lord Jesus
Christ. And let me tell you this, you
cannot exalt him too high. You cannot give him too much
glory, for he is worthy of all honor and glory. When the people
came to confer and give honor unto John, he turned their thoughts
immediately away from himself and said, I'm not the Christ.
You look to the Lord Jesus Christ. He turned thoughts away from
himself unto the Lord Jesus. Faithful ministers of the gospel
preach Christ, don't they? The Apostle Paul put it this
way, we preach not ourselves but the Lord Jesus Christ ourselves
and your servant for his sake. True preachers of the gospel
exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. They point centers to the Lord
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They do not serve their own interest
or their own glory. They're interested about the
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul said, God forbid I should
glory save in the cross of Christ. By this standard, every man's
ministry must be judged. What does he preach about Christ?
The Lord Jesus Christ. Does he preach Christ and Him
crucified as all of salvation? or part of salvation. Those who
are sent to preach the gospel preach that the Lord Jesus Christ
is everything in salvation. As Paul said, I'm determined
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Christ crucified. You see, His
sacrifice, we preach His sacrifice to cleanse us from all our sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all our sin. We preach the Lord Jesus
Christ and His sacrifice to cleanse us from all our sin. We preach
the Lord Jesus Christ, His blood to justify us before God. How are sinners justified? Being
justified by the blood of Christ. Much more than being justified
by the blood of Christ, we have salvation and we've been delivered
from the wrath of God. We preach the Lord Jesus Christ
as His grace is sufficient to save His people from their sin. We preach the Lord Jesus Christ
as all of salvation in His mercy to fetch us from death unto life. We preach His love, the true
love of God, the everlasting love of God that draws us to
Himself with everlasting love. We preach His fetching mercy,
don't we? Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. I love what John says there in
verse 16, I'm not worthy to unloose His shoes. John had such a high,
reverent opinion of the Lord Jesus Christ, he said, I'm not
even worthy to bend down and to untie his shoe. I'm not worthy, but thank God
the Lord Jesus Christ, He is worthy, isn't He? Turn over to
the Revelation. The Revelation chapter 5. Revelation
5. You remember the Song of Glory? They sung a new song in verse
9, in Revelation 5, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
to open the seals thereof, for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, people,
and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests,
and we shall reign on the earth, And I beheld and heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the
elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand
and ten thousand, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb. to receive all honor and glory
and blessings, riches, wisdom, strength and honor, both now
and forever. And every creature which is in
heaven and on the earth and under the earth, such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, blessing, honor,
glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto
the Lamb forever and ever. Who is worthy? John says, I'm
not worthy of any honor. The Lord Jesus Christ is worthy
of all honor and glory. You see, the message of the gospel
of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel sent by God to sinful
men only has one message. The gospel declares that Christ
is everything in salvation. Everything. The message that
Christ is all is good news from a far country to the sinful man. A sinful man loves a simple message
that Christ is all. I have no righteousness of my
own, but Christ is all my righteousness. I have no holiness of my own,
but Christ is all my holiness before God. I have no wisdom
of my own, but Christ is all my wisdom. I'm completely lost
and undone in myself, dead in sin, but Christ is all my salvation."
That's our testimony, isn't it? Thank God that He is worthy of
all honor and glory and blessing both now and forever. Now look back to Luke chapter
3 verse 16. John answered saying unto them, unto them all, I indeed baptize
you with water, but one mightier than I, the latchet of whose
shoes I am not worthy to unloose, he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire." Now two things here, John says I
indeed baptize you with water, that's all John can do. But he
said, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is worthy of all honor and
glory, he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Now, this is
the baptism we must have. We know and we acknowledge our
own helplessness, our total inability to give salvation and pardon
of sin to anyone. Pity the poor man who says that
he can pardon sin. Pity the poor man who thinks
that he can put away sin by something he does. John said, I indeed
baptize you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy
Spirit. Now, I can baptize you with water, but I cannot put you in Christ.
But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. I indeed can
baptize you with water, but that does not put away your sin. I
can tell you about the cleansing power of the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ, but I cannot give you a new nature or make you
a new creature in Christ. I cannot do that. No man can. It's the work of God alone. I can preach the gospel of God,
to you faithfully, but I cannot give you faith to believe the
gospel, nor cause you to trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone."
The Apostle Paul put it this way, I have planted, Apollos
watered, it's God that gives the increase. So then, neither
is he that planteth anything, neither is he that watereth,
but God giveth the increase. You see, salvation is of the
Lord. I can preach to you about the
Lord Jesus Christ, our righteousness, and He is, He's the Lord our
righteousness, but I can't make you righteous. or impute to you
righteousness." That's His business, that's His doing. Blessed is
the man whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works. I can tell you that you must
be born again, that you must be born from above, but only
Christ can raise you from the dead. You see what I'm saying?
I indeed baptize you with water, and that's what John is saying.
But He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit. I can tell you
you must be born again, but only Christ can raise you up and quicken
you and give you life. You have He quickened who were
dead in trespasses and in sin. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth. The point I'm laboring to make
is this, only God our Savior can do these things. Is that
right? Only God can forgive sinners.
Only God can make us righteous in Christ. Only God can pardon
sin. Only God can give us a new divine
nature that loves Him. Only our God can do these things.
You see, with men it is impossible. But with God, with God, All things
are possible. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will. God who hath begun a good work
in you, He will finish it. He will complete it. Now, back
to the text. I am not worthy to unloose His
shoe. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Christ is able to save to the
uttermost, isn't he? All that come to God by Him. He shall baptize you with the
Holy Spirit. Now here is a baptism that every
sinner must have. And this baptism of the Holy
Spirit is talking about regeneration, isn't it? It's talking about
the work of God the Holy Spirit in our heart. Raising us from
the dead and making us new creatures in Christ. You remember the scripture
in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13? For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into the one body. You see, that's the work of God
the Holy Spirit. Preachers are trying to do the
work of God the Holy Spirit. Forget it! Salvation is of the
Lord. He planned it. He purposed it.
He applies it. He sustains it. For by one Spirit
are we all baptized into the one body, whether we be Jews
or Gentiles, whether we be bombed or free. We've all been made
to drink into that one Spirit. It's the work of God. We are
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You see, you can receive
water baptism And it is right and proper to confess Christ
in believer's baptism if you're a believer. Confess the Lord
Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism, identifying with His
death, burial, and resurrection. But you can receive water baptism
and still not be in Christ. We have an example of that in
Acts chapter 13. Peter baptized Simon Magus. But Peter said to him later after
Simon Magus revealed what was in his heart, He thought he could
buy the gifts of the Holy Spirit, remember? Remember what Peter
said to him? Peter said, your heart is not
right in the sight of God. So you can be baptized, but that
is not salvation. Salvation is Christ in you, the
hope of glory. But you cannot be baptized with
God the Holy Spirit and not know the Lord. You see the difference? You see what I'm saying? You
can receive water baptism and not know the Lord. But you cannot
be baptized with God the Holy Spirit and not have Christ revealed
to your heart and not love Him in your heart as your Lord and
as your Master and as your Savior. Because He's hid these things
from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto His children. You see, salvation is a revelation. It's a revelation of God in your
heart, revealing the glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He causes us to love Him.
Turn over here to Matthew 16. Matthew 16. And this is the work
of God revealing Christ unto us. When He, the Holy Spirit,
has come, He'll take the things of mine and reveal them unto
you. Salvation comes by revelation
of God, the Holy Spirit, showing us Christ. In Matthew 16, verse
13, when Jesus came to the coast of Caesarea Philippi, He asked
His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man,
am? And they said, well, some, that
you're John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But he said unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said,
Matthew 16, 16, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. what the Lord says. And the Lord answered and said
unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood
hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father, my Father which
is in heaven. You see, it's the work and revelation
of God in the heart. Turn back to Matthew 11. Matthew
11, 25. Matthew 11, 25. At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in Thy sight. All things are delivered unto
Me and My Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father,
and neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and He to
whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. You see it comes by sovereign
revelation. Now back to the text. Luke chapter 3. Now get a hold
of verse 17. Speaking of our blessed God and
Savior, Says here, whose fan is in his hand, he will throughly
purge his floor, he will gather the wheat into his barn, garner,
silo, but the chaff will he burn with fire unquenchable. Now four things. Here we have
the evidence and manifestation of the Holy Spirit's work in
the heart of the sinner. The first thing is this, the
fan is in His hand. The fan. And this is an emblem
of the sovereign power of the gospel. The fan of the gospel
or the power of the gospel is in His hand. You see, God's not in our hand,
we're in His hand. The fan of the gospel or the
power of the gospel is in the hand of Almighty God. Paul said,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God, it's the power of God
and the salvation to everyone that believeth. What does a fan
do? A fan creates wind, doesn't it? Who controls the wind? Do you
control the wind? No. The Lord is the sovereign over
the wind. This is also true in the salvation
of a sinner. Not of him that willeth, nor
of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Turn again
back to John chapter 3. Let me show you how the Lord
illustrates this using the wind. The fan of the gospel, the power
of the gospel is in his hand and he causes this wind to blow
where he will. In John chapter 3 verse 5, Marvel not that I said unto thee,
you must be born again. The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound thereof. You
cannot tell from whence it come or whether it goeth. So is everyone
that's born. of the Spirit of God. We are
born of the Spirit of God. Turn back to John chapter 1. This is the sovereign will of
God. This is the work of God the Holy
Spirit in the sinner's heart that causes him to believe the
gospel. John chapter 1. Verse 12, But
as many as received Him, to them gave He power, right, or privilege
to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name,
which were born, not of blood, neither of the will of the flesh,
neither of the will of man, but of God." We believe the Gospel
because we've been born of God. The wind blows where it will. Second point is this, turn back
to Luke 3, 17. The fan of the gospel is in his
hand. He causes the wind of the spirit,
the power of the gospel to blow where he will. And then secondly,
he said, he will throughly purge his floor. Now, a purging is
a cleansing. Some of you ladies clean your
house, you dust your floor, you purge the floor from dust, don't
you? You purge out the dust. You see,
the Lord Jesus Christ purges his house. He's talking about
his church. The floor here is his church.
The Lord will clean house. He has a right to do so because
he bought the church with his own blood. How thoroughly does
he purge his church, his floor? Turn to Ephesians chapter 5.
When he by himself purged our sin, he sat down on the right
hand of the throne of God, remember? Hebrews 1 verse 13, when He by
Himself purged our sin. Now Ephesians 5, look at verse
25. Husband, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that
He might sanctify and cleanse it. with the washing of water
by the Word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish." You see, he will truly purge
his floor, his church. He put away our sin by the sacrifice
of himself, so much so that he presents us to himself Read what
it says over here in Colossians chapter 1. If you don't want
to turn, just listen. And you that were sometimes alienated
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled,
Colossians 1.22, in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. That's
truly purged, is it not? That's the work of God the Holy
Spirit through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The third thing we see in verse 17 is this. He will gather us. He will gather the wheat into
the barn. Now, I told someone recently,
my father, my dad, your granddad was a farmer. And my granddad,
your great granddad, he was a farmer. And my great-great-grandfather
was a farmer. They knew something about gathering
the wheat and putting it in the barn. The wheat doesn't get there
by itself. It has to be a seed planted.
It has to be the ground prepared. God must give the increase. It
must be harvested and put in the barn. The wheat doesn't get
there by itself. It doesn't will itself into the
barn. The point I'm making is this.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the sower, the planter, the giver,
the reaper. He gathers his church into his
barn. He gathers us. He calls us with
the gospel. Turn back over here to Isaiah
40. Isaiah 40 verse 11. Isaiah 40. He will gather the
wheat into his barn, his storehouse. He will separate the sheep from
the goats, the precious from the vile, the tares from the
wheat, The righteous from the wicked. Look over here in Isaiah
40 verse 11. He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arms. Who does the gathering? He gathers
the lambs with his arms. He carries them in his bosom.
East gently leads those that are with young. Turn a couple
pages to Isaiah 43 verse 5. Isaiah 43 verse 5. Fear not,
for I am with thee, I'll bring thy seed from the east. and gather
thee from the west. I'll say to the north, give up,
and to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far, and my
daughters from the ends of the earth. Every one that is called
by my name, for I created him for my glory, I have formed him,
yea, I have made him." He's going to gather his church. He's going
to gather his elect. None. He said, All that the Father
hath given to me, they will come to me, and those that come to
me I will in no wise cast out. He is the One who gathers us
unto Himself. Let me just read this to you
in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 10, that in the dispensation
of the fullness of time, He might gather together in one all things
in Christ. "...both which are in heaven,
and which are on the earth, even in him, in whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things out of the counsel of
his will, that we should be to the praise of his glory, who
first trusted in Christ." He's going to gather his elect. Turn over to Matthew 25. Matthew
25. Turn and read this one with me.
Matthew 25. When the Son of Man shall come,
Matthew 25, verse 31, in His glory and all His holy angels
with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, Matthew
25, verse 32, and before Him shall be gathered all nations,
and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd
divided his sheep from the goats, and He shall set the sheep on
His right hand and the goats on the left, And the king, then
shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come ye blessed
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. He gathers us unto himself. He separates the sheep from the
goats. Now, hold your place here in
Matthew 25 and look back to Luke chapter 3 or just stay there
in Matthew 25. We're coming right back over
there. whose fan is in his hand, he
will thoroughly purge his floor, gather the wheat into his garner,
but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable." The Lord
will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. There is in the Lord Jesus
Christ unsearchable riches of his grace, through the blood
and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's blessed us
with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. There
is in the Lord Jesus Christ therefore now no condemnation to those
who are in Christ. But apart from being found in
Christ, apart from being one with Christ, apart from sin pardoned
in Christ, there is nothing for the chaff, and he's talking about
unbelievers, But judgment, wrath, and eternal condemnation. Now back to Matthew 25. Verse
41, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devils
and his angels. Verse 46 in Matthew 25, These
shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life. It's appointed unto men once
to die, and after that, judgment. Judgment coming. What are those
we read? Turn back to the book of Hebrews.
The book of Hebrews chapter 10. Remember what we read in John
3? He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. He that believeth not in the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. In
Hebrews chapter 10, what about those who despise the Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ? In the Day of Judgment, how will
it be? It's going to burn up the chaff. And that chaff there
represents those who are unbelievers. In Hebrews 10 verse 28, He that
despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.
How much sore punishment suppose you, shall he be thought worthy,
who have trodden underfoot the Son of God, and have counted
the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing,
and that done despite to the Spirit of His grace? For we know
Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense,
saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge
his people." He's the judge of all the earth, right? It's a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. This
is a God with whom we have to do, turn back to Hebrews chapter
4, you remember this verse? Verse 13 of Hebrews 4, "...neither
is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but
all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom
we have to do." He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire. He is talking about eternal condemnation
and eternal judgment. Now, back to the text, Luke chapter
3, in closing, Verse 18, and many other things in his exhortation
preached he unto the people. What are these many other things? I know this, they're all relative
to Christ. Whatever these many things were,
relative to Christ. Verse 20, added Yet this above
all, that he shut John up in prison." Now here's the last
thing. The Lord's servants and all his
saints are faithful unto death. These all died in faith. John preached many other things
concerning Christ, his personal work, always bearing witness
to the Lord Jesus Christ, but John would not back down, would
he? John would not compromise, would he? John stood firm for
the gospel, contended for the faith once delivered unto the
saints. What was the outcome of that? He was put in prison
and he was executed for the gospel because he would not change his
message. Much like the Apostle Paul, he
would not compromise the gospel of God concerning Christ. What
did they do with him? They put him in prison. shipped
him off to Rome, and in Rome he stayed in prison two years
until finally they executed him as well. You see, you take a
stand, a public stand for the gospel, and it'll cost you. It'll cost you. John would not
compromise, and we cannot compromise. But John, here's the point, John
was faithful unto death. John was faithful unto death.
Believers persevere in the faith because we're kept by the power
of God. You remember this scripture in
Jeremiah 32, I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will
not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my
fears in their hearts that they shall not depart from me. I will
and they shall. That's the gospel. Believers
persevere as John did unto death. Now, let me close by giving you
this illustration. I read a story of a young missionary
who was just on the mission field a short while. His ministry lasted
a short while, much like John's ministry. John's ministry just
lasted a short while. And then it was over. He served
God's purpose and God took him home. I read a story about a
young missionary who was sent off to the mission field preaching
the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He was
there just a few months. He contracted a disease and he
died. Well, when they gathered his
things together and sent his belongings back to his parents,
his parents took his Bible and started looking through his Bible,
and they came upon a page, probably somewhere in the back or the
front of his Bible, and they read these words. No reserve,
totally sold out to Christ. No retreat, no compromise. And then lastly, no regrets. John had no regrets, Paul the
Apostle had no regrets, and believers have no regret. Christ is all
and in all. And we say with the Apostle,
I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded he's able to
keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. We know him who is altogether
lovely. We know him who is life and salvation.