Our message today we'll be taking
from John chapter 14. I'm entitling the message from
the words found in verse 1, where the Lord says, let not your heart
be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled. We all know, don't we, something
about trouble. Trouble. Man that's born of woman
is few days and full of Trouble, trouble. We all know something
about heartache, don't we? We all know something about difficulties
in this life. We all know something about tears,
sorrow, broken heartedness. But let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. Now the chapter division
here found in John, between John 13 and John 14, understand as
we read the Bible, the Word of God, Chapter divisions are something
that have been added by the translators of Scripture to help us find
Scripture reference quickly. And most of the time, the chapter
divisions are helpful. Sometimes they're a hindrance
to understand what's going on. If you just read John 14 verse
1, let not your heart be troubled. Well, who's he saying that to?
And why would that person be troubled? Well, we'll see in
just a minute. Most of the time these Scripture
divisions and chapters and verse divisions we have are helpful.
But many times they leave us in the dark about what is said
before, so it is always a good idea to read what goes before
and to read what goes after a certain text and to understand the setting,
the contents of what's being said. That's vital in reading
the Scripture. Don't just take out a verse here,
and that's where we've got in big trouble. We call that versitis. To take out a verse here and
blow it out of proportion and forget what's being said before
and after, and that's what has given birth to many strange and
foreign doctrines. They try to build a whole denomination
on one or two verses rather than the whole Word of God. But always,
as we read the scripture, always consider these three things.
Number one, who is speaking? Number two, who is that person
speaking unto? And thirdly, what is the subject? What is the subject matter? What
is being said? Well, such is the case here in
John 14. If we study what is happening at this time among
the apostles at this time, we can have a much greater appreciation
of what the Lord says to them at this time, let not your heart
be troubled. We can have a greater appreciation
of the comfort that the Lord speaks to them in this time of
their anguish of heart. Now consider what has just been
said. Consider just what has happened
and try to put yourself in their place. Try to make this live
for you. Put yourself in Peter's shoes
with John and with Thomas and the other. They had just been
told that one of them, one of them now, not another, one of
them would betray the Lord Jesus Christ. And in doing so, they
would also betray the other 11 men. There was a traitor among
us. That had to be a shock unto them. They had no idea that Judas was
the betrayer, one who would turn on them and the Lord Jesus Christ. They had just been told by the
Lord Jesus Christ that he was going away, and at this particular
time that they could not come. He later says, you will come
later on, but not now. Lord, you're going to leave us?
You're going to go away from us? Don't do that! They were
troubled in heart. They had just been told by the
Lord Jesus Christ that all of them would be offended this night
and all of them would forsake Him and leave Him alone Even though they all said they
never would leave him, all of them said, we'll defend you until
the end, they did not know the weakness and frailness of their
own unbelieving heart. Even though Peter vehemently
insisted that all others might act as cowards, look at verse
37 in John 13, Peter said unto him, Lord, why can't I follow
you right now? I'll lay down my life for you."
And the Lord said, will you? Will you really? Will you lay
down your life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto you,
before the daylight comes up this very night, this very day,
you're going to forsake me, and you're going to deny that you
even know me, not once, but twice, not twice, but you're going to
do it three times. that you don't even know who
I am. You can see, knowing Peter, Simon
Peter, knowing Peter, the tough guy, knowing Peter, the boldness
of Peter, that had to be a shock to him. Lord, these other fellas,
yeah, they'll turn. They're cowards, these other
fellas. I know them, James and John and Thomas, Bartholomew,
the rest of them, they're weak, not me. Oh yeah? I'm gonna make sure that you
know just how weak you are. You're gonna deny me, not John,
but you, you, Peter. You're gonna deny me three times. The Lord tells Peter just how
frail he really is in denying the Lord not once, but twice. They had all of much to grieve
about. These things that the Lord had
told them lay heavily, heavily upon their heart. Look over in
chapter 16 of John, verse 6. But because I've said these things
unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart." And rightly so. I mean, they had much to be troubled
about. They had much to be sorrowful
about. Now, you see how if you put this
verse in content of what's going on, what's being said, how this
just makes it more rich and real unto us. in the midst of this
grief, in the midst of this heaviness of heart, in the midst of their
fears and unbelief and doubts and ignorance, the Lord says,
okay, here's the remedy. Here's the remedy. Let not your
heart be troubled. You believe in God, and you do. Believe also in me. My Father
and me, we are one. Here's the remedy. Faith in Him. Believe in me. Faith in God our Savior. Faith, now watch this carefully,
in God, in me. Faith is in, looks to, unto the
Lord Jesus Christ alone. Now, he's not talking about just
any kind of faith. We often see on TV, when they
interview people, certain tragedies, those reporters always want to
stick a microphone in your face, don't they? And they always say, well how
did you get through this? And they say, well my faith brought
me through. My faith brought me through. And I don't think
that particularly is a good statement because they're almost bragging
like, you know, I'm pretty tough. My faith did it, you know. Really,
the real answer is, I look unto the Lord and He graciously dealt
with me. You see, it's just not this kind
of faith that blooms from your own wicked heart. It's not just
historical faith. It's not emotional faith. It's not ceremonial faith or
traditional faith that he's talking about. It's faith in Him. It's resting and relying and
rejoicing in Him, in God our Savior alone. Only that faith
that is God-given, can give comfort to a grieving heart. Only that,
I mean true comfort, true joy, only that faith that is God-given
that's the gift of God. Because faith that's God-given,
faith that is God-given, where does it look? Faith that's God-given
looks back to the author of faith, doesn't it? Faith that is God-given
doesn't look in here. Faith that is God-given looks
unto the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder that Peter later called
this in his second epistle, he called faith that's God-given,
the faith of God's elect, he called it precious faith. You see, this faith that's a
gift of God looks outside of self unto the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a precious look. That's
looking unto Him. Faith that is God-given looks
back to the author and finisher of faith. It looks outside of
self unto the Lord Himself. And it's not that I looked. It's
looking. Faith that's real, faith that's
God-given, continuously, always, always looks unto the Lord Jesus
Christ and only unto Him. The best way Let me correct that. The only
way to rid yourself of fear and anxiety of heart, sorrow, and
to have comfort and peace in this life is to believe the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's it. That's it. Look what
it says here in John 14, 27. John 14, 27. Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you, none as the world giveth, give
I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. Look over here in John 16, 33.
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have
peace. In me you might have peace. In the world you shall have,
you shall have trouble, tribulation, heartache, sorrow. Being a believer
doesn't exempt ourselves from being troubled, sorrow. But I'm saying the remedy is
looking unto Christ. Be of good cheer. I have overcome. I've overcome. Looking unto the
Lord Jesus Christ. That was David's hope. King David,
the shepherd boy. He said, the Lord... Remember
Psalm 23? That's another one of them scriptures
that's so misunderstood. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want for rest, for righteousness, for substance, for regeneration,
for salvation, because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Again in Psalm 27, the Lord is my light, I shall not fear. Of
whom shall I be afraid? The Lord is my light, the Lord
is my strength. And then as the Apostle Paul,
that was his hope. And he said, and we know all
things work together for good to them who love God, to them
who are called according to God's purpose. All things, let not
your heart be troubled, believe God. All I tell you, Oh, I want
to. I want to in my heart. I don't
like trouble. I don't like sorrow. I don't
like difficulty of heart. If the Lord would just grant
us faith to really lay hold upon Him by God-given faith, it will
quench our sorrow, quench our trouble, quench our aching heart. Oh, to look for Him. To look
for Him. You believe in God? Uh-huh. believe
in me." Now, He gives us, I believe, several reasons why believers
rejoice in Him, can look to Him, can rest in Him, find comfort
in Him, and to rejoice in Him in these next two or three verses. Verse 2, we'll just look at verse
2 and 3. several reasons why we can find
comfort, joy, peace, and rest even in the midst of heartache,
trouble, sorrow, and grief. The first thing he says there,
in my father's house, in my father's house, in the household of my
father, there are many, many dwelling places, is the word.
There, he's saying in my father's house, there's room for you.
In my Father's house, He has a big house. He's plenteous in
mercy. He's plenteous in redemption.
In my Father's house, there's plenty of room for those who
come unto God by the Lord Jesus Christ. There's plenty of room
in the Father's house for you to live and to eternally abide
in His house. He has a big house. And he's
talking here not about a physical place, he's talking about a spiritual
kingdom. He's talking about the church
of the living God. Plenty of room. No vacancies,
but plenty of room in Christ. Turn over here to Ephesians chapter
2, just a moment. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians
chapter 2. Look at verse 19 and 20. and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints." Now this is what He's made us by His grace.
By nature we're children of wrath, even as others. By nature we're
without God, without hope, and without Christ. But now, in Christ
Jesus, but God who is rich in mercy, for His great love we're
with. He loved us even when we were dead in sins, as quicken
us together with Christ. But now you're no more strangers,
no more foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and
you're of the household of God. You see, in my Father's house,
there's plenty of room for every sinner that will trust the Lord
Jesus Christ and are built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets. What is that foundation of the apostles and prophets?
Jesus Christ Himself is the chief cornerstone in whom all the building
fitly framed groweth together unto a holy temple in the Lord.
You also are builted together for a habitation of God. Through the Spirit of God. Turn
over here to 1 Peter. In my Father's house, plenty
of room. Let not your heart be troubled.
Rest in me. Look to me. Look at 1 Peter chapter
2. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse 3, verse
2 says, "...as newborn babe, desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby? If so, you have tasted that the
Lord is gracious to whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. You also, our
living stones, are built up a spiritual house." That's the household
of God. In my Father's house. It's a
spiritual house. And you're built up as living
stones. He put you in this house. Adopted into His family. Made
sons of God. Heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ. A holy priesthood to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore
also is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone elect and precious. He that believeth on him shall
not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe,
he is precious. Let not your heart be troubled.
Believe in God. Believe in me. Believe the gospel.
In my Father's house, in this spiritual kingdom, there's room
for every sinner that will trust the Lord Jesus Christ. He says
to every poor and needy sinner, come unto me, I'll give you rest. He said to every poor and needy
sinner, oh everyone that thirsty, come, my Father's house is large. Come and rest, believe in me. Now here's the second thing in
verse two of John 14. He said, if it were not true,
if it were not so, he's saying if this was not true, I would
have told you. Everything the Lord Jesus Christ
speaks, He speaks absolute truth, doesn't He? You remember back
in chapter 12 verse 49? If it were not so, if it were
not true, I would have told you, You remember in John 12, 49,
"'For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me,
he gave me commandment what I should say.'" This is the Father's will. This is the Father's commandment,
His decree. He gave me commandment what I
should say and what I should speak, and I know that His commandment
is life everlasting. "'Whatsoever I speak, therefore,
even as the Father said unto me, that's what I speak.'" You
see, he's a prophet of God that reveals unto us the way of truth,
the way of salvation. If it were not so, I would have
told you. See what he's saying here? You see, the foundation of faith
is what? Feelings? My feelings come and
go. Don't yours? Feelings come and
go. Feelings are deceiving. My word
is a word of God. Nothing else is worth believing.
You see, you can believe me, you can believe me and believe
the Gospel of God because I told you it's so. The foundation of
faith, therefore, is what? The Word of God. I've told you
the truth. Remember what the Lord said in
John 8? The truth, you shall know the
truth and the truth will set you free. Let not your heart
be troubled, believe God. Believe the Gospel. We have a
good hope A good hope through grace. It is impossible for the
Lord Jesus Christ to lie unto us. We have a strong consolation. It's impossible for God to lie.
We might have a strong consolation to lay hold of the hope that's
set before us. We have a good hope through grace.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. In my Father's
house now, don't let your heart be troubled. Believe me, in my
Father's house, there's plenty of salvation in my Father's house. He has a storehouse of mercy,
a storehouse of grace. If it were not true, He said,
I would have told you. He's telling us the truth, isn't
He? Oh, for grace to trust Him more. Now, here's the other reason
He says to believe Me and let not your heart be troubled. He said, I go to prepare a place
for you. God has a place for us in His
Father's house. The Lord Jesus Christ has a place
for us in His Father's house that He's prepared especially
for His children. I go, I'm going to prepare a
place for you. Now, where is He talking about going?
I'm going to go to prepare a place for you." What's he been talking
about? Now keeping this in context,
what has he been talking about? The cross, Calvary, I'm going
away to prepare a place for you. He's been talking about going
to the cross. He's been talking about his death,
his crucifixion for our sin, his substitutionary death. we
can turn back to many more but turn back to john chapter ten
will go back that far john chapter ten And we'll pick up there in
verse 14, John 10, 14, he said, I'm the good shepherd, I know
my sheep, and of note of mine is a father knoweth me, even
so I know the father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
Where are you going? I'm gonna lay down my life for
the sheep. Therefore doth my father, other sheep I have, verse
16, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. They
shall hear my voice, they shall be one fold and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my father love me, Because I lay down my life
that I might take it again. No man takes it from me. I have
power. I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father. He dies by the
determinant counsel and decree of Almighty God. Look to John
chapter 12. Again he says in John chapter
12, talking about the cross. He said, I go to prepare a place
for you. And he does this by putting away
our sin by the sacrifice of himself. In John chapter 12, verse 23,
the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat, a kernel of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if
it die, it brings much fruit, much fruit. Look at verse 32
of John 12. And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all unto me. This, he said, signifying
what death he should die. Talking about all along here.
Now, in John 13 verse 31, you remember from last week? Now
is the Son of Man glorified? And God is glorified in Him?
How? In Christ crucified. putting away our sin. If God
be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him with himself
and shall straightway give him all the honor and glory, because
he indeed put away our sin. I go to prepare a place for you. The only way that Christ can
prepare a dwelling place for us, and to enter into glory is
to enter into glory for us." And that's what He did after
having put away our sin, our forerunner, when He had by Himself
purged our sin. What did He do? He extended the
glory and occupies heaven for us. In Him, He put away our sin
by the sacrifice of Himself. I go to prepare a place for you. And this is exactly what He did.
He's the forerunner. He occupies glory for us upon
His completed atonement for our sin. Now listen to this. He prepared
a place for us by dying for us as our sacrifice for sin. He
prepared a place for us by honoring the law of God for us, redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. And
he prepares us for the place by regenerating and quickening
power, making us new creatures in Christ Jesus. So let not your
heart be troubled. Christ has accomplished all salvation
for us. Let not our heart be troubled
about our sin. I am a sinner, but thank God
the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Let not your
heart be troubled about lack of righteousness on your part.
All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. But in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus
Christ is our righteousness. He is called the Lord, our righteousness. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputeth righteousness without work. Let not your heart be troubled. We have an atonement for sin.
We have a righteousness that justifies us before God. Let
not your heart be troubled. We have all hope of salvation
in Christ Jesus, and this is prepared for us by His grace. Now let me show you a scripture
here, a reference here that you might want to jot down. Turn
to Matthew 25. I'm thinking about that word
there, prepared. He's prepared salvation for His
covenant people. And then He does that work of
preparation in our heart, to make us fit for the place that
He's prepared. Matthew 25, verse 31, When the
Son of Man shall come, in his glory. And all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And
before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats.
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats
on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand,
Come ye blessed to my father, inherit the kingdom prepared. That's the word I want to get
to, prepared. I go away to prepare a place
for you. Come ye blessed to my father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. You see, this is God's eternal
purpose, isn't it? That the Lord Jesus Christ, He's
prepared to accomplish all salvation for us by His grace." Now, look
back to the text again. So in my Father's house, there
are dwelling places, large house, storehouse full of mercy, storehouse
full of grace. If it were not so, I would have
told you, I go to Calvary to prepare to accomplish salvation
for you, Now, here's another reason, let not your heart be
troubled. And when I go, verse three, and when I go and prepare
a place for you, I will, notice that, I will come again, and
I will receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may
be also. When I go, When I prepare a place
for you, I will come after you. You're mine. I bought you with
my blood." Do you reckon he's going to neglect those he redeemed
with his own blood? I will come again. I will come
to you in mercy. I will come to you in grace.
The Lord assures us here that he's coming back for us. He's
going to have exactly what He bought. And He bought us with
His own blood, therefore He will not leave us. He will not forsake
us. He bought the church with His
own blood. All those for whom the Lord Jesus
Christ died, all those that were given to Him in that covenant
of grace, all those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died, He's
going to take every one of them to that prepared place in Himself,
in His Father's house. There won't be one seat vacant. Not one. I can make good on that. Turn back to John chapter 6.
He says, I give them eternal life, my sheep, hear my voice,
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No man
can pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave to me is
greater than all, and no man can pluck them out of my Father's
hand. I am my Father, we are one. Now look at John 6 verse
37. I will come again, and I will
receive you to myself. All that the Father giveth me,
John 6, 37, shall come to me. And those that come to me, I
will never cast them out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all that
He had given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day. And this is the will of Him. Keeps talking about His
will, doesn't it? His will. This is the will of
Him that sent me, that everyone would see it, the Son, and believe
it on Him, may have everlasting life, and I'll raise Him up at
the last day. Not one sheep of Christ can perish. He bought them. He bought them. He said, I will come again. The
Lord is coming back for us to receive us unto himself. Let not your heart be troubled.
The Lord will come back to claim you body, soul, and spirit. And there shall we ever be with
the Lord, as it says, I will receive you unto myself." Now,
I will come again. I will come to you. And then he says, I will receive
you. Now watch this. Now watch this
carefully. I will come again. I will receive
you. I will receive you to myself."
You see, my friend, we are accepted in the Beloved to the praise
of the glory of His grace. Now listen to me carefully. Most
of this religious world, most of the religious beliefs in this
world put the whole emphasis of salvation upon the wrong person. Now listen to me. They put the
whole emphasis of salvation upon the wrong person. He says in
the text, I will receive you to myself. This religious world,
they put the prominence and emphasis on what will you do with him,
don't they? Now come on, don't they? They
put the whole emphasis upon what will you do with Jesus? That's
not the issue. The issue is what's He going
to do with you. He says to these here that the
Father gave Him, those for whom He prepared a place, He said,
I will receive you to Myself. Now who does the receiving? I
will receive you to Myself. You see, this religious world
has got the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ upside down, backwards,
and inside out. They've confused the grace of
God. What will you do with Jesus,
they say? They say, He's in your hands. Won't you let Him have
His way? Poor Jesus. He's trying. You
won't let Him. I tell you what this religious
world has done. They've made a beggar out of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not a beggar. I beg your
pardon. He's not a beggar. He's Lord
of heaven and earth. I will receive you unto myself. You see what he's saying here?
The Lord Jesus Christ doesn't beg people to let him have his
way as if some sinner's will can stop the sovereign purpose
and power of God. The Lord is no beggar. He's Lord
of heaven and earth. He said, I will have mercy on
whom I will. I will have compassion on whom
I will. So then, it's not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth, but it's God that shows mercy. You see, the true
emphasis of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not what
we're going to do with Him. It's what He's going to do with
us. Isn't it? My salvation doesn't rest upon
me. Does it? My salvation doesn't
rest upon me, my doing, my giving, my sacrifice, not even my faith. It's Christ's doing. It's Christ's
giving. It's His sacrifice. Is it not?
It's His faithfulness to the gospel. It's His faithfulness
unto the Father. It's His faithfulness honoring
the Lord. It's His faithfulness unto death. Now to make good on that, turn
to Galatians chapter 2. You see, I will receive you unto
myself. Galatians chapter 2. I'm saying
that salvation does not rest upon the creature, but rather
upon the creator. Lord and Savior, God and my Savior. Upon a life I did not live. Upon
a death I did not die. Another's life, another's death.
I rest my hope eternally in Christ Jesus. What an old songwriter
wrote years ago. Galatians 2 says this, knowing,
verse 16, that a sinner is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ." Now, whose faithfulness?
Faith of Jesus Christ. Now, if you get a modern translation
of any scripture, you know what they've changed that word of
to I-N, N. And it changes the whole meaning
of the scripture here. but by the faith of Jesus Christ."
And it says this more than one place. Even we have believed
in Him that we might be justified by the faith of Him. You see,
it's not my faith. It's not my faithfulness. It's
His. It's His. And saving faith looks
where? To Him. Him alone. Not by the
works of the law, but by the faith of Christ. For by the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. You see, it's Christ doing, it's
Christ giving, it's his faithfulness, his obedience. And one of the
Apostle Paul said, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him,
not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith The righteousness which is of
God by faith. I'm not splitting hairs here.
There's difference of black and white. There's no gray area. Salvation is totally by the grace
of God alone. Totally by Christ alone. In Him
is salvation. He is the Savior. He said, I
will receive you to myself. Now that's salvation. You see,
salvation is in the person, in the Lord Jesus. Saving faith
looks to Him alone. Saving faith does not accomplish
salvation, nor does saving faith make atonement. Saving faith
does not make His atonement effectual. Does it? That's what this religious
world says. God's done all He can do. Now,
you have to believe to make His death effectual. Well, then who
really makes it work? Who really makes it effectual?
Well, the sinner does. Not Christ. in that scheme of
work salvation. You see, salvation is a done
deal. He accomplished salvation. And
in time, He'll cross your path and let you know that He's the
Savior, that He accomplished salvation. Not you. It's not
me and Jesus got a good thing going. That's not it. I will
receive you unto myself. See what He's saying here? See
what I'm saying? This is one of the most misunderstood
scriptures because it's red. So, any time you go to a funeral,
let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, and they forget
everything else. They just dismiss everything
else. Saving faith finds rest Redemption,
righteousness, reconciliation in the Redeemer, in God our Savior. But of Him are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification
and redemption. That gives this sinner hope,
comfort, Peace! Joy! In the midst of heartache,
sorrow, and trouble, I still rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I have no confidence in the
flesh. That's the only thing that gives
this sinner hope. Accept it in the Beloved, to
the praise of the glory of His grace. Now, there's one more
thing, and I'll let you go. I will receive you unto myself
that where I am you may be also." Salvation being one with Him. That where I am, there you may
be also. Now, what's he saying here? The
believer, what's true of the head is true of the body. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
head of his church. Where he is, I am. What's true
of him is true of me. Where I am, there you may be
also. We're one with him. We are united
to the Lord Jesus Christ. What's true of the head is true
of the body, as I've said many times. Where the head is, that's
where the body is. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
head of His church, which is His body. In hymn, turn to Colossians
chapter 1. I'll let you go here. Give me
a minute. Colossians chapter 1, I want you to see this. Colossians
chapter 1. It says in verse 17, Colossians
1, He is before all things. All things were created by Him
and for Him. He is before all things and by
Him all things can sit. He is the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence, the glory. For
it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.
He made peace. through the blood of His cross.
He reconciled us to Himself. Now look at Colossians chapter
2, verse 9 and 10. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of a Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, which is
the head of all principality and power. That where I am, that's
where you are. One with Christ, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Believe the gospel and rest in
Him. And if you do, it's because of His grace, His
will, His purpose. Alone. We believe according to
the working of His mighty power. It's grace, grace, grace, and
more grace in Christ Jesus.