Our Lord was perfect in his active
obedience, that is, he was born of a woman, and for all of his
life he was actively faithful to every jot and tittle of God's
law. He was made of a woman, made
under that law. And he summed it up when he came
to the River Jordan to be baptized of John. And John resisted. He said, I have need to be baptized
of thee. And Christ said, suffer it to
be so, that we might fulfill all righteousness. And that's
what he did in his entire life. Fulfill all righteousness. And that's called his active
obedience. And he was perfect in his obedience
to God. And he was perfect in his passive
obedience. His passive obedience are the
sufferings inflicted upon him by the hand of others. And he
opened not his mouth. He was led as a sheep before
her slaughters is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. Willingly,
he said, no man takes my life from me. I lay it down. I have
the power to lay it down and take it up. And this he did willingly. So in his obedient life, in his
obedient death, he became the author of eternal salvation.
I want you to turn to the book of Psalms. I read this some time
ago, and I noted this word, become. God has become my Savior. And it took an active work on
his part to become my Savior. And that's what David is saying
here in Psalm 118, verse 14. The Lord, the Lord God, Almighty,
Creator of heaven and Psalm 118 verse 14. He's my strength and
my song and always has been and always will be, but he has become
my salvation. Becoming a man and taking upon
him my responsibility of my salvation and being obedient in all things.
He became my salvation. Look at verse 21. I will praise
thee, for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation."
God is my salvation. My salvation is not a plan, it's
a person. My salvation is not something
I do, it's what he did. He's become my whole salvation.
He's the author and finisher of our faith, he's Alpha and
Omega, I'm the beginning and the end. He has become my salvation. The stone which the builders
refused has become the head of the corner. And this is the Lord's doings. This is all his doings. And it's
just marvelous in our eyes. Get a hold of that. That is what
he's saying here in verse 9 of Hebrews 5. Being made perfect,
he became the author of our salvation, the author of eternal salvation.
And he didn't come to save the world and everybody in the world. author of eternal salvation unto
all them, all of them that obey him, that believe him. To as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons
of God, to them which are born, not of blood, not of the will
of the flesh, not of the will of man, but born of God." Now,
verse 10, over and over again, about five or six times in the
scriptures This statement is made, called of God a high priest
after the order of Melchizedek. Look back at verse 6 of chapter
5. As he saith also in another place,
Thou art a priest forever, a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Listen to this. Our Lord's person
is so glorious, so indescribably, infinitely glorious. His office
is so unique. God became a man in the mystery
of godliness. His life is so perfect, so holy. His redemption is so vast and
great and complete. There's no type, there's no person
who can portray it. There's no type or person who
can portray Jesus Christ. So the Lord God sent Melchizedek. King of righteousness, King of
peace, without father, without mother, without pedigree, having
neither beginning of days or end of life, the Son of God,
a priest forever, to portray Christ. God, in a very special
revelation, sent Melchizedek, and he said, now my son is not
a priest after the order of Aaron. He didn't even come from the
tribe of Levi, Aaron's tribe. He came from the tribe of Judah.
In fact, if he were born in the Old Testament, he wouldn't even
be a priest, because he'd been in the wrong tribe. But the tribe
of Judah is the king tribe. And he's not just a priest, he's
the king priest. Prophet, priest, and king. So
that's why, called of God forever, a high priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek. Now look at verse 11. So this
is what we're talking about. Of whom? Not of Melchizedek,
we're not going to talk about him, we're going to talk about
the one he typified. Of whom we have many things to
say. Can you imagine how many things
we have to say about this person? Whose person is so glorious,
whose life is so holy, whose office is so unique, whose redemption
is so great. Magnificent. We have many things
to say. And hard to be uttered. What
does that word uttered mean? Hard to be understood. It's hard
to be understood. Turn over to 2 Peter 3. Peter refers to Paul talking about things he heard,
impossible to say, and things that he wrote hard to understand. And verse 16 of 2 Peter 3, let's
read verse 15. an account that the longsuffering
of our Lord is salvation. The longsuffering of our Lord
is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul, also according
to the wisdom given unto him, has written unto you, as also
in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which
are some things hard to be understood. in which the unlearned and unstable
twist and rest, as they do also other scriptures, to their own
destruction. But these things have to be revealed
by the Spirit of God. They're hard to be uttered, that
is, hard to be understood. Our Lord said that to his apostles
one day. Let me read it to you. In John
16, our Lord said to his apostles, in verse 12, he said, I have
yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."
He had the twelve apostles around him, and he said, I have so many
things to say to you, but you can't bear them now. Nevertheless, when he the Holy
Spirit has come, he'll guide you into all truth. He'll take
the things of mine and reveal them to you. But here's one of
our problems, verse 11. Of whom? Of Melchizedek. of Christ
Jesus, our Melchizedek. We have many things to say, hard
to be understood, seeing your dull of hearing. Here's one of
our problems, our human faculties are so dull, so dull, mine's
so dull, I pray like I told you some time ago, Lord give me wisdom,
give me understanding of your word, be my teacher. And he rebukes
these Hebrews, he says in verse 12, when for the time you ought
to be teachers. Here's what he's saying, he's
saying to them, you've been redeemed a long time. You've heard the
word a long time. You've been in the kingdom of
God long enough to be a teacher yourself. But he said you have
need that one teach you again and again and again the first
principles of the articles of God. The first, well the articles
of God, it's the word of God. You've been saved so many years,
you've been in Christ so many years, you've been on the preaching
of the gospel for so many years, you really ought to be teachers
yourselves. But you have need that some person
teach you again, over again, the first principles of the oracles
of God. What are the first principles
of the oracles of God? It's the first principles of
the word of God. It's the very simplest beginnings
of gospel truth. It's the first foundation of
faith. Turn to 1 Corinthians 3. Paul
refers to these things here in 1 Corinthians 3. The foundation
of faith. You have need that we go over
again and again the first principles of the word of God. The simplest
beginnings of gospel truth. The first foundation of faith.
He calls this milk. I look at 1 Corinthians 3 verse
9. We are laborers together with
God. You're God's husband, James.
You're God's building. You're God's building. According
to the grace of God which is given to me, this is Paul speaking,
as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, the first
principles of the word of God, the first principles of the gospel.
the foundation of faith. I've laid that foundation. Now,
another preacher, pastor, prophet, comes along and builds their
own. He builds on that foundation. He builds on that foundation.
Now, let every man take heed how he builds their own. Other
foundation can no man lay. There's no foundation work to
be done after the foundation has been poured. It's there.
It's laid. That's Christ. No other foundation
can no man lay than that which is laid Christ Jesus the Lord,
which is Christ Jesus the Lord. Now, if any man build on this
foundation, gold, silver, precious stone, those three things last
forever, don't they? Gold, silver, precious stone.
Or wood, hay and stubble, those don't last very long. Foundation
lasts. Foundation is Christ. But the
building, that we build on that foundation is either gold, silver,
precious stones, or which lasts, which survives. Test of time,
test of fire, test of trial, test of trouble, test of ages. Wood, hay, and stubble. Wood,
hay, and stubble. In verse 13, every man's work
shall be made manifest. The day is going to declare it.
It's going to be revealed by fire. and the fire try every
man's work of what sort it is. So what he's saying over here
in Hebrews chapter 5, when we ought to be teachers,
we ought to be building a building, we have need that we go back
and teach again the first principles of the word of God, the first
principles of faith, the foundation of salvation and of faith, which
is the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's when we, he calls
that milk. And he says in that verse 12,
and you become such as need milk all the time and not strong meat.
Everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness.
He's a baby. Well, in the kingdom of God,
there are babes in Christ and the young men and they're elders,
mature, older believers. And strong meat belongs to the
mature. to them of full age, maturity,
even those who by reason of use, using the word, using the means
of grace, using the opportunity, listening, studying, searching,
seeking, they have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil. So therefore, chapter 6, verse
1, therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of I say those
two verses go together, they're verse 12. And for the time, we
ought to be teachers. We have need that one teach you
again. You learned it once, you don't
teach something again unless you learned it once. Teach you
again. These first principles. Foundation. These first principles
of the gospel. Now verse 1 of chapter 6, therefore
if we're going to grow, If we're going to mature, if we're going
to reach full age, if we're going to participate in strong meat,
if we're going to get off a milk diet, we've got to leave these
first principles. Let's not desert them, let's
not forget them, let's not overlook them, because we continue to
have new babes. We've got to go over these again
and again and again for the babes, for the new people, for the new
converts. We who are redeemed know God.
Verse 1. Let us go on to maturity. Let
us go on to maturity. Not laying again the foundation. Over and over and over again.
Are you with me? Not laying again the foundation. Now, what is
the foundation? He gives you six things, I believe. He gives
you six things. All right, here they are. Here
are these first principles, this is the first thing a man learns
when he comes to salvation, when he comes to God. This is the
first principle, this is the foundation. Paul said a wise
master built it, that's what I believe. Number one, repentance
from dead works. We're convinced that our works
will not save us, that our works of religion will not put away
our sins, that our works will not make us acceptable to God.
repentance from dead works. Now, Paul knew about that. Turn
to Philippians 3. He went through this experience,
repenting of dead works. Christ's works are living works. Our works, in order to gain favor
with God, would be dead works. And that's what he calls it over
here in Philippians 3, in verse 4 of Philippians 3. Though I
might also have confidence in the flesh, if any man thinketh
that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I'm over.
I'll circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the
tribe of Benjamin, of Hebrew of Hebrews as touching the law
of Pharisee, concerning zeal of persecuting the church, touching
the righteousness which is the law blameless. Those are his
works, religious works, in which he hoped to be accepted of God. But those things which were gained
to me, I counted loss. I repent of my dead works. Doubtless
I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord. That's repentance from dead works.
I am nothing, I have nothing, I can do nothing. Christ is my
righteousness and Christ alone. Now that's the foundation. You
don't come to Christ until you repent of your dead works. You
don't turn to the living God until you turn from your idols.
And that's the first foundation. That's what the second one. Faith
toward God. Hebrews 6 verse 1. Faith towards
God. We believe God. Abraham believed
God. Counted to him for righteousness.
Paul said, I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel
of God. I have preached repentance toward
God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe God,
we believe the record he had given concerning his son. We
believe that of God we're in Christ Jesus who's made under
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. That he who knew
no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. That's foundation. Repentance
from dead works, faith in God. Thirdly, the doctrine of baptisms. Is there more than one baptism
preacher? First, we're baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit.
That's what 1 Corinthians 12, 13, let me read it to you. 1 Corinthians 12, 13, he says,
For by one spirit have we all, are we all baptized into one
body, whether we're Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, we've been made
to drink of one spirit. We've been baptized into the
body of Christ. Secondly, we're baptized in water. When we're
baptized, we're baptized in water, confessing Christ, buried with
him in baptism unto death. That's a baptism. So, baptized
in Christ by the Holy Spirit, and baptized in water, confessing
Christ. And declaring that we're identified
with him in his death, burial, and resurrection. That's foundation. A person's not saved until he
repents of dead works and believes on Christ and confesses him.
Here is the fourth foundation, laying on of hands. This was
a special power and gift God conferred upon the Apostles.
You see that in Acts 8, verse 17. It says here, Then he said
in verse 16, For as yet the Holy Spirit, as yet he was fallen
upon none of them. Only they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they, the apostles,
their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. That's
when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the
Holy Ghost was given, and he offered them money and said,
Give me this power that on whomsoever I lay hands he will receive the
Holy Ghost. Peter said, Your money perish
with you. So that laying on of hands is
an early church. The apostles, God gave them that
special gift and power, upon whom they laid hands and received
the Holy Spirit. Also, Paul talked about special
gifts conferred upon Timothy by the laying on of his hands.
And then the early church, when they ordained deacons and elders,
the apostles laid hands on them. And then when they sent missionaries
out, they laid hands on them and sent them out. But that's
first principles. All right, the next one. Repentance
from dead works, faith toward God, doctrine of baptism, laying
on of the apostles' hands, the resurrection of the dead. If
a man dies, shall he live again? In Christ he will. Scripture
says that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
was buried and rose again according to the scriptures. If there's
any doubt in your mind about the resurrection, then you're
not convinced about Christ's resurrection. Because, listen,
Paul said, if Christ be not risen, then we're yet in our sins. And
if the dead rise not, then Christ is not risen. So this is elementary. This is first faith. This is foundation of faith.
And then the next one is eternal judgment. It's appointed unto
me and wants to dine after that judgment. Now here's a scripture
I want you to read, Acts 17, verse 31. And this judgment is
in relation to Christ. There is no judgment to them
who are in Christ. So we don't fear the judgment.
But for everyone out of Christ, there is a judgment. Because
God, listen, Acts 17, verse 31. Because, and here's the reason,
judgment has to do with your relationship to Christ. If you're
in him, there is no judgment. If you're not in Christ, there's
an awful judgment. Now listen, here's what he says.
Because he has appointed a day in which you judge the whole
world in righteousness, in regard to righteousness, having to do
with righteousness. And it ought to be based on that
man, that man. Not this man, or that man, or
that man. Whom God ordained, and he had
given assurance unto all men that this is the truth when he
raised him from the dead. So let's go back to our text
now. Therefore, chapter 6, verse 1, leaving this foundation being laid, being
received, being Therefore, you who are born again, you who are
saved, you who know what repentance from dead works is, faith in
Christ is, baptism is, the laying on of hands, the receiving of
the Holy Spirit, the resurrection, the judgment in Christ. Let's
go on to maturity. In verse 3 he said, This we will
do, if God permit. If God permit, we'll do this.
How will we do it? Turn to 1 Peter 2. First Peter 2.1, how will we
do it? Here's how we'll do it. First Peter 2.1, Wherefore, laying
aside all malice, and guile, and hypocrisies, and evil speaking,
envy, and evil speaking, as newborn babes, we're going to desire
that sincere milk of the Word, that we'll grow thereby. The
Word, that's how we're going to grow, to the Word. I look
at 2 Peter 3, verse 18. It's through the works, the very
thing we're doing tonight, what we'll do here every Lord's Day. Verse 17, 2 Peter 3, He therefore,
beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware, lest ye
also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from
your own steadfastness, but grow in grace, grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom
be glory both now and forever." Well, aren't you afraid if we
don't keep relaying these principles all the time for our believers
that some of them will fall away? No. Look at the next verse, verse
4. You needn't worry about any believer
falling away. You needn't worry about any sheep
of Christ falling away. You needn't worry about any child
of God perishing just because you tried to take him off milk
and put him on meat. You needn't worry about him perishing if
you try to take him into a greater understanding of the personal
work of Christ, a greater understanding of the riches of his covenant
and the riches of his kingdom. For he said, verse 4, it's impossible. Now watch this. Who are these people here in
verse 4? You've read this so many times and there's a lot
of controversy about it. But Spurgeon said this, and I'll
give you this before I start reading. Even a child, this was
Mr. Spurgeon, even a child reading
these verses would declare that these are the same people. Well,
let's see what we find. It's impossible for those who
were once enlightened What is it to be enlightened? Ephesians
1. Let's go over that. Let's once
and for all settle who these people are that he's talking
about. Impossible, impossible for them to fall away. Ephesians
1, verse 18. Enlightened. They've been enlightened.
They were in darkness, now they're in the light. They've been enlightened. Verse 18, Ephesians 1. the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened. Let's read verse 17. That the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of Christ, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may
know what is the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints and what is exceeding greatness
of his power to us who believe according to the working of his
mighty power." Enlightened? That's not a lost man. He has
not been illuminated and he has not been enlightened. He hasn't
even been awakened. He hasn't even been given life,
much less enlightened in the knowledge. God who commanded
the light to shine in darkness has shined in our hearts giving
us The knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ,
enlightened. All right, the second in Hebrews
6. He's enlightened, he's tasted
the heavenly gift. Now you're going to see this
word tasted three times in these two verses. Tasted, tasted, tasted. If you will do what I did, get
your great concordance and look up the word tasted. It's used
in the New Testament 12 times. Tasted. Christ tasted death. Have you tasted that the Lord
is gracious? Tasted. Tasted the heavenly gift. The word tasted, according to
the Greek, means the same thing all twelve times in the New Testament.
It means to eat and to experience. What is this we've tasted? The
heavenly gift. Who is the heavenly gift? Who
is the unspeakable gift? Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. I've tasted it. Have you tasted
that the Lord is gracious? You've eaten my blood and drank
my blood and eaten my flesh. Taste it. These people have tasted
the heavenly gift. Not a lost man. All right, but
it's the next line. He said, they made partakers
of the Holy Ghost. Only a saved person is a partaker
of the Holy Ghost. He dwells in us. Listen to Paul
over here in 1 Corinthians. He said, 1 Corinthians 3, Know
ye not that ye are the temple of God? The Spirit of God dwells
in you? If any man have not the Spirit
of God, he is none of his. So these people have been made
a partaker of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God. You can't be an unsaved person. And listen to verse 4, or verse
5. He's tasted the good word of
God. He's tasted the heavenly gift.
Now he's tasted the word of God. Who is the word of God? Well,
you say, the Bible's the word of God. I know it is, but without
Christ, it's not the living word. It's the living word to me because
He's the living word. He's the incarnate word. And
I've tasted the good word, the good word of God. Not the judgments
of God, the good word of God. The good news of God. The gospel
is called God spelled, good news. I've eaten at his table, you
have too. I've actually eaten the word
of God and found it to be good and sweet. Christ is that word. And listen, they tasted the good
word of God, they tasted the heavenly gift made partakers
of the Holy Ghost, and tasted the powers of the world to come. Well, now about it, faith, hope,
and love, these three. The greatest of these is love.
And I've tasted that, and you have too. A lost man has not
tasted neither faith, hope, nor love. And then powers of the world
will come. Now, that's five characteristics, identification,
marks of a believer. Now he says, verse 6, if they
should fall away, if they shall fall away, there's not even a
possibility of them falling away, is there? Our Lord said, all
that my Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh
to me, cometh to me in no wise cast out." He said in Philippians
1.6, Paul said, I'm confident that he that hath begun a good
work in you shall complete it. But this is, if they should fall
away, what is falling away to the place of impossibility of
recovery? Go back up here and read verse
4. It's impossible, it's impossible for those who were once enlightened,
tasted the heaven and the earth, made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
tasted the good, where to go, the pious, where to go, if they
should follow that, it would be impossible to renew them to
repentance. If this is a believer, I can
see why it would be impossible to renew them to repentance.
I can see it would be impossible. If Christ fails to keep him,
who can keep him? If Christ's righteousness is
not worth keeping, then who can keep him? Is there a better sacrifice? Is there a better covenant? Is
there a better Savior? So this can't be a believer. But if it's an unbeliever, then
why is it impossible to renew him? He's never been moved. You've got to renew. He's never
been new. You can't renew something that's
never been there. This is not an unbeliever. He
never did repent. He never did believe. He never
was made alive. He never knew Christ. How could
he put him to shame? You or I, if we should fall away,
would put him to shame. We put the whole covenant of
God to shame, because listen to these. I've written six things
here, now listen. If one should fall away from
whom Christ died, number one, it would be for the blood of
Christ to lose its efficacy. That can't be. Number two, it
would be for the father to disown a child. That can't be. Number
three, it would be for the Holy Ghost to depart from a believer
and let him die in sin again. Fourthly, it would be for God
to change and alter his Lamb's book of life. Fifth, it would
be for Satan to be victorious over the will, purpose, and covenant
of God. Sixth, every child of God would
be in danger of falling sooner or later. That's the reason he
said, it's impossible. I want you, he said, you've laid
the foundation. The foundation is Christ's righteousness
and repentance from dead works and faith in the Son of God and
baptize, confessing Christ and believing in the resurrection.
Now let's go on. Let's go on, study the Word,
the person of Christ, the priesthood of Christ, the glory of Christ.
Let's grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And don't worry about somebody departing from Christ, because
they're not going to. They're not going to. I'll continue to milk around
here, put milk on the table, but let's put some meat on the
table. Let's go on, study the Word. Get into the Word of God. It's impossible. It's like he
said, if one of them could fall away, he couldn't be saved again. And it put Christ to shame. It put
God's covenant, kingdom, glory to shame. And he said, he that
believeth on the Son of God will never be ashamed. Never be ashamed. Never be ashamed. Never be confounded. And so here's an illustration
of what we're talking about in verse 7. And I'm just going to
verse 9 is all. Verse 7, 8, and 9. The apostle
illustrates what he's been teaching. The earth which drinketh in the
rain, that cometh often upon it, and brings forth herbs, meat
for them by whom it's dressed, receive blessings from God. But
that which bears thorns and briars is rejected. and now unto cursing,
whose end is to be burned. Now you've got two things here.
The rain falls from heaven. In some places the rain, of course,
is the gospel. It's the grace of God. In some
places the ground is good, prepared, rich, and fertile. And from that
ground comes fruits and vegetables and beautiful things for men
to enjoy. This is the blessed ground, the
prepared ground. But there are some places where
the rain falls. It's not prepared ground, it's
not fertile ground. It falls upon the ground and
thorns and briars of no value grow up and it's rejected, it's
fit to be burned. Now the rain is the grace of
God and the gospel of Christ. And when the gospel comes in
the power of God's spirit, it's sent by God upon good ground,
upon prepared ground, upon a heart prepared by God, it brings forth
fruit. He said some 40, some 60, some
100 fold. But it will be blessed of God. Let me show you another
scripture. I want you to turn to this one,
1 Corinthians 3. It will be blessed of God, to bear fruit. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse
6. Paul talks about these preachers,
these apostles. He said, verse 6, I've planted,
a palace watered, but God gives the increase. So then neither
is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth, but God
gives the increase. Now he that planteth and he that
watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor. But when labor is together with
God, and you are God's husbandry, you are God's building. So when
the rain falls, he said in Isaiah, my word, let me read that, Isaiah
55, listen He said, As the rain comes down
from heaven, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither,
but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth in blood, that
it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall
my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It will not return
to me, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it will
prosper in the things which I send it. So that's what he said in
Hebrews, the rain comes down in some places. It brings forth
herbs and fruits and vegetables that are blessed to people's
use. In other places, the same rain, because the ground is not
prepared and the ground is foul ground, hard ground. It brings
forth thorns and vires, good for nothing but to be burned. You just got through sin in verse
8, thorns and bars. But verse 9, we're persuaded
better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though
we thus speak. Things that accompany salvation.
When the Lord, when the rain falls, there's things that accompany
the rain. Herbs and fruits and vegetables,
grass grows. Like after that rain Monday,
we went out on Tuesday, everything looked so much greener. That
was the result of the rain. That's what accompanies the rain.
And the things, when God gives his light and life and indwelling
Christ, they're ingredients and parts of salvation that just
come up. It just comes up. The earth drinks
in the rain. Well, look at verse 7. The earth
drinks in the rain and bringeth forth herbs. The believer drinks
in the word, brings forth fruit. Isn't that correct? The earth
drinks in the rain, and the natural result is fruit. And the believer
drinks in the word, and the result is faith, hope, love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, patience, faithfulness, generosity, godliness. But it's the word. My word will
not return but the word. Now listen. Here's a hymn that
one of the old writers wrote on this scripture. Grace is a
fruit that will not grow in nature's barren soil. All we can claim until Christ
we know is vanity and spoil. But where the Lord has rained
down grace and made his precious Son to be known, there fruits
of heavenly joy and peace are found and there alone. A merciful Savior seen by faith,
a sense of pardoning love, a hope that triumphs over gives joys
like those up above. That's true. All right.