I'm hopeful that this message
today will be one of encouragement to you. I hope it will be a message
of comfort. You know, Isaiah spoke, Thus
saith the Lord to the prophets of God, Comfort ye my people. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. And that's what I want to do
today. I want to give some assurance and some comfort to those who
truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here's the title
of the message. I'm going to be speaking on the subject, great
unto us, great and precious promises, that by these you, you might
be partakers of the divine nature, whereby are given unto us great
and precious promises, that by these promises you might be a
partaker of the divine nature. Quite often, after a sermon is
over, and the amazing thing, I had this said to me just last
week. After a sermon is over, people are heard to make statements
like this, Preacher, you sure walked on my toes this morning.
Or somebody says something like this, Boy, the Preacher skinned
us today, didn't he? Didn't he get us told today?
Now somehow, somehow, I feel that this type of response, all
the time, and we hear it all the time. You walked on my toes. You sure got us told. You sure
skinned us alive today. This type of response all the
time indicates there's something wrong with the preaching or something
wrong with the hearing. Now, that's right. This type
of response, this type of comment, oh, you say it's just people
talking. No, I don't know. I don't know whether it is or
not. I believe out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
But this type of response indicates to me there's something wrong
with the priesthood disciples. Here's what they said when our
Master preached to the disciples in Luke 24. They came away from
His presence and His message saying this, "'Didn't our hearts
burn within us while He opened to us the Scriptures?' Nothing
thereabout, Lord, didn't He walk on our toes? Nothing thereabout,
Lord, didn't He skin us?' No, sir, they're talking about heart
work. Didn't our hearts burn within us as He opened for us
the Scripture? All right, listen to this. When
Peter preached at Pentecost, and here, these were not disciples.
These were unbelievers. These were folks that had just
bloodied their hands with the blood of the Son of God. They
crucified the Son of God. And Peter preached to them, just
50 days after the death of Christ. This is the folks that were walking
around that cross, shooting out their lips, saying, you've trusted
God, let's see if God will have you, and things like that, you
know. Peter preached to those people
from the Word of God, and it says, and they were pricked in
their hearts. Nothing said about their toes
being walked on. They were pricked in their hearts,
and they said, they cried, men and brethren, what shall we do?
Is there any hope for us? Depth of mercy? Can there be
mercy still reserved for me? And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's blood? Died He for me who Him to death
pursued." These people were pricked in their hearts. Their hearts
were broken. They were smitten in their consciences and souls,
and they cried, what are we going to do? We've crucified the Lord
of Glory. Now, that's a real response to
real preaching. And then when Paul preached to
the Gentiles in Acts 13, it is said in the Word of God that
these people were glad. And when Paul preached to them,
they were glad and they glorified the Word of the Lord. And then
the noble Bereans, the Scripture says, took the Bible home, took
the Scriptures home, and searched the Scriptures to see if what
the man was saying was true. Now that's what I'm talking about.
This type of response is so different. Didn't our hearts burn within
us? They were pricked in their hearts and cried, men and brethren,
what shall we do? They were glad and glorified
the Word of the Lord. They went home and searched the
Scriptures to see if these things be so. That's so much different
from, well, you stepped on my toes, or you sure got us told
tonight. Now, my friend, I realize that
we're living in a famine. of the Word of God. I realize
we're living in a parched and dry and barren land. We're living
in the day of promotion and programs and pep rallies and religious
cheerleaders. I know that. And I know there's
a warning note to be sounded to this generation. God said,
warn them for me. Warn them for me. I know Noah
being warned of God of things not seen, moved with fear. I
know we're told in the Scripture to rebuke reprove and exhort
men with all long-suffering, but I'll tell you this, I'll
tell you this, we're to comfort God's people. We're to have a
ministry of reconciliation. Reconciliation. Now listen to
this. In 2 Corinthians 5, 18, we're to preach from the Scriptures
to the hearts of men. We're to minister the Word of
God to the hearts of men. We're to preach and teach, teach
men. They're to be instructed in the
things of God. Not just scolded, not just rebuked,
not just warned, not just screamed at. They're to be taught the
things of God. A man can't believe unless he knows what to believe.
He's got to be told. I hear preachers all the time
saying, believe, believe, believe. They never tell people what to
believe, whom to believe. 2 Corinthians 5.18 says this,
God has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. We're not
just bearers of bad news. We're not either. We're bearers
of good news. We're the ambassadors of Jesus
Christ. The angel said, we bring you.
Coming down on the Judean hillside that night, they spoke to a bunch
of shepherds and they said, say, we got good news. We bring you
glad tidings of great joy unto you is born a Savior, Christ
the Lord. God did not send his Son into
the world to condemn the world. The world was already condemned.
Jesus Christ came into the world that the world through him might
be saved. What I want us to do is preach in such a way that
men will be exhorted and encouraged to approach God, not run away
from God, to preach the type of message and the good news
of the gospel. that men will approach God in
the hope of finding mercy, not flee from the presence of the
Lord, not flee from the presence of the preacher, not flee from
the gospel, flee from the church, flee from the Word of God, because
they're unworthy sinners and don't belong in that kind of
crowd. Our Lord Jesus invited sinners to come to Him. He said,
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I'll give
you rest. Somehow, somehow, someway, Preachers in churches today have
an uncanny ability to attract to themselves the self-sufficient,
the self-righteous, and to scare away the needy. Now, you know
that so, and I do too. Down at church on Sunday morning,
there's not too many needy people, there's not too many weary people,
there's not too many sinful people, there's not too many lost people.
Most of them are pretty self-satisfied, self-sufficient, self-righteous
folks, holier than thou, so pious and so self-righteous, and somehow
our preaching and churches and pastors today have an uncanny
ability to draw those type of people around them, and those
are the very people that aborted our Lord, the religious folks. And he aborted them, too. It's
said that he was eating with publicans and sinners, And the
religious folks came by and said, well, why does your master, talking
to the disciples, why does your master eat with folks like that?
Why does he associate with folks like that? And our Lord turned
to them and said, the world doesn't need a physician. A man that
doesn't have any problems doesn't need help. A man that doesn't
have sin doesn't need mercy. A man that doesn't have guilt
doesn't need grace. I didn't come to call you righteous
fellows. I came to call sinners to repentance.
These are the people that need me, not you. We're going to the
people who who have no need. They'll admit they have no need.
I'm not a sinner. You think I'm a sinner man? One
fellow asked a man one time, are you a Christian? He said,
well, blankety blank, yeah. You think I'm a heathen? See,
there's not many sinners out there. Now, I know a child must
be corrected. I know a child must be rebuked. I know a child must be taught.
but constant rebuke and constant correction and constant badgering
and constantly being put down will drive him away from you,
will drive him away from you. He'll know nothing of forgiveness.
He'll know nothing of love. He'll know nothing of grace.
He'll know nothing of those things. And somehow we've driven men
away from us. We've driven those who need us.
We've driven those who who are crying out for help. We've driven
them away and we've attracted to ourselves these folks who
are self-sufficient and self-righteous and have no need. Have no need. It's sad. I know, I know God
has hedged us about with warnings. There are warnings all the way
through the Word. Warnings to sinners and warnings to the people
of God flee from the wrath to come. I know that. We're hedged
about on one side with warnings lest we presume. We mustn't be
presumptuous. And these warnings of God will
keep us from presumption. I hope by thy good pleasure safely
to arrive at home. But my friend, let's don't forget,
God has hedged us about on the other side with great promises
from God. Great and precious promises. And that word precious
is a clue to the importance of these promises. For I want you
to look at the company that these precious promises are keeping.
Listen to the company. In 1 Peter 1, 18, it says, we're
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. In other words, he
uses the same word precious to talk about these promises as
to talk about his blood. And then in 1 Peter 2, 7, it
says, to you that believe he's precious, Christ is precious. He used the same word there.
These promises must be something. The blood is precious and Christ
is precious, and then he talks about Yet you receive like precious
faith. Faith is precious? Oh, what a
precious, precious, valuable possession. Faith in Christ.
And then the death of His saints is precious? Precious. And then He comes to these promises
and He says, God's promises are precious. Wish you could lay
hold on them. Wish you could see the preciousness
of them. That's how precious they are. Like the precious blood. Like the precious son. like the
precious God-given faith, like the preciousness of the death
of a believer. God's promises are great and
precious. Now, the promises of men are
not very precious. You know that. It's because they're
often broken. Yeah, they're often broken. The
promises of men are subject to so many infirmities. The promises
of men are subject to our natures, which change, to our wills, which
change to our ability, which sometimes diminishes, to our
health. There are so many things. Our
promises, the promises we make are dependent upon too many things
to be precious. I may promise you something,
have every intention of fulfilling it, but not be able to fulfill
it. But now, that's not so with God. That's not so with our Lord
God. His promises are always precious. They're always precious. They're
always as sure and as steadfast as His throne. They're always
as sure and as steadfast as His character. He cannot fail. That's what the Word of God says.
The promises of God, whereby are given unto us great and precious
promises. the promise of life, the promise
of forgiveness, the promise of mercy, the promise of salvation
in Christ Jesus. And these are great and precious
promises that are established upon four foundations. They're
great and precious because they are established on these four
foundations. Now, I want you to listen to
them. This ought to be good news. We ought to reach out and grab
hold of this and take it right into our hearts and say, I'm
going to rest on that. I'm going to quit trusting the
arm of the flesh and leaning upon the arm of the flesh, and
I'm going to trust God. I'm going to believe God. Like
Abraham of old, I'm going to believe God. I don't know where,
and I don't know why, and I don't know how, but I'm just going
to believe God." Well, Abraham believed God, and it was counted
to him for righteousness. And I'll tell you why you can
believe God, because God cannot fail. His promises are established
on four foundations. Now, let me give them to you.
First of all, his promises are established on his justice. Secondly,
on his love. Thirdly, on his truth. And fourthly,
on his power. And therefore they cannot change.
Absolutely cannot change. Now, first of all, God's justice,
God's just, God is just and holy and righteous. And his promises
will not alter because his justice will not let his promises fail
and will not let his purpose be altered. Now, I don't mean,
listen to me, I don't mean to put our Lord's redemptive work
on a commercial basis at all. I don't want to do that. And
I don't want to put it on a fatalistic foundation. But I'm here to tell
you this. What Christ came to do, he'll do. Now, that's so. His justice will not let him
do otherwise. What Christ came to do, he'll
do. What Jesus Christ purchased in life and death will be given
to him. It'll be his. Now, his justice
and righteousness won't let him alter his purpose or his promise.
Listen to these scriptures, Romans 8, 29. For whom he foreknew,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, he called. And whom he called, he
justified. And whom he justified, he glorified. And whom he glorified, whom he
glorified. Everyone whom he justified, he
called. Whom he called, he glorified.
Now, here's the question. What shall we say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us? Now, here's the Scripture.
He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him freely give us all things? If Christ
purchased it, it'll be done. If God purposed it, it'll be
done. The sheep that were given to Christ shall come to Christ.
Those sheep shall be called, and those sheep shall come. He
said, Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also
I must bring. Those for whom Christ died must
be justified, or his Sacrifice is all in vain. God promises
to those who believe, and those who receive Christ, eternal life,
and that's as certain and as sure as the justice and righteousness
of God. He cannot change. Cannot change. His justice is satisfied in the
death of His Son, and His righteousness is honored by the obedience of
His Son, and He will not change. Listen to Ecclesiastes 3.14. I know, listen to this, I know
whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put
to it, nothing can be taken from it. God doeth it that men should
fear before him. And Paul writing to the church
at Philippi said, I'm confident of this very thing, that he who
hath begun a good work in you shall perform it until the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that's what I'm saying,
my friend. I'm saying that God's promises are as sure and as steadfast
as His justice. And God is just. They're as steadfast as His righteousness. And God is righteous. He'll never
be unjust and He'll never be unrighteous. Therefore, His promises
will never change. Our Lord said, All that my Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll in
no wise cast out. I came down from heaven, not
to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath
given me I lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day."
His justice will not allow him to alter his promises in Christ. All right. Secondly, great and
precious promises. Secondly, God's love will not
suffer him to change his promises. I wish, I wish we could comprehend. The love of God, just something
of the love of God. Oh, the depth of His love. Oh,
the freeness of His love. Oh, the riches of His love. Oh, the unchangeableness of His
love, that we may experience that, not just know it doctrinally,
but enter into, as the songwriter put it, the love of God is rich
and pure. Oh, love of God, how great, how
strong, how measureless. Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made, and every stalk on earth
a quill, and every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of
God above would drain the ocean dry? Nor could the scroll contain
the whole, though stretched from sky to sky." God's love. And
you know something? His love, His love is free. There's
no strings attached to it. Herein is love. Not that we love
God. He loved us. He loved us. and gave His Son
to be a propitiation for our sins. But God commended His love
for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. We don't merit the love of God or earn the love of God.
It's free. It's free. Not only that, but
His love's eternal both ways. He always has loved us and always
will love us. Not only that, but His love is
infinite. Our capacity to love is based on our spirituality.
The more a man knows about God, the more he can love. God's love
is infinite because God is an infinite Spirit, infinite holiness,
and infinite righteousness. The more godly a man is, the
more he loves. The more spiritual a man is,
the more he loves. His capacity to love is increased
as his knowledge is. But God is perfect knowledge
and perfect righteousness and perfect holiness, therefore His
love is infinite. There's no end to it. It's infinite
love. Not only that, but His love is
unchanging. Unchanging therefore his promises
are unchanged and his love is always in Christ That's where
his love is so God's love being free and being infinite and being
eternal and being in Christ Will not suffer him to change his
promises to those whom he loved He will not change I change you
change everything the the hymn writers said change and decay
and all around I see oh thou that changes not abide with me."
Great and precious promises. Here's the third foundation.
These promises. You can lay hold upon them. You
can rest and trust in them. You can lean upon them. You can
build upon them. You can hope in them, because they cannot
change. His justice won't let Him change. His love won't let
Him change. And His truth won't let Him change.
Listen to this scripture. Titus 1, 2. In hope of eternal
life, that is, in Christ, trusting Christ, which God, who cannot
lie, promised before the world began. We have a hope of eternal
life in God, who cannot lie. You see, He promised this before
the world began. These promises are eternal promises. They're not subject to change
any more than God is. Here's our assurance, here's
our confidence, not in our faithfulness, not in our steadfastness, Our
confidence is in His faithfulness and His steadfastness. He said
in Malachi 3, 6, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, you
sons of Jacob are not consumed. Oh, how fickle we are. You know,
in Psalm 50, the Lord brought this charge against us. He said,
you thought I was altogether such a one as yourself. You've
measured me by yourself. You've measured me by your ruler.
You put your thumb up to me and tried to make me be like a man.
I'm not a man. God is not a man that he should
like. I'm talking about the great and
precious promises of the living God, which are unchangeable to
those for whom those promises have been purchased and provided
in Jesus Christ. They can't change. God's justice
won't let them change. God's love won't let them change.
And God's truth won't let them change. Romans 11, 29. The gifts
and calling of God are without change. Eternal life is the gift
of God. Salvation is the calling of God.
We're the called of Christ Jesus. They're not subject to change
or repentance. In Isaiah 46, 11, God says, I've
spoken it. I'll bring it to pass. I've purposed
it. I'll do it. You read that some
now. Isaiah 46, 11, God says, I've
spoken it. I'll bring it to pass. I've purposed
it, I'll do it." Numbers 23, Moses wrote, God's not a man
that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent.
Hath he said, shall he not do it? Who are you dealing with? Hath he spoken, shall he not
make it good? He surely will make it good.
That's what I'm saying. This is a message of comfort
and hope to any weary sinner, to any weary traveler who is
out of his sin and darkness, reached out to Christ the light.
Out of his death has reached out to Christ the life. Out of
his inability has reached out to Christ the sufficient one.
Out of his hopelessness has reached out to Jesus Christ our eternal
hope, laid hold upon Him, believed on Him. God said, He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life. He that hath the Son hath life
and shall never die. You say, that's a good promise.
It's as good as God. It's as good as God. Because
His justice and His love and His truth won't let Him change.
I am God, I change not. That's the reason you sons of
Jacob are not consumed. It's not your steadfastness.
It's not your faithfulness. It's not your dependability.
It's mine. It's built on this foundation.
God knoweth them that are his. Let him that loveth Christ depart
from iniquity. We've got to hope. All right,
watch the last thing. Now, his power, his power enables
him to perform what he promised. His power, his saving power,
his redemptive power. Now listen to this. In Romans
4 verse 20, Abraham, an old man, 100 years old, wife 90, God promised
him a son. She's past the age of bearing
children. He was an old man. Time of life had passed him by.
But God said, you'll have a son. And Abraham staggered not at
the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God. Faith gives glory to God. Faith
gives glory to God. And being fully persuaded that
what God had promised, he was able to perform. You mean you
believe that God is able to cleanse a guilty, filthy, evil, old sinner
and make him as pure and as righteous as the Lord Jesus Himself? Yes,
sir. I surely do. You mean God is able to lift
a sinner out of a spiritual grave and give him life eternal and
take him to glory forever and glorify him with Christ? I surely
do. You mean God's able to reach down into the dust of death and
raise our old bones and join our spirit with our bodies and
raise us to everlasting life and we'll forever live with Him?
I sure do. I surely do. Almighty God's power,
He's able, He's able to save to the uttermost them that come
to God by Him. He is able to keep us from falling
and to present us holy and without blame, spotless before His throne
of glory. He is able to raise our vile
bodies and make them like unto His glorious body. He's able.
Now, there's a reason why He's able. This power of God to fulfill
every saving promise is based on who He is. He's the God-man. It's based on what He did. He wrought out for us a perfect
righteousness by His perfect light and a perfect atonement
by His death. Because of where He is, He's
on the right hand of God. God's able. God moves in a mysterious
way. He has wonders to perform. He
plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. His
purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have
a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. So ye fearful
saints, fresh courage, take the clouds you so much dread are
filled with blessings and will burst with grace upon your heads. I have two messages on this tape,
a message entitled, What is True Repentance, or Have I Truly Repented?,
and the message, Great and Precious Promises. If you want this tape
with these two messages, send two dollars, we'll mail it to
you. Until next week, God bless you.