Now let's go back to the second
epistle of Paul to Timothy. This epistle was written from
prison. I can imagine the Apostle Paul
is sitting in a cell in Rome in prison. He's awaiting execution, he knows. He told his friends before he
left them that he would never see their face again, they'd
never hear him preach again. And he was there because he preached
the gospel. He was there because he dared
to proclaim Christ as the only Redeemer. And he was writing
to young Timothy. and also to you and me. We're
young Timothys. He was sitting there writing
this letter to Timothy. The Holy Spirit inspired him.
All scriptures God breathed. All scriptures given by inspiration
of God. And the Apostle Paul was writing
to Timothy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And he says
to him in verse 8, don't be ashamed of the gospel. Don't be ashamed
of the gospel. I was preaching in Rocky Mount,
Virginia, just two or three weeks ago, and a dear brother came
to hear me preach, who pastors in North Carolina. We were having
a little fellowship after the service, and I mentioned to him,
I'd preached along this line, being ashamed of the gospel.
because of fear of men, or fear of our position, or fear of losing
possessions, or fear of persecution, or just cutting the edges off
of it, you know, just taking the offense off of it and out
of it, and preaching in such a way that folks really don't
know what we're saying, not identifying what we're saying. And he said
to me, he said, I used to be the assistant pastor. to one of the most well-known
Baptist television preachers in America. I was his assistant
pastor in 1966 and 67, 65, back in 15 years ago. And he said,
this man believed, at least in his head, what you're preaching.
He said, in fact, I remember this was before the church became
famous and large and before it had its worldwide television
ministry. And he said I was sitting on
the platform with him like Jay was sitting here with me tonight.
And he said he stood up and preached a sermon on Romans 8, 29, and
30, about whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his son. that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren, whom he did predestinate, he called,
and whom he called, he justified, and whom he justified, he glorified.
What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us?" And he said this preacher stepped out of his pulpit
when he finished preaching that message, and he said he sounded
a pretty clear note that night. He let them know he believed
that God was sovereign and God elected a people. gave them to
Christ, and Christ redeemed them, the Holy Spirit called them,
and those who are called are justified." And he said, when
he stepped down out of his pulpit, five of his deacons met him.
And they said to him, we won't hear that preached here anymore.
If it ever is preached here again, we're leaving. And he said, up
to the time I left, it was never preached again. My brethren, this is what Paul
is saying. This is no holler-sounding note
here. This is no excitement of the
moment. This is no false warning. There are men who are ashamed
of the gospel. If it costs anything, if it deprives
them of something, if it loses friendship, But it causes persecution. Our Lord told about that. He
said the sower went forth to sow, and as he sowed the seed,
some fell on stony ground. And it sprang up quickly, quickly,
but the sun came out. And it was in full bloom. The sun came out, but having
no root, it withered. And he said, He said that's folks
that hear the word and they with joy spring up and with enthusiasm
and they just grow rapidly, real fast. But having no root when
persecution for the word and persecution because of the gospel.
When it comes, you can't take it. And they fold up. You see,
you can only take that wind and storm and hail and snow and rain
if you got roots that go down and tap the source of life, the
living water. And if your root goes down into
Christ the living water, you can just about lose everything
up here, Jay. But the roots in me, that's what
Job said when he sat there scraping his balls with a piece of pottery. Scraping the skin off those balls. And everybody had forsaken him. He was alone and broke and miserable.
He didn't look like anything. He didn't even look like a human.
He had nothing. Everything was gone. But he said,
the root's in me. My root goes clear down into
Christ. I know my Redeemer lives. And I know there are a lot of
folks who look flourishing and big and important out here, but
they got no root. They got no root. It's a mushroom. Not a mushroom, but a toadstool.
You go out in your yard, you cut your yard one night and it
has a big dew or frost or whatever it has, you know, and the next
morning there's that old toadstool sticking up. Grew up there overnight.
Big and fat, but you plunk it and it just falls apart. And
our writer here, Paul, sitting down there in the jail, he paid
the price. He paid the price. He had nothing. He said, in my
first trial, no man stood with me. When they put me on trial
the first time, not one person stood with me. He said on another
occasion, all men have forsaken me, only Luke is with me. Only
Luke. He knew what it meant. He had nothing out here. As they
passed by his cell, well, what did you gain, Paul, preaching
what you preach? You gained nothing but a jail
cell. Yeah, but I got a whole lot up yonder. And I got a whole
lot of root into Christ. And we may not look like much,
and we may not amount to much. But I'll tell you this, if your
root's in Christ, you'll never perish. You'll never perish. So he says, don't you be ashamed
of the gospel. That's the testimony of our Lord.
Don't you be ashamed. Don't you be ashamed, wherever
you are. I don't care who you're around. I don't care what it
costs you. Just don't be ashamed of the gospel. And look at this
next line, don't be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Well, I thought
he was the prisoner of Nero. No. Nero's the second cause. He's the prisoner of his Lord.
What's he saying here? He's saying that he's there by
God's permissive will. He's saying that Nero and none
of the rest of them could lay a hand on him without God's permission.
You're where you are. You're God's child by God's permission.
I'm his prisoner. I'm the prisoner. That was one
of his favorite statements. I'm the prisoner of Jesus Christ.
I'm not the prisoner of the Roman Empire. I'm not the prisoner
of the Caesar. I'm not the prisoner of the religious
crowd. I'm the prisoner of Jesus Christ.
I'm here for one purpose, I preach Christ. That's the only purpose. And I'm his prisoner, and don't
you be ashamed of me. My friends, if there's somebody
you know who preaches the gospel, identify with them. Don't be
ashamed of them. Don't be ashamed of them. You're
in good company if you're with one of God's servants, especially
one that's daring to tell people the truth. And then he goes on,
he says, you'd be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel
according to the power of God. You'd be willing to take your
medicine. You'd be willing to bear your
affliction. You'd be willing to bear to suffer for the offense
of the cross. You'd be willing. You'd be willing
to take it on the cheek. You'd be willing to preach what
I'm preaching. And then whatever the consequences, you'd be willing
to bear it. from whatever quarter it may
come. Now, he has saved us. He saved
us. We didn't save ourselves. The
preacher didn't save us. The church didn't save us. He
saved us. Our Lord saved us. And he called
us with a holy calling. He called us. We called on him,
but he called on us first. We seek the Lord, but he sought
us first. We love him, but he loved us first. He saved us.
And he called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, not according to our decision, not according to our merit. He
did it, listen, according to his own purpose and grace. His purpose. His grace. What is grace? Unmerited favor. Totally unmerited favor. It's
God giving us what we don't deserve. What is mercy? God not giving
us what we do deserve. He saved us. He didn't save us
according to our merit or according to our works. He saved us according
to His grace, and by grace are you saved. He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his purpose. And
this purpose and this grace, listen, was given us. It was
given to us. It wasn't earned or bought. It
was given to us, freely given, as a gift of God. The wages of
sin is death. but the gift of God's eternal
life. He gave it to us. This is the record. God has given
us. It's a free gift with no strings attached. God has given
us, and he gave us this grace and this calling and this salvation
in Christ before the world began. I'm not ashamed to preach that.
I know a lot of churches where this doctrine is in their catechism,
and that's where it stays. It never gets into their pulpit.
And I know a lot of preachers that this doctrine's in their
creed, but it never gets in their sermons. Never gets in their sermons.
One man told Brother Barnard one time, a pastor in North Carolina,
he said, I'd sure like to have you for a meeting. Says, I know
you're preaching the truth. But he said, I couldn't have
you because if I were to lose one tither, we'd go in the red. But we'd be in the red next Sunday
if I was this preacher, and I think as that preacher down there,
we'd be in the red next Sunday. We might be double in the red. He gave us this gift and this
grace and this calling and this salvation in Christ before this
world was ever created. Go back to the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter 1. Now, brethren, let's face it. God either chose a people or
he didn't. In Ephesians 1 it says in verse 3, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He blessed us with all
spiritual blessing. Any spiritual blessing you've
got, God blessed you with it, God gave it to you, God conferred
it upon you. Any spiritual blessing in Christ
Jesus according as He chose us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. I don't know but one way to say
that, and that's say it like God said it. that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us." Somebody said, well, he's talking to the Jew. Oh, I beg
your pardon, these Ephesians were not Jews. They're Gentiles. He's talking to every believer,
Jew and Gentile, bond and free, barbarians, male or female. He predestinated us unto the
adoption of Jesus. He predestinated us. Don't be
afraid of that word, predestinated us. in Christ before the foundation
of the world, by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good
pleasure of his own will. That's what Paul is saying here
in 2 Timothy. He says, And he's writing from
a jail cell. He's writing from a place of
position of suffering and affliction. He's writing looking out the
window at the chopping block where he's going to lose his
head. He's sitting here saying, son, don't be ashamed of the
gospel. Don't be ashamed of the gospel.
Don't be ashamed of me, God's servant. Don't be afraid to bear
your afflictions and pain for He chose us. He sought us. He called us. He saved us. He loved us before the world
ever began. God set His affections on you.
He said, Jeremiah, before I found you in your mother's womb, I
knew you. I knew you. There are some folks at the judgment
who are going to make a lot of pleas and Christ is going to
say, I never knew you! I never knew you! But Jeremiah,
I knew you. Before I ever formed you in your
mother's womb, before you ever came out of your mother's womb,
I sanctified you, I set you apart, and I made you my own. The Apostle
Paul said, God, who separated me from my mother's womb, called
me by His grace. Are you ashamed of the gospel
of grace? Don't be ashamed of it. He saved
us. He called us. It was a holy calling,
not according to our works. Our works had nothing to do with
it. Our works didn't enter in. He said to Rebekah, before the
children were born, before they had done any good or evil, he
said, The elder shall serve the younger. That's my purpose. That's
my will. That's my choice, God said. And
that's the way it was. Jacob I loved. Jacob I know,
Esau is under my judgment. Now by all right, now you say,
I don't like that. Now wait a minute. By all right,
both of them ought to be under God's judgment. Now that's the
thing. By all right, you say, I don't
think that's right for God to love Jacob and hate Esau. By
all right, he ought to hate both of them. But by all justice,
Jacob ought to be sent to hell. Jacob was a cheat. Jacob lied
and cheated his brother. He entered into a conspiracy
with his mother and dishonored and lied to his father. And then,
all the way through his life, he was that type until he met
God at Bethel. And God changed his name to Israel,
a prince. And before God changed his name,
He changed his nature. And God will change your name
and give you a new name. But all of that was not according
to our works, but according to His purpose. His purpose for
Christ's glory, His purpose for His heavenly kingdom, and His
purpose for you and me. According to His purpose in grace,
which was given to us, it was given to us, it was conferred
upon us in Christ Jesus before this world began. Now watch verse
10. But it is now, this grace, this salvation, this glory, is
now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
You see, before this world was ever made, when God created the
world and created man to inhabit this world, when God made man,
put him in the Garden of Eden, in God's sovereign will and purpose,
we have to say this. The fall was in God's purpose.
Somebody said, did God know that Adam would fall? Why, certainly.
God permitted Adam to fall. Adam could have never fallen
had not God permitted it. See, God's will will be done,
whether either his directive will or his permissive will.
You say, how do you know that God Almighty knew that Adam would
fall and that God in his permissive will permitted Adam to fall because
he already had a Savior before Adam was ever created? He had
already chosen a people in Christ to salvation before the world
began. You see what I'm saying? You
see, we're creatures of time. I have to wait until I knock
this glass off to get another one and replace it. I'm a creature
of time. I have to wait for events to
happen before I can deal with them. But known unto God are
all his works from the beginning. That's what Scripture said. He
declared the end from the beginning, from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand. And before
God ever made this, He made this world for the purpose of redemption.
He made this world for the purpose of redemption, for the glory
of Christ. He created man and caused man
to inhabit this world and call out a people for the glory of
Christ. The very history of redemption is for the glory of Christ Jesus.
Everything that God is doing now, he's doing to accomplish
a purpose for the glory of Jesus Christ that he planned before
the world began. You see what I'm saying? That's
what the scriptures say. That Almighty God, before he
ever made the heavens and the earth, before he ever peopled
the earth, It says he chose us in Christ from the beginning.
He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Their names were written in the book of life before the foundation
of the world. Christ was a lamb slain before
the foundation of the world. So God's purpose and program
was already instituted and already in his mind accomplished before
the world was ever made. And I was in that. Now he says
in verse 10, but now Day by day, week by week, month by month,
year by year, that purpose is unfolding. You see, Christ was
my surety in eternity. One day I looked up and he stood
on this earth. Christ Jesus is my sin offering
from eternity. One day I looked up and he was
on a cross. Christ Jesus bore my sins as the Lamb of God, as
my atonement before the world began. But one day He was manifested
on this earth in human flesh and literally, actually died
on that cross. You see, everything that God
purposes has to be fulfilled. Everything God promises has to
be fulfilled. Everything God prophesies has
to be fulfilled. Jesus Christ, our Lord's sufferings,
while they were in the plan of God and the purpose of God, also
must be accomplished in reality. And this is what Paul is saying,
sitting down there writing to Timothy, and he says, Son, don't
be ashamed of the gospel. There isn't but one, though we
an angel from heaven preach any other gospel. There's not but
one. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. Don't be ashamed of me. Don't be ashamed or afraid to
bear your afflictions for the sake of preaching the gospel.
For God Almighty saved us and called us, not according to what
we did, who we are, what we gave, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given to us freely by his sovereign will
in Christ before this world began. And this gospel story that we've
got to tell is the fulfillment of his purpose. It's the accomplishment
and fulfillment of His plan. It's the manifestation and revelation
of His prophecies. You see that? Turn to Acts chapter
2. Let's look over here a minute
in the second chapter of Acts. Now here, our Lord Jesus Christ
came, and He was born of Mary, born a Jew, came unto His own,
His own received Him not. He was despised and rejected
of men, but all that's written in the book of Acts. All that's
written in the book of Acts. And he preached, and he healed,
and one day his mother told him he didn't have any wine. He said,
My hour has not yet come. And another occasion he said,
My hour has not yet come. And he was going to Jerusalem,
and he said, My hour has come. And one of the disciples said,
Don't go up there then. Don't go to Jerusalem. If they're going
to kill you and bury you, don't go. Our Lord Jesus said, For
this hour he came unto the world. This is the fulfillment of God's
purpose. And so when he came to Jerusalem, they laid hands
on him, and they tried him, and they spat upon him, and they
mocked him, and they plucked his beard. That was written over
here too. And they put a crown of thorns on his head. A man
sold him for 30 pieces of silver. That was written over here, too.
And then they took him and nailed him to a cross. And when Peter
told about it, look at Acts 2.23. He said, Him being delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you took
and by your wicked hand you crucified him. But who delivered him over
to your hands? Turn to Acts 4. You just did
what God purposed to do. Now, they did what they wanted
to do. They did what their wicked hands and hearts devised to do.
They wanted him out of the way, and they thought they had him
out of the way. But in putting him out of the way, they accomplished
the redemption of his people. They accomplished at the very
hour You read Psalm 22, the very words from the cross, the casting
of the lots at the foot of the cross, the casting of lots for
his garments, the people walking around his cross hurling insults
at him. David wrote that hundreds of
years before Christ ever came. Hundreds of years. And here in
Acts 4, listen to this, in verse 26. The kings of this earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against his Christ, for of a truth Against the holy child Jesus,
whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, those
fellows didn't love each other. But they got together against
Christ. Whipped the Gentiles and the people of Israel. Those
folks didn't love each other. But they got together against
Christ. In other words, the whole world was against him. The whole
world against his Christ. They were gathered together.
Can you see this band of rabble-rousers and religious people? They think
there's strength in numbers. They think there's strength in
a multitude of voices. They think that there's strength
in their getting together on some issues. But the Apostle
says here, you just got together, verse 28, to do what his hand
and his counsel determined before to be done. Who's running this
show? Well, that's clearly evident
to me who's running it. Oh, my soul. Paul said, don't
be ashamed of that. It was given to us before the
world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death Oh, the death of sin, spiritual
death. He's given us light and light,
life and life and immortality through the gospel. I'm not ashamed
of the gospel. It's the power of God unto salvation.
This glorious gospel of redemptive grace, this glorious gospel of
redemptive grace is the power of God to give life to a dead
sinner and light to a sinner in darkness and truth wherever
reigns. and joy where sorrow reigns,
life where death reigns. Look at verse 11, whereunto I
am appointed a preacher, a preacher of this gospel. I am appointed
an apostle of this gospel and a teacher of the Gentiles, and
that is for the which cause I suffer these things. I am where I am
for preaching what I am preaching. I am where I am, Paul said, I
suffer what I suffer for preaching what I preach. What I'm preaching
is that God is sovereign, almighty, not only in creation, not only
in providence, but in salvation. That Almighty God has a purpose
and a plan and a will that shall be accomplished. We're taught
to pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God elected a people. He chose
them in Christ and Christ redeemed them. And the Holy Spirit will
effectually call them. And they shall be brought to
saving faith. And they shall be brought to believe on Christ. And they shall persevere. And
then he gives this blessed witness and testimony. And I'm going
to close with this. I'm preaching too long. He says
in verse 12, therefore, I know whom I have believed. I know
whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to
keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." Now
this text is wholly taken up with three things. There are
three things here. I want you to underscore three
words in this confession of Paul. I know whom I have believed.
I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day. There is the word know. There
is the word believe. And there's the word he. Now
this text is wholly taken up with those three things, knowledge,
believing, and a person. And Paul's very dogmatic and
decided about all three. There's no ifs and ands and buts
and I think so or perhaps. He says, I know whom I have believed. And I am persuaded he is able
to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. Now
will you bear with me? Let me give you three things.
I begin with the person. Here's where most people miss
salvation. Who miss it? Right here. Paul says, I know whom. I believe
he, which I've committed to him. This is where most people miss.
Everything centers around him. Everything is in him. Did you
notice when I was reading a while ago, God chose us in Christ? God called us in Christ, God
redeemed us in Christ, God saved us in Christ, which was given
to us in Christ. Paul doesn't say, I know the
confession of faith, he doesn't say, I know the doctrines, he
doesn't say, I know the Bible, he says, I know whom. I'm persuaded he is able to keep
that which I've committed to him. Knowing him is saving knowledge. Believing him is saving faith.
Now, a man may say this, I know a great deal about doctrine.
I know the fundamental doctrines of the Bible. Well, my friend,
there's not a one of them that can save you. Not a one of them. I may know election, but if I
do not see myself chosen in Christ, election will not help me. I
know the doctrine of justification by faith. It's one thing to know
the doctrine of justification by faith. It's another thing
to be justified by faith. Well, I know the doctrine of
perseverance. But my friend, if you don't persevere in Christ,
you persevere in your sins, religious or otherwise. Well, I contend
for imputed righteousness. But if the righteousness of Christ
has never been to you imputed, you have nothing to rejoice in.
Someone else says, well, I've had an experience. There are
those who sneer at doctrine. They call doctrinal preachers
a letter man or a teacher. They'd rather speak of experience
and feeling. I wouldn't discredit your experience,
but I'm telling you this, Satan can give you a real experience. I read in the Bible where men
like Judas had experiences, Simon Magus had experiences, Demas
had experiences, all these fellows had experiences. Somebody else
says, well, I know a great deal about the Bible. I can name all
the books, the writers, the times of the kingdoms. I know the Hebrew
and the Greek. Well, knowing the Bible in your
head is not knowing Christ in your heart. The philosopher says,
know thyself and to thyself be true. The scripture says, know
Christ and to him be true. The theologian says, know the
truth. The Bible says Christ is the truth. And our minds and
our hearts must be settled on one thing. All that God has for
any man is in Jesus Christ. That's where it is. I've got
to know him. I've got to believe on him. I've
got to be vitally united with him. I've got to have a saving
interest in him. It's not facts that saves, it's
a person that saves. Now the second word, quickly,
is the word knowledge. The word knowledge. He said,
I know whom I have believed. Now my friends, salvation is
a hard work. The scripture says that they were quick in their
hearts. The scripture says that God opened Lydia's heart. The
scripture says with the heart man believeth. But my friends,
the heart is never moved apart from the mind. Now that's a truth. The scripture says, he that seeth
the sun and believeth on it. Let me show you something in
Romans 10. Will you turn over there a moment? Romans chapter
10. In verse 13. Now this is the second place
where people miss salvation. The first place is they miss
seeing it in a person. They want to hear facts about
Christ instead of the person of Christ. A man can literally
and actually preach facts about Christ and never preach Christ.
Did you know that? You can preach facts about him
and never preach him. And people can believe facts
about Christ and never receive Him. You notice when John wrote
over there in John 1, it says, to as many as receive Him. It
doesn't say to as many as receive His doctrine, or His ordinance,
or His church, or even His law. It says Him. Him. And here's the second place is
knowledge. In verse 13 of Romans 10 it says, Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, but how shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? I'm saying that a man cannot
know an unrevealed Christ. We're going to have to hear some
preaching about Christ, his nature. Who is Jesus Christ? You can't
just believe on a name that's stated. You say, I believe on
Jesus. And I say, Jesus who? I heard
a preacher one time say, let's do away with all this doctrinal
preaching and get together around Jesus. And Barnard said, which
one? There are hundreds of them. What we've got to have is some
knowledge. I know, Paul said, I know whom. Not I know when
or I know what. I know whom. I'm persuaded he. shall keep that which I have
committed unto him, and I know him." Well, Paul, tell me about
him. Well, he was with the Father
in the beginning. He was with God and was God. All things were
made by him. He was clothed in human flesh,
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and he came through a virgin
mother into this world. He was bone of our bone and flesh
of our flesh, and he walked on this earth. He was tempted and
tried in all points as we are yet without sin. He was made
of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to
be the Son of God by the power of the resurrection. He healed
the sick, gave sight to the blind, he raised the dead. The Father
bore witness of him, the Word bore witness of him. The miracles
bore witness of Him. He bore witness of Himself. He
fulfilled every prophecy in the Old Testament. He is that rock.
He is that Passover. He is that brazen serpent. He
is that high priest. He is that atonement. He is that
tabernacle. He is that altar showbread. He is the candlestick. He is
the mercy seat. He is the fulfillment of these
things. I know Him who is the fulfillment of these things.
He died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was raised
again according to the Scriptures. Our preachers aren't teaching
their people. They're entertaining them. You're not taking them
into the Word. You better get into it. You better
find out. You say you believe on Jesus, you better find out
who he is you believe in. I know him, Paul said. I know
him. You can't trust an unrevealed
Christ. And he lived on this earth obeying the law. Why was
he baptized? To fulfill all righteousness.
Why was he circumcised? To fulfill the law of Moses.
Why did his mama bring him to the temple when he was twelve
years old? To do with him after the law. Why did he do these
things? Why did he pay taxes to Caesar?
He could have pinched his head off. To fulfill the law. Why
did he suffer? Why did he thirst? Why did he
hunger? Why did he fast? Why was he a baby growing up
in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man? Why was he
submissive to his mother and daddy in the home? Why? Because
he was my representative. He was doing for his elect what
they wouldn't and couldn't do. what they weren't able to do,
what the law could not do because of the weakness of this flesh.
God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned
sin in the flesh. He didn't die on the cross to
get folks to feel sorry for him, he died as the Lamb of God with
his throat cut and his blood poured out. The Lamb of God.
He didn't cut Christ's throat, he cut the Lamb's throat. But
his blood poured forth from his womb. He was God's lamb. He was
God's sin offering. He was God's sacrifice. He was
God's atonement. He died to satisfy God's holy
justice without which nobody would be saved. Why did he lay
in a tomb? Why didn't God just take him
on to heaven? He laid in a tomb. That's where I'm going to lay
someday. He was buried. He rose again for our justification.
He ascended. He's the mediator on the right
hand of God. Why? He's our great high priest. Without
him you can't pray. You can't come to God. You don't
have any access to God. You don't have any fellowship
with God. You can't get past the veil. That veil was torn
in two in the temple. Why? You better buy us a Bible. We just might be bleeding on
the wrong Jesus. These preachers stand up and
walk up and down and sing about 45 minutes and take up an offering
20 minutes and then for 10 minutes scream at you to believe on Jesus.
Why don't you ask them, Jesus who? Tell me about him. Tell me about him. Tell me about
him. We'd better find out who he is.
We might come up there in glory and be trusting the wrong one,
hear him say, I never knew you. Well, come to think of it, I
didn't know you either. You're not the one I pictured.
The one I pictured was wringing his hands, because I wouldn't
let him in my heart. The one I pictured was leaning
over the banister of heaven, hoping somebody would do his
will. I wasn't expecting this throne business. I wasn't expecting
this sovereignty business. There was a preacher told me
about that, but I didn't believe him. I didn't expect to see a
king. I didn't expect to see an authority
with all power over all flesh. I didn't expect that. I was looking
for sweet little Jesus, boy. Is he up here? No, that's a figment
of somebody's imagination. He never was up here. I was looking
for Mary's son. Is Mary's son up here? I believed
on him. No, he never was up here. God's
son's up here. God's son's up there. I was looking
for the superstars. Anybody seen him? No, he never
was up here either. You might look at that other
place. I expect you'll find him and those who invented him. The
Son of God is up here. King Jesus is up here. The immaculate,
matchless, infinite, eternal God of heaven and earth is up
here. He who speaks in righteousness is up here, but he who speaks
in love to sinners is up here. He who reaches out his hand to
take the nails is up here, and he who reaches out his hand to
forgive harlots and drunkards and thieves, he's up there. But
I was looking for the one that I served. No, he's not here either. The one that served his people
is up there. He's up there. I didn't come to be ministered
unto. He said, I came to minister and give my life a ransom for
many. Oh, we better get acquainted. I'm scared to death that a lot
of folks run around here talking about Jesus, talking about another
Jesus, another Jesus. I know it's him, you see. I know whom. I know Him, I know
He. And here's the next word, and
knowledge without this word is vain, faith, useless. I know
whom I have believed. Believed. Now brethren, I can
stand there. It's not I know, I know, I know
only. It's I know whom I have believed. I have believed. I've believed Him. I've committed.
A man trusts Christ because he knows Him, and because he knows
Him, he trusts Him. I'll leave that with you. A man
trusts Christ because he knows, I know I can trust Him. I know
He's worthy of my trust. I know He's able to meet every
need of my trust. I know He'll never betray my
trust. I know I'll never be ashamed for my trust. And because I know
Him, I trust Him. I trust Him. Just lay it all
in His hands. Paul says, I've committed it
to Him. Some of us, if we came up and took the preacher's hand,
if he falls, we fall. We've joined the church. If it
splits, we split. But I'll tell you this, ain't
split of a church this side of Florida. My Lord lives on. And
everybody, old Joshua said, I don't know about you and your house,
but I can speak for me and my house. We're joined too. We're vitally united. And we've
committed everything we have, are, and own to Jesus Christ
our Lord. That's what Paul is saying here.
I've committed it. You see, Abraham believed God.
I'm not asking you. I might offend you here a little
bit. I want to be careful. I want
to be real careful. I read Spurgeon had a whole page on this, but
I'm not even sure, Jay, that that master pulpiteer handled
it right. I can't either, I know that,
but I'm going to have to say it. I hear people say, you believe
what you do if you want to be saved is believe Jesus died for
your sins. If you believe that, you'll be
saved. I'm not asking you to believe that. I'm really not. I'm asking you to believe he
died for somebody's sins. He died for somebody's sins.
That's what I'm telling you to believe. I'm telling you to believe
him whether he died for your sins or not, whether he saved
you or not. Now, Abraham did. You see, Abraham
believed God before he ever died on the cross. And he was saved. It accounted to him for righteousness.
Now, stay with me. Let me see if I can make good
on this. You see, back before the cross, these men believed
God. If you stopped Abraham out there in the desert and sat down
with him and crossed your legs and said, Do you believe Christ
died for your sins? I don't believe he could have
handled that, Jay. I don't believe he could. But I believe this. I believe he'd tell you, I believe
God. I believe God. I believe God. And I believe
if you had sat down and talked to David, or even Isaiah, he
was wounded by a transgression. Isaiah the eunuch said, of whom
does the prophet speak? Himself or some other man. How
was he wounded, Isaiah? How was he bruised? How were
his stripes laid upon him? I really don't know. But I believe
God. I believe God. And that's what
young people, that's what I'm calling on you to do. That's
what I'm calling on mama and dad, grandpa and grandpa, and
everybody, just believe God. Whatever He says, I believe His
Word. I believe His Son. I believe Christ died for somebody's
sins. I pray and trust that He died
for mine. Don't you? I'm not going to be
presumptuous and take this thing for granted and stand out here
and declare it to the world. I'm saying whatever you say.
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and his righteousness. I'll tell you that. I'll tell
you that much. But no man ever went to hell
believing God. No man ever went to hell trusting Christ.