Saving Grace is Heart Work

Now let's turn back to the book
of Acts, chapter 2, verse 14. It says, But Peter, now the apostle
Peter was the preacher of this sermon. He was the one who preached
the sermon. But he was not alone. He was
not alone. It says, But Peter, watch this
next phrase, standing up with the standing up with the other
disciples. Peter spoke, but Peter standing
up with the other disciples. Now, brethren, it is not my ministry. This is not my message. This
is not my ministry here. This is our ministry. I wish
we could all realize that. God may, and God does, call a
man to call a man to be a pastor, calls a man to be a teacher or
an elder, calls a man to fill the pulpit. But the ministry
of the gospel is the ministry of the church. It's no one man's
ministry. The man who preaches must be
sustained by the love and the faith and the prayers and the
cooperation of the people, the body of Christ. And what we do, whether we're
here or whether we're leading the singing or bringing special
music or playing the instruments or whether we're praying or reading
the scripture, whatever contribution we make, whether we're cleaning
the church or cutting the grass or ushering or taking up the
offering or sitting out there praying for the minister, what
any of us do, if it's in God's purpose, and if it's led by God's
Spirit, it will be for the greater glory of Jesus Christ. And not
promoting ourselves, and promoting our office, or promoting our
knowledge, or demonstrating our ability. What did you think of
my message? Well, what difference does it
make? It's not my message, it's our message. It's God's So Peter,
standing up with the eleven, I consider the television program
which is heard on Sunday and Tuesday night, that's your program. I'm just the spokesman. If something
happens to me, you get another spokesman. The same thing is
true of the radio broadcast. When I'm away and one of the
elders is standing in this pulpit, I'm speaking as well as he's
speaking. It's our message and our ministry.
stand to pray. We must realize that the body
of Christ is not all eyes or ears or feet, and the scripture
teaches us that really the most important member of the body
is sometimes the most insignificant, unseen member of the body. We're
not to look on our own things. We're to look on and consider
and be interested in the things of others. We're to love each
other so much That there's no envy and no jealousy and no strife
and no division, but whatever we're doing is for the glory
of Christ Jesus, our Lord. I wish we could learn that. I
know we already learned it, but I wish we could practice it.
I think we know these things up here, but getting them down
here in our hearts and really putting into practice. Brother
Jeff and I were talking yesterday in the study. We don't really
believe anything unless we experience it. And we don't really demonstrate
to other people that we believe it unless we demonstrate it.
That's what James meant when he said, your faith by your words
is one thing, to show your faith by your works is another thing.
And he's not talking about these spinning around the mulberry
bushes works, he's talking about works of attitude and motive
and personality and those kind of characteristics. Alright,
read on. Now, in Peter's sermon, Peter's
sermon, when he was standing up with the eleven, and his sermon
was not a fine display of eloquence. There's no eloquence here. Nothing
eloquent about it. He wasn't, Peter wasn't trying
to impress anyone with his knowledge. And that's one thing I'm worried
about in what we call the Sovereign Grace Movement today. I'm worried
about intellectualism creeping in and us trying to impress one
another with our knowledge and with our doctrinal orthodoxy. I worry about that. Peter wasn't
trying to impress anybody with his knowledge. He wasn't trying
to impress anyone with his ability, his speaking ability, his power
to hold a crowd. He wasn't trying to impress anybody
with his office. Look, I'm Peter. I'm important,
you know. I've got the 8 o'clock spot on
the program, you've just got the 7 o'clock spot. The 8 o'clock's
more important, you know. I'm speaking on Wednesday night,
you've got Monday morning. That means you don't know as
much as I know. That's not the... Peter's message was Christ. That was his message. His message
was Christ. Let me show you that through.
We read it a while ago, but look at verse 22. He preached the
prophetic office of Christ. Verse 22, he said, You men of
Israel, hear this word. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.
Nicodemus said, We know you've come from God. We know you've
come from God. Nobody could do what you do if
God wasn't with you. Nobody, Nicodemus said, could
do these miracles that you do. We know you've come from God.
And that woman at the well went downtown and told those people,
she said, Come out here and see a man that's told me everything
I ever did. Is not this the Christ? Isn't this that prophet of whom
Moses wrote? Isn't this that prophet for whom
our fathers looked? Isn't this that prophet that
we've expected? Peter was preaching here the
prophetic office of Christ. Christ is that prophet. And then
he was preaching the sovereignty of God. Look in verse 23. Him
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, You have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.
You've done it. You've slain him. You're responsible for it.
You've killed him. You've done what you wanted to
do, but in doing what your wicked hands wanted to do, you did what
God determined before to be done. You carried out God's purpose.
You carried out God's plan. Even the wrath of man will praise
the Lord. Now, let's go back to what I
said a minute ago. We really don't believe anything until
we experience it. And I don't know whether you've
noticed it or not. I hope you've noticed it. But it used to be
things would upset me. Things came along and rippled
the water around here a little bit and maybe caused some little
difficulty. But you know what I believe?
I've always believed this, but I really believe it now. I believe
if the front of this church blows off tonight, it was in God's
will. and it'll be for his glory and my good." And I believe that. And as much as I'd like for Charlie
Payne to be hanging around here for a few more years, he drops
dead tonight, I'm going to accept it as God's will. And you say, what would we do
without him? But God doesn't need any of us. And his purpose
can be served even by what we call a tragedy. He is greater
glory. And we've got to, we believe
that. You and I know that in our heads. All things work together
for the good to those who love God who are called according
to his purpose. We know that. We quote it. We don't believe
it yet. And when we come to the place
where we can start acting like we believe it, we'll start believing
it. You see what I'm saying? We've got to calmly enter into
the rough water as well as the smooth water. We've got to accept
these things, these disappointments, as His appointments. His appointments. And let's start acting like it
now, because when we don't act like it, when we You know, we
preach the sovereignty of God in the pulpit, let's walk the
streets believing the sovereignty of God. And when God sends a
trial our way, let's accept it with the same smile that we accepted
the blessing. And when God sends a subtraction
our way, let's accept it with the same joy we accepted the
addition. And when God sends a failure
our way, let's accept it with the same joy we accepted the
successful time, because it takes both to work His glory. Now that's
so, and we're just going to have to... I'll tell you what happens
now, honestly. When I stand up here and talk
about believing God's on the throne, believing God's on the
throne, and then I meet with some trial or difficulty, and
you see me As Brother John said Sunday night with my tail between
my legs drooping and depressed, he said he didn't gave what he
said. He's just talking, he's just preaching, he wasn't telling
the truth. Now the way I can prove I'm telling the truth is
to accept those things in the same attitude that I accept the
blessing. Now I'm rebuking myself as well
as you, unless don't panic. Don't panic. The bud may have
a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Remember what
it said? That's what it said. That's what the poem said. You
fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much
dread are filled with God's mercies, and they will break with blessings
on your head. John Stein asked me when Robbie
died, he said, How are you going to preach your boy's funeral? Well, I should be able to preach
it with the same faith I preached your boy's funeral. Isn't that
right? Peter preached the sovereignty
of God because he believed it. And then look at verse 24. He preached the resurrection
of Christ, whom God hath raised up. having loosed the pains of
death, when possible it should hold him. He preached the Lordship
of Christ. Verse 30, look at it there. Verse
36, it is, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly
that God hath made that same Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Christ. He preached the mediatorial work
of Christ. Verse 34, David is not ascending into the
Christ is. And the Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy foes
thy footstool." The right hand, the mediator. Now, in the next
place, Peter's sermon was based totally on the Scriptures. Now,
I want you to watch this. Now, this is a lesson for us,
Don and Jack and Cecil and and Jeff and Charlie and the rest
of us who occupy the pulpit. Now, this is a lesson for us. Twenty-three verses in this sermon,
twenty-three verses. Do you know how many verses are
quotations from the Word of God? Eleven. You look at that when you get
home tonight, you read it again. But almost half of his message
was Scripture, Scripture, Scripture, Scripture. He'd quote the Scripture,
and this sermon wasn't an ink to cry, believe, believe, believe. This sermon was a God-anointed
declaration of God's saving purpose in Christ fulfilled. And like
I said a while ago, one of the strongest words here is, Look
down here at verse 36. He'd gone through this whole
thing. He said, "...the Scriptures are fulfilled right before your
eyes. God said that whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. The Holy Spirit poured out. The
Redeemer has come. He died on the cross. God raised
him from the dead, seated him in power. The Holy Spirit has
been given upon all flesh." And then he says, "...therefore let every one of you know that
this same Jesus of whom David wrote and of whom Joel spoke,
this same Jesus, whom you crucified, is Lord and Christ. He's God and He's the Messiah. Boy, that's a powerful therefore,
isn't it? That's what he did. Here's the
way Peter preached this sermon. He quoted the Scripture He told
about the promise and the prophecy and all this, then he says, therefore,
in Christ it's fulfilled. He talked about the scripture,
he quotes the scripture, and then he says, therefore, it's
done. And then he came down to the whole thing after he finished
it and said, now all this is so, therefore, let me leave this
with you. You've crucified the Lord of
glory. When they heard this, when they
heard this man with his whole sermon based on the Word of God,
when they heard this man preach Christ, he wasn't preaching himself,
he was preaching Christ. He wasn't preaching his ideas,
he was preaching a scripture, like Philip, who called up in
that chariot and sat down beside the Ethiopian eunuch. And the
Ethiopian eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, and he said, Who is
this fellow talking about, himself or somebody else? And Philip
began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus Christ.
And I'll tell you this, when the Holy Spirit takes the Word
of God, preached by a sincere, earnest, God-sent person, And
when he preaches it in humility and sincerity, with one motive,
to glorify his Lord, God will do a heart work. God will do
a heart work. It may be in his own heart, but
God will do a heart work. It may be in his wife's heart.
It may be in his son or daughter's heart. It may be in a friend's
heart. But if the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God, preached
with a motive for the glory of Christ in honest, godless sincerity,
seeking to make Christ known and true to his person in his
eternality, in his mediatorial work, in his priestly sacrifice,
in his blood atonement, in his resurrected glory, in his coming
kingship. I know you've got to bless that.
You'll get to somebody's heart. Because point number one, all
saving grace has got to be hard work. Now let's remember this,
and this is where I'm afraid the world is divided. Turn to
1 Samuel chapter 16. This is where the problem is. I don't, I tell you, I wish that,
I wish we could get a hold of what I'm about to say right here. It says in 1 Samuel 16, verse
7, the Lord said, Samuel, and Samuel was a, he was one
of God's men. He was one of God's prophets.
He was one of God's trusted men. But he's still Samuel, he's still
a human being, and he was still measuring things by what his
eyes saw. God said, Samuel, look not on
his countenance. Oh, how holy and pious he looks. Look not on the height of his
stature, oh, how strong and talented he is. I've refused him. The Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh how you know
and I know. Man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart. And that's not talking about
that instrument that's right here. He's talking about the
inward man. He's talking about that soul
man. He's talking about that person
that dwells in that body. That's who he's talking about. Let's take a few scriptures.
You've got your Bible there. Turn to the book of Psalms. Turn
to the book of Psalms 34. Now, let's look at these scriptures. And here's what I'm saying. When
Peter stood up there that day and preached, half of his sermon
was scripture. And that's what we ought to be
trying to do, is give people, look at Psalms 34 verse 18. The Lord is known to them that
are of a broken heart, and saith it such as be of a contrite spirit. God take away my envy and jealousy
and malice and my quick temper and my quick land to misjudge
and prejudge. How quickly I am to seek vengeance. Give me a broken heart. Can you
say that God has actually given you a broken heart? And save us such as be of a contrite
spirit. Turn to Psalm 51. Now brethren,
there's a difference in meekness and weakness. I'm not talking
about weakness. I'm not talking about the fellow
that lies down like a doormat and says, wipe your feet on me
so I can look religious. You know, that's not what I'm
talking about. and talking about a real, genuine broken heart
that feels compassion and feels affection and is capable of forgiveness
and capable of mercy and capable of grace, a real broken heart. Look at Psalm 51, 17. The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise. Look at Proverbs chapter 4. Proverbs,
the fourth chapter. And we talk about these evil
fruits of envy and jealousy and covetousness and hatred and divisions
and carnality. That exists in religion as much
or more than anywhere else in this world. And it's the very opposite of
true religion. In Proverbs 4, verse 23, "...keep
thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues
of life." That's where everything comes from, all the issues of
life, out of the heart, the inner man. Proverbs 21, turn over there. Proverbs 21, verse 2, listen
to this scripture. Every way of a man is right in
his own eyes. Boy, that's us, isn't it? But the Lord pondereth his heart. The Lord pondereth his heart.
Here's a verse I wanted to show you also in Luke 16 along this
line. What I'm saying is that all saving
grace, all spiritual work, that which is performed by the Holy
Spirit, that which is to the glory of God, That which is of
saving benefit is in the heart. In Luke 16, verse 15, And Christ
said unto the Pharisees, the religious people, You are they
which justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed
among men He's an abomination in the sight of God. And he's
talking about religion here. He's talking to the preachers.
He's talking to the religious leaders, the Pharisees. Verse
14, look back here. And the Pharisees also, who were
covetous, heard these things and derided him. And that's the
people to whom he spoke those words. Here's a verse. Don't try to
turn to this. This is an old book. I cheated. I marked it.
It's the book of Joel. You know, those little books
are hard to find. But I want to read you this. It says in
Joel 2, verse 12, listen, "...therefore also now saith the Lord, Turn
ye even to me with all your heart." with fasting, with weeping, with
mourning, and rend your hearts, not your garments, and turn unto
the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful and of
great kindness." Turn to the Lord with your heart. Now, brethren, without heart
work, ceremonies are useless. He said in Isaiah 1, to what
purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices? He said, I am sick
of your burnt offerings. When you lift your hands in prayer,
I will not hear you. Without heart work, professions
of faith are useless. In Matthew 15, verse 8, Christ
said, These people, they draw nouns to me with their mouths,
and they honor me with their lips. But what? Their hearts
are far from me. Without heart work, orthodoxy
is dead work. Christ said of those Pharisees,
you've heard it said by them, you've heard it said by them,
you've heard it said by them, but I say to you, without heart
work, even outward morality is useless. What did Christ say
in Matthew 23? You appear righteous unto men,
but inside you're full of dead men's bones. Without heart-work,
all religious ritual, even prayer and fasting, is vain. He said, when you fast, wash
your face and comb your hair, and don't appear unto men to
fast. When you pray, don't stand on the street corners like the
Pharisees and pray long prayers to be seen and heard of men.
Enter your closet and shut the door, and your Heavenly Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Without hard work,
religious ordinances of vain, old Simon Magus was baptized,
and Peter said, Your flesh is clean, you went
down in the water, but your heart is not right with God. And brethren, that's the sum
of this whole thing here. These people in Acts 2 were pricked
in their hearts. They were pricked in their innermost
being. They were pricked down where
they actually lived. They were pricked in their heart.
And all of our ceremony and professions and doctrine and orthodoxy and
morality and ritual and even our ordinances are in vain and,
I believe, an abomination to God if they are not from the
heart. We were talking the other day
in the study, one of the men, about this special offering,
July 11th, about the building fund. And the mention was made about
how much a fellow should give. I would say this concerning any
of our giving, and I mean it, and I apply this to my own heart. Scripture says, as a man purposes
in his heart, so let him give. Whatever your heart will let
you warmly, cheerfully, freely give, give it, not one dime more. What your heart will let you
cheerfully, freely, willingly give. Because if it's not motivated
from the heart, if it's not motivated out of a sincere love for Christ,
God won't bless it. Now, it can be used, and you
can buy some bricks with it, and you can buy some boards with
it, but you will miss the blessing, and God doesn't need it. It's
got to come from the heart. That's the reason I don't spend
time instructing people about the amount of money to give,
and to me this ritualism of tithing, it was written to a natural people
who had to be told where to sit on the Lord's Day. And I believe
that I'm saying if we can't get beyond these rules and regulations,
if we can't get beyond what we call five points, if we can't
get beyond somebody telling us what to do and how to do and
how much to give and all of this sort of thing, we've just flat
missed it. It's going to have to get down
here to a living, vital union and a heart work where Jesus
Christ My Lord, and my Master, and my Redeemer, and my Mediator,
and I'm His, and He is mine, and I walk with Him, and He talks
with me, and what I do is for His glory. He's everything. He's my life. I'm complete in
Him. I don't go to the house of God
because I have to, but because I want to. I don't read the Word
of God because I ought to, but because I want to. Don't pray
because I'm supposed to, pray because I want to. Don't give
because I'm commanded to, give because I want to. You see what
I'm saying? From the heart. It's a heart
work. And if it's not a heart work,
I'll tell you this, it'll lead to evil. I guarantee you it'll
lead to evil. Let me show you some examples
of that quickly. Turn to Matthew 23. You've got
to go one of two ways in religion. Now, if all we've got, if all
this preacher up here has got, and all this church has got,
and all you fellows and ladies sitting out there, all you've
got is a head work and a religious work, a religious impression,
I promise you, if it's not of the heart, if it's not spiritually
motivated, if it's not God Almighty's work, if it's not God-given and
God-performed, it will lead to evil. And religious evil is the
worst evil. First of all, it will lead you
to pride. Look at Matthew 23, verses 6 and 7, talking about
these Pharisees. They love the uppermost room
at the feast. They love the chief seats in
the church, in the synagogue. They like greetings in the markets
and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. See that old pride? Religious
pride. They like to be recognized. They like the seats, the presiding
seats. They like the officiating seats.
They like the uppermost seats. They like recognition. That's
pride. Now what is true faith? True
faith humbles us. It doesn't lead to pride, it
leads to humility. It leads to an abasement of self. As John the Baptist said, I must
decrease, he must increase. Paul said, I am less than the
least of all the saints. True hard work brings a man down,
but the choicest gifts of God are on the lower shelves. Most
people think the choice gifts of God are as I grow in knowledge
and ability and all of a sudden, when I'm empty, I'm full. When
I'm weak, I'm strong. When I'm poor, I'm rich. That's right. And a true hard
work is going to do that. It's going to keep on taking
these edges off us. Keep on taking these sharp edges
off, these fleshly edges, and keep on bringing us down, down,
down, down, down. But this other kind of religion
leads to pride. Elevation. I'll tell you something
else that this false religion will lead to. It will lead to
covetousness. Turn to the book of Acts. Covetousness. Covetousness. Oh, you know what
covetousness is? You know what it is the scripture
calls it? You might say, well, it's a sin.
Yep. Covetousness. You know what it's called? It's
idolatry. Making gods out of the things
of this world. It's having another god before
the Lord God. That's what He said, Be content
with what you have, and avoid covetousness, which is what? Idolatry. Old Simon, here in Acts 8 verse
18, when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands
the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money. He said,
Give me this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the
Holy Spirit covetous. Oh, how covetous. These false
teachers are covetous of men's praise, covetous of filthy lucre. They make merchandise of you
in their covetousness. They glory in the flesh. This
false religion will lead you to covetousness. Now, what will
true faith lead to? I talked about it a while ago. It will lead to contentment.
Paul said, I have learned. It's not something the sky opened
up and dropped on me. It's not something that I passed
from one day into the next day. He said, I've learned it. I've
learned in whatsoever state I am to be content. I've learned it. Now, that's the difference. This
false religion, I tell you, if it's not of the heart, it'll
lead to evil. It'll lead to pride. It'll lead
to covetousness. But true faith will lead to humility,
and it will lead to contentment. I'll tell you something else.
This false religion will give you a false assurance. These
Pharisees looked right into the face of the Lord Jesus, and they
said, We have Moses. We have Abraham. He was the one
sent from God, the one whose ministry was confirmed by the
witness of the Scriptures, by the witness of John the Baptist,
by the witness of the voice from heaven, by the witness of the
miracles, and they looked right at him and said, We're all right. We're all right. We have Moses. Abraham's our father. We're all
right. We'll be not sinners. In fact, the Bible says, that this false religion will
lead you to a hardness of heart and a judicial blindness like
it did Israel, harden not your hearts as they did in the days
of provocation, and you will believe a lie, actually believe
a lie and be damned. I'll show you that. Turn, if
you will, to Hebrews 3, verse 12. In Hebrews, the third chapter,
verse 12. Now listen to this. Take heed,
brethren, take heed, lest there be found in you an evil heart
of unbelief in departing from the living God. Exhort one another
daily. That's you and me. It's not a
one-man ministry. Exhort one another. Encourage
one another. Edify one another daily while
it's called today, lest any of you be what? Hardened. And that's a slow process. That's
a slow process. That's a hardening through the
deceitfulness of sin. And God said they received not
the love of the truth, and he sent them strong delusions that
they should believe a lie and be damned. False religion will
lead you... Now, true faith will lead you
to a broken heart. And you'll daily examine yourselves,
whether you be in the faith. That's what the scripture says. Examine yourselves whether you're
in the faith. I'm really not so much concerned
about the man's salvation who has some doubts as I am the man's
salvation who has no doubts. I mean that, Charlie, I mean
that. I'm not nearly as concerned. The people who come to me and
say, Preacher, I tell you, I really wrestle sometimes and I love
Christ, I trust Him, I believe on Him. But honestly, sometimes
I just, I just wonder if the Lord is a call me. I don't worry
about that fella. I worry about that fella that's
so confident, so cock-sure that nothing can shake him. That's
right. Now you think about that a little
bit. You think about that a little bit. All the apostles said, examine
yourself whether you be in the faith. Peter, the apostle, said,
give gillages to make your calling and election sure. Isn't he?
When it comes to the Lord's table, it says, let a man examine himself
whether he be in the faith. You know what it says? And boy, I'll tell you this,
there's no place where a man can be more quickly deceived
and in the spiritual realm, in no place. The fact is fact. I know that place is there and
that water is in it. I can't see the Lord. I can't
see demon spirits. And brother, the scripture over
and over again says, try the spirits. You know what it says?
Try the spirits, whether they be of God. Many false, anti-Christ
spirits have gone out into this world. The heart is deceitful. Who can know it? Who can know it? And I'll tell you a way to
find some assurance and confidence is quit looking in here and quit
looking back yonder to 1945 or 44 and start looking in here
to Christ. Here's where you'll get your
support. Here's where you'll get your strength. Here's where
you'll get your assurance. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. Look unto me, and be ye saved. That's what he said. You look
to me. If I look very much in here, it scares me to death.
Oh, what I see. You don't see it. But if you
look in your heart, you'll see it. Because we dug out the same
pit. Your pet was next door, but it
seemed not dead. I might have been dug a little
deeper than you, but you dug out, too. But if you look there,
it'll disturb you. But if you look to him, look
to him, look to him, he'll give you some assurance. Last of all, what does the Spirit
use to prick the heart? Acts 2. What does the Spirit
use to prick the heart? You know what he uses? Number
one, I'm not necessarily in this order because what I said the
other night to someone, don't build God a pattern telling me
it has to work that way. Don't do it because he'll show
you he'll work another way for his glory. Don't set an experience
out for somebody else to have. Don't measure another person's
love for Christ by your love. Don't measure another person's
experience by your own. Our Lord Jesus Christ saves his
people as it pleases him. But what does the Holy Spirit
use to prick the heart? Well, in this case, he used the
majesty and glory of God. Peter said, The one you crucified
is exalted on God's right hand. That's where he is. You know, the disciples, when
our Lord stood on the bow of that ship and quieted the sea,
the disciples stood back in fear and said, What kind of man is
this, that even the waves obey his voice? What kind of man is
that? And then our Lord one day came
down to the sea, and he said, If you caught anything here,
he usually always did the talking. He said, Not a thing. The Lord
said, well, cast it on the other side of the ship. He said, Lord,
we've toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, it's your
word. He cast it and got so many fish it broke the net, and Peter
fell on his knees. And you know what he said? Lord,
depart from me, I'm a sinful man. You know what he saw? The
majesty of Christ, the power of Christ. Isaiah saw the majesty
of Christ, and he said, I'm a man of unclean lips. Job, I preached
on it the other Sunday. John on the Isle of Patmos. God
will prick the heart, and He'll do a hard work by making
us to realize His majesty and His glory. Oh, the glory of God. And then I'll tell you another
thing the Holy Spirit uses is the holy law of God. Paul wrote
in Romans 7, he said, I was alive without the law, but when the
commandment came, I died. It slew me. It slew me. The law killed me. Killed me. And the Holy Spirit uses the
substitutionary work of Christ. Listen to this hymn. I saw one hanging on a tree in
agony and blood. He fixed his languid eyes on
me, and near his cross I stood. Sure, never till my latest breath
can I forget that look. It seemed to charge me with his
death, though not a word he spoke. My conscience felt and owned
my guilt and plunged me in despair. I saw that my sins had nailed
him there. I knew not what I did, but now
my tears are vain. Where shall my trembling soul
be hid? I, the Lord, have slain." A second look he gave with sin. I freely all forgive. This blood is for thy ransom
paid. I bide that thou might live. That's where the Holy Spirit
pricks the heart. He pricks the heart with the
majesty of God. I learned something about the
majesty of God. I learned something about the
holy law of God. I learned something about the
substitutionary work of Christ, the eternality of his priesthood. He not only intercedes for me
now, he always has, always has, always has. He stood for his
own in eternity past, assurity of everlasting covenant. He stood
for his own yonder at Calvary's cross, he stands and intercedes
for his own now, and at the judgment he'll stand from his ass. In
no way, shape, form, or fashion, at any time, past, present, or
future, has any sheep of Christ ever been considered out of Christ. Ain't no way. Uninseparably,
infallibly, indisputably, immutably, inseparably joined to Christ,
where he is, I am, and what he has, I have. Ain't no way the
Father ever has or ever will consider me out of Christ. No
way. I was chosen in him, redeemed
in him, loved in him, crucified in him, buried in him, risen
with him, and already seated in him. Our Father blessed the
word to our hearts

Saving Grace is Heart Work

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Saving Grace is Heart Work

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