The Word That Saves

Now most religious people are
aware of the great reformation that took place in the Middle
Ages, 450 years ago, almost 500 years ago. We're familiar with
the names of the reformers, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Hus, these other
great men. statues erected to these men
in different parts of the world. We know that they came out of
dead religion. We know that they led their followers
to religious freedom. We know that they suffered. We
know that they died, some of them, for what they believed.
People commemorate Reformation Day. They have special services
on Reformation Day in honor of these men. We know that we owe
them so much. I don't think we really realize
how much we do owe them. I would say not only our religious
freedom, but political freedom as well came because of their
courage, because of their strength. But knowing all this, how many
of us know the reason for the Reformation. How many of us know
those basic things upon which the Reformation was built? Why
did they come out of dead religion? What were the issues in their
day? Which are the issues today? Actually,
there are three. I believe the whole foundation
of the Reformation can be summed up in three statements. I want
to give them to you. I'd like for you to jot them
down. There are three basic reasons for the Reformation, the three
things on which it was built. There are three issues with which
these men dealt. The first one is this, Christ
alone. Christ alone. Christ is the only
Savior. That's what these men believed.
That's what they fought for. That's what they died for. Christ
is the only Savior. There's none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Not the church,
not the ordinances, not the law, but Christ alone. He's the only
Savior. He is the sufficient Savior.
He is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him.
He is the effectual Savior. One old-timer said, I hold that
whatever Christ came to do will be done. I hold that whatever
Christ came to perfect will be perfected. I hold that whatever
Christ asked as mediator shall be given. Christ is the Bible. Christ is eternal life. Christ is salvation and Christ
is heaven. It's Christ alone. The Apostle
John wrote, this is the record. God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in not my decisions, not my reformation, not my obedience
to ordinances, not my affiliation with the Church. This life is
in his Son, and he that hath the Son hath life, and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life. These men believed
that salvation could be summed up in two words, substitution
and satisfaction. He took my place, and what he
did before the Father and before the law and before God's justice
was satisfactory. Substitution and satisfaction. That's the first foundation of
the Reformation. Christ alone. Christ alone. Christ is our hope, Christ is
our life, Christ is our refuge, Christ is our Redeemer. In Him
we have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
It's Christ alone. He's the Alpha and Omega. He's
the author and finisher of our faith. He's the beginning and
the end. It's Christ alone, loved in Him before the foundation
of the world and secure in Him throughout all eternity. The
second foundation upon which this reformation was built is
grace alone. Grace alone. The scripture says,
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Turn with me to Romans 11. Romans
11, let's look at verses 5 and 6. Now this is the age-old battleground. Grace and works. This is the
age-old battleground. This is where the conflict always
has been. There may be little side issues,
but this is the battleground. Grace and works. Grace versus
works. There are only two religions
in this world. You can call them by all the
names you want toâ€”Catholic, Protestant, and Jew. You can call them Baptist,
Methodist, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Pentecostal, call them what you
want to, but they're just two religions in this world. They're
those who believe that salvation is all of grace, totally of grace,
completely of grace, and those who believe it's by works. Those
are the two religions. There aren't but two. Those who
believe in salvation by grace, for by grace are you saved. and
all the rest believe for by works are you saved. And these are
poles apart. These are poles apart. And you
find an honest, true, grace believer, a person redeemed by God's grace,
and a person who believes in salvation by works, and I don't
care if they worship in the same church, live in the same home,
sleep in the same bed, they are poles apart and the two can never
meet. That's so. You cannot mix the
two. Listen to Paul in Romans 11,
5. Even so, at this present time also, there is a rendement according
to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no
more worth Otherwise, grace is no more grace. You can't have
grace plus works. You can't have it mixed with
works. You can't have it watered down with works. It ceases to
be grace. When you put even the wrinkling
of a little thing of works in it, it ceases to be grace. Not
modified, it just ceases to be grace. Totally ceases to be grace. That's what he's saying here.
If it's by grace, It is not of works. If there's any amount
of works mixed in it, it ceases to be grace. But if it be of
works, then is it no more of grace, otherwise work is not
work. You've got to have total works
or total grace, you can't mix them. Now some people insist on works
from the beginning. Paul said, my heart's desire
and cry to God, my heart cry and desire is that Israel be
saved. I bear them record, they have
a zeal of God, but it's not according to knowledge. They're going about
to establish their own righteousness and have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. God's done all he can do, now
it's up to you. Many people believe that salvation
is by works from the beginning. They believe it's by works in
the middle and works at the end. They believe salvation by works.
God has offered salvation, now here it is, you work it out according
to your own merits and strength and righteousness and holiness
and dedication. There's some people, like the
Galatians, who want grace at the beginning and works in the
middle. Paul said, having begun in the Spirit, are you made perfect
by the flesh? There are some who want to find
justification at Calvary, and they run to Sinai for sanctification. But I'm telling you this, according
to the Word of God, salvation is totally from beginning to
end of the grace of God. It's of the Lord in its planning,
it's of the Lord in its execution, it's of the Lord in its application,
it's of the Lord in its sustaining power, it's of the Lord in its
ultimate perfection. Jonah learned it in the university
of the whale's belly, as Roth used to say. He learned that
salvation is of the Lord. Happy is the man. Oh, happy is
the man. who has ceased from his works
and entered into Christ's rest." You say, that's talking about
heaven. It is not talking about heaven. It's talking about right
now. Ceased from his works and entered into Christ's rest. Of
him are you in Christ Jesus, who is made unto us, who of God
is made unto us. All we need, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. I am complete in Christ. Totally complete. And that by
the grace of God. The grace of God. Now that's
the second foundation. Now thirdly, stay with me. First of all, these men believed.
And they preached. And they fought for it. And they
died for it. Christ alone. Christ alone. He is all I need. I am chosen in Him, I am loved
in Him, I am forgiven in Him, I am redeemed in Him, I am secure
in Him, I am accepted in Him, I am seated in Him, I am in Christ. Christ alone. Grace alone. That
by the grace of God. It was grace that loved me before
I was born. It was grace that loved me after
I was born. It was grace, the grace of God
that sent His affections upon me. It was the grace of God in
time by the Holy Spirit to call me. It was the grace of God that
sent Christ to the cross to die for me. It was the grace of God
that sent Him into the world in human flesh to work out for
me a perfect righteousness. It was the grace of God that
brought Him down from the tree and up from the grave and seated
Him at God's right hand as my mediator. It was all of grace.
all of grace, and it's the grace of God that keeps me right now.
If one sheep of Christ could fall away, my poor, feeble soul
would fall a thousand times a day, and yours would too. It's by
grace that I'm kept. All right? Third, the third foundation
of that Reformation, the Scriptures alone. Now, you can build on
those three things. And I'm telling you, if one of
those stones is removed, you're in trouble. Just one of them. You can't take away Christ alone,
or grace alone, or the Word of God alone. That's what these
men taught. Not church tradition, not human
thought. This is what I think. Not denominational
creeds, not even catechisms, not even confessions of faith.
It's the Word of God alone. Turn to Isaiah 8. I want you
to read three, four verses of Scripture here. Isaiah chapter
8. Now listen to this. Isaiah chapter 8, verse 20. To the law. This is what the
prophet's writing. To the law. He's not talking
about Ten Commandments, say. He's talking about the Word of
God. To the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to
this word, it's because there's no light in them. It's not because
they're ignorant. It's not because they have other
motives. It's because there's no light
in them if they speak not according to this word. Turn with me to
2 Peter 1. Listen to this. 2 Peter 1, verse
19. 2 Peter 1, 19. Now, Peter had been talking about
how he had been on the Mount of Transfiguration when the Redeemer,
when the Master was transfigured or glorified or appeared with
Moses and Elijah, and when they saw his glory, he talked about
being an eyewitness to this event. And then he says, he heard a
voice from heaven, verse 18, this voice came from heaven,
I heard while I was in that holy mountain. Boy, you say, I'd love
to have been there. I'd love to have heard that voice.
Yeah, that's what people want to hear. They want to hear voices.
They want to dream dreams. They want to see vision. Do you
know what I want? I want to stand this full. I
wouldn't exchange the Word of God for all the voices these
men ever heard. I wouldn't exchange the Word
of God for every vision they ever had. I wouldn't exchange
the Word of God for every dream they ever dreamed. Listen to
the next verse, verse 19. have also a more sure word of prophecy,
whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star
rise in your heart." Preacher, what could be better than a voice
from heaven, the Word of God here, the written Word of God?
What could be better than a dream or a vision Peter tells you here. He said, I was there. I saw him
transfigured. I heard that voice. But here
is a more sure word, because my ears can deceive me. My dreams
can deceive me. Satan can give me dreams, and
Satan can make me hear voices, and Satan can make me see visions.
Satan can't write the book. He can't change the book. Knowing
this, this is what he's saying, that no word of the Scripture
is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of God, but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Spirit. This is that faithful witness.
This is that more sure word of prophecy. Turn to Romans 10,
verse 17. Romans 10, 17. You may feel just a little bit
shocked at me saying that I wouldn't exchange the word of God for
all their voices and dreams and visions, but sincerely and earnestly
and deeply I say unto you, that's so. This word is more important
than visions and dreams and even voices. Romans 10, 17. For faith, so then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by what? The Word of God. The Word of
God. In this Word, I find my condition
by birth, by nature, by representation. In this Word, I find the promise
of redemption. Turn with me to Hebrews. I want
to show you something. I had a preacher when I was pastor
over at Pollard. His name was D.D. Estep, pastor
of the Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky. We were friends. This was many years ago, 25 years
ago. He came and preached for us for
five or six days, and I don't remember all that he said or
all that he preached, but one statement that he made made a
profound impression upon me. I was just 25 or 26 years of
age, and he read something from the book of Hebrews, chapter
13, that meant a lot to me, and I remember it like yesterday.
In Hebrews 13, beginning with verse 5, this is what he said,
Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content
with such things as you have. For he hath said, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, The
Lord is my helper, and I fear not what man shall do to me.
He said, now go back and underscore these words in verse 5, for he
had said, for he had said, and then underscore these words in
verse 6, so that we may boldly say. Why can I boldly say this? Because he's already said it.
Whatever he's already said. He's already said, I'll never
leave you, so I can say, I will not fear. He has said, I'll never
forsake you, so I can say the Lord is my helper. How can I
say the Lord is my helper? He said it first. I can't say
what He hasn't said. I can't believe what He hasn't
said. I can't trust what He hasn't
said. I can't receive what He hasn't
said. But what He has said, I can say. And I can't say anything else. In this word I find incarnate
deity. In this word I find the perfect
substitute. In this word I find the call
to believe. In this word I find the promise
of life to all who do believe. In this word I find my assurance. In this word. You want faith? Go to the word
of God. You want assurance? Go to the
Word of God. You want comfort? Go to the Word
of God. You want strength? Go to the
Word of God. Quit turning to the words of men and turn to
the Word of God. That's where you'll find it. Paul said, Timothy, preach the
Word. It's the Word that saves. It's the Word that saves. Every word of his word is rich
and precious. I want you to turn over here
to Ephesians 1 a moment, and let's just look for a few moments
at the word of God and what he has said. What he has said. I'm going to select just a brief,
brief text from Ephesians 1, verse 6, and look at each individual
word. This is what I'm saying. Every
word of the word of God is precious. We need to learn how to read
the Word of God. We need to learn how to read
the Word of God slowly. We need to learn how to read
the Word of God reverently, asking the Holy Spirit to be our teacher.
I think you can read too much of God's Word at one sitting.
I think people who set for themselves a schedule, an order of reading,
and they're going to get through the books or through the New
Testament or through the Old Testament or through the Bible
after so many readings. Now, I know this will sound almost
irreverent to some of you, but I think they're making a mistake.
I really do. I think the Word of God needs
to be read a little bit at the time. There's so much in each
word. There's so much in each phrase.
You can read the writings of men. You can read a book written
by a man and exhausted in one reading. But you can dwell on
each individual word in God's Word. You can dwell there and
dwell there and dwell there, for each word is precious. The
Word of God. Let's learn to read it. Let's
learn how to read it. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to
be our teacher as we read it. Look at this in Ephesians 1 verse
6. It says in the last line there,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Brethren, you
could camp there and preach for weeks. Just camp the he hath
made us accepted in the Beloved. You say, well, I've read that.
Do you know what it means? Are you familiar with it? Look
at it. He. Who is He? This is God the
Father. That's what it's talking about.
He. He hath made us accepted in the
blood. He. Look back at verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. that
we should be holy and without blame before Him, the He who
chose us, and the He who loved us, and the He who predestinated
us. He hath determined that in Christ
we should be holy before Him. It says He did this in verse
6, to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He made
us accepted in the Beloved. Where did Christ get His sheep?
Now he has some sheep. He kept talking about my sheep,
hear my voice and they follow me and I'm the good shepherd,
I give my life for the sheep. I am the chief shepherd, I am
the great shepherd. Where did he get his sheep? Well,
he got them at Calvary where he bought them. That's so, isn't
it? He bought them at Calvary. He paid for them. He redeemed
them. He ransomed them. He got them
at Calvary. That's where he got his sheep. All right? He got
them also. He received them at the hands
of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit effectually brought
them to Christ. He brought you to Christ. You
want to hear sheep? He brought you at Calvary, and
the Holy Spirit brought you to Christ. Right? Where did he get
his sheep? They came to him by faith. That's
so. They came to him by faith. Every
one of his sheep believed. But where did he get his sheep
originally? The Father gave them to him.
That's where he got them. That's what he said. Turn to
John chapter 6. We're still on that word, he.
He. He hath made us accepted in the
beloved. Look at John chapter 6. Where
did he get his sheep? It says here in John 6 verse
37. All that my Father giveth me,
he'll come to me. Him that cometh to me I'll in
no wise cast out. I came down from heaven, not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I'll lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day." Turn to John 10. Listen to the Lord here in John
10. He's still talking about his
sheep. He was there on Solomon's porch. Verse 24, John 10, the
Jews came around and said, How long are you going to keep us
in doubt? Are you the Christ? Are you the Messiah? Tell us
plainly. He said, I told you. I told you. And you believe not. You believe not because you're
not of my sheep. Verse 27, My sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me.
I give them eternal life. They shall never perish. Neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Watch it now. which
gave them thee." That has to be read slowly. My Father which
gave them thee. My Father which gave them thee
is greater than all, and no man can pluck them out of his hand.
Turn to John 17. This is where we are going to
find it, right here in the word of Not in our systematic theologies
and in our denominational confessions of faith and dogmas and creeds
and all these things. Not in men's eloquence and wisdom
and arguments and reasoning. Find it right here. He. He. John 17, verse 1. This is the
priestly prayer of our Master. These words spake Jesus, lifted
his eyes to heaven, said, Father, the hour has come. glorify thy
son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him
authority, power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him." He, see that word in Ephesians
1.6 in our text, the scriptures, how beautiful, how rich, each
word, He hath made us accepted in the beloved, because it was
He who set His affections upon us from eternity, it was He who
made us the object of His grace, it was He, He, the Father who
chose us in Christ. He loved us when we were unlovely. He, in patience and long-suffering,
put up with our rebellion. He, it pleased the Father who
separated me from my mother's womb. It pleased Him to reveal
His Son to me in time. He did it. Now look at this next
word, half. He half. Half. Now, you and I are creatures
of time. Past, present, and future. Oh, and most of us live in the
past. How we love the past. We love
the past. We like to talk about the past.
We talk about what happened yesterday. We talk about what's happening
today. We talk about what's going to happen tomorrow. But God...
Now let me show you a few scriptures. Turn to Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46. And as I go along, you'll see
what I'm saying. I'm dealing with the word H-A-T-H,
half. He half made us accepted in the
Beloved. He hath made us. It doesn't say
He will make us. He shall make us. He may make
us. He hath already. Isaiah 46, look at verse 9 and
10. Remember the former things of
old. I'm God. There's none else. I'm God. There's
none like me. I declare the end from the beginning. and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done." I declare these things. They're done in
God's purpose. There's no past, present, and
future with God. They're done. Whom he hath foreknown,
he hath predestinated. Whom he hath predestinated, he
call, whom he call, he justify, he glorify. It's done. The great transaction's done.
I am my Lord's already. He hath made me accepted in the
beloved. God declares the end. Look at
Acts 15 verse 18. Acts 15 verse 18. Listen to this
verse. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. Acts 15, 18. Known under God
are all his works. We're his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus. Work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you. It's God who worketh in you.
So known under God are all his works. Paul wrote in Romans,
the gifts and calling of God are without change. Listen to
this old hymn I got out of the old Baptist hymnal. Unchangeable
his will, though dark may be my frame, his loving heart is
still eternally the same. My soul through many changes
goes, but his purpose no variation knows. Turn back to the text. Won't
you look at these words, the scriptures, all the scriptures,
the beauty of them, the riches of them, the glory of them, the
depth of them. He hath made, look at that word,
let's camp there for a moment. He hath made us accepted. Now brethren, we're not robots,
we're not dead logs. We're not moved contrary to our
wills. We're not moved against our wills. But God makes us willing. That's
what this word's saying. He hath made us. He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved. Turn to Psalm 110, verse 3. Psalm
110, verse 3. Listen to this. Psalm 110, verse 3. Says, Thy people, Thy people
shall be drugged by the hair of their head into the kingdom
of God. Thy people shall be brought to Christ whether they want Him
or not. Thy people shall be saved whether they hear the gospel
and believe or not. No, sir. Thy people shall be willing,
willing. When? In the day of Thy power. That's when they'll be willing.
In the day of Thy power. in the day of thy visitation,
in the day of thy salvation, in that glorious encounter with
thy Holy Spirit, they shall be willing. No man can come to me
except my Father. Do what? Draw in." It was the
Holy Spirit who one day revealed our sins to us, and they were
real, and they were personal. And we were made to cry like
David, against thee and thee only have I sinned, and none
this evil in thy sight. O God, my sins are ever before
me. That wasn't against our wills,
that was our will crying out of bondage and captivity and
slavery, darkness. It was the Holy Spirit one day
who stripped off all my self-righteous rags, who laid me bare naked
before the searchlight of God's law, and that was a real experience. I felt the burning heat of that
law. I felt the glare and the revealing
power of that law. I felt my sins. I felt my nakedness. I cried like Adam. I was naked,
and I hid myself. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed
Christ, and that was a real experience. It was the Holy Spirit who brought
me to Calvary and said, there, there the Son of God died for
your sins. There the Son of God shed his
blood. It was the Holy Spirit who led
us to hate sin and love righteousness, to hate evil and to love holiness. It was the Holy Spirit who gave
us repentance. The Scripture says that goodness
of God led you to repentance. It didn't drive you. It didn't
open the top of your head and pour it in. He led you to repentance. It was the Holy Spirit who gave
us faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He hath made us
by His power, by His grace, accepted in the beloved. Look at the next
word here. I've got to move on quickly,
but look back at Ephesians 1. Let me show you something. He
hath made us he hath made us accepted." Now, brethren, Charles
Spurgeon said this, what is it to be accepted in the Beloved? Well, first of all, it means
to be justified before God. Ephesians 1 verse 4 says, I am
holy and without blame. In Christ I am holy and without
blame. Ephesians 1.7 says, I am redeemed,
I am forgiven of all my sins. Colossians 1.21.22 says, in the
body of his flesh, I am holy, unblameable, unreprovable in
his sight, before him in his presence. Jude 24 says, he presents
me faultless, faultless. That's what it means to be accepted.
He, the Father, hath made us the guilty, accepted, justified. Secondly, Spurgeon said, accepted
means to be an object of divine delight. Divine delight. God delights in us, in Christ. In thy surety thou art free. Now listen to this. In thy surety
thou art free, his dear blood was shed for thee, and with thy
Saviour's garments on, you are as holy as the Holy One."
That's so. I never accepted in myself, I
never stand in myself, always in Christ. He hath made us accepted
in Christ, never to be accursed, never to be condemned. I am accepted
as an heir of God, as a joint heir with Christ, and all that
he is, I am, and all that he has, I have, and where he is,
I am. Accepted. Now that's so. He hath made us. He the Father. It's already done. He has made
us. He made Christ our surety, our
representative. He made Christ our federal head. He made Christ the one in the
flesh who obeyed the law and died before God's justice. And
He made us willing to come to Christ, willing to turn from
sin, willing to embrace the Savior. He made Christ our very Cut into
a believer's heart and you'll find thoughts of Christ, love
for Christ. Cut into his mind and you'll
find thoughts of Christ. Cut into his will and you'll
find a desire to be like Christ. He hath made us and Christ one,
and he hath accepted, accepted. I wish we could get a, I wish,
I have, I wish you could get a grasp on this. You talk about
something that'll give you peace? You talk about something that'll
give you rest? You talk about something that'll
give you security? You talk about something that'll
give you assurance? You talk about something that'll
give you boldness and courage to tackle the devil with a switch? It's to know you are accepted. There's nothing any human devil,
power, principality can do to me without my father's permission.
I'm accepted. I sit at the king's table. I'm
one of the king's sons. I'm in the family. I'm holy. I'm unblameable. I'm unreprovable. I'm unimpeachable. Neither height
nor depth No angels, no principalities, no things present, no things
to come, nor anybody can separate me from His divine love and divine
delight and divine acceptance. You see that? I'll give you rest of heart and
soul in Christ, not in myself. I'm not holier than anybody. The chief of sinners, Paul said,
less than the least of all the saints, not fit to be an apostle,
but in Christ I'm as holy as he is. Is that right? It's all of grace or all of work. You just take your place where
you want to sit. You just sit where you want to.
You can sit in the grace section or you can just take your place
in the work section. But I'll tell you this, there's
no hope over there. There's no rest over there because when
have I worked enough? When am I going to fail? When
am I going to stumble? When am I going to fall? But
in Christ I can never fail. In Christ I can never fall. Look
at this next word. He hath made us, and I'm going
to quit. He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved. In the Beloved. Oh, the Beloved. Who is the Beloved? This is my
Beloved Son. This is my Beloved Son. What a place to be in the Beloved. In the Beloved. We don't know
how to love, not like God loves, but oh how He loves His Son.
How He loves His Son. Thou hast loved me before the
foundations of the world. Thou hast loved me. Turn to Proverbs. I want to show you something
over here. Proverbs chapter 8. I want you to look at this, Proverbs
8. And remember, while you're reading
it, while you're reading it, that we're in the Beloved, in
the Beloved. What he has, we have. Where he
is, we are. Now watch it, Proverbs 8. Listen to it, Proverbs 8, verse
24. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when he prepared the heavens, I was there. When
he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established
the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
he gave to the sea his decree that the waters should not pass
his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
I was by Him. I was daily His delight, rejoicing
always before Him. Now you get a good grip on that
pew where you're sitting because I'm going to tell you something.
That's me right there. You say, that's Christ. I know
that, but I'm in Christ. Huh? Do you believe the Word
of God? Do you believe the eternal purposes
of God? Most people don't. That's to
mean they don't have any joy, they don't have any peace, they
don't have any rest, they don't have any boldness, they don't
have any confidence. Don't believe His Word. He said here, He hath made me
accepted in the Beloved. When? When was I in the Beloved? Well, he said this, he said,
I've loved you with an everlasting love. He said, as my father loved
me, so have I loved you. How long has a father loved the
son? You say eternally. That's what I'm saying. He hath
loved me eternally. I was chosen in Christ before
the world ever had its foundations laid. That's me right there.
I'm not only in his heart, I'm in his book. Turn to Psalm 139.
Let me show you this here. Psalm 139, verse 16. Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being unperfect. And in thy book all my members
were written. which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there were none of them." Every one of the members of his
body was written in his book before they ever lived. That's
what it says here. When as yet, when as yet there
were none of them written in his book. Not only am I in his
heart and in his book, I'm in his hand. He's my surety, eternal
surety. I'm in his loins as I was in
Adam's loins as my federal head. When he fell, I fell. When he
sinned, I sinned. When he died, I died. I was in
Christ's loins. And when he obeyed the law, I
obeyed it. And when he died, I died. And when he was buried
and rose again, I rose with him. And when he ascended to the right
hand of the Father, our sin did in Him. He hath made us, He hath
made us accepting in the Beloved, in the Beloved. Now brethren,
let me tell you something, and I say it with all the sincerity
of my heart. I know up and down this country
They're talking boys and girls into a decision. You want to
go to heaven, don't you? Yeah? You don't want to go to
hell, do you? No? Want to be saved, don't you? Yeah? Well,
come down and shake the preacher's hand and be baptized and you'll
be saved. I know the talking folks in the
professions of religion, they're trying to get them to change
from being Methodist to Baptist and Baptist to Presbyterian,
Presbyterian to Nazarene, something just, they want to prove their
doctrine. Let me tell you something. The
pursuit of your heart and your thoughts and your mind and the
goal of your life ought to be

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