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GTM - Standing on The Promises of God – By Albert Jones - 11/22/2024 The scriptures encourage us to stand firm in faith, even amidst trials. As David declared in Psalm 57, God’s mercy and truth are our refuge. Despite challenges, we can rejoice in the unchanging promises of God and His unfailing love. This message is a call to keep our eyes fixed on Him, to walk in His light, and to press forward toward the prize of His high calling.
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GTM - Standing on The Promises of God – By Albert Jones - 11/22/2024 The scriptures encourage us to stand firm in faith, even amidst trials. As David declared in Psalm 57, God’s mercy and truth are our refuge. Despite challenges, we can rejoice in the unchanging promises of God and His unfailing love. This message is a call to keep our eyes fixed on Him, to walk in His light, and to press forward toward the prize of His high calling.
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The speaker is delivering a message about the promises of God. They emphasize that God has been active in their lives and has provided them with resources, strength, and encouragement. The speaker references Bible verses in Romans and Ephesians to highlight God's plan and the work of Jesus Christ. They explain that through Jesus, they have received grace and have been chosen by God for sonship. They also discuss the role of the Holy Spirit and the hope of redemption. The speaker then shifts to discussing their past life of sin and disobedience, but emphasizes that God's mercy and love have saved them. Well, blessed Sabbath to everyone. We are happy to be able to come and bring a message here with you this evening. It's always good to come into this time on the Sabbath with the brethren and to, in effect, share the inspiration of God's Spirit both with those who are given the message and, of course, with you who hear it. The work is the work of God, the work of God's Spirit, and tonight we want to focus on the promises that God has given to us. Indeed, we do stand on those promises. We are awaiting the Kingdom of God being the ultimate aspect of that and having received so much from God and given so much in the way of resources and strength and encouragement that He provides, He and the Son together. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has been quite active in our lives, and when we look back and we examine His hand guiding us and inspiring us and motivating us and just cheering us on, despite all the dissenters in the world which are, you know, pulled together by Satan and the devil against us, God has given us assurances, true assurances, based in part on promises, and there are other things that we'll kind of touch upon here tonight as well. I wanted to begin, if I could please, let's turn to Romans 1, Romans chapter 1. Let's get there. Now, I was going to start in Acts 26. We'll get there. There are some words of Paul that I wanted to share with you because he brings, and that was the verse that really got me going, and that was in Acts 26. But here in Romans 1, Romans 1, let's recap, if you will, the reality of our standing with God, our standing with God as His begotten sons and daughters. So, let's hear the words of Paul, inspired of God for you and I. He writes here, Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle set apart to preach the gospel of God, and that gospel, indeed, brethren, is very, very encouraging. It is indeed good news for us, which he had promised. Again, the gospel of God, this wonderful message which he had promised before through his prophets and the holy scriptures concerning his son, who came from the feet of David according to the flesh. Again, a promise fulfilled. Verse 4, who was declared, that is, manifested, proven through many signs, testimony of men, angels, and indeed the Father himself, who was declared the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, ultimately, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, we say that name, we say it quite often, and it is a name to be praised. It is the only name on the heaven of which our hope has any substance. We hope because of Jesus Christ, right? We have encouragement to keep going because of him and what he is doing and the fact that he is with you and I every step of the way. He goes on to say here, Paul is again elaborating here on a very important thing, through whom we have received grace, and that is an incredibly huge supply of all the critical things that you and I need. It's found right there in his grace. Okay, they, that is, Paul and the apostles, received apostleship for the obedience to the faith among all the nations in behalf of his name. So, this work is not a narrow work. It is a huge, broad work. And by the way, brethren, that work continues. That work continues through you and I in the church of God and the work that we do in proclaiming the gospel to the world as a witness to all nations. That work continues. Jesus Christ has made sure of that, and he is orchestrating it. In whom you are also called of Jesus Christ, verse 6, to all those who are in Rome, he kind of then focuses it upon the Rome, the church there, is allowed by God to call saints, grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We read that, Paul addressing it to the individuals there, but that message then reaching across time to you and I. And so, this is the first thing. Let's go to Ephesians. Let's go to the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians and go to chapter 1 here. Okay. Verse 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of the Father, he is again affirming that fact to the saints who are in Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Once again, that reaches across time to you and I. Again, he emphasizes the critical components. Verse 2. Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the heavenly Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things with Christ. Once again, showing the agreement and the collaboration between the Father and Jesus Christ and their work in our lives. Verse 4. According as he has personally chosen us for himself, still talking about the Father, right, before the foundation of the world in order that we might be holy and blameless before him in love. So, this decision, if you will, to call individuals into his family, to call individuals and give them access to him, give them the Holy Spirit, give them the grace of God, all of these things are gifts from them. But before the foundation of the world. Verse 5. Having predestinated us for sonship, that is, the decision to take this route, that is, this plan was formulated from the very beginning. That he would call individual human beings made in the image of God, made of flesh, and through his Son, through his Son, do this. Verse 5 again. Having predestinated us for sonship to himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his own will. So, God the Father and Jesus Christ's very own plan, God the Father and Jesus Christ's very own will is what is affecting our lives. Verse 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace when he has made us objects of his grace and the beloved Son. Now, we're starting to see that the work of the Son, his life, his death, his resurrection, his office at the right hand of the Father are critical to that. We have been going through these concepts in Breaking Bread, the weekly Bible study that we do, and the study in the book of Hebrews, and indeed it is a fascinating thing that God has done. It is a fascinating work that God is orchestrating through his Son, Jesus Christ, who is at his right hand carrying it out. But you see in these words that the Father is still very critically involved in what we are doing. Verse 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, that is, Jesus Christ, even a remission of sins according to the riches of his grace, which he has made to abound toward us in our wisdom and intelligence, the mind of God is orchestrating this. Who can be against us, rather? Who can stand against the wisdom and the purpose and the plan of God? And we are the objects of it, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to keep us moving forward and much more. Verse 9. Having made known to us the mystery of his own will according to his good pleasure which he proposed in himself, that in the divine plan for the fulfilling of the times he might bring all things together in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth. Yes, this is very encouraging. Verse 11. Yes, in him, in whom, we also have obtained an inheritance. Because of what Christ did, we have access to the Father. Because of what Christ did, the Father can draw us to himself. We are now reconciled, can be reconciled to God's Father, so that he now can dwell in us. Having been predestinated according to his purpose, who is working out all things according to the counsel of his own will. And again, let's go on, because Paul writes very long sentences. Let's continue. Verse 12. That we might be the praise of his glory, in result, who first trusted in Christ, means, that is the means, trusting in Christ, believing in Christ, hoping in Christ, having faith in his blood, having faith in his life, death, resurrection. That's where we stand. In whom, verse 13, in whom you also trust that after hearing the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, that's why you were baptized, in whom also after believing, you were sealed, laying on of the hands, receive the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit of promise. Very important aspect of what God gave us. He made good on his promise to send the Holy Spirit. He made good on his promise to change our hearts and our minds, to circumcise the heart and the mind, so that we could have a mind malleable in his hand, that is usable, right? Going on, verse 14, which is the earnest, just the earnest of our inheritance until, and again, if I could insert here, the full redemption, the full redemption, that is the redemption of the purchased possession through the praise of his glory. Now, that is what we are hoping in, and you can read on the rest of that for additional truth and encouragement. But let's go to chapter two. Let's go to chapter two. Because this is what he brought us from. You were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. You see, that's what God redeemed us from, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience. Yes, we all once had our conduct in the lust of our flesh. We may not have known it. We may not have understood it, but we did. Yes, we did the things, verse three, among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lust of the flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind. The law of sin and death was active within us, and we were by nature because we had a sinful nature. We had a fleshly nature. We had a carnal nature. By nature, the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world. That's why we cannot look down upon them as though they should know better. They don't know better, no more than you and I knew better at the time that this verse two was describing when we were dead in our trespasses and sin. Verse four then says, but God, who is rich in mercy, and he is because of his great love, he's also rich in that with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. We again, standing on faith in his son, standing on faith in his son, for you have been saved by grace, and he has raised us up together and has caused us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ. That is an incredible thing to contemplate, that we, that we stand here, right, in the heavenly things with Christ. We stand here co-joined in him and everything, that we are able to go before the father in him, that we are able to pray to the father in him, that we are able to receive the blessings of God in him, to understand the truth of God in him, to have all the things that grace provides, because we stand in Christ Jesus. Verse seven, so then the ages that are coming, and they are coming, that he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us and in Christ Jesus, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and this especially is not of your own selves, it is the gift of God, not of your own works. You see, we're not the orchestrators of this, we're the end receivers of this gift, and God is the one. Brethren, think about it, you had no idea that you would be in this place where you are right now, so many years ago, but God has called you, and here you stand with a knowledge of his truth, in a relationship with him, he knows you by name, his spirit dwells in you, this is just a miracle when you think about it, not of our own works, so that no one may boast because we are his workmanship, being created in Christ Jesus unto the good works that God ordained beforehand, in order that we might walk in them. Again, this masterful plan, devised and orchestrated by the God who created all things, and the Father who is above all things, all for you and I. So we have so much out in front of us. Let's just take one more turn, go to chapter 3 now, Ephesians. So, verse 1 again, for this cause I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles, this is to the Ephesian brethren. If indeed you have heard of the ministry of the grace of God that was given to me for you, how he made known to me by revelation in history, even as I wrote briefly before, so that when you read this you will be able to comprehend my understanding in the mystery of Christ. Now, we are reading this with an understanding of the mystery of Christ, and we're going to expound upon it here a little bit more. Verse 5, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it is now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. And this goes on then to describe an incredible thing, that the work of God now is expanding, at this point it is expanding out. Verse 6, that the Gentiles might be joint heirs in a joint body and joint partakers of his promise in Christ through the gospel. God does nothing small, he's not a respective person, he created man in his image for the purpose of man having access to eternal life and to be born into the family of God. So, God's plan is designed to accomplish that maximum output or accomplishment. Verse 7, of which I became a servant, Paul says, according to the gift of the grace of God. Paul benefited from the grace of God, you and I benefit from the grace of God. Peter, John, and all the apostles understood this, Christ made sure that they understood, which was given to me, Paul says, through the inner working of his power. To me, whom I am less than the least of all the saints, was this grace given, that I might preach the gospel among the Gentiles, even, even, and this is again an incredible statement, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and that I might enlighten all, all to what is the fellowship of the mystery that has been hidden from the ages in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church, to the church, made known through the church, to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places. According to his eternal purpose, which he has wrought in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and direct access with confidence through his very own faith. So, then, I beseech you not to faint, Paul says, in my tribulations for you, which are working for your glory. So, this is Paul laboring, laboring, and bringing to bear the charge that God had given him, as you and I should be doing, in our calling toward this work, and how we do our part, how we walk, how we live, how we interact with one another, how we encourage one another, how we are supporting the gospel of Christ. Let me have you to turn to Hebrews 1, because, once again, it's important to comprehend how this current standing differs from anything that was expressed in the past. Now, we have the record for the purpose of helping and strengthening us in these end times, but today it is clear what God is doing in verse 1. God, who spoke to the fathers at different times in the past, Hebrews 1 verse 1, and in many ways by his prophets, has spoken to us in these last days by his Son, the Lord God, who spoke to Adam and Eve, who interacted with the prophets, the patriarchs, and so forth. The God who gave the law and led the children of Israel out of Egypt, and so on, is the same one who came in the flesh and interacted with the apostles. Let's go to verse 2. Whom he has appointed heir of all things, that is, again, his Son, but whom also he made the ages, that is, the worlds, who again, being the brightness of his glory and the exact image of his person, that is, the exact sameness, and upholding all things by the word of his own power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now, this is the office that he is holding now, having fulfilled the purpose for which God the Father sent him to earth, he sits there, and he is now working, working and doing the Father's will to bring you and I, you and I, into this standing, and to place us in the throne room, where the God, where the Father will be, and present us to the Father. This is what he is doing. Verse 4. Having been made so much greater than any of the angels, and as much as he has inherited a name exceedingly superior to them, and so, this is the Christ that we serve. So, we have the promises of God and Christ, promises that cannot fail, rather, rather, for it is through his living word, that is, the living Christ, and because of that, it can never fail. We stand by faith, yes, we see no physical truth, but we do have evidential substance regarding, you know, what is true. We have evidential substance, which is our belief, that is, our faith. We believe, truly, yes, we believe, we are believing, our trusting in his words, the words spoken by them, that is, the Father and the Son. Turn with me, if you will, to 1 John. 1 John 2, 1 John 2, and let's pick it up in verse, let's see, yes, 24. 1 John 2, verse 24. Therefore, that's what you have heard from the beginning dwell in you. If what you have heard from the beginning is dwelling in you, that is, the word of God, right? If you remember your calling, your early studies, and how you have learned things over the years, and grown in knowledge and grace over the years, if it's dwelling you, if what you have heard from the beginning is dwelling in you, then you will be dwelling in the Son and in the Father. We are seeing this formula, trusting God, obeying God, living God's word, because you believe God's word, acting upon God's word. Verse 25, it says, and this is the promise, this is the promise, that he has promised us eternal life, eternal life, and that is the result of the faith in which we walk in, and the way that we live, and we are manifesting this faith in our actions, how we live our lives, how we're acting upon God's word and his truth. We're not just reading it and being moved by it, we are reading it and then acting on it. That is very important for us to do. Verse 26, these things are written to you concerning those who are leading you astray, but you yourselves have dwelling in you the anointing that you receive from him, as we said earlier, and you do not have need of anyone to indoctrinate you. True, because you study God's word, right? You're applying God's truth, and you have an incredible treasury of resources from which you can do that. For the same anointing instructs you in all spiritual things, and it's true, and it's not a lie, and if you do exactly as it has taught you, if you are being taught by God's word, and we should all be yielding to God's teaching in our life, when we read his word, we let it correct us. When we read his word, we let it encourage us. When we read his word, we let it instruct us, and then we actively walk it. He says, the last part of that verse, you will be dwelling in him. You have the mind of Christ in you. He's dwelling in you. You're dwelling in him. You're one, walking as one, striving as one. Verse 28, and now he says, little children, he encourages you and I, as I am speaking to you now, I'm saying these words again as John meant them, little children, speaking to myself as well, dwell in him, so that when he is manifested, we may have boldness, and not be put to shame before him at his coming, because once again, we're trusting him. We are believing him. We are hoping in him. We are living our lives because of him. Yes, we'll wait the day of his coming, and in that day, if we are alive and able to see it, we will not be ashamed, nor will we draw back, but eagerly step forward, eagerly step forward at his coming. In 29 now, if you know that he is righteous, again a truth, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been begotten of him. That is just the fact. Christ is righteousness, and so we live righteously being in him, and being begotten by him. That is truth. Let's go, if you will, to 2 John now. 2 John, and let's pick it up here in verse 9. He says, anyone, again, who transgresses and does not continue in the doctrine of Christ, that is again in the word of Christ, does not have God. Now, so it's like cutting yourself off from the life source. That's what transgression of God's word is, is to separate yourself from God. You're not in unison with him anymore, but Christ says to you and I, but the one who continues in the doctrine of Christ, in the words of Christ, has both the father and the son. Now, brethren, that's where we want to be. We want to be both in Christ and in the father, and the only way that we can be in the father and have right standing before him is to be in his son, trusting against striving. Now, if anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, it says, and do not say to him, welcome. So, it says, for anyone who says welcome to him is partaking of his evil works. This notion, this whole concept that one can live opposite of Jesus Christ and God the father is only from that one other being, right, which is Satan the devil, which is contrary to the father and to the son. So, once again, God is giving us instruction. Let's go to Proverbs 30, and let's read something in the book of Proverbs. Let's get some wisdom here. In the book of Proverbs, and picking it up in chapter 30, and let's just start in verse one. Verse one, the words of Agar, the son of Dacan, even the prophecy, the man spoke to Ithil, to Ithil and Ukiah, saying, surely I am more like an animal than any man, and do not have the understanding of man. Okay, we can all kind of start there. When it comes to understanding God, the things that really matter, you know, it's like we're dumb beast until God reveals that special wisdom to us. He says, I have not learned wisdom, nor the knowledge of the Holy. We were dead in trespasses and sin, it says. Verse four, who has gone up to heaven and has come down, who has gathered the wind in his fists, who has bound the waters in his garment, who has established all the ends of the earth. What is his name? And what is his son's name, if you know? Well, we just read those four verses and we know immediately, right? We comprehend. Verse five, every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. Do not add to his words, lest he correct you, and you be found a liar. I have asked two things from you. Do not deny them before I die. The author is saying here, remove far from me vanity and lying words. Give me neither poverty or riches. Feed me my portion of bread, lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? But lest I be poor and steal and violate the name of my God. A proper balance, brother. That's what we're seeking. We're not trying to aspire to be rich men, right? Nor are we seeking to be paupers in the streets, begging for bread. God forbid, right? He goes on to say, do not slander a servant or his master, lest he curse you and you be found guilty. Right? There is a generation that curses their father and does not bless their mother. Yes, we are seeing that generation. We are living in that generation, right? There's a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their own filthiness. Yes, we're living in that generation. There's a generation of how, of how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up, proud, right? There's a generation whose teeth are like swords and their jaw and teeth like knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. The leech has two daughters, crying, give, give. Three things are never satisfied. Yay. Four things never say enough. The grave, the barren woman, and earth not filled with water and the fire has never said enough. The eyes that mock at his father despises to obey his mother. The ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagles shall eat it. Three things which are too wonderful for me. Yay. Four, which I do not understand. Again, the way of the evil in the air, the way of a snake on the rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, the way of man and a maiden. Such is the way of an adulterous woman. She eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness. Again, these are the things which we have to be mindful of in our walk before God. To recognize that there is so much that we ourselves do not know. And if we rely upon our own understanding, if we rely upon our own understanding, we will always fail. Wisdom is from God. Let's go to Proverbs 2. And this is the admonition from God himself to you and I as to how we should approach wisdom and seek it out. Proverbs 2. Again, God is speaking to us inspired words that you and I should comprehend. My son, if you will receive my words, every word that proceed out of his mouth and treasure up my commandments within you so that you incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding. Yea, if you cry after, if you cry after knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as hidden treasures, then you shall understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. It's in his word. We should seek it out. He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. Yes, obedience toward God brings a close relationship with God where you are able to maintain a close and intimate relationship with him under his arms of protection. Right? He is your shield. He keeps the path, verse 8, of right judgment and preserves the way of his saints. Yes, he does. He promises he will be there. Verse 9, then you shall understand righteousness and judgment and equity, every good path, the things that we need to carry with us into the kingdom of God. Right? Righteousness, judgment, equity. Verse 10, wisdom shall enter into your heart, part of that circumcision of the heart. Knowledge will be pleasing to your soul. You will be rejoicing in the righteousness, rejoicing in the way. As we are rejoicing, even at this very moment, entering into the Sabbath day, it is a joy to us. And that's why God finds wealth pleasing to him. Verse 11, discretion shall preserve you and understanding shall keep you to deliver you from the way of the evil man, from the man who speaks wicked things, those who leave the paths of righteous uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, for which God has told us to be separate from, come away from, come out of that. Verse 14, who rejoices to do evil and delight in the perversities of the wicked, whose ways are crooked and are devious in their paths. These are not the ways of God. These things are not from God. And God wants us to come out of them. Verse 21, for the upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect shall remain in it. That's our destiny. That's a promise from God. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. That is also from God. So God has set before us this proper choice and he wants us to walk in. And in Matthew 4, Matthew 4, let's turn to Matthew 4. In Matthew 4, and let's pick it up in verse 3. Matthew 4, verse 3. Let's see. We know that Jesus was led up in the wilderness to be tempted, you know, by Satan. Satan comes at him. And when he had fasted 40 days, verse 2, and 40 nights afterwards, he was famished. Verse 3, and when the tempter came, he said, if you are the son of God, doubt, if you are the son of God, command that these stones be made bread. In other words, brethren, Satan is tempting God. Show me something, he says. Show me if you are God. So Christ responds. But he answered and said, it is written, using the word of God, just like you and I have to do. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This is instructional to us. This is how we are to worship God, according to his word, which is his son. We worship God according to the example set by his son, and we worship God according to the words that comes out of his mouth. Those words are preserved here in the Bible. Those words are preserved in the law, in the prophets, in the kings, in the writings, and in the New Testament. We have that. And this is how we are to walk and live, by these things. This is how we know the right thing to do, and to do it all the time. This is how we know. This is how we are to worship God, according to the words which is his son, and the words which he speaks, which are the manifestations, the words that come out of his mouth, are the manifestations of life, the wise utterances of the one who created the universe. Father, we turn our ears from the one who gave life. If we seek life, we need to be close to him. The light that he brings is what we are seeking, and we want God to be in our life that way. Turn with me to John, the Gospel of John, chapter 6. John 6, and let's go to verse 6 to 3. John 6, John 6, 6 to 3. God, again, expounds here very truth, right? Christ himself says, verse 6 to 3, it is the spirit that gives life. Again, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe, and again, it starts with this lack of faith. If you don't believe that Christ is, that the Father is, right? But Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones that did not believe, and who would betray him. And he said for this reason, I have said to you, no one can come to me unless it has been given him from my Father. So, this work, again, that you and I are a part of, let's go to John 1, the Gospel of John, again, chapter 1. And let's again understand this. So, in beginning was the word. The word was with God. The word was God. So, we see, again, the manifestation of everything that we are to become is in his word. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him. Not even one thing that was created came into being without him. The sovereign creator of all things. In him was life. Truly, in him is life. Even more so now. Even more so now, because he has accomplished the means by which you and I can access the Father. You know, and not only did he do it, not only did he achieve the victory, he is right there in his right hand to make sure that he is able to advocate for you. Going on. Verse 5. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend it. There was a man sent by God. His name was John. He was for a witness that he might testify concerning the light, so that through him all might believe. John the Baptist sent to announce the coming of the one, right? Verse 8. He was not the light, but came that he might testify concerning the light. The true light was that which enlightens everyone who comes into the world. That is Christ. He was in the world. The world came into being through him, but the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own did not receive him. Sad, right? But darkness, living in darkness, not having a clue, dead to anything that has life, that was distinct. Verse 12. But as many as received him, to them he gave authority to become the children of God, even to those who believe in his name. Again, that calling was occurring. The Father was selected who he would call to do that. It goes on to say here, who were not begotten by bloodlines, nor by the will of the flesh, nor by the will of men, but by the will of God. And the words became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we ourselves beheld his glory. John is given a first-hand witness, a first-hand testimony here. The glory is of the only begotten with the Father, full of grace and truth. You know, it would have been nice if we could have been there and saw him, but we weren't. Therefore, John has left us a record. John testified concerning him, right? And proclaimed, saying, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me has precedence over me, because he was before me. And of his fullness, of his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace, grace upon grace, because, you see, brethren, old covenant, new covenant. For the law was given through Moses, old covenant, and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, new covenant. Big difference, huge difference. We are under the new covenant in Christ. Verse 18, no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. So, we have Christ now sitting at the right hand of the Father. He has his ear. He is in the Father's bosom. What is his job? He is our priest officiating on our behalf to make sure that we make it. The words that Christ brings are what we should hunger for at all times and thirst after at all times. 2 John, one more time, let's go to 2 John. Well, let's, we've already read that. Let's go to Matthew 5, Matthew 5. Let's do that one. Here is something I want to contrast for you really quick. Matthew 5, let's read this. These are the words of Christ. Verse 1, Matthew 5, verse 1. But seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. So, here's the Lord God about to give words that should stay in the heart and the minds of all of us. These are words are from Christ, very important words right here. Verse 2, he opened his mouth and he taught them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs again is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those are the meat for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. They're hungering and thirsting after Christ. He is righteous. He is righteousness. His ways are righteous. His thoughts are righteous. So, we look to him for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful for they shall find mercy. Christ sits on a throne of mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God's promises. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God, promises. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, but theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He says, endure until the end. He says, no matter how hard it gets, remember they may take your life, but they can't take your eternal life. Blessed are you when they shall reproach you and shall persecute you and shall falsely say every wicked thing about you for my sake. Rejoice, he says, and be filled with joy, for great is your reward in heaven, promises. For in this same manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you. He says, you are the salt of the earth. You are the salt of the earth. Understand this and recognize that your presence upon the earth as my begotten sons and daughters is very important to what I am doing. It's what Christ is saying. But if the salt has become tasteless, with what shall it be salted? This no longer has any strength, but it is to be thrown out and trampled under upon by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be heated, so let your light so shine, brethren. Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it shines for all who are in the house. No, we're not asked by God to go hide in a cave, to go hide in some retreat, to be in isolation from all around us. No, God says step up and be, you know, active in doing his work, loving your neighbors as you love yourself, right? Verse 16, in the same way also you are to let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works, doing the good works that God has given you to do, inspiring you to do, leading you to do through the Spirit of God within you, and may glorify the Father who is in heaven because he is the one who called you, brethren. He is the one who drew you to Christ. He says do not think for a moment, do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. I'm going to stop there. Now, you can read on through the rest of it. I want to contrast that a moment. Let's go to Deuteronomy 10. Deuteronomy 10. This is the giving of the law as defined here in Deuteronomy. Christ sitting on the Mount of Olives and giving that sermon, right? It's the same Lord God is speaking to us here. Let's see if we can glean some additional guidance from God right here. At that time, the Lord said to me, cut out two tablets of stone like the first and come up to me into the mountain and make yourselves an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets, he's recounting, if you will, what occurred at Mount Sinai. I will write on the tablets the words that were in the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark. And so he did all of that. Let's come down. Verse 12. And again, here are the words of Christ. Here are the words of the Lord God. And now Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Before it was blessed are these, blessed are those, right? All of that is kind of summed up in the same way. But to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep his commandments, right? To keep the commandments of the Lord and his statutes, which I command you today for your good. This is the Lord God. This is Jesus Christ speaking to the children of Israel. This is Jesus Christ speaking to us today through the words of God's Holy Bible. He says, behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God. The earth also with all that is in it. Only the Lord had a delight in your fathers who loved them, and he chose their seed after them. You above all people as it is today. Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart. Be no longer stiff-necked. New Testament doctrine. New covenant doctrine. Verse 17. For the Lord your God is God of gods. True. Lord of lords. True. The great God. True. The mighty and awesome God who does not respect persons nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and he loves the stranger and giving him food and clothing. Therefore, he says, love the stranger for you are strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him. You shall hold fast to him and swear by his name, brethren, in Christ. That's where we need to be. He is your praise. He is your God. He has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen, brethren, which we have experienced in being baptized, called of God, repented, baptized, having the hands laid on. Now standing in that grace. Standing in that grace, grace justified before God the father. This is what God has called you and I to, to have a good understanding. The event in Matthew 5, brethren, is greater than this event. The things that God is saying here to us in chapter 10 that he wants of us is now made possible through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us. Our standing before God based on this promise, this promise that these words would be put into our hearts and into our minds, not just into our ears. And now we're acting upon them. So we are called of God and we are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. That's where our hope is to stay and remain. Right? Let's come here before, let's come to Hebrews 5 a minute. Hebrews 5. So let's come here to, well, before we go to Hebrews 5, let's go to Hebrews 12 for a minute. So again, contrasting the two situations, as it were, here is where we stand today in this relationship with God. First one, he's defining here, as we've talked about, and we may not have time to read it, but in Hebrews 11, we have a whole history of faithizers, right? We have this entire list of individuals, right? That walked in faith. And here's a message from God to us, not from Mount Sinai, if it will, if you will, not from the mountain that could not be touched. Let's read it here. First one. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great throng of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sand that so easily entraps us. Let us run the race set before us with endurance. Endurance, having our minds fixed on Jesus, the beginner and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that lay ahead of him endured the cross, although he despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Now meditate deeply on him, deeply upon our Lord and Savior, brother, who endured such great hostility of sinners against himself, so that you do not become weary and faint in your mind. None of us have had to experience what Christ did. He says to you and I, you have not resisted to the point of losing blood in your struggle against sin, and you have already forgotten the admonition that he addresses to you as to sons. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor grow weary of being reproved by him for whom the Lord loves and chastens, and he severely disciplines every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God is dealing with you as a father with his son, for who is the son whom the father does not chasten? But if you are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, you are bastards and not sons. Furthermore, he says, we have our fleshly fathers who chasten us, and we respected them. Should we not more willingly be subject to the father of spirits and live forever? So we have difficult times that we go through and things that we experience. Come on down to verse 18. For you have not come to the mountain or mount that could not be touched, as we were reading there in Deuteronomy, and that burned with fire, nor to gloominess and to fear for darkness, and to the whirlwind, and to the sound of the trumpet and to the voice of the words, which those who heard did, that they would not be spoken directly to them, but they could not endure what was being commanded of them there. And if anyone, even an animal, touches the mountain, it would be stoned or shot through with an arrow. So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am greatly afraid and trembling. But we, brethren, you and I have come to Mount Sion. You and I have come to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. They are there at Christ's disposal, right? They are there sent out to minister to those who are about to inherit the kingdom. Verse 23, to the joyous festival gathering is what we're looking forward to, to the church of the firstborn. That's who we are. Registered in the book of life in heaven. Yes, we are. And to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just who have been perfected. And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkling of the blood of ratification, proclaiming superior things than that of Abel. Superior things, beware that you do not refuse to hear him who would speak, and for if they did not escape judgment, this is what I was describing earlier, we must walk in the light of God and do his will at all times. Keeping our eyes fixed on him is what we have been called to do. I want to read Psalm 57, a couple of psalms, and we'll start to conclude here. So let's go to Psalm 57. Psalm 57, verse 7. He says, here is David speaking. Let's pick it up in verse 1, get a full context here. Be gracious unto me, O God, be gracious unto me, for my soul thirsts in you. Yea, in the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge until these great troubles pass by. I will cry to the God most high, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He shall send from heaven and save me. He rebukes him who would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions. I lie among those who breathe out fire, the sons of men whose teeth of spears and arrows and their tongues shot swords. Brethren, that's going to get more and more or become more and more evident in our life. So God tells us, be exalted in God, above the heavens. Let your glory be above all the earth. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They have dug a pit before me, and to the midst of it they have fallen themselves. This is God's word. He says, and we agree, right? My heart is fixed on God. My heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise, again, brethren, to him. He says to you and I, awake, my glory. Awake, heart and liar. I myself will awake the dawn. I praise you, O Lord. Among the people, I will sing of you among the nations. And your steadfast mercy is great, even unto the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God. Let your glory be above the earth. Our calling is true. Our calling is now. His word is still sure in this way. I want to point you to, again, to Matthew 5, again. Go back and read Matthew 5, because the words there are more powerful than the words at Mount Sinai, because they are backed by power, making possible the achievement of those things, not in the letter, not just in the letter. You stand in the righteousness of Christ. You have the power of God within you. And so, as we understand the covenant that God makes a covenant, it's non-changeable. That is what we're holding fast to and standing in. Let's go for a final verse over to Philippians 3, and we'll conclude here. There's quite a bit more that we could speak to, but I think we'll conclude with this verse here. With this verse here. Philippians 3, and verse, we'll just pick it up in verse 1. Finally, my brethren, he tells us to rejoice in the Lord. Indeed, for me to write the same things to you is not troublesome, but for you is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision, but we are the circumcision who serve God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and do not trust in the flesh. Though I might have some reason to trust in the flesh, Paul says, if any other thing thinks he has cause to trust in the flesh, I have more. And we know the story there. Let's come on down here to verse 13. He says, brethren, I do not count myself as having obtained, but this one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forth to the things that are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of a high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So then, that as many as be perfect, be of this mind, and if anything, you are otherwise minded, God will reveal even that to you. And so, God is going to continue to work in our life. Verse 20 now. But for us, he says, the commonwealth of God exists in the heavens, from where also we are awaiting the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our vile bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the inner working of his own power, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. So, we are in the hands of the Lord. We are in the care of God. We are his special treasure, his people, the begotten sons and daughters of God. You are either baptized, or you are being called. Either way, God knows you by name.
