of Matthew 20. Our Lord has been traveling on the eastern side of the Jordan River. And his ministry has been there. And then he crosses over Jordan and comes into the city of Jericho on his way back to Jerusalem. We are entering into the final weeks of our Lord's earthly ministry. I should say his final weeks prior to his crucifixion. And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests, unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. And they shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scorn, and to crucify him, and the third day he shall rise again." There are five different times in the gospel account that our Lord tells the disciples in detail what He is going to experience. Significance of that, first of all, is that He is part of the eternal plan that purposes death. Peter says, Acts 2, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. And so the death of Christ, everything about it, of course, everything about His life, His birth, everything was preordained by God and it is simply unfolding as God has determined. As I've said before, time is just a parenthesis in eternity, and what's happening in time is simply unfolding of what God has before ordained. And so he is accomplishing his will, as we read in Ephesians 1, to work with all things after the counsel of his own good pleasure. And so our Lord here tells exactly what is going to happen to him in his death. He is not taken by surprise, and yet while the disciples had a hard time understanding and even accepting this, as you read, our Lord tells them what is going to happen. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children. This is Salome, according to what you can read in the 27th chapter of Matthew, verse 56, with her son. him and desired a certain thing. He said to her, Grant that these my two sons," this is James and John, "...may sit one on the right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." Now, in the 19th chapter we read that the Lord tells the disciples that they would sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And I gave my understanding of that, which is that as the apostles, they preach the teachings of Christ and declare the Word of God, and as such, they declare God's judgment. That's what we do when we preach the truth of God about anything. We declare what God's judgment is, what he has set forth in his Word. quoted from 2 Peter, where Peter says, the time has now come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And so as we preach the Word of God and declare the truth of God, we are declaring the judgment of God. Twelve tribes, I believe, is representative of all of God's elect, the Israel of God. They are declaring the Word of God to the Israel And you will read and study in the Gospels and the Book of Acts, particularly also in the New Testament, that the gospel was first preached unto Israel. And the reason for that is twofold, as we've said. First of all, for their salvation, and secondly, for the condemnation. I'll remind you that when we hear the Word of God, it is going to have one or two effects upon us. Either the Holy Spirit of God is going to use it as an instrument of conversion, or It will be a hardening effect to us, a means of condemnation. Paul describes his message, his preaching, as being a two-edged sword in the book of Corinthians. And he said, To some we are the saver of life unto life, and to others we are the saver of death unto death. It is true in the life of all the preaching of the Word of God, whether it be Christ, whether it be the apostles or anyone today. that whenever the Word of God is preached, some are happy and glad and some get mad. And so that's a judgment that is declared by the Word of God. Now, having heard that, Salome probably entertained the idea, well, since there's going to be some thrones and judging, this is her understanding I'm surmising, because we also have no clear teaching, statement of Scriptures about that. She came to Christ and said, Grant that thy son be set one on the left hand and one on the right in the kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and be baptized, or be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with? And they say unto her, We are able. He said to them, You shall indeed drink of my cup. and be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with. But to sit on the right hand and on the left hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." Now, according to well-taught scholars and those who are authorities in the language, this is not the best translation here in this 23rd verse. It is And I'll read to you, "...to sit on the right hand, and on my left hand is not mine to give, except to those for whom it is prepared of my Father." In other words, it's not just a matter of my decision about this matter, it is a matter of that which God has ordained it to be. You remember that time and time again the Lord told us that He came not to do His will, but the will of Him that sent Him. And so throughout His whole life, while God has committed judgment to Him, And while he has authority to judge, yet here this gift of right, of sitting on the right hand or the left hand, it was prepared before the foundation of the world for some. And Christ does not act independently just to give it to someone at his own choice. You see that in the 25th chapter of Matthew, for instance, when the nations are gathered, the world is gathered before him in judgment. And he says to the ghost, you enter into hellfire, but to the sheep on the right hand, you enter into the kingdom prepared for you by the Father for the foundation of the world. And so God in the eternity past has indeed ordained not only the salvation of His elect people, but I believe He's also ordained that His people would be servants to Him in various ways. Now everyone cannot be a preacher, not everyone's an apostle, but yet nonetheless, Each of us, as God's elect people, are placed here in the world to be instruments, to be used of God. And what our Lord here is saying, it's not disposition, it's not mine just to give, nor is it reserved only for the apostles. It is for those whom God has before ordained for this. Paul, writing in the Book of Relations, chapter 1, I believe, gives us some understanding about this matter, and he says, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I should preach him." In other words, Paul acknowledges that his preaching, in fact, matter oftentimes, Paul would say, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. No preacher anywhere that is called of God would say that I just took up the calling. If a man would do that, we would say that man is not called of God. But we believe that God does indeed call preachers to preach the Word of God. But I will tell you, it's not just preachers that are ordained to be servants of God. I read Ephesians 2, 8, 9, 10, and verse 10 especially, you know what 8 and 9 says, where by grace are you saved, and verse 10, where we are his workmanship. The very same people that Paul was talking about there were saved by grace. We are His workmanship, creating Christ Jesus unto good works with God of the poor ordained that we should walk in them. So that's for every saint of God, not just for preachers or apostles. That's for every saint of God, male or female. There is a ministry, there is a role, there is a position, there is a calling that God has ordained for you to serve the Lord in that particular way. You may be a school teacher, you may be a truck driver, you may be a nurse or a doctor, whatever it may be. That calling, that feel of service, if you're a child of God, God has placed you there, giving you knowledge and skill and education for the very purpose that you might be His servant. Never separate the calling of God unto salvation from a calling unto service. God does not call us unto salvation simply that we might just be put on a shelf somewhere and wait for the Lord to come. But rather, He calls us unto salvation that we might be placed into service. And we'll see more about that later on in a few minutes. But the Lord says, you shall indeed drink of my cup and be immersed with the baptism that I am immersed with. And it was true, the apostles as it has been of many other Christians, that they have drank of the cup of suffering, as our Lord did, and been immersed in suffering. I think that this also has some reference to the idea of being immersed in the earth. Our Lord was buried, and that's what baptism signifies. He was immersed in the earth for three days and three nights. This same thing happened to James. It's going to happen to John. It's going to happen to all of us as believers, and he came forth from the grave with the glory of thy body." And so I think it has some reference to that death of these apostles and to all the saints. Then the Lord says to us, tells them, that it is prepared for them by my Father. In verse 24, you see the end results of this request. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers. Now, I've spoken to you before about this quarrel going on between the apostles. It's something that seems to be ongoing, that they aspire, different ones of them, aspire to be a little bit higher ranking. And that's not unnatural. Carnal people, as we are, we always like to have some recognition from people. And everyone likes to, by nature, by nature, carnal people, we all like to promote self. Now, I know that's not true of Christian people. You might be surprised that as God's people, we still have this O'Connor nature, and we have to crucify this O'Connor nature. But here these apostles, and that was going on even among them when the Lord instituted the Lord's Supper. You'll find that that quarrel was ongoing, and the Lord knew all about it. He knows all things, and so they observed the Passover, and this quarrel is going on among them, but who is going to be the greatest in the kingdom? And the Lord gave them pattern that is for all of God's people, I believe. He got up from the table, took a towel, and the 13th chapter of John, and girded himself with a towel, and took the position of the very lowest of servants, and washed every one of the apostles' feet, including Judas. And he said, If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, then you ought to also wash one another's feet. Then he dismissed Judas and established the Lord's Supper. But he gave a pattern here of how we, as God's people, are to be toward one, toward another. In fact, Metropolitan Paul, writing in Philippians, the second chapter, tells us how we are to have this attitude toward each other. Let each, he says, not...well, let me read. I'm about to quote it wrong. Philippians, chapter 2. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Here is a characteristic of God's people, and this is how we are to conduct ourselves one to another. And that is that we are to esteem others greater than ourselves. And we are not to be interested in self-promotion, but rather in the promotion of others. of the Apostle Paul, you will note how time and time again he promotes other men and other women also, and tells the churches what great things they were doing. Paul never is promoting himself except when he had to defend himself as an apostle, and then he will tell them, I'm an apostle by the will of God and God has revealed certain things to me. But otherwise, he's always promoting others. Oh, that God would give all of us and give all of God's preachers, that spirit that we would be humble before the Lord and that we would manifest humility by always striving to promote others. You know, many of the problems that go on in the divisions among Christians in churches and so forth are usually problems that come about because of jealousy. Someone thinks that they Don't get all the attention they ought to give, and someone thinks that somebody else has gotten a little bit higher ranking or position than what they've got, and so they strive, and that brings about conflict. That's exactly what happened here, you'll see. These, all the apostles, they were moved with indignation. Now, I've mentioned this, and I'll just make, remind you of the things I pointed out to us when we were talking, preaching about this in days past. that this shows that even among the apostles, that they were human beings, and that God's people, even preachers, even apostles, don't always act exactly like Christian people ought to act like. And it should be a lesson to all of us that we should be aware of the fact that we are subject to the same kind of problems that they had. And as Paul says, he that thinketh he standeth, he lest he also fall. And so these men had problems jealousy and other things that had to be dealt with by the Lord. So we also need to learn from their errors and from their instructions. You will find later on the Apostle Peter writes, in 1 Peter, he writes so much about humility and about humbling yourself under the mighty hands of God. It seemed that God had taught him some things, and that was that he himself needed to be a humble person. Well, then the Lord gives a great lesson here in verse 25. And Jesus called them and said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles, so that's the word Gentiles, just understand it's the heathens, anyone that were not Jews, exercised dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them." Now, verse 26, every Christian needs to understand what the Lord says here in verse 26. It shall not be so among you. Now, we believe the Bible teaches, and it does in the New Testament, teaches a pattern of church which is what we refer to as being a democratic rule, or that everyone has a voice, everyone has a right, everyone in the church has a responsibility of making decisions, and so we exercise as New Testament Baptists, we believe in this form of church government because it's a pattern set forth, we believe, in the New Testament. You'll find it time and time again that the churches did things. Even the apostles, when they came to some decision in Acts 6, you see that they made a recommendation to the church, and the church agreed with that and did it. Well, that's the pattern. And here is a pattern of church government that our Lord establishes, and that is that there should be no one exercising authority over anyone. Now, there are many denominations today, and particularly I'm thinking about the Roman Catholic system, that they have a very a very rigid form of church government, a denomination which is based upon a religious hierarchy in which there are different levels. And you know, you start with the laity, and the laity are just way down there on the totem pole. And you come right on up, the priest is up the ladder, and finally you get to the pope. And he is lord over all and has all the dominion, fact of the matter is, he even declares himself to have the very same authority as God. But it's not only the Roman Catholics, there are others. But whatever, any denomination anywhere that has this form of government, they are violating the Word of God. No one is to have authority over the others. It shall not be so among you, but whosoever be great among you, let him be your servant. The word is minister. Let him be your servant. And whosoever be chief among you, let him be your, and here is a different word, bond-slave. It moves downward, condescending-wise. It moves from being just a servant to a bond-slave. That's the same thing you'll find similar in the book of Philippians, the second chapter, that our Lord is always condescending. We thought it not robbery to be equal to God, but in order to redeem us and save His people from their sins, He not only became flesh, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death. but not merely to death, but even, as Paul says, the death of the cross. And so our Lord here says, in a condescending way, let you be servants, even bond slaves. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. This verse is one of the verses of proof text that we believe that teaches that Jesus Christ did not die for everybody. He died only for the sins of his elect people. You'll find the same kind of reference to the word many in Isaiah, the 53rd chapter. Our Lord says the same thing in Matthew, the 26th chapter. This is my blood given the cup. This is my blood and you test it, which is given for many. So the word many is referring to not all, but he died for many, all of his elect. Every one of them were redeemed, but it is not for every individual, not for every man and woman. Jesus Christ died for his elect people. And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus Christ died, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them. because they should hold their peace. But they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still and called them and said, What will you that I should do unto you? And they said to him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened." So Jesus had compassion, and that's a very precious word. There were three other times in the Gospel of Matthew, particularly, that it refers to Christ having compassion on individuals or on a multitude. Christ's likeness is one of these traits, and it should be something that we as God's people should seek to develop, and that is compassion toward other people. Not judgment, that belongs to the Lord, but compassion. Indeed, there are people in the world, in our society, that have problems. Some of them are poor, some have some other kinds of problems. Some may be an addiction, may be some kind of mental problem, some of them just sinners. Whatever the case may be, God's people are to be a compassionate people. I know very well that it's very easy for us to become kind of hard and callous because we see so much abuse of charity go on in the world. But at the same time, if there's anyone in the world that should be compassionate toward others, it is God's people who would be Christlike. And this man, these men, beggars, poor Sitting beside the roadside, our Lord has compassion. How many times have I, in my mind, can I see these very kind of people that have gone to India? You see a lot of this. There is no charity like we have here in America. There's no Red Cross. There's no programs like we have in America and so many parts of the world. And the only way that these people can survive is just begging. And these blind men are sitting there begging like the men that, in the third chapter, when Peter and John go up to the temple, there was this crippled man sitting there at the gate of Beelzebub begging. That's the only hope that they have, begging for a livelihood. And so Jesus sees this man and has compassion on him. He said to him, and he touched her eyes, And immediately their eyes received sight and they followed. Now I want to go to Mark's account of this in the 10th chapter of Mark. Mark records this for us also. And they came to Jericho and as they went out of Jericho his disciples and a great number of people blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, set by the highwayside begging." Now, Matthew tells us there's two of them. Mark and Luke only mention one. That doesn't mean that there's conflict there, but there's one primarily because he is known. Seemingly, his father may have been maybe a well-known person because he's referred to as being the son of Timaeus. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And then he charged him that he should hold his peace, and he cried the more, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Be of good comfort, arise, he called upon thee. And he, casting away his garment, arose and came to Jesus. And Jesus then said to him, What wilt thou that I should do to him? The blind man said to him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. Jesus said to him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus." Now there are some things here I want to note to you. I would tell you that indeed I believe that this man was one of God's elect people. He does not know that, does not understand that, but this is a person who is going to be used by the Lord to show his mighty power And he also is going to be a person of faith. Faith is not characteristic of all people. The Word of God tells us that all men do not have faith. The Word of God tells us that faith is the gift of God. Ephesians 2, again, 8 and 9. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Faith, saving faith, faith whereby that we believe God, is not something that we by nature have. It must be given to us and imparted to us as a result of regeneration and as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. In fact, in Galatians, the fifth chapter, it tells us that faith is the fruit of the Spirit. And so this man has faith. He is one of God's elect people that is going to be made to know about God's mighty power and he is made to know who Jesus Christ is. Now it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal unto us who Christ is. Remember Matthew 16, the Lord said to the apostles, Whom do you say that I am? And they gave various answers, the prophets and even John the Baptist. But whom do you say that I am? And Peter made that great statement, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Christ said to him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. means that you are graced, you are favored by God. Blessed art thou, Simon Bartholomew, for flesh and blood have not revealed unto thee but my Father which is in heaven. I will tell you that no one knows and understands the true nature of Christ, the deity of Christ, and has a real spiritual comprehension about who Christ is apart from the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit of God. He is the one that reveals Christ unto us. You might read about Christ and have a good historical knowledge about Him. You might be able to quote many things about His lifestyle. But unless the Holy Spirit of God regenerates and gives us an understanding of who Christ is, we will be spiritually ignorant of Christ. First Corinthians Paul talks about that. He says, "...the natural man receiveth not the things of God, neither can he know them." There is a barrier, there is a blindness which is caused by sin. We are by nature dead in sin, have no spiritual understanding. The third chapter of Romans says, there is none that understand it, there is none that seek an act of the Lord. Now indeed, probably possibly that Nicodemus, I mean Bartimaeus, had heard some history or some things about what Christ had done and about his mighty miracles that he performed. but he calls out to him, Thou Son of David. That is a very particular title, and it refers to Christ as the Messiah, as the one that Israel was looking forward to, as the one that God would send. Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Indeed, by the very request for mercy, he acknowledges that he has no merit of his own. You remember the Pharisee and the publican that came to Christ. And the Pharisee said, I thank you, I'm not like other men. And even the rich man that came to Christ and said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And the Lord tells him about keeping commandments. He said, I've done all these things. The Lord knowing very well his own heart, that man's heart, said, what you have, go and sell and give it to the poor. And he went away starved, for the Word of God says, because he was a very wealthy man. But here, this man has an understanding more than just human reasoning and human knowledge. He has a perception given to him by God that this is the Messiah. This is Christ. And he says, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. The Pharisee said, Thank you. I am thankful that I am not like other men. But the publican, Lord, The Word of God says he would not so much as lift up his eyes and look to heaven, but he said, Be merciful unto me. By that very expression, he was acknowledging that his own unworthiness did not merit anything from God. Indeed, the Word of God would tell us that salvation is solely and totally by grace. It's not because of a mental knowledge that we have. It's not because of the prayers that we make. It's not by anything that we do, no works of righteousness which we might perform, but by God's mercy He saves us. So this man says, and prays for mercy. Now, you'll note the Lord's response to this man. First of all, verse 49, I'm reading the 10th chapter of Mark. Jesus stood still. Now, our Lord has a mission. And you'll read in your life story He's a very busy person, but he stops and stands still. I'm reminded about our Lord dying on the cross. He's busy. He's doing some things to redeem his people. He repeats certain things, statements that he must make in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. The Word of God says he did that so the Scriptures might be fulfilled. And then that man on the cross who said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And the Scripture says, the Lord said to him, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. You know, I will tell you, such is the nature of our Savior. He is busy dying, yet he stops in that dying to declare salvation to that people on the cross. Here our Lord is busy going up to Jerusalem and great multitudes are following Him, but there are two people, particularly one man, that cries out to Him for mercy and the Lord stops and stood still. There is no cry anywhere for mercy but what the Lord does not hear. Rest assured, the chiefs of sinners Paul says, even the chief of sinners, when they cry out to the Lord for mercy, he stops and he listens. Not only did he stop, you see, he commanded him to be called. Bring him to me. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Isn't that what God does in salvation? He brings us to Jesus Christ. We do not come by our own authority. We do not come by our own right. We do not come by our own power. No man can come unto me, our Lord said, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. And so by commandment of God, this man is brought to Christ. That's how it is about every individual, every one of God's elect people that are ever brought to Jesus Christ. They are brought to Him because God has chosen them in Christ before the foundation world to be heirs of salvation. And at God's appointed time, the Holy Spirit of God goes through their hearts And he quickens and brings them unto Christ. I love that story about David and Mephibosheth in the Old Testament when they ask if there is any left of the house of Saul that I might show mercy for Jonathan's sake. And Ziba says, there is one, Mephibosheth, and he is over in such and such a place. He is a lame man. And David said, fetch him. And they went and fetched him and brought Mephibosheth unto King David. That, my friends, is the work of the Holy Spirit in this day and age. Christ came by God's will. He fulfilled the will of God in dying for the sins of his elect people and satisfied in the law of God. And we are now declared by the law of God to be justified because of the death of Christ. He goes back to heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father. But the Holy Spirit of God must do His work and does His work. He goes at God's appointed time to the hearts of His elect people and regenerates them and brings them unto Christ. Paul, I think, describes that in the book of Corinthians when he says, If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them in whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds, lest the glorious light of the gospel should shine through unto them. For God, in verse 6, for God who commended the light to shine in darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You see, it is God that gives the light. It is God that gives the life. It is God that gives the knowledge. It's all of the Lord. And He regenerates by the power of the Holy Spirit and brings us to Christ. So the Lord said, Call them. And they called them. And they said, be of good comfort. Oh, what words of comfort must have been for this blind Xavier. He doesn't really know what's in store. But be of good comfort, he calls you. Friend, there's never a troubled heart, there's never a soul that's been so convicted by the Holy Spirit of God. And when they have come to the knowledge that Christ would bring them unto Him, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. He says, be of good comfort. The Lord has come to die for you. The Lord has borne your sins upon the cross of Calvary. And though your sins be as filthy rags, though they be red like crimson, yet Christ has died for you. And you are one of God's redeemed people. And what comfort there is of the Holy Spirit of God to our hearts. That's what Paul talks about in the fifth chapter of Romans. He says, therefore being justified, Having been justified, what happens? By faith, the Holy Spirit of God creates faith within us and gives to us the knowledge of Christ as our Savior. And he says that because of this work of the Holy Spirit in giving us faith, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no peace, for the wicked, the Word of God says. There is no peace apart from Christ. There is no peace about our sins apart from Jesus Christ. But oh, when the Holy Spirit of God brings to us the knowledge of Christ as our Redeemer, and when we are blessed to hear the gospel of our salvation, the Holy Spirit brings us this blessed truth of comfort concerning our sins. On Christ's colored rock we stand. All of the ground is sinking sand. There is nothing that can give to the child of God comfort concerning their sins apart from the working of the Holy Spirit of God concerning the work of Christ as Savior. Indeed, my friend, we believe that the very gospel, not that it regenerates, but the very gospel is sent to the hearts of God's people and declaring to them the good news of what Christ has done for us. And it is that comfort and that peace that comes to us by the work of the Holy Spirit. And so they said, Come, be of good comfort. He called them. I want you to note the effect. In verse 50, And he cast him with his garments, arose, and came to Jesus. You see, the call of God unto salvation is always effectual. He didn't just sit there and say, Well, now, I'm not too sure I want to do this thing. You know, I mean, you know, I'm making a living doing what I'm doing out here, and I don't know if I want to give this thing up or not. You know, I don't know about this thing. But what if God says, casting aside his garments, he arose and came to Jesus? Just as Lazarus, who is dead in that tomb, could not get up until Christ had come forth. But when the Lord said, Come forth, he came forth out of the grave. Yes, he had his grave clothes on, yet because he does not have a resurrected body, he has a restored life body. And the Lord says, Loose him. And he lays aside the garments. that maniac of Gadara that lived among the tombs and buried himself and nobody could bind him and he was constantly cutting himself and casting himself into the fire. And yet when the Lord comes and casts the demons out, they find that man sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind. This outer garment that this man cast aside signifies him leaving the lifestyle that he had been living. You see, when the Holy Spirit of God makes us to be new creatures in Christ Jesus, there's a transformation that takes place in your lifestyle. If there's no transformation in your lifestyle, then there's ever reason to believe there's never been any transformation in the heart. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. And so this man is made to be a new creature, he is commanded to come unto Christ, and he comes at the commandment of Christ by an effectual drawing power of Christ, and he casts aside his garments and comes to Christ. And Jesus said to him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And the man said to him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And the Lord said, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. Now I want to note this faith for a minute. I've already pointed out to us that faith is a gift of God. It is not something that we generate, not something that we have our own nature. But I want you to note that it is a personal thing. Thy faith. You see, we cannot get by before God on the faith of our parents. or someone else. I've talked to people a lot of times, you know, about their salvation, about their relationship to the Lord, and they will tell you a lot of times, well, my mother was a good woman and she took this church all the time, and it's all that they find some comfort in that. Well, I'm glad that you might have good parents, but I will tell you that the very best of parents is not going to secure your salvation And it does not give you a right standing before God. As a matter of fact, I can just take you through the Old Testament and tell you about some people who had some very good parents, but who ended up themselves living some very wicked lives. And of course, you know that in modern-day history, that there are some people who have been reared by preachers, and yet the children end up in prison somewhere or living some wicked lifestyle. So it's not in blood. In fact, that's what the 12th verse of the 1st chapter of John tells you, the 13th verse, That salvation is not a matter of blood, not a matter of nature, by the flesh, but it's by the will of God, sovereign will of God. But he said, Thy faith hath made thee whole. In fact, better, in the Gospel of Luke, and Luke's account in the 18th chapter, the Lord says this in verse, start with verse 35, and he says, Receive thy faith, thy sight. I'm reading verse 42. Thy faith hath saved you. Being made whole and saved you, in our understanding here, is the same thing. Thy faith hath saved you. Now, we know that faith is not a meritorious thing. God does not save us in view of our faith. But faith is an evidence that we have been justified. faith is the evidence of life. Having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, we have faith toward God. A child born, a baby born, one of the very first evidence that that child has got that there's life that's lived through this traumatic experience of being born is that it cries and begins to breathe. It doesn't breathe in order to get life. It breathes because it is alive. Life, faith, is the evidence of having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God. We do not believe that faith brings about life, but rather we believe that faith is the evidence of God having regenerated us by the Holy Spirit of God. And so he says, Thy faith. Our Lord is declaring that this person has indeed been regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, brought to a knowledge of who Christ is, and that he has saved, and thy faith, because of that faith imparted unto you, thy faith has saved you." Now, I believe in the very importance of faith and repentance and belief, not in order to secure salvation, but as the evidence of salvation. Many years ago, over 50 years ago, in fact, no, over 51 years ago, I told a certain girl by the name of Ruth Ann Roberts, I love you. And I really love you. And I want you to be part of my life forever. And she didn't ask me, what token do you give with the evidence of your love? That's asked in the wedding ceremony. But she didn't ask me that then. But I did give her something. I put a ring on her finger, an engagement ring. And that was my declaration to her right then. I do love you. I have every intention in the world of marrying you. And I want you to be my wife forever and forever. Thank the Lord she said yes. You see, the giving of the ring was not the beginning of my love. I gave her the ring because I did love her. The same is true about faith. God gives us faith in order that we might manifest what He's already done in our heart and life, and that is, regenerate us, and as a result of that, there is repentance and faith toward God. In fact, Metropolitan Paul says that there is repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ. In Mark, the first chapter, we read about Jesus Christ preaching after the death of John the Baptist. Mark chapter 1, verse 14, it says that Jesus Christ went about preaching saying the kingdom of God is at hand, and repent and believe the gospel. He sent his apostles out the very same way, preaching the very same message, repent and believe the gospel. Now, we very well know that no one can repent by their own nature There is an effectual work of the Holy Spirit of God that brings about repentance, and genuine repentance towards sin is the result of what God has done, and the same is true about faith and believing the gospel. That's not in order to secure life, but that's the evidence of life. The fact of the matter is, there is not a scripture verse anywhere in the Bible that would give us any reason to believe that anyone is a child of God who does not have manifest faith towards Christ. Now, I did not say you become a child of God. by having faith. I said it is the evidence that we are children of God by faith and repentance toward Jesus Christ. Our Lord said this in John 8. Our Lord said this, verse 24, I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins, if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins. And the third chapter of the gospel of John Our Lord says to us that He came into the world, He loved the world, came into the world to die for His elect people, the world and His elect people. And He says that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. And it's not believing that gets you life. It is that the evidence of life is that we believe. And that's the evidence of those whom God has chosen is that we have life. And the life produces an effect. In fact, the matter is, in this third chapter, Christ says this in verse 36, He that believeth on the Son hath life. That's the evidence of it. Just like I said about the baby breathing, that's the evidence of life. You don't believe in order to get life. You believe because God has regenerated you and you believe there is that work of the Holy Spirit essential, first, initial, immediate, and then the evidence of that life is that we believe on Jesus Christ, whom the Holy Spirit of God reveals to us as our Redeemer and Savior. He that believeth on the Son hath life, and he that believeth not on the Son hath not life. But note this, the wrath of God abideth on you. Now, many years ago, I used to understand that verse to say that right now, if you have not believed on Jesus Christ, the wrath of God abides on you. But the Lord has given me, I think, a better understanding, and so I've come to understand more way of God about salvation and so forth, I retract that and say, this is my understanding. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. That person who dies in unbelief, that person who is never brought to faith in Jesus Christ, they believe not the Son, it is in evidence that the wrath of God abides on them. You see, God's love for His people is an eternal love. He's loved us before the foundation of the world. We were never the objects of His wrath. God's wrath has never been toward us. Paul says that God has not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation. And so the evidence of what God has done for us, what Christ's death was effectual for our sins, is this, that God, by the Holy Spirit of God, comes to your heart, regenerates you and brings about faith whereby that you call to believe in Christ as your own Redeemer Savior. Our Lord said, mark the 16th chapter. Mark the 16th chapter in verses 14 and 15. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I do not understand that to mean that every creature is going to be regenerated. But I said to you beginning that there are two reasons why the gospel is preached. One is for salvation. That's to bring about the knowledge of Christ. The second is condemnation. But our responsibility as preachers of the gospel and as witnesses of Christ is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone that we possibly can. In fact, if you're reading the book of Acts, that when Paul began to persecute the church there at Jerusalem, that they were all scattered abroad. And when they went abroad, they went preaching the Word. That's why God would disperse us. That's why God has us in various places. And that's our responsibility as a church and as Christians, that we declare the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That doesn't mean that everyone is going to believe it. They won't believe it unless the Holy Spirit of God regenerates them and causes them then to believe the truth of God in Christ Jesus, because the God of this world has blinded their minds. Let the glorious light of the gospel shall shine through unto them, and you will meet all kinds of people, and most of the people that you talk to, that's their response. That's what you will meet. They are blinded, and you can talk to them, explain to them. They still remain blinded. Someone said, it's our responsibility to make the gospel so simple that even a child can understand. No, that's not true, my friend. You cannot make the gospel so simple that anyone would understand it. That's the reason why we believe in an integrated church family. We believe the Holy Spirit of God can make the gospel to be factual in the conversion of anyone, regardless of what their age is. You see, John the Baptist was in his mother's womb when he heard the glad tidings about Jesus Christ, and he was full of the Holy Spirit of God, and he leaped for joy in his mother's womb. So we believe that a three-year-old, four-year-old, ten-year-old, they can be quickened by the Holy Spirit of God, and they can be blessed to hear the gospel. Our Lord said, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Now, I do not believe that baptism at all will gain for you salvation. And I do not believe that you have to be immersed to go to heaven. I think that the thief on the cross went to heaven. But I'll challenge you to find anybody in the New Testament, aside from that man on the cross, who believed that was not immersed. Now, you see, I'm saying that this is the evidence of obedience to Christ. He believed, we believe, our Lord said, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Then he said, he that believeth not shall be damned. He didn't say anything about baptism in that statement. He that believeth not shall be damned. Every one that dies an unbeliever experiences the judgment of God. The fact of the matter is, when I read the book of Revelation, when the books were opened, and when those who were declared to have gone into hell, I read in verse 8, the fearful And unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and adulterers have their part in the lake of fire. And so our Lord said, preach the gospel to every preacher. I'm thankful for the work of this church and your burden and your interest in declaring and setting forth the gospel as we strive to do it in God's various means. We hope the Lord will bless us to be faithful in declaring the gospel of Christ. We do not do it because we think that by so doing, we're going to save somebody from going to hell. We do not believe the preaching of the gospel saves anybody from going to hell. We believe the death of Jesus Christ saves His elect people from their sins. And every one of those for whom Jesus Christ died for, every one of them will experience and enjoy eternal life and glory. not because they repented, not because they were baptized, not because of something that someone did, but because of what Christ has done for them. And the evidence that they are one of God's children is that the Holy Spirit of God in God's time will regenerate them and bring them to faith in Jesus Christ. Now, I want you to note this in the Gospel of Luke as we read about Barnabas here, the And immediately, I'm reading verse 43, and immediately, immediately, you see, regeneration is an immediate work. And indeed, there may be some time lapse, I don't deny that one bit, that there may be some time lapse from the immediate work of the Holy Spirit and regeneration until we're blessed to hear the gospel. But immediately, in this case, he received his sight. immediately, instantaneously, that were regenerated and then converted. But I will tell you that all healing that Christ ever did was immediate healing. It was immediate and it was permanent, not like modern-day so-called faith healers. He received His sight and followed Him. You see, when we are brought to faith in Christ, when we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God and brought to faith in Jesus Christ, here is the result. We follow Him. I like that song we sang a while ago, Ashamed of Jesus. Never would it be that a child of God would ever be ashamed of Jesus. God forbid that we would ever be ashamed of Christ. But he followed Him. John the 10th chapter, Romans the 10th chapter, Jesus Christ said, If thou believest not in and shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, thou shalt be saved." That is a public confession. That is a means whereby that we can confess Christ. And one of the most effectual ways that we can confess Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Savior is by following Him in immersion and baptism. And we thereby signify to the world what my hope is, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we follow Him. And note the next thing, glorifying God. You see, one who has ever been regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, who has ever been made to see themselves as hopeless, helpless, lost sinners, to see themselves having no merit or claim whereby that they can do anything to save themselves, and God in His sovereign grace bestows mercy upon us and we come to know that Christ is our Savior, not only do we follow Him, But we glorify You. We praise the Lord. We sing with joy in our hearts. There is a joy, there is a gladness that a child of God has as a result of peace with Christ and peace with God concerning our sins. And we glorify You. Not by works that I have done. Not by any merit on my part. But we are glad to tell the world, Jesus did it all. He paid the price. Oh, my God's grace and mercy, He has saved me. And we give unto Him all of the glory. The true gospel of Christ, my friend, is that. It declares what God has done, what Christ has done, and what the Holy Spirit has done. He does it all. We did nothing. He simply moved upon us. I love that statement in Acts chapter 13 and verse 48. As many as ordained to eternal life believe. Everyone that has ever been ordained to eternal life are brought to faith in Christ and they believe and they glorify the Lord. And the result, verse 43, when they saw it All the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto some man. They gave praise unto Barnabas, what you've done. You've turned over a leaf. You've made a good decision. Oh, you've done something. No. They gave praise unto God. The true gospel of Jesus Christ about his sovereign grace and mercy, his dying for the sins, all the sins of his elect people, and the true gospel of the effectual work of the Holy Spirit of God will produce in God's people a joy whereby we glorify the Lord and those who see it and understand what's happened, they will praise God also. Psalms chapter 40. David, I think, speaks about a similar experience. And he says that the Lord brought him out of a horrible pit That's the condition of the unsaved person in a horrible pit. He brought me up out of a horrible pit out of my reclaim and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. And listen to this. And he put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. And many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord. God's people chosen Christ before the foundation of the world. as we call life, ordained to be glorified, are redeemed by the death of Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God in time for a purpose. For a purpose. What purpose? That we might be witnesses to the world that we live in of God's grace. You see, the grace of God is not something that just is idle in us. The grace of God has an impact on our lives. It transforms our lives. It moves us and trains us and teaches us and conforms us unto Christ that we might be witnesses to the world that we live in of God's sovereign grace and mercy.