The Greatest Story

Well, praise the Lord, I appreciate so much the Lord's presence and that we truly have something to sing about, don't we? It's not just fantasy, it's the truth and I praise God for His mercy and His love. You know, this is a time when so many people in the world are celebrating the birth of a baby, rather, and there's nothing wrong with that. I thank God that He came, but of course, He didn't come just to be admired as a little baby. His purpose was so much grander than that, so much greater. The heart of God was expressed through His Son and I just praise Him today. My mind, as I was coming into this service, went to a little bit of a bigger picture. I'll say this first, I read this week a little bit of a piece that David Wilkerson wrote many years ago. Of course, you know, he can be pretty straight or could be. I'm sure he still is in heaven, but anyway, he was talking about how many people celebrate the baby but ignore the man and how hypocritical that is. And I praise God that we can celebrate both and identify wholly with both in our need of the one who was sent not just to be admired in a cradle or whatever he was in anyway, but also to wind up going to the cross for people like us. To God be the glory. Praise God. And so I'm just thinking about it, like I say, in a larger context. I think years ago, somewhere in the 60s, there was a movie made called The Greatest Story Ever Told, which was meant to be the life of Christ. And my mind went to, not a title quite that long, but the greatest story. But you know, the story that God has set in motion has a whole lot more to do with than just Jesus. It's the whole reason why this world even exists. That was just a part of it. And we know, we're aware that Jesus didn't just begin ... Well, I don't know if he had a beginning to his existence, but I mean, he certainly was here before the foundation

of the world was. And it was through him that the Father did everything. I'm going to refer to a couple of scriptures just to set the stage a little bit. One of them, some of them we've read recently, but I'm going to go again to Isaiah 46. Well, let me, before I do that, I'm just going to refer to one that I don't think you have to turn to. We referred a number of times to the time that the angel came to Daniel. And God's purpose in revealing himself to Daniel and sending that angel with a message was after he had fasted for so long, and then there was a battle that went along, and then the angel shows up, what was the purpose of the angel? And he said specifically at the end of chapter 10 that he had come to show Daniel things that were written in the book of truth. Do you know that God has a book? You know, we have this ... A lot of people like to read, and you know, you say, you'll hear the expression, have you read anything good lately? And people like all kinds of books, mostly novels and romances and adventures and mysteries, and some people like history. But this was one of the most amazing books that's ever been specifically referred to. Because this book was a book of history before it happened. God had already written exactly what was going to happen in among the nations of the earth. Do you realize that God, from the foundation of the world, has written a book, and we are living in the middle of it? Well, toward the end. It's probably getting pretty close to the last chapter. But I'll tell you, God has ... It's amazing when you think about it. Look at Isaiah 46 is where I started to turn. And this is where Isaiah was anointed to speak these words, remember, this is in verse nine of 46, remember the former things, those of long ago. I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me.

I have made known the end from the beginning. Wow, what a God. Just blows your mind because it's so unlike us. We live within the constraints of time. But here he is, I have made known the end from the beginning. From ancient times, what is still to come. I say my purpose will ... will stand and I will do all that I please. Praise God. Praise God. And of course I'll refer to another scripture we have often noted and that's over a few pages in chapter 55. And this is where in verse 8, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. All right, now he's going to give an illustration. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Wow. You know, the point we have made many times, if God wants to do something, how does he do it? He speaks. He doesn't need to just, you know, I guess I've said these things many times but this is a good time to focus on it again. If I say we have a need for light, what am I saying? I'm saying will somebody please go and flip a switch and engage the power?

God doesn't need to do that. He has the power simply to say there's a need for light, let there be light. And there was light. He didn't have to set up a manufacturing facility to make stars. He just said, you know, let there be stars. All the stars that just still amaze the scientists going in unimaginable distances. What a God we serve. Do you want to serve this God or do you want to live your own life? I want Him. Praise God. He is worthy and I just bless His name. But we also know that, let me say this at this point. What is the reason this world is here? What's the reason for any of this? Because God had a plan before the foundation of the world to build a family that He could share His love with forever. And that's why we live in a temporary world. This is the only purpose for which this world exists is for God to build a family because His nature is what? It's love. Well, what is divine love about? Is it about making me feel good or is it about having the power to bless and strengthen somebody else? Praise God. I'll tell you, that was the heart of God. And we certainly know that the one who is being celebrated, at least in some measure right now, who is the very center of the story, God wrote a book. God didn't have to wait till the end and say, all right, now I'm going to write all this stuff down that happened. He wrote it before it happened.

Praise God. And He set it in motion and His Son who is described with, in fact, one of the names of the Son is the Word. He is the very expression of God. When God wants to do something, His Son was the one who actually set it in motion. So you talk about the center, the central character. Every book has a central character, doesn't it? This is what the book is about. This is the one who's at the center of the story and you follow Him through the story from the beginning to the end. Well there He was before the creation, a part of His Father's plan, knowing what He was meant to do and simply carrying out the Father's instructions. Make a world. I guess we'd better get all that water sorted out and let's make some dry land and ... You know all the account in Genesis of how things happened and how God brought forth the first parents and then we see the first parents falling into sin and deception. Do you think God knew all about that ahead of time? Do you think He wove it into His plan? You know we could wish that it weren't that way. You know one of the things that you see in any engaging book is that there's conflict, isn't there? You'll have a story and you'll have a protagonist, they call them anyway, the central character and you follow their story through and in order to have a book that really gets your attention, there's got to be some opposition. They're moving into certain ... direction, but something is hindering it. And God knew from the beginning that He was going to wind up with two kinds of people who were descended from Adam. And so He set all of this in motion, and it's amazing what He did, and how He did it, and how He spoke, and all the things that He said were, when I say something, it's good.

And so obviously Christ Himself is the center of it. And you know, last week we mentioned how we focused a little bit on what Isaiah saw in chapter 6. That's pretty incredible that the one that he saw high and lifted up and on that throne was the same one who was born as that little baby. Wow. You talk about somebody who was totally, 100% engaged in the plan and the purpose of God. Here's God writing ahead of time what's going to happen, and He says, I'm on board. What's the schedule? Father, what's the schedule today? What's my job today? Help me to carry it out. And so we see Him all through the Old Testament appearing here and there to different ones, anointing them. And I think I've said this many times in the past. We look at the Old Testament, and we see these amazing prophecies of His coming. And we tend to think about prophecy as prediction. That is, God wanted to impress people with the fact that it was true, so He predicted it ahead of time so we would know, hey, this was from God. It's so much more than that. When God said, let there be light, was He predicting light or creating light? You see, here's God using His own Son to write His own story. You talk about the greatest story. I'll tell you, that's the greatest one. But the thing is, it isn't just about Him. But anyway, it began with Him. It centers on Him. So where was I getting ready to read? I was going to look over just at one prophecy for an example in Isaiah chapter 9. This is one that a lot of people will be reading today.

In verse 6, for to us, a child is born. To us, a son is given. Isn't that amazing? Think about that. You ever thought about those words? He didn't just ... Why did He give Him ... Why did He give the Son? Does that include you today? He gave this Son to you and to me. Wow. For to us, a child is born. To us, a son is given. And the government will be on His shoulders. He's in charge. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace, there will be no end. Oh, praise God. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Praise God. You got so many prophecies that actually set in motion. Jesus was basically writing His own story before it happened. Divine power was going out and setting these things in motion. So when He came, all He had to do was step into the divine flow. It's like getting on the train that's already left the station and its destination is sure. Boy, I think God wants us to understand in a deeper way what the nature of this world is so that we can be a part of His story in a better way. Praise the Lord. I thought about ... Oh, there's so many scriptures I thought about.

I don't want to go too deep anyway, but one of the ones I thought about that is often focused on now has to do with the birth of Jesus. It has to do with how God began to speak things into existence. There was an occasion in Luke chapter one where He used angels, didn't He? He used angels to prophesy to Elizabeth that she was going to become the mother of John the Baptist. But then in verse 26 of chapter one in Luke, in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth. Town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, greetings, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of a greeting this might be. I guess so. It's kind of a little out of the ordinary, isn't it? All right. But the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. His kingdom will never end. Well, you know, how would you react? I mean, you can think of all kinds of human reactions. Hey, that doesn't fit into my plan. What's my ... I'm engaged to Joseph. What's he going to think?

What are my neighbors going to think? Oh God, you know, I had plans for my life. How will this be? She did certainly ask, how in the world is this going to happen? How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I'm a virgin? The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. Now here's one of the wonderful promises of God. For no word from God will ever fail. Do we have a foundation to stand upon? Has God already written history? Yes, He has. And Jesus of all understood this. He was involved from the beginning and here He was, this glorious being that Isaiah saw. Think of what it took for Him. I mean, He already had all the, He was already the highest in heaven other than the Father. He didn't have to get glory for Himself, He already had it. But God's nature is love. And He wasn't just satisfied to have one son, He wanted a family of sons and daughters. And that's what everything is about. And so here is this one who was so great that He actually was willing to leave all that, become just a clump of cells in a young woman's body, hang out there for nine months, and then be born, not in a palace, but in a stable. Now, you know, we have all these scenes about that and of course you know that the wise men weren't there, don't you? I mean, they came sometime in the next couple of years and visited when they were in the house.

But nonetheless, I guess it makes a nice scene. But anyway, He was willing to be born in those humble circumstances. And then as He grew, the Father lived with Him and in Him and helped Him to understand and overcome and to be the model human being, the one who had never sinned. And all of that was not for His own benefit, but it was for yours and mine. And of course, He didn't stay a little baby, did He? You have all the prophecies of the Old Testament. You remember that the folks in the early church, you go back to the Pentecost and right on, what Scripture did they have? They couldn't turn to the Gospels, they couldn't turn to the Epistles, they didn't exist. They read the Old Testament because God had set everything in motion. All the truth was there that they needed. They understood why the reality of why He had to go to the cross because we had all sinned. There needed to be a sacrifice. The justice of God had to be satisfied by the death of someone in our place. Think of what He was willing to do. I'll tell you what. Is there any reason for anyone to say no to that and I'm going to live my own life? I want to be a part of His story. I want to be the right part of His story. The fact is, everyone here is a part of that story. The question is what part? You know, there's always the good guys and the bad guys in the story. Well, there are no good guys in the sense that we're worthy. Well, I'll tell you the ones God is looking for to bring home as His family are the ones that humbled themselves and recognized why he came and bowed to him because he didn't just ... the cross was not the end, was it? Yes, he went in a grave, but he didn't stay there. And even the Old Testament speaks of him living after after he had died. Praise God. Even David, what did he write?

That you won't allow your Holy One to see corruption. And thank God it didn't end there. He wound up on a throne. Your throne, O God, is forever. Reign there until I make your enemies your footstool. I'm trying to quote roughly from Psalm 110. All of it's there. All of it was prophesied and literally spoken into existence, and he simply stepped in to what God had given him to do. And he did it for you, and he did it for me. Praise God. But you know, as I thought about this, I've said it, I guess, several times already, the story is simply ... is about Jesus, yes, but it's so much more than Jesus. This book that God has written before all ... before any of it happened is still unfolding. You know, I had this thought. It would be easy with human reasoning to say, well, if God's already decided everything, then our reaction should be, well, I don't really have any choice, any control over anything. And so the common reaction today is, whatever. You probably never heard that, right? But the amazing thing is that God builds His family, and yet we have responsibility to make choices, because God knows ahead of time how everyone is going to react when His grace shows up and convicts us, and shows us our need, and shows us the Savior. You think about the original apostles. Eleven of them wound up faithful, didn't they? They saw all the works of Jesus. They heard His words, but there was one who didn't. The name was Judas. And God wove him into the story to fill the place. Did God just sovereignly say, I'm going to make you a bad guy, because I need a bad guy in this story, so I've already decided you have no choice in that. No. Did God know what He was, the kind of person He was, and use it? He certainly did. Did God know what kind of a person Pharaoh was before he did all the things that he did? He sure did. And God, I'll tell you, God knows how to take the choices that we make, that we're still responsible to make, and weave them into this story. I'll tell you, when we get to the judgment, the books are going to be open. I bet this is one of them, because this has a perfect record. Every thought, every deed, every motive. And the purpose of saying that is not to generate fear at all. I thank God He knows. He knows our frame. He remembers that we're dust. And His heart

reaches out in love and mercy to every one of us. But we absolutely are responsible, aren't we, to recognize the truth of what He has done, to take our place in the story. You know, I mentioned that song that we sang this morning to Kenny, that he'd come to me about the potter's hand. I want to see through your eyes. Lord, help me to recognize what's really going on, and be part of that, and let that be the way I see my whole life, and my future, my purpose. Because you have set something in motion that I have the privilege of stepping into. Did Jesus have to get out there and just do it somehow in His own strength? He had divine strength working in Him. But what was His response to this plan, knowing what the plan was, coming here, being willing to do it? He said, I didn't come to do my will. I came to do the will of my Father. And what was that like? Every day, He had to seek His Father and say, Lord, what's in this chapter? What's in this day? You've already written this. Show me what's supposed to happen today, and help me to do it. That is so hard for us. So are time-bound creatures. even think that way, but here's Jesus willing to take such a place of dependence, knowing on one hand that it was written, but saying, I want, that's what I want. I want to be part of that. My life doesn't have any meaning if I'm not part of your story and fulfilling the role that you have designed for me, because I know, it's like Jimmy Robbins used to say, I read the last chapter and I know how it turns out. Turns out good for us Christians. Of course, he's not talking about, you know, religious people who call themselves Christians. He's talking about the true followers of Jesus. But one of the scriptures that came back to me that I know we're familiar with, I think it's in Psalm 139. And you see David just amazed at the Lord and how he knows everything about him. He's every, you can't go anywhere where he isn't. He's just amazed that even the stuff that makes up my body, you saw that in the ground long before it ever got in me.

What an amazing God we have to be that aware of everything in the universe. But he didn't see that as a scary thing. He saw it as something to know and to reach out. He didn't see this as a God who's just using me for his own selfish pleasure, but rather one who wants to share his heart of love with somebody like me. How amazing is that? But then in verse 16, it says this, your eyes saw my unformed body. This is where he just talked about all the stuff that's in me was in the ground. But then he says this, all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. I want to read that book. I mean, I appreciate this one. This has got all we need for the process, but I'll tell you, God's got a book that is a record of everything. He has laid out his plan for your life and for mine. And he knows the choices that we're going to make, doesn't he? All the days, that's amazing. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious are your thoughts? And your thoughts are like the grains of sand by the seashore. So is his reaction, oh God, I got to straighten up and fly right or else? No, search me Lord. I recognize that your heart in this is for me. It's one of love. You want, you have something that's so greater than I've, I can see when I just look around this world. Lord, I'm not, I'm not here to write my own story. You've already written my story. That's the one I want to be a part of. And so Lord search me.

That's the heart that God is looking for from every one of us. But you think about how this is revealed in so many ways of how God has absolutely called somebody and then revealed their purpose. Now we see that as being, oh, it's for the special ones like Moses or Joseph or all these kinds of things. I'll tell you, it's for you and for me too. But look at how God arranged Moses' life, made himself known to him. Moses had a face to face relationship with this one we're talking about today. Did you know that? It says he saw the Lord face to face. Moses didn't know anything about that. In fact, his, his birth was arranged for him, wasn't it? The Lord just put it, put it on the heart of his mother that, hey, I'm not going along and they're trying to kill all the new babies, they ain't getting mine. And so she hid him for a while until he couldn't, she couldn't hide him any longer. And then she just put him in the Lord's hands, put him in that, that reed basket, put him on the water and just said, Lord, he's in your hands. Well, the Lord pretty well did his job, didn't he? Wound up growing up in the, in the, in Pharaoh's palace, man of mighty word and deed. And then we, then we come to that place where he recognized, hey, I'm not really an Egyptian. This is not my kingdom. Those people that are slaves over there, I'm one with them. How does he, how was he able to do that? Scripture tells us he saw him who was invisible. There was a kind of sight that Abraham had. How did he have that? Yeah, God had to reveal that to him. God had to give him that understanding. Wouldn't it be good if when God wants us to, to see something? Through his eyes, we say, yes, Lord, that's what I want.

Not you're interfering with my life. I got stuff that I want to do. I'll tell you what, Moses listened and got him in trouble, didn't it? But God still was working out a plan. God had already written the story. We have the history of it here, but God wrote that before it happened. And he absolutely protected Moses all the way over to, was it Midian? Wherever it was, anyway, he went out there and became a shepherd for 40 years, gave up on everything. And then right when he was at his weakest moment, the Lord came down and revealed himself in the burning bush, sent him to Egypt, used him in such incredible ways. God wrote his story before it ever happened, and he was able to bring Moses right through to that place. I mean, if you remember the call of Jeremiah, when the Lord said, I'm going to turn over there. Let me just read that so I get it right. Jeremiah, right at the beginning. When the Lord said to him, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. How did he get in the womb? We think, oh, just natural process. The Lord said, I formed you in the womb. I'll tell you, God sees people from the time they're conceived, doesn't he? Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. And of course, he said, who, me? I'm just a kid. I can't speak. And the Lord anointed him, didn't he, for a purpose, and there was a call upon his life. And you see that over and over.

You see that in Joseph, how the Lord, in that instance, sort of gave everybody a hint. This guy's going to be somebody special. He had these dreams where he showed his brothers bowing down to him, and they didn't like that a whole lot. And the Lord used that to get him all the way down to Egypt. You remember all the story and all the things that unfolded in his life. And there he was looking to God. And the Lord gave him enough of a revelation of the reality that he just didn't sit there and get mad at God because all this bad stuff happened. He was still praising God and serving God, even when they wound up throwing him into prison on false charges. And he was living there for years. You see the character that God had already formed in him coming out, don't you? I'll tell you, praise God. God, does God know what he's doing? Yes, he does. And so you see God eventually using Joseph, and he didn't have any kind of revenge in his heart. There was a total rest and a forgiveness. Wouldn't it be good if we could all see through God's eyes? You think maybe that's part of the message of what the Lord wants out of us today? I want to see the bigger picture. Yes, I'm so thankful that Jesus came as a little baby. I'm thankful for everything that he did for me, for living in this sin-cursed world, dying in my place, raised from the dead, sending the message that you and I are still hearing today as God continues to gather his family. Praise God. But I want to see it also as you and I are characters in God's book. I know a lot of you are characters. But anyway, you know what I mean.

And I just pray that everyone who hears this gets it. Because God designed you and me for a reason. We're not Moses. We're not Paul. We're not a lot of these bigger people, more famous people, but I'll tell you, God has a place for every single person in his book. Now Mary was an ordinary little girl that you'd never thought much about. Now she was never meant to be worshipped, but she sure was blessed, wasn't she? But what an attitude that she had, knowing that it was going to cause a lot of questions. How in the world did you get pregnant, girl? And a lot that she was going to have to go through. But she said, whatever you say, Lord. Wouldn't that be a good thing for us to say with our lives? Whatever you say, Lord, is what I want. Because you've written my story. That's the one I want to live out. I know a lot of these things haven't happened in our timeframe, but I know where this story ends. I've read that last page and I know exactly how it turns out. because you're the one who's conceived this purpose. And yet here we are in the middle of the story. We've seen Jesus do his part. We've seen Paul and the other apostles do their part. And we've seen people down through the ages looking to God and doing their part. And here we are this morning in the last part of the story. I don't believe it's gonna be that long before the book is closed. Of course, on the judgment day, it'll be open, won't it? Because there's a record of everything that's happened,

every thought, every motive. And I know God's heart is to reach out to everyone. It's not that he wants anyone to perish, does he? He wants all to come to repentance. So I pray that if there's somebody here or somebody that hears this, you'll recognize you're not just a human being with an earthly life and what am I gonna do with it? God didn't put you on this earth to write your own story. I want his. Think about those testimonies we saw from mission teens. It's interesting the language that was used in at least one of those testimonies about how a life that was such a tragic mess, no way you could fix it, humanly speaking. And yet God penetrated all of that. And the recognition was at the end was God wrote my story. God wrote my story. I know there's a lot of people here that recognize that God wrote your story. He's brought you where you are now. Oh God, I just, I wanna be part, I wanna live with that consciousness that you have written my story, but I still need to make choices today that are part of that. Because I'll tell you there are consequences when you make the wrong choices, aren't there? I don't know, I've had a lot of thoughts and I don't wanna drag what I'm saying out.

But I have a sense that God is reaching out still. You know, it was mentioned this morning about how God is reaching out in all kinds of places. And he is. And that God has a people. We see the devil more and more is just taking over people's lives because they're making the choice to say no. God works in them and he hears their, he hears, he sees their hearts. And God convicts them, but they wind up saying no, no. It's my life, I'm gonna write my own story. And so God just says, all right. And they have no more defense against the powers of darkness that are taking over this world. But God has a people. And we are living today and we are a part of what God is doing. May God give us the sense of looking to him every day and saying, God, just like Jesus did. Lord, what am I here for? Help me. Help me to be conscious that I'm still, I'm one of the characters in your story. Yes, Jesus was the main character, but I'm one of them too. It's not whether I have a big part or a small part. That has no place in the question. That's not even a matter of a question. Do you really believe that God made you on purpose? That he loves you, that he has a place for you,

that you're part of his story? Oh, may God just burn that simple truth into our hearts so we understand why we're here. That becomes the center. That's the guiding principle of our lives. Lord, I'm here to serve you. Thank you for all that you've done. Thank you for the blood that was shed. Thank you that I've got a foundation to stand upon. Thank you for being a God who's already knows the end from the beginning and nobody can stop you. That's the train I wanna get on because I know it's gonna reach the end, but in the meantime, I'm not just simply coasting along saying, oh, well, he's done it all. I guess I can just coast. No, he's built his plan so that I have a part to play because here's one key thing. If the foundation of all of this is love and love is focused not on what's good for me, but how I can help somebody else, isn't that what he wants for us? See, we're not here just so we can muddle through and get there. We're here so God can shine his light, live out his life through us in such a way that we have a positive effect on everybody around us. What's your effect on people around you? Is that part of the story? I imagine that every one of us, there are chapters in that book where we don't so much

want to read about it, do we? Because we weren't exactly cooperating, but I know that God is a great Redeemer. He will reach down. You know, what did Jesus say, that a smoking flax, he won't quench? Lord keep me smoking, in that sense. But seriously, God is not looking to kick people out. He's looking for a reason to bring them in. He's not looking for my strength. He's not looking for any goodness in me. He's looking for a willing heart that just says, Lord, I surrender. I recognize that my life, the whole purpose of my life, that you've written it. You know all of my choices. Right now, help me to cooperate with that plan, with that purpose, because I know that it's going to end awesomely. I'll tell you, to God be the glory. I'll just, I thought about one of the scripture we've preached on in the past. It's been a while. But in Ephesians chapter two, we have the well-known scripture about salvation. And we know that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourself, it's the gift of God, not by work so that no one can boast. Now, most people stop right there. But it doesn't stop there, does it? What's the next verse? For, because, we are God's handiwork. Sounds a lot like the potter and the clay, doesn't it, that we were saying about? We are God's handiwork. To do what? Created in Christ Jesus. All right, why? To do good works.

What works? Which God prepared in advance for us to do. What a book. What an amazing book. That's the book I want to be a part of, because I'll tell you, when we get to the end of that book, that's going to be one awesome final page. Praise God, what a page that will be when we turn to that page and it's all over and we stand there and we look back, we'll see our mistakes, we'll see God's redeeming power. We'll see the power of the blood. And I just pray that we'll get there and we'll look back and say, yes, Lord, thank you, because it was your grace entirely, but you helped me to understand, you gave me an understanding that I couldn't have had just living in this world. I don't have the power to understand these things, you have to show me. Lord, give me a willing heart, search me, do what you got to do, Lord, so that I can be a part of your story and I can be one of the good guys, not because I'm good, you understand what I'm saying? Because there's a lot of folks that sadly are going to turn out like Judas and like others, but God knows how to use everything in this world and all the people that we see turning against Him. God knows how to use them, because it seems like somewhere I've heard that in all things God works for our good. It seems like I've read that somewhere. According to His purpose, but for whom He foreknew. He knew all about you and me. The ones He foreknew, what did He do? Redestinated us, chose us ahead of time to be conformed to His image. Praise God that He might be what? The firstborn among what? Many brothers and sisters. Praise God.

You see God's heart in everything that happens, but do you think maybe God wants us to be a little more focused and a little more aware of this book that He's got, that's got your name in it? Praise God. Lord help us to live with this awareness. Help us to see life through your eyes and your purpose, to realize why we're here, and to live not just for this passing world, but to live in it, but to live for you, to fulfill our place in that story, in that divine story, because every one of us has a place. Praise God. To Him alone be the glory. Praise God. I had a dream last night and, uh. No, we don't always, you know, I don't know, but I think the Lord could use it. So I'm going to share it. I was at a wedding and I was sitting on this couch beside the groom and the bride were there. Everybody was coming by and greeting them, you know. And this one guy walks up, reaches behind him, bam, shot the groom right here. There was nothing we could do, like time to react. This guy had the gun on me, you know, what do I do? I was completely at peace to know. I was like, well, Lord, I'm coming. I'm coming to you. You know, I wasn't scared. I also knew that I, this guy couldn't do anything about it. I mean, I'm sitting there with, I didn't have any, I didn't have a weapon to fight back. But my point is, I mean, a lot of preachers before I've been like, well, you might leave here today and get hit by in a wreck and you'll be dead. You know, some people, I mean, I don't want to try to scare anybody with that, but it is true. Nobody in this room has a guarantee of tomorrow. And what I want to try to say to y'all is, do you know that you will be with the Lord tomorrow?

If you die today, do you know if you die, when you die, and guess what? Everybody in this room has one thing in common, you're going to die. And I'm not saying that to scare anybody, but guess what? You're going to die one day. It might be tomorrow and it might be in a lot of years for some of us. Or some of y'all. I don't got that many left, I don't think. I'm 43, so I'm like halfway, maybe. But if I make it a long ways, but my point is, do you have that peace? That's what, do you have that peace? It's what I want to ask the people here to know that you're going to be with the Lord when you die. Because there's not gonna be nothing you can do about it. And if you don't, that's what I wanted to say too. If you don't have that peace to know that you're going to be with the Lord when you die, you can ask the Lord, you can call out to him, or you can talk to one of the men in the church. Come and get me and I will walk with you to one of the men, I'll pray with you. But I will, you know, let's go get one of the elders too. And let's pray and ask God. It has to be you. You have to say, I want the Lord. You have to say, Lord, please save me. If somebody else is praying for you, it don't matter if they're crying for you. If you don't say, Lord, please save me, it won't matter. Cry out to the Lord if you don't have that peace. If you can think of that scenario, where am I going to be tomorrow if I die? Where am I going to go? Am I going to heaven or not? If you don't have that peace, 100%, please cry out to the Lord. Come talk to me. Come talk to me.

Come talk to one of the men. Come talk to somebody because the other alternative ain't good. There's heaven and there's hell. There's two. One more thing. There's men and women. It's about that blank. There ain't all these other options. There's, you know, that's it. It's one or the other. And I hope, I pray that anybody that can hear my voice and feel what's all about that book, guess what was written in that book? That I was going to stand right here today and say the words I just said and that you were going to be in this room or listening to this wherever you can listen to it. We can't surprise God. So what I just said was for you to hear. Unless I'm completely wrong. And then one of the men will come up and be like, hey man, but I don't think so. God wants you to question yourself. Examine yourself today. If you hear his voice today, harden not your heart. Because if you do, it'll be easier to harden next time he tries to prick your heart. He says, hey, you, you need me. And if you would, I'm all right. I'm all right. Next time it'll be easier to say I'm all right. And easier like a callous that gets on my hands for doing my stonemasonry. It gets callous, it gets hard and he can't break your heart anymore. That's not where you want to be. You can't hear him then.

I love y'all. Praise the Lord. This has been great. I think it can probably be summed up with, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes on him can have eternal life and not perish. Praise the Lord. The Lord gave me a verse a while back and I just want to read it. It's in Titus chapter three and verse four is the one that he gave me. And I think it just, it just aligns with what's been said, but I'm going to pick it up in verse three because I kind of want to comment on what Mike was saying as well. And uh, this right here, this verse three, either describes where you are now when you're listening to this or where you were. And I praise God that you can, part of this story that is written is that you can put, this can be your past. I praise God that he's done that for me and I know he's done that for people listening as well. It says at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. This right here, just a couple of weeks ago I was praying and the Lord spoke to my mind, I guess Titus three verse four, this is all it says, but when the kindness and love of God, our savior appeared, that's it. That's the gospel right there. The kindness and love of God is reaching out to someone today. Maybe it's someone who's here, maybe it's someone who will hear this later, but just remember that the kindness and love of God, our savior appeared and that is why we have the hope of eternal life. It says here, he saved us not because of righteous things we had done. Praise God that we don't have to measure up. It's nothing we've done, but put our faith in Christ and then do what he says as well. Be obedient to the word, seek him every day. Right here it says, but because of his mercy, he saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ, our savior. Again, the one that's been lifted up today, the one who came as that baby and also gave his life for us, but also rose again. And now he sits at the right hand of the father interceding for us today. So that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Praise God for that. And right here where it says he saved us not because of righteous things we had done. I just feel like the Lord would also say he delivered us from oppression, bondage. He healed us from our traumatic past, those who are oppressed. He saved us, delivered us, healed us from emotional scars from our past.

It's all in him. It's all in Christ. I just praise his holy name.