Eld James Moseley and Bro David Moseley | 5.3.26

Blessed to have visiting ministers with us on 1st Sunday, May 2026: Elder James Moseley from the Houston area and Brother David Moseley from central Louisiana. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I count it a great joy and privilege this morning to be with you once again. Uh seems like not very long ago we were blessed to be here and certainly thankful that the Lord was was with us. Um I uh sense that to be the case this morning as well in the song service that we've felt the spirit of our Lord. Felt and and as is the prayers. Uh already filled the prayers uh have gone up for my effort and brother David's effort as we stand before you. This is a can be a scary place um at times. But that's not in what I trust the Lord can deliver, but rather my own weakness. Um but let's pray that the unbelief will depart and we'll lean and trust in the Lord, who is so faithful to deliver us in what we uh attempt to look at and speak on. If you'll look at uh the 55th chapter of Isaiah this morning, there's just a couple verses I want to try to expound upon for a few minutes that really kind of caught my attention. And um, then I'll I'll try to get out of the way. Um this is really kind of stemming from last Sunday when I uh Brother Mike tried to talk on the parable of the sower, and uh this was something I had in addition to that kind of as an um kind of extending, and I didn't have time to get to it, but that's okay because there's no ever like one sermon then another sermon. It all kind of works together. It's all a continuation of that. So um my mind's still on it. I would like to look at it with you. Deep praying. Isaiah 55, uh, verse 10 and verse 11. We read, For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and make it make it it to bring forth anbud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it. Uh the not to revisit this too much, but last week when I tried to talk on the parable of the sower, I really tried to bring forth a the idea that the preached word of God is the seed, and the heart of the hearer of the born-again child of God is the soil. And the soil can be in different states, it can be in that hard uh ground that's by the wayside, that's like a pathway, and it needs to be tilled up and softened. That there's the stony ground, which is good soil, but underneath, just hidden beneath, is is stone, and when the plant goes down, it hits and doesn't go any further, where there's it's not fruitful. Uh, another, the third kind of ground it talks about or the lawn is that thorny ground or the weedy ground that it'll it'll grow, but that those weeds or those thorns will kind of steal the resources of it, and it's not fruitful. Those first three grounds of the heart of the hearer aren't fruitful. That it doesn't bring forth its intended end, which is the seed is to bring forth a bounty of yield. But there's one kind of ground that is good, and that good ground is one that's had it's been tilled up, the stones have been taken out, the thorns and the weeds have been removed, and what's left is good ground. Well, the seed or the word, and he he doesn't leave us to guess what the um the seed represents. He tells us that that seed is the word, his word, and that word is good. What's the problem with the preached gospel is that it doesn't bring forth fruit when our soil is wrong, when our heart is in a place where it's not ready to receive. So the encouragement that I try to give last weekend was for us to prepare our hearts as best we can by prayer, by study, by relying on the Lord. Um, Lord, give me the good heart to receive the good word, the good seed, that it might be fruitful, that it might bring forth. So, can you be in a place where that wouldn't bring forth fruit as it could? I'll say absolutely yes, it happens to me all the time when my heart's not right. Okay? But this is a different way to look at something. This is this is uh by extension and by contrast, we're looking at the word of Jesus Christ our Lord, of his word coming forth from his mouth, with the intent that it would bring forth what it its purpose is. And what we find here in these two verses is that his word comes forth as rain from the sky, as snow from the sky, and you know what it does? It doesn't return to him void. It accomplishes that which it had intended. And so, just for a few minutes, I'd like to look at some different ways in which our Lord's words will not return into him void, that they will bring forth the end that he would have them to do so. Uh even to think about that that picture that he he's drawn forth of rain coming down and it it nourishing the ground. Have we not felt that just recently? How thankful we are when the word when the rain comes down and how lively, just overnight it seems that the earth is is it brings forth its bud and it's bountiful. That's a good thing. That's a place where we want to be. Um our Lord's words accomplish what he intends for them to accomplish. Even let's go back to the very beginning. In covenant past, before God even created the worlds, did he not say that he would uh choose out a people and place them in Christ Jesus to elect them and to predestinate them into eternal glory? That's a that's a statement that he made between God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. All of them had participation in that dialogue, in that triad trialogue, as it were, not dialogue. Um, in that conversation, they all had word. And their words together was You will have a people, and they will be with us in heaven in immortal glory. Will those words not accomplish what he intended? They absolutely will not return unto him void. That's the very gospel that he is uh he has accomplished that which he had intended, which his people that he chose before the world was will be with him in immortal glory. Then uh beginning of creation, we see the word creating all things. He spoke um all things into existence. When he said, Brother Mike, let there be light, that was not a suggestion. He caused it to be, and his words went forth, and uh unlike our words, which are they can just be speech, with no uh with no energy or power behind them, the words of God, the words that come down as water from the sky or snow from the sky and return not, but bring forth its intended end, his words are not words of speech, of persuasion. His words are different words. They are words of force. His words are with power and intent, and his words are different. We even find in scripture uh referred to the words of Jesus Christ our Lord. They said that no man spake like this man, Jesus. He it wasn't just that he was a good orator, he was a good orator, and all his words were perfect words, but his words were different in that he was speaking as the Almighty, he was speaking as the I am that I am. He came with authority and with power in his words, and when he spoke, there was an effect, there was a bringing forth, and it was every time and without exception. In creation, when our uh when our heavenly father and speak, I believe Jesus Christ is the creator, he is the power, he is the word, and when he said, Let there be light, there was light. When he brought forth the land, there was land when he divided uh well, it says this. Um, it even talks about in creation how the earth was without form and void. And then there was a change where he caused it to no longer be a void. He brought forth, he his words were spoken that there not be a void, and from that point on there was no void. His words go forth and they return not unto him void. He's the creator, he is the creative power in his words, he has the authority when he speaks, it is done. When he commands, it stands fast. That's our Lord, that's our the words of our Lord. Um creation, he created all things. And it seems uh seems kind of wild to go so quickly through some of these thoughts, but he is the he is it he's the all-in-all. He's his words command everything. Um we think about in the garden when he spoke to Adam and commanded him to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Were those not words that came forth from God? The words that came down? Were they not good words? Were they not true words? And then we know that uh Adam would disobey God and do that very thing that God would command him not to do, and he gave him a clear uh explanation of what would happen if he were to disobey God. Did his words return unto him void or not or empty or not as he said it would be? Didn't return unto him void. He gave Adam that command, and there was an effect that came from the words that he gave. But he all we also see that um God did not forsake his people, and he gave forth um an answer and and didn't he upheld Adam and Eve and their posterity, and then he continued to be with his people. Uh we see the words that he gave unto Noah that there would um come a destruction on all things, and to build that which he would have him. Those words came forth, and they did not return unto him void. There wasn't this uh, I don't know how long it was that Noah and his sons were building that ark, but they built that thing for a long time, and under great uh, I'm sure, um Yeah, I mean that they must have wagged their heads at him and then you are crazy. What do you mean that one day there's gonna be no, no, but God's word did not return unto him void. That day did come. The day that God said would come and there would be destruction, then this this this vessel that would be the efforts, um, they found themselves at the end of that thing, that that time period, that they were not ashamed in what God had told them would come forth. They did not return unto him void. There was a day when that water started to come down from the sky, and God showed himself in his words to be verily true, and himself to be right. They never return unto him ashamed or mistaken or not exactly the way that he said it would be. His words go forth and they are exactly the way in which he says it would be. Why? Because this man speaks differently. There's power in the voices of Jesus Christ our Lord. Uh we see the words that came forth from God Almighty unto Abram, that you will be a family unto me, there will be a great seed that comes from you. Uh, there'll be a great nation, and that nation will be my people. You will be a people unto me, and I will be the God unto you. Those are the words that came from God in heaven unto his people, and those words did not return that time, or a hundred years later, or a thousand years later, that his people would not be his people, and then him being their God would not be their God, and his words would not return unto him, void, or empty, or not having accomplished that which he intended for those words to go forth and bring forth that that good uh yield, that good fruit. Um what came what comes from that rain and that snow is not bad things, it's good things. It's that which is uh um pleasing that bringeth forth the bud, bringeth forth the seed to the sower. That's good, that's growth, that's that's beauty, and that's the words that come from our Lord. They're words of um accomplishment and growth and bounty. That's the words that come from our Lord. He is uh every good gift, every perfect gift cometh where? Down from the Father of lights. Those good gifts that we have, that we are blessed with, the benefits of our life, we don't get them from each other. It all originates. Good things, perfect gifts, good gifts, they come down from him. And we are able to share them laterally, but they always come down vertically first, down from the father of lights, in whom is no variableness or shadow of turning. His words come down as rain, as snow, and bringeth forth bud, bringeth forth seed to the sower. We think uh we continue on and we think about uh how he would continue to be with his people that he promised, and then there was a great deliverance that he promised out of Egypt. And it was by his words that he would direct Moses to lead his people out of bondage, out of that oppression under Pharaoh, and he would show his power as they were delivered. And then they were in the wilderness for 40 years. Did he ever leave them? No, you know why he didn't leave them? Because his words wouldn't return unto him void. He says, I will be with thee. Fear not, for I am with thee. Those were his words. And they didn't find themselves down the road, uh down the years that his words, well, he said that he was going to be with us, but where is nope, his words will not return unto him void. He continued with them. That rock that followed them, that pillar of smoke and that pillar of cloud was with them. And then that land that he promised unto Abram was theirs. See, every time we get to the end of the words of he said, at the end it's gonna be like this. At the end, these are gonna, this is exactly what you're gonna see. At the end, you're gonna experience this. You're not gonna get down the road, hit that mall marker, and find out it's not like that. You get to the end, his words will not return unto him void. It will accomplish that which he intended. And that day that God would promise that he would send his only begotten son into this world to live a perfect life and to die for his people, to redeem them out of a state of death and trespasses and in sins. He said, There's a day coming. There is a day coming in history on this earth where the very manifest Son of God, the only begotten Son of God, would come into this world as the Messiah. That was not a surprise to them. They were looking forward to that day. They had the word that his son would come and live and die for their sins, and they were looking for that day. Did his words return unto him void? Absolutely not. In Bethlehem uh one day there was a um, God brought forth his son from a virgin and into this world, and his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. His name testified to the very uh mission he would come and do. Would his words return unto him void? No. No, those are God's words that he would save his people from their sins. And your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would live a perfect life, he would walk this world, he would enter into his ministry at the age of 30, and he would begin to show forth the mighty works of God in him, him and God, and God in him, that the three in one God would walk this earth, um, and he would show forth his power, and he would say so many perfect words, he would say so many uh things, and every single one of the things that he that came forth from his lips were true words. Every word that came forth from uh the mouth of Jesus Christ, he would show forth that his words would accomplish that which he would say. That he would speak unto one at the pool of Bethesda, walking by one who has been lame and laying there waiting for the stirring of the water. And when Christ comes to him and says, How thou no man? And he says, I have no man, Lord. And he says, Uh um thy son sins are forgiven thee, take up thy bed and walk. He not only showed forth that his sins were forgiven. Did he have those words the possibility of coming back and empty? No. He had the power to forgive that individual sins, but he also said, Take up thy bed and walk. He had the power to show forth the mighty works. Just the words, just the words that came from Jesus Christ. And that man would have would gain strength within himself to stand, take up his bed, and walk, and go tell the mighty things in which his Savior said. He would say unto um He was saying to that woman who was caught in the very act of adultery, uh, Where are thine accusers? She says, I there are none. He says, Neither do I. Um go thy way and sin no more. He told her something that was so powerful from his very lips, his words were not returned to him, that she would um miss that message. That message, I think it landed exactly where it needed to land, is that her sins were forgiven and to go uh forth and and sin no more. That he would speak to the blind, uh, he would he would he would heal the blind, he would heal the lame, uh, he would walk, um, he would walk up to uh a grieving Martha and a grieving Mary and tell them about how he's the resurrection, and then he would show forth his power when his the words of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would command a dead individual to come back to life. Lazarus went from a place of not kind of sort of dead, but life. He commanded life, and those words were not um, man. I sure hope they accomplished what he would intend. They accomplished what he intended. Lazarus was raised back to life by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord, and they would not, could not return unto him void. I think about Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary and the things that he said, uh, but one strikes uh more powerful to the heart than any other words that could ever be spoken. The words that came forth from him after he suffered for those hours on the cross, and with strength he would rise up with his strength and proclaim boldly out to all to hear that it is finished. Those are words that your Savior has yet. Has any of his words returned unto him void, even partially? Did he send out his words and they came back 99% fulfilled? No, it comes back a hundred percent fulfilled in the words that Jesus Christ has sent for it. It comes back fully for its intended purpose. Your Lord told uh them, and he tells you in his dying declaration, it is finished. It is finished. Those are words, are accomplished words. Those are words that are there's no void in that. There's no emptiness in that. There's not almost it's finished, it is altogether finished. That's the kind of power in the words that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, has said for us. The one who speaks to the storm and says, Peace be still. There's power in those words, and they return not unto him void. And they bring forth good. But he he wasn't finished with that, with it, your sins have been paid for on Calvary, that you no more have the debt of sin upon you, no more the um, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. That's the very place that you sit this morning. It's a place of no condemnation. And end of chapter 8, it says no separation. That's the very position that you hold. And not only has he done that and put you in that position, but he's also given you the word of reconciliation. He's even given you the very words that it's been accomplished. It'd be one thing for him to have done the work and done that the needed uh thing, but he's also told us about it. He's also gave us the very comfort and consolation and assurance that those things are done. That's a wonderful place to be. But it goes further. He tells us that one sweet day. Be of good cheer. Um sorrow not as others. There is a day coming where he himself, he will not send another. I'm thankful that he's not gonna send another, but he's gonna come himself. Our Savior, our word, our power. He's gonna come himself. And he is going to rent the sky by his power. He is gonna call forth the bodies of those that have been dead in the grave. He is gonna do it by that same word, by that same power. And like every other example that we could possibly think of, and now I'm telling you, we could spend a lot of time looking at all the examples, and it's all gonna follow the same truth. That day when he commands bodies that have been dead in the grave, his words will go forth, his words will be with power, and his words will not return unto him on that day, even partially void. Every single one of the bodies of the elect children of God and not elect, but let's focus on the on you and on me and on his family. His words will go forth, and he will bring forth every single object of grace, every single one that he paid for and died for on Calvary's cross. You are his, you are his uh uh property, you are his possession, you are his beloved child. He will bring forth the bodies and reunite our soul and spirit that have been with him, body, soul, and spirit, uh glorified after the very body of Jesus Christ our Lord. And we will go together to be with him in heaven and immortal glory. How can we be so sure of these things? How can we be so assured of these things? I mean, these things seem so uh they they to our natural minds can be so just such a stretch. I tell you, by faith we can see it. By faith we can understand that it's true because we know that our Lord is different. Our words are different than the words of great uh um magistrates and and um leaders and so on and so forth, people that are great and powerful orators, ones that are uh they for their job, for their actual uh vocation, what they do is they're motivational speakers, right? I've heard some motivational speakers. I've heard that they're experts in their subject matter. They will stand before a group of people and they will share their experience, they will share the things that they they know, their subject matter, and I mean they can move you. They can they can speak in a way where you're like, man, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to to to invest or whatever that thing is. I didn't none of it holds a candle to the words of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because it's not speech. It's not the words of speech. That's not where the power is. The power is in the one speaking the words. It's his words have force, they have meaning, they have uh accomplishment in his very words. He is true in his words, and weak. We've heard those words. We've received those words, and not a single word has, is, or ever will return unto him void. They will bring forth bud, seed to the sower, beautiful, bounty, growth. That's the words of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Lord. I'm so thankful to be here with you. I love you so dearly. I'm gonna continue to pray for Brother David as he comes forward.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

It's a blessing to be here. I'm very thankful to be here. The Lord has blessed us already. Um, that was wonderful preaching. Thanks to the Lord. Um Brother James taught I talked a lot about faith and assurance, and that's what I want to talk about. Um, a lot of times I introduced for my brother Uncle Jeff, and he gets up and says, We didn't even really talk about this. Truthfully, me and him unfortunately didn't talk about it very much, but actually, Brother James and I have talked a little bit about some of this, and we went to a meeting that we heard about it. Um, it all rings true. It all comes from the same um Bible, and it all comes from our Lord, and it's all wonderful. So he preached on faith and assurance, and we also heard about assurance at the meeting. Um, Brother Bill preached on the anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast. And that I did some studying on that. Um, our hope in Jesus, the hope that he has given us, the hope that the Spirit of the Lord gives us when we are uh born again. That's where we get faith, and faith from faith we get hope. We get those things from the spirit that dwells in us, and it's because of the faith that we're able to see these things. It's because of the faith that we're able to have that hope in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that he came down to die for us and will raise us again. That hope is an anchor to our soul. Um, you know, Brother Bill told me after he preached that. I said, I've been studying on that some, and we just got to talking about it, and he says, it's an anchor that goes up, it's an anchor that goes to heaven, to our God, our Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ. Um, and it's given to us to feel it by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God that dwells in us. And you think about that anchor of the soul, if you think about a ship that's in um waves and storms, the anchor is gonna keep it where it's supposed to be. We need to keep that anchor that we have in the Lord close to our mind, knowing that whatever storm that passes by, that we're gonna be okay. We are um anchored to the Lord and what he has done for us and what he's doing for us. Um now, I believe the Lord, we all we all believe that the Lord has saved us from our sins. And it's good to understand and believe that the Lord does providentially care for us now. Um I certainly believe that I've seen that in my life many times, that the Lord has providentially cared for me and such things that are so far greater than I could have expected. Um certainly prayed for it, but afterwards, after the Lord has blessed me, I'm like so amazing. The Lord is so amazing how he blesses us through life, but also the Lord certainly is still going to do something for us in the resurrection, that he is going to come for us and bring us home. That's an anchor of the soul that no matter what happens in your life, you're able to have that anchor knowing that the Lord has saved us and he's coming back for us. Um, so it is an anchor, it's it's sure and steadfast. So, with that, I want to talk about faith and hope a little bit. Um, Hebrews 1 and 1, it's very clear definition of faith. We've already said that faith is a fruit of the Spirit. You have faith when you're born again, when the Spirit comes in you, you have faith, it's a fruit of the Spirit. So one definition of faith or how you want to look at faith is Hebrews 1 and 1. Faith is the things, well, faith is the substance of things hoped for. And when I think of the word substance, um, I think of confidence and assurance. So it's the substance of things hoped for, it's the confidence and it's the assurance that you have in Jesus Christ. Brother James talked about assurance, and we heard about assurance some at the meeting. Um, Brother Mark Richards talked about the difference between insurance and assurance. Insurance is something just in case. Just in case. Assurance is something that's gonna happen. Well, faith is the assurance of things that are hoped for. Hope is an earnest expectation. We talked about a little bit in coming here that the earnest expectation, you can look at Ephesians 1, and we know that the the Lord, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, has chosen us and predestinated us, and Jesus has redeemed us. That's an anchor that we have in our soul, knowing that the Father has chosen us, has re has predestinated us, Jesus has redeemed us, that's an anchor. That's what you can hold on to. But it's not just that the Father has chosen us, predestinated us, Jesus has redeemed us, but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, has given us the earnest of our expectation. We talked about you can think about buying a house. If you bought a house, you know a lot of times the seller wants you to put down earnest money. Um, that's so that the buyer, the set the seller can know that you are serious, that you are sincere in what you're doing. You're not just saying, well, I think I'll buy it, I'm gonna waste your time and not buy it. You put down some earnest money and they get to enjoy that earnest money. That is for them to have confidence that you're gonna buy the house. So they now have an earnest expectation that you're gonna buy that house. They're not just wishing you'll buy it or you or you might buy it, or if it if a good day comes, you'll buy it. But they're expecting that you're gonna buy that house because they have that earnest money. So the Spirit of God gives us the earnest of our inheritance. We have an inheritance in heaven. We we know that's sure. Um, how do we know that's sure? Well, we have the Spirit of God in us that's given us that evidence that it's sure. It's as if we're holding the Lord's money that he has given us. And we, well, if you want to tie that to the Bible, we have the word of God. The Lord has given us his words, and he has given us his spirit in us, that we're able to have that earnest. We're able to have that evidence that heaven is our home. So faith is the assurance that it's gonna happen. Faith is how we know we have that expectation of the Lord Jesus Christ coming back. But we also know it's the evidence of things not seen. Faith is the proof, the evidence, the proof of things not seen. We uh often as humans, you know, just who we are, uh we say seeing is believing. We say just not gonna believe it till we see it. Uh, I'm sure everyone has thought that at one time or heard that at least. I'm not gonna see it till I'm not gonna believe it till I see it. Well, that's not how faith works. By the definition of faith, here, faith is, or perhaps faith equals, the proof of things not seen. So it's you have a proof of something, but not by seeing. We saw the we sang that song, faith is the brightest evidence of things beyond sight. It there's a bright evidence that we have, there's a bright proof that we do have by the Spirit of God that's in us. The Lord said he writes his laws in our hearts. Um, he gives us peace that passes all understanding. Uh, the same song that says, It passes through the veil of sense. That's true. A lot of things that we believe may not make sense to our flesh. It may not make sense to anyone that's um, well, certainly unregenerate, certainly unregenerate, um, Jesus talks to them, you cannot hear my voice. They they could not have understood what Jesus was saying. There was there was no way for them to understand. They had not the hear, the ear to hear. They didn't have that the eyes to see. They could not see, they could not have the evidence of things they could not see, and they could not see by their natural eyes. They uh well, they could see what Jesus did, the miracles he did by their natural eye, but they just could not see in their spiritual eye. They could not see by faith, they could not see the things that could not be seen by the natural eye. Because it is the evidence of things not seen. So, yeah, it's not gonna make sense to them. And a lot of times, if if we're not looking through our eye of faith, if we want to see to believe, it's not gonna make sense to us. Um, but he does have the peace that passes all understanding, things that can't be seen. Um, and we sang the other song, My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Um and it says, I dare not trust any sweet, sweetly frame or sweeter frame, but holy lean on Jesus' name. Um there's a lot of things that we we may try to hold on to in this world that might make us happy or um or pleased or whatever, but nothing in this world is gonna make you happy. This is not no sweeter frame than wholly lean on Jesus' name. That's where we need to completely put our trust, completely put our assurance, our anchor in Jesus Christ. That's it it talks about um that's a solid foundation. Everything else is sinking sand. So everything else that we can possibly put our hope and our trust in will let us down. Um I sometimes I talk about and I talk to the kids about everything you do in this world besides serving God, praising God, serving God is the only thing that's not vanity. Everything else, it's going to wax away. Um, even the world itself, we know the Lord will fold this world up, we'll burn it. Um it's gonna wax away. I talk about, you know, you think you you want to do this or that, that's fine. But just know all those things are going to, in one way or another, wax away. Serving God, praising God, serving each other, charity, especially charity, that says all these things are good, faith, hope, but charity remaineth. Loving each other, the Lord's love for us, the Lord, serving the Lord, those things are not vanity. Those things are gonna keep you anchored. Um, so we know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the earnest expectation. We know that it's evidence of things not seen. So you you have to look at the eye of faith to see these things. But I want to read Romans 8 24. We see, for we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth mind does he yet hope for. But if we hope for what we see not, then we do with patience wait for it. So we know we have a home in heaven, Jesus told us. He said, I go to prepare a place for you. But if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. We know those things are true because we have the eye of faith, we have ears of faith, we have heard the gospel preached, we have read the words, we have it written in our heart, and we know it's true, but we do not see those things yet. Um I look at the story of Thomas. We know the story of what they say, doubting Thomas, so give you context. We know that Jesus went to his disciples, and actually, he went to his disciples to show them some things. Jesus is not against you seeing. We know faith is the evidence of things not seen, but Jesus is not against you seeing. Actually, Jesus did works of the Father so you could see them. And he has given us his word so we could read them. He's not against it. So he went, it says, in John 20 and 20, it says, and when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands, he showed them his hands and his side. And the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus went to show them. He wants you to see, he wants you to know. He taught these things, he showed himself again so they could see. But we are not giving that kind of sight now. So it says, For now we see through a glass darkly. That's how we see the Lord now, and that's just a fact. The Lord is not walking in this world at the moment. Um, there was a time he did, but we don't see him. Um, if I'm not mistaken, the apostle Paul was the last one to see the Lord, and that was the glorified Lord Jesus. Someone before the death, or you know, at the cross, okay, at the cross, that was the last time they saw the Lord Jesus, you know, before the resurrection. And then many, many saw him after the resurrection. But then you have Apostle Paul saw him after the glorification. Um, but after that, we don't see Jesus in our natural eye, but we do see him by faith. But Jesus wanted to show them his hands and his feet, but Thomas wasn't there. Um in Thomas, we know what he says, but Thomas said they said he Jesus came. And Thomas says, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. So he didn't just want to see the Lord, he wanted to feel the Lord. So we have two senses here at least. Um, I'm sure you wanted to hear the Lord as well, but he didn't say that. He said, I want to see and I want to feel. He wanted two senses at least to believe. Well, Jesus didn't say, I don't want you to see me, because he showed himself to them. But but Thomas had the wrong attitude. Thomas says, Well, I will not believe until I see. Um, he should have believed by his the spirit that was in him, he should have believed by the word that they gave him. That's how we believe. We believe by the word of the gospel, we believe by the words we read. That's how Thomas should have believed. But by the mercy of Jesus Christ, he showed himself again. He wanted Thomas to see, um, as the other one saw, Jesus is not against us seeing what he has done, um, especially when it comes to our salvation. So he said, I will not believe until I see. But Jesus showed himself again to them. And he he looked at Thomas and said, Well, reach hither thy finger, reach hither thy hand, and behold my hands and thrust it in my side. He said, Okay, Thomas, you said you want to believe only by seeing. Here I am. Um, but he says, and he says, But be not faithless, but believing. So since we know faith is the evidence of not seeing, things not seen, he says, Well, go ahead and do it. Um, but be not faithless. I just take that as, you know, I gave you this time, but as you go forward, I'm not gonna be here. I'm gonna be in heaven. You need to be faithful because you're not gonna have me to come show you again and again and again. You're gonna have to be faithful. And Jesus would, as if he said, and when you go on teaching in my name, you're gonna have to teach being faithful, because they're not gonna see me as you see me. Um, but then Thomas, and I don't, I've heard this, and I don't even, I don't, I don't read that Thomas felt his hands or his side, but it he did say to his credit, Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. That's how we need to look at the Lord, my Lord and my God. That's that's the only right picture to see him. Um and then Jesus gave the the follow-up instruction. So Jesus showed himself to Thomas, he gave them opportunity to see and to feel. He said, Don't be faithless, but believe. Believe on me, Thomas. And then he gives them instructions to um to follow up. He teaches him and says, Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. I gave you this for you to believe. I did the works as my father gave me so they would believe. Um You don't have faith because of those works. You don't have faith because you saw, you don't have faith because you believe. You have faith because the Spirit of God is in you. But since you have the Spirit of God in you, you need to believe. Faith comes first, belief comes second. You have the faith, Thomas, now believe. You see my hands in my side, now believe. He says, Thou hast um, Thomas, because thou hast seen, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. So that's where we are. We do not see Christ walking on earth. Um, but we have the word of God, we have the gospel of Jesus Christ. Um that's how we believe. We be by by faith of evidence not seen. Um, but we, as he says, thou thou believe, Thomas. That's good. I'm glad for you. But blessed are those that That do not see yet believe because he knew uh going forward that's how his children were gonna um were gonna consume this belief. We weren't gonna consume this stuff by seeing with our eyes, but we were gonna have to consume it by the faith that's within us.

SPEAKER_02 44:17

So well, we have heard good preaching this morning. Uh I have thoroughly enjoyed this the uh subjects that dovetail together. That word that does not return unto him void. You know, there's a lot of people that have great visions and they have come up with great uh propositions, and you think, wow, that would be great if you could pull that off. Well, the Lord never had to worry about pulling it off. And I appreciate that subject of his word will not return into him void. One of the applications of that word that will not return in the void is when it is his will to visit one that is dead and trespasses in sin. A little child that he chose before the world began, and at the appointed time of the Father, the Holy Ghost is sent to that one, sees it in that dead, polluted state, and gives that command, live. And with the very same power that brought the world that was without form and void, and wouldn't that have been great to see? It'd been scary, it would have been awe-making to see the ground rise up through the water and become the firmament and him divide the water from the dry land. That would have been that would have been more than we could even imagine in our mind. We think in our mind how a mountain can rise up and become the height that they are. And we're taking it awe to see after the fact. But God saw that before the fact. And that did when he brought that to fruition and made his creation, it was powerfully awe. It was it was striking and would have been more than we could imagine. But friends, the very same power that created this world that said, Let there be light, and there's light. That's what happens when he borns his child alive immediately, effectually, and forever. That word is sent and will not return in the avoid. It accomplishes where it's sent. And that child is brought to life, and you have he quickened, made alive, quickened, and it's just it's quickening. It's quick. It's not procedurally, it's not a gestation, it is immediate his power, his word is said, verily, verit, the hour coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Shall live. There's not a, there's not a maybe to that. There's not a there's not a question mark in that matter. It is they shall live. We're hard chows. And he shall save his people from their sin, and they shall live. And someday, Brother Major, he's coming again, and they shall come forth from their graves. And they shall be taken into the very presence of God, where he says, Father, here am I. It's not going to return into him void. When he says, I'm coming again to receive you, that receiving you means, Sullivan, that means like when we reach down and we grab you and we pull you in and hug you. The Lord's gonna do that someday with all of his children. He's gonna receive you like I'm coming and getting you. I'm not inviting you, I'm coming to get you and bring you to myself. That where I am you shall be also. And by thy faith. I love that, Brother David, what you brought. That he tells Thomas, you're blessed for seeing. I had not thought about it. I'm glad you brought that up. He did not mind them seeing his resurrected body. He didn't mind them experiencing his death of spirit, have flesh and bone, as you see, I have. And by faith, we can see that. We can see it like Abraham could see his day afar off. We see by an eye of faith. We see his day, his final day. We see it by faith. He's coming again, and we by faith can see. That's true. We see that, we feel it, and he said, More blessed are them that have not seen yet believe. If you believe that he is resurrected from the dead and that he's coming again, you, my friends, are a blessed, you're a blessed individual. Only by his spirit and through his work in you in that anchor. I do like that anchor. I like being tethered to the Lord. There's no breaking that tether. There's no breaking that that rope or that chain or whatever substance you want to make it. It is hooked into you and is hooked into him, and you're forevermore tethered to the Lord. Sometimes I just forget to reach up and grab it. He says to lay hold upon eternal life. Grab it, hold it, embrace it, live it. It is your very life that you live. Life in Christ. I thank these two brethren for coming and visiting. I we don't get to see them, they're far-flung. They're off in the different areas, so we don't get to be with them. I'm thankful that they got to come today and uh we get to hear you preach. Uh, we're looking for you for the camp meeting, so we maybe we'll get to see you again then. Uh we'll stand and see. Uh if you're here and you have a desire to come and join the church, then join the church. If you have that desire to do that, join the church. Don't worry about where you're going to live. Just join the church if you want to. We'll take care of that.