Sermon #1474[1] Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: The
God of Grace and The
Grace of God
Text: Isaiah
25:1-12
Subject: The Wonderful Works of God in Christ
Date: Sunday
Evening –
22nd
Annual Sovereign Grace Bible Conference
Introduction:
What a blessed, blessed time we have had in the worship of our God! Our
hearts have been moved God ward by the preaching of the gospel. I trust that
our Lord has been honored.
Friday Night
Pastor Tom Harding – Words
of Encouragement
Pastor Todd Nibert – The
Death of A Believer
Saturday
Pastor Donnie Bell – The
Lord Jesus Christ
Pastor Norm Wells – Substitution
Pastor Maurice Montgomery – The
Glory of God
Pastor Gary Shepard – Three
Deaths
Today
Pastor Stephen Bignall –
Pastor Bruce Crabtree –
Pastor Rupert Rivenbark --
Because Bro. Richardson was
not able to be here this year, it has fallen my lot in
the providence of God to bring the concluding message of the conference. One
text has been on my mind since the opening message. It is found in Isaiah 25:9.
– “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is
the Lord; we have waited for him:
we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
So I want you to open your
Bibles to that chapter. I trust the Lord will be pleased to speak to your
hearts and feed your souls, as I try to preach to you about The God of Grace and The Grace of God.
Proposition: He who is God is the God of
grace; and the grace of God is, in all its aspects, a reflection and revelation
of the character of God.
I am
preaching this message because I want us to give unlimited credit to God for
all that he is and does. Isaiah 25 is a song of thanksgiving and praise to God.
Here the prophet of God teaches us the “how” and “why” of praise. In the
previous chapter Isaiah described God’s judgment of the world and the overthrow
of all false religion. Here he is describing the coming of Christ and the
salvation of God’s elect by him. Let’s look at these twelve verses for just a
few minutes.
Isaiah 25:1-12
1O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I
will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels
of old are faithfulness and truth.
2For thou hast made of a city an
heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it
shall never be built.
3Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the
city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4For thou hast been a strength
to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm,
a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a
storm against the wall.
5Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the
heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch
of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
6And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make
unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat
things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
7And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the
covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.
8He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord
GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall
he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9And it shall be said in that day, Lo,
this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is
the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD
rest, and
11And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of
them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall
bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
12And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
I. Our
text begins with A DECLARATION OF FAITH
- “O Lord,
thou art my God.” – This is the God of grace. He is revealed, seen,
and known in the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. Faith confesses that Jesus Christ is God.
Christ is the Revelation of God. But he is more than
that. Christ is the Word of God. But he is more than that. Christ is the image
of the invisible God. But he is more than that. The man, Jesus of Nazareth, is
himself the almighty God (Isa. 9:6;
B. Faith confesses that Jesus is the Christ, God our
Savior.
The word “Lord”
(Jehovah) is a name of God that declares both his eternal self-existence and
his saving character. He who is Jehovah is the God who saves! That is Christ.
Christ is God; and Christ is
God’s Salvation. How I wish the whole world would hear what I am saying.
Salvation is not a doctrine. Salvation is not a religion. Salvation is not a
theory. Salvation is a Person. And that Person is the Lord
Jesus Christ (Luke
I do not
know what those early disciples knew about Christ, or about his work. But they
knew that he is Christ, the Lamb of God, God’s
Salvation (John 1:35-37, 40-45; Matt. 16:16[1]).
And no man can, from his heart, say that except by the Holy Spirit.
1.
Christ alone is our only Savior (John 14:6).
2.
Christ alone is our all-sufficient Savior (1 Cor.
3.
Christ alone is our effectual Savior (Matt.
4.
Christ alone is the Savior whom God has accepted (Heb.
5.
Christ alone is our successful Savior (Isa. 42:4; 53:10).
C. Faith confesses that Christ is my Lord and my God - (John
John Gill said, “This is the first
and foundation blessing of grace, and secures all the rest…It is the highest
attainment of grace to be assured of it…and will be the glory of the New
Jerusalem state.”
1.
Jesus Christ is my God because he is my Creator.
2.
Jesus Christ is my God because he has made himself my God in the
covenant of grace.
3.
Jesus Christ is my God because I bow to him and receive him as my Lord
and my God by faith. -- I have taken his yoke upon myself and I gladly do so
continually, submitting my life to his dominion and committing my life to his
rule.
“O Lord,
thou art my God.” That is the first thing revealed in our text. This is the
God of grace.
II. Secondly, the
prophet Isaiah exemplifies THE DETERMINATION OF
FAITH. -- “I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name.”
Flesh exalts itself. Religion exalts the flesh, its
will, its work, and its worth. And idolatry exalts religion, its symbols,
ceremonies and rituals. But faith exalts, magnifies, honors and praises God
alone as he is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ (Jer. 9:23-24; 1 Cor. 1:29,
31; Phil. 3:3).
·
This is the desire and determination of every believing heart.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24) Thus saith
the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the
mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his
riches: (24) But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things
I delight, saith the LORD.
(1 Corinthians 1:29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
(1 Corinthians 1:31) That,
according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
(Philippians 3:3) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Have
you ever noticed how often we are admonished in the Scriptures to offer praise
to God continually? Praise is the sacrifice and strength of faith. It
is the sacrifice we offer to God purely for the glory of his name. It is
something we offer to God through Christ and for Christ. And the exercise of
continual praise to God strengthens our hearts in faith.
The more fully we believe
God, the more fully we will praise him, and the more fully we praise him, the
more we will believe him.
We are
therefore constantly admonished to praise the Lord our God continually, not
only because he deserves our praise, but also because praise is the highest
form of faith (Hebrews 13:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Colossians 3:16-17;
Ephesians 5:18-20[2]).
I am not
talking about mere emotionalism, though praise involves our emotions. And I am
not calling for a mere outward pretense and show of praise. I am talking about
an attitude and act of the heart. I am calling for you and me
to make a sacrifice to God that will, if done continually, revolutionize our
thinking and our lives. -- I am calling for praise to God our Savior.
A. “I will exalt thee.”
We cannot add anything to God, or make him higher
than he already is. But we can and must lift him up in our hearts, lift him up
before one another and lift him up in the eyes of men. This is what it means to
exalt him. -- We exalt the Lord our God by…
1.
Ascribing the whole of our Salvation to him alone - (Eph. 1:1-14). “Salvation
is of the Lord!”
·
In its Planning - Election and Predestination.
·
In its Purchase - Redemption.
·
In its Performance - Regeneration and Calling.
·
In its Preservation - Perseverance.
·
In its Perfection - Heavenly Glory.
2.
Trusting him with all our affairs and cares. -- “Casting all your
care on him.”
3.
Submitting to and acquiescing in his will in all things.
B. “I will praise thy name!”
To praise the name of God is to celebrate the
perfections of his Being, rejoice in his works, trust his goodness, declare his
greatness and give thanks to him always and for all things.
When
Isaiah says, “I will praise thy name,” he is saying, “This is what I
ought to do, this is what I want to do, and this is what I am determined to
do.” “O Lord, thou art my God”
-- Give me grace to praise your name.
1.
Inwardly -- in my heart.
2.
Publicly -- in my words.
3.
Practically -- in my life.
4.
Continually -- in all my circumstances.
This is the determination of faith - “I will
exalt thee, I will praise thy name!”
III. Thirdly,
Isaiah declares THE REASON FOR OUR
PRAISE TO GOD. -- “For thou hast done wonderful things.”
– Here the prophet begins to
describe the grace of God.
When the prophet here speaks of “the wonderful
things” which the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior has done, he
specifically has four things in mind.
A. His everlasting counsels of
grace - “Thy
counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
All the wonderful things that God does in time are
done according to his counsels of old. I do not know much about the everlasting
counsels of the infinite, triune God, but I do know this.
1.
From eternity God chose to save an innumerable multitude of undeserving
sinners for the glory of his own great name -- (Eph. 1:3-6[3]).
2.
Christ Jesus volunteered to be the Surety of that elect multitude and
agreed to redeem them with his own precious blood; and God the Father looked
upon his elect as redeemed by the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world -- (Gen. 43:9; 2 Tim. 1:9[4]).
3.
God the Holy Spirit pledged himself to regenerate, call and preserve
that elect, redeemed multitude by his infallible, irresistible grace -- ( 2
Thess. 2:13-14[5]).
As these things “were fixed in the eternal purpose
of God, they are punctually and exactly brought about in time. These are the
true and faithful sayings of God” -- (John Gill).
·
God’s faithfulness to his people is but the fulfilling of his covenant.
·
God’s truth is our assurance that he will do all that he planned,
purposed and promised in the covenant.
B. His adorable, wise, and
unerring
(Isaiah 25:2-3) For thou hast
made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a
ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. (3) Therefore
shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall
fear thee.
1 - Verse 2 is a prophetic declaration of the
destruction of
2 - When God destroys the nations of the world in
his wrath, he is saving an elect remnant for the glory of his own name -- (v.
3). –“Therefore
shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the
terrible nations shall fear thee.”
·
The strong people are those made strong by his grace.
·
The city of terrible nations made to fear him is the
These are the wonderful things God has done. He has
established his everlasting counsels. He rules the world in adorable, wise,
unerring providence. And thirdly, Isaiah mentions --
C. God’s gracious,
all-sufficient provision for his people in this world (v. 4).
(Isaiah 25:4) For thou hast been
a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from
the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as
a storm against the wall.
Here the prophet tells us what Christ is to those
who trust him. Child of God whatever you need Christ is.
1.
He is Strength to the Poor in Spirit - (Matt. 5:3).
2.
He is Strength to the Needy in his Distress.
3.
Christ is a Refuge from the Storm.
·
The Storm of God’s Wrath.
·
The Storms of Life.
·
The Storms Within!
4.
Christ is a Shadow from the Heat.
·
The fiery law of God, the flaming sword of justice.
·
The fiery darts of Satan.
·
The fires of persecution.
5.
Christ is a wall to protect us from the blustering winds of all who
violently oppose us.
All the persecutions of godless men against the
saints of God are no more harmful than winds blowing against a wall! A storm
beating on a ship tosses it to and fro, but when it beats upon a wall it does
not even affect it. -- (“They shall proceed no further!”)
“Whatever
dangers or troubles God’s people may (appear to) be in, effectual care is taken
that they shall sustain no real hurt or damage” - (M. Henry).
D. Besides
all this, among all the wonderful things God has done, we have been given the assurance of total
deliverance from all our enemies (v. 5).
(Isaiah 25:5) Thou shalt bring
down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat
with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought
low.
1.
The oppressors of God’s church are strangers to the grace of God.
·
Persecutors, oppressors, slanderers may be religious, but they are not
righteous. Grace is peaceful, not persecuting.
2.
Their opposition is hot and noisy, but impotent - “Pharaoh, king of
3.
God will shelter his own from all their enemies.
4.
Our God will bring down all who oppose his church and his people.
·
He will bring them down in his time.
·
He will bring them down in his way.
·
He will bring them down in the day of judgment.
·
He will bring them down to hell.
5.
When the Lord our God has subdued all our enemies beneath his feet,
then our salvation will be complete (Rom.
(Romans 16:20) And the God of
peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you. Amen.
IV. In verses 6-8, the Prophet
of God assures us of six great
provisions of grace. Read these promises of God and rejoice.
This is what God is doing and shall do for all his people.
A. In
verse 6 Isaiah speaks of the coming of Christ and the accomplishment of
redemption by him and tells us that in that time there shall be A FEAST PREPARED.
“In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make
unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on lees, of fat things
full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.”
1.
The gospel of Christ is
compared to a great feast (Matt.
22:1-14)[7].
The preaching of the gospel is the spreading of a
rich, well supplied banquet table before hungry sinners.
a.
It is a feast prepared by God himself.
b.
The guests invited to this feast are “all people,” Jews and
Gentiles. “As many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.”
c.
The place where the feast is spread is “this mountain,”
d.
The feast is provided with the richest, choice “fat things and wines
well-refined.”
Note: Under the law the Jews were not allowed to
eat fat. So this text must have its accomplishment in this gospel age.
2.
The gospel is a feast of fat things and full of marrow.
That means there is such an abundance of grace in
the gospel of Christ that whatever your soul needs you can find in him. And to
feast upon the gospel is to feast upon nourishment that will satisfy the needs
of your heart (Ps. 36:7-9; 63:5-6)[8].
·
His Righteousness.
·
His Redemption.
3.
And the gospel feast is well supplied with wine, well-refined.
Wine is a cordial for those who need it, that they
may drink and forget their misery (Pro. 31:6-7)[9].
And the gospel of Christ is for heavy hearted sinners, that
we may drink and be of good cheer, knowing that their sins are forgiven.
Note: That person who is intoxicated with the
wine of the grape is cursed in his drunkenness. But he who is intoxicated with
the wine of forgiveness, he is blessed above all men!
Illustration: David Dancing Before The
4.
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic feast of fat things and of wines
well-refined (1 Cor. 5:7-8).
5.
Our text seems to have
reference also to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:1, 2, 8, 9).
In the last day, when Babylon, the beast and the
false prophet have all been cast into hell, when all God’s elect have been
saved, when God makes all things new, there will be a marriage feast held, in
which Christ will show to wandering worlds the glory of his grace in his Bride,
the Church[10].
6.
Ultimately, this is a
prophecy of the everlasting happiness of God’s saints in heaven.
There we shall drink of the river of the water of
life freely and eat of the fruit of the tree of life, whose leaves are for the
healing of the nations (Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 2, 16, 17)[11].
-- All things are ready! Come to the feast!
B.
Secondly, Isaiah tells us
of A VEIL REMOVED (v.
7).
“And he will destroy in this mountain the face of
the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.”
There is a
covering of darkness and ignorance cast over the people and nations of the
world. The hearts and minds of men and women have been blind folded and
hood-winked by their own unbelief and by the delusions of false religion (2
Cor.
·
Mahomet and the Koran.
·
Paganism and Idolatry.
·
The Pope and Romanism.
·
Liberalism and the Social Gospel.
·
Free-willism and Legalism.
“But this veil the Lord will destroy, by the light
of his gospel shining in the world, and the power of his Spirit opening men’s
eyes to receive it” - (Matthew Henry) -- (See Isa. 60:1-3[13]).
1.
The means God uses to remove
spiritual ignorance from men is the preaching of the gospel -- Light
dispels darkness!
2.
The place from whence the
light of the gospel shines into the world is “this mountain,” the
3.
As we proclaim the gospel to
men God raises men and women to spiritual life who have long been dead in
trespasses and sins -
(Ezek. 37).
Note: God still adds to his church daily such as
should be saved - And the means by which he does so is the gospel. Let us ever
be found faithful in preaching it.
C.
Thirdly, the
prophet of God here tells us of AN ENEMY ABOLISHED (v.
8).
“He (the Lord Jesus Christ) will swallow up
death in victory.” Death is the most dreaded and feared of all enemies. But
Christ came to deliver his elect from the fear of death. He has delivered us
from spiritual death and from eternal death. And in so doing he has delivered
us from the fear of death (Heb.
1.
Christ Jesus swallowed up
death in his death as our Substitute and triumphed over it in his resurrection.
2.
Because Christ died for us,
God’s elect are out of the reach of death. -- Believers never die (John
3.
By faith in Christ believers
triumph over death, crying, “O death, where is thy sting?”
a.
“The sting of death is sin.” -- But Christ has put away our sin!
b.
“The strength of sin is the law.” -- But Christ has satisfied
the law!
c.
There is nothing in death for the believer to fear.
·
Our sins are gone.
·
We are righteous.
·
God is satisfied.
·
Death to the body is life begun for the soul.
D.
Fourthly, our
text gives prophecy of A COMFORT ADMINISTERED
(v. 8).
“And the Lord God will wipe away tears from off
all faces.” God will not wipe away the tears of all men. But he will wipe
away the tears of all believers in the last day - (Rev. 7:17; 21:4).
(Revelation 7:17) For the Lamb
which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
(Revelation 21:4) And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
The
picture is that of a tender parent. Like a mother, or father, might take a
handkerchief and wipe away the tears of a child who has been crying, quieten
and comfort him, so the Lord God will quieten and comfort his children in
heaven, wiping away all tears from our eyes forever!
1.
There are many things here
that cause God’s saints to weep.
·
Our Afflictions.
·
Our Unbelief.
·
Our Sins.
·
Our Relations.
2.
But weeping will be forever
banished in heaven’s glory!
There will be no sorrow, no pain, no grief and no weeping
in heaven forever - Heaven is not a place of loss, but of gain, infinite,
immeasurable gain!
·
No loss of reward or degrees of glory!
·
The hope of that day when God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes
should keep us from excessive weeping now. We must not sorrow as those who have
no hope.
E.
Fifthly, in addition to
all these great provisions of grace, Isaiah here tells us of A REPROACH REMOVED
(v. 8).
“And the rebuke (reproach) of his people
shall he take away from off all the earth.”
In this world
reproach is constantly cast upon God’s saints.
·
By The World.
·
By Satan.
·
By Our Own Consciences.
·
Sometimes By Our Own Brethren And Friends.
But, blessed be God, in that great day when God
makes all things new the reproach that has been cast upon God’s elect shall be
publicly taken away forever.
1.
The Lord God will show forth
in us the exceeding riches of his grace -
(Eph. 2:7).
(Ephesians 2:7) That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his
grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
2.
The righteousness of the
saints shall be revealed to all the world (Rev. 19:8).
(Revelation 19:8) And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints.
3.
No fault shall be found
against us, or in us, when we have been raised in the likeness of Christ (Jer. 50:20; Eph. 5:25-27; Jude 24:25).
(Jeremiah 50:20) In those days,
and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of
(Ephesians 5:25-27) Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
(26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish.
(Jude 1:24-25) Now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (25) To
the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and for ever. Amen.
Let us
patiently bear whatever sorrow and shame now that God in his providence allows
men to cast upon us, for soon both shall be ended. And the glory of God shall
be revealed in us.
F.
There is one last thing in our text, which is
the crowning provision of grace. Here is AN
ASSURANCE GIVEN (v. 8).
“For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it!”
We are assured of these rich provisions of grace because God himself has spoken
it. And he will do it - (Isa.
(Isaiah 14:24) The LORD of hosts
hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall
it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
(Isaiah 14:26-27) This is the
purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that
is stretched out upon all the nations. (27) For the LORD of hosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his
hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Application:
(Isaiah 25:1) O LORD, thou art
my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done
wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
When the Lord God gets
done, when time shall be no more, when everything that shall be has
been, and we stand before our God, robe in the linen garments of perfect,
complete salvation, totally conformed to the image of Christ, we will fall
before his throne and cast our crowns at his feet saying…
(Isaiah 25:9) And it shall be
said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have
waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited
for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Perhaps
you are thinking, -- “But, pastor, how can this be? In the midst of
such great adversaries, in the midst of such mighty and terrible foes, how
shall this be? I am so weak. My foes are so great. How can it be that they
shall all be vanquished?” Read the last three verses of this chapter, and you
will see, it shall be done with great ease, as easily as scattering straw over
a dung heap, as easily as a man swims through water. You see, this entire work
is God’s work. His hand shall rest in this mountain. – Let us then, rest in his
hand!
(Isaiah 25:10-12) For in this
mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and
(Revelation 19:1-9) And after these things I heard a great voice
of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour,
and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his
judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with
her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. (3)
And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
(4) And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped
God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. (5) And a voice came
out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that
fear him, both small and great. (6) And I heard as it were the voice of
a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to
him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
[1] (Matthew 16:16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
(John
1:35-37) Again the next day after John
stood, and two of his disciples; (36) And looking upon Jesus as he walked,
he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (37) And the two disciples heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus.
(John
1:40-45) One of the two which heard John
speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. (41) He
first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We
have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (42) And
he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the
son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. (43) The day following Jesus would go forth
into
[2] (Ephesians 5:18-20) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (19) Speaking to yourselves in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord; (20) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
(Colossians
3:16-17) Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
(17) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
(1
Thessalonians 5:16-18) Rejoice evermore.
(17) Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks: for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
(Hebrews
13:15) By him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name.
[3] (Ephesians 1:3-6) Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved.
[4] (Genesis 43:9) I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt
thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then
let me bear the blame for ever:
(2 Timothy
1:9) Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
[5] (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) But we are bound to give thanks alway to God
for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth: (14) Whereunto he called you by our
gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[6] (Jeremiah 51:37) And
[7] (Matthew 22:1-4) And Jesus answered and spake unto them again
by parables, and said, (2) The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, (3) And
sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they
would not come. (4) Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell
them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings
are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
[8] (Psalms 36:7-9) How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O
God! therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of thy wings. (8) They shall be abundantly satisfied
with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of
thy pleasures. (9) For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy
light shall we see light.
(Psalms
63:5-6) My soul shall be satisfied as with
marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
(6) When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night
watches.
[9] (Proverbs 31:6-7) Give strong drink unto him that is ready to
perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
(7) Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
[10] (Revelation 19:1-2) And after these things I heard a great voice
of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour,
and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his
judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with
her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
(Revelation
19:8-9) And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
[11] (Revelation 21:6) And he said unto me, It
is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
(Revelation 22:1-2) And he showed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
(2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Revelation
22:16-17) I Jesus have sent mine angel
to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the
offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (17) And the
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.
[12] (2 Corinthians 3:15) But even unto this day, when Moses is read,
the veil is upon their heart.
(Ephesians
4:18) Having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart:
[13] (Isaiah 60:1-3) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the
glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (2) For,
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but
the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (3) And
the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy
rising.
[14] (Hebrews 2:14-15) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that
through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil; (15) And deliver them who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
[15] (John 11:25-26) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection,
and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: (26) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me
shall never die. Believest thou this?