Detroit Conference: 1976, Freedom from Bondage (8:32)
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
Shall we turn first of all to the 8th chapter of John's Gospel, John's Gospel chapter 8 and verse 32? And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in ******* to any man. How sayest thou ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And to serve and abide us not in the house forever, but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, he shall be free indeed. I was on my heart tonight to speak of some scriptures that bring before us the assurance that we can have as believers. I believe we could say that the characteristic word of Christianity is KNOW no. Not to be an uncertainty, but to have assurance. And so here we find that when the Lord Jesus was speaking to his followers here, he said, ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. What a blessed thing it is that the one who is the truth came into this world. When the Lord Jesus was talking in the 14th chapter of John, He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father. But by me He is the way to the Father, He is the truth from the Father, He is the light to show us the way. And no man cometh unto the Father, He said, but by me. And so He wants us to have assurance in our souls. And if we look at a few scriptures, we'll see how that we as believers are entitled to have this assurance. And then we can, as we have this little hymn that we were singing, puts it, a mind. At perfect peace with God. Oh what a word is this? Now you know Mr. Einstein, who I suppose was perhaps one of the most intelligent men that lived at least in the last 100 years, and yet do you know that that man, after all his wonderful research and all the things that he discovered and invented, he made this comment. He said I know less than one 100 to 1% about anything. Just think of a man with such a mind as that. And to be able to. Say that after all his discoveries and after all the things that he had found, that he knew less than one 100% about anything. And yet to think that the very important things of life, every believer is entitled to know that we can be absolutely sure. And why can we be so sure? Well, because God has spoken and it tells us twice in the Bible it says it is. Possible for God to lie another verse says God that cannot lie promised eternal life before the world began so God can't lie and he has given us his word in order that we might have the assurance that he alone can give us Well when the Lord said this some of those who were listening said that we were never in ******* they resented the Lord saying that they would be made free they didn't believe that they. Or but what? They were already free? How about he said, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. So every time we commit a sin, we come under the ******* of sin. And what a sad thing to know, as it tells us in the Scripture, all have sinned. So we do need to be set free. And who can set us free? Well, here's the lovely answer in this 36th verse. If the Son therefore shall make you free. He shall be free indeed. Yes, there's one who can make us free. And who is it? It's God's beloved Son. The Lord Jesus came down into this world to seek and to save that which is lost, to set us free as one put it in a little poem that he wrote. Free from myself, Lord Jesus. That's a great deliverance. We're our own greatest enemies, He said. Free from myself, Lord Jesus. Free from the thoughts of man. And chains of thought that had bound me never shall bind again. Only thyself, Lord Jesus conquered this wayward well, but for thy love constraining I had been wayward still. So there's one who is able to set us free. There's one who is able to give us assurance and peace. And it's the Lord Jesus himself. And here when he was speaking to these people, He longed to set them free, to give them peace, to give them assurance and he.
Each one of us in this room to know and enjoy this blessed assurance in our souls. Now let's turn over to the third chapter of Romans. Romans in chapter 3 and verse 19. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouse may be stopped. And all the world may become guilty before God, therefore, by the deeds of the law. Shall no flesh be justified in his sight? For by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the. Glory of God. Here again we read that little word, No, we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them were under the law. You know, the law was just like God's mirror. If I have a dirty face and you want to prove to me that it is dirty, why you probably would put a mirror in front of me and say, now look, can't you see? What did the law prove? The law proved just that, It proved that man was guilty. Men asked that God would make his. Demands known to them, and then they said, whatsoever the Lord has spoken, we will do and be obedient. But what happened? Did they keep God's law? Well, Moses went up on the top of the mount to get that law written on tables of stone, and while he was up there receiving it from God, the people were breaking the first commandment in the camp below. And no one since then has ever kept God's law. It tells us here in this 20th verse, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. So God's holy law never justified anyone, but the law condemns us. It shows us how far short we've come of God's requirements and God's demands. It's given in order that man might realize his inability to live up to God's holy requirements and so. Says that every mouse may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. I hope each one of us here tonight realizes that we in our natural state are guilty before God. I know that I had to come to the point where I acknowledge to a holy God that I was a lost guilty Sinner deserving his judgment because that's what he says. If I stand up at the in accordance court and I'm. Convicted and found guilty Why when I have gone to the highest court and there's no further appeal, if I'm honest, what do I have to do? I have to say, well, I've been found guilty. Well now the courts could possibly make a mistake but could God make a mistake? Does he know whether I'm guilty or not He's told me that I'm guilty and in order to convict me, he's given me his holy law, which shows that I. Am guilty and saw that every mouse may be stopped. That is that no one would speak of his own righteousness before God. For it says in the 64th chapter of Isaiah on the 6th verse, all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. That's what God thinks of our very best. He doesn't say all our sins are as filthy rags, but all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags that is. Attempts to do something to maintain for ourselves a righteousness before God. Paul said in the 10th chapter of Romans, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. And then he spoke about those who were trying to establish their own righteousness. And this is what he says in the 10th of Romans. He said they being ignorant of God's righteousness. And going about. To establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. If we go about to establish our own righteousness, it only shows now that we don't realize what God requires now. That is, he requires something that we cannot give. That is, we're sinners and what he wants us to do is to acknowledge our guilt before him. It tells us in the.
33rd chapter of Job. He looketh upon man, and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which is right, then he is gracious unto him. Deliver him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom. O dear friends, God looks down not for man to plead his own self righteousness, but to say I have sinned. And then do we have to find the ransom? No, God found the ransom. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So it tells us here in this 22nd verse, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe. Notice this distinction unto all. Because that is, God is offering salvation to whosoever will. There's no one can say, well God wasn't willing to save me, because it's unto all. That lovely verse in John 316 says that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God has offered salvation to whosoever will, but it's only upon all them that believe now, just as if someone offers you a gift. It's offered to you. It's for. If you'll receive it, but you can't say it's mine until you've received it. And so here I stand in the presence of God, a guilty Sinner, and God has provided A righteousness for me, a righteousness that fits me for his presence. And now the question is, am I going to accept it or am I going to cling to my own righteousness? Here it says. The 21St verse. But now the righteousness of God. Without the law is manifested, there is not a righteousness that I could establish myself about righteousness which God offers for it tells us in Second Corinthians chapter 5, He hath made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So this verse, the 23rd verse, is like God's verdict upon everyone of us. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is the way God sees us and it tells us in this 19th verse. We know. We know it because God, who is the judge, has found us guilty, were convicted before him and we accept what he says. You remember the Lord Jesus told the story of two men who went up into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was. Public county. And one of them stood there, and this is what he said to God. God, I thank thee that I am not his other men are extortioners, unjust, or even as this publican and he drew attention to this publican standing beside him. He said, I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And he went along, justifying himself, talking about all the good things that he had done. But the when he was finished, then the public. Prayed. And what did the publican say? It says he wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven. He just looked down and he smote on his breast and he said, God be merciful to me, a Sinner. And the Lord Jesus said that man went down to his house justified rather than the other. What did he do? He took his true place before God. And dear friends, that's what God wants every one of us to do, to know that we're convicted. In His presence to know that we're guilty. In His presence to know that He is the one who must judge sin. For it tells us plainly in Hebrews chapter 2 That every transgression and disobedience receives a just recompense of reward. There is absolutely no escape from this verdict that God has brought in. All have sinned, or as says earlier in this same chapter, there is none. Notice the 10th verse as it is written. There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understand us, There is none that seeketh after God. Some years ago there was a servant of the Lord who went to see a young man in the hospital and he wanted to speak to this boy about salvation. But he knew the boy was quite satisfied with his own self righteousness. He knew he didn't think that he needed to be saved because he thought he was a.
Quite a good living fellow, and he thought God would accept him just as he was. And so this brother opened his Bible at this third chapter of Romans, and he started to read in this tenth verse. And his mother was standing right beside the bed. And when he read this as it is written, there is none righteous, No, not one. There is none that understand us. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together, become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not 10. She said stop, stop. That's not my boy. Well, he said, I guess I'll have to change it because that's what God says, but you say it doesn't apply to your boy. So he said I'll change it a little bit just to please you. So he started again at the 10th verse. As it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one except Robert. There is none that understandeth except Robert. There is none that seeketh after God except Robert. They are all gone out of the way except Robert. Oh, she said stop, stop. I didn't want you to change the Bible. Well, he said that's what the Bible says. And our place is just to acknowledge that we're guilty, that what God says about us is true. God has passed a verdict, and we know that the verdict that he has passed. Is true but dear friends, if that was all I had to say it wouldn't be worth standing here tonight it's a terrible thing to be found guilty in a courtroom especially if it's a serious crime but it's much more serious to be found guilty in the presence of a thrice holy God I say if that was all I had to say there would be no good message for you here tonight but all the wonderful message of the gospel is that when we're. Guilty. The judge himself becomes the one who has provided for our salvation, who wants to justify us and not condemn us. And so notice this next verse, the 21St. I read the 23rd verse. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And it's not even the end of a sentence. It's just a semi colon. Being justified freely by His grace through the Redemption. That is in Christ Jesus. Here in the courtroom, a man is found guilty and then the court pauses to find out what sentence is going to be passed. But God brings in the verdict that we're all guilty, and then he doesn't even stop. There isn't even an end to the sentence. As soon as he says we're guilty, he says being justified. Freely by his grace. What a marvelous expression this is. What does it mean to be justified? That's even more than forgiveness. To be before a holy God as though we had never sinned at all. Justified. How much does it cost freely? Did we deserve it? It says by his grace. What is grace? The undeserved favor of God. How was it accomplished? By the redemption that is in Christ Jesus? Oh how wonderful. Were you ever in a courtroom where after the person had been convicted and found guilty, the judge himself said, I'll pay the fine so this man can go free? O dear friends, how wonderful the very judge himself has himself. Gone to Calvary and I'd like you to turn with me now if you would. The Epistle of John you turn over to the First Epistle of John. And the second chapter. Pardon me, the 3rd chapter, first epistle of John and the third chapter. And the fifth verse And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. That verse we read in Romans 3 says being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And now here it says what God has done. It says, ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins. Why did the Lord Jesus come into this world? Oh, He came to take away our sins. That was the purpose for which He came. We know His pathway of love. He went about doing good, healing those that were oppressed with the devil. He opened blind eyes, but that pathway of love was to tell.
He was going on to Calvary's cross. What was he going to do? There are calories cross. Oh dear friends, He was He came to take away our sins. How could He do it? There was only one way. God had said that sin must be punished. And who could exhaust the judgment of God against sin? The Lord Jesus Himself, the only sinless victim in Him is no sin, the blessed holy Son of God, God's own Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, there on Calvary's cross. How marvelous God Himself, as it says in the 53rd of Isaiah, the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned. Everyone do his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Some years ago a Christian man was preaching over in England. After he was done he had been speaking on that verse. All we like sheep have gone astray. And a young man came up to him, and he said, I'd like to talk to you a little further about. What you were saying I'd like to be saved? Well, he said. I've come from a distance and I have to catch a train to night. And he said, I'm sorry, I haven't got time to talk to you here, but he said I'll just give you one word, I must go. He said. He said look up the 53rd of Isaiah yourself, go in at the first stall and come out at the last doll and you'll be saved. So he remembered the passage Isaiah 53, verse 6. So he looked it up and he read it again. All we like sheep have gone astray. Yes, he said, that's me. I have gone astray. I know I have. We have turned everyone to his own way. Yes, he knew. He just turned to his own way. He had lived to please himself. And then. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. The first begins with all and ends with all. The first part of it says what we had done. The last part tells what God has done. Oh, isn't it wonderful, dear friend? He was manifested to take away our sins. Did He finish the work? Yes, he finished the work because on Calvary's cross he cried out those wonderful words. It is finished. There is nothing left for you and I to do, dear friends. It's not Christ and something else for salvation, it's Christ only. He did the work, says in the 10th chapter of Hebrews. By one offering he hath perfected forever, and that matter sanctified this. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. There's one up there who'd settled the question of sin. And isn't this lovely here? He know that he was manifested to take away our sins. Friends, I like to make that personal. It says our sins, but I like to do just like that preacher said. I like to come out at the last all if it's true that I went. And it was, if it's true that I turned to my own way, and that's true that I also believe that the Lord laid on Him my sins, my sins. And so it says He was manifested to take away our sins. I like to say He came to put away my sins, who His own self, they are our sins. In his own body, on the tree, that's all we find first of all, and that we know that we're. Centers now we find we know what God has done. He came, His beloved Son, I should say, came to take away our sins. Now turn over to the next chapter, the 4th chapter, and the 17th verse. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. There is No Fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. Now the next chapter in the ninth verse, if we receive the witness of man, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Isn't this blessed here? These words here in this 13th verse that I've just read, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life. Isn't it wonderful that we can actually know, and that God's perfect love is cast out our fear so that it tells us here that we may have boldness in the day of judgment? Because as He is up, there is the Lord Jesus, the one who paid my debt of sin, is now at the right hand of God, and as He is, so are we in this world. Do we have to wait till the judgment day to find out? It says as He is up there. So are we in this world. So it tells us we have boldness in the day of judgment. His perfect love casts out our fear. Whose perfect love? Why his perfect love? The love that he had toward a Sinner like me. So that I might know His heart of love He gave His Son. He was manifested to take away our sins, and He wants us to have boldness in a day of judgment. Now He brings in something very serious and yet very wonderful. In this 5th chapter He tells us that if we don't believe what He says, we actually make him a liar. If I spoke to somebody in this room and I said, how many children do you have? And we'll say the person replied and said, well, I had five children. And so someone meets me outside and said, how many children do they have? I say I don't know. They said they had five, but I really don't know. Wouldn't that be making them a liar? Wouldn't that be as good as saying, well, I can't rely on their words, so I really don't know. Now, that's just exactly what God says here. And it's a pretty serious thing to make God a liar. I remember going to see a young man, His name was Howard. And he was. When I went out to see him with my wife, he was quite busy. He was putting the roof on his. He was putting the roof on his shed of his. House where he lived and it was so busy that he didn't have time to come down. So I climbed up the ladder and started to talk to him a little bit about the things of God. And he said, well, he said, Gordon, I believe, but I couldn't say that I know I'm saved. Well, I read in these verses and kept on. Way working away at his roof all the time but I was talking to him and I said well you tell me that you believe and still you say you can't really say that you're saved and you don't think you can really know that you're saved and. I read these verses and I said, do you know that if you really believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that God says that you have everlasting life? And if you say that you can't know it, you're really making God a liar? And I read that verse again that God wrote these things specially that we might know that we have eternal life. In the way of those nails never stopped at all. I came down and I said to my wife, I don't think he was very much interested. He just kept on hammering. Well, it was some time afterwards I found out that he was saved. He had he had accepted the Lord as his savior and he had told somebody else about it and he said, he said, I didn't want to make God a liar. I. I'm saying now, well, that's a good many years ago and he's gone on happily in his soul. What gave him assurance? Was it Gordon Hayles word? No, Gordon Hale's word didn't do it. No, it was God's word and he just took God at his word and to use his own words. I didn't want to make God a liar.
God says that if I believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior that I am saved. O dear friends, how wonderful. These words are written specially for the purpose that we would know. Do you think God wants you to go along in doubt? I've heard people say, well, it's presumption to say you know you're saved. Would you call it presumption on my part to tell somebody? After this person had assured me that he had five churches. Assured me that he had five children and I went outside. Would it be presumption for me to say I know he has five children. He just told me. Would that be presumption? No, I say that's taking the person at his word. And dear friends, if I looked in as we found in those scriptures that we have read, I know that I'm a Sinner. I'm no exception. I'm guilty as far as myself is concerned. I have no righteousness of my own, but I know that God sent. Son to put a woman in my sands, He was manifested to take away my sins and he said it is finished. And now God says, I want you to know that believing in me, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, that you have everlasting life. Can I take God at His word? Am I really entitled to say that I know I have everlasting life? Dear friends, it doesn't depend on anything that I have done. It depends on what? Did and my part was only the sinning. I was a Sinner. God's part was to take up the question of sin and settle it. And blessed be his name, that's just exactly what the Lord Jesus did. And He has taken His Son back, and He has seated him at His own right hand. It tells us in Romans chapter 4 He was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification therefore. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. My mind is at peace about it all now, because the only person now that could ever condemn me is God, and he has told me that I was guilty. And now in the 8th chapter of Rums it says it is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yeah, rather that is risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us? So these precious words give us the simplicity of salvation. Just notice that 12TH verse There He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. There are only two positions. If you have Christ, you have eternal life. If you haven't got Christ, you do not have eternal life. You may have all the righteousness. That man can provide, but the only righteousness that God accepts is the righteousness of God in Christ. That's what God accepts. And he that hath the Son hath life. There are only two positions. I say, friend, you're either in Christ, you're out of Christ. The Bible speaks about two ways to die. Either die in your sins or you die in Christ. Jesus said that if you die in your sins where he is, you cannot come but. Tells us blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Oh, what a wonderful thing then, to be absolutely sure to know. And it's not presumption to believe God, It's simple faith. It's just taking God at His word. Oh, but you say, what about our feelings? Well, dear friends, our feelings are not the important thing. The important thing is what God said. Let me ask you a simple question. If you own a poem where you live. And your neighbor next door said to you, I don't think you own that home at all. I think you're just fooling yourself. Would you start and talk about your feelings? Would you say, well, I feel so good about it, You know, I really feel sure it must be mine because I've had such good feelings for a long time. I don't think it would. I wouldn't. I'd say, well, I've got the papers to prove it and it's registered in the land titles office. That's what I'd say. It isn't a question of my feelings, a question of whether I've got the. For it, it's a question whether it's it's registered or not. And here I've got God's record that I might know just the same as when I bought the property and the papers are put in my hands. What did the lawyer do that for? Why did he bother to give me the papers? He wanted me to have assurance that the property was mine. And as God wants you to know, indeed he does. And he wrote these things.
So that we might know. And then he tells us more. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. He's not only given us the assurance here, but just like those papers that I have, they're also recorded in the titles office. And so in God has given us His precious word for assurance. He also tells us to rejoice that our names are written in heaven. Well, He wants us to know, doesn't he, that ye may know that ye have eternal life. Let's turn over to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, Second Corinthians chapter 5, and verse one. For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, if so be that being clothed, we should not be found naked. For we that are in this Tabernacle do groan, being burdened not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed. Upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the self, same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. And therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body. And to be present with the Lord. In this wonderful passage, if Paul had said I know, then we might have said, well, but he was an apostle. He was the only one that could really talk that way. But isn't it lovely, dear friends, that he doesn't just say, I know, he says, we know. Who is he writing to? He's writing to these Corinthians believers, these ones in that city of Corinth who were once idolaters, who had been saved, who had. Their trust in the Lord Jesus. And now he gives them too, to share in this wonderful assurance. He talked about His body that he lived in as the earthly House of this Tabernacle. Because you know, we're not in this world to stay. I don't need to tell you that. Because we all know that we're not here to stay. We all are reminded constantly by sicknesses and troubles that we have that after all, we're not here to stay. Friends are taken away suddenly. Loved ones are taken from us. We have sicknesses and perhaps go to see the doctor and he perhaps tells us something that's not very pleasant about our condition. And so we're constantly reminded now that is just the earthly House of this Tabernacle. But what about the future? Was Paul in doubt about this? Did he want the Corinthians to be in doubt? No, he said. We know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have. That we hope to have, we have a building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Just as if someone said, are you afraid you might lose your house? And you say, well if I do lose it, I've got another house on another St. and it's better than this. And so, dear friends, that's the way we as Christians feel here in this world. I went to see a dear young man just on this trip when I was over in Canada. There he is, very, very. Not expected to get better. And as I saw him getting weaker, it was a wonderful thing to know that perhaps the next time I see him, he's going to be up there in glory with the Lord Jesus, with a body of glory like Christ. Do I need to doubt this? Do I need to say, well, it couldn't be, I'm not. You can't be sure about that. We know we have a building of God and how it's not made with hands eternal in the heavens. He said in this we groan, not that we would be unclothed. This is a lovely thought dear friends. The Christian never looks for death as his hope. Not that we would be unclothed. Now that is when he talked about death, he simply talked about it as being unclothed. That is his spirit separated from his body. He said that's not what I'm looking for. But he said if it does come. If death does come, he said. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Isn't that marvelous? There? I could talk to that young man, and I could tell him that perhaps the Lord would come and take him before he goes through the article of death. But if he does, he he knows that death for him is to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
Paul was a prisoner under Nero in the Epistle to the Philippians, and he said to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Was he confident? Did he have to go through a process that would finally fit him for heaven? No, he could say. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Isn't it marvelous, dear friends, that the Spirit of God should take up these words? No, we're confident. And then it says we are always confident, not just up one day and down the next, not hopeful one day and wondering the next. We are always confident. Why will he tells us in the fifth verse? Now he that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God, who also hath given. Unto us the earnest of the Spirit. I'm not too well acquainted with business deals here in this country, but when you're going to buy a piece of property in Canada? Why? You put down a sum of money, and that's called the earnest money. And that money is the pledge that you're going to complete the deal. You put down a sum of money on the property. If it's a certain piece of property, you decide to buy it. Then the agent says, well, how much will you put down for earnest money? Will you put down a certain sum of money? And that's the pledge to him. You're going to complete the deal. You're going to carry it through. Well, let us suppose now that. You're going to buy a piece of property. He names the price. He said, well, this is $25,000. How much will you put down for the earnest money? Will you say I'll put down $50,000? What? He said the price is only $25,000. Why did you say it put down $50,000? Well, I want to be sure I get it. So you give them $50,000 and the somebody comes along the next day and said, do you think that fellow is going to carry through the deal? Carry through the deal? He put down more on the property than it's worth. Do you know what God did to assure me that he was going to complete what he began? He gave me the Holy Spirit of God to indwell my body. What was I worth in comparison to the earnest that he has given? A little hymn says, If such the earnest thou hast given, what must thy presence be? Dear friends, how could we help but be confident when God has given such an earnest? He's given us his word, and it says, The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. By the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us, so he says, He has given us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we're always confident. All how wonderful. That's why it tells us now is our salvation nearer than when we believe. Now that is, when you get saved, you have the salvation of your soul. But God's going to do more than that. He is going to give us the salvation of our bodies too, and He's given us a pledge that He's going to do it. The Holy Spirit of God. And so in another day we're going to have bodies of glory fashioned like unto Christ's own glorious body. We know we are confident. We are always confident. Why we're such good people? No, never. But because of what the Lord Jesus has done and because of that glorious work that he completed, God is satisfied with Jesus. We are satisfied as well. Let's turn over to Romans chapter 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, where we know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that her searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to. His purpose, For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that we might be the first born among men, that He might be the first born among many brethren. The 38th verse. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from.
The love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now in this passage also we find 2 expressions. In the 26th verse he says we know not. In the 28th verse he says we know. I call attention to this because there are some things in our life that we know not now. That is, we often get in problems as Christians. We often get in sickness and we don't just know how we should pray. We're sure of our salvation, we're sure that heaven is our home, but here it says the Spirit helps our infirmities. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. And sometimes a Christian has got into a difficulty and he has prayed, and perhaps the Lord hasn't taken him out of the difficulty. Well, we don't always know what's the right thing that we should ask for. It isn't that we have any doubt about our salvation, but there are. Times in life where we may not know just what is the mind of the Lord for us in our prayers, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God. Just a little example of this. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. We're not told just what it was. Perhaps it was some physical. Infirmity he had. He asked the Lord three times to take it away, and the Lord didn't take it away. He didn't know, just Paul didn't just know what was best for himself. But the Lord knew what was best for Paul, and so it says that the Lord makes intercession for us according to the will of God. And so sometimes he may leave us in trials and difficulties in his wisdom. But here's something we do know, the 28th verse, and we know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Once we are saved or brought into the family of God, we know that heaven is our home. We know we possess eternal life. And we know that even though there are things in life we don't understand, this is something we do know that God knows what He's doing. We know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Paul thought that he could serve the Lord better if he got rid of that thorn in the flesh. But God knew that it was best for Paul to still have that thorn. And he said to him, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. And what I want to remind you of, dear friends, is that God in His wisdom doesn't always take us out of all the difficulties of life. But one thing you'll find with a Christian who is going on with. The Lord that no matter what happens, he is content to say we know that all things work together for good. When I visited that dear young man that I was Speaking of over in Canada, there he is. I'm getting weaker. He feels deeply that he's going to be separated from his wife and from his family. But I quoted that verse to him, We know that all things work together for good. That he frowned on. He smiled. He said. I know. Wasn't it lovely? Dear friends, we have confidence in the One who loved us, as it says in this same chapter, He that spared not his own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? I have often commented that in order to get the full blessedness of this 28th verse, we should also read the 29th with it. Because the 29th is really an explanation of what we read in the 28th. Perhaps to make it clear what I mean, I could choose a little illustration, and I think you'll see the point at once. Did you ever pick up a storybook? And you came to a very, very sad chapter in the storybook, So sad that the tears come into your eyes, perhaps rain down your face. The story was so sad, and at last you couldn't bear it any longer. So you turned over to the end of the. To see how the story ended. And then when you found out the story ended all right, you went back and you read that chapter with confidence and you kept saying to yourself, it's going to be all right. I know how the story is going to end, but it's pretty sad right here. Well, dear friends, isn't God gracious? He says, we know that all things work together for good. And he said, I'll tell you how you know because you know the end of the story. And what is it to be conformed to the image of his son.
So in the very next verse, knowing how at times it's hard to see how things work together for good, He actually tells us that the story is going to end in full conformity to Christ, our blessed, precious Savior. Isn't it wonderful that God would have us to know these wonderful things, to be in the enjoyment of them? He doesn't intend to leave us in uncertainty. He's made provision for our weaknesses. He has shown that when we fail, we can come back to God as our Father in confession and be restored. He's shown us that sometimes things come in life that we don't understand and we don't know how to pray. But never, as someone has put it very nicely, never let the things you don't know spoil the things you do know. And God has told us such wonderful things that we do know. And if there are things that we don't know, we can leave them. There are a lot of things. Life that I don't know. I'm going to find out someday because the Bible says that in a coming day we shall know, even as also we are known. We're going to find out then. But down here in this world, I am rejoicing in the things that I know. There's a verse that says in the 29th chapter of Deuteronomy. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. So if there's things that God has kept in His own secrets, we're content to let Him keep them in His secrets till His time comes to let us know. But He's told us a lot of things that He wants us to know, that He wants us to be sure about, that He wants us to be confident about. And now I must just say in closing that He. Also given us a warning in the 2nd chapter of Romans. It says we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth. And dear friends, just as we can know with assurance that we're saved, we must also say that God has told us that we are sure that when he judges, He is going to judge according to truth. And if there should be anyone in this room. Who rejects the Lord Jesus as your Savior? Who closes your heart to that wonderful work of redemption that Christ has accomplished? There is a coming day of judgment. Who is it for? For those who have rejected His grace, Those who would not have Christ as Savior. It says in the 3rd chapter of John, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God. Enlighteth on him. And just as I stand here to tell you that we can be sure of all these wonderful things, I also must tell you that I am sure that if you reject Christ, there is judgment ahead. There is judgment. And let me repeat again what I said last night, because I really enjoyed what this dear old brother said to me. I visited him in the hospital just before the Lord was going to take him home. He was so weak he could hardly speak freely, but he looked up. With a smile and said to me, Gordon, isn't it lovely to know that judgment is behind you and not ahead of you? And that's what gives us who are saved such assurance. Judgment is behind us because the Lord Jesus bore the judgment at Calvary's cross and trusting in Him, we can say it's past for us, but for those who reject him, judgment is ahead. O how solemn, how tremendously solemn, but all these wonderful things that God. Revealed in His Word, He wants us to know, He wants us to enjoy. May God make Him good to each one of our hearts through His Word and by His Holy Spirit.