Well, thank you for the joy of being together this morning around the Lord. Just a little memorandum was given to me. We had a talk with Dr. Barbet last night. And God willing, he hopes to have a steel cast put on tomorrow if the testing's come out okay. And hoping that he can come home soon. So remember him in prayer. is that it's getting along very slowly but gradually getting better. Shall we turn this morning to the word of God that has been laid upon my heart and quite specially in recent days and even in connection with what happened and has been happening this past day? Second Corinthians chapter one the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians in chapter one I'd like to begin reading at verse eighteen and read down only through verse twenty note the words very carefully Paul as he writes to the Corinthians on this particular occasion after he had written the first epistle correcting them rebukeing them and encouraging them. Now after hearing of their recovery, spiritually, he writes the second epistle. But beginning with verse eighteen of chapter one, we hear him write, But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. Meaning there was no contradiction. We weren't preaching a message that said, Yes, it will happen, or no, it may not happen. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Demotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. Now note the words of verse twenty. May God write them upon your conscience and mind, and into the depths of your heart as well as mine own. And please note this statement. And don't forget who the words come from. Not just the Apostle Paul, God himself. Listen to them. for all the promises of God in him that is in Christ are yea and in him are men unto the glory of God by us let me repeat with emphasis the greatness of the words that the apostle has written confirming the fact that when it came to Corinth to preach the gospel It was a message that could not be and would never be denied. And emphasizing in verse twenty particularly for all the promises of God, not of men now. I'm sure that many of us, perhaps all of us are acquainted with what happened yesterday in Washington. called the march of a so-called a million men called the promise keeper. My beloved, I want to direct your conscience and mind, your heart and mind to the only one who keeps his promises. Let me read the words again. For all the promises of God in him are ye Yea and nay, they come to pass. And in him, amen, so be it forever, unto the glory of God. And my beloved, may I say lovingly and earnestly with all my soul, I wish to direct your heart as well as my known to the only perfect promise keeper. More perfect than a million men. Nay, may I go further. More perfect than all the men that have ever lived. Men, woman, boy and girl. Let me read the words again. I want to re-emphasize them. For I am happy. I am grateful to be able to stand before you and exalt The perfect promise keeper. The representation of those of yesterday's march was referring to the failure of the human race. Not the success. Acknowledging men, women, boys, girls. All have failed. Ah, but there's one man. He faileth not. I wonder if you've ever meditated on those words of First Timothy chapter two. I think around verse five. For there is one God and one mediator. Not many. None a million. Just one. Between God and men. The man Christ Jesus. My beloved. I praise God for him. More than I do for a million men. Why not? A million men can never be compared to him. I'm reminded who he was, as we have read in our scripture portion, preceding our twentieth verse, the Son of God. Who became man? And my beloved, let me say very frankly, lovingly and earnestly, I wish the millions of men and women, boys and girls, would seek him and know him. But I like to dwell very briefly but thoroughly on what he means to me as my promise keeper. He's promised to me more than a million men could ever promise, which they could never do. Do you know him? Is he your promise keeper? Have you trusted him? Have you put your confidence in His promises? As we have read here, all the promises of God in Him, they are yea, and in Him are men. They come to pass. They happen. They will happen. Now what are His promises? Oh, may I quote one of them, that I value first of all, The one I needed the most. The one I found my joy and satisfaction in him through. Listen to it. I quote from John chapter ten, verse twenty-seven through verse thirty. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish. Neither shall any cloth them out of my hand. My Father who gave them to me is greater than all. Neither shall any cloth them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Beloved, let me tell you what he first promised me, which I first found. He promised me eternal life. Ting it over. Not to live down here forever. Oh, I'm sure the longer we'll live down here forever, the less many of us want to live here. But eternal life, and as the Word of God says, this life is in His Son. Oh, my beloved, He gave it to me. Though it's been many years ago, I still have it. Let me ask you something. How can you lose anything that's eternal? It wouldn't be eternal if it wouldn't last. But oh, let me meditate with you upon a verse which is the promise of eternal life that he spoke from his own very blessed lips. I quote from John chapter five and verse twenty-four Oh, there are many scriptures. Oh, you'll think of them, John three-sixteen, John three-eighteen, John three-thirty-six, and many others in the Gospel where you'll find eternal life is mentioned, as well as in other scriptures of the New Testament. But let me quote John chapter five and verse twenty-four. They are his own words. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that set me. Have everlasting life. Shall not come into judgment or condemnation, but is already passed from death unto life. Beloved, let me ask you a question. Is there any other man? I mean it now, man. Don't forget the words we quoted from First Timothy, two-five. There is one mediator, only one, between God and man, and this is the man, the man Christ Jesus. Ah, beloved, I tell you again, would to God that every husband, would to God that every wife, would to God that every father, Every mother, every son, every daughter, every brother, every sister in the human family knew this man. The man Christ Jesus. Note his words in John five twenty-four. He introduces the words by a double verily. There are twenty-five of them already, I believe, in the Gospel of John recorded by John. where the Lord Jesus uses the word verily, verily in a double application in that way? It is an emphasis, meaning of a truth, of a truth he can never be denied. Oh, my beloved, isn't it blessed to listen to the words of a man whose words could never be denied? Of a truth, of a truth. And note, I stay unto you. How blessed to recognize his individual approach to any man, any woman, boy and girl who will listen. I say unto you, and note first, he that heareth my word, my beloved, he that heareth my words, I think of the words you find in John chapter seven, when the rulers of the Jews sent men to take the Lord Jesus captive and bring him a prisoner. They came back without him. I won't question why they didn't bring him. They made the confession. Never man spake like this man. I think of the words that you have in Luke, rather, chapter four, I believe. When we look chapter four, the Lord Jesus preached his first sermon in Nazareth. And they marveled at the words that came out of his mouth. Never man spake like this man. I say, listen. He's the sinless Christ. No evil word ever came from his lips. No untrue word ever was spoken by his lips. He could challenge his enemies. Which of you convinced of me of sin? And he proved by his works as well as his words. and character is sinless person. Oh, my beloved, well may we say, never man spake like this. Well, listen. He says, I say unto you, they makes an individual appeal. Whosoever, here is what? My word. Oh, are you listening to him? I'll say very, very frankly, lovingly, earnestly, I'd rather listen to him than a million men. You better. Because I can say a million men can fail you. I have. That's why they're gathered together, supposedly, to confess their failures. Has he spoken to you? He spoke to me. In my unsaved days, I say unto you, He that here is my word, and thank God, I listen to His word, the word of God. My beloved, we may and rightly do emphasize, one of the greatest needs among our children of today is the word of God. Do it, maybe, and is often denied them. They need it. It's the greatest need. Children, men, boys, girls, men, women, the need of the Word of God. I repeat again, the greatest need of humanity is to listen to the voice of the Son of God. He that heareth my word. Oh, my beloved, let me say. How often he pleads with sinners? And he's got no one else to plead with but sinners to come to him. He that heareth my word, but no one follows. and believeth on him that thank me. My beloved, I am more anxious to believe that God sent His Son into this world than to believe all that a million men and millions of others may say. I think of the words of first John chapter four, I think it's verse nine or ten, Here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. My beloved, the greatest thing, the greatest truth that you could ever believe is that. Believe on him that sent me. Why did he send him? Oh, we know the words very well from many a scripture. Christ Jesus came into the world one fall. To save sinners. No matter who they were, even the greatest of them. Has he saved you? To believe on him that sent me. Why did he send him? Oh, I think of the words the Lord Jesus said, let me quote them. No greater words did he ever speak regarding the purposes of his coming. John three, sixteen and seventeen. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world. To condemn the world. but that the world through Him might have everlasting life. My beloved, what a grateful act it is when you and I, by simple trusting faith, put our faith in that blessed fact. God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world, every man, woman, boy and girl through him, could be saved. And what a joy to believe of that God sent him. Oh, beloved, may I say, I'm sure many of you have enjoyed you, then, oh, the Lord, the confession that Paul wrote, as you read in St. Corinthians chapter five, and chapter eight, rather, in verse nine. Thanks be unto God for what? His unspeakable gift. Indescribable. But let me emphasize what the text goes on to say. That whosoever believeth that God sent him hath. And please note the statement. It's a present possession. Unbelieving. Everlasting life. Everlasting life. My beloved, do you have everlasting life? That's what he gave me when he saved me. That's what he gave you, my beloved brother and sister, when he saved you. He gave you eternal life. Let me quote again, John ten. I give unto my sheep eternal life. they shall never perish and even in our text of John five twenty four he goes on to say half everlasting life and shall not come in the day of judgment into condemnation oh my beloved well can the redeem one say there is no judgment There is no hell for me. The fire and the torment, mine eyes shall never see. Can I quote it? He promised me I would never go to hell. What? Yes, it's true. I spoke to a man in the hospital many, many years ago of Catholic faith. who'd been listening to the gospel and asked him, as he was there lying, I didn't know what his condition was physically. I said, when you die, where will you go? And you know what he told me? I'll go to purgatory. And you know what he meant from the faith that he belonged to, so-called. There's no purgatory. There's no place in between. I asked him, how will you get out of there? Or he said, I'll have to get my feet on the right stone. I said, wait a minute. friend, you should get your feet on Christ now. He's the foundation stone. No other foundation has any man laid but that which is laid, Jesus Christ. My beloved son, let me please say it again. Should not perish but have everlasting life. Live how long? Forever. Not down here. Oh, my My beloved, please may I... Look, there's only one person that has in himself and by himself eternal life, and that's God, Christ. I mean the Blessed Holy Spirit, the Great God. But do you know what? When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, He gives you eternal life. a dear friend of mine during World War II said he was near Italy and while in Italy he did his best to witness for the Lord he took a young fellow with him that could speak Italian and he met a monk one of the Catholic monks on the street and he asked this young man to witness for him in Italian and tell him and he put his hands on his chest tell him I have He turned the light. Well, the man was astonished. But he asked him if he would read a portion of Scripture, if he would give him a little gospel written according to John's gospel. And the man looked furtively at different one way and another to see if anyone was looking. And he added, now that he's in, I'll take it and read it. And he came to him and he hid it under his garb that he was wearing. Later on, they came together as he was walking the streets of Rome to his surprise. And he met the man. And the man came to him. And the man said, I have eternal life. He received the message. He believed that. And God gave it to him. My beloved Julie. A great thing. The promise He gave me. Eternal life. Never perish. Oh, the joy. The comfort. The assurance. Let me quote again the words I said. There is no judgment. There is no hell for me. the fire and the torment, mine eyes shall never see. But, oh, beloved, let me go even further. He not only promised me eternal life, but go with me to Hebrews chapter thirteen, if you please. He promised he would never leave me, nor forsake me. Let me read Hebrews chapter thirteen. And there you may read with me if you will, I think. You may read with me in verses five and six. Chapter thirteen, verses five and six. Listen to the words of the beloved apostle. As he writes, let your conversation or your manner of life be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have. While I'm passing through this world, He requests me to be contented with whatever comes along. Why? For he has said, No, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So then we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. My beloved, what words of comfort? May I say this? It doesn't make a bit of difference how long or how short you live after you're saved. He's with you. I'm with you. I will never leave thee. I will never forsake thee. My beloved, let me challenge you. Can you point to a time when he forsook you? if you belong to him. What a promise. The Million Men March was supposedly confessing their weakness. How many failed to keep their promises. Not this man. Not this man. The husband may leave. But if you belong to Christ, he will never leave you. The wife may leave, but if you belong to Christ, he'll never leave you. The son and the daughter may leave, but if you belong to Christ, he'll never leave you. The brother and the sister may leave, but if you belong to Christ, he says, I'll never leave you. And as the apostle has well written, so then we can boldly say, The Lord is my helper. I shall not hear what man could do unto me. My beloved, I don't know how many of you heard the sadness of yesterday that happened recently just over in a nearby town, Sumpter, on Friday. while the million men were marching and gathered. Three young boys, fourteen, thirteen and twelve years of age, taken for murdering two dear old ladies over ninety. Hmm. Things are not getting better, are they? They're getting worse. Ah, but the child is gone. What a joy to know. The Lord has said to everyone who trusts him, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. My beloved, may I say again, what a comfort. All the family may leave. Not him. Not him. What a joy they know. I think of the words, let me quote them, of that dear old hymn, written mostly for children. But older people enjoy singing it. And how true are the words, wonderful things in the Bible I've seen. This is the dearest that Jesus loves me. I am so glad that our Father in heaven tells of his love in the book he has given. Wonderful things in the Bible I see, but this is the dearest that Jesus loves me. And the second verse, though I forget him and may wander away, still he does love me wherever I stray. I don't know whether you've had the experience, but let me repeat it if it may give you some help. I never will forget my early Christian days. They were up and down. as a youth. And I want to tell you, my heart aches for the youth of today what they face. But even in my day, I recognize there were times I got away from my Lord even in my teenage. But I did enjoy those words, though I forget him and wander away. Still he does love me wherever I strain. Back to his dear loving arms, do I flee? When I remember that Jesus loved me. Maybe you and I have undoubtedly at times failed. Maybe he never failed. We read words in our Bible reading last night. Oh, from Zephaniah. And those three words stood out with blessing. He faileth not. Thank God he takes care of my presence. Oh, I think of the words of Paul as he faced eternity and said in Second Timothy, chapter one and verse twelve, and what a joy to read such words, and what a joy to be able to confess. I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him, the past, the present, the future, against that day. My beloved, please let me say, when he saves you, he saves you forever. What a man. What a man. What a promise keeper. Praise God. But then let me touch upon one other thing. He not only promised me eternal life, He not only promised me that He would be with me forever, but may I go even further, as our brother in his prayer mentioned, He promised to come back again. Will He do it? I think of the words that Peter has written in second Peter chapter three, and he writes a man that are living today and saying, Where is the promise of its coming? All things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Nine things. Everything is going to go on forever. It's not. Let me quote his words that he promised. John chapter fourteen, verse one through three. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, you then believe also in me. In my Father's house are many abodes, many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That where I am, there ye may be also. Please let me repeat it. It's a promise, the promise of God. It's yea and amen in Christ. It's not nay, it's going to happen. I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be. Beloved, what a joy to rest upon God's promises. and the promises of this blessed man who is the perfect promise keeper. I will come again and receive you and bring you to myself forever. Then where I am, you may be also. My beloved, let me say again, I joy and rejoice in the promise of his coming. He'll keep his word. I can't assure you that a million men will keep their words. But I can assure you this one will. I will come again. Let me quote the blessed event that Paul records when it will happen from First Thessalonians chapter four. You know the words well, I hope. Telling us the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. What? Can he raise the dead? Oh, I tell you, you couldn't get a million men to raise a man, a man person that's dead. But he's going to raise all the dead. First of all, The dead in Christ. I hope you're in Christ. The dead in Christ shall rise first. My beloved, I often wish when I'm at a cemetery at a funeral that the Lord would come while the funeral is going on. It'd be great to see the graves open and the people come out and go up with them. Oh, no. He's the promise keeper. Boy, a perfect one. All the promises of God are yea and amen in him and that dead in Christ will rise first. Our blessed are the words that John wrote in Revelation fourteen. I think verse thirteen. Blessed the happier the dead. Who die in the Lord? I'm glad I'll be, if I die, I'll be amongst the happy dead. Beloved, let me say I'll be more happy after I'm dead than I am even now. What? That's what the book says. Who's right? What a Savior. Not only did they mean Christ, But then we which are alive who know him, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up and snatched up together with the dead in Christ who are raised. To meet the Lord where? Not on the earth. In the air. Oh, please, look. I'm going way far beyond the moon. I'm going way far beyond the moon. the satellites and where men have gone and just they haven't even touched the surface. I'm going way beyond that to the third heaven to make the Lord in the air the starry heavens above and to beware forever with the Lord. Oh my beloved let me say Let me repeat again. There's only one man that can keep such a promise like I am. It's the man Christ Jesus. Aren't you glad if you know him? He promised eternal life because you believed God sent him to die for your sins. He promised never to leave you, nor forsake you. He'll keep his promise. Let all the rest of the family leave him. He won't. And I assure you this, whatever crisis may be yours, he can use it to bring you closer to him in your affection and love. And then last of all, praise God. He promised to come again. I will come again to receive you unto myself. Oh, one cannot help as we come to that closing mention of His coming. To think of the words of the Apostle John as he wrote them at the end in the book of the Revelation. Saying in chapter twenty-two, verse seventeen, the Spirit and the Bride The Holy Spirit and the Church say, Come. And then the words, Let him that hear us, say, Come. And then the word that John closed the Bible with in chapter twenty-two, verse twenty. The prayer that he made, Amen. Even so, come. Lord Jesus. What a promise, keep us. Oh, will he keep his promise? Let me go back to our verse. All the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Beloved, I say again, the millions of humankind that had been born, lived and died a living or may yet live, can never compare to this man, the perfect promise keeper. Shall we pray? Our beloved Lord Jesus, we bow in worship and we bow with thanksgiving before thee. for thy blessed perfection. We cannot worship men, the ordinary men, no matter how they may commend themselves. While did thy word long ago write, It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Blessed Lord Jesus. All the old hymn we often sing. Resting on the promises of God. What joy, what peace, what comfort. And well may we say, Lord Jesus, I will trust thee, trust thee with my soul. Guilty, lost and helpless, thou canst make me whole. There is none in earth or on earth or in heaven like thee. But thou hast died for sinners. Therefore, Lord, for me. Take these three truths, Lord, as many others we could cover. You've promised us eternal life. You'll keep that. And you've kept that promise. And Lord, you'll never leave us nor forsake us. And you're keeping that promise. And thanks be to thy name, Lord. You're coming to claim us. To take us home to be forever with thyself and like thyself. And we rejoice with thy servant when he rose. Beloved now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know when he does appear we shall be like him. For we shall see him at the end. Blessed Lord Jesus, above a million and more people, we will fix our eyes wholly on thee. Thou art the perfect promise keeper. Lord, may be truth. Trim our hearts, comfort our souls. Whatever our experience may be, we're going through. Lord Jesus, thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever. We ask it all for thine honor and glory. And oh, we pray. Lord, we pray for the dear ones in our families who haven't yet been saved. They need him. May the Holy Spirit bring them to himself. He's convicting and saving them. But, oh, as we separate today, Lord Jesus, may we worship thee as thee promised keeper. Giving thanks, Lord Jesus, in thy precious and peerless name, dismisses with honor.