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[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfredo, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word.

[0:14] Well, I thank God for parents who are raising kids that want to sing like that, and I thank God for young people that are a blessing to their church, and so I hope you enjoyed it. Go with me to the book of Zechariah.

[0:26] We'll start in chapter 8 in just a minute. I want you to know the chapters that we're about to go through are some of the greatest on prophecy about what Jesus happened when He came the first time and about what He's going to do when He comes the second time.

[0:42] It's about the greatest set of scriptures that you could ever read. Today, I want to try to give you five truths that I believe will change your life. I want to give you five truths that you need to hold on to that comes out of this set of scriptures.

[0:56] Now, I'm not going to really preach a lot about the prophecy, though I have studied enough of it to be ready to talk to you about it, but I want to talk to you about what you can take home. And so here's some of the lessons.

[1:07] There are five major lessons I wish you'd get out of this set of scriptures. Number one, God made promises of great things to Israel, and He always kept His Word.

[1:19] He does the same for you. The Bible is full of great promises for you. And God always keeps His Word. The security of your salvation is based on this.

[1:31] God said it, and God will do it. Now, if you need to listen here, you've got to get your mind off of what you think about it, and get your mind on what He said. In the first verse I read to you this morning, Zechariah 8, verse 3, the Bible said, Thus saith the Lord.

[1:49] And if you had your Bible open and you'd read that chapter, you'd find that over and over, He says, Thus saith the Lord. I want you to get a hold of this. I'm doing the talking. God's doing the talking, and that's what you want to get a hold of.

[2:01] Truth number one, God keeps His Word. So get a hold of the Word. Get the Word in you. Understand what God says, and then you can have some confidence in that. Number two, God knows the future.

[2:13] He has it all under control, so you can trust Him. You're scared today sometimes. Some of you in this room would come, and you'd say, I don't know what's going to happen. The world seems to be in chaos.

[2:25] Things are different than they've ever been. I don't know what's going to happen. And you watch the news too much, and you listen to a bunch of people, and they got you scared of living. What you need to understand is biblically, God is in charge, and He's in control.

[2:40] And He said from the very beginning, He told them, He said, this is how Jesus is going to come. We'll see some of that. Then He said, this is how Jesus is going to come back. And He said that it's going to happen because He's the God in charge of it all, and you can trust Him.

[2:53] You can trust God. So you don't have to be afraid because you can trust Him. He gave His Word. He keeps His Word. He knows the future. You can trust Him.

[3:04] God's always taking care of His people. That's another lesson you'll learn today. He's always taking care of Israel. He'll continue to do so. This ought to give you confidence. He'll take care of you.

[3:15] You know, all through the Scriptures, He'll say, I'm doing this for Israel. Today you'll see it. He's promising Israel what He's going to do for them. Fact is, when Alexander the Great charged in and destroyed every country, he got to one city that he didn't destroy, Jerusalem.

[3:30] Just like God said, He protected him. And so this morning, you're worried, and you're afraid, and you're scared of different things in your life when you can trust the Lord. Another great truth is that there's a day of reckoning coming, and this passage of Scripture is called that day.

[3:47] And that day, He will make all things right. And that day, this world that's been lost in sin, and it's lost on its own path of self-destruction, will find out He's coming back to set up His kingdom and make things right.

[4:03] And Jesus is coming in great power. We read the verse to start with. His feet will touch the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives will split in two. It'll make a great big valley between the Mount of Olives because He is bigger than geography.

[4:20] He is bigger than topography. He is bigger than the world. He is God Almighty. He's coming back in power. And when He comes back, He will bless some and destroy others.

[4:36] That's terrible. That's powerful. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. So today, as we go through the passages of Scripture, I ask you to think about where you are.

[4:51] Do you know Him? Are you serving Him? Is He really God and Lord in your life? Let's start off, if you would, with the first one.

[5:04] God made promises to Israel. Warren Wiersbe said, God's people don't live on explanations. They live on promises. You should think about that one.

[5:17] God's people don't live on explanations. They live on promises. You know, God doesn't always explain everything to you. You don't always have a full grasp of everything, but you know He keeps His Word.

[5:28] He makes promises, and He keeps His Word. Faith and hope are nourished by the promises of God given to us in the Scripture. And in Zechariah 8, verse 3, it says, Thus saith the Lord of hosts.

[5:41] Underline that, if you would, in that verse. And then I want you to know that 10 times in this chapter, He says, Thus saith the Lord of hosts. God talking.

[5:53] God speaking. Zechariah said, I am not saying this. God is saying this. God's doing the talking, and God keeps His Word. In Zechariah 8, verse 3, if you go there with me, the Bible said, Thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

[6:08] And Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Now, I'm really going to fly through these chapters just because I don't think you wanted to be burdened down with all the prophecy.

[6:23] I don't think you necessarily wanted to know all these details. Bible college class, we'll be glad to discuss all of it with you. But here's the first thing that goes on. In chapter 8, God says 10 times, I'm doing the talking, and He says, I'm making promises to Israel.

[6:38] I'm making promises to Jerusalem. And one of the things He said was, Jerusalem's going to become the city of truth. Jerusalem is going to become the place where you go to find out what the truth is.

[6:50] It's going to become the place where God's doing a great work. He said, I'm going to bless Israel. You know right now, Israel's in the news all the time, and you may have a thought about what's going on there, but here's what the Bible basically says.

[7:01] God's got big plans for Israel. God's got big plans for Jerusalem, and He tells them in Zechariah 8, verse 4 and 5, He says this, He says, there's a day coming when the kids will play safely in the streets.

[7:13] There's a day coming when old people will be walking the streets bent over with age, but everybody will be safe, and everybody will be having fun, because God's going to bring His people back to Israel. God's going to bring His people from the east and the west, in Zechariah 8, verse 7, and God is going to call them His people again.

[7:31] Look at Zechariah 8, 8 with me. You got your Bible open? And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness.

[7:44] Now, watch this. Let me show you something. All the way back in Genesis 11, the last few verses, in Genesis chapter 12, you got the beginning of the nation of Israel, as God called Abraham out to be His people, and Abraham would be the father of many nations, and so Abraham had a son named Isaac, Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob had 12 sons, and a nation of Israel's on a roll, and they're starting, and that's who we study through the Old Testament.

[8:09] As we read the Old Testament, we study about them. But along the way, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the 12 tribes forgot their purpose. They kind of got to enjoy the prosperity that God gave them, but not living out the reason and the purpose that God had for them.

[8:26] They enjoyed prosperity, forgot their purpose. They enjoyed prosperity, forgot their purpose. And so God pulled away from them. We'll see that some today.

[8:37] And He began to use the church. He didn't use the nation. This isn't about individuals. It's about the nation that was supposed to carry the gospel. They quit, and so there's this big parentheses, and God picked the church.

[8:49] That's us, Jew and Gentile, that are saved and put into one body carrying the gospel. But He's got further plans. Israel's coming back, and God's going to use them. In Zechariah 8 and verse 12, He's going to prosper them again.

[9:04] In Zechariah 8 and verse 14, He's going to give them great blessings. Look at verse 15. He said, So again have I thought in these days to do well.

[9:15] I'm fixing to pour it out on Jerusalem. They're going to be blessed. But as God blesses them, He says, I'm not blessing you so you can just do your own thing.

[9:26] I'm not just making you prosperous so you can live your own life. I'm making you prosperous so you can follow my purposes. So look if you would at Zechariah 8 and verse 16. He said, These are the things that you shall do.

[9:38] I'll bless you, but don't you forget you have a responsibility. Speak, every man, the truth to his neighbor. Do right. Execute judgment of truth and peace in your gates.

[9:49] Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against your neighbor. Love no false witness. I hate those things, the Lord said. So God's going to do big things in Jerusalem again.

[10:01] He has big plans for Jerusalem. I know what you're thinking. I don't know what that has to do with me, but it really does have a lot to do with you because you want to be watching the news every day, and you wonder why they keep talking about Israel, and you wonder why Obama wasn't a friend to Israel, and maybe Trump will be a friend to Israel, and maybe Clinton was, and maybe Clinton wasn't, and maybe Reagan wasn't.

[10:19] And you're like, Why in the world do we care? It's a little bitty country. I'll tell you why we care. It's right here in the book of Zechariah. God said, I'm going to do big stuff with that country. I have big plans. It has nothing to do with who the president is.

[10:30] It has to do with who the God of heaven is. And God's got a plan. And in Zechariah 8 and verse 18 and following, he tells those guys, you remember last week these guys came down from Babylon, and they said, We've been doing this worship and stuff, and this crying stuff, and this mourning stuff a long time.

[10:45] We want to know if we ought to keep doing that. Well, in Zechariah 8, in Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 18 and following, he said, Look, I want to stop all the fasting and turn it into feasting. I want to stop all the being sad and turn it into being happy.

[10:59] He says in verse 19, the last part he says, Shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore, love. Therefore, love the truth and peace.

[11:10] Now, listen to what I'm going to tell you. Religion turns God and the word of God into sadness and rules and regulations that makes everybody miserable. But when God gets involved in it, it becomes like the most wonderful, sweetest thing you've ever done in your life.

[11:24] God said, I want to turn all y'all sad feasts, fasting, I want to turn all your sad days, I want to turn them around. I'm going to make this happy and excited and enjoyable. That's what I'm going to do.

[11:35] That's what the Lord God said he would do. Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 20 and following. If you were to read that passage, you'd find out God's going to use Jerusalem and then Israel again to spread truth.

[11:51] Now, you do know what the purpose of our church is, don't you? We're here to tell the world the truth. And the truth is that all men have sinned against the holy God. And the truth is that every man deserves to go to hell.

[12:04] And the truth is that there's none good, no, not one, all have sinned, and all have come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death, and death and hell will be cast in the lake of fire. It's a horrible story till you hear this.

[12:17] But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we go to people and we say, you know you're a sinner. You know you're separated from God. You know you don't have what you need.

[12:29] You know you need God. But I'm here to tell you a story. God loves you and sent his son to die for you and they can be saved. That's our ministry. Well, God's going to do that with Israel again. Israel, you were supposed to, but you quit.

[12:40] And Israel, you stopped doing that. But today he's coming back. I'm going to work a miracle. If you go to the book of Revelation, he's going to save 144,000 young men. And they're going to go over all the world sharing the gospel in great ways.

[12:51] And people are going to be saved and changed. Here's the deal. The first truth I want you to go home with. God keeps his word.

[13:02] Zechariah chapter 8 is basically God saying, I told you I was going to do big stuff with Israel. I know you messed up and I know you think I'm mad at you. I know you think I'm never going to use you again. But you're wrong.

[13:12] I've got big plans for you because I keep my word. If I told you one time I'd take care of you, I'll take care of you. You don't have to worry about me. When I say it, I mean it. You don't have to say the Bible says that I believe it.

[13:23] That means it's so. You just say God said it. That's done. God meant it. So here's a truth for you this morning. Some of you are allowing sin and your conscience and other junk to beat you up.

[13:36] And what you ought to get a hold of is this. God said some stuff. Let's apply that to my life. Let that be real. So let me give you a couple of things before I leave this. Here's some promises for us.

[13:46] We're not Jerusalem. We're not going to be in that city like that. We're not going to be one of those people brought back. That's a promise to them. But can I give you some promises to you this morning? How about this one?

[13:57] John 5 24. Would you write that down? Maybe in the margin of the Bible so you could take it home for you. John 5 24. Now you listen to what I'm going to tell you. The Bible says in John 5 24, Verily, verily, I say unto you.

[14:09] That means truly, truly. That means I'm telling you the truth. I'm telling you the truth. I always tell the truth. So when I say it, you need to listen to it. I said, he that hears my word.

[14:20] How many of you at one time in your life heard the truth and realized you were a sinner? Say amen. You heard the truth one day and you realized you deserve to go to hell. Say amen. You heard the truth and you realized Jesus died on a cross for you and you trusted that.

[14:34] If you heard that, say amen. See, that's what happened. That's how we got saved. There's nobody in this room got saved by money or by good works or by good looks or anything else. We got saved because we trusted Jesus. Verily, verily, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me.

[14:48] Jesus said, if you want to go to heaven, you got to believe the one that sent me. That's God the Father. He sent me. You believe him? You believe he loves you? You believe he is powerful enough to save you? You believe that you have sinned against him?

[14:59] You believe him? If you do, you can be saved. And so we believe on the Father. I believe on God. I believe that God loved me and sent his son to die for me. How many of you believe that?

[15:10] Say amen. So truly, truly, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me. Now look what it says. Write this down somewhere in your Bible. Has everlasting life.

[15:21] Underline that. Circle that word. You have it. Now let me explain some grammar to you. Okay? I'm a real smart Tennessee hillbilly. Has means I got it.

[15:35] It don't mean I will have it. It doesn't mean I might have it. It's not conditional. It's not future. It's not a possibility. I got it. Say amen.

[15:46] What do I have? I have eternal life. Everlasting life. Look at that. Has everlasting life. I'm not waiting until I get to heaven to find out if I'm going to get it or not.

[15:57] I already got it. You say, brother, you know you're going to heaven. You're like, yep, I know it. You're going to have to hold on. Nope, I got it. It's already mine. It's mine. He gave it to me. He said when he started the verse, I'm telling you the truth.

[16:09] I'm telling you the truth. If you've heard my word and believe it on my father, you have everlasting life. Then it says, if you'll read the verse, and shall not come into condemnation.

[16:20] That's a pretty strong thing. I will never, ever come into condemnation. I will never hear these words. You're guilty. I'll never hear these words.

[16:30] You failed. I'll never hear these words. You're going to hell. I'll never come into condemnation. I will never be put on death row. I will never go to purgatory. Because of what Jesus did, I am saved.

[16:42] He keeps his word. If you got that, say amen. Verily, verily, I said to you, he that hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has already passed.

[16:54] He has passed from death to life. So when you got saved, you got taken off death row and put on life row. You got taken off of going to hell row and put on going to heaven row.

[17:05] And so you're looking at a guy that's already got a citizenship in heaven. You're looking at a guy whose name is already known in heaven. He's already accepted in heaven because of what Jesus did. And if he kept his word to Israel, he'll keep his word to me.

[17:18] And he's kept his word to Israel. I don't think I'll get around to showing you everything I want to show you. But if I did, you'd be pretty happy to know he keeps his word. We might have to get some of it next week. Now go with me to Romans 8.1.

[17:31] Romans 8.1. Now you listen to me. You've been letting the devil beat up on you like God doesn't really love you. You've been beating up on yourself and saying a lot of dumb stuff to yourself. And the Bible said, Verily, verily, I say to you, He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

[17:50] How about this one? Romans 8.1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

[18:01] Now look this here. How much condemnation is there? Some? Look at the verse. You don't understand a little bit of grammar, don't you? It doesn't say there is some condemnation. There's a little condemnation.

[18:12] There's a lot of condemnation. It says there is no condemnation. There's no condemnation. I don't have to walk into heaven holding my head down and thinking, I don't know if I'm going to get in here. I am the child of the great God of heaven.

[18:26] And here's the lesson of Zechariah chapter 8. God keeps his word. And that's two verses right there that I've given you out of the New Testament for us. God keeps his word.

[18:37] Second thing I want you to look at. Go with me if you would. Some prophecies about the coming of the Lord. Go with me to Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 1. Now Zechariah is prophesying about the future.

[18:49] And as he prophesies about the future, there's some things he's going to talk about that are near future. And actually about 200 years after he writes this, Alexander the Great will come and destroy everything. And he'll come in riding on a big white horse and a big powerful man ready to kill and to destroy.

[19:03] But when he gets to Jerusalem, he won't kill him and he won't destroy him, which is a wonderful thing. But the whole point is that this passage of Scripture talks about Jesus coming both the first time and the second time in this passage.

[19:16] You do know, for those of you that might be a little new here, that when Jesus came to earth the first time he was born in Bethlehem, that wasn't a surprise. It wasn't like people were going, we had no idea.

[19:31] In fact, if you recall, when they went to see the wise men, we called them, when they went to see the king, and the king said, we've come to seek out the child, the one that's going to be born.

[19:42] And the king said, I don't know anything about that. He's going to be a king, huh? And the king said, so turn around to the Jewish scholars. He said, I need to know about that. They said, give us a few minutes. They went back in, whipped up their computer, looked it up on their Logos Bible program, came back in there and said, yeah, he's going to be born in Bethlehem.

[19:58] The king's like, he's going to be born in Bethlehem? You guys didn't tell me none of that. So the truth is that all of Jesus' coming was foretold. God said he's going to do it, and God did it. In Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 8, they were given the promise by Zechariah that no oppressor shall pass through them anymore.

[20:16] And when Alexander came, he did not pass through them. But look at the difference in the way Alexander came and the way Jesus came. Zechariah 9, 9. We looked at this, I don't think, on Christmas Day, but look at it again with me if you would.

[20:30] He just came into town riding on a donkey.

[20:56] See, you probably know that on the week before he was crucified, he came riding into town on a donkey. Zechariah knew that.

[21:08] Zechariah knew that. A long time before it ever happened. He knew that because, if you recall, God's the one that told him. So when you hold the Bible in your hand, you're not holding a normal book. You're holding a book that knows you.

[21:21] It says the Bible says that it's alive and powerful and can understand what you're thinking and can divide your thoughts and understand your thoughts. And you're holding a book that knew when Jesus was coming the first time and knew what was going to happen because it was foretold.

[21:37] And you've got a book that tells us he's coming again. In Zechariah chapter 11 and verse 12 and 13, it said that there would be this guy who would take 30 pieces of silver to betray him and then he would throw it to a potter.

[21:53] That's in the New Testament, and that happened just like Jesus said it would. Question for you. If God's word was so precise about his first coming, don't you think it ought to make you think he might be right about his second coming?

[22:08] If he seemed to know everything about what was happening the first time around, and we all know that did happen, and we also know that nobody could deny Zechariah didn't write this after the fact. This book was around before Jesus came.

[22:20] And if God knew what was going to happen, do you reckon God knows what's going to happen? If you would, Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9, the king comes. In Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 10, this is another coming of Jesus.

[22:34] Look at what it says about him in Zechariah chapter 9. You see, between Zechariah 9-9 and Zechariah 9-10, there's like 2,000 years of church history that's not even mentioned here. Jesus came the first time lowly and riding on a donkey.

[22:48] But he's coming again in Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 10, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace unto the heathen, and his dominion shall be from sea, even to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.

[23:06] A couple of things are interesting there. There's no river in Jerusalem. But there will be. Geography's going to change. Big old river going to be right down through there. And he's going to rule from sea to sea.

[23:20] See, Jesus is coming back. That first time he didn't rule. And don't you dare think, well, Zechariah got it wrong. Zechariah didn't get it wrong. You've got to understand that Zechariah saw both of those comings.

[23:32] He didn't understand how they were going to happen. But I know how he came in Zechariah 9-9 on a donkey, and I know in Zechariah 9-10 he's coming back, and he's going to rule and he's going to reign. This world's not on its own course.

[23:45] There's a God above all of it, and he's in control. Get your mind off yourself. The reason you're having so many doubts and fears is because you think too much about you, and you're just like an ant in a yo-yo.

[23:59] You've got to realize there's somebody bigger than you in control of this and powerful. In Zechariah 12-10, he's going to pour out the Holy Spirit of God on them.

[24:11] The Spirit of grace is going to come on in, and they're going to look at the one they pierced. That's amazing, isn't it? Jesus was pierced, and Zechariah knew it. But here's what's really happening.

[24:22] In that time when Jesus comes back to set up a kingdom, they're going to see the one they pierced. They're going to realize in their heart they did wrong. Revival's going to take place. A whole bunch of them are going to get saved, and they're going to become flaming evangelists carrying the Bible all around the world.

[24:36] I need you to look up this way a second. I want to talk to you about you. This verse says, I will pour upon the house of David, upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace.

[24:48] Now you need to look this way just a second. You know he's already done that for you. We live in the days of grace. We live in the day, I mean he's been the God of grace ever since Genesis 1.

[24:59] But I need you to understand something. The way you got saved is God poured his grace out on you. The way you live your life is God pours his grace out on you. And I want you to know this morning that his grace affects you.

[25:12] God's people will do great things in the book of Revelation, but God's pouring his grace out on you right now. If you're here, today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to believe God.

[25:25] Today is the day to know that God's grace is extended to you. Have you heard the truth? Have you believed the truth? Will you realize you've sinned against the Holy God?

[25:36] Will you trust Jesus and be saved? Now listen to me, I want to tell you something. These aren't just facts. Fact is, we're not even studying the past right now, we're studying the future.

[25:48] And when he wrote it, the past was still the future. When he said Zechariah 9.9, it was like nobody knew that was true. Who's going to come riding in on the donkey? Ever since Solomon, everybody rides on horses.

[25:59] Solomon had like 30,000 horses. And they didn't ride on donkeys. But Jesus rode in on the donkey just like Zechariah 9.9 said. And Jesus is coming back to rule and to reign.

[26:11] The same truth is found in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6. Just so you can see another verse that shows you these divisions. Go with me to Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6. You know this verse. It's a Christmas verse.

[26:23] But maybe you haven't understood how it works. For unto us a child is born. I bet we know who that is. Unto us a son is given. And then it says, And the government shall be upon his shoulders.

[26:33] And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. That's Jesus. Now if I had enough time we'd go over all that.

[26:44] I need you to understand this. Jesus is God. Now listen to me. Jesus isn't a prophet. Jesus isn't just a regular person.

[26:55] He is God in human flesh. In John 1.1, In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. And the Word was God. In John 1.14, And the Word became flesh. And dwelt among us.

[27:06] Now listen to this. He's wonderful. How in the world did Christianity get turned into such a drab, dull, dry, hateful, spiteful thing?

[27:17] Because our God is wonderful. That means everything He does is wonderful. After He got through creating, He just looked at all of it and said, That's good.

[27:28] That's very good. He is wonderful. He's Counselor. You came this morning and you're hurting and you don't know where to turn? He's a Counselor. He hears your petition.

[27:39] He answers your prayers. He's the Mighty God. I want you to look at verse 6. And it says, The child is born. He's the Mighty God. The child is born. He's the Mighty God.

[27:49] That means Jesus is God. Then it says, He's the Everlasting Father. Wait a minute. The Son is born and He's the Everlasting Father. Yeah, that's pretty hard to understand, isn't it? But it's true. And He's the Prince of Peace.

[28:01] But what we never saw Him do was verse 7. That was His first coming, verse 7. Of the increase of His government and in peace, there shall be no end. Well, that's not happened.

[28:13] The fact is, in today's market, you might even think Christianity is on the wane. But don't you worry. Jesus is coming back. And it says here, So I want you to understand, Jesus came once.

[28:38] Jesus is coming back. Jesus is coming back. Jesus is coming back. He's in control of the present and the future. Big storms come by.

[28:52] You know the thunder and the wind and the tornadoes and you're terrified. You don't have to be. You know the guy who's in charge of that. Say, man. You know who holds your future because He knows the future.

[29:05] You know He's God. And I know Him. He's my Father. What are you concerned about? What concerns do you have? Do you know the one that holds it all in His hands?

[29:20] Do you know the one that holds it all in His hands? Do you trust Him? Do you trust Him? That's two out of five truths.

[29:36] I'll leave you those. I got three more. I'll give them to you next week, Lord willing. Could you get a hold of this? He keeps His word.

[29:48] That's why I like the Bible. That's why I'm a Bible studier. That's why we do so much Bible study here. Because you might have never known what it said in Zechariah.

[29:59] Because that's one of them books you can't even find, much less read. God's got big plans for Jerusalem. You say, no, no, no, no, no. You don't understand. The UN. I don't care about the UN.

[30:11] I care about that S-O-N, maybe. I care about the one who can make decisions and changes. And He's got big promises. And then I live in a world where everybody thinks.

[30:22] I live in a world where everybody thinks that the world's out of control. And God's not going to take care of us. That's just simply not true.

[30:32] I hear young people today say, I don't know if you can bring a baby into this world. It's so wicked. And I think about my own story when 41 years ago and people were saying to me, I don't know how you can bring a baby into this world.

[30:44] And I thought to myself then, the same thing I think now. I don't have to worry about that. My father will take care of my kids. Say, man, I know him. And you're here this morning. You're all upset because you don't realize this.

[30:55] There's a guy in charge. And he keeps his word. So I'd go get a hold of some promises and I'd put them in my heart. I'd get a hold of some promises and I'd make them a part of my life.

[31:06] I'd get a hold of the promises of God and I just wouldn't let go. If I were you, I'd go look at John 5, 24 and I'd say, man, I have eternal life. I have eternal life.

[31:18] He said it was true twice. I will not come to God. I just get a hold of that if I was you. And then I'd get a hold of this. What's going to happen in 2017?

[31:29] I don't know. But I know one that does. You say, well, that's kind of trite. That sounds like preacher talk. Actually, it's Bible talk. Actually, it's Bible talk.

[31:40] It's just what God said. I mean, God said, hey, I'm sending my son. He's going to come in riding on a donkey. There are going to be 30 pieces of silver. They're going to throw it to a potter. And Zechariah wrote that and everybody would have been going, huh?

[31:52] Huh? I didn't see that happen. And he got over the New Testament. It's like, oh, I'm seeing that happen. And then he said he's coming back and he's going to rule and he's going to reign. He said, well, I don't know about that second coming.

[32:03] Well, you didn't know about that first one. But he kept his word on the first one. He'll keep it on the second one. Amen. I can trust him. He keeps his word. I know he's got the future. I'm 62 years old.

[32:15] And so, you know, I hear regularly about friends and people that I served with and worked with and they get sick. A friend of mine, five years older than me, has had a stroke and he's lost so much.

[32:29] He's not the same guy anymore. And you could say, well, what are we going to do about our future? My future is pretty secure. I may go through some bad stuff. And I may have some bad health coming down the pike.

[32:41] And I may even die. I will die unless the rapture happens. But I know who saved me. I know what he has for me. And no matter how dark it gets, it'll still be bright because the Son of God works in my life.

[32:57] Do you know him? Do you know him? If you were to die right now, if you got the bad news from the doctor right now, if something horrible would happen, could you say, I have seen myself in my sin.

[33:11] I have seen who I am. I have seen how I failed God. I've seen how I deserve to go to hell. I've seen that there's no way I can save myself, but I'm trusting Jesus to save me.

[33:23] Have you gotten there? If you haven't, you can today. You can today. You don't have to depend on you. You don't have to depend on doctors. You don't have to depend on anybody else. You can know this. God saves and changes.

[33:37] And the majority of people in this room are saved. They were just like you. There's not a one. You came in today and you said they all got it together. No, they don't. I know most of them.

[33:49] They ain't doing that good. It's not how good they're doing. It's how good he's doing. Not how good they're doing. It's how good he's done. Get a hold of this. You're here today and you say, I just don't know what I'm going to do with my life.

[34:02] Trust Jesus. I don't know what I'm going to do about the future. Trust Jesus. There's a whole lot of junk going on. Trust Jesus. That's what we do. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.

[34:22] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.

[34:33] Thanks. I don't know.

[34:55]  I don't know.