The People of God 04 a People Saved — James K. Boswell

The Lord’s Presence and the People Separated Unto Him

Now, Exodus chapter 33. Exodus, and again the 33rd chapter, reading in verse number 14. Exodus 33 verse 14, and Jehovah said, You shall go with me, and I will give you rest. And Moses said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carryeth none of him.

For wherein shall be known here, thy and thy people upon great and nigh sight, is not let thou goest with us. So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

The words are, So shall we be separated, I and thy people. Now, don't have a big jump. Ephesians chapter 1, the colored brother in the land of Georgia said, Let us turn to the epistle to the Ephesians.

He said, An epistle is an apostle's wife. Now, we know better than that here, don't we? The two colored fellows met there on the land, and one said, Now, is it be you in the Lord's army? Yes, I be in the Lord's army.

I be a Baptist. Oh, you not be in the Lord's army at all. You be in the Lord's navy. Ephesians 1, verse 12,. Let me should be to the praise of his glory, the first trusted in Christ, in whom he also trusted, as if he heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also as that you believed, you were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of our first possession on the praise of his glory.

The words are found in verse number 13, He was sealed with that holy spirit of promise. One last picture, John, and the 20th chapter, please. John, chapter 20, reading in verse number 19,. Then the same evening being the Thursday of the week, when the doors were shut, for the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had said, he showed unto them his hands, and he sighed. They were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus unto them again, Peace be unto you. As my father sent me, even so send I you.

The words are, As my father sent me, even so send I you. The Lord will add his blessing to that reading from his word to our hearts tonight. You've got the outline, haven't you? We are a people saved by the Lord, separated unto the Lord, sealed by the Lord's spirit, and all for one distinct purpose, that we might be our people saved.

As my father sent me, even so send I you. Now, we've got a new chorus for you tonight, probably new to some of you, and those of you who do know it, sing it out with me. It matters to him about you. It matters to him about you.

All the day long, all the night through, he's caring for me, and he's caring for you. His mercies are tender, his love is ever true. It matters to him about you. It matters to him about you. It matters to him about you.

All the day long, all the night through, he's caring for me, and he's caring for you. His mercies are tender, his love is ever true. It matters to him about you. Amen? Let's repeat that. He's one, Peter, five, seven.

Cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you. We must translate it. It matters to him about you. Aren't you glad about that, eh? It really matters to him about you. Righto, listen to the tune. I think you'll go to the life.

Well, as the tune once more, I'll fit the words in for you, and then we'll sing it next time, eh? Thank you. It matters to him about you. It matters to him about you. All the day long, all the night through, he's caring for me, and he's caring for you.

His mercies are tender, his love is ever true. To him about you. These words, that's the tune, there's no excuse. Everyone sing along. It matters to him about you. He's caring for me, and he's caring for you.

His mercies are, it matters to him about you. My, that's wonderful, you know. You must be all well to be able to say a chorus like that the very first time. I've had those and never heard that chorus before.

Why, only about three of us knew it. Come on, we'll sing it once more, all right? It matters to him about you. Good. It matters to him about you. All the day long, all the night through, he's caring for me, and he's caring for you.

His mercies are tender, his love is ever true. You understand, a Welshman enjoys salvation because he can sing about it. That is because he can argue about it. English because they can talk about it. We Scottish people enjoy it because it's free.

It's without money and without price. Everyone sing out once more. You've got it now, eh? It matters to him about you. Very good. It matters to him about you. All the day long, he's caring for me, and he's caring for you.

His mercies are tender, his love is ever true. It matters to him about you. Good. Now you sing it up, this time I'm going to tone down. Come on, you sing it up, all right? It matters to him about you.

Wonderful group, that's one. Let us all rise and just change the position and sing it once more. Everyone rise and sing, right? Ever true. It matters to him about you. That's wonderful. You know, as I looked at you, you were singing just now, I believe you meant that, didn't you, eh?

And you really know the joy. It really matters to him about you. Isn't that just wonderful? Right, so then, tonight we're going to look at the theme, O People Say by the Lord. That would be the basis for our study now, during this week.

The People Saved by the Lord

O People Say by the Lord. Sunday morning, we'll look at the theme, What Think ye of Christ? Then Sunday night, What Say ye of Christ? This morning, what shall I then do with Jesus which is called Christ?

I don't think any of us will ever remember, and forget rather, the closing moments of this particular meeting this morning. The quiet hush that prevailed over this gathering, and I believe transactions took place that we heard of them, that's going to be eternal value, and for God's mercy.

Be much in prayer regarding these morning sessions, and God's Spirit may continue to operate in our midst. We may indeed see the overflow right onto the colony, right down to Piston Heights, right down the star, for the end of the meeting.

Over the week, we shall see the space packed, the capacity that God's able to do that. Remember, He saved us, He separated us, He sealed us, and He sent us. He sent us, and my Father sent me, even so send I you.

I like this grand old-fashioned word, save, don't you? For remember, you're either saved, or you're lost. No neutrality, no middle way, we're either in Christ, or we're out of Christ. We're either saved, or again I repeat, we're lost.

You know, some people don't like this word, save. You know, even a whale that swam with Jonah must have been a modernist. Do you know why? For no sooner had Jonah got inside that whale, they shot it, salvaged it of the loch, and the old girl vomited him out.

Aren't you good, Jonah? They don't believe that down here, and out he had to go. Beloved, many tonight may be in this area, but they don't believe you're saved by grace, and by grace alone. They don't believe, my friend, the Lord does all the saving.

Oh no, but we do, don't we? Oh, people saved by the Lord, and remember when he saves us, it's a complete salvation. He saves us in and in, and out and out, and through and through. I think of this complete, once for all, salvation.

He saved us with a threefold salvation. He saved us from sin's penalty, he is saving us from sin's power, and one day he'll save us all together from sin's prison. Salvaged army lassie, all dressed up in a nice new officer's uniform, went into a compartment of a railway train back in the British Isles.

She wanted to do something for the Lord Jesus. She wanted to be some soul to Christ that particular day, sitting in a railway compartment with a bishop of the Church of England, all dressed up in his bishop's garb, sitting in the corner reading a magazine.

He was the only person in the compartment. Said that, my, if I could only land this fish, wouldn't it just be wonderful? And she looked him again. If I could only win this man for Christ, wouldn't it be wonderful?

But, she didn't know exactly how to approach a good bishop. So, ladylike, she dropped something quite close by him. As a gentleman, he put his magazine down, sit down, picked it up. There you are, my dear.

Says, thank you, sir. Sir, may, may I ask you a question? Yes. Sir, are you saved? No, my dear. What do you mean? I mean, have you been born again? Are you saved? Now, hold on. What do you mean by being saved?

Do you mean, have I been saved, or I am being saved, or I will yet be saved? A poor man doesn't know salvation, you see. I mean, have you been born again? Have you yet to receive Christ's salvation? Said, my dear, I know exactly what you're talking about.

He took a little newspaper from his pocket, and he gave her a wonderful exposition of the word, save. She knew nothing at all about the tenses of salvation, or he would be saved from hell once he put in heaven, by and by.

And, you know, I come across a lot of people, and that's all they know. All they know. Just being saved from eternal punishment once he put in heaven, by and by. Friend, they know nothing whatever about an ever-living, ever-present Savior.

We sung that view for him tonight. Christ lives where? In me. In me. Friend, and he explains to her his incredible Greek expression. He has delivered us from sin's penalty, past. He is delivering us from sin's present, and he will yet deliver us from sin's in the future.

It's a wonderful salvage we have. We've got an ever-living, ever-present Savior. He died upon the cross to pay the penalty against my sins, but he now lives in me, every mormon of every day, to deliver me from sin's power.

That's what Reverend 614 says. Sin shall not have dominion over you. Oh, what a glorious message, and it's true. God has said it. It must stand. Pass it on. It's simply grand. Sin shall not have dominion over you.

Now, Romans 614 doesn't say all that. That's a chorus written by Hudson Pope. I'm quoting to you now, but on Romans 614. May I repeat it? The words are wonderful. Sin shall not have dominion over you.

Oh, what a glorious message, and it's true. God has said it. It must stand. Pass it on. It's simply grand. Sin shall not have dominion over you. Thank God for an ever-living Prince Lord, who lives in the believer, lives in your life, and lives in my life by faith.

It's a wondrous, glorious truth. Now, this is all people say by the Lord. Now, go back with me to verse number 32, Deuteronomy, chapter 33. We're going to do a gargle reading, reading up to verse number 29.

In verse number 3, it says, He loves other people. What people? People say by the Lord. Now, here we've got a place in His heart. It's the place of affection. A place in His heart, the place of affection.

The Love of God and Christ’s Sacrifice

Yea, He loves other people. John 13 once said, Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them to the uttermost, right unto perfection. It was this love that brought Him down to the heights of heavenly glory, down to Bethlehem's manger, down to Gethsemane's garden, down to Calvary's cruel crop.

Near upon the crop, He suffered, He bled, He agonized, He died, all because His love for the Father, His love for the bride of His church, His love for each individual believer. And Paul could say, The Son of God loved me, and He Himself is for me.

As He hung upon that cross with the mark of a dirty Roman stool, intermingling His royal precious blood, He said, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. Here is love, it is love beyond compare, love that knows no measure, a love the same yesterday, and the day, and forever, a love like Himself that never changes.

Having loved, He loved right unto the uttermost. I love that, don't you? A place in His affection, a place in His heart. Now, this love must be reciprocated, this love must be responded to, and what do I find here?

As I realize the night, I've got a place in His heart, that place of affection, and He loved me, and gave Himself for me. My beloved brother, who opened in prayer tonight, asked this morning, could I quote the last twelve words of Galatians 2 .20?

These are the words, the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Now, go to the next line, five words. The Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me.

Paul said, remember, it's no longer I but Christ that lives where He lives in me. Let the love light entwine each and every believer, when we come down these last words, the Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me.

You take the last three words, and you read them backwards, and what do you read? A response that matches love, it shall be me, Paul himself. Love responding to love, love begets love. Now, the love of God should have gone in our heart by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Now, what am I going to do? Constraint myself before Him in love, in adoration, in affection, in Christ. Take my love, O Lord, I pour, as I seek this treasured door. Take myself, and I will be ever only all for Thee.

Shall it all be condoled, O children of God, because the Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me? In response, I will give my whole being to Him. I'm calling now Dr. Alexander MacLeod, that Prince of Expositor, who said, in response to the gift of all Christ, I give my whole self to Him.

The Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me. May I ask you, lovingly, to take the three last words again, and from your heart, read them backwards from this night, henceforth He shall be me for Himself.

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all. Not only have you got a place in His heart, a place of affection, next phrase, you've got a place in His hand, the place of security, the place of security.

I love this, though, Joe. All thy things are in thy hand. Now, this does something to me, because only have I got a place in His heart, and His love never changes. His love's always the same, and no force, nor power in heaven or earth or hell can sever me from that maximum love.

But, here's a wonderful truth. I've got a place in His hand, the place of eternal security, and it says in John 10 28, I give unto my sheep eternal life. They shall never perish, ne 'er shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father which giveth me is greater than all. No man, and the fourth word that means not even I myself, no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Going back in my Bible to Isaiah 41 10, I read, Fear not, for I am with thee.

Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Verse 13, the same chapter says, I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying fear not.

I go back in my Bible to Exodus 15, and verse number six, and we'll read, Thy right hand has become glorious in power, thy right hand has dashed in pieces the enemy. That's the hand holds you, my brother, my sister, and that's the hand will never, nor never let you go.

I go now to Hebrews 13 verse number five. What do I read? The Lord himself said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Mr. Arthur Smith, the author of that lovely chorus, do you believe he is precious?

And I'm so glad that the new hymn book has just come out, by which we wish is one of the best collections of hymns, just come out, and that chorus is in that book. Do you believe he is precious? Mrs. Smith died when the sea laid in, but just lost her husband down at Parvin Springs.

Mrs. Smith is so sweet-spoken in the way she said to her, My dear, is it wonderful to know the Lord has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Again, it's wonderful, but she said, he said to her, is it wonderful the Lord has said, I will never, never, never leave thee, I will never, never forsake thee.

Oh, he said, my dear, isn't it wonderful the Lord you did five nevers? She looked straight at it and said, if you preachers need five, one's quite enough for me. He got it, one's quite enough for me, and the Lord said, I will never, no, never, no, never leave thee, no, never, no, never forsake thee.

But, Weymouth translates it like this, and I like his translation, he himself has said, I will never leave thee, now notice, I will never, no, never let go. Have you got that? In the past he brought me forth by his own right hand, and this present moment he's holding my right hand, and for the future, he says, I will never, no, never let go your hand.

Isn't this just lovely? Thy right hand, glorious in power, holds me this very hour, dashed in pieces the enemy. I'm safe for all eternity. I suspend my salvage, not depending upon me, my salvage depending upon my adorable Lord Jesus Christ, and God looks upon him with complete satisfaction, and he sees me wholly and without blame before him in love.

God, my friend, looks upon his son, and as Christ is before the Father, so am I down here tonight at part of the palms, all the wonder of this massive grave. Not only have I got a place of heart, a place of affection, a place of hand, a place of security, but I trust your fear about this.

I trust your clear regarding to your soul's eternal salvation, because, my friend, if you can be saved today and lost tomorrow, how often is Christ crucified? And I speak reverently when I say this. You can't be saved without Christ having been crucified.

My friend, if you can be saved today and lost again tomorrow, and then saved again the next day, you mean Christ is crucified again? A thousand times no. Calvary, oh Calvary, will never be reenacted. Hebrews 9 verse 26, once in the end of the age has Christ appeared to Buddha.

We've seen but a sacrifice of himself once, only once. I'm so glad about that, aren't you? Done is the work of faith once, and forever done. Finished! There are righteous at close, the unrighteous ones.

We bow before him, we worship, and we adore. As we see tonight, I've got a place of heart, a place of affection. He loves me, and that love never changes. It's warm, and walls, and fear, and truth. I very seldom talk of my love for the Lord Jesus.

It's so sparse, body, it's so erratic, it's so cold, so changeable. I always love to talk of his love for me. That love knows no change for ever, yet with all sincerity, and in deep humility, I can truthfully say I love the Lord.

Because if we don't love him, we don't know him. 1 John 4, 7. To know him is to love him. To love him is because we know him. Oh, the wonder of this truth! I now praise his hand. Then again, we've got a place at his feet, that place of communion at his feet.

Communion at Christ’s Feet

What does it say in verse number three again? May I read the verse? Yea, he loved the people, all his saints were in thy hand, and they sat down at thy feet, that place of communion. Oh, the joy of sitting at his feet!

May I ask you, very lovingly, with all sincerity, what have you known of this today? Let us be honest. Have you sadly slept today? We've been so busy, rushing here, rushing there, but have you taken time to get alone?

May I ask you a little secret? I'm the loneliness, but it's my practice to see his face before I see any other face in the morning. To hear his voice before I hear any other voice in the morning. Have you got a tricing place, a time and a place where you meet the Lord face to face?

Have you got a cutie, a quiet time, not done by illegality, nor bondage, nor conscription, but out of a heart, love, and devotion for your Lord, and you want to be there with him in communion with him?

All great men and women of God, whether in this present generation or generations gone by, are men and women of know what it means to spend time alone with God. Looking in that lovely face, and by doing so, they transform into the image.

Hearing his lovely voice, all sweet and so full of music, is that voice as you read the Holy Scripture. He does not reveal himself to you, my friend, in trances, nor in dreams, nor in visions, but through the Holy Word.

He opens unto them the Holy Scripture, and shows himself to them through the Holy Scripture. Do you know what he looks like? You must take time to get alone with him, in communion with him. Beloved, may I say this lovingly, no amount of Christian activity, no amount of Christian service, will compensate for your neglect of the quiet time.

The Lord does not want our service, he wants you, and he wants me, and our service will only be effective, and convincing, and fruitful in the measure which the Lord has got you, and he's got me. In Arizona University, there as I give a talk to the intervarsity on the value of quiet time, so it is a joy to speak to this group of people now.

Remember, instead of using the term quiet time, I abbreviated it and said Q .T. Q .T. Every time I came to the expression Q .T., I noticed some of the male students smiling. Loving mind like I got, I knew exactly what they were smiling about, and said, fellows, I'm not talking about Q .T., I'm talking about Q .T.

Say, Q .T. may keep you from Q .T., but she must not. You must not let any Q .T., not anything, come in between you and that quiet time. That saintly man of God, the late Harold St. John, said to me, of course, here I noticed I'm St. John, walking down through the street of Perry first, was approached one day by a friend of mine, said, Mr. St. John, why is it you're always so reasonably happy?

Mr. St. John is sweet Wang, as you remember him, lovely rosy face, lovely white snowy hair, a glow coming through his scalp, and from a radiance that shone from right within his own innermost being, he said in his own sweet way, well, it's the reason it is this.

Every morning when I awake, I sow in his steadfast love. I sow in his steadfast love. Seven thousand miles away, in the city of Victoria, British Columbia, St. John was ousted, maybe another giant, in a things of God.

He was asking a similar question, Mr. May, why is it you're always so triumphantly happy? Mr. May threw himself back in his heels, as everyone wanted to do, and he said, the only reason I can give it this is, that's never a morning before I leave my room, but I bathed my soul in his steadfast love.".

No wonder, as the one wrapped in Philip, his soul, as he meditated upon the Holy Scripture, he meditated upon his Holy Scripture, and he saw the Lord Jesus, that love came over his whole being, his whole being was saturated, and when Philip, wrapped in the love of the Lord, and he was girded for the battle of life, and he went forth, girded for the battle of life, that a saturated, bathed soul, his soul, and still that very love penetrated into every part of his being, that one was recognized, arrogantly happy, the other triumphantly happy.

Why? Because he knew the value of a cutie. I looked round this very fine, intelligent congregation tonight, and I warned the Sister here ever so lovingly, from heart to heart, if you have not got a cutie, then tonight you're in a back-splitting condition, and I don't care who you are.

If there's not a time and a place where you meet with God face-to-face during some part of the day, it's a trice between you and the Lord, out of love, not legality, not bondage, because you love him, you do.

And, listen, if you don't come apart, you'll fall apart, and the Lord will see that you do fall apart. You might learn the secret. The Lord wants you, and not yourself. My service, my friend, will only be convincing, and vital, and fruitful, and for God's glory, in the measure that it takes time to get along with God.

You say it's all right for you, preachers. Down the same verse, everyone shall receive of thy word the praise of this section, that only are we going to hear his voice and his word, but we're going to receive it, we're going to appropriate it, we're going to make it our very own.

Often, in one's work, we're talking to various universities and colleges, various institutions. People will turn around and say, and introduce you. Before they introduce you, they say, Basil, what university did you graduate from, and what degrees do you have after your name?

I look and smile, I just smile and say, I've never yet graduated from college. I'm still at college. Oh, dear. What college are you at? I'm at Mary's College. Mary's? Never heard of it. Is that a Catholic college?

Oh, yes, it is. It's worldwide. What is that college? I'm sad, Jesus, me. There it is. You know, a Bible school, a Bible college, is the easiest place in the world to backslide. You know that. And I preach, and I teach at many of the great North American colleges.

And I've said it publicly. I had a clear affinity in Dunedin just recently. And I've said it. Some students came up and said, Mr. Basil, why did you say that, that a Bible school is the easiest place to backslide?

Isn't it true? I said, yes. We were far better Christians before we came here. You know why? Our minds have been stuffed with data, stuffed with facts and figures and theories. I'm not taking time to learn with God, and it's a vacuum.

A vacuum. And in that day, seeing that student body, I said, now what you're getting in the classroom, get away to your own room, down behind some tree with your notebook, and try to transform it into your own animal being.

Make it become part of you. You'll hear the word, then you'll say the word. Make it your own. And in doing so, you're going to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Isn't that true? We've not only got to appreciate the word, we've got to appropriate the word.

People are very kind, you know. Just as you are here, in the Father of Japan, sometimes you try to kill us with kindness. They say, here's the evangelist, come let us kill him. And that was worse, and that was kindness.

Maybe they'll invite you out for a meal, and stand behind the chair upon it for you at that table, mention all the nice things you can about that meal, how delicious it served, how delicately it's cooked, and so on.

But they're not satisfied with my talking in appreciative terms about meals. Using good schoolboy language, they want me to make an attack upon the meal. That is, they want me to appropriate it. That which I've appreciated, they want me now to appropriate.

Then it'll be assimilated into every part of my being, go into the bloodstream, go to make bone, go to make muscle, and unfortunately, go to make fat. But I don't believe in the following way, Doctor, and I told you that, didn't I, eh?

And the fat belongs to the Lord, and the fat's precious to the Lord, and remember Psalm 92 verse 14 says, they shall be fat and flourishing. Amen? No one, nobody said amen to that. May I help you right here?

We've got not only to appreciate the word, we've got to appropriate it, and then it'll become part of us. Part of us. It shall mold us, sanctify us, more and more into the image of our beloved Lord Jesus, a place at His feet, communion, receiving His word, perception.

Fellowship by the Lord’s Side

Now, just sit down to verse 12, because this is a very bad subject. Now, you want me to touch these things for you? May a real blessing. Verse 12 says, the beloved Lord shall dwell in safety where? By Him.

A place by His side. The place of fellowship. The place of fellowship by His side. He walks with me, and He talks with me along my narrow way. Now, what have I known of that today? What have I known of walking with Him today, and talking with Him, and hearing His voice along my narrow way?

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart. The joy of that, the reality of that, a place by His side. Into that place I was placed last year, and from that place came forth blood and water.

Yes, by His side. If we walk in the line of Jesus Christ, we have fellowship one with another, and how can two walk together except they are agreed? But, if I know the joy of the place of affection, and security, and communion, and reception, there'll be no doubt about it, I shall know the joy of this wonderful sweet fellowship without a durable Lord Jesus Christ.

There it is, my friend. The word safe is an interesting word. It means not only that I am safe, and that's true, but it brings with the assurance and that confidence into my own inner and lower being that I am safe and secure.

The same word is used in Hebrews chapter four. Now, we have not just a statement of a fact, but bringing assurance and inward conviction to my spirit being, we have a great high priest. Aaron's sons were priests.

Aaron was a high priest, but we have a great high priest. Jesus, the Son of God. As Jesus, He knows my every need. As the Son of God, He is able to meet my every need. And, there's not a pang that frames the heart, but the man of sorrows shares a part.

There's not a throat in my heart that knows that He feels above, and it matters to Him about you. The place of safety, the place of fellowship by His side, and that will uncover Him all the day long. It means I'm completely infinite, completely covered, just like Noah and his family in the ark.

Safe and secure, completely covered and sheltered in the ark. It was never the guilt of guilt that came to the floods of judgment, not at all. The ark was fixed within and without the pitch. It was never the perfect life of my adorable Lord Jesus saved my soul, not at all.

It was the precious, precious blood that was poured out. I forgot that. And, thank God, when I see the blood, I will pass it over you. Thank God for the cleansing value of that precious blood. Thank God that for all who are in the jar being sheltered, completely covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Strength, Rest, and the Everlasting Arms

I hurry. I shall dwell between His shoulders, the place of strength, the place of strength between His shoulders. I love this, don't you? In Isaiah 9, verse number 6, it says, Unto you a son is given, unto you a child is born, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.

The word there is in the singular. But when you go to Luke chapter 15, it speaks about the shepherd going up, searching for the sheep. Now the youngsters back in Scotland, those great college divine, taught us, when you're preaching, always put the crossword of Christ in the center of your message.

Whether preaching the gospel, taking a Sunday school class, ministering to God's people, always put the crossword of Christ in the center of your message. Build around that. They say you'll never become a modernist, and you'll always have plenty of material to work from.

It's true. But when you come to Luke 15, and you go down to the wonderful chapter, the 15th chapter of Luke, and you're looking for the cross, where are you going to find it? Listen. The shepherd goes out, and he searches and searches, and I like this, until, having loved his own, he loved him right unto the very uttermost, until.

He didn't get up until he went all the way until he found that sheep. And he picked the sheep up, and what did he do? He placed the sheep upon his shoulder. It's no longer the singular. Beloved, do you see how precious you are to the Lord Jesus?

Do you see how precious you are to him? The government of the whole universe is going to bear upon one shoulder what is bringing you and me home to heaven. It takes all his shoulders for that. Do you see how precious you are to him?

We shall dwell in a place between his shoulders, a place of strength. I love that. I was at Mary Ann's in Georgia years ago, when they were still meeting in a little community building, before they got the lovely new chapel.

The chapel in that building, that community building, was packed. It could pass this lovely morning. The school principal from Atlanta came in, and I rose to the platform and took my seat. There was a little boy, and this boy was leaning right over his shoulder.