My Cup Is Overflowing — James Jennings

Psalm 23 and the Faithfulness of Christian Fellowship

Well, let's turn to Psalm 23. Maybe this will be my last message from Psalm 23 we shall see. Two thoughts as we turn there. Just thinking about what Jeff was sharing in the first hour as far as the writer saying to exhort one another.

I was thinking about this upcoming Wednesday. You know what's probably going to happen this upcoming Wednesday? What happens on Wednesday night? Prayer. Prayer meeting. Why do we have a prayer meeting?

What do you find in Acts? Again and again, what does the church gather to do? I mean, how else is anything going to happen apart from the hand of God moving? You know what's going to happen probably Wednesday night?

The kids who need naps aren't going to get naps. They're going to wake up. They're going to be real tired. They're going to be groggy. Things aren't going to go well. But you know what's still going to happen Wednesday night?

Around 5 .30, I'm going to load my family in that van. Not because I'm one of the pastors in the church, but I'm going to come to prayer meeting. No matter how I feel. No matter how tired I might be. It is so vital to pray with the saints.

I mean, you guys have heard it. How many of us, if we had a poll, would acknowledge we don't feel like coming to prayer meeting on Wednesday night? Or the day didn't go well. The day not going well doesn't dictate coming on Sunday or being around the saints.

I mean, not that there aren't, you know, situations that are understandable. I'm not trying to be too dogmatic there, but I'm just wanting to exhort you all to remember that. Another thing I was thinking about is even the Sunday, try to view the church gathering as from 10 to 1, or 10 to 1 .30, right?

You don't want to separate the 10 a .m. and the 11 and kind of view it as two services, right? I mean, you're getting here and you're fellowshipping before the 10. The 10 ends, there's more fellowship.

And then you go into the 11 and then afterwards there's even a little more fellowship. You want to view it as one service, not two individual services. There's so much benefit from the 10 a .m. and the fellowship that if you don't make it for that, you're going to miss out on spiritual food and sustenance that's going to help you.

And you're not even going to recognize that that's happening, right? It can kind of become a normal thing. And so I just wanted to mention those two exhortations. I mean, those, I can tell you, 15 years, I think the only time I've missed church or prayer meeting was when I had COVID or had a really, really bad case of the flu.

And in many of those years, I was not one of the elders in the church, but I just found it's so important to be with the body, to be with the body, to be praying to the Lord. So consider those things.

When Wednesday night comes and you feel deathly tired and your kids are jumping off the wall or something, just remember, brethren, that Christian life is not about feelings. It's about faith. It's about doing the next right thing and believing God.

Maintaining a Right View of Christ

All right, so one thing to start out this message with is just how have you viewed the Lord's treatment of you this week or today even, right? All of us have an ongoing perspective of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Can that perspective shift and change? Yeah, absolutely it can. I mean, your perspective of Christ a week ago, something could have entered in and shifted that in the last few days. I mean, is there anything that maybe you're upset about that Christ has allowed in your life?

Maybe He's allowed something in and you're bothered by that, right? And that causes you to have maybe an ill thought of the Lord Jesus. Have you rejoiced in Him? Have you been angry at Christ for something He's allowed into your life?

Are you falling into kind of being passive and no emotion? Just kind of you're there, but there's no affection for Christ. Or are you overjoyed in Christ, right? Our views of the Lord Jesus can shift in a moment.

Like my message, when I'm sharing what I'm sharing, I'm hoping it causes your thinking to shift, right? That's the goal. Trying to get you to shift in your thinking to be biblical. You know, you think about the shift that happened in the very beginning in the garden.

What shift happened? Satan says to them, did God actually say? Constantly, you and I are facing that reality. Did God actually say this? Is this actually there in His Word? Is this actually true? I mean, it's this mental battle to perceive the Lord correctly and not just Him, but what He says.

Did God actually say, Genesis 3 .1? Satan is very, very subtle. What's a passage that speaks about the subtleties of Satan in trying to get your thoughts away from the truth? 2 Corinthians 11, listen to this.

Paul was afraid, for those at Corin, that, listen, as the serpent deceived Eve, so he's reflecting on what happened there in the garden. As the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts, you hear that?

Your thoughts, how do you think about Christ? What is your perspective on the Lord Jesus this morning, this afternoon? Your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere, complete, and simple and pure devotion to Christ.

So if that could happen at Corin, that could happen at GCC, right? I can't get into all of your minds, but what if you're the one with your thoughts being led astray from a simple and pure devotion to Christ, right?

That could be happening and you're unaware of that. That's why when we go to the Word, that's why when we preach, as I'm about to preach, we're trying to tell you what God actually says. We're trying to destroy anything raised in your mind that is against the knowledge of God, and we're trying to take your thoughts captive and bring them in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We're wanting to help you maintain a right view of the Lord. And me even preaching right now, or even hearing Jeff in the 10 a .m., or even hearing what was shared at the baptism or the Lord's Supper, it's this constant maintenance to think correctly about what God has actually said.

And so that's been my burden in Psalm 23. I mean, part of why I started this series, and this is going to be, I think, the sixth message, was I wanted to show you who the Lord is by looking at how David, a believer like you and I, views the Lord.

And if you even look at Psalm 23, remember, you've got to remember, this is just David describing the Lord. This is not the Lord declaring things about Himself. Right, this is David. You've got to get that.

This is David declaring his stance on the Lord. This is not the Lord saying specifically, David, I am with you. This is David saying that that is true, that the Lord has been with him. Obviously, he's saying that because of other verses that the Lord explicitly states these realities.

But David's declaring to us what is true and what he's experienced from the Lord Jesus Christ. And all of us have an experience of Christ. You have something in your relationship with Him. And you're trying to maintain that right perspective of Christ.

Let's pray, and then we'll dive in. Father, Lord, I pray that You'd even use this sermon right now, Father, to help us to see what God actually says. Lord, to help us to see, yes, a certain perspective on You that is true.

It doesn't contradict what we heard in the first hour. It doesn't contradict what other verses say. Lord, we realize it all. It all comes together. We've got to understand it correctly. But Lord, be with my mouth, Father.

Put a guard over the door of my lips. Lord, help me to serve right now with the strength that You give. Because Lord, I'm weak. Lord, our bodies are weak. Lord, we could feel tired, worn out. Lord, strengthen us right now that we would be able to bite a hold of this passage and get some food from Your Word.

Lord, these are Your sheep who You love. I pray You'd feed them right now for Your own honor. In Jesus' name, Amen. And I mentioned, with Psalm 23, let's read Psalm 23. I know some of you are visiting here.

Maybe some are new to being a Christian. And we don't want to ever take for granted that this psalm is just so well known. Although, in many ways, it is. But this is the psalm of David. Verse 1, The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness. For His name's sake, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

For You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup, oh, it overflows. What's his end conclusion?

Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. Well, what glorious truths. And I mentioned many messages ago that you should be able to approach Psalm 23, look at your own life, trusting that these realities which are characteristics of your shepherd, you're going to find these things being fulfilled in your life.

And you should say, what can I not write from this psalm? If I interpret and understand the phrases here, is there anything I have any reservation about writing down for me? If this is a psalm of James, and I'm writing this, is there anything here where I'm struggling to believe?

Believe the Lord. Do I not believe He's always with me? Do I hear about restoration and I feel like there's no hope of me being restored with what I've done? Or do I look and say, I can't say I don't want.

I'm incredibly discontent in thinking I'm lacking in so many areas. Is there anything here you can't write? You can't personally say about Christ? But we've looked at very, very glorious realities from the psalm.

Incredible truths. We've tried to meditate on these, but the verse that I've yet to really deal with is verse 5. And so we're going to look at verse 5 right now. And I realize I kind of skipped 5 and did 6 a few weeks back or maybe a month ago already.

I felt like 6 really came alive to me about goodness and mercy hunting and pursuing us all the days of our lives. But we're going to look at verse 5 and somewhat 6 again right now. Notice here in verse 5, one of the statements that really kind of stood out, stands out to me, is at the very end of verse 5, he makes a statement.

My cup overfloweth. My cup overfloweth. Or runneth over. Or my cup is filled to the brim. And now, you've got to realize, in the Bible, the term cup, you find it figuratively being used in various passages, basically speaking of a container that might contain what?

A cup of... Well, yeah, it could contain something physical, right, like wine, or it could contain something that's in a spiritual or emotional sense. A cup of sorrows, right? Or on another side, you've got a cup of what?

Yeah, wrath. Or you've got a cup of what? More positive thing. Yeah, joy. Sorrow, wrath, joy. I mean, he's not talking about a physical cup. The cup represents something. And so, first off, in the context here, do you think he's talking about my cup overflows?

Is he referring to wrath? Is he talking about sorrow? No, I think he's really talking about something more of a joyous reality here, especially with the overall picture here. And this really kind of gives us a look into David's worldview.

He looks at the cup, and he says it's overflowing. He looks at this container by which has contents in it that the Lord has provided, and he says, my cup overflows. And you know the saying? What's the saying people make about the glass?

Maybe I could use a water bottle here. It's not half empty or half full, right? But what do people say when they're making the statement is the glass half empty or half full? What's the point of the question?

Yeah, are you an optimist? Are you pessimistic? Do you have a really negative view on things? Or do you have a really positive view on things? And the question's about what is the perspective of the observer?

How does the observer look at the glass? Do they look at it in a negative way? You know, oh, it's half gone. Oh man, half of it's missing. Or do they look at it in a positive way and say, hey, I mean, half of it's left, right?

So that's commonly used. Well, what's David's perspective on the glass? Overflowing. It's not half full. It's not half empty. It's overflowing, right? It's full to the brim. David's got that perspective, Christian.

That's not optimistic either. That's believing the Lord, trusting Him. So the best answer we can have as the Christian is it's neither half full nor half empty. My cup, it's overflowing. It's overflowing.

David says that here. Now, you and I know what David has gone through. You know that his whole life is not marked by one overflowing reality to the next, right? Could you say that David's joy was always overflowing to the brim?

Now what about Paul? Was Paul the Apostle always overflowing? Even in Philippians, he talks about he knows how to abound and he knows how to be brought what? Low. And what's the secret? Whether you abound or you're brought low, what's the secret that will allow you to see goodness and mercy is following you all of your days?

He says, I have learned the secret of contentment and it is what? Through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. And so David, there's really this idea here David's expressing to us that under the Lord's care, Christian, you and I are truly abounding.

It's not half empty. It's overflowing. He cares for you and me in such a way where his care of us is just overflowing. And David sees that. He sees anywhere he goes, guess who's there? The Lord. Guess what David's already said?

I shall not want. Guess what David's already mentioned? He said, surely goodness and mercy are following me. Does David have a really positive outlook on following Christ and being one of his sheep? Do you have that outlook?

Or is your worldview one of a really negative sense? Have you not learned the secret of being brought low like Paul? Because you know what? You and I, we're going to get brought low. You and I are going to have low seasons in the Christian life.

And yet, we don't have to look at the cup and say it's empty. We can still see the overflowing abundance of God's kindness and what He's bringing about through our trials. So that's something that really stands out.

Christ as the Gracious Host

But let's think of this. Let's go through this and kind of look at the phrases here. And first thing before we look at your prepared table before me is this. I really think this is a metaphor switch that's happening in Psalm 23.

I don't think he's talking about a sheep and a shepherd anymore. I think he's shifting over and he's talking about the Lord being a gracious host. It just seems to be odd to talk about a sheep having his head anointed with oil.

A sheep being served a cup. It looks like he's shifting imagery, right? He's exhausted the sheep and the shepherd. And he's coming over here and he's looking at the Lord as a gracious host and David is the guest.

David is the guest. And that would mean for you and I, Christian, if you're a believer, you're the guest. And what do we find here? First, we find the guest has the table prepared for him by another. Secondly, the guest partakes of this table even while his enemies look on.

Thirdly, the guest has his head anointed with oil. Fourthly, the guest has his cup that is overflowing. And again, all this is happening by who? The host. I mean, you've got a host who's serving you in such an incredible way right here.

And if you're one of the Lord's sheep, you want to be able to lay hold of these truths for yourself. Now we just kind of need to interpret them and think about what's actually being communicated. Or else, if this isn't talking about a physical feast, primarily, then we need to think of what does this mean for you and for me?

Here, second question is, when is the feast happening? When is it happening? I mean, the invitation, what's it say on the invite? Is it for now? Is it for the future? Is it always? Where is this happening at?

How do I get to this feast? How do I come to this table that the Lord is preparing before me in the presence of my enemies? Or is it both? Is it now in the present at different seasons or always? Is it always?

Is it at different seasons? Is it in the future? Is it all of the above? What's happening here? Notice here, I think there's reality obviously in this life because David is writing this alive talking about you prepare a table before me.

That something's happening in this life. Yet, in that word prepare, it also is pointing to the reality of something in the future. And look at verse 6. Look at the end of verse 6. He talks about goodness and mercy following him all the days of my life, and then he says I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

David isn't just thinking about the physical realm. I don't believe that. I think he's thinking about the future. And obviously, as New Testament Christians, we want to go to the old and we want to look at it and try to understand it even in how it's fulfilled for us as believers right here and right now.

So let's think for a moment in this life and then let's think about in the future. Think of the opposition you face from the enemy. Do you guys have opposition from the enemy? He says right here, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

People have evil plans. People want to kill Christians. People want Christians to suffer. People want to slander our names and damage our testimonies. And in the end, do you know what the wicked are going to do?

They're going to look on and see how the Lord has provided for us in a miraculous way. Miraculous way. I was thinking, who's an example of someone who had a table prepared before their enemies? You know who I was thinking about?

Stephen. Think what happened to Stephen. What do you mean a table prepared before his enemies? Listen to Acts 7 .60. He's being stoned to death and being martyred and it says this, and falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice.

And what did he say? Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this, what happened? Say again. Yeah, heaven opened up. He saw the Lord standing at the right hand. Who wouldn't want that to happen?

Who wants to see the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of the throne of God and have heaven opened up? I don't know about you, that'd be incredible. Now, it's followed up with you're going and departing and being with Him, so you're not going to tell about it except it got recorded here in Acts.

But it says he fell asleep. My point is even there, in the midst of severe suffering, even in the midst of his enemies, you don't leave Acts 7 and say, oh, that's a really negative outcome of what happened.

You actually look and you say, you know what? The host, the shepherd, has incredibly provided for the believer in the midst of his trial where others would want to partake of that. You're looking in at what Stephen's going through, and it's not that you don't want to be at the table, you want to be there.

I mean, even in this life, who was one of those enemies involved in stoning Stephen? Paul. And what ends up happening to Paul? He gets converted. He eventually gets saved. He obviously didn't have satisfaction as a lost religious Pharisee.

He was miserable. Depending on how you understand Romans 7, you could see some of that misery that he was suffering. But to me, Acts 7 actually sounds like someone whose cup is overflowing. Not someone who's in misery, but someone who is in the midst of a trial and the Lord is there with them.

And even in the presence of their enemies, there's a table being prepared. And you can just see it. Stephen being ushered into paradise. There's hardly anything negative that's actually happening to him there.

But I think in a broader sense, are there special seasons of comfort in this life in the nearness of God that you and I are going to find we're going to have? Yeah. There are those seasons. John Piper, he says, the point of v. 5 is not that life is a big party, but that there are those festive times in life and we should recognize them as gifts of God.

Listen to this, and I think he's right. And signs of His ultimate intention for us. You think just that comfort, that table being prepared, the spiritual sustenance that you are feasting on? Oh, and it didn't last.

It was just for three hours. You know what? God's ultimate intention is there's a feast. Which it's not going to end, brethren. It's going to go on. It's going to go on. And there's times David, he was not at a table with a cup overflowing.

Listen to Psalm 55. He said, fear and trembling came over me. And horror overwhelmed me. And David, he says this, he said, oh, that I had wings like a dove. I would fly away and be at rest. I'd fly away and be at rest.

And in the end, he cast his burdens on the Lord and the Lord sustains him. But brethren, there's going to be a time where you and I are perpetually going to be feasting at Christ's table. And He's going to be serving us.

And it's going to be glorious. And it's never going to end. And those moments of that type of comfort and that type of nearness and that sense of the cup overflowing in this life and that sense of joy unspeakable and full of glory, though it doesn't last, brethren, it's kind of wetting your appetite for the buffet that's going to come in eternity.

And I think here, because the way he ends this psalm, I think David is, yeah, ultimately thinking about a future feasting, a future feasting. Right after stating verse five, he concludes in view of this.

That's what leads him into saying, surely goodness and mercy, right? It's because of verse five, it's part of what he's thinking about that he goes on and he says, well, only goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He's thinking about what is to come in eternity and the ultimate table that is being prepared for the believer. So David says the Lord prepares a table.

God's Preparation of Salvation and Eternal Blessing

Think of that word prepare. What's the synonym of prepare? Prepare, someone prepares something for you that you can partake in, right? That you can enjoy. Can you recall some time someone prepared for you something that put a lot of time and effort into it?

I mean, a significant time and effort into it. Maybe it's your kids, your dad, he had a hidden project in the backyard, building you a tree house for three days and he was just building it all up and hiding it with a tarp or never letting you look through the back window.

You get out there, you're amazed at the preparation that has gone into it. Christian, any example of what men have prepared for us is pathetic compared to what the Lord has prepared for us. It's not a surprise trip, it's not an epic birthday party.

I mean, think of all that the Lord has prepared for you. Is that something we should think about? Should you think about what the Lord has prepared for you? Guess who's doing that right here? David. You prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies.

I mean, the Christian should reflect on what is being organized and prepared for them. What is Paul even saying in Colossians 3? Set your mind on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Set your mind on things that are above, not things that are on earth. And so this just made me think about the Lord preparing a table, somewhere to feast, even spiritually speaking. I just thought, think of all that the Lord has prepared for you and I, Christian.

And just think of some of these verses. Hear these verses. Listen to this. And I was even thinking, you know what some parents prepare for their child? They prepare a college fund, right? When does the child start to appreciate the preparation of the college fund?

When they're two or when they're how old? Yeah, probably when they're 18, they start to appreciate it. You know what? In the same way, once you're converted, you read some of these verses and you just realize I had no idea.

I had no idea of all that God was preparing and working for me. Ephesians 1 .4. Listen to this. This is no college fund, brethren. He chose us in Him. When? And how could we be saved? What had to be prepared?

Listen to this. Hebrews 10 .5. Christ came into the world. He said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. What got prepared for the Son of God? A body. And then what got prepared for the Son of God to drink?

A cup. What was in the cup? Yeah, listen to Psalm 75. In the hand of the Lord, there's a cup with foaming wine, well-mixed, and He pours out from it and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

Well, you say, well, Christ isn't wicked. He never had to drink the cup. Brethren, He died for those who were wicked, His enemies, and He suffered our punishment. Therefore, He drank the cup down to the dregs that you and I deserve to have at our mouth.

And then instead, He gives us a cup that's overflowing. I mean, what a transaction there that's happening. Even Romans 5 .5. Someone pointed this out to me. Hope does not put us to shame because what?

God's love is poured into our hearts. I mean, wrath being poured on you or God's love being poured into your heart. I mean, that's been prepared for you before the foundation of the world, Christian. It's incredible to have His love poured into our hearts, to have a cup that is overflowing.

A dinner's been prepared. Matthew 22, see, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fat calves have been slaughtered. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast. Brethren, that's just a small picture of God the Father.

His Son has been slaughtered on that cross. The knife of justice has cut His throat. And that blood's been spilled. And the Father is saying everything's ready. You want full forgiveness? You want full pardon?

You want everlasting life? You come. I have prepared my dinner. Don't bring anything. It's literally this hospitality, everything's already taken care of. Don't bring a drink. Don't bring a bag of chips.

It's all done. None of your works. Cease from that. Trust in the Savior. And how incredible is this preparation? Here is a verse that's often misunderstood. But 1 Corinthians 2, this isn't talking about heaven primarily.

This is talking about the Gospel. But as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared, there our word is, prepared for those who love Him.

And then listen to what He says. These things God has revealed to us. It's already been revealed. What no eye could see, no ear could hear. These incredible mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that those in the Old Testament, they looked at it through a veil.

That's all been revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. And similar verses in Ephesians 3, 4. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men and other generations.

You see, it wasn't made known. No eye could see it. They didn't fully understand it. And now He says this, it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery, what is it?

What is this great mystery no eye could see? What is this great glorious reality that's been prepared for you and I, Christian? I mean, don't take these words for granted. This mystery is what? At the Gentiles.

That's you and me. The non-Jews. Our fellow heirs. Members of the same body. And partakers of the promise in Christ through the Gospel. We take that for granted? I'm a non-Jew. Yet, I am a Jew circumcised of the heart.

Part of the New Covenant. Yet, the only reason I'm able to be a partaker is because there was some plan that no eye could see, no one could understand, and it's been revealed through the Spirit. And here we're partakers of this mystery.

This is astonishing what Christ has done. Matthew Poole, he says, it could never have entered into the heart of men to conceive that God should give His only begotten Son out of His own bosom to take upon Him our nature, to die upon the cross, or that Christ should so far humble Himself and become obedient unto death.

Thomas Brooks, if eye hath not seen, nor ear has heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man to conceive the great things that God hath laid up in the Gospel. That's what 1 Corinthians 2 .9 is to be understood as.

He goes on to say this, how much less then are they able to declare the great things that God hath laid up for His people in another world? I mean, I realize it. I think people wrongly take 1 Corinthians 2 to talk about heaven.

Brethren, heaven is going to be incredible if you take that in its context and realize it's talking about the Gospel and realize that that actually has been revealed in the present and you've actually partaken of that.

I think Brooks is totally right. If all this mystery is so glorious, this preparation for us Gentiles to be converted, what on earth is going to await for us? It's just going to be incredible to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Us Gentiles partakers. Brethren, David was a shepherd and in a remarkable, sudden way, he was elevated to go from a shepherd to a king. Brethren, what about you and I? We were Gentiles. In a remarkable way, we have been elevated to become co-heirs with Christ seated in the heavenlies.

It's absolutely astonishing. You can't look at your life and see the promises you have in Christ and say that the cup is empty. It's overflowing because of all that God has prepared. Even on the worst day as a Christian, in the worst trial as a Christian, the promises in Christ and the Gospel and the heaven to come, it just gets things in perspective.

Well, I don't have strength. Well, God thought of that. He's prepared that for us. 2 Peter 1, by which He's granted to us His precious and very great promises so that through them, you may become partakers.

There it is, partakers of divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of the sinful desires. You hear all God's prepared? Romans 9 .23, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He prepared when?

Beforehand. I mean, if you're converted, if you've come to Christ, you're a vessel of mercy that He created beforehand. He's prepared you. He's thought about you specifically. And what's He prepared for us to do?

This God who's preparing so many things. What does Ephesians 2 .10 say? We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared when? Beforehand that you should walk in them.

We're just trying to walk out what God's already prepared. We're trying to discern that. And you know what we also need to be prepared to do for this God who's prepared so much glorious realities for us?

1 Peter 3 .15, but in your hearts, honor Christ, the Lord is holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect.

Hebrews 11 .16, therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city. Like, you just can't even get your mind around all that God has prepared. He prepared me as a vessel for mercy before the foundation of the world.

He chose me in Him. He's prepared this glorious mystery of being a Gentile and coming to know the Lord. I'm actually in San Antonio, Texas and I'm converted and saved and know the truth from a ministry of a Jewish carpenter over there in Galilee.

And all that truth has come all the way over here and it's brought many of us into the kingdom. It's just a miracle that He would even prepare anything that we could even be partakers of it at all. We take it for granted that we have all this truth right there in front of us in the Gospel.

Brethren, it is a miracle that we have the riches that we have. That there's even the table here to sit down and partake of in Christ. John 14, here are another verses about what He's prepared. In my Father's house, there are many rooms.

If it were not so, what I have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to Myself. He's preparing a place for me. Who would do that?