(Romans) Interrogation Explanation Conclusion — Willie Mullan

Romans 11 and the Pattern of Interrogation, Explanation, and Conclusion

Returning to Romans this evening, Paul's letter to the Romans, and we're at the eleventh chapter. This very great and memorable and debatable eleventh chapter of Romans. We're going through the first twelve verses this evening.

Romans chapter eleven, and we're going through the first twelve verses. And I have called this paragraph, Interrogations, Explanations, Conclusions. Because you'll find the whole way through these twelve verses that Paul is asking questions, he's interrogating the saints that he's writing to.

And after asking the question, he answers it and he explains it. So that we have interrogations and then explanations, and then he comes to very solid conclusions about certain things. And the whole way through these twelve verses this evening, we have these interrogations and explanations and conclusions.

Romans 11 as the Explanation of God's Dealings with Israel

Now, I need to say before we commence the chapter, that this is the section in the letter to the Romans where Paul is explaining God's dealings with Israel in this dispensation. This is the explanation of God's dealings with Israel in this dispensation.

See, there are some great sections in Romans. When we started in the first three chapters, we found the world condemned, the condemnation of sinners as we scribbled over that section. And then we went into chapters, the half of three and all four and five, and we found the doctrine of justification by faith.

And we called that the justification of believers. So that we have the condemnation of sinners, and then the justification of believers. And then when we came to chapter six, seven, eight, we have the sanctification of faith, and what nights we had on practical sanctification.

And now we're at the explanation of Israel. So that the sections must be kept before your mind. Condemnation of sinners, justification of believers, the sanctification of saints, and we're at the explanation of Israel, God's dealings with Israel in this dispensation.

Now, having cleared the ground, we're ready to start. And we get the first question right in the first verse. Verse one, I say then, because we must put the emphasis on the then. You see, he's remembering what has been said in the last chapter.

Do you remember how chapter ten ended in verse twenty-one? God speaking to Israel. But to Israel he says, all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and chainsaying people. And you remember how I underlined for you the patience of God, and the pleadings of God.

For God stood all day long, how patient he is, and he held out his hands. He was pleading. And then I underlined for you how Israel responded. My, they were a disobedient and chainsaying people. They disobeyed, and they disbelieved.

What a people, with what a potency. And so, seeing Israel going on in unbelief and disobedience, Paul begins this chapter by saying, I say then, just because of Israel's attitude to God, first God cast away his people.

And of course, when you connect this up with the last chapter, you have no trouble about the people he's talking about. First God cast away Israel. First God cast away the people not before you. And the question actually means this.

First God cast away Israel in their totality? Of this disobedient and disbelieving nation that had been cast away in its totality by God? That's the question. And of course, he gives the answer, doesn't he?

I say then, has God cast away his people? And he's very outspoken about it. He says, God forbid. No, God hasn't cast away his people in their totality. And then he brings in something to explain this answer.

He says, for I also am an Israelite. You see, God hadn't cast him away. He was gloriously saved, wasn't he? For this was one of that ancient people, at least, that God hadn't cast away. He says, no, God hasn't cast them away in their totality.

For I also am an Israelite. And then he puts a bit to it, just in case somebody would be thinking that maybe he was a prophet-elite from Rome. He said, I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

You see, he has a great historical background, this writer of this epistle. He said, you know, I'm a true Israelite. I'm really one of the seed of Abraham. And I'm not only a true Israelite, I'm a royal Israelite.

I'm of the tribe of Benjamin. You know, when Israel got into the land of Plomus, you remember that they fell out among themselves. Terrible when God's people fall out. And they divided into two nations.

Yes, there was what was called the northern nation. There were ten tribes in the north. They set up a king up there, and they had Samaria as their royal city. And there were two tribes in the south, and they were called the southern part of the nation.

And they had the king of their own. They were called Judah, and the northern part was called Ephraim. And the ten tribes called Ephraim of Samaria as their royal city, and they had many kings. And the two tribes in the south were Judah and Benjamin.

And Judah was the rightful heir to the throne, and Benjamin stood loyal and royal to the king. So there is boasting about this, that I'm not only an Israelite, you know. I am of the seed of Abraham. I wasn't proselytized into this.

I was really born an Israelite, and I am of the tribe of Benjamin. I'm a real Israelite, and I belong to the royal tribe. The Benjamites love to boast of this. And so he said, the Lord hasn't cast me away.

And then he says something else. He comes to this solid conclusion. Verse 2, this is the conclusion. Now, you saw the interrogation in verse 1, then the explanation in part of verse 1, and then we come to the conclusion in verse 2.

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Let's get that concluded in our souls this evening, because you know there aren't a lot of people in the world tonight, and they have absolutely no time and absolutely no future for the Jews.

Let's conclude this. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Let's conclude it like that. Whether we like it or whether we don't, we'll go by scripture. Now, he's going to prove this a little bit further and take it much broader, as you shall see.

Elijah, the Faithful Remnant, and God's Continuing Witness

So that we come to the second interrogation. It's in the middle of verse 2. He says, What ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? And the word Elias there is the Greek form of the word Elijah. So we mustn't mix up Elias and Elijah here.

He's actually talking about Elijah. What ye not what the scripture saith of Elijah? Now, here's what the scripture said about Elijah. How he make it into session to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets.

That is, Israel hath killed thy prophets. And digged down thine altars, and Israel hath digged down thine altars. And I am left alone to seek my life. You know, that's what Elijah really thought at one time in his life.

He thought that he was the only one left through the gods. A shocking state of affairs when the man of God doesn't know the truth of things. He thought he was the only one that was left. And I only am left.

My God soon corrected him, didn't he? Watch verse 4. And we're at the interrogation again. But what saith the answer of God unto him? What saith the answer of God? Now, here's the explanation coming. God said, I have reserved to myself 7 ,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

Thank God for that. You know, that's something that Elijah didn't know. Prophets of God didn't know. You know, we should be absolutely clear about this tonight. That it matters not what dispensation we're in.

And it matters not about the day or the hour we're in. And it matters not how the lion roars, or the darkness deepens, or how the enemy multiplies. Let's get this settled. Right to the end of time, God will have witnesses for his name down here.

Will He? In every period of the world's history, it has been so. God has had witnesses. You remember those terrible days before the floods? Why, God had to destroy the world. It was so wicked. He looked down, and he saw that the imagination and the heart of man was evil, and that continually.

And God couldn't go on with it. He must drop it off. But even in those days, there was a Minak who walked with God. There was a Noah who was found righteous before God. God had his witnesses. And in the darkest hour of Israel's history, when the prophets of Baal stalked the whole land, God had seven thousand who had never vowed to meet a Baal.

Righteous didn't know about that. Oh, God will look after the business. Don't let's ever get the idea that He's just depending on one man. God has seven thousand at all times. And when the darkest day for this world dawns, in the great tribulation, when the Antichrist is abroad, God will have one hundred and forty-four thousand Jews.

He'll take them through. God. God has witnesses at all times. And you know, we're living in a horrible hour just now. We're living in that horrible hour when modernistic apostates, under the disguise of being scholars, are trying to take the very word of God from the children of God.

You know, Schuper is one of the leaders of this crowd. If you're an old Methodist, hang your head for a moment or two. Because this character belongs to you. And just the other day, openly in the paper, this is known to the whole world, he said that he believed that if we could keep the Bible away from everybody for twelve months, it would be a good thing.

And I never saw a challenge from one Methodist. Let me say this to you. You do know the first psalm, don't you? The first psalm talks about the blessed man. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord.

And in his law, God, he meditates, now listen to it, day and night. The man that's really blessed, he gets down to the book day and night, he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. You know, God says the man that sticks at this book day and night will be blessed.

Super says let's take it off him. You can believe which one of the two you like. Our Lord Jesus prayed this prayer and remember it was our Lord Jesus. He said follow, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.

He wanted the word to be applied continually. Super says take it off him. The book of Psalms in the 119th psalm in verse 9 says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, but by taking heed thereto according to thy words.

But super says take the book off him. He's trying to be smart. This is supposed to be cleverness. But he's that stupid, he doesn't know the plain verses of scripture and nobody seems to tackle him. You know in the Old Testament when we were coming in through the gate of the tabernacle and past the burnt sacrifice, the next thing you came to was a label.

And the water in the label was symbolic of the word of God. You see the Lord Jesus gave himself for the church that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water, by the words. He applies the word so that he may sanctify the church and keep it clean.

He keeps it clean through the word. Do you remember in John 15 he said, Ye are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you. And do you know this, that should one of God's people have passed the label without washing, they would have been immediately stricken down dead.

My dear friend, this thought comes from hell. To take the word of God, of the people of God, isn't it the milk for the baby? Isn't it the food for a strong man? It's the devil's work. He's an apostate.

But thank God there are thousands, even in the Methodist church, who doesn't bother this nonsense of Baal. Thank God. They're not all as stupid as that, you know. Let's give them credit when they take their stand.

You know over in England at the present moment there's a character, he's called Dr. Williams, and he's the pastor of Rye Lane Baptist Church. It's where he belongs to. And next year, this year, in May sometime, he will be the president of the English Baptist.

And he's written a book and it's on the market. You can buy it, it's nine and sixpence, but it'll be nine and sixpence lost. And he doesn't believe either in the atoning death or the bodily resurrection of Christ.

He says the only thing that came out of the grave was the church. God pity him. He's an apostate Baptist, and he's about to be the president of the Baptist. He'll never get his nose in that door anyway, you can be sure of that.

Listen friends, all around us, we can see the darkness deepening on every hand. See the apostates and the modernists under the disguise of supposed to be scholars, and they're trying to do away with Christ and the word of Christ, to do away with the people of Christ.

Friends, thank God, there are thousands and thousands of people who believe in the image of Bill. Thank God. You know, I would love to really preach on this someday. Bowing the knee to the image of Bill, and I would do it like this.

Bowing the knee to the Bill of Luke 1. You know, we're living in a day and hour, it's called the Laodicean period in the book of Revelation. And the church is looked up by the master, the Lord of the church.

And he says, thou art lukewarm. He says, I know you say that you have need of nothing, but thou knowest not that thou art poor and blind and miserable and wretched and naked. I wonder, I wonder have we bowed the knee to this?

We just sit around us. I wonder have we bowed the knee to the Bill of worldliness? A church doesn't need gold. It needs the Bible. A church doesn't need tennis. It needs two men. Have we bowed the knee to the Bill of worldliness?

I wonder have we bowed the knee to the Bill of goodness? You know, all around us they have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. There's no life, no power, no Christ, no nothing. Go and find out at their chair meeting.

Find that there are three quarters of the churches in the land wouldn't know the way to carry one on. Have you bowed your knee to it? Is that where you're stuck? God help you. God help you. You know, the Lord's looking for man and woman who'll be true to him, who won't bow the knee to the image of Baal.

And it's all around us, you know. It's all around us. Can he count on you? Does he number you in when he's talking like this? Is you one of the seven thousand? God help us to be true and fearless and faithful.

Yes, but what Paul is doing here is something else. I want you to notice this. You see, when he's explaining that God hath not cast away Israel, he brings in his own personality, first of all as a proof that God hasn't, and then he goes back to Jewish history to prove it.

And so Jewish history proves that even when it seemed that God had cast the nation away, my, there were seven thousand of them. That's what he's doing. That's us back onto the track again. And so he uses, first of all, his own personality to prove that God hasn't cast them away, for I'm an Israelite.

And he uses Jewish history to prove, for when Elijah thought that he was only left to praise God, there were seven thousand. And so he comes to this conclusion. Now watch the conclusion. Verse five. Even so then, at this present time, that's the dispensation we're in now, even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

The Remnant Saved by Grace Rather Than Works

You know, even this much time, in this hour, God is calling out a few Jews, and he's bringing them into the Church of Jesus Christ. Oh yes, they're saved by grace. Let's get the hold of it. They're what is called here the election of grace.

And you know, that's very wonderful that there is a remnant of Michael in the Church. Yes, they're neither Jew nor Gentile now, they belong to the Church of Christ. And I want you to watch what he put behind that in verse six.

He says they're the election of grace, and if by grace, then it is no more of works. You know, we want to get that very clearly in our minds. If you get saved by grace, you don't get saved by works, you know.

If you get saved by grace, God expects you to work after that, but you don't get saved by works. Because you can't get saved by works and call it grace, can you? And if by grace, then it is no more of works.

Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. You know, he's just being absolutely blunt about this. You can't work the two principles at the one time.

You can't be saved by grace and saved by works. It will either have to be grace or works. And if you think that you can so work that you can meet the requirements of a holy God for your sins, you're a fool.

So you'd better give up your works and turn to the message of grace. For God's grace is flowing on the foot of the face of Christ tonight, and grace is flowing like a river. And millions there have been supplied, and still it flows as fresh as ever from the Savior's wounded side.

And so he has proved that God has not cast away his people which he foreknew, because he was saved and there was an election of grace, a remnant, and they were saved by grace. And so he comes to the big question then in the chapter, verse 7, he says, what then?

He seems to shout that. This is the interrogation again. You see, and this is how he teaches. He asks questions and then he answers. He's just asking, how then does the case stand now? This is the crowd of them saved by grace.

And the Jew and Gentile are coming into the church together. What then? How does the case stand then? As if he's saying, what then is the present situation? And that's the interrogation. Now here's the explanation, and we want to be very careful with this.

Verse 7. What then, he says. And here's the answer. Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for. Now that's Israel as an entire nation. Israel as an entire nation hath not obtained that which he seeketh for.

What did Israel seek for? Well, if you go up to the beginning of chapter 10, you'll see what he was seeking for. You remember this. Let's get this over again so that we'll be quite clear. Verse 1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

What was Israel trying to obtain? Israel was trying to obtain righteousness with God through works. And they failed. So he says, what then? He says, Israel hath at a whole heart not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it.

That is that little remnant called out of Israel by the grace of God. Put their faith by grace, and they've got the robe of righteousness given to them by grace, through faith. And so they have obtained it.

Now, I want you to watch this bit. He says, what then? That's the interrogation. And then he gives the explanation. Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it.

Now, here's the conclusion. And the rest were blinded. Now, if you've got a good Bible, and there's a margin in it, and there's a little number at the word blinded, and you look up the number in the margin, you'll find it's the word hardened.

And the rest were hardened. So that we find that Israel is divided into two here now. One crowd we'll call the remnant, saved by grace, and the other crowd we call the rest. And they were blinded by God.

But this brings in another problem, doesn't it? The deeper we go, the more problems we face. But it'll be all right. Now, this is something that we want to settle once and for all. We're almost back to Esau and Jacob again.

You see the remnant saved by God's grace, and you see the rest of Israel blinded by God. Blinded by God. Because the scripture said this, didn't it, according as it is written, verse 8, God hath given them the spirit of tremor.

That's a terrible thing, isn't it? Eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. And David saith, Stephen and the top and the stumbling block and the recompense unto them.

Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back all way. So this crowd that's called the rest is in a terrible condition, aren't they? I think that there's something that we must get tidied up here before we go any further.

We'll go back to verse 7. Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for. Now, it's quite clear that he failed to obtain that which he was seeking for. Now, did he fail because he was blinded, or was he blinded because he failed?

You get that? You can see quite clearly, now I'm taking you easy, you can see quite clearly that he didn't obtain the thing he was seeking for. That bit's absolutely staring at you in the face. So that he failed to obtain it.

Now, did he fail to obtain it because God blinded him, or was he blinded because he failed? My dear friends, that's the crux of the matter. And I shall show you tonight that because he failed, he was blinded.

It wasn't God blinding him in anything. Don't put the onus on God. You've got to keep it where it belongs on Israel. You say, are you sure of this? Oh, I'm too sure of it. Now, let's go back into chapter 30, into chapter 9, and to verse 30.

Into chapter 9, and verse 30. And again, he's got these questions, you know. What shall we say then? You remember this one we had one night before. That the Gentiles, mark that, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

But Israel, and mark that, which followed after the law of righteousness, have not obtained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Watch this. Because they started not by faith. Now, why did they not obtain the righteousness that they were after?

Because they started not by faith. Oh, all the time the message was coming out to them. But they wouldn't lay hold on it by faith. And so they didn't attain to it, or obtain it, because they started not by faith.

And because they disbelieved, and were game-savers, God blinded them. Have you got it? Is it tidied up for the critics? Have you got it? Because it's worth getting, you know. Why a lot of people blame God for damning people.

I don't know what sort of a God you think you have. To be seen, and all the mercy of heaven behind it, to souls in this meeting tonight, and he holds out his hands, and they disobey, and they gamesay, and they disbelieve.

You know what will happen to you? You'll go into the blackness of darkness and you'll be damned forever, and it will be your own fault. And when you're there, don't blame God. My God did everything he could to get them to custom.

But they wouldn't take it by faith. Oh no. They were going to walk their way to heaven. A lot of old hypocrites in the land yet, and they'll walk their way to heaven. They'll pray into the church. They'll get their name on the church wall.

They'll sit at the Lord's table. The old hypocrites have no time for Christ. Oh, they wouldn't come out and take them by faith, you know. They'll go to hell. And I'll tell you this, if God has to stand too long with some of you, you'll go blind, and you'll not even hear God.

And do you know what will happen to you? You'll be damned before you go to hell at all. God is a real bull cutter, do you see? Watch it. Verse 8, God hath given them, my God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, ears that they should not hear unto this day, and let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them.

Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see. Bow down their back always. You know, the judgment of God, and the wrath of God, and the curse of God, the real thing. May God deliver you from ever being under the judgment of God.

May God deliver you from ever being under the wrath of God. And may God deliver you from ever being under the curse of God. Now Israel got there because they sought it not by faith. Go back to that ninth chapter again, and finish it out for you, see.

It says, verse 31,. But Israel which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.

For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. You know, that's what stumbled them. As it is written, Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

You know, they couldn't come to trust in the sacrifice, and in the Christ of the sacrifice. They couldn't be got there at all. You couldn't bring them there. Oh, they'd walk their way to heaven. God got fed up talking to them.

He said, I'll blame you. Now, that brings a bigger problem than ever, if that's tidied up for you, because we're hurrying on to this one. It's verse 11. I say then, at the same three words as begun this, this is after I've got all that off my chest.

Israel's Fall Is Not Final

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? You see, when he put the first question in the first verse, he said, I say then, hath God cast away his people? That is, are they totally cast away?

Now, he has proved that they're not totally cast away, because he was saved and there was a remnant of it. Now, what he's asking here is very different. He's saying here, are they finally cast away? These are two good questions.

Is Israel totally cast away? Israel finally cast away? Have they stumbled by their unbelief that they'll fall now? Are they totally cast away? Are they finally cast away? Now, we're at the finally bit now.

Getting it tidied up all right for you. All right. Now, watch this. That's the interrogation, isn't it? Now, here's the explanation. God forbid. As the boys in this club have said, there's no future for Israel.

Oh, God! God forbid. That's what he's saying. That's what he's saying. And then he goes on with this explanation. God forbid, but rather through their fall. Mind you, this fall is taking in a lot. It's taking in the gain, you say, and the disobedience, and the unbelief, and the slumber, and the blindness.

He says there, but rather through their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles. You know, I think that's very wonderful, isn't it? You know, when Israel got so stubborn and so set in their unbelief, and were so disobedient to God, and were so full of this unbelief, my God had to push them aside for a moment, and he brought out this great salvation to the Gentiles.

All right, come down the line to us, you know. He says, you know, they're not totally cast away. God forbid. He says, but rather through their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles. Now watch this.

For to provoke them to jealousy. Are you quick, you fellows that are on the other side of the argument? What would be the use of making them jealous if you have nothing for them? Jealous for? If you're finished with them?

Do you think God would play a God with them? Well, you're charging God with something. None you are. But we'll tidy it up before we're through the chapter, you know. My God's provoking them even today.

Now he comes to the bit that we need to tidy up. This is the conclusion of the whole thing. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, this is the menu statement, and the diminishing of them, the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness.

So there must still be a fullness for Israel. Ah yes. Now the fall's past, and the diminishing's past, and if God's finished with them at all, well what's the use of talking about fullness now? That must come after the diminishing.

This is the future for Israel. Whether you like it or not. I'm not worried what you like. I'm just worried about getting the truth out of this book. Now I shall take the time, I've rushed it, and I have quite a lot of time left, and I'm taking the time to prove that there's a fullness for Israel.

Abraham's Promise of the Land

You like to follow me? Alright. Come back to Genesis, and we'll start at Genesis chapter 12. Book of Genesis, chapter 12, and it is here, right here, that God is calling Abraham out of the earth of the Chaldees.

Verse 1, Genesis 12, verse 1, Now the Lord hath said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee. Now I want you to watch the wording, onto a land.

He doesn't tell them what land, does he? He's assessing. He's one of the test. You remember what Hebrews 11 says about this? It says, By faith Abraham, when he was called to go, went forth not knowing whether he went.

You know, had you met him that morning, coming across the burning sun, with all the camels, and the donkeys, and the ousers, and the menfolk, and all the servants, and all the households. Said, Abraham, where are you going?

He says, I don't know. You know what the world would say? Foolish. The next you weren't born, you wouldn't know where you were going to say you were foolish. He was walking by faith now. God had promised, I don't know where it is, but if God says it, it's right.

Man is walking the pathway of faith now. He's going to a land, a land which I shall show thee. Now God brought him across the Syrian desert, and he eventually came, look at verse 6,. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the plain of Moreh, and I stood at this very spot.

And again a night was then in the land, and the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. It's not a free land anymore. It's this land now. And you know the old Jews are so proud of that statement, that at the very place where God met Abraham yonder at Moreh, they had the spot.

You can only lean on the fence and look in at the spot. You're not allowed to walk on it. It was there that God promised us this land. They're very proud of that. Now that he knows where he is now, doesn't he?

Now go into chapter 13, and after he got rid of Lot, God had another talk with him. Verse 14,. And the Lord said unto Abram,. After that Lot was separated from them,. Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which thou seest, for thee will I give it.

Watch this, read this. Unto thy seed forever. Mind you, when God says the things forever, you can take it from me forever. You know I talked with an Arab in the land, and he said to me, he said you know this land that we're on now, he said this is ours.

We belong to Ishmael, and Ishmael was Abraham's first son. I said that's quite right. But you know God gave it to Abraham and to his seed, and he explains in another place that his seed is Isaac. This land belongs to the Jew, not the Arabs.

And it belongs to the Jew forever. They took it off them for quite a while, you know. But they have it tonight like that. And they were out of this land for nearly 2 ,500 years. That is they have their own rule in the land.

You know we'll pass over a bit here quickly. Let's see them, let's see them at the end of the chapter just for a moment. Verse 16. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. Now look at Joshua for a moment at the first chapter. You remember that Moses died. And now God's talking to Joshua.

And we're at the book of Joshua, and we're at the first chapter. And just to save time, he said to Joshua in verse 6, Be strong and offer good courage, for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swear unto their fathers to give them.

You know God never forgets His promises. Friends, God will keep His promises forever. Keep them forever. So you see, he's remembering that He promised to keep the land, this land, and now He's about to bring the children of Israel into the land.

Now I think we can save time here. You know that they came over to Jordan and got into the land. And you know that the cross was in the land. You remember that. And then what we were thinking about tonight before, they fell out and fought with each other in the land.