We can bank on this, the word
of God. We can bank on this fact, he
says, it is finished. It is finished. What? Salvation. Salvation is of the Lord, is
it not? Isn't that what it says throughout the word there? And
I love to tell that story. I've got to share this with you,
and I'm ashamed of this to be quite honest with you. I'm ashamed.
But I've got to share it with you anyway. 10 minutes to 11, I was standing
here. Kathy had stepped out for a second,
and I was all alone in this building. And I looked up at the clock.
Some of our regulars were running a little bit behind. I hadn't seen Roberta, Mike,
and Becky, Mike, and I just sitting there thinking to myself, Lord,
is there going to be anybody here to hear the gospel today?
And within seconds, within seconds, our Lord brought this group of
folks here, walking into this building. What am I ashamed of? I'm ashamed that I doubted God.
that I doubted his purpose, that I doubted his gospel to go out. Folks, we're weak. I see heads bobbing up and down.
Yeah, we're weak. We're weak in the flesh. And
doubting our Lord is part of our biggest weaknesses. Unbelief. Lord, I believe. Whosoever believeth
on me shall have everlasting life. Lord, I believe. Help thou
mine unbelief. Open your hymn books to 297 for
just a moment. I want you to read along with
me. I'll read aloud. You just read along with me because
I want you to see these words. I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus
and his love. I love to tell the story because
I know tis true. It satisfies my longings as nothing
else can do. I love to tell the story. Tis
pleasant to repeat what seems each time I tell it more wonderfully
sweet. I love to tell the story, for
some have never heard the message of salvation from God's own holy
word. I love to tell the story for
those who know it best, seem hungering and thirsting to hear
it like the rest. And when in scenes of glory I
sing the new, new song, it will be the old, old story that I
have loved so long. I love to tell the story. It
will be my theme and glory to tell the old, old story of Jesus
and his love. Turn to Isaiah chapter 12. The story of a Savior who came
from glory is an old, old story indeed. We see the first time
that our Lord outright declares Christ and Him crucified, and
that's the message, isn't it? It's always Christ and Him crucified. What feeds the sheep of God?
What satisfies our soul after we've trampled around in this
world, in this valley of the shadow of death for the last
seven days? What satisfies us? What gives
us peace when we deal with that flesh, that sin that bubbles
up inside of us? Those thoughts that plague us. A Savior. Christ the Lord. Not just a Savior,
but one who accomplishes everything that He desired. If He has desired
a people for Himself, He shall have that people. But the first time he shows us
an example of that very thing, Christ and him crucified, is
when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. They tried to clothe themselves
with their own righteousness. I can imagine him saying to the
Lord, if he had recorded it, maybe they would have said something
like, but Lord, we've walked with you every Sunday. Lord,
we've done this. wrapping themselves in the leaves
and the works of their own hands. And God said, I'll have naught
of any of that. That's not good enough. There's
only one satisfaction to God Almighty, and that's the blood
of his son, the Lord Jesus. Why? Because that's the only
blood that could be shed that is perfect in every way. He's God. Could the blood of Christ be
shed and not accomplish what it was purposed for? What kind
of a God is that? Oh, one who maybe just hangs
everything out here and says, OK, let's just see how things
work out. That's not the God of scriptures. The God of scriptures says, if
I purpose it, I shall do it, won't I? Shouldn't I? Absolutely. What a story. The story of Christ
wrapping his people, wrapping Adam and Eve, clothing them in
the blood of his son, in the righteousness of Christ in Christ
alone. They didn't do anything to help
him with that. He's the one, God's the one who provided those
skins, and how did he do it? He did it by sacrificing an animal. Shedding blood. A picture of
the perfect blood of Christ. Wrapping Adam and Eve as a picture
in His perfect righteousness. They had no righteousness of
their own. They died. They died in the Spirit. When
Adam and Eve sinned in that garden, death came upon all things. We
can see that, can't we? Look out at the trees. We have
a tree out here in the back right now that's going to need to be
cut down and removed. It's got some rot going on. It
leans out over the building. And because of the insurance
laws in California, we don't have insurance anymore, folks.
But that tree's dead. Everything dies. Our brother Cass, and we just
put Maxine's name on the plaque. Remember, it's in the back room. My brother Cass doesn't have
much longer to live. Everything dies in this world
because of the curse of sin. There are many who say Christ
was not preached in the Old Testament. But those who have the light
of God shine in their hearts. Those who have been given new
ears to hear See the true glory of God the Father written in
His word from cover to cover. Today the story begins when the
day of life comes to a believer. Look with me if you would at
verse 1 of Isaiah 12. Isaiah chapter 12 verse 1, and
in that day. We can stop there for just a
moment. We can park on this for a moment if you would. In that
day. We've all got our testimonies
to share with each other when the Lord called us out of darkness.
That was the day for me. That was the day that I could
say, in that day, in that day, John Reeves heard the gospel
for the first time. In that day, my dear brother
shaking his head back here, in the day that he came to this
church, To meet with another man who never showed up in that
day was the day of love that God brought the gospel to him
for the first time. And he's been coming ever since.
And I've been coming ever since. And some of you have been coming
here ever since. Did you, when the Lord first called you out
of darkness and brought you into his light, did you ever think
about going somewhere else? I used to, you know, I used to
live down in Sacramento. I was quite a ways away. And
I remember after I had met Bill Silva and we had rode motorcycles
together for some time, I said, Bill, you know, I just want to
go see if there's this church over here on Watt Avenue. I want
to go over and see if they preach the gospel there. Oh, John, I'm
not going to go with you. No, I got the gospel up there
to rescue you. I'm just going to keep going there. So I just,
I went. And I came back. And I said,
yep, you're right. They didn't preach the gospel.
It was all about the will of men there. It was all about how
men are doing this, men are doing that, and there was nothing about
what Christ had done for them. It's the story. The story of
Christ and Him crucified for a people. It's a story about
the blood of God, the righteousness of blood, or the righteousness
of God being shed upon the hearts of His people. It says, in that
day, in verse 1, thou shalt, in that day, thou shalt say,
O Lord. I heard for the first time, sitting
next to my sister-in-law, Shirley Reeves, over here, I heard for
the first time somebody that was described who deserved the
name God. All my life, I was raised in
religion. I had no desire for it. I had no desire to hear anything
about it. I went about celebrating John
Reeves' religion. Yet God sent a preacher to rescue
California. And then he caused me, he caused
me to come to this church to meet with my brother Lee, who
said, I've got some things to do. Can you wait till after services? Can you just give me a few minutes?
You can come in if you want, but you don't have to. Oh, I'll
come in and sit with you. I do it with mom once a year.
I can do it with you. And I heard the word of God with
a new heart. In that day, thou shalt say,
O Lord, I will praise thee Though thou
was angry with me, thine anger is turned away. What is religion? What is it? Why do people go
to churches, all the different churches, all the different types
of religion, what is it? Is it not to satisfy some God
because they're angry? Whether it's a God of your own
imagination or if it's a God, the God of scriptures. All of your Muslim religions,
all of your Catholic religions, all of your Mormon religions,
all of your, name them all. Take the time and list them all
if you want. Your Baptist religions. We need to appease God, don't
we? We know we have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. It's written in our DNA. We just have a lot of different
ways we think that we can get to God about it and satisfy those
other things. But there's only one way, folks.
Christ Jesus says in his own words, I am the way. The truth
and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. It was anger. I will praise thee, though thou
wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away. Well, what was
it that turned God's anger away? Is it something we did? Did we
stop? doing the things we did before
we heard the Word of God? Did we turn away from the things
of the world that attracted our eyes and drew us into the temptations
of the world? Did we stop smoking? Did we stop
cussing? What was it that turned away
God's anger? I was born a sinner. I'm a born sinner. I come into
this world speaking lies just as the Word of God says. I know
that. Oh, but I wasn't that bad of
a guy. Oh, yes, I was. Oh, yes, I was. And if God has
enlightened you to his son, the Lord Jesus, you know that you
were, too. Your ager has been turned away,
and thou comfortest me in that day. Over in Ezekiel. Hold your place
here. We're going to come back. We're
going to read this whole chapter, but I'm going to come back to
it in just a moment. Turn over, if you would, a couple of pages
to the right to Ezekiel chapter 36. We're talking about in that day.
That's going to be the title for this morning's message. In
that day. In that day, the day of love, where when Christ was
passing by, through the preaching of his word, a man who was wallowing
in his blood and his filth and the dirt, and the Lord walked
by and he said, live. And just like Lazarus, just like
Lazarus, that man lived. I'm talking about myself. I'll
bet you could put yourself in that very same boat if you know
what I mean. In that day, verse 25, Ezekiel
36, 25, then will I sprinkle clean water upon you. Now I want
you to take notice how many times our Lord says, I, I will. I will take you from among the
heathen, in verse 24, and gather you out of all countries, and
will bring you into your own land. Then will I, saith the
Lord, sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from
all your filthiness. Folks, that's what it's talking
about right there. That's exactly what people are doing in religion
today. I don't care which building you
go into. You go into any building you want on this road that has
a cross or whatever out in front of it that's advertising their
religious beliefs, and you will hear them talk about what way
you can appease God with what it is you're doing. Reality is
you can't. Everything we do in this flesh
is tainted with sin. We need a perfect sacrifice,
a spotless lamb. And the only one spotless is
the Lord Jesus Christ. Then I will sprinkle you with
clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your
filthiness and from all your idols, and I will cleanse you. A new heart. will also will I give you. And a new spirit will I put within
you. And I will take away the old
stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of
flesh. And I will put my spirit within
you and cause you to walk in my statutes. And ye shall keep
my judgments, and do them." Go back to, if you would, Isaiah
12. If God be for us, folks, who
can be against us? If your name was written in the
Lamb's book of life before the world was, If you are one for
whom the Father hath given his Son, given to his Son, if you
are one for whom the Son shed his own blood, cleansing you
from all iniquity, as we just read back there a moment ago,
water that would wash us clean, if you are one of his chosen
people, chosen from before the foundation of the world, this
message today is for you. In that day. In that day of your
regeneration, in that day you have received by the irresistible
grace of God, faith, and believed in Him. The Lord Jesus tells
us in John 3.16, Whosoever believeth. Lord, I believe. Help thou mine
unbelief is the problem here. Help me, Lord, when I doubt Your
Word, just like I was when I was standing there at 10 minutes
till thinking, Lord, is this it? There's five people over
in the room having coffee. Is that all we're going to have
today, Lord? Oh, Lord, I believe. Help Thou my unbelief. In that
day when a child of the Most High, a man or a woman or a child,
are called, called from the natural darkness that all mankind are
born into, dead in trespasses and sin, when that day, when
we are called out of darkness into the light of the Lord Jesus
Christ, you will cry out, O Lord, I will praise Thee. I can't tell you how often I Hear
things and this is why I don't if I'm traveling I'm not going
to say anything about being a pastor on an airplane because the first
thing I hear is oh I'm dedicated my life to Christ 20 years ago,
and I've been a different man ever since Whatever I've done
this I stopped doing this I came down to the front I got I prayed
the prayer I got into the waters of baptism I did this I did that God's people. They always start with this,
Oh Lord, I praise Thee. We know. We know, don't we? That if He hadn't have first
sought us, we would have never looked for Him. I know that. See, once I was blind. But because
God has given me a new heart, new eyes, Eyes of the heart. Not these eyes. Eyes of the heart
to see his truth. Ears to hear his truth. He says,
my sheep hear my voice. I know that. Why? Because I hear
his voice. I hear the truth of his word.
How was it anything about me? It's all of him. Salvation is
of the Lord. Oh, in that day, we praise him
for his mercy that now we see. mercy in sending His Son to cover
our sins, mercy in establishing perfect righteousness for us.
Once I was blind, but now I see. We praise Him for His grace. We know the light was turned
on, and it was God who turned it on in us. Not of us, O Lord,
but to Thee be the glory. Not of me, but to Thee. We know now by the preaching
of his gospel that there was a time when we could not see
the truths of God. We know now by the preaching
of his gospel that we were blind and could not see the truths
of his words. We know now that by the preaching of his gospel
that we have been made aware of our state before a thrice
holy God. And with understanding of what
we deserve, we cry out, praise his name. We're studying in the book of
Matthew. We're studying in the book of Matthew
on Friday nights. Yep, I went and looked up the scripture
and then I forgot what I was going to say. So we'll pass on
with that. In that day, when He opened our
blind eyes, we cried out, praise Him, praise Him, Jesus, our blessed
Redeemer. You know, I gotta remind you
of, once again, Kathy picks out the songs. I didn't go look at
the bulletin. Praise Him, praise Him, our blessed
Redeemer. Redeemed! See what God does? You think,
well, wait a minute. He's God. He's sitting up on
his throne. He's not watching what Kathy's choosing or something.
Yes, he does. He's God. He's a God of details
in everything. Just read the Old Testament scriptures
about the temple. All the details right down to
the knobs and the hooks and the curtains, all of them. He's a
God of details. Every detail. is purposed by
Him for His glory. Your anger, O Lord, has been
turned away. Where? Where was it turned to? It was turned to His Son. You see, God the Son has always
been God the Son. The Trinity has always been the
Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
But God didn't have, God the Son didn't have a body until
that day. In that day. The body that was
prepared for the Son of God, as it states in Hebrews chapter
10, or chapter 9, That body that was prepared was
prepared to go to the cross and the blood of God to be shed for
that reason. Where was his anger turned? It was turned to my sacrifice. It was turned to the sacrifice
of each and every one of his people. Not just those who walk
this earth today, but those who've walked the earth since Adam and
Eve. Adam and Eve were saved, they were covered, their sins
were covered by the blood of Christ as we saw when the Lord
covered them with the skins of an animal. Every child of God
from now, from then until the day the Lord returns, their sins
have been covered, all of them. Not one, not two, not three,
all of them. Christ became sin. Oh, don't let me forget it again,
Lord. For He, God the Father, hath
made Him, God the Son, to be sin. Who knew no sin, speaking
of God the Son, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. Where was the anger turned toward?
It was turned towards our sacrifice, our substitute, our scapegoat. It was turned to His Son. Folks,
God the Father laid all of our sins on His Son. That day when
He went to the cross and it was buried, all of the sins of His
people were buried with Him. And because He was righteous
in every way and everything that He did, God the Father accepted
His sacrifice. That's what the picture of all
the blood that was shed in the Old Testament was all about.
It wasn't that the blood of bulls and goats did any good, but that
it pictured the blood of the one who did and who would satisfy
God's justice, God's anger. His anger was turned. Turned
to what? It was turned to his son. My
God, my God, why has thou I can't hear anything. What? Forsaken, yeah. Hmm. That's weird. My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? That's what the Lord said to
God the Father. He forsook him because he could not look upon
sin. His anger was turned upon the One who hung in my stead,
the One who was perfect, the only One who knew no sin, the
One who came down from glory, that was His and made in the
likeness of men, born of a virgin, not of the seed of Adam, but
of the seed of the Holy Ghost, The man to ever walk this earth
in perfect submission to the Father's law, the Father's will,
perfectly fulfilling every T, every I. Never once was there
any guile in his lips. This is God in the flesh we're
talking about. My Savior, the Lord Jesus, the
Son of the living God, as Peter said. And because He laid down
His life and took it up again for my sins, I am comforted in
this sinful flesh. Romans 8, verse 1, there is therefore
now no condemnation. No condemnation to them who are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. Look with me at verse 2. Behold, verse 2 of Isaiah chapter
12, behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid,
for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also has become
my salvation. The Lord Jehovah is my strength. I mentioned that to you at the
beginning. The flesh is weak. Just like Paul, I cry out every
day, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this
body of death? I thank Jesus Christ, my Lord.
That's who. The Lord Jehovah is my strength
and my song. He has also become my salvation. Folks, this, the gospel song
of triumphs of Christ and the church triumph in Him, this is
the victory. This is our victory over death.
It's in Him, the Lord Jesus. It's Christ in Him crucified.
The blood that was shed on that cross 2,000 years ago was the
blood of God, the blood of the Lord Jehovah. Knowing the power
in that blood is comforting. The Son of God is my salvation.
It says that there is nothing of this flesh that can add to
it or take anything away from it. Salvation is of the Lord. I began the message this morning
speaking words that our Lord said from the cross. He says
it is finished. That was His words. My faith
in Him is a resting place. Not in device or creed, I trust
the ever-living one. His wounds for me shall plead."
Isn't that our song? He is our strength. There is
nothing of this flesh that I can put any trust in. To a true believer,
Christ is our all. If we begin to think more of
ourselves than we should, just as Peter did when he walked on
the water. Remember that story? He looked
upon the Lord Jesus and he walked out onto the water. And as soon
as he took his eyes off of Christ, we had that in our Bible study.
We were talking about Hebrews chapter 12. Keeping. keeping our eyes looking to Christ,
the author and the finisher of our faith. Peter took his eyes off of Christ
and began to sink. Our Lord brings us to the remembrance
of where our strength lies. Just like Peter, he reaches down
and he grabs a hold of us in our weakness and he brings us
back to looking to him. Look at verse 3. Therefore with
joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation. Folks, the wells of salvation
are not many, but one. One well. That well is the one
that will never dry up. That's what that word wells means.
It's not meaning several different wells. It's meaning a well that
never dries up. It continues, it continues. No
matter what, it always continues. continues for all who come to
it. A well that is continually fills the cups of his people.
Hold your place if you would and turn over to the fourth chapter
of John. I won't be much more than another
hour or two. While you're turning to the fourth
chapter, allow me to read from the seventh. John chapter 7 verse
38, he that believeth on me as the scripture has said out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Once again we see
a picture of the mercies of God that are continuous as many But
as we read in Ephesians 1, 3, blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in heavenly places in Christ. All these rivers, all
these wells, all these blessings are in Christ Jesus. Are you
with me in the fourth chapter of John? Beginning at verse 1,
we read this, these words, When therefore the Lord knew how the
Pharisees had heard that Jesus had made and baptized more disciples
than John, though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,
he left Judea and departed unto Galilee. Now, I should have actually
started here, but that's all right. And he must needs go through
Samaria. He must, needs, go. God in the
flesh must, needs, go. Isn't that interesting? There's
something that binds the Lord Jesus, is it not? The covenant
made from before the world was. You see, when God makes a promise,
folks, it's not like you and I did it. We make promises and
whether we, you know, there's times when we just can't keep
them. There's times when I'm just, I'm sorry, I can't keep
that promise I made. I was gonna go play golf with
the guy once. I promised I'd be there, and then he calls up
two days before, and I said, buddy, I totally forgot. I've
already got other things planned. I can't. God doesn't do that. Every promise he has made, he
has kept. He must need to go through Samaria.
Aren't you thankful that he must go through rescue? There's people
there. There's people in Samaria. We're
going to read that. Keep going, if you would. He
left Judea. He must need to go to Samaria. Verse 5, then cometh
he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the parcel
of the ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's
well was there. Jesus, therefore, being weary
with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was about the
sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria. to draw water, and Jesus saith
unto her, Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone away
unto the city to buy me. Then saith the woman of Samaria
unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of
me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings
with Samaritans." So we see the unusual situation here already. A Samaritan woman is being approached
and spoken to by a Jew. Verse 10, let's go on. Jesus
answered him, Senator, if thou knewest the gift of God, and
who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest
ask of him, and he would give thee the living water. And the
woman said unto him, sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and
the well is deep. From whence thou hast that the
living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which
gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and
his cattle? And Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh
of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life. A well. Notice the word springing. a continuous flow, a continuous
flow of mercies renewed over and over and over again. When
the trials of faith, when the trials of life, the temptations
come our way, we can go to the spring of grace, the spring of
life found only in Christ Jesus. We need those mercies renewed
every day, every hour, every moment, don't we? Go back to
our text now, and we'll bring this to a close. Look with me if you would at
four, five, and six. And in that day, shall you say
praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among
the people, make mention that his name is exalted. I had a conversation, our dear
brother James was A close friend is going through some real struggles
right now. And he was not able to be with
us Friday night. He had to comfort his friend. And I spoke with James about
that a little bit ago. And James was able to relate
to me that he did speak of the Lord. He did speak of the Lord. Folks, when Christ is your Savior,
when Christ is your Lord, you can't help it. It's going
to leak from you. You can't help but walk through
this world and say, look what the Lord has created. I remember
I said that once to my wife before the Lord called her out of darkness.
And she was like, oh, there we go. Hearing about the Lord again
from you. When Christ is your Lord, it
will leak. Won't it, Mike? Won't it? You're
up on the roof banging some nails? What do you do? You talk to the
Lord. Thank you, Lord, for keeping
me from falling off the roof, huh? Amen. Verse 5, Sing unto the Lord,
for he hath done excellent things, this is known in all the earth.
That means, let this be done. Cry out and shout, verse 6, thou
inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in
the midst of thee. Robert Hawker wrote this. He says, here the whole church is
supposed as engaged in this hymn of praise. In the former part,
it was a song of one, I will praise thee. In this, it is the
praise ye the Lord, and they are not only praising Jehovah
with songs of redemption in themselves, but stirring up all others to
the same devout and becoming exercises. That's what James
was doing. He was praising the Lord and stirring it up in his
friend. Possibly he's going to come to
church one of these Friday nights and listen. They're not only
praising Jehovah in songs and redemption of themselves, but
stirring it up in others. Everything forms motives to praise
Jehovah's glory in himself. Jehovah's glory is giving grace
to his people. All in every view of Him and
excellent things hath He done. It demands the tribute of thanksgiving
to Him. My friend, is your heart been
tuned to sing the sweet song of the church? If the Lord's
anger has been turned away, and He comforteth thee with His Son,
the Lord Jesus, is not this reason for us to share with others? May God the Holy Ghost make application
to it to our wants and our circumstances. Oh, for grace to come and to
call others to come as well to the fountain of life that we
may declare his truth to poor and thirsty sinners as it was
declared unto us in that day. Amen. Stand with me if you would.