Genesis. Go now to, first of
all, Genesis 12. The 12th chapter of Genesis. This is a true story of real
people, real events that took place. God's Word, His dealings with these people,
and all the stories in Scriptures are all scriptures given by inspiration
of God, profitable, doctrine, proof, correction, instruction,
but this is all to show us God's purpose, show us the gospel, point us
to Christ. And what we're going to see first
is an allegory. Now, this is what Galatians 4
says, an allegory, which is a earthly story that represents spiritual
thing, heavenly thing. When I was, when my dad was teaching
a preacher's class, about 14 or 15 of us young men, he said,
right at the top of your notes, K-I-S-S. Keep it simple, stupid. Keep it simple. And I wrote that
on every page of my note. But it's not simple to convey. It's not easy. It's just not. I don't want to lose your attention,
but this is why this was written. And over in Galatians, it's going
to tell us why this happened, the purpose of this. goes much
deeper than meets the eye. It's an allegory, a difference
between law and grace, of salvation by the Lord and salvation that
man has come up with. It's the difference today in
the truth, the true gospel, the truth, and the rest, and most
of the false religion is saying. It's the difference between God's truth and what man said. Okay? All right, look at chapter
12, verse 1. The Lord said to Abraham, get
thee out of thy country and thy kindred from my father's house
to a land that I will show thee. Notice all the I will, I will,
I will. He doesn't ask Abraham anything.
Abraham didn't know God. Nobody will unless God reveals
himself to them, unless God chooses them, unless God speaks to them.
Do you understand that? Some of you do. But it's so. Abraham would not have known
God or done any of this unless God said, this is what you're
going to do. I will make of thee a great nation,
I will bless thee, make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Alright, now listen. Psalm 72
says this. Let me read this to you. You
don't have to turn. Psalm 72. Now all the Scriptures speak
of Christ. What God just said to Abraham
is really speaking of Christ. You understand? We're Gentiles. We don't come from Abraham. Okay? Alright, listen to this. Psalm 72. The Lord said, His
name shall endure forever. Who's that? Jesus Christ. His
name shall be continued as long as the sun. And men shall be
blessed in Him. All nations shall call Him blessed. That's Christ. All nations are
blessed in Him, in Christ. And many of you know Ephesians
1, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according
to His eternal, I don't want to misquote it, it says, Ephesians
1, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according
as He who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. You see that? The Jews today
still claim to be Abraham's children, and so they claim to be the people
of God. That's not what this book's in. It says that to the eye, but
this goes much deeper than that. Look at chapter 17, Genesis 17. He said in verse 8, stay with
me now, Tell this like the Scriptures did. Genesis 17, you have it,
verse 8. The Lord says, I will give unto
thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger. Oh, the land of Canaan, the promised
land, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. Well, now go to Galatians, very
quickly. Go to the little book of Galatians. What he was just saying to Abraham
was really speaking of what he said to Christ. That's what Galatians
said. Are you with me? Galatians 3,
look at verse 16. You have it? Now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He saith not to and to seeds
as of many, but as of one. to thy seed which is Christ. You see that? Read on. And this I say, that
the covenant that was confirmed before of God, where? In Abraham? No. In Christ. Nothing. The laws, 400 years later, can't
annul it. Nothing can change it. It's all
covenant. The first covenant. that God
made concerning salvation of people and a promised land was
made with Jesus Christ before this world began. That's what this is saying. Okay. That the children of God are
children of God, not because they're Abraham seed, but because
they're Christ. I have so many scriptures. The
promise of God of salvation is for all those in Christ, not
Abraham. Are you with me? Not Abraham. That's what the Jews think. Not
Isaac. But he is in a promised son,
all right. It's in Christ. Correct. Of whom
Isaac is a picture. All right. Salvation, eternal
life, is in God's Son. Not flesh, but spirit. Not Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, but
Christ. All right? We're sons of God.
John chapter 1 said, As many as received Him, Christ, to them
gave He the power, the privilege to become sons of God, which
were born, not of blood, not because they're Abraham's Not
of the will of the flesh. Man, you don't have anything
to do with this. Not of the will of man, but of
God. All the promises of God are where? In Christ. And what? Yea. And amen. Did anybody understand that?
Some of you did. Genesis 16. Now let's begin this
story. Genesis 16, and this is a picture,
such a clear picture of salvation by man and the salvation of God. Only
one true salvation. This is a picture of man deciding
to do something as opposed to what God has already
purposed to do. A picture of man's work, man's
will, and man's sin. And God rejected it all. It seemed
like God was real hard on Hagar and Ishmael, doesn't it? There's one way. One truth. One life. And that's Christ and
Him alone. Look at verse 1. Sarah. I'm just going to say
Sarah, okay? It's a hard name to pronounce.
I'm glad your name is Sarah and not Sariah. Sarai. Sarah, Abram's wife, bare him
no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian,
whose name was Hagar. And Sarah said unto Abram, Behold
now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. She's impatient. She heard Abraham say, God will
give him a son. And about several years, she
got impatient, so she decided to do something Take matters
into your own hands. So I pray thee, go in unto my
maid, that it may be that this is what God meant for us to do. Salvation is not you doing anything.
Salvation is not of man, it's of the Lord. You understand?
Read on. And Abram hearkened to the voice
of Sarah. Does this sound like a familiar story? A woman spoke.
And the man hearkened to the woman, and this thing was a mess. It caused nothing but grief and
sadness, and everything they purposed to do and willed to
do outside of God's will, without believing the Lord and taking
matters into their own hands, God rejected it. And this is such a picture of
Modern religion. Maybe God meant for us to do
this. No, God meant what He said. God means what He said. Salvation
is of the Lord. It's not you doing anything.
Not you deciding. Not your will. Not your choice.
Not your work. Not your decision. It's His.
I said I was going to keep my voice steady this morning. I
tell you, the whole world needs to hear this, especially this wicked and adulterous generation. Sarah Abram's wife took Hagar,
her maid, the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years, and
gave her to her husband Abram to wife. Sarah married these
two. That can't be, can it? That's
not for her to do. What do you see in religion today?
women preachers, women rectors, and I want to pronounce it a
different way. Women, that's not up to the Lord. I was not in that. Do you know
that the false church is called the great whore? The religion of women. Like Eve,
she was deceived in the garden. This was adultery. This was fornication. The religion of man's decision,
will, works, his converts, his converts is called throughout
the scriptures fornication and adultery. Our Lord says this
is a wicked and adulterous generation. Not salvation according to God's
Word, God's will, Christ's work, Christ's redemption. It's salvation
of man. What man has done. What man must
do. What man has decided. His decision. That's the religion of today,
and you know it so. You hear it. They say it everywhere. All of them, without exception.
There are exceptions. A few. You listen to a man that's
an exception. They say, what will you do with
Jesus? Will you accept Him as your personal Savior? That's
not in this Bible. Not one time. Are you hearing
me? And any man or woman who says
that to people is a false preacher. And anybody that's done that,
will I accept Him? I made my decision. I let Jesus.
It's lost. God rejects you. He'll cast you
out. of His kingdom, when you say,
well, I accepted your son, He will cast you out like He did
Hagar and Ishmael, saying, you're glorying in what you did. Because
it's not you accepting God, it's God accepting you. How? Not your works, not your choice,
not your will, not your decision. God's. Christ's blood and Christ's
righteousness. Not your good work, not your
morality, not your religion, not your devotion, not your sacrifice.
It's Christ's sacrifice. It's Christ, Christ, Christ,
Christ. And this thing was purposed before
the world began. God gave, elected a people, gave
them to Jesus Christ. This is the truth. I'm preaching
the truth to you. Anything less than this, added
to or from this, is not the truth. God chose a people before the
foundation of the world. Christ is called the Lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. God elected a people.
Those are the people who are going to be saved. And he gave
them to Jesus Christ, the head of this covenant. whom God promised
that he would come, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Most
High God, God manifest in flesh, and redeem these people, none
of them are worth saving, but God, rich in mercy. And through
his sovereign mercy, that is, it's his to show, his sovereign
grace, his sovereign love, gave these people, none worthy, gave
them to Jesus Christ to come down here and save them, do everything
for them. And He did, and on the cross
Christ died, and He said, it's finished. I finished it. Brought
in an everlasting salvation and righteousness, and God punished
Him, and all the sins of all of God's people were laid on
Jesus Christ. They're all paid. It's not what
you do with them. It's not you doing anything. It's what Jesus
Christ did on the cross. It's the salvation of all of
God's people. And then in time, Christ died and Mary rose again
and went to the right hand and sent His Holy Spirit through
what I'm doing now, what the world calls foolishness, through
a preacher to preach what I'm preaching, rather who I'm preaching
right now. Christ on the cross, salvation
alone in Him. Not you, not your will, not your
work, not your chore, it's His. It's His blood, His righteousness.
This is it. There is no other gospel. The rest of it is fornication
and adultery. People getting together and deciding
to do something for God. And taking the glory for their
converts. No, no, no, no. Christ alone will glory for all
converts. All save so. And so will his
people. And there's going to be a multitude
of people standing before Christ. Matthew 7. He will say, we did
this, we did that, many wonderful works in your name. We saved
people in Jesus' name. We went out and cut the sea and
land to establish proselytes. And he said, get out of here,
I don't know you. Cast them out. Just like he did Thager and Ishmael. That's what this story is all
about. Do you understand that? I was going to go to Galatians
4, but I spent too much time just now. That's it in a nutshell. The woman said, maybe God meant
for this. We need to help God out. No,
you don't either. No, you don't. And look at verse 4. So Abram
went in to Hagar. This was all sin. What sin for? Flesh. This is flesh, this is
the will of the flesh, the will of a man, a woman, isn't it?
All right, we will do this and we will produce life. No, you won't. God rejects it. And he went into Hagar and she
conceived and when Hagar saw that she had conceived, her mistress
was despised in her eyes. When Hagar saw that she was with
child and Sarah didn't have any children, couldn't have any children,
she despised her and looked down on her. She was boasting. Hagar
was boasting in the life that she had and produced in herself. And isn't that religion? Look
how many converts. Look what all we've done for
Jesus. Look, look, look, look what we've done. And they look
down on God's people, which generally speaking are few. Those who say
salvation is up to the Lord. No, we've got to wait on the
Lord. It's not our decision, not our work. And modern false
religion looks down on what I'm preaching right now. It looks
down on you. If you believe this truth, if
you tell people this truth, false religion will despise you and
reject you, like they did Jesus Christ. The truth for Son of
Man. And it's okay. Who did God accept? And man boasts, man boasts of
his free will and his works and his offspring and his convert,
and God rejects it. All right, Genesis 21. Go over
here now. Genesis 21. Genesis 21. All right, look at verse 1. You have
it in Genesis 21. The Lord visited Sarah as He
had said. All things come to pass, all
things have been, are now, and shall be done exactly as God
said it. And the Lord did unto Sarah as
He had spoken. Who did what to whom? Hagar and Sarah and Hagar and
Abraham got together and this is what they did. Well, God rejected
all of it. This is what God did to her. And salvation is what God does
to you, for you. And Sarah can see, verse 2, and
bear Abram a son in his old age at the set time of which God
has spoken to him. You know what it is to have salvation?
It's Christ in you. It's to have Christ formed in
you. How's that? Do you do that? Do you let him
into your heart? Are you listening to them? Of
God are you in Christ. Of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption. According to
this, He hath chosen us in Him. Who put all those people in the
ark? Did they come in there of their own free will? No. God
put them in there. Who kept them from going out?
God did. He shut them in. Who was in the
ark? God's chosen people. Who was
outside the ark? Rejected people. That's it, plain
and simple. It's of God. He gets all the
glories. This son, Sarah, said, God made me laugh. I couldn't
possibly produce life. I can't give life or do anything. And that's what every sinner,
when they're saved, realizes. I was dead in trespass and barren. I didn't have any faith. I didn't
have any repentance. I didn't have any knowledge of
God. I didn't have any interest in
God. I was dead, but God. came to me and said, this is
what I'm going to do to you. And he did it. He did it, he said. And what a picture of Christ
Isaac is. Isaac. Oh, the next chapter. Do you know what's in the next
chapter of Genesis? Chapter 22. I preached on it in California.
The very next chapter is Abraham taking his son, his only son. Not Ishmael. God said, Isaac,
your only son. God has one son, only begotten
well-beloved son. And Abraham, the Lord said, take
your son, your only son Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains, which I shall tell you. That's Christ
crucified. That's why Isaac was born. That's
why the whole story was written, to represent, to show us Christ. They are they which testify of
me. Christ said, Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. He saw it, and he was so glad. Abraham didn't know God. He's
an old man, 75 years old. He's an idolater. He didn't know
God. He's just a sincere fellow, but he doesn't know God. But
God knew him, foreknew him, predestinated him. Hold him by His grace. Gave him faith. Repentant. Justified him by faith. Abraham
believed God and it was counted unto him for what? Righteousness. He wasn't righteous because of
anything he did. He's righteous because of what
God did. Period. But, but, but what? Now
we have said buts about it. Salvation is of the Lord. As
Brother David Edmondson said, you know what's after that? Jonah
2, 9? Salvation is of the Lord. You know what's after that? A
period. And that's it. No argument. And those who have experienced
God's salvation, They know it's so, don't they? Like Abraham.
You ask Abraham. Ask him, did you choose God,
Abraham, or did he choose you? He would say, are you kidding?
Are you serious? I wouldn't look. I didn't know
God at 75. An idolater. Steeped. Far off. In a foreign land. A pagan. He
wasn't a Jew. Abraham wasn't a Jew. He was
a heathen. There was no law. He didn't keep the law. He's
a heathen. He doesn't know God, but God. So, let's go down to verse 9. Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the
Egyptian, which she had born unto Hagar, mock him. There you
go again. All the offspring of false religion
have mocked the truth. They have been and they ever
will mock the truth. Mock God's people. You think
you're right and everybody else is wrong. No. Here's what we say with Paul.
Let God be true and every man a liar. That's what we say. That's
what Scripture says. Not of him that willeth. I was
going to have you turn to Romans 9. Talking about Abraham. Had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac.
God rejected Ishmael, chose Isaac. Isaac had two sons, Jacob and
Esau. Scripture says God loved Jacob
and hated Esau. That's what it says. Well, God
doesn't hate anybody. Yes, He does. You need to read
your Bible. Well, you do. I'm talking to
somebody. It says the children not being
born, neither having done any good or evil. Jacob and Esau. before they had done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand. It was said unto Rebekah, Isaac,
the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, Esau have I hated. Period. And the world doesn't
like that. What do you think? Paul went
on to say, what shall we say of this thing? It's not of him
that willeth or of him that runneth. It's a God that showeth mercy.
He said, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. Mercy
means you don't deserve it. I will be gracious to whom I
mean, God gives you what you have nothing to do with. He gives
it all. He does it all. What do you think about that?
Ask Abraham. Abraham said, I love this with
all my heart. This is all my salvation. Let
such as love God's salvation say, the Lord be glorified, magnified. But man's salvation? Oh, no.
They've had a part. They've taken a part. They've
cooperated with Jesus. They've cooperated with God.
So they get part of the credit. God says, I won't share my glory
with another. I won't do it. Kick them out. Hard? That too hard? Is it unreasonable that God should get all the glory
for everything he does? Here's the amazing thing, and
here's what God's people glory in. They don't glory in anything
or anyone but the cross of Christ. They glory in this, that Christ
was made their sin and their guilt, that Christ took the blame
for everything they did, and God gave them the credit for
everything He did. Now is that fair? Is that fair? It's mercy is what it is. It's
grace. It's marvelous, infinite, matchless
grace, freely bestowed. And now they believe. John Newton wrote, I was lost,
but now I'm found. Who found him? We're going to
see this in just a minute. Blind. Now I see. Dead. Who quickened who? Who gave who life? Who gets the
glory? That's what we need to ask every
preacher we hear, every message we hear. Who is getting the glory
here? Who is getting the glory? Who does what for whom? That's
the test of the truth as opposed to error. Works, man's work or
grace can't be both. Can't be both. All right, now
let's look at this story as a story of God. This is wonderful. Genesis 16, go back there, Genesis
16. Here's another wonderful aspect
of this story. God's Word is so wonderful, it
just... It's just so full. And there
are many, many, many, many lessons to be learned here. This is a
story of God saving a sinner, how a sinner is saved by grace.
Hagar, a heathen in bondage, a rebel, boasting and proud,
and her offspring's a rebel. But God. Alright, look at Genesis 16. It says, verse 1, that she had
a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. She's a handmaid. She's a servant. Is she somebody?
Is she worth anything? She's a servant. She's a slave. She's in bondage. She's an Egyptian. She's in the world. She doesn't
know God. She doesn't care about God. Okay? And such were some of you. in
this world, of this world, bondage to sin, self, the world, you
and your children. Right? All of us. Verse 4, and
this adultery took place, fornication. You read with me Romans 1, but
the whole world's full of it. Chapter 3. Such were some of
you. Well, she conceived. She saw
that she conceived and had a child. She looked down on Sarah. Sarah was despised. She was proud. What does Hager have to be proud
of? Were you ever proud as an unbeliever
in this world? Were you ever proud? Man, I thought
I was somebody. Twenty, twenty-one years old,
you know, and had a sports car and a pocket full of money and
an apartment, a pretty nice apartment. And I thought, man, I am something. By the grace of God, I now realize
I'm still a nothing and a nobody. I have no room for boasting whatsoever. No room. A sinner. Through and through. In this
world. Of this world. Bound by sin. Condemned by the law. Don't know
it. But God. Jeremiah 3 says, Were
they ashamed when they committed abomination? Were they ashamed?
He said, No, they weren't ashamed. They were proud of it. Was that
you? That's me. And it's still something. Verse 6, Abram said to Sarah,
your maid is in your hand. Go do with her as it pleases
thee. And Sarah dealt hardly with her.
And she fled. Sarah dealt hardly with her.
You know, the way of a transgressor is hard. You know, I feel sorry for people that are lost, I do. I
feel sorry for our children in the world. They're going to have
a hard time of it. This world is a wicked, evil
place, and it's hard. And if God doesn't save your souls, our souls, it's
going to end up bad. It went bad. The way of the transgressor
is hard. So she fled. Hagar fled. She
ran. She tried to run away from her
trouble. You know what people did? Men, women, children sinned
against God. Now what has happened here? She
sinned. Hagar sinned. And wasn't ashamed
of it. She was proud of it. Brothers
and sisters, that was me. Is that you? And then she gets
in trouble, and she tries to run. Where's she going? I think
she's going back to Egypt. That's in the way, don't you? But God. She head back, heading
back. You know, rather than repent
and turn to God, she runs, runs to the world. Isn't that what
people do? In Isaiah 30 it says, To trust in the world, to trust
in Egypt, to trust in the rulers of the world, in the people of
the world, it's foolish. You need to turn to God. Well,
they won't turn to God unless God turns to them. Their strength is to sit still.
Sit where still? Sit where? Sit where? What's salvation? Where are they
going to hear the message of salvation? Where? At a well.
Sitting still. This is why you have your children
here. Don't you want them to hear this message? You're Hagar. And that's Ishmael. You understand
me? Right? Mary. You're Hagar. And right there's Ishmael. And
if God doesn't do something for you and your son, you're both
gone, isn't it? Will He? Yes, He will. Yes, he will. Got some notes,
bathroom notes right here. Look down at verse, at chapter
16, verse 8. Well, verse 7. She fled, verse
7. And the angel of the Lord found
Hagar by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by a fountain
in the way. She's headed back to Egypt and
the Lord found her, the angel of the Lord. Brothers and sisters,
I don't look like an angel, but Scripture says I am. Every preacher and pastor in
every church is called an angel. Just a messenger. Just a messenger
is what it is. We're not preaching ourselves,
and I can't save you, but I'm telling you who the messenger
of the covenant is, Jesus Christ, the angel of God's mercy. That's
what every true angel is sent to tell God's people, of Christ,
the water of life. Christ, the angel of God's mercy.
Christ, his salvation. The angel of the Lord found her. Who found who? She wasn't even
looking at him. He found her. By a fountain of
water. You sitting here in this place
hearing Christ preach is no accident. And it's not your choice. It's
God's great mercy to you. The fact that you're Ishmael's
are here, are females, are sitting under this truth, is great mercy
and great grace. I hope they'll call, and I hope
you'll call. Right before this, Abraham called
on the Lord and said, Lord, would you please let Ishmael live?
Yes, he did. Please let Ishmael live. Did
God hear him? He sure did. sent an angel with
water, water of life, a fountain of water. Oh brethren, what is
this fountain? There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's vein, and sinners plunged Beneath that
flood, lose all their guilty stand. This is all we preach,
this is all we do, that's all we sing. A fountain, a fountain
of water of Christ. He said to Hagar, verse 8, Sarah's
maid, see he doesn't call her, you're still a servant, you're
still a nobody. Sally, God's handmaid. Where are you going? Where did
you come from? And where are you going? She didn't know. She didn't
know what she was doing. She said, I'm fleeing. I'm running. The angel of the Lord said, return.
Submit. What's the Scripture say? Turn
us, O God, and we'll be turned. I'm telling you, young ladies,
young men, turn to the Lord. Well, you just said we can't
unless God... I'm telling you right now. This is the angel
you're listening to. Return. Bow. Submit. Call on the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and you'll be saved. I'm calling on Him for you. Your
parents are calling on Him for you. And whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now go to chapter 21. I'll close
it. Chapter 21. Chapter 21. Now the Lord told
Hagar that she was having a son and her son would be a wild man.
Now every mother thinks her boy is a good boy. You know that? Brother Jack Shank, preacher,
pastor down in Texas, he's about 6'5", 250 pounds, big man, big
scrapping man. Preacher, he preached here many
times. He had a school down there and boy, he said, biggest mistake
I ever made with people bringing their kids in there and all that.
And one time, one of the parents came to him He was the principal
and all that and the head of the school. And one of the mothers
came to him and said, Mr. Shank, Brother Shank, you're
going to have to do something. My son is running with the wrong crowd.
And he said, he had a voice just like this. And he talked about
this slow. He said, honey, your son is the
wrong crowd. And there ain't no son of Adam
that's any good. and your son included, and your
daughter included. I'm the son of my father, and
I was a wild man." God said, he'll be a wild man
unless God tames you. You're a wild ass, and your son
and your daughter is a wild person. They're not good. They're not
good kids, and the sooner you tell them that, the better. God
didn't come to save good people, because there are none. He came
to save sinners. Will God save a wild man? It's the only account he saves. A rebel. Look at verse, the child
grew. Sarah, verse 9, saw Hagar the
Egyptian, which she had borne, the son of Hagar, mocking Isaac. Here we go again. He's doing
what she did. Our children are sinners just
like us. Do you know that? Unless God has mercy on them,
they're lost. Read on down. And so Sarah said in verse 10,
cast out this bond woman and her son. Cast her out. Verse
12, God said to Abraham, don't be grieved by this. And Isaac
shall thy seed be called. And we remember what we looked
at then. It's not your choice, not your
decision, not your works, not your will. It's His work. Okay?
If you believe you had anything to do with it, God's going to
cast you out. Okay. And he said, now I'm going to
make a people, there's going to be people all over the world
out of this Ishmael, but they're not God's people. So Abraham rose early, verse
14, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar,
and put it on her shoulder. And a child sent her away, and
she departed. She wandered in the wilderness
in Beersheba. And that was me wandering, wandering.
That was you. And that's your child wandering
in this world. Don't know where they're going.
Don't know where they came from. Don't know where they're going.
Don't know what to do. Looking for something. They don't know what
they're looking for. Looking for happiness. Looking for peace.
They're not going to find it. God said there's no peace to
the wicked. No peace to those that don't seek God. They don't
call on God. None. Zero. I don't care what you do. You're
not going to find peace. You have a husband, a wife, children,
you're not going to find peace. And in the end, it's going to
be real bad. You know what you need to do? You need to call
on the Lord. With Him is peace. The water
was spent, and brothers and sisters, everything we ever have in this
world is going to be spent one of these days. You're going to
be spent. You're going to reach the end
of your road, you and your children. Chance, I was your age yesterday. That's how quick it was. I was
your age, Mac, yesterday. I'm telling you. Isn't it? Isn't
it, brothers and sisters? It was yesterday. Isn't it, Stephen?
And we were 18, 19, 20 years old yesterday. It happens that
quick, doesn't it? It's over. It's spent. Now what? The water was spent. She went
and sat down and thought, I don't want to see my child die. Isn't
this a sad picture? Don't let me see the death of
my child. Isn't that what you say? Isn't that what you pray
to God? Don't let my child die. That's what Abraham prayed. Don't
let Ishmael die. Please, Lord. He's mocked. I know he has. But don't let
him die. Please. And you know what? Hagar's praying. And you know
what? Ishmael's praying. Ishmael's praying. How do you
know that preacher? Look, it says in verse 17, God
heard the voice of the lad. Ishmael's saying, oh God, please
help me. He said, Fear not, verse 17,
God hath heard the voice of the Lamb where He is, right where
He is, in His sin, in His dying state, in His wildness, in His
roaming all over the wilderness, wherever He is. Will God hear? Yes, He will. That's what she named Him. Ishmael,
God hath heard. Will God hear a sinner? Yes,
He will. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. You hear me? I didn't say that.
Will God look on such a rebel, such a mocker, such a wild man? Will God look on a wild man with
mercy, a wild daughter with mercy and grace and love? Will God
do that? He's done it many times. You're
looking at one that He looked on with mercy and grace and favor
and salvation. A wild man! who one day out of the blue called
on the name of the Lord. Why? Because he called me. Will God hear an adulterous woman,
a sinful woman? Will God have mercy on a woman
who's just committed fornication and adultery and rebelled against
God and mocked the truth? Will God hear such a woman? He's
done it many times. Will God hear a young boy? How
old is Ishmael? I don't know. 14, 15? Will God
hear a 14-year-old boy? He sure will. He doesn't doubt
it. Who swears to God? Will God hear a wild man? I tell
you, me and his brother is in such a sad state. Isn't it? With man, it's impossible. He's tried his best to destroy
himself. No God here. Yea, barely. Barely, barely. I say unto you, whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. Abraham prayed. Sarah prayed. Hagar prayed. God heard about her. Ishmael prayed. That wild ass's
coat is praying. He's praying. And there's what
the angel said, verse 18. Arise, Hagar. Lift up the lad. Hold him in your hand. Lay hold
of that boy. Put your arm, ladies, fathers,
mothers, You put your arm on that child. You put your arm
around that boy and that girl. You lay hold of them and you
say, I want you to hear Christ. I want you to hear the Gospel.
I want you to believe this. I want you to come where water
of life is. You lay hold of them, people,
as long as they're in your grasp. That's what he told this woman.
Lay hold of that boy. Lift him up unto the Lord. And
tell him where water is, where life is. It's only hope. There's an angel of mercy preaching
the gospel of God's mercy. You lay hold of that boy and
that girl, and you tell them, I want you to live. And God was with the lad. God
opened her eyes. She saw a well of water. She
went, filled that bottle of water, and gave it to her boy. And he
just drank and drank. He's alive. He's not dead. He's
alive. He's drinking the water alive.
They never thought I'd do that. My parents never thought I'd
come back and hear the gospel and here I am. Why? by the sovereign mercy and choice
and grace and power of God to the preaching of this gospel.
You're here. This is exactly what I heard
one day. Stopped my wild career, broke my proud heart, boasting
heart of sin and wildness, and caused me to call on the Lord.
Salvations of the Lord. Okay, let's sing a closing hymn.
Number 235.