I'd like for you to turn with me in your Bibles this morning to Revelation, the last book of the Bible, and the last chapter of the book. Chapter 22. The book of Revelation. It's not Revelations. It says Revelation. And it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It tells you that in the very first chapter. And there's all sorts of Typical beasts and thunders and lightnings and cities coming down and this, that and the next all the way through this book. These things are all typical and most of those types already established in the Old Testament. But they're all typical of the revelation of Jesus Christ, his person and his work.

Now let's read this very last chapter. I want to read the whole chapter and I'm going to be preaching from verse 17. And he showed me, this is John, caught up in the spirit on the Lord's day, carried up into heaven itself, made to see things that nobody even dreamed of seeing. And he's talking about it all through this book. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal. Where's it come from? Proceeding out from the throne of God and of the man. And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, there was the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse. Adam's curse we just talked about. No more curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. And his servants shall serve him, something they could never do, but now they will. And they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, no need of a candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.

And he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true, And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings and the prophecy of this book. And I, John, saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things. And he said unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the sayings of this book. Would you worship? Worship God. Worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of this prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He that's unjust, let him be unjust still. He which is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that's righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.

Well, what about the believer? Christ did all our work. And God said He's well pleased with us. He's going to reward us for what we never did. He's going to reward us for what Christ did. I'm Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments. What's He command us? Love one another. He commands us? Absolutely. Is there consequences if I don't? You bet there is. Blessed are they that do his commandments, and that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city. For without, on the outside, this is the only place without, are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whatsoever loveth and maketh a lie. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."

Now that angel of the churches he's talking about here is not an angel from heaven. That's their pastor. You go back to the first part of the book, and he'll show you that. He'll tell you that. He's writing to the angel of the church at Ephesus and so on. That angel, that's her pastor.

And the spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that heareth say, come. And let him that is a thirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth The words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in the book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, that's what the church says, even so, come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Turn back with me to Revelation chapter 22. These are some of the last words that the Holy Ghost pleased to give to his church. Solemn words. Words to lay to heart. Words that need to be said and could be said by no one else. John wouldn't know what to write. He was exiled on an island, wrongly accused things, exiled out to the Isle of Patmos, was out there alone, suffering. I can't imagine what kind of a place that must have been, but there he was. It was the Lord's Day, and he sat up to worship Him, probably all by himself. If there was a place to go, he would have went. There wasn't. So he just sat up and worshiped God by himself.

What a proper and fitting name for the close of the Word of God, the revelation of Jesus Christ. In Acts 10.43, it says, to him give all the prophets witness. What did they have to say about it? Well, we looked at some of it in the book of Joshua, but here's what all of them had to say about him. Through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Wow. Can I believe?

Brother Mahan, I was telling Yvonne about it this morning. I don't know why the memory came back to me, but I guess the Lord ordered it. We were talking about it, and I said, Brother Mayhem was sitting in one chair and Scott Richardson in the other. And I, the privileged young man, was listening to their wisdom. I'd listen to them talk back and forth. This went on for quite a while. And they were talking about things that had happened in their church and things that were happening in the one that I pastored and so on. And they were going back and forth. And after a while, I looked at Henry and I said, This question just come to me. I said, what is the hardest thing for a believer to do? Huh? You ever thought about that? What's the hardest thing? They were talking about this one doing that and this one doing that and so on. What's the hardest thing for a believer to do? And he said, what? I said, nothing. Nothing. Can't do it, can you? Can't just rest in Christ. I have to do something. I have to walk an aisle. I have to shake a hand. I have to make a decision. I have to do something. No. No. And let me tell you, the most impossible thing for you to do is nothing. Nothing.

But let me tell you what happens when God gets hold of a believer. He convinces him that all his hope is in Christ and there's nothing in him but this giant black hole of sin. And when he does, you know what he's going to do? Nothing. Nothing. He's going to look to Christ who did it all. Who did it all. That's what the revelation of Jesus Christ is. He's all and in all that believe. How is he in us? He won't be in you any other way. That's what the prophets said.

What about the apostles? What did they have to say? Acts 13, 38. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Well, I'll just do the best I can. God will spit on it, I'm telling you. He won't have it. That's what a lukewarm man says, I'll do the best I can. He said, if you're lukewarm, I'll spew you out of my mouth. I heard Scott one time say from the pulpit, all man is is like a bucket full of warm spit. And that's the truth.

Oh, David said his covenant, God's covenant, ordered in all things and sure. And we just went through that covenant. I told you how that covenant was set. Everything's ordered to it, by it. Everything God purposed to happen is going to happen.

Let me tell you what he told those old prophets one day. This is his prophet Isaiah. And here's what he said. He said, I'm the Lord. I'm God. There's none like me. None like me. You can't look at this one and say, I see God. No. There's nobody else like me. I'm God.

Well, in what way? Here it is. declare the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel will stand, my covenant's going to stand, and I'll do all my pleasure.

When he revealed himself to old Nebuchadnezzar, that old rotten king, thumbs in his lapels bragging about what he did, he let him go out there like an ox and eat grass for a little while. Taught him who he was, and then when he come back, He said, he's the Lord. He's the Lord. I know who he is now. He's the Lord. He rules in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or even question what he does. He's God. He's the blessed and only potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords.

When he says something, that's it. Huh? Is that the way you read the Bible? Well, we better read it. God says a thing, that's it. There's no question. I may not understand it. I might not have the right interpretation. But what he says is so. That settles it.

One of the old Arminian preachers way back said, God said it, I believe it, and that settles it. And Henry told him, he said, no. He said, God said it, and that settles it, whether you believe it or not. His word doesn't depend on my belief. It doesn't depend on anything. It depends on him.

God said, because I could swear by no greater, I swore by myself, saying, surely, blessing, I'll bless you. That's what he told Abraham. This depends on me, not you. Oh, my.

All right. I'm not going to preach that covenant to you again. I preached it as well as I know how to do it. You know somebody else got a better thing on it, go listen to it. That's as best I can present it. We finished that lesson there in Joshua 24 concerning covenant theology. God made with himself an everlasting covenant of grace, ordered, sure, works it out, no flaws. Christ is our surety. And to the unlearned eye, this seems to shut the door of grace. My brother said, well, if I believe what you believe, I wouldn't preach. I said, no, if I believe what you believe, I wouldn't preach.

Man's all under sin. It's already been proven. God gave his testimony to it. The very first thing his spirit's going to do, the Comforter, when he gets here, is convince you of your sin. There's no good. There's none good, none righteous, no hope in man. And God's not looking for some spark that he can fan it and start a fire in you. Nothing but ashes. Ashes. Oh, my. I can't quote the scripture, but there's a scripture back there that talks about ashes. And I preached on it one time, and this is what I said. You know what ashes tell me? The fire's gone out.

To the unlearned eye, a covenant of grace seems to shut the door on grace. To an unlearned eye, it seems to throw water on evangelism. But that's not true. And that's what I want us to talk about this morning. The message this morning is this, open arms for willing sinners. Covenant grace is not some big heavenly stop sign. Covenant of grace is an open door.

Now, let me tell you something. It's something I just saw this past week. I was studying these things. I was looking over in the book of Genesis, and when Adam, when he booted Adam out of the garden, he took two seraphims. The only other place I've ever read anything about seraphims was when Isaiah saw the Lord. And there was seraphim there, or cherubim, I'm sorry, cherubim. And they cried all day, holy, holy, holy. So these cherubim, well, what about them? He gave them a flaming sword and put them by the entryway into the garden. Is that to keep everybody out? No. He put them there to open the door. And he continued to put them there in the tabernacle. In the tabernacle. Here they are on the mercy seat, these two cherubim. What are they standing over? The mercy seat. What did Isaiah see them standing over? The mercy seat. Christ. And his train filled the temple. Who's he talking about? Who's he sharing from crying, holy, holy, holy? They're crying. That's the Lord Jesus.

When they built the temple, they built huge cherubim, and their wings stuck out like that. It's an open door. The covenant of grace is not about a stop sign. The covenant of grace is simply telling you that despite what man has done and what he is, there's a door open. If God had not made that covenant, if God were not totally sovereign, if this was not sovereign grace, man would have been finished in the garden. No point preaching to him, no point talking about reconciliation, no point talking about serving God, no point about turning over new leaves. You know how long that leaf lasts? Every January people make pledges. How long does it last? Less than two weeks. You mean I can't have no cake? No, you can't have no cake. Well, that's it. I'm off. I'm out of here. Have a big revival when everybody comes down the aisle. You know how long that lasts? About two weeks. Where's he at? I thought he made professional faith. Where's he at? Oh, he ain't here. He had to do this. He had to go there. He had to do this.

Grace is not a big heavenly stop sign. A covenant of grace is an open door. You see, men and women assume that man has the ability to repent and believe. Actually, the order is believe and repent. You can't repent without knowledge. Faith is the door of knowledge. What you're hearing this morning, if God's pleased to give you faith, this is how you're going to do it. You're going to work in your heart, and you're going to hear what I'm saying. You're going to say, that's right. I told you about old Nathan. That's right. That meant more to me than all the amens I ever heard.

Let me read you a few passages that will tell us the contrary to what I just said. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, Paul's talking about He's telling us how that these great mysteries, eye hath not seen or ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him. Never entered into their thinking. May not ever. I don't know. But he said, God hath revealed them unto us by spirit. It doesn't mean he bypassed the preaching of the gospel. It simply means the spirit accompanies that gospel. The gospel we preach is the revelation of Christ. I guess you know that. What the Spirit of God does is reveal this to you as the truth. He confirms the message. And Paul's telling us all about these mysteries of God revealed through the preaching of the gospel.

Verse 13, which things, he said, we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That's what we've been doing all morning. But, he said, here's the problem. Verse 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. He won't hear that man preach and say, that's Christ talking to me.

Now, our Lord separated 70 men. He planned to go out to this city and that city and this city. And he appointed 70 men. And he said, I want you to go out, so many of you at a time, I want you to go into all these cities that we're in, I intend to go. That's where I want you to go. Well, what about it? Listen, he said, he that heareth you, heareth me. And he that heareth me, heareth him that sent me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me." I'm not going to have it. Well, you're talking to God. You're talking to me. You're talking to God. You see what he's telling them? You quit worrying about these little peanut people out here. I'm God. And I gave you a message, and you preach it. And if they despise you, it's because they despise me. They despise me.

And watch this. Why won't they receive these things? It's foolishness to them. The thought of God predestinating all things, working everything. I'm talking about the flight of a fly. Everything. He's conducting this whole orchestra. He's going like this and then he'll go over here and he's conducting the whole orchestra. Nobody's going to blow on a horn unless God points to it. That's foolishness. Is it? That's what God said. That's what he said he does. He said not a sparrow. Huh? Do you even? I'm driving down the road. A sparrow better not fly out in front of me. I'll hit him. I ain't even gonna put on the brakes. Not a sparrow can fall to the ground without your father. The hairs on your head are numbered. Oh, but I'm losing hair every day. That's okay, God got them numbered. Got them numbered. Huh? Oh my.

And then Paul says, we preach these things, but they're foolishness to you. And here's the deadly curse of the whole thing. Neither can they know them because they're spiritually discerned. That's how they're understood. You're X-ing off the one means by which your soul can be saved. And you just put a big X on it. But, now watch this, he that's spiritual, that man in whom the Spirit of God dwells, confirms these things in their heart, he understands They use the word judge here, that's what it means to judge between right and wrong. He understandeth all things, yet he himself is understood of no man.

Now listen to me, the gospel's not an invitation. My Bible says in the margin I was reading the last invitation. That's what it says out before my text here in Revelation. There's no such thing. The gospel is never presented as an invitation, and it's not how my text reads, nor is it how the gospel is preached. The gospel is a declaration. John is declaring the prophecy of this book through the Spirit of God. That's what he's doing. He's declaring how things are going to be and how they are. It's a declaration, and we're commanded by God to respond.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Oh, you say baptism ain't got anything to do with it. That's not what the Bible says. It says he that believeth and is baptized. That is, he confesses Christ in the manner that God told him to. Is that what it says? Read Romans chapter 6.

Well, I just sprinkled That'll be neater, I won't have to have a baptistry. I just bring a man up front, he can stand on a towel, and I'll take a little water and sprinkle it on his head, or you can bring your baby in, and I'll sprinkle them. If they're one of God's elect, he'll save them. I'll just baptize them right now. Ain't gonna see it. Ain't gonna see it. Oh.

If it were not a command, if the gospel were not a command, now listen to me, there'd be no consequence to it, wouldn't there? It says, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned. That's a consequence. This whole world don't believe there's a consequence to the preaching of the gospel. It's a man standing up here giving me options, and most of them do. I'm not going to give you an option. There's only one way of salvation, and that's in Christ. There's only one way to receive Christ, and that's faith. There's only one way to confess Christ, and that's baptism. There's only one way to prove faith, and that's by trial. There's only one way to be saved, and that's to endure to the end. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. Is that right? There ain't no options anywhere in that, is there? There's a consequence. He that believeth not shall be damned.

But the gospel command, I'm going to show you the difference, is a loving, urgent command. Let me see if I can picture that. There's a man. He's out here on the end of the pier. He's looking around. He's not thinking about anything. He slips into the deep. He can't swim. And he's coughing and choking and thrashing around. And right here's a life preserver with a rope, so you throw it to him. And he's still, boy, he's going, hands and feet going all directions. Water's flashing up. He's choking, going down. Grab the life preserver. You're not saying pretty please, are you? You're not giving him options. Well, you can sit there and dredge water for a while. No. You're commanding him. Get a hold of it. There's life right here. All you have to do is reach out and take hold of it. You command him, but it's an urgent loving. I don't want to see him die. I don't want to see any of you die.

What's the consequence of unbelief? Death. He that's unjust, let him be unjust still. Isn't that what I just read? I'm going to tell you something. If God don't save you before you die, he's never going to save you. You're going to go out into eternity just as you were. And I tell you, you don't want to face God like that.

The gospel is a command, but it's an urgent, loving command. It's for your good. For your good. I don't yell at him to establish my authority, but as an urgent, concerned man who don't want to see him die. That's the preaching of the gospel. Why would you die when there's something you can lay hold of that's right here? He's not far from every one of you. Isn't that what Paul said? The word is nigh thee even in your mouth, the word of the gospel which we preach. It's right there.

I have the message and I have the means, but whoever's listening has to lay hold of it. Now hear me. I'm preaching to dying sinners. You had to quicken who were dead. Dead. What's that mean? It means dead. Well, I'm not dead. I'm still breathing. Yeah, but you're dead spiritually. You're dead spiritually. If you're not a believer, you've never had a decent thought about God. Not in your wildest imagination. You've never repented.

Do you hate yourself? You're here this morning, you're an unbeliever. Do you hate yourself? Then you don't know God. If you don't, you don't know God. Once you find out what you are, you don't want anything to do with yourself. Only thing I want is Christ. Ain't nothing in me. Emptiness. You die without Him, it's forever. He's appointed unto men once to die, and then what? The judgment. Let me assure you that we are all in need of saving.

Pastor, you're a preacher. You don't need me saving. Yes, I do. I'm being saved. I'm being saved. None righteous, no, not one. None that understandeth, none that seeketh after God. What was the big problem in Cairns? We're going to talk about this next week. What was the deal? They own it. They put down the rule. They're living in the house. They're eating out of the vineyard. And the olive trees, they didn't plant anything, they didn't build anything, and here it is, and they own it. They put down the government. They don't rule over them anymore.

So what's the problem? Still, the old former occupants are still there. You moved in the house, but he's still in the bedroom. Huh? You go out and pick from the olive garden, but so does he. He got his tent pitched in the front yard. He ain't went nowhere. He's still there. That's the story of the Christian. He's a believer. He's being saved. But the former occupants that the strong man put down the rain, he took the rain away. But the old occupants, they still live there. They still live there. They still lust just like they always did.

Somebody told me what? I'm saved, and I don't want to sin. Yes, you do. You're a liar. That's what the problem is. Huh? Oh, I don't want to sin. Yeah, you do. Yeah, you do. When I would do good, Paul said, evil's present with me. And the good that I would, I don't do. Why? Sin dwelleth in me. That's why. And it's a fight and a battle. And just as Israel fought those battles clear through to the end, And so will you, and so will I.

The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. How come? They're contrary to one to the other. They serve different gods. Oh, our Lord said, you're of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you'll do. Sinners, vile sinners, God-hating sinners, all have seen come short of the glory of God. Sin, pictured in the leper when his body was rotting from the inside out. Contagious to anybody who got around. Sin, pictured in the paralyzed man. He could do nothing. Salvation right there beside him, right there in the water. All he had to do was roll over, but he couldn't roll over. Sin, pictured in the demoniac who couldn't be chained. They tried, men tried, they couldn't do anything with it. Sin, pictured in the blind man, laid on the blanket, waiting on whatever men were willing to give him. Pitiful, pitiful, a beggar, couldn't see.

Oh, the soul that sinneth, God said, shall surely die, cursed is everyone who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them. My sins, David cried, are ever before me. I can't get rid of them. I see them now, he said, and they are against you and you only. My sins are against the only one who loves me. Oh, that God would show you that.

I'm going to say something. Maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't. I'm going to tell you anyway, because it's a good example of it. My oldest brother married a woman from Virginia. So did I. And she was wonderful. Wonderful. She bore him, his children. They were dressed to the T every time I ever seen them. They were the most well-mannered kids I've ever been around. That house was immaculate. You could eat off the floor. But my brother was a drunk. He was a drunk. He spent his life in the bar. And it's too shameful to tell all the things that he did against that woman. I've heard him talk to her like a dog, go out on her. There was no end to what he did to this woman. And she finally died of cancer, and he wasn't with her. He was out in some bar when she died.

You know what that is? That's sin against love. That woman loved him and did these things because there were no rules. He didn't come home, offer and beat her up or something if she didn't keep the house. She kept it because she wanted to. She loved him. But he didn't love her. Our sin is against one who loves us. Loves us. We sinned against love. That's unforgivable, isn't it? It would be with me, but it's not with him. Not with God. That's the story of every sinner he saved.

Hosea married a harlot and then followed her from place to place. She'd go in and commit adultery with a man and he'd leave and Hosea would take his little sack and lay some bread and wine down by the door. She thought her lovers was leaving this for her. All the while it was her husband. Everywhere she went, her whole life. Her whole life. There'd be the food, there'd be the oil, the oil. Lay it there and she just praised her lovers for it. After a while, she got past that stage where she was appealing to men and went in debt. Couldn't pay her rent, couldn't buy a horse, couldn't do this, couldn't do that. She went in debt. And they come and got her. And they took her down to the public auction, chained her to a pole, and was going to sell her into slavery for her debt.

Hosea, that's Jesus, I don't know if you know that or not, same as Joshua, Old Testament name for Jesus. Jesus went down and bid on his wife. He bought his wife out of slavery, that had sinned against him her whole life. But he took her home to himself, showed her her sin, her evil, showed it to her. And she didn't sin against him anymore. She loved him, cooked for his kids, provided for him. She was a faithful wife. That's the story, I'm telling you, that's the story of every believer. You're out here sinning against God and thinking, boy, the world's really repaying me. No, that's the Lord. That's the Lord. He's laying down the law. Bought his wife. Redeemed her. Made her to know that he not only loves her now, but he loved her the whole time. from the very beginning, and that it was him that gave her all these provisions.

Are you listening? God's covenant grace has preserved such sinners and provided for them their whole miserable life. Oh, I had a pretty good past. How come? God's prevenient grace. I should have been dead 100 times. How come I ain't? God's prevenient grace, grace before it.

Oh, that's what these cherubims are doing. They're keeping the way open. I tell you, John must have wept in the revelation of the Spirit as his hand penned these words. The Spirit, the Spirit of the living God, the Spirit who alone can confirm, convict, affectionately call sinners to Christ. The Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who alone can take the things of Christ and show them unto you. The Spirit and the Bride in union.

What's he talking about? He's talking about the Spirit of God going through his preachers, going through his church, the pillar and ground of the truth. The Spirit and the bride say, come. Now wait a minute, wait a minute. I'm guilty. Come. I'm filthy. Come on. I'm not like you all. Come on. I'm not fit for heaven. I know. The spirit and the bride say, come. Oh, God won't have me. Then he wouldn't have said, come. God understands what he says. That might not make any sense, but that's the only way I know to say it. There are no contingencies.

Oh, wait a minute. What about this circumstance? I ain't know what about. If he says come, you know what it means, come. The big argument here a while back about Christ being made in sin. What's that word made mean? I traced it all the way back in an OED, all the way back to the 16th century. You know what that word meant? Made. You know what that word come means? Come. Come. The Spirit and the Bride, all God's elect, they say, come. You don't say you can't come. Tell them, come. They're ignorant. They don't know. They don't know why everything seems foolishness to them. They don't know why they don't want to come. You do, but they don't. But I understand what God said, and he's already taken care of the contingencies. All I got to do is say, come. Come on. They don't say you can't come because of the covenant of grace has made provisions for all these things. The bride says come. Well, how come she's saying it? Because the Spirit's saying it and she's just repeating what he said to them. Come.

Now watch this. And let him that heareth say come. Have you heard? Then say come. Blessed are your ears for they hear. How do I know when a man hears? He says come. Let him that hear us say come. Now listen. And let him that's a thirst come. Are you thirsty? thirsty for living waters, thirsty for sin, atoning grace, thirsty for knowledge concerning salvation, thirsty for gospel news. I don't care who you are or what you've done or where you live. Come on. Come. On the authority of God's Word, come. And do you know how I know they will? Because I come. That's one reason. But here's even better than that. Because our Lord said, all that my Father giveth me shall come to me. And I will in no wise cast him out.

Now watch this, and I'll wrap this up. Revelation 22, verse 17, and whosoever will, Boy, that'll cause an argument, won't it? Whosoever will. Let him take the water of life freely. Now, I'm going to tell you something. I don't have any power to open the door. Only God can do that. I don't have any power to open the door to eternal life. That's in God's hands.

What he's telling us here in this passage is not to hinder the sinner. If you find a man willing, how come he's willing and nobody else is? Because God made him willing in the day of his power. You can check it out over in Psalm 110, but that's exactly what he's telling us. He's going to establish his rule, his authority, his power in Zion. And my people shall be willing in the day of my power.

When he establishes that power in your heart, you're going to come. You couldn't stay back if you wanted to. It's irresistible, isn't it, Russell? I don't care how hard-hearted you've been. I don't care what you've done. It ain't going to matter if God sticks his hand in the hole of your heart. You're going to come. That's what he's telling you, come.

And I'm telling you, there's only one reason why men won't. They love darkness rather than light. I like it where I'm at. I like things the way they are. Then stay there. Stay here and go to hell. That's exactly what's going to happen. I like it like this. Or you wouldn't if you knew what it was.

Oh, my. The Lord's going to establish His gracious rule. And He said, when I do, it'll be like the womb of the morning. It's going to be in the glories of His grace. Oh, my. What's that mean? That means when He does, you're going to be like a kid in a candy store. That's exactly what. I went in, first time in my life, in an old 10 cent store. We used to have them when I was a kid. Five and dime. And we went into this one. It was pretty well known. It was a big chain. And as far as you could see down there, when you first walked in the door, was these clear plastic things full of candy. Or as you could see. When my dad first took me in there, boy, I went nuts. I was running from boot to each thing, all the way down through there. Couldn't decide what I wanted, like a kid in a candy store.

God calls you to Christ, and you realize what all he's given you. You're like a kid in a candy store. You don't know what you want. I don't know. What do I want? Oh, I want everything. Everything. I can taste it. I can look through the glass and taste it. You tasted that the Lord's gracious? Well, that's what he's talking about. Like a kid coming out in a womb mourning and he's just rejoicing. The sinner suddenly realizes he's a sinner and then by the grace of God, heaven's open and he sees that sweet display of God's love and grace. He's now willing. He's willing.

And the preaching of the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It's not some Our arrangement of words and illustrations that are so important, but the Spirit of God reaching His hand in the Holy Heart, working there, causing these things to become a reality. And we're commanded here by God to let Him take the water of life freely. What's that mean? That means get out of the way. Our problem is God will save somebody and they're coming up and they want and they're ready. I'm ready to hear. I'm ready. What do we do? We get right away. Are you sure you're ready? Get out of the way. He wouldn't have come if he wasn't ready. He's ready. Get out of the way. Quit trying to hinder him. Let him get to the water alive.

Now, I'm going to throw 20 arguments out there and try to get him to stay in his seat. No, sir. I'm going to tell him to come. Come on. Let him take. Give him permission. Get out of his way. Make the way clear like the way to the city of refuge. Boy, they had signs up. They patched every hole in the road. Not like my road. It was clean. There wasn't no stumbling blocks. There wasn't nothing. When they got there, what happened? They said, come on in. Come on in.

What did he tell them? He said, I'm willing. Well, come in then. Come on in. He's now willing in the day of God's power. Whosoever will. Is everybody willing? No, sir. I was never willing. I'm the original rebel. I never want to do anything anybody ever told me to do. I want to do my thing. I'm out of that hippie generation. Let's go do our thing. until I found out what my thing was, and then I didn't want part of it.

And I'm going to tell you something. I've not seen it often, but I have seen it. And every time I have, it makes me thankful. Leaves me praising God. Something that no man can do and no preacher can do. God does it without effort. Let him take the water of life from you. Whose water is it? God's. Huh?

Now let me tell you something. If he says let him take it, let him take it. It's his. And a preacher, like a chair of them, he's not put there to shut the door. Preacher's there that the door stay open. That's why we preach the gospel. We're trying to tell folks, the door's open. Come on in. You got a need? What's the need? Are you a needy sinner? Come to Christ.

Oh, may the Lord be pleased to make it so today for Christ's sake. Amen.