Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 25. Proverbs 25. I'd like to look at one verse
of scripture, verse 25. Proverbs 25, 25. As cold waters
to a thirsty soul So is good news from a far country. There's hardly anything that
we can compare, humanly speaking, to the quenching of slaking thirst. I'm talking about to the point
of dehydration. Dehydration exhibits itself with
extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion. Start imagining things, convinced
that you're seeing things that you don't. This is the way the body reacts
to a lack of water. I read where you can go by three
days without water. Three weeks without food, but
not very long without water. And the Lord made man to thirst. He thirsts. That's how he knows
he's thirsty. But now, when it comes to spiritual
things, thirsting for God. And that's what man needs. Man
needs the thirst for God as a natural man thirsts for water. Needs it. He needs it. But I
got two points. Here's my two points. I got some
bad news. Here's my second point. I've
got some good news from a far country. That's my two points.
Now, you know, good news is not good news unless you know the
bad news. You know, somebody calls, especially
if it's one of my kids or a big Linda, and say, look, I've got
some bad news. I'm thinking, oh, what? What is it? Well, when it comes
to man's thirsting after God as he is born in Adam, the natural
man, I've got some bad news. Man's in trouble. Let me tell
you something. I just want to be straight up
about it. A man or woman that doesn't know
God, that has never cast themselves upon the mercy of God, never
from the heart cried out for mercy, I've got some bad news
for you. If you leave this world without
Christ, God's gonna put you in hell.
I just, I mean, I don't want to, you know, Glenda's always
told me, she said, they may not agree with what you're saying,
but they hear what you're saying, know what you're saying. Man
without Christ. Now, I'm talking, now when I
say man without Christ, let me, let me, let me just say, make
this and then I'll go on. I'm not talking about if you
think that you have, this is what you read, Dick. If you think
that you are a possessor of salvation because you accepted Jesus as
your personal Savior, and that's the reason that, or if you think
you're converted because you were baptized, or that you walked
down an aisle, or that, you know, you prayed and asked the Lord
to come into your heart and that was the reason, that was the
reason that the Lord saved you, you're lost. You're lost. Does a sinner cry out for mercy? Yes. Is he willing to come to
Christ in the day of God's power? Yes. But he comes because the
Lord has regenerated him. And now he's alive. He does what
he does because he's alive. He doesn't become alive because
of what he's done. That's works. That's works. If I'm thinking that I have become
alive, that God gave me life because I decided for Jesus,
that works. No, that's the cart before the
horse. Man is in trouble. He doesn't
know that he has been born into this world separated from God,
offended God. He doesn't know he needs a Redeemer.
He doesn't know that. The reason that you can find
a place to sit this morning in this congregation, the reason
you can find a place to sit is because by and large people,
not only this community but everywhere, don't know and don't care. They
don't know that they need a redeemer. They don't know they need a substitute
before God. They don't know they need a priest
before God. They think, I'm okay. I'm okay. I've gone to church. I've done,
you know, my duty and therefore I'm okay. Man's in trouble. His righteousness is as filthy
rags. He needs the righteousness of
God. And he can't earn it. He can't earn that. It's given. It's given. We're robed in the
righteousness of Christ. He doesn't know that he's a wretched
sinner against God, so indebted because sin has captivated him. He's dead. He can't hear, he
can't see spiritually, and he has no desire to change. If you're here and you don't
know it, you know what I'm saying is true. You don't care. You
don't care. That's all of us by nature. We don't care. Managing
trouble. OK. That's the bad news. Now,
here's my second point. I've got some good news from
a far country. For those made to know something
of their need, Now how does a man or woman know when they have
a need? They know that they have a need.
That's how they know. I need him. I need for the Lord
to do something for me that I cannot do for myself. I need that. Every believer knows he didn't
save himself. He knows that. He knows that. He used to believe that. But
he doesn't believe that anymore. There is a country. It's a far country. Farther than man, by nature,
can reach. Lord willing, in the next few
weeks, we're going to be getting into chapter 11 in Genesis on
Wednesday. And we're going to get into when
they started trying to build the Tower of Babel. They were
going to build them a tower to heaven. Heaven's farther than a man can
reach. Here's a far country. This country is heaven itself. It's far from heaven and earth,
which is unimaginable. I don't know how far it is. But
from this far country, now listen, God, according to these scriptures,
has made a declaration to sinners. Now, if God Almighty has made
a man or woman to see themselves as a sinner, what is a sinner? Well, it's one that has broken
God's law. That's what it is. I have not
obeyed God. I've not obeyed God. And I realize
I can do nothing but sin. That's all I can do. Everything
I do, the best of my thoughts, they're not perfect. In myself,
I'm not holy. But if God Almighty has given
a man or woman a desire, a need. Here, if you're sitting here
and you're thinking, I want to hear what you have to say from
these scriptures. I want to hear what God has to say about hungering
and thirsting after righteousness, the righteousness of God. Now
here's the good news. Bad news is that man's in trouble
and he cannot save himself. Here's the good news. God has
been pleased to rescue from the depth of depravity and sin a
people. Now listen, God has a people
that he's chosen to save. Scripture bears that out. 2 Thessalonians 2.13, Ephesians
1.4 and 5. And here's what God has done.
God has sent forth His Word to His people. He told Jeremiah
to say in Jeremiah 3.12, Return thou backsliding Israel, saith
the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you. For I am merciful, saith the
Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Now listen. God Almighty
has declared to a people in need, return thou backsliding Israel,
come back. And you know what a believer,
one that's been made will in the day of his power, you know
he's gonna say, Lord, draw me back. Lord, I won't come unless
you draw me. Lord, I'm not, that's the speech
of a believer. A believer knows if he had not
sent that word from heaven, from a far country, what other place
could that message have come from? That God would choose to
not cause his anger to fall upon a people of his affection, that's
good news. God's going to show mercy to
somebody. to his elect. Somebody said, well, how do I
know if I'm one of the elect? Let me ask you this. Do you want
to come? Do you want to? I'm not asking
if you're one of the elect. I'm asking you, do you want to
come? Come. Whosoever will, let him come.
Bad news, if God leaves you alone, you won't. You won't. You just
won't come. I'll not have that man rule over
me, but oh, the good news. If God Almighty has done something
for me, He's gonna put a desire there. There's the key. God makes His people willing.
In the day of His power, He's gonna show mercy. But now, let
me ask you this. How can God show mercy? He's a just God. How can he show
mercy and not execute justice? He's a just God. How can he do
that? I'm a just God and a savior.
I will in no wise clear the guilty. The soul that sinneth is gonna
die. That's bad news. Here's the good news. God Almighty
has sent His lamb, God has a lamb, an appointed lamb to this earth. Isaac asked Abraham, they were
going up on that hill, they're gonna go worship God. What were
they gonna do? Abraham was gonna offer Isaac
on the altar, that's what God told him to do. I want you to
offer your son as a burnt offering to me. Abraham said, we're gonna
go up there and we're gonna worship God. Isaac's going, here's the
fire, here's the wood. Where's the Lamb? God will provide Himself a Lamb. God sent His Lamb, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who in covenant mercy, covenanted, agreed to, contracted
with, Himself, God Almighty, contracted with Himself, Father,
Son, Spirit. to save a people from their sins.
How is He going to do it? The Lord Jesus Christ is going
to come into this world and He's going to earn righteousness by
His obedience and God's going to charge His righteousness to
His people. And He's going to go to the cross
and He's going to bear all their sins all their thoughts, every
filthy thought, every filthy word, everything we didn't do,
that we should have done, that we don't even know we did. And
He's going to bear all of it. I can't even imagine that. All
the sins of all His people for all of time, past, present, future,
He's going to bear them all. And He's going to hang before
God Bearing their sin made sin and God's gonna judge him for
it Because God will in no wise clear the guilty Somebody gonna
die somebody gonna pay Somebody's gonna pay and Christ laid down
his life for the Sheep, that's what he said John 10 15 the Lord
said that And this purpose of God to show mercy, it didn't
start in time. Almighty God everlastingly purposed. Titus 1, 1 and 2, Paul, a servant
of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith
of God's elect. and the acknowledging of the
truth which is after godliness in hope of eternal life which
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. God Almighty proclaimed His will
to show mercy from the beginning. When man fell in the garden,
what did Adam and Eve do? Well, they took of the fruit. And God told Adam the day, you're
going to die. He took of the fruit. Immediately,
when Adam ate, not Eve, when Adam ate. Adam was the federal
head, not his wife. She ate, she gave it to Adam.
Adam took it, and with his eyes wide open, he knew what God said.
He ate, and mankind died immediately. and their eyes were open and
they knew that they were naked. What do you do? They took some
fig leaves, sewed them some fig leaves together. They're gonna
cover themselves. But here's the bad news. Not
by works of righteousness that we've done, but according to
his mercy. And from the beginning, God Almighty
proclaimed in type that God was gonna have to cover A man's rebellion
and nakedness before God. The Lord did make coats of skins
and clothed them. Genesis 3.21. What did God show? Blood's going to have to be shed.
The penalty of sin is death. That's what He was setting forth
in there. And so now God Almighty has been pleased from the beginning
to send messenger after messenger after messenger to tell his people,
God's gonna send, he said, Jeremiah 3.50, I will give you pastors
according to mine heart, which will feed you with knowledge
and understanding. This is what a pastor's called
to do. You get into this book, and you
find out what this book says, and you study it, and you tell
my people. You tell them what I say. This is what a pastor's called
to do. God has been pleased to not leave His own in ignorance.
They're going to be taught the truth. And through this book
right here, the Spirit of God takes it and blesses it to God's
people. And they hear it. And the proclamation
of the gospel, this is what Isaiah 52 says concerning preachers. Isaiah 52 verse 7. How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publish peace,
bringeth the good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation,
that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. You tell my people
I reign. You tell them the Spirit of God
moved upon the Apostle Paul to quote that scripture in Romans
10, 15. That's what he said. He's setting
forth the love and appreciation that God's people have for the
ambassadors of Christ because they speak of Him, sent of God
to preach glad tidings of salvation through faith and not of man's
works. That's good news! That's good
news! It's good news! that I can't
earn my salvation. That's good news, because I know
I can't. God said I can't. Salvation is
of the Lord. Brother Henry Mahan, I broke
down, he said, the greatest blessing God gives a people is a faithful
preacher of the gospel. Greatest blessing. The Lord prophesied
that the Messiah will come, and when it pleased God in the fullness
of time, an announcement was made. The Lord sent in Luke chapter
1, listen to this, it's been prophesied now, the Messiah,
you know, the root of David, out of dry ground, the Messiah
is coming, he's coming, he's coming, he's coming. And when
it pleased God in Luke chapter 1 verse 26, It said the sixth
month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin, a spouse to a man whose name
was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art
highly favored, greatly blessed, accepted, much graced of the
Lord, which is highly favored. The Lord is with thee. Blessed
art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was
troubled. What His saying and cast in her
mind, what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel
said unto her, fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with
God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth
a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, shall
be called the son of the highest, and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be
no end. Then said Mary unto the angel,
how shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered
and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. You know if the scriptures wouldn't
have said that holy thing, I'd have never said that. But if
God said it, that's what it is. That's what it is. It's going
to be that you're going to conceive by the Holy Ghost. That which
God has promised, that good news from a far country, you're the
one that God has chosen. And then in Luke chapter 2, it
happened. She conceived and in Luke chapter
2, here's what the scripture says that happened at the time
of the delivery. Luke 2 verse 16 to 14. It says that then they came with
haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.
And they told them there were shepherds out in that field and
they were there. Verse 6 says, so it was that
while they were there, the days were accomplished that he should
be delivered. She brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because
there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the
same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over
their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord
came from then, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not. Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. that shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be the sign unto
you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger." I started not to say this, but I'm going
to. You only know what you read.
And I've always heard of swaddling clothes. And I was reading, I
got on, and what was the significance of the swaddling clothes? Now
you can check this out too. I'm just going to tell you, I
read this. I didn't get this out of the scriptures, I just
read this from the Hebrews. From the practice of the Hebrews.
What the purpose of the swaddling clothes were. Swaddling clothes. What they said from the ancient
Hebrews, is that whenever the shepherds that had the responsibility
for the providing, the care of, the sacrificial lambs, the lambs,
the little lambs, when a lamb was born, they would wrap that
lamb in swaddling clothes. Wrap it in bands of cloth to
protect it, to keep it, and to watch it to see if there be any
blemish in it. And they wrapped them in swaddling
clothes. Those little lambs, those little
animals. And they would lay them there
in that manger or that place and they'd watch them. And I
thought, wow, if that's so, what a picture of the Lord being wrapped
in swaddling clothes. That watching of that sacrificial
lamb. So I thought, I'm going to check
that out. But I started not to say anything,
but I said, no. I'm going to tell you. Again,
now, don't hold me to it. I just read it. I mean, men are
men. But concerning him, here he was,
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. They said,
now, this is how you're going to know it's him. You go and
you find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, that's him. You'll know
it. And they did. And concerning
the Lord, Luke 2.40 says the child grew and waxed strong in
spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him.
And the scripture declares that he increased in wisdom and stature
and favor with God and man. You talk about a picture of his
humanity. How can it be said that the Lord of glory, that
he increased in wisdom He was a man. That's more than I can
grasp. I believe it, but it's more than
I can grasp. Luke 8, 1 declares it came to
pass afterward, he went throughout every city and village preaching,
showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and the twelve
were with him. And then one day he came in to
read in the tabernacle, and he turned to that passage in Isaiah
61, 1 and 2, and he read that passage, and I won't read it
for time, but you know, I've come to preach to the poor and
heal the blind. And then after he read that scripture,
he said this in Luke 4, 21, this day is this scripture fulfilled
in your ears. What he told them was, I am the
Messiah. I am he. And the attitude of
all those sent of God, the Lord read that scripture and he was
worthy to read it. And he was worthy to proclaim
himself to be the one of whom that scripture spoke. But for
all men standing in pulpits today and preaching the gospel, this
glorious message, this good news. Here's the attitude they have
of themselves. Who's sufficient for these things? Who's sufficient
to stand in a pulpit and speak to sinners of whom I'm one with
you? Who's sufficient to stand up?
I'm not sufficient for this. But God has been pleased to send
some good news. I got some good news. Good news. So here's, in conclusion, here's
my good news. Here it is, all I'm doing is
summing up what I just said. Here's the good news. God has
a people that he's going to save. Now listen, this is good news.
Man, by and large, man's dead, man's lost, but God has a people
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1 verse
4, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. Man born in Adam is full of blame,
but to be without blame before Him in love. God has a people. Secondly, He came into this world
to establish the righteousness that shall be imputed to His
people, and He came to die for them, being their absolute substitute. Substitute. I told you before,
I've used this. I told you, if my mama had committed
murder and was going to be electrocuted, if I just said, well, if somebody's
got to die, I'll die. I mean, if death is going to
answer it, well then let me die in her place. That is not what
this is. That's not what he's talking
about. If I could become my mama, if I could be made her, and she
me, and I then being made her, took the blame, because now I
was made her. That's what Christ did. He was
made sin. He was made what his people are. He hung before God not as a martyr
just to die. He was made sin. And at Calvary, he bore all the
sins of all the elect, all their sorrows, he carried all their
griefs, he was stricken of God, he was wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace
was upon him. Now listen, here's what happened. God's got people he's gonna save.
Christ came into this world to save them. How did He do it?
He's going to bear all their guilt being made them. And God's
going to put away that guilt. And after God put away that guilt
by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, here's the conclusion
of that. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which be in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit. God's already dealt with their
sin. I'm not going to stand before God in guilt. Standing before
God in Christ, I have no guilt. I have no guilt. I have no sin
to answer for. He paid it. He paid it. And when
it pleases God, the Spirit of God is going to come in power
under this message that honors the Lord and doesn't honor man.
He's going to come in power. And the Spirit of God is going
to take and He's going to come in a miraculous thing. He's going
to remove a heart of stone from a sinner that God is going to
show mercy. And He's going to give them a
new heart. And He's going to make them willing in the day
of their power. And now they're going to think, I want Him. I need Him. I need Him. I need Him. I don't need myself. I need Him. They'll come. And one more thing. He's gone
to heaven. He told his disciples. He said,
in my father's house are many mansions. If it wasn't so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. That's good. You mean Almighty
God is going to save a people from their sins and He died for His elect people
and He put away their guilt and the Spirit of God is going to
come and He's going to save His people and how do I know if I'm
one of them? You believe Him. You believe
Him. And in your heart, you cast yourself
upon him because he's given you life. That's the evidence of
life. You believe God. You trust him. Look up. Lift up your head. Your
redemption draweth nigh. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for the glory of the Lord Jesus and our eternal good. Amen. All right.