Let's take our Bibles and turn
to the book of John, chapter 4. John, chapter 4. I'm going to be looking at verses
39 to 42, but I want you to hold your finger in that scripture,
John 4. And turn with me to the book
of Titus. I'd like to read something. Titus 1, verses 1-4. Let's read Titus 1, verses 1-4 and
ask our Lord's blessing afterwards. 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, but hath in due times manifested His word
through preaching. which is committed unto me, according
to the commandment of God our Savior, to Titus, mine own son,
after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior." Let's pray. Our Father, we are so thankful
that You've given us this time to be able to assemble and to
hear. We thank You for Your voice that
is heard through the reading and hearing of Your Scriptures. We ask You to bless this Word
to our hearts. Cause us to hear. Cause us to
see. May Christ be honored. For it
is in His name we pray, Amen. Paul said in that book of Titus, according to the faith of God's elect. The faith of God's elect. Now, in the book of John, chapter
4, we are going to continue. I have entitled this message
this morning, The Evidence of Election. election. Obviously, the scripture sets
forth that God has an elect of people. And we've been looking
at this book, going verse by verse, line by line, and looking
at the conversion of a Samaritan woman in a city called Sychar. A place in Samaria where the
Lord said according to the Scriptures, He must needs go through Samaria. And this Samaritan woman, an
object obviously of God's mercy and grace, had talked with the
Lord Jesus Christ and He did something for her. called this woman out of darkness.
And this woman went into the city and told a group of men
what she had heard from the Lord Jesus Christ. And the declaration
from that woman to those men was greatly blessed by the Spirit
of God to the conversion of many others. in Sychar. Boy, how gloriously true is this
Scripture, Zechariah 4, 6, not by might or by power, but my
spirit sayeth the Lord opposed. Boy, there is something amazing
about the preaching of the gospel of God's grace. The Lord may
be pleased to bless to the salvation of one of His own, one of His
elect today. Now that blessed message from
that woman, it had an effect. It was an experiential thing. Something
actually happened when those men heard what this woman said. Come see a man that told me all
things ever I did. The Spirit of God blessed that. He blessed that word from that
woman. How much did that woman know? Well, she knew that there was
one that had told her all things ever she did, come see Him. And the Scripture says in verse
39, this is where we'll start today, and many of the Samaritans
of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman which
testified, He told me all that ever I did. The thing that I
noticed about this woman first is that she's honest. He said, I did it. Boy, you know,
by nature, we want to hide it, don't we? No, I'm not really
as bad as you say I am. I'm not wicked before God and
myself. There's a little good in all
men, that's what they say. Not according to Scriptures,
it's not. I did what He said. Mercy is never so beautiful as
when it's viewed against the backdrop of guilt. That God would make a man or
woman guilty, what a blessing. This woman did just exactly what
the Lord told her to do. In her heart, she was instructed. That's what she did. You remember
when the demoniac of the Gadarenes, he wanted to follow the Lord
Jesus Christ. After the Lord had cast those
demons out of him, what did the Lord tell him to do? He said,
Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord
hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee. You're going to find that more
times than not, this is often the case, the ministry of a believer
is at home. That's more times than not. We ought to be satisfied where
the Lord has placed us. Not try to be in a hurry. Try
to improve where we follow Him. Where has He put you? Where has
He placed you? Be consistent right there. You know, those that have known
us at length often are the ones that truly behold the evidence
of grace. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3,
2, Ye are our epistle. You are our book written in our
hearts. And known and read of all men.
The old saying, you know, what you do speaks aloud. I don't
hear what you're saying. People can talk a big game, you
know. They're big talkers. And usually
the reason they do, they like to hear themselves speak. That's
what they like. But what they do, that's what
a man believes. What he does. Not what he says.
Not what he says. Men are able, just like this
woman right here, they are able to express what they have experienced. Come, David said in Psalm 66,
16, come and hear all you that fear God and I will declare what
He has done for my soul. Let me tell you what the Lord
has done for me. He regenerated. this helpless
sinner and rebuild himself to be God's Lamb. He that taketh
away the sin of the world. Let me tell you what the Lord
has done for me. This is what this woman did.
She said, Come see a man that told me all things that ever
I did. I was reading this morning something
that just struck me afresh. And it was talking about God's
people being sons of God. Being the sons of God. Now are we the sons of God. My, that just, you know, only
by faith can I know that. Man, there's nothing, I don't
see anything in me that appears as though to be that which would
make me a son of God. Now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear, but
we shall be. But when we see Him, we'll be like He is. Only by faith can a man or woman
know that. Sons of God. Heirs of God. Joint heirs with Christ. You come see a man who told me
everything I ever did to realize that here's one that's
made me honest before God. One that answers. One that prays
for me. I think about the Lord Jesus
Christ as our great High Priest. And here's Christ Himself speaking
to the Father, the presentation of Himself, His blood, and asking as our High Priest,
Father, receive this one. as you would
receive me. Father, as you would look upon
me, look upon this one in me. Receive him unto yourself for
my sake. Receive him unto yourself as
one that I shed my blood for, put away his guilt. I have robed
him in my righteousness. Take him unto yourself. And in
that day, the Father will say, Well done, thou good and faithful
servant. Oh, by the grace of God, we are
what we are. Come see a man that told me all
things ever I did. Well, in verses 40 to 42, there's
four blessings that I want to look at that are recorded for
our comfort, our admonition. I'd like to look first of all,
I've entitled this, remember, The Evidence of Election. This
first point is the blessing of God's mercy for the elect. The Scripture says in verse 40,
So when the Samaritans were come unto Him. That's where that verse
starts. So when the Samaritans were come
unto Him. You remember when the Lord told
Moses, I will be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. I will
show mercy on whom I'll show mercy. Obviously, these Samaritans came
to Christ as a result of the Spirit of God making them willing
in the day of His power. Mercy for mercy with no works
on their own part. The Lord said in John 6.37, and here's an amazing thing.
How many times have we read or quoted this scripture? All that
the Father giveth me. shall come to me. And him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Now let me ask you
this once again, just to refresh my memory. Let me ask this question
and I'll refresh my memory and I pray yours too. What is it
to come to Christ? All that the Father giveth me.
Now you know just hearing that verse of Scripture. That has
to do with election. All that the Father giveth me.
Now, you can't get around that. Try to talk around it as much
as you can. You can't do it. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Now, my question is this. If
a man dies without Christ, did he come to Christ? No. If He
didn't come to Christ, then something is evident there. The Father
didn't give Him to the Son. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me. What does it
mean to come to Christ? To come to Christ is to forsake all confidence
in yourself. You're either going to come to
yourself or you're going to come to Christ. There's only two places
to go. Either you're going to look to
your works of self-righteousness. You're going to look to what
you've done. Either you've gone to holy communion
Either you've taken of the Lord's table, either you've been baptized,
either you've joined the church, either you've walked down an
aisle, either you've prayed through or something. You've done something
in your mind that has then initiated salvation. Or a man comes to
Christ, as old Brother Scott used to say, empty-handed. What
have you got to offer? You don't have anything to offer.
What are you going to do for Him? As I've said before, remember,
please, please remember, anything that you think that you've done,
anything that men's told you that you've done that has merited
salvation, anything that you think you've done, I exercise
my free will, I've done this, remember this, when God Almighty
saves a sinner, How perfect does the Scripture
set forth that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the salvation? He's holy. He's holy. He did always only those things
that pleased His Father. What is it going to take for
God to save a sinner? It's going to take absolute holiness. You're going to have to be as
perfect as God and are only robed in His righteousness
are you viewed to be so. Now, if you think that you've
done something to merit salvation, whatever it is, I don't care
what it is, remember this, if you've ever deviated one time
If you've ever deviated before or after, if you've ever deviated
in what you think you've done, it ain't going to hold water. It ain't going to fly. If you think you're going to
stand before God and Almighty God is going to accept what you
think you've done, I'm telling you, you will hear Him say, depart
from Me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you." These men,
the Scripture says, they came to Him. The evidence of the blessing
of God's mercy in electing grace is that God's people come to
Him and they forsake everything else. They let it go. Paul said, I
count it but done. Here's a second thing as an evidence
of God's election. There's a needy heart. They come
to Him. Scripture says, I'll continue
reading, verse 40, So when the Samaritans were coming to Him,
they besought Him that He would tarry with them. Oh, the difference between a
heart made sense to him and one that hasn't. The whole city, the Scripture
says, concerning that demoniac there in the city of the Girgashines
after our Lord had cast out all those demons, cast them into
those swine. Swine went over and drowned themselves.
They came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw Him, they besought
Him that He would depart out of their coast. I don't want
you. I don't want you. I don't want
a sovereign God. I don't want a God that shows
mercy. I'd be my own man. I'd stand
on my own two feet. But these Samaritans right here,
they wanted something. What they wanted was for Him
to tarry with them. Oh, what an evidence of regeneration
when folks desire to be where He is, where He's honored, where
He's preached, where He's loved. That is in His sovereignty. in His glory where salvation
is all of grace, not of works. Why? Lest any man should boast. Look what I've done. I didn't do much, but at least I believed. At least
I was whatever. You see what I'm saying? Here is the third thing. The
evidence of salvation is where the blessing of Almighty
God is evidenced to ask according to His will. These that had been everlastingly
loved, chosen in Christ, redeemed by His blood, called by His grace,
possessed a heart for Him that could only be satisfied by Him. Here is the blessing of God's
mercy that God will satisfy their heart. Let me read Psalm 37.
I thought of this Scripture a moment ago. I will read it to you if
you want to turn to Psalm 37 verse 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord,
and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." When Almighty God, in regenerating
grace and power, is pleased to do something for a sinner, the
Scripture sets forth that they hear the gospel. Now, remember
this. The gospel is the report. The gospel is the declaration
of what God Almighty has been pleased to do apart from any
merit whatsoever in a sinner. God Almighty looked to see if
there were any that did good. And there was
none. There was none. No man seeks after God but because
Almighty God loved the order of mankind. You know this. He wasn't going to let them perish.
He was not going to let the order of man perish. And He purposed
to show mercy. And He chose to save some out
of every kindred, nation, tribe, and tongue. That's what Revelation
4 says. That's what God says. That's
what God said. Remember this. You're never taking
issue with a preacher that's preaching the gospel. You're
taking issue with God. I'm just a messenger. I'm just
a voice. I'm trying to be consistent with
the Word of God. And God Almighty chose a people. We can't get around that. Thanks
be unto God, He did. And all those that He chose,
He gave them to His Son. They're yours. You're the surety. I'm looking to you. I'm looking
only to you. God Almighty never looks at one
sinner for salvation. He looks to the Son. And the
honor of Almighty God's Son is at stake. The honor of God's
Son is at stake. If He fails, they all fail. God Almighty is a failure. He
gave them to the Lord Jesus Christ and He came into this world and
He lived before God Almighty as their federal head. And God
watched Him. He said, This is My beloved Son. in whom I am well pleased. Christ
said, My meat, My food, My sustenance, My life is to do the will of
Him that sent Me and to finish His work. From the cross He cried,
It's finished. Now in mercy and grace, the Spirit
of God who blows like the wind sovereignly, effectually, God
Almighty causes those that He has everlastingly loved to get
under the Gospel. And they hear. Paul said this
is the power of God unto salvation. This is the declaration of what
God has done. And they sit under the Gospel
and they hear. And when it pleases God, Paul
said, when it pleased Him, God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me, I conferred
not with flesh and blood." And Almighty God gives him a
new heart. That's what He said. I'll give
him a new heart, a new will, a new mind. As a new creation,
as a brand new... That old man, he's just as ornery. I'm still a rat. I'm still a rat. I've got an
old nature in me. I'm still a scoundrel. And you
that know, and you are too, there's an old nature in you, you're
still just as rotten to the core. The difference between a believer
and an unbeliever is that a believer's got a new holy nature that does
not sin. That which is born of God sinneth
not. Now you've got a brand new nature.
And that new nature that hungers and thirsts after righteousness, came to the Lord Jesus Christ
and said, ìWould you tarry with us? Would you stay with us?î
Hereís the blessing of asking. The Scripture says, ìAnd he abode
there two days.î He stayed with them. Whatsoever John 14, 13, and 14,
you shall ask in my name. That will I do that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. You shall ask anything in my
name. I will do it." I pray, God, keep this lighthouse,
this candlestick here. Lord, if it pleases You, would
You abide with us? Lord, would You maintain the
assembly of Katie Baptist Church. Lord, you've been pleased to
keep it here 50 plus years. Would you keep it here a while
longer according to your mercy? Who knows? He might. Without a doubt, he had eternally
purposed to abide with these Samaritans. I know that. He wasn't
doing anything by accident. The Scripture says, Isaiah 46,
9 and 10, Remember the former things of old, for I'm God. There's
none else. I am God. There's none like me.
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand. I will
do all my pleasure. God does not fail. God does not
fail. If He's purposed to save a sinner,
He's going to save them. If a man goes to hell, it's because
he wanted to. We should always remember the
importance of asking. Don't ever fail to ask. You say,
what should I ask for? Ask for anything according to
His will. He said He'll do it. Lord, if it be Your will, Now,
there's going to be a lot of things I know we've asked for
to consume them, the Scripture says, upon our own lust. But
if it's for your good and His glory, according to His purpose,
He's going to do it. He said, You ask Me anything
according to My will, and I will do it. Remember all those promises we
looked at in Ezekiel 36? Then He said, Thus saith the
Lord, Yet for these things I will be inquired of by the house of
Israel." Ask. Is there somebody in your family
lost? Ask Him. He may be pleased to save them.
What if He does? You say, well, the Lord's going
to do whatever He's going to do. That's right. And He just
may put it on your heart to ask. He may put it on your heart to
inquire." Our Lord has a purpose to do
us good. He places within the heart of
His people what He will be inquired of for and then draws us to ask. He is honored when we ask. You
know, my kids call me up sometimes. Anything. Dad, I was just saying,
have you got a few minutes, Dad, I'd like to just ask, can I ask
you something? Can I, you know, you know what they're doing.
They're appealing to me who they look to as being one that possibly
can help them. That's an honor to me. Dad, would
you tell, what do you think? You see what I'm saying? He's
honored. He's honored when we ask. Ask Matthew 7, and it shall
be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock,
it shall be opened unto you for everyone that asketh, receive
it. He that seeketh, findeth. To
him that knocketh, it shall be opened." What if he says no?
That was for your good. Dad, can I have a... I tell you
about getting a motorcycle. What do you think? No. I want one. I don't care. No. When you get 18, you do what
you want to do, but no. Can I do this? I think so. The answer may be no. Whatever you desire for the Lord,
for His honor and your good, ask Him. And then lastly, the
blessing of the evidence, the blessing of the evidence of electing
grace. Verse 41, And many more believed
because of his own word, said unto the woman, Now we believe,
not because of our saying, for we have heard him ourselves,
and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the
world. election. That is the glorious
doctrine, or the truth of, that's when we say doctrine, that's
what we're talking about, the truth of. That's the glorious
doctrine of God's sovereignty, to show mercy and compassion
to whomsoever He will. We preach it because it's set
forth in God's Word. I'll just read a couple of scriptures.
Romans 9, 9. Romans 9, 9. This is the word
of promise. At this time I will come and
Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto
her, The elder shall serve the younger. Listen to Romans 11,
3-5. Lord, they have killed thy prophets
and digged down thine altars, and I am left alone. They seek
my life. But what saith the answer of
God unto Elijah? He said, I have reserved to myself
7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Even so then, Paul says, at this present time there is a remnant
according to the election of grace. You know, this message is the
only message that is not a failure. This message is the only message
Only the message of God's electing sovereign grace is altogether
profitable, because every other message is left up to man's fickle
will, and it may not work. Well, I tell you this, it ain't
going to work. Unless God does something, it's not going to
work. See, this message right here sets forth that everything
that God's purpose to do, He's going to do. This is a total
success. Total success. every other message
is a failure, absolute failure. These men heard the message from
a woman that God had done something for her. The Spirit of God blessed
that message to them and they came. They came because they
thought, well, we heard what She said, and we're going to
go. Here they were coming. God had
stirred an interest in their heart. Why? Because He was going to show
them mercy too. They said, we heard what you
said. They said to that woman, but now we've heard Him for ourselves.
This is the Christ, the Savior of the world. I pray that the
Lord bless these verses to our heart and our understanding.
I pray that this message be to the honor and the glory of God
Almighty for His honor, His praise, and for the good of His sheep.
For Christ's sake, Amen.