That Scripture that Brother Gary
just read. The day of the Lord is going
to come as the thief in the night. When we don't expect it. When we're not looking, Scripture
says, in a day when you think not.
And I've thought on that before. I thought, you think the Lord's
coming back today? You think this is the last time we're ever
going to hear the gospel? Really, you think it is? In our hearts,
we think, well, I don't think so. I think it'll be a day just
like today. It'll be over so fast you never
knew it. Twinkling of an eye. By the time it happened, you're
standing before God. Everybody. Everything's going to burn up.
Everything we're looking at, everything we see or hear with
our corporal eyes and ears, it's going to be gone, just gone.
Everything we even thought was important, gone. The only thing
that matters is this, what thinking of Christ. That's the only thing
that's going to matter. things that are going to be dissolved.
Oh, what manner of persons you ought to be, Peter says, in all
holy conversation and godliness, looking far, hastening unto the
day of the Lord God. Turn with me to the book of Proverbs.
What we are talking about right now, while we are just Things
that are around us. Things that we think are important. Things that just steal our affections
away. There's nothing in this natural
realm of this life, there's nothing in the natural realm of this
life that's more certain There's nothing in the natural
realm of this life that is more certain than that according to
our understanding and ability, life is uncertain. There's nothing that's more certain. Everything we're looking at is
uncertain. It ain't going to be here long. I heard Brother
Henry say one time, just don't hang on to anything that you're
looking at or seeing or able to touch. Don't hang on to it
too tight because it's not going to be here long. I'd like to talk a few minutes
on the subject of that which you can rely on. Now you think about that. What is it that I can truly truly
rely on because the only thing that I
can truly rely on, it must be founded upon divine
wisdom because we can't be assured that we're
going to be here in the next two seconds. much less any time
past that. James 4.13 says, Go to now ye
that say today or tomorrow. We'll go into such a city and
we'll continue there a year and we'll buy and sell and we'll
get gain. Whereas you know not what shall
be on the morrow, what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away, so that
ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this
or that." We read every day in the paper
people pass away and are gone. I look at an obituary and I think,
Boy, how little it took to sum up somebody's life. Just a little column about that
long, sometimes that long, sometimes that long. Sometimes a column
and a third, you know. But man, I'd read that and I
thought, man, it didn't take me long to sum them up, you know. They were born. They did this
and they did that and they were part of this organization, part
of that organization. I usually try to look to see
where they went to church. What did they profess? What kind
of religious terminology could be used about them? And they
were beloved. What makes a man think that he
can truly rely upon anything that's in this life? What is it? I mean, men will
look at statistics. They'll try to base their portfolios,
you know, on past experiences and even common sense they'll
tell you. Don't base anything you know on past experience.
There's no guarantee of past experiences, you know. Farmers will plant. They'll go
out there and take their plow and they'll go out there and
bust it up, you know, and then they'll make them some rows and they'll
plant them some crops and they'll fertilize it and water it. But
do you know God may send a famine? It may not have a thing. Nothing. But the Scripture today reveals
that which is absolutely certain. I love to read that which you
can rely on. That which is absolutely certain. Proverbs chapter 11, verse 24-25.
Let's just look at a couple of verses here. And see, what does Almighty God
have to say? Verse 24 of Proverbs 11 starts
and it says, and here's something that's certain. There is that
scattereth and yet increaseth. Now, you see that little word,
is? There is that scattereth and yet increasing. There is a scattering. There is a dispersing that's
going to cause something to add. Now, you know, that which is
scattered and ever causes to increase, it must be according
to that which is enduring. Now just think about it. If there's
something that's scattered and it always increases, it's got
to be that which always endures. The Lord said, heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. What is it that is scattered? I know, some of you already know
where I'm going with this. What is it that's scattered that
ever increases? It always, always, it's the Word
of God. A sower went to sow. Some of
it fell on to good ground. And it multiplies, some 30, some
60, some 100. Boy, there's some hope right
there for fallen men. Just think about this. Gary just
read something talking about heaven is going to pass away.
Perfect. Gone. Boom! It was gone. It was just gone.
But what's going to be left? The Word of God. Never, never. Now here's some
hope. Here's some hope right here.
Here's some hope for a man that's lost and needs some help, needs
a Savior. You know, when Adam rebelled
against God, mankind died spiritually. I told you what that means. The
life of Christ is gone. That's life. He said, I'm the
way, the truth, the life. The life. He's the life. Spiritual death means there is
no life of Christ, because He is life. But Almighty God, when Adam died,
according to His infinite mercy and grace, revealed that He had
everlastingly purposed to save a people. Now, you know that.
You know that before man ever fell, The Lamb was slain before
the foundation of the world. I mean, this was all settled.
That's what David said. This was settled. It was settled
eternally. This is not ham-scam by chance,
maybe, I hope. It's settled. This is all my
salvation. He hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, ordered in all things, and sure,
that's all my hope. God's Word is not going to pass
away. That's what He said. Isaiah 55. Listen to the certainty
of this. So shall my Word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth, scattered, preached. God said, I'm going
to send some preachers. Please, God, through the foolishness
of preaching. I heard Brother Henry say, and
Brother Scott too, not foolish preaching, but the foolishness
of preaching. You think about this. Here's
a worm standing here, a frail, frail worm that gets up every
morning and struggles, struggles, trying to just standing here
thinking, do you mean to tell me that Almighty God is pleased
to take a nobody and proclaim a word that He's taught man and
that God Almighty would take that Word, scatter it, and increase. So shall my Word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I send it. Now, you know what?
Now, that's sure. That's absolutely sure. This
is what I believe. I believe that I need to be prepared,
standing, asking God's blessing upon the Scriptures. Study those
Scriptures. Seek God and ask Him for a word. Just say, Lord, would you bless
this? Because listen, it might be that God might save somebody
today. I know this. His Word's not going
to return void. It's going to accomplish that
which it pleases, which He's purposed for it. He's going to
do that. He might save one of your children.
Who knows? He might save... How do you know? While we're sitting here, we
ask Him, Lord, would You bless this to my heart? Help me write.
Help me to hear. I'm listening, but Lord, Help
me to hear it. Help me to understand. Man, I'm
telling you, there's been a lot of times that I've read things
or be praying and think all of a sudden and say, Lord, I'm so
sorry. Would you help me to read that again? Help me. Lord, according to Your Word,
Almighty God has a purpose. He's got a season. A season for
the exhibition of His mercy. My Word is not going to return
void. He scatters that Word and blesses
it toward the recipients of His eternal mercy, compassion, and
grace irresistibly. I believe that. I believe that
Almighty God is going to irresistibly call out His elect. He's going
to do it. And so what do we do? We preach
the Gospel. We scatter and we do what God
has told us to do and we don't try to improve on it. There's
no other way. Gary, I don't know anything else
to do. What am I going to do? There is that scattereth and
yet increaseth. Almighty God, He increaseth. You know, I got to thinking on
that word right there, increasing. It's not in the sense of his
people. They've always been his people.
They've always been here. He's always had a sheep. There's
never been a time he's not increasing sheep. May have some lost sheep,
as I said before, but they're his sheep. from before the foundation of
the world. All of them. They're all His. And they're
all going to be with Him. So they're not increasing in
that sense, but increasing in the sense of the everlasting
revenue and praise, glory given unto Himself. Think of what He
has increased to Himself. Now, I mean, we may increase. I understand that. We grow in
grace and increase in understanding and knowledge concerning the
Lord. Think what He increases. Think
about what He's produced in His people and increases toward Himself
in the praise and honor of His people. But here's something else that's
certain. There is that withholdeth more
than is meet, or is fit, and it tendeth to poverty. There was a first certainty.
There is that scattereth, yet increases. You know this. That's the Word of God. But there
is that which withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth
to poverty. Man is naturally born to think
that He has by hoarding, by keeping. A greedy and miserly accumulation
of keeping. This is mine. It's mine. And I ain't going
to turn loose of it. Listen to this in the book of
Haggai. Haggai 1, verses 6 and 7. The Lord says, You've sown
much. You bring in little. You eat,
but you have not enough. You drink, you clothe you, but
there is none warm. And he that earneth wages, earneth
wages to put into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of
hosts, Consider your ways." Now you know, if that passage
of Scripture be applied to God's people, we learn this, we know
this, that we must, we walk by faith. We're taught. We're taught. Just
like that scripture that Brother Gary just read a while ago. We ain't keeping none of this
stuff. You know that. You know that
it's not going to be here long. It's the uncertainty, all this. As we have opportunity, let's
do good. Here again, you ain't keeping
it. Give and it'll be given to you. Boy, that goes against our
flesh. Are you sure about that? Yeah. Based on the Word of God, yeah,
I am sure about it. But if that first be applied
to the unregenerate, the unregenerate religionist, We know that really,
spiritually speaking, when it comes to them trying to do something
to merit their own salvation before God, and I think this
is the heart of it right here. This is the heart of that second
part. There is that withholdeth more
than is fit, and it tendeth to poverty. Men will withhold the
giving of God all the glory and honor and praise. that He's due
in salvation. They'll withhold that. Salvation, all of grace? You
mean I don't get any glory out of it? Men will sow to the flesh,
and of the flesh, the Scripture says, they'll reap corruption.
And when I say sow to the flesh, this is what I mean, that you
think that you've done something and your work of righteousness
is what has merited your salvation. That's so into the flesh. Looking
to the flesh as able to do. Men will sow to the flesh and
of the flesh reap corruption. They'll eat the bread of sorrows.
They'll drink iniquity like water. They're clothed, but their clothing
is nothing more than the filthy rags of their own self-righteousness.
and all the wages that they've earned. I'm a Christian. Man,
I'm telling you, I don't think I've ever met a person that wasn't.
I don't think I have. I think everybody I know is a
Christian. Everybody's a Christian. Well, if everybody's a Christian,
then I'm going to tell you something. I need to know this. How is it
that everybody can have a different attitude about how it is that
God is pleased and men are reconciled. How is it there are so many different
ways? Somebody is wrong. And I do. I pray God Almighty reveal to
my heart the truth. I believe He has. Salvations
of grace. All of grace. If it's not all
of grace, then it's got to be of works. And according to these
scriptures, it's not by the works that we've done. Men will earn wages, and all
the wages that they think they've accumulated for their eternal
security are going to be placed into a bag that doesn't hold
anything. That's what Haggai said. He said, you earn wages
to put it in a bag with holes. Oh, listen to this. Thus saith
the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. You've got to think about
it. but all the mercy of God toward
his own. Listen to this, that's so. That's
verse 25. The liberal soul shall be made
fat. The liberal soul shall be made
fat. shall be satisfied." That's what
the word fat means there. The liberal soul. Man, what does
that mean? The liberal soul shall be satisfied. The liberal soul shall be made
fat. What does that mean? You ever
thought that? You read something like that
and you think, man, that sounds scriptural, but what does it
mean? You're talking about something, Marvin, that's soul, that's steadfast,
that doesn't waver. What does that mean? The liberal
soul. In the margin of your Bible,
it may say the soul of blessing. The soul of blessing shall be satisfied. Now, let
me tell you, first of all, so that we'll get right to the heart
of it. the soul of blessing, the liberal soul, is absolutely
the Lord Jesus Christ. It's Christ. It's the Lord Himself,
the soul of blessing. Who else truly can bless but
Him? I mean, if I say this, Bless
you. What does that mean? But if He
says, bless you, you're blessed. Now that's got some weight to
it. The liberal soul. Listen to this.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ. Here's what that verse means
right there. Christ, the soul who blesses,
the one who truly blesses, He is going to be satisfied. The
liberal soul shall be made fat. Think of this. The Father gave
Him a people. The Father entrusted Him in that
eternal covenant of grace, and He went to the cross being their
substitute, and He laid down His life for them. He put away
their guilt in His own body. His soul was made an offering
for sin. And all that the Father gave
Him, all that He's everlastingly loved, all that He redeemed,
they're all coming to Him. All of them, they're all going
to be there. That's His bride. And there's not one part of her
that's not going to be there. They're all going to be where
He is. And in the fullness of time, they're going to leave this world
and they're going to see His glory. The glory that the Father
gave Him as the Redeemer. and the great high priest, the
liberal soul, the soul that blesses, the soul that alone can bless,
the soul that shall bless, the soul that does bless with all
spiritual blessings, he's going to be satisfied. And he that watereth shall be
watered also himself. He that watereth. I know that
Paul the Apostle said, I planted and Apollos watered. I know we in that preaching of
the Gospel, we preach the water of the Word and the Spirit of
God blesses it, but there's more to it than that. He that watereth. shall be watered also himself."
Who waters? Who truly waters? Okay, turn
to John 4. Turn to John 4. He who waters. He that satisfies the thirst
of others. That's what it means. He that
watereth. He who satisfies the thirst of
others. John 4. Starting in verse 5, Then cometh
he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the parcel
of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now, Jacob's
well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied
with his journey, set thus on the well, and it was about the
sixth hour, and there cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. And Jesus saith unto her, Give
me to drink. For his disciples were gone away
into the city to buy meat. And then saith the woman of Samaria
unto him, And how is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink
of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans. Jesus answered, said unto her,
If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee,
Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would
have given thee living water. He alone gives water, true water,
living water, the thirst. If any man thirsts, let him come unto Me. But listen to this certainty.
He that watereth shall be watered also himself. He shall drink also." Turn to
John 19. John 19. Oh, this is a sweet passage of
Scripture when our Lord was on the cross. John 19, verse 28. John 19. Now here's the Lord
Jesus Christ upon the cross. John 19, 28. After this, Jesus,
knowing that all things were now accomplished that the Scripture
might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full
of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon
Hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost." I do not doubt that he physically, because of
his sufferings, I do not doubt that he physically was thirsty. I don't doubt that a bit. But
I tell you, He thirsted and He hungered and He desired to behold
and to see the whole purpose of redemption accomplished. I thirst. As we thirst after
Him spiritually, He said, I thirst. I thirst. He thirsted for the
glorious honor of His Father in the redemption, and He saw
it. He said, It's finished. It pleased
the Lord to bruise Him. He hath put Him to grief when
Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin. He shall see His seed. He shall prolong His days. and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." I've read
those words again. I think, you know what, here
he was the actual, I mean the last moments. Here he is upon
that cross and he in his absolute obedience and suffering and it
was not for himself that he was there. He said, I come to do
thy will, O God. That was his meat. My meat is
to finish the work that he gave me. I thirst. And he said, it's finished. He shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall
see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their
iniquities. He that watereth shall be watered
also. One of the last scriptures. Turn
with me to Song of Solomon. I've quoted this often, and I
want you to look. Song of Solomon, right after
Ecclesiastes. Song of Solomon 4. Think on this. He that watereth, he that satisfies
the thirst, he's going to drink also. He shall be watered himself. He's going to drink too. Whereas,
we're satisfied. as He gives us that living water. Think of how satisfying it is
just to hear the Gospel. And you drink of this. He that
eateth my flesh drinketh my blood. As we drink by faith and we partake
of Him and we're thirsty and the slaking of our spiritual
thirst, we hear the Gospel preached again and you think, you know
what? That is so good. He that watereth. He's going to be satisfied too.
Song of Solomon 4a. Come with me. Now here's the
Lord speaking to His bride. Come with me from Lebanon, my
spouse. With me. From Lebanon. Look from the top of Ameina. From the top of Shinar and Hermon. From the lion's dens, from the
mountains of the leopards. ravished my heart." If you have
in your margin, it's just taken away. You've stolen my heart.
Think of those words just a minute. Here's the Lord speaking to His
bride. He said, You have stolen my heart. You've ravished my heart, my
sister. My spouse, you've ravished my
heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How
fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse. How much better is
thy love than wine and the smell of thine appointments, than all
spices, thy lips. Oh, my spouse, drop as a honeycomb,
honey and milk are under thy tongue, and the smell of thy
garments is like the smell of Lebanon." Eleanor said, you know
what? Your garments smell of me. Your garments smell of righteousness.
Your garments, you're robed in me. And I look upon you and you've
stolen my heart. He that watereth, he's going
to be watered also. He that causes his people to
drink and to be satisfied with himself, he's going to be satisfied
too. He's doing that which is absolutely
satisfying to himself. He satisfied his father and he's
satisfied with his bride because he's robed her in himself. He is the one who gives the water
of life. He gives of himself. The water
which is the gift of God, the source of all mercy and peace. He waters and He is going to
be watered. He is going to be satisfied. And He who satisfied
His Father and has been glorified by His Father, talking about
Him also being watered, the Father gave Him a name above every name. The name that every man is going
to bow to and is going to confess that He is Lord. To the glory
of God. May the Lord add His blessing
upon these words concerning the preciousness of our Savior for
Christ's sake. Amen.