All right, turn with me to Isaiah
chapter 27. Isaiah chapter 27. Now this prophecy is concerning this
spiritual nation, Israel, the church of God. The Israel of
God is the church of God's elect. It's the temple and house of
the living God. Abraham's true children are not
the children of the flesh. but they're the chosen children
of God, born of God out of every nation. We find that in Romans
9, 6-8. But we pick up here concerning
this spiritual nation. We read in verse 1, Isaiah 27,
verse 1, And that day the Lord with His sore and great and strong
sword shall punish Leviathan, the piercing serpent. and even
Leviathan, that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon
that is in the sea. And that day sing ye unto her
a vineyard of red wine." That's what we're going to title this,
a vineyard of red wine. I, the Lord, do keep it. I will
water it every moment, lest any hurt it. I will keep it night
and day. Fury is not in me. Who would
set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through
them. I would burn them together. Or
let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me
and he shall make peace with me. He shall cause them that
come of Jacob to take root. Israel shall blossom and bud
and fill the face of the world with her fruit. Now the first
thing we see here in verse 1 is God shall destroy His enemies. Isaiah has repeated that one
message over and over. I think it's been the first point
of not every sermon we've had for the past two or three times
we've been in this book in Isaiah. And I'm going to continue to
preach it to you over and over because we need to hear it over
and over because children of God are poor defenseless sheep
And we need the constant reassurance that Christ, our Shepherd, God,
our Father, has and shall deliver us from all our enemies. Now,
who is this Leviathan? Who is this? If you're a helpless
sinner, absolutely needy, desperate, helpless sinner, then you know
that Leviathan is every enemy of God that would keep you, separate
you from the Lord. Well, that sounds mighty broad,
doesn't it? Well, he's called Leviathan because he's a giant
enemy, a strong enemy. It sounds ferocious. He's called
the dragon because he's full of fury. It sounds dangerous. He's called the serpent because
he's a slithering, crafty enemy, the piercing serpent, the crooked
serpent. Now the whole human race is divided
into two, just two. the serpent and his seed, and
Christ Jesus, the seed, the seed, and those given him before time
began. That's what the Lord said in
Genesis 3. The Lord said unto the serpent, I'll put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between your seed, serpent, your
children, and her seed. That seed's Christ. He said,
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. It
shall bruise thy head. And don't get the wrong idea
here that just because the description of our enemy is one of Leviathan,
of a serpent, of a dragon, that Satan and his seed are necessarily
scary and frightening. They're not. The devil can transform
himself into an angel of light. I want you to be turning over
to Ezekiel 29. Later in the book of Isaiah,
we're going to find out that Israel and the children of Judah
were allured by Egypt, and they took some refuge in Egypt. We
saw a few chapters before that they made themselves very appealing
to the Lord's people, so that the Lord's people thought there
was salvation in Egypt. They had man-made fish ponds. They had paper reeds and things
that they had sown by the mouth of the brooks. Now here's the
attitude of the serpent and his seed. This is the attitude of
the enemies of our God. And this is what God says toward
him. Ezekiel 29. In the tenth year,
in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of
the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against
Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt,
and speak and say, Thus saith the Lord God. Behold, I am against
thee, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. the great dragon that lieth in
the midst of his rivers, which hath said, here's what he said,
here's the attitude of God's enemies right here, my river
is mine own, I have made it myself. A river of salvation, especially
in these days, a river was salvation, you didn't have water in a desert
land, you didn't have anything. And he said, he's saying my salvation's
my own. I've made it for myself, but
here's what the Lord said, but I'll put hooks in thy jaws, and
I'll cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and
I'll bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all
the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales, and I'll
leave thee thrown into the wilderness." He's what we would call a cull
fish, not fit to eat. So you just throw him up on the
bank and leave him there, feed him to the birds. Here's what
he said. Thee and all the fish of thy
rivers shall fall upon the open fields. Thou shalt not be brought
together nor gathered. I have given thee for meat to
the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. And
all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord,
because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
when they took hold of thee, when Israel came down to take
hold of you by the hand, thou didst break and rend all their
shoulder, and when they leaned upon thee, thou breakest and
madest all their loins to be at a stand. Therefore thus saith
the Lord God, Behold, I'll bring a sword upon thee, cut off man
and beast out of thee, and the land of Egypt shall be desolate
and waste, and they shall know that I am the Lord, because he
hath said, The river is mine, I've made it. Now, that's the
attitude of the enemies. Now you get this, the only way
that weaklings like me and you are going to be saved is this
way, the Lord with His sword. The Lord with His sword. He says
here, in that day every enemy of our God has his day of defeat
appointed by God. His time is appointed. In that
day the Lord, the victory over this fierce enemy belongs to
the Lord alone. He says, in that day the Lord
with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish and slay the
enemy. The substitutionary death of
Christ is the sword of our Lord. The Holy Spirit of God, the gospel
word, is the sword of our God. The sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God, Paul said in Ephesians. And this word of
God is quick. It's quick. It's powerful. It's sharper than any two-edged
sword. It pierces. And it divides asunder
the soul and the spirit and the joints and the marrow. And it's
a discerner. You and I can't discern. I can't
discern. I don't know a man's heart. But
this Word can. And it will. It's a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now that's the Lord's
word concerning our enemies. Now here's the second thing.
Let's get to this part. Though there be a sword for our
enemies, there's good news for the Lord's people. The church
is the Lord's vineyard. And here's what he says. Sing
to her about this victory. Verse 2. And that day sing ye
unto her a vineyard of red wine. I, the Lord, do keep it. I will
water it every moment, lest any hurt it. I will keep it night
and day." And we saw that, I try to show you there briefly and
remind you briefly of Egypt, who they, it was a, he said,
my rivers are mine. All these paper reeds and all
these beautiful things sown by the brooks and the waters, we've
planted them. And we've created our little fishponds. But the
Lord gave a parable and he said, the kingdom of heaven, The kingdom,
the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is a householder. And he went out early in the
morning to hire laborers in his vineyard. That was a parable
he gave. The Lord is the husbandman. The
Lord is the householder. The vineyard is his personal
property. It is his vineyard. It is his
vineyard. I'm gonna guess, I'm just gonna
throw this out there and guess, if on your property, your personal
property, if you have somebody that you've hired to work on
your personal property and you find out they're a liar and a
cheat and a thief and a stealer and a robber and injurious of
your name and taking everything off your property, you just gonna
say, well, go ahead, work on my farm anyway. You're not, are
you? You're not. The Lord of hosts
won't either. He won't either. The Lord's planted
His vineyard with the choice seed and that choice seed is
His Son. He said, I'm the true vine and
my Father is the husbandman. That's what the Lord said. It's
a vineyard of red wine. That means it's got the best
fruit in it. His saints are washed in His
blood. His saints have been washed in
the blood of Christ. They have the wine of the gospel
that makes Mary the heart just like wine does. And the Lord
keeps this vineyard. He keeps this vineyard. Look
at verse 3. I the Lord do keep it. How fully
do you think He keeps it? How fully do you know Him? How
fully powerful is He? That's how fully He keeps His
vineyard. I, the Lord, do keep it. I will water it every moment. Lest any hurt it, I will keep
it night and day. He keeps His vineyard by His
sovereign providence. He keeps this vineyard by sending
forth His laborers, those He chooses to work in His vineyard.
But it's the Lord Himself who keeps the vineyard. It's the
Lord Himself who waters it every moment. Look over at John 15. John chapter 15. The Lord says here, He says,
I am the true vine. Now that's what you need in a
vineyard. You need a true vine. If you're going to have fruit,
you've got to have a good vine. He said, I am the true vine. My father is the husbandman.
There's good news for this vineyard already. We've got the good vine
and we've got the father being the husbandman. Every branch
in me that beareth not fruit. Now watch this. Who's the husbandman?
He taketh away. The husbandman does, the father
does. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it
may bring forth more fruit. He's the husband. Now who are
these branches that don't bear fruit? These branches that the
husbandman takes away, who are they? Watch this now. He says now, verse three, now
you're clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
He's talking to his apostles, those that believed on him by
his gift of faith, by regeneration, by the power of the Spirit of
God, they believed him. And he said, and you're clean
through the word which I have spoken unto you. Not gonna be
clean, not working on it. He said, you're clean. And he
says, abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except
ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye the branches. He that abideth in me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye
can do nothing. Now that answered who these branches
are that abide in him. They're those that have been
made clean by His Word. They're those that abide in Him
and He in them. They're united, vitally united
by the Spirit of God, by the husbandman. Now He says here
who these branches are that don't abide in Him, that He throws
out. If any man abide not in Me, that's
who these branches are that are cut off. If any man abide not
in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered. And men gather
them and cast them into the fire and they're burned. Some profess
to be in Christ. Some profess to be in Christ.
But their faith is in something other than Christ. Simon Magus
was that way. Balaam was that way. The sons
of Corrie were that way. Their desire is for a fair show
in the flesh. Paul said that. He said, as many
as desire to make a fair show in the flesh. That's the heart's
desperately wicked. It's deceitful above all things. And there are a great many that
desire to make a fair show in the flesh. But in reality, their
God's their belly. They desire to, they found life
in doctrine. They found life in the church.
They found something of that nature, but not Christ Jesus
divine. They appear to be there, but
they're not in the vine. What fruit they appear to bring
forth is brought forth of themselves. It's not to the glory of God.
It's not the fruit of the Spirit of His grace. But catch this,
who removes them? This is what I'm wanting to get
at. Who removes them? It says, the husbandman who keeps
the vineyard, he's the one who removes the unconnected, unfruitful
branches. He removes them. Remember when
he talks over there in Romans 11 about some of those in Israel
who were not the children. They weren't chosen, they weren't
elected of God and he said he cut them off. Why did he say
he cut them off? Because of unbelief. They never
were connected to the vine. They never believed on Him. They
never were in Him and He in them. Now, why is that of utmost importance
that he keeps the vineyard? That he's the husband and he
keeps it? Look back at our text in verse 3. Lest any hurt it. That's why. Lest any hurt it. He said, I'll
keep it night and day. That's why it's of utmost importance.
Lest any hurt it. Turn to Matthew 13. Matthew 13. Look at Matthew 13, 24. Another
parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. Now what
does that make that man? That makes him the husbandman,
doesn't it? He owns his field. But while
men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and
went his way. But when the blade was sprung
up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the
servants of the householder, those that are serving, came
and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy
field? From whence then hath it these
tares? And he said unto them, An enemy
hath done this. The servants said unto him, the
householder, the husbandman, the one who owns this field,
wilt thou then that we go and gather them up, the tares? But he said, no, lest while you
gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time
of harvest, I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first
the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the
wheat into my barn." Now this is not to frighten you. This
is not to cause alarm to any of the saints. That's not what
it's about. This is to give you some assurance. This is to make
you rejoice. He showed us through the nation
of Israel, back in Isaiah 5, He showed us, we're going through
it, that He set forth, He described Judah as a vineyard. And he showed
us through that vineyard what happens if he, though he did
everything, gave them every advantage, he showed what happens if he
leaves the vineyard to men. if he leaves it in man's hands.
He showed us by that why he says, I'll send pastors, I'll send
laborers, I'll send witnesses, I'll send my people into my vineyard
that I filled and taught and instructed. This is why he said
he would do it. He said, because in that vineyard
I looked for judgment, but behold, oppression. He said, I looked
for righteousness, but I beheld a cry. And so here, he says,
the Lord our husbandman, he says, I'm gonna keep this vineyard.
I'm gonna keep it. I, the Lord of hosts, will keep
it. I'm gonna water it day and night. If you're put into Christ
divine and you're in him, what does Paul say in Corinthians?
Why are you in him? Of God are you in Christ Jesus. The husbandman puts you in him.
And if Christ is everything to you, if you're in Christ and
Christ is in you, it's because of God, of the husbandman is
Christ made unto you everything, all. wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption, everything you need to be complete,
everything you need to be perfect, everything you need to be accepted
of God as He is, so are you right now in this world. And that's
all of this husbandman. That's all of God the Father
in His Son Christ Jesus. And He said, I will water this
garden every moment. And He says, and I will keep
it lest any hurt this vineyard. Now have you noticed that he
calls his laborers, and that's me, you, that's when you're called
of God into this vineyard and united with this vine, you're
a steward and you're called in to serve him. Now he calls his
laborers clouds and he calls his laborers wells of water. clouds of water and wells of
water. Now he gives us two kinds of riches in this world. Two
kinds of riches. He gives us earthly riches. That's
the unrighteous mammon. There's nothing righteous about
it. It'll harm you more than it'll help you. If you set your
affection on it. But he gives us that for the
furtherance of his gospel. To take care of his vineyard.
To help with the watering of his vineyard, and the maintenance
of his vineyard, and the care for his vineyard. That's why
he gives us everything that we have in this life. And then whatever's
left over, really all that's needed to be
left over is enough for our daily necessities. And then He gives the riches
of His grace to fill His wells and His clouds. You know, a vineyard
needs a cloud to come over it and the rain on it. It needs
a well beside it and good, pure water come out of it to water
that vineyard. He calls His stewards clouds
and wells, and He fills these wells and these clouds with the
pure water, with the everlasting water, with the water of life,
with Christ Jesus the Lord, that you may be clouds to water this
vineyard. You may be wells to water this
vineyard. like the wells which provide
pure water for the vineyard, like the clouds that water the
vineyard. He does this. He sends it. He
gives it. He provides it. But those who
covet the earthly riches for their bellies will also make light of the heavenly
riches. Now, the heavenly riches are
the greater. The others, the lesser. It's just for the maintenance
of taking care. And it's to serve the purpose
of these greater riches. But when you're upside down,
these greater riches are going to be of more value. And these
lesser riches will be of more value, and the greater riches
will be of lesser value. And those are the two things
that are so very dangerous for sinners. So very dangerous. Because men will pay, sinners
the world over, since the days of Cain, since Adam fell into
the garden. Sinners will pay any amount that
you tell them they got to pay, if you will just make the standard
of righteousness a standard that they can achieve. Somehow. Make it be by their act of believing. Make it be by learning so much
doctrine. Make it be by learning so much
discipleship. Make it be all of these various
things. Anything you give them to give
them some level of achievement, they'll pay you anything for
it. And the problem with that is, covetous men are more than
willing to water down that gospel. So that the debt that sinners
owe to their Lord is not nearly as great. So that men will come
and give them those pleasures, those worldly riches that they
covet. And everybody's happy because now everybody's got a
fair show in the flesh. Our Lord said that in that parable
of the unjust steward. He warned his disciples about
it. He was speaking to his disciples,
but he was speaking of the Pharisees. And that's exactly what was happening
in Isaiah's day and the reason Isaiah is sent forth declaring
that the Lord's going to keep this vineyard. It's because in
Isaiah's day, the men of Israel, where Israel was the steward
of the gospel, and he put them in a landfill with milk and honey.
And they loved the milk and honey of the land. And so they said,
Oh, God doesn't require you to pay quite as much as you think
He does. You just don't do this, this, and this, and this. In
fact, you don't have to bring the best lambs. You don't have
to bring everything to God. You can bring the blemished,
just so that you let us go with our flesh hooks and have at it
first, take what we want, because we're living of those things.
And God said, I'm clearing that vineyard out, and I'm keeping
this vineyard. I'm going to send forth pastors
after my own heart. I'm going to send forth witnesses
after my own heart, and they're going to feed my people with
knowledge and understanding." You know why? He's able. He's
able. And he said of those wells, Peter
called them wells without water, clouds that are carried with
a tempest to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever.
Jude said, they've gone the way of Cain and ran greedily after
the heir of Balaam for a reward, and perished in the game-saying
of Korah. He says, clouds they are without
water, carried about of winds. You know, there's nothing, if
you've ever been out, lost, really lost. If you ever been out, well, Jersey
gets about as hot. Jersey gets hot. Have you ever
been out in the woods lost when it's really, really hot? You
just love to find, you see a little spot in the land and it looks
like it's going to be a creek there or something. You might
not do it now, but I would do it growing up. If I saw it, it
looked like it was going to have water in it, I'd run over there.
And there were some springs around. I'd run over there and get me
a drink of water. But there's nothing as disappointing to run
over there to get you a drink of water, and it's dry. Nothing
there. Or to have your crops planted,
and it's just parched and dry in the big garden, and you can't
get water back there to the backside of the garden, and a big old
cloud comes over, and you think, oh, good, it's gonna water the
garden. And it just goes right on by, and not a drop of water
comes out of it. Nothing more disappointing. Well,
God said, I, the Lord, do keep this vengeance. And he said,
I will water it every moment. Every moment. Lest any hurt it,
I will keep it night and day. The psalmist said, he said, thou
shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that
flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor
for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall
fall at thy side, ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall
not come nigh thee. Only thine eyes shalt thou behold,
with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked,
but it won't come near you. Now that's a Lord, that's a powerful
Lord that says that's how it's going to be. Alright, here's
the third thing I want you to see. The sword is satisfied toward
his elect. Now you notice, let me read the
next verse, verse 4. He says, fury is not in me. Who would set the briars and
thorns against me in battle? I would go through them. I would
burn them together. Now fury is not in me. He started
out saying my sword is going to destroy all my enemies. But
here He lets you know who are born of the Spirit of God, who
have all your confidence in Christ. He lets you know that that sword
is working against your enemies. And it's protecting you. But
there's no fury of that sword towards you. none towards you. How can that be? How can it be
that this sword is yet against my enemies, but it's not against
me? Because he said, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. Against
the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. And then I'll turn
my hand, and I'll gather them. One by one, I'll pluck them out
of the four corners of the earth. I will gather them together.
Because Christ Jesus, the Son of God, bore that sword on their
behalf. He says here, now considering
this, who would set the briars and the thorns against me in
battle? Men and women who reject the
true and living God. Who say, well I believe He's
going to do this, but not quite like this. for whatever crazy
reason it is. Because you love somebody more
than God, and they denied this, and so you're going to deny this?
You're going to change the whole Word of God based on sentimental
reasons? Because some doctrine you latch on to don't line up
with what God says He will do? I guarantee if he does what he
says he'll do in a person that feels that way, they'll find
out he does what he says he's going to do. They'll say, you're
right, Lord. You're right. You're right. But
here's what he said. Men like that, they're briars
and they're thorns. Just little briars and little
thorns. Now, they're mighty to me and you. Turn to 2 Samuel. I want you to see this. 2 Samuel
23. They're mighty towards me and
you. You and I can't do one thing for them. And in fact, the one
thing we're sent to do for them is to declare what I'm declaring
to you right here tonight. Because if he's going to do something
for the briars and the thorns, this is how he's going to do
it. But watch what he said about
those briars and those thorns. Now, I found this interesting.
This is David, right as he's dying, and he says, the Lord,
he speaks those verses we know so clearly. The Lord has made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure,
this is all my hope. Now look at verse 6, what he
says. But the sons of Belial, shall be all of them as thorns
thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands." They just
cannot be taken with hands. But the man that shall touch
them, here's what he's got to be. He's got to be a man that's
fenced with iron and the staff of a spear, and they shall be
utterly burned with fire in the same place by that man. But that's
the only kind of man that can touch them. the briars and the
thorns. That's the only kind of man that
can deal with them. You ever tried to deal with briars and
thorns? You just can't. I mean, if you're not well protected,
they're gonna get you somehow. If you got gloves on, they're
gonna get you on the ankle. If you got everything covered
but your ankles, they're getting you on the ankle. Briars and
thorns. But you gotta be a man clothed
in iron to deal with briars and thorns. Who's that man? Who can
do that? Look back at our text. Who would set the briars and
thorns against me in battle? Verse 4. I would go through them. I would burn them together. He's
the man. The man Christ Jesus is the one
who will do that. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 10.
Look at verse 7. Isaiah chapter 10 verse 7. I'm sorry, Isaiah 10 verse 17. He says, the light of Israel
shall be for a fire. Who's the light of Israel? That's
Christ Jesus, the light. And His Holy One for a flame. And it shall burn and devour
His thorns and His briars in one day. Now what day was that? He started out here and He said,
in that day, I'm going to destroy Leviathan. In that day, I'm going
to burn up the briars and the thorns. In that day, I'm going
to do it. Christ on the cross is the light of Israel. Christ
on the cross is the Holy One of Israel. He's the flame of
Israel. He's that man fenced with iron. He's that one that
judged Leviathan and his seed. He said on His way to the cross,
now is the judgment of this world. Now is the prince of this world
to be cast out. And He said, when I'll be lifted
up, I'm going to draw all men to Me. When I'm lifted up on
the cross, when I'm lifted up into heaven's glory, when I'm
lifted up in this gospel that's preached, when I'm lifted up
in the hearts of men, when I'm lifted up, I'm going to draw
all men to Me. He says, because he spoiled principalities
and powers and made a show of them, openly triumphing over
them in what he did. This one who knew no sin was
made sin for his people, and he bore the sword of the Lord.
He bore the fierceness of God's anger. His fury was poured out
like fire on his son, and Christ Jesus has borne this fury in
the place of God's elect." Now, hear what he says. You and I
who are but briars and thorns by nature. He tells us what to
do. You can be a foolish little briar
and a foolish little thorn before the fury of His burning. Or,
verse 5, let Him take hold of my strength that He might make
peace with me and He shall make peace with me. Now you be sure
you don't miss this verse right here because this verse is the
key. This verse is the gospel right
here. You got it? You got it? He's
saying take hold of Christ Jesus the strength, the go-between,
the daisman, the mediator, the intercessor, the advocate, the
only one between God and sinners. Take hold of Him. Now be sure
you read verse 5 again. Notice who you take hold of. And the same one you take hold
of is the same one who makes peace. Watch. He's in the middle
between you and God. Let him, that is you the sinner,
take hold of Christ, my strength, that he, he's still talking about
that one that's his strength, that he, Christ, the mediator,
the daismon, reaching to God and to sinners, may make peace
with me. And he, that is you the sinner,
that's how you're going to make peace with me. Did you catch
that? Do I need to repeat it? You get
it? Let me say it again. Let him, that's you, the sinner,
take hold of Christ my strength, the Lord said. Take hold of him. That he, Christ my strength,
may make peace with me. And he, that is you, shall make
peace with me. Let me give it to you the way
our Lord Jesus Christ said it. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. He said, I am the door. By me,
if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and
out and find pasture. Read it one more time. Read it
one more time. that needs this salvation. Take
hold of my strength, Christ Jesus, that Christ Jesus may make peace
with me, and you, the sinner, shall make peace with me." He's
in the middle between you and God. The only way you're going
to get to Him is coming through Christ the Lord. Now here's what
He promises you if you do that. Here's the fourth thing, verse
6. He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root. Israel
shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit.
Now, there's not one possibility, not even a shadow inkling of
a doubt, that one true son of Jacob shall not come." There's
not a possibility that even one shall not come. All shall. He said, all the father giveth
me shall come to me and him that comes to me I shall in no wise
cast him out. Now there's two certainties. All that the father gave to his
son are coming to him and all that come to him will be received.
There's two certainties right there that are glorious. And
he said, and no man can come to me except the Father which
has sent me. Draw him, and I'll raise him up at the last day.
Well, how do I know I'm a son of Jacob? Well, are you like
Jacob? Are you a dirty, rotten scoundrel? Are you a sticky, prickly briar
and thorn that needs to be saved, that needs him to to lay hold
and make peace for you with the Father while you just trust Him
to make peace with you with the Father? From here till you meet
Him? Well, how do I know if He's drawn
me? Can you come to Him? Wait a minute. I'll give you
something better than that. Can you keep yourself from coming
to Him? That's a better question. Can
you stay away from Him? You got something better? Because
when He's drawn you, there won't be anything, anybody. If you got to crawl over everybody
sitting here to get to Him, you're going to get to Him. You're going
to get to Him. And here's His promise. This
is what He says, I'm going to call all my true sons and daughters
to do. I'm going to cause them to take
root. You know what's going to have to happen when you plant
something in the garden? Y'all been out planting, springtime's
broke out, you planted anything? It don't do any good to plant
it if it don't take root. It's got to take root. He said,
I'm going to cause you to take root. I'm going to cause you
to take root. Paul said it this way, in Ephesians
3.17, he said that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all the saints, and all the saints are able to comprehend
this, the breadth, and the length, and the depth, and the height,
and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fullness of God. Let me try to put that
into an illustration for you. He said, if you come to my son
believing on him, it's going to be because he drew you, it's
going to be because you're a true son of Jacob, and he's going
to receive you, and you're going to find out he's made peace for
you. And you're going to be rooted, and you're going to grow up in
him. You're going to be learning about him from that day forward.
Now let me give you an illustration. When I married Melinda, I didn't
know everything about her. I didn't know everything about
her. But anytime I ever heard anybody
tell me a story about her, after we're married and as we're going
through life together, anytime I've ever heard anybody tell
a story about her, I knew if that story was true or false. You know how? I know her. I know her. And because I know
her, if it's a lie, I know that's not her. And if it's true, I
know it's true. And you know who has never told
me anything but good things about her? Her father. He's told me a lot of things
that I didn't know about her when I married her, but everything
he's ever told me about her was true, and I didn't even have
to question it. And I received it. I received
it. When you come to Him, it doesn't
mean you're going to know everything about the Lord. But every single
time you hear somebody tell you some glorious thing about Him,
you're going to know. That's the truth. You know how
you're going to know it? Because you know Him. You know
Him. That's right. And he says here
that this husbandman, God the Father, promises, he says, I
promise that you shall be rooted and built up in Christ, you shall
be established in the faith as you have been taught, and you
shall abound therein with thanksgiving. He promises that. And he's saying
here that it's not just going to be on a little hill in Israel. that I'm going to do this." That's
who Isaiah was preaching to. He said, it's not just going
to be there. He said, it's going to be all across the face of
this globe. I'm going to have people. Let
me read. You can turn with me if you want.
I'm going to read this last verse. Psalm 92, Psalm 92, verse 13. Here's what he's saying. We'll
end with this. Psalm 92, verse 13. Now let's read verse 12. The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow
like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat
and flourishing. And here's why. to show that
the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no
unrighteousness in Him. You know what that means? That
means everything He said right here tonight is true. And if
you know Him, you know what you can say? Amen. Because you know Him. And you
know it's true. Amen.