Go with me, if you would, back
to Ecclesiastes chapter 12. Ecclesiastes 12, verse one says. Remember now thy creator in the
days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years
draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. I have no pleasure in them. in
them. That word pleasure means delight. It means longing. It means need. That's what it means. I have
no need. Remember now thy creator in the
days of thy youth. Remember your creator. In the days of thy youth before
the time comes that you say, I just don't need this. I don't need this. I don't need
this. I was making the bulletin for
today. We looked at this recently. Not long ago we had a message
on this, but I was making the bulletin for today and I came
across an article that I did not put in the bulletin. But it was an article declaring
the truths of God. It was a wonderful article, just,
you know, laid out the foundations of the only hope that a sinner
has of eternal life. And something in that article
made me think of a particular person that I used to know. I have not had any contact with
this person for decades, and those of you who have known me
for decades, don't go back in your mind trying to figure out
who I'm talking about. You don't know this person. But
I do, I still know of this person, but I literally have had no contact
with this person for decades. But something in that article
made me think of him, and it made me very sad. And it's because that person
grew up hearing the truth and could quote to you everything
that I read in that wonderful article. That person could just
systematically fire off every foundational truth that I read
in that wonderful article. There would be no doubt in his
mind that God is sovereign. No doubt in his mind. And there
would be no doubt in his mind that God elected a people, and
that Christ redeemed those people, and that he will call every one
of those people, and they are secure in him. No doubt in his
mind. But this person attends worship
of the true and living God nowhere. I know that. Again, I haven't
had any contact, but I know that. He has no heart to go listen
to the gospel preached. He knows the doctrines of grace,
but he has no heart to go listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ
preached. And the thought entered my mind
as I was sitting there reading that and thinking about all this,
that this is the thought that entered my mind. He knows it, but he doesn't need it. He knows it. You already see
how fearful this is. He knows it. Doesn't it make
you want to guard? Doesn't it make you want to cry?
Doesn't that stir you up? It stirs me up. He knows it,
but he doesn't need it. How sad that is. All right, immediately
this thought went through my mind. I know it. Do I need it? I'm being serious. I know this. I know this. Do I need this? There is a difference
in knowing and needing. There's a difference. Life is
not in knowing. It is in needing. I'm becoming
more and more aware of that. Life is not in knowing, it's
in needing. There's a difference in knowing
that I need air and needing air. There's a difference. I could
hold my breath. I mean at the first part of that,
I could know I need air. Give me just a minute though,
and I'm gonna need air. Like give me just a minute and
it's gonna become life to me. I'm gonna need air right now.
It's gonna be life or death to me. Life is not in just knowing,
it's in needing. Here's the reality and the conviction
that I came to about thinking of all this. If God leaves me
alone, I won't have that need. I mean, I firmly believe that. If God leaves me alone, I will
not have that need. My flesh is naturally so dead
and lifeless. And I'll pick on Irene because
she's not here tonight. She thinks I walk about a foot
above the ground and I'm just always, you know. I am just as
dead and lifeless as every one of you. You're dead and lifeless
too. I know you are. But for the grace of God, I'll
do the exact same thing that this poor soul has done. And
if God would be merciful, I pray he will send a revival in all
of us, in him. It's not too late. But unless God does a work in
me, I will know these things, I will
quote these things, I will argue these things, but I won't need
these things. Verse one says, remember now
thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come
not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no
pleasure in them. to need. I'm just telling you
what I need. I need to need. I need to need Christ. I need to need the gospel. I need to need worship. I want to need worship. I need to need worship. My life depends on it. My eternal
life depends on it. All of our eternal lives depend
on it. Coming off of this thought, this
scripture came to my mind. All right. Turn with me over
to Philippians four. Philippians 4 verse 19 says, but my God shall supply all your
need. My God shall supply all your
need. Yes, absolutely. He will supply all of the physical
material things that his people need. all of the physical, material
things. He will. He knows what things
we have need of. David said, I've been young and
now am old, and I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his
seed begging bread. The Lord will supply the needs
of his people. But thank God, more importantly
than that, he will supply the need of his people. He will supply that need. Our God shall supply all of our
need, our spiritual life, eternal desire and longing that we need. We need a desire and we need
a longing and God will supply that. for us. He will supply even that for
us, along with every other vital for life thing that Christ has
supplied. He will even supply the need for those vital to life things.
That brought so much rest in me because, you know, I can try to work up
some emotion in me, but that's not going to last that long. The only place that I can find
hope in this is knowing that He will take care of it. That
brought so much rest to me. It relieved me of so much bondage
and so much burden. He will supply your need. There are some things that God
has supplied a need in His people for. Turn with me to Matthew
chapter three. Matthew 3 verse 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee
to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him
saying, I have need to be baptized of thee. I have need for you
to baptize me. I need you to immerse me. Can we enter into that need?
I need to be in Jesus Christ. I need to be immersed into the
Lord Jesus Christ. There's a difference in knowing
that and needing that. David said, one thing have I
desired of the Lord that will I seek after. that I may dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold
the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple, for in
the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me. I need to be hid in Jesus Christ. I need to be hid in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Hiding in thee, hiding in thee,
thou blessed rock of ages, I'm hiding in thee. Hide me, oh my Savior, hide. I ask myself, I literally ask myself
this question, do you know you need to hide in the Lord Jesus
Christ or do you need to hide in the Lord Jesus Christ? I believe I need to hide in the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, oh, that
I may win Christ and be found in him. I want to be with him. I want to be by him. I need to
be in him. I need to be in him. I must be.
Like Jacob said, I can't let you go unless you bless me. You
and I both know that. I mean, Jacob had no hold on
the Lord. The Lord had a hold on Jacob.
But that was what was in Jacob's heart. I can't let you go. I
just can't. Until. I have to be in you. That's a need that all of God's
people know well. I must be plunged into Jesus
Christ. I just have to be. I have to
be. Go with me to Luke 9. Luke 9 verse 10. And the apostles, when they returned,
told him all that they had done. And he took them and went aside
privately into a desert place belonging to the city called
Bethsaida. And the people, when they knew
it, followed him and he received them and spake unto them of the
kingdom of God and healed them that had need of healing. You know who the Lord heals?
Those who need to be healed. By God's grace, he gets the glory,
he gets the credit for it, but by God's grace, we need to be
healed, don't we? We need to be healed from our
disease of sin. Our Lord said, they that be whole
in their own minds. Those who are well in their own
minds, they don't need a physician. They just don't need a physician. We have a sister right back there
who just needed a physician. You just went to a doctor. Why
did she do that? She had a need. Something was
wrong. Until that came, you didn't have
any thought of going to a doctor. I right now have no thought of
going to a doctor to have surgery. I'm not scheduled for a surgery
anywhere. I don't have a need. I don't
have a need. No, if I had a need, I would
go. All right, here's a little illustration
of what man sounds like. This is what man's, if I had
a need, I'd go, yeah, I know where I would go. You better
believe, I know where I'd go if I had a need. Yes, sir, I
know who I'd go see. Right now, I just don't know,
I don't have a need. Oh, that God would cause all
of us to see our sickness. Our sickness of sin. You know,
that man said, that preacher said one time, I'm not trying
to get men saved. Everybody thinks that we're up
here in pulpits trying to get people saved. We're not trying
to get people saved. God Almighty did that. We're
up here trying to get people lost. We're trying to get people
sick. They're already lost. They're
already sick. We're trying to show that. That's the only time
a need comes. If God would reveal the disease
to us, we'd have a need, not just a knowledge, but a need.
Our Lord said, they that behold need not a physician, but the
sick do. They do. Look at Luke 10. Verse 38 says, Now it came to
pass as they went that he entered into a certain village and a
certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had
a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard
his word. That's all Mary could do. That's all she did. sit at his feet and hear his
word. Verse 40, but Martha was cumbered about much serving,
and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister
hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help
me. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good
part, which shall not be taken away from her. The Lord said,
she has a need and that need is not going to be taken away
from her. She needed, and by God's grace,
we need it too. But she needed to sit at his
feet and hear his word. Why was she there? She needed
that. She needed to sit at his feet
and hear his word. Why? She was hungry. She was hungry for living bread,
the bread of life. She couldn't live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of our God. Our Lord said, if any man hunger
and opens his mouth wide, I'll fill it. Any man has a need. Any man or woman has a famished
need. You ever been really hungry? I mean, really hungry. Oh, you
feel so empty, you feel so weak. I just have to have it. I pray
God would create hunger like that. I pray God would create
hunger in us adults, hunger in you children, hunger in this
community. Oh, that God would do a mighty
work. I pray God will create hunger,
hunger. I pray God would create fear
that needs a hiding place. You know, this fear, I'm just
so worried and fearful. Well, that's a good thing. Fear
needs a hiding place. Sickness needs a physician. Hunger
has to come back for more, I pray God will create a hunger that
has to come back for more, come back for more. Well, the good
news and the relief for God's people is He will supply that
need. He will supply that need as He
has supplied every other needful thing for life, every other needful
thing for redemption, every other needful thing for security. He will supply the need for life,
redemption, security. I need it. I need it. As he has
supplied the blood, he will supply need for the blood. As he has
supplied the word and worship in the gospel, he will supply
need for the word, worship in the gospel. As he has supplied
Christ, he'll supply need for Jesus Christ. But here's the
thing about it, okay? He will supply that need through
trials, troubles, convictions. This is how he will do it. He will supply it through guilt,
sorrow, shame. But if that's what it takes for
us to have a need, even so, amen. Amen. If me being rich and increased
with goods in whatever way that every way that that means. If
me being rich and increased with goods, living on easy street
in this world will leave me in need of nothing, then Lord strip
me of everything, but Jesus Christ. If that's the case, strip me
of everything, but Jesus Christ, let me lose my need of everything
in this world. But please don't let me lose
my need for Christ. Don't let me lose my need for
Christ. Need always comes from a feeling
of lack. That's where need comes from.
It always comes from a feeling of despair. But as God supplies that lack
and supplies that despair to us, and that's what he will do.
He will supply lack and despair. I'm going to be so gracious to
my people. I'm going to be so loving, so kind. How are you
going to do it, Lord? I'm going to supply lack and
despair, because that will create need.
As he supplies lack and despair, he'll always supply the remedy
for lack and despair, always. And here it is. He'll give us
lack, he'll give us despair, and then he'll give us the remedy
for lack and despair. And here it is. Turn with me
to Hebrews 4. Hebrews 4 verse 12, it says,
For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any
creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things
are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have
to do, seeing then that we have a great high priest. that is
passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast
our profession, for we have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. Lord, Create a need. This is my prayer for myself
and for every one of us here. Lord, create a need and then
draw us to the only remedy for that need, the throne of mercy
and grace, the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then when
you draw us there, keep us there. Just keep us right there. Keep
us, Lord. Oh, keep us cleaving to thyself
and still believing. Till the hour of our receiving,
promised joys with thee. Amen.