I cannot tell you what an honor
it is to be here, to be given the blessed privilege to
be able to preach the gospel. I pray that God bless these services. I thank God for this congregation.
I look around and I see the grace of God. And for that, I'm thankful. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to Matthew 11, verse 28. Matthew 11, 28. The Lord Jesus is speaking and
he says, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. The Lord was speaking one day and the
scripture records that in Matthew 11, Matthew 19, verse 13 to 15. If you want to turn there and
just look at it. Matthew 19, 13. The scripture declares this concerning
God Almighty speaking. Now this is the Lord speaking.
This is God speaking. God in human flesh said these
words. Then were there brought unto
him little children that he should put his hands on them and pray,
and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little
children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such
is the kingdom of heaven And he laid his hands on them and
departed thence. Almighty God was pleased to allow
little children to come to him, and he put his hands on them,
touched And he said don't, don't forbid these to come. Don't forbid
these to come to me. As I read that passage of scripture
in Matthew 19, and I began to think on the verse of scripture
in Matthew 11, 28, telling sinners come unto me. Come unto me. I want to just
for a few minutes, I want to just attempt, pray God would
bless the service and preach the gospel to little children. You, you children, I want to
try to just talk to the kids. And the adults that would long
to hear the gospel simply stated, me, I just want to hear it. I
just want to hear it plainly. Don't, don't, don't try to get,
don't try to get too high. Use big words. Just, I want to
talk to the children. Now listen, here's our situation. That means this is, this is where
we're at. Everybody that's born into this
world is born in trouble. We're born in trouble. What happened
when the first man and woman was in the garden of Eden, God
told the man, Adam, He said, of every tree of the garden,
we're in a garden, thou mayest freely eat. You can eat every
bit of this. But of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, there's one tree that you cannot eat of. You cannot eat of that. For in
the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. God forbid man to eat of one
tree. And man, with his eyes wide open,
disobeyed God. And when he disobeyed God, the
scripture says that he died inside. He didn't die immediately outside. He still walked around, but inside,
He died spiritually. He had no love then for God. It was taken away, His spiritual
life. He had no hunger to be with God. He had no desire. And man now
comes forth When he's born, when all of us are born and we come
and there's no interest, we hear, we hear the truth. Mom and dad
bring you to church, but you find that there's times that
you just, which is all the time until the Lord does something
for us. You just, there's no interest. I hear what's being
said, but I, I just, it doesn't mean anything to me. The situation that we're in is
that we're lost. That's what the scripture we're
left to ourselves. And the sad part is that we don't
care. We just we want to hide. We if we never if we never did
come to church again, it'd be OK. That's how we think. Now,
that's that's kind of hard to admit, but that's the way we
are. We're just we have no interest. And the thing is, Being born
in trouble, that's what Job 5, 7 says. Without the Lord, we
can't do anything. But the best thing that your
parents could do for you is to bring you and let you listen.
Just listen. To hear the glorious message
of the gospel. This, this is our plight. we're born in trouble but but
mankind is not without a hope we have a hope listen to this
verse of scripture Micah 718 listen to this question who is
a God likened to thee that pardoneth iniquity that means lifts it
up and bears it away. Who is a God like unto thee that
pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant
of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever
because he delighteth in mercy. Now who is a God like the God
of heaven? God Almighty has just revealed
in that scripture that he passes by, he's pleased to pass by the
remnant of his heritage. The remnant, that means the parts
really that are not even considered worthy. I've said this, I remember
as a child, I'd grow up watching my mama sew. And she'd get a pattern and she'd
buy so much yardage and she'd put a pattern, now she's going
to make a dress. And I mean, that thing was made
to where if you got like so many yards, you know, one and seven-eighth
yards, and the remnants, after you laid that pattern on there,
the remnants was just the stuff, just a few little strings that
were left over, the stuff that wasn't really worth anything. I mean, the only thing it's worth
is throw it away. The remnants. God has a remnant. And it's a remnant of people
that the world considers nothing. They're good for nothing in themselves. That's true. But God Almighty
has been pleased to show mercy to the remnant of His heritage. God has a people. Now, this is
this is something I need to remember. God is going to show mercy to
his people. But God is just. God is just. I've got I've got two of my children
here, some of my grandchildren, but especially my children. Gabe
and Sarah are here. And I can tell you just if you
ask them, When they were growing up, if I told them, now if you
disobey me, this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna whip you. And when they did disobey me,
there was no ifs whether they would, they did. And when they
did, I did just exactly what I told them I was gonna do. They
knew just exactly how many licks they were gonna get, And then
after I'd whip them, I'd put them on my knee, I'd love them,
kiss them, tell them I love them. But they knew, if you disobey
me. Now listen, man has disobeyed
God. And God is just. What does that
mean? He's fair. God is fair. He's a just God. Now, here's the question that
we've got. Since God is just and He's going
to punish sin, how can God be just and show mercy, can pass
by the transgression of His people? How can God do that? Well, here's the glorious truth
of the Gospel. Almighty God that is the father
the son and the spirit There's one God Set forth in three persons,
but he's one God Now here's the here's the amazing thing. I can't
explain that I can't explain Father son and spirit one God,
but I believe it because God says I'm one God and Father,
Son, and Spirit. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. Before man was ever created,
God Almighty had a people. He chose a people. He chose a
people out of every nation, and kindred, and tribe, and tongue,
and the scripture declares that he marvelously did something. He put them in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He elected them. The scripture
says, Ephesians 1, 4, according as he hath chosen us in him. You say, well how could God put
people in Christ before they were ever created? I don't know. But He said He did. And so therefore,
He did. And He put them in Christ. Why? The scripture says that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Now
think about this. Mankind has sinned against God,
and we're guilty. We're guilty. Whenever you do
something, you kids, when you do something and you're disobedient,
you're guilty. And you're under the judgment
of whatever your mom and dad said they gonna do. Now here's
the thing. God doesn't lie. There's no plea
bargain with God. God's going to do exactly what
He said He's going to do. So, because He everlastingly
loved His people, that's what Jeremiah 31, verse 3 says, I've
loved you with an everlasting love. My kids, when my kids came
into this world, when they were born, I saw them, I loved them. But I had to actually see them
first. I couldn't. God said, I've loved you with
an everlasting love. He told Jeremiah, he said, before
I formed you in the belly, before I ever formed, before I made
you, I ordained you a prophet. Why? He knew Jeremiah. He's always
known. He's always known all of you.
He's God. He put us in Christ. Put us in
the safest place we could ever be. In Christ who is the surety. That means the one that's gonna
answer for. If you're surety for someone,
that means that you've put your name on the dotted line and I'm
gonna make good on whatever. If you owe something and I become
your surety, that means if you can't pay, then I'll pay, I'll
be the surety, I'll make sure that the debt's paid. Almighty
God knew that we had to have a surety before he ever made
us. He knew we were gonna fall. God is God, he knew what was
going to, so he put us in Christ, and in time, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who eternally had agreed, I'm going to answer for this remnant,
for those that are chosen. God's elect. God's got an elect. He's got a people. And He's going
to save everyone that He's everlastingly loved. And they're all in Christ.
And He comes into this world. He comes into this world with
this attitude. Psalm 40, verse 8. I delight, I delight to do thy
will. Oh my God, yea thy law is within
my heart. I know I'm using my kids as examples
a lot this evening, but that's fine. But while they were growing
up and they didn't have sense enough to get out of the rain,
do you know what my delight was? To take care of. to provide for. They couldn't do anything. They
were children. They were children. But my delight
was to take care of them. This is the attitude of Almighty
God concerning the remnant of his heritage. To save them. The Lord said concerning the
calling to this, to this work, to redeem them, to buy them back.
Redeem means to pay the price for. He says, my meat, what I
feast upon is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish
the work. Finish the work. What work? What
work are you talking about? The work to save all that the
father had given him. This was the work. This is what
he's going to do. So he comes in time. He's always been. He's God. He's always been. Before the
mountains were formed, he said I was ever his delight. I came
up with him. Our delight was with the sons
of men. He came in time and for 33 plus
years. the Lord Jesus Christ with all
of his people in him. Brother Scott Richardson, my
pastor there in Fairmont, I went and Brother Scott was there for
12 years and I learned so much just listening to him. Best thing
I've told people, best thing for me to do around Brother Scott,
just shut up and just listen. Just listen. And he made this
statement. He said, wherever God put a man,
put a woman, that's where he kept him. That's where he kept
him. And here, here was the security of all this remnant. They fell
in Adam. This remnant here, they were
in Christ. And he came into this world.
And do you know all of his people were in him? That's where God
put them. That's where they were. And here's
the Lord Jesus Christ. What had we done? Well, we rebelled
against God. What do we need? I need obedience,
but I don't have it. But what did the Lord do? He put us in Christ and in the
Lord Jesus Christ as he walked before the Father and obeyed
God. Do you know that the remnant,
according to his heritage, walked before God in perfect obedience? He was the one that was answering
for us. And from that time and I don't
know how to speak eternal, so I don't know how to say it. Eternally,
but I don't know how to say eternally. So all I can say is this from
that time that the Lord Jesus. Entered in to be the surety of
the sheep. The father never looked at the
sheep again. He never looked to them again. He looked to the
Son. He looked to Christ. And looking
to Him, and here's my hope right here, William. This is my hope
right here. When he looked at Him, and I'm
in Him, and the Father said, this is my beloved Son, in whom
I'm well pleased. You hear Him. He walked before
God and obeyed God. I had rebelled against God, but
I needed obedience. And I had no place else but in
Him to get it. But I'm a sinner. Remember my
question? How can God be just and punish
sin? The one that said, I will in
no wise clear the guilt. I'm not going to clear you. You
know what that means? God's going to punish sin. All
sin, God's going to punish and I'm a sinner. How? What's going to happen to me?
Whenever the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross and remember
all of that remnant is in him. And he went to the cross. Paul
the Apostle said when I was crucified with him. When he went to Calvary,
guess where all the remnant was? in him. When he laid down his
life for the sheep, made what they are. This is what we are. We're sin. We're sin. And he was made what we are.
All of the, the iniquities. Here's the amazing thing. Now
I, I, I can't explain all of it, but I can proclaim it. Everything Every rebellion, every
sin, every act of iniquity, all of it. He made all of it to be
His. That debt is my debt. He said in Psalm 40 verse 12,
mine iniquities. He didn't say their iniquities.
He said they're mine. mine iniquities have taken hold
upon me so that I'm not able to look up. He made himself,
David, guilty. Guilty. When he laid down his
life, he laid down his life being made the guilty one. And almighty God, spewed out
all of the wrath that was due all of the people that he was
answering for that were in him. He made himself guilty and when
God Almighty spewed out his wrath, he was spewing out his wrath
upon one that was made sin and God was just. You can say, well,
he really wasn't guilty. Then God was not just because
he killed a man that wasn't really made sin. He was made sin. And he died. Under the justice
of God. And right there. I got just exactly what I deserved. In him. If I didn't die in him. I'm going to have to face God.
And I don't want to face God without him. I do not want to
face God without a representative, without the surety. He died under
the judgment of God. He cried from the cross. It is
finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. He didn't give up the ghost and
then fall down. He bowed his head and then died
and gave up the ghost. He was in control of his death. The scripture says that Christ
put away the guilt of his people. Now let me ask you this. How
are we going to find out about this? How do we know about what
I've been talking about? Almighty God sends this gospel. This is good news. What I just
told you is good news to a sinner. If you're guilty, we're all guilty,
but do you know it? But if he's made you to know
the guiltiness of your own self, he calls you one way, the gospel
of Christ. This message that sets forth
what God Almighty has eternally purposed to do. I'm not offering
you anything. This is not an offer. I'm not
asking you to exercise your free will because you don't have one.
What I'm going to tell you right now is this. God Almighty sends
forth this message that I just told you. And he sends it through
preachers. This is how God is going to call
His people to Himself. 2 Thessalonians, verse 2, chapter
2, verse 13-14. I love this passage of Scripture. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13-14. But we're bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. You realize
Who does the saving here? He's chosen you to salvation.
Well, I thought I did the choosing. The Lord said, no, you didn't.
You didn't choose me, I chose you. Chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth,
whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus. Now, knowing what God has said,
concerning man's state. We're born in trouble. I'm going
to tell you right now, we're born in trouble. But Almighty
God has purposed to save a people. God has a chosen people that
he's going to save. That's what he said. I know the
world of false religion doesn't like to hear the word election,
but it's in the scriptures. God has declared that he has
an elect. And now listen to what the Lord
has to say. If all this that's gone forth
is found to be my state, if I see myself, I need a Savior. Listen to the Word of the Lord.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, labor Doing what? Trying to reconcile
yourself back to God by your good works or self-righteous
acts. And by the works of the law,
no flesh is going to be justified in His sight. Come unto me, all
you that labor, heavy laden, trying to obey the law. I can't
obey the law. I have never of myself ever loved
the Lord my God with all of my heart. Never. I can't even, I try to
pray and the next thing I know my mind is somewhere, Paul, you
know. I can't even keep, I can't even keep a straight mindset. I get to thinking about stuff.
I cannot do anything but sin. I just, I can't do it. I try,
I can't do it. Come unto me all ye that labor,
heavy laden, I'll give you rest. In closing, I've got three quick
questions for you. How do I come? I know what I heard growing up
in false religion by walking down an aisle. William, you know
the only difference between you and me? About 24 feet. That's the only difference. down
here that's not back there. Come on. How do I? He said, Come on to me. How do
I come? Now this is what scripture says.
By faith. Okay, I've heard that before. What is faith? Here's what the
scripture says. Hebrews 11 one. Now faith is
the substance. It's the assurance of things
hope for expected. It's the evidence is the proof
of things not seen. We we have a hope. I have a hope. This is my hope. This is my expectation. This is my constant my trust.
I want I want to be with him. I want the Lord to honor himself. Save this center right here. Faith Is the assurance of that? What assurance do I have that
the Lord's done something for me? I can't see anything. I can't. What do you mean come? By faith. I believe God. I believe God. I cast myself
upon the mercy of God. This is all I got. But if that's
all you got, that's all you need. He said, Come unto me. Faith
is the evidence. That Almighty God will receive
me by faith. I believe that, Lord, you said. Lord, you said. If I'd come to
you. that you would in no wise cast
me out. Lord, I'm coming the only way I know
how. I don't. Lord, save me. Lord, save me. I don't even know how to say
it any other way. Lord, have mercy. I come by faith. I come as a needy center. I'm
like that publican. I don't even have the right to
lift my eyes up to heaven. I don't have that right. Lord,
would you have mercy? Would you save me? The center. Lord, I'm convinced I come by
faith convinced you are my only hope. The Lord asked his disciples
one day when the multitudes left him, he looked at his disciples
and said, Will you go away also? And Peter said, Lord, To whom
shall we go? Where are we going to go? Thou has the words of eternal
life and we believe and are sure that you're the Christ. How do
we come by faith? We come convinced we come as
a center. We come and we come continually.
I've heard people say I came to the Lord years ago. I'm going
to tell you something. Let me tell you how a center
comes. He that cometh. What does that mean? I'm I'm
coming right now. Lord, I need you right now. Well,
I was saved back when I was 17 years old. Is the Lord saving me right now?
This is all I've got right now. And I come willingly. The word
willingly, it means spontaneously. I want to come right now. Whenever
the Lord walked past Matthew and he said, follow me, You know
what Matthew did? He got up, left his stuff right
there, and followed him. Zacchaeus, make haste. Come down, for today I must abide
at your house. Andrew, Peter, you follow me. I'll make you fishers of men.
They left those nets and their daddy in that boat right there,
and they followed him. Who are we coming to? We're coming
to God. I'm not coming to the front.
I'm not coming to the altar. Christ is our altar. I'm coming
to God. Almighty God. And is there a
safer place? Where else are you going to go? You can come talk to Gabe if
you want to. I'd advise you to do that, but I'm going to tell
you something. You know what Gabe's going to do? He's going
to point you to the Messiah, the Christ. I can't do anything
for you, but I can tell you somebody that can. Except the scripture says you
eat my flesh and drink my blood. What does that mean? I've heard
that scripture before. Except you look to me eating
my flesh, the life that I've lived in obedience, except that
be your righteousness and drink my blood, except you believe
that I died for you. My blood covers you. Whosoever
eateth my flesh, drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. And here's the last question.
What has he promised? This is what he said. Come unto
me, all you that are labored, heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Rest for your soul. rest from
trying to establish righteousness by you doing something, because
I'm going to tell you something. We're not going to do anything
for God. Almighty God will accept only that which He provides,
and I can't do it, but He can. You come to me. It's a spiritual,
it's a rest of the heart. The rest of the soul, that's
what he said, I'll give you rest unto your souls. There is rest,
there's peace, there's comfort for those that come to him. May the Lord be pleased to bless
these words to his honor and his glory and his praise and
to good of the remnant of his heritage, for his namesake.