You know, in the third verse
there, she waits, speaking of the church, you know, we're the
bride of Christ. You know that, right? The Lord
Jesus Christ is our group. We're the bride of Christ. The
church, the call, be elect. She waits the consummation of
peace forevermore, till with the vision glorious, her longing
eyes are blessed, and the great church victorious shall be the
church At what? At rest. At rest. Remember that. Remember that. The church at rest. I'd like to ask you this morning
if you would turn your Bibles to John chapter 8. What a time. What a time for
you and I to be alive in this world. What wonders the Lord has blessed
this generation with. Kathy and I were, I forget what
it was now, oh I know what it was. We were coming through Folsom
and there was a whole line of people. I mean, I don't know
what they were in line for, but there was a long line coming
down the street. You know how Folsom, when you
come through town, it goes up that little steep hill into Old
Town there? All the way down that hill there's a long line
of people and Kathy goes, look at that. You can only see one
that's not got their phone right up to their face looking at something. What a time we are in. The knowledge
of this world at our fingertips. You know, in the old days, before
phones and computers and all that stuff was invented, you
know, before the Lord graced us with those inventions, it
was just this. You relied on what the old guys
said. The old guy who's been around long enough and kind of
been through everything, you know? And even that wasn't reliable
for knowledge, really. I mean, it was coming from a
guy, right? Coming from the old man. I don't know about you,
but when I was 16, the old man didn't know anything. Today,
it's real simple. Google it. Google it, and you
can figure out what it is. I'm not so sure Googling it is
really all that good of a thing. I'm not so sure it wouldn't hurt
us to go back to the old guy. He may not have been right all
the time, but I'm not so sure it's good to know all that the
Google gives us. Yet we have all this knowledge,
all this ability to confirm what we see, what we know of this
world, yet this wonderful technology our God has given us, that our
God has brought us to, is nothing without our Savior. Would you sell your soul for
all the knowledge of the world? You can be the smartest man on
this earth and completely miss the eternal salvation found in
Christ Jesus the Lord. King Solomon went out and tried
everything. He went out into the world and
did everything you can think of, searched everything. And
he came back after all the time that he spent going through all
the different stuff that you could see in the world, learning
all that he could of the world, and he said, it's all vanity.
Meaningless. Everything you could know of
this world is meaningless without Jesus Christ the Lord. Even the most knowledgeable person
of Holy Scripture One who maybe has read every word. I know people
who have read the Bible 15 times all the way from the beginning
to the end. And they show absolutely no sign of knowing the grace
of Christ Jesus. You could know all the scriptures.
You may even be able to memorize a whole bunch of it. I don't
know if anybody can memorize the whole thing, but you might
be able to memorize a whole bunch of it. And you could still miss out
because you don't know Him. Did you know the devils know
the truth of Jesus? They absolutely do. We know who
you are. Have you come to forsake us and
punish us before our time? They knew their time was coming. Yet they do not know Him. I mean, they do not know Him
personally. They do not know Him as He truly
is. A loving, saving, merciful God. Why is that so important to a
sinner? Because that's what I need. I need a loving, saving, accomplishing,
purposeful God. I know I need one who's not going
to do something maybe, but when he says he'll do it, when he
says the word shout, it means shout. All that knowledge that we have
before us is absolutely meaningless if you don't have the Lord. Many know Christ as the devils
do, but in Matthew 7 verse 13 we read these words, enter ye
into the straight gate. enter ye into the straight gate.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ. For wide is the gate, and broad
is the way that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in
thereat. Folks, we read in Isaiah 55,
verses 8 through 9, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways my ways. We were just reading that article
a moment ago. Where is your assurance? Are
you one who feels like you're not saved at times? Absolutely. God help me not to put any stock
in my feelings. God help all of us not to put
any stock in our feelings. Put your stock in this. Put your
stock in His Word. His word of love for His people.
Will we be weak? Absolutely. Will we be doubtful? Absolutely. But my Lord still
comes through, great is His faithfulness. He's the foundation that we put
our trust in. My thoughts are not your thoughts,
he says, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord, for
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. To know the
Lord of salvation is to know Him in a personal way, a way
our worldly knowledge, our worldly understanding cannot and will
not comprehend. He tells us in Proverbs 3, verse
5, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto
thine own understanding. Lean not upon your own feelings.
Lean not upon what you think is wisdom. But lean on the Lord
Jesus Christ, on the Word of God according to, or Jesus Christ
according to the Word of God. Our natural way of thinking is
enmity. You know what that word enmity
means? That means exactly opposite of lovingly. It is a hateful
thing. We come into this world hating
God, hating Him for who He is, and it takes the love of God
to bring us out of that hate and give a love in our hearts.
It's enmity with spiritual truths. In Romans 8 verse 7 we read this,
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Our carnal mind has a
wisdom of this world, but the themes of this world are death
and destruction. Just because you're kind, just
because you're a gentle person does not mean that you know the
truth of grace. No, to know the true grace is
to know the author and the finisher of that true grace. Look with
me, if you would, at John chapter 8, beginning at verse 25. Then said they unto him, Who
art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even
the same that I said unto you from the beginning, I have many
things to say and to judge of you, but he that sent me is true. And I speak to the world those
things which I have heard of him. They understood not that
he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, when
ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that
I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath
taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me,
and the Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those
things that please him. As he spoke these words, many
believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him. Then he said to those Jews who
believed on him. Listen to these words. If you
continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed. Now
here we go. And ye shall know the truth. Ye shall know the truth. Now,
before you think that that's some kind of a knowledge that
you're grasping of, which it is, but that's not what it's
talking about here. Read the rest of that verse.
And the truth shall make you free. Now drop down to number
36. This is so awesome. If the Son, therefore, shall
make you free. What was it said back there?
The truth shall make you free. If the Son, therefore, shall
make you free, you shall be free indeed. Don't you love the shalls? Our Lord says that no man can
pluck us out of our Father's hand. You know what that means?
That means you. can't pluck yourself out of God's
hands. Folks, if you're loved of God,
you have been loved of Him for where the world ever was. And
I don't get tired of telling you that everything has been
created for the love of God for you, for His glory, and for your
good. You can't pluck yourself out
of our Father's hands. And I try to a lot. Mike was talking with us Friday
night, I can't remember exactly what it was, but in part of our
conversation he brought up, we're stiff-necked people. We are stubborn,
stiff-necked people. It doesn't take John Reeves but
two seconds to go out that door and think, I'm something. I can
do this. Where were we? Oh, yeah, we're
ready. So what is this freedom? It's
freedom the Lord speaks of. It's freedom from works. Those who are under the bondage
of sin are consistently trying to rivet themselves from that
sin. It's freedom from the works of
our flesh. It's freedom from the self-righteousness of this
flesh. It's freedom from the condemnation of sin. In our natural
state, we think that we can earn justification with God, by our
good works. Do you realize that all mankind,
all mankind, have the knowledge that they have sinned against
the Creator? Why do you think there are so many religions?
Why would there be so many religions? Why would they have these Foolish,
sacrificial religions of the ancient people down in the Mayans
or whatever it was that sacrificed people for their sins. That's
what they were doing. They were trying to remedy themselves to
a god of their own imagination. All mankind come into this world
dead in trespasses and sin, and we know it. We just don't want
to believe it. Oh, I'm not that bad. My brother Lee was way worse
than I was. How dare you tell me my little
old grandmother is a sinner? I'm not telling you. God is. How can you say my little child,
who can't even do anything for themselves yet, how can you say
this little child is a sinner? I'm not telling you. We just don't want to believe
it. Scripture tells us not to lean
unto thine own understanding. Your own worldly understanding
will bring you to destruction. Only truth can set you free from
the bondage of death and hell. Look over at John chapter 14
with me if you would. Look over at John chapter 14. Begin with me if you would at
verse 1. John chapter 14 verse 1. Let not your heart be troubled.
Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go, ye
know not the way. Thomas saith unto him, Lord,
we know not whither thou goest. How can we know the way? And
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. I've titled this morning's message
is Knowing the Truth. Do you know the truth? I'm not
asking you do you know about the truth. or maybe a few truths
that we can read in Scripture. I want to know, you need to ask
yourself this question. Examine yourself. Are you in
the Scriptures? The Scriptures say that if we
be in Christ, if Christ be in us, then we be in Him. Do you know Him on a personal,
experienced way? This is to know the truth. It's
to know that the only way one can know Him is to be drawn to
Him, to be brought to Him, to know that by His grace, one who
ran from the truth, one who would not seek the truth, is drawn,
is brought in grace, unmerited favor. It says in the scriptures
in Ephesians, by grace ye are saved through faith. In Romans
9-16 we read these words, So then it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. It's
not your so-called free will that brought you to Jesus, it's
God who brought you to Him. It's not something Christ has
done and then waiting for you to do something about it. He's
done it all. Jesus paid it all. All to Him
I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain.
He washed it white as snow. It is not of Him that willeth,
nor of Him that runneth. That word runneth means works.
It's not something you've done just because you're good in one
way or another does not make you saved of God. John 6, verse 44, we read these
words, No man can come to me, says the Lord Jesus, except the
Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up
the last day. This is to know the truth. The
truth that sets us free. Free from our sin that once held
us captive. Free from the path of destruction
that we were all once walked. Him personally, in a personal
way. I know, I know. And if you are of God, you know
too. I know that there was a time when I ran from
the Lord. To know Him is to know the truths
of Him. To know them in a personal way.
And I know that I ran from Him. I know that it wasn't until the
age of 40 before He called me out of that darkness of running. I know that I was blind. I know
that I was blind of His love for me and His eternal love because
now I can see. I can see it in His Word. And I believe it because of the
gift that He has given me to believe that Word. I see His grace in humbling Himself
and becoming a servant, my servant, your servant, all of His people's
servant. He humbled Himself from the glory
that was His in heaven and became flesh and served you. Giving Himself for us. Paying the price that you and
I deserve to pay. Taking our sin upon Him, making
it His, so that we would have the righteousness of Him in us. I know this truth that I see
His grace in fulfilling every speck, every dot of His holy
law, fulfilling it in my stead. And I know it's by His grace
because I know I couldn't do it. If you are of God, you know
it too. We read this morning in 1 Peter
1, verses 18-19, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things. Did you hear that? For as much
as ye. The Lord is speaking to God's
people, those who believe, you and I. This Word of God is eternal,
folks. It will go on for as long as man walks this earth, It'll go on and on, and somewhere
down the line from you and I, there'll be another child of
God who'll be called out of darkness as we were, and they'll see the
truths. God will open their eyes. And
they'll see the truths of who Jesus is, just as you and I have. Just as all the saints of old
have. For as much as ye and I know,
know, that we were not redeemed with
corruptible things of silver and gold from our vain conversations
received by the traditions of our fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ as the Lamb without blemish and without spot. God requires perfection from
us, folks. Our good is not good enough.
Only one, whoever walked this earth, walked it in perfection,
and that is the Lord Jesus. That is truth Himself. Mankind
come from our mother's womb speaking lies. We who have been called
from His grace, personally, experientially, know this. You know what you
were before the Lord called you out of darkness. You know that
pit that He brought you out of. We're not going to forget that
pit. If we do, it won't take long for us to step
in it and remind ourselves of it. The Word of God said, there are
none that seeketh God. We who have been called by His
grace personally know that to be true. Called by His grace. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. We who have been called by His
grace personally know that to be true. 2 Corinthians 5.21,
we read these words, for He, speaking of God the Father, hath
made Him, speaking of God the Son, to be sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We who have been called by His
grace personally know that to be true. We believe, and we believe
only because He in His grace has given us the gift of faith,
the gift to know, the gift of trust, and those of us who have
been called by God the Father to God the Son know that to be
true. It's all of grace. Sovereign grace. That simply
means the One who is sovereign of all things is gracious to
some. Are you not thankful? Does your
heart not burn that He might be gracious to us? It's all of grace, not of works
lest I should boast. Those who have been called by
God Almighty know that to be true also. I have been brought to know Him.
I have been brought to know the truth, not in knowledge alone,
but in experience. In Hebrews 10.16 we read these
words, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those
days, sayeth the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts,
and in their minds will I write them. In Exodus 34, verse 6,
we read these words, and the Lord passed by before him and
proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering
and abundant in goodness and in truth. How are we to worship
our Lord? Do you recall the Scriptures? There's
only one way. in spirit and in truth. Henry Mahan wrote this, and I
just, I love what that man has written. I'm so thankful God
has given us men who have the ability to write so well. Robert
Hawker, he's so poetic in the way he writes things. Listen
to what Henry Mahan wrote. Truth is not a system of doctrine. That means it's not a system
of teaching. It's not something you can just teach. These men that God was speaking
to in that verse that we read back there in John chapter 8,
they had a doctrine. They were religious people. Jewish
people were very, very religious. But not all Jews know the Lord
Jesus Christ. Not all Jews know the truth. They know scripture. Not all of them knew the truth.
These men had doctrine. They had teachings. You can have
a system of doctrine and to a large extent it could be correct. You
may still have a system of doctrine but not know the truth. The truth
is not a law of morality or behavior. Saul of Tarsus had the law. He
said concerning the law I was blameless. And he was concerning
the law. He was persecuting the church
of God. He was blameless according to the law. Until the Lord showed
him what covetousness was. But he did not know God. He did
not have salvation. The truth is a person. Christ
said, I am the truth. He didn't say, I teach the truth,
though he did, or I point you to the truth, because he absolutely
did that. He said, I am the truth. The truth is a person. The truth
is not a form of worship. It is not a system of doctrine.
It is not a law of morality, behavior. It is a person. And
to know this person is to know the truth. It says, ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall set you free. Turn over to Galatians chapter
5 if you would please. Galatians chapter 5. And while
you're turning there, allow me to read again these words from
John chapter 8 verse 36. If the Son therefore shall make
you free, ye shall be free indeed. This verse should give assurance.
to anyone who may have doubt. Our Lord said this to some unbelieving
Jews, some self-righteous, very religious people. He said, they
asked Him, how long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be
the Christ, tell us plainly. And here's what our Lord answered
them. He said, I told you. Christ was never secretive about
who He was. He told the people plainly what
He came here to do. Who He was, what He was coming
to do, and where He was going. Every time our Lord spoke about
being persecuted and dying, He closed those statements with
these words, and be raised the third day. Every time. I told you, he says, and you
believe not the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear
witness of me. Not only did I tell you, but I've done all this and
you still don't believe me. You don't believe, but you believe
not, it says, because you are not my sheep. As I said unto
you, my sheep hear my voice. And I know them and they follow
me. So with that assurance, with that assurance in mind, would
you look with me at verse 1 of Galatians chapter 5. Stand fast. That means grab a hold. Grab
a hold of this. Take this with you to the heart.
God, place this on our hearts in a steadfast way. Stand fast,
therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. And
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. What's it saying
there? What does Christ say? He says, if you shall be free,
What was that I just read a moment ago? Let me read that again before
you. Once again, if the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Oh, the yoke
of bondage. How easy it is to us to forget
grace and try to do something on our own to add to it. Don't let yourselves, folks,
be entangled with that. God help us to turn away from
those things. Stand fast in the liberty of
truth. Do not falter with thoughts,
with feelings of self-righteousness. Do not falter with the works
of the flesh. Lean not unto thine own understanding,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name. Turn over to Matthew chapter
11 and I'll bring this to a close. Matthew chapter 11. Stand fast in the liberty of
truth. Grab a hold of the One who provides
everything for His people. Every inch, every dot is provided
to us by our Savior. Stand fast in His liberty, the
liberty of truth. Matthew chapter 11, beginning
at verse 25. And at that time Jesus answered
and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
Thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent and
hast revealed them unto babes. Oh, that God would reveal anything
to you and I What amazing grace, would you not agree? Reveal these
things unto babes, even so, Father, for it seems good, good in thy
sight. It pleases the Lord to reveal
His Son in His people. Wonderful news, isn't it brother?
That's the truth of God. That's to know Him who is truth.
to have Him reveal Himself to us. All things, it says in verse
27, are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth
the Son, but the Father neither knoweth any man. The Father saved
the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. So after the Lord cries out to
His Father, thank You for revealing these things to Your people.
Thank you for revealing such wonderful things to these babes. Because it was good in your sight,
he tells you and I. Here is the truth speaking to
you and I. Come unto me, verse 28, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." I know some who spend the Sabbath
trying to please their Lord by doing something Whatever it is
they think they ought to be doing on the Sabbath. Brother Mike
has explained to us what that means several times in his testimony. You start Friday evening. Boom! Here's the clock, right here.
Time to do it. Let's go through this tonight,
right Mike? It's ready, we're ready to do it. And then you
spend the next 24 hours waiting for that clock to get to the
next one. Oh man, I'm glad we're doing that. We can go back to
doing whatever it was we were doing. My God is my Sabbath. My Lord is my rest. Lord, help me. Lord, help this
flesh, this sinful flesh that stands before you today, put
all my rest in Him. Do you know the truth today? Does the truth reside in you? If so, then you will lay down
your crowns of self and take up His yoke. and find rest for
your souls. Amen.