that I cannot know till I cross
the narrow sea. There hides a joy that I may
not reap till I rest in peace with Thee. I love to sing these old hymns,
don't you? And I love singing them with
you after all these years. After all these years. Never grow tired of them. John
7. John chapter 7. We read this Sunday. You know
how that the scribes, the Pharisees and chief priests sent some officers
to take the Lord, to apprehend Him and bring Him to them that
they might prosecute Him. And verses 45 and 6. They came
back, verses 45 and 46, then came the officers to the chief
priest and Pharisees and said unto them, the Pharisees said
unto the officers, why have you not brought him? And the officers
answered, never man spake like this man. Apparently they were
mesmerized, they were spellbound by what he was saying and how
he was saying it. And they could not apprehend
him. Of course, it was in his hour. His hour was not yet come. No
man, he said, taketh my life from me. And he lays it down
of himself. His hour was not yet come. But
they were smitten by what he said and how he said it. But
the thing that, and the more I considered this message and
this statement by these men, how the Lord spoke and what He
spoke, the bigger it got. I thought it was sufficient for
these things. But here's the thing, something
that really impressed me, something that is fearful, Though these
men were greatly impressed by what he said and how he said
it, though they were spellbound by what he said and how he said
it and just impressed, greatly impressed, they weren't saved. They didn't
call on him. They didn't speak to him. They didn't follow him. They
left. So he really didn't speak to
them, did he? And that thought runs through
all of these chapters. Brother Todd and I were talking
about that today. All through these chapters, chapter
5 through chapter 9, many thousands, hundreds of thousands heard him
speak as no man spake, and yet few. really followed Him and
believed Him, called on Him. And the reason they did, and
this underscores the fact that salvation is of the Lord, the
only reason they did is He called them. He spoke to them. He said, My sheep hear My voice. I know them and they follow Me. But this gave me comfort. And
I hope it will give some of you comfort. Many of you. That I
believe I have heard His voice. And I believe I still hear His
voice. And I'm here. I'm still here. I'm following Him. And I hope
we hear His voice tonight. He keeps calling. The Lord keeps
calling. He keeps calling His sheep. He'll never quit calling
His sheep to Himself. He never quit saying, if any
man thirsts, never quit saying that. And His people keep calling
upon Him and keep coming to Him, and He never leaves them. And
really, though they're prone to wander and they may, you know,
wander a little bit, they'll come back, always. You can't
drive His sheep away. That gives me comfort. When they
hear His voice, it's in power, it's in saving power, it's in
redeeming power, it's in regenerating power. And like the disciples,
we're not going anywhere. You're our life. That gives me
comfort. Gives me comfort. Have you heard
His voice? I want everyone to hear His voice.
You remember back in chapter 6, verse 60, it says that some
of them said, this is a hard saying. So much of what He said
was with great authority. Everything He said was with great
authority, and they, and very, bold and very forthright. And they said, this is hard.
This is hard to hear. And he said in verse 61, does
this offend you? And down in verse 66, you remember
this? Many of them, many. There were thousands that heard
him and were interested. And many, it said, thousands
went back and walked no more with him. They seemed to be,
but they didn't. They went back. And I ask you
this question, I've already asked it, but is anything that the
Lord, does anything He say, is it too hard for you? Anything,
can you think of anything? You say, well, what's like that? I can't think of one thing. Even
the stern rebukes, even the rebukes, the proofs, the corrections,
the conviction, the words that just smite you, the words that
make you tremble. Our Lord said, blessed is the
man that trembles at my word. Even those things that make us
tremble, that's a good thing. It won't drive you away. I thought about this, those,
you know, I think of so many of you that have assaulted the
earth. And, you know, those that, to
me anyway, seem to need the reproof and the rebukes and the conviction,
the needed, the least, are the ones that received it the best. And that's the way it is. God's
people, they hear it all. David one time said, ìLet the
righteous smite me, and there will be a kindness to me.î I hear some of you receive these
things, and you thankfully receive them. Look at verse 67 and 68. Remember, the Lord asked His
intimate disciples that Heíd called. He said, ìWill you also
go away?î Simon Peter, oh my, I love that man. Donít you love
Simon Peter? Arenít you so thankful for him
Everything he said and did, even his denial, aren't you thankful? Simon Peter answers him from
the heart, Lord, and he answers on our behalf, Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of life. We believe and are sure
that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Lord,
we hang our souls on Your every word. Your word is my life. I live on it. I live on it. I believe. And I don't just believe. He said, I'm sure. That you're
the Christ, the Son of the living God, and you're my life. That's
the way I feel. Do you? This gospel. I can't live without it. I don't
want to live without it. His Word is my life. His Word.
I eat it. I live on it. I really do. In
chapter 7, look at verse 32. Look at these verses. Pharisees
heard that the people murmured such things. The people, you
see, were undecided. The vision because of him. Some said, well, he's a good
man. Some said, no, he's a deceiver. Some said, well, he's that prophet.
Some said, he's the Christ. And this and that and the other.
And they were all talking among themselves. But you'll notice
that you don't hear any of them calling on the Lord. Lord, have
mercy upon me. But they were murmuring, they
were talking about these things concerning him. And the Pharisees,
the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then Jesus said
this, look at this. He said unto them, yet a little
while I am with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. And
he's talking to the whole mass of people, not the officers,
they hadn't gotten there yet, the other hand. He's talking
to everybody, the people. He said, you shall seek me and
not find me. And where I am, you cannot come. Now boy, you know one of the
most frightening, fearful scriptures I know in the Bible is found
in Luke chapter 12, I believe. I didn't write it down. Yeah, let's see. 13, look at
it with me. Luke 13. Luke 13. This is, my, my. This makes me
think of Noah's Ark. But Luke 13, verse 24, the Lord
said this. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ said
this. He just said to them, you'll seek me and not find me. It would
be too late. And where I am, you cannot come.
Luke 13, verse 24, he says, Strive to enter into the straight gate.
Strive, like old Bunyan's Pilgrim, you know. Run out of that city
of destruction with your eyes on the celestial city. Run beyond
the wicked gate, the gate, Christ said, the narrow way, the straight
gate. Run and put your fingers in your ear and don't listen
to anybody and cry out, life, life, eternal life. Strive to
enter in at that straight gate. For many, He said, many, I say
unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. Now, that ought to strike fear
in us. Fear not only for ourselves, but for those we love, people.
There's going to be a time when it's going to be too late. Today
is a day of salvation. Tonight. Right now. Now is the
time. Seek the Lord while He may be
found. Call upon Him while He's near. He said we're two or three
together. I'm there. Right now. Tonight. Read on. Verse 25, When once the master
of the house is risen up, hath shut to the door, and ye begin
to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord,
open unto us, he shall answer and say unto you, I know ye not
which ye are. That's frightening, isn't it? Urge those you love. Urge people
all around you. Call on the Lord while he may
be found. Right now. He said, You shall seek me. Go
back to the text. And where I am, you cannot come."
Well, what did they say? They said, what's he talking
about? Where will he go? We won't find
him. He'll go to the Gentiles, he's
going to go teach the Gentiles, this and that and the other.
Not one of them said, Lord, Lord. They were talking among themselves.
Not one of them said, Lord, where are you going? I'll tell you
who did. I'll tell you who did. Over in
chapter 14, the Lord told His disciples, He said, I'm going
away and you can't come with me. And Peter, Simon Peter said,
Lord, where are you going? Why can't I come? Remember that? Don't leave me. That's what he
was saying. That's exactly what he said.
Lord, don't leave us. That sounds like somebody's heard
his voice. Somebody that he's called, like
a shepherd to a sheep. Don't leave us. Oh, great shepherd,
we can't live without you. Is that what you... David said
this over and over. I started reading through the
Psalms, and over and over again he said, Lord, hear my voice.
Lord, speak to me. Lord, the heavens are glad. Lord,
don't hide your face from me. Lord, don't be silent to me.
I'll go down into the pit. Lord, don't leave me. Do you
say that? If you've heard his voice, you
do. If you've really heard him speak to you personally, like
these disciples, why can't we go? We want to go. We want to be with you always. And it filled them with fear
of the thought of the Lord leaving them. Does that fill you with
fear? What does this gospel mean to you? What does this church
mean to you? What does this little fold mean to you? This is a nest where we can raise
our young to hear the gospel. This is a prized, precious possession. Oh Lord, please, don't leave
us. Never a man spake like this man. His enemies said that. Those
officers are the ones that said that. So many times his enemies
said things about him that even the wrath of man will praise
him, Scripture said. Said things that they didn't know what they
were saying. Said, Lord, the preparation of the heart and
the answer of the tongues of the Lord. My pilot one time said,
Aren't thou the Christ? He said, You said it. He was
hanging on the cross. They said, He saved others himself.
He can't save. That's exactly right. They said
in derision of him, This man receiveth sinners and eateth
with them. Oh, thank God. Oh, the answer to the tongues
of the Lord. And they said, never man spake like this man. Oh,
never truer words were spoken. Why did no man ever speak like
this before or since? Because he's not a mere man. This is the God-man. Oh, never
man spake like this man with such authority. They said one
time, after he got preaching, the people said, he speaks as
one having authority, not like the scribes. I love that. You've heard scribes preach before
me. Turn to the fourth chapter of the second book of Corinthians
that you heard in your hearing today, and we'll look at the
exegesis of the passage today. That won't wake a fly up. Our Lord spake as one having
authority. Why is that? Because he does.
Brother John read, when our Lord came to Nazareth, And he stood
up to read. He opened the book and found
the place. He didn't need the book, John, did he? He wrote
the book. And he read it. Don't you love
to hear men? There are men who are gifted
to read the Scripture. And I love to hear men read the Scriptures
that read it well. Don't you? Just try to imagine. He wrote it. He's the author
of it. He knew it. It came from
his heart. Oh, he spake with authority.
And they said there when he came to Nazareth, they wondered at
the gracious words that came out of his mouth. And this is Carpenter's son?
Well, that's what men think. He just said that then. You know
me. You know where I came from. But you don't know me at all.
But my sheep do. They know me. They know I came
down from above. And they know I was sent. He spoke with great wisdom. Why? Because He is wisdom. You know, there are men who speak
with wisdom. The Lord has gifted men with
wisdom, and they speak with wisdom. But our Lord, He knows all things. He knows all. I just, oh my,
I'm upset. and heard him every day, like
the disciples, everything he said was a... Everything he said. You ever
been around somebody that thinks they know everything? You can't
stand them, can you? He did know everything, but they
hung loose everywhere. He was so kind. He was so gracious.
He was so long-suffering. He was so compassionate with
them, of their ignorance. You know, they'd ask him questions,
and they were all ignorant questions. But he didn't act like, he wasn't
condescending. He wasn't, well, he did condescend,
but he wasn't, you know, belittling them. Have you ever been belittled?
That's the worst thing somebody can do, belittle you for your
ignorance or whatever. Oh, he never did that. spoke with great wisdom. All
the things he said, just the Sermon on the Mount, and every
line of every verse, everything he said is profound, infinite
wisdom, light upon light. The glory, the power, the eloquence. You know, eloquence doesn't mean
you talk fancy. You know that? Eloquence doesn't
mean that at all. Eloquence means you can make profound or difficult things
easily understood. He spoke things, heavenly things,
in one- and two-syllable words, and it said even the common people
heard him gladly. And he spoke in such a way, so
eloquently, that the wise and the prudent didn't understand
a thing he said. Oh, never may I speak like this
man. Spoke with majesty, dignity. He spoke in anger. And everybody
felt the hot heat of his anger. Ooh, when he entered that temple
that day, just try to imagine his voice. The zeal of God's
house ate him up. Try to imagine. You can't. Scripture
speaks over and over again about the Lord thundering. In Revelation
it says the Lord spoke as a lion that roareth. Buddy, when he
spoke, that tip cleared. The word of his mouth. Anger
and wrath. That needs to be sometimes. And
yet he spoke with love. No man, never a man spoke like
this man. He spoke with love. He spoke
the truth in love. He spoke with mercy. Grace poured
from his lips. He spoke with great compassion.
When he spoke peace, when he said peace, you had peace. When he speaks peace, you have
peace. Not past tense, he's still speaking. His people are still hearing
His voice. He still speaks. He always speaks
to His people, His children, His sheep. He always does. Not
audibly. The Lord does not speak audibly.
I was talking to someone the other day, and they were telling
me about a vision they had, experience that they had. They said they
were in a hospital, and they said they died, and they were
sustaining them. And they said they saw God, and
God spoke to them. And I really felt sorry for this
person. I really did. I really did. I did. But I had to tell him, no, you
didn't see God. You didn't hear from God. But he does speak to his people.
God's people do see him with the eye of faith. They see his
glory. They see something of his beauty,
don't they? And they hear his voice. And the cheap way that
God speaks, It's what the world calls foolishness, and what the
world won't sit and listen to for a moment. They can't stand
it. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching. That's the way it pleased God.
Our Lord was a preacher, and he called men to be preachers. He called twelve apostles, and
then he called seven of the other men, and he's been calling them
ever since to go out with his message. And our Lord said that,
and He just said this. And men don't believe it, but
I believe it. Because I know, I've heard. He says, if they
hear from me, they're going to hear through you. Didn't they? It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching. And haven't you? Most of you
in here have not heard him speak to you through the preaching
of the gospel. I have. I still do. I listen to men. I told you I listened to Brother
Chapman preach recently. I told him, Brother John, I was
so blessed. I was so greatly blessed. My
heart was blessed. And I said, I just feel like
playing that over the PA system to our people. He said, wrote me back and said,
that means so much coming from you. Because He listens to me.
We listen to each other. And you know, I'm blessed sometimes
by my own preaching. I mean, that amazes me. Seriously,
when I'm preaching to you, if the Lord blesses me, I'm hearing
it too. I'm hearing His voice too. He speaks through the preaching
of the gospel. And God's people rejoice. They
hear His voice. And He speaks through His Word,
this Word here. through the reading of His Word,
doesn't it? Personally or hearing someone
else read. It's generally an even greater blessing in the
congregation when we all get together and read the Scripture.
Isn't it? In the congregation. This is
how He speaks. This is how the Lord speaks.
He does not speak audibly. He does not speak aloud. He speaks
through His Word and through the preaching of His Word. He
has and He still does. And brethren, reading it in private,
can you not say that there have been times, not always, not always,
but there have been so many times where the Lord has spoken to
you through His Word. You know what I'm saying, He's
spoken to you. You've turned and you had a particular need,
a particular time, you've asked Him to answer, you've prayed
to Him about a particular need, and you turn and He speaks to
you, doesn't He, Bob? Never a man spoke like this man.
When the Lord speaks, and when the Lord spoke, and when the
Lord speaks, the death here. And he's still doing that. Remember
when he told them, go show John again. Those two disciples came
from John. John was in prison and he was
troubled, you know. And the Lord sent his two disciples
back. So go show John again. Tell him
that the death here. The deaf here. Brethren, you're
looking at a fellow that was deaf. I was deaf to the Word
of God. I went for a long time and didn't
hear. I had ears to hear, but I didn't
hear. But bless God, one day I heard. And I'm still hearing. I'll never forget. You may not
be able to pinpoint a time when the Lord first spoke to you.
I can. I don't, I'm not, you know, it's not an experience
that I'm trusting in or looking to, but I'm telling you, I'll
never forget it. And it wasn't an experience per
se, it was His Word. And I'm still rejoicing over
that same Word. When He said, He said, Father
on the cross, the first words on the cross, first word. And
I was reading it. And He spoke to me. It's like
he spoke out loud. He didn't, but he spoke loud.
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And that
sore entered my heart. And it still does. I still hear
it. When I still read that or think
about it, I think, oh Lord, thank you. I've heard his voice, have
you? The blind receive their sight.
When the Lord speaks, the blind receive their sight. When He
speaks personally, He's got to speak personally to you. His
sheep, His elect, if you've heard from Him, that means you're one
of His elect. And the blind receive their sight. See God. See Christ. See their need of Him. See their
selves, what they really are. See this world for what it is.
I was so blinded by the bandage of this world. Now I see, don't
you? I think He's opening my eyes
more and more all the time, don't you? Sister Nancy and I talk
about this all the time, how the world used to be, early on,
a beautiful place, but it's just losing its luster. It's just
fading away. The things that I used to be
so interested in now, I don't, that's not interesting. But boy, I'm interested in this,
aren't you? The blind receive their sight. The dead are raised
to life. Dead to God. Dead in sin. Raised
to life. The lepers are cleansed. Lepers
are cleansed. Wild men are ridden. Young ladies possessed by a devil,
the Lord begins to possess them. Oh, we're praying for... I'm
going to go ahead and say it. Brother Bruce Crabtree's son.
I hope he hears this. Oh, we're praying for him. His
two daughters are in love. Wild-ass as colt. Oh, Lord. He spoke to this one. Nothing's
too hard for him. No case is too hard. There's
no unwritten code he can't ride. Oh, Lord, lay hold of him. Call
him. Bring him to yourself. Oh, Lord.
Ben, if you're hearing this. Some of you first heard his voice
at the well, didn't you? I ran down there in the nursery.
Some of you first heard His voice at the well, didn't you? I think
every one of you heard Him at the well, didn't you? I know
we did. All of us did. The well. The well where He created
a thirst in you and showed you Himself. Huh? Some of you, like
the adulterous woman, That's the next chapter. That's Sunday's
message. Chapter 8, the woman caught in
the act of adultery brought to his feet. Oh my, that's my favorite. That's my favorite story in the
Scripture. You better come hear that. Maybe he'll speak to you.
Oh, when he spoke to that woman, she was guilty as charged. She
was guilty. Everybody knew it and she knew
it. She's waiting for the hammer to fall. And then what happened? He dispersed them all. He didn't
even say anything. He was writing. And then finally
he said one thing. Let him that is without sin among
you cast the first stone. And they all left. And he stooped
down to her and picked her up and said, Woman, where are thine
accusers? Doth no man accuse thee? Can
them thee? No man, Lord, just you and me. He said, Neither do I. What a
Word. I've heard him say that to me
so many times. When I'm caught in an act. His voice, His Word is compared
in Scripture to thunder. His voice in Scripture is compared
to waters. We read that. The voice of the
Lord is on waters. I think David is alluding to
actual thunder and lightning out on the sea. There's nothing
more awesome, nothing more powerful. But you know the Lord is speaking.
Several times in the Scriptures when God spoke from heaven and
it thundered and the people didn't know what He said, but we do,
don't we? We do. Paul, when the Lord spoke
to Paul, it says that the people saw the light, but they didn't
hear the voice. Well, Paul did, didn't he? It thundered. Saul
saw. When the Lord is walking along
one day and says, Father, glorify Thy Name. And the Father said
from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.
And the people just started thundering. And I told you and tell you that
whenever it thunders, think about that. How many people do? You do. Whenever it thunders,
think about that. Hannah, when she was four years
old, was standing at the window, and I'll never forget this, boy,
watching that little man. Time flies so fast. That little
bitty four-year-old form standing there at the window. And it's
thundering and lightning outside. She's standing there watching
it with her little baby, Neil Fred, in her arms. And she said, turned around,
you remember that? Turned around and said, I see God. Well, that's as close as you'll
come to seeing it. Scripture says that in thunder.
It says his voice is compared to a trumpet. John said, I was
in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and I heard a trumpet. I've heard
it. And you? Trumpet. I've always wanted to preach
on those two silver trumpets in the Old Testament. One of
them was to call the people. The other one was to settle the
camp. Like you men, you know, Ron,
don't you, in the service, don't you? There was one reveille,
and there's one tax. Reveille means, get up, we're
going. Isn't it? Get up, we're heading
out of here. A trumpet. Nothing quite as clear
as a trumpet. You ever heard one? You men have
heard it, haven't you? When you're in a deep sleep,
boy, it'll wake you up. I've heard his voice like a trumpet. Noah heard the Lord, being warned
of the Lord, moved with fear. And then that trumpet taps. Let me close with this. 1 Samuel
3. You turn over there with me.
1 Samuel chapter 3. Maybe someone in here hasn't
heard him. Maybe you don't hear from him.
I hope you do. I want you to. I'll tell you
how you will. I'll tell you how you can hear
from the Lord. Call on Him. Call on Him. Whosoever shall
call on the name of the Lord. He'll speak to you. Look at 1
Samuel 3. I love this. Child of Samuel, verse 4. The Lord called Samuel. He answered,
Here am I. He didn't know it was the Lord. He ran to Eli and said, Here
am I. Now call this man. Eli said,
I called thee not. Lie down again. And he went and
lay down. And the Lord called yet again Samuel. You know, I
believe the Lord calls and somebody may not know it's Him calling.
He begins to operate on some. And they don't know that he's
operating on them. But he creates an interest. And
they go and hear the preaching, and they want to hear it. But they don't know that the
Lord's dealing with them. And they will. They will. He's got to speak to you personally
and say unto you, I am thy salvation. Well, he ran to Eli, the preacher,
and said, Did you call me? And Eli said, No, go lie down. He went and laid down, and the
Lord called again, verse 6, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to
Eli and said, Here am I, and thou didst call me. And he answered,
I called not, my son, lie down. Again. Now Samuel did not yet
know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed
unto him. We have our children in a good place. Do you want
your children to hear from the Lord? This is where they're going to
hear from. And I wear a preacher, like Eli. And the Lord called Samuel again
the third time. And he arose and went to Eli
and said, ìHere am I. I just called and Eli perceived.î
Thatís the Lord calling this boy. Eli said unto Samuel, ìGo lie
down, and it shall be.î Hereís what Iím telling everybody in
here. that thou shalt say," here's
what you say, "'Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.'" Speak
to me, Lord. Would you speak to me? So Samuel went and lay down in
his place, and the Lord came and stood and called his other
time, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak,
for thy servant hear it. And he did. Look down at verse
19. Old Samuel, young Samuel, the
Lord spoke to him, and he grew in grace and the knowledge of
the Lord, and the Lord was with him. He did let none of his words
fall to the ground. Whose words? Well, I don't believe
Samuel wanted to miss a word. The Lord spoke to him. Samuel
let none of the Lord's words fall to the ground. He didn't
let them slip. But it also meant that the Lord
didn't let any of Samuel's words fall. Nothing returned void. And that's my comfort. I'm telling
you the truth. I'm telling you the truth of
God's Word tonight. And I know somebody's going to
be blessed by it. Whether it's in here, I know
somebody's in here. There's sheep in here, I know
that. I want it to be everybody. Somebody over the airways or
whatever. I know this, and this is my comfort more and more,
is that His Word will not return before it's accomplished. It's
the incorruptible seed. It can lay dormant for a long
time when the Lord's pleased. The water in His Holy Spirit
moves. That's what happened to me. That's
what I'm praying. And I'm preaching this Word.
Same thing. And it says in verse 20 that the Israel from Dan to
Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of
the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord
revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the Lord. Oh, my. Never man spake like
this man. Speak, Lord. I serve and hear. Call on the Lord. And He'll speak
to you. And keep calling. All right,
stand with me. Our Heavenly Father, thank You,
thank You, thank You for Your Word. Thank You. We know and
are sure, we believe and are sure that Thou art God, beside
Thee there is none else, and Thy Son is Thy Son. the Christ,
the Son of the Living God, our Lord and our Master and our Savior. And we believe every word He
spoke. We believe every word He wrote.
We believe it is Your Word. It is our life. Words of life. And so many in
here can say that We believe Thou hast spoken to
us, and we pray and we earnestly ask that You would continue to
speak to us. O Lord, if the Word is not a
blessing, if You do not speak, it's our fault. Call us to always
call upon You. Speak, Lord. O Lord, bless us,
we pray. Bless this church. Bless these
people. And those who have not heard from You, Lord, speak.
Speak to their hearts. Convict of sin, righteousness,
judgment, then speak peace, comfort, salvation to them. While you
may be found, Lord, let them seek thy faith. Let us all seek
thy faith and seek the peace of Jerusalem. O Lord, thank you
for your Word. Cause us to live upon it, feed
upon it, to seek thy face in it, to hear it, to seek thy in
it, cause us to grow in grace and the knowledge of Thy blessed
Son. It's in His name we pray and
give thanks and ask these things and worship Thee tonight. Amen.