And. The prophet Jeremiah was called
by many the weeping prophet. This is what he wrote. Oh, that
my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that
I may weep day and night for my people, for this generation. They bend their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the
truth. And they proceed from evil to
evil, and they know not the Lord. What compassion! The weeping
prophet. But then he spoke as the condemning
prophet. And I want you to turn your Bibles
to Jeremiah. Chapter 13, and he speaks in
great condemnation against these people. In Jeremiah 13, verse
22, listen to it, And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore
come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity
are thy skirts discovered. and thy heels made bare. Can
the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then
may you, then may you also do good that are accustomed, given
over to, do evil. Will I scatter them as the stubble
that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness? This is thy lot, the portion
of thy measures from me, saith the Lord, because thou hast forgotten
me and trusted in falsehood." Jeremiah asked, can the Ethiopian
change his skin? Impossible. Because the problem
is not painted on, it comes from the inside. He's black starting
inside. Can the leopard change his spots? Of course not. He's not a leopard
because somebody made him one by painting him. He is a leopard
from inside. And here's what the prophet's
asking. Well, can the sinner, can the sinner who's born in
sin, Can he do good before God? That's what he asks you. Can
the Ethiopian change his skin? Impossible. Can the leopard change
his spots? Impossible. Can the sinner who's
born in sin do good before God? Impossible, because they are
given over to evil. But wait, wait a minute. Turn with me to Matthew 19. Matthew
chapter 19. Matthew 19 verse 20, 23. Matthew 19 verse
23. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto
you, that a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven? And again, I say unto you, it's
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard
this impossibility, when they heard this, they were exceedingly
amazed, and they said, Who can be saved? Who can be saved? And then our Lord, verse 26,
beheld them and said unto them, With men salvation is impossible. With men it is impossible, but
with God all things are possible. And that's my subject this morning.
The impossible made possible. The impossible made possible. Our Lord taught his disciples
with questions. So I'm going to ask three questions
right now. Three questions. Here's the first
one. Can a son of Adam Can a son of
Adam do anything good before God? Do anything good pleasing
to God? Can he change from bad to good? Can he change from black to white? Never. And I'll give you six
reasons. First of all, he cannot, that
sinner that's born in sin, cannot change his nature Because the
flesh, that which is born of the flesh, is flesh. It'll never
be anything else. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit, but that which is born of the flesh is flesh. The Ethiopian will stay black,
the leopard will stay spotted, and the sinner will stay a sinner.
He can't change it. Secondly, he cannot change from
bad to good because His will, His will is diseased. He cannot,
because He will not, that's the problem. He cannot change because
He doesn't want to. His will is to do evil. Our Lord
said this, if those who have died could come back to the earth,
they would still love sin. If those who have died would
come back to the earth in the flesh, they would still be in
the flesh, they would still practice sin and love sin, because our
Lord said, they will not be persuaded though one rose from the dead. Thirdly, he cannot change, the
sinner cannot change because of the strength of habit. Habit, habit, habit. Sin forges
chains. Sin forges chains on people that
grow stronger as they get older. Did you know that? As they get
older and accustomed to sinning, they sin more and more and get
stronger and stronger and stronger because they say there's no fool
like an old fool. Because he's been doing that
so long, so long. That's his nature. All right,
fourthly, the sinner cannot change because he loves the passions
and appetites of his natural flesh. The sinner loves himself. He loves his flesh. He loves
his sin. He doesn't love God. He can't
change. And then the sinner cannot change
because he's blind. The Scripture says that God of
this world hath blinded their minds that they should not believe. That's the light of the glorious
knowledge of Jesus Christ to shine unto them. They are blind. They don't see the loveliness
of Christ. They love themselves. and they
love their sin, and they're blind. And then last of all, even the
outward means of religion, even the outward means of religion
cannot melt the heart of stone. He can fast, he can pray, he
can study, but he can't repent. Not by himself. One of the old
writers said this, I may try, but I can't repent. Though I
endeavor often, this stony heart will not relent. To God my heart
shall soften. I may try, but I cannot love,
though pressed by love divine. No argument, no argument has
power to move a heart as cold as mine. I may try, but I can't
rest in God's most holy will. I know what he appoints is best,
but I murmur that it's still impossible. Can the Ethiopian
change his skin? Impossible. Can the leper change
his spot? Impossible. Can a man who's born
in sin do good in the sight of God? Impossible. All right, here's my second question.
If the dead, cold hearts of men cannot change, why preach to
them? That's a good question, isn't
it? If I can't change you, why preach
to you? I'll give you three reasons.
First of all, the Lord commands us to preach to Him. That's right. He said, you go into all the
world and you preach the gospel to every creature. And I'll tell
you this, the inability of the flesh does not change that commandment. Why preach? God commands us to. But wait a second, why preach?
Because, listen to this, God has ordained the preaching of
the gospel to save sinners. That's the means. When I preach
to them, that's the means that God has ordained and provided. That's the means. The inability
of the sinner does not change the command, and it doesn't change
the means. It's the gospel that's the power
of God to salvation. It's the gospel. It pleased God
by the foolishness of to save them. That's what our pastor
talked about a while ago. Give them the Word of God. Nothing
else is going to change them. Hocus pocus is not going to change
them. That Word will, though. That
Word. Why preach? God commands it. Why preach? God has ordained
these means to save some. And thirdly, why preach? Why
preach? We preach to warn men. We preach
to drive them to despair. We preach to show them how impossible
it is for them to do anything good. We preach to shut them
up to Christ. Just turn them to Christ. Shut
their mouths. Turn them to Christ. Let me show
you this in the scripture. Turn to Galatians chapter three. Galatians chapter 3. Let me show
you Paul saying the same thing right here. We preach the gospel
to shut man up to faith in Jesus Christ. But this causes no other
way. Galatians 3 verse 22. Listen. Galatians 3, 22. But the scripture
hath concluded all of us unto sin. That the promise by faith
of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Wherefore,
before faith came, we were kept under the law. Shut up! Shut up unto the faith which
should afterward be revealed. Wherefore, the law is our schoolmaster
to bring us to Christ, that we may be That's it. Why preach? He commanded us to. Why preach? It's the means that God has ordained
to save men. Why preach? Because we're going
to keep on shutting their mouths and shutting them up to Christ.
To Christ Jesus. All right, here's my third question. Can the Ethiopian skin be changed? Can his skin be changed? Can
the Ethiopian spots be changed? Can the dead sinner be given
life eternal? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Because all things are possible
with God. With men, salvation is impossible. But with God, all these things
are possible. All of them. Or you're saved
through faith. That thought of yourself is a
gift of God. He can change. He can change
you. The Spirit of God, secondly,
has power to save anybody. Anybody. Anybody. A new heart, the Spirit said,
I will give you. A new spirit, I will put within
you. And I will put in you A new heart,
a new spirit, take away your heart of stone. That's an operation
of grace by the Spirit of God. And this is the reason why our
Lord came to the earth. He came to seek and to save the
lost. The angel said to Mary, she shall
bring forth a son and call his name Jesus, for he shall save
his people. from their sins. And then, fourthly,
through the preaching of the gospel, you and I have been changed. Through the preaching of the
gospel and a host of others, we have been changed, and we
can sing eternally unto Him who loved us and washed us from our
sins in His own precious blood. And he hath made us kings and
priests under God his father, to whom be glory and dominion
for ever and ever. All right. Here's my closing
thoughts. And I want you to listen to this
preacher now. I want you to listen. In Acts
chapter one, When the people heard Peter preach, when they
heard Peter preach at Pentecost, they were pricked in their hearts.
They were troubled. They were troubled in spirit.
And they cried out, men and brethren, what are we going to do? Can
you give us something to do? Yes, sir, I believe we can. I
believe we can. I believe I have the answer to
that question. When we preach and somebody says,
what shall we do? Indian brother, what shall we
do? I'll tell you something. Number one, you can plead your
need of a Savior. You can plead your need of a
Savior because you're a sinner. You know you're a sinner, and
you know He's the only Savior who can save a sinner. I was
preaching on television several years ago, and there was a young
man who lived up near Pikeville, Kentucky. His name was David
Kline. He's a coal miner. And he turned
the television on one Sunday morning. And he told me later
he was looking for some good music, some good quartet music. And he said he turned, and here
came you on the television screen. And he said, I sat down and thought,
well, let's see what this old man got to say. And the first
thing I said that he heard, the first thing, I'll tell you exactly
what it was, the first thing that he heard was this, you and
I, have a whole lot in common. I'm a wretched sinner and so
are you. That made him mad. He got up,
his wife said, and turned the television off. He said, I ain't
no sinner. And he sat down, pout. And he
told me later, he said, I walked over and turned it back on. I
said, maybe I am a sinner. That's what a fellow's got to
find out. I'm a sinner and He's the only
Savior. That old leper, when our Lord
came down from the mountain, that old leper ran to meet Him
and fell on his face and said, Lord, if You will, You can make
me clean. Oh, when a man discovers that,
if You will, You can. And You're the only one who can.
So I tell you this, I tell you this, you can plead. You can
plead your need of a Savior, the only Savior. All right? Secondly, you can plead the Lord's
mercies. The Lord's mercies. David said
this, Lord, if you should mark iniquity, who would stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be worshiped. There is, God says, I will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will be merciful to whom I
will be merciful. I want you to turn with me to
Matthew chapter 15. I want to illustrate this right
here. Matthew chapter 15. The Canaanite woman, our Lord
delights to show mercy. He came to save sinners. He came
to save sinners. Somebody said one time to me,
he said, well, you know, he's God. He can save everybody or
he can save nobody. And I said this, I learned this
from Brother Barnard years ago. This man said God could save
everybody or God could save nobody. And I said this, well, I don't
know whether God is willing, or God Almighty's purpose, to
save everybody. I don't know that. But I do know
this. He's got to save somebody. Because
God is love. God is merciful. God is gracious. And His love's got to be so.
He's got to have a people. Being God, He's got to have a
people. He's got to save somebody because
he's God. God is love. So what's this right
here in Matthew, chapter 15, verse 21, Matthew 15, verse 21. Then Jesus went thence and departed
under the coast of Tyre and Sinai. And behold, a woman, a woman
of Canaan, came out of the same clothes. And she cried to the
Lord Jesus saying, have mercy on me. Oh Lord, our son of David,
my daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. But he answered
her, not a word. Our Lord just didn't say a word
to her. He didn't even acknowledge her.
He didn't even turn to look. He answered her, not a word. Not a word. And his disciples
came to him. Look at that verse 23. The disciples
came and said, send her away. She's crying after us. And then
our Lord answered, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. First, our Lord didn't answer
her. Then he said, I came to save Israel, mine elect. And listen to her. And she came. She didn't leave. She didn't
run away. She came and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, help me. Help me. And then he answered
and said, now listen to this. He answered and said, it's not
right. It's not me to take the children's
bread, the children of Israel, and cast it to dogs. He ignored
her. He told her about the election.
Sovereignty? And then he says, not your unworthiness. You're not an Israelite. You're
a dog. What'd she say? And she said,
that's so. That's so. Yet the dog, true
Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's
table. You're my master. And I'm a hungry
dog. And just brush some crumbs off
for me. And our Lord answered and said, O woman, great is thy
faith, great is thy faith. Be it unto you as I will. Her
daughter was made whole. You can, listen to me, you can
take your place as a sinner and he's the only Savior and you
can fall onto his mercy, fall on his mercy. Look to it, believe
it, trust it. The dogs eat the crumbs that
fall from the master's table. One old writer said this, I will
to the gracious King approach, whose scepter mercy gives. Perhaps he'll receive my touch
and then the old sinner would live. I can't but perish if I
go. I'm resolved to try. Or if I
stay away, I know I must forever die. But if I die, If I die with
his mercy sought, and sought for, and wanted, and desired,
when I, the Lord, have tried that were to die, oh, what a
thought that a sinner could never die, not seeking the Lord. No person has ever perished seeking
the Lord. I don't believe it, do you follow?
I do not believe it. A man cannot perish who longs
to know Christ, who longs to be saved by Christ, who longs
for the goodness and mercy of Christ Jesus. He said, you come
to me, I'll give you rest. All right. Third thing, you can
plead your need. You can plead his willingness
to show mercy and you can plead his precious blood. Did not the Lord say to Israel,
when I see the blood, I'll pass over you? When I see the blood. Ephesians chapter 1 says this,
in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sin. Hebrews 9, neither by the blood
of bulls and goats and heifers, but by his own blood. He entered
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us. I'm going to plead my need. I'm
going to plead His mercy, and I'm going to plead His blood.
It's the blood that makes atonement for my soul. And this is my hope,
and this is my plea, that when He died on that cross, He died
for me. The blood which flowed that day
washed all our sins and guilt away. Lamb of God, your precious
blood does give pardon, peace, hope for heaven. So it's finished. Let us raise songs of thanksgiving
and songs of praise. Old Abraham walking up that mountain
with his son Isaac. And his son said to him, Father,
here's the wood, here's the fire, where's the lamb? And old Abraham
answered. He answered and he gave the only
true certain message that any sinner needs to hear walking
up that mountain. He said to his son, my son, God
will provide the lamb. And he has and he does. So let
the legalists go to Sinai. We go to the Lamb. Let the Catholics
go to the manger. We're going to go to the Lamb.
Let the ritualists go to Jordan's River. We're going to go to the
Lamb. Let the scholars go to their
creeds and catechism. We go to the Lamb. Let the superstitious
go to the Holy Land. We're going to go to the Lamb.
And when it let us look to the Lamb of God, because he taketh
away the sin of the world. Blessed. A man can plead his
need of a Savior. He can plead the mercy and grace
of that Savior. He delights to show mercy. He
delights to show mercy. And he can plead the precious
blood. It's the blood that makes atonement.
I never get tired of preaching about the blood of Christ. And
last of all, he can and he should plead the Lord's commandment
and the Lord's promise. What did he say? Turn to Matthew
28. Matthew 28. What did he say? In Matthew chapter 28, chapter
11, I'm sorry, Matthew chapter 11, verse 28. Listen to this. Matthew 11, verse 28. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. That's
his commandment and that's his promise. You come. You come and
I'll give you rest. You take my yoke upon you, and
you learn off me, not just from me, off me. For I am meek and
lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. My yoke
is easy, my burden is light. Now let me ask you three questions,
not close. Suppose that the Lord said to
you right now, as he did the lame man from birth. Thirty-eight
years he was lame. Suppose the Lord said to you,
as he said to that man, take up your bed and walk. He did. Would you? Because with the commandment
comes the power. If he says, come, you come, I'll
give you rest. I promise you. Suppose the Lord said to you
as he did to the man with the withered hand. Man had a withered
hand from birth. The Lord said, stretch out your
hand. He did. And it was made whole. Would you? He said, you come
to me. Would you come? Would you come? Our Lord looked up the tree at
Zacchaeus. And he said, Zacchaeus, come
down. Would you come down? Jack is dead. Or would you just
sit there and study it a little while, think about it, and do
what he said? Stretch out your hand. With the
commandment comes the power. Come every soul by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord.
and he will surely give you rest. I promise that. He promises that
by trusting in his word. Jesus shed his precious blood,
rich blessings to bestow. So plunge now in the crimson
blood that washes white as snow. You can plead your need. You can plead His what? Mercy. You can plead His blood,
and you can plead His commandment, because His commandments are
true. His promises are sure. He is as certain as He's God. Come to Him. Trust Him. Believe Him. Zacchaeus, come
down. Well, I'm going to wait on somebody
else. Zacchaeus, come down. No, I don't
know. You may stop by here again someday.
He skedaddled down that tree. And the Lord said, I'm going
home with you. I'm going home with you. Because
his commandments are true. His promises are just and holy. Our Father, we thank you for
your word. Thank you for the promises of
our Lord Jesus Christ that come unto me, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, and you'll find rest for your soul. Lord, give us faith
to believe in Thee, and only in Thee. Thank you, Lord, for
the word you preach this morning. I ask you to bless it in our
hearts as it pleases Thee. In Christ's name, amen. Let's turn to hymn number 698
and stand again. We'll sing the first and last verse of 698. Not have I gotten, but what I
receive. Grace hath bestowed it, and I
have believed. Boasting excluded, pride I abate. I'm only a sinner. Saved by grace Only a sinner
Saved by grace Only a sinner Saved by grace This is my story
To God be glory I'm only a sinner Saved by grace Suffer a sinner
whose heart overflows Loving his Savior to tell what he knows
Wants more to tell it, but I am brave I'm only a sinner saved
by grace Only a sinner saved by grace Only a sinner Saved
by grace This is my story To God be the glory I'm only a sinner
Saved by grace