One the same, but a good one
in it. That's good. All right, Matthew
12. Spoke on the phone today with
Brother Don Bell, spoke with Brother Todd Nybert. And each
of those men are going through a gospel. Brother Don, I think, is going
through the gospel of Luke. And Todd is going through the
Gospel of Mark, I think. All of us were talking about
what a blessing the Gospels are. It just cannot get any better
than this. There's so much good food. I
really look forward to the various stories that we will encounter
in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 12. I titled this message, A Man
Who Did What He Could Not Do. I told Brother Ty, I was going
to preach on that, the man who did what he could not do, and
he guessed immediately what it was. He said, the man with a
withered hand. I said, that's right. Let's read verses 10 through
13. Behold, there was a man. which had his hand withered.
They asked him, the Lord, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath
day, that they might accuse him? And he said unto them, What man
shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if
it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on
it? and lift it out. How much then
is a man better than sheep? Wherefore, it is lawful to do
well on the sabbath day. Then saith he to the man, Stretch
forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth, and
it was restored whole like as in Now, this is recorded in three
of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. And we will look at
part of each of the other two because they each say something
in addition to the. Now, Luke's account Luke says
this happened on another Sabbath day, which was not the same day
that he that they walked through the corn another day. later. All right? Verse 9 says when
he was departed, and that is he left that scene, he went into
their synagogue. This was later. He went into
their synagogue. The Lord was always found in
a temple when he was at Jerusalem, or a synagogue, a Jewish synagogue. There was one temple. Jerusalem. But there were synagogues in
the various cities throughout Israel for worship, and they
had their priests and so forth. And our Lord was always found
either in the temple or in the synagogue on the Sabbath day.
Always. You'll see that in scriptures.
He went into the temple on the Sabbath day or the synagogue. Not only was our Lord fulfilling
the law, he kept the Sabbath day. He literally did keep the
Sabbath day. But he always worshipped. What
he was doing by being in the synagogue is what all of God's
people do. He was worshipping with the people
of God in the place that God had designated for worship. You
always find him that. It was said of the apostle Paul
as his habit while. He worshiped in the synagogue
it's our habit is not where we go. We go to the house of God
on the Lord's Day first day of the week. And we worship this
is where we go it's what we do what we're in the habit of doing
it's what we want to do is. It's not wasn't mere duty for
the Lord. Not at all. And the Lord. Went there because he desired
to be there. How amiable he wrote that song. Wasn't it? Psalm 84, Brother
Roy, David, the son of David wrote that. He wrote them all.
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hope? and though these
places were filled with scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites. Yet there were some true seekers
there. God has not left himself without
a witness and he has people. He has people. There were some
true seekers there. Do you remember the stories of Simeon in the
temple. You remember Simeon? He was waiting. He always went to the temple
to worship, and he was waiting on a consolation of Israel. He was a seeker of the Lord.
He was waiting for the Lord to come. Bless his heart. He did. I mean, he really did. The Lord came that day. And at
the same time, there was a woman in there named Anna. remember and it was that says
he served the Lord day and night in. With prayer and. That's what it says she did that's
that's how she served the Lord worship in the temple so. There
are some true seekers there to worshipers that God had some
sheep that in spite of the hypocrites. In spite of the hypocrites that's
where our Lord went. That's where he went to worship
and preach and tea. I remember hearing someone one
time say to a believer, they said, I'm not going down there
to that church with all those hypocrites. And the believer
wisely said, well, come on down. One more is not going to hurt. God's people are not hypocrites.
Hippocrite means actor playing a part trying to be what you
pretend to be what you're not. God's people are not hypocrite.
Nevertheless, the church, the invisible church, has them there. They are there. And God deliver
us from hypocrisy. And God's people worship God
in spirit and truth, like Christ. Now, most of all of us did come
at first, though, as hypocrites, didn't we? Every one of us first came, and
we were hypocrites. We came because it was Sunday.
We came, and what would people think? Don't want people to think
we're heathen. We came because somebody else
wanted us to, or whatever. We were hypocrites. And God saves
some hypocrites. Well, behold, verse ten, there
was a man. There was a man there. Now, did this man always go to
the synagogue? We don't know. We don't know
if he always attended or not. We don't know. But he was there
this day. It's a lot that's cast into the
lamp, isn't it? That means you're given a
choice. A lot. What am I going to do?
he made him a lot. But what is the rest of that.
The whole disposing thereof is of the law. He was there. Now he decided to go I guess. He decided to go. The Lord had determined for him
to be there. Why? Well this was his day. The day of salvation for this
man. Thank God for his sovereign predestinating grace. God's people who have been predestinated, they love that. They love his
sovereign predestinating grace. They love the fact that God sovereignly
predestined them to hear the gospel and be in a particular
place at a particular time to hear this particular redemption.
They love that. Most people hate the sound of
the word, but not God's people. And thank God for his sovereign,
predestinated grace. One day, he made me go to the
synagogue. He made me go to the synagogue,
and that was the day of my salvation. And I heard the word. Oh, I decided
to go because there was a young girl there I kind of, you know,
was interested in. But God Thank God he was interested
in me. And even to this day, thank God
for his sovereign, predestinating grace that keeps me coming to
the synagogue. Else, I would not come. Would you? If left
to yourself? Especially on Wednesday night.
Thank God. Well, this man, it says, verse
10, Behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. Now, I
like the way that reads. It doesn't say he had a withered
hand said he had his hand withered. You get that. Now whether or
not he was born with this crippled hand or later rheumatoid arthritis
something they had those same things then though they didn't
know what they were stroke stroke could have withered his hand
whatever. It was. His hand was withered. He had his hand withered, drawn
up, trophied, shriveled up, useless. It was useless. How did it get
that way? You say, well, it was rheumatoid
arthritis. It was a stroke or it was whatever. His mother, you know, something
during prenatal. He had his hand withered. The Lord did it. Scripture says in Deuteronomy
32, I wound and I heal. I wound and I heal. Why? Now, that's how. The Lord
did this. The Lord did this. Why? Well, Scripture says that we
are predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will, meaning that
God purposed it. God willed it. That's why. Do
we have to go any further? It's the Lord. Let him do what
seemeth good to him. That's what Eli answered when,
and we're going to look at that soon, when they came and said,
God's going to kill your sons. It's the Lord's will. He does
all things according to the counsel of his own will. That means a
counsel that was made long before the world began when he wrote
that book of life and in it everything, all our members were written,
everything about us, everything that would transpire in this
world was put in that book of life. Everybody. And it all worked, you see, God
had to. would all work together. He had to pre-destinate it. Pre-destinate
it. I'm glad about that, aren't you?
There's peace there. There's comfort. And though we
don't understand, didn't we not read in Job thirty-three, it
says, God giveth not account of matter. We're not capable of receiving
it. We're not capable of understanding it. We don't know what's going
to happen if the Lord tarries, you know, two or three hundred
years from now. Which things that are happening now directly
affect that? We don't know. Nor do we know
all that happened in history to make what's happening right
now happen. It's all intricately woven together
like a tapestry. And we're looking at the backside,
the back part. And it all looks confusing. Well, not if you see a glimpse.
The face, front, the picture, the whole picture. It's all in
that Ephesians 1, 11 that I read to you. He said immediately before
that, John, he said it's all according to his purpose that
he gathered together in one, all things in Christ. That's
what it's all about. Being predestined according to his purpose. He's
gathering all things together in Christ. Now know this though.
for our comfort all things are on purpose according to God's
birth. And I can answer this with certainty why this happened
why this man's hand was with I can answer this without absolute
certain it was for God's. This man had his hand with God. For Christ's power to be known
for his glory to be saying. Now, Luke's gospel, you don't
have to turn, but Luke's gospel says that it was his right hand.
Luke specifically said his right hand was with him. And I thought,
now, what difference does that make? Well, it does. Nine out of ten people are right
handed. There's one odd person out of
ten. Stephen, Joseph. Seriously, nine out of ten people
are right-handed. It's just the common lot. Most people be right-handed. And for the average to lose the
right hand, I have had injuries to my right hand. Are you right-handed,
Sam? I can't even brush my teeth. Seriously, I can't do hardly
anything. I can use them in tandem. But
I can't make my left hand do what my right hand does. I'm
weaker with my left hand, Ron. Why? Because I use this probably
70 or 80% more than the left hand. It's my power. All my power is right there in
my right hand. Now that's significant. You see the symbolism here? To lose the right hand, lose
all power, lose all ability. You lose usefulness. If I lost
my right hand, I'd be helpless. Helpless. And I thought about
this, too. Anybody think about this? You
know what Christ is called? The son of what? The right hand. The son of God's
right hand. That's symbolic in Scripture.
God is right handed. and his power and one he uses
is his son the son of his right hand without him. We can do that. Right. Without him so this man's
hand his right hand was useless to himself to others he was half
a man. And this is a picture of all
of us by nature how we're born with withered hands not just
the right both of Our hands are useless to do any works of righteousness,
only sin. Scripture says, let us lift up
holy hands. We can't. By nature, we can't. Who shall enter into the hill
of the Lord? Psalm 24 says. Who shall stand in His holy place? Who shall enter the holy hill
of the Lord? He that hath what? Clean hands. Let his blood, they said, be
upon our hands and our children, and it is. He was despised and rejected
by us before we heard the gospel, before we believed, before he
had mercy and grace upon us. We were not interested in Jesus
Christ, and that was like killing him. So we're guilty of the blood
of Jesus Christ. Our hands are guilty. Withered
hand we have lame leg we're just like a little bit of shit lame
leg useless we can't walk by nature we cannot walk in paths
of righteousness. If left you know a while back
I had legs but they sure didn't walk to the synagogue. I sure
didn't come to the old saying is he never darkens darkens the
door of this church. I wouldn't have I wouldn't have
come. useless leg. My legs were useless for anything
good. Oh, they were feet swift to run
to mischief. They were lame as far as walking
in paths of righteousness, blind eyes, and on and on. You know
these things, deaf ears, hard hearts. Well, who could help
this fellow? Who could help this fellow? Is
there anybody that can heal rheumatoid arthritis today? No. It's a crippling disease. I've never heard of anybody restored,
ever. Have you? What about a stroke? Once a person
is completely in a stroke, completely renders their hand or some part
of them useless. Have you ever heard of somebody
healing some doctor? Can't do it. Can't do it. Somebody born with polio. Anybody
ever been cured or healed? There's only one. Only one that
can do this. Only one that can heal this man. Is there anyone that can help
him? You know that song? Yes, there's one. Only one. Well,
who would, though? Who needs a cripple? And let's
be, I'm not being insensitive or politically incorrect. What
good is this man to anybody? Who would need, who would have
this fellow? Who needs him? Only one. Only one. Now the Lord didn't
need him for anything that that man could do for him. But yet
the Lord is going to use him. The Lord needs him to use him
to show forth his glory, to show forth his power. You know, the Lord only takes
the worst cases. That old saying, the Lord helps
those who help themselves, is not in the Bible. Is it, Henry?
It's not there. It's what they say. Well, you
know what it says in the Bible. It doesn't say that. It doesn't say cleanliness
is next to godliness either, does it? It doesn't say that. It doesn't say most of what they
say it says. Does it, Barbara? Very little
of what they say is in the Bible is in there. That's what our
Lord said in Mark 7. They'd make void the Word of
God in favor of their tradition and teaching, doctrine. But the Lord only helps the helpless,
the worst cases. The worst cases. And the reason
he does this is to show his sovereign saving power. If there's somebody
that can help themselves, then he's not going to get too much
glory. But if it's a helpless, hopeless
case, one that nobody else can do anything for, he's going to
get all the glory. He only takes the chief of sinners.
That's who the Lord saves, the chief of sinners. And the reason being is to show
his mercy, his sovereign mercy and his sovereign love. and his
sovereign grace. Now once again, this man was
in the right place at the right time. His hap was. His hap was. There were many synagogues. I
don't know where this man lived. It doesn't say he lived in this
town, but he went to this synagogue. His hap was to be in the synagogue
where Boaz, I mean Christ, was gleaning. Yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, where the gospel was preached for the first time. I did. I did. And someone's going to hear it.
See, this way, God gets the glory. If you're sitting up on a mountain
and you're, I don't know, whatever you're doing, And God remarkably
reveals himself to you. And you don't need a preacher.
You don't need God's people, the church. You don't need worship.
You don't need all that. You can have him without all
that. And you tell everybody what, you know, what you were
in a praying all this time. And you've got a little glory
out of that. That somebody's going to have
their Withered, heart healed, they're going to be where the
Lord has promised to be. Someone once said, I don't, and they
say this all the time. People say this all the time.
They say, I don't have to go to church to worship. You ever hear that? They say
it all the time. Well, the person that says that,
yes, they do. Whoever says that, I would say
to them, yes, you do. back because of the fact that
you said that. Now, God's people don't have
to go, don't have to come here to worship. God's people worship
wherever they are, on the job, in the home, wherever they worship.
They worship the Lord. And yet, Barbara, you said this
not long ago, didn't you say, I have to go to church, meaning
It's something I need, I want to do. My flesh wars against
me doing this, and the world pulls me from it, so I have to
do it. You understand what I mean, don't
you? I have to, I have to make myself go. The Lord has to make
me. But for the person who says,
I don't have to go to church to worship, what they mean is,
well, they're just self-righteous. And I would say to that person,
yes, you do. You cannot worship God unless
you go to his church. Because that's rebellion. That's
saying you don't have to do what God tells us to do. Gather yourselves
together. Well, you know, and people observe
all sorts of things, they do all sorts of things. And Jonah
said, they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
People that observe anything but the Lord's Day, they forsake
their own mercy. If you make yourself, I bet you
to say that nearly every time you have made yourself come here,
whether you felt like it or not, you were blessed. Just without exception. The Lord
blesses that effort. So this man was there by choice, but by God's will. The lot was
cast into his lap, but the disposing thereof was of the Lord. By lot
and by disposing, disposition. Verse ten, they asked the Lord,
they asked Jesus, they didn't call him Lord, they asked him,
saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days that they
might accuse him? They. They, it says, asked him
that they might accuse him. They. Who are they? Go with me to 2 Peter, would
you? 2 Peter, look at this. Who are
they? You know that you and I are either us or them. You know, you're one of the two.
You're either an us or a them or a that. You know what they
say, don't you? You know what they do? Scripture
tells us what they say and what they do. 2 Peter 3, look at this. So many...
And if people would just follow English grammar, they... No,
they wouldn't. They still wouldn't believe what
it's saying. Still wouldn't. Doesn't matter. They still reject
it plain as a nose on your face. They still reject it. Verse one,
this second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you that you may be mindful, verse
two, of the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophet. Who's the beloved? Over in chapter
one, he says, To those who have obtained like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God our Savior Jesus Christ,
grace and peace be multiplied unto you, according as His divine
power is given unto us. Beloved, he says this four times.
And we're going to look in a second at a verse of scripture that
999 out of 1000, Vicki, Quoted all the time, don't they? To talk about God not willing
to end his character. They are willingly ignorant of
this passage, aren't they? They do err not knowing the Scripture. Beloved, I write unto you. All right? It says there shall
be scoffers that come in the last days. Verse 3, walking after
their own lusts, saying, where is the promise of his coming?
Verse 5, for this day. Willingly are ignorant. They are willingly ignorant,
not they. Verse 8, But beloved, you be
not ignorant of this one thing. Verse 9, The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
to us. Who's he talking to? Who's he
talking to? Beloved. He said, they are willing,
but now you don't you be. God is long suffering to us.
We're not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repent. Any and all. Who's that? Us. He didn't change the subject
there. Long suffering to us. We're not
willing that any should perish. Any of us. But that all should
come to repent. All of us. But then, look at
1 John 2, just across the page. 1 John 2, 18 and 19. It says,
little children, and we can just keep going with this. It's the
last time you've heard that antichrist shall come. Even now there are
many antichrists. Whereby we know that it is the
last time. They went out from us. But they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. But they might be made manifest
that they were not all of us. You see that? earlier than we are of God you
know of God here. So they were there. They were
there. And so. These willingly ignorant. Scoffers mockers hypocrites self-righteous
scribes Pharisees they were there they are always. Some places
more than others. Mark's gospel. And I was going
to have you turn, but the sacred time we won't. It says in Mark's
gospel, the watchers were there. This isn't they watched him. Whether or not he would heal,
that they might have something to accuse him of the watchers
and the accusers, they were there. God's peoples aren't watchers.
and aren't accusers. They're seekers. If they accuse
anybody, they accuse themselves. They justify God in condemning
themselves. Watchers and accusers, they're
always there, always amongst us. They're those that won't
dance and those that won't mourn. They're just watching. Merely watching and accusing. Yeah, you know, and I've said
that you've heard me say this so many times and why say this
tonight when people all of you here want to be here. Because it's a good morning.
To watch for this in ourselves. But it's a fact that when people
want to leave church or getting ready to leave whatever they're
looking for faults in the people of God. They're trying to find fault
with the breadman, accuse the breadman, especially the preacher,
because if they can do that, it would justify him. It's a sad fact, but it's true
that some are looking for excuses, reasons to leave the church.
It's always that way. Well, the true people of God
are looking for grace to stay. The Pharisee says, I don't belong
to that bunch of sinners. A bunch of hypocrites and sinners
say, I don't belong to that bunch of saints. I sure hope they'll
keep me. That's right. Well, they were
there. They were there accusing him,
watching him. Verse 10, they said, is it lawful? They weren't. Stan, they weren't
interested if it was lawful or not. They didn't care about the
law of God, did they? They didn't care about the law
of God, they were interested in God's law, they only wanted
to accuse him. And this brings up, I need to
get through this, this brings up people that always bring up
the law. People that always bring up the
law. Are y'all not this, are y'all not that? Or probably corrupt
people themselves. The law will work at wrath. The
strength of saying is what. The law. Now just give you one
illustration of it. That so-called church that's
full of celibates and. Unix. Is so sexually corrupt. It's it's we had the tip of the
iceberg always. That's what the law. That's what
the law does strength of saying is the law those who preach and. pride themselves on abstinence
or whatever of the worst. Mark it down, that's what those
words are. The law. Is it lawful? They weren't
keeping the law. They weren't interested in the
law. They were just trying to accuse you. That's what legal
people do. And in Mark's gospel, and I want
you to read this, but don't turn Mark's gospel. It says he looked
around him. It looked he looked around with
anger. Says the Lord looked around about
him with anger. It never says in the scriptures
in the New Testament, the Lord was angry with his disciples. But it does say he looked this
word anger means indignation. What does that mean? Utter abhorrence. That means hatred. Hatred! Abhorrence. Detest. Despise. Indignant means righteous person. Brother John read over in the
Luke about the woman that was crippled woman and the Pharisees
got indignant when the Lord healed her. They had no right. They're going to see indignation
someday. But the Lord looked around with anger. Anger. Full of hatred, wrath, and indignation
upon the wicked. The scripture says he's angry
with the wicked every day. Know what Psalm 5-5 is? He's
angry with the wicked every day. Who are the wicked? Well, these
men that he looked on with anger weren't openly, openly immoral
men. Worth it. These weren't murderers,
at least physically. They were murdering souls. These
weren't thieves. At least they weren't out robbing
banks. They were robbing God's glory. Worth it. The Lord knows men's hearts. He was looking on the heart.
He looked at them with utter hatred. You know religious people are
the worst kind some of you all of you have read some run ins
with religious people the worst kind of let me just give you
this illustration get your attention back. The woman Mindy was telling
me about a woman that called the music store. And I don't
know if her son or daughter somebody takes lessons from Gay but she
called the store was trying to purchase something before Christmas
Okay, the store was closed, okay? It was closed. And she was leaving
a message on the answering machine, that's the way it was, on the
answering machine. And she kind of forgot that she
was being recorded. And she got the answering machine
store was closed and so forth. Just. Everything. Oh God. You
know just just ranting and raving because of the storm. So how
dare they be close when I want something. And in fact, she forgot, and
she remembered she was on the phone. She left a message that
said, I want to purchase an amp for my church. When you open, I want to purchase
an amp for my church. Oh, Lord, I hate people like
that. They're meanest. They're the most merciless people. Religious people. Like my dad used to say, most
people have just enough religion to make them and everybody around
them miserable. The gospel, the truth, salvation
makes people merciful. Gracious. We need to remember
that. The reason I brought that up
is so that you be careful when you're leaving a message. No.
That because our attitudes and our actions bring worse reproach
on Christ in the church than even ourselves. Whenever we do
or say something or whatever they say, you go down to that
church. Now let's remember that. Always be merciful and gracious
like our Lord. He said, take my yoke upon you
alertly, I meek and lowly. Well he said in Mark's Gospel
this man stand forth he told this man to stand forth right
in the middle of the crowd he said stand up stand forth for
everybody to see right in the middle of everyone to draw attention
to this man. Now you know this was embarrassing
this man. You know that this man who had
this affliction I don't know how long however long he had
it he kept in the background. It was a shame to him. He didn't
go out in the forefront. He hid this from everybody. If
he went in the synagogue, he didn't come up front. He didn't
hid this thing. The Lord said, stand up. Stand right here in front of
everybody. The Lord's going to draw attention
to this affliction. You know, before there's salvation,
there's humiliation. That's right. We've got to stand, we've got
to confess. We've got to come before the
Lord, confessing all, naked, open, before the eyes of Him. That's who the man was standing
in front of, the Lord. Before salvation, there's humiliation. There's an acknowledgement of
our sin and inability. Before there's salvation, we've
got to acknowledge, I need saving. The Lord only saves people who
need saving. Do you need saving? See, the scripture says, He healed
all that had need of healing. Well, if anybody really had need
of healing, they'd come running, wouldn't they, Kellie? Say, I'm
blind, I'm blind. Bartimaeus did. He was ashamed of that all
his life. But now salvation has come, and
he's confessing, I'm blind, I'm blind, I'm blind. I'm withered,
I'm withered, I'm withered. I'm lying. There's an acknowledgement of
sin inability. Can you help yourself? No, I
can't help myself. That's why I've come to you. Well, the Lord said here in Matthew
11 or Matthew 12, verse 11, he said unto these Pharisee, what
man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep? He
used sheep here. One sheep. Sheep's the only thing
he's going to pull out of the pit. No goats. Goats are going
to stay there. But if it fall into a pit on
the Sabbath day, if you have one sheep, just one, what if
you had ninety and nine and that one fell in the pit? Would you
still do it? Yeah, he talked about that. What
man among you shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a
pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift
it out? This was one of Christ's sheep
that was in a pit, as we were. That pit can be in a pew or a
gutter, but still a pit, a pit of corruption, cesspool. Right,
Roy? Cesspool. I met Brother Roy's
only one in here who's literally been in a cesspool. He told us
about when he was a kid falling into a cesspool. He'll never
forget it. Never forget it. Well, there
were some of us who were worse than that. All of us were in a cesspool
of sin. Will he not lay hold, if he had a sheep in a pit, Will
he not a good shepherd will not a good shepherd even leave ninety
nine just for one. In a pit. How's he going to get
it out. Come on little sheep jump. Jump now try hard I'm willing
if you take the first. Will he not. And here's salvation. We'll lay hold on him. After he lay hold on him. That's
exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ did. We don't sing that song.
It's somebody saying, lift me up and reached out to
me. Lifted, laid hold on me. Laid hold on me. Salvation is
for the Lord Jesus Christ to lay hold on us and lift us up. That's what it says Moses did
with the children of Israel. He brought them up out of God's
depth with a mighty hand, a right hand. Brought them up and out
of Egypt, out of sin, out of the world, from a dunghill. Isn't
that what Hannah prayed? Isn't that what Hannah prayed? Lifted the beggar from the donkey
to do what? Where's he put him? Sit among
princes. Behold, there's old Roy, straight
out of the cesspool, sitting among princes. They should have
left you there, shouldn't they, Roy? You should have stayed right
there. But God. And he's our Lord says in conclusion
how much man is a man better than a sheep is a man better
than a sheep. Is a man better than a sheep.
Only if it's the Lord's man. Only if it's the Lord's man.
Otherwise they're worse than the beasts. John Calvin used
to say man's worse than a beast with apology to the beast. Verse
13, Then the Lord said to this man, Stretch forth thy hand. He looked about on everybody
else with anger, indignation, wrath, and hatred. And he looked
at this man. He looked upon this man. And
this is when he laid hold of him by his mercy, by his grace.
Locked his eyes in this man's eyes. He laid hold on this man's
heart, his soul. He said, You're mine. I've come
for you. You're one of my left. You're
one of my lost sheep. I've come for you." He says, he said, stretch
forth thy hand. Now, he can't stretch forth his
hand. It's weird. He can't. With man, this is impossible. Is it? It is. He can't do it. But with Christ,
you can do all things. Our Lord said there was a time
when you would not come to Christ that you might have life. I've
preached to some of you in here. Eric, there's one. Amy, used
to be a friar. You know her. You've known her
so much. Nancy, you saw her only on Easter and Christmas. Make
her mama happy, right? She came as a little girl. I'm
sorry, your face is turning red. She came as a little girl because
her daddy and mama brought her. That's why you came. And you
came on holiday, Mother's Day. And you heard it. You listened. And you would not come to Christ.
You might have not. You would not. And you know,
no man can and no woman can come. Except the father. One day. And she came and she stayed.
That's how we know that she's of us. She stayed. There was a time when you would
not hear. You had ears to hear. And boy, I still preach to those
who have ears to hear, but they will not hear. One day. And I was one of them. One day,
I was a young man sitting. I'm in the church house because
my folks made me. And one day, my Heavenly Father
made me here. There was a time when you would
not and could not believe. Try as you may. Could not repent. Try as you
may. But one day, you did. This man
could not stretch forth his hand. It's humanly impossible. But,
Melanie, he did. He did. You see, this is sovereignty
and responsibility. Come! Well, I can't. I said, come. And we did. Well,
we come. It's by His power. It's by His
grace, by the word of His power. He calls, we hear. He commands. You go. He lays hold and you
like. And his hand, I thought about
the. Where did he reach his foot?
When he stretched out his hand, what direction do you suppose
he stretched it? To the law. Reach out. That's the
law. With the command comes the desire
to lay hold on the Lord. You reach for him, stretch it
out, and it says his hand, verse 13, stretched it forth and it
was restored whole, complete, as in complete. And when you
reach forth, forgetting those things that are behind, you're
reaching forth for the prize. The mark, the prize, the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. He lay hold on Christ by faith,
by his mouth, by his breath. He lay hold of him by faith.
Pure complete. You've made hope. Right now. That's it. This is the rest of
the hands. All right, stand with me. Our Lord, thank you, thank you,
thank you for your word. Thank you for your, it's called
the word of your power. Thank you that you've used it
upon your people and ask that you continue to do so. May we
lay hold of thee by faith and continue steadfast unto the end,
hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, reaching
unto thee. It's in Christ's name we've met
here tonight. Amen. You're dismissed. Okay. Okay. I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. I don't know if I'm going to
make it out of this. I don't know if I'm going to
make it out of this. I don't know if I'm going to
make it out of this. Okay. you I'm going to go ahead and get
started. I'm going to go ahead and get started.