In your bibles now to John chapter
one gospel of John. Chapter one. And let's read verse twelve and
thirteen. John one verses twelve and thirteen. As many as received him, Christ,
to them gave he power or the right or privilege to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which
or who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, that they were born of God. As many
as received him, to them gave he the right, the privilege,
to become sons of God, to them that believe on his name, who
were born of God. Now, I try my best, by the grace
of God, to be as true to God's Word as I can. It's what I want
to do. Every time I stand up here, I
want to preach God's Word as it is. Whenever God's Word warns
us, I want to warn us. I want to rebuke us where it
does. Approve, rebuke, correct, instruct, admonish, wherever
the Word of God does that. That's what I want to do. I want
to be faithful to that. Whenever the Word of God comforts,
I want to comfort. Whenever it consoles us, encourages,
us or assures us. That's what I want to do from
God's word. And I don't know who God's people are. I don't
know who they are. Some give clear evidence that
they are. Some give evidences that they
are, but that's not infallible. Some who at one time look like
they are later on proved not to be so that's not infallible
either. But The Word of God will not
return void. That's my comfort in preaching. That's where I get my comfort.
In knowing that God Almighty will direct his Word to whoever
needs it, whenever, and he'll accomplish whatever he purposes
to do with it. And it's not up to me, no amount
of preparation, or no lack of preparation. That he'll apply
it to whoever needs it. That's comforting to me. And
I'm constantly reminded of that. I preached a message last Sunday
morning and I had. I'll just be honest with you.
I had a couple of people in mind that I thought, well, they'll
they need this and this will be a blessing to them. And if
they'll just hear it there, they're really going to get something
here. Well, they didn't hear it evidently. Somebody else did,
though. Somebody else did. So it's not
up to me. I'm glad of that. And I just
want to declare what God said, be true to it. And lately I've
been preaching some messages that have been of comfort, endeavoring
to comfort God's people. That's what he says. Comfort
ye, comfort ye, my people, twofold. Command there, comfort, comfort
my people. And the Word of God is written
to God's people. Did you read that there in 1
John 5? There's not a more blessed or comforting portion of scripture
that I can think of in the Bible. He said, I've written unto you
that believe. Huh? That's who he's writing
to there. And he said that you may know And last Sunday I never
did to preach to those who may have some doubts and fears and
so forth concerning their salvation to comfort maybe a weak yet believing. Believer. And somebody should
have gotten something out of that and I believe some idea.
And that you may know we quote that again to you there in first
John five thirteen says that you might know first John five
thirteen. That you may know I've written
on you that believe that you may know that you have eternal
life. And. Johnny says that you may
believe. On the name. Like the man said
Lord I believe but help my unbelief that you may know right now that
you are a child of God and that you may may know a little better
know him like Paul said oh that I might know him. that you might
know, believe on his name, believe more and more strongly all the
time. Well, this message is also geared or. Focused at somebody
who may be a weak, struggling believer. OK. If that describes
you, if you don't know, if you would like to know, if you are
concerned about the state of your own soul, I advise you to
listen up. Listen up. All right, our text
in John chapter 1 tells us what this is, what it means to be
born again or how we're born again. Anyway, it's a mystery
really. It doesn't tell us what to do
or how a man is born. It declares, though, what It
is to be born again, and that's what I want to deal with firstly.
And then lastly, I want to deal with evidences of it, evidences
of the new birth and being born of God. What prompted this message?
I preached from this text before, but we were looking at the film
of our last trip to Mexico, and the one shot of me preaching
I was preaching from this text, and I began reading it again.
I'm looking over those old notes, and I thought, I'm just going
to bring that again. I'm going to preach it, rework
it, make it fresh, and bring it again. All right, it says
in John 1, verse 13, it says that, now, do you notice that
he's describing that those that, verse 12, received Them that
believe on his name, it says, which were. Do you see that past
tense? Why did they receive Christ?
Why did they believe on him? Because they were born of God. Something happened before they
believed, Henry, right? Something happened before they
received Christ by faith. All right, let's look at it,
verse 13. It says, these were born not of blood. Or bloods,
bloods, fleshly heritage, if you will. Bloodlines, that's
what that's talking about. You're not born, you're not going
to be saved, in other words, because you were born a Baptist. Because your daddy was a Baptist,
your mama was a Baptist, and you can trace your lineage all
the way down through the trail of blood. There's a denomination
that believes that. And you're a Baptist, you're
in. Just like Catholicism pretty much believes that way, don't
they? You remember, you're born in the church, not of bloods,
no, and not of circumcision, not of sacrifice, ceremony, not
of baptism, as some people believe that. You're born not of heritage,
not because your mama was there, your mama was a Baptist, or your
daddy was a Calvinist. My mama and daddy both were Calvinists. That's not going to save me.
It's going to give me a good background of truth, isn't it?
But that's not going to save me. Only one thing saves me.
All right? Now, the only thing that runs
through our bloodstream is sin. That's the only thing that's
there. That's the only thing we've got original by nature. Sin. Grace doesn't
run through the blood. Grace is transfused. We get a
transfusion of grace. All right, go on. Not of the
will of the flesh either. You see that? Nobody is born
spiritually. This new birth we're talking
about. New birth. Not of the will of the flesh.
Not of the will of the flesh. The Scripture says in Ephesians
2 that we're dead in trespasses and sins, doesn't it? You know,
it says the same thing in Colossians 2 verse 13. You're dead. you being dead and your trespassing
sin. Can a dead man will himself back to life? Huh? If they could,
they'd have done it a long time ago, wouldn't they? Huh? I mean,
a lot of people had their bodies frozen and all that, hoping that
later on, it just, when you're dead, you're dead. Huh? Barnard
used to say, graveyard dead. That means dead, dead, stinking
dead. Right? Dead's dead, isn't it?
What did God mean when he told Adam, when the day you eat of
that fruit, you're going to die. Did he mean just half dead? Well,
there ain't no such thing. Part dead, sick, die, dead, dead,
dead to God, can't do anything, can't call on God, can't seek
God, can't hear God, can't Don't even acknowledge God. Dead, dead,
dead. That's what Scripture means. What does it mean spiritually
dead? Huh? It means dead? I wish our
generation... This is where all error starts,
people. All religious error has its beginning right here, doesn't
it? They don't realize a man's dead. He can't do anything. And
they're out there calling on men to exercise their will. Well,
he's dead. They can't. You might as well
go down to the graveyard and tell a man, if you will, won't
you come forward? Won't you make your decision
to live? He's dead, right? Knocked by the will of the flesh. He's dead. Dead. The Scripture
says can an Ethiopian change his skin and a black man just
decide to be Well, if he goes has enough injections like Michael
Jackson, he can be. But he can't just step in one
day and say, I'm going to be white or vice versa. A black man, a white man, black
and the leopard changes. He said, Neither can you do good. Who are just evil by nature. And this is the problem preachers
are calling on unregenerate dead people to do something they can't. You need to call on God to do
something, you say. It's not of the will of the flesh.
These few words in the scriptures ought to suffice to lay that
in the ground where it belongs. Free will? Man's will is dead,
people. It's not free. It's not of him
that willeth, Romans 9, 16. It is not of him that willeth
or of him that runneth. But it is of God that showeth
mercy. Is it Philippians 2.13? It says
it's God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good
pleasure. Right? And here it says it's
not of the will of the flesh. I think we understand that. I
think we do. Man's will. This will describe
man's will. Man's will is bound by his nature. Your will now is your desires,
your affection, what you want to do, right? It's
bound by our nature. And as Scripture says, we're
dead in trespasses and sin. Let me give you this analogy.
A horse. What will a horse eat? Any horse
people in here? Margaret's not in here. If you put before a horse a great
big prime rib, beautiful, raw, beautiful piece of meat, if you
stuffed it in his mouth, he's not going to eat that. Why? It's
not his nature. What will he eat? Grain, grass,
hay, oats. He's a vegetarian. That's what
he'll eat. He won't eat meat. I don't care how good it's fixed.
He won't eat it, right? That's his nature. You can't
force it. All right, you offer a big bucket
of beautiful oats to a lion, a lion, a big hungry lion. Give
him all he can eat, oats, Quaker oats. He's not going to eat it. He will not eat it. He'll eat
you first. He likes meat. That's his nature,
right? Birds eat grain and so forth. The Scripture says, what does
man do? He drinks iniquity, like the water. Doesn't he say that? Man, that's his nature. That's
what he wants to do. Neither can you do good, which
you're accustomed, which your nature won't allow you to do
good. There's a law in the members
saying, I don't want to do what's right. I want to do what's wrong. Isn't that, man? That's his nature. He's got to be changed, you see. His will's got to be overcome.
He doesn't have a free will. His will will only do what his
nature lets him do. What's that? Choose God? Can't do it. He won't choose
God. Choose self. He'll choose self. You offer
a man God or, humanly speaking, offer him God or all the pleasures
of sin, what will he take? Every time he'll take sin. That's his nature. His will is
bent toward that, you say. Huh? God's got to change it.
Romans, er, Psalm 110, 3 says what? It, God must make us willing
in the day of his power. So it's not of the will of the
flesh, is it? All right, look on, read on. Read on. It says
not of the will of man, either. Is that saying the same thing? No, it's not. It's saying something
different. Not of the will of the flesh. In other words, I
can't just will and decide to accept Jesus as my personal Savior. Now, a man can accept all this
that's going on today, but he sure won't accept the Lord of
glory or bow down to him, will he? He will not. He will not have that kind of
God or that kind of gospel. That's proof of it. You preach
the gospel and watch man's free will at work. Oh, I don't like,
I won't have that. Salvation by grace? Sovereign
grace? No way. You've proved a point, fella.
You're depraved. Well, you'll have it if God makes
you willing to have it. It's the only way you'll have
it. And you will have it. Every one of them will. Now,
what of the will of man, all right? This says something entirely
different. In other words, Mama can't make me willy in the day
of her power. I can't be prayed through. Right?
In other words, let's all get, we want somebody saved in here,
let's gang up on God. You know that's what these multi-prayer
meetings are all about, people. That's what Barnard said, when
everybody gets together and prays at the same time, they're ganging
up on God. Twist his arm, let's force him to do something. I
won't do it either. Hang up on God. No way. Not my well-meant efforts. Listen, if we could, some of
us, if we could save our unsaved loved ones, we'd have done so
a long time ago, wouldn't we? If the prayers, if our prayers
were saved, they'd have been saved a long time ago, wouldn't
they? All our children would be saved, wouldn't they? Whose will is it up to? If God
wills it, that's only that's the only way they're going to
be saved. Now, John, I can take comfort in that. Can't you? Now,
the thing we need to remember is they don't deserve to be saved.
Right. They don't deserve it any more
than we did. To be saved, but if God's willing and he does
save one of them, boy, we'll rejoice to high heaven. Give
him all the glory we want. And we're going to keep on praying.
Why? He said so. He said pray. The effectual prayer
of a righteous man availeth everything. No, it doesn't say that. It says
much. Much, not everything. He doesn't
always give us what we ask for. Sometimes he does. And that's
the reason we pray, people. Why pray? Because God will get
the glory that way, won't he? If he gives us what we've been
praying for, he's going to get up the glory for it. If he gives
us something we hadn't been asking for, we'll attribute it to whatever. Right? Luck, chance. All right? Not of the will of man. It's
not of blood. Not of the will of the flesh.
We don't we're not we're not born into the kingdom of God
in my family. We're not. We don't will. We
don't exercise our will and accept Jesus. And all of a sudden, we're
he writes our name down because we we decided, no, it's God's
decision and nobody else can get us in either. But one, only
one person who can put somebody in the family of God, who's that?
God. God. He alone decides. What if
some, let me use an illustration, what if Stan and Sherry there,
if some little toe-headed, rotten, mean, dirty smelling kid comes
up to their door and says, hey, y'all don't have any children,
do you? Well, I've decided, y'all going to be happy about
this. I've decided to be a member of your family, to let you accept
me. I'm going to call myself Anderson. That's exactly what I wanted
to do. Well, stand and say, boy, I'm going to call the cops. That's
what I wanted to do. Not those cops, the police to
come get you. They won't want him either. They've
got enough. Don't call the cops. I'm going to call the police
on you. Do you see? Man, this is what men are doing. They're
slapping God in the face. Hey, Jesus, we've decided. Look
at here. Billy Bob's decided. to be in
your family. Aren't you pleased? And, oh,
they act like God's just so pleased? Thank you, thank you, Billy Bob.
That's a stench in God's nostrils. What? Bypassing the Holy Spirit, bypassing
regeneration, bypassing the preaching of the gospel, bypassing the
blood, bypassing the righteousness of Christ. Huh? It's a slip in
God's faith. You ain't going to do no such
thing, he says. The only people going to be in
my family, he says, are those that I decided. Those that I
decided a long time ago, and every last one of them is going
to be in my family. And I'm going to give birth to them. That's
what it says in verse 13. It says, This thing is of God. Of God. That describes our theology,
doesn't it, Joe Parks? Of God, every bit of it. Everything we believe can be
described in those two words, of God. Salvation is of God,
of the Lord, from start to finish. From repentance, from the hearing
of the gospel, to them being under the sound of the gospel
to hear it, to the hearing of it, to the pricking of the heart,
to the repentance, to the calling, to the asking, to the crying,
to the sobbing, to the speaking, to the praying, to the reading,
to the everything, to the believing, to the keeping, to the saving,
to the receiving. It's all of God from start to
finish. It's of God. Born of God. Salvation. A new
birth. New birth. taking an old dead
sinner and raising him to walk in newness of life and changing
his mind, changing his character, his act, changing every, his
affection, changing his will. It's a miracle. And we're passive,
just like we were in the first birth. Right? It's all of God. All a part of
God. God's work. God conceived this
thing. Here's the analogy to it. It's
a natural, but God conceived us. conceived of us up and conceived
up. He gives birth to us and he develops
us into a son of his, a son of God. God the Father decides.
He planned it, predestinated it. And I've said this so many
times, predestination is just planned parenthood on the part
of God. God just planned who was going
to be in his family and how many and what they were going to look
like. They're all going to look the same. They're all going to look the
same. Variety is not the spice of life to God. Christ is life. They all have to look like Him.
He decided, He purposed, He conceived. God the Son came down here like
a mother, travailing in pain to give birth to a children.
Jesus Christ, the Scripture actually says that, doesn't it? He travailed. He travailed in pain and sorrow. And on Calvary's cross, like
the labor room, if I can use that familiar expression, was
his laboring place of labor. And it says, and when it's all
over, blood and water gushed out of him, just like a mother
giving birth to a child, right? Well, not only blood and water,
but his people. The church came forth out of
that riven side. He gave birth to a people right
then and there. right then and there. People
who he had born in him, like our mother, he had carried them
around from the beginning, in Christ. We were in Christ, like
you mothers carrying around that seed. We were in Christ from
the beginning, from the beginning. And one day he came and actually
birthed a people. And the Holy Spirit is the one
who is like a He's a nurse. He nurses the people. He nurses
the children. We're left in the hands of the
Holy Spirit. Oh, he's a good nurse. He nurtures and matures
and teaches and leads and guides and instructs and molds and shapes
and conforms them to God's Son of God's sons, just like Christ. The Father says, and I want all
my children raised just like my well-beloved son and the Holy
Spirit says, gotcha, I'll do it. He raises them all up to
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and he
presents us one day. Here they are, here they are.
You chose them, Christ gave birth to them, for them, and I've nurtured
them along, along the way. All right? The two analogies
we can make to this Death, this thing of born again, death. You know, when you're in the
grave, it's what the Lord uses. When you're in the grave, you're
in darkness, aren't you? In the dungeon, you're kept prisoner
to the grave. Somebody, now, to live, you've
got to be brought forth out of darkness into light, huh? To
live again, be regenerated. Well, that's the new birth, isn't
it? Dead and trespassing sin. God comes along like that child
in the book of Ezekiel 16. He comes along and says, live. How does he do that? Through
the gospel. One day he preaches the gospel
to you, and it's words of life to you. All of a sudden, those
ears that once didn't hear a thing, those eyes that once didn't see
a thing, that heart that once didn't feel a thing, it's alive,
live to God again now. Here's C.C.C.C. Never saw before. Why God gave
birth like and like a child, I've already given that child
in the womb is in darkness and like to stay there. Children would like to stay there.
But the mother says, no, out you come, out you come quick. And she gives birth and delivers
that child from the womb. And the Lord God delivers us
from darkness to walk in his light. You know, this is not
a cooperative effort any more than that. Did your children,
Rebecca, you had four, did they all cooperate in when birth,
at birth time, did they cooperate? Said, Mom, I'll help out. They
hindered you, didn't they? Like I said, they didn't want
out. They didn't want out. Wanted to stay right where they
were. It was it was it was your work when your work and the doctor
to the force that child actually make that child willing to come
out actually the child would hinder its own delivery. I think
about my own and you will allow me from here on out to use her
as an illustration. Her birth but she was turned
wrong when she was in her mother's stomach and the doctor had to
turn her. And many of you women have had that happen, had to
turn, had the child turn, OK? We're turned wrong, aren't we,
by nature. You said every man, the Scripture
says, every man hath turned his own way, and he's going that
way. What's going to have to happen? God, the Holy Spirit,
is going to have to turn us, isn't it? Turn around now and
look at me. You're coming out. You're coming
out of that grave. You're coming out of your sin.
You're coming to Christ is where you're coming. And he got that. All right. Here's some evidences
of this new birth. All right. Being born of God,
here's some evidences and I'll hurry. First of all, a child,
the first thing a child does when it's born, first thing it
does, the evidence that it has life. What is it? Anybody know? First thing, huh? Cries, huh? I've told you this before, but
I was there when Hannah was born. I watched her come out, and the
doctor, after they clipped the cord and so forth, handed her
right to me. But when she came out, she was lifeless looking. She was blue. Her head was pointed. She was covered in filth, you
know, bloody. And she was lifeless. She wasn't
breathing. She wasn't making a sound. She didn't have her
eyes open. She was just like a wet rag. And y'all have seen
that you know what I'm talking about it's scary at first didn't
it well the first thing the doctor did. Was inflicted pain on her. Then first thing he did. They
don't do now what they used to do whack them across the bottom
we do that later. Much do it a lot later but he
got hurt by the feet but he did everything shook her shook her
and got her by the feet and flicked her on the feet real hard. Tender
feet, little feet, you know. Oh, that was music to my ears. Huh? I was worried at first. I saw her come out. Oh, she's
dead, she's dead. Wham! She's alive! Huh? Yes, that's music to my ears.
You know what's music to God Almighty's ears? A sinner crying
unto God, Lord have mercy on me, the sinner. That's the first
sentence. How does he do that? He inflicts pain. He doesn't
come with the love of God and Jesus dying and all goodness
and sweetness and prophesy smooth things. Huh? He says you're a
sinner for a holy God. You're offending a holy God.
You deserve to die and go to hell. You sin. You've come short
of the glory of God. You must die. I have. I'm a sinner. I feel
it. Lord, be merciful unto me." I will. Life has begun, he said. That's the first sign. And I
ask anybody and anybody, have you cried like that to God, huh?
First sign of life. Lord, I'm a sinner. Lord, be
merciful." And that's the reason I dismiss all of these revivals
going on today. You don't see anybody coming
down like they did at Pentecost, do you, Terry? You don't see
them coming down, rushing down the aisle. Now, if they were
rushing down the aisle, weeping and crying, and, Lord, be merciful. We've sinned. We've killed God's
Son. We've unbelievers. Now, I might believe that, but
they don't. They come down chewing how they can go to heaven when
they die. They're not burdened by sin. And so the first sign
of life is crying. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Be merciful. All right? Lord,
save me. Save me. Second thing, that child. You know, when a child comes
out, it's amazing. All they've been doing while they've been
in that womb is eating. That's all they've been doing
for nine months. And some of them, and they continue
afterwards to do nothing but eat. But for nine months, they've
been doing nothing but eating, right? Feeding off that mother,
too, isn't it? Vitally joined to that mother.
Huh? That's where they get their life
from, from the mother. Well, the minute they come out
now, they're hungry, aren't they? Huh? They're hungry. They crave
the breast, too. Not everything will do. Not anything
will do. The breast, mother's milk. And
the Lord has done all things well, hasn't he? There's things
in a mother's milk that you won't find in these What do you call
it? These artificial things, things
for their immune system and so forth. I won't go into that.
But the first thing they desire is the mother's breast, the milk
that they need. Well, the scripture says that
as newborn babies, we desire the sincere milk of the word,
that we may grow thereby. We desire it, first thing. A
child can't live without milk and a child of God can't live
without the word either. And that's the first thing I
see in somebody that life has begun. They can't get enough
of hearing it. Hey, that's great. And they show
me. They show me. They look at here. Do you see
this? No, I've never seen that before. Let me show it to them.
I have, you know, but yeah, wow. And you know, everything's new
and fresh and a lot. Oh, this is good and it's good.
I was eating the other day. I was reading the scripture and
oh, this is good. Look at this. You see it? They desire it. It is that. You know I've told
you this but. One time Mindy left me to babysit
when Hannah was really young and she had saved some of her
milk and so forth in bottles and all but we didn't have any
time. And had to start crying. And
mom was gone. Boy, husband, boy, they just
don't have a touch. You know, babies start, oh, what
can I do now? Start crying. But anyway, I got
a bottle of water. I'd seen many feet of water.
And I got a bottle of water. Went for it for about 15 seconds. It stopped her crying, you know.
Oh, I was relieved. 15, but after a while, That old
water wasn't going to get it. It's just not going to get it
with her. When she started again, she wanted milk. Water wasn't
going to get it. And a child of God is not going
to settle for this watered-down gospel today. I said that to
say that. He won't settle for anything
but pure Christ. Pure Christ, the milk of God's
Word. They'll hear something, and, well, that sounds pretty
good. Yeah, yeah, that's that. And after a while, it doesn't
have much Christ in it to say, God don't like that. Something's
missing. It's weak. Scott would say it's
like light beer. You can see right through it.
No substance to it. Oh, wouldn't a legally religious
world like that? Light beer. Gospels like stale
ales. Let them hear it. Who cares?
Huh? It's got some substance. It's
got some body to it. Huh? In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead body. It's got Christ all through it.
That's what the gospel has. It's milk and it's meat. And
a little while later they need to chew to build up their teeth
and so forth. All right? Listen to this. Isaiah 66, 11
says, and be satisfied with the breasts
of consolation. The only way they're going to
be satisfied is if they get a good dose of Christ just all the time. Milk. Milk. Well, that desire
is there. All right, thirdly, a child comes
out. First thing, when it comes out,
it's naked, isn't it? That baby is naked. And it needs
something. Not only does it need to be cleaned
up, washed, and that's the type, isn't it? We need to be washed
in the blood of Christ from our sin, first thing. But we also
need to be covered, don't we? A child comes out naked. That
doctor gave me that naked little baby, and they gave me a blanket,
and I swallowed her up, and she was cold, you see. Hard, cold
world. It's a shame, isn't it a shame
to have to come out into this? It really is. My, my. You know,
I could talk about abortion there a little bit, but I won't. I believe every one of those
go to heaven. God spared them, if you will. And I'm not condoning what I'm
saying is that those aborted child are not as bad off as as
sinful adults. That's what I'm saying. All right. Child needs covering. Needs covering. Carnal men try to warm themselves,
don't they? Materially. They try to warm
themselves and their fig leaves of righteousness and so forth
won't do. Won't cover. On cover, huh? They're naked.
Scripture says everything is naked and open before God's eye. All our sin, our sinful motives,
our thoughts, our hearts, everything's naked before God. We need to
be covered, don't we, Terry? Huh? What'll cover us? Only one
thing'll cover us. The righteous robe of Christ.
Only thing. Only thing. It covers completely.
It's without seam, too. Huh? It's without flaw. It's
perfect. God himself sewed that garment,
and it's perfect. It's a multicolored robe of right
that the father gave to all of his sons to show his favor, like
like Jacob did with Joseph's coat. They gave to all his favored
sons, Terry, all his elect. He gave this robe of Christ's
perfect righteousness and life to cover them with. You see,
what we sew up won't work with it. I've told you it's like those
hospital garments, you know. They look good up front to everybody.
You know, it's easy. Pretty soon we'll reveal what
we really are. We'll reveal it pretty soon.
It won't cover it. But before God Almighty, dressed
in Christ's righteousness, we're covered from head to toe. The eye of God can't even see
sin on us. And it warms us too. It warms
my heart. It warms this old sinner's heart. to hear that God justified
me. See, I'm covered. It's covered. The sin's covered. Under the
blood, under the righteousness. All right? Next, a child needs
comforting. Needs comforting. Needs to be
warmed, needs to be wrapped, needs to be washed, needs to
be fed. Huh? Needs all that. Next thing it needs is comforting.
Comfort, comfort. She started crying, you know.
And they handed her to me, and I took her over and washed her
in a little tub, and then wrapped her in that blanket. And up to
this time, her eyes were closed. So miserable. I'll never forget that. Love
at first sight, buddy. She had those eyes closed, you
know, just so miserable. Oh, I'm in this world. It's terrible.
How could you do this to me? And I started talking to her.
It's OK, honey. It's okay, Daddy's here. She opened those big baby blues
and looked up into my face and stopped crying. Stopped crying. She heard my voice. I comforted
her. It's okay. I'm here. I'm with you. Daddy's not going
to drop you. Daddy will protect you. You're
mine. You're mine. I'm not going to let anything
happen to you. It's okay, honey. And that's what a child of God
needs, too. They need comfort. Oh, Lord, I've sinned against
you, huh? Yeah, but you know, that's the first thing, Vicki,
when David sinned, when David sinned, and Nathan came to him
to recall his sin, do you remember the first thing he said to him?
David no more had got his confession out of his mouth. He said, oh,
I sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said, yeah, but the
Lord's put away your sin. That's the first thing he said
to him, John. He didn't say, you ought to be sorry. You ought
to repent. Yeah, you ought to be sorry. You know good. He said,
no, the Lord's put it away. Oh, that's comforting, isn't
it? Huh? Isn't that comforting? That's what he does. He comforts,
comes in the gospel, with the gospel and says, I know you're
a sinner, but this is a faithful saying, that Christ came to save
the likes of you. Did he? We smile, you know. See, his smile in the gospel
comforts us, woos us, caresses us. Ah, boy, we need that, don't
we? Listen to this, same chapter,
Isaiah 66, 13. Go back, read that sometime. As one whom his
mother comforteth, So will I comfort you. As Lord said. They shall suck those breasts
and be satisfied. And he says, and then I'm going
to comfort you. That's only a mother can do. All right. Next, a child. When it comes
out, as soon as it comes out, it starts looking like it looks
like the parent. Huh? Looks like the parent, mother
or the father or both. There's some resemblance to both
of them. And we're hoping that some of
your children will grow out of it. Those that look like their
fathers, especially. But they do. They look like their
parents, don't they? They look like them. And Scripture
says, As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.
There was a time when we resembled Adam. That's who we resembled.
No different, Henry, than anybody else out there in the world. The time suffices to walk in
our sin and so forth, and what's the word I'm looking for in the
Scripture? Rebels against God and so forth, and look just like
the world, no different than any of them. But as is the heavenly,
such are they also that are heavenly. As we've borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. And I've
seen a drastic change come over some people. I mean, I've seen
it, haven't you? Have you? We don't see it in
ourselves all the time. You see, we look at that mirror
and all it shows us mostly is our rottenness, you know, exposes
our sins. The other people see it, don't
they? Have you seen the change come over people? I have. I have. And it's a drastic change. They begin to look like Christ.
I look in the faces and the countenances of some people and I see Christ.
Don't you? Huh? Something you don't see
out there in those monkeys. You look in the countenance and
the face of people out there in the world, you see a monkey.
You see a man in his natural state. You look in the face and
the countenance of God's people, there's a different countenance
there, isn't there? It's the light of Christ. Now, I wouldn't
know it's not infallible, but it's certain evidence. You'll
see it. You'll see that change. Come
over people. You'll see it. You'll see it.
All right. Next, children are trained and
I'll hurry. I'm almost through. Children
are trained in their parents' ways. Children are trained. Those that are born of God are
trained by God Almighty. He says this in John 6. Turn
over real quick, OK? John chapter 6. I want you to
see this. John chapter 6. And this is quoted, our Lord
quotes this from Isaiah 54, verse 13. Isaiah 54, verse 13, says
this, "...all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great
shall be the peace of thy children." And he says in verse 45, it is
written, I just read it, it is written, "...they shall be all
taught of God." Every one of the Father's children are taught
of God. They're all taught of God. What does that mean? Terry says
everyone are taught of God. Now what does that mean? Everyone
who's a son of God are taught of God. What are they taught?
They're taught of God. That God's God. Right? They all know if God is
their God and they're his son, they all know that God is God. Not a helpless failure, not one
who tries and can't, but God. They know that without exception. Nobody is a son or a daughter
of God who does not know and absolutely convinced that God
is God. Not a traffic to God, not a hope
to God, but God who works all things after the counsel of His
own will. And none can stay His hand. Huh? Ain't no sons of God that believe
in a God who's helpless. That ain't no God. They shall
all be taught of God. Of God. Who He is. His character. Yes. What about God? First thing
they're taught is He's holy. Ain't nobody a son of God who
doesn't know, first and foremost, God is holy. Hmm? That's what makes them repent,
Terry. in the holiness of God, and that God is sovereign, and
so forth. His attributes, if you're teaching
your children? No. Isn't that what John 6, 45
said? All. No exceptions. I have one father. All right? Henry Thomas Mahan. One father. He's about 5'10", well, 205 pounds. He'll say 202, but he's about
25 or 210. But anyway, he's got black hair,
speckled hair, and glasses. And I know who his father was,
his mother, and all down the line who his children are. I
know all about him. And my brother, my oldest brother,
Robert Mahan, and my other brother, Daniel Mahan, and my sister,
Rebecca Mahan, they all know the same father, too. They all
know he's 5'10", 205 pounds. black hair, wears glasses, they
know how he is, the way he does things, they know his voice,
huh? They know his characteristics.
We all know the same Father, right? So do God's people. No
different conceptions of God. No sir. One Lord. One Father. All right? And it's all taught of God. Not
only about God, but God's one of those teaching. You know why
they all have the same. Knowledge of God. That same teacher. Right. Got the Holy Spirit. Got
the Holy Spirit teaches them all of God. He's the one that
doesn't teach. And a text said what to say.
Verse forty five. Every man. That have heard and
learned of the father does what. Comes to Christ. He doesn't try
to work out his own righteousness. He doesn't try to, he doesn't
go back to the law. He comes to Christ. He keeps
coming to Christ. Huh? Every man that God teaches
says, you can't come near me except through him. Huh? That's
what he keeps teaching them, Joe, all the time. You're not
getting, don't, you need a mediator. Doesn't that what the Father
teaches, the Holy Spirit teaches? No, you're going the wrong way now.
So long. Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it. Look right there.
Yeah. Blood. Righteousness. Yeah. You hang on to Him. You stick
with Him. That's what the Father teaches
the children, doesn't He? Huh? And trained in the parents'
ways, they all grow up to be like Christ. Lastly, they all
depend on the Father for everything. Everybody that grew up under
my house did. If they're going to get fed, the father's going
to do it. If they're going to get clothed, the father's going
to do it. If they're going to be protected, they're going to
have a house over their head, the father's going to do it. They all depended on
daddy, daddy, the father. And there's several things we
need. We need, like I said, clothing. A believer needs shoes, good
shoes. It won't wear out. I'm going to preach on this real
soon when I get back. being shod with the gospel. God
gives us a pair of shoes like the Israelites of old. They'll
never wear out. They fit well. They wear well. They fit everybody. They wear
well, and you can wear them all the days of your life. Never
get a splinter or a thorn. And you can work by them. I'm
giving away my message. And we need clothing. We give
that robe. We need food. He says, I'll give
you bread. I'll give you bread that the
world doesn't know of. And boy, you'll eat it, and you'll
love it. Sweet bread. Sweet bread. Corn bread. Corn bread. And you know, they
need protection. I remember as a boy, I had older
brothers, and I didn't have to worry about a thing. Didn't have
to worry about a thing. They'd already come up through
school, Henry, and they all knew I was Robbie Mahan's little brother.
Don't touch him. Don't touch him. He's Robin Mayhan's
brother. We'll have to answer to him.
And that's my big brother, you see, my elder brother. He's a
bully. I taunt him every now and then.
And they couldn't touch me. Why? I had an elder brother.
And I've got an elder brother. His name's Jesus Christ. And,
you know, there's a lot of bullies out there, aren't there? accuser
of the brethren. He taunts us. How are you going
to resist him? Huh? John, how are you going
to resist the devil that he'll flee from you? He's stronger
than you. Huh? He could turn you inside. He'd
desire to sift you like wheat, buddy. Sometimes you feel like
he is, don't you? He's bothering you, isn't he?
How are you going to resist him? Only one way. Lord, brother,
elder brother, that bully's bothering me. I'll take care of him. That's
the only way. The only way. I'll take care
of him. When Satan tempts and doubts
and fears the Savior, look to the Lamb of God, the Scripture
says. And you, through his strength, shall overall prevail. Look that
up, Joe. We'll sing that. Look to the
Lamb of God. Let me ask some of you here.
these workings within your own self. Examine yourself. That's
what I'm doing for you right now. Examine yourself. See if these evidences are there. Huh? Have you felt these workings
within your own self? Hmm? Cried unto the Lord for
mercy? Felt comfort, actual comfort
from the gospel? Huh? Been wooed and caressed
and petted and comforted and fed and desired and enjoy it? Love God's people, the things
of God, the family, like to be in the family, huh? It's a good
sign. Mighty good signs of a new birth,
huh? And I just believe, based on
the Word of God, I just believe that since God is faithful, that
he that has begun a good work will finish it. John, didn't
he say, I've never brought to the birth? and never calls to
come forth. He has no aborted children. He
doesn't say, no, I don't want that one if it's handicapped
or if it's missing something. He doesn't say, I don't want
that one. It's imperfect. He said, no, I'm going to have that one. That one needs me more than any
of them. You're under aborted children. He said, I never brought
forth to the birth. where I didn't cause him to bring
forth. Faithful as he that calleth you also do. And I'm confident
he's begun this good work and he'll finish it. You're his child. Anybody comforted by that? Joe,
come on up. We'll sing that in closing, buddy. Look to the Lamb of God. What number? 216. Stand. Two-sixteen. First and second, standing. First
and second. If you consider wanting to be
free, look to the Lamb of God. Free to receive the light of
Calvary, look to the Lamb of God. Look to the Lamb of God. Look to the Lamb of God. For the only Savior to save you,
look to the Lamb of God. When Satan tempts and doubts
and fears the Savior, look to the Lamb of God. When you feel
your strength shall overcome a fear, look to the Lamb of God. Look to the Lamb of God, look
to the Lamb of God, for He alone is able to save you. Look to the Lamb of God. Thank you.