A Bride For Issac

Q: What does the Bible say about God's purpose in salvation?

The Bible reveals that God's purpose is to unify all things in Christ, including choosing a bride for His Son. In Genesis 24, we see a vivid portrayal of God's sovereign purpose in salvation. Abraham's quest for a wife for Isaac symbolizes God the Father's intention to choose a bride for the Son, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures affirm that God works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). This purpose includes bringing sinners to Christ, demonstrating His electing love and grace throughout history. Just as Abraham sent his servant to secure a bride, God sends the Holy Spirit to gather His chosen people, ensuring that they will come to faith in Christ, aligning with His eternal plan.

Q: How do we know God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

God's grace is evident in both salvation stories in the Old and New Testaments, assuring us that it is sufficient. The sufficiency of God's grace is a hallmark of biblical theology. The same grace that saved figures like Noah and Abraham operates today to redeem sinners. In Genesis 24, the servant's successful mission to find Isaac a bride emphasizes that God's grace prevails in accomplishing His purpose. Throughout the Scriptures, we find consistent testimonies of God's faithfulness and grace, which reaffirms Paul's declaration in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God's grace is sufficient for us. Whether in the Old Testament or New Testament, the Gospel reveals a unchanging God who lovingly extends His grace to save the undeserving, making it clear that grace is the means of our salvation.

Q: Why is understanding God's election important for Christians?

Understanding God's election helps Christians grasp their security in Christ and His purposeful love. The doctrine of election is foundational to Reformed theology, illustrating God's sovereign choice in salvation. In Genesis 24, the selection of Rebekah as Isaac's bride parallels how God chooses individuals for salvation before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). This doctrine underscores the truth that salvation is not based on human merit but on God's grace and purpose. For Christians, recognizing their election secures their assurance of salvation, as it is rooted in God's unchanging love and sovereign plan. As a result, believers can take comfort in knowing they are part of God's family, affectionately chosen by Him to be united with Christ.

Q: What role does the Holy Spirit play in salvation?

The Holy Spirit is the divine agent who brings sinners to Christ and reveals God's truth. In the sermon, the servant of Abraham is a representation of the Holy Spirit. Just as the servant was sent to secure a bride for Isaac, the Holy Spirit is sent to reveal Christ and gather God's elect. His work includes calling sinners, convincing them of their need for salvation, and teaching them the things of Christ (John 14:26). As seen in Genesis 24, the servant did not proclaim his own significance but focused on the purpose of his master, paralleling how the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ without seeking to draw attention to Himself. In this role, the Spirit assures believers of their place among the bride of Christ, guiding them to experience the richness of God's grace.

Q: Why is faith important in accepting Christ as Savior?

Faith is essential as it allows individuals to trust in Christ’s promises and God's redeeming work. Faith plays a central role in the Christian experience of salvation. Just as Rebekah had to believe the servant's account of Isaac, individuals today are called to trust the testimony of the Gospel. In Genesis 24, Rebekah's willingness to go with the servant signifies her faith in the promises that Abraham made regarding Isaac. Similarly, every believer must respond in faith to the message that God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Faith acknowledges the truth of our condition before God and relies fully on Christ's redemptive work for salvation. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as the assurance of things hoped for, serving as a necessary response to God's revelation. Hence, true faith leads to a transformative relationship with Christ, where believers accept the grace offered to them.

Open your Bibles with me to Genesis,
the twenty-fourth chapter. It's just, I had such an enjoyable
time the other night here in It wasn't the best New Year's
Eve I've ever had. It was the most profitable. It was really profitable. I enjoyed
myself so much. But here in Genesis 24, we have
a wonderful picture of God saving
a sinner. redeeming love and redeeming
grace. Most people, and it's such a blessing, you can remember,
you know, when you, when you, you wouldn't, you know, you didn't
enjoy the Old Testament because it was just historical stories
about Israel and things that happened to particular people
and you didn't understand them. They're just stories. When the
Lord enlightens your understanding and allows you to see the Lord
Jesus Christ in them, it becomes a whole new book, becomes a whole
new Bible. And there's nothing more delightful
than to see Christ, but boy, when you see Him in the Old Testament,
and He's saving you there, and see the gospel back there. You
know, this is the thing about it. The same gospel that saved
Abraham, the same gospel saves us. Not an iota difference. Not a bit of difference. The
same grace that saved Noah, the same grace that saves us. The
same power that raised up the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead,
is the same power that quickened us when we were dead in trespasses
and sin. But here in Genesis 24, we have
one of the fullest revelations of God electing love and grace
for the bride of Christ, for the sinner, and how that sinner
is brought to the bridegroom. Now, I'm going to read just nine
verses. This is a long chapter, 67 verses,
if I'm not mistaken. I meant to tell you the other
night to read it, but I'm just going to read the first nine
verses. set it up and hopefully be a blessing to you all this
morning of what time we have. And Abraham was old and well
stricken in years and age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham
in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest
servant of his house that ruled over all that he had, Put, I
pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and I will make thee swear
by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that thou
shalt not take a wife unto my son, of the daughters of the
Canaanites, among whom I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my country
and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. And to serve
and sit unto him peradventure, the woman will not be willing
to follow me unto this land." Maybe she won't be willing to
go. "'Must I need bring thy son again unto the land from which
thou camest, bring him to And Abraham said unto him, Beware
thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of
heaven which took me from my father's house, and from the
land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware
unto me, say, Unto thy seed will I give this land. He shall send
his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son
from thence. And if the woman will not be
willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this
my oath, Only bring not my son thither again. And the servant
put his hand unto the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware
to him concerning that matter." Sware to him. Now, beloved, follow
me in this. Abraham is typical of God the
Father. There are four types here for
us. Very simple, very plain, very
easy for anybody to understand. If I can understand it, anybody
can understand it. Abraham's a type of the Father.
Isaac, he's typical of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Eliezer,
the servant here, he's typical of the Spirit of God, the Holy
Ghost. And Rebecca, she's typical of us, the sinner, the bride
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And look here in verse 4. Look
at the Father's purpose. Now, Abraham loved his son, but
Abraham had a, the Father had a purpose. He had a purpose.
And he said, But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred,
and take a wife unto my son Isaac. The father's purpose was to have
a bride for his son. That was his purpose. That was
his will. That's what he intended to have done. And, beloved, ain't
that what the Scripture says, that God has an eternal purpose
in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? In Isaiah 14, 24, it says, As
I have thought, so surely shall it come to pass. And as I have
purpose, so shall it stand, and that God works all things after
the counsel of his own will. And our Lord Jesus Christ, he
said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a king who made a marriage
for his son. And that's exactly what God's
doing in this world. He has the purpose in this world
of getting a bride for his blessed son. Every sinner brought to
his son is married to him. And that's why the apostles said
that God has saved us and called us. called us with the holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to what? His own purpose. It was that word purpose that
God used to teach me the gospel. When I started searching the
scriptures in light of that word purpose, that there's no such
thing as accidents. Three women, a fellow told me
one time, there's three ladies you never let come into church.
Three of them. You know who they are? Lady Luck's
one of them. Mother Nature's the other. They don't get in. They just don't get in. You see,
God's got a purpose. God declared the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times of things that are not yet done,
saying, I'll do all my pleasure. I'll do what I'm pleased to do.
And you see, beloved, so God the Father here, He said, I want
a son, I want a wife, I want a bride for my son. And now you
go get her. That was the Father's purpose.
And look what else he said there in verse 4. And you go to my
kindred and to my country. You go to my country. You see,
beloved, I know that we're bad on this earth. You know, down
home people do it. They get them a piece of property
and they build a big house and get them great big mailboxes
and they stick their name on it in great big numbers and they
put no trespassing signs all over the place. You know, it's
my property. no hunting, no fishing, no walking, no nothing, you know.
And they—this is mine. And everybody likes that, you
know. And I—one of these days, I'm going to have a clear deed,
you know, and I get paid for it. But what is it I'm going
to get it? I'm going to—I'm going to enjoy looking at it. But it—and all out of
all that, the earth is the Lord's in the fullness thereof. It's
all His. Everything is His. This is my
Father's world. This is my father's kingdom.
They said, you go to my country. You see, it all belongs to him.
And watch what he said there, and to my kindred. There never
was a time. This is one of the most blessed
things. He said, go to my kindred. There never was a time when we
didn't belong to the Lord. Huh? That's right. Jeremiah told
Jeremiah, he said, Jeremiah, before you was ever formed in
your mother's belly, I knew you. I called you, I ordained you."
And Paul the Apostle said, "'Would it please God who separated me
from my mother's womb and then called me by His grace, for whom
He did foreknow?' Had an intimate acquaintance with, had a love
affair with, had an intimate knowledge of for whom he foreknew.
Them, them he called, them he justified, them he glorified.
And that's why he said, you reckon she'll be willing to go? You
just go to my country and you go to my kindred. We're the Lord's
people. We've always been. Now look over
here in verse 36. That's the Father's purpose. He means to have him a bride
for his son. Oh, he didn't ask the son, either.
I'm telling you, that's the thing. The father and the son are so
close that whatever the father wills, whatever the father's
purpose, that's the son's purpose. Whatever the father wills for
me, that's all right. Look here in verse thirty-six
now, or verse thirty-four. Look at the son's position. And
the servant said, I am Abraham's servant. The Lord hath blessed
my master greatly. And he hath given him flocks,
and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants,
and camels, and asses. And Sarah, my master's wife,
bares son to my master when she is old." Now watch this, "...and
unto him hath he given all that he has." What does the son possess? Everything. What does the son possess? Everything.
Who does the Father love? The Son. You see, the Father
saw everything for the Son. The Father's purpose is to be
fulfilled in the Son. All of the riches of Abraham,
all of the power of Abraham, all of the authority of Abraham,
all of the glory of Abraham, all of the promises of Abraham,
all of the purpose of Abraham is what? Given to His Son. That's right, beloved. Let me
show you something over in Daniel chapter seven. That's why it
says, and you look at this sometimes over in Colossians 1, it says
that, that it pleased the Father that in him should all the fullness
dwell, and that he's before all things, and by him all things
consist. But you go there in Colossians 1 one of these days
when you've got time, and you read Colossians 1, and you see
how many times it says, by him all things, by him all things,
by him all things. So all things are walked by him.
I mean, that's just as plain as nose on your face. And that's
why it says, It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell. And he, God hath appointed him heir of all the things. And
God upholds the world by the word of his power. God hath given
him a name that's above every name. The Father loves the Son,
and hath given all things into his blessed hand. Look what Daniel
saw here in verse 13 of chapter 7. I saw in the night visions, and
behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven,
and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before
him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, languages should serve him. And his dominion
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." So you see, beloved,
I mean God's given him an everlasting dominion, all-glowing, all-powering,
all-authority. Everything that belongs to the
Father is given over into the Son. The Son's position is, My
Master's rich. He's given it all to His Son.
Given it all to His Son. Now look back over in verse 4
again. Look at the bride's prospect. And I tell you what, our Lord
Jesus Christ is worthy to have everything given to Him. He's
got the wisdom to handle it. He's got the prudence to deal
with it. He's got the power to manage it. Oh, he's glorious
in all of his person. But look at the bride's prospect.
Go unto my country, unto my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
Now, beloved, how much does this woman know about this? She didn't have a clue. She didn't
suspect nothing. She didn't know. She was over
yonder. going about her business. She
wasn't thinking about her husband. She wasn't thinking about Abraham.
She wasn't thinking about Isaac. She wasn't thinking about getting
married. She didn't know anything was going on. Huh? She didn't know nothing. Huh?
Before she knew it, before she knew it, before she knew anything
at all, she was chosen to be the bride. She didn't even suspect
it, beloved. And not only she was chosen not
only to be the bride of the Son, but to become a joint heir with
Him. That's what happens in marriage. When you get married, too, you
become one. You leave your father and your mother, and you forsake
everything, and you become one. You know what you possess, beloved?
What one possesses, the other possesses. And oh, my soul, before
she ever knew it, she's going to be the bride of Him and joint
heir with Him and all that. And that bride was way off, far
off in another country. Way off over yonder. She's going
to have to be informed. She's going to have to be taught.
She's going to have to be taught. She's going to have to be sought.
She's going to have to be made willing. She didn't know it. And that's why our Lord Jesus
said, He said, I've got other sheep which are not of this fold,
them also I must bring. I must bring them. There'll be
one shepherd and one fold. And that's why the Scripture
said that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love. And all that the Father gives me, and we were given to
Him, shall come to me. There's no doubt about it. I
was like that servant. You reckon they'll be willing
to go? No. No. When they're going to be
willing? In the day of His power. And that's why we got such confidence
in preaching the gospel. That's why we have such confidence
and authority in preaching the gospel. God is going to hear,
His bride's going to hear the voice. She's going to come. She
may not know it now, you may not know you're one of His sheep
now, but if you're one of His sheep, I guarantee you, you're
going to come. I stake my own destiny, my own
soul on the fact that one of these days you'll hear. I'll
stake everything that God is, He's on the line, or He does
it Himself, that one of these days your ears will hear it.
And when you hear, you'll come. Huh? And oh beloved, just like
Eve was in Adam, before she existed. God made Adam out of the dust
of the earth, and raised him up, and formed him, and then
breathed into his nostrils. He became a living soul. He was
there, and he was—God said, It's not good for you to be alone,
and Eve was in Adam. Adam didn't know she was in there.
She didn't know she was in there. God put him to sleep, took her
out, took a rib out, and made a woman set him aside her. They
became one in the sight of God, and just like Eve was in Adam,
we were in Christ before the foundation of the world. And
just like, beloved, there's my daddy, and then his daddy, and
then his daddy, and then his daddy. I can go back as many
generations as you want, and in their seed, everything that
I am as a son of Adam, and in my nature and in my sin, everything
that I am—my color, my eyes, my hair, the height, everything
about me—was in the seed. As far back generations as you
want to go. was in the seed. Everything about me and everything
that I am as a believer, everything that I know and everything that
I understand and all the apprehension and spiritual, my regeneration
and my spiritual understanding and my spiritual stature and
my spiritual grasp and spiritual understanding was all in that
seed that was in Christ that was planted in my heart by the
gospel before the foundation of the world. So what I lost
in Adam I got ten thousand times over in Christ, and I had it
in Christ before I ever had it in Adam. Because man had it in
Christ, God would have never made Adam. He made Adam so that
he could bring glory to his Son in saving sinners like you and
I before we ever knew it. Huh? Ain't that right? Oh, bless
His glorious name. That's why, you know, the sheep
was way off. He said, what shepherd? What
shepherd? He's got one sheep that's lost.
Don't go all the way into the wilderness. Oh, He come into
a far country. Come through the awfulest wilderness
of sin and flesh and depravity and human nature and came through
all the wilderness of our blackened hearts and then He found us.
He found us. Boy, I'm telling you, if He's
looking for you, believe me, He finds you. I found the Lord."
No, you didn't. You didn't do it. He wasn't lost. No, you didn't find Him. He found
you. Oh, beloved, that's why our Lord
said in John 17, I pray not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me out of the world. When Eliezer left his
father's house, he had one purpose in mind—to find one woman. one chosen. And then look here
at the service proclamation, back over here in verse 32. Look
what the servant had to say. That good shepherd, he finds
his sheep, and he picks him up and puts him on his shoulder.
And I am so thankful. That old fad, old thing that
people have, you know, about the footsteps, you know, in the
sand? There ain't nothing to that. There's always been only one
set of footprints, and they've always been his. If he ever set
you down for a split second, you'd be gone, Jesse, just like
that, just like I was. That's all of us. We wouldn't
last long enough to spit in the wind. Huh? Look at the service proclamation
or the spiritual mission. And the man came in verse 32
into the house. He ungirded his camels and gave
straw and preventive for the camels and water to wash his
feet and the men's feet that were with him. I'm not going
to eat. I'm not going to eat until I've
told my inheritance. I'm not going to do anything
until I accomplish my purpose, my master's purpose, what the
Father sent me to do. Until I get the bride, until
I get the bride for my master's son, I ain't doing nothing. Well,
we've got to eat. You're hungry. No, not until
I get done with it. You see, beloved, he said, I
am Abraham's servant. I am Abraham's servant." You
see, he had authority in the house. Abraham sent him and gave
him all authority, made him swear that he'd stick to this one purpose,
and he was sent by the Father. And God the Father, in the name
of Christ, sends the Spirit into this world to convince us and
to teach us and instruct us in the things of Christ. And he's
sent in the name of the Son. He wasn't sent in his own name.
He was sent in the name of the Son. John 14, 24 says that my
Father will give you another comforter whom he will, the Holy
Ghost whom he will send in my name. And the Spirit of God comes
in Christ's name. And then look what he says here,
and he begins to declare the Father's purpose. And the Lord
hath blessed my master greatly, and he hath become great, and
given him flocks and herds of silver and gold, as Sarah my
master's wife beareth son. to my master when he was old,
when she was old, and he'd give him all things. And my master
made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of
the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but I've
got to take a wife from unto my father's house unto my kindred,
and take a wife unto my son." And, beloved, that was the father. He told the father's purpose,
and notice this about himself. He did not speak of himself.
He just said, I'm a servant. didn't speak of himself. And
Paul was teaching this morning there at such a—that's so well
prepared and so well laid and so well just built on that, and
he built right up. It's just wonderful. And one
way you can always tell a false preacher is, who is he talking
about? This bunch, you know, that's
running around speaking in tongues and climbing walls and having
visions and doing signs and wonders. The Holy Ghost, wherever he's
at, he does not speak of himself. No, no. You know, he's not talking,
trying to get you to get wild-eyed. He doesn't speak of himself.
It's like this servant did not speak of himself. He told of
his father's purpose, his master's purpose. He told of Abraham's
purpose. And he went to get a bride, and
he said, I'm not going to do nothing until I get that done.
That accomplished. And then he talked about the Son and the
Son's position, and the glory and the power and the authority
and the riches of the blessed Son. And you see, beloved, what
he'd done, he didn't speak of himself, but look over here in
verse 53. He began to reveal the things
of Isaac. Look here in verse 53, "...and
the servant brought forth jewels of silver." Silver in the Old
Testament, silver in the Scripture, is the price of redemption. The
tabernacle was set on silver sockets that every man, no matter
if rich or poor, who he is, bring a shekel, a half a shekel weight,
unto the temple. Everybody, rich or poor, you
all have the same weight. Silver's the price of redemption.
Silver, here's the jewels of His redemption. That's what the
Holy Ghost does, says when he comes, he'll not speak of himself,
but he'll take the things of mine. He'll take the things of
my deity. He'll take the things of my redemption.
He'll take the things of my righteousness. He'll take the things of my satisfaction
and my sin offering and my sovereignty. He'll take the things of mine,
my eternality. And that's what he's going to
show you. And my soul, I've been studying since 1972, and reading
the Bible, and studying, and buying books, and I'll tell you
what's the truth. I feel like I know less than
I ever knew, because there's such a depth in Him. There's
such a breadth in Him. There's such a width in Him.
There's such a power in Him. There's such a glory in Him,
that when you think you see me, you stand in awe of wonder, and
then you stand back and say, oh, I see souls. Oh, he's so
glorious, huh? And oh, look what it all is showing,
the jewels of silver, redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.
But what's this? And the jewels of gold. Gold talks about deity. Gold talks about deity. We're
redeemed by deity, by the Lord Jesus Christ. And then, oh, look
here, what else he said? And he gave them to Rebekah,
and he gave her off in raiment. Raymond gave her some clothes. Boy, if you're going to be married
to my master's son, you've got to have fit clothes. You've got
to have the right clothes. If you don't go see my master's
son, you're going to see my master. You've got to be dressed appropriately.
Well, where am I going to get the clothes? I don't know. Let
me look in my closet. No, don't look there. No, no,
boy, I tell you what, it's just like that prodigal son. They
didn't say, now go get a robe put on him. No, no, it said,
go get the best one. And they didn't hand it to him
and say, now here, put it on. No, it says that they put it
on him. And she gave him the reign of the righteousness of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll tell you something,
I'll tell you something, it's not like a stamp, you know, we've
all been mailing out all these Christmas cards and all that
stuff. Put stamps on until we're sick of it. Stick them stamps
on there, you know them. And that's not just righteousness
we have. We don't have a pasted-on righteousness, something stuck
on. But we are just as righteous in the sight of God as God Himself,
because it is the righteousness of God. We're not just something
that was slipped on over us. It's not just a garment. It's
not just something that we wear. It's something we are! It's something
we actually possess, and when God looks at us, He sees us pure
and perfect and holy and spotless, to where we can actually go into
Abraham, into our Father's presence with confidence and liberty and
assurance, knowing that He'll receive us because we dressed
appropriately. Huh? That's right. Oh, my. And look what it says there in
verse 53, and He gave them to Rebekah. If you ever get it,
it'll be of course just given to you. You'll get it, she gives it to
you. Yes, sir. If you ever get anything, if
anybody ever receives anything, it'll be the gift. She understood
that the silver and the gold and the raiment was a gift. Was a gift. And then Beloved
looked at her in verse 61, and he took her all the way home.
He guides all the way home. And Rebekah rose in her damsels,
and they rode upon the camels, and they followed the men. And
the servant took Rebekah and went his way." And I tell you,
he'll get you there. You ain't going to get there.
Folks, all the time you know down there, and I say it myself,
just joking, you know, you'll make it by being careful. No, no. If we get there, the
first step we take is by grace, and the last one is by grace.
It's all in grace. And the Holy Ghost can't comfort
us, He can't have fellowship with us, until He makes known
the character of the Father and the Son. He'll not have any communion
with us until He makes us know the character of the Father and
the blessed person and the glory of the Son. He just won't do
it. And I'll tell you something else He didn't do. When this
servant, when this servant went down there to get this bribe
for Isaac, now Just see him walking down the
street of that little old village, hollering, My master's got a
son, and he loves you so much. Anybody
want to be a bride? Anybody want to get married today?
You better hurry up and make up your choice. I ain't going
to hang around here very long. You better, you better, you better
think about this thing. You know it's a little, you might,
you might want to, you might want to be his bride and run
about your free will. Come on now." Oh, no. No, no. He was directed there
when none of that business went on. I'd quit preaching if I had
to go back to that mess. I'd never preach another And
if that's all there was to religion, I'd never set foot in another
church house. I really wouldn't. If this ain't the way God does
it, then we're wasting our time, because I'm convinced everybody
else is. I'm convinced of that. Oh, my
soul, and I'm not after everybody. Somebody told me, Mr. Spurgeon
one time says, Well, if you believe so much in election, why don't
you just preach to the elect? He said, I don't know who they
are. Well, I tell you this, if I go so far as to say this, if
God put election on whoever's head, that's exactly the ones
I'd go to. If I was out in the world and
I saw some mark of election, God let me know, and I'd go straight
to them. Yes, sir, because that's who
I'm after. I'm after God's elect. I'm telling every man. I'm telling
every man about the Lord Jesus Christ. I tell every man that'll
listen to me, every opportunity I get about God and His wonderful
purpose in this world. I tell them about how gracious
God is, how lost and undone we are. And just every once in a
while, not very often, but every once in a while, somebody will
drop in on Sunday morning, and then they'll come on Sunday morning
for a few weeks, and the next thing you know, they come dropping
in on Sunday night. Then they'll come on Sunday night
for a few weeks, and then they start showing up on Wednesday
night. And then, boy, one of these days, they're sitting there,
you know, Take their head and blink their eyes and tears start
running down their face. And in a few months, you know,
they say, Preacher, you reckon that you could baptize
me? You reckon the church would have
anything to do with me because I sure feel like the Lord does
something for me? Huh? Oh, and I tell you what, that's
all I'd be after if I knew who they was. But God didn't give that to us
to know, but He did give us a message to tell, just like He done that
service. And I'll bless His glorious name for that. He was sent to
a particular purpose. Person, let me show you the power
of the message. Look at the power of the message. And they called, we'll start
back up at verse 55. Look at the power of the message.
And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel stay with
us for a while, at least ten, for a few days. After that, she
can go. And he said unto them, Hinder
me not, seeing the Lord hath postured my way, send me away,
that I may go to my master. And they said, Well, we'll call
the damsel, and we'll inquire at her mouth. You know, first
thing he asked Abraham, he said, Do you reckon she'll be willing
to go? Why, she's not willing. Why, she's not willing. Want
me to bring your son to her then? No, no, no, no, no, no. You bring
her to him. What's this? And they called
Rebecca and said unto her, Will thou go with this man? What she
say? I'll go. I'll go. Yes, sir, I'll go. You
started the stream of the matter. That's the power of the gospel.
That's the power of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation. And look how it attracted Rebecca.
There was no begging, there was no... the silver and the gold and the
glory and the goodness of the Father and the Son, and showed
her those clothes, and she said, Ah, when are you going to take
me and let me see you? And oh, it was the goodness and
glory of the Father and the Son that won her. And it wasn't a
fear of wrath. You know, And I tell you, I'm
willing. Ain't you? I'm willing to be
his. Ain't you? I'm willing to be his. Lock, stock and barrel.
From the top of my head to the sole of my foot, I'm willing
to be his. Oh, I'm willing to be his. I
just tried to get her to stay. Just Mama said, go honey, stay
just a few more days. Her brother said, oh baby, please
don't go. Don't go. She said, I got to go now. Just
got to go. Ain't that what our Master said?
He said, You've got to leave your
mama and your daddy and your mother and your brother and your
sister, leave them all behind. And oh, she left all behind.
Why did she do it? Because of the glory that was
revealed to her. Boy, she heard about Abraham's
promise to give everything to the Son. Heard what a fine, fine
person Abraham was. All the promises have been made.
all of his glory and his power and his authority. And then he
said he gave it all to his son. And boy, she heard about that
son. He went to the scribe and said, Oh, let me tell you about
him. You know those lilies that grow
over yonder in the field? He said, He's the lily of the
valley. You know those roses that grow
over there in Sharon? He said, He's the rose of Sharon. You remember seeing that dove
sitting down there? And her eyes were so dark. Well, his eyes are so dark, and
the whites of them so clear, it looks like those dove's eyes
set in pitchers of milk. And you remember those marble
pillars that stood up right at that temple? Yeah, that's what
his legs looked like, strong and white. And, oh, that raven, as black
as it was, said, his hair is just as black, curly. And you think about the chiefest,
think about 10,000 beautiful people, and He's the chiefest
among 10,000. She says, You ready to go? I'm
ready. I'm ready to go this morning,
ain't you? I'm ready to go right now. Go see Him face to face. And oh, it was because of the
riches and glory of the Son, she said, I'm ready to go. I'm
ready to go. And I'll tell you something she
did. She trusted everything to Abraham's promise. She never
saw the Son. Never saw the Son. She had to
take the servant's word that her master was as he said he
was, and Abraham's promise to give everything to the Son and
receive. She accepted everything by faith. Huh? And 1 John 5 and
9 says, If we receive the witness of men, that's what I'm doing.
I'm witnessing this morning. I'm giving a witness to God and
His purpose and His Son. And if we receive the witness
of men, you hear me and you receive me and you believe me, how much
greater then is the witness of God. And this is the witness. This is the record that God has
given to us of eternal life. And this life is in His Son.
And he that believeth on the Son hath eternal life. And then, oh boy, look here.
This is my last point. I hate to get here. It kind of
might as well back up and start all over again. But look at the
prospect and pleasure that this Rebekah had. Start in verse 61
with me. And Rebekah arose, and her damsels,
and they rode upon the camels, and they followed the man. And
the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. And Isaac came
from the way of the well of Laharoi, for he dwelt in the south country,
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field that evening time,
and he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, the camels were
coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes,
and when she saw Isaac, she lied off the camel." She's just like
Simon Peter. You know, because that's what
it says in verse 65, where she had asked the servant, what man
is this that walks in the field to meet us? She said, well, that's
my master. That's my master. And it was like Simon Peter.
He's out there on that boat. And he couldn't wait for the
ship to get to shore. He jumped off and went to swimming.
He wanted to get there so fast. She got, this camel's going too
slow. This camel's too slow. I'm going to get there. I got
to get there. And she jumped off and away she went. You know,
I used to go off in meetings and be gone seven, eight, ten
days at a time. Hadn't done that in several years. And I went to Mexico a couple
years ago. I was gone about two weeks. And when I got back, I
saw Mary right coming out of the airport, and I saw Mary standing
way off over yonder. Man, I'm telling you, boy, here
I come. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha She bailed herself. Oh, she come
humble. She come with humility. It's
His glory. And the servant told Isaac all
things that he did. See, she found a husband. She
found a true life. And she found all she needed
in Him. And watch this. And Isaac brought her into his
mother Sarah's tent and took Rebekah. And she became his wife. And there is nothing in this
world, and every believer that's been saved very long knows what
it is, for the Lord Jesus Christ and your soul to be head over
heels in love with one another. When I read a psalm of Solomon,
I just see such a love affair. And I mean we have the most intimate,
intimate intimate intercourse with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our
souls do. Our minds and hearts. Not like
it's going to be, but it sure is glorious while it exists.
Just for a few moments in time here. And oh, look what it says
there. He loved her. And he loved her. And he loved her. And boy, you
reckon she'll ever leave that and go back to her old country. Oh, if it'd been my flat country,
they'd have come out, they'd have went back, but they didn't.
She never thought about it again, I'm just as sure. She never thought
about it. Ain't nothing over here. Said,
everything I got's right here. And oh, beloved, I'm telling
you, one of these days, our Lord's gonna come. He's gonna come. He's gonna get us. And what a glorious day that's
gonna be. What a glorious day. Our Lord said, Let not your heart
be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also
in me. In my Father's house. Now it's
just one house. My Father's house. Many, many
mansions. Lots of mansions in one house.
And if it wasn't so, I wouldn't have told you that. And I'm going
to prepare a place for you. And it's been prepared. And if I go prepare a place for
you, I'm going to come again. and receive you unto myself."
And down here, I've got to quit, but down here, you know, you have an inheritance. You have a pie. You have six
kids. All six kids, they get a piece
of that pie. You got to split it up. But I'll
tell you something, when we get to glory, Our Lord is so rich
and so powerful and so glorious that he's got a multitude that
no man can number, but every child will be as if he's the
only one that gets the whole inheritance. We'll get the whole
thing. It'll be split up, but yet we
get it all. We get it all. And let me tell you something.
If I was with Rebecca out there, and you heard the Master this
morning, and you heard the voice of the servant, and you believed
him, and you believed what he had to say, you know what I'd
do? I'd tell it. I'd say, I'm going
to go. Come on, go with me. Will you right now? Will you
in your heart and your soul, will you go to him? Huh? I tell you, when you get there,
you'll find rest. You'll find peace. You'll find
joy. You'll find a love that you've never experienced. You'll find arms strong enough
to bear you, a heart strong enough to love you in your weakest,
sinceless moment. You'll find one soul ready and
willing. Will you come? Will you please come? I'll go. Go again, to whom coming
makes me want to keep coming. Let's sing number 235. It's a
good one. 235. have the real blessing that the
blessing. To thirty five percent. As renounced as a slave, O ye
ramble crowds, Where on earth is now your King? Do not pass me by Savior, Savior,
hear my humble cry Do not pass me by Let me at a
throne of mercy Have a sweet relief Kneeling there in deep
contrition Have my unbelief Brother Don and Mary are leaving
right after the morning service, so we've come by and say goodbye
to them. Sing the third as the last. Trusting only in thy merit,
all I seek thy fame. Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace. Savior,

A Bride For Issac

What does the Bible say about God's purpose in salvation?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

Why is understanding God's election important for Christians?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in salvation?

Why is faith important in accepting Christ as Savior?

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A Bride For Issac

What does the Bible say about God's purpose in salvation?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

Why is understanding God's election important for Christians?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in salvation?

Why is faith important in accepting Christ as Savior?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

Comments

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