uh About two thousand years ago
The Lord of Glory took on Him by sin and woe By sin and woe
He went to Calvary for His own cause He took the third letter
and paid that awful cost That awful cost He's my sovereign
Savior His love is sweet, sweet savor He's the perfect Redeemer
for you and the perfect Redeemer for me. I couldn't keep God's
holy love, I needed someone perfect who could keep it all. Who could keep it all? Men's life reveals to me just
fine It's not that we can't do it But that it's all been done
It's all been done He's my sovereign Savior, to
God's sweet, sweet Savior. He's the sufficient Redeemer
for you, and the sufficient Redeemer for me. There's times I wonder why oh
why God should have compassion on such a worm as I Such a worm
as I I know it wasn't anything I've
done. God chose me in eternity and
chose me in His Son. He chose me in His Son. He's my sovereign Savior, to
God a sweet, sweet Savior. He's the only Redeemer for you,
and the only Redeemer for me. He's the sovereign Savior, to
God a sweet, sweet Savior. He's the perfect, sufficient,
and only Redeemer for you and me. Let's read the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 1. And I'll go ahead and read my
text. The title of the message is The Gospel Subpoena. I first entitled it The Gospel
Invitation, but I changed it to Subpoena. There's a difference. Let's read verse eighteen of
Isaiah, chapter one. The Lord is speaking. Come now, and let us reason together, saith
the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool." Now, the book of Isaiah, if you'll
notice at the top of chapter one, is called the book of the
prophet Isaiah. It is evident by just a casual
reading through the book of Isaiah that he was a bold and plain-speaking
man, that he did not mince words. In our language, he told it like
it was. He did not fear men's faces.
He was not out to make anyone feel good about themselves, but
he told he spoke a bold and plain message as one being from the
presence of God himself, as one whom God told to go speak. And God has not left himself
in this generation without a witness such as Isaiah, without a prophet. He still has his prophets or
his messengers. That word sounds very high and
mighty, but it's just a messenger, just a spokesman. And the message
of prophecy today is the same as it was back then, the very
same message. The message has always been and
always will be the same. It's the message of God. I've
got someone to tell you about. He said in chapter 40, Behold
your God, not our co-pilot, not our sugar daddy, but our God,
our almighty, sovereign creator and ruler of the universe. And
the message is the same concerning man. All flesh is grass. As the flower of the field, the
flower withers, the grass fadeth, even so the beauty and the glory
of mankind is fading. We're dying. We're sinful, dying
creatures. The message is the same. Whether
men, they didn't like it then, and most don't like it now. Some,
by God's grace and mercy, do. They hear it. They hear his voice,
and they respond. And the message is still the
same, that there's one way to God, one way to be saved, one Redeemer, one way of salvation,
only through God's Christ. Not by what we do, not by what
anyone does for us, only what Christ has done. The message
is the same. And I want you to look at Isaiah
chapter one with me. We're basically just going to
expound upon these verses. Just go right through and read
these verses. And I want you to notice how typical and how
relevant what he is saying, what this man said several thousand
years ago, how relevant it is to today, to today, how that
it appears that he is speaking of our generation of 20th century.
It's very clear, if God would just open our eyes and our ears
to dismiss any preconceived notions of religion or whatever we may
have, to dismiss any prejudice toward this doctrine or that
or whatever, and just read and look at the Word of God Almighty. It's very clear. Look at verse
1 with me. Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1. The
book of the prophet Isaiah, the vision of Isaiah, the son of
Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days
of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah. This word vision
means perception. And it says that this man had
a vision. He had perception, not a dream. This doesn't say
a dream. Because the scriptures are clear that in another place
it says, he that has a dream, let him tell that dream. But
he that has the word of God, let him tell the word of God.
And our Lord spoke in Jeremiah of false prophets who were telling
dreams. He said, they tell dreams, they're
not speaking my word. And if any man speak not according
to this book, and he's speaking according to some dream or vision
he had, that is a dream he has. There's no light in him, no truth
in him, he's not a true prophet. But the prophet here is saying,
this is the perception, this is what I perceive, this is the
perception. I ask, is there not a man today
with some perception, with some true spiritual discernment and
understanding in this book? You know, as many, 130 some odd
denominations are there? As many differing and varying
opinions there are about this book, you would think we were
reading a different book, wouldn't you? Well, the vision of Isaiah,
and I say, is there not a man today who has clear vision, who
has clear eyesight? Well, the vision of Isaiah, he
saw something, verse 2. Here's what he saw. "'Hear, O
heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken.'" He
saw and heard, Joe, the word of God. That's what this prophet,
you know, God said that the false prophets, I didn't send them,
I didn't speak to them, they're not speaking according to my
word. But the true prophet hears God's word, speaks according
to his word, the same holds true today. The man with true spiritual
perception and a vision and understanding is just merely speaking according
to this book, right? The Lord has spoken. That's all
a true prophet says. Thus saith the Lord. This is
what I think. That's not it. Thus saith the
Lord. The Lord has spoken. And he said,
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. Well, the heavens are
hearing. Those in God's presence, they're listening very carefully
when God speaks. This earth isn't. Nor is it. Who knows what about the Word
of God? Who cares? That's what this earth says about
it. But the prophet hears and saying it much in the same way,
I wish the earth would hear. I wish people would hear the
book, just hear the book, what it's saying. Verse two, he says,
the Lord has spoken and he says, I've nourished and brought up
a people, brought up children. They've rebelled against me.
I've nourished. God Almighty gives every person in here, every
human being upon the face of the earth, everything that they have. All
things are of God. God freely bestows everything
we have to us. He doesn't have to. He doesn't
have to. He's not obligated to do anything
for us. But he does. He nourishes us.
He gives us everything that we have, everything needful. And
he says he brought us up. Some of you ladies, there are
two ladies here over 80 years old. Many of you are in your
30s, 40s, 50s, 60s. He's brought you up. You're alive. You've lived upon this earth
many, many years. And if we're honest with ourselves,
we'd have to say that most of it's been for ourselves, right?
For me, the big M-E, the big self, me. Not God. When he plainly says from the
scriptures that all things are for my glory, whatsoever you
do in word or deed or whatever, whether you eat or drink, do
all for the glory of God, have we? No. No. He says, I've brought up
children. I've brought you up. You're living. You've lived long
lives. And he says, they've rebelled
against me. Verse two, they've rebelled against me. Men do not
like to hear this, but nevertheless, it's God's word that the natural
man is enmity against God. The natural man doesn't want
a God who has him in his hand to dispose of him as he will.
The natural man doesn't like that kind of God. He hates that
kind of God. He says they've rebelled against
me, and a man doesn't have to actually shake his fist in the
face of God and actually say, I hate God, to hate God, to rebel
against him. All he has to do is just not
pay any attention to God. You know, just live for me and
not pay any attention to God. And that is rebelling against
God. Much like a child with a parent. Not acknowledging everything
the parent does, just not even acknowledging. But acting like
that you've got everything coming. You owe me, you know. God, you
owe me. That's rebellion. That's rebellion. Every complaint, every murmur,
every bitterness, every envy, every jealousy, every one of
these thoughts out of our heart is rebellion against God Almighty.
He's provided for us. He's nurtured us and brought
us up, and every murmur Boy, I don't like the weather. It's
too wet today. It's rebellion against God, isn't it? God sends
the rain so our crops will grow, and we complain about the rain.
That'll snuff us out, shouldn't it? God sends the sunshine so
the crops will grow. It's too hot. That'll snuff us
out, shouldn't it? We rebelled against him. Verse
3. Look at it. He says, The ox knows
his owner, and the dumb old ass his master's crib. But Israel doesn't know. My people
does not even consider. An ignorant old bull knows who
gave him his food. An ass, a donkey, knows where
he gets his food, knows who to go to. And both of those dumb
animals, they'll come lowing to their master, won't they?
Moo. Give me something to eat. Moo. Mankind doesn't call upon God,
does it? And God freely gives. Just keeps
freely giving. Just throwing it out there. Freely
giving it. Freely giving. They don't even look up. Don't even look up. Don't acknowledge
Him. You know, in Romans chapter 3,
we studied it. He said, they do not like to
retain God in their knowledge. We don't have room for God in
our modern knowledge. We're too smart. We've come too
far. He says, Israel doesn't know.
My people don't even consider. Romans 1 is where that is. They
do not like to retain God in their knowledge. Verse 28. Well,
look at verse 4. He says, Oh, sin formation. Think
about this in terms of the United States of America and see if
it doesn't apply. Sinful nation. A people laden
with iniquity. You know, we call it America
the beautiful. It ought to be called America the sinful. People
say, good news, America, God loves you. That ain't in this
book. I say, bad news, America, the wrath of God is hanging over
your head. people laden with iniquity, the scripture says.
People are so weighed down, we've got people in here right now,
so laden down with iniquity, so weighed down with avarice
and vice and sin, so bound by this world and the things in
it that you can't even wake up without indulging in these things. I know what I'm talking about.
So laden with iniquity, you can't, young, there's young people out
there that are so consumed with drugs and alcohol and so forth
that it can't, can't go hardly an hour without getting high
or something. We can't go in a motel room without
turning the TV on, that box we're so glued to. Can't even be alone
with ourselves for a moment. Might think about God, you know. burdened down with iniquity,
sin. You remember in Sodom, when the
angel came to get Lot out of Sodom, how that he struck those
homosexuals and people with blindness? Do you remember what it says
about those fellows? Do you remember what it says they did? See, they
were coming after those angels of the Lord, those men, to do
perverse acts with them. Do you know what it said about
them? Said after they were struck with blindness, every one of
them, said they groped for the door. Still going at them. And that's us. That's men. That's this generation. Look
at it. Verse 4 again. A seed of evildoers. Children
that are corruptors. They've forsaken the Lord. Forgotten. Totally forgotten. Ignored God
Almighty. Forsaken the Lord. Provoked. Look at this. This
is so clear here. They have provoked the Holy One
of Israel. Who's that? That's Jesus Christ.
They provoked the Holy One of Israel under anger. How? By all this religious hypocrisy
in the name of Jesus Christ. All this money, all of this fame
and fortune in the name of Jesus Christ. Christianity. They've
provoked the Holy One of Israel under anger. Look at it, they've gone away
backward. They've gone backward. You know,
I believe in evolution alright, but I believe in reverse evolution.
I don't believe men came from apes, I believe they've gone
back to apes. God created us in His image,
upright. Now we're on all fours. Evolution says this, look how
far we've come. God's Word says, look how far
you fell. There's the difference. Look
at Jeremiah chapter eight with me. Oh, I want to say this. I want to preach this pathos
and compassion. And pity, but I want to preach
it boldly, without compromise, without reservation, that this
is God's Word and this is what this generation is doing. Those
that have some discernment in here see this. You see this so
clearly. Violated it so clearly. Jeremiah,
chapter 8, verse 6. He says, I hearkened and heard. I was listening, he said, on
Sunday morning. But they didn't speak a right.
No man repented. I listened to their testimonies
and so forth. I don't hear anybody repenting. Don't you see them
in these so-called camp meetings coming down front to get a good
glimpse of Billy Graham? They're not repenting. They're
not coming to Christ. I hope there are some. Now, there
may be somebody in that bus. When they scan the TV on that
people, I don't see them. I don't see them weeping and
crying over their sin. I don't see them. Do you see
them? I don't see the people in any churches, very many anyway,
weeping, begging God for mercy. And that's what the whole book
of Isaiah and Jeremiah is all about. Bow down before the God,
beg for mercy. He said, I hear no man repenting
of his wickedness, saying, oh, what have I done? No, everyone
turned to his course as the horse rushes into the battle. The stork
in heaven knows her appointed times, the turtle and the crane,
the swallow observe the time they're coming, but my people
don't know judgment of the Lord. How is it then that they're saying,
look at verse 8, how is it they're saying we're wise and the word
of the Lord is with us? You got me. And Jeremiah's saying
the same thing, you got me. How a man could say that God's
spoken to him when there's no repentance in him, when there's
no truth in him, when he's not speaking according to this book,
when he's just, you know, any old nonsense goes these days.
How is it that they say we're wise? And God's word is with
us. Lo, certainly in vain he made
the pen of the scribes. In vain, the wise men are ashamed.
They're dismayed and taken. Lo, they rejected the word of
the Lord. Look back at the text, Isaiah 1. He says they've gone
backward. People have gone backward. How far from God, mighty man,
has fallen. Verse 5, let's go on. Why should
you be stricken anymore? Why? Why should God keep warning
us? Nancy, why should God put up
any more with this world? Why? Why should God keep sending
earthquakes and hurricanes and famines and pestilence and disease,
AIDS, leprosy? It's been the same things throughout
all generations. It's just been called by a different
name. Brother Danny Blair showed us how that leprosy was the exact
same disease that AIDS is today. Why? The judgments of God. Back when Pharaoh, or Moses,
was leading the people out of Egypt, God sent plague after
plague after plague. Why? Warning them. And he says
there, why? Why should he keep on doing this? Why should you be stricken anymore?
Look at verse 5. You'll revolt more and more,
and it'll go right back to where they were. That's what the children
of Israel did, didn't they, Rick? Went right back to what they
were doing. I said, we wish we were back in Egypt. More and more. Why? Okay, here's
the answer. Because the whole head's sick.
Something wrong. It's got a head problem. The
whole head is sick. The whole heart is faint. That
is, the whole head is sick in that men don't have knowledge.
basic knowledge of this book. Oh, we've got knowledge of science
and history and sociology and this and that and the other,
but not of this book. God said, My people doth not
know, my people doth not consider. Who? God on his throne, high
and lifted up. That's the foundation of the
truth. God is God. Man is in the dust. They don't know, they don't even
understand that basic foundation of the gospel. The head, they
got a head problem. It's clogged up with all sorts
of notions and ideas and imaginations of their own making. Not from
what the book says. I don't know much about the Bible,
but I think. God says my thoughts are not
your thoughts. He says a head's sick and a heart
is faint. The heart is troubled. Your man's
got a problem. He's got heart sickness, heart
trouble. He needs a bypass. He needs a
triple bypass. You see, we've got Satan, sin,
and self ruling in this heart. We need God the Trinity to rule. We need a triple bypass. The
Lord God has to do a work in our hearts. He has to cut out
this whole hard, sinful, selfish, son-of-Satan heart. Cut it out
and transplant it with a heart of flesh, as Scripture says.
This hard heart that won't receive this. I don't want you to think
it's hard. It's true. To the salvation of
our souls, it's true. To the repentance, it's true.
It's got a heart problem. From the soul of the foot, verse
6, even unto the head there's no soundness. No soundness. Soul of the foot, that's man's
ways. Even to the head, that's man's thoughts and words. No
soundness. That is, everything has been deeply infected. Anybody
that's done any cutting any trees know if you cut a tree down,
it may look pretty good. But on the inside, if it's been infested
by disease or insects, I mean, it's ravaged that tree. There's
no part of that tree with any soundness in it. And that's what
he says about us by nature. There's no soundness in it. It's
nowhere. No part of us that hadn't been infected by sin. I'm not
just making this up, am I? Am I just making this up? I'm
not. This is what this workbook is
saying right here. But wounds, look at this. Wounds
and bruises and putrescence. I don't like this. This is awful
preaching. If I could weep the tears of
Jeremiah for this proud and sinful generation, I would. The people
in here right now rebel and don't like this. I
don't like this kind of preaching. If you see, if you hear, if God
will take this kind of preaching and break your heart, I'll show you here in a minute
some good news. But it's not good news until
you see this. You've got to start here. That's
what I'm saying. You've got to take it in context. You've got
to start with verse 1. You can't go over to verse 18 and say,
I'm going to make you white as snow. You've got to see that
you're scarlet. Wounds and bruises and putrefying
sores, that is, everything that comes out of this old sin, this
old self of ours, it stinks with sin. Verse 7. Your country is desolate. That's
the United States, isn't it? It's a wilderness. It's a gospel
wilderness. There are very few places that
are really preaching the gospel. You know it's so. You know it's
so. Turn on the TV and the radio. What do you hear? You don't hear
God being lifted up and Christ exalted and man being abased
and pleading for men to bow and beg, believe. All you hear is bragging on men
and so forth. Bragging on our work, our church,
this and that and the other. Begging for money, money, money,
money, money. Countries desolate. Cities are
burned with fire that is consumed with lust. Your land. Strangers
devour it. I don't want to get into politics
here, but the world used to owe us. Now we owe the world, don't
we? Now we're owned by the world.
It's coming in. This can apply right now, can't it? It can apply.
So this is what he was talking to the Israelites here. He said,
they're coming in, they're infiltrating you. And spiritually speaking,
believers. The world is innocent. Verse eight, the daughter of
Zion, look at this, look how, look at this. The daughter of
Zion, this is talking about the church, is left as a cottage
in a vineyard. Where's the church left to? It's
a little building out in the cemetery. That's where we think
the church belongs. It used to be the institution
that this society was built upon. You know, our constitution was
written upon. Religious foundations? What?
One nation under God, now it's one nation under money, under
sin. Look at this, verse 9, except
the Lord. But God, unless God, except the
Lord, do something for us, we're in a mess. except the Lord of
hosts had left unto us a small remnant. We should have been
just like Sodom and should have been like Gomorrah, burned up.
But because God has not totally removed the gospel from this
world, because he has a remnant, he has a little place, and I
say it with all confidence, this is one of those places. There's
a remnant according to the election of grace. There's a small little
group of people by today's standards that are Worshipping God as he
is, and know themselves to be what they are, and look unto
Christ as their only hope of salvation. Is that what you...
John, that's what you're doing, aren't you? That's how you believe,
isn't it? That's God's remnant. Always has been. It still is
today. And I say with full confidence
also, anybody that worships the same way, I don't care if they
are big. There's no religion or irreligion
in big or little. I'm not saying that at all. But
anybody that worships God in spirit, in truth, in the truth
of the gospel, knows himself as he is in the dust, no good,
worthy of condemnation, and that Christ is his only hope. I don't
worship with that person. But he said, and bless the Lord,
but it's a small remnant. The scriptures are clear here.
Many are called. Few are chosen. The world has
the same Bible we have. That's the call. Many are called. Many people
hear the same verses you're hearing this morning, but few are chosen.
Few have been given ears to hear and eyes to see. And unless he
had left us a remnant, a gospel remnant, he'd have burned this
thing up a long time ago. And even now, even now, the gospel
is all that keeps this nation and this world intact. Why? Because God has sheep that he
must bring into the fold. He must bring them. He's prayed
in John 17. Them I must bring. And the minute
that last sheep is in the fold, that's all she wrote. Because
he's not going to have any more to do with this old man. But
he's doing it according to this remnant, for Christ's sake, for
their sake. A small remnant. Look at verse
10 through 15 real fast. Hear the word of the Lord, you
rulers of Sodom. Look here, he's kind of making
fun. He just said now that Sodom and Gomorrah will burn up, but
he's talking of them like they were just like them. And this
is the United States. Would you hear Sodom? Give ear unto the law of God,
you people of Gomorrah. To what purpose, what's the motive
behind your sacrifices unto me, what you're doing for the Lord,
for Jesus? I've done this for Jesus. What's the purpose? Say it for the Lord. I'm full
of this stuff, he says. I'm full of burnt offerings of
rams and fat of red beasts. I don't delight in this stuff,
the blood of bullocks or lambs or of he-goats. When you come
to appear before me, who will ask you to tread my courts?"
Verse 13, don't bring any more useless oblations. Would you
not bring any more of your big choirs? I'm sick of hearing their
voices. I got me a choir, God says. incenses and abominations, your
silly little prayers, I'm so sick of this stuff." That's exactly
what he's saying here. The new moons and Sabbaths, your
Easter Sundays, your Christmas cantatas, the calling of assemblies, I
cannot away with this iniquity. It's iniquity. Even your solemn
meetings, even your Sunday go to meetings. And if you're honest with yourself,
you have to say that we belong right there. We come in here
with our Sunday finest on, God's name on our lips and our heart
at the ballgame. Don't we? We belong right here. This is us. And God says, I'm sick of this.
Sick of it. Verse 14, your new moons, your
appointed feasts, my soul hates them. Is that not what God just
said? He says, there's trouble in the
man I'm weary to bear, and I'm weary of it. Someday he's going
to be so weary that he says, that's all. That's what he said
about Sodom and Gomorrah. That's it. And I hope in mercy he doesn't
say that to you or to me. I've had all I can take of you. No more. Verse 15, when you spread forth
your hands, you know, you see them spreading their hands to heaven.
Lift up, O leave. Say, I'll hide my face. When
you make many prayers, I'm not going to hear you. Verse 16,
what's the answer? Wash you. Make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do
well. Seek truth. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for
the withered." Now, wait a minute. This is confusing. Yeah, we're
confused, all right. God's Word is not confused. You
say, how? How is man, who is altogether
unholy—we just read over here why the whole head is sick, the
heart is faint, the sole of the feet to the top of the head,
no wound, no soundness in it—how are we going to do these things?
Altogether laden with iniquity, rebellious toward God, no sound
judgment in Him, our head and our hearts sick, no spiritual
life in us. I read this morning how man is
talking about God's sovereignty and man's free will. How can
you explain that to me? Our God is sovereign, yet man
has a free will. Two sovereign people. Somebody
use this illustration. It's like saying that a captain,
there's a captain of a battleship, and he's sovereign over that
ship. He's in control of that ship, except the man on the front
third. He ain't got that ship, does
he, Henry? Why, those men on the front can rebel against him,
and they can wreck the whole ship. That's what men are saying
about God. God's sovereign, but you have
your free will. God's sovereign. Our will is bent towards sin. Christ told us to pray. He said,
you better be praying like this, not my will be done. Thy will be done on earth. as it is in heaven, not my will. You see, that's what Satan said,
I will, and that's what every rebel against God says, my will,
and they put it all across their church building, our will, not
God's will. So how? How are we going to do
this thing? Make yourself clean, put away
the evil before your eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well,
seek judgment. How are you going to do these things? Look at verse
eight. Look at it, everybody, please. Come. Now. This is the difference between
an invitation, Terry, and a subpoena. Does a judge issue an invitation
when he demands you be in court? Does he say, no, you come down,
you come if you want to, you don't have to. No, he sends in
a subpoena by a deputy marshal and says, you better be there. And you'll come by the power
of the judge. His people are made willing in
the day of his power. His people come to Christ's house
by his power, by his sovereign power. And he says, you come
now. Wait till tomorrow. It might
be too late. Come now. And he says, look at this, verse
18. Let's reason this thing out. You're confused, aren't you?
I just told you couldn't do anything, now I'm telling you to do something.
Kind of confused, aren't you? God's sake. Well, let's reason
this thing out. See, let's reason together. You
know, the gospel is not unreasonable. We are. The gospel is not confusing. We are. We're confused. The gospel
stands to reason, but not physical, material, earthly reason, not
man's wisdom, God's wisdom. The gospel stands to God's reason,
doesn't it? Spiritual reason, not our reason,
not the way we can put two and two together. That ain't it.
It's the way God says. The gospel stands to reason.
Now, listen to reasoning. Let's listen to reasoning. Our
sins are scarlet. Okay, he says there, come now,
let's talk about this thing. Your sins are scarlet. Joe, when
something is scarlet, you ladies, some of you have dyed curtains
or whatever. You've dipped it down in scarlet
dye. Now, is it just red on the top
side? No, when you soak it, when you
soak it in a vat of dye, it is red through and through it. Now,
he says your sins are scarlet. That is, they permeate every
fiber of your being. Heart, head, hand, feet, sin. He said in one place, can the
Ethiopian change his skin? No, he's a black man. Can the
leopard change his spots to stripes like a tiger? No, he's a leopard.
That's his nature. How then can you, being evil,
that drink iniquity like the water, be good? Henry, it's impossible,
isn't it? We can't do it. Oh, really? He says, let's reason this thing
out. Your sins are scurrilous. They'll be white as snow. How? Well, how, ladies? All right,
take that same garment that you dipped down in that red dye. You take that same garment out
and get you a big vat of bleach. Pure, clear, clean bleach. And dip it down in there. and
leave it a while to soak. And later on, you go get that
out. She'll be white. What can wash
away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Christ. Sin is in our blood. Sin is in
our blood. The only thing that will remove
bloodstains is bleach, and the only thing that will remove sin
stains is blood. Not my works, not my doings,
but the blood and the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
said, now let's talk about this thing. You want that? You want your sins removed? You
want to be washed, evil put away from you? You want to learn to
do well? Look to the Lamb. Look up there on the cross. Don't
look at what you're doing. Don't look inside to find some
evidences of salvation or look at your works to see how far
you've come up to God's tent. Don't look at that. Look at that
lamb, that bloody lamb hanging on that tree with blood streaming
down his face and his feet and his hands. There is where you
wash. Get under that cross and let
that blood flow over top of you. reason this thing out, you see.
It's the only way. Without the shedding of blood,
he says, there's no remission of sins. My blood or Christ's
blood. Now, sin must have a sacrifice. This is the way it's been from
the very beginning. The high priest, the people dare not come
before God without a sacrifice. If you come in without the proper
sacrifice, without the blood, God's going to kill you. It's
the same way now. He can't come before this holy
God without pleading the blood, not the blood plus, just the
blood. Aaron, the high priest, didn't
go in the Holy of Holies to make that sacrifice, and he had a
badge. He had sewed him up a nice badge
that night with some embroidered work. You know, he worked real
hard on it, put that badge on that clothing, and said, God's
going to like this. Here's the blood. Look at my
badge. It had killed him instantly.
And we come before God the same way. Here's the blood. I believe
on Jesus, and I've done a pretty good job myself. I've worked
real hard. I believe, I believe. I accepted Jesus out of my presence. That's the God of this Bible. Christ came down here as a man,
the only man that God ever said, I approve of this man. Here's
a man who loves me in thought, in word, and indeed perfectly. He actually loves me. He has
lived exactly the way I intended for man to live. The way man
should live before me. I accept this man. This man. Nobody else. Nobody else. Everybody
else has come short of the glory of God. Not this man. And then
Christ took that life that he lived. Only God could do it.
Not a mere mortal man. Only the God-man could do it.
Took it off. Took that robe off, supernaturally.
And put it on some people. Ricky, put it on you. Why? Henry, some people. A remnant. Put it on them. And God now looks
at Henry. He looks good, too. Yeah, he
looks like Christ, too. And Christ took my sinful self
off of me and put it on Him. And God looked at Him and said,
There's that rascal. I'm going to kill him. And He
killed him. That's the gospel. That is the
gospel. And that is our only hope. He
is our only hope. So let's reason this thing out. Let's reason this thing out.
The Lord says, your sins are scarlet. They're red like crimson. He said, they'll be as wool.
You want to be a sheep? Your sins are red like crimson,
but I'm going to make them white as wool, like a sheep. I'm going
to make you one of my sheep. Verse 19, if. Yeah, there you
are, preacher. If you be willing. if you be willing in the day
of His power. All God's people are willing
in the day of His power. Who makes us will? It's God that
works in us, both the will and the do of His good pleasure.
It's God. The faith is the gift of God.
If you be willing by God's power, and no man is willing except
God makes him willing and obedient, that is, to the faith, believing
Christ, coming to Christ, living for Him, no man is obedient unless
God gives him obedience. Gives him that gift of faith.
He said, if you do have these things, you're going to eat the
good of the land. You're going to eat the good of the
land. But he said in verse 20, if you refuse and rebel, condemnation. Don't believe the things that
I've said. I've got to say this with the
Apostle Paul. If any man preached any other gospel than what I
preached this morning, Let him be cursed. I say it again, like
the Apostle Paul says again, if any man preach any other gospel
than what I preach, Rick, do you amen this? Let him be accursed. That's what the Apostle says. I don't say this in pride, in
presumption. I'm saying that's what this book
says. That's what God says. God is true. And every other
man, outside of what God says, is a liar. And they're leading
thousands, yea, millions of people. to destruction, leaning on their
own arm of flesh instead of totally upon God. Any man that causes,
points men to Christ, I'll back him up one thousand percent. Stand with me now, this is in
prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we ask Your forgiveness for the
vessel. The food is good. It's right. It's true. Your Word. We ask Your forgiveness the way
that we serve it. But yet, we ask for even more
boldness in this generation. even more boldness to proclaim
the truth as it is. We can't cry loud enough that
God is God, and that man is grass, and that Christ is our only hope.
We can't cry it loud enough. Lord, help us. Help us to be
bold for the truth. Love the truth. Love men's souls. Love those that we preach it
to. Help us. delivers from a bitterness of
spirit, a rejection of the truth, in spite of the vessel. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. You're dismissed.