Now, Revelation 22. I'd like to read the last five
verses of this chapter. And we'd like to look at verse
17. And then the next time we are
here, we'd like to look at verses 18 and 19 together. There's certainly
a lot said in those two verses about you better not mess with
God's word. Now I don't understand all of
the consequences as is explained
there, but I know none of them are good if you mess with God's
word. That's just clear and plain. Don't mess with it, because the
consequences are not good. All right, but let's look at
this verse 17. The spirit and the bride say
come, and let him that heareth say come, and let him that is
athirst come. and whosoever will let him take
of the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any
man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book. Now I'm just convinced that this
message, these two verses, not only apply to the book of Revelation,
but they apply to the whole Bible. Don't mess with God's word. It's enough to say I don't understand
it, but it is sin to say I don't believe it. That is sin. So God's people will never go
there. If any man shall take away Oh,
excuse me, if any man, verse 18, shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book
of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are
written in this book. Verse 20, he which testify these
things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen, even so come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all. Amen. All right. Now, let's look at verse 17 here
for a few minutes tonight. There are several times in this
verse of scripture that the word come is used, and it makes good
sense when we look at the first part of these that they are related
to what the Lord Jesus Christ had to say in this very same
chapter, I come quickly. It appears as we look at this
verse of scripture that the spirit and the bride, now never does
the bride answer by itself. We have the privilege of having
the Holy Spirit answer for us. The Holy Spirit is the one that
walks beside the church and leads the church and directs the church
and teaches the church all things. Now, it doesn't mean that he
teaches everything to the church that God knows, but it teaches
us that he teaches everything that we'll ever know about God.
That's what it's teaching us. Everything that we'll ever know
about God, the Holy Spirit is going to teach us. And we'll
not know anything about God if he doesn't teach us. Now the
Spirit and the Bride request the Lord to return. That's what
we find here, the spirit of the bride. Now, in chapter 22 and
verse 7, it says here, behold, I come quickly. The Lord Jesus
says those words, and from eternity, it is quickly. Whether it takes
2,000 or 4,000 years or 5,000 years, that is still quickly
compared to eternity. God said, a day with the Lord
is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. I'm not controlled
by time. Years mean nothing to me. Days
mean nothing to me. I created time for human beings. So they'll have day and night.
That's what he created time for. That's what he created day and
night for. But he is not controlled by that. The Lord God Almighty
does not rest. He does not sleep. He does not
slumber. He is not ever off duty. He is always watching over his
children. And we find he is preparing to
come back. Behold, I come quickly. Blessed
is he that keepeth the same of the prophecy of this book. Verse
seven and in verse 12 of that same chapter says, and behold,
I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man
according to his work shall be. I come quickly. This is what
the Lord has said. He is not detained by anything
except I have some sheep yet to save. The long suffering of
the Lord means salvation. He is not waiting for a building
to be built. He is not waiting for a temple
to be built. He's not waiting for sacrifices
to be made. He's not waiting for Israel to
do anything. He's not waiting for the United
States to do anything. Time will bring the last one
in, and it will be at the appointed time, just like it was for every
one of you. It was at an appointed time.
In the fullness of time, God saved his people. In the fullness
of time, Christ came, and we also find, when it pleased God,
that he saves his people at the appointed time. He equates them
with the gospel, and He will come quickly. Now, he came quickly
when he came after us the first time. Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection. That is typified when Jesus walked
up to Lazarus' tomb and said, Lazarus, come forth. He raises
his people from the spiritual dead, and he does that in a quick
fashion. But he also will be coming back
at the appointed time. When the last sheep is saved,
when it's brought in, he will come back and he has promised
that. In fact, he said, I come quickly, And now in verse 17,
the Spirit counsels the church because the church gets no other
counseling. The Holy Spirit is the counsel for the church. The
Holy Spirit is the director for the church. We would not want
to do anything apart from the Holy Spirit. And woe be to us
when we do. The Holy Spirit is essential
for the life of the body. The Holy Spirit is essential
for the life of the body of all believers and it's essential
for the life of a local body. The Holy Spirit is what teaches
us and leads us and directs us and points us and causes us to
continually be pressed towards the mark of the high calling
in Christ Jesus. Thank God Almighty, he puts his
hand on our back and he puts his hands around our cheeks and
keeps us going in the right direction. The mountain may get steep, but
we still have help going up that mountain. We are carried up that
mountain. In Romans, would you turn with
me to the book of Romans? As we think about the spirit
and the bride, they request the Lord to return. The spirit counsels
the church to pray, come quickly. The church has always prayed
that. The church has never written
a song that says, wait a little longer, sweet Jesus. That's a song. I've heard Buck
go on singing. Wait a little, no, the church
has always says, come quickly. We are in a quagmire. We are in a world that is entranced
and enthralled with sin, and please come quickly. Don't detain,
but hasten, come quickly. That's the prayer of the church.
But the prayer of the church is also, the long-suffering of
God saved me. The long-suffering of God meant
salvation to me. So the long-suffering of the
Lord means salvation. All right, over here in the book
of Romans, chapter 8. What a wonderful passage of scripture
is found here in the book of Romans, chapter 8. Well, chapter
9. Chapter 10, chapter 11. Great
reading and also great study. Romans chapter 8 and verse 16.
We read these words, the spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit. Now, that's true about every
individual believers, but it also is true about the church. The spirit itself beareth witness
with the spirit of the church. It is the counsel for the church.
It is, we don't get anything from our own noodle. We are without
intelligence until it's given to us, spiritual intelligence. Now, there have been wise men
in the wisdom of the world, but when it comes to spiritual things,
the only teacher is the Holy Spirit. Here it tells us in Romans
chapter 8 and verse 16, says the Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. It is the Spirit
that informs of that. Boy, left to ourselves, oh man,
I wonder if I even know Jesus. I wonder if I know the Lord.
Look at what I just did. Look at the mess I just made.
The spirit beareth witness in the in the counsel of God This
is my child and it's not because we can remember a day It is because
we have a love for the Lord Jesus Christ Today that's been really
impressed on me visiting with brother Marvin and I just enjoyed
that so much but he stressed and I just had to agree it's
not how we thought of him yesterday. It is not what we thought of
God yesterday, but what do we think of God today? And Lord,
help us to think kindly of you tomorrow. Grace has been gracious
today. I love my Lord, but please, oh
God almighty, help me to love you tomorrow. That's the thing,
tomorrow. And then when we face our last
day, Lord, give me grace to love you then. It's only by your grace. All right, now turn with me if
you would over to the book of John 14. As we think about the
spirit and the bride say come, the spirit is counseling the
bride to cry, come Lord Jesus. This prayer, this ardent prayer
to which the bride is moved by the Holy Spirit to pray. Be coming
now, be coming now. You know, we visited among ourselves
and found out, you know, their things are pretty rotten. And
God's people, I just hear them say, oh Lord, if you could just
get this over with. Get it over with. We're beginning
to see in our own lives and in the lives of others, the depravity,
what really happened in the fall. What really happened? The farther
we go, the more we learn about what really happened in the fall
and how it has affected the hearts and lives and minds of people
and is characterized by their absolute non-dependence upon
the Lord. And we deal with it all the time.
And God's people, the church, has been crying by the help of
the Holy Spirit from the very beginning, Lord, come. at the
greatest. I'm not going to live to be 100,
but just say I was. I've got 40 years, and he's coming.
That's it. Time is drawing short. I'm just
one day closer to the Lord coming. One day closer. Today was one
day closer to his coming. All right. Now I want to read
here in John 14, verse 26, the Holy Spirit The Lord Jesus said
this about the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God counsels us.
The Spirit of God directs us. The Spirit of God leads us. The
Spirit of God gives us understanding. The Spirit of God opens up the
Word of God. It is the Spirit of God that
reveals the Son of God to our heart. And here in John 14 and
verse 26, The Lord Jesus said just not long before his crucifixion
and not long before his ascension, he says here in verse 26, John
14, 26, but the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, the Holy
Ghost, got a comforter, you got the Holy Ghost, that's who it
is. The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all
things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. And not
only did he do that for the disciples in their desperate time of need,
but he does it today. The Holy Spirit counsels the
church. The Holy Spirit teaches the church.
It is the Spirit of God that reveals the word of God, what
it means. who it's pointing to, what it's
about. And it is through that we understand
that the prophets were singing the sweet music of Christ in
the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit reveals that
unto us. And then going back to, if you would, to the book
of Romans one more time, chapter eight, verse 26, we read these
words about the Holy Spirit. So it is nothing for the Holy
Spirit to counsel the church to say, come, be coming, Lord
Jesus, come. We're, and especially if we would
read about the persecution that was going on at the time of the
writing of this book, it's no wonder that the Lord comforted
those people by saying, the Holy Spirit will comfort you in crying
out, be coming Lord Jesus. Come, and down through the centuries,
come, Lord Jesus. Chapter eight and verse 26, we
find something very vital for the church, very vital for every
individual person that's in the church. If you want to pray,
here's the key to it. Don't leave out the Spirit. Romans
8, verse 26, the Word of the Lord says, likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities. Now, we have a lot of those.
We got them by the fall. We're in the same condition in
many respects as lost people are. We have infirmities because
of the fall. We can't see Christ like we would
like to, but the Holy Spirit reveals Him to us. And here,
we can't pray like we'd like to, or we should, but the Holy
Spirit, it says here, verse 26, likewise the Spirit also help
with our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for
us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now, that doesn't
mean the people are making groanings which cannot be uttered. That
means the Holy Spirit is speaking to God, That's what it means. God the spirit is speaking to
God on our behalf. He has knowledge of what we have
need of before we ask the Holy Spirit. It is the bride spirit
counseling the bride that says come Lord Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit that is
leads the church to know that God has purposed to work all
things after the counsel of his own will. Why is he not back?
He's working all things after the counsel of his own will.
And the church has settled on that. We'll not be moved from
that. We're comforted by that. God
has said, I am working all things after the counsel of my own will.
But Lord, look at what we're dealing with. Pray, come Lord
Jesus, but I'm working all things after the counsel of my own will,
and I have purposed it, and it's being carried out exactly like
I purposed it. Not only the church as a body,
but every believer prays, come Lord Jesus. The church and collective
aspect, praying, come Lord Jesus, that's the Holy Spirit counseling
the church. But we, as we rest, as we are alone in our own closet,
we are counseled, Lord come. That event in the Garden of Eden
so many years ago is terrible, come Lord Jesus. It's affected
the world in such a way that it cannot repair itself. Come,
Lord Jesus. Mankind is sinful by nature,
sinful by practice, and sinful by choice. Come, Lord Jesus. Oh God, what unworthy worms we
are. Come, Lord Jesus. So that's the
prayer that the Holy Spirit gives us. And the rest of the verse,
as we see it, is the message of the church. Let's go back
there to the book of Revelation chapter 22 and verse 17. We have
here, the spirit and the bride say come and let him that heareth
say come. Everyone that's heard the message,
come Lord Jesus. That just seems to be a theme
left the believer. Sometimes we even say, wouldn't
it have been nice if the Lord had just taken us out of this
world when he saved us? Just saved a lot of agony, pain,
death. But he didn't and he had a purpose
in it. He needs somebody who knows something
to share that something with other people. I'll never, I hope
I never forget. You're around people that do
some forgetting more than they used to and you say, Lord, Keep
my remember intact for a while longer. But. I'm a nobody. Trying to tell
everybody about somebody who can save anybody. But Scott Richardson. Gone on. We're nobodies. But we have something to say.
We have something to say. We have a message, a message
about Christ. Now the rest of this verse. shares with us the message of
the church. The rest of this verse is the
message. Come to Christ, thirsty one. Come to Christ. Blessed are they that hunger
and thirst after righteousness is what we find over in the book
of Matthew. Would you turn there with me,
Matthew chapter five, Matthew chapter five, and there in verse
six, the Lord Jesus in this great sermon on the mount, And this
Sermon on the Mount is a sequoia. I just can't get all my arms
around it. It's huge. Lord, help me to understand a
little bit more of it. But notice here in Matthew chapter
5 and verse 6, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness, for they shall be filled. Now he is sharing
with us that there is a whole group of people that doesn't
know what it is to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Now,
I've never been real hungry. I thought I was a couple of times,
but I wasn't. Never been real hungry for food.
Never been real thirsty for water. You know, if I hadn't have ran
out of water, I'd have drank some more right then, but I'm
sure glad my son had a whole bunch on him when I found him.
We were out hunting, and I drank a bunch of his. But he said this,
blessed is everyone that hungers and thirsts after righteousness. Now what does that mean? That
means hungering and thirsting after the righteous one, Christ. His righteousness and not ours. It is a God-given gift to do
that. It is not normal for people to
do that. They don't come along and do
that naturally. They just don't wake up some
day and say, you know, I really am hungry and thirsty after righteousness. It has to be given to us. The
woman at the well, she was down there for literal water. She
didn't even know that she was thirsty or hunger because she
wasn't. God created a craving in her. God Almighty, the Holy Spirit,
and the Son of God created a craving in her for righteousness for
the Son of God. It's a miracle of God's grace
and it doesn't come by men, it comes by the Holy Spirit alone.
We cannot create that. We can only read about it. We
can only declare it. Blessed are those who do hunger
and thirst after righteousness. And that's the message of the
church. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
It's not a common thing. It's not a natural thing. It's
not a human thing. It's divine. A sinner is a very
special individual because God has made him thus. We may have
sinned, but we're not gonna be a sinner until we are made that
by God. In John chapter four, would you
turn there with me? John chapter four and verse 13. John chapter four and verse 13.
Verse 13, as we think about the message of the church, blessed
are those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they
shall be filled. John chapter 4 and verse 13,
the scriptures share this, and Jesus answered and said unto
her, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. You
know, he could said that about the water in that well and he
could say that about the water that religion gives and have
equal power. Everyone that drinks this religious
water is going to thirst again. It never satisfies and you can't
get enough to satisfy. But he goes on to say, but whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him, It's not there that
we're just gonna lap it up. It's I shall give him. It's spiritual
water. I give him shall never thirst,
but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life. And the woman says, I want
some of that so I don't have to come down here and be embarrassed
every time I come for water. Because people in town know who
I am. That's the problem she faced,
but he's not talking about that kind of water, he's talking about
spiritual water. And, well, we find out he acquainted
her with that spiritual water in this passage of scripture.
In chapter six and verse 35, we read these words. The message
of the church, come to Christ. The message of the church, the
gospel is an invitation Come to Christ, John chapter six and
verse 35. It says, and Jesus said unto
them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst. The thirst
is quenched, but it's always full. It's not quenched and then
drained down again. It's always full. We always get
our thirst quenched. Always. That's his promise. Now,
religion always puts restrictions on people being saved. Hideous restrictions, unbiblical
restrictions, heretical restrictions. Only
those who know grace leaves the restrictions off because we are
given the ministry of saying, come. We don't restrict anybody. Religion
restricts people. Arminianism restricts people. They say you have to in order
to get. That's a restriction. You have
to repent and believe and then God will save you. That's a restriction. Religion always puts the restrictions.
Be baptized, join the church, live a good life. Tells the ones
to repent, believe. No person here would put a block
between one person and Christ. We simply say as what the Bible
says, come to Christ. The level, the ground is level.
The mountains have been made low. The valleys have been filled
in. There is nothing whatsoever preventing you from coming to
Christ but your own stubbornness and your own depravity, and God
will take care of that. Come to Christ. We put no restrictions
on anybody coming to Christ. Now, we know when they come that
God has worked a work of grace. That's the miracle of it. When
they come, God has worked a work of grace. When they come, he
has made them willing in the day of his power. That's what
we read in the Psalms. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. They are made willing. And as
we read over here in the book of Revelation chapter 22 and
verse 17, the spirit and the bride say, come to the Lord,
let him that heareth come, come Lord Jesus, and let him that
is a thirst come. That's what the church said.
You're thirsty, come. We have the water. Here's the
water, Christ. And whosoever will, let him take
of the water of life freely. God's people are the only ones
that will not fuss over that. because they know what it is
to be whosoever will. They have to be made willing
in the day of His power. We are without help and without
hope and without God in this world, and we must be enabled
to trust Him. We'll not do it on our own. Now,
people say, well, you don't even believe whosoever will. Oh, yes,
I do. Absolutely, that's what the Bible says. I believe whosoever
will essentially and absolutely. God is the one that makes them
willing. God is the one that made me willing.
I would not have been willing if he had not changed my heart
and given me a new heart so I could be willing. 2 Corinthians, would
you turn there, 2 Corinthians 8. This is a wonderful verse
of scripture, and it means especially a great deal to me, because this
is what God did for me to you. That's why I can't leave. That's why I don't want to leave.
That's why I have no intention of leaving. This is what God
did for me, but he did it, and that's what he does to people.
Second Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 8, verse 16. 2 Corinthians 8, verse 16. Scripture share this, but thanks
be to God, which put the earnest care into the heart of Titus. What? For you. He put the earnest
care in the heart of Titus for those saints. Now that's what
he does. That's what he does when he saves
us. He puts in our hearts something we didn't have naturally. And
he put the desire right there. But thanks be to God, which put
the earnest care into the heart of Titus for you, for indeed
he accepted the exhortation, being made more forward of his
own accord he went unto you." So God did this for Titus, but
he does it for every believer. He puts it in their heart. That's why we have no problem,
whosoever will may come. and drink of the water of life
freely. But don't come for baptism. Don't come for the ordinances.
Don't come for repentance. Don't come for faith. Those are
gifts of God to his people. Don't come for all those restrictions
that people put on you. Come to Christ. Whosoever will
may come and drink of the water of life. And I like that word
that was put in our translation, freely. There's no restraint. Don't take just a pint. No, lap
it up, drink it in, absorb it, swim in him, drink all you will
of him. That's what he tells us. But
thanks be to God which put some earnest care into the heart of
Titus for you. Now, I love that verse of scripture.
When I stumbled across, I had to check the ink. Had to check the ink. I just
never have stumbled. I've read Titus several times,
but I've never, it just never jumped out at me. But this time,
as we're going through here about what God does for his people
in Revelation chapter 22 and verse 17, the spirit and the
bride say, come Lord Jesus. Those who have heard, come Lord
Jesus. But the church in this age says, come to Christ. No restrictions. Every valley
has been exalted, every hill has been made low. That's what
John said his ministry was, and that's what our ministry is.
There's nothing between the chiefest of sinners and Christ. There
is nothing. There is no hindrance except
their own stony heart, and God is faithful to give his people
the heart of flesh so they can come and come quickly and drink
of the water of life freely. It tells us in the book of Philippians.
Would you turn there with me? Philippians chapter two. Philippians
chapter two. I believe in whosoever will.
You do too. There's no question about it.
You can't change the text. Can't change it. It's there.
But God has explained explicitly what we are by nature. and that
we would not choose him and we would not have our will in his
will until he makes us willing. He puts it in our heart. And
as we read here in the book of Philippians chapter two and verse
13, for it is God, underline it, take it to the bank. It is God which worketh in you. I can't emphasize. I'm still
understanding that, but I can't emphasize it enough. It is God
which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. That's a good sentence. It's the truth. And that's what
God does. If you've ever been willing to
do what God wants you to do, it's because he made you willing
in the day of his power. For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. In Matthew
chapter eight, it's a wonderful passage of scripture about the
Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus. I just want you
to look at this. This is the same word. that we
read over here in Revelation chapter 22, but in Matthew chapter
8, notice the king, notice the Lord, notice the master, notice
as Mary put it, roboni, which being interpreted as master.
That's a significant term for the church, master, king. Matthew chapter 8 verse
3. Look at that with me. And Jesus
put forth his hand and touched him saying, I will be thou clean. Now that's the Lord's words about
healing a man. I will be thou clean. Now he's
the only one that can say that with authority. I will be thou
clean. I will be thou saved. I will
be thou cleansed. I will have a new heart. That's
the thing that we find with regard to the Lord Jesus, to God Almighty
throughout the scriptures. I'd like in just a, in the short
time we have left, and I won't take all of it, I'd just like
to read two or three verses of scripture. Oh, forgive me, six. Six verses found in, one in Genesis
chapter one. Turn over there with me if you
would. We've read this before in our studies of the Psalms,
Psalm 19, but I want to read it again. Genesis chapter one,
verse three. As we think about God, what he
does. Whosoever will come and drink
of the water of life freely. And the church is foundation
upon this principle when we say it. God said, let there be light,
and there was light. That's our foundation. God's
eternal, everlasting sovereignty. That's our foundation. We can
say with authority, whosoever will may come and drink of the
water of life freely. Because he is the one that said,
let there be light. And there was light. And there
was nothing but light. He is it. All right. Psalm 33. Psalm 33. Turn there with me.
Our foundation for us to say, come to Christ. We will qualify
that. Don't move a muscle. Don't depend
on anything that you're doing. The road is even to Christ. It's
flat to Christ. There's no humps. You don't have
to jump over anything. You don't have to go down into
any valley, just come. Don't depend on your righteousness,
just come. All right, Psalm. Psalm 33. Psalm 33 in verse nine. And he
spake and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. Now that's authority. That's
our foundation that gives us every right to say his word. That's why it's important that
we don't take away from his word or we don't add to his word because
his word says, he spake and it was done. He commanded and it
stood fast. March mark for 39 mark for 39. She turned there with me. Mark chapter four, verse 39,
our foundation. How can we say with authority? Revelation chapter 22 and verse
17, the spirit and the bride say, come Lord Jesus. Come, return. He that heareth, come. Church
says it. Collectively, church says it.
Individual members. And then the church, this is
their message, our message. It's an evangelistic message.
We don't have to have special evangelistic messages. Every
message is evangelistic. That is good news. That's what
the word means. It's good news. It's good news
for me to hear that there's a God that spoke and it was done. A
God that spoke and it halted. A God right here, notice this
in Mark 4 verse 39, the scripture says, and he arose and rebuked
the wind and said unto the sea, peace be still. And the wind
ceased and there was a great calm. Now that's what he does
to us spiritually too. We are in turmoil by nature. Peace be still. And there is a great calm. Mark chapter five, verse 41. Mark chapter five, verse 41. He took the damsel by the hand
and said unto her, forgive me if I can't pronounce this completely,
Talithah Kumai, which is being interpreted, damsel, I say unto
thee arise, and straightway the damsel arose and walked, for
she was the age of 12 years. If you'll read back here, everybody
else knew that she was dead. Damsel, arise. What command? Not just of the language, but
command of everything. And then Mark chapter seven and
verse 34, this is our foundation. This is why we can say what is
written over there in the book of Revelation, chapter 22 and
verse 17. Mark chapter seven, verse 34,
the scripture says, and looking up to heaven, he sighed and said
unto him, epaphta, that is, be opened. Boy, wouldn't you? Well, I'm not even going to go
there. Say a word like this, it's just in a different language
and we have the interpretation of it. Be open. Eyes are open
instantaneously. That's what he does when he creates
new life in us. He raises us from the dead. He
may use any language he wants to, but that's what he's going
to do. Let there be light, and there was light, and the light
was good. And here we have these verses. And then John, John chapter
5. Would you turn there with me?
John chapter 5 and verse 21. John chapter 5 and verse 21. For as the father raiseth up
the dead, now that's interesting. I like that. As the father raiseth
up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the son quickeneth, that
word quickeneth means to give life to, quickeneth whom he will. But when he does it, it's life. It is life. It's not a monstrosity. It is life, breathing life from
God Almighty. When God made the first man,
says he made him of the dust of the ground, he made a form. He looked like the man that was
going to walk in a few moments, but he had no life in him. And
he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became
a living soul. Now, that's what we can say. By that power, by the power of
God, by the life-giving power of God, by the light-giving power
of God, whosoever will, and let him that is a thirst come, to
Christ. And whosoever will, let him take
of the water of life freely." Now that's one thing about God's
work. They're going to come to Christ and drink of Christ freely. They're not going to depend on
anything else but Christ. He is their bread and He is their
water. They'll not say, well, I got here on my own power. No,
no, no, no. When He quickens us, we know
we didn't get there on our own power. And we didn't have the
good sense to bend over and drink from the life-giving stream.
But he gives us that, as he said about Titus, I put it in his
heart. I put it in his heart. God put
it in his heart. Now, no doubt Titus was a good
man before then, but just think of what kind of person he was
now for those people. These are the people God has
given me. So I put it in their heart. So
we'll stop here for tonight and we just want you to think about
those, that verse of scripture, so powerful. The church has been
counseled by the spirit of God to pray, come Lord Jesus. And they do it willingly and
they do it daily And then he says, by that same power, I counsel
you, call to the lost. Call to the lost. Call to those
that are thirsty. Call to whosoever will come. The ground is flat. There's no
hindrance except your own stubbornness and depravity. And God is able
to take care of that.