the universality of the gospel.
The gospel is the same for all. The gospel is the same for all. No matter where you go, no matter what country you go into,
what race you preach to, what language they use, the gospel
is the same wherever you go. It's the same in Mexico, Same in Canada, same in the North, the
Southeast and the West. It does not change because cultures
change or language changes or race changes. The gospel is universal. And the gospel is such an instrument
of power and salvation under the power and blessing of the
Holy Spirit. And the gospel, it's the gospel now. And when
it's in the hands of the Holy Spirit, it's effectual. It's
effectual. And that's why we pray, I always
pray, Lord, make the gospel run well. Make it effectual. Drive
it home to men's hearts. And when that happens, the gospel
will then become the gospel of your salvation. When you hear
it that day, savingly, it becomes the gospel of your salvation.
But yet, Yet, though the gospel in the hands of the Holy Spirit
is effectual, yet the truth, the truth as it stands alone,
the naked truth as it stands alone, is a powerful force, and
one we all must face and reckon with. The truth as it stands
alone. When we hear truths, we may not
like them. We may reject them. They may be distasteful. But
still, yet, we must face the truth as it stands alone. That's
why Paul says, you know, we give thanks unto God who hath made
us a sweet savor in Christ unto God. In one, we're a sweet savor
of life. When we're preaching Christ,
it's a sweet fragrance. We open this blessed book, there's
a sweet fragrance that comes out to those who know Christ.
It's a sweet savor. It's a sweet taste. It's a savor
of life. But under those who don't believe,
and it's not the gospel, it's the truth stands alone. It says
it's the savor of death under death. There's people who don't
see Christ, they don't smell Christ, they don't taste Christ.
And so we still are facing the truth. Whether it's life or death,
this truth is going to affect us. And I know this without a
shadow of a doubt, that a person cannot be indifferent towards
the gospel. They can't do it. There's never a time when we
actually hear the gospel that we remain unaffected. There's
never a time. We're going to be affected. It's
either going to produce life or death. It's saving or it's
damning. It's giving sight or it's hardening. One or the other. It's tendering
a man's heart or it's hardening a man's heart. That's just what
God says. That's the way it is. But one of the greatest blessings
of the gospel is that it's universal. That is for everybody, wherever
you go. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, go
ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And he that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. And oh beloved, this gospel is
to be preached to anyone, anytime, in any situation, and anywhere.
Now that's a great encouragement to me. I don't have to try to
get a message to suit any kind of congregation or any kind of
people at any one particular time or place. That's what's
so wonderful about it. Now let's look here and let's
start reading together here. I'm going to go down through
these verses from chapter 10 down to verse 12 through 21.
First of all, we see God's mercy to all. It says there in verse
12, for there is no difference. We're talking about the universality
of the gospel. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is raised
unto all that call upon him. You see, that's what I mean.
That's why it's universal. There is no difference. There
is no difference between the Jew and the Greek. God sees no
difference in men. There's no difference between
the bondman, the man that has to work for a living, those that
were slaves in those times, and free men. There's no difference
in culture, the ignorant, the rich, the poor, the PhD, or the
fellow can't read his name. Now down here on this earth,
we make distinctions in people. We make great distinctions in
people. But God doesn't make distinctions in people. We make
them down here. We honor who we know, we honor
whose honors do, and we make distinction in people and that,
and we'll classify people and put people in these pegs and
say they're this way, that way, and the other way. But God doesn't
do that. He has no respect of persons. A person's power, position,
prestige, education has no bearing on what God will do for him.
And a person's inability His unworthiness, his sinfulness,
his ignorance, none of those, they don't affect God. Nothing
about a human being, no way under the heavens, God's heaven, affects
how God's going to deal with a man. There's no difference.
There's no difference. And when we leave this world,
we're going to leave all distinctions behind. Every distinction is
going to be left behind. We won't say that fellow right
there is a rich man, that fellow right there is a poor man, that
fellow ain't got no sense. We don't leave all these distinctions
behind when we get to glory. That's why it says whether you're
bond or free, male or female, Jew or Gentile, bond-bearing,
sickly and bond or free, Christ is all and in all. That's all
that's going to matter. The Jew says the Gentile can't
be saved. Ain't that what they said? Oh,
you can't go to the Gentiles. Gentiles can't be saved. The
poor says the rich can't be saved. The learned says the ignorant
can't be saved. But the gospel says there is
no difference. Ain't that what it says there?
There is no difference. There is no difference. Oh, is
there any difference in sin? Anybody here, have you ever met
anybody without sin? Have you ever met anybody that
didn't sin? Have you ever met anybody that doesn't have sin?
Have you ever met anybody, we're all the same in nature. There's
no difference in us in our nature. We was born with a fallen nature.
We was born with enmity in our minds against God. And oh beloved,
the gospel says we're all just alike. The gospel is what's so
blessed about it. It sees everybody just alike. Oh, there's lots of folks, and
I tell you, preachers are bad for this. You know, they see
somebody come in and they tailor their message for them. Would
you change your notes if the President of the United States
come in? If this place was full of senators? If it was full of
Ph.D.'s? Would that alter our message?
Because it certainly don't alter God's view of them. And all beloved,
that's what he says. God says there is no difference.
Every soul is in need of mercy. Every soul is in need of salvation.
And then look what it says there. There's no difference between
the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto
all that call upon Him. The same Lord over all. You know
what that means? God's sovereign over everybody. He's the Lord over all. You see
these signs? It says, Make Jesus Lord. Listen,
you're 10,000 years too late. God made Him Lord before the
foundation. He's Lord over all. The preachers
say, make Jesus Lord in your life. He's Lord of your life
whether you believe Him or never believe Him. He's Lord over everything. He's the one that's going to
decide whether you breathe. He's the one that's going to
decide whether you're saved. He's the one that's going to make
all the decisions for you in this life. He's Lord over all.
And that's why His will is paramount. I mean, He's not trying to be
Lord. He's not wanting to be Lord. He's not begging on you
to let Him be Lord. He is Lord! And oh, beloved, look what it
says. He's rich! He's rich! Oh, look with me over
in Psalm 50. Look in Psalm 50 with me just
a minute. He's rich! How rich do you reckon God is? You know, people say, they can't
count that fella's money. Oh yeah, you can count it. But
you can't count God's. Oh, he's rich! Look what it says
there in verse 9, Psalm 15 verse 9. I will take no bullock out of
thy house, nor he goats out of thy field. For every beast of
the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." You know
why it says cattle on a thousand hills? He uses one number to
tell you that it all belongs to Him. Have you ever seen a
thousand hills? Cattle on a thousand hills? God
uses that number to tell you everything out there belongs
to Him. He lets me have a few in this
world. He lets me have some every once in a while. But look what
it says next. I know all the fowls of the mountain,
and the wild beasts of the field were mine." Now listen, if I
were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine,
and the fullness thereof. Oh my! He just lets us use it
while we're here. He just lets us, gives us a little
part of it to be stewards over while we're here. And then it
says He's rich, rich in all, over all. He's rich in power.
who he has power, yea, all power belongs unto him. Men think they've
got power to stop God from doing it. He said, all power belongs
unto me. And knowledge? He is rich in
knowledge. Tell me what God does not know. Anybody know something God doesn't
know? Could you think of something that God doesn't know? Can you tell me somebody who God
doesn't know? Can you tell me somebody that
God don't know their thoughts are far off? Can you tell me
somebody that God doesn't know their hearts and the thoughts
and intents of their hearts? Can you tell me somebody that
God doesn't see all things as open and naked before Him? Oh,
He's rich in knowledge. And oh, not only that, but He's
rich in grace. You know, He started giving grace
in the Garden of Eden before He ever drove out Adam. He gave
grace in the Garden of Eden, and He's been giving grace to
a multitude that no man can number, 10,000 times 10,000, and He's
got as much grace now as He started with. And oh, beloved, He's rich in
grace toward sinners. He's rich in wisdom. He knows
how to save a sinner. He knows exactly what's good
for you today and tomorrow. He's rich in forgiveness. He
forgives all our iniquity. He's rich in mercy. and His grace
towards us. And look what it says, He's rich
unto all. All that call upon Him. Now, there's the gospel. God's mercy to all. Now look
here. Look at the terms of the gospel in verse 13. Here's the
terms of the gospel. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. What? Whosoever! That's a big word. Wide word. I thank God for that
word. Oh, I love that word. Whosoever. That don't say whosoever
will. It says whosoever shall call. It don't say whosoever will let
God. No, no, it says, whosoever shall
call. The gospel is as wide as God. And that's what it means, whosoever
shall call. This call means call in faith. Call on me in faith. Call in
simplicity. You don't have to tell somebody,
teach somebody how to pray. You don't have to tell somebody
how to call on the Lord. Call on Him in simplicity. Oh, Simon
Peter said once, Lord, save me, I perish. Save me, I perish. Four words. Christ saved him. Huh? Oh, that's call on Him in
simplicity. Call on Him honestly. Call on
Him, make up nothing, and just come to Him just like you are.
Come to Him open. Come to Him naked. Come to Him
honest. You got nothing to say but guilty, condemned, in need. I need you so, Lord, I need you.
Don't come flouting up your words. Don't come telling God what you've
done and what you're not going to do and what you promised to
do. Just come honestly, like you are, telling the truth on
yourself, because He already knows it. And then it says, call
continually. You know, whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord. Now listen, when it says call
on the name of the Lord, this means continually call on the
name of the Lord. It's not just one time calling
on the Lord and getting up and not calling on Him anymore, and
you're fixed up for eternity. You reckon one tree makes a forest? Or one call? It's not sufficient
if you ever call on Him. You'll call on Him forever and
ever and ever. Once you start, if you ever call
in faith and call in simplicity, you'll call continually. It becomes
a lifelong calling on Him. A lifelong seeking Him. And then
look what it says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord. You know, the name, it stands for character. The name
of the Lord. A man's known by his name. A
good name's rather to be chosen than silver and gold. That's
what the scripture says. And God's not like us. You know,
our name is up. It's whoever's talking about
you whether you've got a good name or not. Ain't that right? It's whoever's talking about
you. If somebody that likes you and loves you, they talk about
you, you got a good name. You find somebody that don't
like you, somebody that hates you, somebody that despises you,
and you don't have a good name. But God always has a good name. Look with me in Exodus chapter
33, Exodus 33. Oh, it's like the Pharisee and the publican. Look here in Exodus 33, verse
18. Oh, this is what we want. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord. Now, you're not just calling
on Jesus, sweet little Savior boy. No, the name of the Lord,
His character, His power, His authority, His nature. And no, there in verse 18, Moses
speaking, and he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. I want to see your glory. I want
to see what makes you to be you. What makes you God. That's what
I want to see. And he said, the Lord spoke back
to him, I'll make all my goodness to pass before you. Oh my, every
time the gospel is preached, the goodness of God passes before
us. Every time we get up in the morning, the goodness of God
comes before us. When we go to bed at night, the
goodness of God went over us that day. Oh, anybody here that
the goodness of God has not been on all the days of their life?
He said, I'll make all my goodness pass before you, and watch this,
and I'll proclaim the name of the Lord. I proclaim it. And this is what my name is.
And this is my glory. And this is my character. This
is my nature. I'll be gracious to whom I will
be gracious. And will show mercy on whom I
will show mercy. Will you come to the Lord and
submit yourself to Him as God? As the one who shows mercy and
has compassion? And oh, beloved, I know this.
Now, if you don't get anything else I say today, but get this
right here. Listen to this. Stir yourself up a little bit.
You will call upon the Lord as you see Him and as you know Him.
That's right. That's why Moses called on Him.
I want to see your glory. I want to know if I found grace
in your eyes. You'll call upon the Lord as you see Him and as
you know Him. If He's impotent, you'll come to Him as somebody
who's impotent. If he has no glory, you'll talk
of him as he has no glory. You'll call him the old man.
You'll call him the fellow upstairs. You'll call him the co-pilot.
You'll call him that I'm his hands and I'm his feet. He can't do nothing in this world
unless He gives us a chance. You'll call on Him as you understand
Him to be, as you see Him. Your view of Him will determine
how you call on Him. Now isn't that fair? See, He went before the Lord
and He said, I thank Thee that I'm not like that fellow over
there. He prayed thus with himself, I thank you that I'm not an extortioner.
I thank you I'm not an adulterer. I thank you that I don't do this.
And I thank you I baptize them all I possess. Hey, he called
on God as he viewed him. Didn't he? And then the publican,
he called on God as he viewed him. God, be merciful to me. I can't even lift up my eyes
to heaven. See, they both had different
views. One went away as empty as he was when he got there.
That publican went away. Christ said, he's justified.
You're going to call on him as you view him. Ain't that right?
Huh? Oh, you're going to call on him.
And I tell you, beloved, now look at this, the gospel of whosoever
shall call. and faith, and simplicity, and
honestly, and continually, and call upon His name, the One who
has all power and authority, to show mercy and have compassion.
And then look what else he says. Look at the method of the gospel.
Oh, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? If you're going to call on the
name of the Lord to be saved, then how then shall they call
on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? You're going to call
on Him? How are you going to call on Him if you do not believe
in Him? How shall you believe in Him if you haven't heard of Him?
And how are you going to hear without a preacher? He's not
going to come to you in a stump in the woods. He's not going
to give you a vision. He's not going to speak to you
in the middle of the night. and cause goosebumps to rise over
you and give you a vision of white light or something like
that. It's not going to happen. And how shall they hear without a
people calling? How are you going to hear without a preacher? And
how are they going to preach except they be sinned? As it
is written, how beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings.
Now there's four hows here, four hows. Everybody's writing these
how-to books. Here's God's how-to. Here's God's
how-to. There are four hows here. And
we've got to face these hows. They're a question that must
be answered. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
to be saved, how then shall they call on Him in whom they have
not believed? If you're going to call on the
name of the Lord to be saved, how are you going to call on Him if you don't
believe in Him? And how are you going to believe
in Him if you've never heard of Him? How shall you kill on Him
whom you have not believed? If you don't believe Christ,
you won't call on Him. Do you believe Him? You'll call
on Him. If you trust Him, you'll call on Him. But men cannot trust,
or have faith, or call upon an unknown or an unrevealed Christ.
They can't do it. That's why, beloved people, That's
why we don't have all the calls. That's why we don't impress on
people, you know, to make a move for Jesus and come to the front
and all that. That's why we don't do that. If you know Christ, believe Christ,
you can trust Him right where you're at. But you will not believe
Him until He makes Himself known to you. And if He makes Himself
known to you, then you'll believe Him. Huh? Has He ever revealed
Himself to you? Has He made Himself known to
you? Huh? Oh my! Then it says here, how
are you going to call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
Oh, how are you going to believe in Him if you've never heard
of Him? Now I want you to see this. You keep Romans 11. Look
with me over here in Matthew 14. Just a minute. Matthew 14. Let me tell you something. How shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard? You know, men must have the correct
information of Christ if they'll believe on Him or call on Him.
You've got to have the correct information. You've got to have
the right information. I read a lot of spy books. I like spy
books and spy movies and terror movies and all that. And one
of the greatest things about spying is that you put out misinformation. If you want your enemy, To be thrown off guard, give
him misinformation. Feed him the wrong information.
And that's what the devil does. He gives people the wrong information
concerning Christ. Free-wheelers and Armenians give
the wrong information concerning Christ. Catholics give the wrong
information concerning Christ. The average Baptist gives the
wrong information, misinformation concerning Christ. Now look here
in Matthew 14. In verse 34 with me, just a minute.
Now watch what happens. Here's some fellas that knew.
They knew Christ. Christ had made Himself known
to them. Look what it says there. In verse 34. And then when they,
Matthew 14, 34. And when they were going over
the land, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And men of that place, watch
this, had knowledge of Him. Had knowledge of Him. Oh, if you've got knowledge of
Him, do you know Christ? Huh? Does God give you knowledge
of Him? Simon Peter, who do men say that
I am? Some say you're John the Baptist.
Some say you're Jeremiah, one of the other prophets. Who do
you say I am? You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Flesh
and blood didn't make you know that, Simon. But my Father which
is in heaven, He made you know that. Now watch this. So when
they had knowledge of Him, they sent out into all the country
round about and brought unto Him all that were diseased. When
you have knowledge, that's what I do, I have knowledge of Him.
And I'm telling you, you're diseased and I want you to come to Him.
And watch this, this is what they knew about Him. They besought
Him. They didn't make no demands. Didn't say, Lord, now we got
our chance. No, no. They besought Him. Now watch this. They might only
touch the hem of His garment. Where's the hem of His garment
at? That's in His feet. That's where I want to be. That's
what happens when you have a knowledge of Him. You come to Him and you
get at the right place and you ask Him. Now watch this. And
as many as touched were made perfectly whole. If they were
made whole, touching the hem of His garment, imagine what
His blood does, and His power does, and His grace does. Oh,
there's been a lot of misinformation concerning Him. They talk about
His love. He loves everybody. But He said
it Him. He said, I love Thee with an
everlasting love. We love Him because He first
loved us. Jacob have a love, and Esau have
a hating. What about his death? Jesus died
for everybody. And when He gives you your opportunity,
He gives you your chance, if you'll cooperate with His death
and grace when it comes, you'll be safe. But our Lord said, I
lay down my life for the sheep. His death, God made His death. He said, I saw the travail of
His soul and was satisfied. His death was for His people. And His blood, His blood, they
talk about His blood. And here's what they say about His
blood. Here's His blood. It's like it's in a cup. And there's the blood. It was
shed 2,000 years ago. But it ain't going to do you
no good. until you cry a little bit, put a few tears in there,
put a little faith in it, put a little sincerity in it, stir
it up, and then his blood will become effectual. His blood was
effectual before you ever bled. His blood put away sin before
you ever bled. Yes, sir. Oh, when our Lord Jesus said,
It is finished, You know, 700 years before Christ went to the
cross, He said in Isaiah 53, He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities, chastised of our peace was upon
Him. God saw the travail of His soul and was satisfied. He made
His soul an offering for sin. It's like one time this fellow
was telling me, and I'll tell you this little story. This fellow
was telling me one day, the first time I'd ever met him, And he
was witnessing to me. He didn't know I was a preacher
or anything. He's going to witness to me. And he started telling
me, he said, you know, he's supposed to be a strong believer. And
he started saying, you know, he said, I had back trouble for
three years. I prayed and prayed for the Lord
to heal it. And he said, you know, my back is healed. It took three years. And I had
to pray for three years. But the Lord said, heal my back.
He said, you know, the Scripture says, by his stripes were healed,
and I just asked him this, I said, well, was it your faith that
healed you, or was it his stripes that healed you? If his stripes
healed you, why did it take three years? And if it was faith, why
did it take three years for you to have enough faith? So it either
was your faith, and it took three years for you to get it, or else
it was his stripes It came below his stripes because he has such
power in his blood. I told him, I said, you know
if his stripes were healed, I said, if I physically healed him, you'd
have never had a back problem to start with. And he backed
up and he said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I said, you know,
I said, was it his stripes that healed you or was it your faith
that healed you? Because if his stripes done it,
you would have never had any back problems to start with.
You see, that's the thing about it. When it talks about by the
stripes we're healed, he's telling us, what did he say the disease
came unto him? Sin is a disease. It permeates our blood. It permeates
our nature. It permeates our character. And
only the stripes and blood of Christ heals that disease. The
blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. And my faith didn't
make His blood effectual. His effectual, when He said it
was finished, it was the gospel that brought me the good news
of that, that Christ put away my sin once and for all. And
I believe that. Oh my. And that's why His power
to save, oh my, He's standing at your heart's door to be let
in. He kicked mine down. That's why he talks about denying
the power there. And I know this much, if a person
believes this false information that Jesus loves everybody, died
for everybody, and you have to put your faith to make His blood
effectual, and you can't be saved unless you let Him, He's not
going to impose His will on you, and you've got to exercise your
own will. If that's the information you believe, And that's the information
which you trusted Him with. You trusted false information
and you ain't got no trust at all. And then let me hurry on
here right quick. So how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? That's why we send missionaries.
That's why we send people to preach the gospel to them. Men
ain't going to be saved without hearing about Christ. And how
shall they hear without a preacher? Oh my, got to have a preacher.
God's always saved men by His Word with a preacher. Oh, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. Paul says, Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel.
He doesn't say, Woe unto me if I don't preach. He says, Woe
unto me if I preach not the gospel. I know men make little of preaching
and preachers, and they should, with most preachers the way they
are, and most preaching the way it is. They're right up there
with lawyers and car salesmen. Most preachers are. But God has
called some preachers. He's called some preachers. And
if you ever sit under a God-called preacher that's honest with you
and tells you about God and Christ and what He accomplished. Our
Lord was a preacher. John the Baptist was a preacher.
Paul the Apostle was a preacher. He says, well, I was separated
under the gospel of God. We aren't called to debate doctrine.
Henry told me this week, he said, somebody asked Brother Barnard,
he said, Brother Barnard, explain that to me. He said, I'm not
in the explaining business. I'm in the proclaiming business. We proclaim. We're not up here
to debate and give you an opportunity to ask questions. I've heard
tapes and stuff where preachers will stop and somebody will stop
and say, what did you mean by that preacher? We're not here
to debate doctrine. And we're not here to share the
gospel. Now, I'll share a pie with you. I'll share some money
with you. I'll share a meal with you. But
we ain't going to slice up the gospel and give you a share of
this, a share of that. We don't share the gospel. We proclaim
the gospel. You get it all and you don't
get any of it. We're called to preach Christ
who He is. God manifest in the flesh. What
did He do? He come into this world. To die
for His people. To be a representative for His
people. To be a sacrifice for His people. Why did He do it?
That God might be just. God must punish sin. God made
Him to be sin who knew no sin. And God is a just God. And when
He punished Him, now, beloved, when Christ suffered for sin,
He is justifier of everyone who believes on Christ who bore their
sin. Of course, Christ bore. Where
is He now? After he by himself purged our
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Messiah. Like you
sung this morning, my name is on his heart, my name is on his
hand. There he sits, I've got to have a priest at the right
hand of God. Then he says, how shall they preach except they
be sent? This is a calling. This is a calling. Who had ever
dreamed I didn't think I'd be a preacher. My mama didn't think
I'd be a preacher. My daddy, my brothers, my sister,
my father-in-law didn't think. My wife certainly didn't think
I'd be a preacher. Oh my, I didn't one day wake
up and decide, I'm going to be a preacher. No, no, this is something
that, oh, it's a mysterious thing, but it happens. This is a calling. Isaiah, God
said, Isaiah, who shall I send? Isaiah said, here I am, send
me. Huh? Oh, the Holy Ghost said, separate
me unto Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I called them. We're called to this business.
And you know who's called of God and who isn't when you hear
them preach. So then it says, how beautiful
of them are the feet of them. How beautiful and brave are peace
and bring glad tidings of good. They bring the gospel of peace.
How Christ brought established peace through the blood of His
Christ. He brought peace between the sinners and God. He brought
peace to our hearts. And then bring glad tidings of
good things. You know what a glad tiding is?
Oh, something you just glad to hear it. You know, it's a good
thing. It's a good thing when somebody
tells you something that's glad. I'll tell you something that's
glad. Makes you glad. It's a glad tiding. And it's
a good thing. And lets Him run! I've loved you with an everlasting
love and with torrents of loving kindness I've called you. Eternal
grace! Grace given us in Christ before
the world ever began. That's good news, ain't it? That's a glad tiding. Oh, glad
tidings of a suffering, satisfying Savior, that God's satisfied
with Him and we're accepted in the Beloved. It's glad tidings
and of a good thing that Christ in His redemption actually redeems
His people. He actually bought them, paid
for them, paid for their sin. It's a good thing of justification
that God justifies all those who believe in Christ. They stand
guiltless without any sin. Oh, it's a glad tiding and a
good thing to talk about the righteousness of Christ given
to His people. Oh my! Unforgiveness of sin,
of an accomplished salvation. There's nothing good or glad
about hearing, do this and be saved. Do that and be saved.
It's not good, glad tidings and let go and let God. What in the
world does that mean? Let go and let God. What does
that mean? Let go, let go of what? Let God,
let God. Do what? But oh, it's a good,
glad tiding. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved. Now, oh, but here there's some
who rejects the gospel. Look there in verse 16. Oh my, but they have not all
obeyed the gospel. Oh my, everybody don't obey the
gospel. Everybody don't believe the gospel.
For Isaiah says, Lord, Who has believed our preaching? Who's
believed our message? Who's believed what we had to
say? I don't know. I don't know. All I know is I'm
supposed to preach it. That's what I'm sent to do. I
bring these glad tidings of good things. I give you the right
information concerning Christ. But we must tell it, leave the
results to God. God's going to save whom He will.
Support those who preach it. Leave the believing to the Lord.
And then look here at the simplicity of it. The simplicity and secret
of faith. But then who, Lord, who have
believed our preaching, our report? So then if you're going to call
on him whom you do not believe in, how are you going to believe
without a preacher? And how are they going to hear without a preacher in whom you're
not heard? Then he says, well, then how in the world are we
going to believe then? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God. Oh, how are you going to believe
in him whom you have not heard? Well, who's believed our preaching?
Who's heard our preaching? Oh, how do I get faith? You say,
preach and believe. How do I get faith? Where does
it come from? Paul said, this is the word of
faith which we preach unto you. That's even nigh you, even in
your mouth. What is it? That if I believe in thy heart
that Jesus Christ is Lord and confess Him with your mouth,
thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believes
unto righteousness. With the mouth, confession is
made unto salvation. Oh, well, we get faith by hearing
the word preached. Come and hear the gospel preached.
Come and hear what God must say. Hearing the word preached. That's
where faith comes from. It comes from a message heard. When that message comes to you,
faith comes with it. You know, it says the Holy Ghost
comes and reveals the things of Christ. Faith comes with knowing. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing
by the Word of God. Faith comes with knowing, knowing
God through His Word. Faith responds to what you hear.
Faith responds to what you see. Faith responds to what you hear
going on, knowing Christ. And oh, beloved, does faith come
to you when you're hearing the Gospel? It comes with the Holy Ghost
and in power and with much assurance. Assurance of what? That what
you hear is true. That what you hear is your salvation.
That what you hear is what you need. What you've got to have. I told Brother Henry this week,
I said, Brother Henry, and he said, this is selfish. I said,
I'd rather hear good gospel preaching as to eat when I'm hungry. I
can eat any time, but you can't hear good gospel preaching any
time. I'll miss supper to go hear a
fellow preach the gospel. I'll drive 500 miles to hear
somebody preach the gospel. You know why? Because the gospel
does something for my heart and my soul that nothing else in
this world ever does. It does something for my mind.
It does something for my will. It does something for my heart.
It does something for my nature. It does something for my soul.
It does something for my affections and my emotions and my understanding. It does something nothing else
does. Well, but here's not only some are rejected, and faith
comes by hearing, but look what else it says. There's a certainty. There's a certainty that some
will believe. There's some people that are going to believe. So
then faith, verse 17, so then faith cometh by hearing, hearing
by the Word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Oh yeah, they've heard the gospel.
Multitudes heard the gospel. Yes, verily their sound, truly
their sound went into all the earth. The gospels went beneath
the earth. And their words went unto the ends of the world. You
know the gospel started in Europe, Africa, the Middle East,
over there now where it's all those Muslims and Arabs. That's
where the gospel started. Where Libya is right now, the
gospel went in there by one of the apostles. Where Ethiopia
is, Philip went down there and preached the gospel. So it went out. They heard it.
They rejected it. Now they wear turbans on their
head and long robes and call on Allah. instead of Jesus Christ. But I say, did not Israel know? Oh, they knew. Oh, listen, but Moses said, I'm
going to provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people. You
say you've got it made, that God's going to save only the
Jews, and we've got to do away with this Christ. God said, I'm
going to provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people. You
consider them no bodies, you consider them no people, no rights,
nothing but He said, I'm going to call a foolish nation. I'm
going to make you angry. Oh, beloved, we sow, but Isaiah
is very bold. And said, God willing I'm going
to preach on this text next Sunday. And I was found of them that
sought me not. How in the world did you find,
how does God found of them that's not even looking for it? Oh my, I was made manifest unto
them that wasn't even seeking me, asking after me. Oh, that's
what the gospel does. Somebody comes to a service one
time, they say, well, it's Easter and I'll just go with my wife,
and she's aggravating me all the time, she wanted me to go
with her, so I'll just go. That may be the very time that
God draws back that boat, whoosh, goes that arrow. You wasn't looking
for Him, you wasn't seeking Him, but He found you, and you say,
oh, I see Him. The seed is sown, and the sun
springs up and brings forth fruit. But thank God we're not on a
fool's errand. We have a message from God concerning
His Son, and He'll cause it to prosper. And, oh beloved, He's
going to be found of them that's not seeking Him. He's going to
be made manifest of them that are not even aster and aster.
But we're going to occupy it until He comes. And then look
here, last of all, in God's wondrous, wondrous, blessed mercy, there
in verse 21. Look at His mercy. See how the gospel is universal?
But to Israel, He said, all day long I have stretched forth my
hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. That word
gainsaying means denying. A disobedient and denying people. God said, here I am. I'm God. I sent my son. I gave him a son. And you're
disobedient. He stretches forth his hands.
Do you know how hard it is to hold your hands up like this
all the time? God said, I've done it all day. All day. You're disobedient. You're denying. God's not playing
games with men. Not playing games with men. He
is patient. He is long-suffering. All day
long without stretched arms. He says, why will you die? I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. And may God make
us like this where we hold out our hands, hold out our hearts,
hold out our prayers, hold out our earnestness, hold out our
desires. May God make us like this where
we hold out our hands. Patient, willing to bear the
burden of outstretched arms that sinners might come to know Christ. Stretch them out. Stretch them
out. Our Father, our Father, our Father,
in the blessed, glorious name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Thank you for the gospel. The gospel that's for all men,
all men alike. Thank you for that. Thank you
that you made it to be the gospel. One day when we wasn't seeking
you, we found you. When we weren't asking after
you, you was made manifest to us. Lord, we thank you for that. That's a mystery of the gospel.
That's a mystery of the gospel. We thank you that you loved us
before we loved you. You called on us before we ever
called on you. So we thank you for that. God
bless this gospel today to the hearts, the minds, the understandings
of those that's gathered out. May it bring forth fruit. Fruit. You alone, O Lord, can cause
it to bring forth fruit. We ask that it will. In Christ's
name, Amen. Amen.