Thank you. And men like Paul,
he does so much around here, doesn't he? Invaluable. Every member of the body is vital
and important. The mouth can't save the little
toe, I don't need you. They're all vital to the cause
of Christ. They all have a purpose and something
to do. Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might as unto the Lord. Someone said one
time that if two angels were sent to earth by the Lord, one
to rule a country and another to sweep the streets, that they
wouldn't argue over which job, who got which job. They both
think it's an honor to do either one as unto their Lord. Both
necessary, both vital. Who's more important, the garbage
collector or the President of the United States? Huh? One time New York City went
on a garbage strike. They weren't thinking about the
President. So thank you for everything.
Thank you. Thank the Lord for that message. Gabe is 6'3", 6'3", and I am
not. I had to lower the camera for
me. We put it back where it was. Well anyway, you're going to
hear the long and the short of it. I really looked up to him though,
I really did. I told Mindy at breakfast this
morning, I said, the Lord really has to bless you to hear the
first message if you're preaching second. You know what I mean? And I was blessed. I heard almost
all of that without thinking of my own. Turn with me to Luke
chapter 4. Last night was Luke 24. Don't
you just love to hear the Gospel preached? Don't you love preaching? And by preaching, I mean gospel
preaching. There's a lot of so-called preaching today. Woods are full
of so-called preachers, but they're not preachers. If they're not
preaching the gospel. Paul said, woe is... He said,
though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory in. Because
this necessity is laid upon. God does the calling, like the
beginning. God does the calling, the equipping. and blesses the
effort. It's not the man at all. We have
this treasure in earthen vessels, clay pots, that the excellency
of the power might be of God and not man. It's very clearly
seen and heard if you're blessed by a mere man, like those apostles
who were fishermen. Even their enemies had to say,
where did they get this wisdom? From God. It's evident that the
excellency of the power might be of God, not man. But don't
you love gospel preaching? This is how you know. This is
the shepherd's voice. This is how you know you're one
of his sheep. You love to hear his voice, and
his voice is the gospel. the gospel. Pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching. Now there's nothing foolish about
preaching. It's the power of God. The preaching of the gospel. The preaching of Christ is the
power of God and the wisdom of God. There's nothing foolish
about it. It's infinite wisdom. It's the
wisdom of God. As when Stephen stood before
all those people. He's just a deacon. a servant,
and they could not resist the wisdom by which he spoke to them.
It's unanswerable, irrefutable, undeniable, and with power. They were afraid. These doctors
and lawyers were afraid. They couldn't answer him. All
they could do was just throw rocks at him. The truth. It's God's truth,
he said. But the world calls it foolishness.
This is what the world calls foolishness. What we're doing
right now, the world calls foolishness. We think it's the most glorious
thing ever and we're so glad, we're so thankful that we're
able to hear it. Our Lord said, blessed are they
that read the words of this book. Don't you love to hear the word
read? Huh? Don't you love to hear it
read? Don't you love to read it? Only
God's people love to read God's Word. They don't do it because
they have to. They do it because it's like
food. Like sheep love grass. Don't you love to read God's
Word? And then have a man stand up and read it? And there's a
gift to be able to read God's Word. Some are gifted to read
God's Word. Our Lord came to Nazareth, His
hometown. Verse 16, he came to Nazareth.
Now, they said one time, Luke 4, 16, he came to Nazareth where
he'd been brought up. They said one time, can anything good come
out of Nazareth? Nazareth was kind of like a crow. Seriously. No, seriously. It
was. Where? Where are you going? Dingus? Mabscot? Rocky Mount, same way,
isn't it? He came to Nazareth, that's where
the Lord, God had him to be raised up. Beth, they said the same
thing about Bethlehem. That was the city of David, it was a little
old two-bit town. But he came, the Lord had him
in Nazareth, and he spent his days in Capernaum, didn't he?
A fishing village, nothing but blue-collar nobodies from nowhere. That's where he chose to live,
and that's who he chose to live with, and be raised up with. Weren't they a blessed people? And he came back there, where
he'd been brought up, and as his custom was, let's just read
on down through, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue
on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was
delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when
he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he's reading this. because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach
the acceptable year of the Lord." He closed the book, gave it again
to the minister and he sat down The eyes of all them that were
in the synagogue were fastened on him. They were looking at
him. I wonder how many were looking
to him. May we look to him this morning. And he began to say
unto them. He sat down. They were staring
at him. And he said, this day is this
scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness and
wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, is not this Joseph's
son? Gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. That's the
subject and the title. These gracious words. Gospel
words. Our Lord is reading and preaching
the gospel right here in his hometown of Nashville. And they
wondered, oh may we wonder at these gracious words. gospel
word, all that he says here. Now he stood up to read as his
custom was. He came to his hometown as his
custom was. He went into the synagogue on
the Sabbath day. That was his custom. That was
what he was always doing. Whenever the Sabbath day came,
the Lord was in the synagogue somewhere. He was in the temple
if he was in Jerusalem, or whatever little village or town he was
in, he was in the synagogue. That's where God's people are.
That was his custom. That's what they said about Paul,
as his manner was. That's worship of God. The things of God were his life. So it is with all of God's people.
You hear somebody say, I don't have to go to church to worship
God. That person doesn't know God. What do you mean you don't have
to go to church? You don't want to go be with the people of God?
You don't want to hear the Word of God? You don't want to sing
the praises to God? You don't want to pray with God's
people to God? You don't know God. Besides,
one fellow said one time, you don't go to church, you are the
church. It's like sheep saying, I don't
have to be in the fold to be a sheep. I don't have to want
to be around the shepherd to be a sheep. This was His custom. I mean, it was His habit, His
manner. So it is with all the people
of God. This was the Son of God. And so it is with all the sons
of God. It's their habit, it's their
custom, it's their life. If Christ is your life, the things
of Christ are your life. The Word of Christ, the preaching
of Christ, the people of Christ. His body are just as much a part
of your life as the head. That's a fact. We're vitally
joined together. I don't like those people. Then
you're not one of the body. It was his custom. And there's
some habits worth forming, aren't there? Like brushing your teeth. My parents made me go to church. I used to think, oh, they're
inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on me. Didn't we,
Gabe? Gabe's a preacher's kid. They're torturing me. No, they're
doing the best thing that could possibly happen to a child. How many kids How many don't ever hear, don't grow up,
but we're raised in the nurture and aren't we carried? Raised
in the nurture. You had a faithful father and
a mother and I raised you and your dad and your mom. You're sitting right here because
of that. That's what Paul said to Timothy,
oh, thank God for Lois and Eunice, your mother and grandmother that
brought you here, raised you in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. The best place we could... The
Lord's entrusted us with souls. If we have children, He's entrusted
us with their souls. And the most important thing
we could do for them is have them under the sound of the Gospel.
And this public worship is the single most important aspect
of a believer's life. That's a fact, more even than
private worship. I'm telling you the truth. The
Lord said, he promised where two or three are gathered in
my name, I will be there. There is no promise to be there
with you in private. How many times? You know it's
so by experience. You've been at home, you're reading
the scripture and you try and you try and you try and you can't
get anything. You can't feel his presence. Then you go to
be with the people of God. Because he's prominent. Because
heaven's not going to be you and the Lord. Heaven's going
to be a vast congregation. The more, the merrier, really.
Isn't it? Nothing's enjoyable by yourself. His custom was, he went into
the synagogue on a Sabbath day and stood up for to read. No man speaks like this man. And there was delivered unto
him the book of the prophet Isaiah. Here's the book of Isaiah. Find something to read. He wrote
it. He's the author. Do you know
this book? If they had known him, they would
have said, oh, word of God incarnate, speak to us now. They delivered him the book. And when
he had opened the book, he didn't eat the book. He is the book. It's written. And he found the place where
it was written. And he could have read from many places. Isaiah, we call it, I call it,
often mistakenly say, well not mistakenly, I say, turn to the
Gospel of Isaiah. It is in it. It's the Gospel of Isaiah. They
are they which testify of Christ. All the scriptures to him give
all the prophets witness. And he could have read from Isaiah
chapter 6, couldn't he? The Lord high and lifted up.
I saw the Lord. That's him. That's Christ. He
could have read from Isaiah chapter 6, a virgin shall be born. Call his name Emmanuel. This
day, that scripture is fulfilled. But he could have read from Isaiah
9, couldn't he? A child is born, a son is given.
Call his name Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.
He could have read from Isaiah 11, the rod of Jesse, the branch. He's here. He could have read
from Isaiah 25, He'll swallow up death and victory. Lo, it'll
be said in that day, this is our God, we've waited on Him,
this is our God, He'll save us this day. Is that scripture fulfilled? He could have read from Isaiah
32, a king shall reign in righteousness. A man shall be a hiding place. This day is that scripture fulfilled.
He could have read from Isaiah 42, Behold my servant, mine elect. He could have read from Isaiah
49, the light of the Gentiles, covenant of the people. I've
given him for a covenant of the people. This day is that scripture
fulfilled in your ears. He could have read from Isaiah
53. man of sorrow and acquainted
with grace. As a lamb before her shears his
dome, so he opened not his mouth. This day is that scripture fulfilled
in your ear. But he read from Isaiah 61. And
let's look at it. Isaiah 61, verse 18. Gracious
words. He said, verse 18, no, no, no,
don't turn back there. Stay and look. This is Isaiah
61, okay? He's reading. Stay and look.
Luke 4, 18. He's read, the Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, the Holy Spirit, because he hath anointed me. And I don't want to, we never
dramatize scripture, we never try to emulate the way our Lord,
no man speaks like that. I would have loved to have heard
him reading this one. I know that he put the emphasis
on me. They are they which testify of
me, he said. Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Now do you know what the name
Christ means? What's it mean? Anointed. That's the exact word. That's
the great work, not anointed. Christo means anointed, the anointed
one. He said, I am the anointed one. I'm the Christ. There is no other. All that came before me are thieves
and robbers. I am the anointed one. The Holy
spirit of God at the anointed me. And what does that say about
all these false fellows around that you hear that talk about?
We have the anointing. You hear that a lot. No, We have
anointed preaching here. They're anti-Christ. It's a fact. They came to John. John chapter 1, didn't he say,
who are you? He said, I am not the Christ. They didn't ask him if he was
the Christ. He made it perfectly clear. I am not the Christ. Right up front. Some of these
fellows today, they leave you kind of in doubt. They don't
leave God's people in doubt. A stranger's voice they won't
hear. Any man, woman, that stands up and says, the anointing is
upon me. You know immediately, no it's not. But Christ stood up. He's the
only one that can say this. He's the only free man who can
say this. The spirit of God is upon me. John said this. In John's gospel
he said, He that God sent speaketh the
words of God. God giveth not the Spirit by
measure to him. Full of the Spirit. Oh, the fullness
of God dwelt in him. Fullness of the Spirit of God.
Now, John did say the anointing that we have of him. And he earlier
said it's the unctioner. That is, the Holy Spirit takes
the things of Christ, like the oil of gladness, the gospel,
and anoints us with it, but we're not the anointed. Christ is the
anointed one. He's declared, Romans 1 says,
declared to be the Son of God by the Spirit of holiness. This
is how you know who He is. The only holy man who ever really
lived. We don't go around talking about calling ourselves holy
men. Now the scriptures does call
these people holy men. Holy men spoke, but they didn't
say it about themselves. Christ did. And the anointed. Spirit of holiness by the resurrection
of the dead. Paul said to young Timothy, without
controversy, great is the mystery of God in us. God was manifest
in the flesh. justified in the Spirit. Justified,
declared by the Spirit of God. Look back at Luke 3. The Holy
Spirit of God is the one who bore witness of Christ. You know,
Christ came to bear witness of the Father, didn't He? But the
Father and the Spirit bore witness of Christ. They both said, this
is He. This is the one you come to.
Christ came to make the Father known to His people. The Father
makes Him known to them. Makes His Son known. Luke chapter
3, look at verse 21 and 22. And when all the people were
baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and
praying. I'd never really read that before. He was baptized and he was prayed,
heaven opened. Have you ever had heaven open
when you prayed? Nah, too often. I'm like David,
the heavens are brass. Buddy, when he prayed, oh, heaven
opened up. God opened up. Yes, my son. He always hears him. And the
Holy Ghost, verse 22, descended in a bodily shape like a dove
upon Him, and a voice from heaven said, Thou art my beloved Son,
in Thee I am well pleased. Don't you love that? Chapter
4, verse 1, look at this. It says, Jesus being full of
the Holy Ghost, He's full of the Holy Ghost without measure. He hath anointed me. Alright,
look at our text. Verse 18. Spirit of the Lord
is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel. There you have it. God had one
son. Sent him to earth. You know what
his occupation was? A preacher. That makes this office
pretty high, doesn't it? I'll just be honest with you.
I know Gabe and Walter feel the same way. Joe, where are you?
There you are. And every other man I know, that
sometimes you're embarrassed to introduce yourself as a preacher.
Aren't you? Because of these fools out there.
You don't want to be associated with these fellas that call themselves
preachers. You don't want people to link
you with these fools out there. God's preachers are not fools.
And this office and this what we're doing now is not foolish.
God's son was a preacher. That makes this a vital thing. In fact, this is what the world
calls the most foolish, useless vocation. God says this is the
most important. He preached. Preached the Gospel. He said, the Spirit of the Lord
has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. To the poor. Poor in spirit. You remember
his sermon on the mount. He said, blessed are the poor
in spirit. The world doesn't know anything
about that. The world said, blessed are the
rich. What do you mean poor? He said, blessed are the poor
in spirit. But you know something? And poor in spirit means those
that are beggars, that don't have anything, like blind Bartimaeus. Everything he needed was a handout,
was grace. He can have anything. You have
to depend on somebody to give Him everything. Please help me.
Somebody help me. That's what we are in the Spirit. We have nothing to commend us
to God. We have no righteousness. We have no goodness that God
clearly preached to us. We have no redeeming qualities. Lord, help me, please. We're
beggars before the Lord. Would you have mercy on me? Would
you give me grace? Would you keep me? Would you
teach me? Would you lead me? Would you guide me? Would you
feed me? Would you save me? and take me all the way to glory.
We're beggars in that sin. Poor. But you know, our Lord
actually came to the literal poor. He who was rich became
poor. And it was the poor people, seriously
now people, it was the poor people who heard Him gladly. The common
people heard Him gladly. In one time He said, hardly shall
they that have riches enter the kingdom of heaven. Why is that?
Because if you're rich and increased with goods, you don't need anything. You certainly don't need grace.
You don't need a handout. You've got all you need. And
our Lord warned us of that. And we're living in a time and
a society, the most affluent society in the history of the
world. And it's dangerous. Our Lord, through Moses, warned
the children of Israel over and over again to beware when you
get into the Promised Land and build you houses with ceilings.
They didn't have houses with ceiling for years. But beware,
when you get houses and land, you're going to forget God. Anybody guilty? And maybe one of the best things
that could happen in this country is for the economy to collapse. I'm serious. I'm serious. He talked about Mexico. We've
been down there. You need to go to a place like
that. The gospel, the Lord sent the gospel through Walter Groover
down there years and years ago to the poorest part. He didn't
go to Mexico City, 25 million people. He went to the Yucatan
Peninsula where the Mayan Indians lived like they did thousands
of years ago. Dirt floors and grass huts. And the Lord sent the gospel
down there. And we've seen the radical transformation of people
in captivity to idolatry. Giving their few pesos to this
corrupt priest. And the Lord bring the gospel
down there and they're poor people cooking on fire. And the Lord
sends the gospel. And buddy, you're given life. Everything. And they're still
poor, aren't they, Ron and Tammy? They went down there with Gabe
and Hannah and Mindy and maybe somebody else in here. Carrie. They're still poor. But they're
happy. They've got the gospel. And they've
got food. And they've got Raymond. Now
what did the Lord say about what he said? I'm come to preach the gospel
to the poor. Brother Scott Richardson used to say, Christ is all to
you if He's all you've got. Is Christ really all to you?
Do you esteem His Word more highly than gold? He said, I came to preach the
good news to the poor. To the poor. Alright, here's
the good news. He said, I came to preach the gospel. He sent
me to heal the broken hearted. When our Lord sent his apostles
out, he said, go preach the gospel. Heal the sick. That's the first
thing he said. You know what heals us? It's
this gospel. We're broken hearted. Like Gabe
said, most people know that they're sinners. Well, God's people,
the Spirit of God brings it really home to them. He breaks their
heart over sin. Oh, how blessed is the man, is
the woman, is the young person whom the Lord gives them a broken
and a contrite heart. who mourn over their sin before
God. Against Thee and Thee only have
I sinned. God who has done all this for
me all of my life and I didn't give Him a thought for years. Christ who came and lived for
me and I didn't even give Him a thought. I didn't care if He
lived or died. And you find out He did it for
you. Oh my! It breaks your heart. Then you hear this Gospel. The
very one we crucified says, Be of good cheer. Let not your heart
be troubled. Are you going to deny me? I won't
deny you. This heart, this same gospel
that breaks the heart heals it, doesn't it? Oh, it says over
in 1 Kings, I believe it is, Oh, this is for those that know
the plague of their own heart. Only for those that know the
plague of their own heart. We sing that song, Savior, Savior. Hear my humble cry while on others
I am calling. Do not pass me by. Heal my wounded,
broken spirit. Save me by Thy grace. I came
to heal the broken hearted. And you know what? The broken
hearted oversee Him. But the Lord literally heals
those that have broken hearts over bereavement. The Gospel is the good news.
not only of our Lord coming to be made sin for us and giving
us His righteousness, but is of a living, reigning, ruling
Lord who rules and overrules everything, who ordained everything
for us, who works all things together for our good. Nothing
by chance. It's all according to His infinite
purpose. It's for His glory and for our
good and absolutely no mistake. And He ordered it. Even the death
of our dearest loved ones. Even the sickness, even the sadness,
even the losses, even the persecution, the trials, the tribulations,
all of that. He sent it. He said, let not
your hearts be troubled. It is I. I did this. Trust me. Trust me. Someday,
we're going to see. We're going to know, as we've
been known. Maybe the Lord's going to open the books of our
lives. We spend our years, the scripture says, as a tale that's
been told. Our stories are in the scriptures
just like Moses, just like Jacob. Yes, they are. They're all written.
It's all ordained by the Lord. And maybe, maybe, we're going
to have enough time, aren't we? Maybe He'll show us. Look here
what I did for you. Look here. And you didn't want this to happen.
It had to happen. This had to happen. If this hadn't
happened, this hadn't happened. And then this hadn't happened. Brother Scott said, if you knew
what the Lord knows, you would order your life exactly like
He ordered it. You wouldn't change a thing. This heals your broken heart,
doesn't it? I sure miss that person. If I had my way, I wouldn't have
lost them. But that's the Lord. Trust Him. Trust Him. This is the only thing that will
heal our broken heart. Really, the only thing, isn't
it? It's the Lord. I don't know how the world deals
with losses. Do you? I don't know how. We sorrow. Our Lord didn't rebuke
us for sorrow. He said we do sorrow, but not
as those who have no hope. We have a good hope. If we've
lost someone we love dearly and their hope was in Christ, one day soon we're never going
to part. You see how important this is?
Do you love that person that you're married to? Your father,
your mother? You know what the most important
thing of all is? You're going to lose them. You're going to
lose them. It's not if, it's when. So you know what? They
need to know Christ. If you don't want to lose them
forever, if they know Christ, you won't. Even those who've lost children
didn't know the Lord. And I've preached some funerals.
Oh my, it's tough. I hope I never have to go through
that. But their hope is, the hope of a believing parent is,
it's the Lord. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? You know, that's what Abraham came. He was interceding. He wanted the Lord to bring Lot
and his wife, and maybe he knew his sons-in-law, and Abraham
maybe had some people there he loved. You know he did. Lord,
please, would you save ten? He didn't. And all he could say was, that
judges earth do right. I'm not going to question him.
I'm going to trust him. Job said this, this is the most
remarkable, one of the most remarkable statements in all of scripture.
Though he slay me, I trust him. That man knows the Lord. I want
to know him like that. This is the only thing that heals.
Broken hearts over sin, broken hearts over trials and troubles.
Only thing, the truth, the gospel, good news, good news. Thy God
reigneth. Look at verse 18. He sent me
to preach deliverance to the captives. Now the Pharisees said, we be
Abraham's seed. We've never been in bondage to
anybody. What idiots. How stupid. Right then and there, Brother
Walter, they were under Roman rules. They didn't dare say or
do anything. Scared to death of Pharaoh or
Caesar. We're not under captive to anybody.
They're held captive by Satan at his will. So are all men and
women. But you know what? And the Lord
came to deliver His people who held captive by Satan. A greater
than He, a stronger than He came for His people. To bind Him,
the strong man. To take His goods from Him. We
were under His captivity. Everybody in here, every child
of God was under His captivity. Children of wrath, even as others.
But God sent Christ to lead captivity captive. And that means not only Satan,
he's gonna parade down in chains, it means us who were captive,
he leads us captive. Now we're willing captives. We're
not free in that sense. You know the scripture does not
say the truth shall set you free. Doesn't say that. Doesn't say
the son shall set you free. You don't want set free. Like
a dog. I had a dog, and the minute I
let him off the leash, He's gone. You want the Lord to have hold
of you, don't you? He says He'll make you free. Free from the law. And you know
what? He makes you free. What He makes you want to do
when He makes you free is to sit right beside Him. Don't let
me loose. I came to deliver the captive,
to lead captivity captive. Barnard used to say, the only
free man is the Lord's servant. He's free from Satan, he's free
from the world, he's free from the bondage of the things of
this world. But you know, The Lord did come
to deliver his people from this captivity of sin, Satan, the
world. He did, didn't he? He did. He
did. God's people are no longer under
bondage to the law. They're no longer under captivity
to Satan. No longer under the dominion
of sin. They were dead in sin. Had no pleasure in righteousness.
Romans 6 is all about that, isn't it? And he delivered us. We were led by the Spirit of
God. But don't you feel at times, you know, from Romans 6 comes
what chapter? Romans 7. And Paul said, but
I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, my spirit bringing me into captivity. Don't you feel at
times that you're still under captivity? Captivity bound by the flesh? Blind? Captivity to the lust
of your flesh? Don't you feel like it? The world? Like Paul said, with the flesh
I serve sin, but with the Spirit I serve the law of God. And Paul
said, who shall deliver me? I thank God. And he said, through
Christ Jesus my Lord. Christ said, I am come to deliver.
So, you know, what it is, we come to hear this gospel to be
delivered over and over and over and over again, like washing.
When our Lord washed feet in John 13, He said, do you know
what I've done unto you? He said, you're clean. You're
clean. But your feet are dirty. Every day. Day in and day out.
Whatever touches this earth. That's us. We're in this earth.
We're in the world. And we get defiled by it. The filth of it gets on us and
in us. And we come to hear this gospel. And don't you feel like
this gospel, the blood of Christ, washes you clean all over again.
And you no sooner step out the door, you're dirty. You feel
the lust of the flesh. Right? This gospel delivers us. I've come to preach the gospel.
Recovering of sight to the blind. I've come to give sight to the
blind. That blind man in John 9 said,
I know this, I once was blind, now I see. I once was too, people. Weren't you? I was blind to who
God is. Couldn't see God. Now I do, I
see the heavens declare His glory, the firmament show His handiwork,
day in the day others speak. Don't you? The sun comes up.
God's people see God's hand in everything, don't they? They
see God everywhere. The unbelievers can't see God
anywhere. The fool has said there is no God. And we say, can't
you see? No, they can't. He's hid these
things from the wise and prudent. This is what he was preaching.
How blessed we are. God has chosen us to make himself
known to us. I am your God. He opens our eyes
to see yourself. I once was blind to myself. Like that prodigal in the hog
pen. Thinking, oh this is a good life. In the hog pen. And he brought him to himself.
What does that mean? He saw himself. He just woke up one day and said,
God woke him up and said, look at my, look at me. Look at what I've done to me.
Look at what I've done to my father. Why did I do this? How could I get myself in such
a mess? I tell you what I'm going to
do. Blind to self, blind to Christ. Saw no beauty in Him that we
should desire Him. No form or comeliness, no need of Christ.
You know why people don't come to worship? And profess Him. Some professing believers are
very erratic, sporadic at it. It's not lack of commitment,
it's lack of need. They don't need Him. God's people need Him. They love Him, they really do.
You that are married, this is a marriage, it's a union. Christ
and His people, His bride, it's a union. Do you husbands and
wives, do you ever on a day, you think, I don't know if I'll
go home tonight or not. Not if you love that person.
That person's your life, one with that. That's the same way
it is with believers. You need Christ. You must have Christ.
I once had no need, and now I need Him. That's amazing, isn't it? You're looking at amazing grace.
Gabe told his story what great things the Lord had done for
him. You're looking at amazing grace right here. I'm an amazing
grace personified. Sight to the mind. He said, to
set at liberty them that are bruised. Bruised and mangled
by the fall. Bruised, Satan. Lashes and beats. The law, conscience, everything
just beats you up. Wounds and bruises. John Bunyan
wrote Pilgrim's Progress. And Christian and hopeful, faithful. Christian and faithful, he's
a constant companion. We're on that road to the celestial
city. Oh, don't you love it. And it
says, and the evangelist said, don't get out of the way. Don't get out of the way. No
matter how good it looks over here, buy fair meadows. Vanity
Fair, he said, beware of that place. He said, you'll fall asleep
if you get out of the way. And I've given you a role, he
said, I've given you promises and the word of God to put in
your bosom to keep you from getting out of the way. Lo and behold,
they walked along. I love, love, love, love that
story. They were walking along and talking of good, they would
say to one another, Christians say, faithfully said, let's have
good concourse this day. They weren't sad, they were talking
of, that's the way we ought to be, let's have good fellowships,
let's talk about the Lord. Well lo and behold, one of them
said, look, here's some people over here, this way's easier. That looks easy, they're not
in any trouble, let's try it. And they got out of the way and
got over there, and they got so complacent and so lazy they
fell asleep. And they woke up in Doubting
Castle. The giant despair took them captive
and put them in a dungeon in the darkness, both of them, down
in this dungeon. in Doubting Castle, full of doubts
and fears, under the dominion of the giant Despair. And daily
he would bring them out of the dungeon and start lashing on
them, filling them full of despair, until they finally, I think it
was Christian, said, I want to die. I'm going to kill myself. We'll never get out of here. Christ said, I am come to set
at liberty them that are bruised. He's the key. One morning, one
morning, the sun came up and Christian said, I've got the key. We can get
out of here. That key is trust, faith, hope,
looking to the Lord, faith that he's given us. And lo and behold,
they went out and that key unlocked all the doors and they got out
of the Doubting Castle, out from under the dominion, the bondage
and the beatings of that giant despair. And they went out into
the sunlight and set back on the way to the Celestial City.
He said, I've come to set at liberty them that are bruised.
This gospel. And to preach, verse 19, the
acceptable year of the Lord. You know, there's nothing acceptable
about any of us. Nothing acceptable. We're totally
unacceptable. That's what they said. See, we're just saying the same
thing. We're just repeating what the
Lord said. Nothing acceptable about us.
Nothing. Nothing. God looked down from
heaven to see if there were any. That was me, that was you wasn't
it? None righteous, none good, no not one. Not one. But the scripture says he hath
made us accepted, where? In the beloved. Our God's son
is More than acceptable. He's altogether lovely to the
Father. Well beloved Son. He said all that come unto Him,
God, by Him, He will accept. This is the acceptable year of
the Lord. Whenever the gospel is preached, and it's preached
to the poor, it's preached to those that are in bondage, it's
preached to sinners. This gospel is for sinners. This
is for no goods. This is for no goods. Harlots
and publicans, the chief of sinners, this gospel, this is a faithful
saint. The Lord said it's true, it always
will be true. that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners. Ask Mary Magdalene. Ask the thief
on the cross. Ask Rahab the harlot. They'll
tell you. It's true. It's faithful. Joshua came for
me. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. And I'm here to tell you on the
authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that everyone that applies, this
is an acceptable year. Have you ever applied for a job? You want to be accepted? You
put in your application? You hope they accept you? This
is the day. He's accepting all applications
for mercy. Anybody need mercy? Here's my happy area. Accepted. Close the book. Close the book. Come on. Mercy. This day This
day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. Christ lives right
now. If you heard that, He's the one
that said it. May the Lord bless you.