That was a good hymn for us to begin this hour with. I want to try to bring a message to you from Hebrews chapter 1 and 2, if you'll open your Bibles with me there, how needful we are for revival. Not talking about the kind of revival religious people plan for and try to get a bunch of folks together to make emotional responses. I'm talking about the kind of reviving that each believer needs on a constant basis. I've titled this message, Hope for leaking vessels. Hope for leaking vessels.

I heard a story one time about a man that was well known in the church for being a hypocrite. And he was called on to lead in public prayer. And in that public prayer, he was asking God to fill him with his spirit. And a little boy spoke up in the midst of the prayer and said, God, don't do it, he leaks. He leaks. Truth is, we're all hypocrites and we all leak. And the Lord said, if you being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The sink that's in our laundry room at home, the plug on it doesn't hold water. It's a real slow leak, but it leaks. And the only way to make sure that the sink... I was washing something the other day and I forgot about it and I came back and everything was dry. I wanted it to be in the water. The only way to keep water in the sink is to go back on a regular basis and turn the faucet on. and put more water in the sink, because it's constantly leaking.

Hebrews chapter 2, verse 1, therefore, we ought. Now there are things we ought to do, lots of things we ought to do that we don't do. But this word ought doesn't mean that. You remember when the Lord Jesus told the disciples, I must needs go through Samaria? That's the same word. He wasn't saying, well, I ought to go through Samaria. No, he was saying, I've got some lost sheep in Samaria, and it's purposed by God that I go to Samaria. I must needs go through Samaria. That's the same word used here.

You remember in Hebrews chapter 11, when the Lord says, without faith, it is impossible to please God, for they that cometh to him must believe that he is and that he's the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. That's the same word, must. Most often, this word is not translated ought, it's translated must. And must is what it means here.

Therefore, we must, we must give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard. We must give heed, and not just heed, but earnest heed to the things that we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Now, in the margin of my Bible, those words, let them slip, is translated to run out as a leaking vessel. We must give a more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest we run dry as a leaking vessel. how oftentimes we've experienced running dry as a leaking vessel.

Only when the Lord is pleased to open up the faucet, if you will, to to give us access to that river that flows clear as crystal from the throne of God, the river of life, the water of life. The scriptures called, we're called on to be washed by the water of his word. Oh, brethren, we need to come regularly to the fountain that we might be washed and that we might drink freely. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. And this he spake concerning the spirit which had not yet been given. It is the spirit of God that opens the eyes of our understanding and enables us to see what God's Word has revealed about Christ. It is the Spirit of God that gives us the liberty to come to that well of living water.

When the Lord said in John chapter 7, if any man thirst, If we go back and look at that passage of scripture, that happened, the scripture says that it happened on the last day of the feast. This was the last ceremony that was performed in the Feast of Tabernacles.

And all the people of Israel would be going up to the temple singing Isaiah chapter 12. And as they were singing Isaiah chapter 12, then there would come a moment of silence and the priest would take water that had come from the pool of Siloam and pour it out on the coals of the altar. And from that water would come up the Shekinah glory of God, a semblance of the presence of God Almighty. Now, at this point, it was nothing more than just a ceremony for the Jews. They were just going through a ritual, not knowing that the Lord Jesus himself was there.

And in that moment of silence, just before the priests poured out the water, after they had sung Isaiah chapter 12, the scripture says, that the Lord Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, if any man thirst, if you have failed to take heed to the things which you know to be true and your vessel has leaked out and you're dry, come unto me. Come unto me. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 12, verse one. And in that day, and oh, how hopeful we are that this is that day. And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I praise thee, though thou wast angry with me, thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and now thou comfortest me."

What is the Holy Spirit called? He's called the Comforter. The Holy Spirit is the one who speaks grace and truth and hope and peace to our hearts as he reveals to us the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and reminds us again and again and again that the Lord Jesus was successful in putting away all the sins of all of his people. Lord, you had grounds to be angry with me.

But now thou hast comforted me, thou hast sent your spirit in power, and thou hast brought me back again to that river of living water, that fountain of life. Verse two, this is what they were singing in John chapter six. or John chapter seven, at that last day of the feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, this is the song they would have been singing. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall he draw water out of the wells of salvation.

They were singing these words, not knowing that Jehovah was standing there among them. and He reveals Himself to them. And in that day, shall you say, praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted, sing unto the Lord, for He hath done excellent things, and this is known in all the earth." What is the excellent thing that the Lord Jesus has done?

Well, he took our sins and he put them away by the sacrifice of himself. He has ascended back into glory and he has taken his rightful place at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is alive and ever liveth. to make intercession for us. We have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one.

And he said, if any man thirst, if you failed to take heed as you must, not as you ought as you must and the water of life through Your own sin has leaked out. Come, come. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitants of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. The Lord Jesus is the Holy One of Israel.

He was standing there in the midst of them. Well, brethren, here's our hope. He is no less in the midst of us right now. I know that's true. Why? Because he said it would be true. He said, if two or more are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. The Lord Jesus said, I inhabit the praise of my people. When we gather together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and offer up worship and praise to him for the wonderful things that he has done. When we cry out to him to fill this leaking vessel, we have the assurance of knowing on the basis of his promise God who cannot lie, that he will give his spirit.

He will give his spirit. What did he say to that woman at the well? Give me to drink. Give me to drink. How is it that thou being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink of water from the well? And the Lord Jesus looked at her and said, If you knew, if you knew who it is that saith unto thee, give me to drink, you would ask of him and he would give to you living water. And what did she say? She said, the well is deep and you have nothing from which to draw. She had no idea how deep that well was. And she had no idea what he had that he could draw from that well. And he told her, turn with me to that passage, John chapter four. Verse 13, Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever, whosoever, Now that word just simply means this.

There's nothing in one man to differ him from another man that disqualifies him. That's what this word means. In other words, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, male or female, there is nothing in any man that disqualifies him from coming. Whosoever, whosoever will, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. the water that I shall give him."

It's his word. The water that he gives us is his word. We hang all the hopes of our immortal soul on the word of God. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And we know that what God has written for us in the scriptures is nothing more and certainly nothing less than a revelation of the living word of God. In the volume of the book, it is written of me. We go to the scriptures to find out who the Lord Jesus is that we might drink of that water. believing on Christ.

This is my beloved son. Hear ye him. Hear what he has to say. Believe on him. And what does our text say? Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should run dry as a leaking vessel. We must come again and again And again, to the words that the Lord Jesus has given us of himself, if we're to have this water of life.

The flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit. in their life. They can only be heard in the power of the Holy Spirit. They can only be heard by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And when they're heard, when these words are heard, oh, they give us life.

What did the disciples say when the Lord said, will you lead me also, Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. We know and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. We've got no place else to go. How oftentimes the Lord mercifully brings us to our wits end, shuts us up to Christ, We try to fix everything with so many voices. There's political voices, there's religious voices, there's the voice of conscience, there's the voice of philosophy. There are just all these different voices. Where do we go? Where do we go?

The word of God. Therefore, We must give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should run dry as a leaking vessel. Lord, I've got to have you to open the windows of heaven and shower me with the water of life. For if the word spoken by angels would steadfast, verse two, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?

The Penman of Hebrews. When we began our study in the book of Hebrews, I spent a good bit of time talking about the humility of the Penman of Hebrews. He goes unidentified, we don't know who he is, much speculation. Much speculation has gone into trying to figure out who it was that wrote the book of Hebrews. And in doing so, we only rob that one who didn't want the right hand to know what the left hand was doing. This is the word of God that was penned by a man that we don't know who he was.

We do know this. In my Bible, At the beginning of Hebrews, it says the epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews. We know that that cannot be true. Paul the Apostle made a very clear point in Romans and in Galatians to say that the gospel that he preached did not come through a man.

He received it directly from the Lord. You remember after his conversion, he spent three years in Arabia being taught by the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness. And he said, I did not learn this gospel from a man. I got it directly from God. The apostle Paul would not have said and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. whoever it was, wasn't Paul. Nevertheless, those that heard him, like the Apostle Paul, and like the other penmen of Scripture, have given to us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, an infallible, inspired word from God, of which we must give the most earnest heed. We must. We're leaking vessels. We must come again and again.

That's why Peter, you know, let the religious people talk about their conversion experience and go back and hang on to some experience that they had in the past as the hope of their salvation. They talk about when they got saved. The believer, because of that body of sin that he carries about with him and how weighty and how much he hates that corruption that remains in his flesh, he finds himself over and over and over again to whom coming. I cannot find the hope of my salvation in the past experience. The only thing that comforts my heart is if I'm coming right now, right now, right this very minute. Verse four.

God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will. God confirmed the penman of scriptures by giving them supernatural powers to perform miracles that were relegated to those first century disciples, the apostles who had the authority to write scripture. Those who profess to be performing miracles are, well, the scripture says that Satan comes with lying wonders and miracles. Again, we're left with, this is either of God or it's of the devil.

There's no middle ground. Now, if you'll back up with me to Hebrews chapter one briefly, at verse eight, what are the things that the Lord Jesus has spoken that we must, that we must give earnest heed to, lest our vessel run dry. Verse eight of Hebrews chapter one.

But unto the Son, he, the Father, saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. God Almighty, God the Father, speaking to his son, says to him, you have a reigning authority over your kingdom. And your authority is based on your righteousness, your righteousness, your perfect obedience to the heavenly father.

That's what God requires. We have a reigning king. We have a God who is sovereign. We have a God who is omnipotent. We have a God who is unchallenged, a God who's unthreatened, one who is seated upon his throne, one to whom we are called to come and worship. And if the Lord gives us by his spirit the earnest need and heed to hear who he is, then we'll find ourselves in a posture and in a spirit of worship. We'll worship him.

Verse 9. thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." This is a reference to Isaiah chapter 61. Let's turn there. Isaiah chapter 61. Verse one. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, captive by our sin, bound to the things of this world, undone.

The Lord Jesus is the the one who's been anointed with the spirit of gladness above his fellows to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the year of the vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn. The vengeance of God almighty was the fire of God's vengeance was quenched at Calvary's cross. When the full fury of God's wrath fell upon our sin bearer, our substitute, God's justice was satisfied, once and for all was satisfied. That's what the Lord Jesus came to proclaim, the vengeance of the year of God and to set those who are captive to the fear of death, the fear of wrath and the fear of judgment, to set them free, to set them free. to proclaim the acceptable, I'm sorry, verse three, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion.

What a blessing it is. Blessed are they that mourn in spirit, for they should be comforted. Blessed are they that are poor in spirit, for they shall be filled. Theirs is the kingdom of God. to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, that's the church, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Now, that's what the natural man doesn't want. He doesn't want Christ to be glorified. He wants some of the credit, some of the praise, some of the honor, and some of the glory of salvation to be credited to him. And the clearest example of that is when the Lord Jesus began his public ministry.

He went back to Nazareth after he had been baptized, after being in the wilderness, he went back to Nazareth to declare to his friends and to his neighbors in this village of Nazareth who he was and he stood up on the Sabbath as his custom was and he took the scroll and he read that passage we just read and he said, this day, this scripture has been fulfilled in thy sight. And everybody there wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth.

Could it be we knew that he was different? We knew that there was something very special about him. Could it be that Jesus, the son of Joseph of Nazareth, could it be that he's the Christ? He's telling us that he is. We know that this passage of scripture in Isaiah 61 is a reference to the Messiah. And then the Lord Jesus interpreted the scripture. When he said to those people who wondered at the gracious words that came out of his mouth and must've thought for a moment that they had a special place in the kingdom of God because they knew personally the Messiah, the Christ. But then he interpreted what the Christ means.

When he said to them in the days of the prophet Elijah, there were many widows in Israel and God showed mercy upon none of them except for the widow of Sarepta. And in the days of the prophet Elisha, there were many lepers in the nation of Israel and God showed mercy on none of them except for Naaman the Syrian. And the scripture says that those same people Those same people that wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, they were, well, they became murderous. Murderous.

Just like they, you see, again, again, there's no middle ground. Either the Lord Jesus Christ is everything that he, that the scriptures reveal him to be, or he's the devil. That's what we saw in John chapter 10, the first hour this morning. There's no middle ground. There's no other option.

And these people convinced that this man was committing blasphemy, thought that they were justified in putting him to death. What they were really offended at is that He just robbed from them any part that they could possibly play in their own salvation.

He just made it clear to them that the Christ, the Anointed One, the One who loves righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God the Father has anointed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows, the Messiah, that salvation is in His hand and that He gets all the glory and all the praise and all the honor.

And how do I know that He saved me? I love it that way. I love it that way. I want salvation to be all of Him. I need salvation to be all of him. He has opened the eyes of my understanding enough to see enough of my sin to know that if he's counting on me to do anything, I'm gonna mess it up. Anything. I love, I love a gospel that completely depends upon God to accomplish it.

These are the words that we must give earnest heed to. These are the words that leak from us as a leaking vessel, but oh, how glorious it is when we're reminded, how glorious it is when the Lord enables us to drink from the river of life. When the shepherd digs out that little ditch and enables us, allows us to go and refresh ourselves once again by being reminded who our God is and what it is that he's accomplished and that he's in control of all things. Verse 10.

And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands. He is the creator. By the very word of God, he spoke into existence all that we see. in the universe. He just spoke and it was what power he brought everything out of nothing. And the same truth applies when the spirit of God speaks the truth of the gospel to our hearts. He brings life out of death. He brings about something out of nothing. He provides it all.

We can't read about creation without being reminded of what those early verses of Genesis tell us, that the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of it. and how we need the spirit of God to take that word that God speaks, let there be light. And there was light.

Oh Lord, speak light and life to my heart. Give me that spirit of grace that would cause me to give earnest heed, earnest heed to these words of life. Verse 11, they shall perish, but thou remainest. And they shall all wax old as doth a garment. Everything created, physically created in this world. I speak to my elder brethren, how how keenly aware of these words we become as we reach the end of our lives, how life is but a vapor, and how more dependent we are on Him now than we've ever been before, how more earnest heed we must give to the words of life now than ever before. Waxing old as doth a garment.

And as a vesture, verse 12, shalt thou fold them up and thou and they shall be changed. And they shall be changed A new heaven and a new earth? Yes. I don't know what all that means. But I'm looking forward mostly to me being changed. The corruptible becoming incorruptible. The mortal becoming immortal. Seeing the Lord Jesus as he is and being made like him. No more sin. No more sickness. No more sorrow. No more death.

Oh, what a glorious day that'll be. And it's gonna be here soon. Soon. And they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. Here's a word to give earnest heed to. I am the Lord, and I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed. I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our God does not mutate. He is, by his very nature, immutable. And that word cannot be attributed to anything other than God.

Everything else changes. Everything in this world changes, you change, I change, not only physically, but we change emotionally, we change mentally, we change spiritually, we go up and down and all around, we change our thoughts, our circumstances change, everything's in a constant, the only thing constant in this world is change. Isn't that true? Everything's changing.

Nothing stays the same. What a blessing it is. What hope there is, what comfort, what grace, what rest there is in having a God who has never changed and never will change, never. So that the covenant promises that he established in eternity past to save a particular people, the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world, the Lord Jesus entering into a covenant promise with his heavenly father, that cannot change. It cannot change. The salvation of God's people cannot change. Here's my hope. Lord, I'm constantly changing. My confidence goes up and down. My assurance comes back and forth. My faithfulness is here and there? Oh Lord, I need to give earnest heed to this word.

What is the word? The word is from the Father, thy throne, oh God, is forever. And thou shalt reign with a scepter of righteousness for thou loved righteousness and thou hated iniquity, therefore thy God. has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. He's given you the power of Messiah, of Christ, to accomplish the salvation of your people. You created everything from the beginning, and you continue to create by the very power of your word. You just speak it, and it's so.

Lord, would you speak to my heart? Lord, would you make these words effectual to my heart? Lord, would you cause them to go beyond just my physical ear and my intellectual thoughts and make them my life? Cause them Lord to be words of life to me. Cause them to be by your spirit, the very thing that I hang on in all the uncertainties of this world and of my life. This is the word that I must give earnest heed to if I'm going to be saved. And I must continue to give earnest heed to them because they leak out. I'm a leaking vessel. Thou art the same. Thy years shall not fail.

Nothing I do can add to the accomplished work of Christ. Nothing I do can take away from it. Nothing I do can earn me favor with God. Nothing I do can change His love for me. He is the same. I love having a God like that. I don't want a God who decides here and there what he's going to do based on what I do. I'll never have any assurance. I'm so fickle and unstable. I'm like, I'm like Reuben. Reuben. Remember when Joseph was in Egypt and Benjamin, Joseph said, bring Benjamin. And the brothers came back and told Jacob, he wants Benjamin. He won't give us any more food until he sees Benjamin. And Jacob said, I've lost Simeon, I've lost Joseph. Now you want to take Benjamin away?

All these things are against me. They weren't against him. Everything was working according to God's perfect order. and the best years of Jacob's life were yet to come. And Reuben steps up, Reuben realized we gotta have food and we're not gonna have food unless we bring Benjamin back. And Reuben steps up to his father, he's the firstborn. And he says, father, I'll protect Benjamin. And if I don't bring Benjamin back, you can kill my two sons. Later on, when Jacob goes to bless Reuben, Jacob says, Reuben, you are weak as water. I feel like Reuben oftentimes. Water always takes the path of least resistance. That's how it leaks out. The path of least resistance oftentimes is the way of the flesh. And that path will cause the water to leak out. Oh, Reuben, you're like weak as water.

Judah's the one that stood up and said, I will be surety for him. And if I don't bring him back, you lay it to my account. He wasn't putting it off on his children or someone else. He stood in the gap himself. Judah being a picture of Christ. Father, I will be surety for them.

If I don't bring every one of them back, you hold it to my account. Is it possible that God the Father would hold to the account of the Lord Jesus Christ a failure in bringing back Benjamin, picture of the church, every one of God's elect? Thy years shall not fail. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 13. But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

You and I come into this world spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and at enmity with God. We come into this world with our fists raised to heaven. I'll not have that man reign over me. We come into this world speaking lies, using our tongue like a sword, promoting ourselves and speaking lies about God. And only by God's grace can that sword be turned into a plowshare. Only by God's grace will we lower our rebellion against God. I will make thine enemies thy footstool.

When Martha and Mary had the Lord Jesus in their home, and Martha told the Lord to make Mary help her, in the chores of the house. You know, there was a lot of guests and Martha was busy preparing food and I'm sure whatever the ladies do when there's a house full of people. What did our Lord say to Martha? Martha, Martha, you're encumbered of many things. Martha, you've worried yourself with so many non-essentials. Mary, on the other hand, has chosen that one thing needful. Where was Mary?

She was sitting at the feet, at the footstool of the Lord Jesus Christ, listening to the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. And the father says to the Lord Jesus, sit thou here at my right hand until I make, all thine enemies by footstool. And when the last one's brought to sit at your feet and to listen to your words, then the end will come.

Therefore, verse one of chapter two, We must, we must give earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest they leak out, a leaking vessel. Lord, thou alone in all the troubles and all the conflict, all the uncertainties of this life. Lord, thou alone has the words of eternal life. Our Heavenly Father, we pray that your Holy Spirit would cause us to give earnest heed to the things which we have heard concerning thee, and that we would listen, and that we would believe all that thou hast revealed. We might drink from that river freely. We ask it in Christ's name, amen. 168. Let's stand together.