Do ALL To The Glory of God

I've stolen Rex's greeting when people come and speak at home. That's what I say to them, too. Come brag on the Lord. I'm so glad to be here together with you all, and I bring greetings from my family and from our congregation back in Ashland. Stacey and the kids, we're having a celebration at church this afternoon for one of our high school graduates. They're there with that, but they reminded me a couple times. So I'm on record now doing what my kids said, which is to tell y'all hello. They reminded me again on the drive here. So hello from my family and hello from our congregation.

It's one church, right? And the congregation in Ashland has been closely entwined with you all in Christ for years, but also has had a special relationship and in love for you all, obviously in love for Don and for Shelby. We have just been, you've been on our hearts and on our minds in a special way and in our prayers in a special way for a very, very long time. And that continues. We continue to be, if it's possible to even be even more entwined, maybe I should just say more familiar, even more entwined, if you will, together as Frank comes here.

And we're thankful. We were discussing before the service how it's very, very evident to see the Lord's hand in this, which gives us comfort, right? very, very evident to see the Lord's will. And what a blessing that is, because this would be right and good and done, whatever the Lord does, the Lord does, whether he sees fit to give us comfort in that, whether he sees fit to show us his will or not, it is of the Lord regardless. But in this situation, the Lord has seen fit to give us comfort. and so that we see his hand. And we're very, very thankful that he has answered prayers. With that in mind, I hope to just continue that conversation.

In 1 Corinthians, turn with me to 1 Corinthians 10. In the drive down, I get so many thoughts in my head, but it's frowned upon to write in your notes while you're driving. So I ran back there. I'm trying to jot down. I remember Tom Harding saying one time, when you have a message, you sleep all night and you're awake all night. From the time the message is given until the time you deliver it, you're preaching the message nonstop. And I was the whole way down here, um, to, to myself. Um, so I tried to jot some notes down and now I can't read anything cause I've written on, on top of it all.

But, um, I pray the Lord, um, blesses the, our text is just one verse in first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 31, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all. to the glory of God. Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Throughout this chapter, in chapter 10, Paul is warning the Corinthians. He's warning these Corinthians who have just been so unusually blessed. It's not hard to see a parallel there, is it? It's not hard to see yourself in that. He's warning the Corinthians, we are being warned. We who have just been so, so blessed. And he's warning them against turning away from Christ. Turning away from Christ.

And in verse five, in chapter 10, in verse five, Paul calls it being overthrown. And he's using the children of Israel as an example. how they were overthrown in the wilderness. How were they overthrown? They were overthrown by taking their eyes off of Christ.

And a better way of putting that is by turning away from Christ. You can't face two directions. Even when we speak of repentance, repentance is turning away from everything that isn't Christ. which Paul talks about, turning away and turning to Christ. He's using the children of Israel as an example. He calls them being overthrown in the wilderness as they turn away from Christ. And we're being warned. Look in verse eight, Paul warns us, neither let us commit fornication. Paul warns us to turn away from sexual sin. Verse nine, neither let us tempt Christ. We're not to presume on Christ's mercy and to take it for granted.

Has there ever been a generation in the history of man that has had the gospel, the gospel of our living God so readily available at our fingertips 24 hours a day? Has there ever been a generation in the history of man that has been so blessed as we are? And yet, as evidence of our spiritual death. And yet we have to be warned, turn away from fornication, turn away from tempting Christ as the Israelites did, to presume on Christ's mercy and to take it for granted.

Verse 10 says, neither murmur ye, don't complain against God's providence. And that doesn't just mean grit your teeth and force yourself to not complain against God's providence. Seek God's providence, agree with God's providence, side with God over yourself.

As we were discussing before services, I'm a better man when I'm an ankle dog, right? When I'm at the master's feet, lying down, taking whatever his good hand sees fit to give me, I'm in my right place. We're not to complain against God's providence, We are to share our hurts with one another. The scriptures are clear in that, right? And we're to share our hurts and make our needs and wishes made known unto God. We're to share openly our hearts with our Father in prayer. We're to share our weakness before our God. And we do murmur. We absolutely do. We do all these things.

And we turn to God in Christ, in Christ for forgiveness, But of these things, as Paul is warning us to turn away from idolatry, anything other than Christ is idolatry, turn away, he mentions first, he first mentions idolatry. Look in verse seven, Paul starts, neither be ye idolaters, as some were in the wilderness. Don't be idolaters, we're not to be, and what is an idol? An idol is anything that is between us and Christ. Anything that's between us and Christ. An idol can be anything that we insert, other than God, as a cause.

As a cause. Because we know, and I'm gonna, this is one thing I corrected in my notes on the way down here. I've written over and over and over again in my notes that we know that God is the first cause of all things. And that is true, but let me come back to it. God is the first cause of all things. Turn with me, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 45. This is good to read and see. There's a lot of scriptures today. We won't turn to all of them, but this is good to see.

Isaiah chapter 45 and verse seven, I formed the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. If there's any confusion, I, the Lord do all these things. I formed the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord do all these things. It's his sovereign right. It's in his sovereign power is absolutely without question. And in the very next verse, let's not forget how he uses his sovereign might and his sovereign right and his sovereign power.

In the very next verse, drop down ye heavens from above and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation. Let righteousness spring up together with salvation. Let righteousness and salvation spring up together I the Lord have created it. Our brother Dan Morgan, a couple weeks ago in Sunday school class, he brought out so clearly in the song Rock of Ages, right? Save from wrath and make me pure.

Save from wrath, that is Christ who knew no sin, be made sin. for us, save from wrath and make me pure, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God uses, that's probably not the right term, God in his sovereign right and sovereign might and sovereign authority expresses his goodness from himself in righteousness and salvation springing forth together only in Christ, only in Christ, save from wrath and make me pure, only in Christ.

And I kept on writing all through here, God is the first cause of all things, but that's not right. God is the cause of all things, not first cause implying that there are other causes, right? God is the cause of all things. And he uses means and he uses people and as he will, but how these, the Israelites robbed themselves of peace and understanding of who God is by worshiping the means, right? Rather than God who is the cause.

And just as Paul warns them, Paul warns us. So I need to hear this. It sounds ridiculous. It's only evidence of my spiritual death that I would never ever need to hear this. To worship God who is the cause rather than whatever, which is the means. It's ridiculous. It's evidence of our spiritual death.

How the Israelites and how the Corinthians and how we rob ourselves of peace and of understanding of who God is by doing that. And that's idolatry. And that's the first thing Paul warns against is idolatry. Why is this important? There are only two religions.

There is the holy, omnipotent, all-powerful God expressed through his son, Jesus Christ, and there's idolatry, and that's it. And growing up, I always pictured idolatry in the form of totem poles and golden calves and whatever, golden crosses, whatever it is, Buddha, some physical form of idolatry, but it can be much more subtle than that. Ultimately, all idolatry is the worship of self, right? No different than Lucifer, I will, I will, I will, no different than Adam, right?

Usurping God's authority, saying me, I. All of, there's only the two religions. And idolatry can be so subtle, and is it important? I know we don't want to rob God of his glory, but is that true because God needs our worship? No. Does he need glory from us? God does not operate from a sense of lack.

We always operate from a sense of want, from a sense of lack, right? We get up in the morning and we're hungry. We take a breath. Everything we do, I go to work because I need to pay the mortgage. Everything that we do is from a sense of lack. And God is not like us. His ways are so much higher than our ways as far as the heaven is from the earth.

He's not operating from a sense of need. He's not operating from a sense of lack. Whereas to imagine that he would need something from us, No, we're to turn from idols because our holy God out of his goodness, not out of his lack, but out of his abundance has seen fit to reveal to his children who he is and that he would see fit to reveal to us his omnipotence and his power and his grace and his almighty goodness. that we would need to be reminded to turn from idols and to focus on Christ. But it's not because of any sense of lack from his standpoint.

If you haven't already, when you get home this evening, read the bulletin, the article in your bulletin. All the articles are wonderful, but one is entitled, We Worship a Redeemer That Redeems. That's what I'm trying to say. That's what Paul is saying. Any other thing that we look at, any other thing that we give credence or credit or take comfort in, shame on me, that we would take comfort from something other than Christ, we worship a Redeemer that redeems. And we read this morning to start the service, turn over to Hebrews chapter 13. We'll read a couple of verses from that again. Hebrews chapter 13 in verse nine.

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. It's a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, not with the things that we do or don't do, not with works, not with anything other than Christ, which is an altar, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar. whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the tabernacle, for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go therefore unto him. Let us therefore go unto him without the camp, bearing their reproach. Paul warns us to turn from idols.

Some examples that came off the top of my head, which I share because I believe that we're all very similar in our weakness. So I share some of my own because I imagine you all think of them also. The things that I will take comfort from. I'll look to my faith. Whew. Mm. I was sitting there.

Here's how worthwhile my faith in and of itself is. I believed I put this handkerchief in my Bible cover, and I was looking for it to wipe my glasses off. I distinctly remember sitting in the parking lot, putting this handkerchief inside the Bible cover, and I was sitting there looking all over for it because it wasn't there. So much for my faith, right? I believed it was right there. It happened to be in my pocket. My faith is worthless.

The object of our faith and Christ's faithfulness is very valuable. But we'll look to our faith and turn it into an idol. We'll look to having the right doctrine. And I'm thankful for the right doctrine. I'm thankful for our brother, John Calvin, who outlined TULIP in a way that I can follow. I'm very, very thankful. summarized in a true and concise way that has been used by and blessed countless people.

What a shame would it be if I took comfort in my grasp of the correct doctrine rather than comfort from my Christ, from my Lord, from my Savior. What a shame would that be? We think of so many heroes in my mind. We think of Don, we think of the list goes very, very long. Men and women who have been instrumentally used to bless the saints in unusual, mighty ways. And every single one of them, I love going back and listening to messages. I love going back and reading.

Every one of them would say, don't you dare put me on a pedestal. Don't you dare, right? Follow me instead of Christ, right? or as Scott Richardson, I believe it was, used to say, don't put me on a pedestal, make the Lord break your fingers, take you down, which is true.

And all of that, right, our bent, our sinful will being prone to looking at idols rather than the God of all love and salvation, brings us to our text, which is there in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31. Paul, while talking about turning from idolatry, in this verse, speaks to the other side of the coin, which is liberty found in Christ. Liberty found in Christ.

And we should, right? We should turn from fornication. We should turn from idols. We should not live a life that tempts God. We should not murmur. These are all good things, right? We should listen to sound preaching. We should live a modest life. These are all things we should do. We should, above all people on the face of the earth, we should be generous, forgiving people. We should be. We should be good examples. We should believe. We should pray. We should, but none of these things are the cause of salvation. None of these things are the cause of salvation, which is what Paul's getting into.

If I'm left to my own imagination, I focus on these things. I focus on these things and I make them my hope for comfort. I look to them as my hope of comfort rather than the source of all comfort, the source of all life, which is Christ. I look for them as my right to stand before God.

And I think of that every time I hear the word right standing before God, I think of a right to stand before a absolutely holy God who even the angels cover their eyes and cover their feet when they're in his presence. Absolute holiness. And in Christ, because of his life, because of his death, because of his perfection, because of who he is, because of his sacrifice, sinners, the least deserving of all of his creation, because of his glory, because of who God is, gives sinners who don't even have a right to ask for mercy, to stand before a holy God in Christ, a right standing. And we look to anything other than Christ, and that's an idol. Know what liberty we have, Paul says, Whatever therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Pushing away the idols and seeing only Christ.

And I've been thinking about this verse for a long time. I don't know how many years ago it was. Gene Patterson and I were talking after services and just kind of a random conversation. Have you ever thought about the fact that when God created life, when God created man and breathed breath of life into man, He wasn't constrained by science.

He didn't have to make us so that we breathe, right? He didn't have to, he saw fit to. God did not have to make us to where we sleep or eat or drink or breathe or hear or see. He didn't have to make us that way. God was under no constraint to make us rest. or any of those other things, there's six that we'll go over today.

Sleep, breathe, eat, drink, see, and hear. And there's many, many examples. But focusing on these six, Paul says, whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Right after talking about idolatry, perhaps, since God is the cause of all, then I'll be better if I avoid seeing any other cause, right? And avoid robbing God of his rightly earned glory, and I'll avoid robbing myself of peace. Maybe one of the reasons we do all these six things every day is a means for God to further reveal himself to us, who he is. And for most of these, we'll go through all six of these, for most of these I'll I'll give you one verse to turn to that we'll look at together, and then I'll read a few others, but I'll give you the references as we go through.

Let's first look to sleep. If you would turn to Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews chapter four, and we'll start in verse nine. That the Lord saw fit to make us rest. And all these things, we have very, very little power over. Try not to rest and see how long you last. Try not to breathe. Eventually you're going to pass out and you'll start breathing. The Lord is in absolute control over these. We don't play a part in any of this, right? Hebrews chapter four, but before we get there, we're going to read a few other verses. Psalm four, verse eight, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. Why?

For thou, Lord, only make us to be dwell in safety. And as we go through here, I pray it's so evident to see not only the physical example, how the Lord, he said, for thou, Lord, only make us to be dwell in safety. And that is true physically as a picture of what is absolutely true spiritually, right? He makes us to rest. in Christ for thou Lord only make us to be to dwell in safety.

Speaking of my spiritual soul, Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, right? I shall not lack in him. I lack everywhere else, but I shall not lack in him. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. Matthew 11 verse 28, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden. and I will give you rest. At the end of the day, using the physical world as an example of our Lord's goodness in the spiritual world, does anybody else just collapse into bed like I do at the end of the day?

I'm done. At the end of the day, I'm spent. And we don't even have a grasp of how spent we are spiritually. We're dead. We're dead. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I know how tired I am physically. A few are tired spiritually. On the Lord's good word, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, come unto me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. Ye shall find rest unto your souls. For thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety. You shall find rest for your souls. Now to Hebrews four, where you are in verse nine, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

For he that is entered into his rest He also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his on the seventh day, right? Why did God rest from creating the earth and all that is therein on the seventh day? He rested because he was tired? No, he rested because it was done. Because it was finished.

And the picture of the physical world, right? And we see and we know Rest, right? We know what rest feels like. And we see through a glass darkly a picture of the spiritual world of complete, absolute rest in Christ. Why? Because as he said from the cross, it is finished. Just as God rested on the seventh day. Christ's work is finished and we rest in him. We rest. There remaineth therefore a rest because it's finished.

We see with the eye of faith that Christ alone has that right. Right? We started in Psalm, Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. We see that Christ alone has the right, the authority, the power to save. He only has the goodness and the will to save. Can you imagine that right and authority and power in the hands of sinful men? We turn around immediately and use it in some sort of selfish, evil way. And it expresses our God for who he is that with infinite power and authority and right and might to do so whatsoever he will, what does he do? He saves and he leads his children along by the still waters because of his goodness. And we see that Christ alone accepts sinners. Only Christ accepts sinners. He dined with publicans.

Here's the question, will he accept me? And there's no condition whatsoever on that question. If you ask just about anyone, and I pray I would never fall into this trap. If someone were to come and ask, will he accept me? Every answer you get will say, we'll start with the word, if you, that's what they'll start with. Will he accept me?

And they'll say, well, if you, well, you know, right there, that's wrong. That's not the right answer. But people will say, well, if you pray, if you ask him, if you, if you, if you, if you, if you. And all of that is a condition on the sinner, and all that is wrong. None of that is right. Even your asking, even my asking, even my coming to the throne of mercy in Christ is not the condition of salvation. My asking isn't the condition.

Christ calls dead, desperate, helpless, hopeless, sinners that have no right to ask, sinners who do not deserve to have a right standing, right? Sinners who don't deserve to have their head up before a holy God. Sinners who, if they have any sort of vision of who they are, hang their head and have no hope and no right to ask.

To ask. He's not inviting people and he's not asking people. Sinner, he's calling you to ask. If you've never asked before, And if you've asked a million times, he's calling me now again to ask and to come to him on the authority of that verse. What is that rest? That's the rest of belief. Christ said to the thief on the cross, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. And a few moments later, he said, it is finished. And those go just hand in hand. Those that come to him, he will in no wise cast out.

There is rest, there is sleep. And aren't I more, I don't know how to say this. It doesn't add to God. If I keep this in mind every time I lay down and rest and every time I wake up in the morning, it doesn't add anything to God, but it sure does add to me. That's a gift from God.

Physical sleep, if you've ever suffered from insomnia, not being able to sleep, but physical sleep is an absolute gift. Spiritual rest. Oh, if I would wake up from my sleep and remember and think of God who gives my soul rest because of who he is and what he did in Christ, I'd be a better man for it. So we, in all things and whatsoever you do, and do it to the glory of God, we sleep, we rest. Two, we breathe. If you'd turn to Acts chapter 17, remembering that God didn't have to make us to breathe.

Maybe one reason he did was to reveal himself. That God would commune with man. What a miracle that is. When Moses was walking by and beheld the burning bush, he wasn't, Moses wasn't doing anything. He didn't, God came to him in the burning bush. What a miracle that God would see fit to commune with him.

What a miracle if God would see fit to commune with us and reveal a little bit of himself in our rest. A little bit of himself. If we see a glimmer of him in our breath, that he would commune with us. We're going to Acts chapter 17, verse 25, but I'm going to go through a few other verses first.

Genesis 2.7, the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

He made life where there was none, physically. Physically, in Adam, he took dead dust with no life in it whatsoever and breathed life into it and made life. And we see the spiritual example in the physical world. That's exactly what he does with dead dust sinners that are not only benign in that being dead, but are actually rebels. And he breathes life, saves from wrath, and makes pure, breathes life.

Job 33, the spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. What a good word that is, of the Almighty hath given. given me life. John 20 verse 22 says, then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you. As my father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost. We're on the receiving end of God's goodness. Acts 17, I'm gonna skip down to verse 28. For in him, we live and move and have our being in Christ. And now verse 25.

God hath made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things.

So that every time we take a breath, Hmm. We're reminded of the physical life. I stood out there before services on your all's porch. I mean, what a gorgeous view. And breathe in, I believe today's the last day of spring. Breathe in that sweet Kentucky air. Hmm.

And we're reminded of our spiritual life, given from above. Every time I take a breath, because scripture says every good and every perfect gift comes from above, right? So that every time I breathe, I'm reminded of spiritual life. I'm reminded of the spiritual breath that God breathed into this dead dust center.

And I see God not as the first cause, I see God as the cause, period. The cause, all from him because of his goodness. Every time I breathe. Whatsoever therefore you do, whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, like breathe, do all to the glory of God. We eat. Turn with me, if you would, to John chapter six. John chapter six, verse 35. As we get there, again, I'll read a couple other verses.

Psalm 23 says, thou prepares the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. In the presence of mine enemies. If I would remember that every time I take a bite, If I'd remember that, that he prepares the table before me in the presence of my enemies, if I'd remember that every time I take a bite, maybe I would be better prepared to answer as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did, right? When they told King Nebuchadnezzar, our God will deliver out of your hand. One way or another, he'll deliver out of your hand. And they honored God, and so if every time I took a bite, I remembered, that he prepares the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Who's my number one enemy? Right here. Right here is my number one enemy.

With all the wickedness that pours out of my heart, the Lord doesn't shun me, doesn't turn me away, doesn't turn his back on me. He'll never turn his back on us because the father turned his back on the son. Therefore, the son will never turn his back on us. He'll never turn his back on us. and rather prepares the table, even in this wilderness, even us here together, worshiping together, even now.

If I'd remember that when I take a bite. 1 Corinthians 11, 24, when he had given thanks, he break it and said, take, eat, this is my body. This is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. If I'd remember that when I eat of Christ's broken body. If I'd remember that eating is often a picture of believing, that we're completely powerless. I worked in nursing homes and I worked in therapy for a long time. Sometimes after a stroke, you'll see somebody lose their ability to swallow, which is hard to retrain. It's not something that we can do. I mean, babies are, it's not something we can learn. You don't teach a baby to do that. Baby comes out ready to eat. It's given. It's given.

If I'd remember that when I take a bite, My faith, though not even the size of a mustard seed, is given by God, and this belief is given by Him. If I'd remember that when I take a bite, I'd be a happier me, and I'd glorify Him as I ought. John 6, where we are, verse 35, for the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto Him, Lord evermore, give us this bread. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Using bread in the physical world, eating in the physical world, as a picture of the spiritual world. And I imagine these that he were talking to, I mean, we can't hardly go five miles without a restaurant being somewhere, right? I imagine these folks maybe knew what it was like to be hungry a little bit. And they prayed. from their heart, they prayed for their heart's desire, which was, Lord evermore, give us this bread. And what a picture from the physical world to the spiritual world, we're starving.

Oh, if the Lord would make us starving, what a blessing that would be, wouldn't it? If the Lord would make us hunger and thirst after righteousness and hunger and thirst after him and come to him and pray from the depths of our heart, Lord evermore, give me this bread.

Give me the bread of life in Christ. Would you give me? I'm desperately hungry. Would you give to me? Every time I took a bite, I remembered that he does give mercy and faith, and he does grant repentance and give belief, and he does so willingly, and he does so delightfully. He does, sinner, come to him. And if I'd remember that, Christ's my living bread. Wouldn't that bite be sweeter? We drink. Turn to Matthew chapter 26. So we rest, we breathe, we eat, we drink. Number four, we drink. Matthew chapter 26.

I was canoeing a long canoe trip, Boy Scouts, and we knew all us boys were going to tip each other in the canoe. So we took all of our water and all of our food, and we put it in the scout leader's canoe. So this one canoe is carrying it all, carrying all the food, carrying all the water, and carrying three men bigger than me in this canoe. And, you know, they made it to the first turn, and my dad was in it. He was sitting in the middle. They made it to the first turn, and they tipped.

They sunk the canoe and they lost all of our water and all of our food for, you know, 40 boys for the day. And I'm nearing the end of the day and we've been out on the water, I don't know how long, a long time. And it's the end of the day and we're getting to our pickup point and I haven't had a drink of water all day and I've been on this canoe and we were in dirty some dirty old stream and I finally I'd had enough and it's just muddy nasty you know those of you that have been out in the woods you know what snakes smell like the whole place smelled like snakes and there's an old coal mine over here and you can see all the dark gray water pouring out into the stream and I'm Absolutely parched. I'm done. Handfuls of it. And just handfuls of it. Drank all I could because I was so thirsty.

Desperate. If we'd be made desperate in our sin, that's a physical picture. And you see the physical picture of our spiritual lack, our spiritual desperation in sin to come to Christ. not drinking muddy water, but a spring that springs up everlasting, the spring of life. John 4 says, whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Desperately come to him, come to him that way. If you never have, or if you have a million times, we, I, I come to him desperately right now.

If any man thirsts, let him come into me and drink. He says in John 7, 37, Isaiah 55, ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. This is where the shop was. This is where trade happened, was at the waters when all the ships came in with all the food and everything, all the wine. come to where it is, which is in Christ. Come and eat and drink. Without money and without price, it's been provided in Christ. And if he hadn't given us thirst, we wouldn't understand that desperation. So when we drink, right, we see a picture of our desperation to come drink of Christ.

So here in Matthew 26, I'm gonna read Psalm 75 first, and we're gonna look at how these two are connected. Psalm 75 verse eight says, for in the hand of the Lord, there is a cup and the wine is red. The dregs thereof, the dregs of this cup, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and shall drink them. The dregs of the cup, the wicked of the earth shall drink. Now to where you are there in Matthew 26 verse 39, Our Lord says, oh, my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. God's children don't drink the dregs thereof. Even though we are the wicked, we do not drink the dregs of the cup. Why? Because Christ did. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." And he drank the cup of God's wrath dry. Back and forth between those two verses, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them. Our Lord, the man Jesus Christ, did not drink the cup symbolically. He drank it because he was made wicked for his people. and he drank God's wrath dry. Therefore, his people never do.

And if I would remember that when I took a drink, if I would remember the spring of water, the spiritual life that is given inside every child of God, if I would remember how he drunk the dregs of God's wrath dry, if I would remember Christ's work without price to us, and with infinite price to Him. If I'd remember that, if I'd remember that the full price was paid by Christ in His perfect life, and in His perfect death, and in His perfect sacrifice, all springing from His perfect goodness to His people, that He has the right to do so, and He has the goodness to do so, and that He did so. If I would remember that when I took a drink, something so common, Something so common. If I would remember that, when I took a drink, how my Lord, my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord, drank the dregs of the cup dry, so that this wicked sinner doesn't, if I'd remember that. If I would do, as Paul says, whatsoever I do, whether I eat or drink, whatsoever I do, if I would do all to the glory of God, it won't add anything to Him. but it sure will make my day better, right?

It's a gift to me to remember. Last two. One is to see, and then we'll look at to hear, to see. Turn over to Hebrews chapter 11. Our sight. And as we're turning there again, I'll read a few other verses. Luke chapter four, verse 18. This is Christ speaking in the synagogue. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Recovering of sight to the blind. And when our Lord had spoken that, when he had read that, he sat down. And they knew he was speaking of himself. Recovering of the sight to the blind. Acts 26 verse 18, Christ sends Paul to preach to the world.

He says, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light. Turn from darkness to light. Turn from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins. And how do sinners turn from darkness to light? John 8, verse 12 answers that. Christ says, I am the light of the world. I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Turn from darkness to light. And left to ourselves, the scripture is very, very clear that we will choose darkness. We speak, we don't speak. We humans speak of free will. speak of having the ability, let alone the will, to turn from darkness to light.

There is only ever... You ever had someone betray you, turn your back on you, just... And I don't know, when someone says something to me that I don't like, even if they're right, a lot of times my first reaction is not the best, not the most gracious. Stacey usually bears the brunt of that, unfortunately. And a lot of times it's worse when she's right. When she calls me out on something that's right.

You know, well, no I don't. That's kind of my first. There's my free will, right? There's me exercising. When I exercise my will, it always exercises to the negative. Always. It always exercises to darkness. My free will, always. Because it's not free. It's bound to my sinful nature. So I will always turn to darkness, left to myself, we, all of us will never, ever, ever turn to God, turn to Christ. The scripture is very clear on that. We will choose darkness rather than light always.

One instance, it's Christ on the cross. In this moment in time of bearing all of the sins of all the people for all time, in bearing in his body, this unimaginable pain, in bearing his father, turning his back on him to where our Lord says, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

And even then he didn't respond with any sort of defense. Even when they stuck the sponge, he wouldn't drink it. He wouldn't minimize his pain and suffering, not one ounce. He didn't turn, he didn't defend. as we do, right? And he, there is the only example we ever have of somebody really exhibiting free will. And in so, he chose out of his goodness because of who he is, because of how good he is, he chose to save the wicked.

Our sight. Hebrews chapter 11, verse one, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We went out West last summer and saw the Grand Tetons and saw Yellowstone and saw, oh my goodness, our Lord's creation is something else. And if I would remember, As amazing as this is, you stand on the brim of the Grand Canyon and you look at it, and it is unbelievable what I'm looking at. Those amazing sights don't hold a candle, right, to the gift of faith. And if when something catches my eye, and I would remember that this vision was given as a gift, if I would remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for, it's the evidence of things not seen, I'd be a happier man.

I'd glorify God as I ought. And finally, to hear. Turn to Revelation chapter three. Revelation chapter three. We rest, we breathe, we eat, we drink, we see, and we hear. If we would do all to the glory of God, Revelation chapter three, and again, I'll quote a few verses before we get there.

To hear, Romans 10, verse 17, so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We see that faith is a gift granted by physically hearing the word of God, right? As it is revealed by Christ, who is called what? The word of God. So we hear the word physically, the word spoken, but that's a picture of hearing who we need to hear. We need to hear Christ, the word of God. John 10, verse 27 says, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. Matthew 13, verse nine says, he who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And now to Revelation 3, verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him. How blessed is that? If we would hear his voice, my sheep hear my voice because he's revealed himself. I knock and if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him. How could anyone hear him knock? How could anyone move to open the door? How could anyone respond unless they were first given ears and eyes and life to come to him?

And if I would think of that every time I even hear a sound, if I would think of Christ who is the word of God, do I, Do I not hear? Do I not see? I think of all the years, and to God's glory, he kept me sitting there, indifferent and dead, and I didn't hear, didn't. And again, I use myself as an example in case I'm talking to somebody else who's in the same situation. Do I not eat God's word and rest?

I think of Ruth sitting there at the table with Boaz. Boaz provided the shade, provided the, it was on the land that he owned. He provided the table. He provided all the spread. He provided the bread and then he took the bread and he dipped it in the gravy and gave it to her.

Do I not eat? Do I not eat God's word? Do I not rest? Then ask, ask God to give you ears. I'm talking to me. And he has seen fit to show some, ask, Lord, would you show me who you are more? according to your will? Would you let me hear who you are more according to your will? Would you give me the grace, the faith to believe when I eat? Would you allow me to feed on your word and believe more? Would you give me this bread evermore? Would you give me this water evermore so that I never thirst again?

He says on the authority of his word, you have not because you ask not. Would I see him as the cause and not all this other? Would I? Am I dead to it? Am I unaffected? Yes, I was, by God's grace. But that's just evidence that the word is true. If I'm sitting there and I'm unaffected, or you know your heart, Or I rebel against it and I say, well, that isn't true. Well, that's evidence that it is true because the scripture says you'll turn to darkness, not to light. The scripture calls us dead. Am I dead and not responding?

Logically speaking, doesn't that make your ears burn and say, wait a minute, wait a minute, I could be in trouble here. Outside of Christ, sinner, I promise you, you are. and I am too, we are, then ask. Ask for your heart's desire. And if my heart's desire, and too often my heart's desire, my prayers are ugly sometimes. They're awfully fleshly. I ask very selfishly of a lot of stuff. We are to ask our heart's desire before the Lord. If that's what your heart's desire is, take it to him. And then ask him to give you a heart's desire for the milk, for a heart's desire for Christ. Ask for a heart's desire for him. Ask him to make it so. Make me so.

Not because he needs my worship. I'm coming to the waters where the food and the water and the drink, where everything is, where the wine is to buy without price. I'm coming to Christ to buy. Not because I'm worthy. Out of my lack, I'm coming to him who lacks nothing and asking for forgiveness and asking him to provide it all. Right? There's no bargain. You're coming to buy without price. No bargain. So that when we sleep and when we breathe and when we eat and when we drink, And when we see, and when we hear, we do all to the glory of God.

Do ALL To The Glory of God

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Do ALL To The Glory of God

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