When I was in high school, I
used to wrestle. And before the match, I would
get just nervous, butterflies, I mean just like this, ready
to go, ready to get after it, and at the same time ready to
run out the back door. That's exactly how I feel when
I start to preach. I sit there ready to go but nervous
and ready to, if there was a way I could go out that back wall,
I'd probably go. Turn to John chapter 6. Title of the message, I will not cast you out. I can go home on that. You know,
just a word from the Lord is enough, isn't it? If He gives
it to you, if the Lord gives it to you, just a word is enough. Just a word. Paul said to the
Corinthians, I'd rather just have five words under the Spirit
of God than 10,000. It doesn't really mean anything.
He's talking about an unknown tongue that nobody could understand,
which doesn't mean anything if you can't understand it. But this, I will not cast you
out, means a whole lot to me. When I was a young boy, in those early years, I was brought
up under hell, fire, brimstone type of preaching. When I became
a teenager and dad and mom quit making me go to church, I never
went again. Church so-called. I never went
again. I didn't want to go. I didn't
want anything to do with religion in any way, shape or form. I didn't want it. Around the age of 19, somewhere
in there, Vicki and I were dating. She was 17. Kids. Just children. There was a place I worked. Someone
had read the book, The Late Great Planet Earth. I read it. And
I got absolutely scared to death of dying. and going to hell. I mean, I got scared to death
of it. I got up at night and checked
the doors to make sure they were locked. When everybody else went
to bed and slept, I got up and checked the doors. I was that
fearful of it. That fearful. So I made a profession. I went
to church and made a profession, baptized, I took care of that
problem, I thought. I took care of that problem,
quieted my conscience, you know, fixed it, I'm okay. Everything's
alright. Until at the age of 23, when
I heard my pastor, Henry Mahan. And then for the first time,
I became afraid of God. Not hell. Hell had nothing to
do with it at that time. Well, the first time I became
afraid of God Almighty, I became afraid that He would not save
me. Everybody had been telling me
that the Lord, that Jesus wanted to save me if I'd let Him. You
accept Him into your heart, He'll save you. The Romans rode, you
know. And I heard the gospel. And I
heard it in power. You know, Paul said to the Thessalonians
that the word of God, that the gospel came not unto you in word
only, but in power and in demonstration of the spirit, they became followers
of God. They turned from their idols.
They sent out the gospel. It came to them in power. And
I can say, when I heard the gospel, It came to me in power and I
became afraid that God would not save me. And for the first time I realized
I was in His hands. He's not in my hands. For the
first time I realized I'm standing before God who may not save me. He may leave me alone. And for
the first time I knew what it was to be afraid of God. Standing at a sovereign throne. Standing there. And verse 37 is the verse we're
going to give most of our attention to. Verse 37 is the verse God
gave me that kept me going. Kept me from just falling into
despair. All that the Father giveth me
just shall come to me. And the latter part of this verse
is the verse that just to this day, to this day, keeps me going. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. What a promise. Oh, he that cometh
to me, I will know why I was cast out. That kept me coming
back to the throne of grace. And to this day, it keeps me
coming back to the throne of grace. Now the first thing we need to
realize, and I think this is one of the first things that
God makes a sinner realize, is that salvation always always
starts with God. It doesn't start with, well this
is what Jesus Christ did, now what are you going to do with
it? No, what's God going to do with
me? What is God going to do with me? I'm the guilty one. I'm the
offender. You don't go to court and stand
before the judge and it's like, what are you going to do with
the judge? I'm not going to do anything with the judge. What's the judge going
to do with me? I'm the one who's broken God's law on purpose. Against light, I knew better.
How many things have you done in your life that you knew better
about everything? Pretty much everything. You know
better. My dad said that. Son, you know
better than that. I did. When you're lost, you're
lost. Knowing better doesn't keep you
from being what you are. It doesn't keep you from being
what you are. Salvation always starts with God. All that the
Father giveth me. This happened long before I came
along. This happened long before any
of us came along. This happened long before Adam came along.
All that the Father giveth me, He says, shall come to me. Salvation
always now starts with the Father. Go over and read, well, let's
start, let's do it, over in Ephesians chapter 1. Here's the proper
order of salvation. Ephesians chapter 1. Here's the
proper order. Paul said in verse 3, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. Then you go on down and you have
the work of the Son. It says here, let me go and read
it. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption. There's the
work of the Son. Through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Then you go over
to verse 13, we have the work of the Holy Spirit, in whom he
also trusted. After that you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after
that you believed. You were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise." That's the process of it. That's the process
of it. But it always starts with the
Father. He's the beginning. It starts with Him in election,
as I just read to you. He chose us. Christ said to His
disciples, You did not choose me, I chose you. Let's get this
straight. Let's never confuse that. Especially
in our preaching. It is God who chose me. Does
that ever make you stand and wonder at all? That God chose
you? You know how many people are
perishing? You know how many people who are already in hell? No hope. It starts with the Father in
election. It starts with the Father in grace. For by grace
are you saved. He didn't choose me or choose
you because we are some good people or smart people. He just
did. Even so, Father, it seems good
in thy sight. It starts with the Father's love.
He says over there, and look over in 1 John. Over in 1 John
chapter 4. Verse John chapter 4. Look in verse 9. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son
into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love. Not that we love God. We ought
to love God. Ought we not to love God? But
that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins. Oh, it starts with the Father
in election, in grace, in love, in covenant. Boy, the older I
get, the more I appreciate the covenant of grace. God will not
break His own covenant. He won't do it. If He'd made
a covenant concerning me with Christ, I'll be saved. There's just no
if, ands, or buts about it. I'll be saved. And not only does
salvation start with God, but notice here, we'll see effectual
calling. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. It's going to happen. It'll happen. Listen, there's no ifs. There's
no condition. There's no condition put here
at all. Are you reading in condition? I don't read a condition at all.
There's no agitus describing. It just says, shall come to me. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Oh my soul, how sure is salvation? How sure is our salvation in
Jesus Christ? The Father chose me, loved me,
gave me to His Son, and He says, You're coming. You're coming. You're coming. And here's a promise.
And this is the promise that just has kept me going for nearly
40 years. And especially in those early
years. In Him that cometh to me, I will. I'm giving you my will on this
matter. I will, in no wise, for no reason, ever, ever, ever cast
you out. Never cast him out. And him,
him, no description of the person, doesn't say Him that fills this
or is that or it just says cometh. In Him that cometh. How free is that? How wide open
is that? Aren't you? I'm glad there's
not a description that says in Him that's six foot tall or taller. Boy, I'd be doomed. I'd be doomed. or him that's rich, or him that's
intelligent. It just says him. It just says him, rich or poor.
It doesn't matter. You know, the Lord said to the
disciples one time, He said, how hardly, He offended a rich
man, and He said, how hardly is it for those who are rich,
for them that are rich, to enter the kingdom of heaven. He said
it's easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And you know what he
did right after that? He saved a rich man. Zacchaeus. That's exactly what he did after
he told them how hard it'd be for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven, and then turned right around and saved the rich man.
Because there's nothing too hard for our Lord, and he proved it.
Told me how hard that would be, then he said, now watch this. Saved a rich baby. He that cometh to me. What qualifies
us coming to Christ? I want to know
that. I want to know that because I
want to know that I have come to Christ. I don't want to be
religious and lost because I was at one time. I don't want to just quiet my
conscience and get it all fixed up and then find out that I'm
lost. It says in the book of Job they
were confounded because they had hoped. I thought I was saved. Lord,
I preached in your name. Isn't that what I'm doing now? They said, we've cast out devils
in your name. We've done many mighty works in your name. And the Lord said, depart from
me. He doesn't argue with them. He just says, depart from me.
I never knew you. I don't want that. My greatest concern, I can tell
you right now, at 61 years of age, my greatest concern right
now It's not preaching, even though I have a greater desire
to preach right now than I've ever had in my life. But my greatest
desire right now is my relationship to Jesus Christ. Paul said, Oh, that I might know
Him, the power of His resurrection, the power of His resurrected
life. I want to know the power of His life in me now. I want to be joined to that vine.
I want to be united to Jesus Christ. I want that now. What qualifies me or us coming
to Christ? Well, to come to Christ, and
those of you who've come to Christ, you know this, It is to absolutely
leave everything else. You leave a profession you made
maybe years ago, you leave religion, you leave absolutely everything
and you turn to Him. You literally, really turn to
Him absolutely. That's it. Sink or swim, I go
to Him. I don't know about all my past
and all that I just told you about. I don't know about all
that. But I'll tell you what I know right now standing here.
I need Jesus Christ. I need his righteousness. I need
his blood. I need his cleansing. I need
him. Absolutely. It's to believe on Him, it's
to trust Him, it's to rely on Him for all that you need to
stand in God's presence. Leave every hope you ever had
in your life but Him. That's it. They said, Lord, we preached
in your name, we cast out devils. I would want to say, Lord, did
you not die for me? Did you not die for me? Did you
not shed your blood for me? That's my only hope. That's my
only hope. Christ. One time, I'm going to
end up being guilty of going too long. One time, the Lord
said that he gave his disciples power over unclean spirits. They went out preaching. They
came back rejoicing. And they said, Lord, the unclean
spirits were subject to us. And you know what the Lord said?
Well, this is, I told this to Todd and I over here not long
ago. I said, if there's anything I can say to young preachers,
this. Rejoice not that the unclean spirits are subject to you, but
that your name is written in heaven. The least talented person in
this room has every bit as much to rejoice in as I have. God
can make a preacher out of anyone sitting in this room. I realize that. I realize that
God can take any man at any time and make a preacher out of him. Here's what I rejoice in when
I get up in the morning. Go to bed at night that my name
is written in the Lamb's book of life. That's it. That's it. And then he says,
cometh unto me. That means continually. Oh, I
came to Christ 40 years ago. What are you doing today? What
are you doing today? I'm still coming. I come to Him
today as if yesterday never existed. I come to Him this morning. It is a continual coming to Him.
I need Him more now than ever before. I realize more now of my sinfulness
than ever before. There's just as much sin in me
as there ever was. I feel a greater urgency to know
Him now more than ever. And then listen, coming to Christ,
we're coming to a living person. Boy, I want you to take this
home with you. How real is Jesus Christ to you? You know, James said, don't say
you're going to go to a city and do this or that, you know,
going to do business tomorrow. He said, say, if the Lord will. If the Lord will. I get up in
the morning, I'm going to go to work if the Lord will. If the Lord will. He's my Lord. I live under a theocracy. I live
under the authority of a king and I have his word. If you want
to know what the king has to say, read his word. It's right
here. He's given it to us. It's in your lap. The first time I came, I came
to religion to take care of a problem. Now I come to him to save me
from my sins. Now I come to him to save him
from John Chapman. Lord, save me from that guy.
Save me from me. Not just save me from something
I did. Save me from me. Because I'll
do it again. I'll do it again. I come to Him to save me from
my sins, that I might have fellowship with God. Not to try to keep
from going to a place of torment, but to have fellowship with God.
God, my Creator. Doesn't it amaze you? Doesn't
it amaze you that people go throughout their whole life and never acknowledge
the One who created them? You ought to go to hell. If I live like that, I ought
to go to hell. I came to the living Lord. Have you really come to Christ?
Have I really come to Christ? Well, here's the promise, here's
the assurance, I will in no wise I'm telling you, it's just like
candy to me. I will in no wise cast out. As dumb as I am, as
much as I stumble, like a bank mule, they said, I'll not cast
you out. No wise, no reason, no way. No way will I cast you out. God,
I have God's promise on this. Here's God's promise, I will
not cast you out. I will for no reason cast him
out that comes to me. No matter how black my past, no matter what it is, no matter
the skeletons in my closet, No matter the present. Christ said, I'll not cast you
out. David, don't you know better than to commit adultery? You're
the king. What's wrong anyway? It's even,
you're the king and God said you've given, Renata said to
him, you've given the enemy's occasion to blaspheme God's name
now. Not only did you do that, you
had her husband murdered. But you're not going to die.
God's put away your sin. God's put away your sin. I'll
not cast you out. I chose you, I loved you, I gave
you to my son, made a covenant with him over you. I will not
cast you out. None of it relies on me. Aren't
you glad? Can we not take God at His word? Can we not? Can we not? And I did, I don't know how many
times and times since, I couldn't count them. I have said, Lord,
You said, You said, He that comes to me, I'll not cast him out.
Lord, I come. Let's take God at His Word. He cannot cast me out because
He said He wouldn't. He said He wouldn't do it. There
you go. That's what faith is. It's taking
God at His Word. Then He'll do exactly what He
said He would do. Quit thinking of God like you
think of us, of each other. I know he said that, but we'll
see. God's not like that. That's not
God. God cannot lie. And he's honored
his word, it says, above his name. He'd be a bigger loser than me
if he did. All the promises of God in Christ
are yea and amen. Let me wind this up. He shows us here in verse 38
through 40, the Father's will shall be fulfilled. For I came
down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will which has sent
me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day. Earl, you had mentioned something
about what Henry said some time ago that it's hard to know the
will of God sometimes. Well, right here it's not. It's
very plain. It's very plain. This is the Father's will. You
see, I have the Father's will on this matter. That of all which
He hath given me, I won't lose a one of them. Not a one of them. That's why he said concerning
Judas, he said that they were all his except for that one.
Except for that one. He's letting us know, no, that
one is not mine. But you raise it up again at
the last day. I have a hope. I have an expectation
that when I die, And they lay this body in the
ground. And I go to be with the Lord. And in time, this body's
going to be raised out of that grave. It's going to be a new
body. And I'm going to be with the
Lord. In that new body. In that new heaven and earth. Forever and ever and ever. Because He promised it. He that
comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. You know, I guess it
probably is a good thing that we really can't see the other
side right now. We'd be dying to get out of here.
Wouldn't we? We wouldn't be. We wouldn't.
If they said I had terminal cancer, I'd be going, whoo! I guarantee
you, I would. If you and I could see the other
side, we'd look like a cheerleader going down. We'd be like David
who danced before the Lord. It's time to go home. It's time
to go home. This is the Father's will. This is His will. Of all which
He's given me, I'll lose nothing. I'll raise up again at the last
day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which
seeth the Son. Do you see Him? Do you see Him? He said in verse 36 to those
Jews, I said to you that you also have seen me. They saw Him
in the flesh. We know you. You're the carpenter's
son. And you believe not. And down
here it says, And this is the Father's will that sent me, that
everyone which seeth the Son, do you see Him? Is He real to you? Is He that
real to you? When you read His Word, you're not just reading
the Word, but He's speaking to you. He that seeth the Son and
believes on Him, which is one and the same. You see Him, you'll
believe. I promise you. may have everlasting life, and
I'll raise Him up at the last day." Oh, if you see the Son, then
God's given you faith. And you're one of those who's
been given to Christ. You're one of those who's been
given a promise, I will not cast you out. I will not cast you
out. Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."
That's the best news I can give you this morning. Now isn't that
a good message? That's a good message, even if I preached it.
That's a good message.