1 Peter chapter 2 verse 3 is our
text. If so be ye have tasted that
the Lord is gracious. The title is Taste and See. Taste and See. And that's a pretty
simple title. It's a simple outline. What Peter
is saying is this, try and experience for yourself that God is gracious. Taste and see. And I'm sure you've
noticed that that was the same text for the article I wrote
for our bulletin today, and the same title to the article. And I believe the Lord, as He
often does, led me to just elaborate on the article, take the same
text and things. I feel that he did. And I'll
just mention briefly, as an introduction to the message, the same thing
I wrote, a portion of it anyway. A couple of days ago, I was in
the garage down here on Fort Williams, Wrights, having my
oil changed, and the man that I met there, oh, not long after
I moved here, nearly 13 years ago, he sort of hangs around
there, And as I was waiting, he came out. And as I said in
the article, we sat down and began to talk, and he asked me
a question, really irrelevant. And I told him, honestly, I've
never thought of that. I mean, I've never considered
that as something irrelevant. And I said, by the way, where
do you go, Barry? And he said, I don't go anywhere. He said, I had a bad experience
in church, so I just don't go anywhere. But I believe in God,
and I believe Jesus died for me. And y'all had such conversations,
but this is what I want to repeat, especially. I think this man
is about 75 years old. He's older than me. And I thought,
how tragic. I'm telling you, tragic. That
he had no real interest in his immortal soul. He's facing eternity. I don't think he gives it a serious
thought. And it made me realize once again, as he walked away, I thought,
thank God that you didn't leave me there. Thank God that you
made me hunger and thirst after righteousness. Because if you
didn't, I'd be satisfied by saying, well, I believe in God, and go
on my way. I felt pity for that man. And
I prayed. I prayed to God. will get his attention. Oh, if
the Lord has made you thirsty, hungry, to know his son, my soul,
friends, brethren, Fairmont Grace Church, it's not possible that
we should be too thankful. I mean, that's just not possible.
Oh, thank God that he didn't leave us to ourselves. Peter,
in this epistle, he begins it pretty much the same way as he
ends it. Look at verse 2 of chapter 1, 1 Peter 1 and 2. He assures
them beginning here and throughout the epistle and then when he
closes it and then he picks it up in the second letter that
he wrote. But he assures them of God's constant grace, endless
supply of his all-sufficient grace. And remember the circumstances
of the folks to whom Peter wrote this. But he says in verse 2,
elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through sanctification
of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. Grace and peace. Martha, there's
one thing needful. Oh, my soul. This was preached
to me before I preached it to you. God, help me to remember
those are the one things I need most. Not this, not that, not
material things. Sure, we're not in heaven yet,
we still have to eat, we still have to pay bills and so forth,
but oh God, don't let me become so consumed with that that I
neglect, like Martha did for a little while, that one thing
needful. Grace through Christ and peace,
peace with God. the peace of God multiplied throughout
this letter again. He tells them over and over that
God's grace is never subtracted. Did you hear that? You'll never
be in a place, there'll never be in a time, there'll never
be a trial, there'll never be a heartache, there'll never be
a conflict in your life where God's grace does not prove sufficient. Don't ask me to explain that,
but it's so, and you know that it's so. His grace is never subtracted,
it's never divided, it's always multiplied. And that's true for
every child of God. As Bobby used to sing, he giveth
more grace. Never find anywhere in the world
where he gives less grace. Can't find it. He giveth more
grace as our burdens grow greater. He sendeth more strength as our
labors increase. To added afflictions he addeth
his mercy. To multiply trials, He multiplies
peace, doesn't He? Hasn't He? His love has no limits. His grace has no measure. His
power no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite
riches in Jesus, He giveth and He giveth and He giveth again. Thank God. Isn't that true? Hasn't that been true in your
experience, child of God? Hasn't that been true? Let your
memory go back for a moment. Let it go back for a moment.
There's been times in your life, and there will be, there has
been mine, that I thought, oh my soul, I can't take it, can't
take it. I'm ready to cash in my chips.
I'm ready to throw in the towel. But here I am. Here I am. Grace has brought me safe thus
far, and His grace will see me through. And then Peter, he ends
his epistle in much the same way, chapter 5, verse 12, 5 and
12. Peter, in closing this first
letter to God's suffering children, says, By Savinas, a brother unto
you as I suppose I have written, briefly, and exhorting, testifying,
that this is, or could anything bend more of a comfort to thee,
that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand. Nero can't
touch that. He can take your possessions,
he can chase you from your homes, he can take every earthly thing
you have, he can take your life, but he can't touch this, that
you're standing in the true grace of God. How can I know? That's the first question, and
we've only got a couple. First, how can I know that that's
true of me. That I'm standing in, that I'm
trusting the true grace of God. Now, I'm standing here this morning
as your pastor in Fairmont Grace Church. I'm in Fairmont Grace
Church. Oh, but am I in Christ? I'm in
the right doctrine. I'm convinced of that. I believe
this is the glorious gospel of the blessed God that I preach.
This is God's word. I'm in the right doctrine, but
am I in Christ? I'm sure, for example, of the
truth of the eternal redemption that Christ obtained for his
people. Not took a stab at, not made
available, but obtained for his people. The scriptures say plainly,
in many places, in many different ways, plainly, Christ loved his
church and he gave himself for it. I laid down my life for the
sheep, I'm the good shepherd, I'm dying for my sheep. There's no question that Christ
died for a particular people. Redemption is a particular redemption. I honestly don't care much for
the term limited atonement. I like better particular redemption. Christ died for his people. It
was an effectual atonement. I have no question about that.
I can know all that right here, but do I know the Redeemer that
did it? I can talk about redemption.
I can argue about redemption, but do I know the Redeemer? There's
a difference, isn't there? In the second epistle that Peter
wrote, he said this. In chapter 1, verse 10, Wherefore,
the rather brethren give diligence Take this serious, give it the
due respect that we should. Give diligence to make your calling
and your election sure. For if you do these things, you
shall never fall." Why did he say, calling first? Election comes first. Well, yes
it does. Yes it does, but in our experience
of grace, calling comes first. We know that we're elected when
God calls us. We can't know any other way.
It's impossible to know that I'm one of God's chosen before
I come to Christ. When He calls me, I know. He
called me on purpose. Make that calling and election.
You want to be sure, you want to have no doubts about your
election, be sure of your calling. That's the evidence and the proof
of it. I want to share with you two statements by two of God's
faithful messengers, two of the most faithful men I've been privileged
to know. And you know them, too. You heard
both these men preach that glorious gospel to us and in other places
many times. I'm speaking, of course, you
may have guessed, Brother Don Fortner and dear Brother Henry
Mahan. Faithful men, both now in glory. And I've known many faithful
men, but the particular words I'm going to read to you by them
kind of fits well the subject this morning. This is from Don.
This is a message he preached from 1 Peter, the first 10 verses. He made this statement. In introducing
his message, he said this, it is the salvation of your immortal
souls that I'm talking about. I'm not talking about earthly,
temporal things, but about spiritual, eternal things. I'm not talking
about your house, your property, your money, or your health. I'm
not talking to you about politics, history. or even church dogma,
I'm talking to you about something of real importance. I'm talking
to you about your soul. Your soul. For what shall it
profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his
own soul? For what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul? Don said salvation, real salvation,
causes sinners to rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not
talking about that giddy, giggly, hee-hee, ha-ha joy. I can almost
hear him now, can't you Bobby? I'm talking about real joy, joy
in the very depths of your heart, joy, joy in God your savior. When we have nothing else in
which to rejoice, we can and should rejoice in God and in
his salvation, joy in the midst of heavy trials, joy because
of Jesus Christ, joy because of the end in sight, receiving
the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls. Here's
Brother Henry Mayhem. Anyone, anyone, and you may remember
these, I think I've had this in our bulletin, anyone who is
serious about a knowledge of and relationship with the living
God ought to question, ought to question today's religion
which makes salvation only a profession and not an experience. God's
grace must be experienced and received by faith. And I like
this illustration. Henry said, I'll never get across
the river by simply believing that a certain bridge can take
me across or that others have been successful in using the
bridge. I must experience the bridge's
deliverance and power for myself. I must walk across it myself.
And that's what our text says, taste and see. Taste and see. That gives us the answer. That
gives us the answer to the question, how can I know that I'm standing
in the true grace of God? And we have the answer here.
As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may
grow thereby, God's children have an appetite for his grace. They long for it. And it's obvious
looking at these empty pews, there's not a whole lot of people
that do. Oh, but God's true children, they are nourished by grace. They can't get enough of it.
They can't hear enough of it. They can't speak enough of it.
Oh, if so be it tasted that the Lord is gracious. Taste and see. And I repeat myself, try. Try
and experience for yourself that God is gracious. You remember
our Lord? when he deliberately put himself
right in the path of that poor, poor, wretched woman in John
4 at the well. I know I've mentioned it to you
before, but it's at first sight seems odd that she would come
to the well in the middle of the day, the hardest part, hottest
time of the day. Why did she do that? Why did
she get up early or come late? She didn't want to be seen. She
figured that would be the time most likely that nobody else
would be at the well. Oh, she thanks God she was wrong
about that, doesn't she? But here she comes. You know
her history. You know her story. It seems that in the conversation
with our Lord that she had been passed from one man to another.
Just one. Everybody knew who she was. She
was a marked woman. But you know what? Because of
that one woman, Christ told the disciples, I must go through
Samaria. It wasn't because it was the
only way to go, it's because there was a sheep there. And
he came to seek and to save his sheep. But you remember what
he said to her. Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again. Oh woman, he said, if you knew. Every time I read that text,
or think about it, I send up a prayer on behalf of my sons
and daughters and children and grandchildren and brothers and
sisters. Oh God, make them to know, if they only knew the gift
of God and who it is, who it is, that saith that thee give
me to drink, you would ask of him that he would give you living
water, water that shall be in you. And once you have it, you'll
never thirst again. But the water that I shall give
you shall be in you a well of water springing up into everlasting
life. If thou knewest, if you've tasted,
you've experienced, you know the grace of God. Do you know who it is that speaks
that the word of God speaks of. Do you know the one who is the
incarnate God? Do you know that one who paid
for the sins of all of his people? Do you know that sovereign God
that right now at this very moment sits upon the throne of absolute
sovereign dominion? And there is no limit to that.
He's omnipotent. Do you know this one who is rich
in mercy? Personally, personally, do you
know this one who quickens dead sinners to life? You know because
you've tasted. He's quickened you. Oh, do you
know if you knew the gift of God? Lady, lady, our Lord was
asking, are you thirsty? Lady, are you thirsty? Are you
about fed up with your life as it is? You've been drinking from
the wells of worldly pleasure your whole life. What's it got
you? Are you really thirsty? Do you
really want a drink that'll satisfy you? And thank God, he created
in her that thirst, didn't he? Another example, John 6, you're
familiar with it. He had fed the multitude, what
was it, 5,000 men, besides women and children, 15,000, 20,000
people. And then he left. And they come
hunting him. They come hunting him. And Jesus said to him, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw the miracles,
but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. Labor
not for that meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
unto the life everlasting, which the Son of Man shall give unto
you. For him hath God the Father sealed. And Jesus went on and
said this to them, after he said many other things. He said, I
am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. And
you know what happened? It just flew right over their
head. Because the reason they sought
him, they got hungry. They wanted more bread for their
belly. They weren't interested in the bread of life, and they
proved it. From that time, from that time,
many of his disciples went back and walked no more with it. They
didn't want the bread that came down from heaven. They didn't
have an appetite for that. Think about that. They didn't
have an appetite for it. They weren't hungry. They weren't
thirsty. Now, we can make excuses for
folks all that we want, but the truth is, when you get down to
where the rubber meets the road, it's because they're not hungry.
They're not thirsty. If they were, they'd come. They're
not. They're not. They're hearts in
the world and that's where they're at. The bread of life they didn't
want but natural bread they did. Earthly bread but not heavenly
bread. I think I saw an example of this
this morning and I thought well I'm gonna include this in my
notes so I put it in. Brother Luke Coffey, Bobby probably
saw it, Robin was watching it. I was in my and I had it on the
computer watching some of it as long as I could. But Brother
Luke Colby, Henry's grandson, and Doris, he preached a message
about being in the pit from one of the Psalms. I don't recall
which, but he said just a simple message, two questions. How did
I get in the pit and how could I get out? I thought that's good,
that's real good. And I have to go back and listen
to the rest. But while I had it on my computer, listening,
here on the side, all kinds of stuff dropped down, a bunch of
garbage. I don't know how you get rid
of that stuff. But anyway, it caught my eye. And they had a
picture of one fellow. I mean, if you were interested,
you could click on it. I couldn't help but wonder, I
wonder how many folks are watching that stupidity instead of listening
to this gospel that that young man's preaching. But one of them
had a picture of this fellow that looked like he was snatched
out of the 60s or 70s, a hippie. And it said, the immense weight
of playing Jesus. He was an actor and I guess chosen,
I think. Was that a TV show or something?
The immense weight of playing Jesus. And I thought, how many
people would click on that and turn off the gospel? Another
one right under that said this, Air Force vet dies and meets
Jesus and is given the power to heal. Well, how do you do? And here was another one. Holy
Mass, this was going on at the moment, it was live. Holy Mass
in honor of Our Lady of Fantima, F-A-T-I-M-A. Fat mom, I don't
know. Holy Mass in honor, holy mess,
in honor of Our Lady of Fantima on the anniversary of her abortion
in 2023. Now most folks will eat that
up. They've got an appetite for that.
I dare say if you go back and look this afternoon, those things
had more hits than the gospel. Why is that? Because people don't
have an appetite. They've never tasted, they've
never been thirsty, they've never been hungry. Oh, but to a hungry
soul, a thirsty soul, that God's made thirsty, oh, they can't
be satisfied with that junk. No, no, no. Another example in
John chapter 7. Our Lord had watched for seven
or eight days. as these religious Jews went
through their rigmarole, religious tradition, thinking they were
doing God's, doing God honor. Just empty, useless, going through
the motions. The Feast of Terramonachos, I
think. Our Lord was present and he watched that for seven, possibly
eight days. And then we read this. Oh, can't
you just see? Can't you just see him stand,
stand, probably found an elevated place and stand, and shouted,
shouted out. In the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, if any man thirst, let
him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, out
of the scripture, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water. He was asking once again, is
anybody thirst? Is there anybody in this multitude
of people going through all these things? Like zombies, no heart
in it, you know, just going through the motions to satisfy their
conscience. Is there anybody out there that
wants more than this? Anybody? Is there anybody among
these thousands that really want to know the living God? Anybody? Anybody thirsty? And
there weren't. Read that chapter. I can't find
one that responded. They went through the motions
and then they went home. The true believer though, oh
that's another story, isn't it? He not only goes to the vineyard
and sees the wine, but he also goes into the wine cellar and
tastes the wine. Tastes the wine. This is how
the psalmist expressed it. As the heart paneth after the
water brook, so paneth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth
for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God? Again, Psalm 63, O God, thou
art my God. Early will I seek thee. My soul
thirsteth for thee. My flesh longeth for thee in
a dry and thirsty land where no water is. My soul shall be
satisfied, as with morrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise
thee with joyful lips. My soul followeth hard after
thee. Thy right hand upholdeth me."
I don't think the man who wrote those words would be satisfied
with making a decision for Jesus, do you? I don't think trotting
up an aisle and shaking my hand would satisfy that man. He wanted
to know God, I sometimes wonder. What Peter, Paul, or John, Andrew
would think if they were here today and stepped into the average
so-called worship service. Can you imagine what they would
think? They would see all the nonsense, all the waste, and
people sitting out there with their mortal souls And you've
got a hired puppet, an entertainer, up there playing games and entertaining
folks. I wonder what Paul would say
about that. Well, he already has said it. If any man preach
any other gospel than that which I have received and preached
unto you, Paul said, let him be accursed. If an angel comes
down here preaching a different gospel, let him be accursed. That's what Paul thinks about
it. Thank God. Thank God. that he
would not allow you. Thank God that he would not allow
his people to be satisfied with anything less or anything else
than the true grace of God that is in Christ Jesus. Thank God. You know what? I'm not going
to tell you what you should do, but I'll tell you what Larry
Chris should do. I should not start a morning
when God opens my eyes in the morning before I begin my day
to thank him for his unmerited grace. And the last thing I should
do God forgive me, I don't. The last thing I should do when
I lay down at night is to thank God that he made this sinner
thirsty. And he enabled me, of all people,
not my four brothers, not my friends, but he called Larry
Chris, made me thirsty. Oh, how thirsty I was. And people
tried to satisfy me with altar calls and just all kinds of nonsense. Oh, but God said, oh, that won't
get it done. Oh, that thirst was still there until, until
that glorious, glorious hour when he handed me himself, the
water of life, and I tasted, and I tell you beyond a shadow
of a doubt, I know he's gracious. Glory to his name, he's gracious.
Praise God for his amazing grace. This is what the wise man said.
comparing the two things, the natural bread, natural water,
and you know what those things are, compared to the living bread
and water. The wise man said after he had
seen it all and did it all, Solomon, man was richest man around listening,
he said this, are you listening? He that loveth silver shall not
be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with
the increase. This is vanity, it's emptiness, it's futile.
As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he return to
go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he
may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil,
that in all points as he came, so shall he go, and what profit
has he that has labored for the wind? Thank God again, if he created
in you a hunger at the righteousness that could not be satisfied until
you tasted and saw that the Lord is gracious. Again, the Psalm
119, Psalm 119, 103, verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. An appetite for
grace in a person is not hereditary, is it? My daddy, if he had it,
couldn't pass it down to me. Nor could I pass it down to my
children. It's not in fallen man's nature. It's only created.
A thirst for Christ, His salvation, His grace, His mercy, is only
created when God Almighty performs a mighty operation of grace in
their heart. Isn't that so? He makes us thirsty. He makes us thirsty. Like that
dear woman we read of in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke,
They all give the account. She was hemorrhaging to death.
Issue of blood. She had spent all of her living
on physicians and were told she wasn't made better. She only
grew worse. Until that day. You think she
could ever forget that day? Until that day. She heard that
word Jesus Christ was. Oh, can you just picture her?
As she, perhaps on her hands and knees, I've got to get to
him. If I can just get so close, if
I can just touch the hem of his garment. That's why I think she
probably crawled through that crowd. And the very moment, the
very moment she made contact with the Son of God, her sin
flew out and his grace flew in. And she was never the same after
that. Oh, as old Newton said, it was
grace that taught my heart to fear. The physician of souls
does this. When he does that, he also does
this. And grace my fears relieves. Christ gives an appetite for
him, which we never had before. Being born again, verse 23 of
1 Peter 1. Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth
and abideth forever. Galatians 3 and 10. Put on the
new man, which is renewed into knowledge after the image of
him that created him. That new creation is the work
of God alone. Newborn babe, desire the sincere
milk of the word. As I often do, I don't drag it in, these hymns
that I so much quote to you, They just seemed to say what
I failed to find words to say. But on page 446 of our handbook,
satisfied, satisfied. All my life long, all my life
I had a panting for a drink from some sweet spring that I hoped
would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Feeding
on the husk around me, till my strength was almost gone. Oh,
longed my soul for something better, only steeled the hunger
on. Poor was I, and sought for riches,
something that would satisfy. But the dust I gathered ground
me, only mocked my soul's sad cry. Well of water ever springing,
bread of life so rich and free, untold wealth that never felleth,
my Redeemer is to me. He gave me that thirst, and then
he quenched it. Hallelujah, I have found. You
can join in if you want to. Hallelujah, I have found him,
whom my soul so long has craved. Jesus satisfies my longings. Through his blood, I now am saved. Taste and see. Taste and see. My soul, David wrote, my soul
shall be satisfied, and my mouth shall sing forth the praises
of God. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste, O sweeter than honey to my mouth, the Song of Solomon,
Chapter 2. As the apple among the trees
of the woods, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under
his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my
taste." We can never, by the most learned or eloquent or studied
message, convey to anybody what honey, for example, tastes like.
But if you had a jar right now and you dipped your finger in
it, you'd know. You'd know. You couldn't know
by any other way until you taste it. That's grace. Taste and see
that the Lord is gracious. Let me share this with you, and
I'll draw this to a close. I thought this was so good. It
was in Brother Bruce Crabtree's bulletin, today's bulletin. He told this story. or rather
gave the story that Mr. Spurgeon told. This is Spurgeon.
In those ill times when there were slaves in America, a lady
went down into one of the English ships, accompanied by her black
slave woman. The lady remarked to the captain
that if she were to go to England and took this slave with her,
she would become free as soon as she landed. The captain replied,
Madam, she is free, she is free, the moment she came aboard this
British vessel. How about that? Do you think, Spurgeon said,
when that black slave heard that, she would go down that plank
and leave that ship? No, no, no. Why, only a few inches
of separation from the shore, Spurgeon said, still it made
all the difference. She was free on board and a slave
on land. How slight the change of place,
but how great the difference involved. And this is Mr. Crabtree. This world may pay
no mind to it, and the believer himself may have difficulty grasping
the reality of it, but to be in Christ Jesus has changed everything. Everything. It has closed the
incomprehensible distance, and thank God the change can never
be reversed. Once I'm His, I'm His forever. Nothing from His love can sever. Christ feeds His people here
in grace and then in glory. As wonderful and as blessed it
is to taste and experience His grace here, it's just a taste. We've just got a taste compared
to what it's going to be in glory. For as often as you eat this
bread, he told his disciples, and drink this cup, you do show
the Lord's death till he come." Oh, what it's going to be like
now. The joy of tasting his grace
now. Oh, but my soul, how can that
compare to that feast? Oh, that feast that we will enjoy
at the master's table in heaven. He that setteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more. Wow. That doesn't mean for pork chops. They shall hunger no more. Neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun's light on them, nor any heat for the land, which
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them
under living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. He said unto me, right, blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God, great
things he hath taught us, great things he hath done, and great
are rejoicing in Jesus the Son, but purer and higher and greater
it will be when with joy and with wonder, when Jesus we say. Mmm, what a feast, what a feast. Thank God if he has enabled us,
made us taste his grace and know his son. Thank God for that. God bless you.