this morning in John's Gospel
and John chapter 3 and I want to look at the the first few
verses of this chapter this morning. Of course this is the chapter
that is quoted and used by more so-called evangelicals than any
other, particularly verse 16, the best known, for God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now you
know how you should always look at the Scriptures you should
always the best commentary on the Scriptures is the Scriptures
itself and you should always look at a verse of Scripture
in the context in which we find it so understand the context
and then you'll understand what it's really saying and you won't
misinterpret what it's saying so that's what I want to do this
morning to look at the context that leads up to Jesus speaking
that verse to Nicodemus at the end of chapter two last week
we'd seen many had seen the miracles that he performed at the first
Passover of his earthly ministry and because of that many believed
a sort of belief a sort of belief but he didn't commit himself
to them it says he knew what was in man he knew all men he
knew what was in man and he did not commit himself to them he
knew their hearts it says in Jeremiah 17 verse 9 the heart
of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked
and it asks the question who can know it the implication meaning
none of us can know it I don't even know the evil and desperate
wickedness of my own heart in terms of its rebellion against
the things of God but there is one who does know it and that's
God God I the Lord he says I the Lord know the hearts and try
the reins so he knows what's in men and he didn't commit himself
because many of these believers were external experience believers
they weren't true deep objects of the grace of God who'd been
turned around in their path to hell and shown the things of
the living God and so chapter 3 follows on from that follows
on directly I would be inclined to think it's probably the selfsame
night And this man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, he's a ruler
of the Jews and he comes to Jesus at night. I believe it's that
same night when he'd seen those things take place in the temple. When he'd seen Jesus perform
that miracle of driving out just an ordinary looking man with
a small whip that he made himself. And all of those traders and
all of those rulers just standing back and shrinking back in awe
as he cleared the place. A miracle. definitely a miracle
of the Living God. Now, who was this Nicodemus?
Well, we read a bit about him in the Gospel of John. He crops
up a few times. And we know that he was a ruler
of the Jews. That means that he wasn't a political
ruler, because the Romans were the political rulers. He was
a religious ruler. He was a member of the Sanhedrin
Council of the Jews, the ruling council of the Jews. And we know
from other writings, other historical writings, that this Nicodemus
was very rich, he was very influential, he was very powerful in that
circle, but he'd been moved. Clearly he'd been moved by what
he'd seen. He'd clearly been moved by what
he'd heard. I wonder what he was thinking.
Could this be the Messiah? Are these signs of the Messiah
that I've seen today? There's a lot of things about
what I've seen today that make me wonder, could this really
be the Messiah? I know this lot, all my colleagues
on the Sanhedrin, would put me out, irrespective of my influence,
if I told them, but could this possibly be the Messiah? So he
comes to Jesus by night, under the cover of darkness, maybe,
so that he wasn't seen, so that his reputation with them wasn't
damaged in any way. And what was he coming for? He
was coming for more proof. I need more proof. I've seen
some things that start to make me think. You know, you often
need more proof. I think I told you the story
once, but I won't go into details, but I once had a woman in the
streets of London thrust a gold ring into my hand. She was trying
to get some money off me. And I told her to take it to
a jeweler's. If it was worth anything, you take it to the
jeweler's and you'll get the full price of it. And she said,
no, you give me some money and you take it to the jeweler's.
And I said, no, I'm not. And she insisted, and she absolutely,
and she thrust it into my hand and ran off. So I was left with
this gold ring, and it was a heavy gold ring, and it was covered
in hallmarks. And it really looked the part. And I thought, what
on earth do I do with this now? So when I got back home on the
train, I went into the nearest jewellers in Wellingarden City.
And I said, I told him the story. And he said, hmm, I think I've
heard of this before. Just wait a minute. And he looked
at it, and he said, this is very good. He said, this really is
very, very good. and he went into the back room
and he dropped some chemical onto it and he came out and he
said, it's a fake. It's not right, because it went green and it
started to fizz. That's not gold. Michael will
now know, because he's doing about reactivity, that gold will
not do that. It's not very reactive, but this
was. You see, I needed more proof. Nicodemus was probably sincerely
thinking, hmm, I'm impressed with that. Let's go and get a
bit more proof. He came under the cover of darkness,
He came with his knowledge, because he had great knowledge. He was
a member of the Sanhedrin of the Pharisees. He came with his
reasoning. Intelligent man. Powerful man. Influential man. Lots of experience. Years and years of experience.
Couldn't have more. Maturity. Wisdom. Sincerity. He came sincerely. He came to
Jesus. Jesus, Rabbi, we know that you
are a teacher come from God. He came respectfully. to get
more evidence. Okay, these things are looking
like this to me. Now, can you give me some more
evidence about the proof? I'm beginning to think and wonder
if you're the Messiah. You're a teacher come from God.
How do I know that? Well, look, I've seen what you've
done and no man can do these things unless God is with him.
There's something special about you, but I need more evidence.
Now, present more evidence to my wisdom and my knowledge and
my experience, and my sincerity, and I'll weigh it up and I'll
come to a conclusion about who you are. Is that how you come? Is that how we see others come
to Jesus Christ? They're intrigued. You're perhaps
intrigued. You know there's something in
this. You come to it respectfully. You want to know more, but you
will judge the evidence when it's presented before you. You
will make up your own mind when all the evidence is... So we
present the evidence and you rationally decide is Jesus the
Messiah? Is he the Savior of sinners or
not? And you make up your own mind. That's what people think
gospel presentation is all about. It's a commendable approach in
all things secular. We come to the issue of climate
change and the debate and you'll see the news that there's been
this week that there have been several instances of what we
might call dodgy dealing with scientific facts. You know, I'm
not making any statement one way or another. And as you know,
I've always made the statement that we should always be as careful
and sensible as we can in using the Earth's resources. I'm the
first one to stand up for that. But when it comes to being objective
and scientific, we need to weigh things up properly. But not in
the issue of who is Christ, because you cannot. You cannot weigh
up rationally who is Christ. The natural man does not receive
the things of the Spirit of God. The natural man, I don't care
how clever he is. I don't care how rich or influential
or powerful he is. I don't care whether people bow
down before his intellect without questioning. Natural wisdom is
not the thing that brings you to a knowledge of the truth.
The simplest mind The simplest mind taught by the Spirit of
God sees these things. So he comes and he says, we know
a bit about you. We know that you're a teacher
come from God. No man can do what you do unless God is with
him. Wow, that's quite an observation,
isn't it? No man can do this. And you would
have thought, wouldn't you, that this man Jesus would have said,
oh, I'm very pleased that you've come. Oh, let's make a big fuss
of you. Oh, here's a man who I might be able to persuade.
Oh, I wonder what I can do to persuade you to stay. Here's
a man who's come to me by night. Oh now, let's see all the sorts
of things that I can do for this man." Jesus gave him an answer
which was shockingly radical. Shockingly radical. He said to
him, Right, well I've come and I've weighed up some things about
you and I know this about you and I know that about you. And
Jesus said, You don't know a thing. You know absolutely nothing,
Nicodemus. He said, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, except a man be born again." Unless a man is born
again, you can't even see the Kingdom of God. Never mind come
to an opinion about it, you can't even see it. You're not going
to sit there in judgment about this. Unless a man is born again,
he cannot even see the Kingdom of God. You're naturally unable. You can't even see it. Never
mind judge it. They says Romans 8 verse 5, they
that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they
that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit for to be
carnally minded is death spiritual death but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace that ties in exactly with that verse in 1
Corinthians 2 the natural man does not receive the things of
the Spirit of God He can't know them. They're foolishness to
him. They're illogical to him. They don't tie up with his natural
reasoning and powers. You must be born again if you
would see that which you can't see naturally. Now, how? Nicodemus
replies. You see, here he is. He says,
this is a bit of an absurd thing to say, isn't it? How can a man
be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb and be born? It's physically impossible,
don't be silly, and even metaphorically. Obviously it's physically impossible,
look at the size of the man. Never mind the size of his mother,
look at the size, it's impossible. This is what Nicodemus is saying,
but it's even metaphorically impossible. How can he wipe the
slate clean and start all over again? Can he be reborn in that
sense? That he wipes the record of his
life completely clean and starts all over again, you know like
people do at New Year? New Year's resolutions. I'm going
to turn over a new leaf. I'm going to resolve to do things
differently from now on. No, he says, spiritual life is
not a resolution. It's not something that you decide
to do. It's not a leaf that you turn
over as a new way of life. Not at all. It's unrealistic.
It's not moral reformation. Coming to a knowledge of spiritual
truth is not moral reformation. Many present the gospel in just
exactly that way. They present it that that's all
that's needed. is a resolution to start again, not at all. Jesus
goes on, he says, verily, verily, I say to you, verse 5, except
a man, unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. Not only can't you see it, but
you can't enter into it unless you're born again, and born of
water and of the Spirit. Because he says, that which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. Don't be amazed that I say to
you, you must be born again. You must be born again. Except
a man be born of water and of the spirit. You see, flesh gives
rise to fleshly descent. Flesh, as in the union of cells,
gives rise to that which from which it came. You know, cows
breed and they have calves. Dogs breed and they have little
dogs. trees breed and big oak trees grow from acorns flesh
gives rise to flesh but spirit to spirit what Jesus is saying
is to see the kingdom of God to enter the kingdom of God to
have a part in the kingdom of God to be prepared for eternity
in the kingdom of God requires a new man requires the implantation
the birth of a new man There's the old man, the man of the flesh,
but it requires a new man, a new man to be born. Galatians 6,
let me give you some scriptures. Galatians 6, 15. For in Christ
Jesus, neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature. Circumcision was the Jews' right
of circumcision, that outward sign of being one of the people
of God. And what Paul is saying there
to the Galatians, that in Christ Jesus, that's the thing that
matters, being in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus, external religious
things make not a scrap of difference. They count for nothing. They
have no currency that has any value at all. But what does?
The new creature. A new creature that Christ plants,
that the Spirit of God plants in the old man when he brings
him to faith and trust in Christ. Ephesians 4 verse 24, "...and
put on the new man that after God has been created in righteousness
and holiness of truth." There's a new man who has been created
by God. Put on that new man that's been
created in the heart of the believer. In Galatians 5.17, could you
ever have a clearer declaration of the fact that in the believer
there are two natures. There's the old nature of the
flesh which is with us until the day we die, until we put
off this robe of flesh. And there's the new man created
by the Spirit of God, who has eyes to see the things of the
Spirit of God. Galatians 5.17 says, For the
flesh lusteth against the Spirit. He's talking about in the believer.
There's two natures, the old fleshly nature, the one you were
born with, and the new nature reborn by the Spirit of God.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit, the two. The Spirit against the
flesh. They are contrary to one another.
Why? Because the Spirit minds the things of Christ. Minds the
things of God. Wants the things of God. Wants
the holiness of God. Wants the kingdom of God. But
the flesh, the flesh wants its own way. Doesn't want this man
to rule over him. The flesh does that which the
flesh does naturally. That you may not do the things
that you would. There's a constant battle. If you experience a constant
battle, it's just exactly what the Song of Solomon, I think
it's the end of chapter 6 says, that I am like a camp of two
armies, two opposing armies. That's in the Song of Solomon
in the Old Testament. This is not a new idea. It has
always been the case that it's of the Spirit of God to plant
this new man, born of water and of the Spirit. The new man is
born of the Spirit of God. and lives within the old flesh
until death. But what's this about water? Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What
is it? What does he mean? Does he mean that you've got
to be baptized before you can enter the kingdom of God? That's
what a lot of people teach. You've got to be baptized and
then you've got to have the Spirit of God come upon you. And some
even go as far as to say that that's a second experience after
conversion. and then you can enter the kingdom
of God. Not at all. It most definitely does not mean
physical water and physical baptism. Baptism is commended. Baptism
is commended throughout the scriptures but it does not mean here baptism
is the way into the kingdom of God. I'll give you two reasons
why. The thief on the cross with Christ was most definitely not
baptized and yet Jesus said to him, today you shall be with
me in the kingdom of God in paradise. And here's another one. In Acts
chapter 8 we read of Simon the sorcerer, Simon Magus, who was
definitely baptized by the apostles. He was baptized and did all sorts
of things, but the account finishes up by them telling him that he
is outside of the kingdom of God for eternity, for his wicked
ways. He was baptized and was most
definitely not in the kingdom of God. So it cannot mean that.
The water cannot be referring to baptism. Some have said that
it's talking about your natural birth as a child, you know, born
of water and then later of the Spirit, and the reason being
that we talk about, and it's an actual fact, that the birth
of a baby is often commenced by the breaking of the waters
of birth, the sack in which the baby has grown in the mother's
womb. Is it that water? Well, no, I don't think so. I
mean, people have made a strong case that that's what it's talking
about. You must be born as a person and then have the Spirit of God
born within you. And then others have referred to the time when
Christ was crucified and the soldier speared his side in the
final moments of him hanging there on the cross. And it says
that water and blood gushed out of his side. And they say, they
spiritualize that to say that it's about the presence of Christ.
And I'm warming to that a little bit more than the ones that we've
had so far. There could be something in that. This water from Christ's
side, speaking of the presence of Christ with us. And then others
have talked about what we'll get to if we get to chapter 4
and the woman at the well in Samaria and in verse 14 of chapter
4 Jesus says to her whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst but that water the water I shall
give him shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting
life and they've said that it's that well of water of the Spirit
within and the Spirit I'm not altogether convinced by that
what I am much more persuaded by is the verse in Ephesians
chapter 5, 26. You don't need to refer to it
now because it talks about the washing of water by the Word,
the Word. The Word of God is often pictured
as water to wash, cleansing water to wash. The temple preparations,
it's symbolical of the washing of the Word of God, the washing
of the filth from stained consciences, of the cleansing, of the reflection
of our sin and ourselves that we see when we look into it.
The washing of the water by the Word. This is what I believe
that means. The Word of God speaks. The Word
of God speaks to a person's heart by a preacher and the Spirit
comes. The Spirit of God comes and opens
the ears to hear that message and opens the eyes to see the
truth of Christ. What truth? The gospel of substitution. That's what it is. That gospel
is presented that how can a man be right with God? It must be
in Christ Jesus. It must be in the One who lived
on behalf of His people, perfectly obeying the law in their place.
It must be in the One who made sin for them and bore their sins
on the cross of Calvary and took the punishment that was due to
their sins and that they were in Him and He satisfied justice
and righteousness for them. that all should be established,
that they should be accepted by the Living God. That's what
I think that means. Born of water and of the Spirit. The message comes, the message
of the Gospel, that the Spirit, through the Word, that the Spirit
opens the ears and eyes to see it and to hear it. So then he
says, verse 7, marvel not, don't be amazed, don't be surprised
that I said to you, even though you were shocked by it, don't
be surprised because This is reasonable. You must be born
again. You must be born again. Nicodemus,
you must be born again. So Nicodemus says, right, well
I must go and get myself born again. No, the scripture says
you don't go and get yourself born again. Let's answer a couple
of questions. Who must be born again and how
must they be born again? Who must be born again? You must
be born again. Who must be born again? All of
God's elect must be born again. All of God's elect. All of the
people that the Father gave to the Son before the beginning
of time, as 2 Timothy 1 verse 9 says, all of them must be born
again. In time, they all must be born
again. Every one of them must have a
new man planted inside. All of God's elect. And Nicodemus
must be born again because he was one of them. I think there's
enough evidence in the Gospel of John to indicate that Nicodemus
was a true believer. If you look at chapter 7 and
verse 50, the Sanhedrin is discussing how it might trick Christ and
slay Him. And verse 50, Nicodemus, no doubt
in fear and trembling of his physical frame, Nicodemus said
to them, he that came to Jesus by night being one of them. Verse
51, does our Lord judge any man before it hear Him and know what
He does? Are you just going to condemn
this Jesus of Nazareth before you've heard what He says? And
look how they reply. Look how violently they reply.
They answered and said to Him, Are You also from Galilee? Search
and look in the Scriptures, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. You see, He was in fear and trembling
of those on the council. And then in John 19, at the crucifixion,
and verse 34, Verse 34. I'm sorry, I've got the wrong
scripture there. But there's reference to Nicodemus,
who came by night, who asked for the body of Jesus. 39, was it? I'm sorry, yes. 39 was
what I meant to say, not 34. 39. And there came also Nicodemus,
which at first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture
of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. He was a rich man.
And they took the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes.
He was one of those who took Christ down from the cross and
prepared his body for burial. I believe he was one of those
disciples of Christ, even though he had a tough time in the Sanhedrin. But he must be born again because
he was one of those whom the Father had given to the Son from
before the beginning of time. He was one of that world that
God so loved. Verse 16, for God so loved the
world. What world? It can't possibly
mean the world of every man and woman that's ever lived. Can
it? Cannot possibly mean that. There
are people in hell. It cannot possibly mean that.
Cannot possibly mean that. In John 17, Jesus says, I pray
not for the world. I pray not for the world in general. This is the world of children. This is the world, Jews and Gentiles. That's the sense. It's Jews and
Gentiles. It's a world of Jews and Gentiles
without any racial distinction that God so loved. It's a world
of His elect people. People from all over the world.
People without racial distinction that God so loved. And how do
I know that's true? Because when we see the vision
of them in glory, who is it around the throne? every tribe and kindred
and tongue. They're all there, all of his
people. They're objects of pure, sovereign grace alone. Do you realize, in true salvation,
how much, how much it is all of God and absolutely nothing
of us. Nothing. Not of him who wills,
not of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Born without
human intervention in any way. you remember in chapter 1 of
John and verse 12 as many as received him as many as received
him you know open your hearts and receive him as many as received
him to them gave he power to become the sons of God is that
not referring to him giving of his spirit to become the sons
of God even to them that believe on his name which were born you
must be born again which were born not of blood not of natural
descent, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of man, nor of
the will of the flesh, but of God. They were born of God. It's the will of God, born without
human intervention in any way. And look what he says, you must
marvel not that I said you must be born again, for, verse 8,
the wind blows where it listeth, and you hear the sound thereof
and cannot tell whence it comes. And where it goes, so is everyone
that is born of the spirit. Now, a smart aleck would probably
say, oh yes, we've got very good weather forecasts these days,
and you can look at the synoptic charts, and you can see where
the wind's coming from, and we know it's cold today, because
we've seen on the synoptic charts the wind's blowing down from
the North Pole. Yes, we can make current observations, but nobody's
any the wiser as to why it suddenly decided to come from that direction.
We can only give weather forecasts with any great accuracy four
or five days ahead. just as the wind you hear it
sound but you didn't influence it and you didn't decide which
way the wind should blow from what determines whether we have
hot days or cold days or wet days or dry days the direction
the wind comes from you can't decide that oh that we could
oh that we could say right we're going on holiday at such-and-such
a time in the future I would like to order the wind to blow
gently from the southeast in the middle of June please and
what happens it blows from the northwest unseasonably and we
get some wet weather and it doesn't go the way that we plan because
we hear the sound of it but we can't influence or tell where
it comes from or where it's going to and so it is with the spirit
of God we can no more decide to follow Christ than we can
decide where the wind blows and what weather we would like for
a certain occasion it's all in the sovereign purposes of God
Look at Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9, the chapter
that we read earlier. And look at verse 11. Paul is talking about his sorrow
of heart physically for his fellow Jews who reject Christ. And then
he goes on to talk about the election of God. that it's all
in God's sovereign purposes. And he talks about two children
being born of Rebekah, Rebekah and Isaac, Isaac the son of Abraham.
And verse 11 he says, For the children, twins, not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand. Commit that to memory,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of
works whether they be works of belief or sincerity or commitment
but the purpose of God according to election might stand not of
works but of him that calls it was said to her the elder shall
serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have
I hated oh that's unfair what shall we say then is there unrighteousness
with God God forbid for he says to Moses verse 15 I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy and compassion on whom I will
have compassion so then it is not of him that wills nor of
him that runs but of God that shows mercy and so he goes on
why does he yet find fault why does he yet verse 19 you will
say to me why does he yet find fault for who has resisted his
will shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it why
have you made me thus Has not the potter power over the clay
of the same lump to make one vessel to honor and another to
dishonor? What if God willing to show his
wrath and so he goes on? It's sovereign grace is this.
This is not the message that the natural man either likes
or understands or appeals to him in any way at all but it's
the truth of God according to the scriptures of God. The purpose
of God according to election might stand. We read of the Apostles
preaching and in Acts chapter 13 they preach the message of
the gospel of grace where they are and it says and those ordained
to eternal life verse 48 those ordained to eternal life showed
that they were ordained to eternal life because the Spirit of God
came upon them and they believed those that were ordained to eternal
life believed the gospel of grace the gospel was preached to men
in general and the wind blew where it listeth And it came
upon those who were ordained to eternal life, and those that
were ordained were given ears to hear that message of sovereign
grace and of substitution in the gospel of grace, and they
believed. These people, all of them, are conceived as sinners,
just like all others. Conceived as sinners. This is
what we are by nature. This is what we inherit from
our parents. We're conceived as sinners and rebels in Adam. For Adam was the one who first
fell, and his His falling, His fall from that situation in paradise,
that has followed through on every one of us that ever lived.
So that David said in his Psalm of Penitence, Psalm 51 and verse
5, in sin did my mother conceive me. In sin. Not meaning that
she was living an immoral life, but just by nature, because he's
a child of human parents. In sin. In sin. Why was Christ
conceived of the Holy Ghost? That He might not have a man
as His Father. but that he might have God as
his Father. That's why. And they live, all of us live,
without the knowledge of God in a natural state of unbelief.
And we live as children of wrath, says Paul to the Ephesians 2
and verse 3. Children of wrath even as the
others. But you can't tell the difference.
Children of wrath even as others. And God orders all things. God
orders all things. Romans 8, 28. All things work
together for good to them that love God who are the called according
to His purpose, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand. God orders all things and He
causes a preacher with the true gospel of sovereign grace to
cross the path of His elect. And the Spirit comes and blows
where He lists and implants that new man with spiritual abilities
in that person who is a child of wrath and brings him to repentance,
brings him to rejection of that style and direction of life that
he's lived since he was born, and brings him to faith in the
living God. He gives him that gift of faith,
for it's not of himself, not of his will, it's the gift of
God, lest anyone should boast, and brings him to a belief of
the truth. That's what the verse that we
read right at the start of the service says. 2nd Thessalonians
2 and verse 13. Paul says, writing to these people,
Gentile believers, not Jews, Gentile believers, We are bound
to give thanks all way to God for you. Why? Because God was
the one who elected them. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation. From
the beginning chosen you to salvation. How? Through sanctification of
the Spirit. Through setting apart of the
Spirit. So the wind blows where it lists. You hear the sound of it but
you don't know where it came from and so it is. with everyone,
verse 8 of our chapter 3, so it is of everyone that is born
of the Spirit. Sanctification of the Spirit.
The Spirit comes and blows and they hear. This one hears. That
one hears. We don't know who, but what we
know is it's without any distinction in this world, for God so loved
the world. Without any distinction, they
believe the truth. through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth, because they're all brought to
believe the truth. And in this life, what is the
only evidence that we have whether you're amongst the elect of God?
It's this. You believe the truth of God.
You surrender yourself to the truth of God. You say, like the
hymn that we sung just before the sermon, I don't know all
sorts of things, but I know this. I know whom I have believed and
am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed
unto Him against that day. My soul is what I've committed
to Him. You must be born again and all His elect will be. And
what is true gospel preaching? This is it, I believe. It's announcing
the biblical message as God has revealed it. It's not trying
to smooth it to make it more acceptable to man in their natural
state. It's not making it appealing
to natural reasoning. it's a statement of what Christ
has done for His people for a definite people given to Him before the
beginning of time as a substitute to establish the righteousness
and holiness they need to be accepted under the justice of
a holy God and taking that sin which is theirs and making it
His own and bearing it and bearing the punishment for it that the
penalty might be paid and that the justice of God might be satisfied
and in stating that message leaving it to God's Spirit to blow like
the wind where he will and plant new men in all those who must
be born again. So you say, well what can I do?
Can I do anything at all? Well actually the scripture does
tell us what we can do. Do you want eternal life? Do
you want to be prepared for eternity? Do you want to be able to sleep
at night as the Psalm says, I will lie me down in peace and sleep
thinking of eternity, knowing that if I'm taken from this life
this night it is well with my soul and I will be accepted into
those everlasting arms. Do you want eternal life? I know
you do. Do you want acceptance with God
and peace with God? Well, this is what you do. You
plead for mercy. You plead. In Matthew 20 and verse 30 and
in many other places but here we read of two blind men sitting
by the wayside. Two blind men sitting by the
wayside. And they heard Jesus pass by, and they cried out,
saying, Have mercy on us. They prayed, Have mercy on us,
O Lord, Thou Son of David. And in praying that, Have mercy,
come to Him. Come to Christ. Come to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Why should you come? Maybe He'll
turn you away. Maybe He'll reject you. Maybe
you're not one of His elect. Come to Him, because He has assured
us that no man can come unless the Father draws him. No man
can come. And that all that the Father
has given Him will come to Him. But the one who comes, He says,
John 6, 37, I will in no wise cast out. He will turn none away
who comes to Him, seeking the truth. seeking salvation, seeking
forgiveness. Come trusting. Come unto me,
all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Come to Him, committing yourself to Him, believing that He's satisfied
all things for you. And when should you come? When
you've got time, when you're older, when you've lived life,
when you've sown your wild oats, when you've done the things that
you want to do? No, today. Come today while you hear His
voice. Hebrews 3.15, while it is said
today, while you call it today, today if you will hear His voice,
harden not your hearts as in the provocation. Come to one
who is there with His hands open, bidding you to come to Him. And
He'll draw you. He'll draw you by His Spirit
and give you new life. You must be born again.