When this poor, lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save every believer. Yes.

Tonight, we will observe The Lord's table and obedience to his command, this do in remembrance of me. And I'm going to preach a message of entitled personal evangelism. And this is from where Moses talked to his brother-in-law before they went in to promised land, leaving Egypt. He'd known this man for 40 years, and we're going to consider what he said to him. I've entitled this message, Willing.

Verse three of Psalm 110, thy people, you'll notice that shall be is in italics. It was supplied there by the translators. but it's actually not in the original, thy people willing. Willing. Would that describe me? Would that describe you? Thy people willing in the day of thy power. Am I willing?

Now this glorious Psalm, as I've already stated, is quoted 26 times in the New Testament, parts of this Psalm. It is the most often quoted passage of scripture in the New Testament taken from the Old Testament. It's such a glorious Psalm. Verse one, the Lord. said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. And you know that the Lord quoted this when he said, what think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? And they said, the son of David. He said, well, if he's David's son, why does David call him Lord? And then he quotes this Psalm. And I love the way the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou. You know, I preached from this Psalm a couple of months ago, the sitting Savior. Sit thou. Now, why would he tell him to sit? Because his work was finished. Why is he seated? Because he's in absolute control. He's not pacing back and forth in frustration because his will's not being done. He is an absolute sovereign control of everybody and everything. Sit thou at my right hand, the place of power, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Now he does have enemies. Remember when he said to that one group, depart from me, I never knew you. Who are his enemies? All who do not believe are his enemies. That's a sobering, scary thought to have the Lord Jesus Christ as your enemy. And if I die without Christ, I'm gonna find him to be my enemy. That's the truth of scripture.

Verse two, the Lord shall send the rod of thy strength The scepter of thy strength out of Zion rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. The raw of the scepter representing his absolute sovereignty and rule. I love this, rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing In the day of thy power, that's our text. But let me go on reading. In the beauties of holiness, oh, how beautiful the Lord is in his holiness. From the womb of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth. This is talking about his eternity. He's eternally new, having the dew of his youth. He's eternal. He never was. He never will be. He is. I am that I am. And all of his glorious attributes arise from his eternity.

Verse four, the Lord has sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever. After the order of Melchizedek, that one who was mentioned in Genesis chapter 14 and is not mentioned again until this psalm. The one who had no beginning of days, no end of year, no pedigree, no descent, no mother, no father. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who's the priest after the order of Melchizedek. He who is king of righteousness, king of peace, Melchizedek.

Verse five, the Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. There's a very sobering scripture where some people in the book of Revelation cry unto the mountains and hills fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne and the wrath of the lamb. And do you hear that? The lamb of God. We also read of the wrath of the lamb. The Lord shall, at thy right hand, shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen. He shall fill with the dead bodies, those who do not believe. He shall wound the heads over many countries.

Verse seven, he shall drink of the brook of the way. Therefore shall he lift up the head. This is his eternal refreshment. He never grows weary. And then we read in verse three, and this is our text. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.

Thy people. There is a people that he calls his people. Do you want to be one of them? Do you want to be in this group? Not everybody is. Do you want to be in this group? Thy people. What is the characteristic of his people? One word's giving in our text. Willing. volunteers. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. How is it they're willing? The day of his power.

Thy people. God said, I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. Thy people. Matthew chapter one, verse 21. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people. from their sins. It doesn't say he'll save everybody from their sins. It says he shall save his people from their sins. Not everyone is his people. The Lord said in John 6, verse 37, listen to these words. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. There's his people. All that the father giveth me shall come to me. Do you know in John chapter 17, seven times he refers to those the father gave him. He said, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them, which you have given me.

His people are the ones the father gave him before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1, 4 says, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. These people are called His sheep. They're called His church. They're called His bride. They're called His body. They're called His temple. Ephesians 5, 25 says, Husbands, love your wives as Christ also loved the church. Who did He love? The church. And what did He do? He gave Himself for it, that He might present it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish before Him, His people.

Now, what this lets us know is that salvation begins with Him, it's executed by Him, and it ends with Him. Thy people. Paul said, we're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you. That's his people unto salvation. through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. His people, his elect, his sheep, those for whom Christ died.

Now I got a question for you. Does this make you think God's unfair? Why didn't everybody his people? Why does he discriminate like this and make some his people and some are not? How could that be fair? Do you think that? Or do you think, I want to be one of his people? Is that your heart's desire? I want to be one of his people.

Now, the character of those people described as his people is one word. Willing. Die people. willing in the day of thy power. Now, these people were not willing when they were born into this world, they were unwilling. The Lord said in John chapter five, verse 40, you will not come to me. That's our crime. That's our depravity. You will not come to me that you might have life. Such as the desperate wickedness of the natural man. He will not come to Christ. Doesn't say cannot because it's true. He can't, he can't because he won't. And he won't because he can't, you will not come to me that you might have life.

Now listen real carefully to this statement. Free will is a lie. That's all it is. It's a lie concocted by Satan himself. It's what he used to tempt our first parents in the garden. Listen, right now, you're nothing more than a robot. That's all you are, a robot. But if you eat of this fruit, you'll know the difference between good and evil. And you'll be like God. You'll choose the good over the evil. Right now, your being good is no feather in your cap. You're just obeying your nature. But if you eat this fruit, you'll be like God. You'll choose good over evil. And that's what'll make you like God. Free will made sense to her. So she ate of the fruit.

There is no such thing as free will. Your will is controlled by a sinful nature. Let me tell you three things with regard to this thing of free will. Free will is you've got a free choice. You can either choose God or reject him. It's up to you. Your salvation is up to you. God in his sovereignty has left you with a free will. Now all you've got to do is exercise your will. Let me tell you three things about this. You can't believe in the God of the Bible and believe in free will. You don't. The God you believe in is a weak God, a pygmy God, not the God of the Bible. You can't believe in free will and believe in the God of the Bible. And you cannot believe in free will and believe in your own sinfulness. If you believe in free will, you're saying I'm not dead in sins, I'm not totally depraved, I have some ability. You do not believe in your own inherent wickedness, the way you were born into this world, and you can't believe the gospel if you believe in free will. You see, a belief in free will is denying God's sovereign will, and it makes man's will trump God's will. Now that's irreligious, sacrilegious, blasphemy is all it is. It's against God. It's the enemy of God.

Most people in this world are born believing in free will. And if I believe in free will, I have no understanding of God, myself, or his salvation. Hope you believe that, and if God's taught you, you will have no question about that. If God's taught you who he is and who you are, you'll know there's no such thing as free will.

I love that scripture in John 1, 12, and 13, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even men that believe on his name, which were born not of blood. Listen, if your mom and dad's a believer, I'm thankful, but that won't make you a believer. It's not in family lines. Not of the will of man. It's not of him that willeth, nor of him that writeth, but of God that showeth mercy. Not of the will of the flesh, but of God. Now, The willing people, this is a result of being born of God. You have a new will that is the product of a new nature. Do you remember when the Lord said to his disciples, the spirit indeed is willing? Your lost man doesn't have a spirit. That's what died in the garden. In the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die. He didn't die physically, his soul didn't die, but his spirit died. And the natural man does not have a spiritual nature.

But when God births somebody into the kingdom of heaven, they're given a spiritual nature with a new will. A will that was not there before. They used to be opposed to God's will. Now they love God's will. Their will is for God's will to be done. That's what they want. A new will.

Now how can this be described, this new will? Thy people willing. Thy people volunteers. Here am I. See me. How can this willingness be described? Willing submission. Let me repeat that. Submission. This is not a forced submission. Glass of water here. Take me to drink. Now, if you said to me, if you drink that water, I'm going to beat you to an inch of your life. If you drink that water. You know what? I'm not going to drink it. I don't want somebody to beat me up, bloody my mouth, my nose, black out. Okay, I won't drink it. I'm submitting your wishes. But it's not because I want to. It's because I'm afraid of what will take place with me if I drink that water. If I drink that water, I'm in trouble.

Now, let's say I'm not thirsty. And you say, if you do drink that water, I'll give you a million dollars. I'll drink it quick. But I didn't do it because I'm thirsty. I'm doing it because of the reward I'll get. Now understand this, a religion that's based on fear of what'll happen if I don't do it, or the reward I'll get if I do do it, is false works religion. There is no truth to it. There's no will involved. You see, thy people, willing, willing. A willing submission. Not because you have to, because you're afraid of what'll happen if you don't. Not because of the rewards you get.

You know, most religion, if you trust Christ, you'll have a better marriage, you'll have a better wife, you'll have better finances, you'll have better... You trust Christ because who he is. Because God says to do it, not in order to get something better. That's just wrong. That's health, wealth, false religion, gospel. There's no truth to it.

Thy people willing in the day of His power. His people by the power of the Spirit are willing. Now, what does that mean? First of all, His people are willing to believe all that the Bible says. His people, they're willing to believe all that the Bible says. You see, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Now, if this Bible is not the inspired word of God, what do we have? My opinion, your opinion, darkness. But thank God, he who created the universe as an act of his will inspired men to write this book. And I sure am thankful. I'm willing for it to be that way. I want it to be that way, because if we don't have the inspired revelation of God, we're in darkness. We have nothing to go on.

But I am willing by the grace of God to believe the Bible is the word of God. And it's not hard to believe that if God can create the world He can inspire me to write a book and preserve it. And if you've got spiritual understanding, you know this book is the Word of God. You read it and you know it. I don't have to have somebody prove it to me. I know. When you know, you know. And we know that this book is the inspired Word of God.

If our gospel's hid, it's hid to them that are lost. in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. And ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness has shined in our hearts. to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

And we are willing to believe and bow to and submit to and agree with all that it says to the extent that we'll take sides with God against ourselves in whatever he says in his word. Are you willing? Ask yourself that question. Are you willing? We're willing for God to be God. This is what we want. This is what we desire. We're willing for God to be God. What's that mean? Predestination is God being God. Amen. Predestination, God predetermining everything is God being God. Anything short of that is a fake God, a false God, a non-existent God, a God not worthy of worship. Oh, we love predestination because we love the God of predestination. Election, God choosing who would be saved before time began is God being God. And God being God is not for vote. God's God. Justification is an act of God where he justifies the sinner. It is God that justifies. Are you willing for it to be that way? Well, it is that way whether we're willing or not, but are you willing? Thy people willing in the day of thy power. we're willing to be saved on His terms. Listen to this scripture. 1 Corinthians 1.30, of Him are you in Christ Jesus. That's how much God controls salvation. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Are you willing to be that way? Are you willing for it to be of Him? Are you in Christ Jesus? That He, of God, has made unto you wisdom, so that the all-wise God can have fellowship and communion with you. He's made of God unto you righteousness, so that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is your personal righteousness before God. He's made unto you sanctification, He is your holiness. He's made unto you redemption, full, complete deliverance.

Are you willing for it to be that way? Are you willing to be saved by His salvation where He gets all the glory? And we want it that way. We're willing for it to be that way because he deserves all the glory. And if it's not that way, that means we get some of the glory. And if we get some of the glory, that means salvation is in some way by works. It's dependent upon what we do. That's not good news. That's bad news. The good news is that he gets all the glory because he did it all. And that's our hope.

Are you willing? Would you be described by people willing? Are you willing to be saved on God's terms in a way where he gets all the glory? Turn with me for a moment to Romans chapter 10. Verse nine. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart Man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Now, did you notice the word heart? If you'll believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. And with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness. What is meant by the heart? Does that mean it's just something you feel in your heart and perhaps the mind has bypassed? Of course not. Does it mean you can believe something in your mind that you don't believe in your heart? Doesn't really mean that either. What you believe in your mind is what you believe in your heart. If you believe in your mind that you're totally depraved, you believe in your heart too. If you believe that Christ is all in salvation in your mind, if you really believe that, you believe it in your heart.

What is this thing called the heart that the man believes with? Well, the heart is the whole man. It's not some kind of ethereal, ooey gooey, nebulous, undefined. It's just the whole man. It's the understanding. It's the affection. What you love. It's your will. Now, when I say there's no such thing as free will, it doesn't mean the will is not involved in salvation. We do have a will. We have a new will. And I love this passage of scripture, whosoever will. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. It doesn't say whosoever won't. It says whosoever will. Paul said to will is present with me. This is the will of the new heart. that he gives, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.

Now, when he says with the heart man believeth under righteousness, I do understand that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness I have. Do you understand that? Not only do I understand it by affections, I love His righteousness being my only righteousness. Do you? Not only do I love this, this is what I desire. This is what I want. This is what I will. I want His righteousness to be my only righteousness to this extent that if I was given my choice Which righteousness do you want to have, his or yours? That's a no-brainer. I want to have his.

With the heart man believeth to righteousness. You're willing to believe all God says about himself. You're willing to believe all of his attributes, his sovereignty, his justice, his love, his independence, his immutability, his eternality. You're willing to believe all God says he is. And you're willing to believe all he says about you, good and bad. Let's talk about the bad first. He says you're nothing but sin in and of yourself. You willing to believe that? But be willing to believe the good too. He says you're the righteousness of God in him. That you're his child. Believe the bad and the good. Believe that Christ is all in salvation. Colossians 3.11, Christ is all in all.

I'm willing for it to be that way. I'm willing for him to be all in my salvation. I'm willing for him to be all to God. I'm willing for him to be all in this book. My people should be willing. I want it to be that way. When Colossians 2.10 says, you are complete in him, I want it to be that way. I'm willing for it to be that way. When Jude says now to him that's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Yes, I want it to be that way. I'm willing. As he is, so are we in this world. I want it to be that way. Thy people willing in the day of thy power.

Now, when does this willingness come? In the day of his power. How does this willingness come? In the day of his power. The day of his omnipotent, irresistible, invincible grace. Now, I can't make you willing. You can't make me willing. That's impossible. Can't make myself willing. You've heard you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. That's true. He can, though. That's the difference. Thy people, willing. In the day of thy power, and this is not for submission, but joyous and willing submission, only omnipotence can make somebody willing.

Now think about that. What power there is to actually make you willing. You're not willing and all of a sudden you are. Oh, that's the work of divine power, the work of divine omnipotence. You have a new will, the product of the new heart given in the new birth.

Now, would you turn with me to Mark chapter 10? This is what we're gonna close with. Thy people, you wanna be one of those people? I do. Willing in the day of thy power.

Mark chapter 10. Verse 46. And they came to Jericho. This is when the Lord was going to the cross. He'd set his face like a flint, the scripture says. And he was on his way to the cross. He knew it. Nobody else did it this time, but he did. And they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, they were shouting his praises at this time. They'll soon be demanding his death, but he had a following at this time, and we read of blind Bartimaeus.

Well, I know this is blind. He couldn't see. Blind as a bat. Timaeus is taken from the Hebrew word which means unclean, polluted, and defiled. That's Bartimaeus. Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. Unclean. Unclean, polluted, and defiled. Well, he said by the highway side, begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth that was passing by, now he was blind, he couldn't see, he heard a commotion. What's going on? Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. Now he already had some kind of knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth because he knew who he was. He began to cry, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

Now how he knew that, I don't know. I mean, you can have some conjecture that perhaps he was brought into the temple and Heard the scriptures read, and he heard how the Messiah would give sight to people who were born blind. And then he heard that Jesus of Nazareth had given sight to one who was born blind. He said, that's the Messiah. If he ever comes my way, I'm going to yell out. I'm going to say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Well, he hears this commotion, finds out who's coming by. Verse 47, and when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace, but he cried the more great deal. Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

This I know. If you ever cry for mercy, you won't stop crying. And if you can stop, you never cried in the first place. You cry for mercy when your sin is all your fault. Would that be you? Your sin, every bit of it, is all your fault. You know what you need? Mercy. Thou son of David, have mercy on me, verse 49, and Jesus stood still. He was on his way to the cross, his face set like a flint. He set his face toward Jerusalem. All kinds of people were saying all kinds of good things about him. He had this big crowd with him, but he kept going. But there was something that stopped him. Do you know that if you and I cry for mercy, it will stop him and cause him to hear? He's never turned away a cry for mercy. Now, if you say, well, I've cried for mercy. He didn't give it to me. You didn't cry for mercy. You're asking for something else. What mercy? Barnabas knew what he needed. Mercy.

And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, be of good comfort. Rise, he calleth thee. and he casting away his garment. I love that detail. You come to Christ, you're gonna cast away the garment of your righteousness. You're gonna see it to be what it is, a filthy, stinking thing that you wanna get rid of. He cast it away and rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? Isn't that what we need? I need him to do something unto me. What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way. Go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole. You're free. Go your way. You've got sight now. Go your way. Your faith hath made thee whole.

So what did he do? And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way. Go thy way. Here's my way. to follow Jesus in the way and understand this thing of following Jesus. Most people think imitate Jesus. Now I would be just like him. I would imitate him, but that's not what follow means. It means keep your eyes only on him. Don't look. down at your feet, at your walk. Don't look to the side at somebody else's walk to see how they're doing, comparing yourself with them. Don't look behind you to get some kind of evidence that I must be saved because this took place or that took place. I remember when I believed this one. Keep your eyes wholly on Him. That is following Him in the way.

I know there are people and even preachers that I know who do not like this statement. So let me say, I'm obviously not saying if you want to sin, go ahead and do it. I'm not saying that. But here is the believer's rule of life. Trust Christ and do what you want to. That is the believer's rule of life. Trust Christ and do what you want to.

After the Lord preached that sermon in Capernaum and everybody left, he looked at the 12th and he said, will you also go away? He's not going to have any unwilling disciples. There's the door. Will you also go away? Peter replied, Lord, to whom shall we go? It's not like we have an option. Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God.

You see, a believer's want to is to follow Jesus Christ in the way. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. May God make us all willing. Let's pray.

Lord, how we thank you that you have a people, and Lord, we pray that we might be that people for Christ's sake. And Lord, I ask in Christ's name that everybody in this room will be made willing because of the day of your power. Bless this message for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.