Revelation chapter 22, we have
just one verse to look at today. Just one verse, verse 17. And the Spirit, that is God the
Holy Spirit, and the Bride, that Chosen Blood-bought Church. He's the Bridegroom. He chose
us to be His Bride. Married us in that eternal covenant
of grace. Spirit and the Church, they say,
come, come Lord Jesus. And let him that heareth, those
who have hearing ears, seeing eyes, those who have heard and
received the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they say, come,
come, O sinner, come to Christ. And let him that is thirsty,
come, come. Keep saying that over again,
doesn't he? Come, come. And whosoever will, whosoever
will, let him take Take the water of life. It's free. Take it. Receive it. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. Now, there are several things
that I could use for a title, Come to Christ. I could have
entitled it Whosoever Will, but I'm going to use the title Take
the Water of Life Freely. Take the Water of Life Freely.
I want you to do this personally. yourself before God. Take the
water of life freely. The salvation that's revealed
in this book, we call the Holy Word of God, the scripture, all
scripture is given by inspiration of God. The salvation that's
revealed in this book is as free as the sunshine you enjoy. You ever walk out on that sunny
day and lift your face to the sky and close your eyes and feel
the warmth of that sunshine? Did you buy it? Did you pay for
it? It's free. You enjoy it, don't
you? Salvation is free as the sunshine
you enjoy, free as the natural air you breathe. Took a breath. You just took
a breath. What did it cost you? It's free,
isn't it? Free. Salvation is the free gift
of God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Now I love that word, an underscore
at least in your mind, if not in your book, freely. Freely. Without cost. Freely. Now I love that word. Several
scriptures I think of. Romans 3, 24, where it says,
we're justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Another scripture I like that
uses that word freely, Romans 8, 32, He that spared not His
own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him also freely give us all things? All things. All spiritual blessings are free.
Another scripture I like, 1 Corinthians 2 verse 12. Now we have received
not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God,
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God. The free gift of God. We know
the water of life here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Turn
back one page to chapter 21, look at verse 5. Chapter 21,
verse 5. And he that said upon the throne,
we know that's the Lamb upon the throne. 21, verse 5. Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, write, for these words are true and faithful.
And he said to me, it's done. I'm Alpha, Omega, the beginning,
the ending. I will give unto him that is
a thirst of the fountain of the water of life. What is that word? Freely. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things. I will be his God and he shall
be my people. Now that water comes from the
river of life. Look at chapter 22 verse 1. And
he showed me a pure river of water of life. Clear as crystal
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The water of life is free. Now
we're going to see some needful instruction about the way God
saves sinners, saves his people by his sovereign grace, his sovereign
grace alone. That word there, whosoever, whosoever
will, that word is not opposed to the sovereign will and sovereign
grace and eternal purpose of God. It does not teach that man's
will is free. Now man has a will. but his will
is in bondage to his sinful nature. Man's will is not free, it's
in bondage. His desire is to nothing but
sin. Our Lord says this, this is condemnation
that light is coming to the world, and men love darkness rather
than the light, because their deeds are evil. What does the
natural man desire? Not the light. Darkness. We read in the book of Job, the
heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable
and filthy is man who drinks iniquity like the water. Oh,
we drink iniquity and sin like the water. The foundation and
cause of salvation is not based upon the will of man, is it? It can't be. Not of him that
willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy.
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us. The foundation and cause of salvation
is not based upon the will of man. It's based upon the sovereign
will of God, the eternal purpose of God in Christ, who is a lamb
slain before the foundation of the world. We've read that in
the Revelation, haven't we? Before Adam ever sinned, the
Lord Jesus Christ stood as our Shepherd, our Savior. You see,
the will of man is completely out of the picture. The will
of God is what is the chief cause of salvation. I want you to turn
back to Romans 9. Can you find Romans chapter 9?
Look at verse 11 and 12 and following. Romans 9, talking about Jacob
and Esau. the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth. It was said to her, the elder shall serve the
younger as it is written, as it is written, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid, for he said to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, It's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth. Salvation is by God's mercy.
His electing love, His electing grace. We read in John chapter
1, we're born from above by the will of God. It's not the will
of man. It's not the will of the flesh.
We believe the gospel only because we've been born of God. My dear pastor used to always
say about this word, whosoever, he would say it is a wide word
because it includes every sinner in need of mercy. Whosoever it
is. Salvation is not for everyone,
but it's for anybody in need. You have a need, you're a whosoever. Whosoever. It includes all who
are in need of mercy, all who are ungodly. Christ died for
the ungodly. It includes all who are made
know that they're guilty. That's me. I'm one of those whosoevers. How about you? You whosoever
will come to Him. Salvation is not for everyone,
but it's for anybody that's in need of Him, anybody who is thirsty.
God is able to meet all our need according to His riches in glory
through the Lord Jesus Christ. I love that verse in Hebrews
4, verse 16. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, find grace
to help in our time of need. Christ meets all our need, doesn't
He? He meets all our needs. Whosoever will. Whosoever will
come to the Lord Jesus Christ. upon the terms of the gospel
are only those who are made willing to come in the day of His power.
It says that in Psalm 110. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of God's power. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is the power of God and the salvation. No man in and
of himself is willing to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
he may be willing to take up religion, but I'm saying no man
in and of himself has a will or desire to come to the Lord
Jesus Christ left to himself. We have to be made willing in
the day of His power. We read in the book of Acts chapter
13, as many as were ordained to eternal life, you know what
they did? They believed the gospel. If
you're a believer, of the gospel of the grace of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's only because God has ordained
you unto it. You didn't figure this thing
out. God taught you by His Spirit. Now, verse 17, the Spirit and
the Bride. Two things we see here. I want
to camp on the second one, but I want to bring out this point.
The Bride of Christ The Holy Spirit and the Bride, the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who have heard the Gospel
with understanding, they say, and they speak in their heart,
Lord Jesus, come. They speak with one unanimous
voice. Come. Come. It says that three
times in this last chapter. Look at verse 7. Revelation 22
verse 7. Behold, I come quickly. Blessed
is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Those who hear the word and believe the word, receive the word. Look
down at verse 12. And behold, I come quickly. My
reward is with me to give every man according to as his work
shall be. I am Alpha, Omega, the beginning,
the end, the first and the last. God's going to reward every sinner
exactly according to his deeds, either eternal condemnation or
eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. And then the third time he mentions
it here, verse 20, he testifies this saying, saith, Surely I
come quickly. Amen. Even so, come. You see, everybody who is a believer
are looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We studied
in the book of Titus recently, chapter two, verse 13. Looking
for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity. So we say, what do we say? Come,
come Lord Jesus. He's on his way. It says that
in chapter one, verse seven. Behold, he says, I come, I come. The second part of this is, The
main thing that I want to settle on in verse 17, the Holy Spirit,
God, the Holy Spirit, and the redeemed of the Lord, believers,
the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, those who are bought with his
precious blood, those who have heard the gospel, they all say
to everyone and to themselves, they say, look to the Lord Jesus
Christ. They say, come to the Lord Jesus
Christ for all of salvation. Now, in what part of salvation
do we look to Christ for? Every part. He's the beginning. He is the end. He's the first
and the last. Behold the Lamb of God. That's
what saving faith does. Christ is all and in all. Saving
faith always looks to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. This is also
teaching us that vital important lesson of sinners to come to
Christ and embrace Him in saving faith. That's how we come to
Christ. It's not this idea of walking
an aisle and making a decision. That's not coming to Christ.
Coming to Christ is something you do in your heart, in your
mind, through the revelation of the Word of God. Now let me
show you a Scripture. Turn back. You've got John chapter
4 bookmarked, right? Turn to John chapter 6 this time. John chapter 6. Our Lord said
in Hebrews 7, He's able to save them to the uttermost that come
to God by Him. Now, how does a sinner come to
God? Only by Christ, by faith in Him. Now, look at this scripture carefully.
This is John chapter 6, verse 35. I am the bread of life. I am that I am. I'm the bread
of life. He's the water of life. He that
cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. So coming to Christ and believing
on Christ is synonymous. Synonymous. Look down at verse
37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll never cast
them out. Verse 38, John 6. 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, which He hath given me, I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will
of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth
on Him, may have everlasting life." Now, interesting, right
across the page, in John chapter 6, Luke verse 29, The Lord answered. They said, what shall we do that
we might do the works of God? You see that? John 6, 28. Verse
29 said, this is the work of God that you believe on Him whom
He has sent. What's that teaching us? Faith
is a gift of God. Faith is a gift of God. Gift
of God alone. I read a moment ago from Matthew
11, verse 28, our Lord says, all you who are laboring and
heavy laden, come unto me, come unto me and rest, rest, rest. Come in your heart, in your mind,
in your soul. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ
in saving faith. In the book of Isaiah, There's
a very well-known Scripture there in Isaiah 45, verse 22, where
the Lord declares, I am God, beside me there is no other.
I'm the only just God and Savior. And then He says, L-O-O-K. Look. Now, is there anything
about that word you don't understand? Look. He says, look unto the
only just God and Savior. Look to God exalted, Christ victorious. He said, look unto me and be
ye saved. All the ends of the earth, I
am God and beside me there is no other. Look to Him. There
is salvation in no other but the Lord Jesus Christ. So these
two words, come and look. He didn't say go and work, did
he? He said, come to me and rest. He said, look unto me and rest.
He didn't say go and work. He didn't say, he said, come
and look. Don't bring you anything. Just
come to Christ naked and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. You
remember the story of the Apostle Paul when he was in Philippi
preaching the gospel and they didn't like what he said. They
put him in jail. God sent an earthquake and that
jailer When the doors were flung open, that jailer thought to
harm himself. And that jailer said to the Apostle
Paul, what must I do to be saved? Do what the Lord Jesus Christ
said to him, or what Paul said to him. Don't do anything. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. So look
to Him. That is, believe Him, trust Him,
rely upon Him for all of salvation. For there is salvation in no
other. No other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. Other foundation can no
man lay than that which is laid. Salvation is in the person. Make
sure you trust the right one. There's a lot of phonies out
there. There's a lot of False Christ. False Gospels. Let everyone
who hears the Gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ come to
Him. Come to Him by faith. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I heard this a long, long time ago. This was said in 1954 by
an old preacher by the name of A.D. Muse. He said, come to Christ
and don't move a muscle. Come to Christ and don't move
a muscle. It's not down here. It's in Him. Look to Christ. Come to Christ and don't move
a muscle. Coming to the Lord Jesus Christ
is not physical. It's not a physical move. It's
a spiritual move. It is the life of heart faith
that just shall live by faith. When Peter writes about the Lord
Jesus Christ and about believing Him, he says, to whom coming. We are continually coming to
the Lord Jesus Christ. continually looking to the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is seated on the right hand of God. True God-given
faith. If you want to know if you have
true faith, do you want to know? I want to know. Do I have true
saving faith? True saving faith always looks
to the source from who it's given. True saving faith always looks
to God. That's why it said, look unto
me and be ye saved. Now, whosoever, whosoever will,
whosoever is made willing in the day of the Lord's power,
they will be irresistibly compelled and drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I use that word irresistibly
because it's the same word that God talks about when He says,
no man can. Turn over here to John chapter
6. Back to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. Look at verse
44. The Lord affectionately, affectionately,
irresistibly, it's an effectual call. No man, you see verse 44. Look at John 6, verse 44. No
man. Now, do you understand what that
says? I used to tell my little boys when they were young, what
part of no don't you understand? No man can come to me except
the Father which sent me draw him. Look that word up, draw. It means to drag. irresistibly
to him, and I'll raise him up at the last day. It is written
in the prophet, they shall all be taught of God. Every man,
therefore, that hath heard and learned of the Father, what do
they do? They come to Christ. They come
to the Lord Jesus Christ always, always, always coming, coming,
coming unto Him. And He must give us that desire.
Turn back one page to John chapter 5. He must give us that desire
because naturally we do not desire Christ. Naturally speaking, we
are not thirsty for the life-giving water. John 5.39, search the
Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. Our Lord
said, there they which testify of me, and you will not come
to me that you might have life. Will not, that's just by nature,
will not. He must make us willing in the
day of God's powers. Sinners are encouraged in our
text, look back to verse 17, Revelation 22. Sinners are encouraged
to take the water of life or lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ
by faith and do it freely. If I would pick up this glass
of water and drink it, what must I do? I must take it. I must
take it. Faith is the hand that reaches
out. Faith is the feet that run to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is the eyes that look to
Him who is altogether lovely. Sinners are encouraged to take
or lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ freely. Everything sinners
receive in Christ, they receive it freely. No cause in them. The cause of salvation is found
in Him, who is justified freely by His grace. Now, this word
whosoever is not a word that implies the sinner has the ability
to come to the Lord Jesus Christ of his own power or will. We
just read no man can come to me except the Father which sent
me draw him. He must give us that desire,
that will, that want to. Now let me give you a very simple
illustration. And a lot of people say, well,
salvation's like a big chocolate cake. All you got to do, it's
free. All you got to do is come up
here and take a slice of this chocolate cake. Just make a choice,
make a decision to eat that chocolate cake. Say, well, that's a pretty
good illustration. It's a terrible illustration.
You know why? Everybody hates chocolate cake. Everybody hates the Lord Jesus
Christ, left to himself the carnal minded enmity against God. Do you get what I'm saying? God must make us willing in the
day of his power. Now, how does he make us willing?
How does he make us willing to come to Christ in saving faith?
He makes himself irresistible. He makes himself altogether lovely
that we come to know him in our heart and we say we must have
Christ. Give me the Lord Jesus Christ
or else I die. God who has begun a good work
in you, he will finish it. No man will come without the
irresistible drawing of the Holy Spirit. We read that about the
elective God. Paul writes when he writes to
the Thessalonians, he said, we know you're the elective God.
Because our gospel didn't come to you in words only, it came
in power. It came in the Holy Spirit. And
you became followers, believers of the Lord. It's the sovereign
will of God that causes any sinner to call upon the Lord for mercy,
grace to help in time of need. James chapter 1 says this, Of
His own will begat He us with the word of truth. James 1.18
Whoever is thirsty, Look what it says, who's overwhelmed,
let him that is a thirst come. Whoever, all who are thirsty
for a drink of that life-giving fountain, the water of life from
the river of life, come to the Lord Jesus Christ and drink him
up. Drink him up. You remember David
said in Psalm 42, As the deer pants after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for
the God, the living God. That desire is only there by
the grace of God. Come to Christ and drink of that
life-giving water. Our Lord said to the thirsty,
come. Listen to these scriptures. We read John chapter 4 a moment
ago. The Lord said to that woman at
the well, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again,
but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Remember
what she said? Give me that water. I want that
water. I want him. I need him. And then
Isaiah 55, do you remember this scripture? Oh, everyone that
is thirsty, our Lord said, come to the waters. He that hath no
money, come. Buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine,
milk, without money and without price. It gets right back to
salvation being free. Free. In John 7, 37. The last
day, that great day of the feast, the Lord Jesus Christ stood and
cried, if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. Drink
of that life-giving water. When God gives that desire in
your heart, He makes you willing in the day of His power. In Matthew
5, our Lord says this, Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after righteousness, they shall be filled. They shall be
filled. There are two scriptures, oftentimes,
turn back to the book of John again, the book of John chapter
3. Oftentimes when you talk to someone
who has never heard the gospel, who doesn't believe that salvation
is by the sovereign grace of God, they often will use and
quote this verse in John chapter 3, and they will use this word,
well, whosoever, whosoever, okay? Look at verse 14. As Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up, that whosoever... What's that next word? Whosoever believeth. How does
one believe the Gospel? Only by the power of God. Whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God
so loved the world They use that word world. That means all men
everywhere without exception. Christ didn't die for all men
everywhere without exception. He died for a bunch of people
in this world without distinction, Jew, Gentile, young, old, black,
white, the world of God's elect, that He gave His only begotten
Son that whosoever, there's that whosoever again, believeth in
Him. should not perish but have everlasting
life. You see the point I'm getting
at? Believing faith, where does that come from? Faith is a gift
of God. We only believe according to
the working of His mighty power. Ephesians 1 verse 19. So there's
whosoever believe it. There's a qualifier, isn't it?
Now turn to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. Here's another
whosoever. Romans chapter 10. And those
who have never heard the Gospel, don't believe the Gospel, when
they hear you talk about, Jacob, my beloved, these I have beheaded,
when you talk about the sovereign will of God, the mercy on whom
He will, they say, well, what about whosoever? Okay. Let's look at it. Romans chapter
10, verse 11, the Scriptures say it, Isaiah 28, 16, Whosoever
believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference
between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto
all that call upon Him. Whosoever, verse 13, shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever shall call
on who? The name of the Lord. What's
his name? Do you remember what Isaiah 9,
verse 6 says? Unto us a child is born, a son
is given. His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. Call upon the name of the Lord,
the Exalted, Victorious, Lord Jesus Christ. Not this weak Jesus,
not this peanut Jesus. The name of the Lord. Exalted
on the throne, Sovereign. You see what he's saying there?
How shall they call on Him? in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? You can't believe
what you don't know. You can't believe what you've
not heard anymore. You can come back from where you haven't been.
How shall they preach except they be sent? How, as it is written,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace, that bring good tidings of good things, that saith, Behold,
thy God reigneth. As it says in Isaiah 52 verse
7. The name of the Lord declares
who He is. And that's what we do when we
preach the gospel. May God be pleased to create
in us a need for the Lord Jesus Christ, and then show us that
He meets all our need according to His riches in glory through
Christ Jesus. Now, I quote this verse all the
time, and I could quote it again, but I want you to turn and read
it with me. 1 Corinthians, just turn a couple pages. 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. I want you to see this, verse
30. Everything I need to stand before God, justified, eternally
justified, is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Paul
said, I want to count everything else lost, done, ruined, and
may win Christ and be found in Him. Look at verse 30. 1 Corinthians
1, verse 30. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus. How did you get in Him? But of Him. Are you in Christ
Jesus? Well, when did God put you in
Christ? He put His elect in Christ before the foundation of the
world. Who of God, Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, that according
as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory only in the Lord.
You see, everything I need as a guilty sinner to stand before
God justified, is found in Christ. I'd ski-daddle to Him. I'd come
to Him. I'd look to Him. And this is
not a one-time thing. We are repenting. We are believing. We are coming. We are looking. That's the life of faith. The
Lord Jesus Christ, He's given us wisdom to believe the gospel,
in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is
our righteousness that justifies us before God. Blessed is that
man whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works. I need His sanctification. We're not sanctified by our morality. Our morality's got nothing to
do with sanctification. I need His sanctification, that
is to be set apart in Christ and made and declared holy in
Him. Holy, unblameable, unreprovable
in His sight, in Christ. I need His redemption, deliverance
from sin. in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches
of His grace." We had that on the radio this morning. Call
His name Jesus. Why? He is what He's called.
Savior! He shall save His people from
their sin. You know what I say to that?
Look at verse 20. Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus Christ. I say amen. Come to Christ. Now, I'm going to quit with this. Come to Christ as a mercy beggar.
He's never turned a mercy beggar away. Come to Christ like the
leopard did. He said, Lord, if you will, you
can make me clean. And the Lord said, I will, be
thou clean. Come like the woman who had the issue of blood for
12 years and dying. She came and touched the hem
of his garments, and the Lord said, your faith has made you
whole. Come like blind Bartimaeus, earnestly calling upon the Lord
for mercy. Lord, have mercy upon me. The Lord gave him his sight. Come like the publican in the
temple, a sinner in need of mercy. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Come to Christ like the dying
thief. You know, the dying thief couldn't walk an aisle, could
he? Dying thief couldn't even get in the baptistery pool. He
was nailed to a tree. But he came to Christ. How did
he come to Christ? Remember what he said? Lord,
remember me when you come into your kingdom. And the Lord said,
this day, today, you'll be with me in paradise. He came to the
Lord Jesus Christ, and he couldn't move a muscle. He was nailed
down. That's how we come to Christ,
by faith. May God give us grace to do so. Amen.