The message that I'm going to
preach this morning I believe is of the greatest
importance. I believe you're going to be
encouraged. I believe you're going to be
enlightened. I believe you're going to be instructed. And nothing
encourages like being enlightened. And nothing comforts like being
instructed. Real comfort is based upon real
truth. And some of the things I'm going
to say are things that you do not normally hear from the pulpit,
but they're in the Word of God. So let's turn to Matthew chapter
11, and let me make this statement first. Here's the first statement,
and this is the title of the message. The responsibility of
revelation. the responsibility of revelation. Now with the light of revelation,
whether it be common grace, whether it be law work, whether
it be the bare preaching of the gospel, whether it be an act
of God's providence, but with the light of revelation comes
the awesome, fearful responsibility of obedience. Now you think about
that a little bit. With the light of revelation,
in whatever form God is pleased to send it, to you and to me,
when God speaks, the heavens declare the glory of God. The
firmament showeth his handiwork. He said to Amos, I've sent you
cleanness of teeth. I've sent famine, but you haven't
returned to me. I've sent wars. Your young men
have been killed, but you didn't return. I've warned you, I've
sent pestilence, I've sent diseases, and you haven't returned. Therefore,
prepare to meet God. With the light of revelation
comes the awesome responsibility of obedience. Let me show you
a few verses. Turn, if you will, to John 15.
John the 15th chapter. And I'm going to read two verses
from John 15, verse 22 through 24. Now remember, this is the point
that we're making, that the man who hears God speak, however
God speaks, is under an awesome responsibility to receive what
he hears, to believe it, and act upon it. And if he does not,
he can expect God to act, and to act forcefully, and swiftly,
and harshly in his regard. In John 12, verse 22, Christ
said, If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin. But now I have come and I have
spoken, and they have no covering for their sin. He that hateth
me, hateth my Father also. John 15, 23 and 24. If I had
not done among them the works which no other man did, they
had not had sin. But now they've seen and aided
both me and my father." They've heard the truth and turned their
backs upon it. Let me show you another verse
or two. In Romans 1, Romans chapter 1. This is the awesome responsibility
of revelation. Old Brother Barnard used to say
this, if you don't plan to believe God, if you don't plan to walk
in the light God's given you, You'd do well to get on an airplane
and go to the heart of Africa and land somewhere where you
can land, and then hire you a jeep and drive as far as you can drive,
and then get on a burrow, a donkey, and ride into the interior as
far as you can ride, and then get on your feet and walk as
deep in the jungle as you can walk, and sit down and don't
hear or see another word from God Almighty. Because the responsibility
of continually sitting under the revelation of God's Word
and acting in an indifferent fashion, well, this is what he's
saying in Romans 1, look at verse 18. Romans 1, the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. And unrighteousness
of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that
which may be known of God is manifested. is manifest to them,
for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things from
the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
so they are, so they are without excuse." Underscore those words. They are without excuse. Just one page over, Romans 2.
Verse 12. Now you'll notice verse 13 and
14 and 15 are in parenthesis, an informative statement, clarifying
statement. I want to read verse 12 and verse
16, lifting out the parenthetical phrase. Verse 12 and 16, Romans
2. For as many as have sinned without
law, That is, that's the Gentile, to whom the prophets and traditions
and ceremonies and law were not given, shall also perish without
law. And as many as have sinned in
the law, under the law, under the revelation, shall be judged
by that law, verse 16, in the day when God shall judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Everybody's
going to be judged. Those who perish without law
shall be judged and those who perish under the law shall be
judged in that day. Now Matthew 11, here's our text. Our Lord rebuked severely the
cities in which he had preached. In which he had preached, in
which he had taught, in which he had worked miracles. Verse
20, then began he to upbraid, rebuke the cities wherein his
mighty works were done, where he had preached and healed and
taught. Why? Because they didn't hear him.
Because they didn't receive him. Because they didn't believe him.
Because they didn't repent. Down here in verse 23, Capernaum,
he names Capernaum. I just looked into Capernaum
a little bit, but listen to this. In Capernaum, Christ healed a
centurion servant. Christ healed Peter's mother-in-law.
Christ healed a man with palsy. Christ raised Jairus' daughter
from the dead. Christ healed a woman with the
issue of blood. Christ opened the eyes of two
blind men, and Christ cast out of a man a dumb devil. All of
this in one city, Capernaum. In one small city. And our Lord
said, Capernaum, verse 23, you've been exalted to heaven. You've
had the presence of God. You've had a visitation from
God Himself. You've had a revelation of His
power, His greatness, and the gospel of His Son. You're going
to be brought down to hell, Capernaum, if the mighty works which had
been done in you had been done in... When you think of the city
of Sodom, you know what you think of. perversion, sodomy, that's
what it was named for, that city. What an awful city, so awful
that God just snuffed it out with fire and brimstone from
heaven. And yet Christ said if Sodom had been blessed with the
presence of the Lord in the preaching of the gospel, Sodom would still
be standing. He'd still be standing. Here's what he says in verse
22 and 24. And these are verses, and you're
going to just, you remember the old preacher used to say, grab
a hold of your pew there, we're going to jump a creek or something.
Well, you just get a real good grip now where you're sitting,
because I'm going to say something that you're going to raise your
eyebrows and you're going to put a question mark on it, some
of you, not all of you, and some of you go home and start opening
and searching the Bible, and I hope you do. But this is what
our Lord said. In verse 22, I say unto you,
it'll be more tolerable, be easier. That's what tolerable means,
more tolerable. For Tyre and Sidon, those wicked
cities, in judgment than for you. And look at verse 24, and
I say it'll be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, those
evil Fellas that want to tear Lot's door down to get to those
men that were visiting here, it's going to be easier for them.
You talk about the wicked folks in San Francisco and the ghettos
in New York, it's going to be easier for them in the Day of
Judgment than for folks sitting right here in this congregation
where the gospel has been preached. That's what our Lord said. He's
saying the punishment, listen to me, of the wicked cities like
Sodom and Gomorrah will not be as great as the punishment, as
the torment of those who heard the gospel, who had the advantage
of gospel revelations, who had the ministry of the word. In
other words, here's what the Lord is saying. There are degrees
of punishment in hell. There are degrees of punishment
in hell. Hell with its memory, hell with
its grief, hell with its awful separation from God, hell with
its agonies will be harder for those who heard the gospel, who
were made, who were blessed and made recipients
of God's message of grace. Degrees of glory? No. No degrees
of glory. In glory, the first shall be
last and the last shall be first. Degrees of rewards in heaven?
Not according to Scripture. Christ loves his people all the
same. No believer wants... I'm for any man who deserves
a reward getting one. I'll just put it just like that,
Joey. If you deserve one, son, I'm glad. I hope you get it,
but I don't think you do. And I think you'd be the last
one to say, and Russell, if you deserve a reward, I want you
to have it. But do you? No, the reward is
laid at his feet. He's our reward. There are no
degrees of glory. There are no cabins in glory,
I guarantee you that. Our Lord didn't say in my father's
house there are many cabins and some greater mansions. No degrees
of glory, but degrees of torment. Well, preacher, you got another
verse? Yes, sir. Turn to Luke 12. Let's see about this one. Luke chapter 12. Actually, that's
enough right there. It'll be more tolerable for Sodom
in judgment than Capernaum. Capernaum has more to answer
for in Luke 12, verse 47. And that servant which knew his Lord's will, Luke
12, 47, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But that servant that
knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
with few stripes, for unto whomsoever much is given, And brother, we're
not talking about cash and gold and silver and stuff like that.
We're talking about spiritual understanding and knowledge and
illumination and opportunities and these things. To whom much
is given. Warnings. Gospel messages. Of him shall be much required.
And to whom men have committed much, of him they'll ask them
all. expect more out of you. God expects more out of you.
That's what He's saying. Alright, let's go to another
verse now, another subject. Verse 25 of Matthew 11. Our Lord, here's what He's saying.
He's warning. He's warning me and you. We've been blessed. above all
people. There are places where the gospel
is not preached this morning. There are places where the truth
of God's word is not read. There are preachers who have
sold out to a lot of things other than the glory of God. And I
visited a lady in Charleston this past week, 89 years old,
lives in an apartment, been listening to me on TV for five years. And
I said, what's your religious background? She said, well, I
used to go to a Methodist church here in Charleston. And she said,
I'd drive over there and sit, and I'd listen. And one Sunday
morning, it just dawned on me, she said, as I sat there in the
congregation and listened to the preacher, she said, it dawned
on me, he's not saying anything. He's not saying anything. And
she said, I just quit, came home, turned the TV on. And she said,
now I sit and listen to you teach the Bible. And she said, I want
to say this to you. I wish that I'd heard you and
started reading the Word when I was young. She said, I'm older
now, and I don't remember things, and I can't comprehend things,
and I can't lay hold on things like I could back then. Oh, she
said, if I'd have just listened when I was young and read God
the Word when I was young, I'd have a real foundation now, wouldn't
I? Well, you think she's going to be as responsible, Mindy,
as you are? You've heard it since you was
a little girl. You've been sitting there holding that Bible all
these years. Now God's going to, that's what He's saying here,
my friend, and you do what you want to with it, but I'm telling
you the truth. That woman, she's 80, 85 years old, never heard
the gospel. But you've heard it. You've heard
it. And all right, verse 25, at that
time, when he looked around and saw their rejection and their
indifference and their unbelief, When he understood the rebellion
of their hearts, and the indifference of their hearts, and the mockery
of their hearts, when he preached to them and they wouldn't hear,
when he manifested his power and they wouldn't see, and when
he called them and they wouldn't come, when he upbraided these
cities in which his mighty works were done, at that time Jesus
lifted his eyes to heaven. He answered and said, he prayed,
thank you Father, thank you. Thank you. Our Lord's not discouraged. He's not defeated. He's not dejected. Right then and that hour of men's
rebellion and unbelief and indifference, He thanks the Father. He thanks
the Father. He glories in the Father. And
listen to what He calls Him. Lord of heaven and earth. Sovereign
of heaven and earth. Lord of the dead and living.
My friends, the Lord Jesus Christ is not defeated because you are.
The Lord Jesus Christ is not dejected and discouraged. Our
Lord Jesus Christ shall not fail. He shall have a people. Turn
to Isaiah 53. Now, I know that there are a
lot of folks in this day in religious circles who who talk about man's
indifference and man's rejection and man's unbelief and then they
kind of give the impression that they feel sorry for the Lord. But my friend, don't waste your
sympathy on Christ. Now when he was on his way to
the cross, And the blood was dripping from his brow and from
his back, where they lacerated his back with a cat of nine tails,
and where they plucked out his beard
and slapped him with an open palm, and he was weak from loss
of blood, and he was bearing that heavy wooden cross. And
all along the way women, the Scripture says, wept and lamented
him. And they watched Him go by, and
here He is giving His life, and men don't believe Him, and preach
the truth, and men won't receive Him, and love men to the point
He dies for them, and they're weeping, poor Jesus. And He stopped! And He turned
to them. And He says, don't weep for Me.
Isn't that what He said? Weep not for Me. If you've got
any tears to shed, you weep for yourselves and for your children. That's what he said. Now friend,
don't weep over the cure, weep over the cause. Don't weep over
the remedy, weep over the disease. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, I'm
telling you in the judgment Capernaum, it's going to be easier for Sodom.
And at that time, with all that awful, awful announcement of
God's judgment and wrath, he says, I thank you, Father, Lord
of heaven and earth. Isaiah 53, verse 10, look at
it. Please the Lord to bruise him.
He hath put him to grief. Christ's death was not an accident.
Please the Lord to bruise him. God put him to grave. God subjected
him to this agony and this ignominious death on purpose when thou shalt
make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. That's his heirs, that's his
people. He shall prolong his days and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall buy their
iniquities. In other words, what are you
saying, preacher? I'm saying God has a people, and they'll
be redeemed. And he went on to say, Father,
I thank you that you hid these things. What's these things?
The truth of the gospel, the truth of your glory, the truth
of the person and work of Christ, the truth of his redemption,
the truth of his glory, the truth of satisfaction, the truth of
substitution, the truth of the sin offering, the resurrection,
the mediatorial kingdom of Christ. You've hid these things from...
What are we talking about here now? Wise and prudent. The most amazing thing to me
is you let a fellow get out of high school and go to college,
and he spends four years mostly playing around, going to football
games and rah, rah, rah, and sitting in a class of economics
or a class of mathematics or a class of science or a class
of history or a class of English under some professor. And he
comes out of there and he doesn't need God anymore. He doesn't
believe in God. He's wise in his own conceits. He's smarter than mom and daddy.
Mom and daddy lived 50, 60 years, but he learned in three years
what they hadn't learned in 50. And he's wise in his own eyes,
and he's full of conceit and arrogance and pride. You see,
he has a degree after his name, and they don't. That makes him
an authority. The most amazing thing in this
world that I've discovered in the 53 or 54 years that I've
lived is that let a fellow get an M.D. and that makes him master
of divinity. That means medical doctor, that's
what that means, that's all that means. It doesn't mean master
of divinity. It doesn't mean master of all
things. My friends, Christ is saying
here, He's saying, I thank you. You've been pleased in your providence
and purpose and glory to hide the truth from people who are
wise in their own conceit, who are proud and arrogant and think
because they can get the square root of a number that they know
all about God and heaven and hell and life and death and judgment
and salvation and redemption. I feel sorry for them. feel so
sorry for them. Well, he said he didn't hide
it from everybody. I thank God about that. He's
revealed it to babes. He's revealed it to babes. Thank
God for revelation. Thank God for his sovereign wisdom. Thank God for his eternal purpose.
Thank God he was pleased not to leave everybody in darkness.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. I tell you, I'm delighted for
men who can invent, 1 Corinthians 1, I'm glad men can
invent vaccines to stop polio and whooping cough and diphtheria
and things of this nature. Thank God for them. Brethren,
we can do these things and still seek the Lord with a broken heart,
with a humble spirit. You can be a man of historical
knowledge and still seek the Lord. You can be a great mathematician
and still love Christ. Luke was a physician. The Apostle
Paul was, according to one of the rulers of his day, one of
the smartest men of his day. Intelligent, sharp. And yet the
Apostle Paul was a man who wrote these very words right here I'm
about to read. He was a humble man. He said, I'm not anybody,
I'm nobody. These mechanical things that
I've learned are just things that I've acquired through effort.
But he said, my knowledge of God is a revelation. You can be a little child and
yet be a leader. A child in spiritual matter,
a child in humility, a child in meekness, a child in love.
You can be that and still be a man of great leadership qualities
and ability and courage and boldness and strength. In 1 Corinthians 1, you see your
calling, brethren, how not many wise men after the flesh. That's where their wisdom is,
and only where it is. Not many mighty, not many noble
are called. But God hath chosen the foolish
thing, men who are foolish in their own eyes, and foolish in
the eyes of others, to confound the wise, and God hath chosen
the weak thing. Oh, our Lord speaks to these
cities, and He said to you, it will be more tolerable for
those wicked cities in the day of judgment than for you. It
will be more tolerable. But I thank God. I thank you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've heard these things. You've
kept them unrevealed, the wise and prudent. You've revealed
them to babes. Verse 26. Look at this verse. Why? Here's
a sufficient answer for every difficulty. Now let me take this
as your motto, take this as your password. Even so, Father, it
seemed good in thy sight. Now Mr. Spurgeon told about a
little boy who was in the hospital. He was born deformed. He'd been
in the hospital most of his life. under care of physicians and
nurses and doctors. He was now 13, 14 years of age. Never walked. Little old legs,
real thin, Spurgeon said. He'd never, never walked. Had
a paralysis. But he was a person who had heard
some gospel. He'd heard some truth. God had
taught him some things. And a man came in to see him
one day, and he was standing there talking to him. And he
said, well, son, he said, How is it that you, you're a Christian,
you claim to be a Christian, a believer, you can't believe
in God. How come these other children out here, they don't
believe in God and they're running around, they can walk, they can
run and play. You can't walk or run and play.
How do you account for that? And Spurgeon said, the little
boy wisely and in a mature fashion answered, Even so, Father, it
seemed good in thy sight." Brethren, that's the answer for everything.
That's the answer for every difficulty. That's the answer for every trial.
That's the answer for every secret thing that you don't understand.
That's our Lord Jesus Christ said, Father, you've been pleased
to hide these things from smart alecks, wise and prudent, wise
in their own conceit, and reveal it to babes. That's where it
seemed good to you. I've seen good in your sight.
Now let me show you something else in verse 27. Then he said,
and I believe he said this to the disciples, All things are
delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal it. What's he saying
there? He's saying God has delivered
everything into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. everything. God has vested all things in
the person of his Son. Christ as Mediator, Christ as
High Priest, Christ as Lord and King, Christ Jesus. God has committed
everything to the Son. If you would have any knowledge
of God, you go to the Son. If you would have any benefits
or blessings from the hand of God, you go to the Son. If you
would have any mercy or grace from the hand of the Father,
you go to the Son. Joseph went down into Egypt and
he was there in different positions and so forth, finally wound up
in jail. And the king's baker and butcher was in the jail with
him because they had done something wrong and they had a dream. And Joseph was enabled of God
to interpret their dream. And so later on, one of them
was killed, the other one got out of jail, he's back in the
service of his king, and Pharaoh had a dream. And he dreamed that
seven cows, healthy cows, ate up seven lean cows. And then
he dreamed that there were seven ears of corn and seven lean ears,
and the seven fat ears ate up the seven lean ears. He couldn't
understand that, and he asked his wise men and so forth, and
they couldn't do anything. Finally, his baker, butcher,
whoever it was, said to him, there's a fellow down there in
jail that can interpret your dream, O king. And he sent for
Joseph, and Joseph came up there, and God gave him the ability
to interpret Pharaoh's dream. And he told Pharaoh, he said,
there's going to be seven years of famine in Egypt and seven
years of plenty. And if you, seven years of plenty
and then seven years of famine. And if you have enough corn and
wheat and oats and barley during the seven years of plenty and
store it up, then when the seven years of famine come, you'll
eat it then. That was the fat ears eating
the lean ears. And Pharaoh made him second in command under him.
And this is what he said. He said, Joseph's in charge of
planting, sowing, reaping. Joseph's in charge of storing
all of the goods. And Joseph did for seven years.
They just filled every barn and house and silo and everything
during those seven years. Then the famine came and people
were without. They didn't have anything to
eat. They didn't have any corn or meal or they didn't have any
barley or oats and they came to Pharaoh. And they said, Pharaoh,
we need corn. What Pharaoh said, go to Joseph. Nobody gets anything unless he
goes to Joseph. Joseph filled the storehouses,
Joseph owns the storehouses, Joseph's in charge of the storehouses.
If you want anything, you go to Joseph. And that's what God's
saying right here. Everything been delivered unto
me of my father. All authority in heaven and earth. All power over all flesh, John
17. All judgment, the Father judges
no man, hath committed all judgment to the Son. All life, the Son
quickeneth whom He will. All the elect, all that my Father
giveth me shall come to me. All things in heaven and earth,
in the dispensation of the fullness of time, He'll gather together
in one, all things that are in Christ in heaven and earth. All
glory, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that
he is Lord, all preeminence, everything's in Christ. And no man knows the Son save
the Father, and no man knows the Father save the Son, and
he to whomsoever the Son will reveal it. Then we come, verse
28, to that gracious invitation for sinners to come to Christ
for salvation. Now brethren, You say, preacher,
you've been preaching God's absolute sovereignty and creation, providence,
salvation, and all things, that God has a people, that God will
save whom He will, that God will not be frustrated or disappointed,
Christ will be not dejected or discouraged, but He shall have
a people. That's right. And yet you come right here and
you say, any man who's thirsty, any man who's weary, any man
who's laboring and heavy laden, come to Christ and He'll save
him. That's right. That's right. But you know, you
say, you said, Preacher, you said, Preacher didn't say that,
Christ said that. You see, I'm just trying to be
consistent with my Master. My Master stood right here, the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is Christ speaking. This
is the Lord Jesus, and He said to those cities, I'm just telling
you what He said, He said, Capernaum, I preached to you and healed
in your cities and walked among you in the revelation of God's
been with you. Sodom, if it heard what you heard,
saw what you saw, it would remain to this day. It's going to be
easier for Sodom in a judgment than for you. Preacher didn't
say that. Christ said that, Paul. I just read that right here. And as they stood there and mocked
and ridiculed and their unbelief, he lifted his eyes to heaven.
My Lord did. Preacher didn't do it. My Lord
said, Thank you, Father! Thank you, Father! Praise the
Father! Glory by the Father, who suffered
in heaven and earth! And you've been pleased to hide
these things from people who are wise in their own conceit
and proud in their own wisdom. You've hid these things from
them. What things? What have I been
talking about? Father, you haven't hid it from
everybody. You've revealed it to some babies. He revealed it
to some little fellas who don't know everything, who'd like to
know something, just anything, just a little crumb or two. And
I'll tell you this, he stopped talking to the Father and said
to them, everything's in the Son. Everything's in the Son. God had committed everything
to the Son. All things are delivered unto
me of my Father. It's been delivered into my hands.
It's been committed to my trust. It's been turned over to me. And no man knows the Son but
the Father. No man knows the Father, no man
knows the Father. No man knows God. You can talk
about God or curse God. You can brag on God or ridicule
God, but you don't even know God till the Son reveals God
to you. That's what he said. I know the
Father, and the Father knows me, and everybody knows the Father
when I reveal the Father to them. Then he said, come unto me. If God's delivered everything
to me, then you'd be wise to come to me, wouldn't you? If
the Father has vested everything in the Son, and delivered everything
over to the Son, and given everything into the hands of the Son, if
all of the good things are in Christ, you'd be smart to come
to Christ, wouldn't you? Leave your ceremonies of religion,
leave your so-called law of morality, and leave your deeds, and leave
your Methodism, and Baptism, and Presbyterianism, and Catholicism,
and all your other isms, and come to Christ. I came to Jesus as I was, weary
and worn and sad. I found in Him a resting place,
and He has made me glad. Come to me." There are four things
I know from this Word, and they're not humanly consistent, but they're
so. They're from the Word of God.
Number one, I know God's Almighty. I know God's Sovereign. I know
God's on an immutable, unchangeable, absolute, sovereign throne. He
does as He will, when He will, with whom He will. I know that.
I know that God Almighty has a people that He's going to save.
I know that. God's sovereign. Can I not do
with my own what I will? That's the God of heaven. A God
who wants to and can't is not the God of Scripture. The God
who's defeated or frustrated or turned from his purpose and
will is not the God of the Bible. He's absolutely sovereign. Even
when they crucified his son, Peter said, you did what God
determined before to be done. Second thing I know. I know that
God has given his son to redeem some of Adam's race. God in the
fullness of time sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under
the law to redeem them that were under the law. God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
on him should not perish but have everlasting life. God gave
Christ to be our Savior. I know that. There's no other
salvation except in Christ. The blood cleanseth us from all
sin. The Son of God put away our sin. The justice and righteousness
of God was fulfilled in the cross of His Son. Christ intercedes
for us at the right hand of God. I know that. Salvation is not
in the church. It's not in a profession. It's
not in an ordinance. It's not in a law. It's in a
person. Christ Jesus. I know that's what
the Bible teaches. I know this thirdly. I know Christ
is not going to be disappointed. I'll tell you the truth. I know
he cannot fail. I know that his redemption does
not depend on the will of the flesh, or the will of man, or
him that will it, or him that run it, but of God that showeth
mercy. I know that. I know there'll
be no vacancies in heaven, but there'll be plenty of room. I know that Everyone for whom
Christ came and obeyed the law and suffered on the cross, every
one of them are going to be saved. Our Lord said that. He said,
This is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I'll lose nothing. Not a hoof or a hair shall be
left behind in Egypt. I'll raise him up at the last
day. All that my Father giveth me shall come. I know that. But
the fourth thing I know is there. I know the Lord Jesus lovingly
and graciously and kindly and mercifully invites anyone who
thirsts to come and drink. He invites anyone who labors
and is heavy laden to come and find rest. That's what it says
right here. Come to me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I'll give you rest. I'll give you rest. Oh, he said,
John, turn to John 7. In the 7th chapter of John, let's
look at this a moment, the 7th chapter of John, in that great
day of the feast, that last day, over here in John chapter 7,
verse 37, in the last day, that great day of the feast, our Lord
stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, any man thirst, let
him come to me and drink. He that believeth, any man, any
man. He that believeth on me, as the
Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Let's look at this Savior's invitation just a minute. Who invites? Come unto me, the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's the Lord of heaven and earth.
He's able to perform all that He says. He has paid the debt. He has the ability. Who's invited? All ye that labor and are heavy
laden. What does this mean? It doesn't mean the poor materially.
It's possible to be poor here and even poorer in heaven, or
in eternity. He's not talking about the afflicted
in body. It's possible to have trouble
here and more trouble later. Who's he talking about here?
He's talking about those who are pressed down and burdened
under the guilt and load of sin. Laboring and heavy laden. That's
who he's talking about. David said, my sins are ever
before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned. God purge me, wash me, cleanse
me, renew within me, create in me a right spirit. Alright? What is the invitation? Come
unto me. Now I can't lay too strong an
emphasis on this word right here. Christ says, come to me. Not serve, come. You see that? It's not work,
it's come. It's not get ready, it's come. Come to me. And the word me,
come to me. Don't come to a preacher. Don't
come to a system of theology. Don't come to a religious organization. Don't come to a ceremony or an
ordinance. Come to me. To me. And what is the promise? I'll
give you rest. Everyone that's weary and heavy
laden, come to me, Christ said. You get to Christ, and I'll give
you rest. Rest from what? Rest from the
fear of sin, fear of the law, fear of death, fear of judgment,
fear of condemnation, fear of hell. I'll give you rest. You come to me. Our Father anoint the Word with
the power of our spirit. We're not making an effort, you
know our hearts, to set forth a consistent theology. We're trying to preach what our
Lord preached to men. We're trying to preach, O God,
thy greatness and power and sovereignty. And we're trying to preach man's
helplessness and guilt and sin. We're trying to shut men up to
mercy and shut them up to Christ. We're making an effort, our Father,
thou knowest. Without the aid of thy Holy Spirit,
our efforts are in vain. but to bring men to rest in Christ,
to look to Him, not to themselves or to anyone else, to our own
works of righteousness or deeds of the law, but to rest in Christ
for mercy. Bring them to look to Him. In my hands no price I bring,
simply the cross of Christ I cling. Could my tears forever flow,
could my zeal no respite know, least for sin could never atone,
Christ must save and Christ alone. And yet we know he'll not be
defeated. He might not be discouraged. And if his wrath and judgment
falls upon my head, he'll be just and holy and righteous.
But if his grace and love falls upon my head, he'll be merciful,
and his grace will forever be magnified and glorified in me. I use thy word for the good of
thy people, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.