The Saviour's Invitation

...Matthew, Matthew chapter 11, and I want to begin reading at verse 20. Now I want to make a special appeal for you. Youngsters 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 1 or 6 months, something like that, do not bother me.

But 20-year-old youngsters misbehaving in the Lord's house attend the Holy Ghost. Now I want to make a tremendous plea this morning. The last 3 nights we haven't had many of you.

I don't know whether you didn't come or you were working or had to close. But all those things, but the people, especially the last 2 nights. Now I want to bring you from God's Word this morning the Savior's invitation.

I want to beg you, it ought not to be necessary, but there's so much irreverence in God's habit. This little place ought to be a very sacred place. Isn't that right? Sometimes I lift up my voice like that.

The only way on earth anybody can be saved is for the Savior to invite that person and to be able to hear him and respond. And I'm going to bring you out of the Word of God this morning the Savior's invitation. And when we stand at the judgment, anybody's hearing from the Lord this morning.

Now the Savior's invitation is found in the last 3 verses of the 11th chapter of Matthew. And I want to begin reading verse 20 so that some of the solemnity of his invitation might sink into somebody's soul here this morning. And the context here to begin reading in verse 20 will tell us the atmosphere out of which the Savior turned to individuals, as I hope he'll do to somebody this morning, and gave individuals an invitation to come into his presence and receive what he has for sinners.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. And yes, I talk to the city of woe unto thee, Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in tire and silence, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you it shall be more tolerable, and for tire and siding, that the day of judgment come for you.

And thou, Capernaum, another city, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.

At that time, I pray the Holy Spirit bring a holy verse upon us as I read these next two verses. They're the most solemn verses that I've ever found in the word of God. If you do not have a Bible, listen as far as you can as I read these statements from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ.

At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because, listen to this, he said, I thank thee, Father, because thou hast did these things. Isn't that something to thank God about? You better get quiet. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven, that thou hast did these things from the wise and true.

Wise acres and people who think they know something are going to come swept up the hill. God will hide the truth from you. And Jesus thanks God that we wicked cities, through the decree and providence of a holy God, God hid things from us so they didn't repent, as Jesus worked mighty works among us.

That's solemn. I thank thee, O Father, God, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and true and hath revealed them unto thee. One time the Lord said, except you become converted and become as a little child, you'll no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.

Just like a little child, not trying to reason it out, but to listen and believe what God says. That's how to get blessings from God. I thank you, you have hid it from the wise and true and you revealed them unto babe.

Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. I wish, maybe if I just stop reading the scripture, I wish some of the solemnness of those two verses would grip your heart. My God, the familiarity in so-called Christian circles today with the name of Jesus.

Only those people who know nothing about him are familiar with him. Use his name recklessly and try to... Oh my, what a seeking life come to Winston-Salem. Just leave a few things God tells us in this passage I read you.

Thanks all the glory back where it belongs and takes every bit of it away from human beings and says that God hides things from some people and reveals things to other people and God doesn't apologize for it and sinners are in the hands of a God who hides some things and who reveals some things. Oh my, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And then this next verse, the most solemn thing I have seen in my life.

All things are delivered unto me of my Father and no one knoweth the Son but the Father. Listen. Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

How solemn, how solemn. Boy, do you think someday you're going to just kick your jump and one jump and the other and make profession of faith and God Almighty will jump and save you? No, sir. You'll never know God unless the Lord Jesus Christ reveals Him to you.

You better quit being so familiar with the Lord of glory and take your place as a humble babe utterly dependent on Him and thankful even for the crumbs that fall from His table. Did you get what my Lord said? He said nobody will ever know God unless I reveal Him to them in such a terrible, tremendously solemn atmosphere. My Lord Jesus Christ gave the first gospel invitation that He ever gave when He's here on this earth.

In that holy atmosphere, He who alone can reveal God to men, He who thanks God for hiding things from smart people, He who thanks God for revealing things to little babes, He says, come unto me. I'm the only one that can reveal the Father to you. All ye that labor and are heavy laden, I'll give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I'm meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest under your soul. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm interested in this invitation. It comes of great interest to me for two reasons.

It comes from the one who claims that no man will ever know God unless the Lord Jesus Christ reveals God to him. If my only hope is there, thank God it's there. And I'm interested in this invitation for another reason, and that is that line upon line and precept upon precept in the word of God, this truth is crystal clear that you cannot get into the presence of Jesus Christ except by His invitation.

You don't get in an airplane and rush up to Washington and hike down Pennsylvania Avenue and go into the White House and knock on President Kennedy's door and open and say, I've come to see you. You see the President by His invitation. You don't rush across the Atlantic Ocean and go over and spend the night with Queen Elizabeth of England except by royal invitation.

Whether we believe it or not, heaven's door is Jesus Christ. He's the only one that can make God real to men and women. And He has elected and chose to call men to come into His presence.

God help you! Someday they'll hear it and be able to respond to it when He invites you. Bible teachers tell us about the law of first mention. They say the first time in the Bible, the Old and the New Testament, that a truth is found, that whatever it means in that first instance will give you the key to what it means throughout the Bible, and I think that's so.

And there's the first gospel invitation to individuals up to now the Lord's been speaking to the nation of the Jews. And in the 20th verse of this chapter He turns from the nation and pronounces judgment on the nation. And then, having pronounced His woe of hellfire and judgment to come upon the cities, the nation of Israel, He turns and gives a gospel invitation.

I'm interested in it because of who gave it and because of the atmosphere in which He gave it. I'm conscious that the Lord, if it pleases Him, can hide truth from you and vanquish sin to hell and still get glory to Himself. And I'm conscious that the Lord can reveal truth to you and enable you to come to Him and get glory to Himself.

But one thing I want to do, I want to give the same kind of an invitation standing in Christ's stead that He gave. And I'm not going to change it. I'm not going to add anything to it.

God knows I don't want to take anything away from it. Listen to the Savior's invitation. Anybody interested? Nobody's ever saved who doesn't hear the spiritual air.

The Lord Jesus Christ invited you to come to Him and receive Him as He's offered in the word of the living God. My Lord says, come unto me. Come to a person.

And when you get to me, take my yoke upon you. And enroll in the school of Jesus Christ. Learn of me.

As you take my yoke, my rule upon you, receive it gladly. Get a new master. Sit at my feet.

Let me through the Holy Spirit teach you out of the world. That's where you'll get rest for your soul. That's how I'll rest you.

I'll rest you by putting my yoke upon you. I'll rest you by teaching you my way. I'll rest you.

I'll rest you. Thank God. God didn't create this world and go off and leave it.

He does the preaching. Brother, friend, or any humble preacher, all He does is open His mouth and He's a mouthpiece. And out of His mouth He's under the mounting of the Holy Ghost.

God preaches. God invites people. And God's invitation is God's holy command.

Take my yoke upon you. Come to me. Come to me.

Come unto me. You get to me. Take my yoke.

I'm amazed, my brothers and sisters, men and women, don't get mad at me. I'm amazed at how little attention we pay to God's Word these days. I'm amazed at the multitude of you who claim to be Christians but wouldn't know a thing on God's earth about the yoke of Christ being under His rule if you let it go.

I'm amazed at this generation of church members who claim Jesus is Savior but pay no attention to His book and know nothing of His rule in their lives. The Savior's invitation has come to me. Who are you, Christ? I'm God's prophet.

I'm sent down here to bring you God's truth and all that God requires of you. You listen to me teach you. Who are you, Jesus? I'm God's priest to hang on a cross for sinners and stand at the right hand of God to intercede for His people.

Take me. Who are you? I'm God's Lord by divine and quiet decree to rule over in the hearts of men. Take me as your master to rule you to make His will the rule of your life.

Our forefathers didn't know anything about this Jesus the priest today. They said that Christ must be received in all of His offices as He's presented in the Word of God. They knew nothing about preaching of Jesus who saved you, whatever that means, apart from ruling in your life.

They preached that salvation was to get a new master, the Lord Jesus Christ. That He earned the right to rule in your life by dying on a cross. Listen to the Lord.

That unless God's rule is established in your life you'll just have to descend to hell. Come under that one. Be a teacher.

Institute your master. That's the Jesus that says come to the Lord as He invites. It's the law and the gospel to be preached to all.

What kind of people are invited to come into the presence of Jesus Christ? Let me quote three, four, five scriptures that might interest you. Isaiah 55 and 1. Caravans coming in off the desert. They've been out in the dry desert for weeks and months and they're thirsty.

Comes the crossroad nearing the end of the journey. You've got a wagon, I suppose, and in it are some barrels full of fresh, clean, cool, crystal clear water. And as those caravans with their tired camels and drivers and people come out of the desert on the last stretch home, this man, as the caravans pass by, stands up on the wagon and cups his hands to his mouth and he says, Hey! Hey! Ho! Everyone that thirsty, come to water.

The only thing that qualifies as invited is thirst. Anybody out there thirsty, you want water. The thirst for water.

You're thirsty. You got a need. Cocoa will satisfy you.

Nothing on earth but water will satisfy you. Everybody out there that's thirsty. Come on! I got water.

How much it cost? Nothing. Come on! Nothing to pay. Everybody that's thirsty.

I hear somebody, Girl, I'm not thirsty. The man said to himself, Hey, do you know The man said, I don't want Jesus Christ to be the ruler of my life. I want to join the church and make a profession and go through the motions and run my own life and blaspheme the name of Christ.

I don't want to go to hell. But I want none of this holy rule. You're not even invited to come.

You just go on to hell. That's thirsty people. Invited to come to Christ.

Foolish. Try to get a fella to drink water unless he's thirsty. On the farm, we bring the mules to water if they're thirsty.

Brother, just get out of the way. If they weren't thirsty, the only way on earth you could make them drink. It may be I'm speaking to somebody here this morning.

The only thing God Almighty can do for you is act a while, then you'll send you to hell. You will not face your need. You have no desire for holiness.

You don't want God to rule in your life. Water my portion. Everybody's thirsty.

I got water. Hallelujah. I read in the Bible about this come to seek and to save that which is lost.

Somebody says, I'm not lost. Well, I'm not looking for you then. When a man throws up his hands, it's all a self-effort of trusting in himself and then yes.

He is the one who came down ready to seek people like that and to save them in the seventh chapter of the gospel of John in the atmosphere of almost of the time of the crucifixion of Christ. And the Lord has gone into the temple where he's hated more than anywhere else on the earth at that time of the religious leaders. Where they sent men to arrest him on the killing of him.

They can't lay their hands on him. And the Jewish leaders have turned thumbs down on him. The Lord is represented there in that seventh chapter.

I think he cupped his hands to his mouth, stood down in the temple and prayed, Now the people. He said, If any man touch, the leaders have rejected me. They're trying to kill me.

Listen. If any man touch, let him come unto me and drink. Praise the Lord.

I'm not thirsty. Well, I didn't invite you. As I need.

Come on. In the last chapter, I read these blessed words. And the spirit and the dive say come.

Let him that beareth say come. So, is a thirst. Let him come.

Come on. If you're thirsty for God. Blessed is the word hunger and thirst that the righteous deserve to fill.

If any man who so is a thirst feels his need deep down in his soul. If you're not thirsty before the will of the Lord. Take the water of life.

Amen. Just as wide as your need and your desire to be made holy. Jesus of us that as the guide by which he teaches and leads you.

Amen. You'll have to have him as your substitute paying the price you could not pay. Dying the death of sin.

Christ he invites everybody this weary and heavy lady tired of sin and scared of dying. He says come on. My poor boy.

Nothing. Street service and he and I that he's asked us to pray. He's a humble.

I had a big first year preacher. He preached and then I preached and we gave an invitation. Came forward led some little gospel.

Asked if anybody left to have. I said why do you want the burden? I said yoke upon your neck to be your Lord. His invitation to this congregation and that and they're going to do something about his invitation and that is this morning.

They say well I'm not interested. I'm not touched. I don't need the Lord.

I don't care. Maybe you got into that part. Maybe you're able to speak to them through your truth.

The Holy Spirit made it real. That's true Lord. We thank you.

We bless your name. And I was going to ask men and women to make known whether or not God's spoken to them. They've been able to receive him.

And this very service make it known publicly. We pray that Satan may be defeated and the Holy Spirit may be honored. I'm going to sing brother Tommy.

Invitation I've been given. If God's spirit has been pleased to speak to you. And you heard the Lord Jesus Christ through his word talking to you.

To you. So you come. I want you to walk this aisle and tell us.

You'd like to build a power room and call on the Lord. Walk this aisle and tell us. Need you have.

You'd like to make public by coming forward. We invite you. That's as far as I'm able to push it.

Would you like to have him absolutely rule over you. Teach you God's truth. Find your stead.

Your first department. Would you like to know him? If so we invite you to come for prayer. That's the best way I know.

You and the Holy Spirit. Where you come if you will. We'll be glad to welcome you.

The gospel writing to the church now in Thessalonica said. Knowing therefore your election of God for our gospel came to you not word only. But in power and in the spirit.

My little experience but you are something similar to this. Well I knew about who God's talking to. He seemed to me eyes round but God did.

Word came to me not word only. The Lord calling me. From your soul to him.

By not responding to him. Here's where hell's pushed back and the fire of the devil is extinguished. And men make their move.

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