Lawrenceville Conference: 1989
Table of Contents
A Pardon for Anyone
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn tonight to the 4th chapter of John's Gospel, John chapter 4. I'd like to read this portion at least part of this chapter. And you see the Lord Jesus dealing with someone for their blessing.
Beginning at the fourth verse. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. And it was about the 6th hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water.
Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink, for his disciples were gone away into the under the city to buy meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our Father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself?
And his children and his cattle.
Jesus answered and said unto her, 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.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hit her to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hit her.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he who now now hast is not thy husband. In that savst thou truly? The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith.
Her woman, believe me, the hour cometh, and now is when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Ye worshipped, ye know not what we know, what we worship. For salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh. And now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiahs cometh, which is called Christ.
When he has come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Upon this cave his disciples and marveled that he talked with the woman, yet no man said, What seekest thou, or why talkest thou with her?
The woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came to him. In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat, that ye know not of.
Therefore, said the disciples, one to another, hath any man brought him out to eat? Jesus saith unto him unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life.
Eternal, that he both he that saweth, and he that reapeth, may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true. 1 Saweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour, other men laboured, and ye are entered into their laborers. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified.
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He told me all that ever I did.
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them. And he abode there two days, and many more believe because of his own word, and said unto the woman, Now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
I just like to turn to one other passage in Acts 13.
Acts 13 and verse 38.
Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets, behold, ye despisers.
That wonder and perish.
For I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
Well, dear friends, the Gospel of John is very beautiful as we see God revealing Himself in the person of His beloved Son. In all the trouble with the natural man and with our own hearts is that man doesn't know the love that's in the heart of God. He doesn't know how willing he is to bless. It's not hard to come and plead guilty when you know there's a pardon waiting for you. And dear friends, that's the heart of God. He wants you to plead guilty.
He wants you to recognize your condition, and he has a full and free pardon and he's offering it to you tonight. And that's the purpose of the gospel meeting, that with the Lord's help we could present the simplicity of the gospel. Men make it very, very difficult. They feel they have something that they must do, something that they can add to the gospel. But the word gospel means good news. And so the message tonight is that God wants.
Pardon everyone in this room. I know that some have already received this pardon and are rejoicing in their hearts because they know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
And their desire is that if there's one here, young or old, who doesn't yet know him, that this very night you might be brought to know him as your personal savior. Go to this room a pardoned person possessing eternal life, knowing that you have a home in heaven.
It's very interesting too. In the three chapters, John chapter 3, chapter 4 and chapter 5, we find different kinds of sinners. In the 3rd chapter we have a very religious man, a very, very well trained leader of the Pharisees, teaching the people, but he himself didn't know how to possess eternal life. And it's very possible to be exceedingly religious and yet without Christ.
But dear friends, religion doesn't save. It's Christ that saves. In this chapter we see a person whom we might say had sunk into sin. And the Lord is seeking her, seeking her blessing and her good. For he has a pardon for Nicodemus in the chapter before, and he has a pardon for this woman too. Because there's no person on earth who has never sinned. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Religious people have sinned. Those who live out and out in sin like the one here, they've sinned too. And then in the next chapter, we find a helpless person. Right close to him was a way that he could be healed from his sickness, but he couldn't get there because he was helpless. And dear friends, you're helpless to save yourself. But there's one who's mighty to save. And that's the one whom we proclaim tonight, the one whose mighty to save.
That there's no one too far gone for his grace to reach them, and no one who can say.
Well, I am good enough, I don't need the Savior because we all need Him. The message is as we read there in the 13th chapter of Acts. Be it known unto you, therefore, man and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things. Wouldn't you like to go out of this room knowing that all your sins were gone, that you were forgiven by the only person?
Who has a right to forgive you that you were justified from all things? Oh friend, I plead with you, if you don't know this wonderful Savior, that tonight you will listen and listen to what He tells us here in His precious word.
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I'd also like to just put a little emphasis on that little word must in the chapter before the Lord said to Nicodemus, he must be born again. That is, you can't enter heaven unless you receive a new life from God, because all of us were born in sin.
Then in the same chapter it says the Son of Man must be lifted up. There could be no blessing for us if the Lord Jesus had not been lifted up upon Calvary. For there it tells us He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with His stripes we are healed. He must be born again.
The Son of Man must be lifted up, and where we began in this chapter, it says.
He must needs go through Samaria. That is the Lord Jesus has accomplished that work, but we're so ready to run away from Him that He must seek us. The very first words that God spoke when sin entered the world are these. Adam, where art thou? God became a seeking God, and he's been seeking men and women ever since.
I'm glad he found me and he wants to find you tonight.
But I want to tell you, he is seeking you. He's seeking you. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Maybe you think no one else cares. Maybe you say, well, nobody cares very much about me. They've had a lot of disappointments in my life. And I don't think anybody cares. But I want to tell you, the Lord Jesus cares. He wept at the grave of Lazarus when he saw that great religious city that was rejecting him. He wept over Jerusalem.
And when He knew that he was going to Calvary to bear our sins, he wept. But he didn't turn back. He went on to Calvary. He went there to die for sinners like you and like me. What a blessed Savior we have to proclaim tonight.
Well, it tells us here that he must needs go through Samaria, and he came to this place, a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar.
And there was a well there, and the Lord Jesus was weary with his journey. The Lord Jesus is God, but he is also a perfect man. And so here he was in this world. He was hungry, He was thirsty, He was weary. He felt things as he went through this world. And it tells us here that he was weary with his journey.
But there was also something else. He had an appointment here.
The Lord who knows everything beforehand knew that this person was going to be there. And dear friend, you may think it's only an accident that you're here. You may say I almost didn't come. And I don't think that this woman knew when she left her home to get her water pot full of water, that she was going to meet the Son of God. She was going to meet the Savior of the world.
And you may say, well, it's just an accident that I am in here. I got a little notice of some.
Meetings and I decided to come and hear what the people had to say. But friend, it's no accident that you're here. The Lord brought you here because he cares about you, because he wants you to know the pardon that he has for you. And he's brought you here just as he brought that woman to the well.
And we see how very courteously the Lord speaks to her sometimes. We're not always wise and the way we talk to people, but the Lord was always perfect. His way of approach was always so wonderful and so perfect. He didn't begin at first to preach to her. He didn't begin at once to tell her that he was she was a Sinner, although he knew that. He said, give me to drink. Isn't that wonderful, friends? Give me to drink, you say, could I give the Son of God a drink?
Oh, I want to tell you, if you want to make the whole of heaven rejoice, open your heart to the Lord Jesus tonight. There's joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 Sinner that repenteth. When they announce some fine building or some new plan to help the poor or something like that, a lot of people are thankful. But when you receive the Savior, the whole of heaven rejoices. Yes to your friends. This woman gave the Lord a drink.
Weary as he was, he was.
Refresh because there was another soul that was fitted to spend eternity with him and enjoy all the love and the grace that he has to bestow. What we've been talking about here in these Bible readings, what we know is ours and what we know is before us to have eternal joy. I'm sure you've found this life full of disappointments. There's nobody that lives in this world that doesn't agree with Job. Job said man that is born of a woman is a few days.
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Full of trouble and you say Amen. That's true, I know that. But dear friend doesn't need end that way. It can end in fullness of joy. It can end in the Father's house. You don't have to end in a lost eternity under the judgment of God. It can end in eternal blessing. And if your life has been full of sorrow, maybe God allowed this for your blessing because he wanted you. He wanted you to feel that this life was a disappointment so that you'd feel.
Need of him.
The prodigal son who ran away from home with his pockets full of money never felt the need of returning until he had spent everything and he didn't even have enough to eat. And then he thought about home. And if God has brought a disaster into your life, why? It's because He wants you to realize that life is a disappointment. If you don't know the Lord Jesus, there's nothing worthwhile that this world can offer you.
Oh friends, the Lord Jesus is seeking you, so it tells us here. He.
Said give me to drink. But we find that she wasn't ready. I might say here too, That tells us here his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat.
Think it just brings in that little point to show us that she was left alone with the Lord Jesus. And you know, sometimes the Lord arranges things like that in our lives. He may have brought you to some place where you were in a danger spot and there was nobody else around, nobody to offer a helping hand. Perhaps some time when you were just all alone, then the Lord was speaking to you and you felt your need of Him.
All your friends, I hope you'll feel yourself.
Alone in your seat here tonight, as though nobody else was around and realized that you are an individual before him, That he looks upon you tonight not as part of a crowd, but as a person who has a soul that is worth more than this whole world. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
Well, when he says this to her, give me the drink.
She says, How is it that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which I am a woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Yeah. See, according to their national custom, Jews and Samaritans didn't mix. They had a sort of a prejudice. Perhaps you have a prejudice too. A lot of people in this world have a prejudice, and that prejudice is keeping them from getting to know the Savior. They have a prejudice. Maybe somebody did them a mean turn. Maybe something happened and you developed a prejudice, and that prejudice is keeping you from the Savior.
Maybe the person was very unkind.
But the Savior is not unkind. His heart is full of love. His pardon is free, and he wants to bless you tonight. She had a prejudice, and it says the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. And perhaps your problem is that you've never had any dealing with the Lord Jesus. You've never really had to do with him, because this was no ordinary Jew. This was not just a man off the street. This was the Lord of glory in human guys.
Yes.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He was here in this world. It says He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. Think of the Lord Jesus standing there in human guise, looked upon as just a mere Jew, but He in reality was the dispenser of eternal life.
He was there to bless her.
But the Lord didn't allow her prejudice to keep him from blessing her. And friend, I hope tonight that the Lord will break down that barrier in your heart. I've talked to people and they didn't want to hear anything of the gospel because they had some kind of a prejudice in their mind. That dear friend, I hope God will break down that defense tonight if that's your problem, because the Lord wants to save you. He wants to wash away all your sins in His most precious blood.
So notice his reply. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. Oh friend, if you only knew who Jesus is, because that's the whole burden of this story. And at last this woman finds out who this person is that she's talking to. When the Lord.
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Reveals himself to her soul. If thou knewest the gift of God, what does that show us? It shows that you don't have to work for salvation because it's a gift. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Salvation, dear friends, is a gift. You don't have to work for a gift. You might have to work for something.
And get it at a very low price. You'd call that a bargain, but when it's a gift, you don't.
Contribute anything at all, and that's the salvation that God offers. It's a gift. You can't work for it. It would cease to be a gift if you or I could earn it. The only thing we earn is the wages of sin. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So the Lord said, if thou knewest the gift of God.
He would have given the living.
Friend, what is Living Water? Well, it's just an expression that is used in the Bible.
To help us to understand what salvation really is. Spoken of as the water of life. Spoken of as living water. And this woman was thirsty. And I'm sure that everyone in this world who doesn't know the Lord Jesus experiences this kind of thirst like she had in her inmost soul. It's true that she had a thirst for real water, but the way she was living proved that there was a thirst in her heart for something.
In life that would satisfy. Why are people going the way they are in these last days? All kinds of indulgences in lusts and all kinds of things that only harm them, and yet they go in for them. Why? Because God has put a thirst within every human being, a thirst that only He can satisfy. He put it there intentionally, friend, so that you might realize your need of Him and no matter what.
You try in this world, it will leave a thirst because it cannot satisfy. The heart is too large for this world to fill. The one who made your heart is the only one who can fill it, and tonight he will fill it to overflowing. If you are just willing to let him do this for you, he would have given the living water.
Now we see the woman again in the 11TH verse. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water?
This to me seems like what we often find. That is, first there was a prejudice. Now we see her trying to reason this out, trying to figure it out. And perhaps that's what you're saying. Well, if I could get all the answers that I want, if I could figure everything out, then I would receive it. And so she says, well.
Thou has nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? She didn't know that he himself was the one in whom who could give her that living water.
It says even in the last chapter of Revelation, whosoever will let him take the water of life freely. Is there something that you're reasoning about? You say well was mentioned this afternoon. Why did God allow sin and so you're allowing that to hindia from coming to Christ. I sometimes think it's like a person going to the doctor and saying doctor.
I know I'm very sick but unless you can tell me how I contacted this sickness I don't want any.
The remedies why you wouldn't talk like that, would you? No matter where or how you contacted it, you know you're sick and you're very glad if he can do something to help you and so do your friends. Don't reason about it, it's a gift. Accept it. Don't try to figure out all these questions. There are a lot of questions in life that I don't expect to get the answer until I meet the person who knows everything.
Yes, the one who is infinite in knowledge. The Bible says. I'm going to get all the answers.
Answers to the questions that trouble me. The Queen of Sheba came from a far country to see King Solomon, and it says he gave her all the answers. And King Solomon is just a little picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only one that has all the answers. I ask you, friends, leave your questions and come to Christ. Come to Christ and receive the salvation.
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She was trying to figure out how the Lord could get water out of that well, and you may be trying to figure.
Something out too about why sin is here and why this happened in your life, why that person was so unkind and why you lost your job and all those kind of things maybe you're trying to figure out and it's keeping you from coming to Christ.
Oh friend, just as I am, without one plea. That's the way the Lord wants you to come, just as you are. You don't have to clean yourself up.
Heard a story about an artist and he wanted to paint a picture of a girl who was sort of like a tramp, A destitute. So he saw one on the street and he asked this girl if she'd come down so he could paint her picture.
Well, she.
Thought you better get dressed up to come to the artist studio. So when she came the next day all dressed up, he said, oh, you spoiled it all. He said, I wanted you just the way you are. And dear friend, is that what you're trying to do? Clean up? You can't clean yourself up. I can't clean myself up.
Job said if he if I wash myself with snow water and make myself never so clean, I'll soon plunge into the ditch. Have you tried to clean up your life and before you knew it, you're running back into those old habits again? Friends, there's one who can make you clean. There's one whose blood cleanses from all sin, and he's inviting you. Well, she tried the avenue of reason.
Then she compares the Lord to Jacob. Art thou greater than?
Our father Jacob, which gave us the well and drank thereof himself and his children and his cattle. She compared the Lord to an ordinary man, Rather unusual character because Jacob is known for the failures and mistakes that he made in his life. But you know that a lot of people, when they start to reason about God, they act as if he were a man, and that he didn't know anything more than they know and couldn't do anything more than they can do.
And they just treat him as an ordinary man. She didn't know that he could supply this water of life. And now she brings him down to the level of man. Is that what you're doing? You're bringing the Lord of glory down to the level of man? Oh, friend, He is the Lord of glory. The Bible tells us that he upholds all things by the word of His power.
It tells us that in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
It tells us that by him all things consist.
When Daniel was talking to Belshazzar, he said, The God in whose thy hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified? This person who was talking to this woman was the Lord of glory in manhood form come down, laid aside his glory, and came down to this world to become the Savior of men.
Well, the Lord still kept on. Isn't it good that he keeps on? Even though we have all kinds of objections and reasons, He keeps on. It's love, friends. He's knocking and he keeps on knocking. He's knocking at your heart's door tonight. Are you going to answer? He's seeking you. Are you going to let him find you? Well tells us here the Lord's reply.
Jesus answered and said unto her.
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.
Yes, the Lord says that whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again. That could be written across. Every pleasure this world has to offer shall thirst again. It can't satisfy. The Lord was telling her that, as someone else has said, everyone in this world has either found out or will find out that the world can't satisfy.
There are many young people in this room looked very.
Very bright tried for those things that don't satisfy.
Friends, the Lord of glory tells you that whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but the water that He gives. And I can tell you that it was only as a boy that I received the Lord Jesus as my Savior. And I wouldn't trade places with anybody who's tried to go through life without Him. It's a wonderful thing to be saved. When you're young, you lose absolutely nothing.
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By being saved, you gain everything that's worthwhile to have him as your savior, to have him as your friend, to help you in your planning in life, your decisions to have him as one who cares or friends. If you don't know him, I would say in the words of the scripture, remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, what are you going to lose by receiving him?
Your sins, Would you like to hang on to them?
That's all you lose. What will you gain? Everything that's worthwhile for time and for eternity. And what's more, who can say that you have a lease on life? I have a few years have passed in my life. But who can tell what a day will bring forth? The Bible says boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not for the day may bring forth. There's many a person that has made all kinds of bright plans for tomorrow, but never seen tomorrow.
Friends, you can't tell when your turn may come or when the Lord Jesus may come and shut to the door, but he offers salvation tonight, right now, you can receive Him. You don't have to come up here to get saved right where you are. Just open your heart to Him and He's crying, offering to you salvation and pardon.
He said the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, and it says he'll put the well right inside. That's what he does, friends. So if you don't have to seek after something here because he puts the well in your heart and it's free to hear him, that is a thirst. Let him take the water of life freely.
Well, at last the desire has been created in her heart. She still doesn't know who this wonderful person is, but she says in the 15th verse, the woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hit her to draw. Isn't this wonderful? The way the Lord Jesus was working with her, He first of all created a desire, a thirst in her heart. And I say he's trying to create that in your heart.
Part 2. She still didn't recognize who it was. She called him Sir, and she asked that she thirst not neither come hit her to draw. But now, dear friends, there was something that had to be settled, and that was the question of sin.
She was covering up her life, and maybe you would like to get to heaven without the question of sin, but that that can't be. No sin can enter heaven. The Bible says there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Could you say that you're without sin? That's the only way you can enter heaven. But what will make you fit for heaven? Oh, you say I'm going to try and turn over a new leaf, but God requireth for that which is past. You say I'll try and clean up my ways, but tomorrow you'll find temptation as strong or stronger than ever because the devil will bombard you. If you want to try and turn over a new leaf. It doesn't do, my friend. It'll never, never work.
How wonderful it is that the Lord came to this world. He went to Calvary to settle once for all a question of sin there. He was upon the cross. Listen to those beautiful words. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with His stripes we are healed all we.
Sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. I'm glad I didn't have to lay my sins on Jesus, because I might have forgotten some. But it was God who knew them, who took up the question of sin and settled it once for all. And he gives you these wonderful assuring words, the blood of Jesus Christ.
His son.
Cleanseth us from all sin. When you say I haven't got enough faith. Not a question of the amount of your faith, it's a question of who your faith is in.
Lots of people have strong faith in their religion. They have strong faith in their good works. They have strong faith in their feelings. But I don't have any faith in my works or in my feelings or a church to save me. But I have a little bit of faith in a wonderful person.
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Person. A person who's mighty to say.
Have often used an illustration because people sometimes say, well everybody needs to have some faith but dear friends, the question is not having some faith because you can have faith in the wrong thing. You need faith in the Lord Jesus Christ believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Well, I often say if you had a check in your pocket for $100 and you're absolutely sure that the check is good, you don't have.
Singled out in your mind and you take it to the bank and you present it for payment. The teller checks the account and says I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't cash that check for you today. All you said was so sure. Did it do any good? None. Why person wasn't worthy of your confidence. He wasn't worthy of your confidence, I say.
Well, you have another one that you have a lot of doubts about in your pocket, don't know the person too well, and you pull it out and say what about this one?
Oh, he says, that's all right. Doesn't even look up the account and you get the full sum. Why? You had just had enough faith to present that check and you got all that. That check said whatever it was, 102 hundred, 500. It's all. It's a question of the person. Friends and dear friends, that's what I want you to realize tonight. Are you looking in for faith? Don't look in. You'll be very disappointed.
Satan will bring it out into your mind tomorrow if you look inside.
But I'll look to Christ, look to him, He's the Savior. He's the one who has settled the question of sin and you can't settle it, but he did and just rest upon those wonderful words. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Dear little boy, just seven years old and he had learned that beautiful verse in Sunday school and he took very sick and.
Doctor told his father he was afraid his boy wasn't going to recover. The father himself didn't know the Lord Jesus as his savior, and so he thought he should break the news to his boy anyway. And he said to him, well, the doctor has said that you're not going to get better, But he said you haven't got very many sins, it'll be all right with you. He looked up with a bright smile and he said, Daddy, I don't have any sins.
Well, his father remembered the boy hadn't always been what he should be. Most boys at 7 years old have been disobedient quite a few times. And he looked down and he said, well, not very many dear.
He looked up again. He said, Daddy, the Bible says the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Oh friend, if you want to have peace with God, rest upon the blood. It's the blood only that can fit you. That's the song of heaven. Thou art worthy, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.
Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.
Well, this the Lord said to her, Go call thy husband and come hit her. The woman said, I have no husband. Try to hide her life. What's the use of trying to hide your life from the one who knows everything, knows everything I've said and done and thought? Nobody is trying to hide anything from him. All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
And so the Lord is at war opened the book of her life.
And he said, well, I'll just read a little bit in the page of your life. And he told her what kind of a life she was living. What a surprise it was.
Or, friends, there's a person who knows all about you and all about me. Nobody in this world that knows everything that we've said and done and thought, but there's one in the glory that does. And he died for our sins. Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again the third day. According to the Scripture, she was in the presence of a person.
Who told her all things that ever she did, she realized that she was.
In the presence of one that knew all about her. And I've often said there's nobody in this whole wide world that knows everything I've said and done and thought, but there's a person in the glory that does. And he loves me in spite of it all. And he died for me, and his blood has cleansed me. And you can know Him tonight. You can go out with his pardon that God so freely offers to you.
00:40:16
What did this woman do when the Lord uncovered her life?
She turned religious. Isn't this amazing? She said, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Haven't you found that often happens when you begin to talk to a person about salvation? They'll tell you something about well, when I was young I sung in the choir, or I have an uncle who's a preacher, and they'll tell you all about the religious background of their family and every religious thing.
They've done as though this was going to be some way of settling the question of sin. And this is what she did. So I perceive that thou a prophet. Sure, she said. Now I can talk religion. Where is the right plate to work place to worship all friends? It's Christ that you need. It's not religion that you need. It's a person. It's a savior. It's one who's mighty to save. And oh, there may be boys and girls here. You've come to the meetings for years.
You've heard the way of salvation. You could tell it just as well as I'm telling it here tonight. What have you received Him? As many as received Him to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. You could know all about a pardon that's offered and still not receive the pardon. Is that your position tonight?
This woman turns religious and she said our fathers worship.
In this mountain, And he say that in Jerusalem is the place of place where men ought to worship Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. It's not the place, it's the person. Dear friends, it's true that God has marked out in his Word away as we see that he wants us to worship him. But to think that going.
Into a building is just like thinking, well, I know a good garage and if I drive my car in that garage and drive it out, it'll get fixed. It won't. You know that it won't. There's got to be something done to that car. It's never going to be fixed and you can drive in 100 buildings and not get anything. It's a personal decision for the Lord Jesus that is necessary. Someone has to do a work on your soul and the Lord Jesus.
Has done the work that met all your need at Calvary.
And he wants to do the work in your soul tonight. He wants to impart to you eternal life. He wants to give you a pardon. If there's a good mechanic in that garage, maybe he can fix your car. But the building won't do anything. No, dear friends, people think that going to church, as they call it, is going to save them singing in the choir or something. No, dear friends, it's Christ. And this is the point. The Lord is leading this woman too.
To see that she needs Christ.
I just want to comment here on this though what it says in this 22nd verse, ye worship, ye know not what we know, what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. I just want to comment on this verse because people sometimes say well we all believe in the same God, but I want to tell you that Cain believed in the same God as Abel. Cain believed in the same God as Abel.
And he he approached God just as Abel did.
But he approached God with the works of his own hands, the fruit of a cursed ground. Abel approached God with the blood of a sacrifice. And just to say that any religion is good enough, dear friend, it's not true. It's not true. There are people, as it says here, you worship, ye know not what. They don't believe that Jesus is God. They don't believe that the blood cleanses from sin. And yet they're religious. But they leave out the blood they leave out.
Salvation that God has provided. And so the Lord had to warn this woman that it wasn't just religion, even though she was arguing about this mountain or Jerusalem, He was showing her that it was a person she needed, but He showed her it didn't make a difference. And I want to impress that on you, dear friends. There are many, many people who say we all believe in the same God, but there's only one way to approach God.
The Lord Jesus told about two people.
They went up into the very temple of God to pray, and one talked about all his good works.
00:45:04
And God didn't answer that prayer at all, but the other man smiled on his breast and said, God be merciful to me, a Sinner, And he got the blessing. He got the blessing. The Lord Jesus said that man went down to his house justified rather than the other. And dear friends, if you'll come in all your need tonight, the Lord Jesus is ready to meet you.
Come as a Sinner. Don't come as one who's pleading something that you can do or hope to do, but just come as a Sinner.
Well, the Lord tells her that the true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. And I just want to say that if you're not saved, you haven't worshiped yet. It's not until you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. There can be true worship in your heart, but when you know Him as your Savior, Savior.
Then if you search His word, you will find how you can worship Him in a way that's acceptable to Him. But first of all, you need to be saved. You need to be born into the family of God. You need to be cleansed in the precious blood of Christ.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he has come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
In other words, I just like to look at this little incident and think, at last she's come to the end of herself.
At last she says all I see it all now it's Christ that I need. It's Christ that I need. He has all the answers. And so as soon as she said it's Christ that I need, then the Lord said I'm right here, I'm right here. I that speak unto thee am he, O friend, I hope if you have been looking for feelings, if you have been thinking some religious work that you've been doing, if you've been thinking.
You're not such a bad Sinner. Oh, I hope that tonight you will come into the presence of God and say, I know I need Christ. He's the Savior of sinners. We sing sometimes. Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me. Long I was chained in sin's darkness. Now by his grace, I am free. Oh, have you met the Savior?
He's seeking you, my friend. He wants to save you tonight, the blood of Jesus.
Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. If you go out of this room without Christ, you don't know what is ahead. You don't know what a day may bring forth. But I assure you of this, that if you reject the Lord Jesus, you'll spend eternity in hell and outer darkness away from Him. God doesn't want to send you there. He's offering you a pardon tonight. He's offering you. He's waiting for you.
All these verses, the Lord is just dealing with this one person to bring her to the person.
Personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus as her Savior.
Well, it tells us the disciples now came. The Lord had spoken to this dear woman. She even brought to know Him as the One who is the true Christ. She had a drink of the living water. Someone has said she left her water pot and went away with the well. She had the well in her heart now. That's what the Lord had said. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water.
Springing up into everlasting life, she goes, she goes to her old friends and she says, come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. And as I was saying before, dear friends, there's only one person that knows all about me.
One person who knows everything I've said and done and thought. And isn't it wonderful that that person is my savior? That person is the one who has cleansed me from it all. And so it says here.
He told me all things that ever I did. If other people knew all you did, maybe they wouldn't like you very well. But the Lord Jesus knows it all and He loves you. He died for you. I have loved thee with an everlasting love. What a comfort it is. You know true friendship is to have a friend who loves you through everything and the Lord Jesus.
Loves you. He died for you. He wants to save you.
So well, the Lord said, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
He had found the satisfaction of his own blessed heart in the blessing of that soul. And I, I say again to your friends, at the close of this meeting, if you receive the Lord Jesus, heaven will rejoice. I don't say that it will be announced in the daily newspaper, but I do say that something more wonderful will take place. Your name in the Lamb's book of life.
00:50:20
You yourself having the assurance going out of this room, having the well in your heart.
Having the assurance of salvation. It's all yours tonight if you'll only receive him.
The Lord speaks a little word to His disciples and He tells them that they were going to have a privilege of having part in this work. And friends, that's what I am here tonight. I'm just a Sinner saved by grace, but I have the privilege. Bible speaks about being workers together with God. We pray you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God. I'm no better than you are, but God has saved my soul and He gives me the privilege of telling you, telling every dear young person.
In this room, every older one, that God wants to pardon you, that he has salvation full and free, that you can walk out of this room a pardoned person all through that blood that cleanses from all sin.
And I just want to notice in closing that they came and said.
In the 42nd verse Now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
These others who were brought said we've heard him ourselves. I just like to add a little word. If there's anyone here that perhaps is having doubts about salvation, perhaps you say, well, I trusted in the Lord Jesus, but sometimes doubts come into my mind. I just like to encourage you to have a verse that you just rest on for your own salvation.
The devil can he can handle all your arguments.
But he can't handle the word of God. He can't handle a word of God. Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. How do you resist him? Just by a verse of Scripture. And you know, when Satan tries to put it out in my mind, I just like to repeat a verse like this. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Or again, John 5 and 24.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth.
Word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life shall not come into condemnation, but his past from death unto life. Well, there's many wonderful assuring verses in the Bible. Hear him yourself. Take some verse of the Bible, rest upon it. And every time the devil comes just repeat the verse over and over again. It'll bring comfort it'll bring.
Peace to your soul. Well, why not receive the Lord Jesus tonight? He's seeking you, my friend.
And He doesn't want you to go to this room without Him. You don't know what a day may bring forth. But one thing you can be absolutely sure of that if you receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior. You have everlasting life. Your sins are cleansed away. You have a home in heaven. Oh, why not receive Him tonight as your Savior?
Fitted for Service
1st Reading