DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, JULY 4, 1880,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of
life freely." Revelation 21:6.
SALVATION is no small thing. It filled the heart and hands of the Son
of God and, therefore, it ought not to be neglected by us. The precious
promise before us concerns the gift of eternal salvation and it is set
forth as the personal Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. The
Apostle is very careful to make this clear, for he inserts the words,
"And He said unto me," as if John knew that poor, troubled hearts might
doubt so large a promise were they not assured that Jesus, Himself, had
expressly given it. John is a faithful and true witness. In this, as in
another case, he could have written, "He knows what He says is true."
He declares to us that He who is Alpha and Omega, Himself, gave to him
this word of promise. So especially careful was our Lord that the
Gospel of Grace should be published correctly and without fail, that He
delivered it, Himself, to John and also said to him, "Write: for these
words are true and faithful."
Not content with committing the message in words to the Apostle, He
charges him, then and there, to put it down in black and white that it
might never be forgotten. Thus He proved that He assuredly meant what
He said and meant that it should stand good through all ages–"I will
give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life
freely." It is to be noticed, too, that our Lord spoke these words as a
King–"He that sat upon the Throne said, Behold, I make all things
new," and then He added, "I will give unto him that is thirsty of the
fountain of the water of life freely." Divine Sovereignty, therefore,
is not opposed to the most generous promises of the Gospel! Jesus
Christ may give or withhold as He pleases–but His will is to give.
He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and He will have
compassion on whom He will have compassion, but the stern truth of His
infinite Sovereignty is coupled with the sweet declaration of boundless
charity–"I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the
water of life freely." However much we preach the Doctrines of Election
and Divine Sovereignty, we never intend to limit the Grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but as freely as if we had not believed in Sovereignty to
publish our Lord's generous Gospel words, "Him that comes unto Me I
will in no wise cast out." Again, the doctrine that salvation in us as
well as for us is entirely the work of God, is not opposed to the most
open invitation to come to Christ, for the verse out of which we have
culled our text begins thus–"I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and
the End," that is to say, "I am the Founder and Finisher of salvation.
I am the A and the Z of all life in the
soul."
This being accepted as the sure Truth of God, we may not, therefore,
conclude that we are to be inactive till some miraculous work is worked
upon us, for the promise is as true as the doctrine and it suggests
immediate reception of Christ. "I will give to him that is thirsty of
the fountain of the water of life freely," is an invitation to drink
and it will be wise on our parts to accept it at once and drink to the
fullest! There is a splendid preface to this promise in the three
words, "It is done." This, indeed, is the reason why Grace can be so
freely given! When our blessed Lord had completed His work on the
Cross, He cried, "It is finished," or, "It is done," and then the
living stream flowed freely for the sons of men! Then was the rock
riven with rivers! Then was the stone rolled away from the well's
mouth! Then was the water of life made to gush from under the altar to
refresh a barren world with its ever-deepening flood!
When this world's history is over–when the entire program of Christ's
mediatorial work shall have been worked out and this dispensation shall
have come to an end–then our Lord, from His Throne, shall say, "It is
done," and this shall be sung to His Glory, that He freely gave to
thirsty souls of the fountain of the water of life! I am most happy to
have such a text to preach from! I pray the Lord to bless every word
that shall be spoken and that every one of you–from those in the
uppermost gallery, to those who crowd the far corners of the area–may
you ALL come, this morning, to
the celestial spring and drink and thirst no more! You have drank, some
of you, many times–come again and take draughts large and deep, for
the fountain is as full as ever!
Some of you, spiritually, may be like those described by
Coleridge–"With throats unslaked, with black lips baked." Your tongue
cleaves to the roof of your mouth with faintness and anguish. You are
burning with a strong desire and pressed with an urgent need. Come!
Come and welcome! Hasten even before we enter into the sermon–drink
from the life-giving fountain while we linger in the porch of these
prefatory sentences! The words of the redeeming Lord invite you to
partake of Grace at once! O Holy Spirit, apply them with power to every
heart!
There will be two heads of discourse at this time. The first is
explanation and the second is encouragement.
I. The first is EXPLANATION. We shall only mention a few very simple
Truths of God. The first is that all souls, by nature, are in great and
dire need. Our Lord here speaks of those who are "thirsty," and thirst
is the index of one of our most pressing necessities. Many things we
think we need and yet we live without them. But the need of which
thirst is the expression is a very urgent one, involving the loss of
all comfort and even of life, itself, if it is not supplied. A traveler
who had experienced both hunger and thirst said, "Hunger you may
palliate, but thirst is awful." He meant much by saying, "thirst is
awful." There is no forgetting this pain and no stopping it except by
drinking. When thirst swoops down upon a man from out of a burning sky,
whether he wanders upon an ocean of sand or brine, it is a woeful day
for him.
Has Hell, itself, worse misery than to ask in vain for a drop of water
to cool one's tongue? The imagination of the ancients pictured Tantalus
as thirsty and mocked by water up to the chin which fled from him as he
stooped. The pain of thirst is keen to the last degree and the desire
to drink is intense beyond imagination. Need of water is a terrible
need, but the need of Divine Grace is even more dreadful! And such is
the need of all our race. Every man, by nature, needs Grace. He does
not always know what he needs and, indeed, many are so insensible that
they do not feel their soul's necessities– yet those necessities are
none the less urgent! There is a void within men which the whole world
cannot fill. The experiment of filling the heart with the world has
been tried and it has failed!
Alexander the Great, when he had conquered the known world, sat down
and wept because there was not another world to conquer. Insatiable is
the heart of man–you might as soon fill the bottomless pit. As the
horseleech cries, "Give, give, give," even so does man's ravenous
desire! If his soul's thirst is not relieved, man must die as surely as
though slain by the sword. To die of thirst is one of the most dreadful
of deaths–may none of you perish with spiritual thirst. Dear Souls,
you need a Savior! You need the pardon of your sins! You need to be
made anew in Christ Jesus and, whether you know it or not, if you do
not get these things you will die in your sins and, therefore, die
eternally, which is the second death. If this thirst is not quenched,
you are in a desperate plight, indeed, for there is nothing before you
but "a fearful looking for ofjudgment and of fiery indignation."
Some persons begin to be conscious of their soul's great need and these
are they of whom the Savior speaks as "thirsty"–they have a dreadful
need and they know it, by His Grace. I sometimes meet with enquirers
who, when they are invited to believe in Jesus, reply, "I do not feel
my need enough. I wish to take the living water, but I am not thirsty
enough." I would have you know that frequently those are the most
thirsty who thirst to thirst. If I know that I have a thirst, I at
least have something! But if I am fearful that I do not even thirst,
then my thirsting to thirst is a deeper thirst than thirst itself. I
speak this way because of the infirmity of trembling hearts. Permit me
to put this before you again.
You complain that you have so hard a heart that you do not even feel it
to be hard–this fact is a clear proof that yours is an especially hard
heart and just so when you cry, "I desire to desire," it is clear that
you have an especially strong desire. Besides, let me remind you that
no man living knows to the fullest his own need of a Savior. I suppose
if we could altogether see our desperate condition by nature, or know
to the full the heinousness of sin, we would become mad! Do not,
therefore, ask to feel your need above measure, but thank God that you
know your necessity enough as to apply to Jesus for His gracious
supplies. Come and drink! Come and drink at the flowing fountain of
love! For if you drink, you shall live! But a mere sense of need will
not afford you relief.
Remember, also, that certain pains which are supposed to be a part of
spiritual thirst are not necessarily connected with it. When a man is
seeking Christ, it often happens that the devil comes in and suggests
all manner of blasphemies and despairing thoughts. Do not be so foolish
as to conclude that you are not thirsting after Christ because you have
happily been free from these diabolical insinuations. They are not the
work of the Spirit of God–they are malicious in-
ventions of the devil and you are infinitely better without them than
with them! I have heard of a convert who was years before he could
trust the Savior because he thought himself to be so great a sinner
that the Lord could not possibly save him. Do not imitate so bad an
example! Unbelieving thoughts are no part of thirsting after Christ and
they are not to be desired, but dreaded.
Be very thankful if you can get to the Lord Jesus easily–it is a
choice privilege. You know that you need Christ. You are sure that
Christ can supply your need–therefore come and take Him without doubt
or questions! Simple unquestioning faith is the very best way to come
to Jesus, for it gives us speedy comfort and yields to our Lord great
honor. People are very foolish when they look upon the diseases of
Christians as if they were beauties. Young children have a great many
little complaints before they grow up to be men. I need not mention
them–every mother knows what a succession of troubles visit a large
family. But suppose you knew one who had escaped these infantine
disorders–what would you think of him if he were to murmur, "I don't
think I can have been born! I don't think I can have life, for I never
felt those complaints of infancy which other people speak of? You would
say, "You silly man, you ought to be glad that you had such a healthy
childhood."
Diseases are, in a measure, marks of life, for we may be sure that the
dead do not suffer from them–but they are not necessary as proofs of
vitality! Neither are doubts, despondencies and despairs at all
necessary as tokens of regeneration. Do you need Christ? Do you desire
Him? Do you seek Him? Then you are included in this text–"I will give
unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely."
Do not look upon your thirst as a preparation for Christ, for thus you
will be seduced into making a Christ out of your own needs and that
will be ridiculous and ruinous! What would you think of a man who
expected to find a remedy in his disease? He must be bereft of reason
who expects to find an antidote within the poison!
In our case we have to deal with an Omnipotent Physician and however
remarkable may be the development of our disease, the Lord Jesus knows
the situation and is able to overcome all the difficulties of it and
bring us sound health. Therefore, come and trust Him! Do you perceive
your nature's great and urgent need of Christ and do you desire Christ?
If so, this text is for you, "I will give unto him that is thirsty of
the fountain of the water of life freely." Thirst is a desire arising
out of a need. Now, so long as you have that desire, you need not stop
to question your right to take Christ! A man is thirsty, even if he
cannot explain what thirst is and how it comes. I must confess, myself,
that I could not give you a physiological account of the origin and
effect of the phenomenon of thirst. I suppose that certain organs which
require moisture begin to dry up or collapse without it and so
disarrange the functions and cause pain.
If I were some learned anatomist I could give you a lecture upon the
theory of thirst and yet, though I cannot do this, I know practically
what thirst is as well as a doctor could tell me. When I am thirsty and
am invited to drink, I do not refuse because I cannot explain my
thirst. Nor is there any absolute necessity, in order to salvation,
that you should know all about how it is that Christ can supply your
needs! I may not be able to explain scientifically why this glass of
water quenches my thirst, but I know that it does–the liquid gets at
the various organs and supplies them with what they require. I know
enough about water to drink it when I am in need and, practically, that
is all that is needed. If you know enough about Christ to understand
that He can meet every need of your soul–and if you take Him to be
your All in All–the matter is done! Remember, Jesus Christ often saves
poor, simple-minded men when He does not save philosophers. If you take
the Lord Jesus to be yours, you shall as truly have the benefit of His
salvation as if you were a father in Israel.
Let us notice, once again, that being thirsty is not enough. The text
promises water from the fountain of life to the man who is thirsty, but
thirst cannot quench thirst! Some seekers act as if they thought it
would. "Oh," they say, "I am not thirsty enough. I wish I felt my need
more!" But, my dear Friend, your thirst will not be quenched by being
increased! "I should have some hope," says one, "if I were more
sensible of my danger." Yet that is not a Gospel hope. Why should a
man's despairing because of his danger operate to deliver him from
danger? As long as you stay where you are, you may get more and more
sensible of danger until you reach the sensitiveness of morbid
despondency–but you will be no nearer salvation. It is not your sense
of need, it is Christ's power to bless you and your yielding yourself
up to Christ that will bring you salvation!
The remedy for the thirsty soul is very plainly hinted at in the text.
What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? He drinks. Perhaps
there is no better representation of faith in all the Word of God than
that. To drink is to re-
ceive–to take in the refreshing draught–and that is all. A man's face
may be unwashed, but yet he can drink! He may be a very unworthy
character, but yet a draught of water will remove his thirst! Drinking
is such a remarkably easy thing–it is even more simple than eating. I
heard, the other day, of a sad, sad case of a man with cancer of the
tongue who cannot eat. He has not taken solid nourishment for six
months, but still, he can receive food by drinking. When people are
dying you can still moisten their lips. When nothing else can possibly
pass their throats, they can receive liquid. So, dear Soul, whatever
your state may be, you can surely receive Christ, for He comes to you
like a cup of cold water! Does not water run down the throat of itself?
So is it with the Gospel. Only be willing to open your mouth to have it
and it is yours! Nothing is simpler.
Sometimes divines explain faith until nobody knows what it is and often
and often I have known sinners look at their faith until they have
quite forgotten to look to Jesus. This is as foolish as if a man
desired to see a star and, having found a telescope, stood gazing at it
instead of through it. Look how much he thinks of his telescope! He
lengthens and shortens the tube and examines it up and down to see
whether it is a good instrument. But he does not see the star! No, and
he never will till he uses the telescope properly and looks through it.
Do not think of believing in your own faith, but believe in Jesus!
Subordinate faith to Christ? It would be ill, indeed, to prefer your
cup to the fountain! When you need comfort, neither muse upon your
need, nor study yourself, nor weigh your faith, but set your whole mind
upon Him who is Heaven's Glory and the sinner's only hope!
The essence of faith lies in having done with self and in receiving
from without and that, not by any laborious process, but as easily as
men receive water by drinking. We do not drink by machinery–we just
open our mouths and allow the water to run down–even thus we receive
Christ. Be willing to have Grace, be ready, as it were, to imbibe it by
the mouth of faith. O blessed faith, which is nothing of itself and yet
enriches its possessor! O blessed Grace, Divine living water, which is
ours as soon as we are willing to have it! Surely there is sweet
encouragement, here, to those poor souls who have said, "I cannot trust
Christ. I dare not receive Him." You may freely receive Him and if you
do but get Him, He will never leave you! If I were very, very thirsty
and I found myself in your room and saw water on the table, I would not
ask whether I might drink–I would drink first and ask you
afterwards–knowing that you could not take it away from me after I had
once drank it!
A poor dog stands at the door of a butcher's shop. He sees meat, but he
does not know whether he may have it. If he is very, very hungry, he
makes a snatch at it and when he once gets it he runs off to eat it,
for he knows that although the butcher may take it away from him when
it is in his mouth, he cannot take it from him after he has eaten it.
Now then, needy ones, receive the Grace of God into your inmost hearts!
Receive Jesus into yourselves and there is no possibility that He will
be taken away from you! Drink, thirsty one! Drink to the full! You can
never be deprived of that which you have received into your inmost
self!
Thus I have endeavored to explain the text. I hope I have not darkened
what I wished to set in clearest light. O Spirit of God, make men see
this open secret, this plain riddle of drinking at the fountain of
Grace!
II. We are to speak secondly by way of ENCOURAGEMENT. I am going to
dwell upon this figure of thirst as it is used in the Scriptures, that
I may lead every soul that feels its need of Christ to take Him at
once. The first encouragement is this–our Lord Jesus Christ keeps open
house for all thirsty ones. Kindly turn to the Word of God, for we must
back up everything with Scripture this morning. Let us read the 17th
verse of the 22nd chapter of the Book of Revelation–"And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him
that is thirsty come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life
freely."
No voice at Christ's door says, "Stay away." But three voices join with
His in crying, "Come." The Spirit and the bride and he that hears, all
cry, "Come!" "Come!" "Come!" No officer stands at the door to sort out
the comers and to say, "This one may come but the other may not." The
invitation is, "Whoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
Said I not truly that Christ keeps open house? What can be more free or
more comprehensive than this? Only publish it in your neighborhood that
you intend to keep open house for a day and everybody who comes may eat
and drink what he likes at your expense–you need not advertise it many
times in the newspapers–only tell a few of the hungry brotherhood and
they will swarm like bees! I will guarantee you a full table from early
dawn to the set of sun in any of our crowded quarters, if you will only
provide the best meat and say, "whoever will, let him come!"
How strange it is! How sadly strange, that our Lord Jesus keeps open
house with better food than princes ever put upon a table and yet men
will not come! They crowd for the bread of the body, but neglect their
souls! Our Lord bids us go into the highways and hedges and compel men
to come, for otherwise it seems they would rather perish with hunger
and thirst than partake of the provisions of His Grace! O, Sirs, if you
perish, it is no fault of Christ's, for His table is furnished and the
entrance to His banquet hall is free! In His name do I declare the
absolute freeness of His Grace! He has taken the doors off the hinges
to set His hall wide open! He has put away all sentinels from His table
and ordained that none of His servants may hinder coming souls. Our
orders are, "Whoever will, let him come," and it would be a plain
violation of our Master's orders if we were to hinder any. His generous
invitation is, "Come and welcome! Come and welcome! Come and welcome!
Let him that is thirsty, come, and whoever will, let him take the water
of life freely."
Now, as if it were not enough to keep open house, our Lord Jesus goes
further, for in the next place, He issues many invitations of the
freest kind. I will only quote one out of very many. Turn to the first
verse of the 55th chapter of Isaiah, "Ho! Everyone that thirsts, come
to the waters and he that has no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come,
buy wine and milk without money and without price." Grace must be
gratis–the word, "freely," in our text makes it clear that salvation
is an absolute gift, but here the fact is put in a negative form that
there may be no mistake whatever! Mercy is "without money and without
price"–without price in any possible sense. We neither purchase, nor
procure, nor earn, nor produce salvation by merit, effort, sacrifice,
or service!
It comes to us, not because we deserve it, but because we need it! We
are blessed with it out of the goodwill and pleasure of the Lord and we
do not purchase it by good deeds, good desires, pious resolves or
persevering endeavors. We are empty and He fills us. In order that you
may come to Jesus, no preparation is required. You may come just as you
are and come at once–only confess that you need Him, desire to have
Him and then take Him by trusting Him! He is like wine and milk,
supplying delight and satisfaction and you are to take Him as men would
take a drink. How could the invitation be put more broadly than it is?
How could it be uttered more earnestly? It has a, "Ho!" to give it
tongue. Tradesmen in certain parts of London stand outside of their
shops and cry, "Buy, buy!" Or they yell out, "Ho!" to the passers-by
because they are anxious to sell their wares.
Jesus is yet more eager to distribute His rich Grace, for He longs to
see men saved. Ho! You that pass by, stop here awhile! Turn your
attention this way! Here is something worthy of your thoughts. "Ho!
Everyone that thirsts, come to the waters and he that has no money."
There are many such invitations in the Scriptures and, if not all
expressed by the same metaphor, they are all equally as free and as
clear as the one before us. Jesus entreats men to look to Him and live.
He bids them come to Him and find rest for their souls. Does anyone
say, "Well, I know that the ever-blessed Savior keeps open house and
that He invites men freely, but still, I am afraid to come"? Perhaps,
dear Friend, we may overcome your diffidence by the help of God if we
remind you that our Lord makes a proclamation which has the weight of
His personal dignity about it and comes as from a king.
Turn to the seventh chapter of John, the 37th verse–"In the last day,
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If anyone
thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believes on Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living
water." This is the Sovereign Word of the King of kings! Standing up in
the midst of the multitude, He proclaimed His own full and free
salvation! And with His own voice He declared the day of Grace, "If
anyone thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink." O anxious Enquirer,
what more do you need? I wish you could picture Jesus standing in our
midst this morning and using such words! But if you cannot, if neither
faith nor imagination can help you to realize His Presence, He is still
here and by the mouth of His servant He still cries to this great crowd
gathered here, "If anyone thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink."
Will you not come? What is keeping you back? The call is to any man,
any woman, any child, ANYBODY–anyone that needs mercy, anyone who
desires salvation–let him come and have Jesus and eternal life! If you
think yourself an outcast. If you seem shut out with seven bolted
doors, yet do not take upon yourself the responsibility of condemning
yourself. Come and try! If you thirst, come to Christ and He will give
you Grace at once. Perhaps a trembler replies, "Yes! Here is a
proclamation, but I should be more comforted if I could read promises."
Our text is one of the freest promises possible–"I will give unto him
that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely." Come and
test the promise, right now, and see if it is true or not.
But if you require another, turn to a grand Gospel chapter in Isaiah,
the 41st and let me read you the 17th verse. Will not this suit you?
"When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue
fails for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will
not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places and fountains in
the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water
and the dry land springs of water." Now then, you that cannot pray! You
that are so dried up with inward drought that you cannot get the words
out and scarcely feel the desires within! All you whose very hearts
fail you so that you despair of hope! Believe this promise of God who
cannot lie and plead it before Him! See if God will not open for you
fountains on the very mountain tops where you could least expect them
and give you comfort which you looked not for!
Shall I quote another promise out of many? There is a sound of abundant
refreshment in it. It is in the 44th chapter of Isaiah, 2nd verse–"I
will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry
ground." He will not only give you enough to drink, but pour it on you
to drench you with delight! Your hot and weary feet shall be ready to
start again upon the journey of life because washed and cleansed by
love! There is Grace enough in God to allow it to be lavished upon you.
If I were in your case, poor thirsty Soul, I would catch at such a
promise as that! "Lord," I would say, "I long to have You! I know I
cannot be saved without You. I am sure that You can save me and lo! I
trust You! If I die, I will die trusting in You!" You are saved, my
Brother! There is no fear that God will ever reject a soul that has
come to this–He will pour floods upon you yet!
Our gracious Lord, still further to encourage souls to come to Him, has
been pleased to give many gracious explanations of what He meant. You
will find one in the 4th chapter of John. How sweetly He explained to
the woman at the well what living water is and what drinking of it is.
He tells you that, by believing in Him, you receive into yourself
everlasting life. Further on, in the 6th chapter of John, at the 35th
verse, He shows what drinking of the living water is–"And Jesus said
unto them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never
hunger and he that believes on Me shall never thirst."
I have opened up the plan of salvation many, many times, but I will try
again. To be saved you must heartily trust Christ and Him alone. You
are to believe on Him. First believe Him–that is, be convinced that
what He says is true and then believe on Him–that is, depend upon what
He has done and on what He is. He will make His Word good to you.
Commit your soul to the Redeemer's keeping and He will keep it safely–
"Venture on Him; venture wholly;
Let no other trust intrude."
There is no venture, but I put it so that you may catch the idea. Lean
your whole weight on Jesus. Hold on to Jesus as to a life buoy. Buckle
your fate to Jesus, to sink or swim with Him. If He is a Savior, trust
Him! Put all your eggs into this basket. Float all your treasures in
this vessel. Let it be so that if He can and will save sinners He will
save you. His Word is pledged that He will save all those who trust
Him–accept that Word as Infallible and confide all your future to its
truth. This is the way of life.
I tell you, beloved Hearers, that my own personal hope lies altogether
in the hands of my Lord and in no degree elsewhere. I have now known
the Lord some 30 years or more and at this moment, if anyone should ask
me what is my hope of eternal life, I can only answer that it is just
what it was 30 years ago, namely, the work and death of the Lord Jesus
in my place. "Have you not preached the Gospel for years?" Yes, I have,
with all my might and I have, by God's blessing, brought many thousands
to repentance and faith. But I do not, in the slightest degree, rest my
hope of Heaven upon my preaching. Whatever the Lord enables me to do
for Him is His doing and His work and He alone must have the Glory for
my preaching–I dare not claim a grain of merit for it! I have only
Christ to trust to and I need no more. I have no righteousness of my
own, but I trust to free Grace and dying love.
The Cross will float me into the Port of Peace–if it does not I must
be lost, for every other lifeboat has gone to the bottom long ago.
Christ Jesus is my hope and I am persuaded that He is a Savior as
suitable for you as He is for me. You young man over there, who is
about the age which I had reached when I first trusted Christ, I pray
you look to Him at once. Cease to be always looking to self. If you are
thirsty, what is the good of looking down your own throat? What is the
good of complaining that you feel too thirsty, or not thirsty enough?
Man, rise up and drink! Poor Sinner, get away from yourself to Christ
and take Christ into yourself as a man takes water into his body by
simply drinking it! Take
Christ to be your own Savior! Receive Him to be your sole reliance and
you are a saved man! His sacred Book declares the Believer to be saved
and if you, being a Believer, are not saved, then none of us can have
hope!
Furthermore, our blessed Lord, in order to make this very plain, has
set before us lively emblems. He gives us the figure of the rock in the
wilderness. You remember how He supplied Israel's needs from day to day
till He brought them into rest? The sun blazed upon the desert sands
and the pilgrims were sorely tried with thirst, so that they murmured
and thought it better to die than to suffer such inward burning. How
were their pains removed? Moses struck the Rock with his rod and out
leaped a stream of which they drank with eager joy! Can you not see
them bowing down for a drink, or holding their vessels at the place
where first the water springs forth?
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the smitten Rock, from where flow life and
refreshing to all who will accept the Grace! All the need of your
spirit, my Hearer, will be supplied if you are willing to take of this
water of life freely. Come, dip your earthen vessel into this heavenly
river and thirst no more. A smitten Savior is the one hope of a
sorrowing sinner! Read Psalm 107:5 and you will find another symbol, or
rather the same in a fresh form. "They wandered in the wilderness,
where there is no way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and
thirsty, their souls fainted in them; then they cried unto the Lord in
their trouble and He delivered them out of their distresses." We are,
at this moment, a great caravan traveling across this wilderness world.
We are all in need and only God can supply us and, blessed be His name,
that He will do if we cry to Him in our trouble and are willing to
receive the Grace which He gives us in Christ Jesus our Savior!
Beloved, the very cup of communion and the whole communion table,
itself, is meant, among other gracious lessons, to teach us the way of
salvation. Here is bread. What am I to do with it? Look at it? study
it? Analyze it? I may, if I choose, but that is not what it was meant
for–it was intended to be eaten–use it that way and you use it well.
The wine, too, is meant to be drunk. It is not placed upon the table to
be gazed upon, or to be quarreled over, or to be distilled, but to be
drunk! This is an act which any thirsty person can perform. You poor
souls who cannot do any good thing, surely you can receive of the food
which your heavenly Father provides!
If you cannot bear fruit and so give something out, you can take
something in. If there is nothing in you, there is all the more room to
receive of the Divine fullness! Oh then, let the communion cup,
concerning which the Savior said, "Drink"–let that tell you how to
receive Christ–how to be saved by heartily accepting Christ! Our Lord
Jesus Christ, in His wisdom, has given us, in addition, many
encouraging instances of men who have thirsted for Grace. I will not
detain you with many of them. We sang a part of the 42nd Psalm this
morning, where David said he longed for the living God as the hart
pants after the water brooks. Further on in the 63rd Psalm, he cries,
"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God!" And a few verses down he
sings, "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness." If you
thirst after God you shall soon be satisfied! May your thirst increase
until you get Him and then shall you be filled to the full.
Once more. Our Lord has been pleased to give His own special blessing
to the thirsty ones, for, when He opened His mouth upon the mountain
and gave out the benedictions which commence His memorable sermon, He
said, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for
they shall be filled." Oh, then, you thirsty ones, you are blessed in
your very desires and longings! I do not know what more to say to you.
What more could even Inspiration utter? This blessed Book has set
before you such a wealth of precious things that one can barely imagine
more. What is needed is that the Truth of God be applied and that you
now come and take Christ!
I beg you to remember that you must take Christ by a personal act, each
one for himself or herself. Each one must willingly believe, for God
forces Christ on no one. If I am thirsty I must drink–no well or river
can quench my thirst if I do not personally drink. It stands just thus,
dear Soul–you must accept Christ or you are lost! Be sure of this,
that God Himself cannot, will not, save you unless you accept Christ!
He is Omnipotent but He cannot act contrary to His own solemn
declaration and He has said, "He that believes not shall be damned." If
you do not believe in Christ you must be lost to a certainty! You must,
yourself, believe or be a castaway! Do not think that the Grace of
repentance or faith will be worked in you against your will. You labor
under a great mistake if you think so! You must joyfully take Christ or
die in your sins!
Why should you not take Him? Is this some bitter medicine I am pressing
on you and are you a silly child who must be coaxed into taking it? No,
I set before you the Lord Jesus who is Sweetness itself. Why should you
need persuading? Do you secretly hope that there may be some other
salvation? You are greatly deceived if you do, for the Son of God would
not have died to save if it could have been done in any other way! Of
no other Fountain can you drink! What keeps
you back from this? Are you trying to find reasons why you should not
come to Christ? That is ruinous to yourself! Few persons hunt up
arguments against themselves. If there is any money in dispute in a
court of law, each party will hunt out reasons for his having it–I
never saw a man stand up in court and plead against his own interests!
Will you turn advocate for the devil against yourself? Will you urge
arguments to seal your own condemnation?
When Jesus Christ says, "Let him that is thirsty come," will you stand
in your own way and block up your own path to life? Will you make God a
liar for the sake of destroying your own soul? Surely a mania must be
upon you! It is the wisest thing to say, "I am an undeserving,
Hell-deserving sinner; but if God is infinite in mercy, why should He
not save me as well as anyone else? He declares that if I trust His Son
He will pardon me–I will trust His Son and partake of His forgiveness.
He bids me drink of the water of life–I will drink. I will not
question my right to come–He bids me do so and I will obey. I take Him
at His Word. I trust in the blood of Jesus. Lord, receive me, for I
receive Your Son. I have been trying to save myself and waiting until I
felt something, or did something, in and of myself. But now, Lord,
although I neither see nor feel anything but my lost estate, I do
believe that Jesus can save me and, by Your Grace, I trust
Him."
If this is your true act, dear Hearer, you are a saved man! Even if you
only believed a minute ago, you have passed from death to life! The
moment a sinner believes, he is justified! The atoning blood operates
the moment faith sees it. O you who have but this instant believed, go
your way and rejoice! You are in the hands of Jesus and none can pluck
you from Him!
I have thus tried to preach a very plain sermon, containing the A B C
of the Gospel. I believe that God will bless it to the conversion of
many. I shall be terribly disappointed if He does not. I have entreated
Him to let His own message have free course and mighty effect and I
know that He will hear me. I beg God's people to pray that this sermon
may enclose within the Gospel net more fish than ever we have had
before! Some of you seekers have, up to now, thought the door of mercy
to be bolted against you. Look! It stands wide open! Come and welcome!
If any softness of feeling is stealing over you, let it work while you
gladly yield. Do not talk nonsense on the way home and so lose the
effect of the discourse. Hasten to your chambers, fall upon your knees
and rise not till you have accepted Jesus as your own Savior. If you do
so, salvation will have come to your house this day and God will be
glorified. Amen and amen!
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The Unspeakable Gift