Isaiah fifty-five and one. O every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which is satisfieth not. Harken diligently unto me. and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me, here, and your soul shall live, that I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him, for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel. for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way in the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down in the snow from heaven, and returneth not to there, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sword and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me, void. but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where too I send it. For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains shall, and the hills shall break forth before you in singing, into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to you... Be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. This is one of those Old Testament chapters that are very meaty, full of good things, solid food. One time, in fact, I'm almost inclined to do that at this my age. When I've exercised about a meeting and a text comes before me, I'll look up my records. If I preached on that before, I won't preach on it again. I've done a lot of that in my life, but sometimes I couldn't get a passage off my mind and I had to go back and read it, and plenty of new things in it I had never seen before, showing that the Word of God is so deep, it's high, it's long, and it's wide, and you cannot exhaust it. So this is one of those meaty chapters in the Old Testament that I want to speak on for a little while. You have, first of all, the invitation that is given. Then you have the appeal to reason. Then the advice that is given. And then the promise. And finally the transformation that takes place in the one who accepts Christ. You notice this language. Oh, everyone that thirsts. Now you hardly have to be a Bible student to remember a verse in the New Testament very similar to that. Used by the Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter seven and thirty-seven. Christ said on that last day, that great day of the feast, if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. And he's almost using the language of Isaiah in Isaiah fifty-five and one. Hold every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. Both of them are appealing to the thirsty. They're addressing the thirsty. And that's wonderful. If you're not thirsty here tonight, what I have to say won't do you much good. The Bible says a full soul loatheth an honeycomb. When people are satisfied and perfectly contented with their ideas of religion, very little will reach them. Few preachers can help such. But when people come to a meeting hungry, with open mind and open hearts, thirsty, you can help them. And so we address ourselves to the thirsty here tonight. Now you'll notice what he says here about buying something. For everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that have no money, come ye buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Now that seems contradictory, a paradox. He's offering something, and he says, Come and buy it without money. Well, what have you got if you haven't got money to buy with? Something to buy, and yet it's free. Seems strange, doesn't it? I believe the thought here that the money means merit. Here is something you can obtain without human merit. Without any righteousness of your own, you may obtain God's salvation because it's a free gift, without money and without price. There's a more to say about that price a little later on. You'll notice four things in these opening verses that he offers you. Water, wine, bread, and milk. Now, isn't that wonderful? I'm sure these children here from the orphanage know something about that. Water, I better omit the wine. Bread and milk. These four things. Now, these four things represent wonderful things in the Bible. I think the water represents the refreshing, cleansing element that there is in the Gospel. Just like cold waters, to a thirsty soul, good news from a far country. And this news came from a far country. It came from heaven. Then the wine speaks of that quickening, healing, cheering ingredient in the gospel. And that's true. The gospel message certainly has a very quickening effect, a healing effect upon the wounds that sinners made, and also a very cheering effect upon the heart that receives Christ. Then you have the bread, speaking of that which is solid, sustaining, nourishing, something that will stay with you. Something that will stay with you. A man said only a couple of weeks ago, Someone near the front here knows who I'm referring to, came out and he says, you know that meal lasted me all week. Well, that's fine. Of course, you can catch some people when they get home from church and say, boy, I was a fine sermon tonight. I sure enjoyed it. In fact, I've caught some of them. They've thanked me for it the next day when they met me uptown. I said, well, what did I preach on? What did I say? Why put me on the spot? It didn't seem to sink in too deep after all. But when a person really takes in the message, it stays with them. It's like the old porridge we used to have up in wintertime in Canada. Mother used to give us porridge. Not a lot of this puffed rice stuff. That doesn't last. But porridge is something that stays with it. And that's the gospel. You remember the children of Israel? No, it was Elijah. He went forty days and forty nights on the strength of one meal that God gave them. And isn't it nice when the Word of God gets into our hearts and it lingers there for weeks and months and years? Good, solid food. Bread, speaking of that, solid, sustaining, nourishing food in the Gospel. Then the milk speaks of that which is strengthening, life-giving, virtuous. All this is in the Gospel. You might look at the water, wine, bread, and milk in another way. The water could speak of the Holy Spirit. The Lord inferred that in John seven. When he said, Oh, on that first day, that great day of the feast, If any man first let him come unto me and drink, he that believeth on me as the Scripture has said, up to his inward part shall flow rivers of living water, then spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. And so the water could speak of the Holy Spirit, and no one can be saved without the Spirit. The Spirit is the one who convicts a soul of sin, and who quickens that soul into life in Christ when that soul trusts the Savior. Then again the wine, speaking of joy and happiness, We mentioned that one sermon last Sunday, I think, how wine speaks of joy and gladness. And there's always joy and gladness in connection with the gospel. The bread could speak of Christ, the bread which came down from heaven. In fact, he speaks of himself as such. I am the bread which came down from heaven. And he speaks of himself as the bread of God which came down from heaven, meaning that God. Paid upon the Lord Jesus, and God was satisfied with the Lord Jesus in eternity past, and the Son of God brought that diet, that heavenly food, the food of God, down to earth for human beings to feed upon. I am the bread of God which came down from heaven. How wonderful that is. No wonder it's solid. Then the milk, the word of God now, over in First Peter, is there a second Peter chapter two? As newborn babe desire the sincere milk of the word. that ye may grow thereby. You give babies milk so they might grow. And here you have the milk of the Word, that ye may grow. And if you're going to grow as a Christian, you need plenty of this Word, the Bible. Now that's not enough, and that seems to be plenty to offer a person in the Gospel. Isn't that right? Water, wine, bread, and milk, or all these other things I've mentioned, all in the Gospel message. But he adds some more things, three more things, making seven in all. He speaks of an abundant pardon here in verse seven. He speaks of life in verse three. He speaks of leadership in verse four. Seven things are found in this chapter, all implied, included in the gospel message that we find in the book. Now he says, this is all free. Without money, without price. Why do you have the word by then? We're going back to that. Simply this. You can't buy salvation with money. You can't buy salvation with any material wealth. Then what's he talking about? It means this, and you have the same thought in another text in your Bible, buy the truth and sell it not. You pay a price for it. Whenever a sinner wants to be saved, he'll have to pay a price, not for salvation. He'll pay the price to get salvation. In this respect, it may cost you your pride. Some people, it's their pride. And that's what it'll cost them, for you have to humble yourself. It may cost you your preconceived ideas as to how to be a Christian and how to get to heaven. It'll cost you that. It means giving up your ideas and bowing to the Bible. It'll cost you your works. As of now, you have thought your good works would take you to heaven or merit salvation. And you'll find out that those good works will not save you, and it'll cost a condition of those things. It means that works cannot save, they will not save. Only after you're born again will your works count for God. We're created in Christ Jesus on two good works. Good works after you're saved, not before. You're saved without good works. It may cost you your church affiliation to really trust Christ and carry out this book. That's a strong statement, but it's a true statement. by the truth and shut it not. I know many people who paid a price because they couldn't carry out the Word of God with a clear conscience, really where they had to move. They had to move, and it cost them. Some it cost them a lot of sentimental worth, too. That's where their parents went. That's where their grandparents went. There's a lot of sentiment connected. But sometimes it costs all that to carry out the Word of God, for that church is not what it used to be forty, fifty years ago. You pay a price for the truth. Buy the truth, he says, and sell it not. It may cost you your pals also. That's what some people are not willing to give up, pals. And I know for the devil worked on me. Before I was saved, I had plenty of pals, plenty of buddies, hockey players, and so on. And I knew when I got saved, that meant an end. I couldn't run with that crowd. I knew what they did. And I couldn't do it as a Christian. It cost me my pets. But I'll tell you one thing. God gave me a whole lot better companionship, a whole lot better friendship and pals. And it may cost you popularity. It may cost you your position if you're crooked in your business. To receive Christ, you sometimes pay a price. Buy the truth, he says, and don't sell it. Some are selling it, taking the easy course, compromising, instead of taking a stand for the truth of God and paying the price. That's what God appreciates. And so we find the word buy here. It's not money that we're referring to. It's something personal that will cost you to be saved. Then again you have the find the appeal here to reason in verse two. In other words, what does he say, and as he begins to reason with you, wherefore? Or why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfies not? Harken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness? In other words, he is reasoning with you. Why are you spending money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfies not? You're doing this, you're doing that, and you're not being satisfied. You're getting nowhere. You're going in a circle. Why do you do it? You can meet thousands of people today and ask them if they're going to heaven. Well, I hope so. Well, what makes you think you're going to heaven or hope you're going? Well, I do this and I do that and I do the other thing, yes. Well, I remember the church and I teach and so on, yes. And still you don't know yourself. No. And yet you're satisfied that you're going to keep on doing those very same things and you're getting no. Are you content with that? Ten years from now I can meet you. Well, are you going to heaven? I hope I am. What makes you hope so? Well, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, and I'm doing the other day. Oh, you're still at it, and you're getting nowhere. That's the point. Why not reason with people? Intelligently reason. If what you're doing hasn't brought you salvation that you know and enjoy, it's not worth doing. He says, why don't you stop all this and really get the truth, and really be saved and know it, instead of continuing on this treadmill, just like a boy on a rock and horse, a lot of motion but no progress. That's true of a lot of people today, religiously, very active, very energetic, but they're not getting anywhere when it comes to salvation, the strange thing. Many are giving their money, their time, their talents, yet they're not satisfied. They don't know they're saved. You know, a truly saved person knows he's saved and he's satisfied. That's the wonderful thing about it. And I know this, that what hasn't satisfied you in the past, as we emphasized last Sunday night, will not satisfy you in the present nor in the future. But if you have Christ, you are satisfied. I've yet to meet the person who knows the Lord Jesus. I've yet to meet the individual who has been really born again and knows his sins forgiven and knows Christ, having had a personal acquaintance with Jesus Christ. I've yet to meet a person like that who is just satisfied with his going to heaven. He knows he's going. He's satisfied. I've heard many a Christian say this, well, I know one thing, I'm safe. I'm satisfied about that. I'm going to heaven because Jesus Christ is taking me there, but I'm not very satisfied. about the way I'm living for them or trying to live for them and serve them down here. Well, that's a good frame of mind, and I'm sure he's not satisfied either. I can find many a flaw in my life's labors, but there's one thing I can't find any flaw in, that is the one who's taking me to heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. I can see mistakes in my work, but I can't see any mistake in his work that he did upon the cross when he died disabled. And if you're going to work your way to heaven, friend, you've got to be perfect. And if you're not perfect, then you qualify for a Savior. Someone else has got to take you to heaven. And that someone else is Jesus Christ. I'm not satisfied with myself, but I'm satisfied with the one who has saved me and who's taking me to glory. People can point at a Christian and find fault with that Christian. That's true. But you can't find fault with the one who's taking that Christian to heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he's reasoning with these folks here in verse two. He says, why or wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? Wasting your money, your labor for that which is satisfied or not. You're wasting your time, you're wasting your talents, you're wasting your energies, and then you don't have that which satisfies. But when you have Christ, you do. A lot of foolish spending, fruitless labor dissatisfied. Then notice the advice he gives them here. Three times. Implying your ear and come unto me, here and your soul shall live. Isn't that wonderful? Implying your ear and come unto me, here and your soul shall live. Now he means just exactly that. He wants your ear, and if he gets your ear, he knows the message you get down into your heart. He wants you to eat. Now that word eat is very significant. He speaks of it here. Verse two, eat ye that which is good. Harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Now the word eat is not taste. You can taste something and spit it out. All the food you taste doesn't go down your throat. Some of it you don't like the taste and you spit it out, at least I did when I was a kid. But only what gets down your throat and is assimilated and is digested benefits your body. It's possible for a person to go and hear a sermon and his palate of discernment tells him, well, that's good. I enjoyed that. The thing is, did you let it in? Did you accept it? Some people say, I didn't like that and they spit it out before they get out the door. I don't want that kind of creature. The old-fashioned gospel is not palatable to a lot of modernist people today. They don't want the old-fashioned gospel. They want something that's easy and enables them to do what they like, live a worldly life and be in society. They don't want the old-fashioned gospel. It's not palatable to them. So they just spit it out. They don't swallow that. But, friend, if ever you're going to be in heaven, you're going to have to swallow the old-fashioned gospel and digest it. Digest it. And that simply means this. You discover you're a lost sinner. You can't save yourself. But Jesus Christ died for you on the cross. And only through him can you be saved. You digest that. And it becomes part of you. That's what Christ meant in John six. When he says, except you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, there's no life in you. Now he didn't mean literally eating the flesh and drinking the blood. Certainly not. He meant unless you take me into your heart. receive me down into your soul so much so that my life benefits you the same way that when you eat a good meal it benefits you physically unless you receive me into your heart so much so that it changes your life you've got no life in it's only reached your mouth it hasn't passed your neck and got down into your heart it's intellectual knowledge and not heart faith in Jesus Christ that a lot of people have. He says, I want you to eat. The brother who's not here tonight, he was here this morning, and he professed to be saved two or three years ago. He may be. But I went to his home one night to talk with him, both he and his wife. Well, he said, I don't think anybody can know they can be saved. I don't think anyone knows they're going to heaven. So the conversation drifted on. His wife said, oh, yeah, sure, you can know it. So then he got telling me about an accident he had. But I listened for about a half an hour, and he went through this accident, and how he escaped by the skin of his teeth, and how long he was in the hospital, and how many times the car turned over and so on. When he got through, I said, well, did you have an accident, or did you just think you did? He said, I had an accident. I know. It's like you got killed. Well, I said, you know, salvation is just like an accident. It's only a word until you've had one. And I said, all you talk about that accident, I said, it's only a word to me. I didn't have one. But I said, you ask me if I'm saved. Now I say, yes, because I've had the experience. You've had the accident. I didn't. I've got God's salvation and you haven't. Or the way you talk. I said, when you get Christ, you'll know you're saved and going to heaven just as well as you know you had an accident. And I believe he found Christ. And so that's the point, friend. When you swallow the gospel message, it becomes part of you and you know it. And there's no question about it. He says here, hearken diligently unto me. Incline your ear. Seek ye the Lord. Call upon him for safety evils. and return unto the Lord. Think of all these words he uses in this wonderful chapter. Seven there. Harken, diligently, incline. In fact, calmly begins with come. Come, eat, harken, incline, seek, call for sake, and return unto the Lord. In other words, he's reaching gifts for about every word in the dictionary. Every word in his vocabulary, try to reach for some word that might fit the picture and enable him to emphasize the fact that salvation is free and all you have to do is come and get it. Then notice the promise. For you do have a promise in verse three, incline your ear and come unto me here and your soul shall live. There's no question about that. Your soul shall live. There's the promise. Satisfaction, verse two, light, verse three, mercy, verse seven, abundant pardon, verse seven, is not a wonderful verse, verse seven. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. He'll abundantly pardon you, friend. This is all that he offers you. Satisfaction, can you wish for any more? Eternal light. Mercy, abundant mercy, and an abundant pardon. Why is it abundant pardon? Why doesn't he say just pardon? Why the superlatives? Not only a pardon, but us an abundant part. An abundant part. Well, abundant because millions have been pardoned. It's an abundant pardon because of the means God uses to pardon you, and that's the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross. It's an abundant pardon because of the abundance of sin that he pardons. Abundant pardon because of the ease with which he saves a precious soul. It's abundant because it's irreversible. Once you're saved, you're saved. God never changes his mind. There's no repentance with God. God's never sorry he saved a sinner. He may be a little sorry for the way they live after they're saved, but God is never sorry. having saved a soul. There's no repentance with God, without repentance on God's side. You never read of God repenting in the New Testament. You do in the Old Testament. He changed his mind oftentimes in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, you cannot find God repenting, not once since the cross. God never changed his mind. He's not repenting that he ever saved anyone. He must be disappointed. But he never repents that he ever saved a soul. And it's an abundant pardon because of the abundant blessings that attend it. And it's abundant because none need to spare. It's an abundant pardon. Think of it all free. You know, a lot of people can't understand that God's salvation. And all these wonderful things are just free. Take it. Well, God's too rich to sell it. You're too poor to buy it. What have you got? Just what have you got now to buy it with? What have you got to enrich God? Not a thing. I may be a salesman, and I'm selling twenty-five thousand dollar houses, and I come to your door and I say, friend, do you need a new house? Oh, do I need one? This place is about to cave in. It's hardly safe to live in. We need a house. We need one as bad as can be. Well, I've got a twenty-five thousand dollar house. I'd like to interest you in. Oh, my, that'd be wonderful. But I don't have twenty-five thousand dollars. Do you have twenty? No. Have ten? No, I've got ten thousand dollars. You got a thousand. No. Well, I'll sell you that house for a dollar. Oh, I'd love to have it, but I don't have the dollar. I'll sell it to you for a quarter. Fine, but I don't have that quarter. That's the point, then man hasn't got a thing. If I try to send you a house for twenty-five thousand dollars for a quarter, then if you don't have the quarter, you're going to miss it. God's salvation is too rich for him too wonderful for him to sell. He's too rich. You're too poor to buy it. Haven't got a thing to buy it with. You'd love to have it. Sure you'd love to be saved. You'd love to know your sin is forgiven. You'd love to know you're going to heaven if you've got everlasting life. But you don't have a penny to buy it with or purchase it. It's free. It's free. Wonderful thing, isn't it? God's salvation is so free. You know, most salesmen, they just can't get people up to their price. You know my difficulty? I can't get people down to mine. I just can't get people down to where they see salvation's free. They just think they've got to pay for it somehow. I wonder why it is it seems so difficult. for man to see that salvation is free. I think there is condition under the ball, by the sweat of thy brow, shalt thou eat bread. And he's been brought up with that physically. By the sweat of his brow, he has to eat his bread. It's hard for him to think he's going to get anything free. You know, man's pride also keeps them from accepting something for nothing. That's why some religions, they put a big demand upon man. And you know, some of them, they really put it on. You've got to tithe. You've got to do this. You can't wear lipstick. You can't smoke. And you can't do this. And you can't do that. And if they said you've got to wear black holes and long dresses to your ankles, there are people who say, well, I want it. I don't care what it costs me. They'll pay the price. Some people are that sincere. A lot of them are even deceived with all that. There are people that just can't seem to see that salvation is absolutely free. Another reason is most religions in the world teach that salvation is by works. That's why a lot of people can't see that salvation is free. They seem to be told and they're taught that you've got to do this and you've got to do the other thing or you'll never get to heaven. They don't seem to realize salvation is absolutely free. Now notice another thing. The everlasting covenant he refers to here is, I'll make an everlasting covenant. That's a wonderful covenant. Everlasting covenant God will make with you, meaning everlasting life, you'll never perish. And it's all on the word of God. Notice those lovely verses ten and eleven. For as the rain cometh down in the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and makeeth it bring forth and budd, that it may give seed to the soul and bread to the eater. so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in a thing where, too, I ascend. Isn't that wonderful? God's word will be fulfilled. It cannot fail. Just as rain refreshes the thirsty earth, then produces light and fruit, so will God's word. You know we've had lots of rain recently. We need our lawn cut every week because when the rains come down, the grass and everything comes up, there's a response to the descending rain. God says, that's true of my word. And I'm going to tell you one thing, friend, there have been hundreds of people come in this chapel and have gone out and they've heard the word. But when they close that door, that's not the last of it. God says, my word shall not return unto me, boy. It's going to accomplish something. The Bible says that the gospel is dynamite. And every time I preach a gospel sermon, I'm putting a little bit of dynamite in there. And there's a whole lot of dynamite in some hearts. One of these days is going to be a terrific explosion. And it's going to blow all your pride, the bits. It's going to blow all your ideas of how to get to heaven. And you're procrastinating. It's all going up. you're going to come to your senses and accept Jesus Christ. You can't get away from the Bible. God says, My word shall not return unto me, boy. Now, he likens it unto two things here. He speaks of the rain, and he speaks of the snow. The rain speaks of immediate blessing. The rain comes down, grass comes up, or light comes up. Oftentimes, that's it. A person gets saved after they hear the first sermon. Like Mrs. Johnson is not here now. She was here this morning. She told me three months ago, one Sunday morning, she came up and accepted. Frankly, she said, Mr. Wilson, I was here last Sunday for the first time when I was ready. I wanted to be saved right then, but I couldn't get my husband up, but she said he's ready this morning. We both want to be saved. Seventy years, seventy-two years of it. Now there she was ready. Isn't it wonderful when people hear the gospel for the first time and there's an immediate response to accept him and to say, But others are like the snow. He speaks of the snow. You know the snow remains upon the ground for weeks. Up in Canada where I came from, I've seen snow sixteen feet deep. I've seen men walking on the cliffs and fixing the wires in the telephone poles. And in the string, it's still there. Sometimes you'll see snow around there. At the first of June, hasn't all gone yet. It's been piling up. And if that's true with the farmer, if he has lots of snow, that means a good crop. a good crop. There's the snow and it's piling up and it's piling up and it's piling up. But then the spring thaw comes. You know where the snow begins to thaw? Underneath. The ground begins to thaw. As you know, a blanket of snow is quite warm. And it's when the ground begins to thaw and soften. Then the snow begins to trickle through the water, the rain. And it's the heart that has to thaw and crack. Then that which has been on the surface so long begins to get in and get through. Friend, the spring thaw has got to come. Remember that. The Word of God has been on your heart. I've been putting it there and putting it there and putting in there and it's been piling up. One of these days some circumstantial experience is going to thaw your heart and let that word down in. You've stiffened your will. You've hardened your heart up till now. But the word is there, and it's going to get in. Make no mistake about that. It's got to. God says, My word shall not return unto me, boy. Either you let it in someday and get saved, or God will just call off the struggle and let you go your merry way, and you will freeze like an icicle. I'm not going to tell you where you're going to thaw out, for you will. for there's an expression I don't like to use. Not that I'm afraid of saying the word hell, but I've heard this expression about a snowball in hell that I don't like to use. But I do say this, friend, men and women are going to harden their hearts so much that they will thaw out, not under the influence of the gospel, but they'll thaw out in hell. That's where the hardness will yield. So he says, the snow coming down from heaven. But it should my word shall not return unto me, void. It will return. Then the transformation. How wonderful. Verses twelve and thirteen. For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. Why is that wonderful? Joy and peace. The mountains and hills shall break forth before you in singing. And all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. Peace, joy singing, clapping their hands. Instead of what? Instead of thorns, briars, the curse. And these things are to be burnt. The thorns, the briars are to be burnt. Signs of the curse. But these other wonderful things will replace those thorns and briars in your heart. Joy, peace, singing, clapping hands. You know, I've only had one person in my life, thirty-one years preaching who clapped hands when she got saved. It's Mrs. Sharper Burlington. She stayed back under deep conviction. She said, I want to be saved, Mr. Wilson. I said, all right. I sat down beside her with my Bible. Another young fellow, the name of Walter Jensen, who was playing the piano for me at the time, he's also a preacher. He sat on the other side. Walter was brought up in a very conservative church, and I think he'd have no reach in extraction. And you know, when I showed the way of salvation to Mrs. Sharp, she jumped and clapped her hands and said, Praise the Lord, I'm saved. I thought, Brother Jensen was going out the door. And I must confess that I had never seen one do that myself. I thought, is this just an emotional outburst or what? You know, she's lived to prove to be one of the best Christians we have in that church in North Carolina. This is shot. She really clapped her hands for joy. She found Christ. And it's something to clap your hands about, friend. You notice what he says here instead of these thorns, the fir tree? And the myrtle tree. What's the fir tree? That's the wood they make musical instruments out of. You read that. And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all instruments made of fir. You read in Second Samuel, six, five. And so the fir tree is the tree you make musical instruments out of. It speaks of praise. The myrtle tree. My, it's a lovely tree. The myrtle tree. It's an ornamental tree. Thinking of a sinner saved by grace. What a monument. What an ornament to the glory of God. A myrtle tree is also a very fragrant tree. And in the Hebrew language, the word Esther in the Old Testament, and she was a lovely character, Esther. And in the Hebrew, her name means myrtle. And so you have the thought of praise and ornament to the grace of God, and also a fragrant, lovely character, all emphasized in these trees. What a blessing such a one is to us. Now, friend, if you're not a Christian, you came in here tonight, you're just thorns and briars. under the curse soon to be burned. You can be saved to save this very minute, saved by grace. It won't cost you anything, save your pride, your self-preserve. Just receive Jesus Christ free and you'll leave here a myrtle tree, a fir tree, praising God, a very vibrant character, a blessing to others and a monument to the grace of God. Isn't that what you'd like to have? So in this chapter we have the gospel of grace all offered free in verse one. It's the gospel of faith, not of works in verse two. It's the gospel of Christ in verse four. It's the gospel of joy in verse twelve. It's the gospel of fruit bearing in verse thirteen. What more do you want for nothing? All this and much more is yours in Jesus Christ. I trust the last snowfall has descended upon your heart tonight, and that snow will turn to rain due soft rain and that you'll open your heart and soften your heart and let the gospel in and end this question of your soul's salaries why rob your soul another day of the wonderful joys of sins forgiven thou are you thirsty ho every one that thirsty come thirsty come ye to these waters no money neither have no money it's without money without price it just means you stretch out your empty empty hand and take Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and you shall be saved. You don't believe that? I can easily prove it to you. Try it and see if it doesn't work. Just acknowledge you're a lost guilty sinner going straight to hell. And as such, open your heart and receive Jesus Christ. If you do that with all your heart, he'll save you. And that will be all the argument you need. That's what I'm saying for truth. He'll save you right now. Will you open your heart? Will you let Jesus Christ in? God help you to say, I will. I'll trust him with all my heart and soul. When? Right now. All right, you do that. And God will save. He is saved enough. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into thy presence. We ask thy blessing upon thy word to all who have listened to it. We thank thee for such a story to tell that never grows old. It is old yet ever new. We ask thee to bless what has been said to the salvation of someone in our audience. How wonder the joy bells of heaven were to be set ringing tonight because someone hot, someone's heart on earth was made glad by the entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ. May this be so. Joy in heaven, joy on earth, this very night. over someone trusting the Savior now. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. Number two. Two hundred and forty-two. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come. Into thy freedom, gladness, and light, Jesus, I come to thee. Out of my sickness, into thy health, out of my want, and into thy wealth, out of my sin and into thyself Jesus I come to thee friend will you come to Christ if so maybe you did it during the meeting and if I could tell us about it come as we stand and sing two hundred and forty three now we're set second Samuel twenty three and verse eight second Samuel twenty the fir tree and the myrtle tree what's the fir tree that's the wood they make musical instruments out of you read that And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all instruments made of fur. You read in Second Samuel six five. And so the fur tree is the tree you make musical instruments of. It speaks of praise. The myrtle tree. Myrtle tree, myrtle tree. It's an ornamental tree. Thinking of a sinner saved by grace, what a monument. What an ornament to the glory of God. A myrtle tree is also a very fragrant tree. And in the Hebrew language, the word Esther is In the Old Testament, she was a lovely character, Esther. And in the Hebrew, her name means Myrtle. And so you have the thought of praise, an ornament to the grace of God, and also a fragrant, lovely character, all emphasize in these trees. What a blessing such a one is to us. Now, friend, if you're not a Christian, you came in here tonight, you're just thorns and briars under the curse soon to be burned. You can be saved. Save this very minute. Saved by grace. It won't cost you anything. Save your pride, your self-preserve. Just receive Jesus Christ free, and you'll leave here a myrtle tree, a fir tree, praising God, a very fragrant character, a blessing to others, and a monument to the grace of God. Isn't that what you'd like to have? So in this chapter we have the gospel of grace all offered free in verse one. It's the gospel of faith, not of works in verse two. It's the gospel of Christ in verse four. It's the gospel of joy in verse twelve. It's the gospel of fruit bearing in verse thirteen. What more do you want for nothing? All this and much more is yours in Jesus Christ. I trust the last snowfall has descended upon your heart tonight, and that snow will turn to rain. do, soffery, and that you'll open your heart and soften your heart and let the gospel in and end this question of your soul selfish. Why rob your soul another day of the wonderful joys of sins forgiven? Thou, you thirsty, ho, every one that thirsty, come thirsty, come ye to these waters. No money, he that have no money. It's without money, without Christ. It just means you stretch out your empty hand and take Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and you shall be saved. You don't believe that? I can easily prove it to you. Try it and see if it doesn't work. Just acknowledge you're a lost guilty sinner going straight to hell. And as such, open your heart and receive Jesus Christ. You do that with all your heart. He'll save you. And that will be all the argument you need. That's what I'm saying for the truth. He'll save you right now. Will you open your heart? Will you let Jesus Christ in? God help you to say, I will. I'll trust him with all my heart and soul. When? Right now. Alright, you do that. And God will save you. He'll save you now. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into thy presence. We ask thy blessing upon thy word to all who have listened to it. We thank thee for such a story to tell that never grows old. It is old yet ever new. We ask thee to bless what has been said to the salvation of someone in our audience. How wonder the joy bells of heaven were to be set ringing tonight because someone heart, someone's heart on earth. was made glad by the entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ. May this be so. Joy in heaven, joy on earth this very night over someone trusting the Savior now.