Coming unto the Lord Jesus (Quality Good)

[0:00] Would you turn again to the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to John? John's Gospel, chapter 6, and a subject that you will find in verse 45.

[0:19] The 45th verse of John says, It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God.

[0:33] Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me.

[0:43] As the Lord may help us this evening, I want us to consider this coming to the Lord Jesus.

[0:58] Coming unto me. It is fundamental, vital, essential. It is the very effect of the power of the Gospel, according to the will and purpose of God, that the people of God must eventually and inevitably come to him and to none other.

[1:30] It is based upon the testimony of Scripture, here within the context of this wonderful chapter, where the Lord Jesus, having fed the 5,000, having passed through this experience of meeting with his disciples there in their need upon the storm-tossed sea, finally he begins to preach the Gospel to those who had followed him.

[2:03] And we have here what we think of as the great bread of life chapter. A chapter profoundly understood, misunderstood by many people, but a chapter which abounds in the wonders of divine grace, manifested in the person of the Saviour himself.

[2:27] And here, within the context of this chapter, it is written in the prophet. It is written in the prophet. And they shall be all taught of God.

[2:44] This is declared, for example, in the prophecy of Isaiah, and in chapter 54. Isaiah 53, of course, tells us of the sufferings of Christ in a most remarkable, unique manner.

[3:07] A chapter, which is so clear in its teaching, that I understand that they no longer allow it to be read in the Jewish synagogues, because it so plainly points to Christ.

[3:20] But I leave that. Isaiah 53, it concludes with this remarkable declaration, that he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.

[3:33] And by his knowledge, all that he suffered, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. We read, he shall see his seed.

[3:47] He shall see of the travail of his soul. And so, as we come into chapter 54 of Isaiah, we see this enlarging of the tent.

[3:59] We see this breaking forth. We see the gospel prosperity that follows the death and the resurrection and the ascension of the Lord Jesus, and the putting forth of the power of God, the Holy Spirit.

[4:14] And it is within the context of that chapter, concerning the prosperity of the gospel, in verse 13, that we read, And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord.

[4:29] And all thy children shall be taught, not some of them, all of them, all of them, all thy children, shall be taught of the Lord. And great shall be the peace of thy children.

[4:45] So here then is a promise and a prophecy clearly spelled out and is taken up by the Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, the Son of the living God, here upon earth.

[4:59] It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the new covenant in chapter 31 of that particular prophecy.

[5:16] And there he spelt it out in detail, the details of that new, that everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure.

[5:28] And he says, This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.

[5:56] And I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. They shall all be taught of the Lord. They shall all know me from the least to the greatest.

[6:09] And so the Lord Jesus, standing here before these people who had followed him because they had eaten of the loaves and the fishes, he begins to testify of himself as the bread that cometh down from God, the bread of life, and declares in connection with the receiving and eating of that bread that this is involved with coming unto him.

[6:45] How do we come to him? How do we come to God? What is this coming? Look at verse 35. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.

[6:59] He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

[7:11] Coming is believing. Believing is coming. And so the effect of divine teaching is to come and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and none other.

[7:29] In the epistle to the Hebrews, at the commencement of chapter 11, the great faith chapter, we read this, concerning God, without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, believe that he is in the existence of God, but more than that, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

[8:05] This coming, then, is the coming of faith, and it is a coming to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. having said that, the Lord is not slow to point out our total inability to come to him in and of ourselves.

[8:26] We need to underline this, we need to stress this, the doctrine of total depravity, the fact that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, and so he himself spells it out in the previous chapter, in chapter 5, and looking for a moment at verse 37 and onward, God, and the Father himself which hath sent me hath borne witness of me.

[9:01] Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape, and ye have not his word abiding in you. For whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

[9:12] Here is the fundamental evidence of their unregenerate state and character, you see, that whatever their religious profession may have been, he said, ye have not his word abiding in you.

[9:26] For whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures, search the scriptures. You see, our text says, it is written, written in the prophets, search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.

[9:52] And then he says something very solemn and very searching, and ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. Ye will not come to me.

[10:05] They wanted their religion, they wanted their legalism, they wanted their self-justifying man-made righteousness, but they would not come to him.

[10:16] Such was the deadness and darkness of their spirit. They would not come, they could not come. Look at verse 44.

[10:28] No man can come to me except the Father, which hath sent me through him, and I will raise him up at the last day, as it is written in the prophets, and they shall be all tall of God.

[10:45] Every man therefore that hath heard the love of the Father cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

[10:58] Total depravity, total inability. Now look at verse 65. He reiterates the statement, and he said, therefore, said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given him of my Father.

[11:17] And then look what happened. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. It is an offensive truth to tell a sinner, especially a self-righteous sinner, that he cannot come to God in and of himself.

[11:43] no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. So when we are talking about this coming, coming unto me, it is something which lies initially in the hand of a sovereign God, is the work of the Holy Spirit, and a true coming, a true coming, is a living evidence of divine grace.

[12:13] But you see, these things are taught in other places too. There is, for example, that which is recorded in Luke chapter 14.

[12:25] And I would remind you of that in passing. It is the parable of the great supper and of the marriage feast. And we will not go into it in detail.

[12:38] I'm sure you are familiar with it. But the servants went forth to bring those that were bidden to the great supper. The servant went with that message, come, for all things are now ready.

[12:52] Come! There was the gracious invitation. There was the opening, as it were, of the gospel door. Come, for all things are now ready.

[13:04] Now, what a message that is to the needy sinner. What a message that is to the longing soul. But what effect did it have upon these? Here was this great feast.

[13:15] Here is that which would supply all their need. Here is that which would bring them into the presence of the king. And what did they do with that invitation? Come, for all is now ready.

[13:28] Well, they all with one consent began to make excuse. It was a common factor among the three who are mentioned here. Whatever reason they gave, whatever excuse they had, it was with one consent.

[13:45] And so it is with fallen nature. The vote is unanimous. We will not have this man to reign over us. And so we find one with his piece of land, one with his oxen, one married a wife and said, therefore, I cannot come.

[14:04] therefore, I cannot come. What a terrible thing. Therefore, I cannot come. My friends, I would not press it home in the wrong way.

[14:17] But are you saying that? I cannot come. Too busy here, I've too much to do there. I would not wish to commit myself and involve myself.

[14:28] Cannot come. And yet, grace didn't stop there, did it? Grace didn't stop there. A message went out, go quickly.

[14:42] The streets, the lanes, the city, the highways and the hedges. Compel them to come in.

[14:53] Compel them to come in. no man can come unto me except the Father which has sent me draw him.

[15:04] There is a gracious compulsion in the gospel of divine grace that even us, the hardened sinner, the self-righteous sinner, the self-satisfied sinner, will reject it and want nothing to do with it.

[15:20] Behind it all is a gracious compulsion that goes out into the highways and the byways and compels them to come in. So it has been.

[15:31] So it will ever be. Because you see, we are confronted here in this particular chapter with one of the most gracious statements that we can hope to find in the scriptures.

[15:48] I'll refer to verse 37. Verse 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. All that the Father giveth me shall, not me, or mine, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me.

[16:13] And him that cometh to me, I will in no way cast out. Here is the gospel.

[16:26] Here is the blessed person of the Savior himself speaking, testifying clearly on the one hand of God's free, sovereign, omnipotent grace, and on the other hand of the welcome to the coming needy sinner.

[16:44] All, all. He's not going to lose one of his sheep, you know.

[16:56] He's not going to forget one. Those names in the Lamb's book of life are inscribed there from eternity past and will remain there in eternity to come.

[17:07] All, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and to none other shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.

[17:25] There's a sweet little verse in one of our hymns. I may misquote it, but I think I'll get it near enough. Wart thou afraid to come? Wart afraid to tell thy case?

[17:38] He will not pronounce thy doom. Smiled are seated on his face. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.

[17:50] None come, one of the writers says, such is our nature, so full is nature, such is flaw. None come except the Father draw, but all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out, but he goes on to say something else at this point.

[18:13] for, I will in no wise cast out, for, there's a reason, given, for this, for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

[18:52] And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, seeth the Son, so we would see Jesus.

[19:03] Have you seen Jesus? You see, everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

[19:16] Sinners come to Jesus because sinners, Jesus first came down to sinners, came down from heaven, came into the world to save sinners, came down to suffer, bleed, and die upon the cross, of Calvary, came down from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him.

[19:42] Go to Gethsemane, consider it well, not my will, but thine be done. This is the will of him that sent me.

[19:53] Thus, on the basis of his coming, his incarnation, on the basis of his death and resurrection, his ascension, his mediation and intercession and exaltation, on the basis of this, going up where he was before, and on this basis alone, he can say, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.

[20:24] Every man, it is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God, every man, every, not universally, but every individual, not just male as man, but every one who is of the human race, who hears and is taught, every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

[20:51] the war is full of religion. The war is full of people that are seeking to do good, that they may be justified thereby.

[21:09] The Bible writes it all off. It says, there is none righteous, no, not one. It says, all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

[21:23] Paul renounced his righteousness that he had sought to accrue as a Pharisee. He touted it but done that he might be found in Christ not having his own righteousness, but the righteousness which was of God in Jesus Christ.

[21:42] So that when we think of this coming, we see God's sovereign grace working effectually through the power of the Holy Spirit quickening souls, bringing them to this one and only Saviour.

[21:56] And he says, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. There is no other way. May I remind you of what the Saviour said in the upper room in John chapter 14.

[22:12] in the discourse there, he speaks of going to prepare a place for his people and of coming again to receive them unto himself, says he that where I am there ye may be also.

[22:30] Whither I go ye know and the way ye know. Thomas said to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, how can we know the way. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life.

[22:45] No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Not many years ago there was a call to unity amongst non-conformist churches and many people thought this was a good idea.

[23:04] Then there was a call to unity between the non-conformists and the church of England and many people seem to think that this was a good idea. And now there was a call to unity between the church of England and the non-conformist churches and the church of Rome and many people seem to think that this is a good idea but it hasn't stopped there has it?

[23:27] No, there's a call now for a multi-faith religion a multi-faith religion that not only Protestant and Catholic but all the other religions in the world the Hindus the Sikhs the Muslims we're all seeking God they say we're all going in our own way and there are many ways to God not according to my Bible there's only one way come hither so I am the way no man no man cometh unto the father but by me all that the father has given me shall come to me him that cometh unto me I will in no ways cast out no man cometh unto the father but by me it is not for me to judge the religion of others how they stand before

[24:28] God is something which will be decided by him and not by me but my dear friends it's spelt out clearly in the scriptures and I tried to underline it for you this evening without repeating it all again but do you see how clearly taking the Old Testament taking the words unto himself the son of man the son of God define us both in this chapter declares that he is the way and none other and that he is the one by whom we come to God the life the truth and the way but let us turn for a moment to consider how they come in John chapter 12 at the close of his public ministry there were those Gentiles that came saying sir we would see Jesus Philip cometh and telleth Andrew and Andrew and Philip tell Jesus and Jesus answered them saying the hour is come that the son of man should be glorified and and here and here he says representative

[25:41] I believe Gentiles came to him he begins to testify of the truth concerning his death and his resurrection and says and I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me this he said signifying what death he should die the term all men does not indicate universal salvation it does indicate the all men of Jew and Gentile that is to say sinners as described in the book of Revelation a great number that no man can number from every kindred tribe and tongue and nation you know the gospel is universal in that sense embrace people of different tongues and people of different colors and people of different cultures it's all bound up from every kindred tribe and tongue and nation but they will all come by one way and by one means

[26:49] I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me this he said signifying what death he should die and lifted up he was and die he did and he did not shed his precious blood in vain the great transaction was completed the blood of the everlasting covenant was shed and the promise is sure to all the seed here we rest here is our hope I would give up preaching this moment if I did not believe that for I know that I can never persuade anyone I can never change a heart I can never renew a will but God in his sovereignty has appointed the foolishness of preaching and he who was lifted on the cross is lifted still through the preaching of the word of God and countless sinners have come to him through divine grace come in their need come pleading his name and his blood

[27:54] I if I be lifted up the preaching of the cross to them that perish foolishness but to them that believe it is the power of God unto salvation now about this coming here he is revealing himself in this particular portion of scripture as the living bread the heavenly manna the one that came down from God speaking of eating his flesh and drinking his blood this has nothing to do with the blasphemous doctrine of transubstantiation no it is the manner in which the truth is appropriated by living faith so that there is a hunger and a thirst described here in verse 35 I am that bread of life he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst in the next chapter in chapter 7 and in verse 37 in that last day that great day of the feast

[29:00] Jesus stood and cried saying if any man thirst let him come unto me if any man thirst let him come unto me he that cometh unto me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst go to the prophecy of Isaiah again and this time to chapter 55 and there we have again the gracious out working of the gospel the sufferings of Isaiah 53 the promises of Isaiah 54 and the gospel proclamation of Isaiah 55 oh everyone that thirst it come ye come ye oh everyone that thirst it come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come come ye buy and eat come by wine and milk without money and without price and so on this gracious gospel incline your ear and come unto me here and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of

[30:17] David come you see there is the core of the gospel an effectual core that has reached the heart of many a soul feeling themselves to be unworthy what is the blessing prescribed in Matthew 5 blessed are those that do hunger and thirst after righteousness there are many that do not but there are those that do hunger and thirst not for natural things but for spiritual things and spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst is defined as a need of righteousness those that do hunger and thirst after righteousness now why do sinners hunger and thirst after righteousness because they have none of their own because they recognize the righteousness of

[31:17] God as a judge because they accept the fact through the gracious teaching of the Holy Spirit that they need a righteousness and that they cannot make a righteousness that will be acceptable to God in and of themselves therefore they are found in a hungry thirsty state they thirst for God they thirst for Christ they long to be fed with that blessing which he alone can give Isaiah 55 is such an encouraging chapter I was taught this verse when I was a lad at day school we used to have scripture in those days not religious studies or whatever they call it now and we had to learn text from the Bible and I learnt this when I was nine years old and I'd have forgotten being taught it in the day school seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the

[32:21] Lord and we will have mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon that's the hunger that's the thirst coming boldly and to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Matthew 11 verse 38 is something that is certainly relevant to this coming at that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babe there's the teaching they shall all be taught of God all things are delivered unto me of my father and no man knoweth the son but the father neither knoweth any man the father side the son and he to whosoever the son will reveal him come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden you know

[33:42] I like to see that text displayed as it often is perhaps on a little wall text or a calendar but we did ought to read what runs up to it first didn't we we did ought to remember that behind it all is the divine teaching that leads up to this gracious invitation and call come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest for my my yoke upon and learn and learn of me so be taught you say learn of me for I am me and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light that is the gospel that is the promise of God and of the Lord

[34:44] Jesus as free and sovereign grace is worked effectually in the heart the gracious invitation begin to mean something they have a significance the longing soul the thirsty soul the weary soul they see in Christ and him crucified the very answer to their hunger and their thirst look for a moment at Revelation chapter 22 these are the closing verses of the word of God the closing verses that only follows the solemn warning against those who add to or those who take away from the word of God as we have it revealed in its completeness to us and the spirit and the bride say come who is the spirit it must be the holy spirit it can be none other who is the bride it must be the church the company of the redeemed in her witness the spirit and the bride say come the church is the pillar and ground of the truth the church is the witness of God in succeeding generations through her gracious ministers she is called upon to proclaim in the power of the spirit come the spirit and the bride say come and let him that healeth say come not quite sure how that is supposed to be expounded but I feel it is an inward you know like in the hymn come my soul thy soup prepare

[36:28] Jesus loves to answer prayer he himself bid thee pray therefore will not say thee nay the spirit and the bride say come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is a thirst come let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely though that is not free will no a people willing in the day of my power remember Pope Merman he would not wash in Jordan he was it was too lowly for him are not a barna and far far the rivers of Damascus better than these so many turn away but there are those whose hearts and minds and will has been renewed and so whosoever will of your humble resolution of your desire whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely you know that is the wonder of the gospel and yet something which seems to be a stumbling block to many freely freely it it is written in the prophets and they shall be all taught of

[37:58] God every man therefore that have heard and learned of the father cometh unto me many shall come many shall come you say well there don't seem to be many in these days there don't seem to be many in this part of the world or that part of the world Matthew chapter 8 verse 11 the centurion had besought the Lord on behalf of his servant and just humbled himself so graciously before the Lord Jesus saying he was not worthy that he should come under his roof said speak the word only and my servant shall be here when Jesus heard him marveled and said to them that followed verily

[39:01] I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel and I say unto you that many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven many shall come it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught of God every man therefore that have heard of the father cometh unto me what is to be gained by this coming what is it that will be received well it's eternal life isn't it eternal life eternal life to as many as he has given may hunger and thirst for righteousness the weight of sin is death the gift of

[40:12] God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord there are many who are totally unconcerned about eternity there are many who are fatally optimistic about eternity may somehow vaguely hope that it will be well with that for many are deeply concerned about eternity and it is to such that the Lord calls to come to him speaks of satisfying their hunger and their thirst speaks of giving them rest of their souls speaks of giving them eternal life and this is life eternal that they may know thee the true God and Jesus Christ whom thou have sent eternal life best for your souls mercy grace to hell in time of need these are the things to which the sinner comes

[41:18] Peter Peter wonderfully speaks of coming to the rock doesn't he in his first epistle and in chapter two he says to whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious to you come to the rock have you come to the foundation have you come to the only hope the sinner's friend he that cometh unto me I will in no wise calf and in the epistle to the Hebrews there is a declaration of that to which faith comes to which the sinner comes man sinai is referred to with all its darkness and tempest and terror and then but ye are come unto mount zion ye are come unto mount zion unto the city of the living

[42:23] God the heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and church of the first born which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect and to Jesus and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel see that ye refuse not him that speaketh see that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escape not who refused him to speak on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven there shall all be taught and those who are taught shall come and the solemn warnings of the gospel will come home to their hearts and the gracious invitations of the gospel will draw their souls and stir up a measure of hope and faith within a hope that's built on nothing less than

[43:39] Jesus blood and righteousness I must close with that last wonderful coming you know come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world I will come again and receive you unto myself of death the hymn writer says tis but the voice that Jesus sends to call them to his arms in the book of the revelation we are given some wonderful visions of heaven itself and of the glory of the saints and of the redeemed what are these which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they whence came they I said unto him sir thou knowest and he said these are they that came out of great tribulation and have washed their runges and made them white in the blood of the land therefore are they before the throne of

[44:52] God and serve him day and night in his temple and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them they they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the sunlight on them nor any heat for the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes the homecoming here come unto Mount Zion it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the father cometh unto me there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby he must be saved oh may the Lord speak to our hearts this evening we may consider our need consider the wonders of his grace the glorious person of his dear son the wonders of his death and his resurrection and all that he has done that poor sinners needy sinners should be able to come and take of that fountain of the water of life freely may God apply his word and forgive anything

[46:18] I have said of this amen