The Doctrines of GRACE

Exploring the Sovereign and Saving Favor of God in Rescuing Sinners

MARVIN R. KNIGHT

© October 20, 2017 The Church at South Mountain You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by The Church at South Mountain. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: © The Church at South Mountain. Website: casm.org While all reasonable attempts have been taken to trace the literary and biblical sources used by the author, due to the nature of some of the original materials (old audio/radio or live preaching events), some have been impossible to locate. Any information regarding the origin of any unreferenced statements or quotations is welcomed and will be included in the next revision of the study. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible: 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.

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IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

The Doctrines of Grace | Lesson Five, Part One The Way God Calls Us to Jesus Christ

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“If God has effectually called you, He will, by His Spirit, bring you out of a state of ignorance, of darkness, and give you some measure of knowledge, to be acquainted with both the mysteries of God and Christ and the sinfulness of yourselves more than you ever were before.”53 Christopher Love 1618-1651

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37

Introduction:

A husband and his wife are walking down the street. Someone calls so that they can hear the voice but cannot quite distinguish the words. The woman assumes that the person is calling her and turns around. Her husband assumes that the person is calling someone else and keeps going. The man ignores the call thinking it must be for someone else. His wife thinks someone is trying to get her attention. This simple illustration describes in an elementary sort of way the difference that occurs to those who are called to faith in Christ. How do you explain the difference between those who respond to the Gospel command to repent and believe, and end up committing their lives to Christ, and those who ignore God's command and continue in rebellion against Him? The difference lies in what theologians call irresistible grace, represented by the “I” in the TULIP acronym, or the effectual calling of God. The doctrine of irresistible grace, or the effectual calling of God, describes the way God calls men to Christ in saving faith. There are many people in the world and even within the church who are called outwardly by the Word of God to make a profession of faith in Christ, but the Spirit of God does not call them effectually or savingly. In other words, there are many who have God’s Word working on them and even changing their course of life, their values and even their associations, yet in spite of this outward effect, saving grace is never born in their hearts. This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 22:14 when he said, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

53 Chistopher Love, A Treatise of Effectual Calling and Election, p.44

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Now this is a serious matter, for the Word of God reveals that those who are exposed to Gospel truth and yet remain unsaved will undergo a greater condemnation in the final judgment than those who never heard the message of the Gospel. Jesus gave this revelation to a gentile centurion in Matthew 8:11-12, and it shocked those who heard it. He said,

“I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Now who are the sons of the kingdom? They are not those who recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are the professing Jews. But why are they being cast out and judged? Because they, more than other men, enjoyed a greater, clearer, and fuller measure of the things of God which showed them the way of salvation, but they sinned against that light. Now they are cast out into outer darkness, solitary confinement—with much regret. Oh, what a frightful thing this is! What a word of warning this is for you who sit under Gospel light week in and week out. You are like a child who is nursed with the best of comforts and given the best of privileges; yet, you will never enjoy the blessings of the kingdom. And every sermon you sit under and every Sunday that passes will increase your guilt. Even now, you ought to see the sad condition you’re in but you don’t. Why do you not feel any shame to see people who hear the same sermons you did, yet they are converted and you are not? They repent and you don’t. They are changed, yet you remain the same. May God call you today by His mighty grace and tender mercies! And if you have been called, may He comfort and affirm to you that “these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Cf. Rom.8:28-30). Let me approach this text in the old rabbinical way of teaching by asking a question, then answering it. The first question is: why is this teaching necessary? Setting:

The setting for our text shows us why this teaching was necessary. If you carefully read chapter 6 you will find that two miracles were performed by Christ that attracted the large crowds. After the first miracle of feeding 5000, some began to connect Jesus with the Prophet whom Moses had told them to expect. They said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (6:14). In other words, they saw something in Jesus that told them that He was more than just a mere man. They had spiritual perception, but the question is: did they have spiritual life? Others mistook our Lord’s power and popularity and desired to force Him on the campaign trail as the next king of Israel (6:15).

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Now what was happening then also happens today. There are some who are right in their perception about who Jesus is, but wrong in their thinking about what He has come to do. Some today think that the role of Christ in their lives is to serve as some sort of life-coach or encourager to cheer them on in their own personal pursuits. Others see Jesus as a spiritual guru who comes to make their lives all better so that they can be happy, and sit around and sing, “Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya.” But Jesus will not be squeezed into our own personal agendas! Neither will He be forced to serve our interests, and if there is one lesson we can learn here, it is this: you don’t make Jesus king, He was born a king. We don’t give orders to God or dictate what He will do; He rules by the power of His own might and Word. Knowing that the disciples were too weak to handle the pressure of the crowds, Jesus deals with the crowds by sending them to the other side of the sea of Capernaum. His aim was to teach them a lesson on faith. And this is always true: whenever God commands you to do something, He aims to teach you the secret of His strength—and that is, it is in doing the will of God that the acquisition of strength for further service is found. We often think that if God calls us to obey Him in a particular way, if it is not easy, or if we feel weak, then God must not have intended what we thought He meant. We think that if God wants to do something, He must help us to feel good about it before we do it. To think that way is to trust in your own resources, not God’s. Faithfulness in the little things conditions us for that which is greater. Every step of obedience brings with it new strength for the next step. After retreating to the mountains to pray (Matt.14:23; Mark 6:46), Jesus comes to His men in the darkness of the night, walking on the waves of the sea. This is the second miracle. And remember that miracles are signs with a message. What was the message of Jesus walking on water? It was that God delivers His people from that which would otherwise destroy them by means of a mediator appointed by Himself. In the Old Testament, they were Moses and Joshua—but they were mere figures of Christ, who is the true Savior of sinners! (John 6:16-24) The following day, the crowds began to swell again. Verse 24 tells us that they came seeking Jesus. But are they really seeking from the heart? This is why this teaching is necessary—because just as then, there are people today who seem to be called of God, but they are not. Were they seeking Him for the right reasons? Were they being drawn by God to seek the Savior? Jesus answers that question for us in verse 26,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”

Outwardly, the crowd appeared ready to honor Jesus. They followed Him across the sea of Capernaum. They sacrificed time, energy, and resources. If we saw someone do this, we would automatically say, “There is no question that they are seeking God.” But Jesus reads the hearts, and

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He tells us here that there are people who seek Him for the wrong reasons. They are not seeking Him because the Father has drawn them to do so. Let me give you three false reasons why people seek Jesus.

▪ Some seek Jesus for economic profit. ▪ Others seek Jesus for social acceptance. ▪ But still others seek Him for some immediate satisfaction in the present—a temporary fix if

you will. That’s why this crowd was seeking Jesus. He tells them in verse 27, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” Here Jesus uses “food” as an image for whatever satisfies a temporary need. Many things in life provide only a temporary satisfaction, including work, money, sex, and food. Even for many reading this right now, the temporary satisfaction from breakfast this morning has worn off and now you wrestle to keep your mind off the lunch line at Taco Bell. There is nothing wrong with temporary satisfactions, just don’t spend your energy looking for salvation in these things. Don’t get preoccupied with them. There is Someone who provides true satisfaction and true life: the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the setting in which this word of Christ drops like a bomb! His words blow away every argument that man uses about how people come to Christ. Outline and Exposition:

What does God require of sinners in order to be saved? Christ answers: To believe on Him to meet your deepest need. (vv.28-29)

The heart of man is always unwilling to come down to a place of utter trust and dependence. As sinners, we always want to do something. The rich young ruler said, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). The Jews on the day of Pentecost said, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). The Philippian jailer said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Do you see it? Man wants to do…do…do…do. But God requires sinners to believe…believe…believe in Christ to meet their deepest need. Let us be clear about what it means to believe—for I can hear someone say, “But Pastor, ‘faith without works is dead!’” And I say, “Amen.” But there is a great difference between “a faith that works” and “working to prove or earn faith.” This is where we often fail as preachers, and by God’s

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grace, we will not do so in this study. If God requires sinners to believe on Christ, then what does it really mean to believe in Christ?

The story is told of an Arab chief in Cairo who was very ill. He went to the missionary who was also a doctor and said, “Can you prescribe something for me doctor?” The doctor wrote him a prescription and sent him away. After a week, he found the Arab chief, but he was doing no better. “Did you take my prescription?” the doctor asked. “Yes, I did!” the chief said, “I ate every morsel of the paper.” You see, this man thought he would be made well by eating the doctor’s prescription or writing. And today, there are some who think that they will be saved because they accept the plan of salvation. You say, “I believe Jesus died and rose to give me eternal life as a free gift, and I accept it.” You accept the plan, but you must move beyond the plan of salvation to the Person of salvation in order to be saved. Salvation is found in Him; not about Him or around Him, but in Him.

Acts 4:12—“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

To believe is not to claim the name and say the name—like the silly boxer who claims that he fights in the name of Jesus and then goes out there and gets knocked out. To believe in Jesus is to trust in or lean upon Him, to give up self-reliance, and to rely upon Him. Believing is not some physical act like walking down an aisle or even coming to church or listening to a sermon. True faith seeks refuge in Christ in and through the proclamation of His Word (Rom.10:17). To believe in Jesus is more than believing truths about Him. Acknowledging that He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and rose on the third day is simply to affirm facts, but salvation does not lie in the facts. Demons believe the facts (James 2:19). But may I add quickly that faith is not a feeling of dependence on Jesus. To believe in Jesus first and foremost means to see your need of Him. Jesus said to the Jews, “you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:40). Why would they not entrust themselves to Jesus? Because they felt no need of Him. Do you see your need of Him? To believe means not only that you see your need of Him, but also that you see that Jesus perfectly meets your greatest need and you come to Him for it. Do you know what your greatest needs are before God? They are forgiveness for past sins and power for future obedience. All of this is found in Jesus! I read a fascinating book by Dr. Richard Newton on animals and the lessons taught by them. I am told that the dove has a natural enemy and that natural enemy from which it finds no security is the hawk. However, the dove has discovered that there is a shelter into which it can fly and find safety and security, and that shelter is in the cleft of a rock. And once it is completely in this cleft, with no part of its body hanging out, no bird of prey can touch it. If it doesn’t hide itself in the rock, it is doomed because it cannot out-fly, out-maneuver or outwit its adversary. It must put its whole body into that cleft—and if not, it will be destroyed.

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What a picture of faith this is! Faith is entering into Jesus. It is hiding your entire life in His wounds.

Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.54 What does God require of sinners in order to be saved? Christ answers: To believe on Him to meet your deepest need. (vv.28-29) What provision has God made in order to believe? Christ answers: Not external evidences or personal experiences, but the Person and work of Christ Himself. (vv.30-36) The crowd then, as people are naturally prone to do today, asked for three things: external evidence, a personal experience, and a logical explanation. What sign or evidence will You show us? (v.30)

“So they said to Him, ‘What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do you perform?’”

Do you hear their request? What they are saying in essence is, “We will believe if we have some evidence first.” We want to see something or feel something before we believe. But here we learn that we can miss the bread of life because of curiosity without commitment. They wanted full bellies, not full hearts, and Jesus has come not to meet our greatest wants, but our deepest needs. They bring in Moses to size Jesus up, and in doing so they ask: What credentials or experience do you give us? (v.31)

“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”

This is a subtle jab at the Lord as if to say, “You want us to believe in you after feeding 5000 once, but Brother Mo was used of God to feed us manna for 40 years…now can you top that?” But the fatal mistake they made was to forget the source.

“Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.’” (v.32)

54 Augustine Toplady, Rock of Ages

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What offer do You make to help us now? (v.34)

“Then they said to Him, ‘Lord always give us this bread.’”

Just like with the Samaritan woman, these Jews sense that what Jesus has to offer is good. They admire His work, they are moved by His words, but they really don’t want Him. Here is proof that not everyone who has a temporary desire for religious things or spiritual things is of God. However, Jesus unloads another explosive revelation concerning what it takes to come to Him. In verses 35-36, He tells us that even the sight of His flesh and the beholding of His miracles will not bring a man to believe. Here we see how they trusted in Moses (John 9:28), rejoiced in John’s light (5:35), and even quoted Scripture (6:31), but they would not come to Christ in true reliance and believe in Him. How far will a person go, yet not come to Christ? Many may go far, but not far enough. Review:

▪ What does God require of sinners in order to be saved? Christ answers: To believe on Him to meet your deepest need. (vv.28-29)

▪ What provision has God made in order to believe? Christ answers: Not external evidences or

personal experiences, but the Person and work of Christ Himself. (vv.30-36) What confidence can we have that we truly believe? Three reasons are given.

▪ Verse 37—“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will not cast out.”

We can be sure we are called because of the Father’s part, because of our part, and because of the Lord’s part. First, let us see the Father’s part —“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me…” The first question that arises from this account is: who are the ones given by the Father to the Son? And the context supplies the answer: all who believe in the Son. Now here is great encouragement for the soul winner and the Christian worker and pastor. Your message may be rejected by many, but the chosen will come, for God knows those who are His (2 Tim.2:19). The devil can’t stop them. The deceived antagonist can’t stop them. Even you cannot stop them. God’s purpose will prevail and all that are given to Christ shall come to Him. Who are these that the Father has given to Christ? Let us consider four cases. Case A is sneaky Pete, a pickpocket who lives on the streets. Case B is a university professor at an Ivy League school. He is one of high learning and moral proclivities. Case C is a Roman Catholic bus driver. Case D is a pagan from the bush of the Congo. Here are four cases and they couldn’t

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be any more different from each other. Case A has never uttered a prayer in his life. Case B has studied the creeds and theology of the faith carefully. Case C has lived in the tradition of Catholicism his entire life. Case D has dim conceptions of God and is filled with savage passions that cannot be erased easily. Yet, the outward call comes and, accompanied by the inward conviction of the Spirit of God, what will keep them from coming? Nothing my friend! No lack of knowledge, no savage instinct, no church tradition; nothing, according to Jesus, will keep them from coming to Him and finding salvation. How does the Father do this?

John 6:44―"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."

This verse contains three key elements that unfold the answer concerning man's ability to save himself. The first is a universal negative: "No one…" This means that all are included and there are no exceptions apart from the exceptions that Jesus adds. No one…means no one, and that's all no one means. The second key is a vital distinction. The next word that Jesus uses is crucial: "no one can…." He did not say, "No one may," but rather "No one can." Can has to do with ability, while may has to do with permission. In elementary school, English teachers often taught us this difference. Do you recall perhaps raising your hand in class and asking, "Can I go to the restroom?" only to hear, "I am sure that you can, but you also may go to the restroom." The word “can” refers to ability; the word “may” refers to permission. Jesus is not saying, "No one has the permission to come to Me because I won't allow it." No, no, He is saying, "No one has the ability to come to Me." The third key element in this verse is a necessary condition. "No one can come to Me, unless…" In other words, B cannot occur until A happens. Jesus is clearly teaching that no man, no matter how gifted, moral, determined, or persuaded he may seem to be, can come to Him unless a necessary condition is met. What is that condition? Jesus gives us two.

John 6:44―“…unless the Father who sent Me draws him…"

John 6:65―“…For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."

The ability for man to come to Christ is a gift from God. It must be granted to a person from the Father. No person can just decide to come to Jesus on his own because his natural fallen condition has rendered him incapable of desiring to do so on his own.

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How much must God do to help man to come to Christ? Jesus said the Father must "draw" them. The word for draw here is helkuo, which means to draw without necessarily the notion of force. This same term is used in John 12:32 of Jesus who said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." This verse has led many to interpret this draw of God as a wooing of people by God or an enticing of them by love and attraction. I believe this interpretation is wrong. This interpretation has led many to also conclude that this wooing, though necessary, is not compelling and that it can be rejected. In other words, the wooing does not guarantee that a person will in fact come to Christ. The error is made in how the word "draw" is twisted to fit some theologians’ doctrine of depravity. The biblical meaning of the word helkuo (draw) really conveys the idea of compelling, which is a more forceful word than woo. This is seen as you compare its usage in James 2:6, Acts 16:19, and Acts 21:30. The idea here is that one is compelled with irresistible superiority. How is this related to a person being drawn to Christ? The idea is not that God forces people to come to Christ, or hammers at a person's will to such an extent that the sinner eventually gives in, but rather, before a person can make the slightest move toward God, a certain operation must take place, a certain action must occur which is absolutely effective in achieving God's desire. What is this action or operation? It is the new birth. What is meant by irresistible grace? Some people who believe in the doctrines of God's grace use the term "irresistible" to describe the way that God calls people to Christ. But this is not a good word because it gives the idea that God's grace cannot be resisted. However, the Scripture clearly points out that God's grace can be resisted. Acts 7:51 says, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did." (Cf. Ex.32:9; 33:3) The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph.4:30), quenched (1 Thess.5:19), and resisted. Irresistible grace does not mean that God's grace cannot be resisted, but rather, when the Holy Spirit calls a person by His grace, that call cannot be frustrated or resisted effectively. How so, you ask? Martin Luther, the Great Reformer explains,

"When God works in us, the will is changed under the sweet influence of the Spirit of God. Once more, it desires and acts, not of compulsion, but of its own desire and spontaneous inclination.”55

John Murray, the distinguished professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary, adds,

“God's call, since it is effectual, carries with it the operating grace whereby the person called is enabled to answer the call and to embrace Jesus Christ as He is freely offered in the Gospel.”56

55 James Montgomery Boice, The Doctrines of Grace, p.136 56 Ibid, p.136

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When the Gospel call goes out in a church, in some opening meeting, or through the reading of God’s Word, not everyone heeds that call. Such will be the case with some of you reading this now. Not everyone who hears the good news of Christ becomes convinced of sin and their need for Christ. This explains the fact that there are two calls. There is not only the outward call; there is also an inward call. The outward call may be described as the words of the preacher, and this call, when it goes forth, may produce a number of different responses or results. Some may hear this outward call and weep. Others may hear this outward call and come forward in a church or commit themselves to become a church member. Others when hearing this outward call may reform their ways. They may give up some immoral habit or feel compelled to stop smoking, dipping, or chewing—and perhaps even stop running with people who do. But there is one thing this outward call will not do! It will not produce true salvation in the heart of a sinner. It will not bring a true relationship with God to the sinner’s soul. In order for saving faith, regeneration, true belief, and a relationship with God (which are all the same things) to occur, something else must take place. The outward call must be accompanied by the inward call of the Holy Spirit. When this inward call comes, the man or woman, boy or girl is drawn to Christ and saved! This call cannot be frustrated, thwarted, or delayed. It is irresistible! That’s the Father’s part. Second, we discover our part—“…and the one who comes to Me…” Our part is to come to Christ. Coming to Christ is the only way of salvation. But what is coming? The people that He was speaking to had followed Him for miles, and had found Him and He was speaking to them, but they had not yet come to Him. To come to Jesus is to approach Him in the spirit with a submissive trust. It is to commit ourselves to Him as our Lord; it is to rest in Him as our all in all. It is to come to Him with an open heart, accepting Him as He claims to be; it is to meet the present, living Christ, who knows what is in your heart and say to Him, “I am Yours forevermore!” The one essential in coming to Jesus is the desire to come. Unfitness is no barrier to coming. To wait is to believe the devil’s lie. You say, “But I must prepare myself for Him.” How? No amount of waiting or preparation can prepare you for Him. Why? Because the disease is on the inside—and Jesus is the only qualified Physician. Remember that the hymn writer said, Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requires is to feel your need of Him57.

57 Joseph Hart, Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

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It is not enough to wish, talk, and mean to come. You must come. Many have intended to come, resolved to come, and hoped to come…but never came! Too many analyze and criticize, but never take and eat—they never come and drink. But you may. Do not come if you want to hold on to your own life. Do not come if you desire to hang on to your sin and your guilt. But if the conscience screams for relief, if the burden of sin has you weak and weary, then the invitation is for you! Third, we see the Lord’s part—“…and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” In the Greek text, the words used by Jesus are the strongest possible. An emphatic statement is made that literally reads: “Him that cometh to me I will not, not cast out.” This verse was John Bunyan’s favorite. He saw three things in it: first, the approachability of Christ; second, the universality of Christ; and finally, the reliability of Christ. Oh, when we think of the approachability of Christ we find a welcome for the blackest sin and the darkest heart. You may have committed a sin that is too atrocious to mention; but if you come to Christ, you will not be cast out. The King James Version puts it, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” It means “by no means, for nothing, whatever he had done.” You may have hardened your heart and stiffened your neck against God’s tender mercies. You may have sinned willfully and deeply, but here is the charter of the Christian faith: there is no sinner too bad for Jesus to save. When we think of the universality of Christ—we find that all are welcome, without any reservation, exception, or condition except that you must be willing to come to Him. But oh, we must rejoice in the reliability of our Savior. He is not only reliable, He is accessible. To the woman at the famous well in the burning heat of the noonday sun, Jesus made time to deal with her. To the religious Nicodemus at night, Jesus had time for him. To the Syro-Phoenician woman who bled in her body but whispered in her heart, Jesus stopped and took time with her. What Jesus means by these words, my brethren, is that you can be eternally assured of His preservation, for there is no conceivable or imaginable circumstance that will ever expel the one who comes to Him. Peter came to Him, but denied Him later—was He cast out? Bishop Ryle says of this verse,

“So far from casting out the man that comes to Me, I will receive him with joy when he comes. I will not refuse him on account of past sins. I will not cast him off again because of present weaknesses and infirmities. I will keep him to the end by my grace. I will confess him before My Father in the judgment day, and glorify him forever. In short, I will do the very opposite of casting him out.”58

58 J.C. Ryle, John Volume 1, p.376

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Dear brothers and sisters, your past sins may be great, your present weakness may be real, your repentance may be shallow, and your prayers frothy and light. Your faith may be imperfect and your knowledge lacking, but if you have come to Christ, this promise is for you: Come. He will not turn you away or send you back. There is an old hymn that Southern Baptists love to sing. When I first heard it, I hummed it for two weeks straight. The last stanza is the one I like the best. It says, Then I bid farewell to the way of the world, To walk in it nevermore, for my Lord says, “Come,” And I seek my home, where He waits at the open door. The way of the cross leads home. The way of the cross leads home. It is sweet to know, as I onward go—the way of the cross leads home.59 Conclusion:

Two men were walking down the sidewalks of Manhattan—one a Native American Indian, the other a born-and-bred New Yorker. The noise was incredible—cars, buses, horns, sirens, and people talking loudly as they moved down the street, jammed shoulder to shoulder in the chaos. Suddenly, the Indian said, “Listen. I hear a cricket. Do you hear it?” The New Yorker was incredulous. “No way! You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket on a Manhattan sidewalk during rush hour.” “I’m serious,” his friend countered. And to prove it, he stooped, bent down, and retrieved a chirping cricket from between a crack in the sidewalk. “How could you hear it?” the New Yorker asked. “Easy,” said his friend. “I’ve lived outdoors all my life. I can hear a cricket over any other kind of noise. That’s not amazing. If you want to see amazing, watch this!” And with those words, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a quarter, and dropped it on the concrete. As soon as he did, heads began to turn. It seems as if every Manhattanite for blocks heard the coin as it hit the sidewalk. He had proved his point: You hear what you are listening for. Yet, one of the effects of sin coming into the world is a deafening of the ears to the voice of God. But to those who receive the inward call to come to Jesus—they listen to His voice and they follow Him. Do you hear His voice calling you today?

59 Jessie B. Pounds, The Way of the Cross Leads Home