Yes, sir. Amen. Amen. Amen. That's right. Amen. Yeah. God bless you, son. God bless you, son. Amen. I say this and I'm not sounding facetious when I say it. I may not be a good preacher, but I know all of them. I know all of them by God's grace. I'm trying to bring them here and put them before you, amen. Boy, I'll tell you, that stirred my heart. I'll tell you, if Brother Langston was closer, y'all might want to vote him in as pastor, amen. Of course, I don't mind being his assistant, amen. Praise God, I appreciate it. Somebody say, y'all not brag on men. Well, y'all under two hunters do and when men been faithful and served God By the way, there ain't no scandals on by the Langston ain't ain't no ain't no money problems He's God's man and a testimony loves God and serves the Lord and I thank God for that and I am so glad that I got to for our people got to hear him preach and fellowship with him and I think this thing is real our Style of let me just I'm not preaching yet. I'm also testify our style of worship is not a preference Did you get that? It's not a preference, it's biblical. You can't find, I like what he said, and I know he's heard me say it, sitting like a wooden Indian. I believe y'all oughta act like Comanche Indians instead of wooden Indians. You'll get that after a while, amen. I believe we ought to have some joy about this and some excitement and vitality, amen. I promise you this, they're gonna get excited over a pigskin today when the stupids play the dummies. I promise you that. And that'll only have an eternal effect. But I'm telling you, what's running around in my soul this morning is eternal and right and holy. And I'm glad that it is, amen. And I praise the Lord for it. Isaiah chapter 53, yes ma'am. Amen. Amen. Amen. It's good to know it, amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. I remember that Sunday morning, we was preaching through the Good Samaritan series, and I'm glad he came where he was and bound up his wounds and set them on, don't mess with me, I'll preach there again, amen. I'm glad God specializes in bad situations. Amen, that's what he likes, amen. I like that saved, that just keeps coming up, saved, amen. There might be somebody here today not saved. Religion don't get you in. Church membership don't get you in. Coming in once a Sunday and dropping your offering in and waving everybody don't get you in. I like what Sidney Coble, our neighbor down in Kannapolis, he wrote the song, if someone asks me how I made it, quickly I'll say it, by the blood of the lamb, I made it through, amen. That's the only way you get in. You can't ride your mom and daddy's coattails in. You can't ride your wife or husband's coattails in the glory. You have to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. We got enough people that think they can do good work. I just played with a Langston CD for a service. He said, bad to think they can get to heaven on their works, but their works can't even get them to Sunday school. I know we didn't have Sunday school today, all right? Can't even get them back on Sunday night or Wednesday night, and they think the worst, so I'm giving them to heaven. Talk to me now. And I'm just telling you, it is by grace through faith. Not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast, amen? I just don't want to hear people talk, but is everybody minded the Lord? And I mean minded the Lord, amen. Amen, Brother William. Yes, sir. Amen, amen. And William learned to wash them at least once a week, amen. That's right, he said that and I looked right away, I said praise God, William, that's a word for you, amen. Thank God, amen. Praise the Lord. All right, amen. Isaiah 53, if everybody's minded the Lord, and I know during the time of this it's easy to jump up and just talk, but I wanna make sure people mind the Lord. Amen. That's right. Amen. Amen. You realize you could have been born at Culver's Friday night because Waffle House was communist and wouldn't let me in. I never thought Waffle House would come to that. They wouldn't let me in. We went over to Culver's and I took my tie off. I still had my dress shirt and my suit on. A fellow said, are you from the Kingdom Hall? I said, I almost said, well, we got a hall at our church and I'm in the kingdom of God, but no. I said, no, so I'm an independent, old-fashioned Baptist preacher. He said, we go and named a Baptist church down the road. He said, I know there's something about you, amen. And I'm glad it's more than just a church thing. But I said all that to say this, you realize you could have been born in that false religion? You could have been born in the JW's false witness and the Mormon religion or even some other religion that did not teach the Bible right, but God let you be. You know, I hear people complain. I may preach a minute. I might be preaching now. I'm not sure. I know a lot of people. and I thank God for our missionaries, and you won't find a man that loves missionaries more than I do, but I told, I told, I'll just be frank, I told Brother Richie, I said, when you get out there out west to visit, I said, Brother Kirkman won't do this, I said, but don't let anybody out there make you feel bad, because you're from the south. and there's churches on every corner. I thank God for that. I know we laugh and pick a lot about you shaking a bush and five baddest preachers fall out of it arguing about something, but I thank God I was born where there was a church on every corner. And I understand everybody deserves that, but I'm glad God put me where he put me so I could hear the gospel, so I could hear the truth, so I could be saved, amen? That's exactly right, I thank God for that. and I appreciate that God, I often pray, Lord, thank you, let me be born in America. You let me hear the gospel at an early age. You saved me by, he did not have to do that, but I'm glad that he did. Amen. Praise the Lord. Everybody mind the Lord? Yes, sir, Brother Tony. Amen. Yes, sir. That's right. Yes sir. Amen. That's right. Amen. Amen. Right. Amen. Amen. That's right. Amen. Praise the Lord. Amen, amen. I will tell you a lot of people's problem. I heard Dr. Kenny Cockendall, he's been here before and he's a friend of mine and I love reading his books and reading his sermons. He made a statement years ago that I have. He just said it in passing. He may have put it in a book or he was preaching. He said, I don't know if the church needs revival as much as they need regeneration. He said, a lot of people's problems is not carnality, it's just they've never been born again. And somebody say, you trying to make me doubt? No, no, no, no, no, no. But I'm just telling you, it's white and black. It's saved or lost. There ain't no in between. I mean, it's if you is or you ain't. And one preacher said, if you is what you was, then you ain't. Think about that. If you're still the same thing that you was before you said you got saved, then you ain't. Somebody say, you preaching a work salvation? No, no, no, no, but I'm preaching a salvation that works. That's good, somebody write that down. I know it ain't original to me, but y'all don't know that. I don't preach the salvation by works, I preach the salvation that works. And amen, I'm trying to discern the Lord and mind him. I got a message, I got a whole Bible full of messages, amen. And we just wanna make sure we mind the Lord. That saved thing keeps coming up. I'm going to tell you, Brother Davis was preaching the other night, talking about how that peace in our heart and all this world's lost her stinking mind and all that, but we got peace in our heart. I'll tell you where that comes from, being saved. I mean, when you're saved from hell, sniffles ain't that bad. Come on now, talk to me. I ain't gonna lick a doorknob in China. Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying. I'm just saying this morning, I know I'm saved. There is a peace settled in my heart. And there are people sitting in this building this morning, you don't have that peace. Or God will not arrange this service like he has so far. You got a form of God, and as Paul said, but you're denying the power thereof. You know what the form is? The form on the outside looks like you got something, but on the inside it's empty. Amen. And you ain't got to live that way. You don't have to live that way. You can be saved and know it. And I believe that. And I tell you, we've had so much false preaching and so much false doctrine in our churches and our pulpits. Some people are so confused, they think because they joined a church or repeated a prayer or got dunked in a bad industry that they're born again. That ain't salvation. It never has been and it never will be. Amen, and I like one fellow said if I don't have enough salvation to get me out of the bed on Sunday morning How do I expect to get me out of the grave on resurrection morning? Hey, man, and That's all I like that kind of preaching. Well, don't worry. There's a bunch of church in this county don't preach like this Hey, man, so I say you being smart. No, I'm just tell you that's the way it is. It's truth. Mr. Lane has said, right? We have the truth here. So I say you think you're the only preacher in town preaching truth No, but I am one of them Amen. And I'm telling you, I'm glad I have the truth. And I'm glad that Jesus loved sinners, amen, and he died for sinners, amen. Everybody mind the Lord? I feel like I have a message. I know I got a Bible, so I know I have a message. And I learned I ain't gotta aim it. Didn't Brother Davis teach us that? I just let it fall. Amen. Isaiah 53. Let's stand up a moment as we read our text, amen. I don't like all that. You wouldn't like heaven either. You wouldn't like heaven, I promise you that. You would not like heaven. My personality, I am a little bit of a smart aleck, and I know that is surprising to some of y'all. But there's just some things I'm dogmatic on. And there's some things, I ain't gotta drop my head and shuffle my feet and mumble mumble mumble. I just say, hey, it's this and that's it. You know why? I ain't saying that in my own power and authority. I got this King James Bible backing me up, man. Hallelujah! Amen. We oughta call recess and shout a while. I hope we shout so loud them turkeys I saw this morning won't run through here for six months. And no, I'm not talking about y'all, all right? Had about 25 turkeys out here this morning. We had more turkeys out here than what we usually have in Sunday school. Somebody help me. Isaiah 53, who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Here's why we're shouting this morning. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Boy, you better believe it. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet he openeth not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Would you pray with me and would you pray for me this morning? Heavenly Father in Jesus' name, Lord, we thank you for this service we've already had. Thank you, Lord, for the good songs and the good testimonies about being saved. Lord, what I'm about to preach this morning is how we can be saved and why we can be saved. It's because of what you've done for us at Calvary. Lord, would you please cleanse me of sin? Would you please empty me of myself and fill me with the Spirit of God? Lord, would you touch every heart today? Would you touch every lost person today? Convict them. Lord, don't let them walk out of this building without getting saved this morning. Lord, I pray for those that are saved, but Lord, they've grown so cold on God. I pray, Lord, you'd stir that fire up in their heart this morning. And Lord, that you, your will be done. Lord, help me to lean on the Spirit of God. Lord, if I veer to the arm of the flesh, bring me back to the mind of the Spirit. Get glory to Yourself, I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Thank you for standing. You may be seated. I won't go through all the introduction. You know, for the past several months now, we have been preaching through Isaiah 53, and we have now come to verse number 7 of our text, where the writer says he was oppressed. and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears is done, so he openeth not his mouth. I would call your attention back to verse six, and I notice the contrast, because in verse six says, oh, we, like sheep, have gone astray. But in verse number seven, he is now the lamb. and he as brought as a sheep before her shears as dove. We'll say more about this, but I am so glad that he identified with us. I was a sheep that had gone astray, but yet he identified with me in my lost condition. I wanna preach very simply this morning out of verse number seven on the precious lamb of God. the precious Lamb of God. I wanna say three things about him this morning. First of all, as we read this verse, we find the suffering he partook. The suffering he partook. Our verse says he was oppressed and afflicted. Those two words describe the suffering that he partook in this particular verse. First of all, the word oppressed, I believe, speaks of the burden of sin. He was oppressed. The word oppressed here means burdened with unreasonable impositions. Albert Barnes said this word properly means to drive, to impel, to urge a debtor the exact payment or exact tribute or a ransom. Did you get a hold of what Mr. Barnes said? In that definition, that word oppressed means that somebody's pressing on you to pay a debt. Somebody said, preacher, what kind of debt did Jesus owe? He didn't owe a debt, but I tell you this one, I owed a debt that I could not pay, and Jesus paid a debt that he did not owe. I know I've said that 500 times in the last six months, but I'm telling you, that's our problem. We've got so used to Calvary, we've got so used to these verses that they don't stir our heart like they used to, but I am still rejoicing over the fact the sin account was large and growing every day, for I was always sinning and never repenting. I never tried to pay. And when I looked ahead and saw such pain and woe, I said that I would settle. And I settled long ago, because Jesus paid that debt. And the psalmist said, right, Jesus paid it all. And all that Him I owe, said He left the crimson stain. But He washed me white as snow. I thank God this morning, even though He did not owe the debt, He willingly paid the debt this morning. You think about the sin debt and the weight of one's sin. but those of us that are saved and try to live by God, we can't hardly do anything and get by. By the Holy Spirit of God, I know we can get callous and cold, but I'm telling you, our hearts are tender towards God and we sin, it just eats at you. I've had to go to people and apologize. I remember one Sunday morning, we was having a drive in church, God help us, and we was doing something and Miss Carolyn said something and me and my, I smarted right back off, I didn't pick it out, I just smarted off. She said something about people coming, how it's aggravated at Baptist. Don't look at me like that, amen. And I smarted off and said something. The Holy Ghost said, how you gonna preach after saying that? I said, Miss Caroline, I'm very sorry, I should not have said that. And some of you can drink and drug and run around and lay out of church and listen to your rock and roll and your country music and smoke your cigarettes and drink your alcohol and watch your pornography and listen to that country music and wear them modest clothing and you're just fine. I wish I had somebody. I'm telling you, you think about the weight of one sin in your life, but you think about the weight of all sin for all eternity was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly we see the agony that the Lord Jesus was under. You cannot help but see that in Matthew chapter number 26 and Luke chapter 21 when he is in the garden of Gethsemane praying. The Bible tells in Matthew chapter 26 in verse 36, then come at Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and say of his disciples, sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be very sorrowful and very heavy, and listen to what the Lord Jesus said. Then saith he unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, tarry ye here and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but thy as thou wilt. You know what that cup was? In that cup, me and Brother Davis and Brother Collins was talking about this at the lunch table, in that cup, was all the sin of humanity for all mankind. By the way, he was not trying to get out of Calvary. He was not trying to worm his way out of Calvary. He is God and he can do whatever he wants to. He looked at Peter when he cut him out because he's a high priest here off in John 18. He said, no it's not, that I have 12 leaders of angels standing all ready. All Jesus had to do was give the word. And the songwriter said he could have called 10,000 angels to get him off that cross, but thank God that he didn't. He was not trying to get out of it, but he was showing us that human side, that he understood what was about to happen when that sin deadly poured out upon him. But watch verse 40. Typical church. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep. The Lord Jesus is under the oppression and under the weight of our sin. And we're comfortable in the flesh. That's exactly what happened. Luke 22 says when he's praying earnestly, the Bible said that they were a stone's cast from him. I'm not talking about a chunk, a stone, I'm not talking about a pebble, I'm talking about a rock. You're talking about 20, 30 feet probably. 90 feet if you got a good fastball. I'm telling you, that's how it is from a pitcher's man to home plate for you people that's not dignified and not sophisticated in the finer things of life. But there are stones cast. Jesus, in so much agony, Luke said that his sweat became as great drops of blood. Did you know in the medical field, there is actually a condition, and I cannot pronounce the name, but it is a condition where the blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to produce blood under conditions of extreme or physical emotional stress. His sweat became as great drops of blood. And you know what the disciples were doing? They were over asleep. They were unaware. They did not know what was going on that night. They were unconcerned. They were undisturbed. They were uninvolved. Jesus walked up and said, What? Could you not watch with me one hour? I wonder what he'd say to the generation today of our churches. The oppression. We claim to have Christ living in us, but when we hear a message on Calvary, we're never touched or moved. We're more concerned on what we're going to have for lunch today. What time does the game start? Is he almost done so we can get out of here? Don't he know we have things to do? I tell you, there is nothing more important in your life going on than what's going on here at the church house today. Amen. So you believe people's lives to be revolved around this church? Amen. Amen. You finally caught on to it. It's not because it's my church. It's not my church. It's the Lord's church. I'm just the overseer. But it's not because I'm the pastor here. It's because I believe this is the most important thing we have in our lives. But you know what? They were too tired to spend time with the Lord. too weary to spend time with the Lord. I'll tell you, after hearing Brother Langston this week, I ain't never said I'm tired again. That man preaching and pastoring, building the building, visiting people, making cassette recordings for the radio, runs a camp, he mows his grass every Saturday night at his camp meeting that he has, and we can't make it one night of Jubilee? Amen. Amen, I'll let you know when it's time to pray. You didn't lose a quarter, I'm still up here. Amen. I'm just telling you, somebody's gonna preach, you gonna get on me, you better believe I won't get on you, amen. Some of you could have been here and you wasn't. Amen. Somebody said, I ain't none of your business. Well, it was, it became my business when I became your pastor. I'm the watch over the flock. I'm the care for the sheep and God put a meeting in my heart for our church and I won't, I'm not talking about people that had to work and things of that nature. I'm talking about people, you just lazy and didn't come. Amen. Say amen or oh me, one or the other. Amen. I'm just telling you, they were undisturbed by what was going on. The burden of sin. Then he was afflicted. I believe that speaks to the beating by the soldiers. The word afflicted literally means, here's why I believe that, repeated pain. The word actually, Albert Barnes said, gives the idea of a brow beating. You ever heard that term, brow beating? It's literally what they've done to the Lord Jesus. Shouldn't Calvary have an effect on us? He was beat physically. He was beat emotionally. The Bible said many blasphemous things spake they against him. They attacked his character. They lied on him. The suffering he partook, but that leads to the silence that he practiced. Yet he opened not his mouth. Twice in our birth, so he openeth not his mouth. He did not try to defend himself. He did not try to defer the punishment. Rather he stood there in silence as torment was placed upon him. He was innocent. Yet he opened not his mouth. He was pure. Yet he opened not his mouth. He was sinless. Yet he opened not his mouth. He was holy. Yet he opened not his mouth. He was all-knowing. Yet he opened not his mouth. He was all-powerful. Yet he opened, not his mouth. The Lord Jesus is a whole lot better man than I am. I couldn't take that and not say something. And you couldn't either. Somebody spitting in your face, beating you like a dog, brow beating you. He'd have stood there. Not in weakness. You listen to this preacher, you listen well. There is a supreme authority. We would do well to remember who this is they're beating. You know who this he is? It ain't just any he. It's him. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Y'all still with me or are y'all mad about what I said on the last point? Amen. Brother Mel said you can get glad just as quick as you can get mad, amen. Amen. The supreme authority is the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who angels sang about. The one who that night when he was born, we're gonna preach about it Lord soon here in a few weeks, that the angels are put on course shouting and rejoicing. The whole, only you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. being beaten and mauled, the supreme authority, the submissive action. The Lord opened not His mouth. He did not stand there in weakness, Brother Tony. But as He stood there, He stood there in complete control. I believe His silence, Brother Richie, shows His God power more than anything. Because in our flesh, you strike at me, pucker or duck, it's coming. Somebody say, you're not too spiritual. Pray for the rest of us. You swing at me, I ain't going to say, I ain't going to turn the other cheek. That's kingdom gospel. I'm going to buy me two swords. Amen. Reloop 22. Somebody say, turn the other cheek. I will when it will rain. All my Bible students said amen right there. That's called rightly dividing the word of truth, amen. But I'm telling you, Jesus, he did not stand there and he did not try to block it. He did not try to run away. He said, I will. He said, therefore, does my Father love me because I lay down my life? No man takes from me, but I lay it down myself. I have the power to lay it down. I have the power to take it up again. And he stood there in complete control. You know, those Roman soldiers, they thrived off resistance. They thrived off somebody fighting against him. But as he stood there as a lamb before Asherah's dumb, so he opened all the mouths, they beat him over and over and over again with an open hand in the face. He stood there in complete control. And no wonder they said, truly this man was the Son of God. Charles Haddon Spurgeon had a great message on the Lamb of God out of this text. Can I read you an excerpt of it? He said, Beloved, I feel as I could not preach upon this, but I ask you just to look here in the text. Look within the open door and see Jesus like the Lamb waiting in the butcher shop, not struggling when the knife is at His throat, but waiting there to die. And dying with His own consent. Laying down His life willingly for our sakes. Look again and see your Lord and Savior lying down, stretched out in passive resignation beneath the shears as they take away everything that is dear to Him. And yet He does not open His mouth. I see in this Christ our Lord complete submission. He gives Himself up. There is no reserve about it. There's a story said there was a preacher that was in a meeting one night. He preached a message on the Lamb of God slain for our sins. He gave that descriptive and illustrative message. There was not a dry eye in the house. Except for one man who came up to the preacher after the service and said, Sir, your message did not touch me because I'm a butcher. I slaughter many lambs each day." To which the preacher responded, Sir, I pray that God will make this message real to you. The next day the butcher went in his shop and he took that first little lamb in his arm and he took that knife up to that lamb's throat and all that little lamb did was lay his head over on the butcher's hand. in a loving gesture. And the story I read said the butcher dropped the knife, put the little lamb down, fell on his knees and called on God. For there God made Calvary real to him. Hey, hey, hey, when the Lamb of God did not fall. but willingly laid down his life as a willing. Hey, a sheep, they don't have sharp teeth or claws to defend or fight away. He just willingly, I wish that done something for you like it does for me. Willingly laid down his life. I'll say it again, hallelujah, what a savior. Hallelujah, what a friend. I thank God this morning, that is my savior and my lord. All requires that you die for him. Buddha says you gotta die for him. All these religions say you gotta do this for them. But Jesus says he tasted death for every man. And he died for you. And he paid a debt that I did not owe. I'm so glad this morning that Jesus willingly laid down his life. The sincere affection. Albert Barnes said this does not mean that he was led as a slaughter. He said this does not mean that he was led to the slaughter as a lamb, but that as a lamb which is being led to be killed is patient and silent, so was he. He had no resistance. He uttered no complaint. He suffered himself to be led quietly along to be put to death. What a striking and beautiful description. How tender and how true! We can almost see hear the meek and patient Redeemer, let alone without resistance amidst the clamor of the multitude that were assembled with various feelings to conduct Him to death, Himself perfectly silent and composed, with all power at His disposal, yet as quiet and as gentle as a lamb, as though He had no power. What would cause someone to do like this? 1 John 3 says, Hereby we perceive the love of God because He laid down His life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Daughter Rambo said, If that isn't love, the ocean's dry. There's no stars in the sky, and that sparrow can't fly. If that isn't love, then heaven's a myth. There's no feeling just like this, if that isn't love. Isaac Watts said in the last stanza of the great hymn, when I survey the wondrous cross, were every realm of nature mine, my gift would still be too small. Love so amazing, love so divine, demands my soul, my life, Maho! The hill of the cross might have become a volcano's mouth to have swallowed the whole multitude who stood there jesting and jeering at him. But no, nothing of the kind. There was no display of power, or rather there was no great display of power over himself that he did not use his might against his bitterest foes. He restrained omnipotence itself with a strength which can never be measured, for his mighty love availed even to restrain divine wrath." Charles Haddon Spurgeon. the suffering he partook, the silence he practiced, the salvation he provided. As a lamb, as a sheep, as we recall from our last message we were the wandering sheep, but now we find another sheep. He is likened to a lamb or a sheep. Philippians 2 teaches, who being the form of God, thought of not robbing equal to God, but made himself no reputation, and put upon himself the form of a servant, being found fast as a man. He humbled himself and became, albeit unto death, even the death of the cross. I see three things. First of all, I see the slaughter. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. The word slaughter usually denotes great destruction of life by violent means. Truly, when you study the process of crucifixion, if we had preached here many times from this pulpit, and we'll continue to preach from this pulpit, we would understand that crucifixion was a slaughter. Christ carried the cross down the Via Dolorosa to Galgotha, where His feet were fastened to the cross, and there the cross was dropped into a hole six foot deep. And at that point, every bone in His body was ripped out of joint. Not to mention all the scourging, all the beating, all the torture He has already endured. He has been awake for some 36 hours straight. People died on the cross many different ways, from suffocation, infection, and exhaustion. The buzzards landing on the victims would pick the meat off of the victims on the cross. Dogs ascribed in Psalm 22 would come begin to eat away the legs of the victims. And John 19 says after the two soldiers, after Jesus had already died, they came through and they took that spear and thrust it inside, and out with it came blood and water. I said this the other week, but you have to have blood and water for a birth to take place. for a physical birth and for a spiritual birth. Blood and water is involved. There's the slaughter. There's the shears. And as a sheep before her shears is done, so he openeth not his mouth. This refers to the process when the sheep would have his wool removed for the process of shearing. This speaks of what they took from the Lord Jesus Christ. He literally gave His all for our salvation. Why is the shearing? Think about this. I was studying this. I actually had this message prepared two weeks ago and the Lord changed. We preached on the church two Sunday mornings ago. I was meditating on this that Saturday night before. Why does He mention... I mean, He's already mentioned the slaughter. But why does He emphasize the shearing process? After all, isn't it the death of Christ that should be emphasized? And I love the Bible because the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. And the Lord reminded me of the first three pages of my Bible. When man was in the garden, when God put Adam and Eve in the garden, they were naked and were not ashamed because they were clothed with the glory of God. But then man sinned and lost his innocence and the Bible said they saw they were naked and they tried to get fig leaves and sewed fig leaves together to try to cover their nakedness. Fig leaves is always a type in the Bible of depravity. and they couldn't cover up their sin. And the Bible said in Genesis chapter 3 verse 21, And to Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin and clothe them. So I said, preacher, you cannot prove that he slayed a lamb in the garden. I sure can. Because Proverbs 27, 26 says, The lambs are for thy clothing. You know why the sharing is emphasized? Because I stood in nakedness and shame of my sin. And so his righteousness was stripped from him. Everything about him was stripped from him and the Lord imputed the righteousness of Christ on my account. And so the lamb was slain and the lamb was sheared so that I could have a standing before God. I don't have to stand before God in the rags of my unrighteousness. But when I stand, amen. But when I stand before God, I stand in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ because He willingly gave up His life for me. Brother McNeece said when God looks at Jesus, He sees me. And when He looks at me, He sees Jesus. That is the doctrine of imputation. That is the doctrine of the sanctification that He made me like the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a part of me living on the inside that is just like Jesus. And it's on the inside. And on the outside, you can't see it. But when I stand before God, And when I lay down this robe of flesh, I will be like him. I'll look just like him. I won't stand on my own righteousness. It's not by works of righteousness we had done, but according to his mercy he saved us. That lamb's wool is for the clothing and it's for comfort. The slaughter, the shears. But then there's the salvation. Acts chapter eight. Philip's in a revival meeting. And God's moving in a great way. But God tells Philip to leave and go to the desert. And Philip's wondering why. But the Bible said as he went into that desert, he arose and went, behold a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority, under Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charged all her treasures had come to Jerusalem for the worship. He's a proselyte. and was returning in his chariot and read Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, that's him. No, he said, go near and join thyself to this chariot. Philip ran further to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said, understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, how can I? except some man should guide me. And he desired Philip that he would come and sit with him. Watch this now. And the place of the Scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb done before his shearer, so he opened not his mouth. What a coincidence. He just happened to be reading. Isaiah 53, seven, and I like Philip, that man said in verse 34, and the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee of whom speaketh the prophet? This, of himself or of some other man? Philip said, is that some other man? The Bible said, and Philip opened his mouth and began that same scripture and preached unto him Jesus. And as they came, they went on their way, and they came to a certain water, and the eunuch said, see here is water? What doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Time out. Dr. Wheeler taught us last Sunday morning that the NIV and all those false Bibles take that verse out. That's why the King James does matter. What is wrong with that verse? He said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Hey, hey, hey, I do have the right Bible, because it protects the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down to the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized them. And when they were coming up out of the water, the spirit called away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more. Here's how I know the eunuch got him. And he went on his way rejoicing. You know why he went away rejoicing that day? Because he found out who the Lamb of God was. He found out who the Holy Lamb of God was. And he said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. John's standing on the base of the Jordan River. That smoke's ascending out of the temple. Smoke from sacrifices every day. Sacrifices had to be made every day. And that smoke's ascending from that temple now. And John sees that. But on that day, John's message changed. He said, there's not one a-coming, boys. I've been preaching that for a while. But there's not one a-coming. Look ye yonder. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He's saying there he is, boys, there he is. This the day I've been a-living for. By the way, that wasn't the first time John saw him, because he's in his mother Elizabeth's womb. And when Mary went to see Elizabeth, and he heard the salutation, the babe leaped in her womb. John got to shouting before he was born, and as he is laying his head on that chomping block, he is still a-shouting the victory, because he knew he was the Lamb of God. Give you this in closing this morning, in the book of the Revelation. There are 20 different titles for the Lord Jesus Christ. But did you know the most used title is the Lamb? He's the slain Lamb in Revelation 5-6. He is the standing Lamb. In Revelation 5-6 as well, He stood a Lamb. So I said, Preacher, what's so significant about that? Dead lambs don't stand up. That means he ain't dead no more. He is the saving lamb, Revelation 7.14. He's the strengthening lamb, Revelation 12.11. He is the successful lamb, Revelation 17.14. He is the shining lamb. The Bible said the lamb was the light of that city in Revelation 21.23. He is the supreme lamb. Revelation 22.3, let me read this one. There shall be no more curse, of the throne of God, and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servant shall serve him. But as we've learned this morning, Revelation 5.12, he was our substituted Lamb, and he's the reason why I'm shouting this morning. Revelation 5.12, they were saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb, that is slain, receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing, and every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such are in the sea, and all that are in them, Heard I say of blessing and honor and glory and power being to him the citizen upon the throne and to the Lamb forevermore. And I just think if they're shouting in heaven about the Lamb of God, there ought to be some shouting on earth about the fact that he's the Lamb of God, that he loved us when nobody else did, that he cared for us when nobody else did. I thank God for the Lamb this morning. Let's stand together. I'm through preaching. Heads bowed or eyes closed.