If you would, please turn to
John chapter 8. I'm just going to read one verse
to start. John chapter 8 and verse 45. Now these are the words of Christ
speaking. Because I tell you the truth
ye believe me not I Realize those are not the most
cheerful words in the world Especially when spoken by Jesus Christ Because
you know two things automatically a it's a fact and be it's true
as true can be if Christ said it I So whoever he's talking
to, whoever he's talking about, they don't believe him. But what
struck me here is just the simple fact that
he said, because I told you the truth. Because I told you the
truth. I tell you the truth. He's doing
it even as he spoke. I tell you the truth. You believe
me not. Something happens because of
the truth being spoken. Something happens whenever the
truth is spoken. Every time. And I mean every
single time. And I also mean whether it's
from a pulpit or it's in a house. Whether you're preaching or whether
you're talking with a friend. Whether you're talking with your
relatives. In a group or individually, anytime
the truth is spoken, there's a result. There is a result. Something happens. In this case,
using these words here of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's not something
good. Matter of fact, it's very, very
bad. But I do want to point out the
truth is not the cause of unbelief. Are you ready? The truth, spoken
or even written, somehow, someway, some fashion relayed to a man
or a woman, the truth manifests unbelief
in those people. It manifests the unbelief. It
manifests the faithlessness that is already in man. It doesn't make it. However,
it does make it known. It shows it. Now how can the truth be the
cause of this showing of faithlessness? Of unbelief? It's the way we are. Jesus said
it in John 5 in verse 43, he said, I am come in my father's
name and ye receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, him you'll receive. We're perverted. And that's what
we mean by depravity. Okay? You know, you're not as
bad as you can be, but you are perverted as you can, just about
as you can be. Because we will take the word
of a man over the word of God naturally. Every time. You don't receive me, but you
would receive one who comes in his own name. because naturally
you will receive one who does not come in the name of the father
that's the way we are by nature that's the way we are and speaking
the truth reveals that nature speaking the truth will always
reveal that nature man not only hates the light
man hates him who is the light and He loves darkness rather
than light in the place of instead of the light and We will receive
one that comes in his own name before we'll receive the one
that comes in the name of the father That's the way we are Now as far as the cause of unbelief,
actually in John chapter 8, Jesus had already covered this. You
look at verse 37. I know that ye are Abraham's
seed, but ye seek to kill me. There's that word, because. This is why you seek to kill
me. This is why you don't believe. Because my word hath no place
in you. The problem is with us. The problem here, as Christ was
speaking to these people, the problem was with them. I've said it before, I'll say
it again. I may say it every Sunday. There's nothing wrong
with the gospel. There's nothing wrong with the
truth. There's nothing wrong with the message. But Christ
told these men, my word has no place in you. And they manifested
that. Why? How? They believed him not. Tell you the truth because I
tell you the truth you believe it not They may have never heard the
truth before that's possible sometimes But now they've heard
it and guess what they believe it not The problem was in them and the
truth revealed it in them and There's no place in you for my
word. Just as the light makes known
the darkness around it, the truth of Jesus Christ's manifest shows,
makes known the faithlessness of men. What did Paul write? All men
have not faith. Therefore, you're persecuted.
Therefore, they're against you. Therefore, what? They believe
him not. They will not receive him. All men have not faith and he
also, Paul also wrote, the natural man cannot understand the things
of the Spirit of God. Here's why. Christ's Word has
no place in them, in the natural man. There is no place for the
Word of our Lord Jesus Christ. Something has got to change. These men were faithless. Literally what is translated
here, literally it says they not have faith in me, Christ
said. They not had faith in me. Again, in John 5, I'm gonna look
back here just for a minute, same sort of thing. Before that, the verse before,
I am coming in my Father's name, it's John 5 and verse 42, is
that right? Yes, it is. But I know you, Christ still
speaking, that ye have not the love of God in you. He told his fellows in John 8,
my word has no place in you. He told these people in John
5, but I know you, you have not the love of God in you. The problem's
with us. The problem is with man as he
is naturally. Then he says, I am come in my
father's name and ye receive me not. If another shall come
in his own name, him ye will receive. Verse 44, how can you believe? How can you believe? Which receive
honor one of another and seek not the honor that cometh from
God only. How can you? You can't. Naturally, you cannot. The natural
man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. Why? Because
His Word has no place in you and you have not the love of
God in you. Not naturally. Do you think that
I do not think that I will accuse you to the father? There's one
that accuses you even Moses in whom you trust for had ye believed
Moses You would have believed me For he wrote of me But if
you believe not his writings, how shall you believe my words?
Well, you won't if the love of God is not in you you won't if
his word has no place in you I You will not. Back to John 8. Because I tell
you the truth, what? Ye believe me not. This is extremely
particular. Jesus Christ always was extremely
particular. He says, ye believe me not. This is the act of faithlessness. They believe not. You ever think about this? The
wind and the waves obey Him. But man doesn't. How perverse is that? The wind
and the sea obey Him. He spoke the world into being. But ye believe him not. People have this idea, and they'll
actually say it, that sometimes we overemphasize the depravity
in man. I don't know that you can. I'm not saying you're as bad
as you can be, but I am saying you're bad. At one time, we were
all dead in our trespasses and in sins. We were all dead to
God. This is what we have here. At
one time, every single one of us, Christ's word had no place
in us. So rejoice if it does now. Rejoice if you believe him now
because these men here I Mean when Christ said this Christ
meant every single word of it You believe me not Yeah, ye these
particular men had not the love of God in them and these particular
men had No place in them for God's Word Not Christ's words
They have been told by the Son of God manifest in the flesh
that they love darkness rather than the light. They've been told the truth and
they manifested that they hated the truth and the one who delivered
the truth to them. They've been told I and my father
are one by the one who was the eye. And his word had no place
in them because they were uncircumcised in heart and ears just like those
ones that Stephen was talking about. And because of that they
were always resisting the Holy Ghost. Now, from this we could just
surmise a result, as John did in his epistle. We are of God. He that knoweth
God heareth us, and he that is not of God heareth not us. I quoted that last week. Hereby
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. But we don't
have to surmise it, we don't have to deduce it, because we
just read down a little bit further in John chapter eight, after
verse 45, verse 46, which of you convinces me of sin? And
if I say the truth, why do you not believe me? Well, he's gonna
answer that question. In verse 47, he that is of God,
heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not, what,
there's that word again, because ye are not of God. Now if there's
ever some words you don't ever wanna hear, that's them. But
that's exactly what Christ told these men. You don't hear because
you're not of God. What do you tell them other fellas?
You don't believe me because you're not my sheep. You don't believe because you're
not my sheep. It's not, you're not my sheep
because you don't believe. That's the way the world wants
to put it. That's what this is. He that is of God, heareth God's
words. Ye therefore, therefore, hear
them not, because ye are not of God. That's what it says,
folks. I'm not making this up. And I'm
not gonna sugarcoat it. These men were faithless. These men were lifeless. These men were lightless. His word had no place in them.
They did not have the love of God in them. And it says, Christ
said it plainly because you are not of God. That's what it says. This is one of the primary results
of preaching the truth. There are always some that will
not believe it. The lack is in man, not in Christ. The lack is in man, not in the
spirit or the message or the gospel. Paul asked that question
himself. Am I therefore become your enemy
because I tell you the truth? Sadly, the answer sometimes is
yes. But thankfully, thankfully also,
it's not always yes. I understand this is what's called
a tell. Your reaction to the truth, your
reaction to the gospel, your reaction to those who speak the
truth, when the truth is declared unto you, it will tell on you. It will. If some consider the believer,
the messenger, their enemy, it is usually because of the truth. Now they can make all different
kind of excuses, but this is where the difference lies. It's
in the reaction to the truth spoken. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke the
truth and nothing but the truth. So help me God. I feel like I'm
swearing in for court. I don't know that I could now. But they tried to kill him. Thousands
left him because he spoke the truth to them. Literally thousands. But thankfully, If we back up just a little more
to the beginning, more toward the middle of actually this,
in verse 30 of John chapter eight, there are others who had heard
what he had said before, and in verse 30, and as he spake
these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth and
the truth shall make you free. And some others responded, oh, we're
Abraham's seed. We've never been in bondage.
They were lying already. When the truth is spoken, Some
believe and some believe not. That's it. Some believe and some
believe not. He is the way, He is the truth,
and He is the life. Christ said it in John 14 a little
further on. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If you come, if you receive the
truth, if you rejoice in the words of Jesus Christ, if you
come, it's because he brought you. If you have the love of God in
you, it's because he gave it to you. It's not there naturally. There is no divine spark that
needs to be fanned. by any preacher anywhere. There's
no faith in you already that you just need to work up. No,
all men have not faith. If you have a place in you for
his word, he put it there. He gave it to you. And he sent
someone to you with his word. And you believe his word, his
truth, his gospel. This is the two results of the truth being spoken to
a man. And these are the only two results.
You either believe or you believe not. There are four types of
ground, but there's only two results. That parable of the
sower. There's four types of ground,
but there's only two results. Some believed and brought forth
fruit, and the rest didn't. They may have believed for a
while, but they brought forth no fruit. That's the lesson for the sower.
Speak the truth. These are the results. Some believe,
some believe not. These are the same results today
as they were 2,000 years ago. God himself chose this way of
revealing his son to his people. He is revealed. He is manifested
whether any believe him or not. He is glorified whether you believe
him or not. He has saved His people, whether
you believe Him or not. But believe Him. Believe Him. Believe Him. He said, if ye continue,
then are ye my disciples indeed. If you're told the gospel again,
do you still believe it? Do you still love it? If you're
told the gospel, do you want to hear more? Men will either believe him or
not. There is no middle ground. Now there are many different
reactions in the rejections of men. This here, where Christ
was speaking, this is the reaction of religious people. It is generally
as violent as they can get away with. Because they perceive this
as a spiritual threat. They don't perceive it as the
truth. They perceive it as a threat to their way of believing. The humanists, the secular, the
irreligious, as they like to think they are, our Lord, our
faith, our belief to them is foolishness. That's the way it is. But it's
still just a rejection of Christ and His truth. There's only two
results. You either believe or you believe
not. It doesn't matter how you don't believe. That doesn't matter. It's just the fact that you don't
believe. But there's only one way to believe
Him, and that is for Him to put a place in you for His Word. That is for Him to put the love
of God in you. And guess what? He that is of
God, heareth God's words. That is a blessing from the Lord
to every single one of His people. And it ought to give us some
assurance. If you rejoice to hear His word, the truth preached,
unvarnished and complete as we can, that should give you some
assurance. if you love this because trust
me i know there are thousands upon thousands of not millions
upon millions who will not have this man to reign over them and
they don't even want to hear about this stuff we some include myself in this
the ones who believe now right now We believe by His grace and
His power, and we continue in His word and His way also by
His grace and His power. We're not perfect, we're just
forgiven. That's a good statement. We stumble, we trip, we fall,
but we are not utterly cast down. We, by His grace, through his
faith, continue. We believe now when the gospel
is spoken to us. That's important. If you continue, then are you
my disciples indeed. His people do continue. His people
do believe every day and rejoice in the gospel, in the truth.
I'll tell you the truth and you believe it. Our Heavenly Father,
we're thankful again for this time and this place. Thank you,
Lord, for all that you've given to us. Thank you for the table
we shared this morning and the fellowship we have here. Be with Walter as he comes to
speak. And we'll give you all the praise and the honor and
the glory because it is yours. Thank you, Lord. Amen.