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Allan Jellett

Light But For A Little While

John 12:35-50
Allan Jellett December, 12 2021 Audio
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Allan Jellett's sermon titled "Light But For A Little While" addresses the theological theme of the revelation of Christ as the Light of the world, drawing from John 12:35-50. The preacher emphasizes the contrast between physical light and the spiritual illumination Jesus provides, arguing that true spiritual light offers eternal life and cannot be found in mere religious rituals. He references John 12:46, where Jesus declares Himself the Light sent to save, which highlights the urgency of belief while the light is present. Jellett warns that many, even among the religious leaders, believe superficially without true confession, revealing the doctrine of total depravity and the need for divine grace. The sermon culminates in a call to recognize the gospel's clarity and immediacy, urging listeners to embrace faith decisively in Christ before the inevitable spiritual darkness comes.

Key Quotes

“I came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

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“The light is now. And the light, you might not see and hear the physical Lord Jesus Christ, because He has gone back to glory nearly 2,000 years ago. But His Word is here, and His Word will judge you.”

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“It is the gospel of Christ that stands as a witness against you, calling you to believe and to rescue from darkness.”

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“While ye have the light, believe in the light, that you may be children of light.”

Sermon Transcript

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Well, we're in John 12 for a
third week this week. I've called it light, but for
a little while, only a little while that there's light. You
know, we're in the three darkest weeks of the year in the Northern
Hemisphere. And I don't know about anybody
else, but I get to this stage and I crave the light of summer. You know, when it's not light
till eight in the morning and it goes dark at four in the afternoon.
There isn't much daylight, whereas the contrast of that is in June,
of course, when it's exactly the other way round, when it
seems to be constantly light. I crave the light of summer and
wish I could bottle it up for use now when it's so dark. And
so we put Christmas lights on and all sorts of things like
that to brighten up these dark days. But what of spiritual light? What of spiritual light? I mean,
the light of life eternal. If you read the early verses
of John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word, is that light
of life. The light of life eternal. You
know, worldly nominal religion lights up its Christmas performances,
and it pulls at the physical senses and the emotions. But
the true light of life, the true light of eternal life, of real
life, the life of God in the soul of man, is revealed in the
Bible. It's revealed in faithful preaching. It's revealed by God's Spirit
in the heart. Oh, that blessedness of which
Christ spoke when he said, it's good for you that I go away,
for the Holy Spirit will be sent, and he will come and he will
convict you of all things, he will show you all things, he
will take of mine and reveal them to you. Here, in the end
of John 12, we see the conclusion. the summary of the earthly ministry
of Jesus, the Christ of God. Because the following chapters
are all about the personal dialogue between Jesus and his disciples
on the night of the Last Supper. That's what it's all about, the
washing of the disciples' feet and all of the teaching. It was
just to them And then he prayed in John 17, that great high priestly
prayer, and then they went out and then he was arrested and
tried and falsely accused and crucified and raised from the
dead and then ministered to the disciples. All of that is then
to come, but John 12 marks the conclusion, the summary of the
earthly ministry of Jesus, the public ministry of Jesus. The
light of hearing Him as they did in those days, people that
followed around, the disciples and the crowds that gathered,
they heard Him speak, even as the enemies of Christ said when
they were sent to arrest Him in John 7. They said, never man
spake like this man, We've never heard any man speak, there's
been good orators, the Greeks and the Romans were noted for
it, but never man spake like this man. Nobody ever performed
miracles like this man performed. Nobody ever healed the sick as
he did, raised the dead as he did, fed the multitudes with
good food as he did, preached the kingdom of God versus the
kingdom of Satan, the dominance, the triumph of the kingdom of
God. And all the time he was progressing
towards what he called the hour. My hour is not yet come. My hour
is not yet come. And then in chapter 12 and verse
23, Jesus answered them saying, the hour is come. Now it has
come. We're at that time when the pivot
of history will take place. When he would be, as it says
in verse 32, lifted up to die. I, if I be lifted up. He'd be
lifted up. He spoke it signifying the death
he would die, the death of the cross. I, if I be lifted up,
will draw all men to me. Lifted up to die. When he's lifted
up to die, Satan will be cast out. He'll be defeated. That
bruise of the head promised in Genesis 3.15 will be accomplished. Satan, the strong man of the
house, will be bound. He's limited in what he can do,
and his end is certain. The world will be justly judged,
and he will draw multitudes to himself of not just Jews, but
of people from every tribe and tongue and kindred. Yet as Isaiah
prophesied 800 or so years before, Their hearts, the hearts of the
majority who heard Him, remained hardened against Him. Some believe,
but the majority remained hardened against Him. How hard is the
human heart, seeing such glorious, wonderful things in your midst,
and yet they believe not, as it says in verse 37, but though
He had done so many miracles before them, Yet they believed
not on Him. What else did they need? He'd
done so many miracles, yet they believed not on Him. What does
it mean for us? What does it mean for you today?
In verses 44 to 50, we have a summary of Christ's message. Rounding
up, the end of His earthly ministry. And in verses 44 to 50, we have
a summary. I'll tell you why I think it's
a summary. It's a summary of what He had said. in his ministry,
because in verse 36 he says, while you have the light, believe
in the light, that you may be children of light. These things
spake Jesus and departed and did hide himself from them. I
don't think he made any more public pronouncements. No more
public pronouncements. Even though multitudes saw Him
in His trial and on His cross, He made no more public pronouncements. But this is a summary in verse
44. Jesus cried and said, believeth not on me, the man,
but on him, God, that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him
that sent me. I am come a light into the world,
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
And if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him
not, for I came not to judge that first time, but he will
the second time. I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word, the scriptures,
that I have spoken, the same shall judge. Stand as a witness
against. He was the truth. blaring with
clear light before you, and yet you've said, no, you're not going
to have it. For I have not spoken of myself,
but the Father which sent me. He gave me a commandment, what
I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment
is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak, therefore,
even as the Father said to me, so I speak. This is a summary
of his earthly ministry, that he was God manifest in the flesh,
that this man walking before us, he was God manifest in the
flesh, that he was the one, verse 41, look, these things said Isaiah
when, Isaiah is the Greek, as this was written in Greek, but
Isaiah is the Greek for the Hebrew Isaiah. These things said Isaiah
when he saw his glory. The glory of whom? The glory
of Jesus. That's who it's talking about here. When he saw his glory. When did he see his glory? We
read it at the start. Isaiah 6 verses 1 to 10, in the
year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He went into the temple,
this prophet. I saw the Lord high and lifted
up and his train filled the temple. He saw God there in the temple. The train filled the temple.
It's a picture of Christ. Read the article in the bulletin.
There's a quote from Robert Hawker who puts it very, very nicely,
that it says, Christ, the Godhead, filling bodily the body of Jesus,
the man. He was the Lord that Isaiah saw
there. This man with, as Isaiah later
describes him in chapter 53, no comeliness that we should
desire him. This man who doesn't have any
of the attractiveness of Hollywood film stars. He is God from heaven. He has laid his, why doesn't
he look glorious? Because he's laid his glory aside,
he says it. He who it not robbery, to be
equal with God, was laid that glory aside and was found in
fashion as a man. He humbled himself and became
As a man, he became a real man, yet without sin, in the likeness
of sinful flesh, and he died that death, for it was obedience
to his Father for which he came, that the works of Satan might
be destroyed, that his people might be justified, that the
integrity of God's justice might be upheld. This man with no comeliness
He is the One, with His glory laid aside. He is the One, manifest
in the flesh. You will encounter many who claim
to speak for God, but deny this central truth. Hear them for
what they are. They're liars. They're not telling
the truth. They're telling you falsehood concerning God and
His kingdom and His purposes. Here is the testimony of God's
Word. It's near you. It's not hard,
is it? You don't have to go on a long pilgrimage to find it
out. You don't have to go to a retreat or live in a monastery.
Here it is. You have it in your hands, the
Word of God. It's near you, as Paul says in
Romans 10, that we'll look at later. It's near you. You don't
have to go far to hear it. There it is. The other thing
that Jesus said in summary of his ministry, verse 46, I am
come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should
not abide in darkness. I want you to turn back and just
look with me at some verses through John. Just very quickly, just
to remind you, John chapter 1 and verse 9. John chapter 1 and verse
9, speaking of Jesus, the Word. That was the true light which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. It's talking
about the life that everyone, believer and unbeliever, has.
The true light from God. In chapter 3 and verse 19, chapter
3 and verse 19, this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. This is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's the light coming to the world. And men loved darkness
rather than light. Why? Because their deeds were
evil. John 8 verse 12. Turn over a
few pages to John 8 verse 12. Then spake Jesus again unto them,
saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Chapter
9 and verse 5. As long as I am in the world,
I am the light of the world. Chapter 12, verse 46, the one
before us now. I am come a light into the world
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Is it just John that says this? Turn over to Luke's Gospel, chapter
1, verse 76. This is the prophecy of Zachariah, the father of John
the Baptist, when his speech was restored to him after the
child John the Baptist was born. And speaking of him in verse
76, speaking to his infant son, John the Baptist, thou child
shall be called the prophet of the highest. the mouthpiece,
the spokesman of the highest of God. For thou shalt go before
the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Messiah, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people
by the remission of sins, through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, look, to
give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of
death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. That was what
John the Baptist was going to do, was to emblazon the way before
the Lord Jesus Christ, who was coming to give light to them
that sit in darkness. He has come as a light into the
world. You see, by nature, by the fall,
all humanity, you, me, everybody walks in darkness. We cannot
see spiritual truth. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse
14 says, the fool walks in darkness. Who is the fool? Psalm 14 verse
1. The fool is the one who has said
in his heart, there is no God or no God for me. But in the
gospel of Christ, the light shines. Turn to Isaiah. And again, it
doesn't matter if you can't get there quickly, but Isaiah chapter
9 and verses 1 and 2. Isaiah chapter 9 and verses 1
and 2, Nevertheless the dimness, the darkness, shall not be such
as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did
more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond Jordan,
in Galilee of the nations. Listen, the people that walked
in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Why is the light shining? Because in verse 6, for unto
us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government shall
be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful
Counsellor, the Mighty God. the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of His government
and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and
upon His kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. That's the kingdom of God coming
because the Christ of God is coming. That's what it's talking
about, light. And where do we see that light
now? If you would see that spiritual light, the people that walked
in darkness have seen a great light. Where do we see that light?
2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 6 says this, For God who commanded
the light to shine out of the darkness. When did he do that?
In the beginning. God created the heavens and the
earth and God said, commanded, let there be light. And there
was light and the Lord saw the light and it was good. But God
who commanded that light to shine out of darkness has, it says,
shined in our hearts, the hearts of believers, to give us the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. The light we're talking about
is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. That light
of God is that true light of eternal life. It is that true
light of everlasting citizenship of the kingdom of God. Is that
not what you, believer, aspire to? This world is just a temporary
phase, living in this body of sin until we're taken from it,
to experience, to embrace the fullness of the glory of the
Kingdom of God. out of this world of sin and
lies and deception. It is the truth of God. It is
the eternality of God, the sovereignty of God, who God is in holiness,
in purity and justice, and it all shines in the face of Jesus
Christ. And we see it in the face of
Jesus Christ. We see it in Him alone. Verse
46, I am coming as a light into the world, whosoever believeth
on me, should not abide in darkness. There's nowhere else, there is
none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved. Whoever believes is translated
out of the kingdom of Satan's darkness into the marvelous light
of the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ. And it's by redemption
that he's paid by Christ who came. He paid redemption's price. People cannot be translated from
the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God by the violation
of God's justice, for sin must be punished. But Christ, God
himself became man that he might pay that redemption's price.
That the justice of God is upheld perfectly. And at the same time,
those who are sinners are made the righteousness of God in Him.
He came for salvation. Verse 47 and the end of it, I
came not to judge but to save the world. For salvation He came. The reason why the Son of God
left the glory of eternal bliss in heaven, it says in Habakkuk
chapter 3 and verse 13, thou wentest forth for the salvation
of thy people. Why did he do that? Why did he
go? As Abraham left his home and
his peace and went to the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah in the
days of the wars of the kings, he went there to rescue his brother,
Lot. He went there to rescue his nephew,
brother, blood relative. Christ came to rescue those with
whom he was united before the world began. Do you believe him?
Do you believe his message? See, it's talking about, do you
believe him? Have you seen the light? Do you have the assurance
of faith in your soul, or do you reject Him? So many do. He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth
him. The word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day. For we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Christ. It is appointed to man to die
once, and then the judgment, the judgment. So then, that's
a summary of Christ's message, that's what he'd been preaching,
that's the light that was in the world, and he says, while
the light is with you, you know, look for it, while you have the
light, verse 36, believe in the light, that you may be children
of light, because it's not going to go on much longer. He then
went and hid himself from them. And he speaks in verse 37 about
those who did not believe him. Though he had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not on him. Unbelief and judgment. Who did they not believe? When
they did not believe the man, Jesus of Nazareth, who was it
they were not believing? Verse 44, he that believeth on
me believeth not on me, not just me, not just the man, but on
him that sent me. on God in heaven who sent me,
they didn't believe on God. They said they were the nation,
the one nation on earth that believed God, but they didn't
believe God in their midst. They did not believe God. Unbelief
is calling God a liar. You say, that's a harsh statement. It's a scriptural statement.
1 John 5, verse 10. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar. Well, Scripture's just as harsh
as me, isn't it? Yeah? Because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his son. Are you calling God a liar? You
say, no, I'm not going to believe this. Do you see the dangerous
arrogance of you, a sinful being, standing before the judgment
seat of Christ, which we all must do, and required to give
an account for calling God a liar? God, who as Paul tells Titus,
God who cannot lie. It's impossible for the Godhead
who is, the very definition of truth is God. He cannot lie,
and yet you're going to stand before that judgment seat. You
who just say, I'll just brush this off, I'm just not ready
to believe this just yet, you're calling God a liar. Men have
said they don't believe. They don't believe in God because
of a lack of evidence. I've heard some of our television's
most loved presenters of the natural world say, do you believe
in, oh no, no, why not, why not? And they produce these wonderful,
wonderful, or at least they commentate on these wonderful photographic
filming displays of the creation of God in all its glory. And
they say, there's not enough evidence that there's a God.
What? What? Isaiah 6 verse 3, we read it
at the start. He says, the whole earth is full
of His glory. The whole earth. Why then, if
the whole earth is full of His glory, do not men believe God? Because of total depravity. because of the depravity of our
hearts from the fall. We're under the bondage of Satan's
lies, by nature, by birth, by descent from Adam, willingly
unbelieving of God. Creation all around us trumpets
the wonders, emblazons the wonders of God's intelligent design.
but the masses call him a liar. Israel had seen God walk amongst
them, in their midst, exactly as their scriptures said He would,
exactly as they said He would. There He is, the man exactly
as they said He would, walking amongst them, performing the
miracles, and yet, verse 37, they believed not on Him. Verse 48, they rejected Him. They would not bow to His kingship.
They said in another place, we will not have this man to rule
over us. They despised His redeeming grace. Redeeming grace? That which satisfies
the judgment of God, the justice of God, and makes sinners the
righteousness of God in Him. But they despised it. as something
they didn't need. For they were the Israel of God
who were alright with God anyway. They just did the right thing
and He was happy with them. Oh no, He wasn't. They mocked
His sufferings and His bloodshed. He trusted in God, let Him deliver
Him, they said, when He was hanging on the cross. Look at Him, they
mocked and cursed Him, hanging on that cross, bleeding to pay
the price of divine justice for the people He loved. They trod
His righteousness underfoot as worthless. This is not a thing
that we want. They rejected Him. The hour had
come. John chapter 12, the hour had
come when he who is described in Revelation 13 verse 8 as the
lamb slain from the world's foundation would die as the Passover lamb. Paul says to the Corinthians,
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, the Passover. The Passover
lamb would die at the Passover feast in Jerusalem, which was
to happen in a day or so from when this account is before us.
And thereby, he would pay the price of justice in the place
of his elect people, that multitude that no man can number. But most
of those who counted themselves as God's people would be the
very ones to slay him, because they didn't believe him, and
they rejected him. Beware of belief. Like, look
in verse 42. Nevertheless, among the chief
rulers also many believed on him. Oh good, you would say.
Oh isn't that wonderful, let's have a fellowship lunch and invite
them all in and make sure that we've got them on side before
they start to go cold and they go away. Oh let's make a big
effort. No, no. Among the chief rulers,
many believed on him, as they had done from time to time throughout
his earthly ministry. Many followed, many believed
on him. But because of the Pharisees,
they did not confess him. lest they should be put out of
the synagogue. They didn't confess him. It wasn't true belief, like
many others throughout John's Gospel. Oh yes, they mentally
assented, agreed with obvious facts, undeniable facts, the
miracles, the words, but they did not have heart faith. They
didn't have what Paul calls writing to Titus in Titus chapter 1 and
verse 1, the faith of God's elect. It's a faith that is unique to
that multitude that God has loved with an everlasting love. It's
a faith that only they have. How? Because they're special? No, because God alone gave it
to them. It's the gift of God. By grace
are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God. The things of God had attracted
them in what they saw in Jesus, but the comfort of mammon, of
worldly things, of worldly reputation, worldly associations, it silenced
their confession, they did not confess Him. What does the scripture
say about this? Look at Romans 10, this is where
I want you to turn over to Romans chapter 10 for a little while.
In verse 8, remember we're talking about the light is not with you
for long, so believe while you have the light. While the light
is there, don't ignore it, don't put it off. You know, there's
a character in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress called Mr. Putitoff.
Sounds like he's Russian, doesn't it? But he puts it off. He's
a procrastinator. He doesn't believe while the
light is there today. That's what this is about, this
message, this message of the gospel from John 12. The light
is here. Now is the time. Today is the
day of salvation. Today is the day to believe.
Look in Romans 10, verse 8. What does the scripture say?
It says this, the word is naiu. near you, even in your mouth
and in your heart. That is the Word of Faith which
we preach. You know, you don't have to go
to great lengths to find it. If you've got a Bible on your
lap this morning, or on your phone this morning, it doesn't
matter. It's the Word of God, and that's the truth. The Word
is nigh you, even in your mouth. What is it? that if you shall
confess with your mouth, ah the Pharisees did not confess him,
they believed on him but did not confess him, if you shall
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine
heart that God raised him from the dead. Why is it necessary
to believe that God raised him from the dead? Answer, because
in believing that God raised him from the dead you see the
accomplishment of justice. that the penalty that Christ
paid was accepted. The sin that He paid for was
put away, and His resurrection from the dead was God's vindication
that that sacrifice of Christ accomplished the salvation of
the people for whom He died. God hath raised him from the
dead. If you believe that, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart, heart-faith, man believeth unto righteousness. What do I
mean by that? How come believing is unto righteousness?
Like this, what 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21 says. He, God, made
him, Christ, who knew no sin, to be made sin for us. Which
sin? The sins of his people. And he
made them his sins, and he bore them. The responsibility of them?
The penalty of them, he paid for it. He never committed a
solitary one, but he assumed responsibility and paid for those
sins. Why? That we, his people, might
be made the righteousness of God in him. That's what it is
to believe unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession
is made unto salvation. You can't keep it in. Henry Mahan
used to say, if you're a true believer, it will leak out. You
don't have to get a soapbox and say, I believe this, that and
the other. It will leak out. You will confess him. For the
scripture says, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Whoever you are, irrespective of status, of race, of culture,
of age, of time in which you live, whenever it is, whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Ashamed in what way?
Ashamed in the judgment day, to be found guilty of sin and
worthy of eternal condemnation. You shall not be ashamed, for
there is no difference, whosoever, there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon Him. Same God, same people of
different tribes and tongues and kindreds. 4. Verse 13. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him
whom they have not believed? You must believe Him. You must
believe who He is, that this is God, that Jesus Christ is
God come in the flesh for the purpose of redemption, as the
Scriptures declared. That's what John says, test the
spirits. This Jesus of Nazareth is God clothed in flesh for the
purpose of accomplishing redemption. How shall they call on Him in
whom they have not believed? You must believe Him. And if
you're going to believe Him, you've got to have heard about
Him. You can't believe in something you've not heard of. You've got
to believe on something you've heard. And how shall they hear
without a preacher? Well, there's all sorts of ways,
isn't there? No, preacher, it might be written down in a book,
but it's still a preacher. This is God's way. It pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. And
how shall they preach? Anybody preach? No. How shall
they preach except they be sent, as it is written? How beautiful,
this is Isaiah as well, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good news, but
they haven't all obeyed. referring back to John 12. They
haven't all obeyed the gospel. To obey the gospel is to believe
the gospel. For Isaiah says, here we are
quoting Isaiah again, Lord, who has believed our report? That's
Isaiah 53. Who has believed our report and
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? So then, Faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But these people
did not believe. In verse 20, Isaiah is very bold
and saith, I was found of them that sought me not, Gentiles,
and I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
But to Israel, he saith, those the ancient people of Israel,
all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient
and gainsaying people. Guilty before God. The light
is now. And the light, you might not
see and hear the physical Lord Jesus Christ, because He has
gone back to glory nearly 2,000 years ago. But His Word is here,
and His Word will judge you. And He has raised up preachers
of the Gospel to proclaim the truth to you, and to give the
understanding, as Ezra did in the book of Nehemiah. Ezra stood
on a wooden pulpit, and the people taught the Word of the Lord,
and they gave the sense and the understanding. Are any of you
like those fence-sitting believers? You know, the Pharisees, they
believed, but they would not confess Him, lest they should
be put out of the synagogue. You're not out-and-out rejecters,
but neither total committers. Do you know I think there's an
awful lot like that? Yeah, yeah, we'll go along with this. But
no, not for me. No, it just doesn't suit my situation
in life at the moment. You don't understand how difficult
it is for me. I'm in a situation that makes
it impossible for me to commit like you want me to commit. You're
like these fence-sitters here, these Pharisees. Not out-and-out
rejecters, but neither total committers. Be under no delusion. John 12, 48. He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day. That's the testimony of God's Word. That shall judge
you in the last day, when we all must stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. Twice in the New Testament is
that truth underlined. Israel was found guilty of rejecting
the light that was right there before them. It was guilty of
refusing the gracious rule of Christ. Few believed the prophet's
reports, though light shone in their midst like in no other
nation down the ages, and in A.D. 70, Judgment fell. Was it Tiberius, the emperor?
One of the Roman emperors. I think it was Tiberius. The
nation fell. The temple was destroyed. The
scepter that had been allowed to continue under the Romans,
given to Judah, as Jacob's prophecy had said, that scepter was taken
away, finally and irreversibly. The temple was destroyed, never
to be recovered. The peoples were scattered. In
this country, Gospel light has shone for centuries, but how
despised and rejected today. Just judgment is coming. Where
will you be standing? with the many on the broad road,
on the broad way that leads to destruction, or with the few
on the narrow way that leads to life. While ye have the light,
I don't want to end on a negative note. Look at verse 37. Though
he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed
not on him. I don't want to end on that.
They had Christ's bodily, they had him bodily among them. We
have him in clear gospel preaching today. We have a church that
looks like, as Revelation 11 says, the witnesses are lying
dead in the streets. But by the internet today, even
what we're doing now, in these days, I don't believe that the
gospel has ever been portrayed more clearly. You know, the rich
resources that we have, the vast resources that we have on the
internet, the writings of faithful men. Oh, there's a load of rubbish,
but you can discern that. If you have the mind of Christ,
you can discern it. It may soon be taken away, but
while you have it, Believe in the light. We have vast resources
of truth. Grasp it while it's there. Feed
your souls on Christ. Pray for God's spirit to shine
divine light into your soul as he reveals the things of Christ
to you. And get off that fence. of believing yet not confessing.
Get off that fence. As Joshua said to the peoples
in Joshua 24, he said, choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord. Amen.
Allan Jellett
About Allan Jellett
Allan Jellett is pastor of Knebworth Grace Church in Knebworth, Hertfordshire UK. He is also author of the book The Kingdom of God Triumphant which can be downloaded here free of charge.
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