I wanted to give everyone an
update upon Claire. He went to the ER yesterday morning
with breathing difficulty and they gave him a breathing treatment
and a steroid shot. And we talked to Annie this morning
and she said he rested well and was much improved this morning.
So I'm very thankful for that. Debbie Williams' cancer has returned,
and she will begin chemotherapy again this week for the next
six months. And David Morris went through
successful knee replacement this week, and we're thankful for
that. Remember these people in prayer, as I know you do. Christ
and His words. Now this is the third message
from this unique passage of scripture that serves as an interlude between
the ending of his public ministry and then that special time with
his disciples, 24 hours before he died. And we're going to look
at John's 13th and 17th soon. But look in verse 36, the last
sentence, these things spake Jesus and departed and did hide
himself from them. Those are the ending words of
the Lord's public ministry. And then in chapter 13, Now,
therefore, the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
was come. That he should depart out of
this world unto the father, having loved his father. However, having
loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them to the
end. And that begins that last 24 hours with his disciples. Look in verse 47 of John chapter
12. And if any man hear my words
and believe not, I judge you not. For 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 that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day." Christ is so identified with
his words that his words and his person cannot be separated. Now understand that. He cannot
be separated from what he said. We read in John chapter one,
verse one, this is how close this union is between Christ
and what he said in the beginning was the word. Christ is the word. That's how close. He is associated
with what He said. In the beginning was the Word. In Revelation chapter 19 verse
13, His name shall be called the Word of God. When God speaks, and I hope I
say this reverently, when God speaks, this is what comes out
of His mouth, the Word. The Word of God, Jesus Christ. The Lord said in John chapter
six, verse 63, the words that I speak unto you, they're words
of spirit, purely spiritual and words of life. The life of God
is in these words. John the Baptist said of the
Lord Jesus Christ, for he whom God has sent speaketh the words
of God. Every word that came out of his
mouth is nothing less than literally the words of God. He said to the Pharisees in John
chapter seven, verse 16, my doctrine. The word that comes out of my
mouth. Everything he said is his doctrine. My doctrine is not mine, but
his that sent me. You know, I've heard people before
speak in not glowing terms about doctrine. That's just doctrine.
That's dry doctrine. Just doctrine. Well, those are
the words of a dry, dead heart. And to them, the doctrine is
indeed just doctrine. But, oh, to those who have life,
it's the doctrine of Christ, as John called it in 2 John. Verse 44, John chapter 12, Jesus
cried. Now there's a passage of scripture
in Matthew 12 where he quotes out of Isaiah, he shall not cry,
nor strive, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets. I
love that passage of scripture. He's not trying to gain a following.
You know, the Lord never tried to gain a following. He came
to save his people from their sins. He's not trying to gain
a following. Somebody says, well, you ought to try to be more influential. He is who he is, and he doesn't
need to try to gain a following. So when we hear he cried, that
ought to catch our attention. As a matter of fact, I can only
find six times in the New Testament where he was said to cry. All
the stuff he said, only six times was he said to cry. Look in John
chapter seven, verse 27. These are the words of unbelief.
How be it we know this man whence he is? We know who his mom and
dad are, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. But when Christ
cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. What they're saying is
he's not the Christ. Then cried Jesus in the temple.
He cried, as he taught, saying, you both know me, and you know
whence I am. And I'm not come of myself, but
he that sent me is true. That's one of 40 times the Lord
identifies himself as sent from God. He that sent me is true,
whom you know not, but I know him. I'm from him and he sent
me. Look in verse 37 of the same
chapter, in that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried. What must his voice have sounded
like? If any man thirst, let him come
to me and drink. You remember John chapter 11,
when he's calling Lazarus out of the grave in verse 43. And when he had thus spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. and he that was dead
came forth. Twice when he was hanging on
the cross, he was said to cry, my God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Now understand that on the cross,
he really was forsaken. And Matthew, Mark, and Luke all
tell us that when he cried those words, it is finished, he cried
it with a loud voice. Do you hear that? It is finished. That means there's nothing for
me or you to do. It's already been done. And here he cries. John chapter 12, verse 44, Jesus cried. Now, I think what is interesting
is there's not a particular audience at this time. Like I said, this
is that interlude between the closing of his public ministry
and his last 24 hours. with his disciples and we don't
read who it is that he cried to. This is his cry really to
every man. That includes me. That includes
you. This is his cry to every man. The voice of wisdom crying in
the streets unto you, O men, I call. Now in the context, let
me tell you exactly who he's crying to. Look in verse 37,
but though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they
believe not on him. Now, these are the people he's
crying to. What an act of grace and mercy
that he would cry to these people. Would you be one that does not
believe? He's crying to you. I find that so awe-inspiring. Not too late. He may give you
faith. You that do not believe, he may give you faith. He's crying. And then in verse 42, nevertheless,
among the chief rulers, also many believed on him, but because
of the Pharisees, they did not confess him. lest they should
be put out of the synagogue, for they love the praise of men
more than the praise of God." He is crying to these people.
Now, I would think that if somebody didn't believe, I might think,
okay, have your way. Somebody that did believe but
wouldn't confess, I would think, okay, have your way. But he cried. to these people. Verse 44, Jesus cried and said, he that believeth on me, believes
not on me, but him that sent me. Now, when a man sees who
the Lord is, like Isaiah did, he sees him that sent the Lord. Now, like I said earlier, 40
times, the Lord refers to himself as him that the Father hath sent. He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father which sent me. Now think of those words. If
you've seen me, You've seen the Father. He didn't say it's as
if you've seen the Father. He said, if you've seen me, you
have seen the Father. He said in John 4, 34, my meat,
that which I eat, that which I have my continuous life before
God, is to do the will of him that sent me. and to finish his work. John chapter five, verse 23,
that all men should honor the son, even as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the son,
honoreth not the father which hath sent him. Now think about this concept
of God sending his son. This is the work of God. that
you believe on him whom he hath sent. That's what faith is. It's believing on him whom he
hath sent. He said in John chapter six,
verse 38, I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the
will of him that sent me. That's why he came, to do the
will of his father which hath sent him. And he said in John
chapter 17, when he's praying for his people, he says this
about them to his father, they have believed that thou hast
sent me. Are you one of these people?
Do you believe that God the father sent him? John chapter 17, verse
3, This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. He was, before He was sent, the
eternal Son of God. The Father sent Him. That's why He came into this
world. The Father sent Him. And He did precisely what the
Father sent Him to do. Now, when we believe and see
who He is, we are seeing Him whom the Father sent. For God sent not His Son into
the world to condemn the world. You see, the world's already
condemned. You understand that? You are already condemned. I am already condemned. I was condemned in Adam. And
I was condemned when I was born. And I was condemned when I sinned.
But the Lord didn't send his son to condemn the world. We're
already condemned. But the world through him might be saved. That is why he sent his son. That the world through him might
be saved. Verse 45. He that seeth me, seeth him that sent me. There can be no division there. If you do, if I do see him, I
see his father, which hath sent him. Now what does that mean?
Look in verse 46. He says, I am come a light into
the world that whosoever believeth on me. should not abide in darkness. I'm come a light into the world. And I have no doubt that the
light he's speaking of is the light. He said of John chapter
eight, verse 12, I am the light of the world. Now what was said
before that? He looked at that woman who was
caught in adultery in the very act and said, woman, Where are
those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? No
man, Lord. See, they'd all left. They was
gone. There was no one to accuse her. Neither do I condemn thee. There's only one reason why he
would say that. There was nothing to condemn
her for. That's How Christ is the light. He's the light of how that can
be true. How this woman who was taken in the very act, Christ
himself could say, I don't condemn you because there's nothing to
condemn you for. This is the great glorious truth
of his justifying work to where he made it to where when I stand
before God in judgment, there is nothing to bring to my charge. I am the light that whoso believeth
in me should not abide in darkness." Now this thing of darkness, God is light and Him is no darkness
at all. If we say we have fellowship
with Him but walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. Now the darkness, listen to me,
darkness is salvation by works. If I believe that salvation is
in any way dependent upon something I must do before He can do something
for me, I'm in darkness with regard to His character. If I
had any light with regard to His character, I would know that
I can't be saved by my works. I'd know that if I know who He
is. And I'm obviously in darkness about my own character if I think
that I can do something that would obligate God to save me
or even make me save him. That's darkness. That's all it
is. Darkness. Thick Egyptian night. Fond of darkness more than life. Madly I ran this sinful race. secure without a hiding place. Now, I'm light. I'm come a light
into the world that whosoever believeth in me should not abide
in darkness. Verse 47. If any man hear my words and
believe not, I judge him not. For I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world." That same thing he said in John 3,
17. I didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world
through me might be saved. Now, I didn't come to condemn. I didn't come to judge, but you
will be judged. Verse 48. He that rejecteth me
and receiveth not my words. Now this is the title of this
message, Christ and His Words. Christ and His Words. He that rejecteth me. and receiveth not my words."
He that rejects me, sets me aside as unimportant, disesteems me,
despises me, casts me off, sets me at naught, thumbs down, will
not have this man reign over us. The rejection The willful
rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's how this rejection
is seen. He does not receive my words. I think we have such an example
of that in the Sermon at Capernaum. Turn with me to John chapter
six. Verse 59, these things said he. Somebody's words, isn't it? These
things said he. In the synagogue, as he taught
in Capernaum, many therefore of his disciples. Now these are
people who claim to be his disciples. These are the people that he
fed supernaturally, and they liked what they experienced,
and they said, we're gonna follow him. As a matter of fact, if
you look early in the chapter, they tried to make him king. Let me tell
you one thing you can't do. You can't make him king. He is
king. He's the eternal king. He doesn't accept men's votes
for him. He's not voted into office. He's
the king. He's the king of kings. And Lord
of lords, they tried to make him king. Look, he can get us
food. He left them. He always leaves that kind of
thinking. He's not going to have anything to do with that. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught
in Capernaum, many therefore of his disciples, when they had
heard, notice this is in italics. This is talking about everything
he had to say in this particular message. When they heard, they
said, this is an hard, harsh, rough, inhumane, dry saying. They heard the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ and they said, this is dry. There is no life in this. This is dry doctrine. This is harsh doctrine. Who can be expected to listen
to this? Now, let me remind you when we
hear the truth and our response is, that's harsh. That's hard. That's dry. The problem's here. It's not with the doctrine. It
is dry to me. It is just doctrine to me. It
is harsh to me, if that's my response. But look at what the
Lord says about these words that they said are harsh and dry and
rough. Verse 61, when Jesus knew in
himself that his disciples murmured at it, you know, he didn't even
have to hear them speak audibly. He knew exactly what was going
on in their hearts. When Jesus knew in himself, you
see, he knows everything in himself, doesn't he? This is who he is.
When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples, those who claim
to be his followers, murmured at it, he said to them, does
this offend you? These words that I've spoken,
do you find them offensive? And I love what he says in verse
62. What if you shall see the son
of man send up where he was before? Now you're listening to me now
and offended? you're really going to be offended then. When I go
back and you see me speaking from the right hand of the Father,
you find him offensive now, you'll really be offended then. Verse
63, it is the Spirit, God the Holy Spirit, that gives life. The flesh profits nothing in
this thing of life. The flesh, prophets, nothing,
nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit and they are life. Now do you hear how Christ
defines his word? Spirit, spiritual. I've got to have the
Holy Spirit to understand them. Utter spirit, not fleshly, not
derived from man. They're spirit and they are life. Life. Verse 28 of the same chapter,
then they said unto him, This is where this begins, where they
find these words to be harsh words that the Lord calls word
to spirit and life. Verse 28, they said unto him,
what shall we do? That we might work the works
of God. Jesus answered and said unto
them, this is the work of God. that you believe on him whom
he has sent. The only way you'll do that is
if God works this in you. This is the work of God. Simple
faith. You know, the hardest thing you
and I are ever called on to do is to trust Christ alone. Nothing else. This is the work
of God. This is not man's work. This
is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent,
period. You know, I love saying that.
Hope somebody believes it. This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he has sent. The father sent him. He
did what the father sent him to do. You believe on him. Verse
30, they said, therefore unto him, what signs showest thou
then that we may see and believe? What does thou work? They didn't
hear a word he said. They didn't get it. We're still
looking for something else. Our fathers did eat manna in
the desert as it's written. He gave them bread from heaven
to eat. Then Jesus said to them, verily, verily, I say unto you,
Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my father giveth
you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. They still didn't know what he
was talking about. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread
of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. If I ever believe on him, I will
be looking for something else. I'll feel complete satisfaction
in believing on him whom God has sent. There's got to be more. You've never seen them. You've never seen. But I said unto you that you
have also seen me and believe not. Here's who will all that
the father giveth me. shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven." And I'm sure that that galled at him. If I said, I came
down from heaven, you all would think, what? But he could say
it. And it was true. The Father sent
him. He came down from heaven. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will, which has sent me, that of all which
He has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day." Now, this is God's will. For me to
save everybody He gave me. For me to save the elect. those He gave me. I will raise Him up at the last
day and this is the will of Him that sent me that everyone would
seeth the Son and believeth on Him." Now, you know when you're
going to believe? When you see. And I'm not talking about a physical
sight. When you see who He is, you will believe. I have no doubt
about that. Anybody who sees who He is, they
do believe. This is the will of him that
sent me, that if everyone would seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him,
because he said, I'm the bread which came down from heaven.
And they said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How is it then that he saith,
I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered, and
said unto them, murmur not among yourselves. He heard their murmuring,
their dispute with what he was saying. No man can come to me. He didn't say no man may come.
You can come. Door's open. He didn't say no
man may come, but he did say this. No man has the ability
to come to me except the father which sent me draw him." Now
somebody says, what does that word draw mean? Drag. You'll come to Christ when He
drags you to Him and you'll be given Him full consent. You'll
be glad you want it that way. Lord, drag me. And I will raise Him up at the
last day. It's written in the prophets, and they shall be all
taught of God. When Amanda was singing, Christ
is all, this is all I have to say, I thought that's when somebody
believes when Christ is all and they have nothing to add to that.
That's my testimony. There's a good testimony. Christ
is all. Nothing more to say. Every man, therefore, that has
heard and learned of the Father comes to me. Not that any man
has seen the Father, save he which is of God. He has seen
the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. He's got it. He's got it. And
it's eternal. It's everlasting. It's the life
of God in his soul. I am the bread of life. Your
fathers that eat man in the wilderness, they're dead. This is the bread
which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and
not die. I am the living bread which came
down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread,
he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world." He's
talking about his death on the cross. The Jews therefore strove
among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh
to eat? Is he expecting us to be cannibals? Then Jesus saith
unto them, Verily I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in
you, unless Christ crucified is your only food that gives
you life. You don't have any life. Who so eateth my flesh
and drinketh my blood hath eternal life. I'll raise him up at the
last day for my flesh is meat indeed. My blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I
in him as the living father has sent me and I live by the father. So he that eateth me, even he
shall live by me. This is that bread which came
down from heaven. not as your fathers did eat man
and are dead he that eateth of this bread shall live forever
these things said he in capernaum as he taught in the synagogue
many therefore of his disciples when they heard this said this
is a hard saying harsh unsympathetic dry who can hear it When Jesus knew
himself and his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, doth
this offend you? What if you shall see the Son of Man ascend
up where he was before? It's the spirit that quickeneth
the flesh, prophets nothing. The words that you're calling
harsh sayings, hard sayings that I speak unto you, they are spirit
and they are life. But there are some of you that
believe not for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believe not and who should betray him. And he said, therefore,
that's why I said unto you that no man can come unto me, except
it were given unto him of my father. From that time, many
of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the 12.
Evidently, these are the only ones that didn't go back. Everybody
else left him. and the 12 were left there standing. Then said Jesus unto the 12,
will you also go away? Is that your desire? And I have
no doubt that he's saying, doors open, you can go with them, if
that's what you want to do. Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him. Where? Lord. To whom should we go? It's not
like we have an option. It's not like we have any other
choice. Thou hast the words of eternal
life. That's the word. His words, thou
has the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ, the son of the living God. Your words
are the words of God. Jesus answered them. I love his
answer. He didn't say, well, good for
you. Congratulations. You made the
right choice. Have not I chosen thee? And one of you, the one that
is going to betray me, he's pointing out he's a devil. He's a devil. He spake of Judas Iscariot, the
son of Simon, for it was he that should betray him, being one
of the 12. Now back to John 12, we'll close. He that rejecteth me and receiveth
not my words, Christ and his words, who he is, is seen in
what he said. There's no separation. He that
rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, has one that judgeth
him. The word that I've spoken. The
word that I've spoken, that you've heard this morning. If you reject
Him, if I reject Him and His words, here's what's going to
judge me, the words that I've rejected. The same shall judge him in the
last day, for I've not spoken of myself, but the Father which
has sent me. There he goes with that again.
He gave me a commandment. What I should say and what I
should speak, everything I say and everything I speak is his
commandment. God giveth not the spirit by
measure unto him. Every word is literally the word of God. And I know that his commandment,
that word commandment. I know that His commandment is
life everlasting whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father
said unto me, so I speak." Now, what is the commandment
He is speaking of? The Father which sent me gave
me a commandment. And I know that his commandment
is life everlasting. Now, usually when we think of
a commandment, we think of something we need to do and obey. Is that
what he's speaking of? Here's my commandment. You need
to do this, that I'm commanding you or you won't be saved. You
need to obey this commandment. Well, If salvation is dependent
upon me doing something before God can save me, I have no hope. And you don't either. You may
think you do, but you don't. You don't, you're blind. If you
think that salvation is in some way in your hand, some kind of
thing you can do that will obligate God to save you, obeying some
kind of commandment, you haven't really understood the gospel.
You see, salvation comes by his commandment. Thou has given commandment to
save me, David said in Psalm 71, three. Now here is the illustration
of salvation by his commandment. The leper comes into his presence
full of leprosy. full of sin. And he says, Lord,
if you will, you can make me clean. Here's the command. I will. Be thou clean. And immediately His leprosy was
cleansed. This is salvation by His commandment. His commandment is life everlasting. Now, we can read in Ezekiel chapter
16 about a deformed child born with something wrong with him,
something bad wrong with him. You know what they did when he
was born? They threw him out in the field, polluted in his
own blood to die. There wasn't any trying to preserve
him, get rid of him. And here's what God says to this
infant, deformed at birth. And when I pass by thee, and
saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said to thee, when thou
wast polluted in thine own blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee, when thou
wast in thine own blood, live. That is life by His commandment. Now, let me leave you with this
thought. Everything God's gonna do for you, He's gonna cause
you to ask Him to do it. You know what you're gonna say?
Lord, give me commandment to live. I hope that's my prayer
and your prayer right now. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and I shall be saved. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in the name of your
son that you would give commandment for us to live and believe on
the name of your son. Believe on him whom you have
sent. That's above the strength and
energy of this flesh. We pray that you would enable
us to do this. In Christ's name we pray, amen.