who followed along with the reading
of Genesis chapter 17, did you listen to what God said? This
is his command to Abraham. He said, I am, this is 17 verse
one, I am almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect. How do you do that? How did Abraham
walk before God and God counted it as perfection? In chapter 15, God makes it abundantly
clear. He believed in the Lord. It was counted to him. It was
put on Abraham's account. Righteousness. So let's go back
to John Chapter 8. It's just remarkable that I had
a whole week of study and lots of meditation during this week
on John Chapter 8. So these verses have become very
precious. John Chapter 8, verse 51. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
this is God Almighty speaking, the man who spoke to Abraham
is called God in Genesis 17. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who
is speaking, just as he's speaking these words here to these men.
And he's speaking them to us now, isn't he? I say unto you,
if a man keep my saying, he shall never The Pharisees here had introduced
the whole topic of Abraham and they boasted about their relationship
to Abraham and the Lord Jesus Christ wasn't denying that they
were physically descended from Abraham. They certainly were
as they had the genealogical records just as he could prove
that he was descended from Abraham as well through his mother. But listen to what they say. dead. Are they greater than our
father Abraham who is dead? If only they knew how great he
was they'd be amazed at how infantile that question was. Is Abraham
alive? Is Abraham alive? According to
God Almighty he's alive. He's been alive for the last
2,000 years and he was more alive then than he ever was in his
175 years on this earth, wasn't he? He calls it life. He calls
it life. Just turn with me just back to
a couple of passages where the Lord Jesus Christ is talking
to these same people in Mark chapter Mark chapter 12, he speaks
about the error that people make and it's a very, very big error. He says in Mark chapter 12, verse
24, Jesus answered, this is after the Saturday season, didn't believe
in the resurrection, didn't believe in angels, basically didn't believe
in anything at all except themselves and their own good works and
their traditions and other things. They were just unbelievers who
ran the temple in Jerusalem. They were the party from which
the priests and others mostly came. Jesus answered and said
unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because why are people in
religion in error? This is the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. He says, Because you do not know the scriptures, neither
the power of God. That's it, isn't it? A two-fold
problem. The people who do not believe,
whether they're in religion or not, these people were intensely
religious and this was spoken in the temple courts where they
were there supposedly worshipping God. For, because, When they shall rise from the
dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are
as the angels which are in heaven. So the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking
of resurrection here. But as touching the dead that
they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, this is
an extraordinary passage to teach resurrection from, isn't it? When God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
met Moses in the bush, and the bush, of course, is a picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, isn't it? The wrath of
God fell on that bush and that bush consumed the wrath of God
and exactly what happened on Calvary 3. Every time there was
a sacrifice in the Old Testament, the sacrifice was consumed. You
think about Elijah on top of that Mount Carmel. Not only was
the sacrifice consumed, but the rocks and the water around it
were consumed. But when the Lord Jesus Christ
was a sacrifice, he absorbed the wrath of God to the full
satisfaction of the justice of God as our substitute, brothers
and sisters in Christ. He absorbed the fire of God's
wrath. And that's what the bush is about.
He's saying, and this is what God spoke to him, and the God
who spoke was the Lord Jesus Christ, saying, I am the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not
the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You therefore do greatly err. That was a great error. Turn
over with me quickly to Luke chapter 20 and I just want to
show you the same story. The same words mostly. But at the end in verse 38, there's
a glorious description of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, for
he is not, he says, He's God of the living. He's
not the God of the dead, but of the living. For all live unto
him. And literally what that says,
that last phrase, all him lives. All his body is alive all of
the time, isn't it? It's always had an existence
and it always is alive. All him, all his body, if you're
a member of him, you're a member of his body. Is his body perfect? Is his body incomplete in any
way? Is there anything going to be
missing from his body? Was there ever anything missing
from his body? All Him lives everlastingly. Just to try and emphasize the
wonder of this glorious statement that the Lord Jesus Christ makes
in John Chapter 8, I just want to go through and just read.
I won't give you the references but I just want you to listen
to how often this glorious theme of everlasting life is in the
Scriptures and in John's Gospel in particular. At the beginning
he says, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. He that believeth on the Son,
I can give you the references later on, but just listen to
these words from our Saviour as he was here walking on this
earth. He that believeth on the Son
hath, that means it's in his possession, everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. To the
woman at the well he said that the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting
life. He was speaking of the Spirit
which was to come. For as the Father raises up the
dead and quickeneth them, gives them life, even so the Son gives
life to whom he will. John 5.24 is amazing, isn't it? Truly, truly, I say unto you,
he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath. Hath. means a possession, doesn't
it? The THs mean a continuous possession,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but
is passed from death into life. And speaking of the preaching
of the gospel, he says, verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour
is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of
the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. He speaks of
himself in John chapter 6 as that bread, and the bread gives
life. This is the will of Him that
sent me. Everyone that sees the Son and believeth on Him may
have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath
everlasting life. And you might keep wondering
why the repetition? Why do we keep needing to be
reminded? Because we do need to keep being
reminded. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
not repeating himself because he's forgetful. He's repeating
himself to emphasize this glorious truth. Abraham is alive. Abraham rejoiced to see my day
and he was glad. He's still glad. 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. The bread that I will give is
my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Peter, Peter, this bread shall
live forever. The words that I speak to you,
they are spirit and they are life. And Simon Peter says, where
shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life. You have the words of eternal
life. At the tomb of Lazarus, the Lord Jesus Christ said, or
before he met them, as he was meeting Mary and Martha, he said,
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live. Listen to this remarkable
statement, John 11 and 26. Whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Do you believe that? By the grace of God, brothers
and sisters, I do believe it with all my heart. His commandment
is life everlasting. What's his commandment? 1 John
3. His commandment is to believe. His commandment is to believe
the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. Because I live, you also shall live. Together with
his dead body, Hosea 6 says, we all rise with live. This is not something that's
just laid out there for us. It's actually something that
becomes a personal possession, which is what he's been saying.
It's a personal possession of all believers. Listen, this is
eternal life, isn't it? Eternal life is given to as many
as you give to him, and this is life eternal, that they might
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent. And this is something that the
believers are encouraged to of their lives. And 1 John keeps
on saying, we know, we know, we know. You get a concordance
out and spend some time in 1 John and listen to the we knows of
1 John. We know that we have passed from death unto life because
we love the brethren. We love the brethren. We love
those who belong to God. We love those who rejoice together. We have the same father. We have
the same brother. We're members of the same family. It's a record, isn't it? It's
a testimony. And this is the record that God
has given to us eternal life and this life is in his son.
He that has the son has life. These things I have written to
you, unto you that believe, on the name of the Son of God. That
name is His character, it's everything about Him. Every single attribute
that's revealed in the Scriptures is His name. on the name of the Son of God
that you may know right now that you have eternal life and that
you may believe on the name of the Son of God. And we know that
the Son of God has come and has given us understanding that we
may know Him that is true and we are in Him that is true, even
in His Son Jesus Christ. And this is the true God and
eternal life. And you know how gloriously the
book of God's revelation finishes, doesn't it? And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. The
second death doesn't touch any of God's children. And the spirit
and the bride Boys, don't they? Come, come,
come. Don't go away, come. Let him that heareth say come,
let him that is a first come. Whosoever will, let him take
of the water of life freely. So let's turn back in our Bibles
to John chapter 8 briefly and we'll look at these glorious
words. If any man keep my saying, he
shall never see death. That word see is the word to
behold, to perceive, to look upon in a sense, personally.
It's just interesting that the Pharisees in his presence
take his words and just change it slightly, don't they? They
say, we know you have a devil, now we know you have a devil.
Abraham's dead, we know Abraham died. The Bible says Abraham
died. And Isaac, and all the prophets.
Also the Bible said some people didn't die. Enoch didn't die. Elijah didn't die. God is the God of the living.
They say, if any man keep my saying, he shall never taste
of death. To taste is to experience death. So, I'm not sure what the subtlety
is of it. Obviously death encompasses all
of the emotions of people. The Lord Jesus Christ is declared
to be the one we see. We see Jesus. We see Jesus. Hebrews chapter 2. We don't see
all the things we want to see, and we don't see all the things
as clues. We'd love to see them, but we see Jesus. I love that
phrase. We see Jesus. We see Jesus. He's put all things
in subjection to Him. We don't see that, do we? We
don't see everything in this world in subjection to Him. It
is. Every little tiny thing that wriggles in this universe is
wriggling exactly as the Lord Jesus Christ ordained. We, but we now, but now we see
not yet all things put on Him this coming a time. But, it doesn't
matter what you see in this world of the things of the flesh, but
we see Jesus. We see Jesus who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor. He, by the grace of God, should
taste death for every man." What an act of grace for God to send
a substitute into this world. What an act of grace for the
Lord Jesus Christ to come. By the grace of God, And for
anyone who thinks that every man is every single human being
and ever lived, they're sadly, sadly mistaken because the rest
of Hebrews and the rest of the scriptures go on to define this
every man. For it became him for whom are
all things, by whom are all things. in bringing many sons into glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. For which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren? And I saying, I will declare
thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the church, I will
sing praise unto thee. Again I will put my trust in
him, and again behold I and the children which God has given
me. Let's go back to our text in
John chapter eight. Again and again, we are commanded
to believe. We are encouraged to believe. We're just encouraged to believe
the record that God has given of his son. And to not believe
the record that God has given unto his son is to declare God
a liar. Please don't do it, brothers
and sisters, and don't join with those who do say he's a liar. He says, if any man keep my saying,
keep my saying. What is it to keep the saying
of the Lord Jesus Christ? It's to accept it by faith. It's to embrace it. It's to embrace
it. Listen to those words, we read
them out of Hebrews chapter 11 last week, but they are just
so, so glorious and they're so relevant to what we're looking
at here, isn't it? This is talking about the promises.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off. This is what it is to keep the
message, to see them afar off. They are persuaded of them. and embraced them. They hold
them dear to their heart. This is all of our Exumun basket,
brothers and sisters. God be true and every man a liar.
We have nowhere else to go. We embrace them and confessed. They confessed that in this world
they are strangers and pilgrims on this earth. You accept it,
you embrace it, you hold it. And it's to obey the command
of God, isn't it? What's the command of God? Walk
before me and be thou perfect. How do you be perfect? You believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is your perfection. He walked
this earth before God in perfect holiness, in perfect obedience
to the Lord God, in perfect love, in thought and word and deed
to his father all of the time. And all him lives. all of our righteousness. That
was Abraham's righteousness. That was Abraham's perfection
before God. You read the story of Abraham and there's a whole
bunch of sin revealed in Abraham's life and a whole bunch of unbelief.
But his trust, his faith was in the faithful one. To keep
my saying is to accept it by faith. To keep my saying is to
obey it. To keep my saying means to stand
guard over it. to stand guard over it. Listen to what verse 55 in John
8 says, that you have not known him, but I know him. And if I
should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you, but
I know him and keep his saying, keep his saying. To hear his words, to hear the
gospel proclaimed, to hear the faith of the faithful one declared
to us is a glorious grace gift from God. But how much more precious
is it if it's just a possession? Many people see it from afar.
God's children embrace it. They embrace it and they love
it, don't they? Jesus said, if any man love me,
John 14, 23, if any man love me, he will keep my words. He will accept it, he will obey
it, he will embrace it, he will hold it to himself. And my Father
will love him and we will come to him and make our abode with
him. It's all about love, isn't it? You trace all of the glorious
graces of God back to a source, and you'll find that God just
loves his people. And the cause of his love for
us, brothers and sisters, is in himself. He loves us freely. The cause is in him. He that
loveth me not Keepeth not my sayings. Keepeth not my sayings. This is a promise, isn't it? A promise that these sayings
kept will be passed on to the disciples. The servant is not
greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they
will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying,
they will keep yours also. And turn with me to John Chapter
17. This prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ is something that ought
to be studied, rejoiced over, written down, put to your cause and kept. This is a prayer of the Lord
Jesus. This is the real Lord's prayer,
isn't it? Listen to how he prays. I have, verse six, manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of thy world. Thine
they were. They always belonged to you,
Father. And thou gavest them me. And they have kept thy word. Now if you look at that bunch
of apostles in the next 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, 6 weeks after
this, how did they keep his word? They embraced it, they accepted
it by faith, they stood guard over it, and they looked to the
One who was the Word. They looked to Him in grace. It's all of grace from our God. Now they have known, verse 7
of John 17, now they have known that all things whatsoever thou
hast given me are of thee. For I have given come to people in this age. I
have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they
have received them, and know surely that I came out from thee,
and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them. Oh, how precious it is for the
Lord Jesus Christ to pray for us. What a remarkable thing that
he's praying right now in heaven, brothers and sisters. And the
Blessed Holy Spirit is taking the grounds that we can't understand
and can't answer with any clarity whatsoever. And he takes them
to the Father. They've kept thy word. Abraham
kept thy word. It is keeping the faith, isn't
it? And in the case of Abraham, the
father of all the faithful, Abraham kept it in such a way. He rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad. The Apostle Paul finished his
life saying, I have fought the good fight. I have finished my
cause. I have kept the faith. The faith is the gospel. The
faith is the declaration of the activities of the faithful one.
The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. I'm crucified
with Christ. That is the depth of my union.
I'm crucified with Him. I'm buried with Him. I'm raised
with Him. I'm in union with Him perfectly. I'm crucified with
Christ. Nevertheless, I live. But yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live
in the flesh. This is keeping the faith, brothers
and sisters, and this is eternal life. The life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith, the faithfulness of the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me. eternal, brothers and sisters,
isn't it? It's not a theological proposition. It's a declaration.
It's an operation of God in the heart, and it causes his people
not to see, not to taste death. They shall never see death. They shall never see death. Let's turn briefly in closing
to that story of what it is for people to die, whether you leave
this world, and I pray that none here are of that ilk in any way
at all. I pray that you are caused to
go from here rejoicing and being glad like Abraham. But let's
hear what God says. Let's hear what the Lord Jesus
Christ says about what happens at death. They were saying Abraham
was dead. The proposition that the Lord
Jesus Christ has presented that Abraham is alive and he's rejoicing.
Abraham's rejoicing is an everlasting rejoicing. Luke 16 verse 19. And there was
a certain rich man. This is not a parable, brothers
and sisters. I don't believe for one moment that this is a
parable. No one else has ever named in parables and there's
never a parable with these particular elements in it, no matter what
the theologians try and do. There was a certain rich man.
which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fed sumptuously
every day. And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus. This is a story for beggars,
brothers and sisters. Beggars, beggars are thirsty. Beggars are those who receive
eternal, which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring
to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.
Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass
that the beggar died, listen to what happened to the beggar
when he died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's
bosom. Now there's a beach, isn't it,
out at Currarong called Abraham's bosom. The reason it's called
Abraham's bosom is when the big southerly spores came and you
were in a sailing ship, or any sort of little ship, if you could
get round the headland of Currarong and back into that little area
there, all of a sudden all the storms and all the dangers And you have a harbour, Abraham's
bosom. First sermon over priest was
out there at Abraham's bosom. Anyway, he was carried by the
angels. That's what happens when people
die. What happened to Elijah? That chariot came. The angels into Abraham's bosom,
and the rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lifted
up his eyes, being in torments and seeing Abraham afar off.
Was Abraham dead? They said Abraham was dead. They
saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried and
said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that
he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, Remember
that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and
thou art tormented. And besides all this, between
us and you, there is a great goal fixed, so that they which
would pass from hence to you children to be lost. It is impossible
for anyone to take them out of the Father's hand. Thankfully
it's impossible for us to take ourselves out of the Father's
hand. His gifts and his callings are without any repentance at
all. He knows no change. so that they
which would pass from hence to you cannot, and neither can they
pass to us that would come from hence. Then he said, I pray thee
therefore, Father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's
house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify under them,
lest they also come under this place of torment. Abraham saith
unto him, They have Moses and the prophets. "'Let them hear them.' "'And
he said, "'No, Father Abraham, "'but if one went unto them from
the dead, "'they will repent.' "'And he said unto them, "'If
they hear not Moses and the prophets, "'neither will they be persuaded,
"'though one rose from the dead.'" Verily, verily, I say unto you,
the Lord Jesus Christ says unto you, if a man keep my saying,
all of it, all of it, bar none. It doesn't say we have to understand
it all, brothers and sisters, it says we have to embrace it
and say amen, amen. If any man keep my saying, He
shall never see death. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father,
we pray that you would work in our hearts, Heavenly Father,
that we might, like Abraham, and all the believers throughout
time, know the joy and the peace of believing. Be merciful to
us, our Father. Make us to be beggars. Make us
to be beggars continually. Lord, save us. Lord, be merciful
to us. Lord, make us to hear thy voice. Lord, make us to come and to
embrace and to rejoice in who you are and your great mercy. Make your blood precious to us,
our saviour, for we pray in Jesus' name and for his glory. Amen.