Turn with me this morning, if
you would, to John chapter seven. My text will be in verse 37,
John chapter seven, verse 37. This morning we'll read a considerable
amount of scripture, but that's okay. The scriptures preach much
better than I do. Verse 37, John chapter seven. In the last day, that great day
of the feast, and this is speaking of the feast of the tabernacles,
according to verse two. If you'll look up there real
quick, it says, now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
And before we go any further here, I want to take just a couple
of minutes to tell you something about the feast of the tabernacle.
The Feast of the Tabernacles began five days after the Day
of Atonement. It fell at the time that the
fall harvest had just been completed. The Feast of the Tabernacles
was one of the three annual feasts that all the Jewish males were
obligated by the law of God to attend and appear in Jerusalem. This was a very joyous occasion
and celebration as the Israelites celebrated God's continual provisions
for them in the current harvest. And it was also at this feast
that they celebrated and remembered God's provisions and protection
of them during Israel's 40 years in the wilderness. As you know,
that word tabernacle means tent. and tents in the wilderness for
40 years. And that was typical of the believers
dwelling in these earthly tabernacles called tents, these tents of
flesh that we dwell in in our wilderness journey to heaven,
the land of promise. And what a beautiful picture
the Feast of the Tabernacles was of the Lord Jesus who tabernacled
in the body of a man. God became a man. You see, that's
what it took in order to redeem sinners like you and I. A man
must die in our place, not just any man, but a perfect man. And
it was the God-man who did so. The day of the Feast of the Tabernacles
was a day where many sacrifices were offered. It's referred to
as the Great Day of the Feast. And it pictures the offering
and sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the Messiah, who was to
come to save his people from their sin. And I find it so amazing
that the one in whom this feast pictured and typified had already
come and was among them, but they didn't even know it. Verse
11, it says, then the Jews sought him at the feast and said, where
is he? They were not seeking Christ
to worship him. They were not seeking him to
honor him. That's obvious from the very next verse, verse 12.
And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him. For some said, he's a good man. And others said, nay, but he
deceived the people. And as we can see from reading
this, there was a division among the people concerning Jesus Christ. Now back to verse 37. In the
last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. And
he that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spake of the
Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the
Holy Ghost was not yet given, because the Jesus was not yet
glorified. Verse 40, and many of the people,
therefore, when they heard this saying, said, of a truth, this
is the prophet. And others said, this is the
Christ. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Had
not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and
out of the town of Bethlehem where David was? And look at
verse 43. So there was a division, a division
among the people. because of Him. We live in a day where religion
is rampant. It's widespread, it's uncontrolled,
it's unrestrained. There are so many churches. I
remember years ago when Teresa and I lived on the north side
of town, we counted the churches that we could just see from the
highway that we drove on through town. I think it was close to
30. I didn't count all the churches on the back streets that we couldn't
see. Today, there's so many denominations, so many religions, so many divisions. Not only are there Baptist church,
but there's First Baptist and Second Baptist and Third Baptist. There are General Baptist and
Missionary Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Conservative Baptist,
Independent Baptist, Landmark Baptist, Liberty Baptist, Primitive
Baptist, Reformed Baptist, and Southern Baptist. And then in
addition to the Baptists, there are Catholic, and Methodist,
and Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Mormon, Jehovah
Witness, Episcopalian, and the list just goes on and on. There
are religions of Judaism, and Christianity, and Islam, and
Hinduism, and Buddhism, and some I can't even pronounce. I recently
read an article that claimed that 85% of the world's population
is in some type of religion or another. There are as many as
4,200 documented, I guess, different religions in the world. Why are
there so many divisions? You ever thought about it? Well,
I can answer it in three words. because of Him. Because of Him. Because of Christ. In the gospel
of Luke chapter 12, verse 51, the Lord Jesus said, suppose
ye that I am come to give peace on earth, I tell you nay, but
rather division. The religious division we see
in the world is because of Him. He said so Himself. And our Lord
Jesus went on to say there in Luke 12, for from henceforth,
there shall be five in one house divided, three against two and
two against three. The father shall be divided against
the son and the son against the father and the mother against
the daughter and the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Why? Because of
him. Turn back a page or two to John
chapter six. In verse 28, we read, then said
they, speaking of the Jews, they said unto him, what shall we
do that we might work the works of God? And Jesus answered and
said unto them, this is the work of God that you believe on him
whom he, God, has sent. And they said, therefore unto
him, what sign showest thou then that we may see and believe thee? What dost thou work? Now this
is the sign that God showed our fathers, they're saying, verse
31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert. As it is written,
he gave them bread from heaven to eat. And what they're saying
is here, what are you going to do for us? What sign are you
going to show up? Verse 32, then Jesus said unto
them, barely, barely, 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. And then
said they unto him, Lord evermore, give us this bread. And Jesus
said unto them, I am the bread of life. And he that cometh to
me shall never hunger. And he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. But I said unto you that you
also have seen me and believe not. Then in verse 41, we read,
the Jews then murmured at him because he said, I am 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 said, I came down from heaven? And Jesus therefore
answered and said unto them, murmur not among yourselves,
no man can come to me except the father which hath sent me
draw him and I'll raise him up at the last day. It's written
in the prophets, it's written in the Old Testament scriptures,
and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that
hath heard and hath learned of the father cometh unto me. Now
what the Lord is saying there is this, He's saying, in other
words, you don't know who I am because God hasn't taught you.
You don't know who I am because God hadn't revealed it to you.
Therefore, you will not come to me. Verse 50, 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. And if any man eat of this bread,
he shall live forever. Verse 52, the Jews therefore
strove among themselves. They became divided. Look down
at verse 65. And he said, and he's saying
this for the second time now, therefore said I unto you that
no man can, no man has the ability to 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. And then said Jesus
unto the 12, will you also go away? And then Simon Peter answered
him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that
thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. In verse 70,
Jesus answered them, have not I chosen you 12? and one of you
is a devil." There was a division because of him. Even among Christ's
apostles, one, Judas, was a devil. Turn over a few pages to John
chapter eight. Look at verse 56. In verse 53,
the Jews asked the Lord, They said, are you greater than our
father Abraham, which is dead, and the prophets which are dead,
whom makest thou thyself? And then in verse 56, Christ
said, your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it
and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him,
well, you're not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? And Jesus said unto them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Before Abraham was, I am that
I am, I'm God. Before there was ever a man on
this earth, I was God, I am that I am. And look what they did,
verse 59. Then took they stones, took up
stones to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself and went
out of the temple, going through the midst of them and so passed
by. God's able to do that. Division
always comes and it was always because of what our Lord said. Look at John 9, verse 16. It says here, this is where the
Lord Jesus gave sight to that man who was born blind. And in
this case, there was a division because Christ healed this man
on the Sabbath day. And in verse 16, it says, therefore
said some of the Pharisees, this man is not of God. Well, why
isn't he? Because he keepeth not the Sabbath
day. Now listen, he had just healed
a man and gave a man sight that had been born blind. This man
had never seen a day in his life. And the Lord Jesus gave him sight
and they're upset and they're divided because he did it on
the Sabbath day. Others said, how can a man that
is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among
them. and that division was because
of Him. Now look at John chapter 10,
verse 14. The Lord Jesus said, I am the
good shepherd and know my sheep and I'm known to mine. And as
the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father and I lay down
my life for the sheep. "'And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, "'them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice, "'and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
"'Therefore doth my father love me "'because I lay down my life
that I might take it again.'" No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father." Now verse 19, and there was a division therefore
again among the Jews for these saints. See that? And many of them said, he hath
a devil and he's mad. He's insane. Why do you listen
to him? Why hear you him? Look at verse
24. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, how long dost thou make us to doubt if
thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly. And Jesus answered
them, I told you and you believe not that the works that I do
in my father's name, they bear witness of me, but you believe
not because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you. My
sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I
give unto them eternal life. and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which
gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck
them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one." Now
notice the first word in the next verse, 31. Then, it's when
he said, I and my father are one, then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. And Jesus answered them and said,
many good works have I showed thee from my father. For which
of those works do you stone me? And the Jews answered him saying,
well, for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy. And because that thou, being
a man, makest thyself God." He was God. Now, our text in John
7, verse 33 was most definitely true in our Lord's day, and it's
most definitely true in our day. So there was, and there still
is, a division among the people because of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the next time you ask yourself
the question, why is there a church on every corner? Why are there
so many denominations, so many religions? Because of Him. Because of Him. What think ye
of Christ? What do you think of the Lord
Jesus Christ? Which group will you and I be
in when the Lord divides His sheep from the goats? When the
gospels preach today in the power of the Holy Spirit, there are
many who get angry, but they're not angry with me for preaching
it, or whoever does, they're angry with God. In John chapter
15, verse 21, we're close. If you want to look there, go
ahead. But the Lord Jesus said this. He said, but all these
things will they do unto you for my name's sake. Because,
you know, anytime we see that word because and our Lord's talking,
we ought to pay close attention. We need to listen to what our
Lord says or when our Lord says because. He said, because they
know not God who sent me. We talked about that in the first
hour this morning. And that's the issue. I'm not
the issue and you're not the issue. Christ is. There's a division
because of Him. Men do not hate you. We're not
worthy of their time. They hate Christ. There was a
division because of Him. And as we've already seen, they
didn't hate the Lord Jesus because of what He did. They hated Him
because of what He said, because of what He taught. The reason
most preachers' messages are not offensive today is because
they're not saying anything. Should men preach to offend?
No, I'm not saying that. But when men do preach the truth,
unbelievers are offended. In John 8, 37, Christ told the
Jews, you seek to kill me because my words have no place in you.
In Luke chapter four, verse 28, when the Lord stood up to preach
in his hometown, you remember that story? The scriptures say,
and all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things
were filled with wrath. and they rose up and they thrust
him out of the city and led him onto the brow of the hill that
they might throw him head first off of it. In John chapter six,
when the Lord Jesus spoke of being the bread of life that
we just read, many of his disciples said, this is a hard saying,
who can hear it? And from that time, many of his
disciples walked with him no more. It was what he said that
offended them. They had no problem with the
Lord when he was healing the sick. They didn't have any issues
with Christ when he was feeding the hungry. But when he began
to preach, when he began to tell men and women who he was, they
said, he's got a devil. He's insane. He's crazy. You
better not listen to him. And they took up stones to kill
him. And beloved, our Lord said in John chapter 16, the time
cometh that whosoever killeth you, think that he doth God's
service and these things will they do unto you because they
have not known the father nor me. I know some of you here looking
at you in the face this morning, whom your family hates the gospel
you believe. They literally hate it. And much
of the time you feel like they hate you, but they don't. They
just hate your God. They hate your savior. Men and
women didn't have any problem with Christ being the creator.
Men and women don't have any problem with Christ being the
Savior and the Redeemer. They don't have a problem with
the Lord Jesus being a prophet. They don't have any issues with
Him being a good man, the Son of God, a messenger from God,
a moral reformer, or even the Messiah. But they have a problem
with Him being God. They have a problem with Him
being their Lord. Oh, He can be their Savior, but
not their Lord. He can't be the Lord of their
salvation. No, that can't be. He can't save
them apart from their will. He's not able to make them willing
in the day of His power. He's not able to save them without
their help, without them making a decision, without them exercising
their will, without them giving Jesus their heart. They don't
believe the salvations of the Lord. They believe the salvation
is a cooperative effort. why them and Jesus got a good
thing going, especially when they let go and let God. Now,
if my salvation had been dependent on me letting Jesus into my heart,
I'd never believed and I'd never been saved. Thank God that Christ
busted the door down and would not leave me alone. And I know
there's some folks that have a problem with that. I'm telling
you, that's the greatest thing that ever happened to this sinner.
He didn't just knock on the door and say, won't you let me come
in? No, he wouldn't leave me alone. Thank God he didn't. He made me willing in the day
of his power to believe and trust in him because salvation is of
the Lord, period. That's what follows that in the
scriptures. I know I've told you that many times. I just love
to think about it. Salvation's of the Lord, period. Today, men
and women have the idea that everybody loves Jesus and most
people claim that they do, don't they? but they don't love the
Christ of the Bible. They love another Jesus. They
love a Jesus of their imagination, while they imagine that Christ
is altogether such a one as they are, but it's not so. It's not
so. While he was hated, despised,
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
That's what he was when he walked on earth, and that's what he
is still today. Everybody loves the Jesus that
loves everybody. Everybody loves the Jesus that
saves everybody. But they certainly don't love
the Christ who has mercy on whom He'll have mercy. They don't
love the Christ who has compassion on whom He determines to have
compassion. And they certainly don't love
the Christ who hardens whom He wills. God doesn't owe you and
me grace. We live in such an entitled world
today. You tell men and women that God
has mercy on whom he'll have mercy in the first thing out
of their mouth. Well, that's not fair. God doesn't owe us
mercy. Christ doesn't owe us life. He
doesn't owe us heaven. You know what he owes us? The
wages of sin. That's all he owes us. God is
and must be just. Now he may be merciful, but that's
at his discretion. God must punish sin. Now he may show mercy, but he
shows mercy on whom he will. I'm almost out of time, but I
want you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1, if you would. 1 Corinthians
1, I want you to look at verse 10. And Paul here is speaking
to professing believers. That's who these epistles were
written to. I think sometimes we forget that. Here in 1 Corinthians
1, verse 10, Paul speaking to believers said this. He said,
now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that y'all speak the same thing and that there be
no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment. I want to throw this
in, all believers are. They are. Verse 11, for it hath
been declared unto me of you, my brethren by them which are
of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you, and
these are the contentions. Now this I say, that every one
of you saith, I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of
Cephas, and I am of Christ. These folks had their favorite
preachers. We do too. Let's just be honest,
we do. I'm not saying there's anything
wrong with that, as long as we never put a man over Christ.
Some said, I'm with Paul, I like Paul's preaching. And some said,
oh, I'll tell you, he's good, but he ain't as good as Apollos.
And some people say, have you heard Peter preach? And then
others were pious and they were going, well, I like Jesus. Look at what Paul asked in verse
13. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were
you baptized in the name of Paul? Turn over a couple of chapters
to chapter three, 1 Corinthians chapter three, look at verse
three. Any professing believer that is divided from another,
Paul says, for ye are yet carnal, fleshly minded, for whereas there
is among you, now look, envy and strife and divisions, are
you not carnal and walk as men? Verse four, for while one sayeth
I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos, are you not carnal? Are you not being just fleshly
minded? Who then is Paul? And who is
Apollos? I'd like to ask some of these
televangelist preachers that. Who are you? Who's Paul? Who's Apollos? But ministers
by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man. And
I have planted I preached the gospel, Apollos watered by preaching
the gospel, but God gave the increase. So then neither is
he that planteth anything and neither he that watereth, but
God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that
watereth are one, no division, they're one. every man shall
receive his own reward according to his own labor for we are laborers
together with God ye are God's husbandry and ye are God's building
and according to the grace of God which is given unto me as
a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another
buildeth thereupon but let every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon. For other foundation can no man
lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." He's the sure
foundation. He's the solid rock on which
we build. There are no divisions among
God's people. You know why? Because of Him. Because of Him. God's people,
like the Apostle Paul, are determined not to know anything except Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. That's the issue. What do you
think of Christ? Whose son is He? Are you trusting
in Him? Are you relying upon Him? Are
you depending upon Him to put your sin away and give you His
perfect righteousness, which God is the only thing that God
will accept? It must be perfect to be accepted. There's only one way a sinner
can be saved. Just one. Why all the churches? Why all the denominations? Why
all the different beliefs? Why all the divisions? God in
the flesh died the just for the unjust that he might bring his
people to God. That's a simple message. Impossible
to believe apart from God's mercy and grace. that he might bring
us to God. If we're gonna be brought to
God, he's gonna have to bring us. There are no divisions in
that message, none. Oh, may God be pleased to see
to it that our faith does not stand in the wisdom of man, but
in the power of God. Amen.