And I'm going to start this,
too. All right, we're going live, people. Let's all stand and begin our
second service by singing Blessed Assurance 255. Blessed Assurance. 255. Was it assurance, Jesus is mine? Who would afford taste the glory
divine? Care of salvation, purchase of
God? Born of His Spirit, washed in
His blood. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Savior all the day
long. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Savior all the day
long. Perfect submission, perfect delight. Visions of rapture now burst
on my sight. Angels descending, bring from
above. Echoes of mercy, whispers of
love. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Saviour all the day
long. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Saviour all the day
long. Perfect submission, all is at
rest. I in my Saviour, and happy and
blessed. Watching and waiting, looking
above. Filled with His goodness, lost
in His love. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Savior all the day
long. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Savior all the day
long. Brother Drew Dietz is doing well,
but he's not back to preaching yet. And one of the men there
that's preaching today, I've known him since he was a baby,
40 years old now, but he's going to preach out of Lamentations
3. So I thought I'd read. You called me this morning. We
discussed it a little bit and I thought I'd read it now. I'm
not going to read it all. It's read half this week and
half next week. It's sixty six verses long but
I did take the time to read this morning after we talked and thought
it would be definitely something that we could benefit from. So
limitations three will read the first thirty three verses and
then finish it next week. I am the man that has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me and brought me
into darkness, but not into light. Surely against me as he turned,
he turneth his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my
skin hath he made old. He hath broken my bones. He hath
builded against me and encompassed me with gall and travail. He
has set me in dark places as they that be dead of old. He has hedged me about that I
cannot get out. He has made my chain heavy. Also,
when I cry and shout, he shut out my prayer. He has enclosed
my ways with hewn stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He was unto me a bear lying in wait and as a lion in secret
places. He had turned aside my ways and
pulled me in pieces and he had made me desolate. He had bent
his bow and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused
the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. I was a derision
to all my people and their song all the day. He hath filled me
with bitterness. He hath made me drunken with
wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth
with gravel stones. He hath covered me with ashes.
And thou hast removed my soul far from peace. I forgot prosperity. And I said, my strength and my
hope is perished from the Lord, remembering my affliction and
my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath thou still
in remembrance and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind,
therefore I have hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed, but we are not consumed because his compassions
fail not. They are new every morning, great
is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith
my soul, therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto
them that wait for him, and the soul that seeketh him. It is
good that a man should both hope and quietly wait. for the salvation
of the Lord. It is good for a man that he
bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone and keepeth
silence because he hath borne it upon him. He put his mouth
in the dust. If so, there may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that
smiteth him. He is filled full with reproach
for the Lord will not cast off forever. But though he calls
grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of
his mercies, for he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve
the children of men. And we'll stop there and finish
it next week. Father, we come to you this morning thankful
for this passage of scripture. And Lord, we're thankful that
your compassion never fails. And Lord, without your compassion,
without your mercy, we would be as the first several verses,
Lord, just there with the lion and the bear lying in wait for
us. But Father, you have chosen to show compassion and mercy
to a group of people. And Father, we're so thankful
for that. And Lord, we're thankful for
a church to come to. Father, many of us search for
such a long time for a place to go. and you've decided to
build a work here and we ask that it grow at your discretion. And Lord, we ask that you continue
to watch over our pastor as he brings the messages and as he
studies. And Lord, we just ask that you watch over and care
for us, watch over our health and our well-being. We ask that
in Christ's name. Let's sing 326, more about Jesus,
326. More about Jesus would I know. More of His grace to others show. More of His saving fullness see. More of His love who died for
me. More, more about Jesus, More,
more about Jesus, More of His saving fullness see, More of
His love who died for me. More about Jesus let me learn,
more of His holy will discern. Spirit of God my teacher be,
showing the things of Christ to me. More, more about Jesus
More, more about Jesus More of His saving fullness see More
of His love who died for me ? More about Jesus in his word ? ? Holding
communion with my Lord ? ? Hearing his voice in every line ? ? Making
each faithful saying mine ? ? More, more about Jesus in his word
? More, more about Jesus, more of His saving fullness see, more
of His love who died for me. More about Jesus on his throne,
riches in glory all his own. More of his kingdom sure increase,
more of his coming Prince of Peace. More, more about Jesus. More, more about Jesus. More of His saving fullness see. More of His love who died for
me. Thank you. Good morning. All right, let's turn to John
chapter 12. John 12, and I want to cover verses 44 through 50
with you. Let's begin reading what our
Lord cried in the opening verse, verse 44. Jesus cried and said,
He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent
me. Now this is the last time that
many of these Jews are going to hear Christ speak. And he's declaring to them who
he is and what he's come to do in fulfilling the Father's will
for his people. And so he's telling them exactly
who he is. There's nothing kept secret.
There's nothing that the Lord's hiding from anyone. He's declaring
plainly and boldly the truth of who he is. He's making it
known to everyone in speaking these words and declaring these
words and recording it in his word where his word is read throughout
the week every week every day since since he's he's recorded
here in in the word and so we ought to take note of of what's
happening here how many of these Jews were there and they didn't
believe they didn't hear they didn't give him any heed attention
to the things that he was saying but let us remember this is our
Lord who came in the flesh our mediator this is our risen Lord
and Savior who rose from the dead after he laid down his life
for you his beloved bride this is our ascended King who now
sits on the throne of of God ruling and reigning and implementing
the will of God for you, both in heaven and in the earth. And so, pray, brethren, that
we hear our Lord always with understanding. Otherwise, we're
just hearing it as these Jews heard it, with a fleshly ear
and a hard heart and blind eyes, unable to know this is my God
and my Savior. I pray the Lord bless us this
morning and always to hear our Savior and to rejoice in Him.
So our Lord is teaching us here that to believe on Him is to
believe on God. we stumble over that where he
says he that believeth on me believeth not on me but a good
clean way to read it is he that believeth on me believeth on
him that sent me you that believe me you believe my father who
sent me and so any man that says i believe god i believe god i
just don't really give any any he to this Jesus of Nazareth,
this one who, this Jesus Christ. I don't really believe in him.
That one who says he believes in God and doesn't believe Christ
and thinks he has a relationship with God, he's a liar. He's a
deceiver. He's deceived himself and he's
not speaking the truth and he's yet in his sins. And this is how we all speak. We all speak falsely and we speak
lies until we're given the Spirit of God and given life by the
Spirit of God and made alive by Him, being born of the seed
of Christ, whereby we have the light of Christ shining in us,
making known to us all things. All things. I've titled this
word, I've titled this message, Believe God by Believing Christ. believe God by believing Christ. So let's look at verse 44 again,
John 12, 44. Jesus cried and said, he that
believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And so here is very plain and
simple language. And he's telling us that faith
in Christ is faith in God. Faith in Christ, believing Christ
is believing your God. It doesn't work the other way
around though. You can't believe God and not believe Christ. But
you that believe Christ, that's how we believe our God. We're
trusting our God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's how we believe him. That's
how we trust him. That's how we're testifying,
yes, Lord, you're faithful, honest, true, and just, and perfect in
all your ways. You sent your son. to save your
people, Lord, save me, have mercy on me. All other hopes and professions
that people make of God, they're just delusions. They're just
dead sinners yet in their sins, they have a vain hope. He that
does not know God is yet enmity. He that doesn't know Christ is
yet enmity against God and has no light or knowledge concerning
God. He's still spiritually dead. And so to come to God, our Lord
teaches us throughout his word that we must be perfect. No man
shall see the Lord who's a sinner. who's yet in his sins. No one
shall stand before the Lord in that day, but only by the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's how we're made perfect.
That's how our God perfects us and how he accepts us, how he
receives us. We're being received by our God. There's an article in the bulletin
today that was written by Pastor Paul Mayhem, and he speaks about
accepting or rejecting. And man foolishly says, I've
accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. God isn't the one on trial. We're
the ones on trial. And we're either condemned already
or we're not condemned by the grace of our God as he chose
us in Christ. And you that believe Christ,
That's a gift of God, that's not of your flesh. That's your
God testifying to you that you are his, that he's called you
to himself. So I wanna show you this. Turn
over to Ephesians chapter one. We've read this a lot. Ephesians
one, we're gonna pick up in verse three and read down to verse
10, but in every verse, In every verse that we come to, is this
eight verses? Every verse, it speaks of the, it shows us that
our salvation is directly, immediately tied to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every verse, I'll emphasize Christ
in each verse. Ephesians 1 verse 3, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. There we see that our blessings,
our spiritual blessings are tied directly to Christ. According
as he hath chosen us in him, in Christ before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein, wherein,
he's speaking about Christ, wherein in Christ he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. in whom we have redemption through
His blood. The Lord Jesus Christ shed blood,
the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Verse
8, wherein in Christ He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will
according to His good pleasure. His good pleasure is Christ. He is well pleased with the Son,
which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Christ. both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in him." In the Lord Jesus Christ. Every
verse, it ties all our hope, all our salvation, all our security,
all our forgiveness, all our life everlasting is tied to our
husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we are married, by whom
we are redeemed, by whom we know the true and living God and have
fellowship with him, all blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ given
to us by our God in him. And so our Lord is declaring
to these Jews that are all about him on this final day that they're
going to see him in this manner before he's taken and brought
to the cross. All these Jews and us who are
reading these words this day Christ alone, he's showing us
that Christ alone is the mediator between God and men. He is the
salvation God has provided. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so if your sins are forgiven,
it's only going to be by the blood of Christ. It's only going
to be by the Holy Spirit sent to the Father and the Son to
wash us by the blood of Christ, to remove the guilt and shame
of our conscience, to establish us in the Kingdom of our God
and Savior and His Son. And God only receives redeemed
sinners. He only receives those who are
redeemed by the blood of Christ, purchased by the Lord, coming
robed in His righteousness. So when he says in John 12.44,
He that believeth on me believeth not on me, but on him that sent
me, it means that Christ himself is the true object of our faith.
We're believing Him. We're confessing Him. We're trusting
that His blood is sufficient for me. And He's the one that
is set before us in the gospel. He's the one that all the preaching
of the Word of God is pointing our hearts to, directing our
eyes and our attention and our ears to Christ. Christ. That's our salvation. And so
the Father's well pleased with His Son. That's why He points
us to Christ, because everything for the sinner is fully provided
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's well pleased with Him. It's God's good pleasure, and
He's well pleased with all who come to Him in the Son. You that
have no other hope, you that have no righteousness of your
own, But come in the Son, trusting His blood is sufficient. God
is well pleased with you. He's well pleased with you in
Christ. And so the reason why is because
that is God's will. God's will and purpose that He's
given to us throughout His word is showing to us that God will
be gracious to you. in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
where he's purposed to meet with his people. That's where he's
purposed to put away our sin. That's where he's purposed to
give us life and every spiritual blessing in Christ. And so by
believing in Christ, you're believing God also. You're believing in
the one who sent him. By worshiping Christ, you're
worshiping the one who sent him. By praising him, you're praising
the one who sent him for his wisdom and beauty and power and
glory for providing such a full, complete, unable to fail salvation. It just can't be undone and it
can't fail. Can't fail, it's perfect. And
he's the one who did it. He committed us all to the care
of his son. so wisely, so perfectly, before
the foundation of the world was ever laid. He took into care
every single detail to ensure your salvation, that none of
you is lost. None of you shall come short
of that righteousness, that glory, that eternal life and inheritance
in Christ. None of his sheep shall ever
come short of that. Now, if any of us believes Christ,
we know that our faith, the faith that we have, has been given
to us. We wonder, sometimes we get scared
and we think, maybe I'm just kidding myself. Maybe I'm seeking
the Lord and he won't forgive me. No, you that believe Christ,
you that have no other hope, that's faith. And that faith
is the gift of God. It's not of your flesh, it's
of the gift of God. You that continue in Him, it's
the gift of God. If you don't continue, than it
was of your flesh, but you that can't not believe. All you can
do is trust. Even when you don't see anything
in yourself that gives you hope, that's a good thing, because
that's not the foundation of our hope and confidence in God,
that we see things that we like. It's that we see Christ. It's
that we keep seeing Christ and keep looking to Him and aren't
looking away from Him. Turn over to John 6, and we'll
see this. John 6, verses 44 and 45. Christ tells us this very truth.
John 6, 44, no man can come to me except the Father which hath
sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught
of God. All my people will be taught
of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned
of the Father cometh unto me. You that come to Christ, you
that are believing on him, it's by the grace of God. One more now, go to 1 John 2.
1 John 2, and then don't turn away from 1 John right away.
1 John 2, let's look at verses 22 and 23. John writes, who is a liar but
he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He's antichrist that
denieth the father and the son. It's a union. You deny one, you're
denying the other. You can't split them apart. Whosoever denieth the son, the
same hath not the father. He that acknowledgeth the son
hath the father also. They come together, and that's
what God has taught you. You don't try to separate Christ
and God. You believe Christ, and so you
believe the Father. You're trusting Him who sent
Him. And so if we receive Christ,
we receive the Father who sent Him. If we despise Christ, we
despise the Father who sent Him. Now go to 1 John 4.15. 1 John
4.15, whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the
Son of God, God dwelleth in Him, and He in God." You see that? You that believe Christ, it's
because God dwells in you. It's because you know the Father. Otherwise, you wouldn't believe
the Son. But because you believe the Son, it's because God dwells
in you and has revealed that faith and hope in you. For therein,
Paul said, is the righteousness of God Revealed from faith to
faith as it is written the just shall live by faith and so Because
that's the will of God that the just live by faith. He gives
it to all his children He gives faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
now speaking of revelation our Lord says back in John 12 Let's
look at verse 45 He says, he that seeth me seeth
him that sent me. Now here's a wonderful, amazing
word, a wonderful thought, that when Christ entered the world
robed in flesh, he made the invisible God visible to man. He made the
invisible God visible to man because in him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily in Christ. But as wonderful as
that is, our Lord means something more. He's speaking spiritually
here to his people. And so you that see Christ by
the eye of faith which God has given you, you see him as the
God-man mediator. He's not just a man to you. He's
not just a good man, a prophet, a special man. He's the God-man
mediator whom the Father has sent to save his people from
their sins. He accomplished our redemption. He shed his blood, making an
atonement for our sin, to put away our sin, to give us life
and light and liberty by his grace and sending his spirit.
He did all this that God may be just to justify us, because
we are righteous before God in his son, to declare his righteousness
that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. Now, as we behold Christ and
all his glory of redemption, we're beholding the wisdom and
the glory of our God. We're seeing the glory of God. We're seeing the power and the
wonder of our God, who provides richly for his people. Turn over
to John 14. John 14, we're gonna first look
at verse one. Our Lord says to us, let not
your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also
in me. In another place, our Lord said
back in John 8, verse 54, he said, it's my father that honoreth
me, of whom ye say that he is your God. If God is your God,
you believe also in Christ, because he dwells in his people. Now
look at verse six through 10. John 14, 6, Jesus saith unto
him, speaking to Philip, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me,
ye should have known my Father also. And from henceforth, from
here forward, ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto
him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith
unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou
not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. And how sayest thou then, Show
us the Father? Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works. And so we see that precious union
between the Father and the Son. We see how faithful Christ is,
coming not to do his own will, but to do the will of the Father,
who purposed to save his people in the Christ, in the Savior.
And in Christ we behold the love of God that He has for you, His
chosen people, His beloved people. For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. And so not only are we
given a much greater understanding and knowledge of our God by Christ,
but we see how that Christ who is the light sheds light on everything. He reveals all things to us. In John 12 back in John 12 46
this is what he says, I am come a light into the world that whosoever
believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And that's where
we begin to see and understand and know the things of God. And
by Him, we see and know and understand all the things that our God is
revealing to us and teaching us. It's by Christ. So that through every adversity,
we know that all things work together for good. them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now he said in John 8 verse 12
he said I am the light of the world and he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life
and then in Proverbs 28 verse 5 we're told they that seek the
Lord They that seek the Lord understand all things." All things. Christ is the light and in Him
we understand all things. Now that might seem a bit strange
to some because we have questions and we don't know the answers
to all things. So how is it that we understand
all things? We that trust Christ, we that
look to Him, and see the things, the various troubles that we
all have in this life and the disappointments and the trials
that we go through, though we don't always know why a thing
is happening. We don't always know what the
outcome is going to be, but what our Lord does give us an understanding
of is that He is sovereign, and He sits on the throne, and all
things are ordered and sure by Him. It's all working according
to His will and purpose for you, for your good, in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's an understanding. That's
the understanding that our God gives us. We don't need to know
the answer to M.C. squared. We don't need to know
all the answers to physics and science and mathematics and literature
and be able to speak wisely in every situation by having the
right answer, if you will, to that pertinent thing. But we
do know that our God is sovereign and he's seated on the throne.
and nothing comes to pass except He wills it and purposes it for
our good. To the glory and praise of His
name and for our good. It's all coming together exactly
as He purposes. John wrote in 1 John 2 verse
20, but ye have an unction from the Holy One and ye know all
things. You do know all things. You know
Him who is all. You know Christ. And everything's
secure in Him. Everything's perfect in Him.
And He's teaching you and has taught you and is teaching you.
Trust Him. Leave it with Him. Cast all your
care upon Him, for He careth for you. And so we may leave
it at His feet and know that it's all taken care of. We may
cry out to Him. We may call upon Him. We may
breathe before him words that can't even be uttered, and know,
Lord, you have everything. You've got it all in your Son. You've got everything taken care
of. So in Christ also, we're taught. We're taught, I'm a vile
sinner, so that we let go of our own righteousness. We part
from those things that cannot save. We're not trusting in the
law. It's the Lord who taught you that. The faith that you
have is taught to you, given to you by Jesus Christ. You know that He's sufficient
to save you to the uttermost and you trust Him. That's all
given to us by the light of Christ who's revealed that to us and
turned us from false ways and dark ways and vain ways. and
brought us into the light of his son, brought us into the
light of Christ. And so our Lord, he takes his
lost sheep, he removes them from utter and complete darkness and
confusion and false ways and dead end ways and ways of death,
and he brings us into the kingdom of light whereby we know Lord,
Thank you. I'm as satisfied with Christ
as you are satisfied with Christ. I want no other righteousness.
I don't want to go anywhere else. Lord, where else can we go? You
alone have the words of eternal life. And so that's Christ who
gives that to you. That's his light that shines
that and gives that knowledge. You know all things in Christ.
And that's what he's, you that know Christ, though you don't
know anything else, you know all things. There's nothing hid
from you because you're perfect in Him. You're accepted in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And so that's what our Lord brings
us to see. It's all done and complete in Him. It's all sufficient
in Christ. Now, our Lord then says in verse
47, John 12, 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." And so our Lord is speaking here. We
know the Lord Jesus Christ is going to judge all men. But he's
speaking here in his first coming. The purpose of his first coming
was that he came in the flesh. He came in the weakness of the
flesh. He came not to destroy his enemies. He came to save
his people from their sins. If he had shown his light and
shown his power, they wouldn't have been able to crucify him.
They never would have put him to death and then we'd still
be in our sins. So he came faithfully in meekness,
doing the will of the Father perfectly. to bring about our
salvation, to accomplish our atonement. That's how faithful
he is. So he didn't come to start destroying
his enemies. There is coming a judgment day
and Christ is gonna judge the people, but he came first to
gather his sheep so that his sheep would be delivered from
the everlasting death and punishment that is coming upon the inhabitants
of the earth who know not God, who have no part in Christ. He
delivered you from that by doing what he did and coming the way
he came as a lamb, a lamb of God, as our sacrifice for our
sins. So now is the accepted day. Now is the accepted time. Behold,
now is the day of salvation. And hear what the prophet Micah
said. He said it this way, Micah 7, 18, who is a god like unto
thee? that partimeth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression
of the remnant of his heritage, he retaineth not his anger for
ever, because he delighteth in mercy." And that's why His Son accomplished
your salvation. He's the successful Savior. He did not fail. That's why you're
here, why you believe, and why all His sheep are gathered together
in Christ, in one body, in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting Him
even this very hour. those lost sheep who are yet
his they too shall be brought in before our Lord returns they
shall all be saved not one of them is lost. Now look at verse 48 John 12
48 he that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth
him the word that I have spoke The same shall judge him in the
last day. Now this word that Christ speaks
of is the gospel word. It's the gospel. The gospel is
going to judge the wicked in the last day when our Lord returns
to judge the people of the earth. Paul said it this way in Romans
2 16. He said in that day when God shall judge the secrets of
men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. That's what he's
saying. Christ is going to judge the
people and it's by the gospel. Our Lord said, he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall
be damned. And what our Lord is doing in
declaring the gospel is he's erasing all the middle ground
that men try to flee to. Men try to sidestep, they don't
want to get involved with religion, they don't want to get into these
confrontations, and they think that by remaining disinterested
and remaining in a neutral posture and a neutral ground that somehow
they're safe. And the Lord's saying there is
no middle ground. You're either with me, you're
either of my sheep or you're not of my sheep. You're either
for me or you're against me. And so there's a truth, the truth,
the Lord Jesus Christ, whom our God has made known to us through
the preaching of his word, his gospel word, and man's indifference
that he thinks is protecting him, that he's hiding behind
us. I'm just going to straddle this fence here. What the Lord
is showing us is that, no, that's just lightly esteeming. the Son
whom I've sent." That's despising the Son whom I've sent. That's
despising the Lord, the Father, who sent him. And so the only
safe ground that any of us has is in the blood of Christ. Flee to the refuge that God has
provided for his people. Freely, abundantly, in this day
of grace, flee to the Son. Look to Him, cry out to Him for
mercy, because He receives all that come to Him, and ask Him
for mercy. He'll turn none away. You that
are sinners, you that need a Savior, go to the Son. Look to Him now.
Trust Him. ask him to have mercy on you,
he turns none away. None away. He's gracious to all
who call upon him. And all to whom he is gracious,
they call upon him. They do call upon him. Now, I'm
aware that man is going to do what he wants to do. Man by nature
does exactly what his nature wants to do. And that's why God
changes the nature of his people. That's why he makes his people
new creatures, new creatures in Christ. When our Lord came
into this world in the flesh, he tells us the wicked were condemned
already. They were already condemned.
They didn't believe the truth. Look over at John 3. Let's go
to John 3 for a few verses. John 3, 17, 17 and 18. For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world, that the world through him might
be saved. He that believeth on Christ is
not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because
he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And so our Lord is saying that
man was already in a state of enmity and rebellion against
God. And the fruit of their condemnation is made evident in their rejection
of Christ. They just do what's very natural
to them, to themselves to do. And so he doesn't believe God,
but his hatred of God is put on display. It's put on display
and made evident that he has not the love of God dwelling
in him. He has no love of God in him. Now, Let's look at verses
19 and 20. And this is the condemnation,
that light is coming to the world. Christ came into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil. For everyone that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. but also that one who is given
life by the Lord Jesus Christ, they manifest fruit as well.
They manifest fruit consistent with one who is a child of God,
one who is born of the Spirit of God. The way their life is
manifested is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they were
not condemned. They were delivered and Christ
came to fulfill all that was needed to ensure their life and
salvation. Verse 21, John 3, 21, he that
doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest
that they are wrought in God. Now God has wrought these works
in us by his power, his glory, his salvation. He's given us
a new nature. He's regenerated his people.
in the appointed time, in the hour of their salvation, he regenerates
his people by sending the Holy Spirit, who gives light and life
and liberty in the Lord Jesus Christ, taking the things of
Christ, the seed, the incorruptible seed of Christ, whereby we are
born again to know our God and to rejoice in him. All right,
now let's begin to wrap this up, looking back in John 12,
verses 49 and 50. Our Lord says, I have not spoken
of myself, but the Father which sent me, he hath given 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 unto me, so I speak. And so our Lord and Savior is
faithful to the will of God his Father. He's faithful to save
his people. And this commandment of God is
that all who see the Son, all who see that he is the salvation
of God and hear his voice, They believe on Him. They trust Him. And that's why all I can say
to you is look to Christ. Believe Him. He is the very salvation
God has provided. There is no salvation in any
other. We cannot save ourselves and
there's not another Savior. It's Jesus Christ alone. There's
no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. If you don't believe in Christ,
He tells us you'll die in your sins and you'll stand before
God to pay the penalty, the eternal punishment for your sins that
you've committed because you have no remedy. You have no Savior. If you don't believe Christ,
you have no Savior. Christ said in John 8, 24, I
said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins. For if ye believe not that I
am he, ye shall die in your sins. Christ was sent of God as the
mediator between God and men, the one who gathers the sheep
together in his body, making us whole before God. So I urge
you, go to Christ, look to him, believe him, trust him. He's
all the salvation. He's all that the sinner needs
to stand complete before Holy God. Beg Him. And you that believe
Christ, rest in Him. Rest in Him. Keep looking to
Him. Continue in Him. Look to no other. Don't even look to yourself.
Don't look within. Trust Him. Because He is salvation
for His people. 1 John 3.23-24 This is his commandment,
that we should believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth
his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby
we know that He abided in us by the Spirit which He hath given
us." And so that's how you know that you're hearing what Christ
is saying. You believe Him. You know, Lord,
if this isn't salvation, I cannot be saved. There is no other. There is no way. I'm not righteous
in myself. I can't work righteousness for
myself, but you sent Christ And he's sufficient, Lord, keep me,
cover me with his blood, save me, Lord. And he tells us this
promise in John 5, 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation. And here it is,
but is passed from death unto life. So rejoice in the Lord. Be glad in Him because you that
trust Christ are sufficient. You could walk out this door
and be hit by a bus and you're complete in the Lord Jesus Christ
if He's all your hope and you trust in Him. And if you're the
Lord's, you do trust Him. You do trust Him because He in
whom God dwells, He reveals the Son and the Son reveals the Father
to you. Amen. Okay, let's pray, brethren. Our gracious Lord, we thank you,
Father, for your mercy and your grace, for your power, Lord,
that reveals your Son in us. Lord, we're so thankful that
you leave nothing to the sinner. You leave nothing to us. to do,
to accomplish first, but Lord, you bring all these things to
pass in your people. You bear every fruit. You provide
every bit of our salvation, and we're thankful, Lord. Keep us
ever looking to Christ and trusting him. Lord, we pray for our brethren
who are sick. We ask that you would heal them
and that you would make them well soon and restore them to
us. Lord, we thank you for this work here. We thank you for all
the people that you've gathered here. We pray that you would
bless each one. And Lord, that you would call
out your lost sheep from the various neighborhoods around
us and that you will bring them in to hear the gospel, that you
will give them an ear to hear and an eye to see and faith and
hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's in his name we pray and
give thanks. Amen. All right, brother. Let's all stand and sing the
lily of the valley, 447. I have found a friend in Jesus.
447. I've found a friend in Jesus,
he's everything to me, he's the fairest of ten thousand to my
soul. The lily of the valley, in him
alone I see, all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole. In sorrow
he's my comfort, in trouble he's my stay, he tells me every care
on him to roll. He's the lily of the valley,
the bright and morning star, he's the fairest of ten thousand
to my soul. He all my griefs has taken, and
all my sorrows borne. In temptation He's my strong
and mighty tower. I have all for Him forsaken,
and all my idols torn. From my heart and now He keeps
me by His power. Though all the world forsake
me and Satan tempt me sore, through Jesus I shall safely reach the
goal. He's the lily of the valley,
the bright and morning star. He's the fairest of ten thousand
to my soul. He will never, never leave me,
nor yet forsake me here, while I live by faith and do His blessed
will. A wall of fire about me I've
nothing now to fear, with His manna He my hungry soul shall
fill. Then sweeping up to glory, I'll
see his blessed face, where rivers of delight shall ever roll. He's the lily of the valley,
the bright and morning star. He's the fairest of 10,000 to
my soul. Thank you.