Alright, let's turn back to John
chapter 7. Our Lord went into the temple
during the Feast of Tabernacles and He stood up and taught. He preached. But the people didn't
believe Him. Amazing. Amazing. That's amazing. Verse 27, they
said, we know this man whence he is. We know where he's from. I know his parents. I remember
when he was born. Verse 28 says, then cried Jesus
in the temple as he taught. saying, you both know me and
you know whence I am and I am not come of myself, but he that
sent me is true. Whom you know, not what he's
actually saying is you don't know me. That's what he's saying. You think you know me, but you
don't. Man, may that not be the case
with us. I'm reminded every now and then
of just how serious this is. And as we preach, may we never
preach like there are no unbelievers in the room. And as we preach, may we never
preach like there are no believers in the room. But this is serious. He said,
you don't know me. How many people are sitting in
a congregation. Sitting in a pew thinking they're
worshiping God. You know, we went to church,
we walked in the door, we sat down in the pew thinking they're
worshiping God. When the actual reality is they
have no idea who God is. What a question to ask the world.
Who is God? Who is God? How horrifying would
it be to get to the end and find out? I didn't know God at all. I'm talking to us. Not just them. I'm talking to us. The end of
verse 28 says whom you know, not. He's saying you think that I'm
Jesus of Nazareth. I'm not. You think I'm from Galilee. I'm
not. You think Joseph is my father. He's not. He's not. Verse 28 says, Then
cried Jesus in the temple as He taught, saying, You both know
Me, and you know whence I am, and I am not come of Myself. But He that sent Me is true,
whom you know not. Verse 29 says, But I know Him. You know our hope is built on
that. Our hope is built on that. He said in John 17, this is life
eternal that they might know thee. But no man hath seen the
Father at any time. So what's my hope? My hope is
that Christ knows him. And my hope is that I'm in Christ. That's my hope. That's all I
have to cling to. Christ is my hope. He's my mediator. There's one mediator between
God and man. If any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Verse 29, he said,
But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He hath sent me. Verse 30 says, Then they sought
to take Him, But no man laid hands on him because his hour
was not yet come. He keeps telling us that. We
just read that last week or two weeks ago. He keeps telling us
that. He keeps reminding us of that.
Look at verse 44 right here in John 7. Verse 44 says, And some
of them would have taken him, but no man laid hands on him.
Look at chapter 8, verse 20. It says, These words spake Jesus
in the treasury, as He taught in the temple, and no man laid
hands on Him, for His hour was not yet come. Go to chapter 10. Verse 39 says, Therefore they
sought again to take Him, but He escaped out of their hands. No man can do what he will with
God. No man can. Man does not have
a free will. Man does not have a free will.
In spite of what man believes, man does not have a free will. We're going to do what we will
with God. Something in it. The only reason they ultimately
took Him, they did lay hold on Him and they did take Him to
Pilate and they did crucify Him. They wanted to kill Him and they
did. But the only reason they ultimately
took Him is because He allowed them to take Him. That's the only reason. It's
because at that moment, they were his puppets. At that moment. When his time was come, they
did everything. And this is amazing. We've seen
some of it. One day we'll see more of it.
When they took him and led him to Pilate. The things that they
did to him, the way that he was crucified, it is as though Pilate
and the soldiers and whoever was involved had the Old Testament
in their hand. And it was like they said, next
we're supposed to, and then next we're supposed to. Everything
that happened to him was as it was written. And the only reason
that they took him is because they were his puppets at that
moment in time. doing His bidding, carrying out
His will. Look right here in chapter 10
at verse 17. John 10 verse 17 says, 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." A man who thinks that he can do what he wants
with Jesus does not fear God. And a man who does not fear God
has much to fear. You know that? Much to fear. Go back over to
John 7. Verse 30 says, Then they sought
to take him, but no man laid hands on him, because his hour
was not yet come. And many of the people believed
on him and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than
these which this man hath done? That is religion. That's religion. That is religion. Many of the
people believed on Him and said, When Christ cometh, will He do
more miracles than these which this man hath done? That is religion. They believe
something. They really do. Don't tell a
person who's caught up in religion, you don't believe anything. They
believe something. They're very zealous over something. They have literally given their
life to something. They said, when Christ cometh,
will he do more miracles than these, which this man has done?
That is the error of religion. That is the thing that God must
reveal to a sinner. That is missing Christ. That is missing Christ. Come
the end of this life. You know, I was young and then
I was not so young and now I've turned the, gone over the hump. And when I get to the end of
this life, there's only one thing that I need to happen to me.
I need to not miss Christ. That's what I need. That right
there, this verse right here, 31, is missing Christ. Oh, we love Jesus. We do. We love Him so much. We love
the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God, and
we love the Son of God. We're so grateful that He died
on the cross. Oh, we're so glad He died on
the cross. We're so thankful for everything
He did. We can't wait until He introduces
us to God. Right? That's the difference.
That is missing Christ. We thank him so much for pointing
us in the direction of God. That's called unbelief. Unbelief. That's a lost sinner that has
missed Christ and it is a sad, it's a sad thing. Turn with me
over to John 20. John chapter 20, verse 26 says, And after eight days again his
disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the
doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace be
unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God. My Lord and my God. What a blessed thing to see.
For a sinner to say, my Lord and my God. Do you believe that? Do you believe Jesus Christ is
your Lord and your God? That's mercy, isn't it? That's
grace. If you do, that is called being
a believer. Being a believer. Believing what
the Word says about Him. Back over to John 7. Verse 32
says, The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things
concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers
to take him. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet
a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent
me. You shall seek me and shall not
find me. And where I am, Thither you cannot
come." Our Lord just delivered to them
the horrible truth of sin and unbelief. He just told them about
His death, His burial, and His resurrection. He said, I'm going
to be with you a little while longer. And then I'm leaving. And where I'm going, you can't
come. Where I am, or his exact words,
where I am, you cannot come. That's the worst news that a
soul will ever hear. How many souls are going to hear
that on the day of judgment? Turn with me over to Proverbs
1. Proverbs 1 verse 24 says, Because
I have called and you refused, I have stretched out My hand,
and no man regarded. But you have said it not, all
My counsel, and would none of My reproof. I also will laugh
at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh. When your
fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a
whirlwind. When distress and anguish cometh
upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would none of
my counsel. They despised all my reproof, Therefore shall they eat of the
fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. Because of unbelief, this is
what he's saying, because of unbelief, where I am, where I
am, you cannot come. These two words are our favorite
two words, but God, but God, there is no belief in me. This
morning we looked at crying, Abba, Father. The only reason
is because the Spirit comes into this soul and the Spirit cries,
Abba, Father. But God, thank God for election
and atonement. Thank God for Christ. Thank God. In His death, here's
what He just told them, I'm leaving. And I'm going a place you cannot
come." And in His death, in His burial, in His resurrection,
for all that the Father put in Him, they're called sheep. For all the sheep that God the
Father gave to God the Son, what Christ is telling them back over
in John 7 is, I'm about to go lay down my life for the sheep. That's where He's going. All
those who were not in Him, this is what He had to say to them,
Where I am, thither you cannot come. But for all those who are
in Him, He has something to say to them too. Look at John 14. Go with me over to John 14. We
just heard the truth about sin. Now let's hear the good news
of Christ. John 14, verse 1 says, let not
your heart be troubled. Outside of Christ, I don't have
any good news. I don't have anything good to
say. But in Christ, we can rest in the fact that you can let
not your heart be troubled. He says, you believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself that where I am." He just told them,
where I am, you cannot come. But in Christ, he says, I will
come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there
you may be also." That's good news. Good news to
me. Go to John 17. John 17, verse Nine, he said, I pray for them,
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me, for they are thine. Verse 24 says, Father, I will
that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. that they may behold my glory
which thou hast given me for thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. That's the desire of Christ for
his sheep. Where I am, I want them to be
with me. I want them to be there also.
Back over in John 7, verse 35 says, then said the
Jews among themselves, Whither will he go that we shall not
find him? Will he go unto the dispersed
among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles? What manner of
saying is this that he said, You shall seek me and shall not
find me, and where I am, thither you cannot come." Unless the Lord has mercy on
our eyes and mercy on our ears, We're just blind and deaf. You
know that? Blind and deaf. The Lord said back in John 6,
44, he said, no man can come to me. No man can come to Me. If the Lord is going to have
mercy on a soul, He has got to work. He has got to come to that
soul. No man can understand the things
of God. No man can understand the Word
of God. He plainly and He clearly and
He simply told them the truth, but natural man cannot see the
things of the Spirit. Just can't. Our Lord said back
in John 4, God is Spirit. But man without the Holy Spirit
of God, this is what he does. He takes the things of God's
Word, and he rationalizes them according to the flesh. That's
all he knows to do. That's all he can do. The Lord
tells him the things of the Spirit, and then natural man takes the
things of the Spirit, and he makes a fleshly work out of them.
That's all he knows to do, is the flesh. But look at verse
37. Verse 37 says, in the last day,
that great day of the feast, the last day of this feast was
the grand finale. In the great day, last day of
the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, if any man thirst, let
him come unto me and drink. Now everything we just said has
been very hard and to the point. And we're going verse by verse.
And he said, you don't have any idea who I am. And they had no idea who God
was. And he said, you cannot come
where I am. And everything he told them,
they just could not perceive it. But here's grace, here's
grace. This great and holy God who knows
that there's none good and every one of us are totally full of
sin. On the last day, He stood up
and it says He cried with a loud voice saying, if any man thirst,
let him come unto me and drink. That is the mercy and grace of
God. That is the character of our
God. That is his attribute. That is his. Will that is his person. And we know that no man can come.
We know that no man can, but this is what he said. He said,
if. Right. If, and I can tell you
that if, then, for, he, we know that, right? But he said, if
any man. God said this, if any man. We have good news for any man,
any woman. Any man, I mean any man. You know, a sinner says, I'm
unworthy. I'm too great a sinner. It's too late for me. No, it's
not. If any man thirst, I thirst before I drink. Thirst is a desire. If any man
desire righteousness, if any man desire peace, peace, peace,
peace, the Lord has given this little room peace. You know that? Just peace. And it's because
of Christ. It's because we're in Christ.
If any man desire forgiveness, If any man desire cleansing,
I am just so sick of the filth that I just scoop up and smother
all over me. Lord, cleanse me. If any man desire living bread
or living water, if any man desire safety, if any man desire rest,
he said, let. If any man thirst, let. That
means allow it. Let him, that sinful man, come. If any man does thirst, and if
any man does come, it's because God the Spirit put that thirst
in him. And God the Father drew him.
But if God began to work, let him come. Let him come. He said, Me. Don't go to the priest. Don't
go to the church. Don't go to the altar. Don't
come down to the front. Come to Christ. I wish more centers
could hear this message. Come to Christ, but don't move
a muscle. Just come to Christ. Just come
to Christ. If any sinner does that, he will
drink, and he will drink, and he will drink, and he will drink,
and he will drink, and then he's going to start saying, my cup
runneth over, but he will still drink, and he'll drink, won't
he? Just drink Christ in his spirit,
in his word. He can drink until his soul is
satisfied. He that thirsteth, come to the
waters. That's good news. That's good
news. Let's all come to Christ. I want
to come to Christ every time Christ reminds me to come to
Christ. I really do. Lord Jesus, I come. Come to thee. If any man thirsts,
let him come. All right, I hope the Lord will
bless that. Let's stand together.