John chapter 5, the text tonight begins with
verse 28. It says, marvel not at this,
for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear His voice. Marvel not at this. Marvel not
at what? Marvel not at what he just said
in the previous verses. Look at verse 25. 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. For as the Father hath life in
himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself,
and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because
he's the son of man. And he says in verse 28, marvel
not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice. You know, we don't
enter into the amazement of that. We don't enter into the amazement
of that. If we are alive when our Lord returns, And actually, if we're passed,
even when he returns, we're gonna be the ones coming out of the
graves. So we're gonna see this either way, either way. But when
our Lord returns, it's gonna be unbelievable to
see what happens to this earth. Unbelievable, unbelievable. You know, we think, well, there's
a body there in a grave. And the Lord, he's gonna send
a soul back to it, and the body's gonna get up. All right? Here's what the Lord said. From
dust you came, and to dust you'll return. Bodies that have been
laying there for thousands of years are not there anymore.
They're not there anymore. They've gone back to the dust. They're just elements in the
ground now. That's all they are. Elements
in the ground. Our God has the ability to bring
all those elements back together. To bring all of them back together
to the individual person that it was. All the individual dust
particles. bring all those back together
that went to that body. That's amazing, isn't it? We
underestimate our God so much and he can put life in that again.
The wonder of our God. And after he does that, he has
the wisdom and the knowledge to know every soul's case that's
gonna come before the judgment. He knows everything about every
body that's gonna come out of that ground, everything. He's
got the knowledge to know every soul's case and judge them individually
and according to their works. That's what Revelation says.
What a God we have. Turn with me over to Matthew
chapter 27. I have always loved this. I remember
the very first time I read this. I've always loved this. Matthew 27, look at verse 50. When Jesus, Jesus, when he had
cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold,
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves
were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose
and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into
the holy city and appeared unto many." Isn't that amazing? There is so much life in our
Lord. When he arose from the ground,
the saints that were near him, there was so much life in the
earth, they all got out of their graves and went into Jerusalem
and started talking to people. Isn't that amazing? That is amazing. What a God we have. We'll back
over in John chapter five, verse 28 says, marvel not at this.
For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice and shall come forth." Now, this is our
Lord speaking. This is God talking. And I can tell you the truth.
We're reading the truth. We are reading and we're about
to continue reading the truth. And it says in verse 29, they
shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection
of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of
damnation. All are gonna be resurrected.
Those that have done good are gonna be resurrected unto life,
and those that have done evil are gonna be resurrected unto
damnation. Now, I want life. I really do. I want life, eternal life. I don't want to be resurrected
to damnation. I don't. I want to be resurrected
to life. But here's my problem. Here's
my problem. I know and you know that there
is none that doeth good, no not one. I know that all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. I know that God saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. There is no good in me. None. There's none good but God. So what is our Lord talking about
right here? Why would He say that? Why would
He write that? He means something by that or
He would have never written that. He is not lying. He's telling
us the truth. That means something. What is
this good unto life? Well, He just told us in the
previous verses. Look at verse 23. that all men should honor the
Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son
honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily,"
that means of a truth, of a truth, God is telling man, now listen
to me and I'm telling you the truth. 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, but is passed from
death unto life. This is the good. All that are
in the graves are gonna come forth. And all those who honored
the Son and heard His Word and believed on Him are going to
be resurrected unto life. And all those who did not honor
the Son and would not hear His Word and did not believe on Him
are going to be resurrected unto damnation. That's what our Lord
just said. Well, you're preaching works
now. You're preaching works. You used to preach grace, man.
Now you're preaching works. No, I'm not. I'm not. I'm preaching the word of God.
Here's our question. Here's the title of this message.
Must a person believe in order to be saved? Must a person believe
in order to be saved? All right, let's search the scriptures.
Go with me to Hebrews 11. Hebrews chapter 11. Verse 1 says,
now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen. Faith is the substance, and that
word means confidence. Faith is the confidence and it's
the evidence of things not seen. It's the evidence of the work
that God has done that we can't see with our eyes. The evidence. All right, now our text said,
all that have done good. That's what our Lord said, all
that have done good. We know that there's none that
do with good. But according to God, They must
have a good record. They're gonna be called back
up, and the record's gonna be pulled, and all that have done
good are gonna be resurrected to life. They must have a good
record. They must have a good report
to enter into eternal life. How does a person get a good
record? Hebrews 11 verse 2 says, For
by it," by what? Faith. The elders obtained a
good report. It's by God given faith. Verse
4 says, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice
than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. In order to appease an angry
God who is going to punish sin, he's going to punish it, he's
going to, a sacrifice must be made. Did I make it? Did you make it? No, Christ made
it. How was it applied to my account?
If I've got this record that must be pulled up, how was it
applied to Abel's account? How did Abel offer it to God
on behalf of his sin? And how do I offer it to God
on behalf of my sin? This says, by faith. How did Enoch, Get into heaven. Verse 5 says, By faith Enoch
was translated that he should not see death and was not found
because God had translated him. For before his translation he
had this testimony that he pleased God. Must a person believe this
gospel in order to be saved? Because our text says, the Lord
Jesus Christ said, the God, the actual God that cannot lie said,
whoever has done good in God's eyes will receive the resurrection
of life. And whoever has done evil in
God's eyes will receive the resurrection of damnation. Must a person have
faith in order to be saved? Man, you are preaching works. No, I'm not. Whose faith is it? Where does it come from? Who
gets the glory for it? God, God, God. Must a person have it? Must a
person believe in order to be saved? Hebrews 11 verse six says,
but without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh
to God must believe that he is and that he's a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him. Verse seven, how was Noah saved?
By faith. Verse eight, how did Abraham
obey God? By faith. Verse 11, how did Sarah
conceive? Through faith. Verse 13 says,
These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and they were persuaded of them,
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. They're seeking life,
life. They that say such things declare
plainly that God has done something to them. All right, now go with
me to Mark 16. Mark chapter 16. Mark 16 verse
15 says, And he said unto them, go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Preach the gospel, there's one. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. Believeth,
that's faith, that's the gift of God. Faith is the gift of
God. Baptized is the work of God. That's something that the Holy
Spirit does. True baptism is of the Holy Spirit. He that receives
the gift of God and the work of God shall be saved. It goes
on to say, but he that believeth not shall be damned. All right,
now let's go to Romans chapter 10. Romans 10 verse 9 says, that if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness." With the
heart, man believeth unto righteousness. And with the mouth, confession
is made unto salvation. Confession is made. Verse 11
says, For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? How shall they preach except
they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. But they've not all obeyed the
gospel, for Isaiah said, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God. Hearing is a gift of God. Hearing. How are they going to
call if they have not believed? Faith is a gift of God. Hearing
is a gift of God. It's all a gift of God. Every
bit of it. Now, wait a minute. By grace are you saved? By grace are you saved. And that
happened eternally. That happened from the foundation
of the world. That's right. Amen. Amen. Well, then let's throw
faith out the window. No. No. That's not what God said. I can't
not believe something in order to understand something else.
If I don't understand it, then I don't understand it. But I
must believe everything that my God has said. By grace are
you saved. By grace. It's all the gift of
God. But how does that gift come to
you? Through faith. Through faith. All right, now
let's go to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew 12, verse 31 says, Wherefore I say
unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven
unto men. The Holy Ghost is the one who
causes a person to believe. That's what he does. God sends
the Holy Ghost. And the work of the Holy Ghost
in a sinner causes him to believe God. And he said, I say unto
you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but
the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.
That's unbelief. Verse 32 says, and whosoever
speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven
him. That's Christ, it'll be forgiven
him. But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not
be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to
come. Either make the tree good and
his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit
corrupt, for the tree is known by his fruit. Two people walked
up to a tree with leaves on it, all right? One says, that's an
apple tree. The other one says, no, that's
an orange tree. How will they know? Really, how
will it be settled? How will it be confirmed? You'll
know by its fruit. When the fruit comes in, you'll
know. The fruit is the evidence. Faith is the evidence. Faith
is the fruit. That's what it is. Let's go to
Luke 12. Luke chapter 12, verse 8 says, Also I say unto you, whosoever
shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also
confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me before
men shall be denied before the angels of God." It's the fruit. It's the fruit. Now back to our
text in John 5, verse 28 says, Marvel not at this For the hour
is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice and shall come forth They that have done good unto
the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto
the resurrection of damnation I Can of mine own self do nothing? As I hear, I judge, and my judgment
is just, because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which has sent me." Our Lord just gave Himself as the
example of what He just said. The example. I trust Him. I look to Him. I wait on Him. I believe Him. I believe Him. Verse 31 says, if I bear witness
of myself, my witness is not true. Any man or woman who goes
through this life, witnessing of himself. And anything other than grace
is self, anything. But any man or woman who goes
through this life, witnessing of himself, his witness is not
true. And he's done evil. and he's
gonna be resurrected to damnation. But any man or woman who goes
through this life with the witness of Christ, not just in word only,
but in life, but honestly, honestly, Christ, witnessing Christ. It's all about Christ. Christ
did it all. Christ paid it all. Christ is
all. I'm just looking to Christ. That's
faith. That's what faith is. It has
nothing to do with me and everything to do with Christ. And that's
faith. That's what faith is. Christ
is all I need. Christ is all my hope. Christ
is all. If any man or woman witnesses
that, his witness is true. His witness is true. And he's
gonna be resurrected unto life. So let's all say with the apostles,
Lord, increase our faith. Increase our faith. I need it. I need it. Increase my faith. All right, let's stand together.