Curiosity Or Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all aspects of salvation, choosing whom He will save according to His purpose. Scripture consistently asserts God's sovereignty in salvation, emphasizing that He elects individuals based on His divine prerogative, not on any foreseen merit. Romans 9 illustrates this doctrine clearly, stating that before they were born, God chose Jacob over Esau, highlighting His sovereign choice. Additionally, verses in Ephesians 1 confirm that God has predestined a people for Himself to the praise of His glory, affirming that salvation is entirely of the Lord's doing and not a result of human decision-making.

Q: How do we know that Christ is the focus of worship?

Christ is the centerpiece of worship as the revealed glory of God and the object of faith for true believers. In the Sermon preached from John 12, it is emphasized that true worshipers seek Christ Himself rather than mere signs and miracles. The text juxtaposes those who seek Christ out of curiosity with those who desire to know Him in truth. Our Lord's declaration in John 4 affirms that the Father seeks worshipers who will adore Him in spirit and truth, indicating that genuine worship is directed towards Christ, the ultimate revelation of God. This distinction underscores the importance of Christ being at the center of all worship and the necessity of a heart that genuinely seeks Him above external displays.

Q: Why is believing in God's revelation important for Christians?

Believing in God's revelation is vital for understanding salvation and living according to His will. Understanding and accepting God's revelation is crucial for Christians, as the Gospel is not a product of human effort or intellect, but a divine revelation. As noted in John 12:39, the inability of some to believe is tied to God hiding the truth from them, illustrating the necessity of divine illumination for faith. True belief leads to a deeper understanding of salvation, rooted in God's sovereignty and grace, as well as a transformed life. Faith is not about intellectual assent but about trusting God's promises and responding to His revealed Word, which ultimately glorifies Him.

Q: How does God's hardening of hearts relate to salvation?

God's hardening of hearts serves His sovereign purpose, demonstrating His authority over who believes. The Bible speaks to God's sovereignty even in the hardening of hearts, particularly noted in Isaiah and echoed in John 12 and 2 Thessalonians. These passages highlight that God's act of hardening serves His overarching plan, causing some not to believe. This exemplifies God's control over salvation; it is not a whimsical act but a demonstration of His sovereignty over the hearts of men. Understanding this doctrine can be challenging, yet it affirms that salvation belongs to the Lord, and His purposes are unfathomable but ultimately good. It reminds believers to trust God's plans even when they do not comprehend the entire narrative.

Q: What are the two religions described in Genesis 4?

The two religions in Genesis 4 are represented by Cain's works and Abel's faith in God's provided sacrifice. Genesis 4 contrasts the offerings of Cain and Abel, representing two fundamental approaches to worship: man's works versus God's grace. Cain, a tiller of the ground, brought an offering of the fruit of his labor, which was rejected by God. In contrast, Abel brought a lamb from his flock, demonstrating faith in God's prescribed method of atonement. This dichotomy echoes throughout Scripture, illustrating that salvation is not based on human effort or merit but on faith in God's provision. This foundational truth sets the stage for understanding the Gospel and God's plan for redemption through Christ.

All right, thank you. I apologize for the heat. Of
course, it's not my fault, but I apologize anyway. But we're
trying to get the air conditioning straightened out. All right, back to John 12. We have noticed so many times before,
especially here in John's gospel, how people followed Christ, or
a large crowd gathered around him wherever he went because
of the miracles that he performed. It expressly says that. Look
at verse 18 here. It says, For this cause the people
also met him, or gathered around him, for that they had heard
that he had done this miracle, or raised this man from the dead.
And this happened wherever he went. There were curiosity seekers,
people that wanted to see miracles and signs
and so forth. And I don't know if you remember,
but our Lord said back a few chapters, he said, except you
see signs and wonders, you will not believe. Except you see signs
and wonders, you will not believe. And that was what the people
wanted to see then, and it's no different today. This is what
people are interested in today. Not so much what I'm doing right
now, just a plain exposition of God's word, but they want
to see things going on. That's the reason for all the
trappings in religion today. Look over at verses 37 through
40. 37 through 40. As we noted earlier, miracles don't don't save anyone. Miracles do
not convince of sin, righteousness and judgment, which Christ said
only the Holy Spirit does. Look at verse 37 through 40.
Though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed
not on him, that the saying of Esaias or Isaiah, the prophet,
might be fulfilled. which he spake, Lord," this is
Isaiah 53, "'who hath believed our report, and to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed?' Now, this is the report. What's the report? Who hath believed
our report? Well, Isaiah 53 is the gospel
in the Old Testament, remember? Isaiah 53 goes on, he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquity. and
tells the story of Christ's crucifixion all the way through Isaiah 53.
When he starts out, who has believed this report? To whom is the arm
of the Lord? The arm of the Lord is the saving
arm of God, which is Christ. I'm always bringing this up,
and I can't help it. Whenever I hear God's word speak
of his arm or his hand, I immediately think of these preachers today
who says he has no hand. Well, their God may not, but
mine does. And the scripture says Christ
is him. Christ is the arm of God, and
he has a strong arm. The scripture says in another
place, Rick, it says his arm is not too short to save. What
does that mean? What do you think of when his
arm is not too short? It means he can reach as far down as necessary,
way down. Reach as far down as necessary,
like me. Bottom of the barrel. That's
the kind he says, bottom of the barrel sinner. Every sinner he
says is a bad apple. Well, let me read on. I'll get
sidetracked here. I'll be preaching Isaiah. Verse
39, Therefore they could not believe, they could not believe. You see there it says, To whom
hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? The gospel is a revelation. The
gospel must be revealed. We read that in 1 Corinthians
2, didn't we? What man knoweth the things of
a man, save the mind or the spirit of a man. You remember that,
Polly? You ought to remember that, because
I had you guess a number. Remember that? And then the scripture
says, well, if you cannot figure out what's in a man's mind, who
has known the mind of the Lord, he must reveal himself. The gospel
is a revelation. It's not figured out with the
human intellect. It's not. And I'm going to show
you in a moment how Christ said he's hidden these things. They could not believe because
Isaiah said again, verse 40, he hath blinded their eye. Who
has blinded their eye? This is in Isaiah 6. He, God,
hath blinded their eye and hardened their heart. God! Now, this is so odd. This is
strange doctrine to the world. When we talk about God being
the cause of all things, when we read, like at Alan's funeral,
Deuteronomy 32 and Isaiah 45 and things like this, Margaret,
all you have to do is read this and people will say, This is
strange doctrine. Well, it's Bible doctrine, right? Our Lord looked at some Pharisees
one time and said, You do err not knowing the scripture. It says he is talking about God
that blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, not talking about
Satan at all, talking about God. That they should not see with
their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted,
and I should heal them. See that? These things said Isaiah when
he saw his glory and faith. Why? Why would God harden men's
hearts and so forth? blind their minds to the truth.
Look over at 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. I believe we looked at this Sunday,
didn't we? 2 Thessalonians 2. Back there it said they could
not believe, God hardened their hearts. Look at 2 Thessalonians
2, verses Beginning with verse 10, this whole chapter talks about
the mystery of iniquity or the spirit of Antichrist, which is
not necessarily one person but a false religion with all power
and signs and lie and wonder. That's the working of Satan in
false religions, what that is. Then verse 10 says, With all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause,
because they didn't receive the truth, because they heard the
truth and It says, God, verse 11, sends
them strong delusions that they should believe a lie, that they
all might be damned who believe not the truth. What's the truth? Well, whatever God says is the
truth. Deuteronomy 32 is the truth about
who God is and how he is and what he does, his sovereignty. That God is God, that's truth. That Christ is God, that's truth.
Very few people believe that. There are whole denominations
today who spend most of their time denouncing the deity or
godhead of Christ. Well, the truth. Verse 11 says, God sends them
strong delusions that they believe a lie. Most folks, listen, most
folks, when confronted with the truth, that God, I just mentioned, just
alluded to, that God is God, sovereign over all things, even
salvation, that God decides who he saves, that God elects the
people. This is from the very beginning of Scripture. That's
what makes him God. It's his divine prerogative.
He said that in one place. He said, Can I not do with my
own what I will? Since he's Creator, he owns everything,
therefore he can dispose of it as he will. That's the whole
9th chapter of Romans deals with this, that since God is God and
made everything, he can do with it as he will. He can save or
he can destroy. That's what makes him God. And when most people hear this,
they reject it, thumbs down, and say, I don't believe that,
even though we read it plainly from God's word. And as my pastor
has said many times, it's not that people don't see it. Well,
look over at Romans 9. I don't want to take it for granted
that we all know this. Romans 9. I almost got started on Isaiah. Now here we are in Romans 9,
but this is necessary. Try it, I think, I hope. I really
struggle with this message, and I hope it doesn't come out that
way. But Romans 9, now this is what Peter called hard doctrine,
but, I mean, hard to understand, but it shouldn't be hard to believe
because God said it. Look at verse 11. It says, "...children being not
yet born, neither having done any good or evil," and he's talking
about Rebekah's two sons, Jacob and Esau. "...that the purpose of God according
to election might stand," or that is, according to God's choice
between the two. Not of works. You see, they hadn't
been born yet. but of him that calleth." It's
of God that calleth. It's his decision, it's not man's
decision. Salvation is not man's decision.
That would mean Jonah 2.9 is a lie. Jonah 2.9 says salvation is of
the Lord. If it's not of the Lord, if it's
not God's decision, then salvation is of man. It's man's decision. No. Read on, verse 12. So that before they were born,
either having done any good or evil, according to God's purpose
of election, that it might stand, not of worth, but here in the
cross. It was said unto her, unto Rebekah, The elder shall
serve the younger. That is, Esau shall serve Jacob,
as it is written, this is Malachi 1, Jacob have I loved, and Esau
have I hated. People have a hard time with
that. But here's what men fail to see. They think it's unfair that God
would hate Esau, don't they? They think it's unfair. They
think God ought to love Esau just like he loved Jacob. Well,
the only problem I have with this is I don't think God ought
to love Jacob. I don't think God ought to love
either one of them. See, there's none lovely. There's
none good, the scripture says, no, not one. There's none righteous,
no, not one. On and on the scripture goes,
there's none worth loving. By holy God, men miss it, that's
where they miss it. They think there's something
in man that's worth It's worth God-loving or God-saving or God-needing. That's the reason preachers come
across like that. God needs you, God wants you.
Oh, no, he doesn't. You see, that's what salvation
is all about. We need him. He doesn't need us. Well, men see that, passages
like Romans 9, and say, and that's as plain as the nose on your
face is. Isn't that as plain as the nose on your face? You'd
really have to twist that to make it say something a little
different, wouldn't you think? You'd really have to twist it.
That's what Peter said they do, didn't he? Peter said, day that
are unlearned and unstable, this is 2 Peter 3, day that are unlearned
and unstable, rest the scriptures or twist them to their own destruction. And like my pastor says, the
problem is not that men don't understand this. It says that,
doesn't it? That's very plain. The problem
is men don't like it. And they say, I won't have that. I won't have that. Therefore, therefore, Paul said to Timothy, they heap
to themselves teachers. They go find them a preacher
and pay him enough money to tell them what they want to hear. It's like if you were a rich
man and you were overweight and you smoked and drank heavily
and all that, you'd go find you a doctor like that. Right? Well, people don't like the truth,
so they reject the truth and the man who preaches it and go
find them somebody to tell them what they want to hear. And there's
lots of them. They're under every bush. Well, where am I? Why does God
harden their hearts? He says God hardened their hearts.
I want you to turn back to Genesis 4. Now I'm in Genesis. Genesis 4. I'm going to try to
tie all this together. You help me. You all keep track
of where I've been. I might have to ask you. Genesis
4. It says God hardened their heart
in Isaiah. And then 2 Thessalonians 2 says,
because they didn't receive the love of the truth, God sent them
strong delusions. They believe a lie. They believe
a lie. You know, we're living in the
most educated society that's ever been on the face of the
earth. There are more institutes of learning. There are more universities,
colleges, schools of higher learning now than in this country alone
and all others put together. Yet you will find doctors, lawyers,
or some anyway, educated people, professionals, believing any time, every time, when it
comes to religion. Man is a religious creature.
He's got to be religious. He pacifies his conscience. He's
got to be religious. But they won't have the truth. They won't have the truth, because
the truth costs you something. We're going to see that if I
get back to John 12. We're going to see how the truth
costs you something. But men and women reject the
truth. Look here, here's the reason.
It started back here. And really, if I don't get past
this, it's all right, because right here is the gospel. In
Genesis 4, there are two religions in the world. Even though there
are hundreds, in Christianity alone, so-called Christianity
alone, there are hundreds of denominations, hundreds. of denomination, not to mention
all of the Eastern religions and so forth, Hinduism, you name
it, Islam, so forth. There's really only two religions.
And it all started back here in the garden, outside the garden. Two religions. And let me sum
it all up, OK? Two religions, God's way and
man's way. Two men started this. Well, one
man started. God started truth, and one man
started religion. Genesis 4, verses 1-4, Adam knew
Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I've
gotten a man from the Lord. Most churches wouldn't get past
that. They'd be asking where Cain got
his wife. Questions like that. Let's go
on. The important question is coming. And she again bared his
brother, Abel, and Abel was a keeper of sheep. Abel kept sheep. He was a shepherd. But Cain was
a tiller of the ground. He was a farmer. In the process
of time it came to pass. Now, there's nothing wrong with
being a farmer. There's nothing more virtuous
than being a shepherd. No. In the process of time it came
to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, an offering
unto the Lord. Abel also brought something.
What did he bring? The firstlings of his flock,
of his sheep, the firstborn of his sheep, a male, the fat thereof. That means he killed it. is that Cain brought what he
hoed and planted and watered and weeded and picked and pruned
and harvested and canned, or however he brought it, put it
in baskets. It was the works of his hands.
Right? It was the works of his hands.
And I can just see the altar that he made. It was, well, about
like this one. Flowers all over. That's all
right. These are pretty. They had no
significance. But it was probably covered with
flowers, you know, just so pretty and ornate. And if he had any
beautiful cloth, nice silk and all that, he did that. And he
might have put one on himself. You reckon? And a nice robe on
himself, and then he put all those sprues all over and just
decorated it so nicely. God's going to be pleased with
that. I've worked hard. I have worked hard on this. Surely
God's going to take notice of this. It says, What did Abel bring? Now, man doesn't produce life. God does. God is the one that
made sheep. They were already there when
Abel came along. They were already there. Sheep were given to him.
And one was born miraculously. He had nothing to do with it.
Nothing to do with it is all provided for him. Right? And
God had told Adam, shown Adam in the beginning without the
shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. This is a picture
of Christ, a substitute. That man is guilty, and Adam
all died. Man is guilty. Every son of Adam
is guilty, born in sin, and must have a substitute, a sacrifice,
a blood sacrifice, because God is angry with sinners every day.
This is all a picture of the Christ who was to come from God
and shed his own blood, the firstborn, the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world. Abel believed that. Abel believed
what God said. Bring a lamb, blood, blood. Abel believed God, so he brought
what God brought him. He cut that lamb's throat. It
was a bloody mess. You see that altar of Abel? It's
just an old stone, rocks made ready, old stones he found in
the field, and blood, blood, blood, and a gory mess. And I'm
sure Abel thought, or Cain looked at his offering and said, Oh,
God won't have that. Abel, that's a mess. That looks terrible. That's gross. It says, verse 4, that the Lord
had respect unto Abel and his offering, and unto Cain his offering
he had not respect. He rejected Cain and his offering. He accepted Abel and his offering.
This is good. God accepted Abel and his offering. Abel was what his offering was.
They were one and the same. As his offering was, so was he. They know where that comes from.
Over in 1 John it says, As he is, so are we. As Christ is,
so are we. What Abel brought was what Abel
was. In his heart, Christ imbued the
hope of glory. When a man, whatever a man brings,
however a man comes to God, whether it's blood or works, that's what
he is. That's how God will deal with
him. We come to God bringing what we are, what we do, God
won't accept it, apparently. We come to God trusting, looking
to Christ only, he'll accept it, accept it in the blood. Did
I make that plain? Two religions. Now, either go
in one of these categories. The religion of Abel, the religion
of Cain. I don't care how you dress it
up or what name you give it or what denomination it goes under.
It's either man's work or it's God's son. Why am I saying all this? Because
I want you to look. There's a key right here. Look
at verse 7. God had no respect to Cain. Right here you're going to see
why men believe all that they believe. Verse 7, Genesis 4,
verse 7, "...if thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? If thou doest not well, sin lieth
at the door, and unto thee shall he be his desire, and thou shalt
rule over him," talking about sin and evil, if you do well. Now, keep that spot, keep that
mark, and turn over to the book of John. Turn over to John chapter
6. When God said, if you do well,
won't you be accepted? Now, am I contradicting myself? Are we contradicting ourselves?
Are we talking about works and grace? What is it to do well?
What must we do to do well? What works must we do that God
considers good works and he'll accept them? John 6. Look at
it. John chapter 6, verses 28 and
29. That's what some fellows came
to Christ asking. John 6, verses 28 and 29. What
shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered
and said unto them, This is the work of God. This is a good work. You'll do well if you do this.
Believe on him whom he hath sent. Believe on him whom he hath sent. See
that? The provided one. the provided
one, him whom he hath sent, believe on Christ, the sent one, the
one who was sent by God to do what we could not do. A substitute. The gospel is in one word, substitution. Substitution. And this is such
a simple illustration, I hesitate to use it because it's so familiar. Everybody knows what this substitution
is. In a game, say a basketball game, there's a fellow in there, he's
not getting the job done. He's failing miserably. He fouled
out. That's better than, he fouled
out. He's out of the game, all right?
He failed miserably. He's a loser. The coach sends
in a substitute. The substitute scores all the
points and wins the game. Everybody knows what a substitute
is, don't they? He's sent in for someone. Someone
else is taken out. The other one's sent in. The
Scripture says here he's the sent one. Why? Because God sent
Christ to do what man could not do. That's what Christ said. With man it's impossible, but
not with God. That's the reason I love that
Isaiah 25. It says, This is our God. He'll save us. We've waited on
him, our substitute. He's coming in. He's going to
get the job done. He's going to save us. He's going
to do what we cannot do. We've tried and failed miserably.
He'll never fail, nor be discouraged. He'll save his people from their
sins. Substitute for that, but it's not a game. It's a matter
of life and death. But even these children will
remember that. Substitute. Look over at John
7. So if you do well, won't you
be accepted? What is it to do well? Believe.
Believe Christ. Verse 17. Look at this. Verse
16. My doctor is not mine, but his
has sent me. If any man will do his will, he'll know the doctor. whether
it be of God or whether I or any man speaks of himself. How
do you know something is true or not? When a man is preaching,
boy, we need to know this, don't we? Everybody and his brother
and his mother is a preacher, you know, standing up. Who is
telling the truth? They've all got a Bible. They've
all got a Bible. Most of them have a title in
front of their name, reverend. Many of them have colors, even. As I said over in Philippians
3, Paul said, Beware of dogs, especially ones that wear collars. But some of them have collars
to show that they are men of God. Does that prove it? Does
this prove it? Does their title prove it? Does
their collar prove it? How do you know? Right here, he says, if any man
will do his will, he'll know the doctrine, whether it be of
God or whether I speak of myself. All right, what is it to do his
will? Back one page to John 6. You got it? John 6, verse 40. This is the will of God that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life. A true seeker of God is going
to hear a man preach God in no uncertain terms. A true
seeker of the truth is going to hear the truth, even though
it might hurt, even though it might offend. He's going to hear
the truth. Paul said in another place, he said, If I seek to
please men, I'm not the servant of Christ. A man-pleaser won't
tell you the truth. for fear of losing you and your
offering money. But one who is seeking God's
glory will tell the truth, come what may, or leave who may."
Our Lord said, now John 12. Let me tie this all together,
or try to, anyway, in John 12. It says in John 12, down in verse
28, Christ said, Father, glorify thy name. And there came a voice
from heaven saying, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. What this is all about, what
preaching is all about, what meeting together is all about,
what this is all about, what the Church is all about, what
this Bible is all about, is the glory of God Almighty. Let's go to Ephesians, since
we've looked at every other book. Let's look at Ephesians, all
right? Ephesians 1. Let me show you this. What's
this Bible all about? What are we doing? What's this
all about? Why has God saved men? Just to make them happy?
Oh, no. Although men will be eternally
happy. That's not what it's all about. There is a passage in Isaiah
that says, Thou hast created them, and they were created for
thy pleasure. Look here at Ephesians 1. It
says three different times, to the praise of the glory of his
grace. If I can find them, will you
help me find them? I didn't write them down, let's
see. Can you all help me? Six? OK, there it is. It says that
the first five verses, he hath chosen a people, predestinated
a people, verse 6, to the praise of the glory of his grace. You see that? To the praise of
the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved. Where is the next one? Find it
for me. Verse 12, that we should be. He did all this. Verse 9 through
11 says, He made known unto us the mystery of his will. He didn't
make it known to everybody, but some. And verse 12 says that we should
be to the praise of his glory. And in verse 14 is the next one.
He said he sent the Holy Spirit in earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchase of possession under the praise
of his glory. It's all about his glory. How
do you know a true preacher from a false one? A true one is given
God all the glory and everything and salvation. And everything
is done toward that end. All the means that is used are
means that try to attribute all the glory to God. Well, you see
back here in John 12, these people were coming to see miracles.
Coming to see miracles. Curiosity seekers. But here now
we're going to look at some fellows that came to seek him. You know, many people come and go in this
place. They hear this gospel. Some sit
for a while and then leave. We've had people stay for a long
time and leave. People who never thought would
leave. I believe that men come and sit
and listen and finally, eventually count the cost. Look at verses
25 and 26. Our Lord said this, He that loveth
his life shall lose it. He that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto eternal life. If any man serve me, he's
got to follow me. What does it mean to love or
hate your life? That means your reputation. You
either want to save your reputation, save your present friends and
associates, your present whatever lifestyle is not willing to give
it up, not willing to suffer loss, and that's what will happen
if you believe this. So our Lord said this, he said,
You'll be hated of all men for my namesake. You remember Lazarus? Lazarus
was just raised from the grave, and all he said from that day
forward was, hey, God, Christ, it's all him. He's all. He's
life. And they wanted to kill him.
Christ said, they'll hate you for my name's sake. They'll hate
you. He said, if they believe me, they'll believe you. But
if they don't believe me, they won't believe you. And they'll hate
you. And any man, any woman who believes this truth can just
prepare for those around them to hate them. Make fun of them. Call them names. Even husbands and wives and mother
and father. And then many people, believers,
be disowned by their family. Down in Mexico, which is predominantly
Catholic, if you are baptized, confess Christ, you're out. I mean, you're out. They'll never
speak to you again, literally. And here, some of you have felt
the same, haven't you? Whoever you've suffered their
anger and wrath and hatred of what you believe, well, you just
believe the truth. It's just what God said. So you
either, here it is, you either want to keep your friends and
family, you want to keep your reputation, all your influence
out in the world, you'll lose some of that influence, you know.
You either want to keep that or you say, let them have it,
let it go, I'd rather have Christ. I have one flesh-and-blood brother
left, and he hates this gospel. I've got a lot more brothers
right here, but he's a lot closer to me now. My flesh-and-blood
brother won't have it. You've got one left. He doesn't love my Christ, and
I love Christ more. I'm not going to be mean to my
brother, but it's between, if I had to choose between them,
or this world, you know, the influence of this world, his
so-called friend. There is a friend that's sticking
closer than a brother. He that loveth his life shall
lose it." Well, just two more minutes, okay,
and I'll quit. Down here in verses 20 and 21, it says there are
certain Greeks that came, certain Greeks among them that came up
to worship at the feast. Greeks, and I believe these were
the firstfruits of the prophecy that the Gentiles would come
to Christ. These were the firstfruits. And the Greeks came, it says,
to worship. Now, that's a key word there. They went up to the
feast, but it doesn't say about the Jews that they came to worship.
It says they came to keep the feast or purify themselves. Here,
these fellows came to worship. All right? Now, these were Greeks. They didn't know anything about
the Bible. They didn't know anything. Greeks, Gentiles, Jews called
them dogs, uncircumcised dogs, that's what they called them. They didn't have a Bible, but
they came to worship according to the light that they had. They
came, all right? Read on. And they came to worship
at the feast, and the same came therefore to Philip, which was
of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, or earnestly entreated
him, desired him, saying, Sir, and they said to him respectfully,
Sir, We would see Jesus. We would see Jesus. Do you see the difference in
these fellows and the ones before them? What's the difference in
these fellows and the ones right before them? What's the difference? Somebody.
Well, I'll tell you. These fellows came to see Christ. The others came to see miracles. Now, right there is the difference
between a true worshiper and a false. This is what our Lord
said back in John 4, isn't it? Time will come, and now it is,
when true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for the Father seeketh such to worship him from the heart. Worship
in spirit and in truth. What's truth? Whose truth? In Christ, belief in Christ.
Well, but they said we would see Jesus, the man. They didn't
come to see the miracles, but they came to see this man. They
didn't know much. They didn't know much. They were
ignorant of his true person. Nevertheless, as I said, they
walked in the light they had. And our Lord deals with that,
too, down in verse 36. While you have light, believe
in the light. You may be children of the light. Walk in the light
that you have. Verse 35. Walk in the light you
have. While you have the light. Whatever
light you have, walk in it. Whatever truth has been revealed
to you, walk in it. God will give you more. He'll
give you more. These fellows said, we would
see Jesus, the man Jesus. Well, Christ revealed unto them
more than that. He revealed himself. Verses 23
and 24, Christ answered them, saying, The hour is come, the
Son of man should be glorified. And then he gave them the gospel.
corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying, and by and
large, I've already preached the gospel. I'm going
to quit. The time is out. But the difference here in the
title of this message was curiosity or Christ. Curiosity or Christ. Those who come out of curiosity,
those who come to see signs and miracles and wonders, they'll
see them. God will send them. But they'll
miss Christ. There's a psalm I love to quote
that says, Open my eyes that I might behold wondrous things
from thy word. I see a miracle every time I
open this book. Don't you? marvelous things,
wondrous things. He opens my eyes to wondrous
things, things you can believe. See, you can't believe your eyes,
can you? People are like children. You got a coin? Give me a coin. Give me a big,
shiny quarter. It might not work. I hope it
does. It didn't work. She's too old. Maybe Daddy saw her as the value
of a dollar. No, it's not. The younger the child, if you
offer a child, they go by eye sight, the younger they are anyway.
They're a smart kid. If you put up a shiny coin and
an old wrinkle, I should have had an old wrinkled dollar, that
would have made it work. They'll choose the shiny coin, mostly.
They'll go by eyesight. Right? Men, the natural man,
is just like that. Whatever you see, all that glitters
is not gold, the old saying goes. And men see things, wow, they're
amazed, they're taken by it, and they follow after it. No,
the just shall live by faith, not by sight. Don't believe anything you see.
We just read there in 2 Thessalonians, God sends strong delusions. God
sends strong delusions, doesn't it? But you can believe everything
you read and hear. The just shall live by faith.
Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. You can believe
everything you read in here, even though you don't understand
it, John. Right? So God said. And believing
is seeing. God doesn't tell us now that we need to understand first.
But believe, he said, didn't he say to Mary and Martha there
in John 11, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?
Believe. I don't understand. I don't expect you to. You're just a child. You can't
understand all that God Almighty says. Believe, though. If you
believe, I'll begin to reveal things to you. Trust me, and
I'll show you. Walk in what light I give you.
Believe what I tell you. Although it goes against the
grain, believe it, I'll open it up to you." Isn't that right? That's the way it was with you,
John? All right. I rambled, but I hope you all
had some cohesiveness to it. All right, let's stand. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for this book. The scripture says, the apostle
says, we preach in part, we know in part, we prophesy in part,
but we know so very little. We confess our ignorance, our
lack of understanding and inability to understand our inability to
convey these things, to retain these things. Lord, forgive us
for our inability to retain these things. We forget and have to
be taught all over again. But, Lord, we do thank you for
what you have revealed unto us, and we ask that you would enable
us to do what you said, and that is to walk in the light you've
given us, and you'll give more light. We believe. Help our unbelief. Let us trust
you and believe you, all that you've said, and we'll see your
glory." That's what it's all about, and that's what we want
to see. Truth seekers want to see God glorified. And thank
God you are glorified in saving sinners. So, Lord, we ask all of this
for your glory and honor and for our eternal spiritual good. Amen. Amen.

Curiosity Or Christ

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

How do we know that Christ is the focus of worship?

Why is believing in God's revelation important for Christians?

How does God's hardening of hearts relate to salvation?

What are the two religions described in Genesis 4?

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Curiosity Or Christ

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

How do we know that Christ is the focus of worship?

Why is believing in God's revelation important for Christians?

How does God's hardening of hearts relate to salvation?

What are the two religions described in Genesis 4?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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