Alright, let's turn back to John
8, the Gospel of John, chapter 8. The Lord Jesus Christ
plainly declares himself to be God here
in these verses. The I am who spoke to Moses on the mount.
Look at verse 24 again. I said therefore unto you that
you shall die in your sins, for if you believe not that I am,
you shall die in your sins. And they said, Who are you? And
he said, The same. The same. Even that I said unto
you from the beginning." The one who spoke to Moses on the
mountain, from the beginning. It's the same one, the same yesterday,
today, and forever. You remember, we quoted Hebrews
11, verse 6, which says, He that cometh to God must believe that
he is. He that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and I gave the illustration that I asked you if you believe
that I am who I am. Let me give another illustration. You know, this is Henry Sword
right here. Most of you know him. You believe
that that's Henry Sword? That's Henry Sword right there.
You believe that. Why do you believe that? If that's
not him, then we've got the wrong one. That may sound simple, and
it really is. But if Christ is not God, then
you've got the wrong one. Right? He said, he that cometh
to God, an old man, everybody's going to appear before
God someday. No man cometh to God but by Christ. If we're going to come to God,
we're going to come to Christ. So we've got to realize, we've
got to know, we've got to worship Jesus Christ as God. Or we've
got the wrong one. There's another one being preached
today. And a lot of people coming to him and loving this Jesus.
They've got the wrong one. Does that sound simple? But it's
so simply so true, isn't it? We must believe that Christ is
God. Look at verses 26 and 27. He
says, I have many things to say and to judge of you. Christ is the judge of the universe.
He said that earlier on, that all judgment is committed unto
him. Well, he says, I have many things
to say and judge of you, but he that sent me is true. And
I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. I
speak to the world. Every tribe, kindred, nation
and tongue and people under heaven have heard. There is no language
or speech where their line has not gone out. God's power and
Godhead, this is what Romans One says, all men without excuse.
And Christ came and the gospel has gone out throughout the world
because he has a people, he has a sheep that he's going to call
out from every tribe, kindred, nation, and tongue. Not just
Jews, but Gentiles also. The world. The gospel has been
and will be spoken throughout the world for salvation. It's also being heard, or will
be heard, throughout the world for condemnation. Condemnation. All have heard.
Read on. Verse 27. They understood not
that he spake to them of the Father. They understood not that
he spake to them of the Father. Most don't understand what Christ
said, what Christ is saying. Most don't understand. Most don't
care. But most don't understand. We'll read on. Verse 28. Then
said Jesus unto them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then shall you know that I am. When you have lifted up the Son
of Man, then shall you know that I am. He's talking about his
crucifixion. He's talking about when he would
be crucified and lifted up above the earth. Turn to Revelation
1. Turn over there. He said, When you have lifted
up the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am. When Christ was crucified, many,
some, not all, but some, shall know this is God." By seeing Christ crucified on
that cross, by seeing Christ lifted up, by seeing Christ bruised
at the Father, by seeing Christ buried, by seeing Christ arisen
and exalted to the right hand of God, many, some, know This
is God. This is our God. My favorite
verse, Isaiah 25 and 9, they shall say, this is our God. We've
waited on him. And he has come. Emmanuel is
with us. He's come. God was manifest in
the flesh. And we've seen him. We've heard
him. We've handled him. We've seen him. Life. He's God. He's been lifted up
and exalted to the right hand of the majesty on high. He's
God, he's the I Am. He's very God of very God. Many
see him in that way as a result of the crucifixion. But all men
and women, every eye someday will see him
as he is. Look at Revelation 1, look at
verse 7. He says, Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every
eye shall see him, they also which pierced him, and all kindreds
of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, all men, I am."
The very next word, he says, is, I am. So all flesh will someday see
That one who was pierced and hung on Calvary's tree is none
other than God Almighty. That little kangaroo court of
men like Pilate and the Sanhedrin will someday stand in chains
before that same Jesus of Nazareth and say, All right, back to the text in
John 8. John chapter 8. See, this is why it's imperative
that we know him as the true God and eternal life. This is
what John said in the end of his letter in 1 John 5. He said,
This is the true God and eternal life. Jesus Christ, he's the
one. Because in our day, they're preaching
a Jesus, another Jesus. I've already alluded to this.
But a world of people is believing on a Jesus who's not God, but
he's just a man. They go as far as to call him
Lord and say many good things and attribute to him some powers
of God, but not all power. Right? If we're going to come to God,
we're going to have to come to Jesus Christ, who is God. We have to
believe he is. And he has all authority. And not just believe that in
the head, but know it in the heart and bow to him. Bow to him as Lord. Look at the text again. He says
in verse 28, I do nothing of myself. Verse 28. I do nothing
of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
He's saying there's nothing I do that's solitary or independent
of God, of the Father. But it's all according to an
eternal counsel that we had in the beginning. Everything I do,
everything I say, every step I take, been divinely ordered
by me, by God, in a council before the world began, not independent.
Verse 29, he that sent me is with me. He that sent me is with
me. The Father hath not left me alone.
Over in John 14, you remember when Philip said, show us the
Father. Show us the Father." And Christ upbraided him and
said, Have I been so long time with you, and yet you haven't
known me? Believest thou not that the Father
is in me, and I in the Father? Tell her, He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father. And this has been so long time
with man, yet many don't know him. And flesh and blood won't
reveal it. But the Father in heaven will,
that Jesus Christ is God. That's what he's saying there.
He that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone.
Our poor little brains can't figure out how three can be one,
or one can be three, or a father be a son, or son be the father. Can we? We see a baby lying in
the arms of a woman there, and we say, well, that's the son.
Well, no, that's the father of the mother. That's the one holding the baby
in that woman's arms, the one that created her. Now, see, the
flesh just said, this just can't be. That's what Nicodemus said,
how can these things be? And Christ said, you're a master
in Israel. You see, if I told you heavenly
things, you'd sure be confused now. So what is required of men, whatever
Christ says? To understand? To logically explain? To reason and rationalize? To what? Believe. He said, if
you believe not, I am. You're going to die in sin. Lord, I believe. Help mine believe. Well, look at this. I love this
line. He says, I do always those things that please him. Now,
stick with me, OK? This is Christ talking here. Don't stick with me. He says,
I do always those things that please God. I do always. He said his meat and his will
was to do the will of God. His meat was to do the will of
God as an obedient child. Therefore, he earned the praise.
See, we studied this one Wednesday night, how Christ spoke so often
as a man for men, as a representative, as a substitute. God became a
man because man must glorify God. Well, with man it's impossible.
Well, God said, it's not impossible for me. I'll do it like it's
supposed to be done. And God came down. God was manifest
in the flesh and glorified himself, magnified his own law, made it
honorable. showed men that this is how man
is supposed to be. This is what man was created
to do, to glorify God. And Christ said, as a man one
day, Father, I have glorified thee, now glorify me. He said,
I have and I will. As a man, he spoke so often. How could he speak to us except
as a man? But as our representative, so
often he said that. And as a man, he did those things
that pleased God. Now, it's never been said of
any man from the beginning that God was pleased with him. But
one man, only one man, Has God ever been
pleased with? I'm talking about a holy, all-seeing
eye of God, not a God that looks on the flesh like we do and is
impressed with outward. No, he looks on the heart. He
looks at the very thoughts and intents of the heart, the motives,
the attitudes, every secret. The Scripture says there's not
a thought in man that won't be revealed. He says he searches
the secrets of the heart. Now this is a God I'm talking
about. And there's never been a man
from Adam until the last son of Adam was born that God has
said, I'm pleased with him, but mourn." Jesus cried, and God said it
out loud from heaven. He could not contain himself.
He had to say it. A righteous man deserves credit,
deserves adulation, deserves praise. And God said, this is
my son in whom I'm well pleased. as fallible and finite and sinful
as my own flesh and blood child is, there are times when I cannot
contain myself and say, darling, I'm well pleased with you. Well,
she's a sinner, but he's altogether lovely. And the father just said,
that's my boy. He said, you better hear him. He says, hear him, because I'm
not going to hear anybody else but him. I'm not going to listen to one
of these hypocritical, self-righteous, rotten-to-the-core sinners but
him. Anybody comes by him, I'll listen
to them. I'll hear them. I'll receive
them. I'll accept them. Because here's the only one of
the bunch not worth burning. The rest of them are a bunch
of bad apples. It's the only one bore fruit. Is that right? That is right. Let God be true,
and every man a liar. Oh, but he's a good man. He's
none good but God. Listen to me now. Christ said,
I do, the Father's pleased with me. I do always those things
which please him. And for us, we don't please God.
How are we going to please God? All right? I didn't quote all of Hebrews
11 and 6, did I? It says, without faith it's impossible
to please God, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is. Well, what's that mean? Without
faith it's impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God
must believe that he is. Without coming to God through
faith in Christ, looking to him, trusting him, saying that his
righteousness is yours, that yours are filthy rags, that only
his is what you're pleading, that his blood shed for the remission
of your sins is all you're pleading before God. Without that faith,
it's impossible to please God. God is angry with the wicked
every day. God is pleased with those that come through Christ.
And he that cometh to God must believe that Christ is the only
way to God, that Christ is God. Without faith. Listen, listen,
God is going to destroy this world by fire. I'm talking about
men and women. Human beings. Now this is the
reason our generation just absolutely is going further and further
away from this. because they can't conceive of
a loving God sending men to a burning hell. Now, it's this old-fashioned
hellfire religion that men absolutely disdain and detest, and they
don't believe it anymore. Modern man doesn't believe that
anymore. But Christ spoke about it more than anybody. And God
Almighty, a holy, a thrice-holy God, who's a consuming fire,
Paul said, is going to destroy this planet full of men and women. For what reason? Stealing watermelons? Telling white lies? That means
sin must go much deeper. By fire, I mean burning people. Now that's—you don't dwell on
it, you don't speak on it much because it's so just—it's just—but
it's true. And do you know what it took
to save one of these creatures? You know what it would take to
save one creature, let alone a million of them, or a billion,
or a trillion? You know what it took? God's Son coming down here and
having his throat cut. That's what it took for God to
save one of these sinners. It took a drastic measure, having
his Son beaten to a bloody pulp. Now, damnation is serious. It's
going to require a serious thing. It's because of serious sin,
and salvation is going to require a serious sacrifice. This is the reason God Almighty
absolutely detests and abhors self-righteousness, religion,
that men and women have worked up with their own hands like
canes. The men that come to this holy
God and say, hey, I've done something, and all their lives they've lived
like snakes, rotten, wretched. And then all of a sudden they're
going to quit their cussing, and God's going to be well pleased
with them. They're going to quit their drinking,
they're going to quit their cussing, they're going to join the church.
They're going to come down front, they're going to set Jesus, or
they're going to let him into their heart, don't worry. God
says, it took the blood of my son, it took nothing less than
me putting my son on that Roman gimmick and hitting him between
the eyes and making him an unrecognizable piece of flesh and sending his
soul to hell to pay for one sin of one sinner. And you're going
to tell me you're quitting your custom is going to please me? The consequences of sin is serious,
and the consequences of salvation is going to require a serious
sacrifice. There is nothing men do that pleases God. Nothing.
Outside of looking to Christ. Christ said, I do always those
things which please Him. I've been saying that Christ
is God. He's been saying it. I've just been repeating it. He said, I do always those things
that please Him. Do you know anybody that's real
particular and demanding and likes things done a special way? Men, don't nod your head. You'll
give your wife away. Or vice versa. But do you know
anybody like that, that I'm telling you, they're so particular and
so demanding, and they're so meticulous about things that
if you don't do it their way, it's just not going to get done
right, and they're going to have to do it themselves. That's the
old saying is, you want something done right, do it yourself. Well,
this is exactly what God did. This is exactly what God did. No man could possibly please
him or honor his law or magnify it or make it honorable. None
could possibly satisfy God's holy law. None could possibly
get to heaven based on their works or their life, their goodness.
None could possibly. So God came down and by himself,
Romans Hebrews 1 verse 4 says, when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down. on the right hand of God. He did it himself. God came down
himself. Isaiah 59, I know a heavy term,
but it says, in Isaiah 59, it says, he looked and he wondered
that there's no man. No man! He said, so he put on
the robe of salvation and took the sword. There's none? Is there
none? So God said, yes, there's one.
I come. Oh, I come in the volume of the
book that's written of me to do thy will. Who for? Not me,
for them. For them. God with us. Only God can do
that, he said. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't he
wonderful? That's what he said to call his
name. Call his name wonderful. As he spake these words now,
as he spake these words, many believed on him. Do you believe
on him now? I saw some smiles on some faces
that recognized a little glory just now. I saw some smiles,
thank God. I saw some recognition, saw some
light and some countenances there that I believe, believe on him. A lot of people say they do,
but don't. It says believe on him, doesn't
it? Doesn't it, Nancy? We've seen before there's a difference
between believing in him and believing on him. Well, it says
they believed on him. Well, perhaps they said they
believed on him. And I've known, and you've known,
many who believe, I'm talking believed the truth, and made a profession right in
our midst here, and has sat for years and believed and looked
like and acted like and sounded like they believed on him. But
the verdict's out on all of us people, starting with this preacher. Roth Barnard, old man, had a
little wisdom. A fellow one time said to him,
Brother Barnard, do you believe I'm saved? A young fellow said that to him.
Barnard wisely said, I don't know. He said, see me in thirty
years, and then we might commence to get started to knowing. Maybe. Expounded it, didn't he? Verse
31, he said, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed
on him. If, if, if, this is the biggest little if in the Bible. If ye continue in my word, then
are you my disciples indeed. It's not how we start. And it's
not if we go forty years, is it? If you continue in my word, then
are you my disciples indeed. Now, these fellows that are supposed
to believe on it, it seems to me that they didn't. Why? Because
a whole bunch of them took up stones to stone him in the last
birth. Well, if you continue in my word,
if you continue in my word, if you continue. And verse 32, he
says, And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free. Now listen. It's not believing the truth.
That's salvation. It's loving the truth. You see, over in 2 Thessalonians
2, he talked about a people who receive not the love of the truth. You know, you'll soon tire of
what you don't love. You'll renounce what you so-called
believe. And all the doctrine, all in
your head that you supposedly believe, you'll renounce it if that's all it is. But when
you see the truth as it is in a person and fall in love with
a person, you don't leave what you love, do you? You die for
it. Love of the truth. Unbelievers
don't love the truth. And mere professors don't either.
But he said, you're my disciples indeed if you continue in my
word. Word, truth, Christ. Word, truth, Christ, Son. He
said, you continue in my word, you know the truth. Later on
he said, the Son shall set you free. Word, truth, Christ. These three are one. Word, truth, Christ. These three
are one and in one. Christ. This. You love this? Hmm? This is Christ. I mean, what if this book was
filled with nothing but pictures of your child? Let me ask one of these ladies.
What if I was holding up here an album, a picture album, and
it's filled with nothing but your babies, like your houses
are, you know, like your homes are, with them all over your
wall. I went into a fellow's house one day and I counted.
I started counting pictures of his children and grandchildren,
and I quit counting after I got over 50. You believe that? Let me count
them in your house. What if I was holding up a photo
album filled with all of your children? Would you be interested
in this? I said, look here, look here,
Joe, there's Steve. Look at him, that's when he was
five years old. Joe, show it again, show it again. Wasn't you Joe? Nancy says, it's
not clear enough. Bring it down here where we can
see it. Right? Look at here, the Son of God.
Let's go over to Ruth and look at the Son of God, Boaz, the
King of the Redeemer. Isn't he beautiful? Those are lovings that are altogether
lovely. Show him again. Show him again. Let's see another
picture. See the difference between the
love of the truth, a person? Well, let's talk about the Jews
in ancient history and their demise in the fourth century. We're going to talk about superlapsarianism
as opposed to infralapsarianism. We're going to talk about truth,
word, Christ, a synonymous Synonymous, this is a drudgery to you to
hear this, to read this. What you love is not a drudgery.
What you love is not a duty. Who you love you don't serve
by coercion or duty, but desire. And you don't leave who you love.
You don't leave them. Love never faileth. Never. They went out from us. Why? They were not of us. If
they'd been of us, they no doubt would have stayed with us. Why?
They love Christ! Oh, I know the truth. Now, I've
got to go on. I've got to hurry here. I want to take verses thirty
2 through 36 together. Because he says here, the truth
shall make you free. And in the last verse, he says
that the Son shall set you free. And I want every ear to hear
this. I want you all to hear this. You've heard it before,
but you've got to hear it again. Don't take for granted you know
what this means. Because I looked at it and thought,
I looked at these verses and I thought, servant of sin? But
he sets you free. I struggled with this verse.
Struggled. Wrestled with him. Man wrestled
me. He set my mind free on this thing.
Look at it. Alright, verse 32. You shall
know the truth and the truth shall make you free. They said,
we'd be Abraham's seed. We're never in bondage to any
man. How sayest thou that you shall be made free? Jesus answered
them, verily, verily. I say unto you, whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in
the house." What's the house? You remember what the house was?
We studied that Wednesday. No, the servant abideth not in
the house of Israel, but the Son abideth ever. The Holy One,
the Holy Son. If the Son, therefore, shall
make you free, you shall be free indeed. You'll know the truth,
and the truth will set you free. If the Son, therefore, shall
make you free, you shall be free indeed. Alright, now listen. Look at verse 46. He said, which
of you convinces me of sin? In him is no sin. Christ had
no sin. None. He served God perfectly. No sin. He's not the servant
of sin. In him is no sin. He earned heaven. He earned it. The only one that ever has. The
rightful heir. He earned his reward. This man,
for the life he lived, his reward is heaven. He said, the son abideth forever. He must. God is not unrighteous. He cannot destroy a righteous
man. But he must destroy the unrighteous. Stay with me. Now all men, it
says, the servant abideth not in the house. All men serve God. All men and women and young people
serve God's purpose some way. But they're not going to abide
forever with God, that's for sure. But the son shall. All adopted sons do too. Alright, now listen, I began
a message a few weeks ago by asking you a pointed question. I said, are you a sinner? Are you a sinner? And then I said, well, are you
an idolater? Have other gods before God? Oh,
no, no, I don't do that. Oh, well, then do you take God's
name in vain? Do you take God's name in vain?
Oh, no, not me. Well, then do you have any other
gods before him? Do you break the Sabbath? Do you lie? No, no, no. Do you steal? No, not me. Have you committed
murder? No, not me. Then I said, what kind of sinner
are you? If we say no to every charge
against us, then what? Not center, are we? No center at all. And one of
our brethren tried that on one of the fellows he worked with.
He did. He went up to him and said,
Are you a center? And the fellow said, I don't
know if he agreed at first or not, but he went down the line
and said, Are you this? Are you that? He said, No, no, no, no.
He said, What kind of center are you? That's one of those little white
lie tellers, Henry. He stole the watermelon, you
know. He chewed bread man for a few years. Bad sinner. And God's going to throw a man
in the hell for that? All right, listen to me. If you're not a sinner, you don't
have a Savior. That's just all there is to it.
If you're not a sinner, you don't have a Savior. Some person says,
well, I used to be a sinner. Then you used to have a Savior.
But not anymore. Right, Joe? I used to be one. Well, then you used to have a
Savior. But it's hopeless now. Now that you're a saint, you
don't have any mercy or grace. Let me ask you all. Do you commit
sin? Do you commit sin? Now, remember what the Scripture
says. If any man say, I have not sinned, he makes God a liar. 1 John 8-10. If any man say,
hath not sinned, or hath no sin, call him God a liar. Do you commit
sin? Did Christ say, whoever commits
sin is a servant of sin? Now wait a minute. I don't serve
sin. Let me ask you something. Are
there any Romans 7 sinners in here? That's who I'm looking
for. Find me a Romans 7 sinner who said, that which I do, I
allow not. That what I would, I do not. What I hate, that's what I do. Listen to him. He said, I delight
in the law of God, that's the inward man, but I see another
law of my members roaring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity. So then with the mind I serve
the law of God, but with the flesh, sin. Is there a Roman seven sinner in
here? Good news, if the Son shall set
you free, your friend. Everyone heard it. Look over
at Isaiah 42. Get over there quick, just as
fast as you can. Run, don't stop. Let's read it. Isaiah 42. Read quickly. You see, you remember there in
the first part of John 8? Remember when that woman caught
red-handed, caught guilty, came in there? And everybody in there
was a bunch of saints, saved and knew it, and sure for heaven's
sake, they're already there. Everybody but her, that is. And
they said, the law, the law of killing, what do you say? This
is the Son! This is the Son! What do you say? I say, be damned. It's not what men say, not that
men approve of, not that you approve of, it's what the Son
says. The Son says, sinners go free,
self-righteous get damned. This sinner says, hallelujah.
This Roman 7th sinner says, who has delivered me from this body
of death? Oh, I want to thank God through
Jesus Christ my Lord. The sign is going to set me free,
and I'm not going to be free indeed until he does. Look at it, Isaiah 42, he said,
the Lord, verse 21, the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness
sake. He will magnify the law and make
it honorable. But this is the people robbed
and spoiled and snared in holes, hidden in prison houses there
for a prey, and none delivereth, none delivereth, none delivereth,
verse 1 of chapter 43. But now, thus saith the Lord. I have redeemed them. I have
called them. I have come to deliver you. The only one that can. You can't
do it? Nobody can do it but me. And
it'll not be totally done until you're standing by me in glory.
But I have, I have I have written your name on the
palm of my hands." Christ has a tattoo. And it's indelibly printed, the
names of his people on the palms of his hands. They're going to be with him
someday. That's what Paul was saying. That's what every sinner,
that's their only hope. Oh, that's the beginning of my
confidence. When I first came to Christ, it was a hell-deserving
sinner. That's the only kind he takes.
It was like that woman caught, caught, caught, guilty, totally
at his mercy. Well, what am I now? Well, I'm
better. No, I'm the chief of sinners. Well, this is a faithful saying.
and worthy of all acceptation, bestowed by sinners, this man
receiveth sinners." It came in the world to save sinners. Ah, boy. Verse 7, Everyone is called by
my name. Isaiah 43, verse 7, I have created
him for my glory. Verse 5, Fear not, I am with
thee. I'll say to the North, give up.
He even say some Yankees, Vicki. That ain't worth it. Everybody
knows that. Neither are Johnny Rebs. Ain't none of them. East, West,
North, South. But he says, give them up. He
says in Isaiah 45, he shall let go my captives. Not for price,
not for reward. What for? For His glory. For
His glory. Free and disciples in deed. Do you reckon you want to worship
and serve this Lord? Do you reckon we'll love Him?
Do you reckon we'll sing unto Him? Sinners, Will, I know a
couple of sinners. I know a woman in John 8 that's
standing right now at the feet of this glorious person saying,
unto him who loved me and washed me from my sin in his own blood. Unto him that called me, that
chose me. Unto him that said, no condemnation. Him, him, him. That's the beginning of our confidence,
Will. Hold it. Hold on, Senator. You're
going to set us free. All right. Brother Joe, you got
a PMFIC pass? 474. What's that? 474. you you