He just well quit wondering about
it. He just would do it. He just
would do it. He didn't do it because he was
worthy, that's for sure. There's no answer to it. Just
said, even soul fathers seem good in your sight. It pleased
the Father to Bruce to make his soul an offering for sin. Back here in John chapter 5, we have some witnesses of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the subject this morning
I want to make, is bearing witness of Christ. Bearing witness of
Christ. We all want to be witnesses of
Christ. We want to be faithful witnesses.
We want to say the things about Him that's true. So John Bunyan says one of the
awfulest persons he knew that ever came
to him was that person of shame whenever he didn't witness to
Christ faithfully. Ashamed to own his master's name
at times. And that would be an awful thing
to do, to be ashamed of Christ when you ought to stand the strongest
for Him. And I want to be a faithful witness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I know you do. If God lets us
live, we want to continue to bear witness. Now, people say
that the best sermon that you can preach is your life. Now,
that's not so. That's not so. No, no. No, no. That's not so. If the
best sermon you can preach is your life, then just quit. No. No, you know, Christ, and
our perfection is in Christ, and that's why we want to bear
witness to Him. Not what we do, but what He did. Not what we're
trying to do, but what He did do. And if a man looks to us
for anything other than what we can say about Christ, we want
to honor Him by our lives. We want to honor Him by our character
and by our conduct. We do want to do that. But yet,
you've got to be faithful in your message concerning Him.
And that's what he said here in verse 31. He says, if I bear
witness of myself, my witness is not true. My witness is not
true. Now, there's four witnesses here
of Christ that I want to show you today. And the first, you
know, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There
is another that bears witness of me, and I know that the witness
of me is true. There are those witnesses that
are true. And our Lord Jesus Christ said here, if I bear witness
of myself, my witness is not true. Now, what our Savior is
telling him, here's the first witness, he bears witness of
himself. But he said, this witness here, he says, if I do it by
myself and of myself, my witness is not true. And he says, why
he's saying that is, according to the law, if a man bears witness
of himself, his witness is not true. It's at the mouth of two
or three witnesses, every word may be a statement. So he says,
if I'm just standing up, telling you about myself, bearing witness
to myself, and I've made some incredible claims, you know,
he's saying that, you know, the witnessing of himself wasn't
just acceptable to man. He says it's not true. He says
it's not valid by your standards, not even valid by the law. And
when you look at him outwardly, according to human eyes, he was
just an ordinary man. When you saw him, you saw just
an ordinary Jew. You saw a carpenter's son. You
saw a carpenter. You saw a poor man. You saw a
peasant, is what you saw. And according to outward eyes,
but this man made some extraordinary claims. And here's the thing
about it, either he was the greatest imposter that's ever come into
this world, or he was exactly who he said he was. Look what he says there in verse
18 here. Look what they said about him.
Talk about making some claims. John 5, 18, Therefore the Jews
sought the more to kill him, because he had not only broken
the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself
equal with God. Oh my, making himself equal with
God, the eternal God, the God that the Jew says there is hero
Israel, the Lord our God is one. The God who created the heavens
and the earth and upholds them by the word of his power and
measures the waters in the hollows of his hands, the high and the
lofty one that inhabits eternity, that the heaven of heavens can't
contain. This man, this man, Mary's son, Joseph's son, is
standing here telling us that he's equal with God? So this
is the kind of people he's talking to. These are the people, he
says, so if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
But now I tell you, he made some extraordinary claims. But to
believers, to believers, his word is true. We believe his
word. We believe his claim. And as
a man, even as a man, We believe His Word is true. Because He
was a sinless man. He was a perfect man. He was
God-man. And then it says here in verse
32, He says, But there is another that bears witness of Me. Here's
the first witness I want to show you. He says, There is another
that bears witness of Me, and I know that the witnesses of
Me is true. I know what He says about Me
is true. And this says this, You sin under John. That's the
first witness. And he bare witness unto the
truth. What? He says, what? You sinned unto John. What do
you mean you sinned unto John? Turn back over here to John chapter
1, verse 19. I'll show you what it says. Our
Lord says, you sinned unto John, and John bare witness to the
truth. John bare witness of me, and his witness is true. I know
his witness is true. Huh? You sinned unto John. Look
what it says in verse 19. And this is the record of John,
when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask
him, who art thou? That's what our Lord says, you
sent to John to find out who I am, to find out who he was. And what did John bear witness
to? He said, who are you? They want to know who he was.
Are you the Christ? No, I'm not the Christ. He said,
Are you lying? He said, I'm not. Well, who are
you? He said in verse 22. We like to know who you are,
that we may give an answer to those who says. You know what
he said? I'm just a voice. That's all I am. I'm just a voice. And I'm out
here in the wilderness and I'm crying out. I'm crying out. And oh, beloved. And they went
on and asked him some other questions. And he says down there in verse
26, John answered and said, I'm baptized with water. But thou
stand'st the one among you that you don't know. You don't know
who it is. And he that is coming after me
is preferred before me. Whose shoelaces I'm not worthy
to undo." Oh my! So while he bore witness to the
truth about, first of all, John bore witness to the truth about
himself. I'm just a voice crying in the wilderness. He said, I'm
just a part of the bridegroom. He said, I'm a voice. He said,
Christ is preferred before me because He came before me. He
said, He is the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the
world. He said, He's the bridegroom. And when the friend in the bridegroom
hears His voice, he rejoices. And you know what else He said
about Him? He said, He must increase. And me, I got to decrease. And
you know what else he said about him? Him have God the Father
sealed. You know what else he said about
him? All things are given into his hands. And you know what
else he said about him? You can't receive nothing except
it be given you from heaven. Huh? They said, oh, look at him
coming yonder. Who is that? That's the Lamb
of God. And when his disciples that was following him, he poured
out Christ, they turned and followed Christ. And that's what he fulfilled
his ministry. Oh, John's bear witness, he says,
that's what our Lord said back over here in John 5. He says,
you sinned unto John, you sinned to John. And oh, John bore witness
of the truth. Oh my, he reminds them how they
sinned to him. But in verse 34, look what he
says, But I received not testimony from man. Huh? Oh, I received not testimony
from man, but these things I say that you might be saved. Now,
what does he mean, I receive not testimony of men? He said,
I'm not seeking man's testimony. I'm not out here trying to get
folks to say something good about me. I'm not out here trying to
make myself of no reputation. I don't grasp after man's testimony. I don't grasp after men to say
something about me. I don't need anybody to bear
witness of me. My witness itself is true. And
look what he says, I don't seek to prove my word by what John
said or any other mere man. He says my word is sufficient.
And watch what he says here. But these things I say that you
might be saved. It's for your sake that I give
you these witnesses. It's for your sake that God sent
John. It's for your sake that I'm telling
you what I'm telling you. It's for your sake that I'm showing
you these witnesses of me. It's for your sake that you might
be saved. Huh? Our Savior didn't need John's
witness. You know who needs John's witness?
They needed John's witness. You know who else needs John's
witness? We need John's witness. Everybody
needs the witness of Christ, the witness of John, and these
witnesses of Christ that they might be saved. Christ don't
need them. Christ is going to be the same whether they call
Him a devil. Did they call Him a devil? Did that change Him
from being who He is? When they said he was a drunkard
and a winebibber, did that change from who he is? Did that change
his witness? Did that change his power? Did
that change his glory? Did that change his mind? Did
that change his relationship with the Father? No! So you see,
beloved, Christ says, I say these things to show you these witnesses
because you might be saved. It's for your sake that these
witnesses are mentioned. And oh, John, all he had done
to do was just prepare the way for him. Look what it says again
about him. He was a burning and a shining light. Oh, he was a
burning light. Wouldn't you like to be like
that? A burning and a shining light. Burning light. And you
were, oh my! And that's what our Lord is bearing
to how men are to witness for Christ. As he said here, if you
confess me, John confessed Christ. Confess Christ in every way and
every way possible that he could. And Christ says, if you confess
me before me, I'll confess you before my Father. And here he
is. John was a burning and a shining
light. I'm confessing how he was blessed.
I'm confessing what a witness he was to me. And all beloved,
and they said, and you were willing for a season to rejoice in that
light. And I can't help but wonder. You know, our Lord says, we're
to be lights in this world. He says, cast off the armor of
darkness and put on the armor of light. And He says, shine
forth as lights in this world, holding forth the word of life.
And oh my, wouldn't you like to be like that? And look what
else it says about Him. He says here, you were willing
for a season to rejoice in His light. What does that mean? As
long as John was popular, the scripture says that Herod heard
him gladly. O Herod, the king heard him gladly,
until even he rejoiced in his life. He rejoiced in what he
had to say. He rejoiced in his message for
a while, until John says it's not lawful. And he says, now, that old boy
ain't got no light at all. That's what he said. He's willing
to rejoice in him. And these Jews were willing to
rejoice in John as long as he was popular. As long as he was
out there preaching. But before he was put in prison,
everybody rejoiced in him. They're like those stony ground
hearers, they had once received the word with joy, and then when
persecution arises by and by, they fade away, they pass away. And that's why our Lord Jesus
said, if, if you continue in my word, if you can, not just
for a season, not just as some preacher that comes along you're
impressed with, Not just somebody that comes along full of fire
and full of zeal and full of vim and vigor. Not because somebody's
an eloquent speaker, but he says, just if you continue in my word,
then, and not till then, and only then, are you my disciples. Ain't that right? Oh, that's
what our Lord said. This business of being a believer,
this business of being a witness for Christ, it's not just something
you do until something better comes along. It's not just a
fire escape from hell or an insurance policy. He said, if you continue
in my Word, then what is His Word? All of it. All of it. Somebody told me just this week,
just this week, He said a fellow was teaching through Romans,
and he got to Romans chapter 8. Saw it on television do this. Got to Romans chapter 8, and
he says, you know, we're going to skip this and go on by this
because this is too controversial. And we don't want no controversy. That fellow ain't even got light.
He ain't even got life. Well, you know, let's just, let's
don't preach on election. Let's don't be true to the Word
of God and continue in the Word of His sovereignty or of His
electing grace. Let's don't continue in the Word
of all men as dead in trespasses, sins, maggots, and worms filthy
from the top of their head to the sole of their foot. Let's
don't continue in that Word. Let's go tell everybody, Oh,
Jesus loves you and you're the finest people that ever was.
Oh, you know, Jesus is, you know, He needs the gift that you've
got. He needs your power. He needs your money. He needs
your strength. He needs you. Let's don't contend,
let's don't contend in the Word. And I tell you what, I wouldn't
be in a man's shoes for 10,000 worlds and say, let's pass by
that. That's too controversial. Our Lord was controversial. You
know why they took Him out there the first time He preached? In
masses? You know why he did? Because
he says, you know, there were many widows in Israel in the
time of Elijah. But Elijah was only sent to one,
that widow over in Serepta. He wasn't even sent to a widow
in Israel, he was sent to a Gentile over there. And then he says,
and you know, there were many lepers in Syria in the time of
Elijah. But Elijah was only sent to one.
Man, they understood right then and there. He's telling us that
Christ and that God Almighty is going to do something for
Gentiles. Going to pass by us. He's preaching sovereign election.
And they got angry and going to throw Him off a cliff. That's
why He says, you know, I'm saying these things for your sake. That
you might be saved. I don't need it. I am who I am. Alright. Let's go on down here.
Let's go on down here now. And he says, you were willing
for a season to rejoice in his light. But verse 36, he said,
I have a greater witness than that of John. Here's the second
one. I have a greater witness than that of John. What is this
witness greater than John? The works. The works which the
Father has given me to finish. You reckon he finished them?
That's what he says. Now, the same works that I do
bear witness of me that the Father sent. that the Father sent me. Oh, I have greater what? My works. Look over here in John
10. I'm going to show you something.
Just look at this. John chapter 10, verse 25. Look
at this, what they said about it. My works, the works that
I do. The works that I do. I was talking to Myles McKee
the other day, and he was in Pentecostalism for years. Tongue
speaking, you know, and all that. He was in big, big churches.
And he says, that's one thing that always puzzled me when the
Lord said, you know, it's just an anomaly. There's nothing you
can do about it. He says, the work that I do,
you shall do greater. And he says, you know, that always
bothered me in Pentecostalism, because we was always interested
in doing great works, performing miracles and deliverance and
healing and all those things. He says, but I never did. See
anybody raised from the dead? I never did see any lepers clean.
So what in the world is he talking about? He says that right there
and there himself. Condemn me. Condemn me. Condemn me. So our Lord says the works bear
witness of me. John 10, 25. Verse 24, and let's
look to keep in this context. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Now look what our Lord said.
Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believe not. Now listen,
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. My very works do. If you don't
believe I'm the Christ, why don't you look at my works? Look down
at verse 38. Verse 37. If I do not the works
of my Father, Believe me not. If the works that I do are not
of my Father, don't believe me. But if I do, though you believe
not, believe the works. But if I do, though you believe
not me, believe the works. Look at the works. If you don't
believe me and what I have to say, look at the works that I
do, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and
I am the Father. John 14.11. Let me get here. Believe me that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very worth's
sake. If you can't believe what I say,
if you won't believe who I say I am, look at my works. Look
at what I do. And, oh, let me give you seven
things about our Lord's works. Seven things about our Lord's
works. Several things. Seven things about our Lord's
miracles. Back over here. He says, first of all, the number
of them. You know how many works our Lord did? You go through
the Gospels one of these times and start counting them. And
then the Scripture says that all the things that He did wasn't
written down in the book. The first miracle He done was
He turned water into wine. And all, beloved, all the miracles,
their number, of the very number that He done, whereas they were
very, very, very many. That in and of itself shows you
that. And secondly, their greatness. They were mighty in nature. Look
over here in John 5.5. You know, their greatness, they
were mighty in number. John 5.5, look what it says,
and a certain man, was there, which had an infirmity 38 years,
lying by the pool of Bethesda. And when Jesus saw him lying,
knew that it had been now a long time in that case, he hadn't
been able to walk for 38 years. Our Lord says, Wilt thou be made
whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man when
I have the water's trouble to put me into the pool, but while
I'm coming another step is down before me. Our Lord said unto
him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk. And immediately the
man was made whole. And took up his bed, and done
exactly what Christ told him to do, walked. He said, take
up your bed. I did. Walked. He did. Oh, my. And over in John, you've
got to see this. I'll tell you. We ain't got no
where to go today until dinner time. 9.32. Oh my. Oh, the greatness of it. You know, our Lord Jesus walked
on water. Just walked right out on water
one night, four o'clock in the morning. Here He comes walking
on the water. And they said, Oh my, it's a ghost. He says,
Be not afraid, be of good cheer. It is I. And you're talking about being
of good cheer. He is a good Jew, and he said, it's me! It's I,
don't be afraid. And look what it says here in
John 9, 32. Since the world began, was it
not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born
blind? John 9, 32. Not since the world
began has it ever been told, ever been done, that a man opened
a man's eyes. It was one moment. It had never
been done. And oh, beloved, and oh, he stilled
the storm just by speaking to it. Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead
came forth. He saw all this multitude and
he said, set them down here. And he fed over 5,000 people
with two loaves of bread and five fishes. Another time he
fed over 4,000. with seven fishes and two loaves
of bread. How do you do that? Works. God sent Him to do. Lepers! Will thou be made clean? Yes,
yes. And not only were there numbered,
there were very many. They were great. But they were
done publicly. Here's what's so wonderful about
it. Everything he'd done, it was done in public, where everybody
could see it. Everybody was around that pool
when he told that man to get up. They saw that. Everybody
was around that tomb of Lazarus, and there was a multitude around
it. They saw Lazarus come out of that tomb. They saw Lazarus
come back to life. They saw him raise that widow's
son. They saw him feed the multitudes. There was a crowd following him
one day when that woman said, if I can just press and touch
the hem of his garment. She pressed to her crown and
all these things. He was sitting one day and a
great crowd preaching around him. These fellows got on a roof
and took off the roof so that they could let a man down in
front of them. Everything was done publicly. He didn't get
off and say, you know, like this junk bus did today. He says,
you know, I've seen this great miracle. And I've done this great
miracle. He said, me and God knows it. Everybody's seen them. It
was before many witnesses. That's why he says, if you don't
believe me, believe me for the works. And then not only that,
but look at the character of their witnesses. Look at the
character of them. They were works of love, mercy,
compassion, Oh my! He looked at that multitude and
He says, He had compassion on them, for they were like sheep
without a shepherd. Oh my! Like that man laying there. Our Lord saw him there. That
man that was born blind. That widow woman, she was going
out of town. She was weeping and crying over
her only son. Her heart was broken. Carrying
him out to bury Now the Lord was moved with compassion toward
them. He said, Stop! Here's death and here's life. And when they meet and He speaks,
death has got to answer and has got to give up the dead. Oh,
everything He's done was done out of love and compassion. Helpful. He's done it out of help, not
just to exhibit His power. Our Lord didn't do anything just
to show how powerful He was, and that He could work miracles.
Isn't that what they told Him? His own brother says, you do
these great works, go out there. He said, no man does what He
does unless he wants people to see Him. Our Lord Jesus didn't
do it just to show how powerful He was. Let me give you a fifth
reason. The appeal that they had to men's
senses. You know, everything He did was
visible. I mean, if you'd have been standing there, you know,
if you'd have been standing there at Lazarus' tomb, and you heard,
first of all, you'd see him weep. You'd see him standing there
crying, tears falling down his eyes. And you'd be like everybody
else. You'd say, boy, he sure must
have loved Lazarus. Oh, he must have loved him so
much. But when he started, said, take that stone away. And they
said, oh Lord, don't do that. He said, you'll smell him. He
stinks. He's been dead for four days.
Don't do that. He said, take it away. He's standing
there crying. And he lifts up his eyes to heaven
and he prays. He says, Father, I know that
you hear me always, but for their sake, I do this. And then he
just said, Lazarus, if you'd have been there, your ears would
have heard it. Your eyes would have seen it. And your heart
would have been touched when you saw him cry? And you'd have
watched that dead man come out of there and you'd have stood
in utter and absolute astonishment. My, my, my. And what about all these people
saw him raise that dead man, that man there stood laying?
And what about all the folks, they just couldn't get over that
he opened the eyes of a man that was born blind? And I'll tell you what's so bad
about it. They could have, every miracle that he ever performed,
every work he ever did, he could bear examination. You could examine
it. That's what they've done with
that Vine man. They examined him from top to bottom, questioned
him, inquired of him. And I said, that's something,
these miracle workers today, none of their works could, they
perform all these miracles, Benny Hinn, and this fella just died,
done all these miracles, you know, and had these tents full
of people, people walking up in crutches, coming in wheelchairs
and all that stuff. Come to find out most of it stays.
You know, you've got a fellow sitting down, and he's supposed
to have a short leg, and he goes like this, and that guy goes
pulling on his leg, and now it stretches out, you know. Phony
as a three dollar bill. You can examine any miracle worker,
just as the crowd is being examined, any miracle worker. And they
won't bear examination, but you take anything that Christ did,
examine it. And it lasts. Look at that blind
man. Is he seeing? He does. Is Lazarus alive? He is. They sit down and have
dinner with him in the afternoon. That woman with issue of blood
has spent every penny she had and was right on the verge of
death. She said, if I can touch but the hem of his garment, I
know I'll be made whole. Was she made whole? Oh my. And I'll tell you something
else, they weren't staged. They weren't staged. No, no,
you know, but he didn't wait until a big crowd gathered around
him and he called somebody out to show him what power he had
and what ability he had. No, no, but he was going about
his ministry, he was going about his life, going about preaching.
That's when these things happened. They just happened in the natural
course of his ministry, the natural course of his life. Nothing prearranged
about it. And then last of all, their efficacy,
their effectualness. Guess what? Every morning he
healed, he stayed healed. First of all, they were immediate.
You take up your bed and walk. He took up his bed and walked. Your eyes are open. Without being made clean, you're
made clean. Everything he did, it was immediate, it was instantaneous,
it was complete, and guess what else? He was perfect. Oh my, that's the way salvation
is. I mean, what Christ does, it lasts. And then look what
it says. So that's the second witness,
his works. Back over here in John 5. He
says, my witness is not true. John bore witness of me. my worst
bear witness of me. And down in verse 37, here's
the third witness. And the Father himself, which
hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. How many times did the
Father speak about him, that this is my beloved Son, hear
ye? When the Spirit felt this is
my beloved Son, whom I will believe. Christ spoke to the voice. They
said they heard God speak one time and it sounded like thunder.
That's what it sounded like when He spoke on Mount Sinai. That's
why everybody backed up and said, we don't want to hear it, because
that whole mountain should have sounded like thunder coming off
that mountain. Oh, listen. He says, the Father's
born witness of it. And look what He says, you've
neither heard His voice or at any time seen His shape. What does the world's act mean?
You know, Philip said, show us the Father and it will satisfy
us. It will be sufficient. We won't ask again. It will be
sufficient. You can go on. He said, Philip,
have you been such a long time with me and you've not seen me?
He that has seen me has seen the Father. And he says, you
know, you've never seen the Father, seen His shape, and you ain't
never heard His voice. And that was the Father, God
standing right in front of Him, fullness of the Godhead dwelt
in Him bodily. God's speaking through him. The
only time He's ever spoke, He spoke through him. And there
He is. God's speaking. And they don't hear His voice.
And they don't see His shape. And I'll tell you another way
that the Father witnessed to Him. All the way through the
prophets and the law, the Father bore witness to Him time and
time and time and time and time again. Bore witness to Him in
Isaiah 53. bore witness to him in the ark
that was bore up, bore witness of him in the Passover lamb,
bore witness to him when Isaac offered up his son, bore witness
to him when he sent Eliezer to get a bride for his son Isaac. Oh, he bore witness to him in
so many ways and so many times. And look what he says here now. He goes on to say about this.
He said, You have neither heard His voice, nor seen His shape. And listen, this is it. This
is it right here. And you have not His Word abiding in you. My word. If you had His Word
abiding in you. That's what our Lord is saying
in verse 38. If you have not His Word abiding in you. Now
these fellows are Bible believers. They were fundamentalists. Strict,
strict religionists. I mean, listen, every Sabbath
day, a lot of them walked around, and you can see it now, and you
can go... The next time you see a bunch of Jews at that Wailing
Wall, you know some of them's got them phylacteries up here
on their head? They got a band around their
head and got them phylacteries on there? That's scriptures. Got them in a little mini roll.
And you know, he wants everybody to know, I've got these scriptures
here. I've got them on my head. I believe the Word of God. He'll bounce and bounce and bounce.
And he's got that up there. He wants everybody to know it. If you open that up, you pull
it out, and there's two or three verses of Scripture in there.
Oh my, he wants everybody to know. But our Lord, what did
He say? He said, You have not His Word
abiding in you. It's a heaps odd difference putting
them on your head in a bag or carrying a Bible under your arm,
have it in your heart, ain't it? Everybody puts them on their
dash where everybody sees that they got a Bible with them. But
it's a whole lot different to have them on your dash than to
have them in your brain, have them in your heart, have them
in your soul. Ain't that right? And oh, look what our Lord says,
for whom He has sent, you believe not. If you would believe in
Him whom He has sent, you'd look. I want you to notice something.
He says, you have not His Word. I want you to see all the not's
here in these next verses. Do not. I want you to see, you
have not His Word abiding in you. Look down in verse 40. And
you will not come to Me that you might have the life. Look
down in verse 43. I am come in my Father's name,
and you receive me not." Verse 44, How can you believe which
receive honor one from another, and seek not the honor which
cometh from God only? Down in verse 47, But if you
believe not his writings, how shall you believe me? A whole
bunch of nots in there. You know the Lord wasn't going
to tie them knots? Do away with all them knots? Christ's on the
way doing all them knots. I don't want none of them knots
to be in me. Do you? I don't want that, you believe
not, you will not come to me. I don't want to say you believe
not my writings. I don't want none of those knots
in me. Alright, then here's the, that was the third witness, the
father. Then look at the fourth witness
here. Talking about you have not his word abiding in you.
And then he goes on to say, Search the scriptures. Fourth witness
here. Search the scriptures there in
verse 39. For in them you think you have eternal life. You stake
in your life, you stake in your soul, you stake in your eternity
on believing the Word. And he says, and yet you don't
even have it in your body. You don't have a body. And they are
they which have or testify of me. See, the Scriptures testify
to Christ. Everything about the Scriptures
testifies to Christ. John's gone. He's been beheaded. Our Lord's gone to glory. And
we've never seen God. But I'll tell you one thing we
have. We're like Simon Peter. We have a more sure word of prophecy. What authority, what authority,
what importance our Lord attaches to His Word. There's no appeal
beyond the Word of God. No appeal beyond that. And that's
what our Lord said, search the Scriptures. First of all, it's
an appeal. He said, search the Scriptures.
Search them. And secondly, it's a command.
Search the Scriptures. You think you've got eternal
life? You hope you have eternal life? You say this is the foundation?
You think this is one of your articles of faith? That the Scriptures are going
to give you life? Well, search them then. Because
there ain't no life but in me. And the Scriptures testify of
me. There's no hope for you. Look over at Luke 24. Let me
show you this. I know you've seen this many a time, but look
at it. I know some of you haven't. You need to see this. Luke 24.
Back over here in Luke 24 and verse 27, I believe it is. Yeah, verse 27. Verse 25, excuse
me. Luke 24, 25. Then he said unto
them, O fools, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets
hath spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses,
and all the prophets, he expanded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself." So how can the Lord even use
the scriptures to show men himself? And He says, search. Search the
scriptures. Back over here in John 5. Search
them. And, oh, beloved, I tell you,
that's what we do. We search the Scriptures. You
know, you go places, and they have these places where you can
go dig for rubies and diamonds. And, you know, they've got them
in different places around the country. And people go in there,
and they'll get them a bucket, and they'll pay so much money.
And then they get to go off on a hillside and dig through the
dirt and all that stuff. And every once in a while, somebody
finds something, you know. They're out there searching for just
some kind of a special stone. And here's the rock of ages in
this blessed ground. The stone which God made the
head of the corner in this blessed book. And this is the one we
need to be searching. You'll find the pearl of great
price in this blessed book. You'll find him who's altogether
lovely. All right. You know, that's why
those scriptures says, you know, to him, all the prophets give
witness. Now look what it says in verse
40. Here's all these witnesses, four
witnesses, four witnesses, John, his works, his father, and the word, the scriptures. And then look what he says. We
got all these witnesses, and I told you these things that
you might be saved. And you will not come to me that
you might have life. You search the Scriptures thinking
this is it for, but you will not come to me that you might
have life. It wasn't a lack of proof why they wouldn't come
to Christ. You know why they wouldn't come?
Carnal mind is enmity against God. They had a perverse will. They had a nature. They were
unwilling to come. It's a perverse will. And then
look what it says, I receive not honor of men. I'm not telling
you these things to get your approval, to get you to brag
on me. I'm not telling you these things not just to get you to
honor me. No, no. I don't want to make anybody,
you know, if you don't want to receive me, you will not come
to me. I don't need your honor. I'm not seeking your honor. And
that's what most preachers are presenting to people. You know,
Jesus really needs you. Oh, that's what people say about
Paul. They say, God knows that Paul would make such a great
apostle. No, no. Paul was a rebel, a God-hater,
a Christ-rejecter, a Holy Ghost-denier, a Pharisee of Pharisees. And
had not Christ put him in the dust on the Damascus road, he
would have died and went to hell. He would not come to Christ until
Christ came to him. And he will never bow to Christ
until Christ puts him in the dust. In the day of his power, his
people will say, I don't receive honor. Now watch what he says.
I don't receive honor from men. Now watch what else he says.
But I know you. What he's saying is, I know you.
I know you. I know your thoughts. I know
your feelings. I know what you think. I know
everything about you. I know your thoughts are far
off. I know your intentions. And he says, and I know you.
And you don't have the love of God in you. You say God your Father, but
your Father's the devil. You say you love God because
you go to the Sabbath day and you read your Bible and say you
love God. They say, I know you. You ain't got the love of God
in you. If you had the love of God in you, you'd love me. And oh, look what he says. They
came to be law keepers, students of the Word and Sabbath keepers.
He said, I know you. You don't have the love of God in you.
And then look what he says, I come in my Father's name. I came in
the name of Almighty God, the great I Am that I Am. He said
seven times, he was I Am. And you won't receive me. We don't believe a word you've
got to say. We just don't believe you're God. We just don't believe
that you've got any... You know, we see these works,
but we just can't believe you. Now watch this. But if another
shall come in his own name, come, you know, and so and so's coming
to town, get all your children, get all your grandmas, get all
your grandpas, this great preacher, If you want them saved, bring
them to hear this man. If you want them healed, bring
them to hear this man. And he says, they come in their
own name, and you'll receive another. And I'll tell you this,
you reject Christ, and you know what you'll do? You'll receive
the Antichrist. Because he's certainly coming
in his own name. You reject the truth, and you know what you'll
do? You'll receive a lie. You'll do like Adam and Eve.
When Satan presents you a lie, you say, I just believe I'll
eat that. I just believe I'll eat that. And oh, look what he says. This
is astounding to me. How can you believe? How can
you possibly believe which receive honor one of another? Oh, my. Here you are, you honor
one of another. Ain't that what preachers do?
They honor their scholars that make their whole ministry Bragging
on the Puritans. Riding on the Puritans. Make
their whole ministry bragging on dead preachers. Or bragging
on other preachers. Oh, that's the greatest preacher.
He's the greatest preacher out there. Bragging on one another. Get up and say, ah, thank God
for this and that and there and so and so is here with us and
we appreciate that senator, appreciate that congressman, appreciate
this dear woman over here and that woman. Oh my, they've done
such wonderful... Ah, listen, we ain't gonna give
the flesh of Harris breath in this world. I don't care if the
President of the United States come in, he may bring in an honorage
with him, but they're gonna sit and hear the gospel if they come
in here or any place else where they preach the gospel. Everybody
else may honor him, but God ain't gonna honor him. And I tell you,
a man seeks honor in one of another, and he says, how can you believe
this bragging on one another? And you don't seek that honor
that God gives you, that God says, this is my man, this is
my child, this is my message, this is the one I'm sent. And oh, do not think, do not
think that I'm going to accuse you to the Father. I ain't going
to do it. I don't have to. Why not? There's one that's going
to accuse you. You say, Moses is the fellow we're trusting
in. Moses. Not the God of Moses, just Moses. He said, I don't have to accuse
you. You know who's going to accuse you? Say, Moses is who
we trust. We're his disciples. You know
what he said? He said, when you face God, Moses himself is going
to stand there and say, you fellows didn't have a clue. Moses will
stand there and say, you know, this is the Messiah. This is
that prophet. of whom He spake. This is that
promised seed, the seed of the woman. This is Him. This is Abraham's
seed. And, O Beloved, He said here,
now watch this, in verse 46, For had you believed Moses, you
would have believed Me. If you claim kinship to Moses,
and following Moses, being His disciples, He'll one day accuse
you in that great day. And watch this, If you believed
Moses, you'd believe me. You know why? Because Moses wrote
about me. Oh my. Let me show you this in
closing. Let me show you John 9 real quick. John 9, 27. Verse 26, And they said unto
him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He
answered them, John 9, 27, I have told you already, and you did
not hear. Wherefore would you hear it again?
We also be his disciple? They reviled him and said, Thou
art his disciple. We are Moses' disciple. Let me
close in John 12, 47. John 12, 47. They contended for Moses. They
contended for Moses. They'd have been ready to die
for what Moses taught. But Christ says, you really don't
believe Him. If you did, you'd believe Me. Moses wrote of Me. Verse 47, John 12, 47. And if any man hear My words
and believe not, I judge him not. For I came not to judge
the world, but to save the world. Now listen. He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day." Witnesses, bearing witness of Christ. Bearing witness of
Christ. Just being a faithful witness.