Now returning to the book of
John chapter 6, the main text that I'm going
to use is verses 44 and 45. And I'm going to kind of launch
out from there but come back to it. And you know me, if I
run out of time I'll just pick up next Sunday on it. But we'll
see how it goes. But here in John 6, verse 44,
the Lord says to those who, He's actually speaking to those who
did not believe on Him. You remember back up here in
verse 36, He said, But I said unto you that you have also seen
Me and believed not. Talking about unbelievers. And
then He's quick to say, All that the Father giveth Me shall come
to Me. Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. All whom the Father gave Him
before the foundation of the world will come to Him." Somebody
says, well, it's talking about election and all that. That's
what the Bible teaches. You can't get away from it. Well,
I say you can't get away from it. A lot of preachers avoid
it because it's offensive to man. God would choose. Man by nature will not choose
the right things. Somebody says, well, he said,
well, if I try to come to him and he didn't choose me, well,
that's not the way we're to think. You're not God. You don't live
in that realm. That's God's realm. Our realm
is this, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be
saved. Whosoever calleth upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved. And this is what he's saying.
Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Now that's
what he says. But don't deny one because you
can't make it fit in your mind. That's what people do, isn't
it? Deny the sovereignty of God or
deny the response. No, you say, well, I can't wrap
my mind around that. Well, what I always tell you,
join the club. But we don't have right to deny any part of God's
word. I understand that. But look in
verse 44, he says, no man can come to me. That word can is
a word for ability. It's the word we get our English
word dynamite from. You remember Romans 1.16, the
gospel is the power of God. That's the same word here. No
man has the power to come. That's what he's saying to me. Except the father which hath
sent me draw him. God draws his people. to himself. And Christ said, they're not
going to lose that salvation. There's no such thing in the
Bible as being saved by grace and then lost after that. That
is not scriptural. That's work salvation. Christ
said, if you come to him, I will raise him up at the last day.
And somebody says, well, what if you stop coming to him? I
mean, well, according to the Bible, 1 John 2, 18 and 19, for
example, means you never really came to him to begin with. And he says in verse 45, it is
written in the prophets, that's the Old Testament, they shall
be all taught of God. God's going to teach them. Now
God uses means, He uses preachers. He uses the writings of men in
preaching the gospel. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing
by the word of God. But God is the one who brings
His people by the power of regeneration, isn't it? Power of the Spirit
brings a sinner to be convicted of sin, of righteousness, and
of judgment, and brings that sinner to Christ. He says, they
shall be all taught of God. All what? All whom God draws.
Now it's not all without exception. He said God draws them. Every
man therefore that hath heard. Heard what? Heard the gospel. and have learned of the Father."
Now that's where I'm going to key in on today. They've learned
of the Father. If you hear the Gospel, you learn
of the Father. Now we by nature don't know about
the Father. We think we do, but we don't. He says, "...everyone therefore
that hath heard and have learned of the Father." And how do you
know that you've heard it? With the spiritual ear. The regenerate
ear, blessed are your ears for they hear, blessed are your eyes
for they see. They hearing hear not, that's the unregenerate.
They seeing see not, that's the unregenerate. But if your ears
are blessed, if the Holy Spirit, remember Christ told Nicodemus,
except you be born again, you cannot see or enter the kingdom
of God, the kingdom of heaven. So all who hath heard and hath
learned of the Father, how do you know you've heard it and
learned of the Father? He says, cometh unto me. They come to
Christ. If you haven't come to Christ,
you don't know about the Father. Now think about that. You remember
back in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 9, the Lord taught His
disciples to pray this way, the beginning of the model prayer. I don't call it the Lord's Prayer,
it's the model prayer. The Lord's Prayer is found in,
one of them is found in John 17. It's a high priestly prayer. But he taught his disciples to
pray. He says, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name. In other words, if you truly
know God as Father, then you hallow his name. That
means he is set apart and identified and distinguished in your mind,
in your heart, in your affections, in your will. And most everyone
who calls themselves a Christian prays to God addressing him as
father, don't they? Other religions may address their
god or their gods in some way as father, a father. When the study of comparative
religion became popular back around the early 1900s, and it
was incorporated into the curriculum of colleges and universities,
Religious scholars really set out to find the essence of all
belief systems, what's common to all the mainstream religions. And they came up with three things.
Well, two things really, but some added a third. Number one,
they said the universal fatherhood of God. Number two was the universal
brotherhood of man. And then some added some form
of what we call the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have
them do. Now not all religions do that obviously, but some of
the mainstream do in some form. But those things in and of themselves,
now listen to me, those things in and of themselves are a lie. The title of this message And
if I finish, it'll be this message. If I don't, title next message. It's in the form of a question
that I've asked myself. And you need to ask yourself,
is God really my father? Is God really my father? Is God
really your father? That's what I want you to ask
yourself. Well, here's the reality. Now,
keep in mind what I said about these religious scholars, they
call themselves, or people call them. They thought, well, the
universal fatherhood of God. Well, here's the reality. Turn
to Acts chapter 17 with me. Acts 17, it's Paul's sermon on
Mars Hill. Remember, he started out preaching
on the unknown God there. Over there in verse, what, 23.
They had an altar to the unknown God. There's a God you all don't
know. And here's the reality about
the universal fatherhood of God. The Bible does not teach the
universal fatherhood of God. Now what it does teach is the
universal creatorhood of God. Look at Acts 17 verse 24. Paul
said here, God that made the world and all things therein,
seeing that he is Lord of heavens and earth, dwelleth not in temple
made with hands, neither is worship with men's hands, as though he
needed anything, seeing he giveth life to all, and breath, and
all things." God is the universal creator of all life, isn't he? He says, "...and hath made of
one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on the face of the
earth," this is verse 26, "...hath determined the times before appointed,"
whoa, there's something. God declares the end from the
beginning, Isaiah said. Bounds of their habitation. That's
how they come in, how they go out, where they go, where they
live. Verse 27, that they should seek the Lord if happily they
might feel after him and find him though he be not far from
every one of us. Speaking of his various revelations
of himself in creation. Verse 28, for in him we live
and move and have our being, as certain of your own poets
have said, for we are also his offspring. That's the universal
creatorhood of God, not the universal fatherhood of God. You see that? The Bible does not teach the
universal fatherhood of God. Well, what about the universal
brotherhood of man? Well, the Bible does not teach the universal
brotherhood of humanity. It teaches the universal neighborhood
of humanity. And that's why Christ said the
law is summarized, love God perfectly with all your heart, soul, mind,
and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself, and realize that
your neighbor can be your worst enemy. We don't get to choose
our neighbors. You did know that, didn't you? Every one of you
are my neighbor. I can't say every one of you
are my brother or sister, spiritually speaking, but you're
my neighbor. And it says, love your neighbor,
even those who you're, remember he said, pray for them that harm
you, despitefully use you, all, that's your neighbor. And here's the reality. The Bible
teaches that man in Adam By sin and rebellion and disobedience
fell into sin and death. And literally in Adam we sold
ourselves out to another father. The devil. Look over at John chapter 8.
Just a page over from our text. John chapter 8. Now remember
what Paul wrote by inspiration of the Spirit in Romans 5.12? He says, Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, or literally
all sinned, Adam fell. He was the representative of
the whole human family. And Adam turned his back in rebellion
and disobedience against God. And we are sold out to another
father in sin and death, and that's the devil. Well, here
in John chapter 8, the Lord is talking about the freedom of
His people. He says, the truth shall make
you free in John 8. And then there were religious
people, the Pharisees were there, but other people were there,
and they said, well, now wait a minute, we've never been in
bondage to any man, how can you say we've been set free? And
of course, and the way they would put it is this way, Abraham is
our father. Now to a Jew, to an unregenerate,
unbelieving Jew, to say that Abraham is our father is the
same to them as saying God is our father. And listen to what he says in
verse 37 of John 8. He says, well, I know that you're
Abraham's seed. I know that you're physically
descendants of Abraham. But you seek to kill me, the
Messiah, because my word hath no place in you. You see, when
the Holy Spirit brings a sinner in the new birth to look to Christ
and believe in Christ, the word is written in his heart, the
gospel. And he says, you seek to kill
me because the word has no place in you. It hasn't been written
on your heart. Verse 38, he says, I speak that which I have seen
with my father, and you do that which you've seen with your father.
Well, they said Abraham's our father. Verse 39, Jesus saith
unto them, if you were Abraham's children, you'd do the works
of Abraham. Now, what is the summation in the Bible of the
works of Abraham? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Abraham looked to the future, by promise, to the coming Messiah. And at the end of this chapter,
Christ even says that. He said, Abraham rejoiced to
see my day. And he saw and he was glad. But
look at verse 40. But now you seek to kill me, a man that hath
told you the truth, which I have heard of God. This did not Abraham.
Verse 41. You do the deeds of your father.
Then said they to him, we're not born of fornication. They're
talking about idolatry like the Gentiles. We have one father,
even God. And Jesus saith unto them, said
unto them, if God were your father, you would love me. You hear that? What is it to
love Christ? It's to believe in him. It's
to rest in him. It's to follow him. He said,
for I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came I of myself,
but he sent me. Why do you not understand my
speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. What's the problem? They're like all of us by nature,
spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. And look at verse 44.
You are of your father, the devil. The lust of your father you will
do. Now he's talking to religious people here now. He was a murderer
from the beginning and a bode not in the truth. That's what
murder is. That's what he's talking about. If I get up here and preach
a lie to you, it's the same as murdering your soul. Now, I don't
have the power to do that. But what I'm doing is I'm pointing
you to it. If I don't preach Christ and His righteousness
by the grace of God as the only ground of salvation and justification
before God, if I point you in another direction, any other
direction, I'm pointing you on a way of death. There's only
one way of salvation. And he said, he was a murderer
from the beginning, abode not in truth, because there's no
truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own,
for he's a liar and the father of it. You know, the father of
the devil. Now somebody says, well, now,
he's not talking about us there. He's talking about those dirty,
rotten Pharisees. Oh, no. He's talking about anyone who
does not love the Son. who does not believe in, rest
in the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood. What can wash away
my sins? If it's anything but the blood,
you're of your father the devil. This is all my hope and peace.
If you've got hope and peace anywhere else, you're of your
father the devil. This is all my righteousness.
I have no righteousness before God but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified and raised from the dead. My righteousness is not
in myself. It's His righteousness imputed,
charged, accounted to me. And if it's anything else, you're
of your father the devil. That's what he's saying. But
I'm trying to be good. Well, try to be good, but that's
not your salvation. That's not what makes you righteous
before God. That will not wash away your
sins. I've been baptized. Well, believers are to be baptized,
immersed in water, confessing their union with Christ. But the waters of baptism will
not make you righteous, will not wash away your sins. And
any denomination who calls himself Christian, who preaches that
the waters of baptism washes away those sins, I'm telling
you, it may sound hard. I'm not trying to be mean and
unkind. It's just the truth. They're of their father, the
devil. It's Christ alone or not at all. That's what grace is all about. I have no other plea. Think about
those in Matthew 7, 23, when the Lord said, Not everyone that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Many will say to men that day, Lord, haven't I preached in your
name? Haven't I cast out demons? Haven't
I done many wonderful works? In your name, they said. He said,
depart from me. I never knew you, you that work
iniquity. What was wrong? That word iniquity means it didn't
measure up to the requirement. You see, I preach the gospel. But all the preaching that I've
done does not make me righteous. And in fact, my preaching is
to tell you that Christ is my righteous. What He did on that
cross, as my sins were accounted, charged, imputed to Him, and
as He died, He suffered unto death, that's my righteousness
before God. And that's my only righteousness. That's what it's
all about. Is God really my Father? Well,
if God is truly my Father, if God is truly your Father, how
did this relationship come about? Alright, turn to Romans 8. Romans 8. If God is really my
Father, now by nature, I'm just like those Pharisees, folks.
By nature. And when I say by nature, I'm
talking about as I was naturally born into this world. I was born
dead in trespasses and sin. Now what the Bible teaches, Ephesians
2, for example. He said, and you hath he quickened
who were dead in trespasses? In other words, if I'm quickened,
if I'm regenerate, I was regenerated out of a state of spiritual deadness.
Quickened. So if God, if I can honestly
stand before you, or if you can honestly stand before me and
say, God is really my father now. How did that relationship
come about? Well, look at Romans 8, look
at verse 14. He says, For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Now, if you're
led by the Spirit, you're a child of God. Here's the question that
people need to ask today. Now, everybody thinks they're
led by the Spirit today. And mostly they go by feeling.
Oh, I went to the service and it was so emotional and I got
to crying and all that and somebody spoke in tongues and did this
and the Spirit fit. Now listen to me now. What does
the Bible say? Where does the Holy Spirit lead?
Well, the Bible says He leads us to Christ for all salvation. See, a lot of things can be answered
really simply. Somebody says, well, I believe
so-and-so is under Holy Spirit conviction. Well, I'll tell you
exactly how you can tell if it's Holy Spirit conviction or not.
If they end up finding salvation, forgiveness, righteousness, relief,
comfort, anywhere but Christ crucified and raised from the
dead, it is not Holy Spirit conviction. The Spirit leads sinners to Christ
in conviction of sin. The Spirit of God will show you,
He'll teach you, He'll convict you that you have no hope of
salvation, of righteousness, of blessing, but Christ crucified
and raised from the dead. If you find it anywhere else,
it's not the Spirit. You find it in baptism, it's
not the Spirit. That's the devil. The devil loves
to get people in false assurances, false refuges, false professions. He loves to hear you tell about
your dreams, your visions, your experiences. Anywhere but the
Word of God. But think about it. Verse 15,
for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear.
The spirit of bondage is legalism, works salvation. That's what
bondage is. If salvation, if the salvation
you claim is conditioned on you at any time, at any stage, in
any degree, that's bondage. If it's based upon what you do
and not totally upon what Christ did, that's bondage. He says
in verse 15, he says, but you've received the spirit of adoption. Now there's the key word. How
did this, if God is my father, how did this relationship come
about? It came about by the adoption of grace. Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry Abba, Father. That word Abba is a word we really
don't have an English translation for it. But it connotes a special
relationship that is specific. And it says in verse 16, "...the
Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are
the children of God." Adoption. The adoption of God's
grace. The adoption is not God choosing
them who choose Him. That's not what adoption's about.
When a couple adopts a child, you know what they do? They choose
the child they want to adopt. Scripture says in Galatians chapter
4 and verse 4, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
that that were under the law, that they might receive the adoption
of sons. This adoption, now the true church
of the living God, made up of true believers, the redeemed
of the Lord, is the household and family of God. And this adoption
of grace involves three things. Number one, now turn to Romans
9. Number one, it involves first and foremost, God's choice of
those whom He adopted. God's choice of those whom He
adopted. Look at Romans chapter 9. Look
at verse 6. Here the Apostle Paul was answering
a question about the nation Israel under the Old Covenant who on
the whole as a nation did what all of us by nature do if left
to ourselves and that is reject God. Now I didn't say reject religion
or ceremony. or immorality, necessarily. I
said, if left to ourselves, we would all be just like the nation
Israel under the Old Testament. We would reject God. And if you
don't believe that, I'm going to tell you something. You've
never been convicted of your own sin. You've never seen yourself
the way you need to see yourself. And so he says, but back in the
Old Testament, didn't God promise to save all Israel? Yes, he did. But who is Israel? Look at verse
6 of Romans 9. Not as though the word of God
hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel, which are
of Israel. In other words, just because
they're national Israel doesn't mean they're spiritual Israel.
Now some people call that replacement theology. It is not replacement
theology, it's fulfillment theology. who are spiritual Israel. Verse
7, neither because they are the seed of Abraham, that is natural
descendants of Abraham, are they all children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. Isaac was the child of promise,
born of a miracle, through whom the Messiah would come. That's
the significance of that. Verse 8, that is, they which
are the children of the flesh, the physical descendants, These
are not the children of God. Now, how plain can you get there?
These are not the children of God, but the children of the
promise are counted for the seed. Now, who are the children of
the promise? Those who believe the promise. What is the promise? It's not salvation by your works.
God never promised that. It's salvation by His grace through
Christ. And he says, this is the word
of promise, at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a
son. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by
one, even by her father Isaac, for the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve
the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. God chose Jacob. His love is
upon Jacob and hated Esau. And people stand back and say,
well, how could he hate Esau? Well, that's easy. How could God hate anybody? And
somebody said, well, God doesn't hate anybody. Well, the Bible
says he does. All that means he loves. No, it wasn't. The
word means hate. It's God's indignation, his just
wrath against sinners. If God gave any of us what we
deserve or what we've earned, you know what it would be? Hatred.
Well, what about God's love? God's love is in Christ. Nowhere
else. And let me tell you something.
You read the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob didn't do anything
to earn God's love. He was a sinner. So he says in
verse 14, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness, injustice,
unfairness with God? God forbid, he said, for he saith
to Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll
have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it's
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. This is God's business. This
is God's choice. Now somebody said, well, how
do I know if God chose me? All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. It is written in the prophets,
they shall be all taught of God. So everyone that hath heard and
learned of the Father cometh unto me, they come to Christ.
So that's the first thing about this adoption. It begins with
God's choice. Their names were written in the
Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world. Now
what the scripture says? Chosen in Him. Salvation given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began, 2 Timothy 1. Here's the
second thing. Turn to Hebrews chapter 2. This
adoption involves God's choice of those whom He adopted. Secondly,
it involves redemption through the blood of Christ. You see,
those whom God chose are sinners who deserve and can earn nothing
but death and damnation. But God is a just God. He must
be just when He justifies. God is a loving, merciful, gracious
God. But He will not and cannot show
love, mercy, and grace apart from His justice being satisfied. He must be, as Isaiah said, a
just God and a Savior. And there's only one way He can
do that. And that's through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ taking the full measure of God's just wrath for the sins
of his people charged, accounted, imputed to him, so that they
might have righteousness charged, accounted, imputed to them. Look
at Hebrews chapter 2, verse 9. He says, but we see Jesus who
was made a little lower than the angels, talking about his
humanity. for the suffering of death. Why
was God manifest in the flesh? So that he could die. God cannot
die, but this person who is God, God-man, he died. And he says,
in bringing many what? Sons unto glory, that he by the
grace of God should taste death for every man. That should be
every son. That's what it is. Not for all without exception.
Verse 11, for both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of one. Christ and his people are one
in the view of God's law and justice. For which cause he's
not ashamed to call them what? Brethren. They're in the household
and family of God, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren.
That's the preaching of the gospel. In the midst of the church, who
are the church? The redeemed of the Lord. Who
is the church? The called out ones. Will I sing praise unto
thee, and again I will put my trust in him, and again behold
I and the children, the children of God, which God hath given
me. Remember what he said, all that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also likewise himself took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is the devil, that's condemnation
on accusation. And he says, and deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. For barely he took not on him the nature of angels,
but he took on him the seed of Abraham. That's the spiritual
seed as identified in Galatians chapter three. Wherefore, for
this reason, in all things it behooved him to be made likened
to his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people." That's propitiation. He had to die to
satisfy the justice of God. For in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor or to comfort them that
are tempted. The adoption of blood. The adoption
of grace. God must be just. And then lastly,
turn to John chapter 1. This adoption, it involves God's
choice of those whom He adopted, it involves redemption by the
blood of Christ, and thirdly, it involves new birth by the
Holy Spirit. John 1. He says in verse 11, He came
unto his own, and his own received him not. That's talking about
the Jews, the nation. They didn't receive him. Look
at verse 12. But as many as received him,
now there's some who did receive him, to them gave he power. Now that word power is not the
same word as able or power in the other two verses. This word
power means the right, the privilege. Am I really a child of God? Is
God really my father? Are you really a child of God?
Is God really your father? If we say yes, what right do
we have to make that claim? As many as received Him, received
Christ, to them gave He the right to become the sons of God, literally
to be called the sons of God. considered the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name, verse 13, which were born not
of blood. In other words, it wasn't physical
descendancy that got us into the family of God. It wasn't
physical heritage, nor the will of the flesh, that's works. It
wasn't by our works that we got into the family of God, nor the
will of man. It wasn't our free will decision
that got us there. We wouldn't have chosen God had
he not chosen us and drawn us that they were born of God. And
then look back at John 6, verse 44. That's what he's talking
about. Verse 45. It's written in the
prophets. They're all going to be taught
of God. Man by nature doesn't know the way to God until God
teaches him. By the power of the Holy Spirit
in the preaching of the Gospel. And when he hears, he learns
of the Father. How God can be both a just God
and a Savior. How He can be both my judge as
well as my loving Father. Only in Christ. And if you learn
that, you come unto Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And only then, as we rest in Christ, as we believe in Christ,
as we plead His blood and righteousness, can we really say yes to that
question, is God really my Father?