I am with you, says the Father
Though the floods I come and keep Though the swelling waves
surround you I surround the waters deep. Fear not, loved one. Feel my presence. You will never be alone. Trust me, loved one. You are precious. You are mine. my very own. I am with you, says the Savior,
he come to thee ages in. Never leaving, nor forsaking, I'm your ever-present friend. Fear not, loved one. Hear my comfort. None can pluck you from my hand. Trust me, loved one. I am constant. None can change what I have planned. I am with you, says the spirit. There is nowhere you can flee. Neither height nor depth can
hide you. ? Every place is home to me ? ?
Fear not, loved one, hear my witness ? ? You are God's own
child and heir ? ? Trust me, loved one, hear my whisper ? Deep within you, I am here. Come be with me, says the Master. Weep no more, homesick awe. I was with you in your journey. All my promise, I will surely,
quickly come. Trust me, Avalon, all my purpose,
I will bring you safe. Please turn in your Bibles this
morning to John chapter 7. John 7. I'll begin reading at verse 37. In the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst,
let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the
scripture has said, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
waters. But this he spake of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive. For the Holy
Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. Many of the people, therefore,
when they heard this saying, said, of a truth, this is the
prophet. Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, shall Christ come
out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that
Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of
Bethlehem where David was? So there was a division among
the people because of him. The title of my message this
morning is simply division. Division. And the word division has basically
two definitions. It's the action of separating
something into parts. The action of separating something
into parts. And also, it is disagreement
between two or more groups. Division. Paul warns of those who cause
division by things that are contrary to the doctrines that he has
just been teaching in the book of Romans. Primarily justification
by works, no. or conduct that is offensive,
no. Mark those that cause division
doctrinally and divisive conduct. Mark them. He says it like this,
now I beseech you brethren Mark them which cause divisions and
offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid
them. Avoid this kind of divisiveness. But some divisions are good. Some divisions are necessary
to grace. Some divisions are according
to God's purpose to save his people. And the very first division that
we meet was to take place before the world began. It is a division
by God himself. Because God divided, according
to his own sovereign will, a people from Adam's race and chose to
save them and to have mercy on them. He chose them in Christ. He separated them from Adam's
race and put them in Christ. Hold your place here and look
over at the book of Ephesians. In chapter 1, And verse 3, we
read that so plainly. He says, blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself according
to the good pleasure of his will." He made division. He chose a people in Christ,
chose them to salvation, chose them to glorify him in that special
way, saying again in II Thessalonians, but we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. God made division among Adam's
race. And then he went and pictured
this spiritual people using a nation on the earth by the name of Israel. He divided and distinguished
them from every other nation. We read things like this from
Moses in Deuteronomy. The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than
any people, for you were the fewest of all people. He chose the smallest nation
to picture and typify this spiritual nation that he divided. He said
things like this to them. but against any of the children
of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beast
that you may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between
the Egyptians and the Israelites." He said this, And I will put
a division between my people and thy people. Tomorrow shall
this sign be." In other words, all throughout the history of
Israel, as they stood among the nations, it was obvious. And God said that he put division
and made them to be different, chose that nation. And not only that, but he did
this also with individuals and groups of people as well. In other words, in Noah's day,
he made a difference. He divided Noah from the rest
of the human race, and he chose to deliver Noah and his family
from the flood. He made a distinction and a division
with Abraham. who lived in Ur of the Chaldees,
who was the son of an idol maker. But he made a distinction, a
division with Abraham, and he called Abraham and Sarah out
of that land and distinguished them from everybody else, even
Abraham's own family. He made a difference. He divided
Lot when he was about to rain fire and brimstone down on Sodom. He made a division distinguishing
Lot and delivering him out of that destruction that was to
come and raining down fire and brimstone on all the cities of
the plain. He looked one day at those who
were called Korah and his company, who disobeyed God. And God said
to them, to the people of Israel, you distinguish yourself, you
divide yourself, you get away from those men. And it says that
Korah and those who were with him, the ground opened up and
God dropped them into hell literally with their clothes on. He made a division. He made a
distinction. And the Bible is full of it. And one mark of distinguishing
sovereign grace is God bringing about the division of his elect
people in order to save them. He makes a distinction. And nowhere is this more plain
and more obvious than when the gospel of Christ crucified is
preached as it is by Christ himself in this text. You see, he proclaimed it himself. He said, I am the water of life. If any man thirsts, let him come
to me and drink. And he that believeth on me,
as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. He'll have soul satisfaction. He'll have the peace of God. He'll know forgiveness of his
sin. It'll be like his spiritual,
his soul thirst has been quenched never to be thirsty again. But when we look at the text, when this the true Christ spoke, It says there was a division
because of him. And it was all brought about because if you look in verse
40, it says, many of the people, therefore, when they heard this
saying, The English Standard Version
gives it like this, when they heard these words. In other words, the division
came about because of some words about Jesus Christ. And that's the story of the gospel
every day since then. Every time the gospel is preached,
every time the truth as it is in Christ Jesus is declared. It brings about division. God caused division. because of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody ever hears the truth and
goes away neutral. Nobody ever hears the gospel
of God's grace in Christ and leaves the same way, such as
undecided. There is always taking place
a division that is because of him. In other words, Jesus is
the great divider. And it often happens in false
religion, especially, that men want unity at any price. Let's all just get along. Let's
have an ecumenical movement. Let's all just agree to disagree. Let's all don't worry about the
details and all the points about Christ. Let's don't worry anything
about it. But if Christ is preached, if his work and his person are
set forth before men, there will always be a division." God ordained
it that way. And He ordained it in order to,
number one, bring glory to His name because the truth exalts
God alone. And the second thing he did it
for is to distinguish those that are his. There was a division because
of him. Look back in Luke's gospel in
chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. in verse 51 at what is said here
by Christ himself. Luke chapter 12 and verse 51. Suppose ye that I am come to
give peace on earth, I tell you nay, that means no, but rather
division. For from henceforth there shall
be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against
three. This division goes forth so much
that it is even in families and households. The father shall be divided against
the son, the son against the father, the mother against the
daughter, the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law
against her daughter-in-law, the daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law. Now, we know that such things
take place in the natural realm. That's not what he's talking
about. He's talking about because of spiritual things. He's talking
about when the gospel is preached. He's talking about men and women
in their relationship to what they believe about Christ. Look over in Matthew. chapter
10. There is a division always because
of him. Look at Matthew chapter 10 and
verse 32. Whosoever therefore shall confess
me before men Him will I confess also before my Father which is
in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before
men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send
peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but
a sword. What does a sword do? It divides. For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and
a man's foes shall be they of his own household." That seems mighty different from
what preachers are saying today. its unity, its love, its harmony
at any price in the family, in the church, in the world. He that loveth father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh
not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that fathers his life shall
lose it and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. That's just the opposite of what
men say today. There was always and there always
will be a division over the gospel of Christ because it gives Him
all the glory. It puts everything in His hands. Turn to Acts chapter 28. Acts chapter 28. Look at verse 23. And when they
had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his
lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of
God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of
Moses and out of the prophets from morning till evening. In other words, when Paul came
to his dwelling place, he began to preach And they gathered there
with him to hear him preach. And when he preached, he preached
all day long. You think I'm long sometimes.
He preached all day long. And look at verse 24. There was
a division. And some believed the things
which were spoken And some believe not. That's always the case. In Acts
13 it says, And when the Gentiles heard this, they heard the preaching
of the gospel, they were glad and glorified the word of the
Lord. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed. There was a division. Some believed
and some believed not. Who believed and why did they
believe? It says, as many as were ordained
unto eternal life, they believed. Paul says it like this when he
writes to the Corinthians. He says, Now thanks be unto God,
which always causes us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest
the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. Simply put,
we're always triumphant preaching the gospel. For we are unto God a sweet savor
of Christ. God loves the gospel. He loves the gospel of His Son. He loves the gospel of His grace
and glory. He loves to hear of what He has
done. He loves to be glorified in all
our salvation. It's a sweet savor to God, a
sweet odor. And it's a sweet savor of Christ
in them that are saved, in them that are being saved. He says, to the one we are a
saver of life unto life. They say God has divided. What
will be the difference with them? It'll come to them as a fragrance
just like it comes to God. It's the best news we've ever
heard. It's the only way a sinner like
us can be saved. It's the only way we can ever
have hope is if Christ has accomplished all the work, if he has established
the righteousness already, if he by his bloodshed has satisfied
God in the way of our sin. That's the best news I've heard. But it's a sweet savor to God
in those that perish also. Because it's a savor of death
unto death to them. There's a division. To one, it
smells like life. And to the others, it smells
like death. To one, those that God has brought
to see that they are nothing and have nothing and can do nothing
to please God, it's good news to them. But to those who have their religion,
to those who have their self-righteousness, to those who feel good about
themselves, to those who are so proud of their doing, it smells
like death to them. They want nothing of it. Look
back at John's Gospel again. In John chapter 9 and verse 16,
look at what it says. Therefore said some of the Pharisees,
This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath. Others
said, how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was
a division among them. There was a division. Most people are in religion taking
a natural view of things, have the Rodney King philosophy. Why
can't we just get along? I'll tell you why. The glory
of God and the destiny of my eternal soul is what's involved. Look over again in John chapter
10. John chapter 10 verse 14. I am the good shepherd and know
my sheep, and have known of mine." They're already his sheep. He
already possesses them. "'As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.'"
There's particular redemption. Christ laid down his life for
the sheep. Of the sheep I have which are
not of this foal, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice, and there shall be one foal and one shepherd. Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down on myself. I have the power to lay it down.
I have the power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father." And there was a division, therefore
again, among the Jews for these things. He tells some of this number,
the greater part of this number. He says, you don't believe because
you're not of my sheep. Does that mean that everybody
ain't sheep? Does that mean that Christ died
only for the sheep? Yes and yes. Does that mean that Christ was
saying that there were more sheep, most likely, among the Gentiles,
not of this Jewish foe, but of the Gentiles? Yes. So there was a division. There was a division. You see,
the Jews were just like so many people are today. They think
they were born in everything. They think they were born in
the truth. They think they were born in the right religion. They
think they were born into pleasing God by who they are and by what
they do and by what they don't do and all these things. And
when you tell them otherwise, just like these Jews. There's a division. Why does God bring about this
division? It's plain he does that. What
is he doing? He does it so that you won't
die with the multitudes. He does it so you won't perish
with all this unbelieving world. What would have happened to Noah
and his family if God had not made a division? They would have perished like
the multitudes perished in the flood. What would have happened if Abraham
had not been called mightily and effectually and separated
and divided from his idolatrous people and family? He would not
have been a believer, would not have been the father of the faithful,
would not have believed God and been counted to him for righteousness. What if God hadn't made a distinction
with Lot. His uncle Abraham was praying
for him over and over and over again, almost arguing with God
or saying, look now, if there was 50 righteous people in that
city, in those cities, you wouldn't destroy it, would you? God said,
no. 40, 30, 20, 10. And Abraham said, I know the
judge of all the earth will do right. Well, what did he do? He destroyed
every person in the cities of the plain with fire and brimstone. He did right. They were vile
sinners, rebels, idolaters, every one of them. But when he saved Lot, he did
right also. Because Peter speaks of Lot as
being just Lot. Lot was a sinner just like they
were. The reason that he was saved,
the reason why he was delivered, the reason how he was just was
because God had justified him through the blood and righteousness
of Christ. But if God hadn't put a division
there, he'd have died like all the multitudes. He'd have died like every one
of them. If those people in Korah's day had not divided themselves
from Korah and they had been a part of his company that rebelled
against God, rebelled against Moses, they would have all just
been sunk to hell together. But God's gonna have mercy on
somebody. He's divided. He's separated
people. He's going to have mercy on them.
He's not going to let them die in their sin. He sent his son
to die for them and to pay the price of their ransom and redemption
and everything else that's required. But you just look at the ratio.
You just look at the percentages. You just look at what the Bible
says and it's plain that the majority of people are going
to be perishing their sin. And who's not? Those that God divided and determined
to show mercy to. You see, we better find out who
God is. We better start thinking right
things about Him, and the only way to do that is to listen to
His Word and not all these phony religious people around. I ask you, how did Christ dress
and conduct himself while he was here on the earth. God in
flesh. Did he walk around in some kind
of fancy robe and gold and ornate things? Did he promote himself like these
preachers do? Did he take people's money and
not give? He was a giver, not a taker. And we better be on his side. I happen to think of Joshua. You remember Joshua when he was
out in the battle and he saw this striking figure. He knew
he wasn't something ordinary. And the battle's raging and Joshua
sees this man and he asks him, he says, are you on their side
or are you on our side? And he said, I'm here as the
captain of the Lord's host. It's not whose side I'm on, it's
whose side are you on. That was probably the pre-incarnate
Christ. You see, this is the great question. This is the dividing point. What think you of Christ? Who
is he? What did he do? He is who this book says he is,
and he did what this book says he did, just like saying he laid
down his life for the sheep, and if you believe he died for
everybody, that puts you on the wrong side. What did he actually accomplish?
He accomplished the whole of salvation for his people. He
didn't leave one jot and tittle, one stone unturned of that which
was the work of righteousness, the way of peace. And most of the answers that
people give concerning what he actually accomplished, they're
wrong. They're just wrong. You see, it's either his work
or ours. He didn't ask for any help. We
couldn't have given it to him 2,000 years ago. He gets all the glory because
he already did all the work and pronounced it done. He said it
is finished. But if the God we worship is
an idol, if the Jesus we believe in is another Jesus, if the spirit
that leads us is another spirit, then we'll die with the idolaters. Paul writes to the Thessalonians,
he says he's coming. in flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, the gospel's just something
you tell people about and it's up to them what they want to
do with it. No, it's something to be obeyed. It says, believe on Christ, trust
only Christ, look to Jesus Christ, and have no other hope. That's
what God said, believe on his son. He that believes on the
son hath life. Peter said, for the time has
come when judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it
first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey
not the gospel of God? God's people have already been
judged. Well, when were they judged?
When Christ hung on the cross. He bore their sins in his own
body on the tree, and God judged their sins right then. And that's why there is division
always continuing in the professing church. They always say, well, it's bad that the
church had a division. Well, maybe not. Because Paul said, for there
must needs also be heresies, which is schisms and divisions. among you, that they which are
approved might be made manifest." God's always doing the professing
church like the threshing of wheat. He's always by the gospel,
by whether or not grace is priest. He's always weeding out the legalist
and either he's taking us out of the legalism where he's taking
the legalists out for months. Okay, they just can't be together. But the sad thing is false religion
holds a grip and a bondage on men and women. Their family traditions,
their denominational superstitions, Preachers who will not come out
and out for the gospel, the glory of God, what will happen to them? They will perish. Christ said, whosoever is ashamed
of me, oh, I'm not ashamed of Christ, ashamed of me and my
words, I'll be ashamed of. To be ashamed of Christ's words,
is to be ashamed of Him. If I don't want to hear Him,
if I don't want to preach Him, if I don't want to divide from
all the stuff that is detrimental to those who would hear the gospel,
if I don't want to divide from all the idolatry that's associated
with the religion today, if I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings,
I'll just perish with them. I'll just perish with them. Because only God can bring you
out. Only God can bring you out. Only the Spirit of God can deliver
you. Only the Spirit of God can give
you courage to divide yourself from those headed for destruction. In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress,
there's almost the opening pages of it. Pilgrim has found out he's living
in the city of destruction, and he's to flee to this celestial
city. But his wife and his children
and all of his neighbors and all of his business associations,
they're all spending their time trying to convince him there's
another way, convincing him to go halfway, convincing him to
do something that he knows better that he ought to do. But Bunyan said he stopped his
ears. Oh, you better stop your ears
from listening to these people. They're going to send you to
hell. It says he stopped his ears and he ran out of the city
crying, life, life, eternal life. Because what good do you do staying
behind? Is it going to do them any good
to perish with them? No. Your presence there in hell would
just make it more of a hell for them and their presence there
for you would just make it more of a hell for you. We better not cling to the praise
of men and not have the salvation of God. There's no halfway place. There's no neutral zone. There's
no riding the fence. He that is not with me is against
me. I want to be with Christ. I want to be on the side of that
division God made that's in Christ, that's saved by grace, that knows
something of mercy, that has the peace of God in my heart. Turn over to 2 Corinthians 6. I don't know how to make this
any plainer than what God has made. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14. But be ye not unequally yoked
with unbelievers. Now that is a reference. to that
forbidding in the Old Testament of Israelites from yoking an
ox and a horse, or a mule and a bull of some kind. Why? They can't pull together. Can two walk together except
they be agreed? That's what Amos said. In other words, he says, be not
unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? Righteousness is only in Christ. If I have righteousness in Christ,
how can I have fellowship with those who would say righteousness
comes some other way? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For you are the temple of the
living God. As God said, I will dwell in
them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall
be my people. Wherefore, come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing, and I'll receive you. That's a call to division. I'm
sorry. Come out from among those that
will perish. Come out from among those who
do not really believe the grace of God. Come out from among the
legalists. Come out from among all the worksmongers. Come out from among all those
who deny that Christ paid all the debt. But they're nice people. Come out from among them, their
infidels, unbelievers. Wherefore, come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord. And if we don't, we're
just kidding ourselves. Brother Rupert and I, we found
that out a long time ago. There's no middle ground. We both were brought to the point
where we had nothing, only to find out God had given us everything. He says, I'll receive you, and
I'll be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughter,
saith the Almighty, the Lord Almighty. You can't make more of me than
that. I'm here this morning to cry
fire. So you'll flee the building that's
burning. I'm here to tell you to flee
from the wrath to come, to divide yourself from error and for all
the people that will die in their sins. God's not calling us to go join
a monastery or something like that. We have to live in this world, but we're to separate ourselves
unto the truth, unto Christ, and only Him. No middle ground, no neutrality. Turn one more time to Matthew
25. Because there's going to be an
open, final, eternal division. Matthew 25 and verse 31. When the Son of Man shall come
in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He
sit upon the throne of His glory. Now, I just feel like that we'll
be looking at things a lot different than the way we are now. What
so-and-so thinks, what it means for us to have
something another, all these things, we're gonna see them
in a different light. And before him shall be gathered
all nations, And he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats. That's about as plain as I know
how. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats
on his left. Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand, Come, Ye blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. That's right where we started
with the division made in Christ, a choice made in Christ before
the foundation of the world. Verse 37. Verse 41, Then shall he say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels. division is sometimes a necessary thing. To be identified with the poor, persecuted people of
God in this world is to be identified with Christ. I don't want to be identified
with anybody else. I don't want to be identified
with anybody else. Because of these things, these words about Christ, there's a division because of
Him. Can't see it. I hope the Lord will open your
eyes to it. Father, we thank you for your
word. We thank you for your son. We thank you for your spirit.
We thank you that you are the great accomplisher of salvation. Some will come a little way,
some will come a further way, but only those who are divided
unto you, who come all the way to Christ, leaving whatever else
is behind. Only they are your people. And
they receive everything. Everything lasting, good, eternal,
summed up in that great word, eternal life. We pray that you might call them
out. Bring them to confess you. We pray in Christ's name, amen.