We've seen that Jesus has preached,
of course, in John chapter three, remember, we've already seen
that Jesus preached total depravity. He preached irresistible grace.
But in John chapter three, we find out that he also preached
limited atonement or particular redemption, that there's only
a certain group of people for whom he died. And then it also
preaches preservation, right? For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." That teaches preservation,
perseverance. They won't die. So, in the first
three chapters of John, we see that Jesus preached all five
points of what they call Calvinism, but that's not true. I don't
like to call it Calvinism. It didn't start with John Calvin.
There was Baptists that believed these things before Calvin ever
came on the scene. Jesus preached these things and
was taught. Obviously, we see this at the top of the First
Church. Now remember, what are we talking about? This is the
doctrine of Christ that we already discussed, was the doctrine that
unless somebody has this doctrine, not receive them. Okay, this
is the doctrine that said if they don't have this doctrine,
mark them out, had nothing to do with them. This is the doctrine
that is the doctrine of Christ, is the gospel, And if anybody
preaches anything else besides these things, then they're preaching
Jesus, or preaching another Jesus and another Gospel. Okay? So Jesus has preached all five
Gospels. We know that whenever I first started believing Sovereign
Grace and began to believe these five points, whatever you want
to call them, tulip type thing, you realize that You know, a
lot of people are called hyper-cabinets. If you believe five points, you're
a hyper-cabinet. You know? Well, Jesus taught all five points
in the first three chapters of John. Does that make him a hyper-cabinet?
Jesus is a hyper-cabinet. No. Jesus preached His doctrine. And it is those who believe a
lesser gospel that believe another gospel. that try to throw monikers
and name tags and things like that at people to scare them.
They give them theological names so that it might scare them.
Oh, then that makes me sound like I'm not orthodox. Oh, you're
a hyper-Calvinist? Oh, well, I don't want to be
that. You know, for a long time, that
kind of bothered me whenever someone would call me a hyper-Calvinist.
But who are we measuring by? Whenever someone says you're
a hyper-Calvinist, Who are they measuring you by? John Calvin. That means you're saying you're
believing more than Calvin believed. Well, you know what I say to
that? Of course I do. I believe a way lot more than Calvin believed.
There's a lot of stuff that Calvin believed that I don't believe
the scriptural one whit. And I don't even believe he believed
the five points correctly either. None of them reformers believe
the five points correctly I don't believe. But anyway, that being
said, it don't matter what people call you. Know what I want to
be called? I want to be called someone who
believes the Bible, someone who believes the gospel, someone
who believes these things, that holds to these things that Christ
has taught. That should be our desire, not
whether or not we fit into some theological group or not, or
because we're called names. Listen, if all that I'm ever
called is a hyper-Calvinist or a hard shell or something like
that, hey, I've got it good, man. Back then, people were put
to death. The Baptist of old, they were
put to death throughout all the centuries. They were burned at
the stake. They were sawn asunder. They
were filleted, ripped their skin off. I mean, all kinds of stuff,
fed the dogs, all kinds of stuff. So if all they call me is Hype
Calvins, I'm doing all right. And I'll wear the name badge
proudly. John chapter 5, if you will. Therefore, verse 16. John chapter
5, verse 16. 15, I'm sorry. This is coming on the heels of
Jesus dealing with a lame man. says the man departed and told
the Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole. And therefore
did the Jews persecute Jesus and sought to slay him because
he had done these things on the Sabbath day. But Jesus answered
them, my father worketh hitherto and I work. Therefore the Jews
sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath,
but said also that God was his father making himself equal with
Then Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, the Son of Man can do nothing of himself but
what he seeth the Father do. For what things soever he doeth,
these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son,
and showeth him all things that himself doeth. And he will show
him greater works than these that ye may marvel. For as the
Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the
Son quickeneth whom He will." See that? Christ has the sovereign prerogative
to give life to whomever He wills. For the Father judged no man,
but committed all judgment under the Son, that all men should
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth
not the Son honoreth not the Father, which hath sent Him.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word and believeth
on Him that sent Me hath already existing everlasting life." So
who is the one that hears Christ's Word? Who is the one that believes
on Him? The one that hath everlasting
life. See, being born again comes before
believing. comes before receiving. And Jesus
taught that. So if you're church, if you're
a preacher, everybody listening, watching on TV, if you're a preacher,
if you're church, if you are preaching that you must believe
and repent before you're born again, you're preaching another
Gospel. You're not preaching the doctrine
of Christ. And you're not helping anybody. You're not a servant
of God. Matter of fact, if you continue
in that, the Bible says that those who continue in those things,
that they're not of God. That you were never of God. Wouldn't that be horrible to
live however long? 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 years as a professing Christian,
zealously following after a false Jesus and a false gospel and
a false church, to find out at the end of time that those 50,
60, 70, 80 years of service that you have done was not serving
God. You know who those people are?
The ones in Matthew 7 where it says, they cried unto me, Lord,
Lord, have we not in your name done all these wonderful things?
And he said, depart from me, ye doers of iniquity, for I never
knew you. You workers of iniquity, I never
knew you. See, if your labors are in a false gospel, in a false
church, your labors are in vain. They are not serving Christ,
they are serving Satan. Thus, they are workers of iniquity. And you are doing works of iniquity. See, it isn't that you're doing
the work of Christ and serving Christ, you just don't fully
understand it very well. Because if you're born of God
with the Spirit of God who is teaching you the things of God,
and you're given the Word of God in the time and season that
the Spirit gives you revelation, which I believe He will, I don't
believe anybody will get out of this lifetime without being
brought to conversion, meaning converting from a false gospel
to the gospel that Jesus preached. However, if they do get out of
this lifetime still clinging to and rejecting this gospel
that Jesus has been preaching, then they show that they were
not of God, that they stood in the wisdom of men. It says, He that heareth my word and believeth
on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in
Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself,
and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because
He is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this, for the hour
is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the
resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the
resurrection of damnation. I can of my own self do nothing,
as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my
own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me. If
I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is
another that bear witness of me, and I know that the witness
which he witness of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bear
witness unto the truth. But I receive not the testimony
from man, but these things I say that ye might be saved. He was
a burning and shining light, and ye were willing for a season
to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness
than that of John for the works of the Father, hath given me
to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that
the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which
hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard
his voice at any time, nor seen his shape, and ye have not his
word abiding in you. For whom he hath sent, him ye
believe not. Search the Scriptures, for in
them ye think ye of eternal life, and they are they which testify
of Me. And you will not come to Me that you might have life."
See, that's the natural man. The natural man cannot hear and
cannot believe. And here he's saying, you can
search the Scriptures all the day thinking that you have eternal
life, but if you don't come to Me, and he says, you will not
come to Me that you might have life. What does he mean there? Well, these religious leaders
thought by keeping the law, they were going to be able to have
eternal life. They thought that eternal life
came by the keeping of the commandments of Moses. Okay? And so they thought that, hey,
because we are Abraham's seed, because we have the law and we're
keeping the law, and as long as we do keep this law, then
we're going to be the ones who are going to be saved. But Jesus said, you know, you've
searched the scriptures And you think you have eternal life because
you've done what the Scriptures say. But he says, those Scriptures
are testifying of me and my work, of what I've done. And he says, you will not come to
me. You keep coming to the Scriptures that you might have life. And
that's exactly how it is. People want something to do for
salvation. They keep wanting, well, give
me a passage to follow. Give me a command to follow that
I might have life, that I might be accepted, that I might be
kept, that I might be honored. And so he's saying here that
you keep searching these things, but these things are testifying
of me. He says, I receive not honor
from men, but I know you that ye have not the love of God in
you. I am come in my Father's name and you receive me not.
If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe which receive
honor one from another and seek not the honor that cometh from
God only? So see what he's saying there? He says, you know, you
receive honor from one another. You pat each other on the back
about how well you're keeping the law and how good you're doing,
you know? You're taking the accolades.
that every man, you're measuring yourself by other men and how
well you keep the law. But you don't measure yourself
on the one who came from God. How can you believe what you
receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that come
from God only? How come it's not enough for
you to just say thank you and trust that Christ has done it
all for you? Why do you have to try to do something? Why do
you have to try to keep something? Why do you have to try to be
something? Now that's not telling everybody to just go out there
and live like hell again. I'm not telling everybody to
go out and live like hell. To go out there and live long. But
what am I saying? I'm saying that we trust that
Christ is enough for us. He paid the penalty for us, right? So we owe no more penalty. There's
no condemnation. But He also lived the life. Perfection. We are perfect. Complete in Him.
The law has been fully kept. because of Christ. We, in no
place, at any time, are ever considered to have broken the
law of God. Now, in the past, or in the future. You know why? Because Christ
kept it for us. He, His righteousness, was imputed
to us. Remember the old Sunday school
definition of justification? Justified, never sinned. That's how God looks at His people.
Not just in the past. He doesn't just say, well now
that you've come to me and believed on me and you've put your name
on the dotted line and went through the baptistry and joined the
local Baptist church and give your offering and everything.
He didn't say that. That's not what it is. It's justified,
never sinned. That means past, present, and
future. God doesn't see that in us. He
goes, Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There
is one that accuses you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. So he's saying here, listen,
if you're trusting in the law to make you right with God, or
keep you right with God, or to save you, or to preserve you,
guess what? You have one that's accusing
you before God. But if you come to Me, you will
not be accused. But if you go to Moses, you're
going to be accused. That's all he can do is accuse. But if you
believe not his writings, how shall you believe My words? And
so here Jesus is saying that there are those who believe and
there are those who don't believe. And those who don't believe are
the ones who are condemned. Those who do believe, they are
believed because It's made manifest that their deeds are wrought
in God. God caused them to believe. Now, turn with me over to John
chapter 6, if you will. John chapter 6, starting verse
26. It says, Jesus answered them
and said, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me not because
ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and
were filled. Remember what happened on this? Jesus fed those 5,000
and then they were filled. They were astonished at the miracle
that he was able to feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish.
Jesus said, you follow me not because you saw the miracles,
but because ye did eat the loaves and were filled. Labor not for
the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give you.
For him hath God the Father sealed." Okay, so remember back when we
went through these passages way back when, the meat that Jesus
is talking of here is His flesh. The meat is His flesh. The fact
that Jesus died in the flesh, His flesh was given for us. What
are we to feed on? Not on the works of man, but
on the works of Christ. That's why we preach the grace
of Christ. That's why we preach the gospel over the law all the
time. It's because that's what feeds
the child of grace, is the works of Christ. Not our works. He says this, Then said they
unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God?
See, that's the common response for those who don't understand
grace yet. Well, what are we just supposed
to do? What are we here to do? That's what they wanted to know.
What are the works that God wants for us to do? Look what Jesus
said to them. Jesus answered and said unto
them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent. You notice he didn't say, well,
get up out there and get your Torah and get to working. He didn't say that, did he? He
didn't say, well, remember, we got some feast days coming up.
Get to preparing for the feast days. He didn't say, keep struggling
in the labors of the law. He didn't say tithe, come to
church, feed the poor, help the orphans
and the widows. What did he say was the works
that God required? Believe on Him. When you think you've got to
do something, you know what you need to do? Believe on Him. Guess what? The Spirit is going to lead you
into the things that you need to do. The Bible says that we
are to walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh, right? We're to
walk after the Spirit. Walking after the Spirit is believing
that the Spirit is going to lead us and going to do those things
in us that is required or desired of God. The works that God has
before ordained it for us to walk in, guess what? The Spirit
is going to lead us in that. So we walk trusting in that,
not after a rule book. But what does he say there? This
is the work of God that ye believe on Him whom He has sent. But
notice also, the believing on Him is what? The work of God. Someone tells me, well, faith
is not a work. For by grace are you saved through faith and that
not of yourselves? It is the gift of God, not of works, lest
any man should boast. You know when faith becomes a
work? When it's not done by God. It's God's work. If you try to
have faith, then it is your work. But faith that comes from God
is not work. However, faith of God, the faith
of Christ, The ability for you to believe in that sense, to
believe, comes from God. This is the work of God, that
ye believe on him whom ye have sent. They said therefore unto
him, what signs showeth thou then that we may see and believe
thee? What doest thou work? Our fathers
did eat manna in the desert, as it is written, and he gave
them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven, But My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth
life unto the world." Okay? Here again, He giveth life unto
the world. How is the world defined there?
Let's stay in the constraints of the context Because in John
chapter 3, the Bible said that God so loved the world and that
Jesus died for the world. And so who is the world that
Jesus giveth life unto? For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven, speaking of Jesus, and giveth life unto
the world. So the bread of life, Jesus,
whenever he dies, gives life. We've seen that. Whosoever believeth
in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus
gives life. But who's the world? The ones
He gives life to. See, the context of world in
John 3.16 is defined in all of John. We cannot say that means
every person, head for head, from Adam to the grave. Okay? Because Jesus uses the term world
to speak of a constricted group of people, the ones that He gives
life to. I came down from heaven and giveth
life unto the world. Not just the Jews, by the way,
but for the Gentiles. That's why He says the world.
Look at verse 35. I am the bread of life. He that
cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. We think that that's an invitation or a free offer,
but that's not true. But I said unto you that ye also
have seen me and believed not. Here was Christ Himself in the
flesh. preaching to them and they still
didn't believe. What makes you think that this
preacher, who isn't a very good preacher anyway, who isn't a
very good speaker, whose grammar is bad, who gets things mixed
up a lot of times, who babbles at the mouth, who's fallible
and sometimes even preaches erroneous things. How do you think people
are going to believe me when they don't even believe Jesus?
See, that shows you that it has to be by the Spirit of God that
men believe because even Jesus, whenever He preached the words
out of a divine mouth, these people didn't hear and believe. Verse 36, But I said unto you
that ye have seen me and believed not. Now look at verse 37. Here
again, Jesus is preaching the doctrines of grace, sovereign
grace, five points, whatever you want to call them, that the Father giveth me shall,
without a doubt, shall come to me. And him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. That is particular redemption.
That is irresistible grace. That is perseverance of the saints
or preservation of the saints. that is eternal election, all
in one statement. All that the Father giveth me,
that's election, shall irresistible grace come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. Preservation. For I came down from heaven,
not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.
And this is the Father's will, which has sent me, that all which
He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up at the last day." So you tell me, how in the world can anybody
that the Father gave to the Son ever be lost? It can't happen. So if anybody is preaching the
Gospel that says you can lose your salvation, they're not preaching
the doctrine of Christ. Run from that Gospel. Let it
be accursed. If they preach that there is
a people, if they don't preach that there is an elect people
that God has given to Christ and that they will be saved,
that's another Gospel. Run away from it, let it be a
curse. Jesus said, I am the bread which
came down from heaven, giveth life unto the world. And who
is it that he giveth life to? All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Why? We found out that all that
come to Christ is who? The one who has been given life.
The one who the Spirit blew upon. They have been given life. And
this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which
seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life,
and I will raise him up at the last day." Now look at verse 43, Jesus therefore
answered and said unto them, well, let's go ahead and read
the rest of it. The Jews then murmured at Jesus because He
said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said,
is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother
we know? How is it then He saith, I came
down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and
said unto them, murmur not among yourselves." Now here it is again,
total depravity. No man can come to me except
the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him
up at the last day. Now there's some, and I'll be
in that list of ones who used to preach this, I say, well,
God has drawn all men to himself. God's drawing all men. That's
why we preach God is drawing all men to himself. But you can
reject that. No. What does it say here? No
man can come to me except the father which has sent me draw
him. Now, what? Look, it don't stop
there, though. It don't stop there. Read the
rest of the Bible. Read the rest of the scripture.
Who are the ones that if they are drawn by God, what does it
say about them? I will raise them up at the last
day. What did He say over in verse
40? And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which
seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. Who's the one that's
being raised up at the last day? Let's define that verse or that
phrase. believes the Son, sees the Son,
the One who has everlasting life. That's the One He's talking about,
about being raised up on the last day. All that the Father
gives to me shall come to me, and Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. Who's the ones that He's not
casting out? The ones who are coming. Well, who are the ones
who's coming? The ones that the Father gave Him and drew to Him,
who will come to Him because the Father drew them. You know that that word draw
in verse 44, but the Greek word behind there is drag? It is written, the prophets and
they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. Now that
goes back to what we talked about. You have to be made spiritual,
right? We have the mind of Christ that teaches us spiritual things.
that which is of the Spirit of Spirit. We learn the spiritual
things because they are spiritually discerned, because we've been
born of the Spirit, and we have the Spirit of God that's living
in us, teaching us those things. And right here, he says, it is
written in the prophets that they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. Those
are the ones who come to Christ, are the ones who have been taught
of God. Not that any man hath seen the
Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath already
existing everlasting life. Who are the believers? Who are
the ones for God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son?
That who's the believing ones? Who are the believing ones? Who
are the believing ones? That's the ones for whom Christ
died in John 3, 16. That's the ones who have everlasting
life. Who are the believing ones? the ones that God has given to
the Son that He draws. And every one of those shall
come to Him. Was there anybody that died and
went to hell because we just didn't reach them in time with
the Gospel? Not a one. Is there anybody in hell today
that Christ died for? Not a one. Christ is victorious. He is the Savior. what Savior
comes and saves, but yet loses. That's not a Savior. That's not being victorious.
If there is anyone in hell for whom Christ died, Christ was
not victorious. You say, well yeah, he was victorious
because he raised from the dead. That made him victorious over
sin and death. What about the people who were
under sin and death that he came to save? He didn't come to conquer
sin and death. He came to save his people from
sin and death. He came to save his people from
sin and death. Not to just conquer sin and death.
Conquering sin and death didn't make him victorious. What made
him Victorious is the fact that all for whom the Father had given
Him shall come to Him and no one will be cast out. All that
was given to Him will be saved. Not one shall be lost. Look at verse 62. Got a couple
more verses here and we'll be done. Many, therefore, of His disciples,
when they heard this, said, this is a hard saying and who can
hear it? There's a lot of people like that today, isn't there?
There may be some right now listening, watching on Facebook Live, maybe
even here. So that's a hard saying. Who can hear it? When Jesus knew
in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto
them, Does this offend you? That's my question also to you
all today. Does this gospel, does this doctrine of Christ,
does this offend you? What if you shall see the Son
of Man ascend up where He was before? Now look at verse 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth.
The flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you
that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning,
Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not
and who should betray Him. Jesus knew from the beginning.
Now there are some that say that predestination that is spoken
of in Romans chapter 8, is based upon God's foreknowledge, which
the Bible says that, right? Those for whom He foreknew, He
predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ, right?
They say that God looks down through history, through time,
and He knows those who are going to choose Him. And so He elects
them based upon that. He knows of that. That's not
the basis upon which God elects. But let's say that's true, okay?
It's not true. That's not what that word foreknowledge
means. But let's say it is true, okay? The Bible also teaches, it says
that I am God, I changeth not, right? Does God change? So whatever God knows, whatever
God sees can't be changed, right? Well, I don't have much room
on this board, and they're going to erase these. But let's say
right here is the beginning, and right here is the consummation,
the end, whenever Christ comes again. And this right here is
all of history, from creation to consummation. And it says
right here, from the beginning, From the beginning, right here,
Jesus knew, from all this time, those who would believe on him
and those who would not. Does everyone here believe that
Jesus is God? I hope so, because the Bible teaches that. And the
Bible says that he changes not, and that what he knows it will happen, right? So if
Jesus, from the beginning, knew everyone here that would believe
and who would not believe, then that means there's no way that
it's gonna change, right? That it's absolutely set in stone. If God, from the beginning, seeing
every person who would choose Him, let's just say that's the
case. That's not the case, but let's
say it is the case. Let's play the devil's advocate. Let's jump on the other side,
the Arminian side, the false gospel side, and say that it
is by man's choice because God looks down and sees who is going
to do that. So here is God, out in eternity,
looking down through history, and He sees down here at some
point, right here, Mike Smith chooses Him. That if God sees that before
any creation was ever made, then there is no chance that Mike
Smith can ever not choose him because God saw that. If Mike
Smith does not choose him, then that means God was wrong. What
he knew was wrong. What he saw was wrong. And God
has changed. Now, that right there tells me
if we take that position, okay, That tells me that it doesn't
matter whether you believe in free will or free choice or not,
the only ones that are going to be the ones who choose God
are the ones who God sees being chosen. And that can't happen any other
way. I'm still bound to choose Him
because God saw that in eternity past. Now that's not what happened,
but that's what the Arminian says. freewheeler says that God
does. Now, they'll also say to us,
they'll say, well, you guys preach this horrible gospel of limited
atonement, that Jesus only died for some, and that God elected
some for heaven and elected some for hell, and that they didn't
even have a choice. They didn't even have a choice.
You're telling me that God is going to send somebody to hell,
that he never even gives a choice to choose him? Wait, wait, wait.
Let's go by your logic again, Mr. Arminian. You said that God
looks down the corridor of time and sees who will choose Him
and who will not choose Him, and then that's how He elects
people. If that's the case, then your God also looked from eternity
through time, and listen, He knew that all these other people
were not going to choose Him, was going to go to hell because
they didn't choose Him, but yet you created them anyway? Your
God also created a whole race of people that He knew would
not choose Him, but yet would go to hell because they did not
choose Him. And you created them anyway. See, your logic doesn't
get God off the hook as any more than our preaching the Gospel
does. It still comes back to the fact
that God, from the beginning, knows all things that is going
to happen. The only difference between their
gospel and our gospel is we say that God has the sovereign right
to make that choice. Or they say that God is bound
to do what He sees is going to happen in the future. Which is
ridiculous, because there is no guarantee that Mike Smith
would have even been in the future had not God cause Mike Smith
to be born, cause Mike Smith to come. See, for the Armenian, you can't
get God off the hook of predestination, election, and reprobation. If
God from the beginning sees those who will not believe on Him,
then that cannot ever change. If God from the beginning has
seen those who will not choose Him and creates them anyway,
you think that that God is not a horrific God as well as the
sovereign grace God who predestines all things, the ones who are
saved and the ones who are not saved? He's still doing the same
thing, brethren. He's still doing the same thing.
But we must be biblical. The biblical way is not that
God has seen what we would do, but declared what He would do. And that's why Jesus said what
He said. There are some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew
from the beginning they that believe not and would betray
Him. And He said, therefore said I unto you. The fact that you're
not believing. What is the purpose? Jesus is
saying this. I told you that nobody can believe
on me except the Father. give him that, draws him, gives
him understanding. He said, therefore said I unto
you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto
him unto my father. Nobody's coming to Christ unless
God gives him the ability to come. And look at verse 66 and
we'll end here. From that time, many of his disciples
went back and walked no more with Jesus. Many of His disciples
went back. When Jesus said that, you know
what, what was Jesus preaching there? Let's sum it up in just
a little quick phrase here. What was Jesus preaching? He
was preaching sovereign grace. Five points. Two of them. The Gospel. He was preaching
the Gospel. It don't sound good to those
who do not believe, but it sounds good to those who do because
they've been given to know their true sinfulness and unrighteousness.
And they knew that I would never have come. They don't pridefully
stand up and say, well, we're the elect. No, they're broken before God
in humility because they knew that God didn't have to choose
me. I, by right, should have went
to hell, that everything that is about me is unrighteous, but
God in love chose to give me life, to save me, to redeem me,
to make me a vessel of honor. Then Jesus said in the 12, will
ye also go away? And I say that to everybody listening
and watching here today. In light of the gospel and the
doctrine of Jesus Christ that preaches total depravity or spiritual
inability, inability, inability, spiritual inability, unconditional
election, limited atonement or particular
redemption, irresistible or overcoming grace, and perseverance and preservation
of the saints, in light of the fact that Jesus preached those
five things among other things, yes, but He preached those five
things nonetheless, will ye go away also, not believing? Will ye reject this Gospel and
continue in the false Gospels of Satan, not serving Christ
but serving yourself, serving your own belly, serving Satan. Now, we're going to look at that
coming next week. I mean, this is what Jesus is saying. The
people that do these things are serving Satan, not Christ. How about it? Are you going to
go away? Simon Peter answered and said,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered them, Have
not I chosen you twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.
Speaking of Judas Iscariot. Where else are we going to go?
Where are you going to go? You can go somewhere else. You
can find another church that's going to preach nice things that
suit your self-righteousness of the flesh. But where are you going to go
that has the word of eternal life? Where are you going to
go that preaches the doctrine of Christ? I'm not saying that
our church is the only church that does that. That's not what
I'm saying. I'm not trying to start a little
cult here or anything like that. So that's the only way you can
come to. But what I'm saying is be careful where you go and
what you're listening to. Because it's not just attend
the church of your choice, as the bumper sticker says. There
is a big, big warning from Christ that if they have not the doctrine
of Christ, do not receive them into your house. Neither bid
them Godspeed. Mark them out that cause divisions
and offenses contrary to the doctrine of Christ and avoid
them. That says that if they preach any other gospel than
this gospel, let them be accursed that they're preaching a perverted
gospel, which is no gospel at all. Now, do you want to live
the rest of your life serving a false Jesus, a false gospel,
in a false church under a false prophet? That's the question. That's what Jesus was asking.
Them people turned away from Christ. Who did they go back
to? They went back to the Pharisees
who were teaching follow Moses. Follow Moses. They went back
to their self-righteousness. They couldn't believe that it
was unconditional. You mean this message is I can't
do anything, that I just have to trust that Jesus did it all
for me? Yes. That's a hard saying. Surely gotta do something. And
Jesus says, you hear not my words because you have not God. Let's
bow and have a little prayer. Heavenly Father, we come to you.