I'm not used to saying that.
I don't know that I've preached at night time for a long time
now. I'll be turning to the Gospel according to John chapter 20.
The Gospel according to John chapter 20. But before I actually begin my
message, I have something here. I want to read to you by Robert
Hawker. Of course, he was what they would
call a priest in the Church of England, but he was a gospel
preacher. But he wrote these words. Now,
this is only a portion of what he wrote, but his subject was
when our Lord Jesus Christ said, if these keep quiet, the stones
will cry out. And God's able to take even of
these stones and rise up unto God children of Abraham. But here's what he wrote. I want
you to think about this. To me it's astounding, but here,
as in a thousand instances, God's ways are not our ways, nor his
thoughts our thoughts. To glorify his dear son, the
soul, though polluted and defiled, shall be made infinitely more
precious by redemption than it was by creation when unpolluted. beautiful as it was before it
fell, yet it is vastly more beautiful now when washed in the Redeemer's
blood. Had it continued, that is the
soul, had it continued in its uprightness, it would have been
but the uprightness of the creature, still liable to fall at any time
from its integrity as Adam did. But now, united to Christ, the
righteousness and purity of the redeemed is the righteousness
and holiness of the Redeemer. And that cannot possibly be lost
or forfeited anymore. I could listen to a priest who
preached like that. One other thing, my dear wife
sent me this It's been, it's probably, well it was definitely
last week, of course, this is Tuesday, but she sent this to
me. And I read over it and I thought,
man, that's good. The title of it is Unities by
Henry Mahan. Henry wrote these words. Let
us not set ourselves up as critics and judges of the conduct and
lives of other believers. Let us not spend our time finding
fault with one another, picking out weaknesses and exaggerating
differences of opinion and practice. Rather, let us spend our time
endeavoring to help one another and to avoid doing and saying
things that may cause others to stumble. We can do this by
making our fellowship to be in Christ, not in form and traditions,
by loving one another in spite of differences, and by avoiding
collisions on points wherein we differ. I am not suggesting
for a moment that we compromise the gospel or the fundamentals
of our faith, but as there are no two snowflakes alike, there
are no two people exactly alike, Therefore, the foundation of
our fellowship is our love for Christ and our love for one another,
not perfect agreement on every point. Now, listen to this. This is what really caught my
attention. So simple, but so profound. The fact of the matter
is that I do not agree or approve of all that I do think or say.
Ever think about it that way? Hmm? Yeah. Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. By God's grace, I intend to love
and encourage every believer in Christ, our sovereign Lord.
I shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit of God in
the bond of peace for the glory of our Lord and the well-being
of his church and the witness of the gospel. It's good to have
a wife that sends you stuff like that. It's good. Alright, are you all at John
20? John chapter 20. Pardon me. Now, let me say this is going to be
a little different. I'm not going to have one passage to read as
kind of a starting place. What I want to try to do tonight
is this, and maybe this will be a little more like a Bible
lesson, that it will be a preaching message, but I just have to be
honest with you, even after 40 years of preaching, I still don't
know if I know the difference. Because if when you're preaching,
you're not teaching, you're not saying anything. Usually it's
just yelling when they're doing preaching and no teaching. And
when you're teaching, if you're not proclaiming Christ, whatever
you're teaching isn't worth being taught. Now let's consider, I'm
gonna preach on the whole book of John. Well, nobody's leaving yet, so
this is not, you're not too scared, are you? I'm not gonna read the
whole chapter, the whole book, of course. The gospel according
to John. Now let's consider those references
where John pins down our master's words. Our Lord uttered these
words, I didn't count them all up, that in itself is not the
point. Our Lord uttered these words
and John recorded a bunch of them. Here's the two words. I
am. I am. Now, I'm gonna start by
quoting a few of these. with very little elaboration
on them. I may make a statement here or
there about them. Because I wanna get somewhere.
There are five that I want us to concentrate on. Now, don't
get me wrong, I'm not saying these five are more important
than the others. I'm certainly not saying that
these five are important and the others are not. But when
I begin to study this, Thought this phrase I am these those
five stood out in my mind. They stood out But think about
this now. This is that's my title. This
is my subject. I am in John 5 verse 43, you
don't have to turn to these we're gonna move quickly in John 5
43 John wrote down this our Lord said these were I am come in
my father's name and Chapter 6 verse 35. Our Lord said this
I am the bread of life in John 6 41 our Lord is recorded as
saying and I am the bread which came down from heaven in Chapter
6 verse 48. He said these words. I am the
bread of life in John 6 51 he says I am the living bread and
In John 7, 29, he said this, I am from him, him, referencing
God the Father. In chapter 8, verse 12, John
records our Lord saying these words, I am the light of the
world. In John 8, 16, our Lord is recorded
as saying this, I am not alone. In John 8, verse 18, a lot of
I am's in there. Matthew, Mark, and Luke don't
have all this. In 816, I am not alone. 818, I am one that beareth
witness of myself. In chapter 9, verse 5, I am the
light of the world. In chapter 9, verse 39, I am
come into the world. In chapter 10, verse 7, I am
the door of the sheep. We're just starting. Chapter
10 verses 9 and 11. He says I am the door I am come
that they might have life. I am the Good Shepherd Chapter
10 same chapter verse 14. I am the Good Shepherd Again,
chapter 10 verse 36. I am the Son of God in chapter
11 verse 21 I am the resurrection and the life Chapter 12 verse
46. I am come a light into the world
in chapter 13 verse 13 I am master and Lord chapter 14 verse 6. I am the way the truth and the
life Chapter 14 verses 10 and 11, I am in the Father. Chapter 14 verse 20, I am in
my Father. Chapter 15 verse 1, I am the
true vine. Chapter 15, same message. I am
divine. Chapter 16 verse 32, I am not
alone because the Father is with me. Chapter 17 verse 10, what
is called our Lord's high priestly prayer, I am glorified in mine. Oh, how I'd love to stop and
ponder on that for a while. I am glorified in mine. Same
prayer of our Lord chapter 17 verse 11. I am no more in the
world That's an astounding thing when he was in the garden No
more in the world chapter 17 verses 14 and 16 He says these
for it this phrase twice once in 14 once in 16. I am NOT of
the world Chapter 18, verse 37, he said to Pilate, thou sayest
that I am a king. Chapter 20, verse 17, he said
these words, I am not yet ascended to my father. Rex, back up there, Billy, don't
you want to consider the massive, profound gospel truth that's
just in those items? Bill, you could preach on that
for months, if not years, and never exhaust the subject. Just
of those. Just of those. It's no wonder, you're in chapter
20, right? It's no wonder that our brother John, the apostle
John, wrote these words. John 20 and look at verse 30.
Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples
which are not written in this book So I kind of figured there
there may have been hundreds of more. I am bill may have been
hundreds more. I But these are written, that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that believing ye might have life through his name. And also,
not only that, but look at chapter 21 and verse 25. And there are also many other
things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every
one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain
the books that should be written. So be it. Amen. But as I've already mentioned,
These are not all of the I am's John recorded. Turn to John chapter
8. All of this is going to be in
John till I'm about ready to wind this thing down tonight.
John chapter 8. Go to the last, just the last part
of the chapter. I'm going to make a statement. We'll read
God's holy word. I'll make a few more statements.
We'll move along. We got five more I am's to look at. This
I am we're going to look at here. This I am is Christ himself hammering
home his absolute deity. Deity. The free willer. The man-centered
free willer believes that Jesus is God. But he or she does not
believe that God is God. They believe Jesus is God, but
to them it's just a phrase. He's some kind of extraordinary
being. No, he is God in act and fact,
as well as God in name. He does as he pleases among the
armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And look at what our Lord said.
You read John 8, look at verse 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Our brother Abraham knew far
more about Christ than what all these free willers are talking
about today. Look what he said. Then said the Jews unto him,
Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Notice how they turn this right
around. He's talking about Abraham seeing him. They want to talk
about him seeing Abraham because Abraham was far more important
to them than the very God of all glory. Deity himself Withstanding
and talking to them and they were more concerned with Abraham
than they were with him Now you talking about human depravity?
Hmm, but look because I'll seen Abraham Jesus said unto them
truly truly Verily verily I say unto you before Abraham was I
Am I want you to notice some of
these others will see I am he, but you'll notice that the he
will be italicized in all of them. Here the translators got
it exactly right. Before Abraham was, I He's declaring himself to be
that same person that Moses spoke with and he said what when I
go down to deliver the children of Israel Who shall I say sent
me and you he said the Lord God Almighty The absolute sovereign
of heaven and earth. They said you tell him I am sent
me hmm Before Abraham was I am and they
knew exactly what he was saying. I Look, then took they up stones
to cast at him. You see that? They do what he's saying, but
they couldn't love him for it. They couldn't love him in it.
They couldn't love him because of it. The very thing that should
have been, or rather more importantly, the very person that should have
been at the forefront, here he is. God manifest in the flesh
and they're ready to kill him with rocks Then they took up stones to cast
in him, but Jesus hid himself And went out of the temple now
when it says he had it doesn't mean he run over here behind
the piano it means I Am Made it impossible for them to see
him as he was simply walking straight out the door. I Mark, that's an I Am. Here's one who has the right
to reveal himself to people that he knows will not believe him.
And then he has the right to hide himself from them. That's the first I Am. Here's
another one. Turn to John 8. Still in chapter
8, but turned back probably a page or so. John 8, we're still in
John 8. Now another I Am. that our Lord
said, called himself, that another I Am resounds, that Christ's
redemptive sacrifice proves His covenant obedience to the Father's
instruction. Look at John 8, verse 28. John
8, verse 28. Then said Jesus unto them, when
ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that You see it now you see that he
is it entails us. It doesn't totally ruin the context don't
misunderstand me But it can obscure what's really being said what
our Lord really meant. He said ye shall know that I am I believe we could perfectly
put it this way. I am God Almighty Then shall you know that I am,
and look, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath
taught me. Somebody says, explain that preacher
can't do it and don't have to. I cannot explain how he was both
God and man at the same time in one person, but he was and
still is. As the Father hath taught me,
I speak these things, and he that sent me is with me. The
Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things
that please him." What an astounding thing for a man to say. And yet he is the only man that's
ever been able to honestly say that. Even our Daddy Adam could
not say that. After the fall Here's the third
I am There is turn to who still in Rome. I'm sorry Romans John
chapter 8. So just hang tight John chapter
8 Here's this third. I am there isn't an I am where
Christ must be believed as I am as absolutely essential. Look at verse 24 of John 8. I said therefore unto you that
ye shall die in your sins. That sounds quite serious to
me. Doesn't it to you? Sounds quite
serious. That ye shall die in your sins,
and here's the reason why. Full word, you see it? And here's
the reason why. For if you believe not that I
am, do you see that? Now here, be careful with that
he, because it ain't just believe in I am he. It's if you don't
believe that I am, that he is that very same one Moses spoke
to during the Old Testament era. The one that handed forth the
Ten Commandments, whose finger... Boy, I thought God was a spirit. Even the pre-incarnate Christ,
I can't explain it, showed up before Moses. Here's these two
tablets of stone. And Jesus Christ starts etching
his law in those tablets. Moses, remember I said one time,
I said, Lord, show me your glory. And the Lord told him, you go
over there and get in that cleft of the rock, that little chasm
right there in that rock. And you turn your face outward,
because here it is, back behind you. And I'll put my hand over
you. Now, you're looking out. You
don't look back in the chasm. You look out. And he said, when
I pass by you, you won't get to see my what? F-A-C-E. But as my face goes by, I will
remove my hand and you can see my hinder parts. That's who Jesus Christ is. You see it? And if I do not believe
that he is, I am, I shall die in my sins. And you too. You too. Again, I say, someone may be
listening later, listening now on livestream, maybe listening
to this message years from now in some other venue. I've done
mentioned it, but I want to hammer this home. It's not enough just
to say the words, I believe Jesus is God. You have to know who
God is. He has to reveal himself to you
as he is, and then and then only will you truly believe that Jesus
Christ is God. Here's number four. Turn to chapter,
John 13. Remember, this is all in John. Turn to John 13. I'm not gonna tell you the verses
yet. I don't want you jumping ahead of me This is important
now I told you that some of these stood out at me There's one I
am this this fourth I am Enforces the necessity of God's ordained
means Look at chapter 13 and what John records our Lord as
saying in verse 19 and 20 Now I tell you, before it come,
that when it come to pass, ye may believe that what I am. You see, now that he's there,
but remember, you can scratch that out, you're doing no disservice
to the word of God at all. Ye may believe that I am. Why?
Because if I don't, I'll perish in my sins. But then look, truly,
truly, verily, verily I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever
I send, receiveth me. Preacher, you're just a man. You're bragging on me too much.
I'm a fallen man. I'm a sinful, evil, corrupt man. There are times when I sometimes
think that me and who I am down in here would put my brother-in-law
to shame. And I am not being melodramatic. Billy, I don't always see that.
But every now and then when God gives me a little glimpse again
of who I really am, I want to go hide in shame. And
I don't even have to do anything out here. I'm just reminded of
what I am in here. And I know most people, when
you talk about the flesh, the old nature, they think of immorality,
right? Religion can be hateful toward
God. Religion, moral religion is a
stench in God's nostrils, apart from the truth of the personal
work of Jesus Christ. Hmm. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me. Do you see that? And he that
receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching. That's the only reason. It pleased
God. God was pleased and is still being pleased in sending one
sinner to other sinners with the message about a sinner's
savior. He's not going to send you or
me an angel from heaven. Mm-hmm. He's not going to send
you some glorified saint who comes back to earth and says
here's what it's all really about You remember the rich man when
he lifted up his eyes in hell hmm father Abraham Since this
in last about sin somebody back from the dead were my brothers
not to come to this place and your father Abraham told him
they have Moses and prophets and Let them hear them. Is he
being harsh? No, because it pleased God by
the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Oh, God, help us, my brothers
and sisters, to never disdain God's word. Yes, I am nothing
but a man, a fallen man, but God's ordained it this way. And I'm happy for that. I'm happy
for that. I had a old man, now I wouldn't
have said that while he was alive, he may have given me a what for.
But I had an old man, he was already well above retirement
age. I was 22, 23 years old and wet
behind the ears. And that old man let me step
right in the podium with him every Sunday. She'll be I don't know how many
times or o'clock and had probably grip you'll bite his tongue He
didn't always bite it toes Sometimes after the message he comes it
out. Let's talk about something Don't despise those God sins Don't use their faults as an
excuse to abandon God's ordained means You will be I will be if
I do that the one who suffers for it. I Number five this is our last
I am Number five turn to chapter 18
John 18 We're pretty good on time We'll get out of here before
daylight Here's our last I am. Now, but
do you see, now if there's some of these other I am's, we could
have went through them. They're glorious. Masterpieces from the master's
own tongue. I am the light of the world.
That says volumes. Because if he wasn't, we would
not be here tonight. If he was just the light of a
few elect Jews, it would have ended years ago. But anyway, do you get a little
glimpse of how some of these five I am's, Bill, they're marvelous. Marvelous. This last I am, this
I am hits home to all God's beloved ones. Now let's read it, chapter
18, and we'll just start reading here in verse one. When Jesus
had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over
the brook Cedron, where was a garden into the which he entered and
his disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, knew the place, for Jesus oft times resorted thither with
his disciples. Think of, here's Judas, he had
been there with Jesus over And over and over and over. And now he's got a bag in his
pockets. Huh? Yeah, he's got a bag in
his pocket. Now, they don't say that here.
I understand that. But you know what I'm talking
about? He sold our Lord out for 30 pieces of silver. Look, Judas
then, having received a band of men and officers from the
chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns
and torches and, what? Weapons. Weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all
things that should come upon him, went forth. They didn't find him. He found
them. Do you see that? I've always,
until I started really reading this, because usually I read
it, read kind of right on by, you know? Oh, I remember that
story. I was taught that in Sunday school.
And I kind of always envisioned Christ there, and he's praying,
and all of a sudden, here Judas shows up. He went out to meet
them. He instigated this thing. Yeah
Jesus therefore knowing all things that should come upon him went
forth and said unto them whom seek ye They answered him Jesus
of Nazareth Jesus saith unto them I am Do you see that now? I'm sure this his voice the sound
of it and The way, you know, if you know somebody real well,
you don't even have to see them. You hear their voice, I know who
that is. His voice didn't change, but he said this now in a different
way. He said, I am. He didn't say,
I am he. He said, I am. Hmm. Soon then as he had said unto
them I am they went backward and fell To the ground. I don't know exactly what that
looked like. But I almost I can imagine like dominoes I am They
all go down My brothers and sisters don't
you think it's time that when you are unable to stand back
up and Don't you think it's time to ski-daddle on out of there? Not if you're dead in trespasses
and sins. You just experienced a personal
flooring to the ground by I am, and you'll stand right back up
in rebellion against God. That's how bad we are by nature.
That's how bad I am by nature. But look at what happens. And
as soon then He had said unto them, I am, they went backward
and fell to the ground. Then asked He them again. Now
wasn't this a great time for a getaway? They're all laid out. But there is no getaway needed
here. Our souls depend on this. My eternal soul depended on Him
standing right there. And now He doesn't floor them
with another I am. They have just experienced God
Almighty manifest in the flesh and still don't recognize him. Then he asks them again, whom
seek ye? They said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Now, this is astounding. Jesus answered, I have told you
that I am. I wish I had the wisdom, the
words to define this. The way he said it wasn't some
booming voice out of him. He just said, I am. But when
he said it that one time, he said it with it, I will knock
these people to the ground. I am going to personally manifest
to them and in them who I really am. All he did was say, I am. But they stand right back up.
But look at this. Jesus answered, I have told you
that I am. If therefore ye seek me, do you
see that next line? If therefore ye seek me, let
these go their way. And you notice there is no question
mark after that. He wasn't asking, he was commanding
it so. Take me, you can't have them. They had weapons. They had weapons. Christ kept them from taking
and using those weapons against him and against the 11. If you
take me, you cannot have them. That's what he's basically saying.
Aren't you glad that's what he did when he died on that tree?
God the Father, take me. Now I know he didn't have to
say it this way. I understand that, but just so
we can try to grasp our puny little brains around it. Father,
take me. But when you do, you can't take
them. Punish me, but you can't punish
them. And he did it as I am. Turn to Isaiah 53. I know this
is familiar. Isaiah 53. It is so sad. I know sometimes when I preach,
sometimes I sound angry. And you know why that is? Because
I am. This world, these preachers out
here, they lie on God. And it may sound like God loves
everybody and God's trying to save everybody. That may sound
far more loving than Jesus Christ died to save the elect. It may
sound that way, but it is not more loving. Because if God left
it up to me, I'd perish. When God finally opened your
eyes to see that if Christ died for me, if he died for me, I'm okay. I'm okay. I can look at myself in
the mirror every morning. I can do that, Bill. Listen to what Isaiah wrote in
just a couple verses, verses 10 and 11. Yet it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. That is speaking of, I can say
God the Father and God the Son. It pleased God the Father to
bruise God the Son. But this please does not mean
God the Father sat up in heaven and laughed while his son died. It's not that kind of ha-ha pleasure. It is satisfaction. Satisfaction. He was pleased. Yet it pleased the Lord, look
at it, to bruise him. And that word bruise, you've
done this. Bump a piece of the light skin
or something up against something you get this little blood spot
and it dries up. You got that bruise This means
to see our you sh crush That's the original word bruises because
you have crushed the blood vessels you see it Yet it pleased God
the Father to crush him He hath put him to grief when thou shalt
make Look at His soul. And I don't want to belittle
that, but religion makes everything about what He suffered out here,
hands, thorns, side, feet, pummeled to where you couldn't even recognize
them. I don't want to be there, do
you? But God the Father, when He hung on that tree, turned
His back on the Son. He made his soul an offering
for sin. He experienced it down inside
himself. So much real was the transfer
of my sin and guilt to him that he called them his very own. He cried out on that tree, my
sin is ever before me. Well, his sin wasn't his own.
It was mine put in him. The marvelous, majestic, sweet,
sovereign Son of God bore my sins in his own body on the tree. I don't bear them anymore. They're
still in here, but I don't bear them anymore. Now look at it. When you make his soul an offering
for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days and
the pleasure of the Lord shall what? Prosper in his hand. Now, if Jesus Christ died to
save everybody, bless God, everybody's going to be saved. And it's just
that simple. But we know this book clearly
teaches not everybody's going to be saved. Look, he shall see
that is God the father shall see the travail of God the son
soul and shall be what? What? Satisfied. Now, if you're satisfied, you're
what? Now, either bless God you're satisfied or you're not. You
see, God is not God sometimes or he would be no God at all. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many What is the foundation of that? Listen
to me now don't misunderstand me, but listen to me. It's not
faith Though faith is absolutely essential It's not repentance. The repentance is absolutely
essential. What's the foundation of this
justification? He shall, he said, my righteous
servant by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many for he shall bear their iniquities. And he did that how
many times my brothers and sisters? That's why he cried while he
was hanging there. It is finished. And it was amazing about that
word. They say in some old Greek, you know, paperwork, old legal
Greek paperwork, and even from back in our Lord's time, when
he sojourned here on this earth in the flesh, that if you had
a bank note, And you had paid off that whole note. You know
what they stamped on it? It is finished. Paid in full. That's what we would say today.
Tetelestai. Paid in full. Now folks, I don't
know how you think about this thing, but I always thought paid
in full means what? Paid in full. I don't, now pardon
my bad mountain, I don't know squat. Christ paid it all. I'm free. God the Father took
him. I get to go free. Somebody says, well, I don't
know about that. I do. I do. Heavenly Father, Lord, comfort
us with your truth. Strengthen us. Lord, we know
we got difficulties and troubles ahead, We know that by your own
sovereign purpose and your majesty and your power, that all things
work together. For those that love God, those
that are called according to your purpose, oh God, strengthen
us in that, in Christ's name, amen.