If you would, turn back with
me to John chapter 7, verse 37. As we read in our reading, verse
37 says, 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. The greatest preacher that ever
lived on earth stands on the last day of the feast and preach
the gospel. What did he preach? He preached
himself. The Word preached the Word. What an amazing thought. He said,
if any man thirsts, thirsts for what? For regular water? No.
Those that thirst for righteousness, mercy, and deliverance from their
sin, you come unto me and drink. I'm the cure. of those things. I am righteousness. I have the mercy of God. And I am the one who delivers
from sin. You come unto me and drink. There's
only one place to come, dear friends, if you're thirsty for
these things. And in coming to Christ, you'll
never thirst again. Our Lord told that Samaritan
woman at the well, the water that I have, the water that I
give, will cause you to never thirst again. Come unto Me, our
Lord said, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest, true rest, true rest. So are you laboring with
your sin? Then you come unto Christ. Are
you heavy laden, bogged down, beat down because of your wicked
and desperate heart condition? Then come to Christ. Rejoice,
dear sinner, for God has revealed that unto you, if you see it.
and He will enable you to come unto Him." Notice that it says
that our Lord stood and cried. The Lord usually sat down to
teach. But this day He stood that all
would see Him. And when it says that He cried,
it basically means the elevation of His voice. It showed the intensity
and the passion of His heart. His desire was that all might
take notice and hear His words. The time had come to speak boldly,
and therefore He stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, come
unto Me. and drink. From the middle of
that festival, the Lord had been present and had openly talked
to people, proclaiming the scriptures that concerned Himself. Oh, I'd
give anything if I could have been there to hear Him. I'm sure
he told them of Noah's ark, how that Noah found grace in the
eyes of the Lord and had him prepare an ark, and that God
had saw that man's wickedness on the earth was great and that
his heart was only evil continually, and that he repented the Lord
that he had made man upon the earth. But Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord. And that ark, he said, that's
me. The wrath of God fell, but those in the ark were saved.
I'm sure he told them about that brazen serpent that Moses lifted
up on a pole. And as those fiery serpents bit
the people and they died, as Moses lifted up that pole, he
said, look and live. And those that looked under that
fiery serpent upon the pole lived. I'm sure he told them that was
me. He preached unto them the Scriptures
concerning himself. And that's what this book is
about. It's about Him and Him alone. Until the very last, He
continued to instruct, plead, and appeal for sinners to come
unto Him. That's where salvation is. At
the feet of Christ. And how this should remind us
of His constant patience. His constant long-suffering and
loving kindness. Though the Jews had often refused
Him, they hated Him without a cause, yet we find Him still pleading
with them. He had come unto His own and
they received Him not, Scripture says, but He waits to be gracious. He tarried with an unfailing
mercy. He endured even to the last day
of the feast and He continues to preach the Gospel unto them. This is my desire. This is the
desire of all God's preachers. that God may grant us until our
last breath to preach unto you Christ, who is our salvation. And oh, the patience of God to
some of you here. You have long heard the Gospel,
and although you have never given it the deserved attention, still
the good and patient Savior is long so. He presses you to consider
your own best interests. It's your own best interest to
come to Him. And He urges you to live and
persuades you to be saved by coming to Him. It's not coming
to the front of the church. It's coming to Him. And you can
come to Him without moving a muscle. You come to Him right here in
your heart. For some, it's the last day of the feast. None of
us are promised tomorrow, even to our own last hour does the
Lord of mercy sweetly cry, if any man thirst, let him come
unto me and drink. Such a simple message. I am salvation,
he said. I'm that water that will cause
you to never thirst again. Oh, repent of your long delays,
dear sinner, and come to Christ today. Revelation 22, 17 says,
Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. It's free. It doesn't cost. It
costs God His Son, but it's free to you. Whosoever will. I thought
you said salvation was for the elect of God. Whosoever will. Whosoever will. There's no conflict
there whatsoever. Whosoever will, will come. are
the elect of God. I thought about this as he stood
here on this last day of the feast and cried. It would be
the last time that he would look into some of their faces. The
feast was over, the tents had been tore down, the celebrations
were over, and they were going back from Jerusalem where they
had kept the feast and going back to their farms and back
to their merchandise. And the urgency seems to bear
on our Lord's soul like never before. Look at verse 38. He
that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this faith he of the
Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive. For the
Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Christ was not yet glorified. Our Lord has said it's expedient
for you that I go away, that He might send the Spirit of truth,
the Holy Spirit of God, which convinces men of sin and speaks
all things concerning Christ." Now listen, all that God requires
from you, dear sinner, is for you to believe on Him. Drink
of Him. Come to Him. Trust Him with your
eternal soul. His message is simple. His message
is direct. He says, Come unto Me. Believe
on Me. And I can assure you that if
you do, the living water He will give you will satisfy you for
eternity. The Spirit of God represents
water throughout the Scriptures. Flowing out of our souls in spirit. Out of the bellies of our hearts
shall His Spirit flow. if we come to Christ. Isaiah
41, 17 says, When the poor and needy seek water, and there is
none, and their tongue felleth for thirst, I, the Lord, will
hear them. I, the God of Israel, will not
forsake them. He's a merciful and gracious
God. And He delights in showing mercy.
He says, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I, the
Lord, will hear them. Isaiah 58, 11, And the Lord shall
guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make
fat thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden. and
like a spring of water whose waters fell not." Oh, sinner,
if you're lost and you're thirsty, here's the place you can find
what you need in Christ. Come unto Me. Come unto Me, he
said. Our Lord and Savior stands amidst
that mass of people from every region, scattered far and wide,
who came to Jerusalem to keep the feasts, and He cries among
them, if any man thirsts, There's no doubt to me that he is seeking
out needy, restless, longing hearts. Observe that he starts
with a very wide audience. He seeks for any man. He says,
if any man thirsts, and inevitably for every man that thirsts, we
plant, we water. that only God can give the increase. So he starts with a very wide
audience. Whosoever will. If any man thirsts. If there's any man that thirsts,
let him come unto me. And the Gospel does the same
today, friends, with a generous and wide appeal to you. Do you have any desire after
God? What was the result of our Lord's
preaching? What effect did it have? It had
pretty much the same effect that it does today. Verse 40, Many
of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said,
Of a truth, this is the prophet. Many upon hearing the Gospel
claimed that Jesus Christ was a great man. Oh yes, He was a
great man. They believed that He was a great
teacher. Even a miracle worker. They believed that He was a loving
and generous man who put others always before Himself. But if
that's all you believe, if that's all you believe concerning Him,
then you've still fallen short of knowing who He is. Many of
the prophets mentioned in Scripture fit that description. And they
all died, but not this man. as the God-man He lives forever
to make intercession for us. Verse 41, others said, this is
the Christ. This is the effect that Gospel
preaching has on some. Some believe. Some say this is
the Christ. the Son of the Living God. But
some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? But some most
assuredly believe saying this is the Christ, this is the Son
of the Living God that takes away the sin of the world, that
puts away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. But there were the
doubters. always doubters. They always reason away their
hope of salvation by their intellect. Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
They had knowledge of the Scriptures and they thought they had eternal
life because of what they knew. Even our Lord said in John chapter
5, search the Scriptures for in them ye think you have eternal
life, and they are they which testify me." If you miss that,
then you've missed it all, and you only think that you have
eternal life. In verse 42, "...have not the
Scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David?" He did.
And out of the town of Bethlehem where David was? And it's much
like preachers today who claim many wonderful truths. I hear
men who preach Many wonderful truths, but it's what they don't
preach. It's what they don't say that
causes many to walk that broad way to destruction. Now these
men knew the Scriptures, but their destruction was of what
they did not know. Christ was born in Bethlehem,
the city of David. Luke 2 tells us that all went
to be taxed, everyone into his own city, and Joseph, went up
from Galilee and was under the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. And he went to be taxed with
Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was
that while they were there in Bethlehem, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered." He was from Bethlehem. He was
the seed of David. In verse 43, so there was a division
among the people. And notice what the division
was over because of him. because of him. It seems that
from this verse that even with Christ being the preacher, there
was a division among the hearers. So we must not be surprised if
the same result follows our preaching. Christ said, I didn't come to
make peace. The preaching of the gospel divides. It divides family members. It
divides friends. Often strife and division has
been caused by a preacher's harshness or his unwise declaration. I've
seen it so many times. I wish preachers would realize
what they are. They're nothing but servants.
They're nothing but messengers and just declare and report what
God has given them. But even when Christ preaches,
never a man spoke, all his hearers were not pleased. Now listen
closely. The verse says, so there was
a division among the people because of him. Now let me tell you something. There is still a division today
because of him. This gives a good question as
to why our Lord asks His disciples who demand, say that I am. You
remember that, don't you? This is what causes division
among the people even today. We know it to be so by the answers
that His disciples gave. And they said, some say that
you're John the Baptist. Some say that you're Isaiah. Some say Elijah. Some say you're
Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And he said unto them, But whom
say ye that I am?" Friends, who do you say that he is? And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God. And our Lord said, Simon, you're
a blessed man. You're a blessed man. Flesh and
blood did not reveal this unto you, but my Father which is in
heaven. There will always, friends, be
a division among men and women as to who Christ is, as long
as the answer is determined by men. Flesh and blood hath not
revealed this to you, and flesh and blood cannot. But blessed
is the man and woman when God reveals the truth to them as
He did Peter. By the distinguishing revelation
of God Almighty, the believer says with Peter, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. And they know that it wasn't
flesh and blood that revealed it to them. They know that it
was God in mercy and grace. Who makes thee to differ from
another? God does. What do you have that
you didn't receive? Nothing. And if you received
it, why do you glory in it as if you didn't receive it? We
don't. We give the praise and glory
to God. He could have passed us by, left
us to ourselves, and still been just as righteous, holy, and
just as He is. There's no division among the
people of God. There's no division because there's
only one correct answer to that question, who do men say that
I am? And God reveals to all His elect
people the same revelation. One day our Lord said, what think
ye of Christ? You know what the believer's
answer is to that question? The power of Christ. The second question that came
along with that is whose son is he? Well, he's the son of
the living God. The division among the people
was so great this day, and some hated our Lord so much that verse
44 tells us, and some of them would have taken Him, but no
man laid hands on Him. Those who did not believe that
he was the Messiah were so mad and furious against him that
they desired to take him. And when it says take him, it
means in a violent manner. It doesn't mean they wanted to
take him to lunch. They wanted to take him and kill him. The
maddest anyone has ever been at me. I'm being totally sincere
with you. What's concerning my testimony
of my Lord and my Savior. Men do not desire a sovereign
God who does as He pleases. Men want a God they can manipulate.
They want a God that they can control. They want a God that
sends everyone to heaven because He loves them so much. And when
you tell them God's not like that, it makes them mad. When
you tell men that the only true God loved one, Jacob, and that
he hated another Esau, it makes them fighting mad. And the child
of God is sitting there thinking to himself, how did God love
Jacob? I can see how he hated Esau.
But it makes people mad that God is distinguishing, that God
can love one and pass another by. That's not fair, they say. That's being a sovereign God.
That's a God that does as He pleases. I'll have mercy on him.
I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion on him.
I'll have compassion. and whom I will, I'll hardeneth."
Which just simply means that God leaves man to himself. Born
condemned, already hardened as we looked at a week or so ago.
Friends, they called Christ the blasphemer. They called him a
devil, so surely they will call you such. They hated Christ without
a cause, so surely some will despise you that love him and
speak the truth about him. But no man laid hands on him.
Why do you suppose that was so? You see, no man had the power
to do it. They were held back and restrained
by the providence of God. And this wasn't the only time.
Oh, I tell you, it's all through the Gospel accounts. In Luke
chapter 4, our Lord said to the folks of His home country, He
said, No prophet is accepted in his own country. And then
he began to tell them, he said, I'm going to tell you the truth.
There were many days in Israel in the days of Elijah. And when
the heaven was shut up three years and six months, there was
a great famine throughout all the land. But God didn't send
Elijah to the Jewish women. He sent him to an old Gentile
woman. And then he went on to say, there
were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elijah the prophet,
and none of them were cleansed except old Naaman, a man from
Syria, a Gentile dog. And it says, all they in the
synagogue when they had heard these things were filled with
wrath. What are you saying? We're God's
people. God didn't send help to any of
you. but to Gentiles. And what did they do? They rose
up to thrust him out of the city and led him to the brow of the
hill that the city was built on, that they might cast him
down headlong. They were going to throw him
off a big old cliff. But the scripture says, but he passing
through the midst of them went his way. He didn't have the power
to do it. He's God. He's God. Our Lord told that man at the
Pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5. He said, you take up your
bed and walk. And it made the Pharisees mad,
because it was a Sabbath day. And they confronted Him with
it. And Jesus said to them, My Father worketh here too, and
I work. Therefore the Jews sought the Moor to kill him, because
he had not only broken the Sabbath, but said that God was his Father,
making himself equal with God. They wanted to kill Him. John
8, 58, Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham
was born, I am. The Jewish people loved Abraham.
They called him their father. And He said, before Abraham was,
I am. The great I am. Before Abraham
was, I was. And it says that they picked
up stones to throw at him. They wanted to kill him. You
want to know something about your will, dear friends? There
it is right there. The free will of man will not
have Christ to rule over them. And they'd kill him if they can.
Our free will would kill the Lord of glory. if it could. John 10, he said, I and the Father
are one. The Jews took up stones again
to stump me. Who do you think you are? Standing
in judgment in Pallet's Hall, the Jews gave Pallet this reason
for execution. What has he done? And they said,
well, now we've got a law, and by our law, he ought to die because
he made himself the Son of God. The division between men is the
same today, friends, concerning Christ. They do not desire Him
to be God. It's okay if he's a prophet.
It's okay if he's a good man. It's okay if he's a teacher.
It's okay if he's a miracle worker. But don't tell me he's God. Don't
you tell me he's in control of my destiny. I'm in control of
my own destiny. No, you're not. It makes men
mad when you tell them otherwise. Back to verse 45 of our text,
and I'll finish up. Then came the officers to the
chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, Why
have ye not brought him? Where is he? We sent you after
him. They answered. Can you just imagine them standing
there in front of these highly religious officials and they
said, Never man spake like this man. Never man spake like this man.
Moses, the spokesman of the people of Israel, never spoke like this.
David, the anointed of God, the sweet psalmist. Oh, he never
spoke like this. Solomon, the wisest of men. Isaiah, the great prophet. John
the Baptist, Christ's forerunner. The voice of one crying in the
wilderness. Never spoke like this man. He
spoke with gracious words which so fully expressed the grace
of God. He spoke of justification by
His own righteousness. He spoke of full pardon by the
shedding of His own blood. He spoke of peace and reconciliation
by His sacrifice. He spoke of the freedom of those
who were in bondage to sin. Oh, never a man spoke such words
of truth, wisdom, and love as this man. No man ever spoke with
such beauty, with such gracefulness, with such majesty and authority,
and with such power and efficacy, carried evidence and conviction.
with every word that he spoke. No man ever spoke with such words
which enlightened the understanding and pierced our hearts. I can
just imagine that the Pharisees asked, and who did he speak like?
He spoke like God. He spoke like God. He spoke like
God in the body of a man. For this he was. We're redeemed
by the blood of God. Philippians 2 says, Speaking
of Christ, that He made Himself of no reputation and took upon
Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.
And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Friends,
that's the Gospel. God became what we were, yet
without sin. that we might become what He
is, perfectly righteous. Substitution. I say it every
week. I never grow tired of saying
it. I never grow tired of hearing it. If Christ did not die for
me, there's no hope for me. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow at things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father." Now let me say this in close. If you haven't confessed
Christ, you should. You should. He is Lord and Savior. He is just and justifier. To have Him is to have life. And not to have Him is to not
have life. There's nothing more urgent in
this world than what you think of Him. Those of you without
Him, will you continue to walk away in unbelief? Remember, it
could be the last day of the Feast for you. May God have mercy
upon our souls.