Let's take our Bibles now and
turn to John 12. I just want to consider two verses
of Scripture, verses 34 and 35, and I'll read them as we go. In verse 34, it says, "...the
people answered him, We have heard out of the law..." Now,
they're talking to Christ here. We've heard out of the law that
Christ abideth forever. And how sayest thou the Son of
Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? Now, there's two things that
you need to understand here. First of all, who the people
are that he's talking about. He's not talking here about the
common people. He's not talking about the people
who saw his miracles and believed on him and those who were truly
seeking information from him, truly seeking to be saved. That's
not who he's talking about. By the people here, he's talking
about the rulers of the synagogues. As you go on through this chapter,
he identifies them. And he identifies that some of
them out of these rulers of the synagogues, talking about Nicodemus
and Joseph of Arimathea, who later on would be converted.
So he identifies who these people are that are asking these questions.
And these people are rulers of the synagogues, and they're members
of the Sanhedrin, the High Council of Israel. They're not asking
questions here for information. They're asking questions here
by way of caviling. What that means is they're asking
something to engage him in an argument to make him look silly.
That's what they want to do. They want to expose him as a
fraud. They thought they knew the truth
and they were convinced that he was not the Messiah, What
he was teaching was not the truth. And they spent the whole three
and a half years of Christ's ministry like a pack of hungry
wolves just nipping at his heels everywhere he went with these
really ignorant questions. And then the second thing I think
we need to be aware of here is where they got their understanding. They said, we have heard from
the law or out of the law. Now, he's not talking here about
the Ten Commandments. And he's not talking, sometimes
the Scriptures do refer to the Ten Commandments as the Law of
God. When the subject is the moral law of God, he's referring
to these Ten Commandments. But there's dietary laws, there's
all kinds of laws. Sometimes he speaks of what writers
call the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, the
books of Moses. And they refer to that as the
law. And we all know that the law
came through Moses. That's what he says in John chapter
1. And so, sometimes they refer to that law as being those first
five books of Moses. But sometimes the Scriptures
refer to the law as the whole Old Testament, the whole Word
of God. It could be inclusive of the
New Testament, except that there was no New Testament at this
time. And this is where they're coming from when they say, out
of the law. They're saying, out of the Word
of God. Everything that God says is law because He's sovereign.
He doesn't have to say, now this is a commandment. If God says
it, it's a commandment because He's God. That's simple enough. If we were ruled not by a government
of elected officials, let's say we were under the sovereignty
of a king like in the old ages, if that king said something,
you did it or died, one or the other, because he's king. He's
king. And so, he's referring here not
to the first five books of Moses or not to the Ten Commandments
of the moral law, But they're saying, here's how we arrived
at this. The Word of God taught us this.
That's what they're saying. The Word of God projects the
Messiah as not leaving, not being cut off. And this they were ignorant
of. These people were ignorant. They
knew some things about the Messiah, but they didn't know the very
important things. What's more important than His
death? The whole of the Old Testament pictures it in time. All of the
law of God pictured that death. From the very beginning, when
God appeared to man in the garden, isn't that the way He came to
him? He slayed an animal. He pointed
forward to the woman's seed and said, you view this seed in the
light of this slain sacrifice. And all down through time, you
find altars and sacrifices all the way through the Old Testament.
And when Christ came, His death was already pictured. It's His
death that's set forth in the Old Testament all the way through,
from one end to the other. And nothing more exposes to me
the darkness and depravity of man's heart than his foolish
questions. The Lord said, Out of the heart
the man speaketh. He said, You'll know them because
their mouth will confess what they are. It will confess what
they are. And then listen to these questions
that they ask. Shall we sin that grace may abound? Who would ask that? That seriously
is inquiring of salvation. Who would ask that? Why doth
he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will? These are
questions that religious men ask. Whose wife shall she be
in the resurrection? Boy, that's a soul-winning question,
isn't it? This is what men ask. If God
has an elect, and God has predestinated their end, why preach? Darkness. Natural reasoning and
logic ignore the Word of God. Religious tradition ignores the
Word of God. Religious experiences ignore
the Word of God, and religious professions and decisions ignore
the Word of God. They said, why do you transgress
our traditions? He said, why do you transgress
the law of God with your traditions? It ignored the law of God. And
all of these things are given, When these things come about
and men receive these things, all of these things are given
a preeminence over the Word of God. He said, Faith cometh by
hearing, hearing by the Word of God. Now listen to how the
Lord answers their cavalry here in verse 35. Then Jesus said
unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you, Walk while
you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh
in darkness knoweth not whether he goeth." Now, these are the
last words. This is something I didn't know
until I began to study this text. These are the last words of the
Lord's public ministry in this world, right here. From this
point on, over these next three or four chapters, He speaks only
to His beloved disciples. That's all. He doesn't speak
any more publicly. He doesn't go up on the mountain
and stand and talk to them. This is it. This is it. And of all the things to be asked. And there is. I'm telling you,
there's going to be a last time. There's going to be a last time
when you hear, when I hear, when I speak and you listen. There's
going to be a last time. About two or three weeks before
he died, I got the opportunity to preach to Brother Scott, and
I'll never forget him taking my hand and saying, I enjoyed
that. Well, I hear that places I go,
and men just want to be civil. They didn't really mean it necessarily. Maybe they did. Some of them
do. I don't take those things lightly. But lots of folks, folks
who visit and never come back, will take my hand and say, I
enjoyed that. I enjoyed that. And so I shook his hand and nodded,
you know, in response to what he said. And when I started to
pull away, he squeezed my hand and he jerked me back. And he
brought me around to look him right in the face. Now, you have
to know Brother Scott to understand this is the way he was. He brought
me back around to look at him right dead in the face. And he
said, no, he said, I really mean I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that. That's the last time I ever got
to speak to him. And they're going to be last times. Last
times. And these were the last words
of the Lord's public ministry to this world. The Great Teacher. The Word of God Himself. God
made flesh. He to whom all the prophets gave
witness. This was His last words to this
world. Listen to what He says. A little
while. Yet a little while. Now this
little while had to do with the presence, His presence on this
earth. And if you go on and read down
below here just a little bit, you'll find out what it is He's
talking about. But this little while had to
do with His presence on this earth. But our life is full of
little whiles, isn't it? Huh? It's full of little whiles. Israel had her little while,
as the rest of this chapter draws to a close and speaks on that
subject. The early churches had their
little while, and then they faded away off of the earth. The nations
have all had their little while, a little bit of light for a season,
and then they took it away. Some congregations have had their
little while until the hand of God came and snuffed out their
candle. And every soul has his or her
little while, yet a little while. Brethren, if God gives you light
for a little while, here's what He's telling them, don't trifle
it away with fools' questions. Walk in the light. Walk in the
light. If life is but a little while,
and light is such a rare thing, then let me not waste my time
titling in the Word of God. Let me with all my heart, soul,
mind, and strength seek to take advantage of the light. Of the light. These men hated
the light. None of them would admit it. You can't get a man to admit
that he hates God, can you? Why don't hate God? You don't
hate your God. Start telling him about the God
of the Bible and watch that enmity come out. Watch that hatred reveal
itself. Watch his face get red and his
Adam's apple run up and down. He's angry. Why is he angry?
Because he hates the God of the Bible. He doesn't hate his God.
He doesn't hate his God. These men hated the light. And none of them would admit
it. None of them would confess their hatred for God. They said,
God is our Father. That's what they told Christ.
He said, if God was your Father, He said, you'd love me. Well,
I came forth from God. The evidence of man's hatred
for God is not in his professions of religion. It's not necessarily
even in his mannerisms. It lies in his attitude toward
the light of God as he was set forth of God in the Scriptures
and in his life and death in this world, in his Son. Now, we've read this many times.
Let's read it one more time over in John chapter 3. I want to
read you three verses of Scripture over here. beginning in John 3, verse 19. Now he tells them before these
verses, he said, God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. For I have not come into the
world to condemn the world, but I have come to save it. I have
come to save it. The world is condemned already.
It's condemned already. He didn't come to condemn it.
It was condemned in Adam in the beginning. It was condemned.
Man fell in Adam. That condemnation of God which
separates him from God and separates him from light took place in
the garden. He's already condemned. He didn't
come to condemn. If he came to condemn, his attitude
wouldn't be as it was toward men. He came to save. He came as a light. Now watch
this, verse 19, and this is the condemnation. Here's the evidence
of it. I tell you that this world is
judged of God in Adam. What evidence do you have? Here
it is. This is condemnation that light has come into the world
and men love darkness rather than light. They don't love the
light, they love darkness. They love darkness. because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God." A natural man hates God, and he hates the
Christ of God. He loves his God. He loves his
Jesus. He loves his gospel. And he loves
that spirit that attends those things. He loves that. Loves
that. But it's another Jesus and another
gospel and another spirit. That's what Paul told the Corinthians.
Man despises the sovereign, electing, predestinating God who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. If I was to just read that sentence
to any one of the four neighbors that I have, any one of them,
They'd be upset. Well, I don't believe in a God
like that. But that's how he set forth. And what do we know
of God except what is said of himself? I hate the God of providence
who rules even over the sparrow that falls to the ground. The
heart of the kings and the hand of the Lord. He taught Nebuchadnezzar
that, didn't he? Huh? He said, Now I praise and
honor and extol the God of heaven, who rules in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay
His hand, or even ask Him what He is doing. He is God. They
hate the God of providence, and they especially hate the God
of holiness that will hold all men accountable for their thoughts
and motives and the intents of their heart. What is the problem
with man? There is no fear of God before
his eyes. That's what it is. That's why
he asks these kinds of questions. There's no fear of God before
his eyes. When a man begins to fear God,
he don't ask silly questions, does he? Huh? He doesn't speak
at all. He doesn't speak at all. He's
afraid. Job said, once have I spoken yea, twice I'll never speak again.
Put his hand over his mouth. And Job was saying good things.
He was saying good things. And this is the very reason why
a band of men could look the Savior in the face and call Him
the Son of Beelzebub. It's darkness. Darkness. He rejects truth because it's
contrary to how he thinks and feels. He judges God based on
his feelings and based on his own reasoning. He resists truth
because it's contrary to his traditional understanding. They
said, Christ will abide us forever. We all know this. This has been
a tradition in Israel for a thousand years, and you are going to come
along now and tell us that the Messiah has to be cut off. They
received that by tradition from their fathers. It was a traditional
understanding. They resist truth because it
exposes our works to be filthy rags. He told them, he said,
you may clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but
within you are full of dead men's bones. And we resist truth because
our nature prefers darkness to light. And we reject God's light
because Satan has blinded the minds of them that believe not
with a religion that prostitutes their souls. Now that's what
this book teaches. Yet a little while, he said,
is the light with you. Walk in the light lest darkness
come upon you. Now here in John chapter 12,
be called to their attention what later on in Romans 11 Paul
would say like this, the election hath obtained it and the rest
were blinded. The rest of them were blinded.
Not that they had no light, but they wouldn't walk in it. It's
not that they didn't have light, light stood right before them. This is light talking to them. And he told them, he said, you
had a little while, light's going to be gone. Walk in the light
while you have it, lest darkness come upon you." But they wouldn't
have it. Well, what happened? Darkness
came upon them. Look down here in John 12, verse
37. Right here in the text. I'm not
jumping around this morning. I'm telling you exactly what's
going on here. John 12, verse 37. But though
he had done so many miracles before them, raising the dead,
called Lazarus out of a tomb right before their eyes. Huh? I can't do that. He did. He did. Yet they believed not on him.
That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which
he spake, Lord, who hath believed thy report? And to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed? Who hath believed it? Therefore, based on their insistence
to walk in darkness and their unbelief, therefore they could
not believe, because Isaiah said again, he hath blinded their
eyes. When God blinds a man's eyes,
He doesn't take his hand and cover his eyes. When God blinds
a man's eyes, He gives him back to what he is. He gives him over
to Himself. Read Romans chapter 1. They wouldn't even have the God
revealed in creation. They wouldn't have the God revealed
in conscience. They would not give Him the glory
even of that tiny bit of light, let alone that light of the glory
of God in Christ. They wouldn't have it. They wouldn't
have it. So what happened? Well, they
changed it. They took that glory and changed it into something
that suited them. Of man, and four-footed beasts,
and birds, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up. Ain't
that what it says? He gave them over to themselves
to do what they wanted to do. Read 2 Thessalonians chapter
2. It tells you the same thing. But it makes application to the
preaching of the gospel. and the sin in a man's heart.
God hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, verse
40, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand
with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These
things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of Christ. God blinded their minds because
they would not believe his prophet's report, and what he preached
was Christ. Oh, I tell you, my prayer is
that God will be pleased to press the importance, the absolute
essentialness and seriousness of what He says here to our hearts.
Verse 35, Yet a little while. Yet a little while. Here is the
long-suffering and kindness of God declared. Yet a little while. Here is a band of men whose hearts
despise and hate Him. And stand before Him and cast
these things, as it were, into His face. Just throw them on
the ground. These precious things of God. Just throw them on the
ground. Yet a little while. That's grace. That's grace. Anybody who knows anything at
all, even from the Old Testament pictures, know something about
the fear of the Lord. They know something about the
terror of the Lord. That's what Paul said, knowing
the terror of the Lord. All God has to do is just quit
looking at you at all. Just turn His back. He doesn't
have to do anything. He'll just leave you to yourself.
Just turn you over to this world. Turn you over to your thoughts,
your natural thoughts. Turn you over to your natural
inclination. I tell you where you be, you
be out there on the river somewhere. You be down here in some church
somewhere listening to a pack of lies. He doesn't have to take you and
make you. When he's talking about giving
a man up, he just leaves him alone, just lifts his hands. That's all he has to do. Satan
came, wanted to He wanted to sift old Job. He wanted to try
old Job. And he made these accusations
to the Lord. And the Lord said, Well, there
he is. He said, Now, wait a minute. You got him hedged about. Take
the hedge down. That's all God has to do. You're
in trouble. Take the hedge down. Lift your
hand. Lift your hand. You had a little
while. Peter said, The Lord is not slack,
as some men count slackless, but is longsuffering to us, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
He that was so shamefully treated and despised and hated, he that
was rejected and lashed to scorn, now sits at the right hand of
God, holds the days in his hands and the providence that fills
them. Here he sits at the right hand of God. His coming back
is certain. It'll be swift. It'll be unavoidable. Like a thief in the night, He'll
come suddenly and in great glory and in finality. Coming. And the heavens, Peter said,
is going to pass away with a great noise. The elements melt with
a fervent heat, and the earth and all her works be burned up. Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be? Well,
I'll tell you what you ought to be. You ought to be listening.
You ought to be walking in the light. Ain't that what he's telling
them? What an event. The Lord of Glory about to go
to his cross and they're cabling. Oh, silliness. Foolishness. What persons ought we to be?
Not proud cablers of ignorant questions, but careful listeners
and faithful watchers. An account, Peter said, that
the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. Yet, he said, a
little while. Now, I know this. I know I'm
not a great light like the lighthouse that shines out over the ocean.
I know I'm not a great orator like Apollos or Henry Mahan or
Don Fortner. And I might need to be reminded
on occasion, but I do know that I'm nothing. I'm just dust. I
do know that. I do know that. But God has put
within this vessel a treasure and a light. Now, it might just
be a little light, but it's light. It's light. And I tell you, if
you sit in darkness, a little light is a lot. It's a lot. Just be thankful that you've
got a little light. Because He could leave you to darkness.
He could leave you in darkness. We gather here on Sundays and
Wednesdays and for about an hour I do my best to shine this light
before you. And as I prepare to preach to
you and teach you the Word of God, I'm ever conscious yet a
little while. And this light is going to be
gone. It's coming. It's coming quick. It's coming
quick. I used to pace the floor. Boy,
if I could just get to be 16, I could get my license. Just
get to 16. Then it was 18. And then it was
21. And then it was 60. Just that
quick. Just that quick. This is the day of grace. That's
what I want you to see. Today, ain't that what he said?
Today. I don't know how much clearer
God could be. Today is the day of salvation. Ain't that what he said? This
is the day of grace. This is the means of grace. Oh,
Spirit of grace, teach my heart to understand that and fear God. And fear God. Cause my heart
and the hearts of those people when Sundays and Wednesdays roll
around to say, I was glad when they said to me, let's go, let's
go, let's go. About an hour, church is going
to start. Oh, let's go, let's go. Let me wake up on Wednesday
morning thinking about it, thinking about it. Asking God, give me
some light, give me some understanding. Bless that man as he stands to
preach to me, and give him an understanding, and give him an
unction of your spirit to say those things in a way that will
affect my heart." Then notice here in this verse who is doing
the talking. Christ is the light. He came
from the place of light. He is altogether light. That
is how John opened his first epistle. Even God is no darkness. He's an altogether light. He
came from the place of light. He was surrounded by light. He
knows what light is. And listen to who he's talking
to. Darkness. Altogether darkness. Light is what uncovers and discovers
and reveals. Light chases away darkness. Light
has power over darkness. Darkness cannot live where light
comes. Darkness hides the things of
God. Darkness covers the truth, puts
it out of sight, moves it to a place where it cannot be seen.
But light reveals the things of God and puts them where they
can be seen. He said, if I be lifted up, And I tell you, Satan is the
prince of darkness. He's called the ruler of the
darkness of this world. And salvation, beloved, is to
be delivered from the power of darkness into the kingdom of
God's dear Son. It's to be made meat, he said. Listen to this. To be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light. Believers are said
to be enlightened souls, children of light, vessels of flesh into
which the light of the glory of God is shined, so that they
themselves have become a light in the dark. You are the light
of this world, ain't that what he said? You're the light of
this world. And I tell you this, light is
the whole story of the believer. His daily walk, he said, walk
in the light, ain't that what he said? Walk in the light. And if we walk in the light as
He is the light, we have fellowship one with another. And then what
of heaven? What of the end of light? He said, there'll be no
night there, no candles needed, neither the light of the sun,
for the Lord God giveth them light, and they'll reign forever.
This is the whole story of the believer is light. Light. Light. And Christ is the light.