Let's take our Bibles now and
turn to John 8. Let's begin reading here in verse
48. Then answered the Jews and said
unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast
a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a
devil, but I honor my Father, and you do dishonor me. And I seek not my own glory. There is one that seeketh and
judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the
Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is
dead and the prophets. And thou sayest, if a man keep
my sayings, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than
our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead? Whom makest thou thyself? Jesus
answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my
Father that honoreth me, of whom you say, that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but
I know Him. And if I should say I know Him
not, I should be a liar like unto you. But I know Him, and
keep His say. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews
unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen
Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast
at him. But Jesus hid himself and went
out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed
by." I hope this morning that you won't ignore me because
of the disturbing nature of the lesson But I hope you'll listen
to what I have to say and especially the Scriptures that we're going
to read and be looking at and give these things some serious
thought and prayer. I have nothing to appeal to except
the Word of God. I'm not going to stand up here
and preach the Gospel I preach and try to appeal to something
in you. It's totally contrary to you.
I make no bones about that. I don't try to disguise that
in any way. It's contrary to me, and it's
contrary to natural reason and logic, and it's contrary to what
we call evangelical religion. It's contrary. And my subject
is this, of God or of the dead. Now that's what's being said
here in this chapter. The Jews said, you are heathen
and hast a devil. Now that's what they told the
Son of God. The Son of God turned to them and said, ye are of your
father the devil, and the deeds of your father you will do. Finally, after all the accusations
are tossed back and forth, The Lord looks at him. If you look
down here in verse 47, he says this, He that
is of God heareth God's words, ye therefore hear them not, because
ye are not of God. Now somebody is of God and somebody
is of the devil. That's what this chapter teaches.
There's not the devil, God, and purgatory. There's not the devil,
God, and some neutral country. There's the devil or God. You see what I'm saying? This is where our Lord is bringing
this whole thing. He started back here chapters
ago before this, and would bring this thing to a head, bring it
to a point, bring them up to see this division. And here in
this chapter, these divisions begin to get stronger. And they
continue to get stronger all the way up to chapter 10 and
chapter 12. There is a great division manifested. And I say this to you, it will
be of little consequence to you and little consequence to me
if we do not apply what we read here this morning to our own
day and our own lives. If all we can see here is a little
band of Jews And the Lord Jesus Christ and what took place, it
will be of no consequence to us whatsoever. Brother Barnard
used to say there were two ways that religious men and women
get out of these things of God, get around them. One is they
write it off to the millennium. Write it off to some far-reaching
event. And the other thing they do is
write it off to Israel. That's how they get around election,
and that's how they get around this type of stuff, is they write
these things off to some other time, some other people. But
if the things that are written in this book have no bearing
on our day, then it's of little value to us. And I believe that's
why you're seeing less and less and hearing less and less of
the Bible read in the services, in the worship services across
the land, because this book is of no value to them. It has no
value. But children of God know that
all Scripture is written by inspiration of God and is profitable. It's
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and
for instruction in righteousness. I have nothing else to appeal
to except this book. And to make application to myself
and to my day, I must be brought to see that natural Israel, natural
Israel, is a picture of worldly religion. Until my eyes are open
to see that. Our Lord called that the mystery
of the Gentiles, didn't He? The Apostle Paul said that this
mystery of the Gentiles came into play and then they began
to understand something about spiritual Israel and natural
Israel. Natural Israel is a picture of
worldly religion. And by that I mean the religion
of natural Israel. I'm not talking about the nation.
I'm talking about their religion. What they believed about God
and salvation and the kingdom of God. They believed about personal
righteousness and justification and purification. What they believed
about the Christ, the Messiah, the promised Redeemer. Who He
was. Why He was coming. Who He was
coming for. Who He would represent. I must
come to see the religion of the Jew to be a picture of worldly
religion in our day. And I want to begin this with
a definition of what this Jew is. So if you will turn with
me to Romans chapter 2. What is a Jew? When we say, all
through the Scripture you read in here, he said to the Jew,
he seeks after a sign. The Greek seeks after wisdom.
And when he says the Jew and the Greek, he's talking about
points of view. He's talking about what their
religion believed, what this world believes in natural wisdom,
and what this religious world believes. And he represents them
with two terms, the Jew and the Greek. And all through the Scriptures,
you're going to keep running into these terms, the Jews and
the Greek, the circumcision. Paul said, we are the circumcision.
What in the world is he talking about? He's talking about the
Jewish religion. He's talking about this true
circumcision. Now look here in Romans 2, verse
17, and I'm just going to kind of paraphrase, but you read it
word for word and see if what I'm saying is not so. He said,
Behold, thou art called a Jew. A Jew. A man who rests his hope
in the law of God. That's what this Jew is. And
boasts that he has fellowship with God. He says he knows his
will and approves of his way being instructed out of his law. That word means word in this
particular place. He is one who is confident that
he is a fit guide to the blind and a light to them which sit
in darkness. He is a qualified instructor
of the foolish and a teacher of babes and has a form. That word is mold. Mold. He has a mold. You know what
a jello mold is. You pour your jello in there
while it's warm and it chills and sets and you turn it upside
down and it looks just like the mold. These Jews had a form of
doctrine. They had a form of religion.
They had a mold. And they pressed people into
the mold. If you didn't fit the mold, you couldn't be a Jew.
You had to be circumcised to be a Jew. I don't care what country
you were from. And so on. It means mold. You had a mold of knowledge and
of the truth and the law. And then if you look down at
the end of this chapter, having to find the Jew, Paul has a very
shocking statement. Romans 2 verse 28, He is not
a Jew which is one outwardly, Neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one
inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit
and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God."
Now, I read to you here this morning in the same chapter what
natural men call religion. They boast they have fellowship
with God. They boast that they've been
instructed from the Word of God. They had fellowship with God.
They walked with God. And I've also read to you, not
only of the natural religion, but of the spiritual religion.
He is one who obeys these things in his heart. He is one who has
the sign of that covenant carved out in the foreskin of his heart. The spiritual Jew, The natural
Jew has a mold. He has a form of doctrine and
the spiritual Jew has a mold. In Romans chapter 6, you might
just jot these scriptures down and let me move on. I've got
a lot of ground to cover here this morning, but the spiritual
Jew has a mold. In Romans 6, 17, Paul said, but
God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you
obeyed that form, you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine. That word is mold, which was
delivered you. And in 2 Timothy 1, verse 13,
he tells this young pastor to hold fast the form of sound words. which thou hast heard of me,
and faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." They both have
a form or a mold into which men must be pressed. God's not going
to love you no matter what. You're not going to walk with
God no matter what. There's something to be believed
and something to be rejected. This gospel. is not a general
gospel. It doesn't mean everything. It
means something. There's a division here. Here's
what the Lord's saying. Everything's not right. This
is right. This is wrong. There's right
and there's wrong. Everybody's not right. At least
give me that concession. Everybody's not right. Somebody's
wrong. Here's two men, very prominent.
Here's these Jews. This wasn't a rag-tag bunch of
rebels here. We're talking about the elite
of Israel. We're talking about the hierarchy
of the Jews. These were the doctors of divinity.
These were the lawyers. These were highly esteemed men. These were priests. These were
men who'd been to the seminaries. graduated with flying colors. They were the chosen among the
graduates. This was the council of the Sanhedrin,
those who the Jewish nation set aside to look for the Messiah
and to judge matters in Israel. These were wise men. And our
Lord said, You are of your father the devil. They said, Thou hast
a devil and you are a heathen. Now, somebody is wrong and somebody
is right. Do you see what is happening
here? The Lord is not saying these things for everybody's
sake. He is saying this for His apostles' sake who are listening
to these things, hearing these things, hearing their arguments,
hearing their disputes. He says these things for them.
He draws a division. Now turn with me over to Revelation
2. I'm trying to lay some groundwork
before we get into John chapter 8 that I believe is necessary
in order for you to understand what's taking place. Now we looked
at it. We've got the natural Jew, we've
got the spiritual Jew. You've got natural religion,
world religion, just a hollow shell, a form, and you've got
true religion. Now let me show you this. Look
here in Revelation chapter 2. unto the angel, that word is
pastor, of the church in Smyrna, write, These things saith the
first and the last which was dead and is alive. I know thy
works and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich. And I know
the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not." Now
listen, but are the synagogue of Satan." Do you know what he
said? What's a synagogue? That's a
church. These who say they are Jews,
but they're not, they're Satan's church. That's what he said.
Flip over one page to Revelations chapter 3. That's what he said to the church
at Smyrna. Now he's talking to the church
at Philadelphia. Revelation 3, verse 8. He said,
I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee
an open door, and no man can shut it. For thou hast a little
strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say
they are Jews, and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them
to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have
loved thee, because thou hast kept the word of my patience.
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall
come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
There is a true church and there is a phony. There is the church
of the living God and Satan's synagogue. Clearly defined in
the Scripture. One of them is true. One of them
is a fraud. According to what I just read
to you here in Revelation chapter 3, it is this synagogue of Satan,
this ungodly pretender by which this whole world shall be tried. He said, I'm going to keep you.
You're going to be tried. But I'm going to keep you in
the trial. He said to his disciples over
in Matthew, he said, there's coming a day when the very elect
would be deceived, if it were possible. That's this trial he's
talking about right here. It's this trial of religion that
rears up with lying wonders and with multitudes after multitudes
of people approved by the world. magnified, honored by the world. The kings give concession to
them. Read your history over in England and over in these
countries where they had kings and queens. They went into that
false church and drew out those hierarchy of the church and made
them a part of their kingdom. They served under that king. The kings loved them. The kings
honored them. Businessmen love them. They make
fortunes with them. These were the masters of theology.
These men and women to whom he is speaking, in particular these
men, this Jewish council, this hierarchy of Israel, they were
the only people on the top side of God's earth who knew anything
at all about the living God. And by that, I'm saying this,
that in such a way, they then represent all that claims today
to know the living God. I'm not talking about Buddhism
and all these rank idolatry. I'm talking about folks who stand
up and say, I have fellowship with God. I'm God's preacher. I've got the gospel of God. Our
church is the church of God. That's who I'm talking about. Natural Israel was a type of
this. And there's some powerful statements
over here in John chapter 8. Powerful statements. Charges
being made. They called him a Samaritan.
No doubt because he went through Samaria and saved that Samaritan
woman. They said, you're a Samaritan.
Didn't we say that all along? You're a Samaritan. Samaritans
were black. They wasn't just calling him
a heathen, they called him a black heathen. That's what they called
him. Went out there, them old heathens. Didn't we say that?
Didn't we say that you have a devil? Why? He casts out devils by the
Spirit of Beelzebub. He has a devil. Didn't we say
that all along? You hear the statements? Our Lord makes it very clear
here in chapter 8 that there are two powers. two factions,
two great influential forces at work in this world and that
every son of Adam is of one or of the other. I get so tired
of hearing people talk to me on the telephone and talking
to me out in the street and in the store and in conversations
and in meetings where I go off to preach and they talk to me
in the third person. They stand over here and they
talk about him and talk about him as though they were on the
fence somewhere in a neutral country. Standing over in Sweden
talking about Germany and the United States. You're in one
or the other. There is no neutral country.
You're either of God or you're of the devil, one or the other.
You see what he's saying here? He's taking away the gray area. He's taking it out of the way.
He's taking away the third party. He's showing you the absolute
impossibility of straddling the fence. You're on one side or
the other. Either sin is raining right now
in your heart unto death, or grace is raining unto life. One or the other. One or the
other. In Matthew 12, verse 30, now
he's talking to those who, that's where the Jews were, they were
over here with their arms folded. And they were listening to him
preach to the people and they're standing over there with their
arms, and they wasn't doing anything. They wasn't doing anything. Listen
to what he says to them. He that is not with me is against
me. Huh? And he that gathereth not
scattereth abroad. There ain't no neutral side. There ain't no third party here.
If all you're doing this morning is folding your hands, you're
not taking sides. You're just folding your hands.
You're scattering abroad. That's what you're doing. And
you're against him. See, it's what people don't understand.
They don't understand. It is the curse of darkness and
the subtlety of Satan that blind this world from this reality. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul said
that the mystery of iniquity does already work. It's already
at work. And it's going to keep on working.
And it's going to keep on growing. And it's going to grow in its
influence and grow in its power until it consumes this world. And all those who will not receive
the truth, all those who will not receive the love of the truth,
will be given over to do according to this ungodly beast and his
lies, and they'll be damned for the misplaced loyalty. What are you saying? Here's what
I'm saying. The real plight, I want you to hear me, the real
plight of the sinner is in his total inability to see his condition. That's his flight. If he knew
what he was, he'd seek the Lord. I guarantee you, when the Lord
unveils what you are inside, you'll seek Him. I won't have
to stand up here and beg and plead. You'll seek Him. When
He gets you down off your high horse the way He did Paul, and
stick your face in the mud, and blind your eyes, and shut you
up to Him, you'll seek Him. I guarantee you. The plight then
of the sinner is that he don't see the reality of his condition. He don't see it. He calls darkness
light. He perceives what God calls death
to be life. What God calls a curse, He calls
a blessing. What God calls bondage, He calls
free will. Free will. I hear people talk
about free will all the time. We can choose what we want to.
We can choose salvation or damnation. We can choose to do good or evil.
We can choose to go to heaven or go to hell. Well, my question
to you this morning, if you believe you have a free will, is this,
why don't you use it? Why don't you exercise it if
it's free? Why is it that you'll defend
and go to bat for every ridiculous denomination in the world except
the one sin of God? Why is that? Why do you deny the Word of God,
the gospel of grace and the accomplishments of Christ? Why do you fight against
His authority and power and offices and purpose? If your will is
free, why don't you choose the fear of the Lord? Huh? Ain't that what Amos said? How
long halt thou between two opinions? You're really asking me to believe.
Now, I want you to hear me. Hear these arguments. Do you
really want me to believe that you have a freedom that allows
you to inherit the kingdom of glory, atone for all your sins,
guarantee you a place in heaven, but you're just waiting around
to make up your mind? Is that what you want me to believe?
Huh? Do you mean to tell me that before
you is an option of being the Son of God, adjoined there with
Christ, having eternal life, eternal joy, or being damned
forever in a lake of fire, and you're scratching your head wondering
which one you want? That's what free will says. I
can choose what I want to, I just don't want to. Well, that not
wanting to is the bondage I'm talking about. The very procrastination,
indifference, and lack of urgency in those who profess free will
reveals the real chains of darkness that binds their minds and hearts.
He said to these servants of Satan, which one of you convinces
me of sin? Now that's a statement. You wouldn't
have to go very far to find it in me. He said, you can't find
a sin in me. You can't find an evil thought
in me. You can't find an evil motive
in me. You've known me for 33 years. And since I was a child, I've
attended the synagogues and read the Scriptures and prayed and
gave to the poor and dedicated my life to serve. Which one of
you can convince me of a single sin? And yet if I tell you the
truth, why don't you believe me? Because you're in bondage. That's why. And because Satan's
your father. Listen to what he said to them
over here in John 12. Verse 25, he said, He that loveth
his life shall lose it. And he that hateth his life in
this world shall keep it unto life eternal. This bunch of professional believers
and pretenders held in their hands the book of God, the revelation
of all mysteries, the testament of His will and inheritance to
His saints, the way of life. And they searched its content
with all diligence, ever learning, but never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth. And they would not come to Christ
that they might have life. That's bondage. That's bondage. In Titus chapter 1, the Apostle
Paul warns about the danger of worldly religion, Judaism, legalism,
ceremonialism, and those who preach it and defend it. And
they are to be rebuked sharply, he said. You don't patty-cake
around with a man who comes into this place talking about another
God and another gospel and another spirit. You cut him off sharp.
Cut him off sharp. He used to be rebuked sharply. But what I want you to see is
what he says down here in verses 15 and 16, Titus chapter 1. He said, unto the pure all things
are pure. Pure because they're clothed
in His righteousness. Pure because they know the truth
uncompromised. Pure because their consciences
have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ. Unto the pure
all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled, who they
defile with? They defile with Satan. Unto them that are defiled, and
unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience
is defiled. They profess that they know God,
but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and
unto every good work reprobate." And here that word means worthless,
unapproved, and rejected. That's what it means. Every good
work, rejected. But it was a good work. Rejected. How best can you say it? Rejected. Rejected. The works cannot be
approved because they are not done for the right reason. Good
works are born of love and thanksgiving. Good works are done because we
who have been shown mercy are sympathetic with sinners like
we were. We are sympathetic with them.
Good works are maintained because we understand that good works
are according to the will of God. Unbelievers do good works
expecting God to reward them for what they do. I'm going to
ask you something. I'm going to be pretty blunt. One of you wives in here, your
husband comes home, he walks up to you and hands
you a $50 bill and he winks and he said, I'll get my reward a
little later. You're going to get popped in the face. That's
exactly what you're going to get. But isn't that exactly what
we do with our good work? Huh? We prostitute the love of
God. That's what these Pharisees were
doing. And they didn't see what they were doing to be that. They
didn't understand that. And that's the plight of the
sinner. He can't see his condition. He can't see the evil in it. He can't see Satan's rule. It's invisible. It's invisible. You can't see it. It's all around
you. It's natural to you because you
were born in it. It's natural to you because you
live in a world filled with it. And that's why our Lord told
Nicodemus, He said, you've got to be born again to see the kingdom
of God. You can't perceive it until you're
born again. But there's a division in this
world. And all men, all men, are on
one side or the other. one side or the other. There
is no neutral ground. May the Lord give us all an understanding
of this.