Let's go back to John chapter
7 tonight, and I want to pick up right where we left off this
morning, John chapter 7. Our Lord Jesus is at the Feast
of the Tabernacles. Everyone knew he would be there. He'd be in Jerusalem during this
feast time. It was both his custom and his
duty as an Israelite to come up to Jerusalem. Everybody expected
him to be there. Throughout the days of the feast,
there was a murmuring about him. It seems that everyone at the
feast was asking one question, where is he? Where is he? Look at John chapter 7, verse
11. Then the Jews sought him at the feast and said, where
is he? Some sought to take him and kill
it. So they asked, where is he? Others
sought to take him and make him a king. Some sought to see his
miracles. Others sought to hear his doctrine. Some sought him just out of curiosity. Some sought him out of need. But everywhere folks were asking,
where is he? That's the question I want to
address in this message. I hope you have come here tonight
seeking Christ. Seeking to hear his voice. To
see him. To draw near to him. To worship
him. Where is he? When Elisha took
up Elijah's mantle, he cried, where is the Lord God of Elijah? In the time of his great trial
in the midst of groaning and heaviness of heart, Job said,
oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even
to his seat. We've come once again together
to worship our Redeemer, and I pray that God the Holy Spirit
will graciously put from our minds every mundane earthly care
every thought of temporal anxiety and allow us for at least this
little while to worship God, our Savior. The fact is there
are appointed places where the Lord Jesus may be found by those
who seek him. And he promises, if you seek
me with all your heart, you shall find me. In other words, if you
really want to find him, There are places where he will be found.
Let me show you four ways in which I want to approach this
question. First, this is a question asked by many people from different
circumstances and for different reasons. Our text specifically
tells us that the Jews asked, where is he? But that question
has been asked by numerous people throughout the ages. In the days
of his manhood upon this earth, many frequently asked where he
was because they hated him and they wanted to destroy him. You'll
remember at the beginning of his days on the earth, Herod
learned about his birth and he asked the wise men when the Savior
first came to let him know where he was, pretending to worship
him, pretending that he wanted to honor him as the king. Herod
said, show me where he is. And his only desire was to destroy
him. There have been multitudes like Herod who sought to destroy
Christ, to destroy his people, to destroy his gospel, to destroy
his cause in this world while pretending to worship him and
pretending to honor him. Opposition and persecution arises
from many quarters, but it's never so dangerous as when it
comes from those who pretend they are the Lord's disciples
and our friends. I have had another experience
just this week. Learned about another situation. In the last few years, I've known
three faithful men who pastored gospel churches for better than
50 years. Three of them. One died two by
reason of health and age resigned, and cunning deceivers slipped
in and would destroy the sheep,
ravening wolves serving nothing but themselves. My God, I fear for you. I fear
for you. Folks sometimes wonder why I
preach with such dogmatism and passion, I fear for you. I fear for you. When God's pleased
to take me from this place, earnestly seek his face that you may find
a man who will preach to you the gospel of Christ and serve
your souls and not himself. One who is God's servant will
be your servant. And if he's not God's servant,
he won't be your servant. Jude warns us of those men who
creep in unawares. And they creep in denying the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Denying the Lord Jesus Christ
himself while pretending to preach and serve him. over the course of the history
of this church age. The papist and others have persecuted
God's people and it was expected. The heresies of free will, workmonger,
religionist are expected. Even the slanders of false brethren
are expected. But when men pretend that they
are God's servants and pretend that they are in agreement with
you in the doctrine of the gospel. And then proved to be sheep devouring
wolves. We're in great trouble. Infidels
who sneeringly denying our Lord's very existence taunt and deride
the people of God saying, where is he? Peter tells us they are
scoffers, walking after their own lust, saying, where is the
promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
This is the question that sometimes is asked by fearful, trembling
believers. God's saints. God's saints. are sometimes filled
with fear. I know we shouldn't be, but we
are. Sometimes overwhelmed with apprehensive thoughts. Sometimes
just simply crushed with terrifying thoughts. Things by which Satan
attempts to destroy us. Overcome with trials and troubles
and heartaches. Overcome with grief Sometimes
we question our Lord's presence. Sometimes we doubt his power. Oh, never intellectually. No, I've fed my brain with enough
good stuff, I never doubted intellectually. But doubt it, yes. else I wouldn't
be disturbed by anything that oppresses me. Sometimes we question
his providence. And we ask where is he? That's
where Job was. And all those things Job experienced
in sin not, and neither charged God with folly, but rather worshiped
the Lord yet. Job said, behold, I go forward,
but he's not there. And backward, but I cannot perceive
him. On the left hand, where he doth
work, but I cannot behold him. He hideth himself on the right
hand. He hideth himself that I cannot
see him. And sometimes he does. When you
read the Psalms, I've told you and I want you to read the Psalms
and understand that as you read the Psalms, they're Psalms speaking
of the Redeemer. They're prophetic Psalms. They're
Psalms where the words often can only be interpreted in their
fullest sense as being applied to the words of our Redeemer
himself. But don't forget the men who wrote the Psalms wrote
truth. They spoke that which is truth.
And they were expressing the feelings of their own hearts.
Listen to this man after God's own heart. This man who believed
God like few who ever walked on this earth. This man, this
man who said the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not walk. This man who
said God is my refuge and my mighty tower. This man who said
the Lord is my rock and my salvation, I shall not be moved. He cried,
my God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so
far from helping me and from the words of my roaring? We ought never doubt our God.
I know that. We ought never question our Savior.
I'm fully aware of that. He is worthy of implicit trust
and confidence. But it doesn't often get it,
does it, Lindsay? More often than not, we're like
the disciples on the storm-tossed sea, and we cry, Master, carest
thou not that we perish? Where is it? Penitent sinners
humbly seek the Lord Jesus and want to know, where is it? Where
is it that we may come to Him? Where is it that we may confess
our sin to him? Where is it that we may obtain
mercy from him? The psalmist said, when thou
said, seek ye my face, my heart said, thy face, Lord, will I
seek? Turn to Isaiah chapter 26, verse
9. In verses 7 and 8, we read of
God bringing down the lofty, bringing them down to the dust.
laying them low before him, causing them to be laid low by the judgments
he performs in the earth. And then in verse nine, the one
laid low cries with my soul, have I desired thee in the night? Yea, with my spirit within me
will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Not only is it true that we seek
him as penitent sinners in the beginning of our experience of
grace, and we often want to know where he is in times of trial
and trouble because of our doubts concerning him. But at the same
time, it is true that all who trust the Lord Jesus do seek
him earnestly. Believers are men and women who
live in the undying pursuit of Jesus Christ. In the undying pursuit of Jesus
Christ. Turn to Philippians chapter 3. The apostle says, follow peace
with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
That is chase after Christ, who is our only holiness, without
which we cannot see God. Chase after him like a hound
chases after the deer. Chase after him, giving up nothing,
pursuing him relentlessly, constantly. Pursuing him and this is how
Paul speaks Philippians chapter 3 What things were gained to
me those I counted lost for Christ Yea doubtless and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do
count them but done that I may win Christ Wait a minute This
is Paul The aged experienced apostle. I count them but done that I
may win Christ. How can that be? This is Paul
who urges us to come to God on his throne of grace and the full
assurance of faith. And he says that I may win Christ.
What's he talking about? We don't. That I may win Christ and be
found in him. not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. Not that righteousness, which
is through faith in Christ. Let me talk about our faith.
That righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ,
through the faithful obedience of Jesus Christ as our substitute
and our redeemer. the righteousness which is of
God by faith. This righteousness that we receive
by faith alone, merely by trusting Him. And in this context, Paul's
talking about all his former claims before God. His birth, his works, his parentage,
his training, his learning, his skill, his devotion as a Pharisee. as a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He
said, those things I counted lost for Christ. And I still
do. I still do. You see, we have
a constant problem with self-righteousness. We love it. It's our nature. And it clings to us. Self-righteousness
clings to us like a spider web. You just can't get it off. We
continually pursue Christ alone that I may be found in him not
having any thought or hope of righteousness in anything I am
or do or think or feel by nature. Read on. That I may know him. That I may know him. Oh, I want to know him. I want to know him. I think I know this dear lady
over here pretty good, but I want to know you. I want to know him, Paul said.
I want to know him, and I want to know the power of his resurrection. What's that? That's life. I want to know life in him. I
want to know the power by which he ascended the throne of God. Life and the fellowship of his
sufferings. I want to know that when he died,
I died. I want to know I was with him
in his sufferings and with him in his death. I want to be conformed
unto his death, completely molded to Christ, completely committed to my God. If by any means I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I'd already
attained, neither were already perfect, but I follow after if
that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press, I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Those who trust him. are people
who live in the constant pursuit of him. And we seek him earnestly. The Song of Solomon, we read,
the bride crying, the watchman that go about the city found
me, to whom I said, saw ye him whom my soul loveth. Let me suggest
something to you. In this place, I am that watchman. Every time God brings me to mind
and brings to mind your need of the Redeemer, will you ask
that God will cause me to see him whom your soul loves so I
can show him to you? And when you come through those
doors, come through those doors asking that the watchman may
come with his heart and mind and his eyes full of Christ the
Redeemer that I may show him to you. Have you seen him whom
my soul loves? We know that this desire is what he alone
gives. and he alone maintains. I read to you this morning in
chapter 5 of the Song of Solomon how that the Lord Jesus comes
to his garden and gathers his fruit. And then he comes to his
own. And his cherished bride says,
I sleep. but my heart waketh. I sleep
in a sort of death, but not dead. My heart waketh. It waketh because
I hear somebody. The only reason it waketh is
it's the voice of my beloved. And he's saying, I've been busy
working for you. My head's covered with dew, with
the drops of the night, for my suffering for you. and my labor
for you, open to me, my dove, my undefiled. I've washed my feet. I'm saved. I'm sanctified. Everything's alright. Don't disturb
me right now. Don't bother me right now. He says, okay, I'll leave you
to yourself. But before he does, he sticks
his hand in by the hole of the door and causes her bowels to
move toward him. And she said, when he spoke,
my heart failed. And I rose open to my beloved.
When I reached open the door, I could smell where he'd been,
the sweet myrrh and the frankincense. But he's gone. And I called him,
but he wouldn't answer me. And I went to the watchman. I
asked him again, have you seen my beloved? And they took away
my veil. And they showed me my own cause
of sin and my own cause of unbelief and my own corruption from within. They exposed me to myself. And
I still continued seeking him because I've got to have him
because he put his hand in my heart. and drew me after Him. Yes, we seek Him, and we who
seek Him know full well that we seek Him only because He graciously
compels us to seek Him. The soul that thirsts for Christ,
longing to behold His glory, anxiously looking for His second
coming, cries, where is it? When we hear Him Say, surely
I come quickly. Amen. Our hearts say even so
come Lord Jesus. Here's the second thing. This
question, where is it? Is answered plainly in this book. Where is it? He's in the bosom
of the father. Not was in the bosom of the father,
is in the bosom of the father. And while he was living on this
earth, He was declared to be in the bosom of the Father. One
with the Father. Because He who is God our Savior
is fully God and fully man. And He is now in the bosom of
the Father. Where is He? He's in the center
of heaven. He's the center of heaven. I recall Years ago, years ago, I learned
something. I'd walked in over to the house
Lindsay and Diane had over on Mason Avenue, and she had gotten
somebody to come in and help with decoration, and you had
a focal point. Had a focal point. Let me tell you something. Christ
is the focal point of God's heaven. You open a door that God has
opened, and you enter in and you see a throne. And you see
a rainbow about the throne and you see four living creatures,
these gospel preachers. And you see the 24 seats and
the 24 elders. And you see a book sealed, written
on the backside and sealed. And you see right in the midst
of the throne, one who is as a lamb that had been slain. That's
where he is. He's the focal point of heaven. Where is he? He's seated on the
throne of the universe. Yonder, on the throne, he sits
who lived and bled and died for me. Now, my soul, why shouldn't
I trust him? He has power over all flesh for
one reason, to give eternal life to them the father has given
to him. And he must reign. He must reign, Paul said, until
he hath put all his enemies under his feet. He must reign. That is he would never give up
dominion. anywhere over anybody until everything
is subjected to him and brought to bow before him in the final
consummation of the salvation of his people and the purpose
of God in this universe. He must reign. He does and he
must because the father decreed it because he earned it and the
spirit declared it and our salvation depends on it. Our Savior sits
on his throne. Where is it? He's at the right
hand of the majesty on high. Brother Ron read that passage
in 1st John. The next verse. My little children,
these things write I unto you that you sin not. And if any
man sin. We have an advocate with the
father. Jesus Christ, the righteous. How can I put John's words in
the shoe leather? Our Lord is at the place of representation
and advocacy with the Father. John wrote to us, Merle, the
things he wrote concerning our sin, and walking in the light,
and fellowship with the Father, and fellowship with the Son,
and fellowship one with another, that we wouldn't see it. He said,
don't see it. Don't see it. that you sin not. Don't sin. Children of God, don't
sin. Don't ever let yourself become
comfortable with sin. Don't sin. And, what a word, and. If I had been writing this, I
would have written but. Wouldn't you? But if any man said, now just
in case you do, no John says don't sin and I know you, you're
going to. And when you do, I'm writing
these things to you so that you'll know nothing's changed with him. If any man said, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, where is it? He's
on the throne of grace, dispensing mercy to helpless, guilty, needy
sinners such as you and I are. Now, let me give you another
thought. This question, thirdly, must
be answered by experience. Let me tell you what I know. by the sweet experience of his
grace. Where is he? I found him at the
mercy seat on the throne of grace in the
closet of my heart when I cried to him in secret
prayer. He lives within my heart. He really does. It shall come to pass, he says,
that before they call, I will answer. And while they're yet
speaking, I will hear. And the reason you call, the
only reason you'll ever call on Him, It's because he's already
taken up residence in you as the life that is in you. Christ
in you, the hope of glory. He said to the Jews, search the
scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. And these
are they, are they are they which testify of me. And I'm finding more and more
that he's here. I'm finding it more and more
all the time. I know the law and the prophets
all speak of him. I'm aware of the fact of revelation,
but bless God. Oh, I'm so thankful. I open this
book and I just see him everywhere. I see him everywhere in the book
of God he's found. If you want to know him, I suggest
you find your copy of this book and read it. I suggest that you
read it regularly. I suggest that you read it carefully. Read it asking God to show you
his son. I find him in the assembly of
the saints. He said, where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of him.
And I find him as good as his word. Wherever I go, When we
come together in this place, Sunday morning, Sunday night,
Tuesday night, wherever I go preaching the gospel of God's
grace, usually to very small groups of people, often folks
gathered in their homes or in a rented place and just a few,
but most of the time, most of the time, he's with us
manifestly, manifestly. We come together at the Lord's
table eat the bread and drink the wine, as we shall in just
a few moments. And we find him in the bread
and in the wine. We seek to walk with him and
serve him in this world. And we find him with us. He said,
as you go through this world and you make disciples and teach
them all things I've commanded you and baptize them in the name
of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. He said, Lo, I'm with
you always. with you to guide you and supply
you, protect you and strengthen you, with you to use you, with
you always, even unto the end of the world. Turn to Isaiah 43, I'll show
you something else. You won't mind reading this blessed
passage again, I don't think. Where is it? I keep thinking maybe I'll get
a little older. Folks, pay attention to what
I'm saying. I'm getting a little older. Maybe you'll listen. I've
been in the way for 40, going on 43 years. And I'll tell you what I found.
In every fiery furnace of trial, In every lion's den of persecution,
in every storm of difficulty, in every river of woe to which
I've been exposed, I found Him. In every place. Never once, never
once did I not find Him. This is what it said, now thus
saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, And he that formed thee,
O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called
thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Saba for thee, since thou was precious in my sight,
thou has been honorable, and I have loved thee. Therefore,
I will give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not,
for I am with thee. Turn to Philippians 4. Let me
show you another passage of equal delight. I've always found the
Lord Jesus to be God at hand Philippians 4 verse 4 Rejoice in the Lord always and
again, I say rejoice I Had the blessed experience
of witnessing this just a couple of weeks ago. Brother Don, I can't rejoice
in this difficulty or this sorrow or this loss. That's not what
he said. He said rejoice in the Lord always. Some of you observed it with
me, went over to visit with Brother Mark and his family and found
a man terribly hurting. Hurting. Life in there. Hurting. Rejoicing in the Lord. In His wisdom. In His goodness.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. He's my joy. He is my joy. Let your moderation. That word's
only used one other time in the entire Bible. This is how it's
translated. The gentleness of Christ. Let
your gentleness, your unruffled ease, your moderation, your undisturbed
comfort be known unto all men. That doesn't mean show what you
are. That means let folks see it. You just, man, how do you
handle that? I don't know anything about it,
but he said, but he believes God. How did he deal with that? Well, I don't know anything about
it. His daddy said, but he says he believes God. I guess that's
how. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord's at hand. He's right by your side. He's
right by your side. Be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto
God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep, like a guard at his post, like a guard at the door of your
hearts, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Where is it? He's always near
us. He's always with us. He's always
in us. He's always at hand. Where is
he? Let me give you one last comment. Ask this question in relation
to me. Ask it in relation to yourself. We're about to eat the bread
and drink the wine at the Lord's table. Once again, I caution
you, examine yourselves by this question, where is he? Where
is he? If he's in you, then you're in
him, and you're worthy to take the bread and the wine in remembrance
of him. If he's not in you, don't take
the bread and don't take the wine, for you have no worthiness
before God. Oh, but if he's in you, if you
trust him, if you believe him, then he is made of God unto you,
wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Is he the foundation of your
hope? Is he the ground of your faith? The root of your joys? The king upon the throne of your
heart? Is he the goal of your life? The hope of your soul? the end
of your journey, the prize of heaven toward which you press. God make it so as only he can. Amen.