to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter
5. Let's begin reading in verse
10. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath to witness in himself He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. And this is the record that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the
name of the Son of God." I've been troubled this week by a call I got earlier in the
week. from a best friend of mine he
emailed me last Friday and he told me that his grandfather
a man I've known personally for years man I know who had a great
influence on has had a great influence on my friend's life
was diagnosed with stage four cancer and doctors gave him three
months to live and my friend called me personally called me
on Monday morning concerned about his grandfather's spiritual well-being. And my friend asked if there
was some scripture I could give him that he might read to him. And that's something I don't
know where to begin when I'm asked a question like that. I know the man. I knew him personally.
Exceptional businessman. Two very professional, very successful
businesses. Professional gambler. Just a man of the world. He was. Very likable man. I just didn't
know where to begin. And so this is the scripture
I gave him. If you look with me here at verse 10, I normally
go verse by verse, and I'm going to try to do that this morning,
but I just want to share some thoughts with you that I've thought
about all week. He that believeth on the Son
of God, what does that mean? Does that mean you just believe
that there is a God? that historically there was a
man named Jesus that walked this earth and who said he was the
Son of God. Believing on the Son of God is
to believe He is God, equal with the Father, He God. Believing
the Son of God is to believe that He came in the flesh. He
took upon Him the form of a servant, became obedient. unto death,
even the death of the cross. To believe on the Son of God
is to believe that He obeyed God's law, that He did it. It's
to believe who He is and what He did. It's to believe that
He came for the purpose, number one, of glorifying His Father. That's why He came, number one.
If He saves me or you, or if he passes by me or you, it's
not going to add to his fullness. He's God. He's God. He doesn't owe me or you anything.
He created a man, an upright man. And to prove that we couldn't
exist without a mediator, Satan entered that garden and tempted
him, tempted his wife, and his wife disobeyed God, and Adam
disobeyed God, and we disobeyed God and Adam. When he died, we
died. So God doesn't owe us anything.
He does not owe us anything. To believe the Son of God is
to believe that He earned, as a man, an everlasting righteousness. That's what He came to do, and
He did that. To believe on the Son of God
is to believe that He made a purchase that cost Him a righteous life
and a substitutionary death. Because He was the perfect spotless
Lamb of God, He was able to pay His own blood and buy a people
for Himself. That man or woman with a new
heart God-given heart believes on the Son of God for all their
acceptance with God. Not something He did plus something
we do. All our acceptance with Him is
the Son of God. That person, it says here in
verse 10, has to witness in himself. Look over at Galatians 4 with
me. Galatians chapter 4. We read this this morning, but
I want to read a little further. It says, Galatians chapter 4
and verse 4, When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth
His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. Now listen to this next verse,
And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Now get the order
of that now. Because ye are children, His
children, He sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your heart, whereby
you cry, Abba, Father. Well, you call Him Father now.
You didn't become His child because you cried out, Father, to Him.
I see a baby in here. There's some children in here.
Did those children become your children because they cried out
to you? They became your children because you gave them life and
they cried out to you because you gave them life. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath had the Spirit of God create in him life. And it must be so. We're born
spiritually dead. We've got to have life. The Spirit of God has revealed
to that person that they are sick, they are depraved, they
are unable to do anything to please God. The Spirit of God
is witness against any ability to make atonement with God for
his sin. The Spirit of God has testified
to that person concerning his total lack of righteousness to
justify himself or to walk before God. The witness within him has
convinced him that nothing but the blood of the Son of God can
cleanse him from his sin. Or better yet, the spirit witnesses
with his spirit that the Son of God has cleansed him from
his sin, cleansed him, washed him, purged his sin. He that
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. The sinner
is in love with the excellency of Christ's righteousness and
with the sufficiency of His grace. He's been told it by God the
Holy Spirit, been taught it by God, and knows it, and believes
it, and is persuaded. And nobody can change him. Nobody can turn him. Nobody can
make him believe otherwise. He believes it. He's camped out
right there. at the feet of Christ. Look here,
verse 10. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar. I don't know how to read that.
He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. That's true. He that believeth not, he's the
liar. The one that doesn't believe God's the liar. God makes him
a liar. God proves him to be a liar. And he that believeth
not God tries to call God a liar. because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his son." Verse 11, and this is the record.
You want to know what God says? This is the record. Here it is
right here. Here's the witness now. Not only has he sent forth
his prophets and his preachers in every age, he's recorded it. Here it is. Here's the record.
That God hath given to us eternal life. God hath given. From His omnipotent goodness,
from His sovereign pleasure, God hath given. Salvation's a
gift. It's a gift. God hath given a
people to His Son, and He gave His Son to lay down His life
for that people. This whole book's about giving.
Did you know that? From beginning to end. Not about
what we've given to God, but what He's given to us. His people. Listen to this now. His Son has
given His life for that people. The Lord Jesus Christ has given
freely His people. Those God gave Him before the
foundation of the world. They hadn't done any good or
evil. Nothing. That the purpose of
God according to election might stand. It's not of works. It's not of Him that willeth.
It's not of Him that runneth. It's of God who shows mercy. That's His glory. He said, I'll
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll harden whom I'll
harden. That's God's Word, not my Word. He hath given the witness. His
free gift. We're born of incorruptible seed. The Word of God that liveth and
abideth in His people. By God's free gift, we were recreated
in His image. an image we lost in Adam. He has to come and make us a
new creation. He has to create life where there
was no life. He has to create a new heart
where there was no heart. There was a stony heart, a heart
that hated God, that was enmity against God. The carnal mind
is enmity against God. The natural mind can't understand
the things of God. He won't understand them. He
can't understand them. He don't understand them. They are spiritually
discerned. It takes God to reveal it to
them. But this is the record. God has given to us eternal life
and this life is in His Son. The Lord was talking to some
people one day and He said this, Search the Scriptures for in
them ye think ye have life. but they are they which testify
of me, and you will not come to me that you might have life."
You know what the Lord is telling these people? He is telling them,
folks, you will pick this Bible up, and we will pick this Bible
up and we will diligently make it a heart, sincere endeavor
to read this book from cover to cover. Keep up with how many
times we have read it, because we think by the act of reading
this Word, God's going to show us some kind of favor. And he
said, what you're missing is everything in this book is about
me and you will not lay aside your acts of doing and trying
and laboring and just come to me. He said, this is the record. God has given to us eternal life
and this life is one place. It's in His Son. It's in His
Son. Am I looking to a time when I,
at some point, finally decided, okay, I'm going to cast the deciding
vote for God. I'm going to make my decision
for Him. If that's where I'm looking, I'm looking in the wrong
place. I'm looking here instead of looking at Him in whom is
life. Am I looking to my baptism? Then
I'm looking to the wrong place. And don't misunderstand me. If
you believe on God, you follow Him in baptism. But don't look
to that act of being baptized and think, well, I've got it
all sewed up now. I'm in good shape. Life's in His Son. Life's in His Son. Am I looking
to my attempts to keep the law after that I've believed? I'm
looking in the wrong place. Paul said, let me find it here
for you. Look here at verse 1 of chapter
3. of Galatians. O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, received you the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith. Did you do something
to believe on God, or was it by The witness, the Spirit of
God that came to you. Are you so foolish having begun
in the Spirit? Paul answers the question. You
began in the Spirit. Are you now made perfect by the
flesh? Look over at Galatians chapter 5 verse 1. Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul,
say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
If He's come to you and He's revealed in you that He's fulfilled
the law, that He, Christ, is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes, you're not going to go back to the law.
The law was the schoolmaster. The law revealed to us that we're
sin. The law revealed to us what we
are. We're not going back and clinging to death. We're going
to hang on to Christ who is life. Now look here, look at Galatians,
stay there with me, Galatians 3, look down at verse 21. Is
the law then against the promises of God? Well, doesn't the law
say I shouldn't steal? I mean, am I telling you to go
out and steal when I tell you that your not stealing is not
going to earn you a salvation with God? That's what I'm telling
you. I'm telling you if you obey the law, You can't obey it. That's what I'm telling you.
You can't obey it. But if you don't go out outwardly
and steal from somebody, that don't gain us a bit of favor
with God. Because we're robbing God of His glory right here in
our hearts all the time continually by not trusting His Son alone.
Look here. Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid. For if there had
been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. Oh, you mean the law wasn't given
to give me life? It wasn't given for me to earn
the righteousness? No, it was given to drive you
to Christ who is our righteousness. Look here, but the scripture
hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. The promise
All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ. We looked
this morning at how he's the faithful one. He said, he concluded,
I'll understand that the promise, the promise of what? Eternal
life, that's what we're talking about, life. That the promise
by faith of Jesus Christ, it's by his faithfulness. His faith
acts upon us first and then he gives us faith to believe on
him. You understand what I'm saying? Before faith came, we were kept
under the law. Shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law is our schoolmaster
to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Look back at our text in verse
12, 1 John chapter 5. Now here's where the rubber meets
the road. Folks, 1 John chapter 5 verse 12, He that hath the
Son, I just told you, I tried to tell you some things that
it means to believe on Him. He that hath the Son hath life.
He that hath not the Son hath not life. This is the only difference
between people. It's the only difference there
is between us. I'm telling you, it don't matter
what color you are, It don't matter what nationality
you come from. It don't matter how much you
got in the bank or how little you got in the bank. It don't
matter what denomination you came from, how much church you've
clung to, how much you've done in the church, outside of the
church, or under the church. It don't matter. Let me tell
you what matters. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son hath not life. That's facts. If you don't have the Son, why
not? If we don't have Christ, we don't
believe on the Son of God, why don't we? Why don't we? Look
at Mark Chapter 2 with me. Mark Chapter 2. Our Lord went about, walked this
earth teaching and preaching. And I want to show you something
here in Mark Chapter 2 verse 13. He went forth again. been there before, went forth
again by the seaside, and all the multitude resorted unto him,
and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi,
the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the receipt of customs." Levi,
that's Matthew. Levi was a tax collector. In other words, he was a thief.
He was robbing people hand over fist is what he was doing, and
had a big old house to back it up. I'll show you that. He was
sitting at the receipt of customs, and the Lord said unto him, Follow
me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass that as Jesus
said it, meet in his house. What just took place? The Lord
came and spoke to him effectually, irresistibly, and called him
out of darkness into light. He gave him life. And Levi left
everything. Luke records like this. It says
he left all, he rose up, and he followed him. He left everything
before he ever moved a toe. And he followed him. And he not
only did that, but he threw a party at his house because he wanted
all of his friends before he left to know about him. He wanted
them to meet him and to see this one. Look here. And he set at
meat in his house, and there were other thieves and robbers
there. There were other publicans there, too. And sinners sat also
together with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they
followed him. And when the scribes and the
Pharisees – now here's some – if you and I saw We don't even have
scribes and pharisees in our day. You think of the most pious,
devout, religious person you can think of and they pale in
comparison to the scribes and pharisees. The scribes searched
the scriptures continually. They knew the law of God inside
and out. And the pharisees were the most
pious, religious that you could come across. And they saw him
eat with publicans and sinners, and they said unto his disciples,
How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
They had a lot. They had a lot of religion. But
you know what they didn't have? They didn't know the Lord Jesus
Christ from anybody. They didn't know the Lord of
Glory, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords and King of
Kings. They didn't know who He was. They did not have the Son. They had a lot. You looked at
them and you thought, these folks right here, they know God. I'm
going to follow these people. They know something. They're
impressive now. They know something. They didn't even know Him. And
they said, why does He sit here and He eats and drinks with these
thieves and these sinners? And it said, When Jesus heard
it, He saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of
the physician. but they that are sick. I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." You know
what it is that keeps a man from Christ? It's not his sin, because
most people don't believe they have any. It's his righteousness,
because everybody believes they're righteous. That's our problem. When we died in Adam, we became
righteous. We decided we'd cover our own
We decided we'll hide ourselves in the bushes ourselves from
God. And when we heard His voice,
we decided we'll just hide from Him. We'll run from Him. God
said, How did you find out you were naked? You disobeyed Me. Sin has entered in. And now you
think you're righteous. You think you can make your own
covering. We're not sick. We thought we were whole. We
thought we were righteous. We had no need of the great physician.
A sinner will not believe until he hears the great physician's
diagnosis and until he comes face to face with the great physician
and finds out who he is. Let's go to the great physician's
office. He said they that are whole have
no need of the physician. Turn with me to Romans chapter
3. Self is our disease. Self-righteousness
is what keeps us from God's Son. And listen to this, brethren.
Sin is not something we do. It's what we are by nature. Do you hear me? Sin is not something
you do only. It's what you are. What you do
is the result of what you are. That's what Christ taught. Let's go to His office and let's
hear what He says. What about the mind? What about
the natural mind? I have a picture of what I think
God... Before Christ revealed Himself in me, I thought I knew
what God was like. I had a pretty good idea of who
God is. I've been told all my life He wanted to save me if
I'd let Him. I thought I knew who He was. This fellow, he's
done all he can do. He's got no hands but my hands,
no feet but my feet. Isn't that the description that
God gave of those statues they built back over there in the
Old Testament? He said, they don't have any hands, they don't
have any feet, they don't have any eyes, they can't see, they
can't do anything, they're idols. Well, so was the one in my mind,
and so is the one in most of the pulpits being preached this
morning. It's an idol. Listen to this. Here's what the
physician says, Romans 3.11, There's none that understandeth,
there's none that seeketh after God, they're all gone out of
the way, they're together become unprofitable, and there's none
that doeth good, no, not one. Well, wait a minute now. I say
a lot of good things. I don't cuss. I don't tell dirty
jokes. I try to read God's Word to my kids. Those are all good
things. But don't think you're going
to earn a righteousness by them. Look here. The physician says in verse
13, and I'll just put yours and mine in here by nature. Your throat is an open sepulcher. That's a grave. Your tongue,
you've used deceit. The poison of asp is under your
lips. Your mouth's full of cursing and bitterness. What about my
feet? I try to, you know, go out and
do... I'm running all the time doing
things for God. I'm going to church and doing
all these things. Romans 3.15, your feet are swift to shed blood,
destruction and misery are in all your ways. Well, can't I
find a cure for myself? Isn't there something I could
do? Maybe I'd just hang around more healthy people, more righteous
people. It's bound to rub off on me,
you know. Romans 3.17, the way of peace. Have you not known? You know the way of peace. So
what is the verdict here? Verse 18, there is no fear of
God before your eyes. You know what Isaiah 2.5 says?
Now listen to this. Here is the diagnosis. This is
what the great physician says. The whole head is sick and the
whole heart faints from the sole of the foot, right down here
now, even into the head. There's no soundness in it but
wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They've not been closed,
neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. That's us by nature. And if a
man's here today or a woman's here today, don't have Christ,
don't have the Son of God, that's your condition. That person's sick. He said,
I didn't come to call the righteous. I came to call that kind. Are
you that kind? Is that your condition? My friend's
grandfather, he didn't go to that physician until he got sick. And he went to that physician
then, and he said, Doc, I'll do whatever you tell me to do.
Whatever you tell me to do, that's what I'll do. I'll do whatever
you think is best. Stage 4 cancer. You know what
the result of stage 4 cancer is? The sin that I just described
to you. That comes about because that's
what we are by nature. This body is a body of death. It's perishing. And every work
of righteousness that I can do, that I call a work of righteousness,
that I'm going to try to heap up and take to God and present
myself with God. When this flesh wrinkles up and
goes into the grave and returns to the dust, every work of my
hand will perish with it. Every one of them. Every one of them. Who did Christ come to save?
Who did He heal when He walked this earth? He healed a woman
that had an issue of blood. Do you have an issue of blood?
If you're born in Adam, you do. Trace your genealogy back if
you want to. You're going to end up at Adam. And we got an
issue of blood. Blood problem. It's a blood problem
we got. In Adam, all died. All died. He healed the blind. We have a vision problem. Do
you seek Christ on every page of this Bible? When you read this book, are
you reading this book looking for Christ? Or are you reading
this book looking for something you can do to please God? If
you're looking for something you can do to please God, you've
got a vision problem. He came and He healed the deaf.
He gave the deaf ears to hear when He walked this earth. Are
you deaf? Are you having trouble hearing what I'm saying this
morning? Is what I'm saying this morning It's just not quite jiving
with the way you think it ought to be. I tell you what, we need
to stop trying to find a place that lines up with God, that
lines up with my way of thinking, and bow to the God that says
this is how it is. You know, he said in Isaiah,
he said, your thoughts are not my thoughts, your ways are not
my way. You thought I was altogether one as yourself, but I'm not.
If he needed anything, he wouldn't ask us for it. Who has been his
counselor? Who has asked him? Who has he
asked anything to? Not us. He healed lame men. What Scott read this morning.
Totally lame people. Impotent. Unable to do anything.
Unable to help themselves. That's who he came to save. He
said, I came not to call the righteous. If you think you've
done pretty good You've done enough religious
activities and things that when you get to God, He ought to receive
me. He said, I didn't come to call
you. You don't need me. You don't need a physician. He
said, I came to call those who are sick, sin sick, soul sick,
unable to heal themselves, sick. Now listen, turn over to John
9 with me. Let me show you something now.
He came to a blind man. This man wasn't sick in him.
wasn't looking for, he was asking for temporal handouts. That's
what most religious folks are asking for. That's what we by
nature were asking for, just temporal carnal handouts. Help
me out of this deal, and I'll worship you. And help me out
of the next one, and I'll worship you. And get me through this
trial, and I'll help you out. Help me make this next car payment,
and I'll follow you. Temporal handouts. And he came
to this man and his disciples asked him, they said, who sinned,
this man or his parents that he was born blind? And it wasn't
that his parents didn't sin or that this man didn't sin, but
the Lord said, neither. This man was born blind that
the works of God may be made manifest in him. He said, this
man was born the way he is, by God, on purpose, so that I could
come to him right now and show you how God saves sinners. That's
why he was born blind. You mean God would make a child
born blind? Yeah. And He came to this man and He
made a balm and He put it on this man's eyes. And He said,
now you go to the pool of Siloam and you wash. And this man went
and he washed. You know what that pool of Siloam
was? That's where Isaiah met King
King Ahaz at the Pool of Siloam. That's where he said, here's
the sign, King Ahaz, that these two armies aren't going to defeat
you because God's going to give His Son. A Son's going to be
born. His name's going to be called
Emmanuel. That's where he gave his covenant
promise. Picture God's Word. He went to
see what He said. This is the record. God has given
life. And this life's in His Son. And
he came away seeing. And he went to the synagogue. And the Pharisees and the scribes
were there again. And they asked this man, they
said, who is it that gave you your sight? And they brought his parents
in first. And his parents were afraid they would get kicked
out of religion. They said, we're not going to answer for him.
He's old enough. Let him answer for himself. There's self-righteousness
for you. I'll sooner desert that boy than
I'll forsake my religion. And so they asked him. And he
began to tell them. And they said, Are you going
to teach us? This blind man that sat out there
begging, never had any kind of education whatsoever, not been
to the finest schools, not brought up under the Dr. Gamaliel, you're
going to teach us something? We're righteous. Look at all
the works we've done. We're righteous. Are you going
to try to teach us something? And he said, All I know is I
was blind, and now I see. Now, what I want you to see is
verse 35. Look at verse 35. Jesus heard that they had cast
him out. They wouldn't have it. They kicked
this blind man out of the synagogue. And when he had found him, The
Lord. He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
And he answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe
on him? That's an honest question. That's a sick man wanting to
hear the answer. And Jesus said unto him, Thou
hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And
he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. He worshipped
him. That man had the witness within
him. That man was born of God. The Lord did more for that man
that day than just cure him of physical blindness. He cured
him of spiritual blindness. He gave him sight. He gave him
life. He gave him eternal life. He saw and believed and worshipped
Christ. What about the Pharisees? Well,
Jesus said, For judgment I have come into this world, that they
which see not might see, and they which see might be made
blind. He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Now look here. And
some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and
said unto him, Are we blind also? Are we blind too? Jesus said unto them, If you
were blind, if you came to me saying, I need sight, I'm sick,
Lord, give me sight. You should have no sin. I would
have taken away your sin. But now you say, we see. You say, we're righteous in our
sin. We're righteous because of something we did. And He said,
therefore, your sin remains. It remains. Well, back to our text in 1 John,
and I'll wrap it up. 1 John chapter 5. This is the record that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that
hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall
not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. He said this,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word And believeth
on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Now look here at verse 13. John
said, These things have I written unto you that believe on the
name of the Son of God. You know who has heard what I
have said today? Those whom God has given ears to hear. You know
who have seen Him today? Those whom He has given sight.
You know who believe on Him today? Those who He's given God-given
faith, life. Those in whom He dwells. That's
who heard me. Everybody else is just sitting
here waiting for the clock to get to the 12 o'clock hour so
they can go on and live their life of death. He said this, He said, Whoso
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life. That's
what it means to believe on the Son of God, to eat His flesh
and drink His blood. You know, a lot of people heard
him say that that day, and they said, that's a hard saying. Who
can hear that? Eat His flesh and drink His blood?
He said, my flesh is meat indeed, my blood is drink indeed. He
that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and
I in him. He said he got the witness in him. Spirit of God,
as the Living Father sent me, and I live by the Father, so
he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. What's he saying?
I know this. As my representative, in his
body, as a man, he lived righteously and honored God's law in every
jot and tittle. Every little dot and every little
hash mark, he obeyed God's law, thought, word, deed, from the
cradle to the grave, fully. And he did that as my representative
that he might freely, freely, not something based on what I
did, freely impute his righteousness to me, robe me in his righteousness. And I can't get fed enough of
that message. That's what it is to eat His
flesh, to hear of that continually. That is my meat. That is my food. That is my sustenance. That is
my health. That is what feeds me, is to
hear of His righteousness. And He went to the cross, and
as my substitute in my place, He laid down His life before
the wrath of God, the justice of God, and He paid the penalty
of the law that I owe. and shed His life for me. And that's His blood. And I can't
get enough of that meal either. I want to hear all about His
blood and drink all of His blood. I want to eat His flesh and drink
His blood. That's what it means to eat His
flesh and drink His blood. You prepare me a meal of things
that I can do to earn a righteousness? Try to think of some food I don't
like. Chitlins. You might as well be
sitting a big old plate of chitlins in front of me, because I don't
like them. But you tell me about Christ,
and you tell me about what He did, and what He accomplished,
and that His death is effectual, and that He obtained eternal
redemption, that He didn't make something possible, He obtained
it, and I'm securing Him. He's going to send forth His
Son for everyone for whom He died, and He's going to call
them out of darkness into His light. He's going to do that,
for He's not willing that any should perish, but that all,
all, all of those for whom He died should come to repentance.
And if He's not willing, then it ain't going to happen. They
come into repentance. Every one of them. None of them
is going to be lost. He said, My Father which is in heaven is
greater than I. He has given me this people. No man is going
to pluck them out of his hand. It is Christ that died. Who is
going to condemn you? Who is going to lay a charge
to you? It is Christ that justified you. Who is going to tell you
you are unrighteous? Who is going to separate you
from the love of Christ? Nothing. Nothing. If He's your
all, and you're complete in Him, and He's the only one you're
trusting for salvation, then nobody's going to separate you
from Him, because He bought you. He gave you to His Son, His Son
died for you, and He came and called you out. Here He is. Nothing's
going to separate you from Him. Labor not for the meat which
perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life,
which the Son of Man shall give unto you. For him hath God the
Father sealed." What kind of meat are you laboring for this
morning? In this mountain shall the Lord
of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast
of wines on the leaves, of fat things full of marrow, of wines
on the leaves well refined. What if you don't have the Son?
What if I don't have Him? What if I've sat here and I've
heard this Word you've preached? If I can't come to Him on my
own, then why are you telling me I can't come to Him on my
own? Because that's the message God blesses to bring you to Himself.
That's why I'm telling you. If He's going to bring you, that's
the message He's going to bring you by. You're going to be brought
down to see your sickness. We're going to be brought down
to see what we are. Not what we've done, but what we are.
Are you sick? Are you shut off to Christ? Do
you see your need of a physician? Here's what he said, Isaiah 55.1. Turn over there with me. Isaiah
55.1. You just told us, I just told
you, that none's coming. None's coming but those whom
He draws. That we can't do anything. We're so sick we can't do one
thing. We're so sick we can't lift a finger to come to Christ
unless He draws us to Him. Brings us out of the dark. And
then I'm going to turn right around and tell you this too.
Because if he's done that while I've been sitting here preaching
to you, then here's what you do. Listen. Walk down here to
me? No. Say some sinner's prayer? No, sir. Go to a confessional booth somewhere?
No, no, no. Here's what you do. Right where
you're at. Right there in your heart between you and God. Here's
what you do. Verse 1. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
Are you thirsty? Come ye to the waters. He that
hath no money, come ye, buy and eat. Yea, come, buy wine and
milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend
money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which
satisfies not? Has any of your religion satisfied
you yet? Any of your deeds satisfied you
yet? Any of your own personal Self-righteousnesses, were you
ever satisfied with them before you met Christ? Ever? Hearken
diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your
soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, you can hear
now, incline your ear and come unto me. Here your soul shall
live, and I'll make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David the same covenant I made with my son before the
foundation of the world I Make with you. It don't get more sure
than that. That's what he said. I'm gonna
make the same covenant I made with my son is yours You kings
and priests under God you didn't know him went from being a sick
lame Unable to do one thing out in the street to a king and a
priest Yeah All these things we seek after.
Listen to me. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness. Anything else, if you need it,
it will be added to you. God will give it to you if you
need it. While it said today, right now hear His voice. Go
home, find you a quiet, dark, closet and get you a lamp and
get in there by yourself and take these scriptures and you
read and see if what I'm telling you is the truth. Seek Him! Today seek Him! Children turn to Ecclesiastes
chapter 12. Ecclesiastes 12. How important
is it for you to lay these things to heart right now? Right now! How important is it? My friend emailed me Friday,
last Friday. He called me Monday. I need some scripture to read
to my grandfather. He's not going to live. Why do
we wait? Why do we wait till a physical
physician tells us that we're dead? Why don't we hear the great
physician say it right now? And yesterday morning I got up
and I got an email. I just want to let you know that
my grandfather passed away yesterday. He was peaceful. I will always
wonder about him until I can look for him in heaven myself.
Thanks for all your advice and friendship, your brother. Why
is it important today? Huh? Why is it? What else is
important? Is there anything else as important
as your eternal well-being? Listen. First verse of Scripture
I was ever given as a child. Ecclesiastes 12. Remember now,
verse 1, thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil
days come not, or the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I
have no pleasure in them. One week. The physician said
he had three months. Seven days later, they're burying
him today. They're burying him today. Consider now. Right now. Right
now. This is the record that God has
given to us eternal life. And this life is in his son.
He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. That's it.