You know, last year was the first
time I've missed since 1989. So I'm just so delighted to be
with you. I love you, love your pastor,
and thank the Lord for you. It's a blessing to be here with
you. Would you turn to John 5? I don't know how to turn it on. I can't see. I think I got it
on. I'd like to read verse 24 of
John chapter 5. 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."
I've entitled this message, from death to life. Now, every word of God is important. There's nothing in this book
that is of secondary importance. Every word of God is important. But when I read where our Lord
says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I know he's saying something
of extraordinary importance. Verily, verily, I say unto you. The Savior was not given to hype.
All he said was important, but when he says this, we know that
there's infinite weight behind what he's saying. This is important.
Verily, verily, I say unto you." Now this verse comes at the heels
of verse 23. Let's read verse 23 together. He speaks where that all men
should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son
honoreth not the Father which is sent to him. Now this tells
me that this verse has something to do with honoring the Son of
God. Now that tells us how important
this is. Now first he speaks of hearing
and believing. Look at it again, verse 24. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me. Faith cometh by what? Hearing. and hearing by the word of God.
Now, he that heareth my word. You know, it's one thing to hear
the preacher's word, and it's an altogether different thing
to hear his word. He said, He that heareth My word. Look what He says down in verse
25. He says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God, and they that hear shall live. Now, I sure am interested
in hearing the voice of the Son of God, aren't you? I want to
hear from Him. I don't want to merely hear a
man's voice. I want to hear from Him. Now,
our Lord said, He that heareth My Word. What does He mean by
My Word? He that heareth My Word. Well, it means everything He
says. Everything He said. He said, the words that I speak
to you, their spirit and their life. So when He speaks of hearing
His word, He's speaking of every blessed word He says. Oh, how precious are His words. Now, you hear His word as His
word when you hear it His word. Not simply the preacher's opinion.
Not the denominational belief. But it's His Word. Now this is
what it means to hear. It doesn't mean you hear His
voice audibly. I've never heard His voice audibly. But I've heard
from Him when I know that what I'm hearing is His Word. This is God's Word. It's not
up for debate. It's not up for argument. This
is the Word of God. Now when I hear in that manner,
that's when I'm hearing His voice. Well, I'm not hearing in that
matter. Then you're not hearing His voice. It really is that
simple. When you hear His voice, you
know this is the very truth of God that's being spoken. That's
how it is to hear His voice. Now, let me show you a scripture. Here's what I'm saying. Turn
to 1 Thessalonians 2. Verse 13. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13, For
this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when
you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received
it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of
God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Now
that's what it is to hear his voice. You don't simply hear
the preacher preaching and giving his thoughts and his opinions
and his views of things. If that's all it is, you sure
haven't heard God's voice. You've heard God's voice when
you know this is the Word of Christ. This is absolute divine
truth. It's not up for debate. Now notice
what happens when you do hear His voice. Look back at verse
24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word,
And here's what always accompanies hearing His Word every time. He that heareth my word, and
believeth on Him that sent me. Now here's what happens every
time somebody hears His Word. I'm going to believe on Him,
God the Father that sent the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's what
I'm going to believe. Here's who I'm going to believe.
I'm going to believe Him. I'm going to believe that He sent
the Son. And I'm going to believe that
whatever He sent the Son to do, His Son did. I'm going to believe
that. I'm going to rely on that. He
that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me. Turn over
to John chapter 17 for a moment. Verse 6. The Lord says, I have
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out
of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and
they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all
things whatsoever thou hast given me are thee, for I have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received
them. and have known surely that I
came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst
send me." Now let me tell you something I know surely. I know
surely that the Lord Jesus Christ came from God the Father. God
the Father sent Him. I know that surely. And I know
that whatever the Father sent Him to do, I know He did it.
He accomplished the salvation of everybody He represented.
I know that. And I'm relying on that. I believe
on Him who sent me. Now, look what our Lord says
in our text about this person who believes on Him who sent
him. Verse 24, barely, barely 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 to life." Now, if you believe on Him that sent the Lord Jesus
Christ, you have everlasting life in your possession right
now. And all that that means. Now,
this everlasting life spoken of here is sometimes translated
eternal life. And it's a mighty big word. It's
having the life of God in your soul. And that's an awesome thing to
think about. I don't much know what that means. I mean, I talk
about it. As a matter of fact, I agree
with you so much. Everything I've got, I believe
thoroughly what I believe, but I don't much understand it. I
mean, I get a little bit of it, but having the life of God in
your soul, having Christ in you, that's what everlasting life
is, that's what eternal life is. Christ in you, the hope of
glory, having God living in your soul, being in a state of perfection
before God, and that's what you are. If you have eternal life,
you're in a state of perfection before God. Hebrews 10.14 says,
He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now, that's
perfect, isn't it? That's the state. If I had this, whatever
this thing of eternal everlasting life is, I'm in a state of perfection
before God. I've got the life of God in my
soul. I've got Christ living in me. In 1 John 1.2, we read
where Christ Himself is called that eternal life. which was
with the Father and was manifested thus. Christ Himself is called
eternal life. Having eternal life has something
to do with not having to deal with eternal death. It has something
to do with not being damned. The Lord said in John chapter
3, verses 14 and 15, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that
whosoever believeth in Him. What? should not perish, but
have eternal life. Eternal life has something to
do with not having to deal with eternal death. And eternal everlasting
life has something to do with having the capacity to actually
know God. Does the natural man have the
capacity to know God? He doesn't even have a clue.
Everything he thinks is what... He doesn't know God, but if God
gives me eternal life, if I've got the life of God in my soul,
if I have Christ in me, that means I actually know the living
God, and He knows me. It's not just name dropping going
on. I know Him. This is eternal life, our Savior
said in John chapter 17 verse 3. This is eternal life, that
they might know Thee. the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent." Now, eternal life is a big thing,
isn't it? Now, look at these two blessings he says that those
people who possess eternal life have, in verse 24. He says, "...verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word He hears it as
the very Word of Christ, and he believes on Him that sent
me. All my eggs are in that basket that the Father sent the Son,
and that He did what He sent Him to do. That person has everlasting
life, and there's two blessings he speaks of. He says, first
of all, they shall not come into condemnation. And secondly, they're
passed from death to life. Now, let's consider each of these
benefits. First, he says, They shall not come into condemnation. Now, I find that so attractive. I do not want to come into condemnation. What I thought about when I read
that passage of Scripture, I thought about that woman in John chapter
8 where it says she was taken in adultery in the very act.
I mean, she was caught red-handed. She was guilty. She did it. I
mean, there's no question about that. And yet, our Lord said
to her, Woman, Where are those nine accusers? Hath no man condemned
thee? She said, No man, Lord. And he
said, Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. Now do you
find that attractive? Do you want to hear the Lord
say that to you? I don't condemn you. Now how in the world, how
in the world can I not be condemned Because this thing of no condemnation,
there's got to be a reason behind it. How can you not be condemned? I don't want to be condemned.
Look here in John chapter 5 and verse 28. Marvel not at this, for the hour
is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice,
and shall come forth, they that have done good under the resurrection
of life, and they that have done evil. unto the resurrection of
damnation." Now, I don't want to have anything to do with that,
do you? I don't want to be raised up to be eternally damned, and
that's exactly what he's talking about. I don't want to have anything
to do with that. I want to understand what this is of not being condemned.
Now, how can I not come into condemnation? There's only one way that I cannot
be condemned. There's only one way, and you
know what that is? That means if I'm not condemned, there's
nothing to condemn me for. Now, it's the only way I can
not be condemned if there's absolutely nothing to condemn me for. My record is absolutely clean. Now, look what our Lord says
in verse 27 of John chapter 5. It says, He has given him authority
to execute judgment also because he's the Son of Man. Now, He
executes judgment. Absolute, impartial justice. Everything He does is perfect. Now, look. He says in verse 30,
I can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment
is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of the
Father which sent me. Now this judgment that he makes, it's
absolutely just. Now look at verse 29 again. He talks about this resurrection,
these two different people that will be raised. But look what
he says in verse 29, And they shall come forth, they that have
done good. unto the resurrection of life. They that have done good. Do you know that the only description
there is of me is this? I have done good. Now that's the only way you're
going to be accepted. I have done good. I myself, I myself have done
good. All I've done is good. Now, there's
only one way that this can be understood, and that's in light
of union with the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is, this just
keeps getting bigger to me. It keeps getting more amazing,
more glorious to think of this thing of union with the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, what does union mean? It means the two
become one. That's what union means. The
two become one. Now, on the cross, my doings
became His. who His own self bear our sins
in His own body on the tree. My doings became His. Did they literally become His?
Well, let me answer that question by asking you another question.
Did He literally die? If He literally died, They literally
became His. Let me ask you a question. I
asked Len about this. I said, is this a right question
to ask? I was just thinking about this. Can God punish a man for
something he didn't do? Is that ever going to happen?
Can God punish a man for something he didn't do? Now this is how
truly my doings became His. Now, do I understand that? Not even close. Do I believe
it? Absolutely. My doings became
His. So much so, that He was made
to say, you can read about this in Psalm 40, my iniquities have
gone over my head as a heavy burden. They're too heavy for
me. My doings became His. But just as truly as my doings
literally became his, his doings literally are mine. This is who I am. This is who I am. My life, my personal life really
is described. He has done good. Period. That's it. Perfect before my law. Now did
I really do good? Or is this figurative language?
I really did good. That's how real union with the
Lord Jesus Christ is. I really did good. This is really
me. Listen to me. God does not view
me as guilty, but saved and tolerated for Christ's sake. That's not
how He views me. He's done good. Everything He's
done is good. He is perfect. He is without sin. There's nothing to condemn Him
for. Now, that's what this no condemnation
is all about. It's not, well, you're not going
to have to be punished. God does not look at His people,
well, you're guilty, but I'm going to go ahead and pardon
you for Christ's sake. That's not the way God looks
at His people. Not at all. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that what? Justifies. Who is He that can condemn? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather that's risen again,
who's even at the right hand of God. I'm not guilty, but treat it
as if I were not. I'm not guilty. That's why we
should not come into condemnation. There's nothing to condemn us
for. There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now, that
is the blessing of everlasting life. And don't you... Does this
give you confidence? This is where my confidence comes
from. It's not the strength of my faith. It's not the fact that
I'm a preacher. It's that I'm without guilt. before God. No condemnation. We just sang that. No condemnation.
Now I dread. I am my Lord's and He is mine.
Alive in Him, my living head enclothed in righteousness divine. Bold shall I stand in that great
day. For who are to my charge shall lay. Fully absolved from
these I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame. That's no condemnation. Now look what he says next. Verse
24. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life. He's got it. And he shall not
come into condemnation, but he is passed from death unto life. Now this one who hears and believes
is passed from death to life. Now this is not talking about
Changing states. You've gone from a state of condemnation
to a state of justification. That's not what this is talking
about at all when he speaks of... That is true. We were talking
about that in the not being condemned. But this is not talking about
changing from a state of condemnation to a state of justification.
Let me show you what it's talking about. Turn to 1 John chapter
3. 1 John chapter 3 verse 14 we know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren Now what's he speaking of? What
is the evidence that we pass from death to life? He says,
because we love the brethren. You pass from death to life,
and here's the evidence, you now do something that a dead
person cannot do. You love the brethren. You really do. Now that's the
evidence of having passed from death to life. You loved the
brethren. You were in a state of spiritual
death. Now we all have some idea of
what that means. Euthy, Quicken, who were dead
in trespasses and sins, dead in sins. What does dead in sins
mean? What does total depravity mean? What does total inability
mean? We use those terms. What really
do they mean? Does it mean that Every one of
us are a would-be serial killer or a would-be pedophile or something
like that. Is that what total depravity
means? Well, let me say this. Apart from the grace of God,
yes. Yes. Every one of those things are
true. I mean, you can't describe it bad enough. But that's really
not what total depravity is talking about. Total depravity, dead
in sins, means that the very totality of our being, Our understanding,
our affections, our will, they're dominated by sin. I'm unable,
like a dead man's unable to breathe, I'm unable to believe. A dead
man is unable to see, I'm unable to understand the gospel. I'm
totally without ability. And that's what he's talking
about when he's talking about dead and trespassers and sins. But
when God saves somebody, he's passed from death to life. He now is enabled by divine grace
to do what He could not do. You pass from death to life when
you hear His voice. You see, He has life in Himself.
Look in verse 26 of John chapter 5. Verse 26, For as the Father
hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life
in Himself. Now what that means is He's got
independent life. You and I are so dependent, but
he is absolutely independent and that's why he can give you
life. Look what it says in John 5.21 for us. The Father raises
up the dead and quickens them, gives them life, even so the
Son quickens whom He will. Now this is the life that He
communicates. It's this passage from death
to life. It's not just coming to see things differently. It's
not coming to understand things clearly and having correct doctrine
and so on. All of that's certainly included.
But that's not what the passage from death to life is. It's life
from the dead. It's life that was not there
before. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. And
this life comes through hearing the voice of the Son of God. The hour is coming, and now is
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and
they that hear shall live. Now I want to close with this
thought. How can I know if I personally
am not condemned? How can I know if I have indeed
passed from death to life? Now it seems like that's something
that you ought to know more easily. But I like what you were saying
about that nobody knows the exact time. You know, if you could
look back to exact time and date, well I must have because on so
and so date this took place. That won't work. That just won't work. How can
I know that I truly have passed from death to life, that I've
got the life of God in my soul, that I've got Christ in me, the
hope of glory, that I'm not going to come into condemnation, that
I'm all without guilt before God. How can I know that that's
the case concerning me well he said he that heareth my word do you hear his word now what I've been preaching
tonight what brother Fortner was preaching tonight is that
Some preacher's opinion, or is it God's word? Which is it? I'm not asking you to tell me
what you think, but maybe I am. Here's what I'm trying to say. When you hear the voice of the
Lord Jesus Christ, you know this is God's truth. This is the Word
of God. It's not just some preacher's
opinion. It's God's Word. It's the absolute divine truth.
The Word of God. Now, that's what it is to hear
His voice. It's not hearing His voice audibly, but it's knowing
this is the Word of God. He that heareth My Word, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, Do you believe that God the Father
sent Jesus Christ, His Son, into this world? Do you believe that? Do you have any understanding
of why He sent Him? What was His purpose in sending
Him? Well, you know He came to save His people from their sins.
Do you believe He did it? Are you relying on this? That He did what the Father sent
Him to do. And all your eggs are in that
one basket. You're not looking anywhere else.
This is the only hope that you have. That He did what the Father
sent Him to do. Are you relying on that? Beloved, you have everlasting
life, if you are. And you shall not come into condemnation. You're not guilty. You have passed
from death to life. Amen.