He that's of God heareth God's
words, you therefore hear them not because you are not of God. Then answered the Jews. They
couldn't come up with an explanation to what he said, so they demonized
him. That's what people do when we
can't answer something, we demonize the person. That's what they
did with the Lord. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, Say
we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil your demon possessed? I can almost hear the calmness
of the Lord's voice when he answers. Jesus answered, I have not a
devil, but I honor my father And you
do dishonor me. I place infinite value on my
father and you place no value on me. Turn back to John chapter
five for just a moment. Verse 22. For the Father judgeth no man,
but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth
not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. He says, I place infinite honor
on my father. Oh, how he loved his father,
how the father loved him. And they put no honor on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's go on reading. He says
in verse 50, and I seek not my own glory. You know, he who's
altogether a glorious says, I seek not my own glory. Now, if he
didn't seek his own glory, He sought the Father's glory. How
wicked is it for a man to seek his own glory? The Lord said
he didn't do it. I seek not my own glory. There's
one that seeketh and judges. There's one who seeks my glory
and honor, and he's going to judge anybody who's opposed to
that. Verse 51, verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep
my saying, He shall never see death. Now you think about that
statement. If man keep my saying, he's never
gonna see death. Now all they understood was physical
death, but he's talking about spiritual death. You see, if
you keep his saying, that means you have spiritual life. A life that cannot die. A life that will never die. You may die physically, and they
would die physically, but anyone who keeps his word has spiritual
life, has eternal life, a life that cannot die. The life of
God in his soul. If a man keep my saying, if a
man grabs hold and lays hold of my saying, my word, he shall
never die. Romans 8.1 says there's therefore
now, right now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. John chapter five, verse 24,
the Lord says, verily, verily, I say unto you that whosoever
heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting
life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed
from death to life. Verse 52, then said the Jews
unto him, Now we know thou hast the devil. Now we know you're
demon-possessed. We can't believe anything you
say. Abraham's dead, and the prophets. And thou sayest of
a man, keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. We know
better than that. Abraham's dead. Art thou greater
than our father Abraham, which is dead, and the prophets are
dead? Whom makest thou thyself? They could not understand that
he was not speaking of physical death. Are you greater than Abraham? Duh. Infinitely greater than Abraham. Abraham's creator, Abraham's
Lord, Abraham's God. Then they said, whom makest thou
thyself? He didn't make himself anything,
he's eternal. They once again demonstrate that they have no
idea of who he is. Now understand this, the issue
is who is Jesus Christ? That is the only issue. And what God, the living God,
the infinite God thinks of you and me is seen in what we think
of his son. That's the one issue. Who is Jesus Christ? These fellows didn't have a clue.
Who is Jesus Christ? Verse 54, Jesus answered, if
I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It's my father that honoreth
me, of whom you say that he's your God. Yet you've not known
him, but I know him. And if I should say, I know him
not, I'd be a liar, like you are. Or the way the Lord spoke
to people. I love the way the Lord speaks
to people. You and I can't do it like that, but he does. I'd
be a liar, like you are. But I know him. Oh, how he knew
his father. No man can know the father save
the son. and he to whomsoever the son
will reveal him. I keep his saying. And then he
says in verse 56, your father, Abraham rejoiced to see my day. Now remember that was 1850 years
ago. What's he talking about? Well,
I don't have any question that he's talking about what took
place in Genesis chapter 22. It could be everything. See,
Abraham believed the same gospel me and you believe. He was saved
the same way any sinner is saved, by the grace of God, through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He believed the gospel. And I
love to think of him rejoicing when he came down that mountain
after that substitute lamb was slain for his son in his room
in his stead. He was rejoicing, he was so happy,
he was so glad. You see, he said, when his son
had said on the way up the mountain, here's the fire, here's the wood,
where's the lamb? He said, my son, God shall provide himself
a lamb for a burnt offering. And that's our hope, that God
provides the lamb. We can't provide anything, but
he did, thank God. And oh, how Abraham rejoiced
to see the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, his day is
his death. That's why he came, to die on
Calvary's tree, to put away the sins of God's people and to glorify
every attribute of his father. His day is his death. That's
the day Abraham saw. And he rejoiced to see that day. I do too, I rejoice to see the
day of God, the day of Christ, the day of salvation. Your father
rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad. Then
said the Jews unto him, you're not 50 years old and hast thou
seen Abraham? They were incredulous. They thought
this is ridiculous. And that's when the Lord makes
this glorious statement. Before Abraham was I am. Don't you love every word that
comes out of his mouth? And there is no word that's more
glorious than this. Before Abraham was, I am. The reason they picked up the
stones to throw at him is because they knew exactly what he meant
when he said that. He's saying he's God. Jesus is God, the creator of
the universe, the one who controls Everything. And I love to say
this. Every thought that's going through
your mind right now, he's in absolute sovereign control of. Doesn't take you off the hook
for anything bad. You can't say, well, I was thinking evil. Is
that his fault? I'm saying that everything that goes through
your mind, he's in control of. It may be by way of justice, judgment,
leaving you to yourself, hiding himself from you. I don't know
what he's doing. But I know he's in control of
me and he's in control of you. And every thought, every breath,
he's Lord. I am that I am. When the Lord appeared to the
woman at the well in John chapter four, he preached the gospel
to her and she didn't know what he was talking about. She didn't
understand. And after he said these glorious
things to her, she said, and I could almost hear the frustration
in her voice, I know that Messiah cometh. And when he comes, he
will tell us all things. And the Lord said, I am. The one that speaks to thee,
I am. I am Messiah. I am the Christ. I am God's prophet. I'm the very word of God. I'm
God's priest. If I represent you before God,
you're going to be saved. You are saved. I'm God's King. I'm the King of Kings. I am,
I am Messiah. When the Lord was walking on
the water, the disciples freaked out. What is this? They thought
it was some kind of apparition or spirit. And they, scripture
says, they cried out in fear. He said, I am. Be not afraid. Nothing to fear, as long as he
is, I am. I am that I am. Nothing to be afraid of. I'm
controlling these waves and this storm. I am. In John chapter six, verse 35,
he said, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. I am. Now what is this referring
to? If you believe on him and come
to him, and those two things are the same thing. You say,
what's it mean to come to Christ? It means to believe on him. If
you believe on Him, if you rely on Him, you've come to Him. It's
a spiritual coming in your heart. He that cometh to me, I'll in
no wise cast out. What's it mean to come? Believe.
He that believeth on me shall never hunger, he shall never
thirst. You know what that means? That means you are satisfied
with Jesus Christ and you're not looking for anything else. When somebody says, you want
something else? Nope. Satisfied. I am completely satisfied to
be saved by him. I'm completely satisfied that
all God requires of me, he looks to his son, Jesus Christ for. Do you want anything else? No, no, no. I am satisfied. I don't want anything else, I'm
full. You see, I'm complete in him.
I don't need anything else. I am satisfied. Now, if you're
not satisfied to be saved by Christ only it's because you've
never believed on him. If you ever believe on him, you
won't want anything else. I'll assure you. Why would you
want anything else when you got everything in him? Christ is
all. In John chapter 8 verse 12, he
said, I am the light of the world. Now think of that statement.
I am the light of the world. I've said this before. Uh, Christ
is either who he said he is, or he's the most deluded, arrogant
person to ever live. I am the light of the world.
What if I said to you, I am the light of the world. If you had
tomatoes, you'd start throwing them at me. You know, I'm sure
of that. But Christ said, I am the light of the world. And he said that right after
he said to that woman who was taken in adultery in the very
act, there wasn't any doubt about her guilt. And he said, woman,
where are your accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? And
she looked and all those fellows were gone. And he said, neither
do I condemn thee. He is the light of how a holy
God, how Jesus Christ can look at me and say, I don't condemn
you. How is that? Because he put away
my sin. It's all gone. And he gave me
his righteousness. And I stand before God in the
very righteousness of Jesus Christ as my personal righteousness
before God. He doesn't have a reason to condemn
me. And Christ is the light. as to how that can be. I can
see why God can look at me, Todd Nybert, and say, you've never
sinned, you're perfect in my sight. I can see that through
the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. In John chapter 10, verse nine,
he said, I am the door of the sheep. And what's a door for? Let's
people in. He is the door into heaven. He
is the door into the very presence of God. He's the door into glory. He is that straight gate and
narrow way. He's the door. Now, let me tell
you something about this door. This door is wide enough for
the biggest sinner to ever live to walk through. I don't care
how bad you are, yet he's so narrow that if you have anything
other than him alone, you can't get through. You try to carry
anything else with you, you're not getting through. A door lets people in, a door
keeps people in. The reason you stay in Christ
is because He keeps you in Christ. That's the only way. He keeps
you in. He's a door. He's a closed door to salvation
by works. You come in with your own works, door ain't opening
to you. Not gonna do it. What a door
He is. I am the door. By me! If any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. Oh,
it's the door of liberty, the door of freedom going in and
out. He said in John chapter 10, verse
11, I am the good shepherd. What a good shepherd he is. He's
the shepherd David was speaking of when he said, the Lord is
my shepherd. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. Now listen real carefully. Christ
has a people that he called my sheep. He said, my sheep. hear my voice. I know them. They
follow me. Now, a question that comes up
in my mind automatically, is everybody a sheep? No, they're
sheep and they're goats. Remember with the picture of
the Lord on judgment day, he shall divide as a shepherd divides
his sheep from the goats. He shall set the sheep on his
right hand and the goats on his left. Not everybody's a sheep. Well, who are the sheep? Look
over in John chapter 10 for just a moment. Verse 24. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you.
And you believed not. The works that I do in my father's
name, they bear witness of me. You've got no excuse for not
believing, but you believe not because you are not of my sheep. And notice the language. He does
not say you don't believe because you're not my sheep. He does not say you're not my
sheep because you don't believe. He says, you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep, verse 27, hear my voice
and I know them. And they follow me, and I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them
me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out
of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. The
sheep are the elect. They are the ones given to him
by his father. And understand this, if he dies
for you, if he died for you, you're saved. Case closed. Don't I have to
believe? Sure. You got to believe. You
got to believe that. You're relying on Him only. That's the evidence
He died for you. You believe on Him. Somebody
says, I don't believe that. Well, I can't give you any insurance.
He died for you. He died for the sheep. Who are the sheep?
Those who believe the gospel. The Good Shepherd lays down His
life for the sheep. Turn to John 11 for a moment. Verse 23, Jesus saith unto her, Martha thy brother shall rise
again. Martha said unto him, I know
that he shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day.
I already know the doctrine of the end times. I know what's
going to take place. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection. It's not an event. I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? I know
you've got your doctrine down pat on the resurrection, but
do you understand that I am the resurrection? When you're raised
is when I'm raised. Do you understand that? Do you
believe that? Believe us how this, that I am, there's that
I am, I am the resurrection and the life. In John chapter 13,
verse 13, he said to his disciples, you call me, Master and Lord. And you say, well, four, I am. He's the master. Now the word
there means the teacher. If you and I know anything spiritually,
savingly, it's because he taught us. It's written in the prophets. They shall all be taught of God. Now, if God's your teacher, you're
going to believe what I'm preaching, if I'm preaching His word. Now,
if God's not your teacher, you're not. But God teaches all of His people
and He teaches them the same thing. He doesn't teach one something
and one something else. He teaches them all the same
thing, His gospel. You call me teacher. You say,
well, so I am. You call me Lord. You say, well,
for so I am. Oh, don't you love his lordship? He's the Lord. He's the one who created the
universe. He's the one who controls every event in providence. It's
his will being done. This is his world. His will being done. He is Lord
of salvation. Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. We understand that. He is the
Lord. And then he said in John chapter
14, verse six, and we could spend eternity on this verse. I am
the way. The truth. The life. No man cometh to the Father,
but by me. He didn't say, I'll show you
the way. He said, I'm it. If you're in me, you're already
there. He didn't say, I'll teach you
the truth. He said, I am the truth. What all does that mean? I'm the truth concerning the
true character of God. He that has seen me has seen
the Father. I'm really the truth concerning the true character
of man. Now, what do you mean by that? Well, Daniel said, when
I saw him, my comeliness turned to corruption. If you see him,
that's how you'll see yourself. That's the only thing that'll
make a man understand he's a sinner, is seeing who he is. You see
who he is, it won't be a debate. You'll know what you are. And
he is the light, he is the truth with regard to salvation. Simeon
said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He's the way, He's the truth,
He's the life. Listen, my life before God is
His life. That's my personal life. His
righteousness is my personal righteousness. And the Lord said,
no man comes to the Father, but by me. Rachel, when you walked into
that room just now, or not just now, a half an hour ago or however
long it was, you walked into the room. I could only see you
walk into the room, but you know what? Somebody else was in you.
Somebody else walked in the room. And when the Lord comes to the
father, somebody else comes to the father. That's what the Lord
means when he says, no man coming to the father, but by me, when
he came to the father, having accomplished salvation and ascended
back to glory. I did too. I did too. In John chapter 15, verse one,
he said, I am the vine. You are the branches. Now in this beautiful illustration
the Lord gives us, there is no better illustration. In the vine, The same stem that's
running through the vine is running through the branches. There's
no connecting point. Union. Every believer is united to Jesus
Christ just like those stems that run through the vine run
through the branches. There's no connecting point. One with Jesus Christ. I am the vine. You are the branches. Don't you love the way the Lord
said, without me, you can do nothing. Well, ain't that the
truth? He didn't say you can hardly
do anything. He said, you can do nothing. I love the story of his arrest. A mob comes carrying swords and
staves. He said, if you come against
a thief carrying your swords and staves, most people think
it was at least 500 men that came to arrest the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he said, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. I am. What took place? They fell backwards. They were
knocked backwards by irresistible, invincible power. I am. You know what the Lord's
telling them? He's saying, I'm no victim. I'm
in control of you. Every thought, every action,
this is my will being done. This is what he's telling these
people at this time. I am. And they fell backwards. And the Lord said to them again,
whom seek ye? While they were laying there
on the ground, not knowing what to do, getting up, knocking the
dust off. I bet they said it differently
this time, Jesus of Nazareth. They knew who he was at this
time. John chapter 17, verse 24, father, I will. Now, hold on just a second. Could you ever say that? Father, I will that you do this.
No, we wouldn't say anything like that. Only he who is equal
to God, only he who is God can speak to his father like this.
Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with
me where I am. That they may behold my glory
which thou hast given me for thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. Heaven is beholding the glory
of I Am. Heaven on earth is being with
Him who is I Am. I am in I am, that is heaven,
that is glory. Do you have some, I hope you
do, I hope I do, do you have some limited understanding of this statement? Before Abraham was, I, And there's only one thing to
do. Hit the dirt and worship him
for who he is. Let's pray. Lord, by your grace, we tremble in fear at your glory
as the great I am and how we trust the great I am as all of our
salvation. Lord, I ask in his name that
you would reveal him O Lord, reveal Him to each one
of us according to your blessed will. In His name we pray. Amen.