Now, John chapter 12 is our message
this morning, and I'm entitling the message from the words the
Lord declares in verse 50 of John 12, verse 50. Notice what
He says in the 50th verse. And I know that His commandment,
speaking of the commandment of God, the gospel of God, is life
everlasting whatsoever I speak, Therefore, even as a father said
unto me, that what I say." So, I'm using this as a title, His
Commandment. You see that His Commandment
is life everlasting. His Commandment, His Word, His
Gospel, His Truth, His Witness, His Testimony to you. is life everlasting. You see that? We read in 1st
John 3, and this is His commandment, that we should believe on the
name of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel declared unto
His people is the command of God to bow to Christ and believe
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what we have here
in the last part of John chapter 12, the last public sermon the
Lord declares unto these Jews publicly and then it says there
in the last part of verse 36 he did hide himself from them
now what a sad thing for the Lord to walk away from these
most religious Jews who did not, for the most part, believe the
gospel. We're going to see, beginning
in chapter 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, those chapters are the special
instructions the Lord gives unto his apostles before he's arrested
and charged And then we see his crucifixion take place in John
chapter 19. But all through this gospel of
John, the Lord Jesus Christ warns of the dangers of unbelief. And
he also declares unto us the blessedness of believing the
gospel unto eternal life and walking in that light. Now hold
your place there and let's turn back a few places and review
for a moment. We could spend all morning just
right here. But turn back to John chapter
3 and we see the blessedness of believing the gospel. How
precious is faith. that enables us to lay hold upon
Christ as everything in salvation. In John chapter 3, you remember?
Verse 18, He that believeth on Him is not condemned. Verse 17,
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth
on Him is not condemned, that he that believeth not is condemned
already. because he had not believed in the name of the Son of God,
the only begotten Son of God. Again, in John chapter three,
we see the blessedness of believing and the warnings of unbelief.
Look at verse 36 in John three. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. He that believeth and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abides on him. How blessed we are And blessed
any man is to hear the word of God, to receive it, and to believe
it, and to love the Lord in our heart. Look at John chapter 5
verse 24. John 5 verse 24, 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." And then again
in John chapter 6, look over there. John chapter 6 verse 40,
this is the will of him that sent me that everyone would seeth
the Son. seeing him with eyes of faith,
and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I'll raise
him up at the last day." You see the blessedness of believing
the gospel, to be enabled to believe the gospel of God concerning
the Lord Jesus. Turn to John chapter 10. He said
to those Jews, When they said, if you be the Christ, tell us
plainly, John 10, 25 said, I told you and you believe not the works
that I do in my Father's name. They bear witness of me, but
you believe not because you're not of my sheep. My sheep hear
my voice, 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. Oh, the blessedness of believing
the gospel. Look at John chapter 11, verse 25. I am the resurrection
and the life. You see that? He that believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall live, and whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Yes, God's people do. So we've
seen all through this study. Now look back at John chapter
12. the warnings and dangers of unbelief and the blessedness
of being abled of God to believe the gospel of Christ. Now, two
things we know. Unbelief, darkness and ignorance
and rebellion against God are the things that come naturally
to any fallen son of Adam. Men love darkness, not light. Unbelief is native to our wicked
heart. That's us by nature. The carnal
mind will not receive the things of God. Those things come to
us naturally. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. It says here, they believe not
on Him, verse 37, though He done so many miracles, yet In the
blindness of their heart, they did not bow to Him." You see,
it is only and exclusively by the grace of God that any sinner
embraces the Lord Jesus Christ in saving faith. Saving faith
is the gift of God, is it? Is it not the gift of God? How
precious is this saving faith? It is a gift of God, not of worthless
any man should boast. No man has the ability, will,
want to, or desire to believe the gospel left to himself, does
he? Now he may be religious, but
never savingly believe the gospel, turn back to John chapter 5,
left to himself. John chapter 5, look at verse
John chapter 5 verse 39, search the scriptures he said to these
Jews, you do search the scriptures, in them you think you have eternal
life, they are they that testify me and you will not come to me. They were religious weren't they?
I mean they were religious through and through. But the Lord said
you will not, you will not come to me that you might have life.
You remember in John chapter 6 verse 44, no man can come to
me, no man has the ability, inclined, will or want to desire to come
to Christ savingly, except the Father which sent me draw him
with everlasting love, with irresistible grace, I'll raise him up at the
last day. Now I understand why some folks
have no interest in the gospel, don't you? I fully understand. One day I had no interest in
the gospel. One day you had no interest in
the gospel. I fully understand why folks have no interest in
the gospel. That's not to say they're not
religious. I grew up in religion. I cut
my teeth on works religion. Many of you did as well. But
I had no interest in the gospel, not in the gospel of God concerning
Christ. So I understand why some folks
don't believe, and I also understand this. I understand why some folks
do believe, don't you? I understand why some folks do
love the Lord Jesus Christ. We love Him because He first
loved us. I do understand why some bow
to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as all and in all. You see, it's grace that has
made us the different. It is God who makes the different. It is Christ who makes the different. You see, it's not of the will
of the flesh, it's not of the will of man, Mercy and salvation
is of God and God alone. He's hid these things from the
wise and prudent and revealed them unto his babes, even so,
father, it seems good in his sight. So understand why unbelief
comes naturally to us. Believing God is something supernatural. You're sitting here trusting
and resting in the Lord alone for all of salvation. That's
something that God has worked in you. This is the work of God
that you might believe on Him. Faith is a gift. He works it
in you. God who has begun a good work in you will perform it,
will perfect it, will finish it. These all died in faith. Now, having set the table with
that, look what it says in verse 41-42, when Isaiah saw his glory,
the glory of his mercy, the glory of his salvation, He spake of
Him. And when people are taught the
gospel, they glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. They boast and
they brag about the Lord Jesus Christ. They say with the Apostle
Paul, God forbid I should glory save in the cross of Christ.
Those who see Him and come to Him, they're in love with Him. They're taken up with Him. They
desire Him. They want Him. They must have
Him above all things. Now, look at verse 42 and 43. talks about these chief rulers.
It says here that these chief rulers gave an indication that
many of them believed. They believed on him. But because
of the Pharisees, many of them were Pharisees. You remember
Nicodemus, a chief ruler, came to the Lord by night and said,
we know your teacher come from God. No man can do the things
that you do unless God be with him. So some of these chief rulers
gave indication that they believed him to be a prophet or at least
believed him on him to be the teacher, a teacher sent from
God. But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him. They
did not own him as everything in salvation, lest they be put
out of the assembly of the Jews. That's what a synagogue is. They
were fearful of losing their position. They were fearful of
losing their friends, the influence they had in the community. What
would others think if I confess Christ as all and in all? Verse 43 is the clincher, isn't
it? It gives us the reason why. They
loved the praise and glory of men more than the praise, which
means the glory of God. They love with their own self,
love with their own glory, their own righteousness, their own
way, their own doing. Most of these Jews, for the most
part, did not savingly trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Although
they may have acknowledged Him to be a miracle worker, they
didn't spiritually trust Him as God their Savior. How do I
know that? They wouldn't confess Him and
own Him publicly, as it says in that verse 43. They loved
the praise of men. They would not publicly identify
with Him. You see, my friend, Saving faith
always confesses Christ. A faith that will not confess
Him publicly, a faith that will not own Him willingly, is not
saving faith, is it? You see, not all faith is saving
faith. The faith of God the left, the
faith that's a gift of God, looks unto the Lord Jesus Christ. A
faith that will not confess Him publicly and own Him willingly
is not true saving faith, is it? What is it to confess? What is it to confess the Lord
Jesus Christ? Well, it's to publicly own Him
and acknowledge Him as Lord, God, and Savior. to publicly
acknowledge, you see, He'll have no secret disciples. What is
it to confess the Lord Jesus Christ? It's to follow Him in
believer's baptism. Confessing publicly that His
death, burial, and resurrection is all of my salvation. What
is it to confess the Lord Jesus Christ? It's to identify with
His people where the gospel is preached. What is it to confess
the Lord Jesus Christ? It's to gather together in public
worship and to own Him. What are the consequences of
not confessing Christ? Turn back to Matthew chapter
10. These folks would not confess
Him. You remember the Jews said, if any man confessed the Lord
Jesus Christ, that they would be put out of their synagogue?
And these folks here said, well, we sort of believe on Him, but
not really. Look what it says here. Look
at the consequences of not confessing Christ. Matthew 10, look at verse
32. Matthew 10, 32. Whosoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before
my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before
men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
Boy, it's a pretty serious consequence, isn't it? Not to confess the
Lord Jesus Christ as everything in salvation. With the mouth,
confession is made unto salvation. And we see clearly the reason
why. They loved the praise of men. They loved themselves above
loving the Lord. You remember in this same chapter,
look back at verse 25. They loved themselves above loving
the Lord. Look at John 12 verse 25. He
that loveth his life will lose it. You love yourself more than
him, you don't know him. If that be the case, he that
hated his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life. Job said, I've heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear, wherefore my eye seeth thee, wherefore
I hate myself. I repent in dust and ashes. We hate ourselves, what we are,
but we love only by His grace. We hate what we are, but we love
what the Lord Jesus Christ has made unto us, everything in salvation. Now, look at verse 44, John 12. And the Lord cried out boldly
and clearly and said, He that believeth on me believeth not
on me. He that believeth on me believeth
not on me, that is, not on me only exclusively, but on him
that sent me also. Those who do truly believe on
him do not believe the Lord Jesus Christ and look to him as a mere
man, But as God our Savior. That's how we look unto Him,
isn't it? Not as a mere man, as the God-man mediator, as the
only just God and Savior, as the Son of God or as God the
Son. Not separate from or exclusion
to the Father. You see, the Father and the Son
are one. We look unto both. The one true and living God manifested
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Receiving Christ by God-given
faith means that we also receive all that God is. Right? Receiving
the Lord Jesus Christ by God-given faith is also to receive all
that God is. Sovereign, holy, just, and merciful. Look right across the page in
John chapter 13 verse 20. John 13 verse 20, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me,
and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. Loving the Lord Jesus Christ,
And coming to Him also means loving and coming unto God our
Father. Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ
means that we know the Father and all that is revealed in the
Father. Turn to John 17. John 17, look
at verse 2 and 3. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. Look at verse 3. And this is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God. Where is the only true God revealed?
Where is the glory of God revealed? In the Lord Jesus Christ. And
this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God," I like to leave that word A-N-D out, "...the only true
God, Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." The one that God
has sent. Now make sure you've got the
right Christ. Make sure you don't have a counterfeit. Make sure
you're trusting the Christ of God. You see, he that despises
the Lord Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus Christ now despises God
Almighty, the Father. You cannot know God apart from
where He is revealed. Where is He revealed? In Christ. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give us the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God, where the glory
of God shines. The glory of His mercy, the glory
of His love, the glory of His saving grace in the face of Jesus
Christ. You cannot approach unto a thrice
holy God apart from the appointed mediator, advocate, and servant,
who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at John 14, verse 6. People
say, well, I love God, I just don't have any use for Jesus
Christ. You don't know God, if that be your attitude. You see,
there is no knowing the true and living God apart from where
He is revealed, in whom He is revealed, and that is the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself. John 14, verse 6, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. I am that I am. That declares His deity. I am
the way, not a way. I'm the way. The only way. I am the truth, the life. No man comes unto the Father
but by me. You see that? Pretty clear, isn't
it? There is no approaching a thrice holy God apart from the appointed
mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 45. Clearly he
says here, I and my Father, we are one. Verse 45 of John 12,
He that seeth me, seeth him that sent me. That's pretty clear,
isn't it? He that seeth me, You know, there's a lot of people.
You think that the 33 some years that the Lord ministered as a
man, and the three years of his public ministry, how many people
saw him with a natural eye? and saw no beauty in him." This
is not talking about something physical. This is seeing Him. He that seeth me, seeth him that
sent me. It's seeing Him with eyes of
faith, spiritually in the heart, looking to Christ. Many saw Him
as a mere man and were offended by the meanness of His outward
appearance. They saw nothing divine in Him,
no beauty in Him. This is what so angered the Jews.
Remember, look back at John chapter 10. When He declared His deity,
I and the Father are one. But what did that do to the Jews?
I mean it really got them mad, didn't it? How mad did it get
him? Look what it says here in John
10, verse 30. He declared more than one time,
I and my father, we are one. One in purpose, one in nature,
one in character, one in eternality. Then the Jews took up stones
again to do what? To love him? No, to kill him.
You see, they hated that he declared that I and my father, we are
one. Many saw him as a mere man, not
as the God-man. But whosoever truly sees Christ
with an eye of faith, sees his glory as the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth." Don't we? as the brightness
of the Father's glory, don't we? As having all fullness of
the Godhead bodily dwelling in Him, don't we? The same perfections
as the Father, so that he that seeth the Son seeth the Father
also. I and my Father are one. seeing and understanding and
believing who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what He has accomplished,
is seeing and understanding the Father's eternal purpose in redeeming
sinners exclusively and only by Christ in Him crucified. We
see in Christ crucified as a fulfillment of all Scripture, how He died
for our sin according to the Scripture. We see in Christ crucified
as God's appointed Lamb to take away our sin. Don't you see in
Him all Scripture fulfilled, all types and shadows fulfilled?
Don't you see in Him with an eye of faith He's the only Mediator
and Savior, Son of God, to put away our sin? That's what saving
faith sees in Him. All of salvation vested in Christ
alone. He that seeth me seeth Him. That
sent me. Now look back to the text. Verse
46, I am come, I am come a light. He said, I am the light of the
world. God is light and in him is no
darkness at all. He is the light. I am the light,
I am come, a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me
does not abide any longer in darkness. Now that's where he
finds us. Where does he find us? He finds us in the darkness
of ignorance and blindness, stupidity and foolishness, but he translates
us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God, dear
son, and he does this by his command, and therefore he causes
us no longer to walk in darkness, but the light of light we have
in Christ. You remember Back in John 8,
turn over there. John chapter 8. He is our light. John chapter
8, verse 12. Then the Lord spake unto them,
saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me,
looks unto me, comes to me, shall not walk in darkness. He that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life. The light of salvation. The glory of salvation. The Lord
Jesus Christ is the light of salvation. Whosoever believes
the gospel does so by being enlightened, illuminated, regenerated by Christ
shining in our hearts. Whosoever believes that Jesus
is the Christ, he's born of God. We believe because we've been
begotten of God. by the Holy Spirit taking the
things of Christ and showing them unto us. Whosoever believes
this gospel does not remain walking in the darkness, blindness, and
ignorance of our sin. We look unto the Lord Jesus.
By forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth unto
those things which are before, we look unto Christ. and see
all of salvation accomplished, completed, perfected in Him. Now look at verse 47. John 12,
47. If any man hear my words, his gospel, his word is the word
of God, the Spirit and life. If any man hear my words and
believe not, I won't judge him. You see that? I judge him not.
For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. Now, the
world, he said, down here is my word will judge you in that
day. Now listen to this. Many and
men may be given a privilege of hearing the gospel, and yet remain unmoved, uncaring,
and dead in their sin, and believe not. Although faith comes by
hearing the gospel. It's what says in Romans 10. It does not come to all who hear. Faith is a gift of God. Did you
get that? Although faith comes by hearing
the gospel, it doesn't come to all. Faith doesn't come to all
who hear. He will have mercy on whom he
will have mercy. Faith is the sovereign gift of God. Now, he
says here, I judge him not. That is, I judge him not now.
But judgment's coming, isn't it? Judgment's coming. I judge
him not now. Final judgment will take place.
It's appointed unto men once to die, and after that, what
happens? Judgment. Judgment will take place when
the Lord comes a second time. The world was already judged
and condemned in Adam's transgression. You remember? Turn back to John
3 again. We read part of that in John chapter 3. He didn't need to come and condemn,
did he? He was already condemned. Look at John 3, 18. He that believeth
on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world, verse 17, but that the world through
him might be saved. He didn't come to condemn. He
didn't come to judge. He came to... Look what it says
there in verse 47. I came not to judge or condemn,
the world's already condemned, already judged in Adam, but he
said, I came to save my people. You see that? I came to save
my people, but to save the world. The world. Now that doesn't mean,
as I've said before, all the people in all the world that
ever lived, that ever existed. He's talking about here a whole
lot of folks for whom he died. His elect out of every tribe,
kindred, nation, tongue under heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ
came to save His people. Why did He come the first time
as God incarnate? God manifested in the flesh.
He came to save His people from their sin. That's what the messenger
from heaven declared unto Mary and Joseph about naming this
special child. Don't call him John or James
or Joe or Paul. Calling Jesus. Why? It means
Savior. He is God our Savior. God manifests
in the flesh. He came to save His people from
their sin. It says in Luke chapter 9, 19,
don't turn, In Luke 19, it said, He came to seek and to save.
He came to seek and to save the lost. Call His name Emmanuel. God with us. He shall save His
people. He came to seek and to save the
lost. Christ justifies the ungodly. He came not to call the righteous,
but sinners unto repentance. You see, He came to save. We
studied this morning in Hebrews 7, He's able to do what? He is
able seeing that we have a great high priest who is set at the
right hand of God, wherefore he is able to do what? Save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by him. The Lord Jesus Christ
came to save his people from their sin of which he did not
fail. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. Paul said, I'm the chief one.
Now look at verse 48. He that rejected me, John 12,
48, and receiveth not my words. Rejecting his word is to reject
him. Receiving not my words hath one
that judge him the word that I have spoken. The word that
I have spoken, the same will judge him in the last day. You see that? Those who will
not hear the truth who choose to reject the Lord Jesus Christ
as God our Savior, who will not bow and confess the Lord Jesus
Christ and receive His Word and receive His Gospel. He said,
The Word that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are
life. They will be judged by the same Word that they have
refused to hear and refused to believe. God's appointed a day. Turn back to John 5, remember?
Judgment's coming. And the standard of that judgment
is the Word of God, written and the Word eternal, the incarnate
Word. John chapter 5, look at verse
21, For the Father raises up the dead and quickens them, even
so the Son quickens whom He will. He'll have mercy on whom He will.
For the Father judged 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 sent Him." Judgment coming. Turn to Acts 17. Acts 17. God has appointed a day in which
He will judge all men by this one standard. Acts 17. He that
rejected me, receiving not my words, hath one that judges him,
the word that I've spoken. The same will judge him. What's
your attitude toward the word? Written, his written word, and
the word of God, the living word, the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll
be judged by the word. Look at Acts 17, verse 31. Because he hath appointed a day,
and which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men, in that he raise him from the dead." His word, his
truth. Oh, may God give us grace. to
bow unto Christ, to believe and receive His Word, and to bow
before Him, because in the Lord Jesus Christ there is no judgment,
no condemnation. Look at verse 49 now, John 12.
For I have not spoken of myself, that is, a mere man, but the
Father which sent me. He gave me commandment, what
I should say. and what I should speak, what
I should say, and what I should speak. He speaks at the command
of God. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is
that prophet. Remember? God told Moses, I'll
raise up a prophet from among the brethren, I'll give him my
word, and he'll speak my word, and those who refuse to hear
his word, I'll require it at his hand." Do you remember Deuteronomy
18.18? The Lord Jesus Christ is that prophet, promise of God
that would declare all the counsel of God concerning salvation of
the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man
mediator that was Son of God in the fullness of time. God
sent forth His Son made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them that were under the law. with the very word and truth
of God. The Lord Jesus Christ came with
the very truth of God, the very word of God to accomplish God's
purpose, didn't he? Look at John chapter 8, turn
over there. He said, I speak nothing of myself.
We've seen this before in John 8, 28. Then said Jesus unto them,
when you've lifted up the Son of Man, then shall you know that
I am And that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught
me, I speak these things, and He that sent me is with me. The
Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things
that please Him, pleasing to Him. God speaks from heaven and
says of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is my beloved Son in whom
I'm well pleased. The Lord Jesus Christ came with
the Word of God and he came to accomplish the very mission and
work of redemption that God gave him. You remember He said in John
4, I must be about my Father's business. I must accomplish all
that the Father had given me to do. And He prayed in John
17, Father, I glorify Thee on the earth. I finish the work
You gave me to do. He spoke what the Father commanded
Him to speak. He did what the Father commanded
Him to do. To establish righteousness, to
honor the law, to put away sin, and to save His people. Verse
50, and I know that His commandment, His Word, His Gospel is life
everlasting, everlasting life. Whatsoever I speak, therefore,
even as the Father said unto me, that's what I speak. You know, as preachers of the
Gospel, we are commanded to go and preach the Word. Remember? Preach the Word, be
instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke with all longsuffering
and doctrine. It's not an optional thing to
God's servants, God's preachers. What they say and what they speak,
we're commanded to preach the Gospel. Go into all the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believes it
will be saved by it. He that rejects it will be damned
by the same Word, by the same Gospel. The commandment here,
you know, is not referring to the Law of Moses. The Law of
Moses cannot give life. It only reveals the sin problem,
but does not take away the sin problem, nor establish righteousness.
For the Law of God leaves us as it finds us, doesn't it? Dead
in sin. in great need of salvation. We
read in Matthew or Hebrews 7, the law made nothing perfect
but bringing in of a better hope did. The gospel of Christ is
a very commandment and decree of God unto salvation. He that believeth on the Son
Remember we read, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. I want to quit and close this
message by having you turn to one scripture, Acts chapter 13. Turn over there. By Him all that believe. How
precious is faith? He that seeth the Son seeth the
Father. He that receiveth my word hath
life in him. Acts 13, look at verse 38. Be it known, Acts 13, 38, unto
you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sin through Christ, through Christ
crucified, by him all that believe. are justified from all things
which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Our Lord
said, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, I
will give you rest. There's rest of salvation in
Christ Jesus. God give us grace to hear his
word, to believe his word, and bow unto him. His gospel, his
commandment, is life everlasting. That's what senators need, isn't
it? Life everlasting.