John chapter 7. Look at this verse 7 again. John
chapter 7, verse 7. The Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty,
God manifest in the flesh, speaks with absolute wisdom, speaks
with absolute knowledge of all men, Remember he said, I don't
need anybody to testify about what's in man, for I know what's
in man. The Lord, all-knowing, all-powerful,
the eternal God, makes this glorious statement. Verse 7, the world
cannot hate you, but me, it hateth. It hateth. Because, because,
I tell the truth. I tell the truth, because I testify
of it, that the works thereof, the works of the world are evil,
and therefore the world hates the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'm
entitling the message, Why Men Hate the Lord Jesus Christ. Why Men Hate the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he says right there.
The world, it hates me. Hates me. Well, somebody might
say, or somebody might think, well, I thought everybody loved
Jesus. That's not what the Lord says
here. Everybody might love the idol God that they have imagined
in their mind, But when faced with a true and living God of
the Bible, and men being left to their own wicked devices,
their own wicked heart, they will again say, as is recorded
in the Holy Scripture, we will not have this man, we will not
have this man to reign over us. Pilate brought forth the Lord
Jesus Christ, remember, he said, behold your king. Remember what
they said? Away with him. crucify him. We want no king but Caesar."
I'm reminded of this story that's been reported in the news lately
when I thought about this message and how to approach it, how to
introduce it. Have you seen the news report
lately of the school up in Jackson County, West Virginia? I have
some friends up in that county. Matter of fact, I'm going to
be preaching there next month in February. at the little church
there in Cottageville. But the recent news reports that
have been on local television show and they tell about a school
in that county. They have a 75-year-old picture
of a long-haired man with a long beard that's been hanging in
that school for 75 years. And they say it's their God.
They call Him Jesus. Some wise person said it should
be taken down. What do you think about that?
Some wise man said, well, that picture looks like Wild Bill
Hickok to me. Who is that man? Those folks
up there got all up in arms when some wise man said that picture
needs to come down. The whole religious community
is up in arms over this picture. Oh, we cannot take it down. What
do you think? My friend, if they knew the true
and living God, they'd take it down immediately and they'd burn
it. They'd have a public burning.
It's nothing but a mere idol, the mere imagination of some
foolish man. Now, I realize nobody hates the
Jesus and the Savior of their wicked imagination. But left
to ourselves, when faced with a true and living God, left our
own wicked thoughts, our own wicked heart, and apart from
God doing a work of grace in our heart, there's no love in
our heart for the true and living God. Not by nature. There's nothing
there but hate. Children of what? Wrath. even as others." This world, our Lord said, it
hates me. What world is He talking about? You see, the carnal, natural
man, this old fleshly nature, not in love with God, I beg your
pardon, that's contrary to the Word of God. We read in Romans
chapter 7 and in other places, the carnal mind, the fleshly
thinking, the natural mind, the carnal mind is enmity against
God. That's right. That's the description of every
one of us. By nature, left to ourselves.
That's our estimation. It's not love for God. It's hatred
for the true and living God. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God." That's why our Lord said, Oh,
this world won't hate you, but it'll hate me. It'll hate me. Now, you remember
the story of the brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness?
Numbers chapter 21. The people were bitten with fiery
serpents and many of the people died. They murmured and complained
against God. And Moses, the intercessor, cried
unto God for remedy. And God instructed Moses to make
a brazen serpent and lift it up on a pole. Remember? And God said whoever looks at
that brazen serpent lifted up would be healed. And sure enough,
those who looked were healed. That is a type and picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ lifted up. You remember John chapter
3? Our Lord said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Whatever happened
to that brazen serpent? You remember what happened to
that brazen serpent? Somebody had the bright idea, well, let's
save it. You know, it's a special relic. Let's save it. And you know what they started
to do? They started to burn incense onto it. They started, instead
of worshiping what that was a picture and type of Christ, lifted up,
crucified, they started looking to the brazen serpent itself. Well, there was a king in Israel,
his name was Hezekiah. When God anointed him to be king,
when he came to the throne and God gave him wisdom, you know
the first thing he did? He found that brazen serpent
in the temple, he took it and destroyed it. And then he said,
it's nothing but nehushtan. What in the world is that? It
means a worthless piece of brass. You see, God would have us worship
Him in spirit and in truth. If you could find the very cross,
the piece of wood on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified,
what would you do with it? I know what this religious world
would do with it. They'd enshrine it. Folks would make a long pilgrimage
wherever they enshrined it, and they would crawl on their knees,
and they would go up there, and they would kiss the cross, and
they'd think, wow, this is something special. What would you do with
it if you could find the very piece of wood on which the Lord
Jesus Christ was crucified? I tell you what a wise person
would do, and one who knows the gospel, destroy it. Burn it. Have nothing to do with
it. You see, it's not the cross that we look into. It's the Christ
of the cross. That's our hope. And there's
a big difference. We're to worship God in spirit
and in truth. Let us be done with religious
symbols, signs, pictures, crosses, and emblems of religion and the
traditions of man. Let us look to the Lord Jesus
Christ. saving faith in our heart before
Him. The world hates the Lord Jesus
Christ. You know why? Because He testifies
of the truth about it. Now, in this story here in John
chapter 7, some of the fleshly family of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Joseph and Mary had other children, or refers here to the brethren
or other kinfolk of that family had some ideas of fame and fortune
for themselves at the expense of the Lord. Notice verse 3,
"...his brethren therefore said unto him, Depart thence, and
go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou
doest. For no man that doeth anything in secret..." Now, don't
do these works secretly, let's do them openly. So you can be
known. So we can say, you know, our
brothers, you know, he's a famous man. If thou do these things,
show thyself to the world. This religious world. Verse 5
says, For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then the Lord
said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always. The world will not hate you.
But our Lord said, It will hate me." So these men thought they
had a better idea. Our Lord said, I'm going to do
my work secretly. I'm going to do my Father's will
secretly. But these men, these brethren, these kinfolk of Christ
said, well, you know, if you want to really be successful
in the ministry, if you really want to have a following, don't
stay here in Galilee. Oh, no, no, no, no. Move to the
big city. Move to the center of religion,
and you'll really have a following. You'll really be popular. You
really will be well-known. And, oh, by the way, we can say,
you know, that's my brother. If thou do these things, show
thyself to the world. You see, they really did not
believe in Him as the Messiah, did they? They had some temporary
interest, and they were looking for some temporary relief. But
they didn't really look to Him as the Messiah. They didn't see
Him as the Lord of their salvation. They didn't look to Him as the
Lord, our righteousness. They didn't understand the Lord's
purpose at all of His redemption glory. All they're thinking at
this time is a physical earthly kingdom and some benefits that
come with it. And the Lord plainly says in
verse 6, My time has not yet come. My hour has not yet come."
Notice down in verse 8, it says, "'Go you up to the feast,' our
Lord said. I go not up yet to the feast,
for my time has not yet full come." And then in verse 30,
"'For they sought to take him by force, but no man laid hands
on him, because his hour was not yet come.'" Now, we're going
to see all through our study in the book of John, Many times
when they sought to take him or to arrest him, he would say,
my time has not yet come, my hour has not yet come. And then
finally he says, now it's come. Now it has come. God will determine
the time when it's time. God will determine when it's
time for His glory to shine. God will determine and God will
operate upon His own schedule, not the whim and wish of men. Notice our Lord here says to
these men, your time is always. My time has not yet come, but
your time is always. Depraved ungodly sinners are
always ready to make a fair show in the flesh, aren't they? To
do their work to be seen of men. Ready to win the approval and
applause of men. Remember our Lord said in Matthew
6, when you do your alms, do them in secret. That's your Father. may see and seek it and reward
thee openly." Don't go stand on the street corner to be seen
of men when you pray. Enter in your closet and God
will see your heart. But the flesh always operates
upon the idea of being seen, having the applause of men. Now
notice verse 7. And here we settle into the text.
The world, our Lord said, The world of the ungodly, unbelieving
God-haters, those with fleshly, worldly ambitions, the world
cannot hate you. The world will not hate the world.
Those of the same worldly ambition and ungodly notions will not
be hated of those with the same goals, aspirations, and religious
pride. The world doesn't hate itself.
Pagan Christianity will get along with the other pagans. It's in
love with itself and will do all it can to promote itself.
The world loves its own, its own way, its own will, its own
work, its own ceremony, its own tradition. Now, who is this world
here that our Lord said hates Him? Well, let's see if we can
find that. Turn to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. 1
John 2 verse 15. Our Lord plainly said, this world,
this ungodly world, these rebels, these religious, self-righteous
Jews, they hate Me. 1 John 2, verse 15, Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Now look at verse 16, For all that is in this world, lust of
the flesh, lust of the eyes, The pride of life is not of the
Father, but is of the world. The world is passing away. The
lust thereof will pass away. But he that doeth the will of
God, what is that? Believing the gospel abides forever. This world that's opposed to
the gospel of God's grace All those who are opposed to God's
way of salvation in Christ alone, they hate the Lord Jesus Christ. All those who go about to establish
the righteousness of their own, they hate the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if you don't think so, just
confront them sometime. All those who seek to justify
themselves by the deeds of the law, they hate the Lord Jesus
Christ. Prime example, Saul of Tarsus.
Saul of Tarsus. Oh, he hated the Lord Jesus Christ,
didn't he? And yet he sought to justify
himself by the deeds of the law. This religious world of ungodly
rebels, let's face it, they hate the true and living God. That's
right. These religious Jews so much
hated the Lord that they sought vigorously to do what? Pat Him on the back? Look at
verse 1 in our text. The Jews sought to kill him.
What got them so angry? You remember back in chapter
5? Turn over there. Chapter 5 verse 16, the Lord
showed mercy on a paralyzed man, told him to get up and walk,
and it violated their religious tradition because it was a Sabbath
day. Therefore they sought to kill him. Look at verse 16. Therefore
did the Jews persecute Jesus and sought to slay him because
he'd done these things on the Sabbath day. Verse 17. But Jesus answered them, my father
work hitherto and I work. Got him in more trouble. Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him because he'd not only broken
the Sabbath but he said also that God was his father making
himself equal with God. They sought to kill him. Why?
Look over here in John chapter 5 verse 42. He says, I know you,
this is that world again, that religious rebels, self-righteous
God-haters, but I know you, you have not the love of God in you. What did they have in them? Well,
they didn't have any love, what's the opposite of that? Hate. They hated God. Now let's consider
this. Look back at verse 7 of our text.
But it hateth me because..." There's a reason here. There's
a reason here. Because the Lord said, I tell
the truth about it. Because I testify of it that
the works thereof are... What's that word? Evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. In Luke 16, our Lord said, "...you
are they." Speaking of the same world of religious God-haters. You are they which justify yourselves
before men, but God knows your heart. That which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the sight of God." Evil! Turn back
to Genesis. Turn over there to Genesis chapter
6. We see this word again, and this truth again spelled out.
The Lord testifies of their works that they are evil. Genesis chapter 6, look at verse
5. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
this is prior to the flood, and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil once in a while, on some
times. Just on the bad days. Continually
evil, evil. That is the testimony of Scripture. That is God's description of
what we are in ourselves. You remember Romans chapter 3,
where He said, We have both before proved, both Jew and Gentile,
they're all under sin, that there is none righteous, no, not one.
There's none that understand. There's none that seek after
God. They've gone all out of the way. There is none righteous,
no, not Does that describe you? I tell you a self-righteous religious
man hates that message because he hates God. This ungodly world
loves the religion of the flesh, man-centered, will worship. It
will embrace and tolerate almost every form of religion. It will
demand respect for all the religions of the world except the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Error can get along. Error can
walk together. Truth and error cannot walk together. The world that cannot The world
cannot and will not receive the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
alone because our Lord said, it hates me. Now, why would any,
turn over here to John 15 for a moment. The reason of our hatred
toward the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm talking about what we are
by nature and left to ourselves. I'll get to the other part in
a minute. The reason is not found in him. The reason and cause
is right here. Our wicked heart. Look what it
says in John 15, 25. But this has come to pass. He
says in verse 24, But now have they both seen and hated both
me and my father. Verse 23, He said, He that hateth
me, hateth my father also. Oh, I love God, I just hate Christ. Impossible. He that hateth me,
hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them
the works which none of the man did, they had not sinned. But
now they have both seen me and hated both me and my Father.
This has come to pass, that the word that might be fulfilled,
that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause."
You see, the cause is found in them, in us, what we are. You see, the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ puts all sinners on the same plane, same level,
in the dust, guilty before God. Let your mouth be stopped. Guilty
as charged. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ puts all sinners in the hand of a sovereign God who can
save or condemn according to His own good will and purpose
and pleasure. And the sinner said, that's not
fair. But who are you to reply against God? The gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ makes salvation by God's grace alone, not creature
merit. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ strips man of all pride, honor, and distinction. Children
of wrath even as others. Ever been stripped? Never been
stripped, you've never been clothed. Ever been emptied? You've never
been filled if you've not been emptied. You see, the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ put the crown of glory and salvation
on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ where it belongs. It's
not me and Jesus. I beg your pardon. The Lord of
glory accomplished salvation. God forbid that any should glory
save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He rightly deserves
all honor and glory. Do you see and understand that
everything we do, say, is polluted with sin. Our Lord bears testimony
that our works are evil. Everything I think, say, and
do is contaminated. Every prayer I pray has to be
washed in the blood of Christ because it's evil. Every sermon
I preach has to be washed in the blood of Christ because it's
contaminated with sin. You see what I'm saying? You
see, sin is what we are. If we say we have no sin, S-I-N,
sin nature, we deceive ourselves in the truth not in it. If we
say we've not sinned against God, we've called Him a liar. We're sinners through and through.
He testifies of us that our works are evil. You say, well I don't like that.
You see? That's the problem there. What's the problem? Wickedness
right here in the heart. God has to break us. Put us in
the dust and convince us that we're guilty before God. Man
at his best state is altogether vanity. Our best righteousness
we have is nothing but filthy rags in his sight. By nature
left to ourselves we have no love for the truth. nor for the
true living God. We read in Ephesians chapter
2, by nature, without God, without hope, without Christ. Aliens,
enemies, strangers from the covenants of promise. That's us by nature. Left to ourselves. You know what
we do love? You ready for this? Turn over
to John chapter 3. We don't love the true and living
God, not by nature. Now by grace, by grace, I'll
get to that in a minute. But not by nature. Our Lord said,
this world hates me. That's true. Look at John 3,
19. Here's what we do love, left
to ourselves. Verse 19, this is condemnation,
that light is coming to the world. Now we know who that is, don't
we? Christ. And men loved darkness rather than the light because
their deeds were not so good. What's that word? Evil. Do you see yourself as an evil
person? Come on. I shucked right down to the cob.
I was born evil and just got more proficient at it. Everyone
that doeth evil hates, there it is, verse 20, John 3, look
at it carefully. Everyone that doeth evil hates
the light. Neither does he come to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be manifest at their wrought
of God. If you do love God, oh, I tell
you, it's a miracle of grace. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love, even when we were dead in trespasses and
sin, walking according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, children of wrath even
as others, children of disobedience, and then it says, but God, but
God. We'd have stayed right in that
hateful, hating state, but for the grace of God. You see, it's
only when the Lord has pleased to show us and to teach us what
we are, S-I-N. That by nature we despise God,
we hate the Christ of God. That we are totally vile and
miserable sinners with no help in ourselves, no righteousness
in ourselves, no goodness in ourselves. It's only as God strips
us before His sovereign holy throne that we'll cry out for
mercy. That's right. You'll never cry
out for mercy until God whittles you down to nothing. You'll never seek a remedy that
God has provided in Christ until He whittles you down to nothing. I mean lower than the snake's
belly. I mean in the dust before God. A lot of people I've heard say,
well, I've always loved God. No, you haven't. I've always
loved God. That's too long. You haven't
always loved God. That's not so. That's contrary
to the testimony of God. If we do love Him, and His people
do, it's only because He first loved us. It's only because He
brought us and taught us the gospel, made us new creatures
in Christ Jesus, and has given us a love for Him. You see, we
love Him only because He first loved us. As long as you think
you have something in you that recommends you to God, you'll
never cry out for mercy. like the public, and God be merciful
to me, the sinner." You see, this is our chief sin against
the Lord. You know what it is? No love. No love. What is the absence of love?
We just read a moment ago, we love darkness rather than light. What is the absence of love?
What does that leave us? Hate. Hate. Hating God. Hating one another. I tell you,
the chief grand display of human hatred toward the living and
true God, do you know what it is? Look at the cross. Christ crucified. When God Almighty
just let man have their wicked way with the lovely Son of God,
they spit in His face, plucked out the beard, hit Him over the
head with a reed, drug him outside the city, stripped him naked,
nailed him to a cross, took a spear and pierced it in his side. Now
you tell me how much men love God. Calvary is a display of
the hatred of men. Oh, it's a display of the love
of God. But it's also a display of the
hatred of men. They did what they wanted to
do. Oh, someone might be tempted to think, well, I wouldn't have
been part of that mob. Oh, not me. Oh, I wouldn't have been
there. You're deceived. I'd have been the ringleader. Away with him! Crucify him! You
see, the reason sinners are condemned is they have no love for God.
In this scripture, 1 Corinthians 16, 22 says this, If any man
love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be damned. You cannot love God, you cannot
say you love God and hate the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul of Tarsus
tried that, it didn't work. Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty,
guilty. Now, I've got some good news
here. Salvations for sinners. What
can we conclude about the salvation that's revealed in God's book?
God testifies of us that all of our deeds, our works, our
righteousness are evil. Well, what does that teach us
then? Salvation has to be by His grace. It cannot be by our
works. Because of what we are by nature,
sinners, God-haters, Christ-despisers, salvation must be dependent upon
His love for us, not our love for Him. Here in His love, John said,
1 John 4, 10, here in His love, not that we love God, but that
He loved us and gave His Son to be the sacrifice for our sin.
You see what the Lord does in mercy and grace, He brings us
to love what we want, hated and despised. God in mercy, God in grace brings
us to love what we one day hated and despised. When I first heard
the message of God's sovereign grace, I despised it in my heart. I said, that's not fair! Until
God whittled me down. And He taught me, well, you know,
that's right. That's what the Word teaches.
God in mercy and God in grace brings us to love what we once
hated. He brings us to hate. that we
once loved. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who
can deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So what can we learn about the
salvationist of the Lord? Has to be by His grace. Cannot
be by our merit. Cannot be by our love. It has
to be His love for us, not our love for Him. Salvation must
be by grace alone, not in any way, any measure dependent upon
our merit. Do you have any merit that recommends
you to God? Everything I have is horrible
and I don't have anything in me to recommend me to God. To
remove His wrath or gain His favor. To remove His wrath or
gain His favor. We're children of wrath even
as others. Salvation must be by grace alone. Thirdly, Salvation
must be in Christ Jesus alone. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in Him and count. You see Saul of Tarsus one time,
a God-hater, a Christ-rejecter. God whittled him down and showed
him that he was nothing, guilty before God. And then He made
him to cry out in his heart, Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in Him, be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. Fourthly, salvation must be received by faith alone, not
in any wise, any case, dependent upon our works. Not by works
of righteousness which we have done. Why cannot be, why cannot
salvation be by works of righteousness which we have done? I don't have
any. All I have is works of evil and
wickedness and vileness and iniquity and transgression and sin. That's
all I have. You see, it must be by faith
looking unto the Lord Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith. Now remember this. I'm almost through. If the Lord has brought you to
love Him and to love His gospel and to bow and submit unto Him
and to believe the gospel, you too, you too, The Lord has brought you to love
Him and to love His gospel and take a stand for the gospel of
God's grace in this religious, God-hating, God-rejecting Christ. You too will be hated of this
ungodly world. You will. Our Lord told His disciples,
you shall be hated of all men for My name's sake. If this religious
world doesn't hate you for your stand on the gospel, something's
wrong. Something wrong. Those who live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. We don't rub elbows
with this religious world. It's lost and going to hell.
That's right. You shall be hated of all men
for my name's sake. Now turn to John 15. I'll let
you go. Look at this, John 15. I'm saying you take a stand for
the gospel of God's grace and they'll hate you too. I expect
it. I don't look for the applause
of this religious world. They despise the gospel of God's
grace. This ministry here at Zed's has
been called the ministry of the devil. Do you know that? What? That's exactly right. They hate
what I preach. They hate the Christ I preach
and the God that I preach. And if you take a stand with
me right here, Right now, they'll hate you too. They'll throw you
out too. You'll be ostracized too. John
15, look what it says right here, verse 18. If the world hate you,
you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of
the world, the world would love his own. But because you're not
of this world, Because I've chosen you out of this world, therefore
the world hates you. Remember the word that I said
unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they've
persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they've kept my sayings,
they will keep your sayings. And all these things will they
do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not Him that
sent me." That's pretty clear, isn't it? They don't know Him. I quoted that scripture a moment
ago in 2 Timothy 3, 12, when Paul was about to lose his head
for the gospel. Why was he so persecuted and
hated? You know who persecuted him and hated him? Those nice
religious folks. Same crowd that hated the Lord
Jesus Christ. All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus, and I'm not talking about morality, talking about taking
a stand for the gospel of God's grace, shall suffer persecution. God help us, God help us to contend
for the faith once delivered unto the saints and never, no
never, to compromise, to compromise, to get along with this religious
God-hating world. I turn back to John chapter 7,
verse 7. Read it one more time now. I
know this is a strong message, but this is what is taught here.
I've got to teach what's taught here. I can't change God's message. I dare not change His message.
Well, you'll offend somebody. I'd much rather offend them than
offend God. The world cannot hate you, but
me? It hates, because I testify of
it that the works thereof are evil." Now, if God has brought
you to love the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a miracle
of God's grace. And you know it is. And you didn't
come there, you just didn't stumble into the gospel. You didn't just
stumble into God's grace. He crossed your path with the
truth. Mowed you down. Cut you down and raised you up. Made you a new creature. Made
you a lover of the Lord Jesus Christ.