All right, open your Bibles now
to John chapter 12. The title of this message is, The
Great Sin of Unbelief. The great charge against Israel,
the Lord God said this, they could not enter into the land
of Canaan, the land of promise, because of unbelief. They didn't
believe. And the great warning in that
same chapter that the Apostle Paul gives to the Church is this. Let us labor, therefore, lest
there be found in you an evil heart of unbelief. Let us labor,
therefore, to enter into his rest, lest any of you power,
after the same example of unbelief. They could not enter in for one
reason, they didn't believe. In John 3, the Master said, He
that believeth not on the Son of God, the wrath of God abideth
on him. God is angry with the wicked.
What's the source of his anger? What's the reason? One single trait made Abraham the
friend of God. What was it? He believed God. One single trait identifies sin. Our Lord Jesus
said, when the Spirit of God is come, he'll convince the world
of sin, because They believe not on me." That's it. He'll convince the world of sin.
This is the essence of sin. This is the chief trait of sin. They do not believe. Those Pharisees asked him one
day, they said, what shall we do that we might work the works
of God? He said, this is the work of God, that you believe
in him. of whom God has sent, that you
believe in him. That's the work of God. Here
in our text, in John 12, verse 37, it says, And though he had
done so many miracles before them in their presence, yet they
believed not on him. One of the chief rulers, Nicodemus,
admitted He said no man could do the miracle due to except
God be with him, and yet he didn't believe either. He made the blind
to see. He made the lame to walk. He
even raised Lazarus from the dead in a little town just two
miles from Jerusalem, two miles from the capital of religion,
two miles from where all these people believed and lived and
worked and went about their religious duties, two miles, that's as
far as from here to the river. He raised a man from the dead,
and the word went out everywhere, so that people came to see Lazarus,
the one he had raised from the dead. Yet, they didn't believe.
Though he had done so many miracles before them, so many miraculous
miracles, they didn't believe. The same is true today. Think
of the miracles of our Lord before us. He did so many miracles before
them, in their sight, before them, if they didn't believe.
Think of the miracles he has done with which we are acquainted.
The miracle of creation. The heavens declare the glory
of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork. David the psalmist wrote, Lord,
when I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
sun, the moon, the stars, what is man that thou art mindful
of him? The miracle of creation. Go out some early morning when
the dew is still on the ground, and the sun is just beginning
to come up, and see what that spider did the night before.
Oh, it was beautiful. Who taught him how to do that?
What's that little squirrel build that nest in the top of the tree,
way up there where the wind blows it? I wonder how he got the first
twig to stay while he went to get the second one. Don't you
wonder sometimes? That bird builds a nest in the
tree and they start it, but how do they make that thing stay
together until after a while it's just as stable and substantial? God taught them how they give
birth to their young and take care of them. I tell you, the
work of creation, how we plant seeds and they come up with beautiful
flowers or beautiful vegetables, a miracle of creation. And then the miracle of life,
life in so many forms. All life comes from God, but
man especially. Human life, human life is such
a mystery. David said over here, listen
to the Psalms, he said, I will praise thee, O God, I
am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. Marvelous are thy works, my soul
knows that. My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made and curiously wrought in my mother's womb.
Thine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect, and in your
book my members were written." Life! miraculous, the human ear, voice
to speak. Think about the human hand. All
animals, they have paws and they have hooves and they have all
these things, but no creature has a hand but man. And he can play a violin, an
ape can't play a violin. He can operate on a brain with
his hands and go in there and do these different things. Ladies
can sew and make beautiful tapestry, and the hand, the human hand,
just the miracle of God, the miracle of life, the miracle
of the word of God. This word here is God. This word was begun over 3,000
years ago. Moses, Job, we think, wrote the
first book, and whoever wrote Job, Moses wrote the first five
books. Written by 40 different men,
God used 40 different men over a period of 1,500 years. The
last man wrote 2,000 years ago. It's been translated into every
dialect and tongue and language in the world. It's read by old
and young, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, children, old
people. It's loved, it's been preserved, it's kept the Word
of God. Everything fades away but the
Word of God lives forever, answers every question. It's got one
message. All these men, most of whom never
met one another, wrote about Christ. One message. Christ Jesus. Miraculous. It's a miracle. And people have
butchered it, they've cursed it, they've burned it, they've
changed it, they've messed it up, they've preached it in horrible
fashion, but it's still the word of God. Blessing his people. And then the miracle of incarnation,
God became a man. And it's so. You can do away
with A.D. and B.C. if you want to. People
do. You're not going to, but they're doing away with that.
But it's been that way for a long, long time, and it stays that
way. We live in the year of our Lord, Anno Domini, the year of
our Lord, 2001. And Moses lived back there in
B.C., before Christ. This calendar and time is marked
by the coming of the Son of God into this world. He there, Jesus
Christ, lived on this earth. Who is he? The Son of God. Great
is the mystery of Godliness. God was made flesh and brought
among us. God was incarnate in human flesh,
witnessed by the angels, vindicated by the Spirit. preached to the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
That's so! That's so. And the miracle of
regeneration. I'll tell you, when the gospel
is believed and Christ is loved, it changes a man or woman's life. A change only God can bring to
pass. That's right. God takes away
that old stony heart and gives a heart of love and grace. God
takes away that old wicked tongue and gives him a tongue to praise
God. God takes away that old wicked attitude and spirit and
gives him a spirit of joy and peace. God takes the soul of
Tarsus, a murderer of believers, and makes him a preacher of the
gospel. Only God can do that. In every country where Christ
is preached, where the gospel is believed, where the Bible
is honored and loved, there is a regard for human life and human
dignity. There's a regard for family values
and all of these things that are not regarded in other nations
where Christ is not known. Regeneration, recreation, the
new birth. God brings forth new creatures
by the preaching of the gospel, men and women who have peace
in their hearts and joy in their souls and Christ in their spirits. And they praise God. They lay
down their lives for that gospel. That's a miracle. That's a miracle. Oh, you can bring folks down
the aisle and shake their hands and put them in the baptistery,
and they'll change a few habits, but I'm talking about God changing
their lives, giving a new life and a new heart and a new nature.
Only God can do that. Yet they believe not on him. That's what it says of these
people. Verse 37, though he had done so many miracles before
them in their presence, yet they didn't believe him. And such is the nature of deep-rooted
sin. Men today believe not on him. They believe not on him. Christ
said the Holy Ghost will convince men of sin because they believe
not on me. People today believe a whole
lot of things, but they don't believe on him. That's the charge. They believe a whole lot of things. We believe our doctors, they
tell us we've got some problem, take these pills, we take them
not even knowing what they're made of. We believe them. We believe what we read in the
paper, but we don't believe God. Men believe many things. But
they don't believe on him. And people believe some ridiculous
things. They believe some strange and
far-out, unusual things. They believe the Catholic Church
for years was supported by money that people brought to buy indulgences,
to buy the privilege to sin. That's what Martin Luther thought.
That's when he nailed those theses to the Church door. It's evil,
he said. They come to the priest and say,
I'm going to sin, here's some money, make it right. He says,
you're forgiven. Before I ever do it, now that's dumb. That's right. But that's how
they lived. They supported their church by money paid to get people
out of purgatory. They'd come and pay money, and
the priest would pray, and your loved one would have to stay
a year less in purgatory. That's ridiculous. People believe
many things. They believe some way-out things,
some strange things. Some people believe you can go
in this pool here and come out clean. That's right. They believe you can join the
Church, and that writes your name in heaven. That's ridiculous.
They believe anything, but they don't believe on him. That's
what it says. They believed many things, strange
things, far-out things. Christ said, Let another come
in his own name, and him you believe. I come in my Father's
name, you receive me not. That's my day. Though he had
done many miracles before them, they didn't believe on him. They
didn't believe on him. I tell you, this is the nature
of a deep-rooted problem, evil, sin. And this nature, this deep-rooted
sin is so powerful that not even unusual signs and
wonders will persuade them to believe. Let me show you a scripture
our Lord spoke over here in Luke 16. He's quoting Abraham, but
this is the Lord Jesus speaking. He's talking to these folks about
the rich man and Lazarus. You're familiar with the story.
But here he says in verse 27 of Luke 16, the rich man in hell
said, verse 27, I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou
wouldest send Lazarus to my father's house. And I have five brothers,
that he may testify to them, lest they come to this place
of torment. And Abraham said to them, They have the word of
God, they have Moses and the prophet, let them hear them.
He said, they father Abraham, but if one went to them from
the dead, they will repent. And he said, now this is Christ
speaking, quoting Abraham, if they hear not the word of God,
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though
one rose from the dead. So miracles won't implant faith
in the heart. We have to be taught of God.
The Lord has to reveal. Our hearts are so stony, and
sin is so deep-rooted, and we believe so many things and far-out
strange things, we won't believe on him or truth until God reveals
him. Let me show you that in John
6. John 6, verse 42, 41. The Jews then murmured at him
because he said, I'm the bread that came down from heaven. And
they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose mother
and father we know? How is it then that he says,
I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and
said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to
me, believe on me, except the Father which sent me drawing
And I raise him up at the last day. It's written in the Prophets.
They shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath
heard and learned of the Father, he comes to me. That's how we
learn, that's how we have faith implanted, that's
how we are brought to understanding. God teaches us in the Word. The
natural man, turn to 1 Corinthians 2, the natural man He receives
not the things of God, a foolishness to him, but he reveals them unto
us by his Spirit. Listen to 1 Corinthians 2, verse
8. Verse 7 says, We speak the wisdom of
God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before
the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world,
the leaders of this world knew, had they known They wouldn't
have crucified the Lord of Glory. But as it is written, I have
not seen, the ear hath not heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that
love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. That's how you learn,
that's how you talk. Natural men, no matter what kind
of miracles unusual things he sees, which God has done. Somebody named the book of Isaiah,
the gospel according to Isaiah. Oh, it's so clear in Isaiah,
the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, the redemptive work
of Christ, the exaltation of Christ. Yet how does he start
chapter 53? Look at it. How does he start
chapter 53? This man whom God raised up,
who labored and preached during the reign of four different kings,
but here he begins this great chapter, Isaiah 53, with these
words, "'Lord, who hath believed thy report?' They don't believe
it. "'Who hath believed thy report? To whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed? Our Lord grew up as a tender
plant, as a root out of dry ground, no form, no comeliness. When
we see him, there is no beauty we should desire him. He is despised
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with greed.
We hid as it were our faces from him he despised, we esteemed
him not yet. Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows. We did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. And he was wounded for our transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him by his stripes where he....' But who believes that?
To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Verse 39 answers the
question, why? John 12, verse 37, he did so
many miracles that they didn't believe him. Even Isaiah the
prophet, God's mighty prophet of old, foretold the coming of Christ,
but he said, Who believes it? Who believes it? To whom his
arm of the Lord revealed. Now, here's the problem. They
could not believe. They could not believe. And you know what this is saying,
too? Listen to me now. They will not believe. They will
not believe. They could not because they will
not. Now, that's right. And I know, now listen carefully
to me now, listen real carefully. I know that by default there
is a natural impotence and a sinful disability which possesses every
son of Adam. But yet they believe other things.
They read a newspaper and believe it, but they read this and don't
believe it. They read a history book and believe it. I mean,
some strange things in a history book made up by whoever is writing
it. You know that. But they read this and don't
believe it. They have the ability to believe, so this says they
could not believe. They couldn't believe. They do
believe. They believe error. They believe
hogwash. They believe religious things,
but don't believe him. So the problem is, they won't
believe. That's right. This is the problem.
It's two-fold. Turn to John 3, verse 19. Here is the two-fold reason why
they don't believe. I told you there is a natural
impotence and a spiritual disability that possesses every But I'm
not dead mentally. A son of Adam is dead spiritually,
but he's not dead mentally. He's not dead physically. He's
not dead emotionally. What's his problem? Here it is,
John 3, verse 19. This is the condemnation, that
light is coming to this world, and men love darkness rather
than light. because their deeds are evil.
That's the reason they don't love Christ, because he is contrary
to them. His words are contrary to what
they like. His message is contrary to what
they think. That's the reason. They love
darkness and hate God. Look at John 5. Now, listen to this, John 5.39.
He is talking to the Pharisees. He said, You search the scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life. But there they
which testify of me, and you will not come to me, that you
might have life. I receive not honor from men.
I know you, you have not the love of God in you, you hate
God. I come in my Father's name, and you receive me not. Another
comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe
which receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that comes
from God? This is the problem. Men love sin, they love darkness,
they love evil, and they hate God. So when the message of truth
and grace, godliness, holiness comes along, they won't believe
it. They won't receive it. They will not receive it. I'm going to show you something
unusual here and turn to Acts 26. Paul was talking to this
pagan king in Acts 26. He was talking to this Festus
and Agrippa and some of these fellows. These fellows were in
power when Christ was crucified. They were in authority. They
were Roman authorities when Christ was crucified. Here Paul is on
trial for his life, and they allow him to witness, they allow
him to defend himself and testify. He says here in verse 21, Acts
26, Now listen, For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple,
and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained the
help of God, I continue to this day, witnessing both the small
and great, saying none of the things than those which the prophets
and Moses said should come. I'm just telling them what their
scripture says, what Moses and the prophets wrote. That's all
I'm telling them, that Christ should suffer, be the first that
should rise from the dead, and show light unto the people and
to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake, Sester
said to the loud boys, Paul, you're crazy, you're beside yourself,
much learning has made you mad. How do you answer him? Listen.
He said, I'm not mad, most noble Festus. I speak forth words of
truth and soberness, and the King knows about these things,
before whom I speak freely, and I'm persuaded that none of these
things are hidden from him. He knows Jesus Christ died on
that cross. He knows Moses lived and wrote
of Christ. He knows these things that the
Old Testament prophets. He knows these things, but this
wasn't done in a corner. The mighty works of God were
not done hidden in a corner, publicly, openly, openly. And God Almighty does no mighty
works because of their unbelief, because they love darkness and
hate light, because they hate God and love evil. That's what
the scripture says. Turn to Romans 1. You've got
to read this. This is powerful. They couldn't believe that they
would, but they will now. While you are turning to Romans
1, Matthew 13 says, He did no mighty works because of their
unbelief. Listen to Romans 1, verse 18. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and all unrighteousness of men
who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known
of God is manifest to them. God showed it to them. The whole
world has seen the glory of God in the heavens, the things that
are made. For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power when God
hid. They are without excuse, because, here's that word again,
that when they did know God and had some understanding and some
enlightenment about God, and they've heard from his picture
or his pocket or someone who had a little understanding, how
do they react? They glorified him not as God,
they weren't thankful, they became vain in their imaginations, their
foolish heart was darkened, they professed themselves to be wise
and became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible
God into an image made like the corruptible man, they worshiped
birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Therefore,
God gave them up. They had a warning. God always
warns before God gives them up. God always warns. There is a
life and light of every man that comes into this world. That's exactly right. It's conscience.
It says over here in Romans 2, verse 14, "...when the Gentiles,
which have not the law," Romans 2, verse 14, "...do by nature
the things contained in the law, these having not the law, a law
unto themselves, which show the work of the law written in their
hearts." Their conscience also bearing witness, their thoughts,
meanwhile, accusing or excusing one another. Men are responsible. There is a responsibility upon
the creature to walk in the light God gives him, the light of his
warnings, the light of his word, the light of his revelations. And because they love darkness
rather than because their deeds are evil, and because they hate
God, his holiness, his righteousness, his truth, they will not believe. God warns, and then God judges.
Now, let's turn to Poppers. I'm saying this, that everybody
out there, your family, my family, your friends, my friends, your
acquaintances, my acquaintances, who do not believe the gospel,
who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are under
greater judgment than these people he's talking about right here,
because they've got more light. They've got more light. They've
got more light. I tell you, we're living in a
day of tremendous light. Scripture is
complete. The Lord Jesus has come, died
on the cross, rose again, went back to glory. We are educated
people. We have the Bible in every home. We have books. We have the story
of great prophets and preachers and missionaries, men of God. We've got their testimonies,
we've got their confessions of faith of the great denominations,
the Heidelberg, the 39 Articles, the London Confession, the Westminster
Confession, the lives of great men whom God used. We have an
accountability like no other generation. That's right, like
no other generation. You can't go in a motel room
without a Bible sitting by you. You can't go in a jail cell without
a Bible. be right there before you. God Almighty has given this
generation life like no other generation. Our Lord said this, it will be
easier for Sodom in the day of judgment than for this generation,
because Sodom didn't have near the revelation that this generation
has. Not Now, you listen to Proverbs 1,
the warning, the word, and then the judgment. Proverbs 1, verse
20. Listen to this. And I'm saying
it's well-deserved. The judgment is well-deserved. Wisdom crieth without, Proverbs
1, verse 20. She uttereth her voice in the
streets. I just brought a message on television,
Channel 8 went over this whole area, West Virginia, Eastern
Kentucky, Southern Ohio, even down into Tazewell, Grundy, Virginia. It's clear a message as a man
can make a message, whether you listen to it or not. But it's
clear on saving faith. I know whom I believe. And I
don't know how many people heard it, but I know not many believed
it. But they are going to be held
accountable for that message. Wisdom cried in the streets,
on the air. She cried in the chief places
of concourse, in the opening of the gates, in the city. She
uttered her words, saying, How long, you simple ones, will you
love simplicity? How long, you scorners, are you
going to delight in your scorn and your fools hate truth, hate
knowledge, hate the gospel, hate grace? God says, turn, turn you
at my reproof, behold, I'll pour out my Spirit upon you, I'll
make my ways known to you. If you'll turn, come to me, I'll
give you rest. Come to me, I'll give you life.
Come to me, I'll give you life. Look to me and be you saved.
All the ends of the earth, I'm God! That's a proven fact. He's God. But because, verse 24, here it
is again, now the because. Because I've called and you refused,
I've stretched out my hand, no man regarded, said it not my
counsel, my word, you would none of my reproof. What's the reason? Because they
didn't hear it? Because they didn't have a mind to know that
this is what it's saying? No, they've got good minds. They
understand how to take a computer apart. They understand how to
put a man on the moon. They understand how to do these
strange and mysterious things that our last generation didn't
understand. They've got minds. They know
what they're saying. They love darkness. They love
evil. They hate God. That's right. Why don't they believe? Come
on now. They will not. Isn't that right,
Stan? They will not believe. They will
not believe. They'll believe anything else
but this. They'll believe anything but substitution. They'll believe
anything but the blood. They'll believe anything but
God's sovereign grace and election and covenant mercy on which this
Bible is based and built. They'll believe anything but
this. We will not have this man reign over us. Crucify him! Spit on him! Why do they do that? They hate him, and they love
their sins. All right, because I've called
and you refused. I've called, stretched out my
hand, no man regarded. You said it not, my word, my
counsel, you We've just done away with the Word today. Preachers
don't preach the Word. They preach their dreams and
visions and revelations and thoughts and healings and tongues and
all this other paraphernalia. You just set the Word, preaching
of the Word has been relegated to the scrap heap. Don't preach
to me, we say. Don't preach to me. Okay, that's
all right. You set it not at my counsel,
you would not at my reproof. I'm going to laugh. I'm going
to mock when your fear comes. You'll fear one day, generation. When your fear cometh as desolation,
your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come
upon you, then you're going to call. But I won't answer. You're going to seek me. You're
not going to find me. You can now. You can seek the
Lord. With all your heart, you'll be
found. for you hated knowledge, you did not choose the fear of
the Lord, you were none of my counsel, you despised all my
reproof." Does that sound like laying the blame on God? No,
he's laying the blame where it belongs, on them. I know there
are a lot of sovereign graces who kind of blame God because
a person doesn't believe the gospel, but God is not to be
blamed, they are. That's right. Therefore you shall eat the fruit
of your way." You're going to have your way, and you're going
to eat the fruit of it. You're going to be filled with
your own devices. Your devices, they've appealed to you rather
than mine, so you'll be filled with them. "'For the turning
away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools
shall destroy them.' But if there's somebody," verse 33, "'who will
hearken unto me, would you listen to me?' Would you hear me? You'll dwell safely, and you'll be quiet from the
fear of evil." They would not believe. Though
he had done so many miracles, yet they didn't believe. They
shut their ears and covered their eyes and will not believe. And
then judgment follows. Back to my text, and I'll close. I'm laying this warning to blame
where it belongs, where it belongs. Verse 40 says, He's blinded their
eyes and hardened their hearts, that they should not see with
their eyes and understand with their heart, and be converted,
and I should heal them. That warning occurs in the New Testament
six times. And twice the Lord lays the blame
on them. And twice he takes responsibility. I'll show you that if you take
a minute to look at Matthew 13. It's quoted in Matthew 13, where
they are the cause. Matthew 13, verse 13. It says that Pharaoh hardened
his heart, and then it says God hardened his heart. But God hardened
his heart by withholding the things he wouldn't have anyway.
He wouldn't listen. He hardened his heart, and God
took away the means of softening it, and God hardened his heart. Matthew 13, 13. I speak to them
in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear
not, neither do they understand. And then them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah, which said, By hearing you shall hear and
not understand, seeing you shall see and not perceive. For this
people," listen to this now, "...their heart is waxed gross,
and their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes they have closed."
They closed their eyes. "...lest at any time they should
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and should be converted." They closed their
eyes, they shut their ears. They would not hear. Over in
Acts 28, it's repeated again, and this time the blame is laid
again on the people. Acts 28, verse 24. This is interesting. Here, listen. For the heart of this people
is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their
eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and be converted,
and I should heal them." They closed their eyes. They shut
their ears. I won't listen. I won't listen. I won't see. I won't read that. I won't entertain it. I won't
examine it. I want nothing to do with it.
They shut their eyes. And then, in Romans 11, verse
7, the Lord says, He hardened their hearts, and He blinded
their minds, because He withheld any further light or teaching. Listen to this. Israel, in Romans
11, verse 7, What then Israel, Romans 11, 7, hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest are blinded? By whom? By God. What then? According as it is written, God
hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should
not see, ears that they should not hear, until this day. Now,
wait a minute. God finally judicially blinded
Israel, but Israel had light for hundreds of years. hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of years. And our Lord gave a parable in
Matthew 21. I want you to turn over there
to Matthew 21. Matthew 21. And this, I'm saying
the warnings, the word, it comes first, and men harden their hearts,
close their ears, shut their eyes, will not listen. And then
God Almighty pronounces judgment, kills them up. In Matthew 21.33, now listen
to this, this is the Master speaking. He says, Matthew 21.33, here's
another parable. There was a certain householder
who was planting a vineyard, hedged it round about, digged
a winepress in it, built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen
and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit
drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandman that they might
receive the fruit of it. The Lord Jesus is talking about
the Father here now. He made a world. He put men in
it. And he sends his prophets to
get their sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving, the fruit of his
world, of his civilization and creation. And verse 35, And the
husbandman took his servants and beat one, and killed another
and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants.
How many servants has the Lord sent to the world to preach the
gospel? How many servants? How many times
through centuries, how many times in our lifetime have we heard
the gospel? God sent servants. He sent other
servants, more than the first, they did likewise to them, killed
them. Last of all, he sent unto them his son. saying their reverence
for my son. God so loved the world, he sent
his son into the world. Naturally, you'd think that reverence
for his son, God, this man owns this place. It's his. He's got
us a working environment. He's paying them. He's keeping
them up. They're eating his food, breathing his air. Sent them
a proposal and they killed him. Now I sent my son. Sure, they're
reverence for my son. But when the husband was sold
to the son, They said to themselves, here's the heir. Here's the Lord. Here's the one
who's going to own this thing. Let's kill him. And it'll belong
to us. We'll not have this man reign
over us. We'll not let him be the king. We're not going to
bow to him. We'll get rid of Jesus Christ,
and that way we'll get rid of God. And they caught him, verse
39, and cast him out of the vineyard, outside the walls of Jerusalem,
and nailed him to a cross. Well, when the Lord, therefore,
of the vineyard cometh, what will he do with those husbands? Well, they said he'll miserably
destroy them, those wicked men, and he'll let out his vineyard
to other husbands, which will render him fruits in their season. That's a powerful illustration
of it, a powerful parable. Though he did many miracles,
yet they lay not on him. We'll do anything but not bow
to him. In closing, I'm going to consider
where the Lord has gone. I'm part of a fallen race. in
Adam, we all died. The evidences of sin are in me,
all around me. The evidences of death are in
me, not only about me, but in me, and I'm a dying man, a dying
Christian. And I'm going to one day meet
God in the judgment. God is dealt in wrath with the
angels which fell. He reserved them in chains of
darkness under the judgment of that great day. But he didn't
do that to man. When man fell, the same way angels
fell in sin, God made a covenant with man and his son in the air. He said, I'm going to have a
people like my son, my beloved son. He called the kingdom the
kingdom of his dear son, his beloved son. He gave him a people. As man multiplied on this earth,
God began to send prophets, servants of the Lord. He began to send
prophets with a word of good news, promises, pictures of salvation
to come in Christ Jesus, who he was and is and where he would
be born and how he would suffer and die and be dead and rise
again. So that when he came, there would
be no doubt. This is the heir. These fellows
that were working that thing, they knew who he was. This is
the heir. Just kidding. They knew who he
was. I knew who he was, too. And he died on that cross for
sins of somebody. Put him away. He said, you believe
in God, you believe in me. In my Father's house and many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. And I
go to prepare a place for you, and when I go to prepare a place,
I'm going to come again to see somebody unto myself that where
I am based will be also." And he confirmed his message by death,
shedding of his blood, and God confirmed it by raising him from
the dead. God raised him from the dead. Do you believe Christ
rose from the dead? The Bible says if he be not risen,
there is no resurrection. If he be not risen, we're liars.
Our faith is vain. There is no hope. But he rose,
he rose and ascended back to heaven. And here we are with
this same message which God gave to all generations. We're not
dead yet. We're still in the day of grace
and in the land of grace. And God said, this is the record. This is the record. I've given
you eternal life. This life is in my son. He will
have the son have life. He that hath not the Son shall
not see life. These things are written, that
you might believe on the name of the Son of God, and believing
you might have life in his name. Now then, what are you going
to do about it? I'm going to believe him. I'm
going to believe him. I'm going to believe him. Lord,
help. I believe. Help my unbelief.
Increase my faith. But there's nothing else to believe.
No salvation apart from him, yet they believe not on him?
There is no hope except in him. Let me tell you this, if after
hearing that you don't believe, can you say, well, God never
revealed it to me? The blame is yours. The blame is yours. I guarantee it's on you. If your kinfolk don't believe
it, they are at fault, not God. If I'm saved, God did it. If
I'm lost, it's my fault. I don't have to be lost. I don't
have to be saved. They didn't believe because they
would not. They love darkness and they hate God. And that's
got to go. Because the land of God's promise
is a land of no darkness, eternal light, and all love. They wouldn't be happy there.
when they have to be.