You Believe Not Because

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus being the Christ?

The Bible repeatedly affirms that Jesus is the Christ, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Throughout the Scriptures, Jesus is depicted as the fulfillment of every prophecy concerning the Messiah. From His lineage as a descendant of David in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, to His role as the promised Redeemer, the New Testament writers affirm Christ's identity. In John 20:31, it is stated that the purpose of the Gospel is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. His role as the anticipated Messiah encompasses His prophetic, priestly, and kingly functions, as shown throughout Scripture, declaring Him as sovereign and holy in His redemptive work.

Q: How do we know that Christ is the one true Savior?

Christ’s identity as the Savior is confirmed by numerous testimonies, including His own words, the witness of John the Baptist, and the fulfillment of Scriptures. In John 5:31-39, Jesus cites multiple witnesses to His divine identity as the Christ, including John the Baptist, His miraculous works, and the Scriptures themselves which testify of Him. Additionally, in John 11:27, Martha declares her belief that Jesus is the Christ, further corroborating His role as Savior. The coherence of His life, death, and resurrection with the prophetic scriptures serves as powerful evidence that He is indeed the one true Savior, validating the claims made in both the Old and New Testaments about His messianic authority.

Q: Why is understanding Christ's identity important for Christians?

Understanding Christ's identity as the Messiah is vital for faith and assurance of salvation for Christians. Recognizing Christ’s identity is crucial because it lays the doctrinal foundation of the Christian faith. The assurance of salvation hinges upon acknowledging who Jesus is – the Christ, the only Redeemer. As John 10:27-28 illustrates, knowing Christ means hearing His voice, being in a relationship defined by His grace, and having the assurance of eternal life. This belief not only shapes our faith but also informs our understanding of God’s redemptive plan and ensures Christians remain grounded in the truth of the Gospel amidst various teachings that may arise.

Q: How does faith relate to being one of Christ's sheep?

Only those who are ordained as Christ's sheep will hear His voice and believe in Him. In John 10:26, Jesus states, 'But you believe not because you are not of my sheep.' This signifies that faith is a gift bestowed upon those whom God has chosen. The understanding is that faith and belief are not merely human efforts but are the result of divine election and calling. Thus, for believers, being one of Christ's sheep means having a relationship characterized by His guidance and care, affirming that true faith results from being called and known by Him. The sheep respond to the Shepherd's voice, evidenced by their understanding and acceptance of His truth.

I was sitting there thinking
about something that happened two or three years ago. Don McGinnis
will remember this. We were at a restaurant having
supper. Don was sitting on my left and
some more people around the table. I was asking him about his I
started to say, Don, young days, but you're still young. I asked
him about his previous experiences working and so forth and he told
me, he said, years ago I was a crop duster. I said, I've seen
those fellas, they get those two-wing airplanes and fly down
about four feet off the ground and spray I said, you used to
do that? Yeah, he said, I did that for
a while. He said, I'd get right down on
the tops of the corn, you know, and fly, I said, dangerous wires
and trees. And he said, yeah, it was a very
hazardous job. And I looked at his hands and
they'd broken out in sweat. And I said, you mean to tell
me after all these years looking back on that, your hands still,
as you think about it, break out in sweat. He said, yeah,
it's just that dangerous. Well, whether you know it or
not, I'm sitting right there contemplating getting up here
preaching, and I know you're not hot out there, but my hands
break out in sweat. That's after 30 some odd years.
The burden of handling this book, especially when I talk about
things like a while ago, He that heareth you, heareth me. And
he that resisteth you, resisteth me. That's bad as crop dusting,
Don, I'll tell you. Just as hazardous to, if we wrongly
divide the Word. I know what Paul meant when he
said, I come to you in fear and trembling. I don't fear me. I
can stand in front of, I've been standing in front of a crowd
since I was a sophomore in high school, making speeches and things
like that. That doesn't bother me. been
leading the singing since I was a kid. But to open this book,
Fear and Trembling, and to deal with eternal matters. And the
thing that often shocks me is people who know nothing about
the Word are so quick to challenge it. So quick to challenge. They have their tradition, they
have what they always thought, they They don't spend any time
studying, any time preparing, any time searching, any time
pleading with God for truth and pleading with God for wisdom
and pleading with God for understanding, but you cross their pet theories
and they come down on you with all fours. And that's sad, too. That's sad. But I want you to
look at John 10 tonight and I am so dedicated to your well-being
spiritually. I say that, remind you of that
over and over again, that I'm dedicated to preaching the truth. I don't have anybody to impress
or anything to gain at all anymore. The days have gone by and we're
in the sunset years and we preach as those who must give an account
and there's nobody to impress. Nothing to be accomplished that
hadn't been accomplished. There's one goal and one motive
and that's to know Christ. And for those to whom we preach
to know Him and to prepare for that day. And we need to preach
as if every message were our last message. And we need to
hear as though every message we hear will be the last one
we'll ever hear. And it says in verse 22, it was
at Jerusalem. Got there in the capital city,
capital of religion. So much religion, so little faith. So much religion, so little understanding. It was the feast of the dedication.
Now what this feast was, it was an eight day feast commemorating
the deliverance of the temple from idolatry. There was a fellow
came in with idolatrous practices and idolatrous ceremonies and
the temple was delivered from that idolatry and they made it
a yearly celebration, a celebration, an eight day celebration. And
it says it was winter and the Lord Jesus Christ walking, was
walking in Solomon's porch. Now that's referred to over in
the book of Acts twice. It was kind of a gathering place.
It was a place out of the wind, out of the weather, place where
people gathered together and where they talked and visited
and so forth and so on. And while he was walking here
on this pole, it says, then came the Jews. Now these weren't just
rabble-rousers or people off the street. These were the leaders. These were the men in authority.
These were the men who had the high seats, the uppermost seats
in the synagogue. These were priests and Levites
and scribes and Pharisees. This was the Sanhedrin. This
was high as you could go in religious circles. And they came round
about him. It says they just got round about
him. As our Lord walked on this porch,
I can just see all these fellows in their uniforms and robes with
their high hats and their broad phylacteries and all, you know,
with all their credentials and powers and influence and authority. And here's this so-called carpenter,
this man in the seamless robe with the calloused hands and
whose followers were fishermen. And they gathered round about
him And they asked a question, that's my first point, let's
look at the question. They said to him, how long do
you make us doubt? How long are you going to hold
us in suspense? If you be the Christ, tell us clearly, plainly, in
clear words, in your words, articulate it. What we want you to say in
plain words is, I am the Christ. I am that prophet of whom Moses
wrote. I am that priest that should
arise. I am that king's son of David. They said that's what we want
you to say. Tell us plain. Now, this is a
good question. This is a good question. In fact,
all of the Old Testament prophecies, all of the Old Testament promises,
all of the Old Testament types and pictures of redemption are
fulfilled in the Christ who should come. And this Christ is to be
the seed of woman. Behold, the Lord himself is going
to give you a sign. A virgin shall conceive and bring
forth a son. And when the wise men came to
Herod and they said, tell us where He is, that's born King
of the Jews, inherits sin for these fellows. And he said, where
is this King of the Jews, this Christ to be born? And they said,
in Bethlehem. It's written in Malachi that
he's to be born in Bethlehem. He's to be the seed of David
and the son of David of the tribe of Judah. That's what the Scripture
says. The Christ. The Christ. every prophecy, every
promise of redemption fulfilled in this Christ. And it said he
is to be born of the tribe of Judah. You remember when Jacob
was blessing his sons, he said the scepter will not depart from
Judah till Shiloh comes. He's to be of the tribe of Judah.
He's to be the family of Jesse. He is to be the son of David,
of the house and lineage of David. He's to be born in Bethlehem.
Now, I want to show you something, two things, if you'll turn to
Matthew chapter 1. Now, I know some of you have
wondered about this, and I'm going to clear it up, just as
clear and plain as I can right now. Matthew chapter 1. Matthew chapter 1. Now, listen
to this. In the first chapter of Matthew,
it says, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, son of David,
the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac was
the son of Abraham. Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat
Judas and his brethren. And Judas begat Perez and Zarah
of Tamar. And it goes right on down. Look
at verse 6. And Jesse begat David. And David
begat the king. David the king begat Solomon
of her that had been the wife of Uriah. And Solomon begat Reboham. and so forth. Now, look at verse
15. And Eliad begat Eleazar, and
Eleazar begat Mathan, and Mathan begat Jacob, and Jacob begat
Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, which
is called Christ. Now, you see, there's the lineage.
It starts at Abraham, comes down through David, Judah, Jesse,
David, Solomon. And it comes right on down to
Joseph, who supposedly was the father of Christ. He's the foster
father. He's the husband of the rest.
So Joseph is of the very house of David. He's the heir to the
throne and his son's the heir to the throne. 4 Thelma's Scripture. Now you see that? This is the
genealogy of Joseph. Now hold that right there and
turn to Luke chapter 3. Luke the 3rd chapter. And this
has been a battleground for years. And there's no reason for it
to be. Alright, Luke chapter 3. You find it now, I want you
to find it, everyone in you, I want you to find it. The Bible
is so precise, so exact. Luke chapter 3, verse 23. And
Jesus, everyone have it, Jesus himself began to be about 30
years of age, being as was supposed the son of Joseph. who was a
son of Heli, who was a son of Matthan, which is a son of Levi. You know why? Matthew 1 is the
genealogy of Joseph. Luke 3 is the genealogy of Mary. And Joseph is the son-in-law
of Eli. The Bible, you ladies aren't
going to like this, but the Bible never traces the genealogy of
a woman. Never. Always the man. And that's what Luke 3 is. Mary
was of the house and lineage of David. Her father was Heli. And when they trace it, now watch
this, go back to Matthew 1. Matthew 1. And verse 5. Matthew 1, 5. This is Joseph's
genealogy. Jesse beget, I mean, Salmon,
Salmon beget Boaz of Rahab. Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, Obed
begat Jesse, Jesse begat David, David begat Solomon. In other
words, here comes the genealogy of Joseph. Comes from Abraham
down to David and Solomon. Now watch Mary's genealogy. Comes
from Abraham to David, when it gets to David, it goes to another
son. Turn to Luke 3. Not Solomon.
Turn to Luke 3. Let's find it here. Alright,
it's down here in verse 32. We'll have to go backwards here
now. 32 says that Boaz was the father
of Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse.
You see I'm moving up? Jesse was the father of David
and Nathan was the son of David. So Mary came through Nathan,
David's son. Joseph came through Solomon.
And that's the reason there's a difference. Are you with me?
You're frowning a little bit. But now, this is, you have the
word of God so precise. You see, the Christ, the Christ,
all the way through the Bible, the seed of woman, the seed of
Abraham, a prophet like Moses, a priest like Melchizedek, King
who is the son of David, who's the rightful heir, who's to be
born in Bethlehem, And here Mary and Joseph, Mary the virgin who
was espoused to Joseph, she was with child by the Holy Ghost
and the angel said, thou shalt call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from the sins. This is a full film of Isaiah
7, 6, 7, Isaiah 9, 6, and Isaiah 7, 14, where a virgin shall conceive
and call his name Emmanuel, Son of God. And when Mary and Joseph
went up to Bethlehem, that was their city, because they were
of the house of David. And they went up there to pay
tax, and that's when this son was born. And Jesus Christ is
not only spiritually king, he is literally, and in the line,
the king of Israel. The king of Israel and the son
of David. Through Mary, whose father was
Heli, going back to Nathan, whose father was David, through Joseph,
whose father was Nathan, that goes back to Solomon, whose father
was David. Now that's the way it is, and
that's those two. You see, the word of God is so precise and
so exact. John the Baptist said he's the
Christ. John the Baptist said he's the Christ. John said, behold
the Lamb of God. The disciples believed he was
the Christ. Turn to John chapter 6. The disciples said he was
the Christ. John 6, verse 68. Listen to this. Our Lord had preached to a multitude
of people, fed the 5,000, not counting women and children,
and they left him. And he turned to his disciples
and said, will you go away? And Peter answered in verse 68,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure. that thou art that Christ,
the Son of the Living God. Now here's where it is. Here's
the object of faith. Here's the blessing of faith.
Here's God's mercy upon faith, is to believe in the heart. In the heart, with all the soul,
that Jesus is the Christ. John said in John 20, these things
are written. that you might believe that Jesus
is the Christ. He said, who is a liar? But he
that denieth that Jesus is the Christ. That's what John. Who is a liar? But he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ. Look at John 11. We see this
same thing. The disciples are declaring that
He is the Christ. John 11, 27. While you're finding
that, Peter said at Pentecost, Him whom you crucified, God hath
made both Lord and Christ. Look at John 11 verse 27. She said unto him, Yea, Lord,
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God that
should come into the world. You see, when we preachers exhort
men to believe, we're not just exhorting them to a faith. We're
exhorting them to believe in a person and believe sensibly
and intelligently and willingly and approvingly and lovingly
on that person as he is revealed in the scriptures, the Christ. You see, that's right, Jim. It's
not only the fact that you believe, it's what do you believe? You say, I believe in Jesus.
Tell me what you believe about him. It has a lot to do with
what you believe about. I tell you that when that Samaritan
woman was sitting there talking to Christ at the well, she said,
now we know that the Christ is coming who will tell us all things. He said, I'm He. He said to the
blind man that he made to see, he said, do you believe on the
Son of God? He said, Lord, tell me who He is that I may believe.
He said, I that speak to thee am He. That's what I'm declaring. that Jesus is the Christ. And
this was the big argument. I hear people running around
trying to argue about God still in the soul-saving business,
God still in the healing business, God still in the miracle business.
You're just sidetracking folks now. Christ is God. And the very object
of this book is to reveal Him, not showing off His power, but
revealing his righteousness and justice and holiness in redeeming
service. And to believe on him as such,
if he's pleased to heal, fine, if he's not, he's still the Christ.
Look at John 4, if you will, John 4, John 4, 25. See, this was the issue. This woman went down there and
she said, the woman said to these men, she said to him, I know
that Messiah comes, which is called Christ. Oh, I looked at
verse 29. She said to these men, come and
see a man which told me all that ever I did is not this, the Christ. Look at verse 42, and they said
to the woman, now we believe, not because you said so, but
we've heard him ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the
Christ. That's the issue. Who is Jesus
Christ? Who is Jesus of Nazareth? The
scriptures declare that he's the Christ. And that's what these
men gathered around him, and they said, now, if you be the
Christ, the Messiah, of whom all this is written. If you be
the Christ, the King of Israel, the King of the Jews, the Savior
of the world, the Messiah, of whom God the Father spoke, of
whom Moses spoke, and Isaiah spoke, and Jeremiah spoke, the
Lord our righteous, tell us! He said, that's a good question.
Yes, but their motive was wrong. All wrong. They weren't asking
Him to tell them plainly in order that they might believe. I wish
people would ask this question, Ronnie, in sincerity, saying,
brother man, if Jesus of Nazareth the Christ tell us plainly, because
that's what the blind beggar said. He said, Lord, tell me
who He is that I might believe. These men said, tell us plainly
that we might take your words to Caesar. That's the reason
they were asking. They wanted him out of the way.
And they were asking him, they were saying, you put your claims
in words that we can understand and we'll get you. We'll get
you. That was their motive. They didn't
ask Him to declare He was the Christ in plain language in order
that they might be believed and might be saved, but that they
might accuse Him to Caesar and have His head and put Him to
death as challenging the throne. Alright, let's see what our Lord
answered them, how He answered them. How did He answer them? In verse 25, Jesus answered them,
I told you. I told you. Did he tell them? Oh yes, he told them. Others told them. He showed them. Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees
himself, and he was probably with this bunch. But he said
himself, no man could do what you do except God be with him.
He told them. And over here in John 5, turn
over there a minute. All these witnesses our Lord
brings, brings forward all the witnesses. Listen to the first
one, in John 5, 32. He said, There's another that
beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesseth
of me is true. You sent unto John, he beareth
witness of the truth. He said, This is the Lamb of
God. And then he said in verse 36, I have greater witness than
that of John, the works which the Father hath given me to finish,
the same works I do, they bear witness of me. In verse 37, and
the Father himself which hath sent me hath borne witness of
me. In verse 39, search the scriptures,
in them you think you have life, they testify of me. He said I
told you. John told you. The works tell
you, the Father told you, the Bible tells you. I told you. And I'll tell you, that same
charge is laid at the door of every person here tonight. You've
been told in plain language that Jesus is the Christ. I know this
world wants to worship Him as an infant, a powerless infant. They want to stand and gaze at
Him His dead form hanging on a cross. They want to count their
beads and rub their good luck charms. But they do not want
Him as the Christ. The sovereign, omnipotent, ordained,
anointed, conquering Christ. He's told you. In Genesis, He's
revealed as the promised seed, Abel's lamb, and Isaac's sacrifice. In Exodus, he's the Passover
lamb. In Leviticus, he's the scapegoat,
the atonement. In Numbers, he's the serpent
lifted up. He's the rock. In Deuteronomy,
he's the city of refuge. In Joshua, he's the prophet,
priest, and king. In Ruth, he's the kinsman, redeemer,
pictured by his great, great, great, great grandfather, Boaz.
In Samuel, he's David's surety. In Kings, he's the king of kings
and lord of lords. In Job, he's my redeemer that
liveth. In Psalm, he's the Lord my shepherd. I told you, he said. I told you. I told you. I told you. Alright, let's go back to the
text and see their response. And what I'm doing is putting
us right where these men are. They had a bad motive. I hope
I have a good motive. If you be the Christ, tell me.
He said, I told you. And I keep telling you. This
generation of religionists want to play games. They don't want
to get down. They say, don't preach doctrine. Let's just enjoy
worshiping in the spirit. You can't worship in the spirit
without a doctrinal foundation. Spirit and truth. You can't approach
God except in spirit and truth. People don't want to think. They
don't want to study. We're in the day of instant everything. We've got instant grits and interest,
instant oats and instant eggs and instant potatoes and we want
an instant religion. Don't clutter my mind up with
a lot of stuff. Just tell me I'm saved. He may
not be. Let's find out who he is that
we might believe. But he said, I told you And you
believe not. You believe not. Here's our Savior's
charge against the sons of Adam and against the religious so-called
sons of Abraham. I told you. John told you. The Father told you. The works
told you. The scripture told you. And you
didn't believe. You didn't believe. Turn back
to John 5 and let's follow up those witnesses and see what
he says to those fellas in John chapter 5. You didn't believe,
not only that, he gave all these witnesses, John, the works, the
father, the scriptures. In verse 40 he said, in spite
of all these witnesses, you will not come to me. You won't be identified with
me, you won't be committed to me, you won't believe me, you
won't receive me, you won't bow to me, you won't come. And verse
42, he said, I know you. You don't really have God's love
in you. You talk about knowing God, you
talk about loving God, you talk about believing God, but you
don't have God's love in you. If you love Him that beget, you
love Him that begot loving. And verse 43, he said, here you
are, I've come in my father's very name and you don't receive
me. If another comes in his own name,
you're so warped and twisted and perverted, him you will receive. Do you know that that's 1985?
People will receive Moon, old Moon. They'll receive that nut
from wherever he was that went to Oregon. They'll believe anything,
they'll go down there and establish a commune with Jim Jones. They'll
follow Pope, what's his name? Anybody but Christ Jesus. They will, they'll clutter after
him and clamor after him like a pied piper. That's what our
Lord said, you let somebody come in his own name. Mohammed, Confucius,
Buddha, these fellas They have no scripture behind them or promise
of God behind them. They have no sacrifice for sin,
no resurrected Redeemer. They are laying in graves and
their bones are still there and people worship them. Verse 44,
here's your problem. How can you believe? You should
receive honor one of another. You don't seek the honor that
comes only from God. You're not zeroing in on the
one honor that's important, and that's God's praise. Not the
praise of men, or the recognition of men, or the approval of men.
But you're not zeroing in on one thing. I want to be accepted
of God, and that can only be in Christ. It matters not what
men think. Paul said, if I please men, I'm
not the servant of Christ. I want God to be pleased, I want
to be accepted of God, but we're so conscious of what people think. What will people say? Just like
that message I spoke on this morning, refusing tithing, refusing
pledges. Somebody said to me, we're just
so bound by tradition, it's so hard to break. Somebody said
to me, even now when I give my gifts, somehow or other when
I earn some money it comes in, that tide has been so pounding
in my mind that I think on that very principle. And I just can't
blot it out. We must blot it out. We're not
under the law, we're under grace. And what we do, we do because
we love Christ. You see, and that's the same
thing as this, of seeking honor, seeking approval, seeking the
good word of meaning. It doesn't matter what they think,
let's find out what God says. He said, you seek honor that
comes from God. And in verse 45, don't think I'll accuse you
of the Father. There's one that accuses you,
even Moses, that is the writings of Moses in whom you trust. But
if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me. He wrote
of me. But you don't really believe the word. That's what Christ said. He said,
I told you. I told you who I am. And you didn't believe me. Now here's the root problem.
Fourth point, the root problem. He said you won't come to me
that you might have life because you don't have God's love in
you, you don't seek the honor that comes from God, you don't
believe the scriptures. Had you believed the scriptures,
you'd come to me. Because to him give all the prophets witness.
The scriptures are of Christ and if we believed the Bible,
we'd believe Christ. But here's the root problem,
verse 26. But you believe not because you're
not of my sheep. That's why you don't believe.
Now just buckle your seatbelt. Don't turn this around. Christ
looked at these religionists. Now they had religion. These
men weren't without religion. They had righteousness. It was
their own. They had their traditions of
their fathers, they were doing everything that their fathers
had done, and their fathers and fathers and fathers before them.
They believed in the law, they believed in keeping the law.
But Christ said they didn't believe in Him. Wouldn't receive Him. And the reason they didn't, He
said, you're not of my sheep. You believe not because you're
not of my sheep. Now notice, He didn't say, you're
not my sheep because you don't believe. Now come on, he didn't
say that, did he? He didn't say, you're not my
sheep because you don't believe. He said, you don't believe because
you're not my sheep. Turn to Acts 13, 48. You see, our God will not be
defeated. His purposes will be accomplished.
And here is a preacher that dares declare it in those uncertain
terms. That God elected a people and
Christ died for them and they're coming to Christ. Now who they
are, I don't know. The Lord knoweth them that are
here. And it says in Acts 13, 48. Now listen. And when the
Gentiles heard this, what did they hear? Verse 47. The Lord commanded us saying,
I set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, that thou shouldest
be for salvation to the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad, and they glorified the word of the
Lord, and as many as believed were ordained alive. No, that's
not what it says. It says, Jim, as many as were
ordained alive believed. You know who's going to believe
the message I preach tonight? His sheep. Those who are ordained
to life. You know who's not going to believe
it? Those who are not his sheep. That's what Christ said. They
were just cluttered around him. These Pharisees and religious
leaders were just crowding in upon him and their teeth were
gnashing and their eyes were flashing and they wanted to accuse
him before season and they wanted his death. They didn't want him
disturbing their traditions and their religion. And they said,
you be the Christ, tell us plainly. He said, I told you. My father
told you. And the works tell you. John
the Baptist told you. And the word of God tells you.
But you don't believe. You don't believe God and you
don't believe the word. And I'll tell you why. You're
not my sheep. Look at the next verse. You're
not my sheep. For he says, my sheep hear my
voice. What is his voice? His gospel. His voice of mercy, his voice
of grace, his voice of righteousness. I am come that they might have
real life, not the pretense of life. Not just to pretend. Let's quit pretending. Christ
said, I'm come that they might genuinely, realistically, have
life, and not barely, but abundantly. Abundantly! I'm come that they
might have life. And have it abundantly. And my
sheep are going to hear that good news. Paul wrote to the
church of Thessalonica, and he said, I know your election of
God. How do you know we're God's elect, Paul? Because our gospel
came to you, not in word only, but in power. Turn to Matthew
13. I want you to look at this. I want you to follow along as
I read Matthew 13. This scripture, I want you to
look at it. My sheep will hear my voice. He said a stranger, they're not
going to follow. They're going to hear the shepherd's voice.
And in Matthew 13, our Lord is speaking here and says this,
Matthew 13, 15, you see it? For this people's heart is waxed
gross, their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes they've closed,
lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear
with their ears, should understand with their heart and be converted,
and I should heal them. But, oh, blessed are your eyes,
they see. Blessed are your ears, they hear.
Verily I say unto you, many prophets and righteous men have desired
to see those things which you see, the fulfillment of every
promise, the fulfillment of every type, the fulfillment of every
picture, the actual coming of the Lamb of God. And they have
not seen them. And to hear those things which
you've heard and have not heard them, oh, blessed are your ears. Blessed are your eyes. You know
the reason you have those eyes and ears? You're his sheep. He's got, he's making up his
jewels, making up his body, making up his bride, calling out his
sheep. And every one of them are called
his. His. His. And listen to what he says here,
not only that, in verse 27, my sheep hear my voice, and he said,
and I know them. Now when you see that word know,
I know them, he said I know them and they know me. Look back at
verse 14. I'm the good shepherd, I know
my sheep and they know me. What kind of know is this? It
is a knowledge of approbation, acceptance and love. I know you. I know you. In Matthew 7 he said,
in that day many were saying to me, wait a minute now Lord,
we prophesied in your name, cast out devils, did many wonderful
works, depart from me, I never knew you. Now wait a minute,
God's omniscient, he knows all things. How can he say I never knew you?
He knew when they were born, he knew who their mother and
father was, he knew their thoughts before they thought. Did he not
know their thoughts? He knew everything about them. But he
said, I never knew you. I never loved you. I never accepted
you. I never set my approval upon
you. I never knew you. That's exactly
it. And when he talks about his sheep,
he said, I know them. I'm telling you, this is what
he says, this is what the master says. We need, you see the word
of God is so rich and powerful, we need to dwell on these words.
We need to find out who's speaking, to whom he's speaking, what he's
speaking about, what he's dealing with, and to follow the scripture
in its context. And our Savior said to these
men, He said, I told you, and you didn't believe Me. And I'll
tell you why you didn't believe Me. You're not of My sheep. My
sheep hear My voice. And My sheep believe Me. And
My sheep follow Me. And I know them. And they know
Me. With approbation, approval, and
love. They know Me. And I know them. And not only that, verse 28,
I give. Not something they earn. Not
something they merit. I give them life. Eternal life. Spiritual life. Divine. I give them life. And
I'll tell you this. Our Lord's talking to these religious
folks. He said, and they'll never perish.
Never, never, never, never. Not a one of them. And neither
shall any man or organization, and the word man is in italics,
just leave it out, neither shall any in heaven, earth, or hell
pluck them out of my hand. I like that story of Judah, when
he came to Jacob, his son Judah, the kingly tribe, type of Christ. And he said, I'm going back to
Egypt, Father, and I'm taking Benjamin with me. And he said,
I'll be surety for him, and you require him off my hand. Isn't that what he said? Off
my hand. Christ, our surety, will deliver
every one of his sheep, or the Father will require it off his
hand. And he said, nobody's going to
get them out of my hand. Alright, read on. My Father,
which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able
to pluck them out of my Father's hand." We're pretty secure, aren't
we? I don't know why these dumb religionists
go around arguing eternal security. Anytime you hear two men sitting
around arguing against once saved, always saved, eternal security,
put them down, you got a fool sitting there talking. That's
exactly right. I don't care if he's a DD or
a THD, he's a fool. Because this scripture is so
clear that the sheep, I'm not defending the security of religious
people. I'm defending the security of
the sheep of Christ because they're in His hand. And He said, not
only that, they're in my Father's hand. And they'll never perish. And then people come, what if,
what if, what if, nothing. You can't get an if bigger than
God. There's no what if about it. All that my father giveth
me will come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll in no wise,
under any condition, by any pressure, subject to any man, cast him
out. Never, never, never, never. And
then he concludes it with this that Cecil read so well and dwelt
on. Because I and father are one. You see if a man goes to hell,
the father's got to send him there. Isn't that right? The highest court's got to condemn
you. And Christ and the Father are one. How can I be condemned? If the judge himself is my advocate,
how can I be condemned? Wouldn't you like to go to court
and the judge be your own lawyer? And your own lawyer be the judge?
You got it wrapped up. But that's what it is in our
case. The father judges no man but has committed all judgment
to the son. He said for judgment I've come
into the world. My judge is my lawyer. My judge
is my brother. My judge is my advocate. I can't
perish. My case is won. Let's get into
the word. Find out And let's quit talking
about what we believe and talk about whom we believe. I know
whom I have believed. And I want to find out more about
him because I'm on my way to meet him, aren't you? I want
to find out all I can find out in the time I've got to find
it out. And I don't want to be bothered by fools and folks that
want to sidetrack you and all that sort of thing. I just want
to know him, whom to know is life eternal. Stay with me, we'll
find out something about him and we'll be able to praise him
like he ought to be praised. Let's pray.

You Believe Not Because

What does the Bible say about Jesus being the Christ?

How do we know that Christ is the one true Savior?

Why is understanding Christ's identity important for Christians?

How does faith relate to being one of Christ's sheep?

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You Believe Not Because

What does the Bible say about Jesus being the Christ?

How do we know that Christ is the one true Savior?

Why is understanding Christ's identity important for Christians?

How does faith relate to being one of Christ's sheep?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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