We turn again to the 5th chapter
of John. Our Lord said to these religious
Jews in John 5, verse 40, You will not come to Me. You will not submit. You will
not bow down to the royal claims of King Jesus. You will not receive
me, my reproach. You will not, that you might
have life." In verse 42, he said, you have not, you will not, and
you have not. You have not the love of God
in you, but the love of self, and the pride and love of nationality,
even the love for your own righteousness and religion, but you don't have
the love of God. And then he says in verse 43,
you receive me not, you will not come to me, you don't have
the love of God in you, and you let another come in his own name,
and him you will receive, but I come in my Father's name and
you won't receive me. And then he said in verse 44,
last line, you seek not the honor that comes from God, you seek
the praise of men. You seek the honor that comes
from the flesh. You seek those things, the things
of this world, the fashion of which will fade away, but you
don't seek the honor that comes from God. You will not come to
me. You don't have God's love in
you. You will not receive me. You don't seek God's honor, but
you can't deny the witnesses. You can't deny the witnesses.
I have witnesses, Christ said. John the Baptist bore witness
of me. The miracles which I perform
bore witness of me. The Father himself bore witness
of me. And the Word, the Bible, the
Scriptures which you search, they testify of me. Moses wrote
of me. And today, when skeptics and
agnostics and infidels say all they can, they will not bow to
the royal claims of our blessed Lord. They will not receive Him. They will receive everything
religious, but not Christ. They seek not the honor of Christ.
There are three broad facts and witnesses which they can't handle. There are three broad facts which
they will not honestly deal with and which they cannot explain
away. Simple facts, plain facts, but impossible to ignore. They
can't be swept under the rug. And these are the points of my
message this morning. What are these three facts? When
skeptics and infidels and agnostics and rebels and unbelievers And
those who mock the things of God, when they've said all they
can say, when they've done all they can do, there are three
things they can't explain. There are three things they cannot
deal with. They cannot honestly deal with
these three things. They can't handle them. They
are impossible to ignore. Number one, Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ Himself. Now if
what we call Christianity is a mere invention of men, if it's a scheme and a conspiracy
that was brought about by a Jewish nation, and as one person said,
an opium for the people, if that's what it is, if it's just a foolish
desire on the part of men to find a happy hunting ground, How do you explain Jesus Christ? How do you? Now, His existence
nobody can deny. That's an established, proven,
historical fact. He was in this world. A man called
Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem. A man called Jesus
of Nazareth made his appearance on this earth. in the time of
Caesar, in the time of Roman power. He walked on this earth.
And that man died on a cross, on a Roman cross, and he was
buried, and his disciples say he rose again. That is so. That is so. He was in the world. The world didn't know him, but
he was here. And secondly, without force,
without bribery, without weapons, arms, or money,
without a position, without possessions, without a kingdom, without a
throne, from a despised nation in slavery to another nation,
he came. And he left his mark on this
world as no other person in all of history. Who is He? Who is Jesus Christ? What think
ye of Jesus Christ? Whose Son is He? He asked that
question. Where did He come from? What
is He to you? There have been other Reformers. One of the men in their councils
one day said, there have been other Reformers, there have been
other Messiahs who have come to know But how is he different
from other messiahs and other reformers and other religious
leaders? Well, they came to live. He came to die. That's what he's
saying. He came to die. They came to
live. All these other reformers and religious messiahs and leaders
came to live. He came to die. All the others
leave monuments and memorials. You cannot authentically, authentically
I say, I know there are preachers who take a whole lot of folks
to the Holy Land and they stand and look at a hole in the ground
and say, that's where Christ was buried. It ain't no such
thing. And they stand and look at some other place, that's where
Christ was born. They stand and look at a hill
and say, that's where Christ died. You cannot. And one of
these Holy Land, Beerstring preachers, who lead the groups over there
every year, told me himself out of his own mouth. He said, I
don't think there's authentically one single place that we can
be sure that anything in regard to Christ happened except maybe
Calvary. That's what he said, maybe. But
he still goes every year and takes people. But all of the
other religious reformers, you find their birthplace and where
they live and where they died and where they're buried. The
Lord Jesus Christ left none of these monuments or memorials. In fact, one time back in the
Old Testament, you remember the brazen serpent that Moses lifted
up? The people kept that thing and
saved it, and they began to worship it. And one of the kings of later
years got that brazen serpent. Wouldn't you like to have it?
A lot of folks would. You know it'd bring you more
harm than good? This flesh likes an idol. It likes something it
can touch and see and feel and give obedience to. And that's
what these people, they found the brazen serpent and started
worshiping, and the king ground it to powder. He said, it's nothing
but a worthless piece of brass. And that's what I say about if
you could find the cradle in which Christ lay at birth, It
would be a worthless piece of wood. If you could find the cross
on which He was nailed, and I hope I don't offend you, but it would
be an idol and people would worship it and be damned for it. It would
take their mind away from Christ. It's a worthless piece of wood.
The steps over there in Rome that they claim were the steps
Christ walked up, they're a worthless piece of junk. That's all it
is. Our Lord never left any of these things. See, that's the
difference in fleshly messiahs and Christ. They leave monuments
and memorials and tributes to their names for people to worship
and visit and pay tribute to. Nothing but His worship. And
then, how do you explain it? All other reformers and messiahs
write books and proverbs and memoirs. He wrote on the sand
and the wind blew it away. Nothing Jesus Christ ever wrote
is in this world. So what about the Bible? Holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The
only thing God ever wrote, He wrote that law on the tables
of stone. Nobody knows where it is. He wrote on the sand. But where He writes is on men's
hearts. That's where Christ writes. All these other Messiahs, they
choose the rich and the powerful and the influential and the wealthy.
Our Lord chooses the poor and the base and the despised to
bring to naught the things that are. Not many mighty, not many
noble, as He calls them. All the other Messiahs commend
human righteousness. You've done good. Yes, you have. You're a good man. You're a fine
man. We need you. You're this, that, and the other.
Christ condemned it. How do you account for Jesus
Christ? All the other messiahs brag on human righteousness and
commend human endeavor and human faithfulness. Christ said, your
righteousness, you've got to have one to exceed that or you
won't see the kingdom of God. Filthy rags. All others seek
those who can help them. He sought those whom he could
help. All others promise success and happiness to their followers.
Our Lord promised tribulation, suffering. In this world you
shall have tribulation. You shall be hated of men for
my sake. They'll cast you out of the synagogue
and those that kill you will think they're doing God a favor.
What kind of Messiah are you? All these other Messiahs hold
their disciples with fear and force and threats. He said to
his disciples, Will you go away? How do you explain it? Will you go away? All other Messiahs
and Reformers promised promotion, rewards, recognition for faithful
service. Our Lord said the last shall
be first and the first shall be last. He that's least among
you shall be the greatest and he that's greatest among you
shall be your servants. You don't get things done that
way, not with men. No, sir, you don't get things
done with men. Not with natural men, but you
do with godly men. All the others say, follow me,
I'll show you the way. Christ said, I am the way. All
the others claim to be messengers sent from God. He claimed to
be God. All the others stay dead. You can visit the grave of Mohammed,
Confucius, Buddha, or any other religious leader. Every pope
that's ever died, you can visit his grave. But don't waste your
time going to Jerusalem. He's not here. He's risen. He's
risen. And all his claims and all of
his promises and all of his work rest not upon his life alone,
but on his death and resurrection. If Jesus Christ be not risen,
read it yourself in 1 Corinthians 15, 12 through 19, if he be not
risen, you're yet in your sins. We're
false witnesses of God. Those that sleep in Christ are
perished. We're of all men most miserable,
and there is no resurrection. If he be not risen. What other
Messiah can make that claim? They live and say, follow me,
I'll show you, do what I do, say what I say. Christ came to
die and to rise again. And all of His promises and all
of His work rest upon His resurrection. And the followers of all other
Messiahs are rewarded for their work, for their loyalty, and
for their righteousness. Our reward is His work, His faithfulness,
and His righteousness. How do you explain Jesus Christ?
What have you got to say about Him? What the world has tried
to do is make Him nothing but a man. But these things are not
characteristics of a man. These are not the attributes
of a man. He spake as no other man has
ever spoken. He spake with authority. That's
what impressed the men who came to arrest Him. Where is He, they
said. We couldn't get Him. This man, he's not a man. And so they can't handle that
witness, Christ himself. Secondly, if Christianity is
a mere invention of men, if it is, as they say, an opium for
the people, if it is nothing but the figment of some religious
person's imagination, if it has no divine foundation or authority, How do you explain this book?
How do you explain this book? This book, this is an unusual
book. This book dates back 3,500 years,
the early writings. Three thousand, that's three
millenniums and a half. And the last entry in this book
was 2,000 years ago. This book. And this book was written, of
course we know the Holy Spirit inspired it, but it was written
by 40 different men, 40 different men, without any collaboration,
without any consultation. Men who were not writers, who
were not authors, who were not recognized as literary giants,
in a language now dead. from a people whose customs and
traditions were totally different from everybody else's. And yet
when this book was brought together, written over a period of 1,500
years, dating back 3,500 years, when it was brought together,
told one message, one story, without contradiction, without
error, It was the revelation of one person in picture and
image and type and symbol and promise and prophecy. And then
he came and fulfilled all that was written. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
and Paul didn't hesitate to picture Christ as a fulfillment of the
writings of a man they never met, Moses, Isaiah. But more than that, It's hated
by all the world leaders. During the Dark Ages and the
Middle Ages and these ages, it's mocked. It's the butt of jokes
by natural men. How has it survived? If I wrote a book and everybody
who was anybody declared war on it, it wouldn't last five
years. But this one, 3,500 years while
whole kingdoms and whole and powers, and rulers, and coalitions,
and these things have declared war on it, to blot it out, to
stamp it out. And it's stamped here, and there'd
be two of them. And it's stamped there, and there'd be four of
them. And it's stamped here, and there'd be eight of them.
And it's written in 1,000 languages. It's read by more people than
all other books combined. And it's overcome the test of
time. Where are the books by men written
200 years ago, 300? Well, they don't exist. It's
endured the test of custom and nationality. Chinese people don't
read books by Native Africans. Native Africans don't read books
by Russians. Russians don't read books by
Guatemalans. or Mayans, but you can take this
book and hand it to a lawyer with five degrees and it will
meet his need. Or you can hand it to a Mayan
Indian with a first grade education and it will meet his need. Or you can hand it to a man on
the streets of New York or a man sitting in a hut in the middle
of Africa and it's alive. and He'll treasure it and cling
to it and hold it and give His life for it. You know any books
written by me and anybody I've died for? I don't. I don't. And yet, it tells the
truth about me. You don't brag on me. That's
what's a mystery. How do you explain this book?
Here I am sitting here reading a book that condemns my thoughts,
condemns my words, condemns my activities, condemns my imagination,
and condemns every effort I put forth to get to God and tells
me I can't do it, and yet I keep on reading. It shuts my mouth,
what the Scripture says, it says to everyone under the law that
every mouth may be stopped. It renders me guilty before God,
and yet I love it. because it points me to Christ
and tells me about the Lord. And this book tells men the truth
about themselves in plain terms, and it tells the truth about
God, which no other books ever attempted to do. Find me a book
that with any authority at all can tell you the truth about
God. And this book claims to be, as
Jesus Christ did, the Word of God. That's what makes it so
divine, and so deep, and yet so simple, and so mysterious,
and yet so plain. It's a mystery to the natural
man. It's a revelation to the redeemed.
I ask you this morning, what are you going to do about this
book? What are you going to do about
this book? Think not Christ said that I
will accuse you to the Father. My word will accuse you. This
is it. Thirdly, three witnesses I said,
who is Jesus Christ? How do you explain him? This
book, how do you explain it? Number three, Christianity itself. Now, if Christianity is but the
invention of men and has no power beyond the resolve or determination
of the natural flesh, let me ask you a question or two. Number
one, how do you explain the difference
in the conditions of this world where Christ is preached, loved,
and believed, and the conditions where his name is not known?
How do you explain that? I defy you to look at a map of
the world. I defy you to look at a map of
the world with any honesty at all and compare all things, I'm
saying all things, where men are Christians, where men are
believers, where men love Christ, where the gospel is preached
like it is in this town, and where men are not Christians.
You get your map of the world. They're as different as daylight
and dark. I've been to some countries. I could name... I've been to
Japan, Philippines, Hawaii, South America, Mexico, Canada, Spain,
France, England, Germany, Ireland, all these countries. I've been
to these countries. And where Christ... I'm not saying any
Christian nations. I'm not claiming America's a
Christian nation. I'm not claiming America was
born in a prayer meeting. I'm saying Christ is preached
here. And there's some people who believe the gospel. And I'm
saying countries where Christ is not preached and where the
gospel is not believed, individual freedom is not recognized. At
least it is here. How long? I don't know, but it
is here, and it has been for 200 years. Human life, where
Christ is preached, where Christ is loved, human life is regarded
highly. Where Christ is not known, a
human life is not worth three dollars. Human rights are at least recognized. They're not where Christ is not
preached. Maybe not as much as you think they ought to, but
at least they're recognized. At least you don't have to get
permission to take a vacation next week like you do in Russia
and like you do in Hungary, Yugoslavia, some of these other places. Laws
are enforced governing morality. in countries where Christ is
preached. How do you explain Christianity?
Where in countries where Christ is preached, governments are
subject to the people. Where Christ is not known and
loved, people are subject to governments. That's so. It's
just the truth. There is infidelity, paganism,
atheism, like Russia, China, some of these other countries.
There's America with the gospel, England with the gospel, and
it's been preached there. Canada with the gospel. Right
in the middle here, I'll show you some countries with a perverted
religion, potpourri. Look at Spain. What has potpourri
done to Spain? I wish you could see it. What
has potpourri done to Ireland? Ninety-five percent of the people
in South Ireland are Catholics. They are religious. They are
under potpourri. Look at it. Poverty, hate, war,
all of this. Look at France. Look at Italy. Look at the South American countries. where Christ is preached, where
individual freedom, the liberty of Christ, the love of Christ,
the glory of Christ, the beauty of Christ, the grace of Christ,
the atonement of Christ, it's like coming out of pitch blackness
into daylight. I defy you to look at a map and
then tell me there's nothing to Christianity. I defy you to
compare communities. Some of you people have moved
here from some pretty rotten places where there's no gospel
preached. You can say what you want to
about this little town, but God's been good to us here. I thank
God for this place. The gospel's preached here. I
know you say, well, there's a lot of evil here. There's evil wherever
men are. There's evil in this building
right here. There's evil in this pulpit because I'm a human being.
But I tell you, it's restrained evil. And if you're stained by
the hand of God, it's the mercy of God. You compare this community
with some places yonder where the gospel is not preached and
where Christ is not loved and where Christ is not known. You
compare home I'll take you to a home where the mother and daddy
are believers. They love the gospel. They love
Christ. They believe in Christ. They've
been redeemed by the grace of God and their children. And I'll
show you a difference in that home and a home over here that
has no love for God and no regard for Jesus Christ. It's as different
as daylight and dark. How do you account for that?
There's love over here. There's hate here. There's immorality
over there. There's godliness and honesty
and truth over here. Compare individuals. I have some
of you sitting right here in this building. Something happened. You met the Lord. His Spirit
gave you a new life and you're a new person. The things you
once hated you now love and the things you once loved you now
hate. How do you account for that? I'm going to visit at two o'clock
a young lady in prison this afternoon. And I know in my heart, I can't do one thing for her.
Not one thing. But I know who can. And if he's pleased to do a work
of grace in her heart, she'll be different. She'll straighten
up. She'll get off the dope. Her
life will be changed. She'll rejoice in the Lord. I
know that. I've seen it happen. You've seen
it happen, haven't you? But I go to tell her about Christ. I can go and sit down and say,
now, remember your children, and remember your mom and daddy,
and remember, remember, try to eat your decency and morality.
And she may try, but she won't make it. But oh, if God gives
her a new heart, He'll give her a new appetite. If He gives her
a new heart, He'll give her a new mind. If He gives her a new heart,
He'll give her a new direction. If He gives her a new heart,
He'll give her a new motivation, the love of Christ constraining
them. If that happens, you don't have to worry about them. I know
Christianity. How do you account for the change, the difference
in values? I'll tell you another thing.
Go with me and stand by the bedside of a dying Christian, believer,
I mean a godly believer who knows Christ. and stand beside the
bed of a dying unbeliever. You'll see the difference. If
the doctor doesn't have them so doped up, they don't know
what's going on. And back years ago, they couldn't,
they didn't do that because they didn't have the drugs, didn't
even have the doctors. But I'm telling you there's a
difference. To die, blessed are they that die in the Lord. Let
me die the death of the righteous, and let my latter end be like
his. Lord, I don't want to die in unbelief." How do you account
for it? I urge upon you these facts.
This is what our Lord said there, witnesses, witnesses! The facts you face today are
facts you must give an account of when you face God Almighty.
God's not left Himself without a witness, and He's not left
you without a witness. Who is Jesus Christ? What think
ye of Christ? Whose son is he? Well, the disciple
said, Thou art the Christ. I know who he is. He's no stranger. He's my Lord. He came down here
into this world and it was prophesied from all back in the Old Testament
that God would raise up a prophet from among the people, that God
would raise up a king from the lineage and house of David, that
God would send His own Son into this world to be my Redeemer,
my Savior, my Lord. He came down here to represent
a people. As my surety and representative,
He obeyed the law in my place. Numbered with the transgressors,
He went to the cross, and there He paid my debt. There He satisfied
the righteousness and justice of Almighty God on behalf of
all who believe on Him. That's who He is. And He died
for my sins and rose again for my justification and ascended
to the right hand of the Father where He is seated. having finished
the work God gave him to do, expecting that his enemies be
made his footstool, but interceding daily for all who receive him. He's our great High Priest. Oh,
we don't come into the Holy of Holies without a High Priest.
Christ is our High Priest. We come through Him, in Him,
by Him, through Him, for His glory. How do you account for
the Word of God? How do you account for the glorious
change that comes from a knowledge of Christ? The Reformation, that
glorious Reformation, years ago found men steeped in ignorance
and left them in possession of the knowledge of God. It found
men without Bibles and left the Bible in every home. It found
men in superstitious darkness and left them in the light of
the glory of God revealed in the face of Christ Jesus. It
found men priest-ridden, ceremony-ridden, sacrament ridden and left them
enjoying the freedom of Christ. It found me in slaves and set
them free. It found me in strangers to grace
and faith and mercy and left them walking with God. If you
won't at least look into the face of Christ And ask God to
reveal who He is. If you want at least look into
these pages of this book and ask God to reveal it to you,
if you want at least look into the effects that Christianity
has had upon individuals, homes, communities, nations, then why
don't you look at history? You know what history is? How
do you spell it? H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. His story. That's what it is, John. It's
His story. history. It's not the history of a bunch
of events and advances. It's his story. And the great
spiritual awakening, that great reformation that took place centuries
ago, that we profited by in such a great measure, it's meant so
much we've benefited by that great reformation. Do you know
the foundation of that reformation? Three things. This is what they
fought over and this is what they died for. Number one, same
thing I've been preaching, Jesus Christ alone. Jesus Christ alone. Not the law, not the church,
not the ceremony, not men's righteousness, salvation is in Christ alone. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus
who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
Christ alone. Complete in Him. The Scriptures
alone, not tradition, not custom, not the decrees of the churches
or the popes or the councils or the synods, but God's Word. Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God Almighty.
His Word, my Word, will not return unto me void. The glory of man
passeth away, but the Word of God endureth forever. The Word. Thirdly, grace alone, not by
works of righteousness which we've done, but according to
His mercy hath He saved us and made us new creatures in Christ
Jesus. That's what Martin Luther and Zwingli and all those men,
Calvin, that's what it's all about, those three things. Christ,
the Word, and the grace of God operative in a man's heart, not
his works. All that I was, my sin, my guilt,
my death, was all my own. All that I am, I owe to thee,
my gracious God alone. The evil of my former state was
mine and only mine. The grace in which I now rejoice
is thine and only thine. All that I am, even here on earth,
and all that I ever hope to be, when the Lord Jesus comes and
glory dawns, I owe it, Lord, to Thee. And when I stand before His throne,
clothed in a beauty not my own, And then, not till then, shall
I know how much I owe. How much I owe. It's real. I was listening to a song by
a singer the other day. My God is real. But He has to
be revealed, doesn't He? I want us to sing a closing hymn,
if you will join with me. What number? Number 454. If there's someone in the congregation
that God has dealt with you by His grace, you wish to confess
Christ and follow Him in baptism, we'd be happy to rejoice with
you if you'll present yourself to the church. If you're here
and God has, you're a child of God and you've already been baptized
by immersion, there's only one way to be baptized, and that's
by immersion, not by sprinkling. You've been baptized by a merchant.
You're a member of another church. You'd like to unite with us here
and worship the Lord in this place. We'd be happy to have
you in our fellowship. God has led you here. I wouldn't
want you to act hastily. But if God's led you to this
place, we'd be glad to receive you. Let's stand and sing 454. Christ has caused sin atonement
made for a wonderful Savior. We are redeemed, the price is
paid for a wonderful Savior. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus,
my Jesus! What a wonderful Savior is Jesus,
my Lord!