Redling, Jim: Week Of Meetings-01 ~ Studies In John-N Raleigh Chapel

Tonight again, we want to look in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John, and I'll try to get a little bit further into this great chapter that is before us, as we see the Lord Jesus Christ being the light of the world. You know, in him there is no darkness, and in the believers there should not be any darkness either, because we should be walking in the light with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's start again with that eighth twelve verse. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth after me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself. Thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true, for I know whence I came and whether I go, but ye cannot tell whence I come and whether I go. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man. Ye- and yet, if I judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law that in the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. Now, you know, beloved, as we mentioned this morning, as we're reading this portion of God's word, the Pharisees were trying to trick the Lord Jesus Christ in a first portion of this chapter about the woman taken in adultery, and the very act. They wanted him to go against the word of God and the law of God, but they forgot he was the one that wrote the law. And here again, we noticed in our chapter this morning that he stooped down and wrote on the sand in the temple there, and I think he probably wrote the Ten Commandments, the same finger that wrote them on the Mount with Moses probably is again writing the Ten Commandments. And then he stands up and say, those that are without sin cast the first stone. Do you notice at the end when the woman was left alone with him, he said, neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more. Now, beloved, this is a challenge to every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ that we sin not. And yet in the Gospel of John says, yet if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. But it isn't that we should go around seeking to sin, we should try to keep from sinning. And it seems like sometime we try to get into sin instead of running from it, like Joseph did in the Old Testament. He ran from sin. He knew what sin could do to him. And though he had not sinned, he was put in prison for being righteous. And if ever there was a case of a man wondering God's integrity and God's righteousness would probably be the life of Joseph. When he was doing right, he was put in prison. But, you know, he never seemed to grumble about it, at least we don't read about it in the Word of God, and he's a good type of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, one that was true to his convictions and to his God that he loved and he served. He was put there for a reason, and he said that to his brethren, that God has sent me here before you to feed the people and to take care of the people of God. Sometimes we don't realize what God is doing in our life, in our heart, and why he puts us in certain circumstances, and it seems like a hard place to be in, but God has a reason for it. But here these Pharisees are questioning the Lord. The next time they meet him, they left after that last sermon, they couldn't take it. He opened up the light to them, and he starts off with them again, I am the light of the world. That light had penetrated into their dark hearts. That light had penetrated into their darkness and showed to each one of them that though they were religious, though they were Pharisees, though they were ones that would look down their nose at others, God exposed them exactly what kind of individuals they were. They were sinners and needed to be converted. They needed to come to Christ. But he's speaking to them, I am the light of the world. They saw that light as they had to leave from his presence, being condemned of their sins. He exposed that light to them. He showed them their sins, and they had to get out of his presence. And next time he sees them, he says to them, I'm the light of the world. Again, he brings back into the position that they were in before, that they were accusing a woman of sin, and he shows them how evil they are by saying that he's the light of the world, and no doubt, again, they have to deal with this light. You know, whenever you're working in the backyard, and many of us are doing a little gardening and working around the house now, trying to get things shaped up for spring and then summer to come, and you notice all the little bugs when you pick up a rock or something, they run for the holes in the ground. They can't stand the light of the sun. They want to get away from it. They can't stand that light. Well, that's the way a sinner is, and that's what it says in the third chapter of John. Those that aren't converted do not like to come to the word of God because it exposes their deeds, it exposes the, uh, thoughts and the intents of the heart, and is a judge of individuals and what they say and what they do. Now, in our portion tonight, the Lord Jesus Christ is dealing with these again, and the Pharisees accused him of not telling the truth. Notice that thirteenth verse. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself, thy record is not true. You can't bear record of yourself. Well, now the Lord Jesus Christ does something amazing in this chapter. He links himself with the Father very closely. He shows a relation of himself to his Heavenly Father. He had been demonstrating this to him in his action, for in the beginning of this chapter, we realized he came from the Mount of Olives, where he went the night before to pray to his Heavenly Father. He demonstrated that he didn't go to somebody's home and just lay around and have a good time an evening. He went to the Mount of Olives alone. And when I was on the Mount of Olives, I thought of this time of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he spent alone speaking to his Heavenly Father, not my will, but thy will be done. I'm not speaking about the Garden Gethsemane, uh, plot where he said these words, but this was his attitude throughout his whole life. He wanted to do the Father's will. He did not speak his own words, he spoke the words of his Father. He came to do the Father's will. He was obedient even to death, to the death of the cross, because his Father asked him to do it, and because he wanted to die for sinners. But notice, as the Lord Jesus Christ answers their, uh, question in a fourteenth verse, Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true. He is telling them the truth. Now notice, as he brings out, for I know whence I came and whither I go, but ye cannot tell whence I come and whether I go. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man. Now, beloved, that's a great portion of God's word, and so many times people overlook that third chapter of the Gospel of John, especially that seventeenth and eighteenth verse, that the Lord Jesus Christ did not come to condemn, he came to save. He is not judging tonight. If he was judging tonight, a lot of sinners would be dead. They wouldn't be living. They would be destroyed, but he's not on the throne of judgment, and his judgment would be true and honest. Everybody could examine his judgment, and they would have to say, after he judged the case of the individual, you're true, Lord, you're true as the angels in the book of Revelation, as he brings the fountains of the deep into blood, as he turns all the streams into blood, the angel of the waters is going to say, thou hast judged righteously, O Lord, thou art the one that is judging righteously, for they have asked for the blood of thy saints, they have asked for the blood of the Son of God, thou hast judged correctly, and they have asked for his blood to be upon them. God's judgment is final and true, and that judgment is given into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he says, I could judge, but I don't judge now because he's not on the throne of judgment. And so many sinners tonight don't realize that the Lord Jesus Christ is not on the throne of judgment. And even as Christians, as we walk with the Lord Jesus Christ daily, the Lord rebukes us and spanks us, but he doesn't judge us to the extent that we're going to have at the judgment seat of Christ when we receive the things that we have done in the body, whether they've been good or bad, we're going to be judged according to our works, not for salvation now, but for our works of reward. And some of us are going to lose reward because Jesus Christ at the judgment seat of Christ is on the throne of judgment. Now he's dispensing mercy. He's dispensing to each one of us to bring us to himself, showing his loving kindness when he spanks us and so on, to bring us back to his word. He's only showing once again his love for us, but he's not judging us. But there will come a time when God starts with judgment, and it will be to the house of God first. He doesn't judge the world until, first of all, he judges his own, and all judgment is given into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Father. Now, you notice as he says here, his judgment is true. Now in the sixteenth verse it says, and yet if I judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. I'm not alone. Beloved, isn't that a true verse for every one of us tonight? We're not alone. We're not alone no matter where we go. I don't know about the hostages in Iran or not, if any of them are believers. I hope they are. I hope they're all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. But beloved, if they are a believer, they're not alone. They might be alone in a cell with just the ones that have captured them, or in a room, but they're not alone if they have the Lord Jesus Christ. He's one that sticketh closer than a brother. Isn't that a great thing? I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. But you can take that same verse and read it backwards, thee forsake nor thee leave, never will I. It's just as good forward as it is backward. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Thee forsake, nor thee leave, never will I. He's with us. He's not alone, and we're not alone. And beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ went back to heaven to prepare a place for us, because heaven was not prepared for human beings, but after the creation that God had put there. But God has made us in his likeness, in himself. And what a great day it'll be when we're with the Lord Jesus Christ. But notice what it says here quickly as we go down this, uh, portion of God's word, is that it is also written in your law, and I like that part that he puts it back to them, in your law. You see, they were claiming to know the Ten Commandments. They were claiming Moses, they were claiming Abraham. He's our father, these Pharisees were. These religious people were trying to hide behind the word of God and the law of God as they brought the poor woman com- who had committed adultery in the presence of God and in the presence of man, in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. They wanted to condemn her, and they wanted him to condemn her. But he said, go and sin no more. You see, he wanted to bring to them exactly the condition of their life and their heart, and here's what he says. It is written in your law. You see, their law condemned and stoned those that had committed adultery and fornication. They were supposed to be stoned. Now, this is what the law says. And so he brings back to them once again, your law says. You see how it stings as he brings the light to them once again, as he's demonstrating to the world, I am the light of the world. He exposes to their mind and the heart who he really is and what they're like. Your law says, and what does their law say? Notice what it says, that the testimony of two men is true. If you can get two to agree upon something, it's true. Now, sometimes people have had two people make up a falsehood, and again, they break the commandments of God. You know, a person that lies about somebody and has a witness and bears witness with another one to condemn an individual that's innocent, his condemnation is very great. Never do that. Never be in a part where you lie and go against somebody and say something that's not the truth, because you've broken one of the commandments. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. And a lot of people are bearing false witness. They hear something and they repeat it as a fact, and it might not be a fact. And this is why we have to be very careful as we judge individuals. And beloved, so many times people misquote individuals. And how many times hasn't Billy Graham and other evangelists have been misquoted in the paper and by the news media? And, uh, they give a half statement, and they don't tell the whole thing. And everybody's thinking, oh, did he say such a thing as that? I'm through with him. And we judge on something that might not be a true statement. That's why it's good for us always to wait and to find out if it's the truth. You see, two men can conspire together to go ahead and lie, but Jesus Christ said, your law says if two agree on it, it's true. It's true. Well, he said there's two of us. Who does he link himself up with? Some other prophet, some other man in the Bible? He links himself up with his father. Notice what he says. I am one that bear witness of myself, that's one person, and the Father that sent me bears witness of me. Isn't it nice to have the Father bearing witness with the Lord Jesus Christ? You notice in this word of God, in the twenty ninth verse, it says, and he that sent me is with me. Isn't it a great thing to see how the Lord Jesus Christ again and again in this chapter links himself to the Father, links himself to God the Father, and shows us by his word how great he is with his Father and what a great Father he has. Notice the nineteenth verse before we get down to that verse later on in the chapter. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know me. Ye neither know me nor my Father. If ye had known me, ye should have, shall have known my Father. Now you notice, beloved, this thing, ye neither know me nor my Father. Now here they were talking about their God, their Father, their father Abraham. He said, you don't know me or my Father. They didn't know the true God of heaven. They didn't know the one, the Lord Jesus Christ had spent that night in prayer on a Mount of Olives with. They didn't know him as he knew him. Do you know that's why the word of God in the book of Philippians says that we might know him and the power of his resurrection, that we might know what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished by his death on the cross and by the resurrection. He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, that we might know him. The world doesn't know that. Many learned men have studied even the Bible, but have never accepted the Word of God as the Word of God, have only treated it as a textbook, and have not really let it search their heart and enter into their mind and life. They have looked at the Word of God, and they have seen nothing in it. It's not God's fault, it's because they've rejected the message of God's Word. But beloved, if anybody comes with an open mind to the Word of God and just utters a little prayer, say, God, show me thy Word, he will be glad to reveal it to you. As he's trying to reveal it to these people, these Pharisees, these religious people. Now remember, he's not talking to a bunch of atheists. He's not talking to a bunch of people that are pagans and so on and so forth and don't believe in a God. He's talking to the religious bunch. They don't know the Father, and they don't know Christ. Notice the twentieth verse. These words say Jesus in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no man laid ho- hands on him, for his hour was not yet come. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me and shall die in your sins. Whether I go, ye cannot come. Now, beloved, you would think they would say, well, now what's he talking about? We die in our sins? Nobody's laid hands on him, nobody's touched him. Wait a minute, what do you mean we're going to die in our sins? But that isn't what struck them. They overlooked, evidently, that statement, ye shall die in your sins, and just passed it off as somebody ignorant talking to those educated Pharisees. They probably looked at him and said, well, what does he think he knows anyway? But what is he saying about himself? Notice their answer. Then said the Jews, will he kill himself? They had missed the whole point. Beloved, do you realize this is the whole trouble of the world tonight? They're missing God's message. That's why John was sent into the world to bear witness of the light. That's why you're sent into the world is to bear witness of the light, because the world is in the dark and cannot understand the things of God. They are spiritually discerned. That's why sometimes boys and girls in a Christian home think mother and dad are a little screwy and can't understand their thinking and their thoughts. No, you can't understand your mother and dad's thinking, because if you're still in your sin, you can't understand the book. You don't know the author of the book, and this book is a closed book until you receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your life and heart. You see, they couldn't understand it. They couldn't even think of the statement that he said to them, you shall die in your sin, but he brings out to them, uh, that he they're going to die in their sins, and they said, well, what you gonna do, kill himself? That isn't say what he said. He says, if I go, I'm going away, and he cannot come. Why couldn't they go where he was? Because they were rejecting him and were rejecting his father that had sent him. That's why they couldn't go where he was. A lot of people think we're fanatics when we say that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. They say there's a lot of religion. And beloved, today it's troubling a lot of people as they read the word of God, and they say, well, there's a lot of different Bibles. There was a boy in Florence, South Carolina, was all upset one time there, and uh, he said to the preacher that was there, I believe it was A. P. Gibbs, he said, look, he said, what Bible is right? He said, what do you mean what Bible's right? He said, well, there's all kinds of Bibles. He said, there's this and that, and all Mr. Gibbs said, you mean a lot of translations of the Bible. You see, a lot of scholars have tried to take the Word of God and make different translations out of it, that it might be easier for the mass of people to understand God's Word. Like some of them have taken as the Amplified New Testament just kind of explains the Word of God as you would do a sermon. But beloved, it's not an accurate translation of the Word of God. I believe still the most accurate one that's mostly used is the King James Version. Now, you might differ. Well, let brotherly love continue. But there's a lot of different translations, but it's trying to bring us closer to God through different renderings. But we must go back, if you want to know the rendering of it, to the Greek language and to the Greek Testament to see what God has to say, if you can understand Greek. But you know, beloved, we have many translations, but one Word of God, and God has given this message out to the mass of people that they might understand his message. But these poor people, they couldn't understand it. Where are you going to go? Well, you can't come where I'm going because I'm going to my Father. Ye, and then he brings out in the next verse, in the twenty third verse, and he said unto them, ye are from beneath. Ye are of the earth, in other words. Ye are from beneath, I am from above. Ye are of this world, I am not of this world. What did he mean? Beloved, all their attention, all these, the Pharisees' attention was around their little world. That's our trouble. That's our trouble. We have all our attention just around this world. But I have news for you. There's something better than this world. We're going to a world where the Lord Jesus Christ has prepared a special place for us. The unsaved can't enter into that. Oh, what are they talking about, this utopia, this heaven, the streets of gold? What are they talking about, this crazy place called heaven? They know nothing about it because they're from beneath. Their only thoughts are this life. But how about all those poor people, the eighteen thousand that are going to be laid off, either were laid off Friday or going to be laid off this week from GM in, uh, Michigan? What about those people? A lot of them are going to lose their homes. Many of them are going to lose their bank account. Many of them are going to lose the security that they had built up, and they thought they had the world made. Beloved, I'm glad I'm not resting in the riches of this life. Are you? I'm glad my treasures are not laid down here. A dear woman in Germany, before Germany fell by the hands of Hitler, she was a very wealthy woman, and she had a great deal of wealth, and something told her, give your wealth away. God was dealing with her to give her wealth away, and she said, no, I can't, I need it for tomorrow. Then she kept her wealth, and afterwards she said, oh, if I would have only given my wealth away, I would still have it, but I kept it, and I lost it all. Beloved, this is the trouble with us today. We're trying to secure things in our own life. We have Social Security to take care of us when we're old. Some of us will never make Social Security because the Lord will be back before we ever get to that age of retirement. Some are drawing on Social Security and are enjoying its benefits, but yet some are going to maybe retire in a few years, and the thing is just about bankrupt and probably will be if something doesn't take place drastically to stave off the bankruptcy of the Social Security system. And yet we say, this is security. We're trusting in this. How many men haven't trusted in their retirement plan at their place of business, to only find out that their place of business has gone bankrupt, and they have no retirement? Oh, beloved, we are securing in this life. And you see, that's why the Lord Jesus Christ told those Pharisees, he said, you are of this world. You're just thinking of today and what I can put on and what I can eat and what I can have for tomorrow. That's all you're thinking of. You're not thinking about ten million years from today or a thousand years from today. You're not thinking of tomorrow. I think of the old grandfather speaking to the young boy as he was, uh, there, uh, contemplating going into college after graduating from high school. He said, well, son, he says, you did a good job and good grades in high school. He says, now what are you going to do? He said, oh, grandfather, he says, I'm going to go, and he said, I'm going to go to college and become a doctor. Well, the grandfather said, that's a great ambition to become a doctor. He says, then after you go through college and get your doctor's degree, then what? Oh, he said, then I plan to set up myself in a great business and a practice and wait on the people and, uh, make a lot of money and build a big home and get married and raise children and get a big car. And my, he had the boats, he had the campers, he had everything in his mind that he was going to possess. And he said, oh, he said, well, after then, he says, then what are you going to do? He said, well, grandfather, then I guess, he said, one day I'll retire. Oh, he said, isn't that going to be great? You're going to be able to be retired like I am. He says, yes, grandfather says, then what, son? And he said, well, then I guess I'm going to die. And grandfather said, yes, son, then what? Beloved, he had prepared his life all the way along, and that's the way it is with so many people in America. They have prepared their life for down here of this world. But it doesn't tell us to prepare for this world. It tells us to prepare for the world to come. We're either going to be in heaven or we're going to be in hell. We're either going to be with the Lord Jesus Christ or the devil and his angels. And beloved, we need to get this message out to the mass of people today. They don't understand what they're talking about. Jesus said to these people, you're going to die in your sins, and when he told them they were going to die in their sins, it went right over their head. They said, what is he going to do, kill himself? He wasn't even speaking about killing himself. It wasn't even in the subject. I'm going to go to a place you can't come. Well, beloved, if he was going to kill himself, they could have gone to that place and seen him kill himself and do likewise. That's what Jim Jones did with his munch. They could have gone with him there. That was a foolish answer. Is he going to kill himself? They could have gone there. No, beloved, he was talking about going to heaven. He was talking about being with his father and with the angels that had been in fellowship with him from all eternity past to eternity future, the ones that were even waiting on him, ready for him to call on them for assistance at any moment. For if you study the word of God, the angels welcomed the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The angels led the Lord Jesus Christ into the wilderness, or the spirit of God did, led him into the wilderness, and the angels came and strengthened him. Then again, you look at the Lord Jesus Christ as angels had to do with his life. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he was very weak, and the angels came and strengthened him. I missed the Mount of Temptation. The angels after the Mount of Temptation, the angels came and strengthened him once again. And then the Garden of Gethsemane, they strengthened him once again. Again and again, the angels were there, and then you look into the Word of God, and you find out that the Lord Jesus Christ, at his death, he said he could have called twelve legions of angels to spare him from that hour. They were ready for him to call, they were ready to come on his command. And then again, we noticed at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the angels were there. At the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the angels were there. The angels were always around my Savior. Beloved, he said, you can't go there. Why couldn't they go there? Because he said, ye are from beneath. Ye are of this world. Beloved, are we of this world? Is that where our infatuation is? Is that where our love is? Or are we in love with the lover of our souls? You know, it's so wonderful to hear a new convert pray. I love to be around young converts. It's so nice to point somebody to the Lord and hear them say as you're to them, and they say, I- I've never prayed before, could you help me? You tell them, well, just make it your own prayer. You just pray. You told me you're a sinner, now you just tell God you're a sinner. Make it your own. If I give you the words to say, I many times tell the convert, it'll be my words, but you tell the Lord what's on your heart. And you know, then you hear them break down with a few words, oh Lord, I'm a sinner, and they start bubbling out to the Lord their troubles and their trespasses and their sin. It's the Lord save me. You know, whenever they say, Lord, save me, I just almost want to jump up in the air, yell hallelujah. Hallelujah, they've asked for salvation, and God gives to them that ask, and he withholds not. What a great salvation we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And to hear that first prayer, but then, beloved, to go back a few times later to the same place that maybe you were a year later, and some of you people that are in a place and just staying, you don't understand the growth sometimes in your own brethren. But, you know, I've come back to a place, and I've sat there, and all of a sudden I hear a new voice get up, and I look over there, is that the fellow that got saved when I was here the last time? And I said to the brethren, was that the boy that got that? Yeah, that was him. But has he been taking part? You know, after two or three months, he started to get up and, and he gets up at the Lord's Supper and even gives out a word once. Isn't that wonderful to see the growth? Beloved, it's a wonderful thing to hear the babes cry out to God. Some of us know all the language of the Word of God. We're like the Pharisees. We can bubble out all kinds of sayings to God, and it sounds good to the ears of the listeners. But I wonder how much it means to the God of the heavens above that know our hearts. Sometimes at a Lord's Supper, a young convert, and if there's any young convert here, don't be afraid to get up at the Lord's Supper and give thanks to God for what he's done for you, sir. Get up and do it because you might make that whole place revive. Because your little three words that you might say, thank you, Lord, for saving me, or something else, might make the whole place rejoice that you found something that they have known for years. But beloved, these people were dead in their sins. Notice as the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to them in this twenty fourth verse. I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for ye believe not that I am, and I'm going to stop there. Ye shall die in your sins. Now, the reason I left ye off is you notice it's in italics. That means it's on a slant, and the translators put it in there to make better sense for us. Now, this is one place where you can just erase that he, for the Lord Jesus Christ is talking about himself as he existed in the Old Testament. Where was it that Moses, when he met the Lord Jesus Christ at the burning bush, who is Jehovah of the Old Testament, what did he say? Who should I say that sent me to deliver the children of Israel? Who should I say that sent me? Say, I am that sent you. It's not I am he, it's I am, I am, I am. I am the light of the world. I am the door. I am the bread of life. I am. What did he say here? He said, I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins. I am. I am the God of the Old Testament. I am the God of the New Testament. I am the God of the future. I am the word that became flesh and dwelt among men, and they beheld my glory. I am. Oh, beloved, who is the Lord Jesus Christ? Again, they overlooked his part in the sin, but he doesn't let them forget it. Beloved, have we recognized that Jesus Christ never lets one person overlook their sin? For God has never overlooked my sin, nor will he overlook anybody's sin. He brought him right back to the basic question. Ye shall die in your sins. Why will you die in your sins? Because you don't believe in me. And because you don't believe in me, you don't believe in my Father, and you can't go to my Father unless you believe in me, because I am the way. You see how fanatical the Lord Jesus Christ was, beloved. It was a true step that he brings out to his individuals as he speaks to them. I am he, as it says there, ye shall die in your sins. Then said they unto him, who art thou? Jesus said unto them, even the saying that I said unto you from the beginning, I have many things to say and to judge of you, but he that sent me is true, and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. You know, beloved, this is our message too. We shouldn't give so many thoughts of our own thinking. We should give his thoughts. I am sent to give his word. You know, I find out in my campaigns around the country, the more of the word of God I give, the more results I see. The less of the word of God I give and the less scriptures I give, the less blessing I see. Because, you see, it's not my words of wisdom, it's not my language, but it's his word that convicts the heart of men and women. It's his word that penetrates the soul of men and brings them to himself. And that's why it's so important for every one of us preachers and teachers of the word of God and Sunday school teachers and evangelism teachers and all the rest to be sure we give God's word and not our own word. Most of our preaching today is our words instead of God's words. Many times I have to apologize to the Lord. Lord, I gave too many of my words instead of your words, spent too much time on my thinking instead of your thoughts. And beloved, what a blessing it is when we spend our time on his thoughts. Notice that twenty sixth verse, I have many things to say and to judge of you. Oh, he could have judged them right there, but his hour was not in judgment. His hour was not in judgment. His hour was not in condemnation. His hour there was to save these people, and so many people overlooked this. They, notice the twenty seventh verse, they understood not that he spake to them of the Father. They couldn't understand anything he was speaking about. And you know, that's what really touches my heart when I give a gospel message, a touching message that has warmed my heart from God to an audience. And I look out and I see people that need to be saved sometimes in places where I've gone, and I know that there's sinners sitting there and they need to be saved, and my heart goes out to them, and I just want to reach down and save the individual, but I can't. And I look at them, and then I have some Christian come up to me and say, I don't know how they could have gone out of there without being saved tonight. I wanted to go forward tonight and get re-saved myself if it was possible. How can they do it? Beloved, they don't understand it. They don't understand. If you're in your sins here tonight, this message to you is nothing but a bunch of malarkey. You can't even enter into my thoughts because you don't know the Savior, and you will not enter in until you receive Him. But after you receive Him, it'll be like a light turned on to your life. It'll all come to true. Oh, I understand it now. I understand it now. What a wonderful thing when the light breaks through, but they couldn't understand him. We can, who are believers, we understand what the Lord's talking about. Notice how simple he makes it, and the simpler he makes it, they still stumble over it. Notice the next verse. Then said Jesus unto them, when ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am, and they put he in italics again, I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I seek these things. When the Son of Man is lifted up. He was talking about his crucifixion. When I'm lifted up, then you will know that I'm sent of my Father. But you know, beloved, even the world, as they looked up at Christ hanging on that cross, they were still ignorant for why he was dying. Oh, many were saved after the crucifixion. Many have been saved since. Look at the multitudes that are saved in the world today, because Jesus was lifted up. If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to me. Beloved, he died for our sins. He bore our transgressions in his own body. But quickly notice the twenty ninth verse. And he, and he that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him. Many believed, many received him. Notice the next line. Then said Jesus to these Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Beloved, this is what the world knows. Have you ever heard in your life that people are talking more about truth and more lies are being told? They say, oh, this is the truth. And then you find out the rascal isn't telling the truth at all. He's covering up something. He hasn't told you the truth at all. He's lying. And they say, we want the truth, we want the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And yet he gets up and he tells a half truth. And so many men have been in trouble because they haven't told the truth. He said, notice these words. Then said Jesus to these Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, we believe Abraham see, and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou, ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is a servant of sin, and the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the son abideth. Now, a lot of people misunderstand these two verses, but he's very simple here, if you get the connection. They're talking about Abraham. They're not of a foreign seed, they're of Abraham's seed, and they should get into the kingdom because of Abraham. Notice what he says. Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. Now, here's a clinching question tonight. Are you the servant of sin? What is a servant? A servant is one that serves. Are you serving sin, sir? Madam, are you serving sin? If you're serving sin, you're the servant of sin. But the next verse says, and the servant abideth not in the house forever. What does that mean? What does that every have anything to do about the servant in a house? It sounds like something just thrown in that means no connection. Here's what it means, and the servant abideth not in a house forever. You don't have to remain a servant of sin. You can get out of the house of sin. That's what it means. You can be freed from sin. Are you freed? The son abideth in the house forever. What do you get when you transform yourself, not transform yourself, but when God transform you from a sinner to serve him? You have eternal life because then you become the son of God. To as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God. How long are you a son for? Forever. A servant can serve me today, but he can come on Friday afternoon and say, I quit. He's not my servant anymore. God wants these Pharisees to quit their sinning and to become a child of his. The Son abideth in the house forever. Notice the thirty sixth verse, if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I'm glad I'm not the servant of sin. I've been rescued from being a servant of sin. I was a servant of sin. I served Satan well, just like many of you have served Satan well, but you don't have to remain in that capacity as a servant. You can get rid of being a servant to sin and say, I don't want to serve the devil, I don't want to serve sin anymore. I'm going to serve Christ. I'm going to be a son of God, and if I'm a son of God, I'm free from the bondage of slavery. The Son shall make you free. Are you free tonight? Praise God for the ones that are free. I'm glad that I'm free, I'm glad that I'm saved and going to heaven, and, you know, it, I just hate to stop preaching. I just wish I could keep on preaching and preaching and preaching, but I got to stop the clock, eight o'clock, one minute to sing a song. So let's turn to number four hundred— two hundred and forty six, Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. See on the portals, he's waiting and watching, watching for you and for me. Come home, come home. Ye who are weary, come home earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, oh sinner, come home. He said to these Pharisees, you're in your sins. You can't come where I am. And beloved friend, tonight I want to say it with all the love and the compassion I have in my heart for you. Jesus doesn't want you to go to hell. He wants to save you. If there's one boy, one girl, one man, one woman here tonight, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to save you and rescue you from the pit of hell. He wants to set you free. He earnestly pleads, he's calling tenderly to come to him tonight. Maybe there's one sinner here tonight, you need to come to Christ. Oh, don't be a servant of sin. Don't serve sin. You've been serving sin long enough. Has it paid off? No. It's just got you into a mess of trouble. Why don't you get rid of being a servant of sin and be the servant of Christ? Oh, beloved, what a great thing it would be if tonight you would accept the Lord as your savior. Shall we just bow in a word of prayer, and we'll sing his hymn. Father, maybe there's one here tonight that needs to be saved. Maybe this message has been way over their head, they couldn't understand it or take it in. But Father, we just pray that they might understand this, that they're a sinner and that they've been serving sin well. Now they want to get off of being a servant of sin, they want to serve thee. Bless us, Father, and speak to that soul that needs to be saved, and bring them to thyself. We ask in Jesus' name, amen. We're going to.