Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
Allow to lay it down. I have power to take it again this commandment, if I received my father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these Saints. And many of them said, Yet the devil is mad, Why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil.
And a devil opened the eyes of the blind. It was a Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's Porch.
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt if thou might be the Christ? Tell us plainly, Jesus answered them, I told you, And you believe not the works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because you're not my sheep of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Answered them many good works have I showed you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For the good work we stone thee not but but but for blasphemy, because thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them. Is it not written in your law? I said, your gods, if he called them gods, and to whom the word of God came.
And the Scripture cannot be broken. Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent unto the world.
Thou blasphemes, because I said, I am the Son of God. If I do not, the works of my Father believe me not, But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works, that you may know, and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized.
And there he bowed, and many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle.
But all these all things that John spake of this man were true, and many believed on him there.
I like to speak on the last three verses first because they complete in a way the subject that the Lord took up at the beginning of the chapter.
Where we have noticed that he was that Good Shepherd, and he came and entered by the door into the fold of Judaism.
In order to lead out and set free from that old thing which was going to be South side.
The chapters in view again of the Church being formed here below teaching to apply during this age. And not only did he lead out, but he led through the door of salvation and into the liberty of grace.
Now at the end of the chapter we find that for such he becomes.
A gathering center.
We're not LED out of systematized error of that which is dutyistic to go on alone. We've already had that there's one flock and he is the center. And so in these last three verses, that comes before us in a kind of a shadow way, which is very lovely to see.
He goes away and he goes beyond Jordan.
Which is the river of death on the other side, its resurrection ground.
And it says, Many resorted unto him.
There he becomes the Gathering Center. It beautifully fits.
00:05:01
The situation of God's people today. Who?
The Lord, in grace and goodness and mercy, would set free from all the error that has been introduced into the great House of Christendom, to bind up and to put under the law.
And lead out those souls into the liberty of grace, and then have an attracting point again. He is the reference center, and it doesn't say they all came, but many resorted unto him. May we be amongst that number that stand fast in the liberty, where with Christ has made us free, not get entangled with the yoke of *******.
The burden of the law, the rituals, the regulations, men's ideas stand in that liberty. And then?
Resort with the many who have Jesus as their center.
Respect to the 18th verse where we began then.
We read in the 8th chapter.
Of Ecclesiastes.
That no man hath power over the Spirit.
To retain the Spirit, neither hath the power in the day of death.
Solomon wrote.
Without the knowledge of the Son of God come into this scene.
And it's delightful to contemplate our blessed Lord Jesus Christ as one who indeed had power over the Spirit, to dismiss that spirit at the time of death.
When he expired, the three hours when atonement had been fully accomplished. When he finished the work that God gave him to do.
He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
And what a delightful thing that is, beloved, that he had confidence in God as his Father, after he had consciously been forsaken of God because of our sins. And so we we have this expression. I lay it down to myself. I have power to lay it down and authority to take it up. This commandment have I received of my Father that is alongside the Father.
And deep eternal counsels of grace within the Godhead.
This marvelous plan for the salvation of sinners was conceived.
And Jesus.
The man, God man here.
With authority to lay down that life, and authority to take it again, so when he had by himself.
Made purgation for sins, Hebrews 1/3 tells us He seated himself at the right hand of the majesty on high. So we do see a man having authority over his spirit, dismissing it into the hands of his Father, after having consciously suffered at the hands of God for all of your sins and mine.
End of our verse 36. Quoting Jesus, he says I am the Son of God.
That's the way John views him.
I am the Son of God, the way that Jews were speaking to him in the end of verse 33, they say.
For blaspheming we stoned thee, because thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
The reverse was true.
Men always mixed things up. He was God, and he made himself man, but he never ceased to be God. So he was that one and only one who could lay down his life and take it again.
And it is most important, beloved, that we notice that they perceived in all of his comments and his works that he was gone.
00:10:00
They said he made himself that, but it was delightful that.
Making himself equal with God, they understood that he was purporting to be what he wants.
Even though they did not receive him as the Son, they perceived that his work and his word made him to be what he was, the Son of God.
Even the devils perceived that if thou be the Son, I know thee whom thou art, thou Son of God.
Once he became a man, he never acted.
Independently, he never acted of his own will. Independent from the fathers he came down from heaven. He says not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me was a beautiful verse at the end of John 14. The Lord says in verse 31, but that the world may know.
That I love the Father in that 17th verse of our chapter. Therefore doth my Father love me.
Because I lay down my life that the world may know that I love the Father.
And as the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do arise, let us go hence. And so our 18th verse ends with this commandment. Back in chapter 10, this commandment have I received of my Father, he being the Son.
Had the authority in himself to lay his life down and to take it again. But Even so, that being so, having become a man, he did it in obedience to the Father's commandment. He did it in doing the Father's will. And that's what's so beautiful that.
As God, he never obeyed, He never had to. He was the supreme commander, but as soon as he became a man.
And became a servant, and took that place that it was proper to him to obey.
And even though he were son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.
And so that 17th verse, therefore doth my father love me. The highest motive, you might say the climax.
The very fullness of His obedience was at the Cross.
During his life he accomplished the will of the Father in unclouded joy and communion with the Father. But at the cross that was the meat offering. But at the cross we have the burnt offering. There he was in the place of sin. There he was accomplishing the will of God. Not then in the joy of communion, but in the face of divine wrath against sin He cries out. My God, my God, why is thou forsaken me?
And he accomplished the will of God in perfect obedience, even when forsaken of him who was ever the stay of his soul. And that was the perfection of obedience. Therefore doth my Father love me. A fresh motive provided.
By that perfect obedience to the Father.
When even forsaken of God.
In the great events that happened.
I mean really great events, God acting. I believe we always see the Trinity in that action. We can look at one in Matthew 3 or think about it without turning to it that when Jesus entered into his ministry.
That heaven was opened.
And the Spirit of God came.
Like a dove reposing upon him. And there was a voice.
From heaven. That said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased really for the first time in all the Bible. There we see the Trinity clearly. The Trinity is in all the actions, I believe, But there it came out very clearly. That was the Father's voice speaking to the Son and the Spirit reposing upon him now as to laying down his life and taking it again.
Here we're looking at the sun having that power, but it's on the basis of the Father's commandment. And so we read in another scripture raised from the dead according to the glory of the Father, and in another scripture quickened by the Spirit. It's just beautiful to see the Trinity in these great events. So no, He didn't act independently as in perfect cohesion with the Godhead.
00:15:20
Adverse in Hebrews 9 that was quoted at the conference, he by the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. There we have the Trinity, don't we?
Well, as we said this morning, the next verse we got a division.
These things are serious to think about. And again, we can say that whenever Jesus is preached, whether it be his person or his work or his words, his saying in a large group, I think you'll always find.
The division, at least it's so on the earth, Those that believe and those that don't believe to get serious. Which side am I on? Do I believe? These were hard sayings? Lots of the people didn't receive it, some did. And those that didn't receive it, he says. They're not my sheep.
Very serious To be or to pose as we had in the gospel last night as a Christian and not be one.
It's a very serious thing. The question Can a devil open the eyes of the blind to realize?
The serious thing to realize that the man of sin that is about to be revealed will come with all deceivableness lying with power, so we need to be aware.
That there is great power in the enemy to create signs to lead away souls after him. The time of power in the assembly ended in that early Apostolic day. We do not look for power now, except power of the evil one that will prove the be the man of sin in evidence.
I suppose this corresponds with Matthew 12, where they attributed his.
Works to the ills above the Prince of devils.
The unpardonable sin for the nation.
What a terrible thing was to say that Jesus was doing his works.
By devils very very serious thing.
You referred to the unpardonable sin of the nation. There is an answer in this present day of grace to that because the peculiar work of the Spirit of God is to form the body of Christ, which we have had before us as one, And so a practical denial of that one body is sectarian sectarianism. We might refer to it as the cardinal sin in this present day.
And so that which answers to a denial of the Spirit's work in the sun is in our time is a denial of the one body that was formed by the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. So though on the day of grace there is no sin which is not covered by the blood of Christ.
Where sin abounded, grace over abounded, as the cross of Christ evidently shows, there is that which answers to denying the peculiar work of the Spirit of God in his present time.
It is. It is different, though, because we can't see a spirit.
If men could see the Holy Spirit, they'd catch them, do what they did to Christ. They cannot. But Christ was here, a real man. He was allowed to be caught and taken and crucified, all in the plan of God that determined counsel and foreknowledge of God. But for the nation to reject their Messiah and say you're doing your power, your miracles by the power of the Elizabeth was the last thing for that nation. It's unforgiving for the nation, not for individuals.
00:20:01
No many believed on him, resorted to him at the end of this chapter, and so under grace.
What?
Condemns everyone but hears the gospel is that they resist or reject the witness of the Holy Spirit. But there's hope as long as somebody's alive down here that they will receive the gospel. So we don't want to trouble anybody about committing the unpardonable sin. I don't think it can be done as it could when Christ was here.
Although an apostate or an apostrophe, there is no.
Yes, but we don't know apostate. And that brings you back to the question about election, One said. How do I know I'm going to be one of the elect? And the answer was simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be one of the elect. And you don't know who else is going to be elect. So ours is a positive message. Go forth with the gospel and apostasy.
Is coming.
It's apparently here. We see signs of it, but we never know who an apostate is.
Talked about skin particles and often young Christians face this thing other Christian School or at work or different places.
And that fear sometimes comes in that they could commit the unpardonable sin. Could you say something about that? Which one of the common questions come up, you go down to?
Mission field in Latin America and you'll get some rather standard questions. Who were the sons of God and?
Genesis and in Job and this one, you're raising about the unpardonable sin.
And you have to go back to the Gospels to get it. And it was something that.
Could be done and was done by the nation when Christ.
Came now. There is a witness here in the people of God through the Holy Spirit, but it is not.
Perfect witness. Jesus was a perfect witness.
He was not only man, but he was gone. Everything he did and said and was was absolute perfection. And he had come to that nation, and they knew he was coming, and they were supposed to receive him, and in the hardness of their heart and in their blindness pictured in Chapter 9.
Nationally, they turned him down and they said he's got a devil.
There is no forgiveness for that. The Messiah had come. His witness was perfect nationally. They committed the unpardonable sin and the nation was broken up. They're trying to form it again.
Under, I think the symbol of the fig tree, and it's going to come down again.
It's the unpredictable sin nationally then. God brings in grace, but he hasn't forgotten Israel. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. He doesn't change his mind about it. He's going to bring them in. Not under the law, not under the Messiah in grace, but under the Messiah. The king in power and government write the law in their hearts so that the unpardonable sin was something that Israel as a nation did when Jesus came.
And it's not ever been the same on the earth since. But the gospel goes phrase preach it to all believe on the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved. Christ died for our sins. We can say that although we know that he didn't die, die for everybody's sins and the people that reject him, they are the lost ones and those that are saved are the elect.
Brother Clem, would you say that the word of Peter?
In Acts 2 That some in the professing church have made such an issue of is a special word to the Jews. In view of that national rejection, repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins that you might receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2.
Well, the spirit had come, yes, and it's the extra day the Lord had come to that fig tree were used as a symbol planted in the vineyard. Luke 13 the plea was cut down. The other plea was let it alone, dig about it, dung it. If it bring forth fruit this year, Well, if not then cut it down. So there was a supplementary trial of the Jews. Would they receive the testimony of the Holy Spirit?
00:25:13
And when that was over with?
I think it took 40 years before God removed every semblance of the nation.
God is so merciful and thinking of those Jews that had been brought up under the law. Gentiles never were put under the law, much less the church, and they had been brought up under a God-given religion. And so there's a supplementary year or the timing. When will you receive this one? At the time of restitution may come in those early chapters of Acts.
I suppose the culminating thing.
Is the stoning of Stephen for when they rejected the witness of Stephen?
Then the message went to heaven, referring to the parable on the 19th of Luke, where a certain noble man went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return.
But his citizens hated him. That's the Jewish nation, and sent a message after him saying we will not have this Mandarin over us.
Steven carried that up there. I suppose finally that was the ultimate rejection of the nation. But they were still living, many like soul of Tarsus, and others priests and so on, who had been brought up under the law. And God was gracious and merciful, and bore with them.
With a gradual removal from the old order of things.
And the full liberty of grace.
And goes a little farther than the book of Acts. If we go to the.
Destruction of Jerusalem, which the Lord foretold in Luke 21 well, that's kind of a resume of the nation. And finally, just to add one more point, when Saul went to Jerusalem and went into the temple, still observing parts of the law, so wasn't delivered yet from the law, and I don't want to condemn him because he had been brought up under the law.
And the temple was still there. But.
Cut Saul in the temple, and it says forthwith the doors were shut. That's very significant. I say. Little by little God remove the evidences of the old law order and brought them into the wonderful liberty of grace.
The I want to say something more about the unpardonable sin, because that's such a misunderstood thing.
It is not a particular individual single sin which once you have committed your lost. That is not the thought, it's the rejection of the testimony of the Spirit of God. When the Lord was on earth it was ascribing to the work of the Spirit of God, which he all the works of power that he did were done by the Spirit of God. And to say that that was done by Beelzebub, by the power Satan.
Was a sin which if maintained in the soul was unforgivable. Now the nation that was guilty of saying that these leaders I just you you referred to Acts too. I had my Bible open to Acts 2. It's interesting to see how that the nation.
The leaders, they said that about the Lord at the cross they cried out, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said why? What evil has he done? Washed his hands before the multitude and said, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. They cried out his blood beyond us and on our children. And now comes the gospel. The spirit of God is given. And in Acts 2 Peter says in verse 36.
Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom he have crucified both Lord and Christ. Here was the people that was guilty of saying that he had cast out demons by bills above the Prince of the demons. He had done it by the Spirit of God. Now they're given the opportunity of recanting from that they had cried out. Crucify Him.
00:30:04
And they had said, his blood be on us and on our children. Now they say, they were pricked to the heart. Verse 37 And they said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Is there any hope? Have we committed a sin so serious that there's no hope for us? No, Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.
And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the promise is unto you.
And to your children and to as many as there are far off. They had said his blood be on us and on our children, He says the promises to you and to your children. God's offering you grace. He's offering you a way out. He's offering you forgiveness if you repent.
And then it says with many other words, did he testify and exhort saying, save yourselves.
From this untoward generation, that untoward generation lay under the guilt of an unforgivable sin.
And yet, here's a way out they could. They could get out from under that by repenting and taking sides with Christ. If we die in that state of soul were lost, we reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit. We're lost. But.
Let there be no one disturbed by the fact that maybe if you've committed a certain particular single sin, you can never repent of that and be saved again. I don't believe that's the teaching of Scripture. God always holds out repentance to the soul, and if you do repent and receive Christ, you're forgiven. That was offered to Israel.
That certainly is lovely to consider and to think that.
Here the way for them to correct things was to be baptized, repent, and be baptized, go into the place of death and change possessions. And that's what baptism always is. It's a change of position for the Jew then.
They change by this baptism in Acts 2 Their position from being identified with the guilty nation, which was going to and is yet going to go through the great Tribulation.
But we as Gentiles are connected with the guilty world, and the world was at the cross too. Satan proved himself to be the Prince of this world when he led.
The Jew, the Gentile, and the leaders of both companies against the Lord and his Christ.
So that baptism becomes very significant to change now through receiving and believing in the Lord Jesus, our possession from being identified with the guilty world over into the House of God by baptism as the figure of death and coming into a new position. And when you get that, you understand a little bit about what baptism is. But for the Jew it was a special thing there that they.
Were guilty and the judgment is yet going to fall upon the nation. And that makes it so interesting and so Solomon, so serious that their children are over there at the site of the crime and they're going to get caught with that judgment against that nation. They're going to go through the time of Jacob's trouble, We know that.
It's clear in Scripture, but there's one grand event that comes first.
That's the Rapture. Perhaps today, brethren, we're looking for the Lord to come.
The end of 22 verse 22.
That expression and it was winter I'm wondering about.
This expression and expressions like it for instance, in the 6th of John, where the Lord fed the multitude, he called them to sit down because there was much grass, and in the case of poor benighted Judas, he went out and it was night. What about these expressions? Like it was winter and there was much grass and it was night. Could somebody comment on that?
There's another one. I can't turn to it right away. I should, but it says.
This harvest is over, the summer is ended and we are not saved. This comes in with the time of judgment. I believe that winter was coming for that nation, the time of judgment and.
00:35:12
Do the ideologies to come before winter are nearly the last words of Paul? I know that was his consideration to his fellow servant to bring those things and to come while traveling was good in the sailing days. But it speaks again in the gospel. You know the summer is here, the harvest is going on, it has not ended.
But it is going to end. So I think these little things come in this way that for the nation it was really getting very late.
There's something. We're coming to the end of the meeting.
At the end of verse 4.
It says I read verse 4. When he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them. Now notice and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice, and a stranger will they not follow? Verse 27 Again my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
A stranger they won't follow. They follow me? The brother asked me after one of the readings.
Why, then, that being so, do so many Christians follow?
That which is not right.
Why are not all the sheep following the true shepherd?
Well, I believe the answer to that is that when it says they follow me, he is giving what is characteristic of a new life they have when they become sheep.
Uh, there are a lot of scriptures like that. You have an unction from the Holy One and you know all things.
Well, that doesn't mean that the newborn babe in Christ and has written to the youngest. It's written to the babes in the family that that they've all of a sudden come to an understanding of all the truths of the Bible. But they have the potential by the new life and the spirit of God to enter into all the truth that God has. We cannot say as a no matter how young you are in the faith, I can't grasp that truth. That's too high for me. You can't say that.
Because if you have a new life and the Spirit of Truth indwelling you, he will lead you into the truth and to the understanding of it. It's not a matter of your intellect. It's not a matter of your education. It's a matter of subjection to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. And the new life taught by the Spirit of God can enter into the deep things of God.
It's not a question of how intelligent you are. Some of the simplest have entered into the most profound truths of scripture and the professors in our universities, the most intelligent men as far as the world is concerned, this books, closed book to them, they don't understand it because they don't have the Spirit. They're not born of God. They don't have a new life, they don't have a new nature, They don't have the capacity the natural man understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God.
He can't know them. They're discerned spiritually, but he that is spiritual.
That is, in dwelt of the Spirit, he understands all things and.
So the statement that my sheep follow me.
Is a statement that characterizes the sheep. What is characteristic of a sheep is that he follows the shepherd, He knows his voice, and he follows the shepherd if he gets sick, if he's not fed right. If one of the sheep in Christendom has been taught false teaching, they've gotten into a system of things where the doctrine is wrong and they've been constantly fed false doctrine. They may miss the mind of the Lord.
But this is what is given. Here is what is characteristic of a sheep knowing the voice of the shepherd, following the shepherd being letter right and taught a right. When that isn't true, then the old nature may mix itself up with the new and and there'll be a partial following. But there is not such a thing as a true sheep of Christ that doesn't follow the shepherd in some ways. And so it isn't that we were perfect in it. Every one of us is very imperfect.
00:40:20
In the way we follow the shepherd. But this gives what is characteristic of a true sheep of Christ. Maybe someone can give us some more helpful thoughts on that. I'd like to ask you a question on a very particular scripture on that very point. Why is it that when Paul by the Spirit takes up the subject of the rapture in First Thessalonians 4 that God begins it with these words? I would not have you ignorant brethren. And yet.
Many, dear brethren, are ignorant of that most blessed hope.
Why is it?
Explain that.
Well, give us your thoughts on it. I'd like to hear. They're not hearing the teacher, they're interjecting men's thoughts. It's as clear as God can make it. I think in that capture that the blessed hope is coming and they take the whole book of First Thessalonians and the whole Bible and every type and shadow and direct word will support the fact that the blessed hope comes before the tribulation.
And it's a most wonderful thing, and it's just that point.
Brother Lundeen read that wonderful verse in job who teacheth like him. If we are not learners listening to our teacher, we can have all kinds of wrong teaching that are brought in by.
Some pastors who perhaps may be hiring.
And teaching smooth things. But we have to point the finger right back at ourselves at much of our lack of understanding these things. I I like what you said about we can learn these things and God wants us to know them and have absolute peace about our position and condition before him and the coming events which are growing so near.
One of the great evils that exist in Christian circles is that they have. Christians have accepted the error that division is all right.
That is, it's all right if I'm divided from from you. You go to one church, I go to another. The scriptures, if you follow the word of God, you can't accept that teaching. That's wrong.
There is one shepherd, There is one center. There is one spirit. There is one.
Guidebook We all have it. If we all followed it perfectly, we must walk together.
We must be together. There is one body we had that truth brought before us. There is one flock.
There's one spirit He doesn't lead you. One will pull away, and me another. He does not sanction division. He died. We had that in the 11Th chapter. He died that he might gather together the people of God that were scattered abroad into 11 flock, one body, one family, and yet we're all divided. He prayed that they all may be one, as thou, father art in me and I and thee, that they also may be one in US. That the world may believe that thou hast sent me the greatest hindrance.
To evangelism is the divisions that exist amongst the Saints. That's the greatest hindrance if we were united.
And presented a united front to the world. What power there would be there, That's the way it was in the early days. With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. They were united, they were one. They were of one heart and of one soul.
Today, it's otherwise. But can we accept the false teaching that, Oh yes, he sanctions this denomination and this and this and all these divisions? That's not of God, That's not scriptural. You say, well, how do you know you're right? All you can say is follow the book and the man with a picture of water, the spirit of God, will not lead you one place in me, another. There is one place, there's one center, and that's Christ. And if we're all LED perfectly by that.
By the Spirit of God, we will walk together, won't we? Isn't that the truth of Scripture? Yes. And then?
Why is it that so many teachers can be saved and lost in the face of this next verse?
00:45:03
The 28th verse. Why is it that there is so much error and false teaching on a most?
Simply most positive scripture and all the rest of scripture supports it.
It goes back to self I suppose and self liking to think that it has to do something to be saved. It also goes back to a verse and.
2 Corinthians.
Where the apostle speaks of Satan with his subtly deceiving Eve corrupting you from the simplicity that is in Christ. Nothing could be more simple than what you just read us, but Satan would corrupt us from that and deceive us.
And lead us astray if we'd let him.
They will follow shepherd. That's the characteristic of all God's people.
They will follow the shepherd, but so often times we focus in on ourselves, brethren.
And immediately division results. But it's when His voice is presented his person that our souls are attracted to Him. When we meet believers, wherever we meet them, we need to remember that they will follow the shepherd. That's a characteristic of God's sheep. And we need to present Christ to them and His Word, and if they are true, sheep of his.
They will follow.
Now.
#286.