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Three. When Israel by divine command, the pathless desert Tron.
They found throughout the barren land a sure resource in God. Jesus, the bread of life is given to be our daily food. Within us dwells that well from heaven. The Spirit of our God, Lord tis enough.
We ask no more.
By grace around us pours it's rich and unexhausted store and all its joy is ours 303.
Pray just the last verse of the Gospel.
Which is John 21 and verse 25.
The expression of an enlarged heart. There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself.
Could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
For God and Father, we.
00:05:00
Verse 27.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My father, which gave them me, is greater than all. 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. Jesus answered them. Many good works have I showed you from my Father. For which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying.
For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law? I said, Ye are gods, if he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken. Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, thou blasphemous?
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 the first baptized, and there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and said John did no miracle. But all things that John spake of this man were true, and many believed on him there.
Before we go into this part of the chapter, I'd like to just make a short, very short comment in regards to that last verse of John.
John's gospel on the surface seems to be simple, but I believe that John's gospel has depth in it that we could never plump, and I believe that's what that last verse means. And there are many other things which Jesus did for which if they should be written.
The Gospel of John, I believe, is insuitable. There's things that are in it that we can never plummet.
What we've just read here I and my father are one and we.
Dig into that. No, it's beyond our comprehension. I'd just like to say that.
Just to mention two brethren, the verses that we perhaps ended with the last meeting. I know we started verse 27 this time, but thinking of the the wonder.
Of the blessed Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Him being brought before us in the 17th verse and the 18th verse, we could ponder those verses for hours and again never Plumb the depths.
Of the joy of what a life lived on this earth.
By the Son of God, meant to the Father.
Is it not the burnt offering character of his?
Giving himself up.
To his father, the intrinsic value or essential value.
Of him in the father's eyes, giving himself up. Therefore doth my father love me.
Didn't the Father love the Son? Indeed he did. This is my beloved Son in whom I find all my delight. And yet we know the first words that he ever spoke in this world.
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I must be about my father's business.
The pathway from the Manger led to the cross, and he knew where it would end.
Obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. But was that not a fresh cause in the Father's heart to love his Son, who had never passed that way before?
Obedience unto death, even the death of the cross.
And Leviticus chapter one, it speaks of the burnt offering that the offer brought when it was slain with his hand upon his head.
And that creature was slayed, lame, played before them, and laid upon the altar the head, the fat, the inward, and the outward parts of that creature.
Laid upon the altar, and it went up to God.
As a sweet savour all night.
Is this not a little picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ was to God the Father?
In his pathway on this earth that led to the cross, it does say.
I lay down my life for the sheep. Verse 15.
But therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life for the sheep?
No, I lay down my life in obedience to the perfect will of my father.
The end of chapter 14, it says that the world may know that I love the Father.
As he hath given me commandment, Even so I do.
Arise, let us be going.
John chapter six, another verse. I came not down from heaven to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. Hebrews chapter five. He learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
Or how this magnifies the love of God to the Son, of course, but even.
To you and me, beloved brethren, God so loved the world.
That it caused Him to give His only begotten Son at such a cost for you and me, to bring us into such a sphere of blessing. Therefore doth my Father loved me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father, and in the Garden of Gethsemane.
If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. We've read those words so many times, but they're in agony in anticipation of the cross of suffering.
There was that inward cry of his soul knowing what it was going to be, and he said, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.
I'm glad you bring up that side of thing, Brother Day, because it has been said the burden offering sacrifice of the death of the Lord Jesus is our acceptance sacrifice. And when the Israelite brought the burnt offering, he put his hand at the head of the sacrifice, just like with the sin offering, but the action is reversed.
The excellencies of the sacrifice was transferred over to the sacrificer in the burnt offering. In the sin offering, our sinfulness was transferred over upon the sin bearer. But we are accepted in the Beloved. You know, we are accepted on the basis of what that sacrifice meant to God. Beautiful to come to see that.
And we many times think of the fact that he died for my sins, you know, when we come together. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I think it would be nice if we would rise above that sometimes and think what it was for God. While he was punished by God, yet at that time was he ever greater, a greater delight to the heart of God the Father.
00:15:06
And when He offered up himself. And that's the basis, beloved brethren, for our acceptance, what that means to the heart of God. That's why we are accepted in Him.
Beloved Saints, there were three hours in eternity in which.
They were more most wretched. It is my opinion strongly that when the Lord Jesus said I mean when the scripture says.
His visage was so marred more than any man's vision.
That it must have been when God forsook his Son, The only time in all eternity that God forsook the Lord Jesus. A most wretched 3 hours.
There was darkness over all the land, and God said No man, no profane eyes in all the world are going to look upon my son.
While he is made.
Sin.
He was made sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
God laid on him.
The iniquity of us all.
God was satisfied entirely with sinners who embrace the Lord Jesus as their sin bearer. It's true also, Christ died for our sins.
The weight of that is beyond any comprehension of any human mind. The suffering that the Lord Jesus Christ went through.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring? I cry in the daytime, and now here is not and in the night season, and I'm not silent, but thou.
Are holy.
Thou art holy, oh thou that inhabit us, the praises of Israel.
Those moments.
Decided the issue.
For all eternity, for every single soul in all the world, from able owned down who embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Can we say I know now?
This friend that I met on the plane day before yesterday had been taught all his life.
It's the sin of presumption which must be confessed if it's if it's involved in.
Is the sin of presumption to for one to say I know that heaven is my home, I know my sins are forgiven. I know I cannot go to hell. I know that heaven is my home, but we can confidently say the Lord Jesus Christ in three hours bore every stroke of judgment that I deserve. Therefore there is not there is therefore now.
No judgment.
To them which are in crisis, it's true, as he mentioned to me. Doesn't it say that?
For us to confess our sins. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, forgive us our sins. That's for restoration of fellowship that's broken with sins. But in case I don't, I don't go to hell. When he was going through those dark, dark hours, He endured the wrath of God for every single soul.
Maybe we can go now to the verses that we have read, and I like to suggest that here it is not so much the question of hearing the voice of the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in order to get saved, but here it refers to that is what becomes characteristic of His sheep. They will hear His voice and will always.
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Listening.
To the voice of the Good Shepherd.
We have already pointed that out earlier. And my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Knowing in scripture does not just imply knowing about somebody.
We find in other scriptures those who are outside.
He says I don't know you or I never knew you. That means I never had any relationship with you, ever.
But we are known by him. I like to suggest that it's what he's referring to. We are in a living relationship with him. He knows us.
And.
We follow him. That is what is characteristic of a sheep. Now that has hurt. The shepherd's voice was drawn to him, and from now on that should be characteristic of us, that we're listening for his voice and then following him, staying close to him.
We have a brother in the meeting.
Who was with a group of believers.
Where the pastor resigned.
And those who were heading up, the elders or deacons, whatever they call them, would ask.
Certain ones, if they were willing to take the service, and they asked his brother who was not much beyond 20, but they knew he was intelligent and knew the scriptures, but they wouldn't let him pick what passage he could speak on. They dictated to him and dictated to him to speak on John chapter 10. And he looked into it.
And clearly saw eternal security and preached it. He got into trouble, you know, but it ultimately led him to be gathered. And he scattered there now for about 13 years. And he's become a very useful brother in the meeting, intelligent, diligent in the Scriptures, helpful in expounding the truth of God. Isn't it wonderful that these verses here speak of that side of things?
Eternal security. They shall never perish. They have eternal life. The sheep.
That's true of every child of God, even the simplest child of God, a babe in Christ who might not have come into the full understanding and enjoyment of what they possess.
And that's true too, of the dear ones that think.
Think that they can lose their salvation? Yes, and what a joyful thing it's going to be to them when they awaken His likeness.
In the first part of this chapter, we have the Good Shepherd dying for the sheep. But as you've already said here, we have him presented as the one that leads us now more or less as the Great Shepherd rather than the Good Shepherd here. And he leads us in this path of righteousness and faith. And what a marvelous thing that each and everyone that I hope and trust that everyone in this room realizes the significance of this verse.
And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. I've had someone say to me, yes, that's true, I believe that. But you can **** yourself out of his hand. No, that's not true.
Were safe. Now this does not give a license to go out and sin. That's not what this is giving us. This is telling us that the work of Christ on Calvary's cost was of such a nature that God accepted it completely and totally to cover all sins as we have in first John first chapter. What would I have to do to take myself out of the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ?
00:25:28
Well, you have to sin also. Christ hasn't suffered for those sins of mind.
That I commit my in the future. No Christ, all of my life was future at the time of the death of the Lord Jesus and he saw into the future what those sins would be and he took them off of me and laid them on the Lord Jesus Christ And that's how I got saved in 1944 in England when I was on my bicycle and I was.
Recalling what was said that night in a cottage meeting and the brothers spoke on Isaiah 53 in the sixth verse, the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. So that included everything that I would ever do, right or wrong. Wrong, I mean, So it's impossible to take myself out of the hands of the Lord Jesus.
If we could, then the Lord would have told an untruth by saying they shall never perish.
It's it's impossible, impossible. This is like you say, eternal security. I do think it is important for us when we speak about this truth, and I think it is wonderful to get a hold of it, that there are those who say they are believers but are not real in their souls. This does not apply to them.
They were never saved.
And they will perish, even though they say they believe. It has to be a question of the heart. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. I say that because from the time I lived in South America, brother, and I saw that there was.
There is a the truth of God is in balance.
But there is a ditch on either side of error and one side is that a person that's saved can be truly saved, can be lost again, that is error can never be. And I remember speaking to one who believed that had been in that system where they taught that. And I went to tell them about the Lord and he said.
Please go on to somebody else.
I tried to be a Christian and I'm sorry it didn't work for me. I'm hopeless. Go spend your time with somebody else. Awful to think of a despair that a person like that is in. That is not true.
Because they think that somehow holding on themselves, they can stay saved. This is fairly common. And when they hear us talk about eternal security, they say you're giving license to do whatever you will. And on the other side, the other ditches.
To say it doesn't matter what a person does, they can be saved and then they can do anything they ever want.
If they are truly saved, they wouldn't want to do anything they ever want. That's the point. Yeah, that's the point. And I think that is where the reaction has come from. One side creates a reaction from the other side. And brethren, we need to hold the truth in balance. Brother Gordon Hayhoe gave these three scriptures that helped me in connection with this question. First of all, the Lord says I know my sheep.
He knows who they are that trust Him. Then as to ourselves, we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. You and I can have the certainty that we know that we passed from death into life. But then as to others, the Lord said.
By their fruits ye shall know them, when there is a person who says they are a Christian.
That shows no fruits of being a Christian.
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By their fruits you shall know them. And we have no reason, brethren, just because a person says they're a Christian, if there are no fruits to say they are a Christian, that indicate that we don't have a business believing just simply because they say they do. And I think that's where it becomes searching a true believer.
Will give the fruit of the Spirit. It will be evident. It may not be evident immediately.
But in time there will be fruits to show. What we're talking about here is the Lord Jesus with his sheep saying, I know my sheep, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never that word never evidently is a strength and negative. You could read it. They shall never, never perish. Anybody that says, I can pluck myself out of the Lord's hands, Hey, the Lord already said.
Never, never perish. You are contradicting what he says. So there is real security here, but the truth needs to be held in balance. And there was one case in Bolivia of a man who one time was in fellowship. This shook me to the core, brethren, and I think we need to think this through a bit.
He was in fellowship, He broke bread, but he ended up wandering off and later on found out this man had murdered 12 People and done things. I don't even want to speak about it, but he was taken by the military government out into the country under the pretense of doing an investigation. And they let him kind of go on his own and he started running for the woods.
They just pulled out their pistols and ended his life right there. That's the way they do in the military government. And I don't think he was saved. The last thing I heard that he said was that he when he gets loose, I'm going to do even worse. No sign of fruits of a believer, but it humbled me to the core to think I broke bread with that man. You know, we don't know.
And the apostle Paul says the Lord knoweth them where it is, and let everyone that nameeth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
This is the sheep and it does not. You've said it, I said it, we'll say it again. Does not give a license to go out and sin. Absolutely not. What is characteristic of a sheep is that they follow the shepherd, They follow me.
If you are not following the Lord Jesus, if that's not the characteristic of your life, if you better.
Examine yourself in the presence of God. You have to even be careful.
How we refer to somebody that has to be excommunicated, put out a fellowship.
Because many times we say he is removed from the Lord's table. I don't read that in the scriptures to you, but I do read in the scriptures put out from among yourself that we could person. That means you have no longer any company.
Keep company with him any longer and he is not put out as a brother. One who is called a brother.
His profession is called into question.
While he is going on in sin, we should not refer to such a person, our beloved brother so and so, as we sometimes ignorantly do, we do not consider his profession to be real. We call it into question. Thankfully, the one in First Corinthians 5 proved to be real, and Paul had to admonish them to restore them. But while he was going on in sin.
He said, Put out from among yourself the wicked person, and if one is called a brother. And so these are helpful things, brethren, but I have enjoyed Psalm 23, where when the shepherd finds the sheep, where does he put it?
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On his shoulders.
The government in Isaiah says it's on his shoulder, singular, but the sheep that is found is put on his shoulders, the seat of strength and security, and he takes that sheep home. That's where we are. My wife and I were in a store and they had a little figure there.
Of a shepherd and he had his sheep on his shoulders, the front feet in one hand, the hind feet in the other hand. I said forget it. We have to buy that because it reminds me of where I am on the shoulders of the shepherd. We have it sitting in our family room, you know, and Albert used to say the government, he doesn't need both shoulders, it's on his shoulder, but.
The sheep that he carries home that says he put them upon his shoulders and he carries them home, would he let anybody pluck them off of his shoulders or out of his hands? No way, you know, is there anybody stronger than him. And not only is.
His hand, the one that holds us, he says. Nobody plucks them out of my father's hand. That's double security that we are in. But we better be careful.
If we go on in sin.
Maybe we prove that we're, after all, not true. People say you shouldn't judge.
No, but we are fruit inspectors, you know. By their fruit he shall know them. And there might well be times when we have serious questions in our mind whether somebody's profession is real. He might, after all, prove that he is real. But I believe that person will be restored.
He will not go on and be permitted to go on like that.
In his sinful course the Lord will bring him back. So it's so important the flesh in US is as bad as it is in the unbeliever, and the devil would like to use that flesh in a believer sometimes to do worse things than in an unbeliever, because why? It brings dishonor upon the name of the Lord Jesus.
So the pressure is not improved when we get saved, it's as bad as it ever was. And in order to not let it surface and get into control, we better stick close to the Lord Jesus and do not feed their flesh. Darwin, repeat the new man, let the shepherd feed us as we have it in Psalm 23, Green Pastures.
Still waters, you know He takes care of us not only so that we are secure, but also that we are fed, refreshed and nourished. It's beautiful how the Scripture here goes in a proper order.
He tells us that we shall never perish, and no man can pluck us out of his hand. But then he says, My father, which gave them me.
So, as we've often heard, we're a gift.
Is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. But then he adds more to that. I and my father are one, so the two of them.
Have us in a secure place.
And it's impossible to ever be taken out of that place.
Marvelous truth and until you grasp the fact that as we have in 2nd Corinthians 517 and in Romans chapter 6 verse 6.
Where we really are, we really can't go on in an enjoyable way, but here we're told exactly where we really are.
Were in the hand of the Lord Jesus and in the hand of the Father.
The Godhead, if you might say. However, the Spirit is not mentioned here. Is there any way that man or or Satan or any other creature. I think it's the end of Romans 8 gives us the picture.
Heights, nor depth, nor any other creature can take us. Let's read it.
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End of Romans 8. It's beautiful, and it just goes right along with what we have here in this portion in the 10th chapter, the 38th verse of Romans 8. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things that come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.
Which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The reason?
That we can't get out of the hand of the Lord Jesus. One main reason besides the death of Christ, the death of Christ, which of course is the important issue, is because God is righteous. The centurion in the 23rd chapter of Luke spoke of.
Certainly this was a righteous man, a righteous man. How could a man, How could God? I mean lay.
Upon his beloved son all every stroke of judgment we deserve.
Fully satisfy God right to death the wages of sin and then.
Because we slipped and sin is can be a very minor thing, but not to God. God is righteous and holy and a little sin is disqualifies us from heaven. So God is righteous, he has punished.
Our sins so they are punished. God himself can do a lot of things. He can't send us to hell. A true believer.
But a day When did the Father give us?
Through the sun before the world was made. Amen. Thank you. We are the love gift of God the Father to the Son. Isn't that precious? Before the world was. That was all assured. He gave us already. Den to the sun. It's a love gift of God the Father to the Son.
Tell an interesting story. About 40 years ago in the city of Seattle, we were asked to visit her. But we did visit Missus Lemo that wrote Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus.
At the time that we visited her and some brethren in Southern California remember her being at Dreyers Clinic. But this, she was in a rest home, she was blind. And I'll never forget her quoting those verses that our brother Dave read. And she, she could tell where I was sitting and she couldn't see me because she was blind. But she says from the scriptures you have quoted and the things you've said, I know you believe in the Lord's coming, but do you believe he could come now?
Never forget it, dear, dear St. I never forget. I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. I'll never forget the effect. We didn't know that she was blind, but when we went in we saw a group of women, as you usually do in a rest home, encircled or at least half arc around a television.
And we were going to visit a sister that wrote turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. And you know I'm not exaggerating the effect on my heart. I can still feel it isn't that I have.
A damaged heart, but the sensation of going to visit a sister who wrote turn your eyes upon Jesus. And she was looking at television in the in the main room. And so I rather timidly asked where she was and they said, oh.
She's over here. She was probably about 18,000 miles from that television and we went into a small room. She was short. Those of you that knew her, her hair was completely white and it was a beautiful, beautiful time.
Of a sister that wrote to him, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory. Told us a story.
That some missionaries were going into a head hunting tribe in Africa.
And as they got closer, they heard chanting and one of the natives that was with them said, we don't need to worry, somebody has gotten it ahead of time. And they were singing. The natives were singing. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full of his wonderful face. And so never forget, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
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Our Lord.
The teaching in these verses are so wonderful, brethren, the perfect security of every believer in Christ, from the youngest to the oldest. It doesn't make any difference how you feel. And I remember as a child feeling like I was unsaved. Do you feel that way? And yet you know that you believe in Him. You believe that.
He died for all of your sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. You believe that?
The Bible says in one John 5 about verse 15 whosoever.
Believe it that Jesus is the Son of God. God dwelleth in him.
And he and God, period.
It doesn't make any difference how you feel. It's wonderful when the joy of eternal security of that security is felt. He wants his family to feel or to be at least secure by faith.
And then the joy of it will will flood your soul so that it will affect your feelings. There's no doubt about that.
But there are so many, even right here, perhaps with young people, children.
That do not have that joy of security. It's a common malady perhaps among the family of God, especially in circles that are not taught the truth. Of course, the doctrine is all tangled up today and some do not want to even go that far as to say I'm saved forever, but because it would cause them to be too careless in their life.
How sad there can never be complete surrender or devotedness or worship in our hearts until the entire scope of the grace of God is embraced. And part of it is not just forgiveness but eternal security. I remember years ago our brother Whitaker and Dave or Gordon can correct me on this, but he said about these verses when we were reading them together. He said just think of it, I am his little finger.
Because we are members of His flesh, of His body and of His bones, we have that kind of intimate connection. We are one with Him. When we believe in the Holy Spirit indwells us, we are sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise. We belong, beloved Saints, to Him, such that we are His little finger. Could we say, will He ever cut off a little finger? No, we're so valuable to him. It didn't make any difference to the children of Israel.
When the blood was upon the doorpost in the lentil. I know we've heard this 100 times, but perhaps one more time won't hurt.
There were children in those households. There were middle-aged, there were teenagers, no doubt, with the blood on the doorposts and the lentil. It didn't make any difference how they felt about it. God had commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel to do that, and they were safe. They were sure, because it was His Word. And they were safe because they had applied the blood to the doorpost in the lentil.
And it didn't make any difference how they felt in that household within themselves, their feelings have absolutely no effect upon their security. And so it is with you, dear young folks, with each one who may have doubts that come in. And the enemy is quick and swift to charge us, who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect, as it was mentioned were chosen in Him before the foundations of the world. Is he ever going to lose 1 No.
Those that the Father have given me, it says in John's sake. None of them are lost.
You'll never lose 1 to the enemy, so it doesn't make any difference how you may feel. We have to look outside of ourselves and not be occupied with our feelings because the enemy can affect through doctrine our feelings or not understanding the doctrine properly. It could be, however, that there may be one in our company or more. I've been in this state myself, beloved Saints, where I have failed and my conscience is heavied by or burdened with a failure in my life and I've lost the joy.
Of that security and peace, be quick to keep short accounts with Him concerning it. And as our brother already mentioned that verse first John 19, that we should confess our sin to Him. He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And the joy of that security and peace will be restored again. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.
00:50:25
Somebody's given a little illustration of a train and the up front is fact and.
The coal car that we used to have, coal cars and the engines is faith and the one that follows his feelings. Don't get your feelings up front. Feelings are very real and you've got to deal with them, but they are not first.
Fact is, first Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried, He raised, raised again according to the scriptures. That's fact, historical fact. Then faith is simply laying hold of what God has said about what Jesus did. And then feelings will follow the proper feelings. If you get feelings up front and think because you don't have right feelings.
Must not be saved. You've got the thing switched around. You need to get it in the right order.
One other illustration that helped me too, brethren, I've given it to the Latin brethren a number of times. Go out in the countryside and there's a big mud hole and there's an animal walling around in the mud. What kind of an animal is that?
I always ask him a pig or a sheep? Well, everybody knows that's a pig. He's doing what he likes to do. That's its nature. Can a pig, can a sheep be in there too? Well.
Possibly if there's a bank there and he's not careful, he might follow it, fall in there. But you look at that animal and be one miserable animal in that mud hole, he's going to be trying to do everything he can to get out. Why? Because his nature doesn't like that. And a true believer falls into sin. It may be like happened with Peter. Poor Peter was one miserable man until he got the thing straightened around.
And so you show by the nature.
What you really are feelings are a mighty poor foundation to build on.
I can speak for everyone in this room, which I think I can. You might have feelings of one thing one moment, you might have feelings of something else the next. Don't build on that as a foundation. It's worthless. Build on what God says, what the brother said yesterday. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.
He gives the same thing to you and to me. We believe God is going to count it to us for righteousness. Marvelous.
Going on in our chapter it says I and my father are one, and it says the Jews.
Took up stones again to stone it. We would return and let's do that to the end of the 8th chapter and we'll see where they did that previously.
The Lord Jesus says unto them.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews under him, Thou art not yet 50 years old. And hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was I am.
Then took up the Jews stones with cast at him. They understood every time he said I am. In that sense they knew what he was talking about. They knew that the I am of the burning Bush was this very one that stood in front of him. They knew that.
And they just hated the fact that there was this one who was standing in the form of a man that told him what they had done wrong. His very presence condemned them. Just like if you walk into a room with a Bible where it's full of sinners, there's going to be a reaction to it.
And so they hated him for that. And when he says I and my father are one, they took up stones again, cast at him. And that hasn't changed. That attitude has not changed. This world is just as much in opposition to the person of Christ at this very moment as they were in that day.
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The Man Christ Jesus.
Is more than a man.
He's God manifested in the flesh. He took humanity into union with his person. But when he comes.
The Triune God is revealed.
And.
In him the fullness of the Godhead throughout bodily, he said.
To the disciple, when he said, Show us the Father.
Am I so long a time with you and you have not seen the Father? You see, the Triune God was revealed in the man Christ Jesus.
It dwelt in him bodily and beloved Saints of God, we never see need to see more of God than to see the one that we know as Jesus to know that we have.
Seen the triune God I and the Father are one I think here he speaks more of the authority, you know, that is equal with him as well as with the Father. But a wonderful to we couldn't understand that with our minds like a philosopher wants to understand that that there is a man who is also God.
And that it is the Triune God revealed. That doesn't mean we cannot enjoy it in our souls, although we don't pretend.
To understand that mystery, the union within the Godhead, you know he could never be separate.
From God to Father, He was one with him, and it is really marvelous even when you consider the fact that this one went to the cross. Did he stop to be God when he went to the cross?
Put a mere man.
Have borne the eternity of our judgment in three hours. Exhausted divine wrath against sin in three hours.
Or all the sins of all the redeemed and paid for them in three hours. If he had not been more than a man, he couldn't have laid down his life had he not become a man. But he never stopped to be what he always was.
And his person gives such a tremendous value to that sacrifice.
What a tremendous thing it is, and we will appreciate more what the Paul said. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Only he could have borne that heavy loads. Only he could have made full atonement for sin.
In three hours, exhaust the divine wrath against sin, because he was.
More than a man, beautiful Savior that we have, but forever is now man and God in one person, two natures united in one person, the person of the Lord Jesus.
Not to sing it, of course, but just to read it in the most perfectly expressed. The Father's self. The shine, fullness of God. Head to the blast. Eternally divine. Thou art the everlasting word, The Father's only Son. God manifest. God seen and heard. The Heaven's Beloved, One image of the infinite unseen, whose being none can know. Brightness of light no eye has seen. God's love revealed below.
The higher mysteries of thy fame the creatures grasp, transcend the Father only thy blessed name of Son can comprehend.
Well, that's the famous 150.
In the end of verse 33, the charge they make is that thou.
Being a man maketh thyself God.
The opposite was really true, Philippians 2 Says who being in the form of God.
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You always was God. Never was there a moment when he made himself God. He was God blessed forever. But then it says He.
Was made in the likeness of man. So they had the thing completely switched around and if what they said was true it would have been blasphemy, but it was completely turned around.
The beauty of the.
This chapter gives us not only His work to save the soul, but it gives us who He is, what He has done, and that He's still there today, as we heard this afternoon, the Great Shepherd.
Leading us?
And.
Five times in this chapter we see I am.
48 times in the book of John we.
See the expression I am eight times. In the 8th chapter we see the expression I am. Who is that? I am the eternal one, the ever existent one, the one who never had a beginning, never has an ending. I am.
The essence of life, that's who I am is. And he declares that over and over and over again in the Gospel of John and they.
They understood Moses, they knew that Moses was at the burning Bush, they knew that the great I am spoke to him. And every time the Lord Jesus I believe said I am, it brought enmity out of their hearts because of this verse that she just mentioned. Because thou being a man maketh thyself God. But he, he was God, He was God, the eternal God.
The Jehovah of the Old Testament was the man that was standing in front of.
But this wonderful person is our shepherd.
This wonderful person is our ship.
What a qualified shepherd.
He's well qualified. Yes, thank you.
Her brother mentioned.
And also he read the verse in the 150th hymn and in the 11Th chapter of Matthew, the Lord Jesus mentions that toward the end of the chapter.
Turn to Matthew 11. I think it's important.
And it's beautiful the way the Lord brings it out. Matthew 11.
And the.
27 first.
All things are delivered unto me of my Father.
And no man knows the Son but the Father.
Neither knoweth any man the Father gave the son.
And he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him, do not.
Dissect the son. No man, nor the son, but the father. But when it comes to the father.
Every time we look at a person of Christ, we see the Father, how beautiful that is, how beautiful that is, and it's always been mentioned, he says to Philip. How long have I been? A long time I've been with you, Philip, and dost thou not know me?
That has seen me, has seen the father.
Of beautiful in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily. And that's what means so much to us. We have a God. If he's remote, He's in the heavens, which we cannot approach to. We have no sense of identification with him, really. But the Lord Jesus became a man. He walked this earth. He knows our state, and that's why he is so precious to it, because we can identify.
With him as a man, but still in him, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily beyond our comprehension.
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Then it says, And ye are complete in him.
What more could we want rather than him?
I often think of the Lord Jesus becoming a man. It's it's sort of like a general of an army who never did anything but go say, to a West Point and became an officer and then descended and ranked until he's at the top of the heap and there's some poor private out walking along a muddy Rd. not sure where he's going to sleep that night and so on.
And he says, what does he know about what I'm going through? He's a general. He's got everything taken care of. Well, that's the difference with our Lord Jesus having walked this earth as a humble man, working with his hands, enduring the sorrows and the the weariness and so on. That's what makes him so precious to us. But I have to bring up one part that always, always touches me as I think about him as a man. But if you look in the last chapter of First Timothy, it's familiar. But still, I think it'd be worth looking at.
We have a verse there that should ever keep us humble.
About our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the last part of verse 14, chapter six of First Timothy, our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times He shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who only have immortality, dwelling in the life which no man can approach, unto whom no man has seen.
Nor can see to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.
As much as he was at lowly obedient man. This is our Lord Jesus Christ. And when we say Lord, there is everything we can expect of the highest of all our creation. That scripture you just read in first Timothy marvelous. Now let's look at.
Hebrews 416.
15 For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin marvelous. The Son of God, the one who you just read about dwelling in light that can't be approached, was here.
And he went through everything we go through, every single thing apart from sin. But you know, sometimes we can say, well, he doesn't know. Speaking of our brethren, well, they don't know what I'm going through. We can never say that about the Lord Jesus. He knows everything we've ever gone through or ever will go through. What a Savior we have.
Even if it is sickness, which he could not possibly experience, because sickness is a consequence of sin, but in a sympathetic way he can enter into it, and he does in a sympathetic way. When it says in Matthew that he bore our sicknesses, recording it from Isaiah 53, that doesn't mean that he was really sick.
Like Mr. Darby says, in a sympathetic way he entered into that which he took away in his power. So he feels in a sympathetic way what we experience, even that which he himself could not experience, because sickness is a consequence of sin. And even when he died, death had no claim on him. He laid it down as we have had it, voluntarily.
But.
Everything else, you know, the opposition and the hatred and all of this, the disappointments, even having his own arguing who is the greatest among them when he is occupied with the cross, you know, no entering into what was before his soul, that all was a disappointment to him. But even if we go through things and I better might not be able.
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To enter into it or don't seem to be much.
Concerned about entering into it? The Lord Jesus does and how wonderful because He was a man and that is how it is presented in Hebrews chapter 2. You know that He is our great heart priest because He was here.
As a man, and this is what we most often think of, connected with the priesthood of Christ and he is able to succor us.
Who are being tempted?
But how wonderful, too, that he is the high priest, the minister of the sanctuary. You know, like tomorrow, if we are still here, and we enter into the inner sanctuary, into the holiest of all. He's there, beloved brethren, to assist us in our feeble worship. And that which we might present imperfectly goes through his hands.
And he presents it to God perfectly, but especially for our hearts in connection with the trials and difficulties of the pathway. What a comfort to have a high priest that is able to enter into our circumstances and is able to comfort us, succor us in these circumstances.
Further than I'll just ask the question. If I understand correctly, this will be the last Bible reading of this conference tomorrow being launched today and we're pretty close to the end of this chapter. Have we covered those points that we would like to cover in the next few minutes?
There may be one missing if I can get close enough to that mic.
Everybody hear me? All right.
Little comfort. Psalm 23. I'll just read it.
The heart is my Shepherd.
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down.
Sometimes there's compulsion. He maketh me the lighter in green pastures. He leadeth me.
Beside the still waters.
Not a big storm.
He restored us, my soul.
When I wander, He restores my soul. He leadeth me. Notice who does all this? He verse two twice the word He verse three twice the word He.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake.
Yay though, I walk through the valley, the shadow of death.
Appeared no evil, for thou art with me.
Iran.
May have to be correction.
By Rod and thy staff.
Or support. They comfort me.
Now preparest not.
Some effort on my part to construct some apparatus. Now prepare us to the table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Something else that he does. Thou anointest my head with oil.
And happy consequence. My cup runneth over.
Maspers certainty.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
After my life is over and I will dwell.
House of the Lord.
Forever.
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Psalm 23.
Just 6 short verses.
I might mention too, brethren, the last two or three verses of this chapter.
Certainly.
Should speak to our hearts in a certain sense.
Are the one who has gone beyond Jordan or death, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, into the place where John at first baptized, and there he abode. He takes a new position and redemption.
And there he is, the center.
And many resorted unto him.
Tomorrow we'll have the blessed privilege.
Of gathering together by the spirit around him, owning him as the center.
He is the person that attracts our hearts and of course at his table that speaks of unity outside of all division and all of man's system of things.
To be there to answer to his blessed request. The Upper Room, so to speak.
This new in remembrance.
Of me.
I was also wondering whether Dave, whether.
It could be taken also this way, that that is where they were to come and repent, you know.
That was still needed, you know, the Lord Jesus went there where John the Baptist had baptized unto repentance, and then many joined him there. You know, that was still needed for this nation that rejected him.
But I enjoy what you said, you know that he is now beyond Jordan and we can be.
Identified with him who has gone through that and be associated with him there?
We sing #277 Two 7/7.
Little bit of water, shepherd.
Verse 24. June 24.
Now under him that is able to keep you from calling and to present you faultless.
For the presence of His glory with joy.
Our God.