John

[0:00] Let us now continue by singing hymn 406, hymn 406, tune Praise, number 720.

[0:23] Hark how the blood-bought hosts above conspire to praise redeeming love in sweet harmonious strains.

[0:38] While they strike the golden lars, this glorious theme each bosom fires that grace triumphant reigns. Hymn number 406.

[0:53] Hark how the blood-bought hosts above conspire to praise redeeming love.

[1:15] These be CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[2:42] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[4:10] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS Thank you.

[5:18] Thank you.

[5:48] Thank you. Thank you.

[6:48] Thank you. Thank you. As the Lord might help us this morning, I would direct your attention to the chapter that we read, the Gospel according to John, chapter 8, reading verses 31 and 32.

[7:07] The Gospel according to John, chapter 8, reading verses 31 and 32. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then shall ye be my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

[7:41] Then said Jesus to those 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.

[8:03] This chapter discovers to us the great perplexity that existed in the hearts of the Jewish people.

[8:19] There were a few that believed. There were many that did not believe. And those that did not believe were not afraid to say so.

[8:30] In one sense, the whole world is composed of these two kinds of people, those that believe and those that do not believe.

[8:43] It is a very solemn thing if we do not believe. And even as the Lord spoke to these unbelieving Jews, he told them the truth relative to the future.

[9:00] He goes on to say, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.

[9:14] When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. Well, this is a very solemn point, and a very clear point.

[9:28] There are too many people in the world who assume that God is their father. This surely is a verse which has settled us on the point that God is not the father of all.

[9:40] Even though he may be claimed by many people to look to God as the father. A father can only be a father if he is one that has been instrumental in conception ordinarily in life.

[10:00] And so it is, if God is our father, it can only be that we are born again of the spirit, and therefore we are favored and blessed with his nature.

[10:16] It is a great thing to be partakers of the divine nature. And we look to this word as a very searching word, but also, on the other hand, a very encouraging word.

[10:35] The Lord Jesus, when he spoke, always spoke the truth. He was not afraid to denounce people, although his denouncements were not contained or continged with all sorts of pride and wickedness and looking down upon people.

[11:00] He just spoke the truth. And even today, the same is so. God will speak through these mentalities sometimes of his own ministers and speak the truth to those who are in the congregations.

[11:20] Because some of us, at least, have been in the congregations, and we have not believed, we have not been concerned about our salvation.

[11:31] We know that there are, and never must be in the congregations, those who believe not. How is it that a great transition takes place?

[11:42] And as it has happened at times, that a person has come into the house of God in an unbelieving heart, and then has been quite altered before they have left the house of God.

[11:58] And it will be a wonderful thing. And each of you know where you stand and what your heart's feelings are. If you should come into the house of God this morning, unthinking, and not considering that there's any real importance except a kind of duty in coming to worship God or to be identified with a service on the Lord's Day morning.

[12:24] Well, that is quite possible because until we are born again of the Spirit, that's how we come to the house of God. We do not come for anything other than to satisfy our mind and perhaps even our parents and so on.

[12:41] But the appointed time rose on the pace not to propose, but call by grace. And the words here directed this morning are to those Jews which believed on him.

[12:57] If they believed on Jesus Christ, it means that they were enlightened. Not thinking of Christ is a test to try both your state and your scheme.

[13:07] You cannot be right in the rest unless you think rightly of him. Don Newton, of course, he makes a point in his well-known hymn and puts it forward in terms which are very forceful.

[13:26] Some start him the pearl of great price and say he's the fountain of joys. Yet feed upon folly and vice and cleave to the world and its toys.

[13:41] Like Judas the Savior they kiss. And while they salute him betray. Ah, what will a profession like this avail in the terrible day?

[13:53] Some call him a savior in word. But mix their own works with his plan. And hope he is helpful afford when they have done all that they can.

[14:08] If doings prove rather too light. A little they own they may fail. They purpose to make up full weight by casting his name in the scale.

[14:19] Now one of the great and important truths which the disciples of Jesus have to learn that they have no help in themselves. That salvation is entirely of God.

[14:38] Before Jonah went to preach to the Ninevites he went through a very painful experience. He was shut down to his wits head.

[14:50] Because in the whale's belly he was, he cried unto the Lord. And he was helpless, he was hopeless. And if you were in a fish's body you wouldn't be able to look to anybody else.

[15:04] Because you were cut off, would be cut off from everyone. So it was with Jonah. And all the time Jonah was in the whale's belly for three days and three nights. He was learning.

[15:16] And he was learning one thing. And that one thing is to settle in just a few words. That final profession which he made. Salvation is of the Lord.

[15:27] And the preachers of the everlasting gospel must be taught and instructed. Those few words. Salvation is of the Lord. And you'll see God's children, those that are born again of the Spirit, those that know the truth will see.

[15:44] That they've got to come to the end of everything of their own. They have no hope. There's no possibility of being saved except in the Lord's goodness and mercy. He stoops down from the might of heaven itself and regards the poor and the needy and commands them that they might have their sin taken away and that they might have a good hope through grace.

[16:10] Not a hope which is likely to fail but that hope which is described in the epistle to the Hebrews 6th chapter which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast and that enters into that within the veil.

[16:27] Even Jesus, the forerunner the forerunner who has entered indeed into the veil. Now then for those who believe on him now we shall have reason to give praise to God if we believe on Jesus Christ and that we believe on him because he is our only anchor and if we do not believe on him we shall perish.

[16:55] If we do not believe on him we shall be an easy prey to Satan and all the evil evil people evil messengers of Satan that are so multiplied in the world today yea and at all times.

[17:15] There are many deceivers that have gone into the world and you'll see the apostle John he makes this point in his first epistle and in the fourth chapter he says Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world hereby know ye the spirit of God every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now already is it in the world.

[18:04] I have said I know before that in reference to these verses there are many people who might say well I believe in Jesus Christ I believe that he was a man he came into the world he did ever so much good oh yes I believe yes that's one thing but it's not true believing if we are to be true believers in Jesus Christ we are only to receive him as one that came into the world to save sinners that he was the son of God though he took upon himself a human flesh yet he was the son of God and only the son of God could have accomplished what he had to accomplish in his life so then every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God he's come in the flesh to fulfill the law to make it honorable to be the end of the law to everyone that believeth he came in the flesh in order that he might suffer and that he might die upon the cross of Calvary and with that dying bring in an everlasting salvation and an everlasting hope to those sinners who having come to the point almost of despair hear those words from the prophecy of Isaiah look unto me all the ends of the earth and be saved but I am God you cannot save yourself but I am God you are at your wish's end but I am God you are in a desperate situation but I am God there are times you see in the world when people do come to a fit of despair which is very dreadful dreadful and solemn that there are those that take their life and die in despair and we might well have been the same it could be that

[20:16] Satan will suggest that your position today is hopeless and if therefore because it is hopeless you may as well cut short your life here because you are not doing yourself any good but blessed be God if the almighty himself intervenes puts Satan to silence and and puts that thought in your mind perhaps perhaps since he came to save the lost perhaps he died for me now you may think this is a very shaky word in your in your present experience but perhaps has often been the the saving point in a person's life we of course we find that there are atheists who are quite brazen and they do not believe in God they do not believe in the future

[21:25] I've often felt a simple answer to them is supposing it is true supposing you say it isn't true but supposing it is and there's always that possibility that whilst you are obsessed by believing a lie it could be true it could be true and blessed be God if God was to stop an atheist because of that question it could be true now we are born conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity and we have no desire after God or godliness I know that I've heard some people say that they can never remember a time when they did not love Jesus Christ this seems to be strange because it is contrary to scripture teaching we are haters of

[22:28] God when we are born into this world and it may well be that they cannot such people might say well they cannot remember a time when they did not believe in God ah what God what God they did not believe in Jesus but what Jesus what is it a Jesus that came and said yes to everything they wanted to do or is it a Jesus that was on the cross at Calvary and cried out in his great agonies oh father forgive them they know not what they do or if we go back a step or two and see the Lord Jesus Christ in the garden again sweating as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground and saying oh father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not my will but time be done and you're going to get a very different view of Jesus

[23:37] Christ and is this the one you love you should do but the natural mind is everything against God and since this is the salvation of the sinner is absolutely centered in the work and life of Jesus Christ and his resurrection and ascension then this is not the Christ that you love how many people might say yes I've always loved Jesus but what Jesus what Jesus is it a suffering saviour or is it a Jesus which is the development of your own fanciful thinking well and then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him evidently here was a start and it was there was that developed in these Jews as distinct from other

[24:39] Jews who believed not who saw in him their hopes here is one that can save us here is one that can deliver us here is one that is the fulfillment of prophecy the prophecy that when Jesus that Jesus would come into this world oh the true disciples of Jesus amongst the Jews they obviously thought about some of these great things that are written in the prophets and we can see one or two mentioned in the scriptures for example we think of Zacharias the father of John the Baptist we think also of Simeon who was led by the spirit into the temple when Jesus was to be circumcised according to the law we think of Anna who came into the same time and spoke of those glorious things concerning the Lord

[25:45] Jesus Christ here were those people that were moved by the spirit of God they were drawn to the spirit of God the spirit of God dwelt in them and even though there was the prophecies unfulfilled yet the time came they were living when those prophecies were to be fulfilled blessed be God they believed they believed is it not an amazing thing to take up a babe in your arms and to say now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace where I have seen thy salvation and the glory of thy people Israel is it not wonderful that Simeon should be able to make their testimony before he departed out of this world to be with God in heaven but ever he was a believer but we come on to the next point if you continue in my word if you continue in my word there is another scripture which speaks to us along similar lines continue in the things that thou hast received knowing from whom thou hast received them so if you continue in my word sometimes it is useful to examine ourselves to see whether we be in the faith and I pointed out before on occasions that we are to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith and not to see whether we are out of the faith some people seem to think well I don't make too great an inquisition because

[27:33] I might find I'm falling short well if God says to you examine yourselves he's going to make sure and he also is sure that when you examine yourselves you will find some things that will confirm you in your soul yes yes Jesus is the son of God yes I to the end shall endure as sure as the earnest is given more happy but not more secure the glorified spirits in heaven if you continue in my word how important it is to receive the Lord's word and to believe in it we live in a very solemn day indeed the days have been solemn throughout the history of the world where many people have risen up and have declared this to be the word of God and in fact it has not been the word of God at all how many people are being duped even in the present day who have propounded to them a God that would give all he's got if they would only receive him now that's not the

[28:52] God we preach no that's not the God we preach God who has all power once have I heard this yet twice that power belong to God and power is stretched forth so that he takes poor sinners hearts and conveys to them the ability to believe in one sense it's not a persuade in them to believe because they have a nature which makes them believe and they come to the point where my word is what the Bible says oh how good it is if we have this test in our own experience what does the Bible say and what does the Bible say not what you make of it not the complexion you put upon it but what does the Bible say now some of us have come to the scriptures a few times in our lives perhaps many times to hear know what the Bible says sometimes there is contention sometimes there is conflict sometimes there is arguments but what does the

[30:09] Bible say continue in my word now remember we cannot continue in God's word unless God has given us that word one of the great features of Christian experience is God's word is not just there for our acceptance if we think so or even stealing God's word and saying yes God gave that to me but it is when God gives his word in a very important way into the souls of his people has he given a word to you is part of his word there are many many words in the scripture which the children of God throughout the ages have been given now this doesn't mean to say that the rest of the scripture is not true but there are special portions which God takes out of the scripture and he gives to this one and he gives to that one and he gives another to another one and God has given the word now when you think of your own experience has God given you a word has he given you a word of conviction has he given you a word of promise has he given you a word of hope has he given you a word of strength and that word has come from

[31:34] God it has not been goused by looking into the scriptures and saying well the scripture says this and the other but it is a word which was lively it was a word which was penetrating it was a word that had substance in it it was a word upon which you could rest and stay my hope is in God and my expectation is from him so said the psalmets and how did he come by that hope and how did he come by that expectation it was a result of God's gift to him that he gave him a word concerning the certainty of God's power and not only was the certainty of God's power expressed in a simple word spoken but also there was the point where God spoke actively just thinking of David for a moment we think of the occasion when he was confronted with the prospect of facing

[32:34] Goliath and God had spoken to him regarding his own power God's power he refers to two occasions and maybe people would pass these occasions by but David had to remember them I'm referring to the occasion when David said he who delivered me out of the paw of the lion of the bear he is able to give me the victory over this Philistine it may not be in your case that you have been a victim naturally of coming out of the paw of the bear of the lion but nevertheless there are such similarities in Christian experience which you feel that you hear the lion's roar and every door is shut but one and that is mercy's door if you continue in my word now this is a point that the word itself is a continuing word it's not something that floats into your mind and then floats out again now is it so that you can speak one or two words in your experience wherein that word has been continuing shall I mention this one

[34:04] Jesus Christ the same and the same yesterday and today and forever and we should not omit the ands they are most important some people do and they lose the force of the whole truth concerning Jesus Christ he is the same yesterday and today and forever there is no break in the chain and is this the God you adore the God whose name is Jesus there is no break in the chain he is the same yesterday and today and forever so therefore we see a continuity if you continue in my word the world that was good yesterday the world that is good today the world that will be good forever we might well remember the apostle apostle Paul writing to the church of

[35:06] Corinth and in his second epistle he refers to such a case in the first chapter and he says but we have the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God which raiseth the dead now we come to this who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver us in whom we trust he will yet deliver us ye also help him together by prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons things may be given by many on our behalf if ye continue in my word we could not continue in God's word unless God's word was continuing but this is so in respect to what the Lord himself said if ye continue and now the word self as I have hinted already is a word of gracious instruction a gracious instruction will also include a powerful conviction what a difference it makes to any person whatever the sphere in which we may revolve that they are convinced they are convinced that what they are saying what they are feeling and how are they convinced they are convinced because they have passed through certain things and have tested certain things and those things have been proved now the people of

[36:53] God if ye continue in my word it is not just a word that has you dare not investigate it too much because it might crack no it is a word that you can search to the very depths and it will be searched out not only in reading the scriptures which has its value but also in your day to day life God will prove his word prove that he is faithful this is the way the people of God live you know they live by God communicating his word and giving them the assurance concerning it you see we have again such words that the apostle wrote to the church of Corinth when he referred to the times and the rather particular point concerning

[38:00] God God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with every temptation make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it continue in my word then that it is a word of God's faithfulness nevertheless it will be a word which will be tested and tried because if I speak with all reverence God is not one that looks on and says I hope you won't go too deeply into this because it might fail no God can invite you shall I say to come and look at the word the word that you have got in your hand the word is supporting you all through the ages of your life that is in childhood in some cases in childhood in teenage and as we grow older and even down to old age even down to old age

[39:08] I am he continue now what a wonderful thing it is to have something in a word from God which will continue all through our lives it will continue under stressful circumstances it will continue through changing scenes and we do have changing scenes we are bound to have changing scenes even in our lives as we are born and as we gradually grow up and attend education and so on to education and so on and subsequently take responsibilities this but we continue we continue and we are finding out more and more about the eternal God that he is able to supply all our needs now if you continue in my word now this word will tell us and be in our hearts that it will be a strength to our spirits a word of strength it is a great encouragement even in a amongst the world in general to have someone who can speak and encourage us we may feel weak ourselves because we are perhaps young in the way but a person that we know perhaps who has been in the way for some time is able to say

[40:48] I know whom I believe and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against this day and he has done so and I can assure you that he will not fail you no he will not fail the word of God says that God will not fail under any circumstances if he will not fail if he will not fail notice the word in my word so the word is about you but also the word is in you one of the great mysteries of godliness is this that our human bodies so to speak are dormant in respect to the things of god it is god christ that dwells in you and the activity comes from the motions of christ in your soul the spirit of christ in your heart the movement of the father upon your spirit and equally so that we are in christ we have these words of course as you probably remember

[42:01] I believe I referred to them the other day in the 15th chapter of john where the the lord makes it quite clear that if a man abide not in me is cast forth as a branch and is withered if he abide in me in my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall he be my disciples so you see here is a great mystery the apostle paul writes on one occasion in one of his letters and he has this point great is the mystery of godliness god manifests in the flesh generally i would think that that is interpreted as the lord jesus christ coming into this world taking on human flesh and doing all that was necessary to save his people from their sins but i'd like to take another view great is the mystery of godliness god manifested in your flesh a mystery it is if god is in you the hope of glory what a mystery but it is certainly a very powerful experience of the people of god and if you continue in my word because this great mystery of godliness is in your soul and because you are being moved by the spirit to trust in god at all times it's not a natural trust but it is a spiritual trust it is a trust because god himself is moving in your spirit moving your soul causing you to pray in a time when he may be found causing you to depend upon him and everything else fails if you continue in my word now you see we continue by the power of god we would be and must be and are very despondent if any continuance depends upon our own ability god will show us that this is not continuing god's word god's word continuing god's word has nothing to do with continuing your ability to continue no it is in just this that god is unto you the strength of all things in your heart i remember many many many many years ago when god arrested me in the very early stages of my christian experience with a sermon that was preached from the 35th chapter of isaiah strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees say unto head them that i have a fearful heart fear not be strong for lo your god come with vengeance he will come and save you and if god speaks that word you as he spoke it to me you will pay attention and you will see well here is the beginning now many years have passed since then and i surely must be a witness if you continue in my word he will come and save you it is a word of truth it is a word that has been sustained yes and there have been many occasions when i've had need of salvation not just the salvation of my soul in that was brought so brought to fulfillment when christ dies and grows again but we need continual salvation here we get into snare sometimes are we caught and entangled john owen is not an easy author to read i remember reading many years ago or attempting to read the 130th his exposition on the 130th psalm i must say i didn't get to the end of it it was so deep and of course my experience then was very slender but there's one thing i always remember he speaks about sin entanglement sin entanglement and scarcely do we see the snare before we feel we feel the smile sin entanglement we look at it it looks all right on the face and therefore perhaps the thought comes to our mind that we can take a chance on this it might be all right in the end i'm sure all of us at some time or other whether we've been aware of it or not know that there have been thoughts when we wonder whether it's safe to do this or that and then you know it's been suggested you can take a chance you may come off all right that's a very dangerous situation and some of us certainly have found the the evil of taking a chance now if he can tell you in my words what does

[47:47] God say sometimes he says go sometimes he says stand still and sometimes he will turn us away from something that we intend to to absolutely God has spoken yes who can but prophesy if he continue in my word God's word a strengthening word an upholding word and what is above everything else a true word and as you go along in life we should ever remember the connection in this verse if you continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed not just disciples you know there were some disciples that went away when the Lord was preaching in the sixth of John we have the record they after a time the Lord

[48:49] Jesus teaching didn't suit them and they went away and walked no more with him no way they cannot be said to be disciples indeed even though they may be apparently disciples God knows God knows how many people who pursue to be disciples and yet they are not and the time will come when their religion will be tried but blessed be God if ye continue in my word that will uphold you there will be a light upon your path and a lamp to your feet if ye continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed now I'm sure that if we are right before God if we have a living soul we should want to know whether we're right or not before God well this is true if you believe in my word then are ye my disciples indeed now that is in depth and in truth the beginning is right and therefore every point in your pathway will be right although it may be that we should say could we say see how all were right but have room for credence this by faith and not by sight

[50:07] Christians yield obedience so we walk by faith this is God's word if you continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed continuing oh what a blessing it is the Christian profession is not something that lasts for a time and then gives up it lasts if it begins it will continue down to your dying day and when you pass out of time into eternity that will still be there God's word will be true yes there we shall see his face and never never sin there from the rivers of his grace drink endless pleasures in so then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him if you continue in my word then are you my disciples indeed oh may the Lord in his great mercy cause you to think on these things and remember what the word of God says in the Philippians if there be any virtue if there be any praise think on these things and these things are very important things and very essential things and will of being on a good foundation and the foundation of

[51:21] God stand this shore having this seal the Lord knoweth them as his and let him that nameeth the Lord and followeth after him let him depart from all iniquity or sin or live godly in this present world Lord pardon all those be amiss and accept us through the name of Jesus Christ and may we find that the word spoken this morning may be a continuing word and you will think about it as the day proceeds and you will consider that it is an unchangeable world and will be suitable under every circumstance of your life Amen let us close by singing hymn number 277 hymn 277 tunes and bees number 494 now

[52:34] I see whate'er betide all is well if Christ be mine he has promised to provide may he teach me to resign when a sense of sin and thrall force me to the sinner's friend he engaged to manage all by the way and to the end hymn number 277 now I say whate'er be tired on faith where if Christ be mine he has promised people why may tomorrow be things did he resigned when the u sees ourboys engine and that e e

[53:48] British BilderThen eller sin He is the practicing of His garden, but I am serving heaven.

[54:12] God, He said of me, I care Is it not that I am not I will hold my virgin's well I will hold my peace of God Lord, I will hold my peace of God And I will fly all to thee For thy presence, Jesus' presence

[55:21] Must be truly as who lives When He met the way He is low And the common flesh will start With thy promise and thy love He and heavenly means my love And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ And the Father's love and the fellowship and communion

[56:24] Of the ever-blessed Spirit be with us Amen Amen Amen Amen Thank you.

[57:11] Thank you.