Words of Warning from the Loving Savior

I want to say this, I believe it was A .W. Tozer who said, we should receive the corrections of God as we do the encouragements of God. In other words, we should allow the Word of God to correct us as well as we allow the Word of God to encourage us.

Strong medicine this morning, brothers and sisters. I've titled this, Words of Warning from the Loving Savior. I don't believe I'm going to get through this whole message, so I'm going to make this a part one.

I believe we'll get to part two, God willing, next Lord's Day, and we'll have communion. So yes, I'm going to have to shorten it up a little bit so I can finish up the sermon next Lord's Day. But today, we're going to look at part one, and I opened with that quote from Tozer because, as you well know, there's strong medicine in the Word of God, but we need strong medicine.

And I titled this, again, Words of Warning from our Loving Savior. Because He loves us so much, He warns us. And it's amazing to me, as I read this portion of chapter 8, as we will look at in just a minute, as I was studying and contemplating and meditating on this portion, Jesus is speaking this to self-righteous, hard-hearted, unbelieving, unwilling-to-believe-in-Him Pharisees.

He is so patient. He is so kind to even be there to give them this truth. And as you well know, the truth that He always aims at is who He is. Who Jesus Christ is. It's all about this one person. Our destination, eternal destination, I would say, is hinging on whether we believe or do not believe in this one great person, Jesus Christ.

John 20 verse 31 is the theme. We see it time and time again. The Apostle John says, but these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

That is the overall arching theme of the whole entire gospel of John. So as saying that, please turn with me in your Bible to the gospel of John chapter 8. Chapter 8. We've taken our journey through John, and here we are in a very important section in this chapter.

It's a very serious, very solemn debate that the Jews have with the Lord Jesus Christ, and the debate is about, again, as I mentioned, who Jesus Christ is.

Who He is.

And in this particular section, in John chapter 8, I read this from Pastor John MacArthur. He has a great outline on this. I'm not going to use it today, but I think it's really wonderful. Jesus revealed, quote, He revealed the consequence of the rejection of Him as the Messiah and the Son of God.

These verses reveal four ways that ensure someone will die in their sins and as a result experience spiritual death. Number one, being self-righteous. In verse 20 to 22, being self-righteous. Two, being earthbound.

Being earthbound, worldly in other words, in verse 23 and 24. Third, three, being unbelieving in verse 24. Fourth, and being ignorant. In verse 25 and verse 29. And I was listening to his sermon on this and I believe he added, I don't know if he added another one or he reworded it, but it's being faithless.

Being faithless. And it's all about who we place our faith in. He goes on to say, The Jews who rejected Jesus displayed all four of these characteristics, end quote. Now, I say that because, beloved, these are some of the most serious, solemn, terrifying words that ever came from the lips of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

Yet, as you well know, the one who warns you the most, loves you the most. And there's absolutely no one that loves us more than Jesus Christ. And in saying that, let me read the text before you today.

Now, you can honestly say that Christ even loved the self-righteous Pharisees to give them this truth.

Even though they were very hard words,.

Very strong words, they were words of warning from our loving Savior. So, John chapter 8, beginning at verse 21 to verse 30. Hear the word of the living God. Then Jesus said to them again, I am going away and you will seek Me and will die in your sin.

Where I go, you cannot come. So the Jews said, Will He kill Himself because He says, Where I go, you cannot come? And He said to them, You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, cosmos.

I am not of this cosmos, world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am, He, that's actually omitted in the original, but He says that I am. You will die in your sins.

Then they said to Him,.

Who are you? Who are you?

And Jesus said to them, Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true, and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.

They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. They did not understand it. Verse 28,. Then Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

And He who sent Me is with Me, and the Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. And as He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Let us pray and bow in the presence of our Lord, our Father and our great Lord.

I want to say a small but very short prayer, which is long enough. Speak, Lord, for Thy servant hears. And let the words of My mouth and the meditation of My heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, My strength, My Redeemer.

And we ask this for Your honor and Your glory in the name that's above all names, Jesus Christ, for Your glory. Amen. I believe it was C .H. Spurgeon from the Treasury of David, I read this quote, You cannot repent too soon because you do not know how soon it may be too late.

You cannot repent too soon because you do not know how soon it may be too late. Beloved, as long as God lends us breath, as long as you and I live and can mentally comprehend that you have the opportunity to believe and to repent in Jesus Christ for our eternal salvation, we must do it quickly before it's everlasting too late.

Because the very second that we die,.

It will be too late.

As soon as someone's breath is taken from them, it is too late. As you know, J .C. Rowe said, Hell is a truth known too late. There is no repentance in the grave. No repentance in the grave. So if we're going to do our repenting, we need to do our repenting while we're living and breathing.

Now that's just not the opinion of godly men, of Spurgeon and J .C. Rowe, or anything that I say, or any other saint of God, but something that our loving Savior says over and over and time and time again.

Actually, He preached repentance and the kingdom of God over most of all the Gospels record. That is the message our Savior and our Lord brought forth, was to repent, or you likewise will perish. Again and again and again, Jesus is patient, Jesus is loving.

He warns us to believe in Him,.

And who He is,.

And who He claims to be, while there's still time. It's absolutely critical. Matter of fact, our eternal destination, whether we have eternal life or eternal death, is resting on who Jesus is, and who He says He is, and by believing in Him.

Not just about Him, the devils can do that, but believing in Him, trusting in Him, leaning on Him. Three times in our text, verse 21, twice in verse 24, Jesus warns these self-righteous Pharisees that they will die in their sins, unless they are willing to believe.

But Jesus told them they were unwilling. This means that they will face God's eternal judgment for their sins. And this means that the world at large in which we live that do not know Jesus Christ, and are rejecting Jesus Christ, will face the eternal judgment.

It is appointed for once men to die, and after this, the judgment. The judgment of God. And the judgment of God is guaranteed according to Acts chapter 17. And the one thing, and the one great event that guarantees that great judgment is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

His resurrection.

Guarantees that.

Because in verse 31 of chapter 17, because, this is Paul the Apostle, let me back up, verse 30, truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained.

He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. That gives the assurance that there is an eternal judgment that's for every single person because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

And He and the Father has appointed His Son, Jesus Christ, to judge this entire world. All the way from Adam until the very last person that will be born until Jesus Christ comes back again. Jesus warns the Pharisees that they will die in their sins.

This is severe. And Christ's final warning contains a word of invitation as well, just not warning, but of a word of hope in verse 24b. If you notice, for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.

So really, if you look at it, there's an invitation that's there, unless you believe that I am the Lord. That's who He says when He says, I am. I am the Lord. That you will die in your sins. You can change that.

That you will not die in your sins.

If you believe.

But here, they were unwilling to believe because of their self-righteous pride. Now, He didn't say again, believe about Me. The devils believe and tremble. They can do that. Jesus says, believe in Me.

Believe that I am He. I am. And when He says, I am, He's talking about, He is the great I am. He is deity. He is divinity. He is the Lord. We must trumpet this, beloved. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is everything.

And tell Him, people, and tell Him the lost. He's just not Savior. As a matter of fact, there's people now, even in churches, that are dividing Christ. Oh, you can have Him Savior and not have Him as Lord.

And you can accept Him as Savior now and accept Him as Lord as later. That is false teaching, beloved. You do not accept a divided Christ. You take all of Christ. Because as you look at it, time and time again, through the Gospels and through the Epistles, He is Lord and Savior.

He is Lord and Savior. You cannot divide those. You cannot have Jesus as Savior unless He's Lord. So He's Lord. For Him to be Savior, He must be Lord. So you don't divide Him up. He is Lord and Savior.

And it's so critical that we truly understand clearly who Jesus' claims are and who He says He is, and that we believe in Him, we trust in Him, we lean on Him, we throw our whole entire life on Him, we humble ourselves before Him, we submit to Him, we live for Him, we die for Him.

And before we die and face God's eternal judgment, this is what it is. We are to trust in Him. And this is what Jesus is talking about. Believe in who I am. To keep this simple today and stay true to the text, I'm just going to have a couple of things I'm going to look at.

Number one will be the truth about who Jesus Christ is. And second, the truth about man.

Man.

The truth about man. We're just going to look at that in a simple way. So I hope you recognize this. It is absolutely impossible to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without first of all understanding the truth of who Jesus Christ is.

Who He is.

This is why we study the Word of God and to come at the feet of Jesus as Brother Keith was talking about this Syphoenician woman that came to the Lord and just bowed at the feet of Jesus. These women such as Mary Magdalene that sat at the feet of Jesus learning about Him and savoring Him and soaking up who He is.

We must do the same. Beloved, let me say this. We cannot understand who Jesus really is of our own intellect. We may think we're smart, but we're not. It takes the Spirit of the living God to apply the Word of God to our hearts and mind.

Well, Pastor, do you have a chapter and verse to back that up?

Absolutely I do.

If you go to 1 Corinthians 2 we see here the Apostle Paul speaks to the church of Corinth, to the Corinthians.

And he says right here in chapter 2.

He speaks about Christ crucified and truly understanding Jesus Christ and Him crucified it takes the Spirit of God. Notice what he says in verse 9. But as it is written, eye has not seen nor ear heard nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things. Yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of man except the Spirit of man which is in him. Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received not the Spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak not in the words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches.

Comparing spiritual things with spiritual spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

But he who is spiritual judges all things yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him but we have the mind of Christ. There you have it and you see these self-righteous Pharisees fall under the category of verse 14 that the Apostle Paul is saying the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.

They do not receive it because they cannot but yet God will not be charged for their rejection of Jesus Christ. Each man is responsible each and every person will be responsible for the decision and the choice that we make regarding Jesus Christ.

I don't know how it works but MacArthur says this and I agree with him 100 the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man travel parallel. God is absolutely sovereign and he has the elect that come to God to himself and he has ordained that before the foundation of the world.

But we don't know who the elect are, right? I think like Calvin says who are, someone asked him one time he said who are the elect of God and he says those that are elect of God are those who believe who Jesus Christ is.

So we must know what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. So that's critical. So we must understand by the Holy Spirit. And secondly the truth of who we are understanding who God is the truth of who we really are.

That's very important, isn't it? James chapter 1 verse 21 says this starting with verse 21. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror for he observes himself he goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty that's the word of God and continues in it.

Jesus said that.

That's where James gets this.

He says, Jesus says.

If you are my disciples you continue in my word. You abide in my word. So we must continue in the word. We not only look into it but we continue in it. And he says and is not a forgetful hearer. God help us not to be forgetful hearers but a doer of the work.

This one will be blessed in what he does. He's talking about obedience folks. He's talking about fruit.

To the root.

So that's very critical. So if we fail to truly understand who Jesus is then we will not see him in his beauty. We will not see him as being precious to us because to the true child of God he delights in God he delights in the things of God he delights in who God is and he's precious.

He's precious. And if we fail to recognize who we really are we will not understand the greatness of our need. How greatly we need God every single day that we live every breath that we take. May God spare us from falling into apathy and saying oh yeah.

Here we go. Just another time to go to church and just another time to hear a sermon just another time to hear. Folks it must be living and breathing inside of you. If you've lost the fire fall on your face before God and ask God to bring that fire back through his word and through prayer and he will meet you.

But it's those that are these great two truths as which we are to grasp. And it's by the grace and it's by the power of the spirit of God to see the glory of God and Jesus Christ. We are to run to him and to cling to him and lean on him and recognize who he truly is.

Because he's our only living hope he's the only hope to this world that's in darkness and that's just going headlong to the death.

Of the grave.

And rushing into judgment these two great things the indescribable unsurpassed glory of God in Christ Jesus. Paul speaks about this in 2 Corinthians. I love this chapter. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Paul says.

Therefore since we have this ministry we have received mercy. We do not lose heart we do not faint we do not give up. We have received the compassion of God the mercy of God. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

But even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled to those who are perishing whose minds the God of this age has blinded who do not believe lest the light of the gospel the glory of Christ who is in the image of God should shine on them.

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves for bondservants for Jesus sake for it is God.

The God.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and that's the apostle Paul.

Word for word.

Of our mission that it's the light of Christ's gospel that we are to shine into a dark world and I really do believe this beloved. As the world will grow darker the light will grow stronger as well especially if you are a child of God living in a dark age.

We reflect the light.

We are a light. Jesus is the light and the greatness of man's need for Jesus Christ is great. Well let's look at a few verses in John chapter 8. Notice verse 21 and verse 22. Then Jesus said to them again.

He again says He's very patient isn't He? Jesus repeats Himself. Verse 21. Then Jesus said to them again.

Our Lord.

Is very gracious and patient. I am going away and you will seek Me and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come. Verse 22. So the Jews said will He kill Himself? because He says where I go you cannot come.

You see how.

They're so blinded they do not understand what He is telling them. Jesus repeats His message from John chapter 7. Look at John 7 chapter right before. In verse 33 and 34 Jesus said here said to them I shall be with you a little longer a little while longer and then I will go to Him who sent Me talking about the Father.

You will seek Me and not find Me and where I am where I am you cannot come. So that's why the text says. He says to them again because He's already mentioned it to them in chapter 7. Verse 33 and 34 here and Jesus shows His perfect knowledge of the future that right there should be enough that.

Speaks of His deity.

Just not only His miracles miracle after miracle evidence after evidence of who He is and who He says He is and who He claimed He was. The evidence was massive but they still was unbelieving. He told His critics He was going away which actually was referring not only to His death and burial but also to His awesome resurrection and His ascension back into heaven.

Jewish people would continue to seek the Messiah not realizing that they have rejected Christ on the day of His visitation this is the day of visitation here and they had rejected Him because of their unbelief.

Horrible rejection.

Folks.

I told a man one day that was riding with me in the milk truck in the milk truck and he was helping me. And he's been through some pretty hard tragedies in his life. He had a 6 year old little girl that got ran over right in front of his eyes.

Can't imagine losing a 6 year old child like that. And he mentioned other tragedies about his brother and one tragedy after another. And you could tell he was not a believer. And he said yeah I drank here and I smoked here.

And he was very honest with me. And I said you know friend my heart goes out to you I said. But I want to also mention to you. And he knew I was a Christian. I said I'm not to bring you any words of condemnation.

I won't give you words of hope. But I do want to mention one thing to you sir. I said smoking and drinking and all those things is not what sends people to hell I said. But you're rejecting Jesus Christ.

The one who loves you the most will send you straight to hell. He hasn't ridden back with me since then. That's ok. I know the truth offends people. You know that. Right. It's offensive.

It's hard.

It's hard sayings to go up to people that's been through some hard tragedies and yes you tell them God loves them but you have to tell them you know the Lord commands you to repent. My dear friend you must turn from your sinful way for this is the reason why the son of God was manifested to take away.

That sin.

Because we must see our sin. Jesus tells these self righteous Pharisees right here in this particular verse. I don't know if you notice this.

But if you very.

Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying. Notice what he says the other times in verse 24 the twice he says sins.

Plural.

Here he says.

Sin singular. Why does he say that. Because here the sin is singular in the Greek basically meaning that they would be forever prevented from entering into heaven because they will not.

Be forgiven.

They reject him outright because of their unbelief towards who he is the Messiah. He came into his own his own received him not they rejected him. Don't you love that part. In chapter one of John it doesn't end there but and then it says verse 12.

But as many as received him to them he gave the power to become the sons of God even to them that even believe on his name.

Great hope.

So where the Lord was going in heaven they didn't know. This is such a serious serious solemn truth those who outright refuse and reject Jesus Christ.

Have no hope.

Of eternal life they will not be forgiven. How dreadful it is as I mentioned a couple weeks lords day ago how terrifying it is to fall in the hands of the living.

God.

I don't think there's anything worse than that.

Beloved.

To fall into the hands of the living God to die into one's sins without God without Christ without hope forever and ever throughout all eternity. Folks this should be putting ourselves on our face before God to cry out and to intercede for our lost loved ones that's on their way to hell.

God.

Give us a burden. If we don't have that burden we need to go to God in prayer and ask God for that burden and Jesus said that burden's light his burden's light.

That's his burden.

Beloved it's much lighter than the burden of sin because the scripture says the way of the transgressor is hard. Oh somebody say yeah but the way of the cross is hard. Well folks I choose the way of the cross any day than the way of the transgressor.

Because the.

Way of the transgressor will lead you straight.

To the pits of hell.

Where the cross will take you right into the heights of heaven and where God will carry you. I'd rather choose that hard here in this life than the hard in hell. Thomas A Kempis said this carry the cross patiently and in the end.

It will carry you.

Hallelujah hang on beloved.

You're.

The burden that you may be carrying the cross may be hard and heavy but the Lord Jesus Christ is there to sustain you and to hold you fast. He holds his children. You're in the palm of his hand. Verse 22.

The Jews did not understand because of their blindness. They're blind. It's like going to a blind person. Can't you see it. No they can't see it. They're blind. They're unbelief. They're unwilling to believe in him.

And the Lord spoke of going back to heaven to his father. What did he mean by going away. What did he mean that he would escape the plot to kill himself by committing suicide. That's what they were thinking.

Will he commit suicide. It was a strange thing that they should even think of this. Really strange. According to Josephus the Jewish historian Jewish tradition condemns suicide as a particular heinous sin that resulted in permanent banishment to the worst part of Hades.

That was the Jewish tradition there according to Josephus. So if he were to kill himself there would be nothing to prevent them from doing the same and following him into death.

But it.

Was just another example of the darkness of their unbelief and that's what calls their unbelief is their pride their self righteousness.

You can.

Almost see it in the text here. So the Jew says will he kill.

Himself.

Because he says where I go you cannot.

Come.

Self righteous. Self righteous in verse 25 we'll look at this later again. But they said to him again they said who are you. You know what they're basically saying. Who do you think you really are. Who do you really think you are.

Self righteous. Pride thinking that they are the the great teachers of the law and the interpreters of the law and they have not even got the first base understanding who God really is. Self righteous.

Prideful. Well we need to gaze.

The glory of God in Christ Jesus. Notice first of all that Jesus clearly says he was from above. Look at verse 23. He said to them first of all he says you are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world this cosmos.

I am not of this cosmos. He's from another world. Folks he's the one that made the world. This is a contrast here between the realm of God and the realm of fallen sinful man and the realm is a large.

Gulf.

Of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. Actually that's what Luther battled before he came to faith in Christ. How can a sinful man be pardoned by a holy God. How can he be forgiven. How. How.

Because Luther understood his sin he struggled with this and he understood it from the law of God and he saw the judgment of God because if you read about anything about Luther before in his BC days he constantly had the frown of God upon his life.

He did not know anything about the smile of God. Until one day he was reading in Romans 1 hallelujah and then he saw the righteousness of God is given.

Faith to faith.

The just shall live by faith. And then that really God opened up heaven to him it was a.

Divine.

Impartation and he saw all heaven open up. Well here the contrast is between the realm of God and fallen sinful world. In his exposition I found a good quote by John Gill a godly man.

I think he would.

Rank in the Puritans wouldn't he. Ben John Gill. During that time period he says this they were.

For this verse.

They were as they were born into the world sinful carnal and corrupt. They were in it they belong to it had never been chosen or called out of it. They had their conversation that means manner of conduct according to the course of this world and conform to its evil customs and manners.

They were under the influence of the God of this world. They were taken with the sinful and sensual lust thereof. They were men of worldly spirits. They minded earthly things and had their portion in this world and might be truly called the men of it.

What does scripture say. A well familiar.

Verse.

In 1st John chapter 2 verse 15 do not love the world do not love the cosmos.

The system.

Or the things in the world.

Beware of the love of the world.

Folks stay unspotted.

From the world.

The love of this world. Do not love the world. Do not. That's a command. Notice how God gets straight to the point do not love it or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the father is not.

In him.

That's to the point Jesus says where your heart.

Is.

There your treasure will be also for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world and the world the cosmos is passing away and the lust of it but he who does the will of God.

Abides forever.

That's a powerful verse.

We're not to love the world. Jesus Christ differs many respects from this world.

In his awesome.

Sermon centers in the hands of the angry God. Jonathan Edwards said this about this text every unconverted man properly belongs to hell that's strong language but he's preaching the word folks that is.

His place.

From thence he is John 8 23 you are from beneath and tither he is bound. It is the place that justice and God's word and the sentence of his unchangeable law is signed to him.

Wow.

That's sobering isn't it. We are due this.

Justice.

Because God is a holy and a just God. And Jesus again differs from every aspect from his origins than ours. You and I are born into this world in the way that men and women are naturally born and are products of our earthly parents stems all the way to the original sin from Adam.

We are born rebels hating God. We have a fallen human nature. Psalm 51 5. David cries out in his psalm appendix before God. He says behold I was brought forth in iniquity. Listen to that. And in sin my mother conceived me.