Address—C. Hendricks
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John chapter.
1.
And verse one.
In the beginning was the word.
And the word was with God.
And the Word was God, verse 14.
And the Word was made flesh.
And dwelt among us.
7th chapter.
No, we'll read the 8th chapter first, one verse.
Chapter 8 and verse 25.
They said.
Then said they unto him.
Who art thou?
And Jesus saith unto them even the same.
Said unto you from the beginning.
Another translation I think.
More correctly seizes the thought.
And it says when they asked him, Who art thou, he said.
Altogether.
And absolutely what I say to you.
He was what he said.
Now in the 7th chapter.
Verse 32.
The Pharisees heard that the people murmured each such things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests and officers to take him.
Verse 45.
Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and.
They said unto them, Why have he not brought him?
The officers answered.
Never.
Man spake like this man.
Never man spake.
Like this man, he who is the word.
The living expression of the mind of God, the Word. I'm using words to convey to you what comes from my mind, and you hear those words, and by the miraculous process that only God could create, you understand what I'm saying.
Think of it.
God the Son.
Hebrews One starts out the same way. God, having spoken in many parts, and in many ways formerly to the fathers in the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.
The Son speaking God speaking in the person of his Son.
Young people especially have you on my mind in these few thoughts.
You will hear possibly at some time in your life, but I have heard and read.
That, and these are by the modernists and the liberals of the day.
That.
Jesus never existed.
He was just the product of the mind of some men that lived in the 2nd century and it's all an invention now. Peter anticipates that when he says we have not followed cunningly devised fables.
But have proclaimed unto you what we have seen and heard.
No, these are not cunningly devised fables. So what I want to do for just a few minutes is to just look at that, that argument that this life.
That we see depicted here, especially in the Gospel of John and I could go to.
The other gospels as well, but especially here where he's presented to us as the Word, the one who expresses the very mind and thoughts of God.
Could such a person have ever been created by the mind of sinful men?
That would be a miracle of a vast proportion, would it not? We're going to look for just a few moments at what he said.
We had at Walla Walla, we had Matthew 5-6 and seven and.
Oftentimes we come across his expression. You have heard that it hath been said, but I say unto you.
I say unto you, who was this that could add to, or even give different instructions from what they had from Moses?
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And from the prophets of old, who was this who had the authority to change it? You have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that you was just not evil. He that compels thee to go a mile, go with him twain. He that smites thee on the 1 Cheek, turn the other cheek, and so on. He was introducing an altogether new dispensation, was he not?
A whole new line of truth. But who could do that?
Only.
God himself.
God himself come in the person of the Son, who is the Word.
The living expression. Let's just look at a few things that he said. And as we look at them, I want you to just Mull over in your mind, could this, could this ever have entered the mind of man to create such a personality as we see in the Lord Jesus? That's impossible.
And the best answer to that? That infidel argument, that modernist argument.
Made by the liberal theologians, and the worst attacks on the Bible and the worst attacks on the person of Christ come from within the Christian testimony.
Not from without, but from within. Let's just see some of the things that he said. Turn to John 3.
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, the ruler of the Jews.
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi.
We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
So here he comes as a teacher to a teacher.
Jesus answered and said unto him.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. He asked for some teaching. He came to a teacher and he got teaching here.
Tremendous teaching, he was saying to Abraham.
You need a new life.
A new beginning, What you have and what you're so proud of that you can say we have Abraham for our father, he said. That will not do.
You need to be born again and accept a man be born again. He cannot see the Kingdom of God, much less.
And her into it. He can't even see it.
Nicodemus did not understand his words. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
And Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Think of a.
Think of a liberal who was filled with himself, filled with his own self importance that promotes the idea that we have a little of the of the of God within us.
Inventing a man that says you have to have a new birth, you have to be born again, you have to start all over with a new life. Think of someone who is a liberal inventing that.
And everything that we hear that the blessed Lord said would be utterly unthinkable coming from the mind of a natural man.
Think of the 11TH verse. That's the most profound verse in the entire Gospel of John. He changes from the singular in that verse to the plural, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, He's still speaking to Nicodemus, who couldn't understand the new birth, what the Lord was talking about.
He says we speak.
That we do know.
And testify that we have seen.
And you receive not our witness. And then he goes back to the singular If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall ye believe? If I tell you of heavenly things? Who's the We on the 11TH verse? Well, he speaks as one of the persons of the Trinity. The We is divine Persons, Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
We speak that we do know. Now only God can say He knows.
Only God in the absolute sense. He's the only one that knows.
And the only way we can say we know is by the word of God. For instance, first John 520 We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.
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He is the true God in eternal life. How can we say we know?
Because the word of God. But here he identifies himself with the the divine persons of the Trinity, and he was one of them, the Son. And he says we speak.
That we do know.
And testify that we have seen and you receive, not our witness. Now imagine a man inventing that.
That he spoke that.
Utterly impossible. All you have to do is read what he said.
And you'll know that never, never, man.
Spake like this man.
Never man spake like this man the first thing he tells us.
The first thing he tells us, all of us you must be born again. You need a new life.
You cannot get to heaven, you can't even see it. The Kingdom of God, you can't even see it without the new birth. You must be born again. Notice how he says in verse 7, Marvel not that I said unto thee, that's the singular thee. He's talking to Nicodemus, and then he goes to the plural he.
Must be born again. Who's the ye?
Of the nation of Israel, all the Jews. Expand it more. All of us.
But they were the ones that were boasting in their first birth.
They were the ones that boasted in having Abraham for their father and the the worthies of the Old Testament, they were cut above the Gentiles. And the Lord says ye, he's not talking just to Nicodemus, but he was a representative of the nation. And he says, ye, you Jews must be born again. Now He doesn't say that to the Gentiles, He says to the Gentiles.
When I say he, I'm talking about the the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, that you must be quickened.
That's the same truth, given life, as what takes place when you're born again.
But he doesn't use the expression born again for the Gentiles because they had no first birth that they gloried in, but the Jews did. They gloried in their first birth. And so he says that will not do. You must be born again.
And then he goes. He refers back in verse 14 to the Old Testament. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. That, of course, was the cross, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Now here's the verse that that that unfolds to us.
The very heart of God, for God so loved the world.
The world now, not just the Jews, but the whole world, it includes everyone, red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight. Jews, Gentiles, whatever. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Think of that expression. Think of those words coming from the invention of the mind of man.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
But have everlasting life, for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world.
But that the world through him, might be saved.
Think of someone that is.
Has very strong feelings against certain races.
Would he?
What he read, what he put that down.
God so loved the world.
You mean he loves the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists?
And on and on, Yes.
He loves the world.
And he gave his only begotten Son.
To prove it.
Now just look. Look at the 4th chapter.
4th chapter He sits a man wearied with his journey.
He sat on the well. Verse 6 was about the 6th hour. There cometh the woman of Samaria to draw water.
Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
His disciples had gone away into the city to buy meat, and the woman says to him.
Woman of Samaria, how is it that thou being a Jew, ask a streak of me which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Now that would take someone special in the next century to invent this, that this Jew sat down, wearied and conversed with the Samaritans. That was something that was forbidden.
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An invention of man.
No, not for a moment.
Jesus answered and said unto her, Now listen to this tremendous statement.
If thou newest the gift of God.
And who it is?
That saith to thee, Give me to drink.
Thou wouldst have asked of him.
And he would have given thee living water.
The invention of man? No.
Now he was here, a real man.
He spoke words that they had never heard the likes of before.
Never met.
Speak like this, man.
The 6th chapter.
Verse 32. They asked him in verse 31.
Let's now back up to verse 30. Then said they therefore unto him, What signs show us thou?
Then that we may see and believe thee, what dost thou work? He just fed.
20,005 thousand men, probably 20,000 with the women and children. He just fed them with five loaves and two fishes, and they asked him, what sign do you show?
How blind?
Can you be?
And they were blind.
Spiritually, what signs showest thou that we may see and believe thee? What dost thou work? Verse 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them.
I am the bread of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger.
And he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Never man spake like this man.
But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, for I came down from heaven.
Not to do mine own will.
But the will of him that sent me, and this is the Father's will which hath sent me that.
Of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him may have everlasting life.
And I will raise him up.
At the last day.
The invention of man.
Utterly unthinkable when someone asked me how do you know this is the word of God?
I always say read it.
Wreathed there is no book like it.
There's no one that ever spoke like this man, There's no one that spoke like the apostles as they were inspired of God and communicated truth that is so above the mind of man to even conceive of.
Just read it.
It carries its own credentials.
How wonderful to know this one.
I am the bread of God, the bread of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Verse 47 He says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life.
Notice what he says in verses 53 and 54.
Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
The invention of man? Never.
Never, never.
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Never man spake like this man.
I'm going to sit down in the hour, so I'm just going to read you a few more. Give room for others.
8th chapter.
The 8th chapter, verse 12. Then spake Jesus again. Oftentimes when he spake, he said thoroughly, thoroughly, I say unto you, truly, truly.
This is important.
This Sinner.
Then spake Jesus unto them again, saying, I am the light.
Of the world.
He that followeth me.
Shall not walk in darkness, but shall have.
The light of life.
This in the 9th chapter he says verse 5. As long as I'm in the world, I am the light.
Of the world.
The 10th chapter he says in verse 9, I am the door.
By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.
Verse 11 he says I'm the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
He says in verse 27, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My father, which gave them me, is greater than all.
And no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand.
Aren't you glad that he said these things?
That he has assured us of our safety, our security.
Our eternal life given to us.
The 11TH chapter, verse 25. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection.
And the life.
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never.
Die.
I want to get over to the.
14th chapter.
The 14th chapter, he tells them of the future and this is the only book. By the way, of all the religious books written by all the false religions in the world, none of them have any prophetic pronouncements as to the future. The only one that knows the future is God.
The only one that knows the future is God. He dwells in an eternal present, and to him the future is as known as the past or the present.
And he often speaks that way whom he has.
Justified them. He has glorified as though it's already accomplished because it's as good as accomplished. When he says it, let not your heart be troubled. He had just told him he was going away. He says don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions that we're not. So I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. He said it. I will come again. He's coming again.
We know that we don't know when, and all the predictions for when make Christians look foolish because they haven't come to pass.
Mr. Bellott said it beautifully. He said I wouldn't spend a moment arguing when the Lord would come, but I'd give my life arguing that he will come.
Because he said he would. I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
And whither I go, you know, on the way ye know. Thomas says, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. How can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Oh, they don't like that.
Christianity is so exclusive.
So narrow.
No man cometh to the Father but by me in many ways. I was talking to a man having pumped gas into his tank. I gave him a gospel tract and he was telling me, well, there's many ways to heaven.
Many ways to heaven and I told no, there's just one and that's the Lord Jesus. He's the way, the truth and the life. And as he was about to leave, he said, by the way, I want to go to Evanston. How do I get to Evanston? And I said, he had said, you see, all you have to do is be sincere. And I said, well, if you're just sincere, you can take any road and you'll get there.
He said no, that won't work.
No, it won't work.
How can one be so sound in reasoning over natural things and so utterly stupid when it comes to heavenly things?
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Though there's only one way, I like to see it this way. Though some people don't like me to say it this way. But you Christians think you're the only ones who are right.
I say no correction. We know we're the only ones that are right.