I want to invite your attention to a narrative that was found in
the Book of John the 8th chapter was a narrative that was between
Jesus Christ himself and some Pharisees.
And this is what Jesus said in John chapter 8, in verse 21.
Jesus actually gave these very tragic words.
He said I go away and you will seek me and you will die in your
sin where I go. You cannot come.
Then again, in verse 24, he said, Therefore, I said to you
that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I
am, he you will die in your sins.
Very sadly, and very tragically Jesus.
Gave that condemnation? You will die in your sin.
You will die in your sins. One time in the singular and two
times in the plural, perhaps you've, you heard the expression
that he has no one else to blame but himself.
Maybe you have used that expression I know in my life.
I have used it and while that Axiom is true in many ways, from
a natural perspective, it is especially true from a spiritual
perspective. What am I talking about?
What I'm saying is when somebody rejects the teachings of Jesus
and dies in their sins, they have no one else to blame, but
themselves. You know, when we go back to
John, chapter 1 and verse 9, the Bible says that was the True
Light, which gives light to every man, Coming into the world
but very tragically. Today, there are many that don't
live up to the light. Many willfully, refuse to light
and John chapter 3 tells us that man loves Darkness rather than
light because his deeds are evil.
And so as wonderful as it is to experience the love of Christ,
the Peace of Jesus. The joy of Salvation to know,
the hope of eternal life, it is equally tragic.
That there are many who flat Blatantly and overtly reject.
It many refused to light because they choose darkness and many
just simply choose sin. Now, let me say, before going
any further, Jesus is ushering. These tragic words of
condemnation, but he's not talking to the immoral riffraff
of society. He's not talking about all of
those that the world knew as a sinner, perhaps those that were
famous. It's in the land, in the area,
as being terrible Sinners. They were not ones that were
guilty of extortion and all the things that the world at the
time thought were really, really bad.
Jesus is talking to the experts in Old Testament.
Revelation, he is talking, get this please to the most
religious people in the world and he was telling them, you're
going to die in your sins. You know, I think that is a
beautiful picture that a person can be religious and still be
lost. The question is though, how does
it happen? How is it that people die in
their sin Unforgiven unjustified unconverted unredeemed and Bound
for Eternal punishment? Well, from this narrative, I
want to pour out, pull out for Attitudes for ways that a cause
a man to miss Heaven. Number one Number one to be
self-righteous. Now, what do you think about
when you think of somebody being self-righteous?
I'll tell you what I think about, I think about the guy
that nobody likes these are the first things that come to my
mind. I think about the person that
nobody likes being around the guy, that's conceded, the guy
that's arrogant. The guy that is Hottie the guy
that condescends to everybody else, you know, that guy we have
all known people in our life that fit the bill of being so
haughty and self-righteous like they were better than everybody
else. Nobody likes that guy.
I think about what Jesus said. Remember last night, we talked
about the Pharisee and the Publican, but we talked about
the Publican, we talked about his heart, we talked about the
very fact that he smote his breast as an outward, sign of an
inward, anguish and said, God be merciful in the original.
It says to me The Sinner and Jesus said that man went away
Justified. Meaning that man went away,
acquitted, not guilty. And forgiving, I want to talk
about The other guy though because Jesus gave a parable for
those that would trust in themself those, that would be
self-righteous and he talks about this Pharisee and the
Bible says that he goes into the temple to pray and the very
first thing. It says he goes and he prays
thus with himself, he separates himself from all others and he
prays thus with himself. And he said, God, I thank thee
that I am not like other men. Are I thank thee that I may?
I'm not an extortioner. I thank thee that I'm not like
all the rotten rotten rotten rotten people in the world.
Oh, you did such a great job on me.
He might as well have just said. But folks, you don't have to be
guilty of any of that. You don't have to be guilty of
any of that to be guilty of being self-righteous.
All you have to do is believe that you are righteous all by
yourself. All you have to do is be
completely content with your condition that you're in to feel
like you don't need a savior that you don't have a sin
problem. Maybe you're a good person.
I got to tell you something about good people.
When I was going through Cancer Treatments, you know what I
found. I found that this world is
filled with wonderful people, that's a fact.
And so when all the people in the world say, when people say,
oh, everybody's rotten everybody's bad, that is not
true. There are wonderful people in
the world. Let me share with you.
Something that happened from some wonderful person that I
still to this day, after almost seven years have no idea who did
it. I remember that I've been going
through treatments, I had a feeding tube in my Stomach and I
remember I'm in my chair at my house and somebody knocks on the
door and I got up and I was sick and I got to the door and open
the door and I looked down and there was an envelope and I
picked it up and I opened it up and in there was six hundred
dollars and there was a little handwritten note in there and it
simply said, I know you're going through some tough times right
now. I hope this helps you and your
family as you go through this trial in your life.
I looked very hurriedly around the corner, but the car was gone
and I couldn't catch it. I still to this day, have no
idea who that was. My point is folks the world is
filled with wonderful people, it just means they're not saved.
There's a lot of people in the world that are wonderful.
People they're just not saved. Have you ever talked to somebody
that said this I'm not a religious person.
I'm not a Christian I'm not A member of the church but I'm a
good person and I think that if God is keeping score somewhere,
in other words, if there's some big score sheet on one, if
there's a line drawn right down the middle on one side would be
the good things on the other side would be the bad things.
I'm not perfect. So, there'd be some bad things
on that side. Surely there would be But I'm a
good person. I think there would be a whole
lot more. Good on the other side than the
bad. Therefore I think I'll go to
heaven. I'm a good person.
What about that? Folks, folks that's a person
that is righteous all by themselves.
You know, Jesus said in John chapter 14, Jesus said, I am the
way, the truth and the life. He said, no one comes unto the
father except by or through me. Now, if somebody wants to go to
heaven, the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ, and
Jesus was telling these self-righteous Pharisees that
very thing. He's going to say that where I
go, you cannot come, and Jesus would say that, we're in John
14. And verse 6.
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
If no one comes unto the father except by or through me the only
way to go through, Jesus Christ is to be in Jesus Christ,
there's no salvation outside of Jesus Christ and Galatians 3:27
for as many as have been baptized into Christ, have put
on Christ or simply put have clothed themselves with Christ.
So Jesus said you got to go through me.
How do you go through Jesus? So by being in Jesus, how are
you in Jesus by being baptized into his body.
First Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 27.
Now, you are the body of Christ and members.
The new King James says individually the Old.
King James says, in particular, what's the body Ephesians
chapter 1, verses 22 and 23. We find that the body is the
church in Acts chapter 2. Beginning there in verse 36 when
the very first gospel sermon was being preached, the sermon is
being preached and these were the words that were spoken, let
all the house of Israel, know, assuredly that God hath made
that same. Jesus whom ye have crucified
both Lord and Christ. Now, when they heard this, they
were pricked in their heart and they said to Peter and the rest
of the Apostles men and Brethren.
What shall we do then? Peter said unto them, repent and
be baptized every one of you. In the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost for the promise, is unto you and to your children
and to all that are afar off. Even as many as the Lord, Our
God shall call. And with many other words did he
testified saying exhort and save yourself from this untoward?
Generation verse 41 says, then they that Gladly received his
word were baptized and they were added unto them that day about
three thousand Souls. The steps to be in the body of
Christ to be. Put into the church, is to be
baptized for the remission of sins.
And that's when our sins are washed away.
And Jesus adds us to his church. In fact, in verse 47 of Acts
chapter 2, it says praising God. And having favor with all the
people and the Lord added to the church daily.
Such Such as were being saved. Now, you know, Jesus says you're
going to seek me but where I go you cannot come.
You know what they said. In verse 22 of our narrative, it
says therefore the Jews. And by the way you remember this
in this gospel, when it talks about the Jews, it's not talking
about the multiplicity of those with Jewish blood running
through the veins. It's not talking about that.
It's talking about the religious leaders.
That oppose Jesus, And now Jesus says, I'm going away and you're
going to look for me but you won't find me, you know what
they said, he said where I'm going, you cannot come and they
said of all things self-righteous Pharisees.
Is he going to kill himself. Is he going to kill himself?
Have you ever stopped to consider the reason for that?
Why did they say that? Why did they mock Jesus?
And bring up the issue of suicide.
Josephus said, this about Orthodox Judaism, I read this.
That people that, they believe that people that committed
suicide, would not only not be able to go to the paradise of
God, to go to Abraham's bosom. They would not be able to go.
Oh, they're not only that, would they not be able to go but, you
know, they go, they would go to hell and they would go to a very
special part of hell. They would go to the deepest
darkest, pit of Hell. I don't know the extra crispy
spot, whatever that means. Listen to what these
self-righteous smug Pharisees said.
Jesus said I'm going away and you can't go where I'm going and
they said will he just kill himself?
Will he just commit suicide? What a terrible thing to say
that the sinless Spotless, Son of God whose words they heard
whose Works, they had seen whose character had impressed, them
was to be jeered and mocked, and blasphemed and treated
sarcastically. Signed to the darkest pit when
compared to what they thought they deserved.
You know. These were so self-righteous
people that they thought their sin was not a problem.
They didn't need a savior, they thought they were all right.
They were religious. They were moral to some degree,
and they thought that was enough.
The Jews had developed the system of Salvation by human
achievement. In fact, they were the very
epitome of achievers, but in Luke 16 and 15.
The Bible says, for what is highly esteemed among men?
Is an abomination in the sight of God.
In fact, the Book of Proverbs says, the way of a fool is to be
right in his own eyes. You know, one way to miss Heaven
is just be self-righteous count on the religion of human
achievement count on crediting your good deeds.
Feel like you don't need Jesus. You know, it's very interesting
about people's attitudes, they'll listen to this.
This was in Melbourne. Australia, listen to this in a
daily paper. There was a letter written to
the paper and it was regarding views of evangelism.
Listen to this after hearing an evangelist on the air, after
viewing him on television, after seeing reports and letters
concerning his mission. I am heartily sick of the type
of religion, that insist that my soul, and everyone else's needs
saving, whatever that means. I've never felt like I was lost,
nor do I feel like I daily wallow in the mire of sin.
Although, repetitious preaching insist that I do know, give me a
practical religion that teaches gentleness and tolerance and
acknowledges. No barriers.
That remembers the agent and teaches children.
Goodness, And not sin and get this.
Then he wrote. If in order to save my soul, I
must accept such a philosophy as I've recently heard preached,
then I prefer to remain forever condemned.
What a terrible choice to make. Look at the Lord's response to
look at verse 23. Jesus basically is saying this,
you've got your directions mixed up, he said you're from beneath
and I am from above. Now, there's one thing that they
knew, they knew he was talking about his death, and they said
he's going to kill himself. And Jesus says, wait a minute.
I'm from the above Kingdom, and you are from the below Kingdom.
Remember we mentioned this, a few To go there are only two
kingdoms and it has nothing in the world to do with a goodness
of a person or not nothing to do with the person's goodness.
There's the kingdom of darkness and there's the kingdom of
God's, dear son, and that's it. You ever stopped to wonder why
Jesus said in the great Sermon on the Mount.
When Jesus says, now you are the light of the world, you know,
Jesus Christ is the True Light. The Disciples of Jesus Christ
are The Luminaries that magnify that light in the world of
darkness. In other words, the entire world
is in darkness. - and we that are Christians are luminaries to
take the word of God, to those that are in darkness.
So they would see their way out of darkness and come to the
light. Jesus said, your directions are
mixed up. I'm from the above Kingdom and
you are from the below Kingdom. He would say in verse 44 you are
of your father, the devil and the desires of your father, you
want to do and he goes on and speaks about the devil.
Now Jesus said your directions are mixed up.
And you're wrong. I'm from the above Kingdom and
you are from the below Kingdom. So number one, one way to miss
Heaven. Be self-righteous.
Here's the second one though, it's found in verse 23 also, and
it's the word worldly. Jesus said, you are of this
world and I am not of this world.
You know, we talked about worldliness all the time.
What in the world does it mean? And I'm going to tell you this,
too, I'm going to tell you this too.
It doesn't mean you cannot enjoy life, doesn't mean that at all.
And it doesn't mean you have to walk around with a long face.
I'll tell you this, a religion, that makes the man, look, sick
will not cure the world, that's fact and if we walk around with
long faces on all the time, like we're miserable, we're not going
to save anybody who would want to be a part of that.
Nobody Jesus says, you are of this world, but what does that
mean? Now we can enjoy the things of
the world that are not sinful absolutely, but what was Jesus
talking about the word world, there is the word Cosmos and
it's talking about this, it's talking about a system.
In fact, one definition for Cosmos is this listen to this
the invisible spiritual system of evil that fights the kingdom
of God. Now tell you.
That sounds like Some big deep dark guy that fought Superman.
That looks like some big deep dark force.
I love what Jesus said though, because Jesus spells it out,
your Jesus said, it's the cares of this world.
It's the deceitfulness of riches, it's the invisible
spiritual system of evil that competes with the kingdom of
God. So what's that folks?
That's anything that is anything that competes with the church,
anything that competes with the Lord, you can plug it in all
these things. By the way, Jesus said, the
cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.
And you know, why? They choke out the The seed.
And by the way, have you ever planted something?
If you're a plant in a garden or you have your planted some
flowers, have you ever planted something good?
You go out and you prepare the soil and you plant something
good and then all of a sudden one day you got to weed that
grows right next to it. Or you got a thorn that grows
right next to it. Have you ever stopped to
consider that when something is good planted next to something
that is bad, that which is bad, always wins.
It will always overtake that, which is good in time.
That's why Jesus talked about ridding the field of all of the
garbage and tilling the soil and preparing the soil, and getting
rid of all of those things. The world here folks is a world
system, we use that to, we use it in that way.
We call it the world of politics.
The world of Education, we call it the World of Sports.
And when we say that, we're talking about the things that
make up those particulars the system.
Jesus said to these people, you're the children of that
system. You're the children of the
cosmos. You're the children of the
devil. This world system is opposed to
the truth. It's supposed to righteousness.
It supposed to Holiness. It supposed to Purity.
What do we have? Materialism humanism carnal
ambition Pride greed self-pleasure self desires, it
exists, its opinions are wrong. Its aims are selfish.
Its Pleasures are sinful. Its influences are demoralizing.
It's politics are corrupt, its honors are empty.
It Smiles are fake. It's Love Is false and fickle
and on and on it goes in first John 2:15-17.
Team 217, we find the love that God hates.
And John says, do not love the world or the things that are in
the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of
life, it is not of the father, but is of the world and the
world is passing away in the less lust of it, but he who does
the will of God abides forever. Now, obviously these things in
this system, Are characterized by three of the following
things. Number one, the lust of the
flesh, that's passion. The lust of the eyes that's
covetousness and certainly the sinful pride of life, boastful
arrogance. You know, the good news is this.
Remember, when I said, there's only two kingdoms.
Jesus died to Deliver Us from the kingdom of darkness.
And when we are baptized, we are delivered from the kingdom of
darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's.
Dear Son. All right, Miss Heaven.
Be self-righteous, be worldly, but number three, be
unbelieving. In verse 24, Jesus said except
Believe that I am, he you will die in your sins.
Now I want to talk about the idea of belief Simply believing
will not save a person, but unbelief will condemn a person.
Jesus said, except you believe that I am he you will die in
your sins and I got to say this in Mark 16:16 when Jesus said he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
I want to talk about that word belief.
There's a lot of people in the world that believe in the
concept that there is a God in heaven and that his son, Jesus
Christ, came to this world and died for the sins of the world.
There's a lot of people that believe in those facts.
That is not the belief of the Bible.
The belief of the Bible is not simple, acceptation of facts,
belief of the Bible, always brings about the idea of having
the forced to obey. In other words, I read about and
I study about and I hear about and I've taught about what the
Lord has done for me, and I believe it so much that I'm
willing to lay down my life and do whatever.
The Lord has told me to do having the force.
To obey. Jesus told them before, I am the
bread of life. He said I'm the Living Water.
He said, I am the light of the world.
He said, I am the Good Shepherd. He said, I am the vine.
And finally, he said, I am the resurrection and the life Jesus
knew. If they didn't believe the
things that he said that they would never believe in the
things that they must do in order to be saved.
You know, there's a lot of people today.
I've met a lot of people in my life, you have to and they fail
to believe having the forced to obey.
Have you ever heard somebody say, you know what you're
showing it to me but I'm just not seeing it.
I just don't see it. I was talking to a preacher not
long ago and he said very sadly that somebody said that to him,
I just don't see it. A person that has a good and
honest heart will hear the word of God.
God and believe with the forced to obey the word of God.
And that's the only way to be saved.
Jesus knew they would never even get there.
You know why they didn't believe it all.
And that's why he said, except you believe that I am, he, you
will die in your sins. But finally, tonight, there's
another one, there's a fourth thing that will cause a person
to miss heaven and that is to be willfully, ignorant, you know,
if you look Verse 25 of this text.
It's amazing what their response is.
They said, well, who are you? Jesus just said, except you
believe that I am. He you will die in your sins.
You know what they said? Well, who are you take a wild
guess. Are you kidding?
And today's common vernacular. I mean, really Jesus said,
except you believe that I'm here dying Seto, who are you?
Willfully ignorant, it's unimaginable.
They should have known Jesus healed.
People fed thousands walked on water turned water into wine,
incredible power. They had heard his words, they
had heard the things that he spoke and yet they said, Who are
you? These Jews said, who are you or?
Who do you think you are? Folks?
This is willful ignorance. It should have been patently,
obvious, who he was, but notice the Lord's response to that
verse. Jesus simply says, just what
I've been saying from the beginning, he in essence is
saying. I've been telling you who I am
from the beginning. It is not a secret.
You remember the early on Jesus said in the temple he said is my
father's house. Said you destroy me.
And in three days, I will rise again.
He said to Nicodemus, he was the son of God.
He said to the woman at the, well, that he was the promised
one. He said, he was the Savior, it
was clear. And all of that also was
verified by miracles. In fact, there's 39 specific
separate Miracles that can be counted.
That was performed by Jesus Christ himself.
I'm not talking about the overlap or the duplicates in the
gospel, I'm talking about. 39 specific Miracles and they
simply said, who are you? You know, back in Chan verse 12.
Jesus gave the invitation. He said, I am the light of the
world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but have
the light of life, that's the invitation.
Now comes the condemnation. He said, I have more to say to
you. And what I have to say is from
my father, now, Have you ever heard the term agnostic?
We're talking about willful ignorance here.
Have you ever heard the term agnostic?
You know what an agnostic is, an agnostic is really a willful
category. It is a willful classification
of I don't know. It is somebody that puts
themself in a willful category of I'm a willful.
Not know where. In other words, I'm not going to
say that I believe and I'm not going to A then I am an atheist.
I'm going to be the ultimate fence Rider.
I'm going to be an agnostic and I'm going to say my willful
classification is I just don't know.
Do you know what the Latin equivalent for the word agnostic
is? It's the word ignoramus.
True story. I want you to picture this.
Go up to somebody. Oh do you believe?
No. Oh you're nathie is hollow.
No no I'm not an atheist. I'm gonna Ignoramus.
Same word. Willful ignorance.
Please get this. Willful ignorance always runs
hand, in hand, with willful rejection.
Willful, ignorance always runs hand in hand, with willful
rejection. Look at verse 28.
When they understate, it says, in verse 27.
They did not understand that he spoke of them of the father.
He said, I think to speak for my father.
Then it says, in 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.
When are they going to know? Jesus said, you're going to know
when I am lifted up. Jesus said one time that if I be
lifted up, I will draw all men or All Peoples unto me.
Now, I've heard people interpret it like this and say, well, what
that means is if we lift up Jesus in our life, It will draw
people to Christ, you know, while that may be a secondary
idea or that, maybe a true statement in some way in a
figurative sense, that is not what the Lord meant.
When he said, if I be lifted up, he's talking about being lifted
up on the cross and Jesus tells these self-righteous Pharisees.
They said, well, who are you? And he said, oh, you're going to
know when I am lifted up. Their eyes would be open after
all. When Jesus was on the cross, the
center Ian said, truly, this was the son of God, how did he see?
He saw what was happening on the cross, add to that that the
graves burst open and dead people came alive, add to that
the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom and
access to God was thrown open, add to that the Holy Spirit came
on Pentecost, and the church was established add to that.
The apostles went about, Preaching the word and literally
turn the world upside down for Jesus Christ.
And went about performing miracles to confirm the word
Jesus said, it'll be made evident when I am lifted up,
folks. I got to say, Sometimes, people
sometimes members of the church. We don't tell people as plainly
as boldly, as we should what their spiritual condition is.
I got to share something with you years ago.
I held a meeting in Northern California.
There was a young boy about 12, 13 or so, and he decided early
on in the meeting to obey the gospel.
He was baptized into Christ and it was a wonderful meeting and
everyone was very excited. He still faithful member of the
church by the way that many years ago.
Later on in the meeting though, I enquired about his brother
that was 18 turning 19 and he wasn't a Christian.
I went to his grandfather and his father and I said, how come?
He's not a member of the church. What does he say when you talked
to him about it? What has he said?
They said, we don't say a word to him about it get this because
we don't want to run him off. Let me ask you something.
Can you name the one place in all the world that's farther off
than lost? The one place that's farther off
than lost. I went up to the young man, and
by the way, this story has nothing to do with me.
I went up to the young man, the last Sunday of the meeting in
between services and I said, are you saved, or do you believe
your saved in your current condition?
He said, no. I said, why haven't you obeyed
the gospel? You know what?
He said? No one has asked me.
And I said, well, I'm asking. He obeyed the gospel he to
after. All these years is a faithful
member of the body of Christ. One more thing though.
Have you ever heard somebody say?
Just preach Jesus and all the happy stuff and Don't Preach.
Hell, Don't Preach about the negative stuff.
I heard somebody say one time you can't save anyone.
By preaching - stuff or preaching about hell, you just
got to preach love and just preach acceptance and preach.
All the fun stuff and good stuff.
After all, Jesus was the epitome of Love.
Yeah, that's true. Jesus was the epitome of Love.
Absolutely. And there's no greater love
that. A man would have been.
It would lay his life down for his friends, Jesus laid down his
life for the sins of the world. But I want you to notice folks,
what's Jesus preaching on In this passage, is he preaching
about happy stuff. Listen to this, he's preaching
about hell. He's telling those
self-righteous Pharisees that you're going to die in your
sins. That were I go, you can't go.
He's telling them. They're going to be eternally
lost why they rejected him. They rejected him.
What about the outcome? Listen to this.
Look at verse 31, verse 30 as he spoke these words many believed
in him. This is Jesus Christ himself.
He spoke these words of condemnation and when he did to
those self-righteous Pharisees guess what, the other people
that were there, they heard, they believed.
Jesus went further, then Jesus said to the Jews, who believed?
If you abide in my word, you are my disciples, indeed, and ye
shall know the truth and the truth.
Shall make you free for ways to miss Heaven, folks.
Be self-righteous, be worldly. Let the cares of this world, be
more important than the church. Just believe that you are good
enough as a person. But without obeying with the
Lord tells you to do in your life, be worldly.
Allowed the things of the world to be more important than
serving God, be unbelieving. Meaning you don't have the kind
of belief that has the forced to obey with the word of God tells
you in your life. Or simply hear the word of God.
See what the word of God says, and be willfully ignorant of its
truths for ways to miss heaven.