This is the seventh part of going through Romans chapter 6 and living the Christian life. We have spent a lot of time looking at the effect death has of the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus Christ paid the debt our sins have accumulated and that debt is paid when a person has accepted and trusted Jesus Christ for salvation. The apostle Paul tells us in the Book of Romans that believers have died with Jesus Christ on the cross and believers have been raised with Him from the dead. Why do believers have to die with Jesus Christ on the cross? Because a person cannot be born again if they have not first died. And a dead man cannot sin. If a person continually follows the leading of the Holy Spirit, then they would not sin, because the Holy Spirit does not lead anyone to sin. Before we continue on, let us sum up a few things that we have covered over the last six Sundays:

First, Jesus Christ died. It is a historical fact that Jesus Christ did live here on earth. He is not a made up character or a legend or a myth. It is a historical fact that He died on the cross of Calvary. He did die on the cross – He did not swoon or fake His death.

Second, Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. This is again not a legend or a lie or a myth made up by His followers. Considering all of the martyrs deaths that believers have endured over the centuries, they would not have been willing to die for a lie. You might think: what about the Muslim martyrs there have been over the last twenty or so years, are they willing to die for a lie? Apparently the answer is “yes” because look at the difference between the Christian martyrs and the Muslim martyrs. The Christian martyrs were willing to die alone for their beliefs. The Muslim martyrs are also willing to die for their beliefs and take as many others as possible with them when they die.

Third, believers died with Jesus Christ when they accepted Him as their Saviour. The individual Christian’s salvation is rooted in two space-time historic points. The first is the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, and the second is the point of time when, by the grace of God, the individual accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour [Francis Schaeffer]. Turn to Romans 5:1.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Note the two tenses here: Therefore being justified by faith is past tense, and we have peace with God is present tense. Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Again “that are dead to sin” points to the past for the believer and “live any longer” points to today and the future. Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Again, the past and the present are emphasized: believers are to be dead to sin so that we can then walk the way we are suppose to walk: in path of Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit. As Francis Schaeffer wrote: The Bible says that in the present life we are in practise to live by faith as though we are dead now.

Romans 6:10-11 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ did not sin and with His death on the cross, He died unto sin once. Likewise, as believers, we are to figure ourselves to be dead everyday and live each day as if we are dead. Why? Because a dead man cannot sin. A dead man cannot control him or herself but is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: As believers we are to mortify the deeds of the body – in other words set aside the desires we have in favor of God’s desires and will. If we are following the Holy Spirit, then there will be no desire to sin and do the deeds of the body. Those deeds of the body are in the old man, but when a person is born again, they have put on the new man and have become a new creature in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When people have become born again, then they should want to act as that new creature – the things that pleased the old man should no longer please the new man. If the things that please our old man would not please God, then as new creatures, we should not want to do them! If an action or a thought would not be pleasing to God, then we, as new creatures, should not do them. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are new creatures and should look to only please God. If God does not like something, then we should not like it – or even make jokes about it. As children of God, if God warns us not to do something through His Word, the Bible, then we should not do it. Children sometimes do not listen. They hear what they want to hear. We, as their parents, often strive to work in their lives and give them guidelines to follow for their own good and because we love them. We know and understand this, but many times our children do not. They become angry and resentful towards us because they believe we are robbing them of fully experiencing life, and we are taking away their opportunities for fun and happiness. We sometimes want to beat our heads against a wall in frustration.

I wonder if God feels that way also in regards to us, His children? Listen to this story:

There was once a lamb and its mother. It seems the lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun to the lamb, and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, “No.” Then the lamb asked the question, “Why?” The mother just said, “SHEEP DO NOT WALLOW.”

This did not satisfy the lamb. He felt she had “put him down and exercised force she should not have,” etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach. After a few moments he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he could not. He was stuck! Mud and wool do not mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother said, “Remember, sheep do not wallow.”

Lets continue to read Colossians 3. Verse 5 tells the believers what they should be avoiding and mortifying their members from: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness.

Colossians 3:5-11 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. (8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Verse 6 states that the children of disobedience do these things therefore the wrath of God is upon them. In verse 7, Paul points out the the saved Colossian believers used to do those same sins when they were unsaved. Verse 8 tells believers that since they have gotten saved, they have stopped the previous named sins and are to put off the following as well: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying. We have to be very careful about what we are saying, how we are saying it and where we are saying it, as Paul wrote: 1Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. And note the last half of verse 9: seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;We are to no longer do the deeds that our old man did – Essentially we are to take off the old man suit that we were wearing as unsaved people and put on the new man suit that Jesus Christ provides for us. Jesus Christ wants everyone to come to Him as they are, but they should not go away the same as they were before. I heard a preacher once say: “The saying should not be ‘a new suit for every man’, but instead: ‘ a new man for every suit!’” Being a Christian is suppose to be different from everything else, because nothing else works except Jesus Christ! Verses 10, 11:

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Believers are to be new people in Jesus Christ. Believers should put on the mind of Jesus Christ and follow what is told to us in the Bible. There should be no compromise – we cannot mix the world and God’s Word together. There should be no compromise – you cannot mix truth and lies together and

get the truth.

Winter was coming on and a hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear out of which he planned to make a warm coat. By and by he saw a big bear coming toward him and raised his gun and took aim.

“Wait,” said the bear, “why do you want to shoot me?”

“Because I am cold,” said the hunter, “and I need a coat.”

“But I am hungry,” the bear replied, “so maybe if we just talk this over a little, we could come to a compromise.” So the hunter sat down beside the bear and began to talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the hunter was well enveloped with the bear’s fur, and the bear had eaten his dinner. We always lose out when we try to compromise with sin. It will consume us in the end.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Note that Paul is telling us that we can walk in newness of life NOW! Believers should be walking in newness of life NOW! Believers should not be walking the same way that they use to walk before salvation and there should be a difference in their lives and a desire for Jesus Christ. Consider the caterpillar, it spends its days eating leaves and other parts of plants. If they eat too much of the plant, the plant will be damaged or die. However, after the caterpillar has made a cocoon and emerged from it as a new creature – a butterfly, does it continue to eat leaves and damage the plant? No, it does not, the butterfly drinks nectar or other liquids from the plant. The butterfly – the new creation – no longer behaves the same way as it did before as a caterpillar – the butterfly now walks in newness of life. It no longer has a desire to eat leaves as it did as the old man, the caterpillar.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

How can true believers no longer serve sin? By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When does this happen? At the moment of salvation and everyday. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

This only can happen when believers humble themselves before God and state: “Not my will, but thy will, God.” Believers need to be usable by God. A businessman told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over. He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build. [Ian Wilson]

2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Israelites are now ready to enter the Promised Land. Joshua is now the leader of the Israelites and he sends two spies across the Jordan river to look over the city of Jericho. Jericho was the first large city that the Israelites would encounter after they cross the Jordan river. It was a heavily defended city built on a hill and with large thick walls. This would be a potentially difficult battle with the people of Jericho, however, the Israelites had God fighting for them.

Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Why did the two spies go to Rahab’s? Rahab was a harlot, the Bible tells us and it is not unusual for strange men to come and go at odd times of the day from a harlot’s house. There is absolutely no indication that the men went to Rahab’s for any other reason than to be able to hide. Rahab provided the spies with shelter when the king of Jericho found about about the spies and where they were staying.

Joshua 2:2, 3 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country. (3) And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

The king of Jericho sent men to search the house but Rahab had hidden the two Israelites in the roof of her house. And then she told the men of Jericho that the spies had left Jericho.

Joshua 2:4-7 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. (6) But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. (7) And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

When the men of Jericho left Jericho to search for the Israelites, they shut the city’s gate behind them. The gate was the only way in or out of the city. Obviously, Rahab lied to protect the spies – was she correct in doing this? Is it ever right to lie, even when it could save someone’s life? Let me rephrase the question: is it ever right to sin? The Bible makes it very clear that it is never right to sin and lying is a sin. Proverb 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

Proverb 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.

Would the Israelites spies died if Rahab had not lied? Would they still have escaped if Rahab had not lied? We do not know. For all we know, if she had let the men of Jericho inside to look for the spies, perhaps God would have blinded those men to the presence of the spies. The point is that Rahab was not asked to lie by God or the two spies: she chose to lie. Yes, the circumstances worked out very well, the spies were able to leave Jericho and Rahab and her family were protected when the Israelites attacked the city of Jericho. However, the Bible does not record that Rahab was blessed or honored for her lie. Note what was written about her in the Book of Hebrews: Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. Rahab was blessed and honored for her faith in God, not for her lie. It is never right to do wrong to do right. Charles Spurgeon wrote: Rahab had effectually misdirected the pursuers, and lulled to sleep all suspicion against herself. Her success does not, however, justify her deceit. Whether it succeed or fail, falsehood is always wrong.

Austin O’Malley said: A lie has no legs. It requires other lies to support it. Tell one lie and you are forced to tell others to back it up. Stretching the truth won’t make it last any longer. Those that think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow colorblind. John Wesley declared: I would not tell one lie to save the souls of all the world.

Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

God would have still provided for the Israelites even if Rahab had not lied. God’s will would have still been accomplished despite the actions of Rahab.

We are in a difficult time of history and we know from the Bible that the future is going to get rougher. The events in Egypt could be a forerunner of the future events that are predicted in the Bible. The Middle East is chaotic and anything could happen. The world is rushing closer to the end times and believers in Jesus Christ should be expecting to hear that trumpet call at any moment. Mankind is in a hurry to get away from God and follow man’s own ideas rather than what God has written down in the Bible. Man wants to remake Christianity in his own image rather than follow what God has said! Listen to this illustration:

“A small boy filled with all kinds of playful ideas anxiously awaited his father’s return from work. An extra-long day at the office, however, had taken its toll, and his father longed for a few minutes of relaxation. Over and over again the boy tugged at his dad’s leg with yet another suggestion of something they might do together. Well, finally in total frustration the father ripped from a magazine a picture of the world and tore it into a hundred pieces. “Here,” he said handing the child a roll of scotch tape, “go and put the world back together.” Ah, peace at last, or so he thought. But, in just a few minutes, he was interrupted again, there before him stood his son-and in hands was a crudely fashioned picture of the world. “Son, that’s incredible. How did you do it?” “It was easy,” said the boy, “you see on the other side of the picture of the world was the picture of a man, and as soon as I got man straightened out the world came together.” What a profound answer from a child! How true! Get man fixed and the world will be okay.” The illustration ends there, but it seems incomplete, but it does express the philosophy of today: get man fixed and the world will be okay.

In February, there is going to be a conference called “Big Tent Christianity” that describes itself as “the convergence of new and old ways of being and becoming the Church: Progressive and Emergent; Denominational and Non-denominational; Large and Small Faith Communities Describable and Undescribable. BTX brings people together from across the country to proclaim what unites us as followers of Jesus in this modern world. More than a dozen leading Christian voices will break through boundaries to share new and innovative forms of ministry and renewal. You will be inspired by their visions of how we can speak even more powerfully in and to the world of the 21st century.”

One of the speakers at this conference is Marcus Borg, who recently wrote: “To be Christian means to find the decisive revelation of God in Jesus. To be Muslim means to find the decisive revelation of God in the Koran. To be Jewish means to find the decisive revelation of God in the Torah, and so forth. I don’t think that one of these is better than the other. You could even say they are all divinely given paths to the sacred. To be Christian in this kind of context means to be deeply committed to one’s own tradition, even as one recognizes the validity of other traditions.”

These people are looking to get man straightened out and then the world will be okay. The problem is that they are leaving out the God of the Bible in the process. Only God can straighten man out, no matter how hard a man may try. They are also trying to remake God and Jesus Christ into something more palatable and agreeable: Marcus Borg also wrote: “Seminary also introduced me to the historical study of Jesus and Christian origins. I learned from my professors and the readings they assigned that Jesus almost certainly was not born of a virgin, did not think of himself as the Son of God, and did not see his purpose as dying for the sins of the world… I also found the claim that Jesus and Christianity were the only way of salvation to be troublesome.” Reverend Lowell Grisham, an Episcopalian minister wrote: “But I’ve never understood why people would want to worship a God who was meaner than they are. That’s not a God who deserves our worship. What kind of God would condemn Gandhi and the Dalai Lama to hell? Maybe an unjust, tribal deity. But that’s not the God we see reflected in the life of Jesus, and it is not the God of healthy Christianity. When Christians speak of God, we look first to the person of Jesus as the incarnation of God, the human face of God. Jesus did not run around trying to convert everyone to his religion. He reached out with compassion and understanding toward those who were outside his religion, and he treated them with love and respect.”

What was one of the first statements that Jesus Christ is recorded as declaring in Mark’s Gospel? Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. That is the Jesus Christ of the Bible and that is the Jesus Christ people need to follow! People need to get back to what God has said in His Word rather than looking for new ways and new ideas. Only Jesus Christ can straighten man out and the world will only be okay when Jesus Christ returns! People need to put away these “new” ideas and return to the old paths. Jeremiah wrote:

Jeremiah 6:16-20 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (17) Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. (18) Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. (19) Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. (20) To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.

God is telling the Israelites to return to the ways that He had taught them hundreds of years before during the Exodus. All they have to do is follow Him and they will find rest for their souls – they just have to walk on the good way. Jesus Christ Himself informed the disobedient Israelites where to find the good way: John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The word “the” makes the meaning all to clear: Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. But the world wants to think that there are many paths to God.

In the latest issue of Reader’s Digest, there is an article by a Muslim woman who is defending the mosque being built near Ground Zero in New York City. She believes that the world’s religions need to get along with each other and embrace the differences and realize that we all worship the same god. She ends the article with this: “The Sufi poet Rumi has a very beautiful poem. He says that God is like an ocean, and religions are like rivers that all flow into the same ocean. Our origins are the same, and our destinations are the same; it is our paths that sometimes differ.” Now if I read that statement to the average person out there – even the ones that profess to be Christian – they would applaud that statement. But it is completely contradictory to what the Bible says. There is not a shred of truth to that poem. Sadly, people do not want to believe the Word of God.

Jeremiah 6:10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. Jeremiah spoke the Word of God to the Israelites and they could not listen to it. Their ears were filled with their sin and they could not bear to hear the Word of God. Just as Paul wrote to Timothy: 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. Look at the last phrase of Jer. 6:10

behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. The Israelites refused to hear the Word of God and then began to mock it and found no pleasure in it. The Word of God is not always going to be what people want to hear – BUT it is what people NEED to hear. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Who ever wants to be corrected or chastised or rebuked? Nobody does, but each of us need to be corrected when we stray from the way of God. The Word of God is what every person needs to hear in order to follow God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Listen to what these men say about the Bible:

“Make it the first morning business of your life to understand some part of the Bible clearly, and make it your daily business to obey it in all that you do understand”-John Ruskin.

“I cannot too greatly emphasize the importance and value of Bible study-more important than ever before in these days of uncertainties, when men and women are apt to decide questions from the standpoint of expediency rather than on the eternal principles laid down by God Himself”-John Wanamaker.

“It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom”-Horace Greeley.

Jeremiah 6:11-14 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. (12) And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. (13) For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. (14) They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Look at verse 13: God is declaring through Jeremiah that everyone is covetous – everyone wants for themselves first. Everybody wants what is not theirs. Covetousness is the root of many sins: consider the Ten Commandments almost all of those involve someone being covetous. Commandments 1-4: “I want to have my own god or be god. I want to worship who or what ever I desire. I will talk as I like and I will do whatever I want on whatever day I want.” Commandments 7-10: “I want my neighbor’s spouse. I will take what my neighbor has. I will take my neighbor’s reputation away through lying. I will desire to have what my neighbor has.” Jeremiah goes on to state that the religious leaders – the prophets to the priests – are dealing falsely with the Israelites and with God. In verse 14 the false prophets and priests have claimed to heal the wounds of the Israelites, but all they have done is put a bandage on a wound that is infected. They did nothing to cure the problem and that is what is happening today: There are plenty of band-aids but they are only covering the wounds and not getting to the root of the problem:sin. People are refusing to see their sin and they refuse to answer to the conviction by the Holy Spirit when they do sin. They want to believe that they are at peace with God, while they are waddling in their sin!

A certain community was near a dangerous highway curve where several cars had driven too fast around the curve and fallen over a cliff. Great discussion took place in the town over what to do about the situation. Some in the discussion group thought it a good idea to station an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff to give immediate aid to the victims. Wiser heads suggested it might be better to erect a fence around the curve on top of the cliff. To us, such a discussion is ridiculous. We know it is much better to prevent accidents and deaths than to treat them after the fact. Let us not overlook the truth that this principle also has much spiritual merit. We need not debate whether Christians sin. The New Testament speaks plainly. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His Word has no place in our lives. The Apostle John immediately follows this truth with a powerful statement of assurance. 1John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Although forgiveness and grace are abundant, Jesus does not intend for us to just focus on these. He not only provides forgiveness, He also gives us the power to keep from sin. How much better that we focus on the “fence” at the top rather than on the “ambulance” at the bottom. How much better it is to warn rather than to try to pick up the pieces.

Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. When people are filled with covetousness, their only concern is themselves and they feel no shame about it. A young man applying for a job as usher in a theater was asked by the owner, “In case of fire, what would you do?” “Oh, don’t be concerned about me,” was the reply. “I’d be able to escape immediately.” He did not even think of his responsibility toward others. Of course, he didn’t get the job. Sin blinds us all and keeps our focus on what I want. Sin is an “I” problem and becomes all about me. Sin has us saying, “I can do it myself.” The believer in Jesus Christ realizes that he or she must bow down before Him and say, “Help me, Jesus, I cannot do this without you.”

This is our third week of looking at Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life and we are going to look especially close to verse 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. What a blessing it is to know that Jesus Christ is what we need in our lives and points that out by declaring that He is the Living Water and the Bread of Life. All people need bread and water to survive and we can live for awhile on just one or the other, but to grow, we need bread and water. Why is it a blessing to know that what all people need is Jesus Christ? Because He is the source of all things. Because He is inexhaustible. He never runs out. Think about this: when the weatherman predicts a big snowstorm coming what do many people do? They run to the grocery store and stock up on bread, milk, and other staples. Why? Because they fear they may be snowed in and may run out of the essentials. Thankfully, we do not have to stock up on Jesus Christ, because we can never run out of Him. Sadly, we may run away from Him, but He is always available to a person when they come back to Him.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Let us break this verse down: All that the Father giveth me refers to more than just the apostles because we know that one of the apostles did not get saved; Judas Iscariot. John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Judas Iscariot did not know Jesus Christ as his Saviour and became the son of perdition – in other words, Judas remained a child of the devil.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; Jesus Christ is talking about election here – the thought that God has decided who will get saved and who will not be a child of God. Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. A person is only going to become a believer when they are led by the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ. The elect are those that are led to Jesus Christ and given to Him for salvation. The elect are known by God before they are saved. 1Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, (2) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. The elect are known by God ahead of time, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they are obedient to God… but wait, can obedience be forced on someone? Is that truly obedience then? Was Judas Iscariot obedient? We know that he was not saved, but was he ever really obedient? In faith? Paul wrote to the Romans: Romans 1:5-6 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name; (6) Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: What else do we know about Judas Iscariot? We know that he was an apostle, we know that he was the son of perdition, we know that he betrayed Jesus Christ, and we know that he was the treasurer for the apostles – he held the money bag. We also know that Judas Iscariot was a thief: John 12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Judas Iscariot was only faithful to one person: Judas Iscariot. He was not obedient, and he was one of the ones given to Jesus Christ, but Judas Iscariot did not become a child of God.

Election is more than God choosing some people to get saved and choosing others to not get saved.

Romans 9:10-12 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (11) (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) (12) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. This passage refers to Jacob and Esau and God chose that Esau would serve Jacob even though Esau was the first born twin. Jacob was not chosen for his good works and Esau was not rejected because of his evil works, but Jacob did come to salvation while Esau did not. Esau chose to follow his own path, while Jacob chose to ultimately follow God.

While referring to the Israelites, Paul wrote: Romans 11:5-7 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. (6) And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (7) What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. And again, people are not called because of their good works, but by God’s grace.

So how do people know if they are the elect? Charles Spurgeon wrote: Is your heart resting upon Jesus Christ? Does it meditate upon divine things? Is your heart a humble heart? Are you constrained to ascribe all to sovereign grace? Do you desire holiness? Do you find your pleasure in it? Does your heart ascribe praises to God? Is it a grateful heart? And is it a heart that is wholly fixed upon God, desiring never to go astray? If it be, then you have the marks of election.

Election is more than God choosing who will be saved and who will not be saved. Election is by God’s grace and not of man. Charles Spurgeon also said: Your damnation is your own election, not God’s. From the Word of God I gather that damnation is all of man, from top to bottom, and salvation is all of grace, from first to last. He that perishes chooses to perish; but he that is saved is saved because God has chosen to save him.

There is more to election, man still needs to choose Jesus Christ. A young nurse was helping to care for a sick, Christian gentleman whom she loved very much. He said to her, “Ellen, it is time I should take my medicine. Measure just a tablespoon and put it in a glass.” She quickly did so and brought it to his bedside. He made no attempt to take it from her but said, “Now, dear, will you drink it for me?” “Me drink it? What do you mean? I am sure I would in a minute if it would make you well, but you know it won’t do you any good unless you take it yourself.” “Won’t it really?” “No, I am sure it will not.” “If you cannot take my medicine for me, neither can I take your salvation for you. You must go to Jesus and believe in Him for yourself.” The dear old saint of God had been trying to explain to his young nurse that she could not be saved on his account and by serving him, but rather through her own acceptance of Jesus Christ as her Savior.

We are commanded by Jesus Christ in Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He did not state that we should only preach to the elect, because how would we know who that is? Thus we must let everyone know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let the Word of God determine who will be saved, because Jesus Christ’s sheep will hear His voice and come to Him and follow Him. Because Charles Spurgeon once preached a “whosoever will” gospel, someone said to him, “If I believed like you do about election, I wouldn’t preach like you do.” Spurgeon’s answer was something like this, “If the Lord had put a yellow stripe down the backs of the elect, I’d go up and down the street lifting up shirttails, finding out who had the yellow stripe, and then I’d give them the Gospel. But God didn’t do it that way. He told me to preach the Gospel to every creature that ‘whosoever will may come.’” (J. Vernon McGee) The gospel of Jesus Christ – His death, burial, and resurrection needs to go out to all of the world.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Look at the second half of the verse: and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. People must still come to Jesus Christ for salvation. They may have been elected, but they still need to choose Him. That desire to choose Him must also come from Him by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but they must choose Him. People must realize that God is not asking them to give up something, He wants them to receive salvation. A gentleman residing in the fashionable part of London, and thoroughly carried away with the follies of society life, was walking down the street one day with a Christian woman of his acquaintance. He turned to her and asked, “How is it that you religious people are always trying to rob us of our pleasure? I enjoy life, and I can’t see why you should be forever trying to rob me of what pleasure this short life affords.” “You are greatly mistaken if that is what you think,” replied the woman. “We do not want you to give up anything, but to receive.” The gentleman kept thinking of the word “receive.” It refused to leave him. Not long after, he called on the woman, told her his life was miserable, and asked what he must do to receive peace of soul and joy of heart. She led him to the Savior, where he found pardon and joy he had never known before.

J. Vernon McGee wrote this about John 6:37: Election and free will are both in this verse. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;” states a truth, and that is election. But wait a minute! “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” is also true, and “him that cometh to me” is free will. I don;t know how to reconcile them, but they are both true. The Father gives men to Christ, but men have to come. And the ones that come are the ones, apparently whom the Father gives to Him. You and I are down here, and we don’t see into the machinery of heaven. I don’t know how God runs that computer of election, but I know that He has given to you and to me a free will and we have to exercise it.

There must be that willingness on the person’s part to humble themselves before God and realize that they cannot have eternal life without Jesus Christ. People cannot rely on their own personal plan of salvation, because it will not work! What it truly takes on the unsaved person’s part is the realization that they are unworthy of being saved on their own and must trust in Jesus Christ alone. Who comes up to their doctor and says, “Please, Doctor, cure me of my cough, but I would like to keep the fever.”? What kind of cure is that? Likewise, a person cannot choose to remain to in their sins, and expect to be saved. They must repent of their sins and ask Jesus Christ to forgive them and ask for His salvation! When do you take a bath? When you are clean or dirty? The only way a person can stand before God is if they are clean – in other words – sinless. But nobody is clean, nobody is sinless, except for Jesus Christ. Everyone of us is not only dirty, but filthy in the eyes of God! However, when a person has accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they are cleansed of their sin and can stand before God.

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; (14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Note what is said in verse 11: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men – not “some” men and not “many” men, but the Bible says ALL MEN, meaning salvation is offered unto all, but not all are going to receive salvation and accept salvation. Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

A person may think, “I am the biggest sinner of all!” The Bible says: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). A person may say, “But I am ungodly!” The Bible says: Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). A person may say, “But I am lost!” The Bible says: Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. “But I have many sins!” Jesus Christ had many drops of blood. “But I am a great sinner!” Jesus Christ is a great Saviour. “But I am so old!” Yes, but Jesus Christ can make you born again.

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (12) He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. What a blessing that verse is.