John Chapter 5:35-41

Man didn't come up with a church.

Now the church has had some problems and you know in the past and in the present where things have not gone right but it is an institution that God ordained that God put into place. It's a relationship. It's a relationship much like your marriage and you remember you know in the early season when you were dating and everything your partner did was just cute. Oh look at that. That is so cute.

You remember that? Oh that is so cute and my wife did that. Oh look at that.

Look at the way he belches. That's just so cute. Everything was cute and so you tolerated a lot of things.

Why? Because you were in a relationship with that person. In a church there's a commitment.

There's a relationship and there should be that commitment to the relationship. Guys there's so much to do and as the body of Christ we can accomplish so much as we're working together. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. One of David's associate pastors is Pastor D.A.

Brown. Welcome D.A. to the program today. Hey Bob I'm excited to be here. I'm excited about this teaching. It reminds us that the more we follow Jesus the more we realize we need to be in fellowship with others. In fact a mature believer should be committed to a local church. Pastor David's going to tell us about that today.

That's awesome. So let's go to David McGee with his teaching, The God of the Word. We've been in John chapter 5 and verse 35 says and it's speaking of John the Baptist here. Says he was the burning and shining lamp and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.

Now there's kind of a hidden accusation in here if you look at this. It says you were willing for a time and the King James it says for a season to rejoice in his light. Now this is interesting because what happened was they were not committed to the ministry of John the Baptist. They were not submitted to his ministry if you will. So what happened is the first time he began to offend them they were out of there.

The first thing that he said that they didn't like they left. I don't know about that repentance thing. I'm a Pharisee and they left.

And there's a real lesson in there I believe for us. Because how many of us treat church like that? Oh yeah man I'm with you. Oh Pastor Dave I'm praying for you.

I'm behind you and boy I love this place. And you know and I look around a few weeks later and they're gone man. It's like what happened?

And then somebody will tell me well they got offended that you said Jesus is the only way to heaven or something like that. And it breaks my heart. It's a sad thing. Not necessarily that they left but the reason they left. They got offended with the truth. You see God tried to confront their life and an issue in their life and rather respond to that rather than do that they decided to run from that issue. And see the thing is I know where they're running.

They're running into trouble. And I've seen it. Guys have seen it time and time again.

Guys you can't run from the truth. And it's when. It's not if I ever say anything that challenges you.

If you sit in here and you're never challenged. Man I've not done my job well. Because the word of God is a challenging thing. And as we dig into it you'll see things and you go my goodness I'm not living like that. My goodness I'm doing those things he's saying not to do. The word of God is saying not to do. And so it's important to make a commitment. Do you really think that your adversary the enemy of your soul wants you in a bible believing bible teaching church?

No way. He doesn't want you in something like that. Now you can go out here to Flake City and he's perfectly happy you're there. You can go to somewhere that's not teaching the word of God and man he'll actually leave you alone because you're not getting fed. But when you're getting fed and you're in a bible teaching church he if he can get you out for any reason whatsoever he's gonna do it. He's gonna do it.

He's gonna do it. Now I understand you know if I start teaching heresy if I quit teaching the bible then certainly you need to leave. How often do you hear that from a pulpit?

But but seriously something's gone horribly wrong. But any other reason than that you need to get plugged in and you need to be committed. Which is a word we run short on these days. The first life lesson is the mature believer should be committed to a local church. See you make that commitment before you get challenged.

Why? Because if you get challenged before you've made that commitment I tell you what might happen is you might leave. And guys man didn't come up with the church. Now the church has had some problems and you know in the past and in the present where things have not gone right.

But it is an institution that God ordained that God put into place. And so it's a relationship. It's relationship much like your marriage. And you remember you know in the you know in the early season when you were dating and and you know just everything your partner did was just cute. Oh look at that that is so cute. You remember that? I mean I did oh that is so cute and my wife did that oh look at that look at the way he belches that's just so cute. Everything was cute. And so you tolerated a lot of things.

Why? Because you were in a relationship with that person. See in a church there's a commitment there's a relationship.

And there should be that commitment to the relationship. And because guys there's so much to do and and as the body of Christ we can accomplish so much as we're working together. We're so blessed here. We have and I again I haven't ran the numbers in a little while but we have I think about a third of the people that come to this fellowship are serving in a ministry. If you've been around churches for very long that should amaze you.

You know why? Because that's not the tendency. The tendency is you've got about five percent of the church actually plugged in serving and doing the work of the ministry. Now part of it I believe is that there's a commitment there and they're being fed the word of God and they're they're pouring out of an overflow if you will. But again I would you know prayerfully consider this may you know this may not be the church for you. I would like to think it is. I would encourage you to pray whether it is or not and then once you hear from the Lord that you get plugged in and there's a commitment there.

There's a commitment there. Verse 36, but I have a greater witness than John's for the works which the father has given me to finish the very works that I do bear witness of me that the father has sent me. Jesus did miracles. Jesus did miracles.

Now the people of that day didn't doubt it. The writers of the gospels didn't doubt that Jesus did miracles. But do you realize the large percentage of seminaries and bible colleges and universities actually now the larger percentage of them say that Jesus actually didn't do any miracles. They doubt the virgin birth.

They doubt his literal death upon the cross. How tragic it is and it's important to remember that Jesus did miracles and let's bring it into the future. Jesus does miracles. Oh I get a little flustered when people go oh yeah God used to do miracles. He used to heal people. He used to do this.

He just wait a minute and don't miss this. God still heals people. You can't show me in this book a single verse that says well God used to act like that but he doesn't act like that anymore. It's not in there and as far as miracles man you know taking our lives and changing them into something that's useful for the kingdom of God that's the greatest miracle there is. Taking somebody like me that was this gentile heathen dog and and and converting him and having him serve the Lord. Man what a miracle. What a miracle what a miracle and if your life has been changed and you're in here this morning you're a miracle.

Isn't that awesome? God's done a miracle in your life. Say amen if you're a miracle. Oh praise God the room's full of miracles.

Isn't that awesome? You want to see a miracle just meet somebody and say hey what'd you used to be? I used to be a pagan heathen gentile dog worshiping idols and and you know and get their testimony. I mean it's exciting to me to hear all that God is doing in people's lives. Now you know what's interesting is the reason they rejected Jesus is because he wasn't doing the miracles they wanted to see. See they wanted to see the miracle of Jesus coming in and delivering them from the oppression of Rome. That's what they wanted to see. This is the miracle we want. You do this when we're behind you.

Be careful. Be careful and how how many times do we approach the Lord like that? Well Lord I want to see this.

I want to see that. Meanwhile we we don't recognize how he's changed our lives and the lives of people around us. You know Jesus was doing was performing miracles of compassion and miracles of healing and and miracles of changing people's lives. Verse 37 and the father himself who sent me has testified of me and you have neither heard his voice in any time nor seen his form but you do not have his word abiding in you because whom he sent you do not believe.

Your attention please. Notice Jesus is not accusing them of not having the scriptures. He's not accusing them of not necessarily reading the scriptures.

He's accusing them of not having them abiding in their life. Is his word abiding in you? I can promise you that Sunday morning, Thursday night I'll give you scriptures. I'll read this book to you. I mean if you're not in this book at any other time during the week you'll show up. I'll read it to you. It shouldn't be the only time you're in the book though guys.

But the question is is it in here? Do maybe you on Sunday morning jot down a few things as the Lord speaks to you? Maybe underline a scripture or highlight or or jot down the life lesson and go you know what that's really speaking to me. I need to apply that because I need to make those changes and the Lord's speaking to me about that. Are you acting out what you already know? See here's the thing as I continue to teach you as God's spirit and God's word continues to pour into you you're more and more accountable for that.

Why? Because God is teaching you and and those that he pours into there's more accountability. It's a scriptural principle throughout the Bible and it will not return void. It will accomplish that which it was sent to do.

Now I would encourage you not to fight against that. To let the word of God have its way in your life. The Lord sent me here. The Lord raised me up this work up from a home Bible study to this morning. And why did he do that?

He sent me to speak the truth to tell you the truth to share his word with you so that you might have his word abiding in you. I've met some people who have a vast deep knowledge of scripture but are living very ungodly lives. What a tragedy.

What a tragedy. When we were in Vegas there was a guy they call them they call them smutters. They hand out smut on the Las Vegas. We were there for ministry. In case you're wondering what's he doing? I'm reinvesting church funds. No I'm kidding. We were there a few years ago before the church started. We were there ministering and we were walking down the strip and one of these smutters they were handing out.

It's horrible. I mean they're basically catalogs of women. And this particular guy actually had his degree in theology. It's not what you know it's who you know. And is that word having its way in your life? And again as I speak truth to your life, as the Bible speaks truth to your life, you have to make a decision to receive that truth or to reject that truth. Paul speaking to the Galatians he asked him he said have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

What an interesting question. And sometimes when I'm speaking to somebody and I'm counseling or discipling them and I speak the truth sometimes they get upset and sometimes that emotional content keeps them from receiving the truth. And I would just encourage you guys don't fall into that trap and let the Word of God abide in you and direct you in your life. We'll be right back with more from David McGee on Cross the Bridge. Right now here's a word from associate pastor D.A.

Brown. Hey Bob we're excited about God's Word going forth and we want to pray for some listeners in these cities. Susanville, California, Talmadge, Truckee, Victorville, Westwood, Yankee Hill, and Yreka, California. God we pray for the people listening in these cities today and the surrounding areas. We pray that they would put their trust and hope in you. That they would be encouraged and how much you love them. And Lord that they would look for other people who you place in their life to share this good news with as well.

And God that they would get plugged into a Bible teaching, Bible believing church. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Thank you brother. And now let's get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. In verse 39, you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of me. Now I've heard some people really twist this passage and say well you know Jesus is saying there that we can overvalue scripture.

That's not what he's saying at all. What he is saying is these guys knew the word the Pharisees. They knew the Bible but they didn't know Jesus. See it's awesome to know the word of God and we should all know the word of God. But if you don't know the God of the word then you're going to fall far short. And again I know people who know the word of God but they don't know the God of the word.

And it's important that you have that relationship with him and that's the next life lesson. We need to know the word of God and we also need to know the God of the word. Isn't it amazing you remember reading the Bible you know perhaps before you became a believer when you were young or in your teenage years or maybe in your older years and you weren't saved yet and you read it and you're like what is that? I don't get that.

I don't understand that. And then after you ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins you picked it up and you go like man I never saw this is great I never saw this stuff in here. That's the spirit of God revealing the word of God to you. So it's important to know God and to know God's word. If you love Jesus you should love your Bible.

And if you love your Bible you should love Jesus. And to me I'll be honest with you this is the real litmus test of a church. Are they a Bible teaching church? I don't mean you know and I'm trying to explain what we do here sometimes at God. It's interesting because I'll say you know we teach the word of God oh yeah we teach the word of God everybody teaches the word of God and my question is well how do you teach it? Well you know a little bit there a little bit here well one verse there one verse there and I challenge people and say well you're not teaching the word of God you're teaching out of the word of God. You're figuring out you're figuring out a sermon topic you're getting other verses to kind of back up that topic and and you're teaching out of the word of God you're not teaching the word of God.

And then they seem confounded when I say they say what do you do? And I say well we're going from Genesis to Revelation verse by verse we're not leaving anything out we're not skipping anything. We're in the New Testament on Sunday morning we're in the Hebrew Scriptures on Sunday on Thursday night verse by verse I'm not there's some stuff in Deuteronomy I probably would have wanted to skip over but you know I mean it was still good stuff in there and it's powerful it's the word of God. You know last week was it last week or week before last week we're in Deuteronomy 28 a guy comes up and he goes man I just want to let you know I got saved Thursday night in Deuteronomy 28. Praise God man that is the word of God accomplishing that which it was sent forth to accomplish and it's an amazing thing and so as you read the Bible make sure that your Bible's reading you as you read it and you go oh boy that speaks to that. Isn't it amazing how the word of God does that? You can have something going on you pick up your Bible you start to read you go oh my goodness you know especially maybe after you've had an argument with somebody or something and you know and you try to get spiritual I'm gonna read the Bible and then you and then you know you read and go oh go repent bam you don't get that from any other book this is a supernatural book and when you proclaim it stuff happens you know so many people have come to me and said you know I didn't know how starving I was for the word of God till I showed up here and actually heard you going verse by verse and I've grown so much since I've been here guys do you know why that is it's because we're focused on the word of God the word of God is powerful it's not that's it's not that I'm just you know just this awesome teacher and you've never heard some of this stuff before some of you've heard it before but it's being reinforced and the the power of God is with his word and that's what's changing lives and bringing people to salvation here because I want to stand before the Lord as Paul stood in the book of Acts chapter 20 verse 27 he said for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole council of God now there's only one way I can say that there's only one way I can declare that that's if I am teaching the whole council of God it's important that you be in the word of God because you know you understand Jesus is in the word of God if you've been here on a Thursday night some of you've emailed me and called me and said man I'm shocked I never saw Jesus so much in the book of Deuteronomy it's an amazing thing as you teach the book of Deuteronomy I didn't know this was in there praise God Jesus is on every page of the book it's amazing some of the stuff you see when you begin to be open to the supernatural power of the word of God and how Jesus is so in the book it says do you search this or you search the scriptures do you search the scriptures get to know your bible get to know Jesus because as you get to know the word of God you'll get to know the God of the word and as a little additional motivation realize something if you know Jesus in here and you've asked him to forgive you of your sins you're going to heaven praise God and that good news praise God we're going to heaven you know who's going to be in heaven all the guys who wrote these books in the bible so at some point in your life you'll have an exchange where you go and and hi how you doing good to see you in heaven oh good to be here in heaven well you know what's your name my name is David what's your name oh my name is Micah oh nice to meet you Micah oh yeah now did did you read my book what book what is your Micah you wrote a book about rocks or something I mean what you know what did you write a book about I I wrote a book of the bible oh come on you didn't write no book of the bible there ain't a Micah in the bible come on man everybody knows there's no Micah in the bible and perhaps in my hand drew bob and you go oh my goodness Micah you know I really love that book I just forgot that you you wrote it guys you're gonna have that exchange one day and if you haven't read the book that's gonna be really clumsy to say the least not to mention that you know the Lord's gonna hey did you read the book oh wow I read part of it you read part of it yeah yeah I you know I didn't have a lot of time down there um you know I only had like 84 and a half years and uh and I just couldn't get through that one book well you read Gone with the Wind 13 times well yeah I know but you know that that uh I we're gonna have that exchange I want to say yeah I read the book I studied it man I loved every word of it there's a love for this word there's a passion for the word you know what they do when they're teaching the young Jewish children the letters of the Hebrew alphabet and and and when they're teaching them the passages they connect the letters with verses and then what they do is they have these pieces of paper that has verses on them and then when they're young kids they place honey on the piece of paper and so the kids lick the honey as they're learning the verse and they begin to equate the sweetness with the word of God see that's what we need to do guys to attach a sweetness with the word of God and realize you're gonna you're gonna meet Micah and Amos and Obadiah and all these guys in heaven one day so I want to encourage you in that verse 40 but you're not willing to come to me that you may have life man what a tragic verse what a tragic verse you are not willing to come to me that you may have life they came but they came with excuses and we can't follow you because of this we don't like this about you we don't like that about you and so we can't receive from you reminds us of the man earlier in John chapter 5 how Jesus said you want to be healed I can't be healed nobody's here to put me in a pool he begins to tell them excuses and the tragedy of this statement it's not that you can't come but that many are not willing to come what a tragic statement that Jesus says to us this morning you're not willing to come there's people here right now listening that aren't willing to come to him and how sad that is there's people that are listening on the radio or perhaps listening on the internet they're not coming to Jesus because they won't they're not willing to come to him oh he's willing to accept them he's willing to forgive them but they're not willing to come to him do you come to Jesus I mean you come to him often or do you fill your life with everything else you fill your life with this that and the other and or do you come to Jesus you come to the Lord and say Lord I I come to you again this morning and spend time with him are you not willing to come to him don't be so easily amused with the things of this life don't be so easily satisfied with the things of this life don't sell yourself that cheap for just your career or or money or prestige or these things don't sell yourself that cheap that's not what life is about if you haven't already discovered that those things will leave you empty and dissatisfied but come to Jesus not just once in your lifetime but every day of your life verse 41 I do not receive honor from men but I know you that you do not have the love of God in you you know as you look at this exchange and other exchange it it's it's interesting to read editorial pages or talk to people who don't really know the bible and they don't know the don't know the Jesus of the bible and they they'll say things like well Jesus would never say anything anybody ever did anything wrong well Jesus would never tell somebody they were in sin well Jesus would never tell anybody they weren't going to heaven what book are they reading because this is fairly confrontational in it you do not have the love of God in you well what happened to just let's all just get along kind of Christianity it's not in there Jesus loved people enough to tell them the truth and he knew that at some points he probably knew this was going to offend them he didn't water it down or make it well you know if we mix a little candy in there it'll be easy for them to swallow no he he said I got to speak the truth I love them enough I care enough for them to tell them the truth that that may happen in here you may hear something from up here and you go oh I can't believe that if it's the truth and my sincere prayer is everything that comes from this pulp it's based on the word of God and I take that very seriously if it's the truth perhaps you need to rethink that area of your life because if you sit still long enough to receive the word of God to receive the teaching from the word of God it may even change your life friend do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven you can know right now I want to lead you in a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him please pray this prayer with me out loud right now dear Jesus I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life I could have a new life and I've done wrong things I have sinned and I'm sorry please forgive me of all those things please give me the power to live for you all of my days in Jesus name amen friend if you prayed that prayer according to the bible you've been forgiven you've been born again so congratulations friend you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make god bless you if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you you can visit crossthebridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ or you can write to cross the bridge at p o box 12 5 15 winston salem north carolina 27117 and share how god is working in your life well da before we go what are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day you can wake up with encouragement from pastor david through the word of god with his email devotional life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and a thought to meditate on throughout your day from the heart of david mcgee that sounds good pastor da and again it's been great to have you with us on the program today but tell us what else can our listeners find on cross the bridge.com if you're not able to make it to your home church this sunday why not join us for our live stream at 10 a.m eastern time or on thursday nights at 7 p.m eastern time just visit cross the bridge.com and click on our live stream link there you'll experience a live service from david's home church the bridge in north carolina again that website is cross the bridge.com thanks again for listening and join us next time as david mcgee continues teaching verse by verse in the gospel of john