Believing God

Turn please to John's Gospel, chapter 5, the Gospel of John, chapter 5. We're going to read from verse 24. John chapter 5 and verse number 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

Now we'll read the verse again, and we'll read it as Larry has quoted it. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Now God will bless this word with what we've already been privileged to listen to.

If I asked you tonight, are you a believer? What would you say? You might turn around and say to me, well, is it really important? It's most important whether you're a believer or not. You may believe about the Bible, but do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Can you go back to a moment when you first believed and you were saved? The word believe is a big word in John's gospel. In fact, it's a very important word.

It's a most important word. And in the gospel of John, the word believe appears 97 times in all but three chapters. And if you refuse to believe, I want to say this to you, my friend, in this meeting, young and old, if you refuse to believe, the Lord Jesus said, you shall die on your sins, and where I am, till there you cannot come.

Let me ask everyone at this side, where is the Lord Jesus tonight? The Lord is risen. The man that bled and died at Calvary, who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The one who gave himself a ransom on behalf of all.

The man who died and was buried, he rose again and he's alive. And we were thinking today, that he's seated at the right hand of God. He said, if I go away, and he went away.

And he's in heaven just as we sit here. There's a man in heaven. And he said, if you do not believe, you will die in your sins.

And where I am, you cannot come. Oh soul, this word believe is a most important word. You say, well, if it's so important, why is it not in the other three chapters? If it's in every chapter except three, why is it not in the other three? Well, you see, in chapter 15, it's not there.

In chapter 21, it's not there. Why is it not there? Because the Lord is talking to believers, to people who have already believed. All right.

Why is it not in chapter 18? I'll tell you why it's not in chapter 18. Because it's there that the Lord Jesus is betrayed. It's there that the Lord Jesus is arrested.

It's there that the Lord Jesus, he's taken by wicked hands. And a nefarious deed is done. And he's betrayed into the hands of sinners.

And they come with their wicked hands and they take him. Men who have rejected Christ. Men who have refused his claims.

And they're taking him out to crucify him. Eventually, they'll crucify him. Are you a believer tonight? John writes over and over again about believing.

It thrills my soul to tell you this, my friend, and this meeting, whoever you might be, whether you're a boy or girl at the front or someone hiding at the back, I want to tell you this, there's a God in heaven and he loves you. And he would never ask you to do something you can't do. And God wants you to believe.

And first of all, he wants you to believe him. It's God's word. He doesn't want you to believe Larry or Terry or anybody else.

He wants you to believe him. And if you're not a believer tonight, you haven't believed God. The God who cannot lie.

First of all, God wants you to believe him. This is God's word. This is God's word.

It's not the word of men. It's the word of the living God. And he wants you to believe him.

And if you refuse to believe him, it's to him you're accountable. It's to him you will answer. Let me ask you tonight, if you're not a believer, why do you not believe God? Why do you not believe God? In chapter two of this gospel, there were men believed God.

There's a man called Philip and he believes. There's a man called Andrew. There's a man called Nathaniel.

There's a man called Peter. There's a man called John and they believe God. The young believed in chapter two.

An old man believes in chapter three. There's a man and he believes he's on a rooftop and he believes. He's saved.

He hears these words, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. There's a man that he's well known. He came from Ireland and he was on a roof when he believed.

He believed us. He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life. And so God wants you to believe him.

There's a man in this gospel and he has a meeting with a savior and on the way home, not just there, but on the way home, he believed. And his whole house believed. There's a man in this gospel and he's lying on his bed and he believes.

It doesn't matter who you are tonight. You can believe because God wouldn't ask you to do something you cannot do. It doesn't matter where you are tonight.

And I was nearly away there. It doesn't matter where you are tonight, whether you're in the meeting, whether you're sitting in that seat, whether you're on your way home, or whether you get there and you're lying on your bed, you can believe God. For it doesn't matter where you are, you can believe.

I'll tell you something. You could be too late to believe. You see the man Laurie was talking about in Luke chapter 16.

He knows the Bible's true, but he's too late. Now's the accepted time. Now's the day of salvation.

And if the Lord did come, now look at me tonight, soul. You know he's coming. You know he's coming.

Before he comes, he's trying to reach you. Pull you back from the brink of hell. Save you from hell for heaven.

But if he comes, it's too late. You'll know God is true then. Deep down in your heart, deep down in your heart, you know that God is true.

And you know the Word of God is true. And the Lord Jesus said, he that heareth my word. What a privilege you're getting tonight.

He that heareth my word. I have family and they've never held a Bible. I have family, they've never sat in a gospel meeting.

I have family, they don't know the gospel. And here you are tonight. He that heareth my word and believeth him that sent me, hath everlasting life.

You'll have something you never had before. You'll have something that you can never lose. You can have, you'll have something the world could never give you.

You'll have something the world could never take away from you. You'll have everlasting life. Let me ask you tonight, have you got it? Have you got it? Provide it for you at infinite cost.

The father sent the son to be the savior of the world. And all the way to Calvary, Jesus went for me. Jesus went for me.

All the way to Calvary. And there on the tree, the lamb of God for sinners died. He died as a victim.

He died voluntarily. He died and was victorious for up from the grave he arose. Before he went away, he left his own a promise.

If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also. Oh, so we're waiting for Jesus. His promise is plain.

His word sure and steadfast. He's coming again. A numberless people will meet in the air.

The risen Lord, the savior of sinners, the one they trusted, they'll meet in the air. The Lord who redeemed them. Will you be there so? Will you be there? And John the writer, he, he's penning these words that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name.

There's life for a look at the crucified one. There's life at this moment for thee. Then look, sinner, look unto him and be saved.

Unto him who was nailed to the tree. He's alive tonight and he can save you. He said, I give unto my sheep eternal life and they shall never perish.

Are you a believer? You know, John, when he's writing, he writes, he writes primarily about the son of God. What a subject. He writes about the sayings of the son of God.

Listen to what he said. I am the door. By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me. He said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He writes about the sayings of the son of God. He writes about the slaying of the son of God. They took him outside the city wall.

Those wicked men, they nailed his hands to Calvary's cross. Whom you slew and hanged on the tree. That's what the Bible says.

John writes about the suffering of the son of God. Oh, crucifixion. Think of the sufferings of the Savior.

Think of the precious blood and the wounds that flowed. He said, I thirst. But listen, he said, it is finished.

He bowed his head, dismissed his spirit. Christ died and he died that you could be saved and in heaven. Are you a believer? He that heareth my word and believeth him.

God wants you to believe him tonight. He wants you to believe him about your sin. You're a sinner.

Your sins are dark and foul. You know you're guilty before God. You have sinned against the Lord and your sin will find you out.

Our brother quoted it, for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You have sinned in word and thought and deed. You have sinned day and daily and your sins are getting greater and greater before the eye of God and your sins will bring you down to the judgment and your sins will land you in hell and your sins will land you at the great white throne and your sins will land you in the lake of fire.

Oh soul, you're a sinner and God wants you to believe that tonight. Believe him about your sin. Believe him about his son.

He that hath a son hath life. Believe him about your soul, destined for eternity to be forever somewhere, to go out from this world never to come back again. Where will it be sinner? Heaven or hell? He wants to save you from a wasted life.

He wants to save you from a Christless eternity. He wants to save you for heaven. He wants to save you to bring you to be forever with himself.

Will you believe God tonight? You say, what does it really mean to believe? To as many as receive him. It means to receive him, to receive Christ. He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life.

He that obeyeth not the son. It means to obey. It means to obey.

To as many as receive him, to them give he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. I thank God tonight that I'm a believer. Are you a believer? If you're not a believer, why not? You could believe in this meeting.

You could believe on the way home. You could believe upon your bed. That's if you get there.

Remember this soul. God never asks you to do something you cannot do. He that believeth on the son, he that heareth my word and believeth him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, shall never be judged for their sin, but shall have passed out of death into life.

It's a grand thing to be saved, to know it too and to show it too. And you can be saved tonight, but you can never be saved unless you believe God. May God bless us all.