Take your Bibles this morning, if you will, to John chapter number six. John chapter number six. John chapter number six. Lord willing, we will be finishing off the chapter this morning. to the final verses of John chapter six. Jesus has demonstrated his power by feeding over 5,000 people with five small loaves of bread, two small fish. The crowd recognized his unique power, but their earthly focus caused them to demand political liberation. We saw that at the beginning of this chapter. Jesus left them to their folly, but they followed him and a lengthy discourse ensued. Now we have come to the end of that discussion that Jesus had with the crowd. This conversation evidences the grace of God because Jesus acknowledges throughout the text that he is speaking to people who were not going to believe. Christ knew their hearts, that they were hardened against him. Yet he taught the gospel to them anyway. Consider as we read our passage this morning, why many stopped following Jesus after this discourse and why Peter and the other disciples remained with him. So John chapter number six, I will ask you to do as we did last week. I will read the passage. And after completing the passage, I will say, this is the word of the Lord, may he that gave it be praised, and I would ask you to repeat with me, and may we that hear it obey. So John chapter number six, beginning there in verse 59. These things said he in the synagogues as he taught at Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, this is an hard saying, who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, thus this offend you? What, and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. And he said, therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my father. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the 12, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him. being one of the 12. This is the word of the Lord. May he that gave it be praised, and may we that obey it, may that hear it obey. Excuse me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word this morning. I pray that you would help us as we dig into this passage to see the truths that are here. You have brought us here together this morning, not by accident, but on purpose. to hear and be fed by your word this morning. I pray that you would not allow what I say to reflect my own opinion, my own thoughts, my own mistakes and errors, but that you would speak through me this morning the truths that can be gleaned from this text. Lord, may you reign supreme in our hearts this morning as well. May your spirit have full access, may sin be repented of and cast off. May we truly obey every word that is written. I ask that you would guide us and work through us because we can do nothing of our own, but you can accomplish great things. We ask these things in your name, amen. Perhaps you have attended a carnival or a fair in the past. We went to a fair with the kids this summer, but it was the first night of the fair and we didn't realize the rides would not be open. So Rosie didn't get to ride anything, but we still enjoyed some fried food. My young but increasing age, that becomes more and more. My stomach doesn't handle the rides as well as it used to, so to speak. Maybe you've seen at some of these fair rides though, they'll often have some restrictions that are listed. They'll give some health complications and people with those health complications, they advise shouldn't ride the ride. At the very least, they'll have a minimum height requirement for young kids. Sometimes there is a maximum weight that is listed. It's often common for designers to make the harnesses and restraints somewhat size-specific. If you can't fit in the restraint or the clap bar, then you can't ride the ride. And that makes sense. The design is there to accommodate those who can safely participate. While some individuals are offended when a ride operator tells them that they're too large to ride, or that the restraints won't fit them. In one instance, during the Ohio State Fair in 2017, an individual wanted to ride the fireball attraction, but this individual couldn't fit into the restraints. The ride operator allowed the individual to ride and slightly adjusted the restraints. Terror ensued, however. when the ride came apart under the added pressure. One of the arms carrying the overweight rider and three other people broke and was flung into the air. Emergency responders had to rescue two of the riders from the broken ride arm, and both had substantial injuries. Two others were flung out of the ride completely, a young lady whose foot was severed from her leg, and an 18-year-old named Tyler Durrell, who was found unconscious without a pulse in a pool of blood in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead on scene by first responders. Tragic events like this remind us that these restrictions are not created to embarrass people or deny them the enjoyment of a fair ride. These restrictions exist to protect both the would-be riders and the people who are already on the ride. Weight restrictions can be seen as offensive or embarrassing by those told they can't ride, but these restrictions serve an important purpose. When they are ignored, the consequences can be horrific. Well, there are certain safeguards that scripture provides for the church to implement as well. This morning we see what is perhaps the primary safeguard given to the church to protect her from danger. This is the proclamation of sound doctrine. Just like the weight restraints on a carnival ride, right doctrine can be offensive. Doctrine offends us because it tells us we're wrong, that we have a severe problem with sin. The analogy is often given of a preacher stepping on people's toes. Sound doctrinal preaching often feels like this because as fallen beings, our sinful nature instinctively recoils at hard truth. We don't like to be told we are wrong. We don't feel good when we're told we are living in sin. We don't enjoy being reminded of our failure to obey the commands of God. And we don't like to be told we are powerless to do right in our own strength. I trust that you'll see from our text this morning that you must faithfully proclaim God's word and trust him above your own understanding. I hope you'll take some notes this morning. There's some space provided for that in your bulletins. And one of my main desires this morning is that you will understand why we do what we do here, why I preach the way that I do, and why we must be obedient in this area. We have three points this morning. Point number one is that truth offends. Truth offends. Secondly, we will see that God reigns. And thirdly, that doctrine divides. So again, point number one this morning, truth offends. Verses 59 through 62 say this. These things said he, Jesus, in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples when they heard this said, this is an hard saying. Who can hear it? What were they talking about? Well, we see in this text that you must trust God's word because truth will offend you. A basic understanding of God's word and our fallen nature should lead us to expect the word of God to offend us. In John chapter 17, verse 17, Christ prays on behalf of the disciples and us as well to the Father, asking him to quote, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. Well, what is sanctification? What does it mean to sanctify? Well, Christ is asking the Father to separate us from our sin, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Problem is, we love our sin. We desire sin. So if God is to answer the fervent prayer of the eternal son, he will necessarily take away from us something that we love. In Hebrews chapter four, verses 12 through 13, we read, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and morrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. I do not believe that this verse is a decisive proof text for the tripartite view of man. Rather, this text teaches us that scripture will cut us to the core. The word of God is a supernatural weapon. A human forged blade can separate a soul from its body by taking the life of the owner thereof. But a human blade cannot separate one soul from the spirit. It can separate a bone from another by cutting clean through the limb, but no human weapon can divide the human soul and spirit, and no human sword can separate bones from bone marrow. That is the picture being given here, that God's word is supernatural. It cuts us to the core, dividing perfectly. everything that we hold most deeply. The very core of our being. God's word strikes at the very center of our soul. It pierces us and lays bare the innermost contradictions of our thinking. By the way, the word of God must pierce through to the very core of our being because sin has corrupted us that deeply. It is not as if sin is only that which is on the outside and the difficulties are at surface level and struggle with sin is not only on the surface, it penetrates us to the very core of our being. The curse on Adam didn't just affect the ground that he walked on. It didn't just cause thorns to grow around him. Sin corrupted his heart. Sin eradicated his innocence and sin has done the same to us. The scriptures are God's scalpel with which he performs spiritual open-heart surgery to remove even the tiniest and most hidden slivers of cancerous sin. If you can attend a church and listen to sermons week after week after week and never feel the slightest offense at anything you hear, rest assured, in that church you are not being taught the word of God. God's word makes sinners uncomfortable with their sin. And we all have sin in our life. If you don't feel the sting of the scriptures, when you hear the word of God preached, you're not hearing the word of God preached. The gospel offends the unbeliever. We have a whole generation of Christians whose understanding of the gospel is so shallow, they think the gospel is nothing more than good news. Now the gospel is good news, but it's not just good news. It doesn't start with good news. Jesus loves you is not the gospel. If you're gonna share the true gospel, you're gonna have to tell people why they need Jesus. You'll have to show them from the word of God that they stand guilty before God and are powerless to change their helpless state. This is exactly what we see in the scriptures. Romans 3. Verses 10 and following, we read. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are all together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. Their tongues, they, With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of Asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. You hear that? All the world is guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. By the law is the knowledge of sin. if your gospel witness doesn't include that. If you skip to the second half of Romans 6.23, you're not sharing the gospel. Oh yes, the gift of God is eternal life, but the wages of sin is death. If you take away the bad news, the good news is of no effect. But not only does the word of God offend unbelievers, the word of God also offends prideful people. And even as believers, we can struggle with our own pride, we do, frequently. It's likely none of us are ever actually free from Entirely. It is not as if we become Christians and never struggle with our pride again. Even Christians wrestle with the text in our own arrogance. This is how we get Christians who will fight you tooth and nail on the topic of sovereign election. You say, pastor, we've been talking about this a long time. That's because Jesus has been talking about it for 40 some verses. What do you think he's talking about? Or the crowd is talking about? In verse 60, many therefore of his disciples when they heard this said, this is an hard saying, who can hear it? He's just been laying out that God is sovereign in salvation. He's told them the reason you can't believe is because God has not given you that ability. The Father must give them. Salvation. Draw them to himself. We've read, of course, verse 44. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me. Draw him. These are the hard sayings the crowd is rejecting. Christians today, to fight you on this issue. You can take them through the word of God. To John chapter one, verses 12 and 13. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the son of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Born again by God's will. Romans 9 verses 14 through 16. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Ephesians 1. Verses three and following, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. You can go through verse after verse after verse. This is not a minor issue in the New Testament. God's sovereign election in saving human beings is a foundational truth throughout the scriptures. Yet even many Christians refuse to see it because of their pride. Pride personally that wishes to believe the difference between me and the infidel is something within me that God saw. Or pride that thinks my inclination is toward God and the unbeliever is inclined to reject. Or it takes the form of pride in human free will. My free will must not be infringed upon by God. Well, if God is greater than we are, And he is. Our free will must be subordinate to his free will. Not that God drags us to hell against our will in this life. Not that he drags us to heaven against our will. But that the will of God reigns supreme over the will of man. I've used this illustration before, but I still remember vividly And this came up in a science class in college at Bob Jones. The professor used the analogy of a human artist painting a beautiful picture on a canvas. And then he asked the class, is it morally wrong for the artist to display his artwork in a glass case in a museum? The class, of course, said, no, it's perfectly fine for the artist to protect the canvas with a glass case and display it for others to see. Is it wrong for the artist to crumple it up and throw it away? The same work of art. Well, no, if the artist created it, he can choose to discard it as well. Well, the professor continues, is it okay for the artist to go outside, take out a matchbox, and light his painting on fire? Yes, it's fine for the creator of this artwork to burn it up and destroy his creation. It's his, he owns it, he can do what he wants with it. So the professor gets to his point. If we are God's handiwork, does he not have the very same right to discard us, destroy us, and send us to burn in the flames of hell for all eternity? That didn't hit you the same way the canvas with the painting did. Did it? After a few seconds, a student raised his hand and said, comparing a human being to a mere piece of paper is a terrible thing to do. I remember the professor looking at me briefly Maybe because I had a strange look on my face. He was looking around the room. I'm suspicious he was waiting to see if someone would say something. But to my shame, I did not say a word while the voice inside me shouted. I wish I would have vocalized in that moment this thought. The problem with that analogy is not that it diminishes man to a mere piece of paper. The problem with that analogy is that it diminishes the sovereign God of the universe to a mere human being. You see, the problem is we think too highly of ourselves. We think we are ontologically closer to God than we are to a piece of paper. Well, friends, I'm here to tell you that if you stand next to a piece of paper and we compare God's value and his nature, the distinction between you and a dust of sand, a grain of sand, will pale in comparison to how far we are from God and his value. You cannot compare the infinite God of all eternity, creator of all things, with a finite creature without diminishing him infinitely. To consider God a mere man in reference to his worth and significance is downright blasphemous, even for sake of illustration. Now the Bible does use anthropomorphism. That is to say the Bible speaks of God as if he possesses human qualities. And it does so for the purpose of explaining truths in ways that we can understand. Scripture compares God to a shepherd. or to a soldier, even a lion and a mother hen. But these comparisons are not referring to God's ontology, his nature, his worth in his being. They are not claiming that God's value or the sum total of God's nature is wrapped up in these comparisons. Rather, they are illustrating how God interacts with us. To diminish God to the level of a mere human being in the sense of his value, his significance, his worth, is a terrible error. The problem is not that it makes man too insignificant. The problem with that illustration of the artist and the artwork is it makes God far less significant than he is in comparison. By the way, there's nothing wrong with comparing human beings to a simple piece of paper, to an inanimate object. That's not a problem. You say, how do you know that? Well, I know that because Paul makes an equivalent comparison in the book of Romans. Romans 9, 19 through 21, says, thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault, talking about God's sovereignty and election, for who hath resisted his will? Verse 20, nay, but O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? You see, the problem in the illustration comes when we assume God as the artist is just the man. We can say an artist can throw away his paper, but we need to recognize the artist is much more like his paper. They are both mortal. They were created and they will cease to exist. God and his creation are far further apart. God is eternal. He has no maker. He has no limitation. He cannot be confined. Man has a beginning and would have no such beginning without God. You say, God isn't fair. And Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit says, why is the clay talking? God, it's not fair for you to choose who you save and who you don't save. Why is the dust speaking back to its maker? God in the scriptures has a very nice way of telling us to shut up. Because that's exactly what we need to do. Who are we to stand judge the mighty God for what he does. And who are we to read his word and say, I don't believe that one. No, we must submit. The natural response of arrogant men to the sovereignty of God is found in verse 60. This is an hard saying. can hear it. We see that many of his disciples departed. They left following him. They had been following him for so long as they had followed him, right? He's back in Capernaum. These are those that crossed over after he fed the 5,000, but these are also those, it tells us he's in the synagogue now, verse 59. It's also those in the synagogues of Capernaum where he grew up. And they'd kind of been excited, right? This famous teacher was growing in popularity and he had come from their hometown. But this, this was way too much to accept. We see also that Christ's work verifies his message. In verse 61 we see, when Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, does this offend you? What, and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before? Hostility towards the claims of Christ was foolish for these individuals because they had seen Christ perform miracles. They had seen him feed the 5,000. They had seen him heal diseases that no one could heal. They had seen him cast out demons, and yet they are now saying, this is too much. I can't go with him this far. I would ask you this morning, how much more idiotic is it for us to reject the words of Christ after his resurrection and his ascension back into heaven? He literally rose himself from the grave and ascended back to the right hand of the Father. And you would doubt what he said? Who else claims to be from heaven and proved it? Jesus Christ is alone without equal among men. Secondly, we see here, God reigns. You must trust God's word because the triune God is sovereign over salvation. Verse 63 says this, it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. Here in verse 63, we see that the great contrast between the Spirit, or we see, excuse me, the great contrast between the Spirit and the flesh. The distinction between our works and the work of the Holy Spirit, and they could not be greater. The Spirit gives life, the flesh is worthless. That again, As I've said many times, that's what the word quick means, right? I read that verse, the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. And you probably, without thinking of it, thought, oh, it gets to the point quickly. But that's not what the word means, there or here. It means living. The Word of God is alive with the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit quickeneth, makes alive the flesh, makes alive the sinner, but the flesh profiteth nothing. In John chapter three, in speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus said this, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again. We see once again that salvation cannot start with us. We have seen that in the cosmic sense, on the grand scheme of things, that our salvation began the eternal plan of God the Father. But even on the personal level, salvation does not start with us. If you have been saved, your salvation began on the personal level with the Holy Spirit regenerating your soul. We talk about the ordo salutis, the order of events in salvation. And as we strive to rightly divide and understand the word of God, we realize that regeneration must precede the other steps because an unregenerate heart cannot turn to Christ in faith. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us grace to believe the gospel. This all happens at the same time. But logically, the word of God teaches us God starts our salvation. The words of Christ must bring life. After acknowledging the Holy Spirit gives life to the elect, Cruz states this, and let's read the passage, verse 64. Jesus, excuse me, the middle of the verse there, Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. And he said, therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto me of my father. Chris states this, Jesus then indicated the way of the spirit normally mediates life to people. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. We see that in the end of verse 63. The primary means by which the Holy Spirit gives life to human beings is the preaching of the word of God. The Holy Spirit speaks to the human heart through God's word. By the way, if you let the scriptures regulate your theology, you'll realize the New Testament teaches that God has chosen at this time to speak to his people through the written word of God exclusively. People will say, God said this to me, or Jesus told me that. With all due respect, if you do not have scripture to point to, if you can't open your Bible and say, here's where he said it, you should not attribute those words to God. You say, can't God talk to me? Whisper things in my ear, if he wanted to? Yes he can, but so can demons. And God promised, I'm gonna speak to you through this. Cruz continues. It is because Jesus had been endowed with the Spirit without limit that he could speak the words of God, and these words mediated eternal life to those who believed. There is no one else whose words have this power. We don't speak with the authority of Christ as he spoke. Cruz concludes with this important side note. It is worth noting that one cannot believe in Jesus without believing his words. People claim to believe in Jesus, but do not believe what he says in the scriptures. If they reject that he is who he claimed to be and refuse to believe he has done what the gospels declare he has done, those people are not saved. I believe in Jesus, but I don't think he rose from the dead. I believe in Jesus, but I believe that there are many ways to God. I believe that all religions can get us to the Father. Those people aren't Christians. They don't believe the words of Jesus Christ. You must believe in Jesus as he is revealed in the scriptures In his first epistle, John wrote this. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin. Finally, we see here that the son, excuse me, the sovereign father must have ordained life. The Holy Spirit must give life through the words of Christ and the sovereign father must have ordained one. Here we see once again that Jesus teaches the total depravity of mankind. We read in verse 65, therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except forgiven unto him of my father. Cruz states it like this, the privilege of belief in Jesus is a gift bestowed by God. Unbelief was the obstacle to these disciples' acceptance of Jesus and his words, and he now made it plain that it was only by the gracious gift of the Father that this unbelief could be overcome. God must give grace. Without God's grace, you have no hope of salvation. That's the offensive truth that these disciples, these followers, so-called, were unwilling to accept. God the Father ordained the salvation of all who He intended to save before time even began. God the Son, Jesus Christ, then enters His creation 2,000 years ago. He lives a perfect life in full obedience to the Father and dies a sacrificial death to take away the sins of all the Father had chosen to clothe in eternal righteousness. Finally, the Holy Spirit brought the gospel to your ears. He carried it from your head into your heart. And the third member of the triune Godhead took your carnal, spiritually dead soul and regenerated it to true spiritual life. member of the Trinity was actively working on your behalf. You were chosen, predestined, justified, and regenerated, and at that exact moment you had not yet lifted one finger or uttered one word in genuine repentance. But you were about to. Is it any wonder that Paul says in Ephesians 2 verses 4 and 5, but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he hath loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. The Father predestined you for salvation before you ever existed. The Son died for you while sin reigned over humanity. And the Holy Spirit infused your rotten corpse with the spiritual life of the gospel before you ever turned to Him. And because the triune God saved your soul, you cried out to Him, crushed by the wickedness of your sin, you begged for forgiveness you had been given, and professed the faith in Christ that God just had given you. For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Friends, do not be offended by the triune God of the universe being sovereign over salvation. If God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit did not in unity of purpose choose to save you, you would not be saved. Praise God that He is sovereign over salvation. For there is no salvation apart from a sovereign God. Thirdly this morning, we see that doctrine divides. Verses 66 and following say this, from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the 12, will you also go away? You must trust God's word because right divides rightly. I mentioned at the beginning that one of my main desires this morning is that you will understand why we do what we do here. Right doctrine is essential for the local church, and if the tough truths of Scripture are not faithfully proclaimed from the pulpit of a local church, that church does not have right doctrine, no matter what is written in the church covenant, or confession, or statement of faith. The local church is not governed by a stack of papers in my office. It's not. Christ is the head of this church and he leads the church by directing the members of this church as the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God to their souls. So if there are doctrines we won't preach, if there are texts we won't follow, if there are truths we choose not to obey, then we have elevated ourselves over the Word of God. and our church will necessarily be led by sinful men, not by Jesus Christ. No matter how good our intentions are. If I am going through the scriptures and I say, oh, that's gonna offend some people. Maybe we'll just skip this section. Or I'll just give a superficial, light message, not dig into the text much at all here, because I don't want to step on toes, then this church is actually governed. The pulpit of this church is actually ruled by your feelings, by my fears, not by this book. Right doctrine is essential for the church. But there's a price to be paid for right doctrine. What do we see here from the masses who are following Jesus? We see that when we are faithful to proclaim the hard truths of scripture, we can expect three things. Number one, we expect many will turn away. John states in his first epistle, chapter two, verse 19, They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us. Why do people leave a church that preaches right doctrine? Because they are not Christ's. They may move away for another job, not saying this is the only reason anyone can ever stop attending a local church. But what I am saying, If their reason for leaving is they're offended by this word of God, it's because they do not submit to the Savior. They're unwilling to believe what he says. Notice, however, that while many will leave when the truth offends them, not everyone abandons Jesus Christ. Verse 67, Jesus said unto the 12, will ye also go away? And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Peter declares what is on their minds. Where else would we go? Believers recognize that while the scriptures contain some very difficult truths that are hard to accept, the scriptures are the only source of truth. There is a divine being. We recognize that. And we want to know his will. So no matter how difficult it is to understand, how hard it is to accept, we will faithfully proclaim and believe the word of God, because without it, we have no hope. If you go off and invent your own version of Jesus, faith in that Jesus won't save you. The creator of this universe is the one before whom you must stand at the end of your life. And this book right here, This is the truth he has given. And thus it is the only source through which you can know your creator. And as a believer, the only source by which you can meet your savior. The church doesn't exist because we naturally embrace everything the Bible claims. We're not here because we're naturally prone to moral living. We certainly didn't come together because of our own hatred for sin. in the flesh. We're sinners by birth. We loved our sin and continue to be tempted by it, drawn away at times. But the church exists because believers are bound together by something even more powerful than sin, and that is the amazing grace of our triune God. God made the church. We're here because God has shown us grace. If you're here for some other purpose, you probably won't stick around. You're not gonna stick around because you love hearing me. You're not gonna stick around because we have such beautiful facility or we have such wonderful programs. The only thing, the primary thing, the surpassing thing that dwarfs and diminishes in which every other connection pales in comparison. The thing that binds us together is God's grace. And that is why Peter says, where else would we go? That's the response of the faithful. When a hard truth comes up as we're preaching, many will be offended, but the faithful will say, that's tough, but I need that. If it's in God's word, it doesn't matter how difficult it is to accept, I need that. I'm thankful to a God who will hit me with hard truth rather than let me live in my own ignorance. The portion we see, though, the third thing that people will do. Many will leave, some will stay, but some will betray. A portion of those who reject when they hear the hard truths of scripture won't just leave immediately, they'll strive to destroy the whole thing. The motivations may vary. Judas wanted money and was demoralized when he discovered Christ was not establishing an earthly kingdom during his first coming. We see that. Jesus knows of this. He says, have not I chosen you 12 and one of you as It doesn't matter how hard we preach the truths of Scripture, there will still be goats in this congregation. The Bible describes genuine believers as sheep and false converts as goats. He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon. For he it was that should betray him, being one of the 12. You know, in our day, some are so angered by the truth, they just want to stop hearing it all together. They think if they could just be freed from hearing the truth proclaimed, that their conscience would not be so convicted. Some have literally shot the message. Others take a personal grudge against a Christian at a local church. Some, having grown up in the church, don't hate the name. They just hate the truth. And these often strive to make the church embrace the sin culture that they love and make it look less and less like the Christ who they have already rejected. We read in John 15. Verses 20 through 21. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sinned. Turn, if you will, in conclusion to Mark chapter number four. The pastor, why is this so important? That we labor heavy on the hard truths, just as we would every other passage. We'll consider the parable of the sower, verse three, Mark four, beginning in verse three. Jesus says, hearken, behold, there went out a sower to sow, and it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell on thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought forth some 30 and some 60 and some 100. And he said unto them, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the 12 asked of him the parable, and he said unto them, unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted, and their sin should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, know ye not this parable, and how then will ye know all parables? And then Jesus begins to explain the parable. He says in verse 14, the sower soweth the word. That's the gospel, the word of God. And these are they, by the way, or excuse me, by the wayside, where the word is sown. But when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. So they hear the word of God, they are convicted, but they immediately turn to their sin. The wicked thoughts flood in, what would I be giving up to embrace Christ? It's not worth it. And these are they likewise, which are sown on stony ground, who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness. and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth, for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18, verse 18. And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they, verse 20, which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some 30 fold, some 60, and some 100. Pastor, why are we committed to sound doctrine? Because without sound doctrine, the church will be filled with false converts. I said, pastor, people are getting mad and leaving. Couldn't you just tone it down a little bit and they'd stick around? You don't want those people sticking around. Four kinds of people will enter this church. The first hear the gospel and are immediately offended and they leave. The second are people who will initially say amen. They will come to church for a while, they will often make a profession of faith, they may even be baptized, but as pressure comes from this world, they will turn away. They fear man more than they fear God. They'll start by abandoning the truths that our culture finds most offensive. We see this in those unwilling to call homosexuality a sin. Churches who say that Christians must change, that historical doctrine must change, even the scriptures must change, rather than teaching that sin must be forsaken. Churches that bow the knee to the cultural norm rather than bowing to Jesus Christ. The third group will appear genuine for a time, but they will ultimately drift away from the church in the pursuit of earthly pleasures, of riches, of fame, or to pursue their own lusts. Friends, I tell you that we could fill this church with the second and third types of parishioners, but if we did, we would not be a true church. We could attract the people who love earthly pleasures more than they love God. We could attract the people who fear man more than they fear God. Oh boy, the church our size? We let five or six of those people join the membership. And me and anybody who's like me who says we're going through the word of God, we're gonna say everything it says, they'll kick us out of here faster than anything. And accumulate for themselves the teachers with itching ears who stand in the pulpit fishing for compliments rather than telling you what God says. It burns as long as I'm here, and by God's grace, long after. If that's what you want, you can find it somewhere else. The fourth kind of people are those who are genuinely saved, those who will choose Christ over earthly possessions and obey Christ even in severe persecution. Those who truly are saved. They are those who, like Peter, will say in the midst of difficult teaching, where else would I go? Christ alone has the words of eternal life. Pastor, I don't feel good when you preach about this stuff. I need it. If God said it, I dare not pretend to do. Say, pastor, are you afraid we'll run out of money? Do you worry we'll have to close the doors? Are you concerned we won't be able to pay our bills? I'm not very worried about those things. I'm more worried that in an attempt to meet our physical needs, we will pave the way for our own spiritual destruction. Why? Because I've seen it thousands of times. Look at all the churches that once stood for Christ no longer proclaim his word. John MacArthur has on occasion been asked the question, why does your church insist so much on your doctrine? Don't you realize doctrine divides? His response over the years become quite succinct. And he says, yes, doctrine divides. It provides truth. The people who are gonna run out of here complaining because the word of God has been proclaimed. Offended by the word of God and unwilling to submit to it. We don't want those people making the decisions of this church. We preach the hard truths of scripture unashamedly because I don't want unbelievers to feel comfortable during our sermons. We won't water down the controversial truths because we don't want people who hate truth to influence our direction. You want to ruin a church? Have a congregational polity? That means the church votes for what we do with a bunch of unconverted members. Our desire is that people will hear the word of God, that they will bow the knee to King Jesus in submission to all that his word teaches. We want people here and we wanna preach the word of God and our greatest desire is that they would be this fourth kind of seed, that they would be people who will listen to the word of God and submit to all that God says. And our goal, the reason we're here is to strive to be those kind of people. to be faithful followers of Christ. But if you will not submit to the scriptures, we want you to leave. We're here to obey God, to worship Him as He commands, to serve Him and follow His commandments. And if that's your desire, we say, amen. Brothers and sisters, let us worship God together. But this local church will not survive if we prioritize a full sanctuary for sound doctrine. Before you know it, the majority of the members, some saved, some not, all unwilling to be governed by the word of God. And this church will be led by the whim of man, by the understanding of people who are refusing to submit to the scriptures. Church will quickly resemble the secular culture far more than it resembles the character of Christ. We must open the word of God with humility. Recognize it will grieve us, but it must govern us. And faithfully proclaiming it, it will guard us from those who would seek to turn us toward a counterfeit Christ. Like restrictions on a fair ride, Sound doctrine is not here to offend you. Sound doctrine is not here to embarrass you. Sound doctrine is not here to belittle you. Sound doctrine is here to protect us from those who would come in wolves in sheep's clothing and turn us away from our first love. Christ as he is taught, proclaimed in his Word. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are sovereign in salvation. It is you that has saved us. You chose us. before the foundations of this world. You died on the cross for us through Jesus Christ's death. We are made righteous. And through his resurrection, we have hope. And then your spirit brought the word to our ears, pierced into our hearts and saved us from our sins, and from ourselves. God, we who are your children cry out to you in gratitude, in joy. We proudly proclaim on the behalf of Christ, by grace we have been saved. It is not of us, it is all of God. where as boasting it is excluded, save in the name of Christ my Savior. Thank you. And Father, I pray that if there is one here who is called by you but has not chosen to bow the knee that you would convict them even this morning, bring them to saving faith even today. And Lord, all of us who are your children, believe in the name of Jesus Christ. May we be reminded this morning once again to submit ourselves wholly to the word of God. Let no stain of sin remain that resists your holy word. Make us people of the scriptures. When it's difficult, to accept when hard truths confront us. May we in time and in your grace learn to say, thank you, Father, where else would I go? You have the words of eternal life. We desperately need your truth, so help us to be grateful for the words that you have given rather than to seek to follow other inferior sources of revelation. False Christs. Antichrists. Who will ultimately leave us with no hope. Lord, guard our church. We want to see growth, but we want to see purity. We want faithful believers to be those who will decide the fate of this church, who will be led by the Spirit because they are truly your children. We thank you and we praise you and we plead these things in your name.