Complete Trust

Absolutely trusting yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, risking your whole destiny on Him.


Scripture: John 3:36

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends, how in the world are you? Yes, that little greeting establishes the fact that this is indeed your friend, Bob Cook, and I’m glad to be back with you to share from the Word of God. We’re looking into the Gospel of John, and we have come just about to the end of the third chapter. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Now, all of this grew out of the delegation that came to John the Baptist saying, “The man you introduced is now getting more attention than you. He’s baptizing and the crowds are going to Him.” John said, “Well, you don’t realize the source of my joy is to see what Jesus does. And the inevitable has to happen that He must become more important and I become less important.”

By the way, this is the basic rule of success in any true Christian work. The process of pointing to the Lord Jesus diminishes attention upon the pointer, so to speak. Attention focuses upon the one to whom you’re calling attention, Jesus our blessed Lord. We’re troubled these days by a cult, what they call a cult of personality, where people become stars and their names are known, and their programs are followed, and their word means something, and people imitate some of the things they do and say. A cult of personality, it’s called. But I can guarantee you that you’ll find, across the world, those who have never been identified as stars but who are faithfully pointing to the Lord Jesus and He’s getting the glory, and God’s work is getting done. Normal Christian work does not create notoriety in the world’s sense of fame.

Now, it may be true that you will be well known and people will recognize you and all of that. If you do anything significant for the Lord, you will be recognized as a person, I’m sure that’s true. I sat down to order a cup of coffee at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant a while ago because I was on my way to something or other and was just what the Norwegians call “coffee thirsty.” [chuckle] So I came in there and I said to the waitress, as I sat at the counter, I said, “I need a cup of coffee.” She looked at me and she said, “You’re Dr. Cook.” [laughter] It sounded like an indictment. I said, “Well, how did you know me?” “Oh,” she said, “I couldn’t mistake that voice.” Well, all right. Maybe that’s part of the trademark. I’m not talking about individuality and those things about you as a human being that identify you. That’s not what we’re getting at, you know that. I’m talking about the tendency of human nature to puff itself up.

Normal Christian service points to Jesus. You’ll remember that, won’t you? Lift Him up. Lift Jesus up. Still He speaks from eternity, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” I spoke at Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, and was telling the folk about EV Hills, the black preacher from Los Angeles, he was speaking at NRB and he told about a lady in one of his congregations, a lady who was quite old but quite vocal. And when anyone started to preach, she would say softly, “Get him up.” And if the preacher was just perambulating around the pole of veracity, as we say, and not saying much, she would say a little louder, “Get him up.”

And if he didn’t begin to exalt the Lord Jesus, she would say, still more loudly, “Get him up.” And then if, finally, he took the hint and began to point to the Lord Jesus, she’d say, “That’s what I told you, get him up.” [chuckle] Well, lift up the Lord Jesus Christ. John knew it, John the Baptist knew it. He said, “If I point to Him and He’s the Messiah, then He’s gonna become more important and I’ll be less important.” Can you stand that kind of truth? It’s really hard, isn’t it? But that’s the way God wants it. Humble yourself therefore in the sight of God and He will lift you up. The other thing that John the Baptist said, this is all review, but I wanted just to touch on it for somebody who may not have gotten in on it before. The other thing that John the Baptist said, “I have found out what really satisfies me.”

How many people are going through life unsatisfied; they never really have found what satisfies and fulfills them. They’re trying so many different things. Well, he said, “The bride is placed with the bridegroom, but the best man,” the friend of the bridegroom, “The best man who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy is fulfilled.” He said, “I have found out what really satisfies me, and that’s to hear what Jesus says and to see what He does.” As a matter of fact, when John got discouraged later on and sent a delegation to the Savior and said, in effect, “Why are you leaving me to rot in jail? I introduced you. Are you really the Messiah or not?” Our Savior’s answer to the delegation was, “Look around and see what’s happening. The blind can see, the deaf can hear, the lame can walk, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” They went back and told John that and he said, “That’s enough. It’s all right. He’s the one.” He said, “I have found out what really satisfies me.”

Now, it satisfied him in the beginning of his ministry when he pointed to Jesus, “Behold the lamb of God which beareth away the sin of the world.” It satisfied him when his ministry was starting to decline, that’s what we were looking at in John chapter 3, “All men come to Him,” it says speaking of Jesus, “Baptizes, the one that you introduced is having bigger crowds than you, John,” John the Baptist’s ministry was now going into eclipse, but he said, “I’m still satisfied.” And then when he was in jail, and in a few days the executioner was gonna come and cut off his head, he was still satisfied with Jesus. And I want you to know, beloved, that the turning point in your life will be the point at which you discover that the Lord Jesus Christ is enough. He’s the one that satisfies and fulfills you.

Somebody who is unmarried says, “Oh, if I only had a wife or a husband, then I’d be satisfied.” No, you won’t. You won’t. Somebody says, “Oh, if I only had enough money. I’m tired of being poor, tired of scraping by on not enough always. If I only had enough money, then I’d be satisfied.” No, you wouldn’t. Somebody asked Samuel Gompers, the father of the labor movement, “What is it labor wants?” And he answered in one word, “More.” We’re never satisfied, really, with things, and we’re not satisfied with human relationships entirely, are we? Only the Lord Jesus really fills your life. Christ is all and in all. I hope you know that truth by experience, beloved, and if you don’t know it by experience, get into it today.

Open your life completely to the blessed spirit of God whose job it is in this dispensation to manifest Christ to you and through you. Let the spirit of God reveal Christ to you so that you’ll really be satisfied with Him. The secret of successful witnessing is that enthusiasm that comes when you’ve had a heart full of satisfaction because of Jesus, and you’re so delighted with Him that you just delight to share that joy with other people. That’s the secret of effective witnessing. Anything less than that is just proselytizing; trying to make converts. John the Baptist found out who really could satisfy him. Well, the last time we got together we were stopping on verse 35 and I remarked about that that all things are given into the hand of the Lord Jesus.

Father loveth the Son had given all things into His hand. He is the Lord of creation. All things were made by Him. He is the Lord of sustaining power. By Him, all things hold together. He is the Lord of redemption who gave Himself for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He is the all things of present well-being. He ever liveth to make intercession for them that come unto God by Him. He’s the all things of our own heart satisfaction, something we had just been talking about. I know whom I have believed in and I am persuaded that He’s able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day, and He’s the all things of the future.

“Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. And throughout all eternity, you and I will be singing the song of the redeemed. Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and glory and majesty and honor and dominion. He is worthy. Jesus is the all things.” That’s a great passage there, John 3:35. Now, we come to 3:36, and time will run out before we really get into it, won’t it? It says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Now, remember that word “believe” is our word, or equivalent to our English word “commit.” Really to commit yourself. In English, when you say, “I believe it will rain,” that means “it is my opinion that it will rain.”

See, but this goes deeper. The Bible word for “believe” means commitment, turning yourself over to and absolutely trusting yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, risking your whole destiny on Him. That’s what it means to believe on Christ. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” People write me and say, “I’m not sure I’m saved,” and I write back and ask them, “Have you ever really committed yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Have you asked Him to come into your heart?” in response to His invitation as found in Revelation 3:20, for example, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.” Have you invited Him into your heart? “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God.” Have you trusted Him by faith to forgive your sins and to become your Savior?

If you have, you then qualify for the fulfillment of a verse like John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” There’s a similar verse in John 5:24. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life.” “Hath”, present tense, not “will” or “may.” “Hath everlasting life and shall not come into judgment but is passed from death unto life.” It’s a transaction that God does on your behalf when you commit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Will you take care of that decision today if you’ve not already done so? Open your heart by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him come in and be your Savior.

Dear, Father, today, oh, may we trust Thee completely through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!



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