EXCEPT
I. DEFINING EXCEPT
A. Webster's Concise Dictionary
Except --- 1. To leave or take out; exclude; omit. 2. To object; take exception; with to. With the exception of; save; but.
1. Informal But for the fact that; only 2. Archaic Unless
B. Old Testament ---Hebrew
1. 03884 luwle' {loo-lay'} or luwley {loo lay'} from 03863 and 03808; TWOT - 1085a; conj prep
AV - except 4, unless 4, If 3, had not 1, were it not 1, were it not that 1; 14
1) unless, if not, except
Genesis 31:42 “Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked [thee] yesternight.”
2. 0518 'im {eem} a primitive particle; TWOT - 111; conditional part
AV - if, not, or, when, whether, surely, doubtless, while, neither, saving, verily; 43
1) if
1a) conditional clauses
1a1) of possible situations
1a2) of impossible situations
1b) oath contexts
1b1) no, not
1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or
1d) when, whenever
1e) since
1f) interrogative particle
1g) but rather
Genesis 32:26 “And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”
3. 03808 lo' {lo} or low' {lo} or loh (De 3:11) {lo} a primitive particle; TWOT - 1064; adv
AV - not, no, none, nay, never, neither, ere, otherwise, before; 76
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb - absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier - negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Joshua 7:12 “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.”
Achan’s sin.
C. New Testament --- Greek
3362 ean me {eh-an' may} from 1437 and 3361;; conj particle 6,
whosoever not + 3739 5, but 3, if no 1, not 1, before 1; 60
1) if not, unless, whoever ... not
II. THE EXCEPT TO COMING TO CHRIST
John 6 :44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:45 “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and that hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
Isa 54:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
“The Jews thought that they were all chosen by God, by virtue of their old birth.” (David Guzik)
“We like to feel as though we are in charge; and that we are giving ourselves to God. In truth, He calls and we come.” (David Guzik)
John 6:65 “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except (3362) it were given unto him of my Father.”
A. "I will come, if I am drawn then", says the sinner. "It is out of my hands."
How are we drawn?
1. Creation itself speaks of His presence.
a. Consider the Human body --- Ps 139:14 "fearfully and wonderfully made"
Think about the complexity of the human body and the complexity of behavior and communication.
What happens when a human child’s communication skills when he or she is
left alone when developing?
b. Consider the Heavens
Psalms 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
Psalms 102:25 “Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.”
Psalms 147:4 “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by [their]
names.”
I have heard that they estimate 40 sextillion stars in the universe. That is a 40 followed by 21 zeroes.
2. There is a longing in every man for something divine that only God can give-> zoe -> life
a. This can lead to salvation, which is God‘s design.
b. This can lead to damnation, if it gives rise to vain religions, superstitions, and spiritualism.
3. God draws men by teaching (v. 45).
a. Man is a rational creature, possessing amazing mental and moral powers and reasoning capabilities. HOP XII pg 121
b. God will not force, but draw; not compel, but persuade; all out of respect to man.
c. John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
The lifting and drawing power of the Word of God is the story of the Cross it declares and proclaims. It is that, and only that, that wins men and women. HOP
Bishop Hooper wrote: "God draweth with His Word, and the Holy Ghost, but man's duty is to hear and learn; that is to say, to receive the grace offered." HOP
*Learning comes before coming.
B. After learning, the decision rests with the person to come.
John 6:37 " . . . him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."
John 10:29 “My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.”
The security of your salvation belongs to you.
III. THE EXCEPT TO BEING IN CHRIST
A. When You Come to Christ, You Must Repent
Paul Preaching at Mars Hill--- Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
Peter Preaching -> Act 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
Matt. 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Luke 13:5 “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
Perish --- to destroy; to put out of the way entirely; abolish; to devote or give over
to eternal misery in hell; ruined
1. We often say, "To repent is to be sorry for our sins."
Yet repentance goes a step farther. HOP
“There can be sorrow without repentance, yet no repentance without genuine and heartfelt sorrow.” pg 117
2. Repentance means a change:
a. “A change of mind about myself, about my spiritual state and the right object of life. I discover that instead of being all right I am all wrong. This will most assuredly lead to great sorrow; and if my eyes do not weep, my heart will.” HOP 118
b. A change of mind about sin. Sin, that seemed so light a matter before is seen as a hateful thing, something to be detested and dreaded.
*It is of course, a change of mind leading to a change of conduct.
B. You Must Be Born-again
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except (3362) a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
1. Regeneration is essential to a true understanding of the things of God.
". . . he cannot see" --- cannot understand the nature of it
2. Snakes cast off their skin a certain times of the year. Yet notwithstanding this change, they remain snakes. HOP pg 134
“Men may change the form and habit of their lives without having a change within, and be a sinner still!!! Our Lord insisted upon a radical change within.” pg 134
We must not think to patch up the old building, but begin from the foundation. M. H.
IV. THE EXCEPT TO GROWING IN CHRIST
A. Being Nourished by the Word
John 6:53 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except (3362) ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
5315 phago {fag'-o} a primary verb (used as an alternate of 2068 in certain tenses);; v
AV - eat 94, meat 3; 97
1) to eat 2) to eat (consume) a thing 2a) to take food, eat a meal
2b) metaph. to devour, consume
4095 pino {pee'-no} a prolonged form of pio {pee'-o}; which (together with another form poo {po'-o}, occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses; TDNT - 6:135,840; v
AV - drink 68, drink of 7; 75
1) to drink
2) figuratively, to receive into the soul what serves to refresh strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal
John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
Bishop Ryle: The eating and drinking referred to here do not mean a literal eating and
drinking. Above all, the words were not spoken with any reference to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. It means that reception of Christ's sacrifice which takes place when a man believes on Christ crucified for salvation. It is an inward and spiritual act of the heart . . . whenever a man, feeling his own guilt and sinfulness, lays hold of Christ, and trusts in the atonement made for him by Christ's death, at once he eats the flesh of the Son of Man and drinks His blood. HOP pg 129
Many of them could not understand this saying (and did not ask for explanation) and
turned back. "It is often so; when some backslide many backslide with them; it is
an infectious disease." M. H.
Henry Drummond: "A person who abides in the presence of Jesus Christ in some mysterious way appropriates, unconsciously and unavoidably, the life and character of Jesus Christ, so that he is built up like Him." pg 132 HOP
B. Dying to Live
John 12:24 “Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except (3362) a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
1. Pertaining to Christ
He fell to the ground in His incarnation, seemed to be buried alive in this earth,
so much was His glory veiled; but this was not all: He died. This immortal seed
submitted to the laws of mortality, He lay in the grave like seed under the clods; but
as the seed comes up again green, and fresh, and flourishing, and with great increase,
so one dying Christ gathered to Himself thousands of living Christians, and He became their root. The salvation of souls hitherto, and henceforward to the end of time, is all owing to the dying of this corn of wheat. M. H.
2. Pertaining to Us
I Cor. 15:36 [Thou] fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except (3362) it die:
a. Dying to Sin
b. Dying to Self
The true treasure is inside the seed, not the seed itself.
If we live for self, we live in vain. HOP
V. THE EXCEPT TO ABIDING IN CHRIST
A. Staying in the Vine
John 15:4 “Abide (3306) in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except (3362) it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except (3362) ye abide in me.”
Define abide 3306 meno {men'-o} a root word; TDNT - 4:574,581; v
AV - abide 61, remain 16, dwell 15, continue 11, tarry 9, endure 3, misc 5; 120
1) to remain, abide
1a) in reference to place
1a1) to sojourn, tarry
1a2) not to depart
1a2a) to continue to be present
1a2b) to be held, kept, continually
1b) in reference to time
1b1) to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure
1b1a) of persons, to survive, live
1c) in reference to state or condition
1c1) to remain as one, not to become another or different
2) to wait for, await one
It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with Him, habitually to adhere to Him, and actually derive supplies from Him. M. H.
B. Staying in the Ship
Acts 27:31 “Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except (3362) these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.”
1. God, who appointed the end, that they should be saved, appointed the means, that they should be saved by the help of these seamen [and the ship]. M. H.
a. The seamen can be seen as the workers in the church. God has given gifts (means) unto men for the church.
b. The ship can be seen as the local church itself. God has established the
institution of the church for the protection of the traveler in this world.
2. It was no time to stand arguing the case with the seamen, and therefore they made no more ado, but cut the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. And now the seamen, being forced to stay in the ship whether they would or no, are forced likewise to work for the safety of the ship as hard as they could, because if the rest perish, they must perish with them. M. H.
a. Notice--- The ones who were jumping ship to the lifeboats were doing it under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship. They were pretending to help the ship when in fact, they were helping themselves and cared not for the ship or those on it.
(1) Those who jump from ship to ship can not be trusted in the storm.
(2) They have but one thing in mind, themselves.
b. If we would cut off some things, we could be more effective in the present ship.
*Clarification: I am not saying there is never a reason to leave a church. There are just too many people who jump in a boat under the pretence of following God's instruction when they are following their own lusts and disillusions. The church is left to salvage itself in the storm. Too many pastors are too desparate for members, therefore they take in sheep, wolves, and strays of all flavors. L. S.
C. Staying in agreement Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except (01115) the be agreed?
Good company makes the road short. HOP
1. Walking (in agreement) with God.
Genesis 5:22 "Enoch walked with God"
Genesis 6:9 "Noah walked with God"
Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
a. Walking with God simply means living in the presence of God. HOP
b. To walk with God means a growing knowledge of Him. HOP
The pleasures of companionship depend largely upon our oneness of
purpose and feeling. What a blessing to be agreed with God--one
in heart and purpose. HOP
2. Walking (in agreement) with others.
Matt 18:19 "if two of you shall agree on earth"-> there will be agreement in Heaven
a. United believing prayer is one of the mightiest weapons God has put within the
reach of His people. HOP
b. A Pentecostal day will come at any time when there is the same unit of spirit and
persistent, believing prayer. HOP
Acts 28:25 "And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed"
VI. THE EXCEPT TO PROTECTION IN CHRIST
Genesis 31:42 Except (03884) the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked [thee] yesternight.
Some people would lay us waste except God with whom vengeance lies had protected us. He will judge others on our behalf "touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm". Laban was rebuked of God.
Psalms 124:1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side;
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
The Lord will rebuke your enemies at times.
VII. THE EXCEPT TO BLESSINGS IN CHRIST
A. Receiving the Blessing
1. You must hold on
Genesis 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except (0518) thou bless me.
a. You may meet Him by reading the Word of God. HOP
b. You may meet Him by the teaching/preaching of the Word of God. HOP
2. You must understand the origin of blessings
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except (3362) it be given him from heaven.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
a. The secret of all success in Christian, that is, in spiritual work, lies in the favor
of God. HOP
b. The lifting-up that is not of God, is doomed to a terrible disappointment. HOP
We have as necessary and constant a dependence upon the grace of God in all motions and actions of spiritual life as we have in the natural life. M. H.
B. Losing the Blessing
Joshua 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except (03808)ye destroy (exterminate, annihilate, devastate) the accursed from among you.
1. Many are mourning over their failure who have more need to mourn over their sin.
2. The Lord cannot use us at times because of secret sins. HOP
3. If they had not failed here they would just have gone on in their sin. HOP
4. You must destroy sin completely or it will destroy you.
VIII. THE EXCEPT TO BUILDING IN CHRIST
Psalms 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.
IX. THE EXCEPT TO BEING CROWNED IN CHRIST
II Timothy 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, [yet] is he not crowned, except (3362) he strive (contend, endure, suffer) lawfully (agreeable to the law, properly).
We are striving for mastery, to get the mastery of our lusts and corruptions, to excel in that which is good, but we cannot expect the prize unless we observe the laws. In doing that which is good we must take care that we do it in a right manner, that our good may not be evil spoken of. M. H.
