WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.860 A couple things before we get to the passage, and we are going to get to the passage, let 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:10.859 ! me tell you that. But first, it's encouraging to listen to our young people, the ministry that 00:00:10.859 --> 00:00:17.559 ! they had this summer, and I stop and think of the, what was it, 12 or 16 weeks of preparation? 00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:26.460 How many, Pastor? 14, right in between. I missed the sweet spot, 12, 16, but 14. They prepared 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:34.640 after they were interviewed and made commitments. They spent 14 weeks of preparation before they 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:42.859 went on their missions trip. And we're blessed. We're going to have more information on what that 00:00:42.859 --> 00:00:48.299 trip was like, and we're going to rejoice in hearing the answers to prayer. But I'm telling 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:53.740 you right now that it's time to start praying and saving for next year's trip, which is an overseas 00:00:53.740 --> 00:01:03.020 trip. And that is a heavier lift financially. And so, guess what? Heavier lifts require earlier 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:08.700 thinking. Everybody said, I understand that. And so, I'm here to tell you, it's time to begin praying. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:14.400 All right, I may not be going. I'm not going with the youth on this trip, but I'm beginning to pray. 00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:19.599 All right, Lord, want to put that team together, want to see that it is fully funded and supported, 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:26.079 and be able to hold them up in prayer before the Lord and see God work over time. So, you keep that 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:32.439 front and center. Will you do that? Now, one of the things I want to do this morning, I want you to 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:40.259 turn in your Bible to John chapter 5. John chapter 5, we're going to be looking at verse 39 through 47. 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:45.099 And one of the things I'd like to do is tell you ahead of time the heart of the message, 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:49.819 not so that some of you can walk out of here and say, well, I got it, and so it's done, 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:56.619 but so that you can kind of keep focused on that fundamental thing. What is this passage really all 00:01:56.619 --> 00:02:08.900 about? Here it is. Open your Bible. It's about finding Jesus. When you open the Bible, 00:02:09.579 --> 00:02:14.340 it's about finding Jesus. Will you kind of keep that in your mind? Open your Bible. It's about finding 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:22.819 Jesus. Furthermore, kind of as a side note, I'd put it this way, growing in the Word means growing 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:29.280 to be like Christ. Growing in the Word means growing to be like Christ. Let me give you a little bit of 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:35.199 background. I want you to just imagine that I was sitting in your office, and I was kind of giving 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:43.000 you a report on how my marriage is going. And so here's how I broke it down. I want you to know that 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:49.620 I spend 17 minutes every morning interacting with Judith, and I can tell you that we talked about 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:54.479 laundry, we talked about what the dinner was going to be, and we talked about what her agenda was. 00:02:55.479 --> 00:03:02.259 And you would check the box saying, wow, he really does love Judith, right? Let me tell you something. 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:11.139 Going to the Word and not being driven by a desire to grow in your affection and your understanding of 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:18.219 the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is to miss the purpose of the book. Did you hear me? Let me say 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:24.859 it again slowly so you understand that. Putting the time into the Scriptures without understanding 00:03:24.859 --> 00:03:32.619 that the center of the Scriptures is the Lord Jesus Christ is to miss what the Bible's all about. 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:45.800 We're not Pharisees here. Most of us here know Christ. But there isn't a one of us, me included, 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:54.740 that hasn't gone to the Scriptures in a perfunctory fashion. We've done it because it's habit. 00:03:54.740 --> 00:04:02.400 We've done it because we believe it's good for us. We've done it on occasion so we can talk to other 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:06.860 people and say, hey, I'm growing in the Lord. How do you know? Because I had seven minutes in the Bible. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:18.560 Do you follow that? That's not the primary purpose for which we have the Word. It is that we would know 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:25.540 the Lord of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, and know Him personally, and grow in our affection for Him. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:35.100 And so kind of ask yourself the question right now, hey, the last week as I have read the Scriptures, 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:45.040 how much of my time in the Word has been directly driven by my desire to grow in knowing and loving 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:56.500 Christ? Fair question? The text. John chapter 5, verse 39, you search the Scriptures because you 00:04:56.500 --> 00:05:05.020 think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me. Yet you refuse to 00:05:05.020 --> 00:05:10.939 come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people, but I know that you do not have 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:16.639 the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:23.480 comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from one 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:31.300 another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you 00:05:31.300 --> 00:05:38.279 to the Father. There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believe 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:46.019 Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:58.079 believe my words? Let's pray. Father God, the preaching of your Word is a very, very Spirit-dependent 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:07.439 activity. And I would be remiss if this morning I did not plead with you to enable me to preach 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:14.899 according to your power and for the glory of Christ. I'm thankful that as I pray, I'm reminded of 00:06:14.899 --> 00:06:20.839 the truth in the Scriptures that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to lift up the 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:27.100 Lord Jesus Christ and bring his Word to mind and give understanding and clarity. And so I ask that 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:33.120 your Spirit would work both in what I say and preach, but also, Lord, in the hearts of your people that 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:39.819 your Spirit would open up the Word, that it would be precious and valuable and effective and bring 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:45.040 about in the lives of those who know Christ growth in being more like the Lord Jesus. 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:55.740 We're people here this morning that have lives that are deeply affected by the world we live in. 00:06:55.740 --> 00:07:02.600 Some of us are here with anxiety that really in the scope of eternity means nothing. 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:11.860 Some of us are here struggling with attitudes that we know are wrong, but we persist. 00:07:15.280 --> 00:07:21.220 There are others here in the Lord Jesus that need salvation. They need to hear the sweetness of the 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:26.260 gospel and understand that their only hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we would pray that 00:07:26.260 --> 00:07:31.680 your Spirit will work as we open up this passage and we understand it, that you would do a work in 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:37.880 us that is not to be repented of. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:07:43.520 --> 00:07:48.000 As we start our passage this morning, I think it's appropriate to give you a little bit of background, 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:55.480 and so I want you to understand that John is a book that is supremely logical and yet a little 00:07:55.480 --> 00:08:04.439 complex in that it doesn't have an overly simplistic outline. John chapter 1 explains in broad terms 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:12.959 the overarching theme. However, John waits till John 20 to tell us, hey, and by the way, 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:19.839 here's what the book is all about, that you may know Christ and believe in Him for eternal life. 00:08:20.859 --> 00:08:27.859 The first couple chapters of John kind of explain the early presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:08:27.859 --> 00:08:38.720 to His audience, and it's relatively quiet. In John chapter 3, we find Him turning water into wine. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:46.000 We find Him cleansing the temple. We find actually chapter 2. And then in chapter 3, we find interaction 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:53.360 with Nicodemus. And as things kind of play on, we knew that He had to leave where He was in Jerusalem 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:59.040 because of the initial pushback at Him presenting Himself. Remember, cleansing the temple didn't go 00:08:59.040 --> 00:09:07.120 over very well, and so He left for a while. And He had this wonderful gospel ministry with a woman at the 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:13.700 well. And she came to faith, and not only did she come to faith, but as you can expect, she went out 00:09:13.700 --> 00:09:18.159 as a result of the power of the Spirit of God converting her. She went out and let other people 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:26.580 know that this is Jesus. This is the Messiah. Come, see Him. John chapter 5, Jesus comes back to 00:09:26.580 --> 00:09:30.019 Jerusalem, and what He does is He goes to a pool and He heals a man who's sick. 00:09:30.019 --> 00:09:41.939 And He had the nerve to heal that person on guess what day? Saturday, the Sabbath. And that just 00:09:41.939 --> 00:09:48.059 really, really irritated the Pharisees. I mean, after all, if there was any rule that was to be kept, 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:56.139 it was the Sabbath day, and here was Jesus breaking that. And so they couldn't object to the reality of 00:09:56.139 --> 00:10:02.279 this man was healed, but they really were bent out of shape about Him not keeping the Sabbath. And so 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:10.639 Jesus, in the remainder of chapter 5, gives to them, and to all of us actually, a clear explanation of 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:16.559 just why He has the authority to not only be the Savior of the world, but also the judge of the world. 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:24.340 And summarizing chapter 5 so that you understand it, the first person who gives credibility to Christ 00:10:24.340 --> 00:10:31.399 is His Father, is His Father, then John the Baptist. John bears testimony, Jesus says. 00:10:31.780 --> 00:10:36.040 Then third is My miracles. You don't believe Me? Look at the things I've done. 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:49.060 Interestingly, the last witness to Christ's person and office is not His miracles, 00:10:49.059 --> 00:10:56.199 not John the Baptist, but is the Scriptures themselves. And that's where we are this morning. 00:10:56.279 --> 00:11:00.219 Now, here's one of the things I want you to kind of tag over into the side of your life is recognize 00:11:00.219 --> 00:11:06.539 this. Actually, the most important authority in dealing with the issues of life in your personal 00:11:06.539 --> 00:11:12.519 relationships, and also the most important authority for dealing with the issues of eternity, 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:17.519 is the Word of God itself. How many of you bumped into people who always are talking about, 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:22.899 well, I had this kind of mystical experience. I looked up into the clouds, and I saw the image 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:27.439 of a cross, and I knew from then on, you know, it's kind of fantasized little explanations of how 00:11:27.439 --> 00:11:33.500 they got there. That's not primarily important. The thing that is important is the Bible, the Bible. 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:41.139 And we find Jesus explain it that way. So let's recognize here this morning, first of all, 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:46.340 we're looking at people, and He's talking about the Pharisees in particular, who used the Bible for the 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:52.980 wrong reason. They used it for the wrong reason. Look there in verse 39. You search the Scriptures 00:11:52.980 --> 00:12:01.280 because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about Me. 00:12:02.780 --> 00:12:07.660 The last point that Jesus made in His defense was that the Scriptures are the thing that bear 00:12:07.660 --> 00:12:15.700 undeniable evidence to My authority and to My person. And so I want you to remember as we kind of work 00:12:15.700 --> 00:12:21.560 our way through this, that the Bible is a central witness to all that is good and true. Keep that in 00:12:21.560 --> 00:12:27.140 your mind. But as you step into this, you recognize here were people who knew the Bible backwards and 00:12:27.140 --> 00:12:33.400 forwards. They were specialists. They memorized whole sections of it. Earlier this week, last week, 00:12:34.400 --> 00:12:40.379 I did a little bit of research on how many verses you have to memorize to be a Timothy award winner. 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:46.279 And six, seven hundred, I don't know. It's a lot of verses, at least for my little pea brain. 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:51.860 And I want to tell you that the scribes and Pharisees had Bible verses memorized. They didn't 00:12:51.860 --> 00:12:55.860 get Timothy awards. They got something much more than that, at least in their thinking. And they knew 00:12:55.860 --> 00:13:02.820 the entire Old Testament. To be one of the kind of reasonable individuals, you should be able to 00:13:02.820 --> 00:13:07.960 recite Genesis, Exodus, Lydicus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. How many of you have ever been reading through the 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:12.000 book of Leviticus and had trouble remembering this tribe and that tribe? You ever been there? 00:13:13.180 --> 00:13:18.820 Okay. Or when you're dealing with the kings and talks about the sacrifices and they sacrificed 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:26.080 X number of bulls on certain days, they had all that memorized. In fact, if you were pretty sharp 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:33.580 as a Pharisee, you could have someone in the audience say, and what letter is in the exact middle 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:38.820 of the Pentateuch, and you'd say, oh, I know that. It's Aleph or whatever it is. You know, 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:46.920 they had it all down. They read the Bible, but they never got it. And so I want you to understand that 00:13:46.920 --> 00:13:52.840 a person can know the Bible and be completely lost and self-absorbed. 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:59.480 Have you ever kind of wondered how is it that kids go through Sunday school, go through a Juana, 00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:06.080 grow up in a Christian home, and they're exposed to all this Bible information, but it never really 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:15.620 makes a difference in their life? Jesus' enemies knew the Bible well, and yet we recognize that they 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:24.120 completely missed it. Their attitude was that knowing the Bible in and of itself is the means 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:32.179 of salvation. Okay? Have you ever heard people say, I'm going to have a good day because I had devotions? 00:14:35.460 --> 00:14:40.560 That's pagan. Let me say it again slowly because that may rattle the cage a little bit here, 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:48.139 but giving anyone the idea that reading the Bible equals a guaranteed good day is missing it. Job 00:14:48.139 --> 00:15:00.219 didn't know that verse. Here is Hillel. He was a well-respected rabbi, and he said this, 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:09.179 more flesh, more worms. How many of you followed me there? More flesh, 00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:22.919 more worms. More wealth, more care. More maidservants, more lewdness. More menservants, 00:15:23.459 --> 00:15:34.679 more thieving. More Torah, more life. Are we tracking so far? If you're heavier, the worms just have more 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:38.919 to eat. I was doing a little translating work here for you who are kind of going, what is that all about? 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:44.979 Their attitude was, guess what? If you know the Torah, you're good to go. Here's another thing he 00:15:44.979 --> 00:15:50.699 said in relationship to that. Whoso hath gained a good name has gained for himself something benefit, 00:15:51.179 --> 00:15:57.059 but whoso has gained the words of the Torah has gained for himself life in the world to come. 00:15:57.739 --> 00:16:02.579 So there you are at the gates of heaven, and God says, why should I let you come in? Well, I know the 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:09.800 Old Testament. I'm good. I got it. What part do you want me to recite? That was their attitude. 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:19.460 And Jesus says, hey, you know, you know the Scriptures, and you think that in them you have 00:16:19.460 --> 00:16:26.900 eternal life. Then he says something else. He says, they bear witness of me. Well, let's follow again. 00:16:26.899 --> 00:16:33.439 People could know the Bible and be completely lost. A person can know the Bible and completely miss Jesus. 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:41.620 They bear witness of me. And what Jesus was actually saying is that the Bible is really 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:48.700 all about Him. So let me kind of a little sidebar here for you. In the future when you are having 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:53.539 your personal devotions, and I got to be honest, I make an assumption, I make an assumption right here 00:16:53.539 --> 00:16:59.399 that all of God's people have an ongoing devotional life. Do you follow me? I'm not asking you 00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:07.259 to tell me I have 17 minutes. That's not it. But it's a presupposition of a genuine relationship 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:15.059 that you spend time with the Lord. And I want you to understand that as you're spending that time, 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:22.220 I want to remind you that what you do in the Scriptures are really to be directed towards 00:17:22.220 --> 00:17:27.460 growing and knowing Jesus. He is the one that's at the center of it. Reading the Bible 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:34.700 is not something that we ought to do to become prosperous. Reading the Bible is not something 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:41.460 we ought to do so that our kids are better at sports. Reading the Bible is not something we 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:46.180 ought to do so that we have happy, healthy homes. Have you ever heard that people come off with that 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:51.660 idea that, okay, if you get into the Bible, you can know these verses, and they're kind of trick verses 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:56.700 that when you're having a little bit of trouble with finances, you can name it and claim it, and you 00:17:56.700 --> 00:18:01.059 can do it on the basis of ABC verses, right? So learn these verses so they kind of help you with 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:07.759 these things. That's the attitude of the Pharisees. A person can learn the Bible and miss it. 00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:14.940 I want you to recognize that flowing throughout Scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we don't 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:22.440 want to miss that. Let me give you an illustration of that. Step back in your thinking to Genesis, 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:31.500 Genesis, and you remember after Adam and Eve fell into sin, God came along, and He provided a covering 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:38.140 for them, right? They were naked and ashamed, and they tried to do the fig leaf thing. That really 00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:43.980 didn't pan out. And so God comes along, and He provides a covering for them, and in order to provide 00:18:43.980 --> 00:18:50.380 the covering, where did the covering come from? It came from the skins of animals that had to die. 00:18:51.660 --> 00:19:01.460 The first recorded physical death was for the sake of substitution and covering. A reminder that we are 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:11.099 clothed in our faith with the imputed righteousness of Christ. Do you understand that? You are as holy in the 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:17.500 eyes of God as you ever will be. That gives me cold chills when I stop and think about me. 00:19:18.779 --> 00:19:27.159 Do you follow that? Imputed righteousness. I have received the righteousness of Christ attached to me. 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:35.079 Genesis. And God, when He came to Adam and Eve, and He said to them, I want you to understand there's 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:42.799 going to be this enmity between you and the serpent. He says, and you will have your heel bruised, and you, 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:49.159 He will bruise your heel, and you will bruise His head. And that was a reference to the coming of the 00:19:49.159 --> 00:19:56.059 Messiah. Incidentally, kind of buried in the Hebrew text, when Eve got pregnant with the first child, 00:19:56.159 --> 00:20:00.799 do you know what the Hebrew text indicates her thinking was? Listen to me carefully, because I don't 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:06.500 want you to miss this one. Remember she'd heard God's promise? The first thing she thought, 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:14.019 oh, maybe this is the one. How about that? Huh? Isn't that encouraging? Stop. She understood the 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:18.639 promise of God, and she was anticipating, I know we've made a mess of it, and you're going to provide 00:20:18.639 --> 00:20:26.619 someone in your time. Maybe this is it. You work your way through the Old Testament, 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:32.979 and you find that when the nation of Israel was in absolute slavery in the nation of Egypt, 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:37.839 and God came to deliver them. Do you know how the nation of Israel was delivered from the death 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:48.639 of every firstborn? It was by blood on the doorposts. Later on, when God chose to dwell among the people 00:20:48.639 --> 00:20:53.539 there in the wilderness as they traveled from place to place, there was the tabernacle, 00:20:53.539 --> 00:21:04.299 and in the tabernacle was the place on the mercy seat where the blood covered and made atonement 00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:08.980 for God's people. And so you work your way through the Old Testament, and you see all these images in 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:15.159 which Christ is being displayed. And yet I want you to understand it. It's just stunning. He says this, 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:25.920 you refuse to come to me. You refuse to come to me, verse 40, that you may have life. The Jews knew the 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:34.000 Bible, and yet they were utterly unwilling to come to Christ. And so a logical question for us to ask is, 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:44.880 why? Now, do you follow me? They knew the Bible, and they miss it. Why? How many of you realize that 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:52.720 that very seldom, occasionally, but very seldom do we sin with complete ignorance? Do you follow that? 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:58.579 How many of you have on occasion been speeding and not really known what the legal limit was? 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:03.740 Don't raise your hand and smile at me, because most of you'd be lying. But sometimes we do. You know, 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:07.679 it's like speed changes and blah, blah, blah, and you get caught somewhere down in Valley View where it 00:22:07.679 --> 00:22:12.299 drops from such and such to such and such. By the way, did you know that Wilson Road has a section that 00:22:12.299 --> 00:22:23.579 is 35 miles an hour? Be very careful. I can tell you where it changes. Don't ask me why. 00:22:23.579 --> 00:22:27.859 Most of the time, though, we sin knowingly. 00:22:31.159 --> 00:22:39.139 So what was it that made the Jews miss the centrality of Christ in the Bible? For one, 00:22:39.859 --> 00:22:48.240 now look at what Jesus says, verse 42, I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:58.099 Now, that's pretty interesting. So what causes people to miss it? Not interested in loving God. 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:04.000 What an indictment, particularly to Jews, remember? Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:11.859 the Lord is one, and you shall, what? What, what? The heart of it? You shall love the Lord with all your 00:23:11.859 --> 00:23:22.299 heart. Love Him. Before you obey Him, He wants you to love Him. In fact, He wants your obedience to not 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:29.659 be driven by an abject fear of His judgment, but to have your obedience driven by love. 00:23:31.439 --> 00:23:37.439 And here were people that didn't love the Father. Now, it's very interesting this last week or two has 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:41.500 been kind of marked by the statement, love wins. How many of you heard that? Love wins, love wins, 00:23:41.580 --> 00:23:46.259 love wins. And you know, it's like blah. Let me tell you something. Loving God means letting the one 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:52.840 you love run the show. Letting the one you love be the one who tells you what's right and wrong. 00:23:54.240 --> 00:24:01.580 My wife, who I love, and I do love her, actually has interest in things that have nothing to do with 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:09.199 what I'm interested in. And so, because love wins, it means that while I would think that getting 00:24:09.199 --> 00:24:14.599 McDonald's coffee, which is, yeah, 20 cents cheaper, is a reasonable way to go about showing 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:19.960 your affection for your bride, because I know she wants Tim Hortons, and she wants a double cream on 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:28.619 top of it, I make a detour past where I think logic dictates, and I go over here. Love makes us do 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:34.779 the things that the beloved wants. And God's Word tells us what He wants. He also tells us 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:42.939 in His Word what He has identified as true and right. And so, I want you to understand that 00:24:42.939 --> 00:24:49.179 when we talk about love winning, it means telling the truth about the desperate need of man's condition. 00:24:49.979 --> 00:24:56.939 That's love. And these Jewish individuals had no interest in really loving God. They were 00:24:56.940 --> 00:25:01.080 interested in loving themselves. And what you need to recognize is as you work your way through, 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:08.059 in verse 43, it tells us they were not interested in giving God glory. Look at verse 43. 00:25:08.940 --> 00:25:14.740 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, 00:25:14.840 --> 00:25:21.279 you will receive him. Here was Jesus arriving on the scene, and in every hand or every case, 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:26.340 whenever there was any question about what He was doing, He made it explicitly clear that He was 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:39.079 interested in the Father receiving glory. The Jews were all about accolades and compliments to one 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:45.419 another. For one, there was a rabbi that the population was pretty impressed with. Do you know 00:25:45.419 --> 00:25:52.439 what he called himself? He called himself? He called himself the morning star. Does that put your teeth on 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:58.140 edge a little bit? A Jewish rabbi who would know the Old Testament calling himself the morning star? 00:25:58.580 --> 00:26:05.960 And everybody, yeah, man, you're good. You know the Old Testament. Morning star. Jesus says, you know 00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:12.580 what? You're all about receiving people, and you don't mind other people taking credit, but you're missing 00:26:12.580 --> 00:26:19.039 the Father. How can you believe? Well, that's interesting. How can you believe? 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:27.220 Now, follow the logic in the larger context of verse 41 through 44 and recognize what Jesus is saying, 00:26:27.399 --> 00:26:32.180 first of all, and we're backing up into this a little bit. He says, I do not receive glory from 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:44.399 people. When Jesus came on the scene, He didn't hire PR men. He didn't put out flyers. He didn't show up at 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:51.200 an arena that had been rented for Him in His limo, and He didn't fly in on His corporate jet to kind of 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:57.460 do some special healings for selected people. He didn't have multi-million dollar mansions, 00:26:57.740 --> 00:27:07.900 nor were the disciples high up the food chain. Hey, listen to me. It's unbecoming of those who profess 00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:17.720 to be messengers of the Lord of hosts that they live in such extravagant style when Jesus didn't. 00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:23.860 And you look and here's Jesus saying, I'm not about what I hear from other people. 00:27:25.840 --> 00:27:33.759 He says, how can you believe? Put your finger on that. How can you believe when you receive glory from 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:42.859 one another and do not seek the glory that is from the only God? And so when you find yourself caught up, 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:50.180 listen to me carefully, when you find yourself caught up, even as a believer in this business of 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:58.559 how important am I? I want you to know that in that very thought process, what you are doing is tamping 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:05.480 down the opening of the scriptures to your affection and to your heart because you're choosing to be the 00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:13.460 focus rather than Christ. You're choosing to be the focus rather than God. How can you believe 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:21.799 when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that is from God? That brings us to 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:25.960 the last thing that I want us to recognize here. And what the characteristic of these Jews were, 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:30.259 was that they were not overwhelmed by grace. Now think with me so you can see it in the passage. 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:37.960 Where does glory come from God that is only God's? What is it that brings glory to the brokenhearted, 00:28:38.180 --> 00:28:43.720 unbelieving, wretched sinner who recognizes the moral bankruptcy of his soul? Do you know where it 00:28:43.720 --> 00:28:50.920 comes from? It comes from the work of grace that finds him broken and destitute and saves him. And who 00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:58.360 gets credit in that situation? God alone. I remember talking with an individual a couple weeks ago, 00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:07.519 and, you know, one of the things that goes with being 66 and a pastor is people assume that I was 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:14.080 kind of born this way. You know, it's like, yeah, you know the Bible, and you're a reasonably good 00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:19.400 neighbor. I mean, you know, you at least have your lawn mowed periodically, and so, you know, 00:29:19.400 --> 00:29:25.920 there are good things you do. And no, no, no. In the course of our conversation, one of the things 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:33.019 I made explicitly clear was this, is I'm not the hero in my story. Jesus is. He found me broken. 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:40.420 He found me in my wretched condition, and He and His loving kindness saved me, and I will spend the 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:45.920 rest of my days talking about the one who ransomed me and rescued me from the pit. 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:54.920 I wonder this morning whether or not you are overwhelmed by grace. 00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:03.759 You know what? You can do a quick check of whether or not you're all about grace by asking yourself a 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:07.840 couple questions. How bristly are you when things don't go your way? How many of you realize 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:12.480 that most of us like to be in control of the agenda of our life? Smile and say, I know, I know. 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:20.019 And here's an absolute guarantee. Things won't go your way. I mean, it may be a surprise to some of 00:30:20.019 --> 00:30:23.919 you, but truth of the matter, if you live long enough, you'll find out that things don't go your 00:30:23.919 --> 00:30:31.579 way. Earlier this last week, I counseled with my dear friend and pastor, Pastor Saul. By the way, 00:30:31.639 --> 00:30:35.740 you know he retired but still around here, and he talks with me regularly. And one of the things he 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:40.519 said to me, I needed to hear at 66, almost 67, was, Pastor, things won't go your way. 00:30:41.940 --> 00:30:51.319 Really? Stunned, you know? So, the question is, is when things aren't going your way, do you realize 00:30:51.319 --> 00:31:02.480 that God's still in control and doing a good thing? Yeah. You know, God is glorified in that he saves 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:09.960 broken and wretched men and women, and he then uses those broken and wretched men and women to be an 00:31:09.960 --> 00:31:15.960 example of his power to transform lives. I'm happy to tell you that I'm not who I used to be, 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:21.759 but I'm also happy to tell you that I anticipate so long as I draw breath, he's going to keep on 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:31.480 working, whether I want him to or not. I like that. And so, I want to be clear that he is the hero of the 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:38.259 story. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, where the apostle deals with this 00:31:38.259 --> 00:31:46.880 so clearly. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 26. I have to tell you, as I'm turning here, 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:52.400 one of the things that sticks in my mind is I'll never forget a guy, a young believer, 00:31:52.460 --> 00:31:56.819 a new believer, came to me and said, you know what? I'm praying that Bill Gates will get saved. 00:31:56.819 --> 00:32:04.099 Well, that's a reasonable thing. I mean, you ought to be praying that. I would like him to be saved. 00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:10.599 But what he said next was kind of a stunning thing. He says, I'm praying that Bill Gates will be saved 00:32:10.599 --> 00:32:17.200 because if he gets saved, the rest of the world will follow. And I thought, really? Oh, okay. So, 00:32:17.339 --> 00:32:21.419 we're in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and listen to what it says there in verse 26. 00:32:21.420 --> 00:32:26.720 But consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according to world standards. 00:32:29.120 --> 00:32:34.380 Not many were powerful. Not many were noble birth. But God chose what is foolish of the world to shame 00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:40.140 the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised 00:32:40.140 --> 00:32:46.100 in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being 00:32:46.099 --> 00:32:56.519 might boast in the presence of God. Who gets the credit for who you are? It's Christ. 00:32:58.199 --> 00:33:04.779 And the thing that Jesus was saying to those poor, hard-hearted Jews is that the reason 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:13.419 you don't get it is because you're all about yourself. So, let's think, just in closing this morning, 00:33:13.420 --> 00:33:17.300 in practical terms of a sober note and some application. 00:33:19.300 --> 00:33:21.140 Let me have you look there at verse 45, 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:26.320 Do not think that I am come. I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, Moses. 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:32.160 What Jesus is saying is that the theme of the Old Testament, 00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:35.519 and really the whole purpose of the Old Testament, 00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:39.779 is to bring mankind to see two things. 00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:44.180 Number one, their hopeless state, 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:46.420 and number two, 00:33:47.099 --> 00:33:48.440 the provision of the Messiah, 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:49.359 the Savior. 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:51.099 That's where it's at. 00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:53.799 This morning, as I was actually reading 00:33:53.799 --> 00:33:54.759 in 00:33:54.759 --> 00:33:58.099 2 Kings, one of the things that 00:33:58.099 --> 00:34:00.099 having been studying and praying 00:34:00.099 --> 00:34:02.200 in my own life, and I over the last 00:34:02.200 --> 00:34:04.059 probably ten years have been praying 00:34:04.059 --> 00:34:06.019 often about growing to know Jesus 00:34:06.019 --> 00:34:07.720 and see Him in the Scriptures 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:09.679 and love Him. But I remember explicitly 00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:11.220 this morning, before I opened the Word, 00:34:11.539 --> 00:34:13.380 I was praying, I want to see Jesus 00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:14.780 this morning on the pages. 00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:16.260 Now, 2 Kings is where? 00:34:18.539 --> 00:34:19.539 It's the historical 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:21.800 rendition of some of the 00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:23.360 messiness of the kings, right? 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:25.260 And so, here I was, opening the Bible and saying, 00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:26.500 I want to see Jesus. 00:34:27.740 --> 00:34:29.139 And as I was reading this morning, 00:34:29.300 --> 00:34:31.340 and seeing just the miserable, 00:34:31.559 --> 00:34:33.679 despicable condition of half of the kings 00:34:33.679 --> 00:34:35.159 of Israel, I was thinking, 00:34:35.159 --> 00:34:37.460 boy, I am so glad 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:39.500 Jesus is the perfect example 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:41.019 of how to rule 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:43.399 and reign with justice 00:34:43.399 --> 00:34:44.799 and righteousness 00:34:44.799 --> 00:34:46.000 and mercy. 00:34:47.259 --> 00:34:49.059 Find Jesus everywhere you are. 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:50.559 And so, 00:34:50.739 --> 00:34:52.879 come back around and understand this, 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:54.799 that as we look 00:34:54.799 --> 00:34:56.619 at the Scriptures, understand that 00:34:56.619 --> 00:34:58.719 Moses serves to indict 00:34:58.719 --> 00:35:00.799 and draw us to recognize 00:35:00.799 --> 00:35:02.059 the need for the Savior. 00:35:02.839 --> 00:35:04.759 And so, as we're working our way through the Bible, 00:35:04.760 --> 00:35:05.840 I want you to remind yourself 00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:06.660 this morning, 00:35:06.780 --> 00:35:07.680 as we look at John, 00:35:07.800 --> 00:35:09.240 what Jesus is saying is this, 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:11.400 is that the Bible is all about Him, 00:35:11.860 --> 00:35:12.440 who He is, 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:13.380 about Jesus. 00:35:14.180 --> 00:35:15.380 He's a central theme. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:17.560 He is the focus of the whole Bible. 00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:19.900 And so, as you read the Bible, 00:35:20.040 --> 00:35:21.320 and as you are working your way 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:21.960 through the Scriptures, 00:35:22.300 --> 00:35:23.720 as you're listening to the preaching 00:35:23.720 --> 00:35:24.480 of the Word of God, 00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:27.040 keep on keeping the mind 00:35:27.040 --> 00:35:28.420 and the heart tuned to say, 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:30.520 where is Jesus in this picture? 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:32.599 And is He prized 00:35:32.599 --> 00:35:34.360 and valued by me? 00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:37.340 Jesus is saying, 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:38.239 when you read the Bible, 00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:39.679 I'm there. 00:35:40.860 --> 00:35:42.259 I want you to recognize 00:35:42.259 --> 00:35:44.059 another thing that you have to recognize 00:35:44.059 --> 00:35:45.440 is that anytime you are focused 00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:46.219 on your own glory 00:35:46.219 --> 00:35:47.500 rather than Christ's, 00:35:48.920 --> 00:35:50.059 and I say this carefully, 00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:53.500 you are choking down, 00:35:53.860 --> 00:35:55.320 you're choking down 00:35:55.320 --> 00:35:57.860 your ability to grasp 00:35:57.860 --> 00:35:59.260 the beauty of the Scriptures 00:35:59.260 --> 00:36:02.140 and the centrality of Jesus. 00:36:02.640 --> 00:36:03.519 Let me say it slowly. 00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:06.559 Anytime you choose 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:08.039 to focus on yourself, 00:36:09.620 --> 00:36:10.539 and what are ways 00:36:10.539 --> 00:36:12.019 in which we focus on ourself? 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:12.580 Right? 00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:16.380 It's when we get caught up 00:36:16.380 --> 00:36:19.539 in our self-importance, 00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:22.240 or we find ourselves 00:36:22.240 --> 00:36:23.920 over and over again 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:25.500 indignant at the way 00:36:25.500 --> 00:36:27.559 other people are treating us 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:29.039 or valuing us. 00:36:30.200 --> 00:36:32.720 It's when we get obsessed. 00:36:33.360 --> 00:36:33.920 How many of you know 00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:34.920 what obsessed looks like? 00:36:34.980 --> 00:36:36.639 It's a hamster in a cage 00:36:36.639 --> 00:36:38.260 spinning wildly 00:36:38.260 --> 00:36:39.440 and going nowhere. 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:41.480 You got that? 00:36:42.119 --> 00:36:43.220 If you have any question 00:36:43.220 --> 00:36:43.940 about what that's like, 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:44.579 go to PetSmart 00:36:44.579 --> 00:36:45.760 after its morning service. 00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:46.320 You know, it's like, 00:36:46.599 --> 00:36:48.280 where am I going 00:36:48.280 --> 00:36:49.159 thinking about myself? 00:36:50.039 --> 00:36:51.300 When you're obsessed, 00:36:51.300 --> 00:36:55.300 Jesus isn't in the picture. 00:36:57.300 --> 00:36:58.380 And what happens 00:36:58.380 --> 00:36:59.700 is when we get obsessed 00:36:59.700 --> 00:37:00.920 and focused on ourself, 00:37:01.200 --> 00:37:03.240 we choke down 00:37:03.240 --> 00:37:04.500 the ability 00:37:04.500 --> 00:37:06.120 that God gives us 00:37:06.120 --> 00:37:06.820 through His Spirit 00:37:06.820 --> 00:37:08.760 to grow in knowing Christ 00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:09.660 and loving Christ. 00:37:09.780 --> 00:37:10.340 So where are you? 00:37:12.539 --> 00:37:13.320 Where are you? 00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:16.080 Is your grasp 00:37:16.080 --> 00:37:16.720 of the Scriptures 00:37:16.720 --> 00:37:17.960 darkened this morning 00:37:17.960 --> 00:37:18.940 because you are 00:37:18.940 --> 00:37:20.120 more about yourself 00:37:20.120 --> 00:37:21.340 than you are about Christ? 00:37:22.420 --> 00:37:23.720 That won't change 00:37:23.720 --> 00:37:24.539 without humility 00:37:24.539 --> 00:37:25.960 and confession. 00:37:26.720 --> 00:37:27.080 Finally, 00:37:27.860 --> 00:37:28.840 God is glorified 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:30.660 in the salvation 00:37:30.660 --> 00:37:31.360 of fallen 00:37:31.360 --> 00:37:32.320 and broken sinners. 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:33.120 Do you realize that? 00:37:34.140 --> 00:37:35.080 God is glorified. 00:37:35.320 --> 00:37:36.460 That's what we find there 00:37:36.460 --> 00:37:37.460 in John chapter 6 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:38.440 where Jesus said this. 00:37:38.780 --> 00:37:39.140 He said, 00:37:39.500 --> 00:37:39.760 you know, 00:37:40.059 --> 00:37:41.220 you are not seeking 00:37:41.220 --> 00:37:42.120 the glory that comes 00:37:42.119 --> 00:37:42.940 from the only God. 00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:44.519 You're not looking 00:37:44.519 --> 00:37:45.279 for the things 00:37:45.279 --> 00:37:46.299 that lift up 00:37:46.299 --> 00:37:47.380 the power of Christ 00:37:47.380 --> 00:37:48.159 to save. 00:37:51.219 --> 00:37:52.000 So let me have you 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:52.500 go out of here 00:37:52.500 --> 00:37:53.000 this morning 00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:53.579 with a couple 00:37:53.579 --> 00:37:54.539 practical things 00:37:54.539 --> 00:37:55.079 in your heart. 00:37:55.359 --> 00:37:55.940 First of all, 00:37:55.980 --> 00:37:56.679 if you're a believer, 00:37:56.839 --> 00:37:58.059 I want you to remind yourself 00:37:58.059 --> 00:37:59.000 every time you open 00:37:59.000 --> 00:37:59.400 the Bible, 00:37:59.719 --> 00:38:00.480 it's about who? 00:38:01.039 --> 00:38:01.799 Say it with me. 00:38:02.519 --> 00:38:04.119 It's about... 00:38:04.119 --> 00:38:05.039 Stop just a minute. 00:38:05.139 --> 00:38:06.000 Everybody tune up. 00:38:06.159 --> 00:38:06.759 Everybody look up. 00:38:07.239 --> 00:38:08.199 I really want you 00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:08.719 to say this. 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:09.819 Every time I open 00:38:09.819 --> 00:38:10.219 the Bible, 00:38:10.480 --> 00:38:11.859 it's about Jesus. 00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:15.039 And I don't mind 00:38:15.039 --> 00:38:15.920 saying that I need 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:16.719 to pray about that 00:38:16.719 --> 00:38:17.440 because I need 00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:17.960 His help. 00:38:18.119 --> 00:38:18.319 Amen? 00:38:20.539 --> 00:38:21.500 So every time 00:38:21.500 --> 00:38:22.339 I talk about 00:38:22.339 --> 00:38:23.359 the things 00:38:23.359 --> 00:38:24.079 that are important, 00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:25.559 I want to talk 00:38:25.559 --> 00:38:27.500 about Jesus. 00:38:28.259 --> 00:38:28.719 Right? 00:38:29.579 --> 00:38:31.319 Because I'm not 00:38:31.319 --> 00:38:31.980 the hero 00:38:31.980 --> 00:38:33.259 in the story. 00:38:36.400 --> 00:38:37.359 And if you're here 00:38:37.359 --> 00:38:38.019 today and you 00:38:38.019 --> 00:38:38.900 don't know Christ, 00:38:38.900 --> 00:38:43.619 I don't have 00:38:43.619 --> 00:38:44.039 to tell you 00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:44.320 something, 00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:45.200 you already know 00:38:45.200 --> 00:38:46.200 your life's a mess. 00:38:48.460 --> 00:38:48.920 Question, 00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:49.940 do you need 00:38:49.940 --> 00:38:50.860 any more evidence? 00:38:51.099 --> 00:38:51.760 What's the answer? 00:38:52.700 --> 00:38:53.780 I hope not. 00:38:56.380 --> 00:38:57.420 So what's the 00:38:57.420 --> 00:38:58.900 reasonable, 00:38:59.900 --> 00:39:01.800 humble thing 00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:02.300 to do? 00:39:03.240 --> 00:39:04.220 It's to be 00:39:04.220 --> 00:39:05.280 just like a person 00:39:05.280 --> 00:39:06.579 who's desperately sick. 00:39:06.579 --> 00:39:07.739 Last week, 00:39:07.799 --> 00:39:08.659 I had strep throat 00:39:08.659 --> 00:39:09.360 on Saturday. 00:39:09.679 --> 00:39:10.719 Wonderful disease 00:39:10.719 --> 00:39:12.000 for pastors to have. 00:39:12.599 --> 00:39:14.139 And I had to go 00:39:14.139 --> 00:39:15.360 to an urgent care 00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:16.319 and walk in there 00:39:16.319 --> 00:39:17.380 and sign in 00:39:17.380 --> 00:39:18.139 at the kiosk 00:39:18.139 --> 00:39:18.539 and say, 00:39:18.719 --> 00:39:19.500 I'm sick. 00:39:20.860 --> 00:39:21.139 Do you know 00:39:21.139 --> 00:39:21.679 what the outcome 00:39:21.679 --> 00:39:22.340 of that was? 00:39:23.860 --> 00:39:24.679 You step things 00:39:24.679 --> 00:39:25.539 in different places 00:39:25.539 --> 00:39:25.819 and say, 00:39:25.920 --> 00:39:26.199 uh-huh, 00:39:26.319 --> 00:39:26.500 yeah, 00:39:26.619 --> 00:39:26.819 yeah, 00:39:26.940 --> 00:39:27.159 yeah, 00:39:27.239 --> 00:39:27.380 yeah. 00:39:27.380 --> 00:39:28.299 But I'm going 00:39:28.299 --> 00:39:29.099 to give you this 00:39:29.099 --> 00:39:30.139 and it'll make you better. 00:39:30.440 --> 00:39:31.239 And here I was 00:39:31.239 --> 00:39:31.819 last Sunday, 00:39:31.920 --> 00:39:32.480 happy and 00:39:32.480 --> 00:39:33.920 marginally healthy. 00:39:33.920 --> 00:39:35.340 But hey, 00:39:35.539 --> 00:39:36.340 until you're willing 00:39:36.340 --> 00:39:36.900 to admit 00:39:36.900 --> 00:39:37.900 you have a problem, 00:39:38.079 --> 00:39:38.700 you don't have 00:39:38.700 --> 00:39:39.619 a hope of solution. 00:39:40.539 --> 00:39:41.680 And if you're here today 00:39:41.680 --> 00:39:42.740 and do not know Christ, 00:39:42.980 --> 00:39:44.039 there will be no remedy 00:39:44.039 --> 00:39:45.000 until you come 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:45.840 with a broken heart 00:39:45.840 --> 00:39:46.159 and say, 00:39:46.539 --> 00:39:47.360 I am a sinner 00:39:47.360 --> 00:39:48.619 who justly stands 00:39:48.619 --> 00:39:48.980 condemned 00:39:48.980 --> 00:39:50.079 before a holy God 00:39:50.079 --> 00:39:51.500 and I have no hope 00:39:51.500 --> 00:39:53.340 except in Jesus. 00:39:55.360 --> 00:39:56.300 And I believe 00:39:56.300 --> 00:39:57.320 God sent His Son, 00:39:57.400 --> 00:39:58.320 the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:39:58.400 --> 00:40:00.599 to die for my sins 00:40:00.599 --> 00:40:02.579 that I might have 00:40:02.579 --> 00:40:03.619 everlasting life. 00:40:05.339 --> 00:40:06.179 Let's close 00:40:06.179 --> 00:40:07.039 our eyes 00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:07.880 and bow our heads 00:40:07.880 --> 00:40:10.019 and pray together 00:40:10.019 --> 00:40:10.819 as John comes 00:40:10.819 --> 00:40:11.299 to lead us 00:40:11.299 --> 00:40:12.299 in our closing song. 00:40:14.599 --> 00:40:15.319 Father God, 00:40:15.380 --> 00:40:15.839 this morning 00:40:15.839 --> 00:40:16.579 we are thankful 00:40:16.579 --> 00:40:17.339 for the glory 00:40:17.339 --> 00:40:18.039 of the cross 00:40:18.039 --> 00:40:18.839 and the certainty 00:40:18.839 --> 00:40:19.480 we have 00:40:19.480 --> 00:40:21.079 in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:40:21.079 --> 00:40:22.480 of complete forgiveness 00:40:22.480 --> 00:40:24.420 and salvation. 00:40:25.380 --> 00:40:25.980 Help us 00:40:25.980 --> 00:40:26.559 when we open 00:40:26.559 --> 00:40:27.119 the Bible 00:40:27.119 --> 00:40:28.159 to find Jesus 00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:29.139 in every page 00:40:29.139 --> 00:40:30.339 and we recognize 00:40:30.339 --> 00:40:31.719 that that is not 00:40:31.719 --> 00:40:32.460 our nature. 00:40:32.879 --> 00:40:33.579 We're bent 00:40:33.579 --> 00:40:34.460 towards thinking 00:40:34.460 --> 00:40:35.239 about ourself 00:40:35.239 --> 00:40:35.920 rather than Him. 00:40:36.299 --> 00:40:37.059 And as a result 00:40:37.059 --> 00:40:38.619 of us being that way, 00:40:38.900 --> 00:40:40.779 we spend far more time 00:40:40.779 --> 00:40:42.279 being moderately unhappy 00:40:42.279 --> 00:40:43.960 and struggling 00:40:43.960 --> 00:40:44.659 with issues 00:40:44.659 --> 00:40:45.920 that in the scope 00:40:45.920 --> 00:40:46.559 of eternity 00:40:46.559 --> 00:40:47.159 don't amount 00:40:47.159 --> 00:40:48.179 to much at all. 00:40:49.319 --> 00:40:49.940 And we ask 00:40:49.940 --> 00:40:50.539 that Your Spirit 00:40:50.539 --> 00:40:51.239 would do a work 00:40:51.239 --> 00:40:51.579 in us 00:40:51.579 --> 00:40:52.219 to draw us 00:40:52.219 --> 00:40:53.079 to see Jesus 00:40:53.079 --> 00:40:54.639 as the most fulfilling, 00:40:54.839 --> 00:40:55.739 the most satisfied, 00:40:56.139 --> 00:40:57.059 the most significant 00:40:57.059 --> 00:40:57.539 of all. 00:40:58.400 --> 00:40:59.059 Lift Him up. 00:40:59.139 --> 00:41:01.480 in my life. 00:41:02.639 --> 00:41:03.179 Lift Him up 00:41:03.179 --> 00:41:03.759 in the lives 00:41:03.759 --> 00:41:04.460 of Your people 00:41:04.460 --> 00:41:07.039 that those 00:41:07.039 --> 00:41:08.159 who do not know Christ 00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:08.879 may be drawn 00:41:08.879 --> 00:41:09.759 to see Him 00:41:09.759 --> 00:41:10.920 as sufficient 00:41:10.920 --> 00:41:11.859 and supreme. 00:41:13.139 --> 00:41:13.960 We ask this 00:41:13.960 --> 00:41:14.819 in Jesus' name. 00:41:14.980 --> 00:41:15.299 Amen. 00:41:15.299 --> 00:41:15.379 Amen.