Father, you know us so perfectly, and still you love us.
You know, Father, how we can hear a passage of Scripture that perfectly describes us,
but we don't think it describes us at all. We think it describes other people.
And Father, you know how much that can be a characteristic of each one of us.
So we ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit would move with might and power and deep conviction,
deep in the very center of who we are, at the level of our conscience,
at the level of our mind, and the level of our affections, and our memories, and our dreams.
And that, Father, you would bring your Word home to us in a very deep way.
And Father, as your Word is brought home to us in a deep way,
Father, grip us with the Gospel at the same time,
that we might understand how marvelous it is, what Jesus is, who he is, and what he accomplished for us.
And all these things we ask in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Amen. Please be seated.
It's really good to see so many of you here, relatively speaking, in terms of such terrible, terrible weather.
I don't know about you, but some of you know that I'm sort of a regular runner.
If I was close to the canal today, I would go for a run today,
because in some ways, in a perverse sense, it gives you this great sense of accomplishment
to actually have gone out and done something like a run on a day like today.
Anyway, to the sermon and topic at hand.
I have always been good at math.
And it was always all the way through from grade one right up until I finished high school.
And then when I was in university for my first degree, I took a lot of courses in statistics,
and I was always just good at math.
My younger brother, who was about five grades below me, he was terrible at math.
And occasionally, when my brother started school,
my parents would try to get me to help my brother with his math homework.
And I was, I mean, I was probably a terrible big brother.
I'm sure my younger brother has been in therapy for years because of our childhood.
But I just couldn't help him, because I would look at the math question,
and it would just be obvious to me.
Like, I don't know, for those of you who are good at math,
you know what it's like for some simple things.
You just look at the question, and it's just obvious.
Like, how could you not just get it?
And I probably said that to him, how could you not just get it?
And so I was just terrible at it.
And I'm saying that not as a way of boasting at all, far from that.
There are just some things in our lives that we are good at, that we get instantly.
I cannot draw to save my life.
Like, probably the Sunday school, once they get to about grade one,
they can draw better than me.
I have a hard time drawing a stick figure.
And I know just about any time in a service I mention that,
at least one person comes up to me and says,
if you just took the right lessons, you'd be able to draw.
And maybe someday I'll do that.
But I just think I'm missing whatever that is that I could just pick up artwork.
There's just some things within us that we either get or we don't get.
But all of us have had the experience of having a conversation with somebody
to try to prove to them something being true or something being right.
And our arguments are compelling.
The facts are obvious.
And we leave the conversation or the series of conversations believing that the other person
just doesn't get it.
In fact, we'd almost say that what's going on with them is that they just refuse to accept it.
But they've stopped listening.
That they've closed their ears.
They've set their jaw.
They've set their body, their being just against even listening to reason or facts or argument.
And all of us have had conversations like that.
Because it's a very, very common thing to have a conversation with somebody
who just doesn't seem to get it.
And it's a different thing than getting math, obviously, or getting art, obviously.
In fact, it's a very, very common problem.
It's talked about occasionally in our society.
The problem of echo chambers.
The problem of just listening to your tribe.
Of refusing to be open to insight or knowledge.
It's a very, very common phenomenon talked about in our culture.
And believe it or not, the gospel text which we looked at today
has some very profound things to say about this phenomenon.
So it would be a great help to me if you open your Bibles.
Those of you who don't have Bibles with you, the words to the text will be up on the screen.
But, you know, it's a wonderful thing to bring your own Bible with you.
And some of you like to write in your Bible or underline.
It's just a good thing to be able to find it in your own text.
But we're going to look at this conversation.
And Jesus actually has, and the text has, very profound things to say about this phenomenon.
So you heard earlier, this is how it's going in the Gospel of John.
You know, John is one of Jesus' disciples.
His most intimate disciples.
He writes this biography of Jesus.
And he sort of gives chapter one as a big picture and historical introduction to who Jesus is.
John decides he's not going to talk about all of Jesus' miracles.
He's going to pick seven significant ones and sort of dig deep into them
and what they mean and what they sort of point about who Jesus is.
And then there's this transition chapter with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
And then we're going to get into the private lessons between Jesus and his disciples,
the trial, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.
And so this chapter, this bit that we're reading right now is in a sense that the end of Jesus' public ministry,
at least is the way that John tells the story.
And it takes place then maybe a day or so before the upper room,
a couple of days before Jesus is going to die on the cross.
And here's how it goes, verse 31.
Now is the judgment of this world.
Now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
Jesus said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
And we'll just sort of pause here for a second before we go any further.
You know, it's very, very funny.
When you just sort of look at that phrase,
and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
And it's not immediately obvious to me and to you maybe from just reading that,
that it's referring to his crucifixion.
If you read the whole gospel from beginning to end,
you get a bit of an indication of it because the same phrase is used in John chapter 3.
And the same phrase is used in John chapter 8.
And the obvious thing is, as you're going to see in a moment,
with the crowd's reaction to Jesus' statement,
is that the crowd, like Jesus,
they understood that Jesus was referring to the fact that he was going to die on the cross.
And so Jesus, he says this thing that,
it's a bit of a troubling thing that,
and when I am lifted up from the earth, when I am crucified,
that he will draw all people to himself.
That's a very, very, very big claim.
And the rest of this text is sort of going to unpack it.
And at first, it looks like Jesus is talking about something
that almost makes it look as if God draws some people to himself and not others.
He closes some minds and not others.
It's that rather than actually providing light
or insight into the issue as to why sometimes people refuse to believe the truth,
in fact, it looks as if Jesus is taking a wrong turn.
And he's making it unhelpful.
But as we dig further into it,
we see that Jesus is actually really opening up to us
at a very deep and profound level
this whole issue of the conscience and the mind
and the affections and our ability to grasp the truth.
And he begins in this unlikely manner by saying,
I'm going to die on the cross.
And when I die on the cross and what I accomplish for the human race on the cross,
I'm going to then draw people to myself
from every single people group that's on the planet
and that will ever be on the planet.
Me dying on a cross and I, through that,
and through my person will draw people to me.
One of the things that it means,
like if I was to tell you the story of my conversion,
I would tell you how it is I saw something
when I was walking down Elgin Street
and that began to make me curious
and I started to seek out Jesus
and to try to figure out who he really was
and what it meant for me.
But what Jesus is saying here
is that it actually,
that I'm misunderstanding the process.
That it's not about the fact
that Jesus is sort of somewhere
just there hiding
and I seek him.
What Jesus is saying
is that before I sought him,
he sought me.
And before I started to feel drawn to him,
he was drawing me to himself.
And that's what he's saying.
And that he's drawing me to himself
to make me right with God,
to make me right with the creator of the universe.
And by making me right with the creator of the universe
to begin to make me right with the created order
in terms of what it means to live full and free
as a son,
in my case,
a son of light,
for some of you,
a daughter of light
in God's creation.
And when Jesus says
that the world is being judged,
it's being judged
because he understands
that he's not fully human
but he's also fully God.
And he understands
that when he is,
he is about to be,
I mean,
he understands that already
the religious,
intellectual,
and cultural leaders of the day
and soon to be
the power leaders
and the power brokers
of the entire world,
that they are going to conspire together
to receive him,
not to receive him
but to put him to death.
And so Jesus understands
that whether it's through spirituality,
whether it's through religion,
whether it's through philosophy,
whether it's through politics,
whether it's through
just a concern with culture,
whether it's through a concern
for the common life of the city,
that all of these different trends
and all of these different paths
and all of these different ways,
they will take you many places
but where they will never take you to
is the cross.
The death of Jesus upon the cross
reveals that they all fail.
All of them fail.
And at the same time,
he makes a very, very bold thing
which we won't go into very much
because the rest of the text
doesn't talk about it very much.
But Jesus understands
that his death upon the cross
and his resurrection
is a defeat,
a fatal defeat of the devil
who is present and active in the world.
And that as a result
of the death of Jesus upon the cross
and his resurrection,
it means that Satan has received
a grievous blow
and that his doom is certain.
Just one more thing.
Back in June,
I went for some training
in Montreal.
And some of you might have seen
or been to yourself
St. Joseph's Oratory,
a beautiful, huge
Roman Catholic building
on the side of a mountain.
And if you go inside
St. Joseph's Oratory,
you can go to different places
where you can light a candle.
And as you know,
Montreal is a very, very, very,
very, very, very secular city.
And if you go to the oratory,
it gets a huge number of tourists
from all over the place,
from all sorts of different faiths
or lack of faiths
or lack of perspectives.
But if you want to go,
and in a sense it's an act of prayer,
you can go and light a candle.
And the candles are organized
around certain themes
or certain issues.
It might be for success
or whatever.
But there's some candle sections
which most of the candle sections
don't have that many candles lit.
But if you go to a candle section
and you see virtually every candle lit
and you go and you look over it,
you'll see that the section
where the candles are all lit
in the secular city of Montreal
are all the ones
around deliverance from demons.
And we as Christians
have to start to be more unashamed
about talking about things like that.
Because in fact,
it's a very, very real problem
for many, many, many people
in our culture.
That even as our culture
on one level
seems to become more secular,
another level
is becoming very, very spiritual
and open to all sorts
of spiritual forces.
And the message here
of Jesus is that
with his death
and his resurrection,
Satan has been defeated.
He still has, in a sense,
a rear guard action.
It will not be until
the second coming of Jesus
that Satan
is cast into the lake
of fire forever
and his role
on the earth
will come to a complete
and utter end.
But his doom
is certain
and for those of us
who are in Jesus,
their power
and
their power over him
or at least
their resources
of power over him
in terms of going
to our Heavenly Father
are absolutely immense.
But Jesus,
when I said that
this is going to tell us,
this text is going to give us
some real insight
around the whole problem
of not being able
to know the truth
or at least thinking
other people have problems
of knowing the truth
or closing their conscience
or closing their mind.
And yet Jesus seems
to take us
in a very odd direction
that he is going to draw
all people to himself.
So we need to sort of
see how it is
that that's going to get
unpacked a little bit.
Well, let's look at verse 34.
So Jesus makes this comment
that he is going to draw
all people to himself
after he's died
upon the cross.
And some of his hearers
have a whole range
of problems with that.
And one of the problems
they have with it
is that it can't be true
because in fact
it doesn't seem as if
everybody's being drawn
to Jesus.
And they sort of push back
at this whole idea.
Look at verse 34.
So the crowd answered him.
The crowd answered him.
We have heard from the law,
that is the Bible,
the Old Testament,
that the Christ
remains forever.
How can you say
that the Son of Man
must be lifted up?
Who is the Son of Man?
See, they understand
that Jesus is saying
that the Son of Man
is going to die.
And they just have
a big problem with that.
And they're understanding
the Bible.
They're really saying,
did God really say
that the Christ
is going to die
on the cross?
Did God really say
that the Son of Man
is going to draw
all people to himself?
Did he really say
these things
and therefore
do they apply to you?
And is it going to really
be true
that he's going to die?
Like, how on earth
does this work?
And he continues on
in verse 36,
verse 35.
So Jesus said to them,
the light is among you
for a little while longer.
Walk while you have the light,
lest darkness overtake you.
The one who walks
in the darkness
does not know
where he is going.
While you have the light,
believe in the light
that you may become
the sons
or daughters
of light.
Now,
on one hand,
when you read this text,
it seems as if
Jesus doesn't answer
their question.
They've said,
okay,
Jesus,
you've made this
really big claim.
We've heard you before.
You say you're the Christ.
You say you're the Son of Man.
You say that Christ
and the Son of Man,
you know,
whatever you mean by those,
that you're going to die
and somehow
after you die
on a cross,
a shameful death,
you're going to draw
people to yourself.
But we read the Bible
and the Bible
doesn't say anything.
Does God really say that?
And then
you'd expect
Jesus to answer,
well,
sure,
you look at,
you know,
you look at Isaiah
chapter 53
and you look at here
and you look at here.
But what Jesus says
is he doesn't talk
about that at all,
does he?
And
he talks instead,
look at it again,
verse 35,
the light is among you
for a little while.
Walk longer,
walk while you have the light,
lest darkness overtake you.
The one who walks
in the darkness
does not know
where he is going.
While you have the light,
believe in the light
that you may become
the son or the daughter,
depending on your sex,
of light.
Well,
you see,
what's going on here
is that Jesus
is not answering
their question,
he's speaking
to their condition.
Because,
you see,
if you think about it,
the reason
that there were
such huge crowds
in Jerusalem
is that because
just outside
of Jerusalem,
Jesus,
there was a man
who had been dead
in the grave
for four days,
and Jesus spoke
to that dead man
and raised him
to life.
And if you think
about it,
earlier on in Jerusalem,
Jesus took a man
who had been born blind,
and he made him
to see.
And if you think
about it,
that it was in Jerusalem,
there was a very,
very, very grumpy,
ungrateful man
who had been unable
to walk for decades,
and Jesus had made
him to walk.
And if you think
about it,
they would have also
known about the fact
that Jesus had taken
one of Herod's
official sons,
and even though
that son was
a great distance away
by a mere word
of Jesus,
everybody would have
known that he had
made that man
come to life.
And everybody there
would have known
that Jesus had done
a miracle where
they'd taken a few
loaves and fishes,
and he was able
to feed 5,000 men.
And they might also
have known about
the fact that Jesus
had taken water,
and by a mere act
of his will,
had turned that water
into wine.
And so,
in a sense,
what Jesus is saying
is, listen,
if you don't listen
to that stuff,
how is quoting the Bible
going to actually
deal with your condition?
The problem isn't
that you need
another Bible study.
The problem is
that you are
completely and utterly
giving yourself over
to darkness
rather than light
and refusing
to think
and to recognize
and to believe.
You see,
Jesus goes
after the situation
because it had
come to a time
when further arguments
aren't going to help.
Further arguments
aren't going to help.
One of the,
there's a fellow
by the name
of Michael Conley,
and he writes
Bosch novels.
I think I'm pronouncing
it correctly,
B-O-S-C-H.
Some of the novels
have been turned
into a very popular
series on Amazon Prime,
but his novels
are always
New York Times
bestsellers.
And Michael Conley's
Bosch novels
are,
they're very well
written books,
which is why
they're bestsellers,
and they are
a perfect example
of a very common
type of fiction
and movie
in North America.
One of Bosch's lines,
he's a detective
in L.A.,
and one of his lines
is that everyone
matters or no one
matters.
And what drives
the story
is that there's
always a murder
or usually a murder,
sometimes by somebody
that the world
considers to be
very unimportant,
like a prostitute
or a street person,
sometimes a very
important person
like a film mogul.
But the point is
that Bosch has
this line that
everyone matters
and no one matters.
And so he goes
to solve the mystery
and there's sort of
two big things
that go on in the book.
On one hand,
of course,
is him actually
trying to solve
the mystery.
But the other part
of the book,
which is very,
very,
very important
and he does
very,
very well,
is that always
there are politicians
and other police
officers who in effect
don't want him
to solve the crime.
not because they're
allied with the bad guy.
It's not that they're
corrupt usually
in that way.
But because they don't
look at the case
and think that you
have to solve
who it is,
the actual murder,
they worry
that either the way
it's been
or the way it's going
that there's something
about it that is going
to,
and then you fill
in the blank,
it's going to affect
their career.
It's going to make
the police force
look bad.
It's going to make
the politicians
look bad.
It's going to make
a rich person
who's an important
donor look bad.
And so what Bosch
does is he's
constantly disobeying
his superiors,
he's pushing
against them
because they keep
wanting to short
circuit or close
down his investigation
in some of the books
they literally tell him
he has to stop
following the investigation
and he literally
doesn't stop
following the investigation
because he believes
that what matters
is doing what is just
and doing what is right
and that every human
being matters
and the people
who are in the hierarchy
they think that is not
what matters.
What matters
is what people
think of me,
what people think
of my organization,
what people think
of the city,
how it's going to
affect the economy,
how it's going to
affect investment,
how it's going to
affect all of these
things.
And so an important
part of every book
is Bosch
regularly fighting
against the pressure,
ignoring the pressure
to pursue that
which is right
and that which is just
in terms of this case.
Now here's the
interesting thing
about this.
In many ways
what these novels,
it's why they sell
millions and millions
and millions of novels,
millions of novels,
is that obviously
when you and I
read that book,
who are we?
I'm Bosch.
Bosch in a sense
perfectly articulates
what I wish I was,
what I believe I am.
But really,
literally,
do you think
all of the million
of us who read
that book
that we're all Bosch?
Like how many of us
in our day-to-day life
are in fact
the lieutenants
and the captains
and the politicians
and the important people
who don't really
want to pursue truth
but want to cover
things over
because we really
care more about
what people say
about us.
You see,
I can easily imagine
as well as you
that there could be
a whole busload
of people going
to work downtown
reading the Michael
Connolly novel
and going,
yes, Bosch,
way to go, Bosch,
and as soon as
we get to work,
we're the bureaucrats
who stop the truth.
We're the leaders
who care more
about our reputation.
And this is one
of the things
which Jesus,
you know,
and in a sense
what happens is
what we're describing
is this process
whereby
we believe
about ourselves
that we should be
pursuing the truth
but we lack
complete and utter
self-knowledge
that what we're
actually doing
is we're actually
don't really care
about the truth
but we care
more
about what people
think about us
about our respect
about promotions
about making more money
having more power
that these things
in fact
have a very,
very powerful hold
on how we understand
right and wrong
and how we pursue
the truth
and what actually
forms our conscience.
the Michael Connolly
novels both
show what we desire
but they don't have
the power
to reveal to us
our own divided nature
or maybe not even
divided
because we are
fully fledged
supporters
and pursuers
of pursuing
that
which makes
me
look
good.
and it's in the
middle of this
both desire
as to what we
think we would be
and lack of
insight
as to what's
going on
that Jesus
starts to reveal
to our hearts
because you see
my guess is
that every single
person who
listened to Jesus
unless they were
pricked by his
line about
there is a
possibility
that darkness
will overcome
your conscience
and darkness
will overcome
your affections
and darkness
can overcome
your intellect
and darkness
can overcome
your entire
sense of how
it is
right and just
to live in the
world
and darkness
can overcome
all of these
things without
you being aware
of it
and that's what
Jesus says to
them
do you get it?
you see on one
one hand
a novel like
a Bosch novel
and these words
of Jesus
on one hand
it can be very
depressing
that people don't
get it
that maybe I
don't get it
but the whole
context of
Jesus'
discussion
not only
will try to
have it
pierce
into our
consciousness
and our
conscience
and our
minds
and our
affections
that it
might very
well be
me
who is
being
described
as having
my
conscience
or my
mind
overwhelmed
and Jesus
is going
to go
dig deep
as to why
it is
that these
things
happen to
us
but he
will also
provide
some very
very important
hope that he
draws people
to himself
that we're
not just
lost
and abandoned
in this
situation
that darkness
can overcome
us
and nothing
will help
John
the writer
of this
he
pauses
in these
words of
Jesus
and John
of course
was taught
by Jesus
if
when we
get to
heaven
John
will say
listen
all of
those
parts
if you
have a
Bible
like mine
that has
red and
black print
all of
those black
bits
that I
wrote in
there
I learned
all of
that
from
Jesus
none of
that came
from me
it all
came from
Jesus
all the
black
bits
all the
black
words
came from
Jesus
not just
the red
words
and if
you look
at the
second part
of verse
36
John
gives a bit
of a
summary
or an
understanding
of these
things
look at that
in verse 36
the second
part of it
when Jesus
had said
these things
he departed
and hid
himself
from them
though he
had done
so many
signs
see that's
where I
was saying
that John
is very
conscious
that Jesus
was very
conscious
he'd done
all these
miracles
right
though he
had done
so many
signs
before them
they still
did not
believe in
him
so we
might say
well doesn't
that show
that God
doesn't draw
no no
that would
only show
that if
God didn't
know what
was going
to happen
as if
somehow
God was
up in
heaven
said oh
dang
people aren't
reacting the way
I thought I
would I
guess I have
to have
plan B
no
John is
so helpful
here
Jesus is
so helpful
here
verse 37
again
though he
had done
so many
signs
before them
they still
did not
believe in
him
so
that the
word spoken
by the
prophet Isaiah
might be
fulfilled
Lord
he quotes
from
from Isaiah
53
Lord who
has believed
what he
heard from
us
to whom
is the
arm of
the Lord
been revealed
therefore
verse 39
they could
not believe
that's really
troublesome
I'll talk
about it
in a
moment
they could
not
believe
for again
Isaiah
said
and this
is going
to sound
very
troublesome
he has
blinded
their eyes
and hardened
their heart
lest they
see with
their eyes
and understand
with their
heart
and turn
and I
would
heal
them
Isaiah
said these
things because
he saw
his glory
that's God
the son
of God's
glory
he's talking
about the
pre-existence
of Christ
and spoke
of him
nevertheless
many even
of the
authorities
believed in
him
but for
fear of
the Pharisees
they did
not confess
it
so that
they would
not be
put out
of the
synagogue
for they
love the
glory
that is
the praise
glory can
be translated
as the
glory
the praise
the honor
the respect
that comes
from other
human beings
more than
the glory
that comes
from God
he's
perfectly
described
the plot
of every
Bosch
novel
because the
people are
far more
concerned
with their
respect
their honor
their praise
than the
truth
now
what Jesus
is showing
here
is the
possibility
of us
having
very very
hard
hearts
every
system of
thought
has to
deal
with the
problem
that human
beings
seem to
have
free
will
yet on
the other
hand
there's
parts of
the way
the world
are organized
that would
imply that
free will
does not
exist
if you
a lot
of people
who would
say they're
scientists
are not
just
they're not
just
holding
or committed
to just
trying to
understand the
material causes
of why things
happen
they're also
committed to
a larger
philosophy
that says
that every
cause has
an effect
and that
we're locked
in a
series of
causes and
effects and
causes and
effects but
if you
literally
believe that
it means
that there
is no
such thing
as free
will
it literally
means that
in islam
they have
the problem
that they've
made god
to be so
big and
powerful that
basically
everything that
happens is
fate
everything that
happens is
fate
in hinduism
and all of
the eastern
religions with
the whole law
of karma
and the cycle
of death
and birth
and rebirth
what ends up
happening is
that you
fundamentally
have a system
where everything
is completely
and utterly
determined
and all
systems of
thought have
to try to
deal with
the fact
that on one
hand
because hinduism
and buddhism
will still give
you ethical
commands
yet their
fundamental
understanding
of how things
work is
one is if
you're on a
cycle of fate
that will just
keep moving
you and moving
and islam
has things
that you're
supposed to
do yet
their understanding
of god
is that all
these things
will just keep
happening and
happening because
it's all and
utterly completely
determined by
Allah and
only the
christian faith
wrestles with
these ways
in something
that is true
to our
experience
and gives
us hope
not just
that it
gives us
hope but
it's true
you see at
the very
heart of
the christian
faith is
the threeness
of god
that from
all eternity
before there
was anything
created
from all
eternity
before anything
was created
the father
was god
the son
was god
the holy
spirit
was god
yet there's
only one
god and
the father
loved the
son and
the son
loved the
father
and the
holy spirit
in some
issue
in some
is a
third
person
in some
ways
this
personhood
is described
as that
unending love
and communication
and respect
and giving of
glory and
praise that
endlessly went
back and
forward without
ceasing from
the father
to the son
and at the
very very
heart of our
understanding of
who god
is is
community
and is
love
and it
is the
father
the son
and the
holy
spirit
this
unending
community
of love
that is
the god
that has
created
all things
and so it
is that the
god who
really does
exist
he really
is
god
really
is
sovereign
over all
things
he really
truly
is
but the
world
that god
created
the father
and the
son
and the
holy
spirit
this
unending
communication
and love
of giving
and receiving
of knowing
and being
known
that is at
the very
heart of
all things
this is
the god
who created
all things
and so
this god
who has
created
all things
it makes
complete another
sense that on
one hand
this god
would still
be sovereign
but the
very nature
of what he
wants to
give to his
creatures
is the
dignity
of causality
and the
dignity
of freedom
and the
dignity
and the
power
of love
and of
truly
knowing
and not
being
a constant
victim
why
because it
fits
exactly
with who
god
is
this
is
who
god
is
and so
when we
see these
words of
jesus
here
what he
is saying
here
isn't
that
oh
my
friend
and i'll
call him
bob
my
friend
bob
he keeps
wanting
to believe
in jesus
and god
sees him
and smacks
him down
no you're
not going
to believe
in jesus
i refuse
it
that's not
what this
is saying
as if god
somehow or
another undermines
our desires
to know him
you see a
merging of
two wills
i come to
hear the
truth and i
turn away
from it
because i
love the
praise of
other human
beings i
want to be
thought well
of i
don't want
to take a
moral position
in my
society that
will make
people feel
unhappy
about me
and not
like me
or not
want to
talk to
me i
know very
well what
it's like
to develop
a friendship
with a
barista
or somebody
in a
starbucks
and eventually
they ask
me what i
do and
i tell them
that i'm a
pastor and
their face
gets cloudy
and they look
disappointed
i experience
that all
the time
we thought
he was a
nice guy
but he's a
christian
how could
he
and so
what the
bible is
saying here
is there's
this double
there's this
old saying
that the
door to
hell is
locked
from the
inside
and that
i as a
human being
i have
this the
light of
conscience
i have
the light
of reason
i have
the light
of good
affections
and i
choose
the non-light
i hear the
truth and
i choose
non-truth
i hear of
justice and
i choose
non-justice
and what i'm
doing is
every time i
turn away
and choose
something else
i'm turning
away from
the light
i'm turning
away from
god
i'm choosing
darkness
i'm choosing
hardness
and at
some point
in time
god who
by his
common grace
is is
is stopping
the full
implication
of my
choice
to turn
away from
him
to choose
evil
to choose
to be a
god
to choose
to be better
than other
people to
choose to be
the center
all of these
times and
god god
reigns that
in he
resists that
he restrains
that and at
some point in
time he says
to me
i will be
done
you have chosen
darkness darkness
is what you will
have
you have chosen
hardness
will be
what you
have
you have
chosen to
resist the
truth
not knowing
the truth
will be
what you
have
and jesus
in this
teaching is
warning us
that it's
sometime by
god's sovereign
choice it's
only by god's
action that i
have freedom
that i can
know the
truth that i
can have
affections that
are good
that i can
love justice
and love
mercy and
love peace
and love
goodness and
desire to
know the
truth and be
in the truth
and not to
be a person
of the
lie but
to be a
person of
the truth
it's only
by god's
common grace
that even
though i
am fallen
that can
still be a
possibility at
some point
in time god
says enough
to darkness
you want to
go to
darkness you
will go
to never
have anything
to do with
me never
having anything
to do with
me is is
what will be
of you
and jesus
says these
things
so that
you and
i will
say is
it i
lord
is it
i
lord
and
unlike
the
scientific
so-called
scientific
understanding
unlike
the cycle
of life
and the
cycle of
karma
and unlike
even in
islam
where it's
all
controlled
because the
god who
does exist
is a god
who is
three
but one
that when
our conscience
is convicted
we can say
lord
have mercy
lord
have mercy
is it me
lord
have mercy
lord
have mercy
and there is a
god who can
hear who can
respond and
act with
power
who can say
george
you are so
ridiculous
george
you are so
given over
to your
ego
george
why is it
george that
when you
drive you
think people
driving faster
than you
are maniacs
and people
driving slower
than you
are idiots
why is it
you think
you're the
center of
all things
you are so
hopeless
and i love
you
i am drawing
you to
myself
and
george
i
want
you to
understand
that there
is nothing
in your
salvation in
christ that
you can
take credit
for
because george
as a fallen
human being
you want to
take credit
for something
i'm not like
those stupid
people who
were
who studied
university like
i did and
they just
accepted
everything but
i sought
the truth and
eventually became
a christian
no george
i called
you i
chose you
i called
you i
enabled you
to come to
faith i
gave you
faith i
saved you
i hold
you i
will bring
you to
glory there
is nothing
in your
salvation that
you can
claim credit
for there
is nothing
in your
salvation george
that will
make you
can allow
you to
look down
your nose
and other
people or
feel somehow
proud and pat
yourself on the
chest or the
back for what
you used to be
more flexible i
could pat myself
on the back now i
can't pat myself
on the head and
and and and and
and that's that's
what jesus saying
i die on the
cross i drink the
cup i am the
lamb of god who
takes away the
sin of the world
i draw you
listen there is
this possibility
that hardness will
overtake you and
darkness will
overtake you i
came that you
might be a
son or daughter
of light i
draw you so
you will have
eternal life i
love you
look how it
finishes in
verse 44
and jesus cried
out literally
means he
yelled
whoever believes
in me believes
not in me but
in him who sent
me and whoever
sees me sees me
sees him who
sent me i have
come into the
world as light
so that whoever
believes in me
may not remain
in darkness
there is hope
if anyone hears
my words and
does not keep
them i do not
judge him for i
did not come to
judge the world
but to save the
world the one
who rejects me
and does not
receive my words
has a judge the
words that i have
spoken will judge
him on that last
day for i have not
spoken on my own
authority in other
words he's saying
my words don't
come out of me
just as an aside
you see this is
one of the so
many times in the
bible why do i
believe that the
scripture is infallible
and errant because
this is what jesus
teaches i have not
spoken on my own
authority but the
father who sent me
has himself given
me a commandment
what to say and
what to speak and i
know that his
commandment is
eternal life god
takes no delight in
the death of a
sinner but rather
that he or she
will turn from
their wickedness
and live
what i say
therefore i say
as the father
has told me
it's 40 minutes
i'll just show you
my points there
it'll help that
there are really
two points in
three parts if
you just put them
up very quickly
to bring this
home
you know
all of these
things in the
text are said
to try to help
you see who
you are at
the level of
your heart
in the presence
of the living
god
that's what the
text is trying
to do
jesus confronts
to connect
and maybe the
words won't
here you can go
in the line
later on and
find them
here's the
just try to
summarize this
the first thing
is outside of
god's grace
your heart
mind and
conscience
not can be
overtaken by
darkness but
will be
overtaken by
darkness
you see it's
god's common
grace that
allows us to
still to still
have a heart
and mind and
conscience that
seek after the
good and the
true and the
beautiful and
outside of god's
grace it will
it will become
darkness the
next point when
you continually
choose a hard
heart the lord
will eventually
harden your
heart you see
it isn't as if
he somehow makes
your heart hard
so you won't
believe but he
looks at george
and he says
look at that
george is
choosing a
hard heart and
he chooses it
again and again
and again and
again and at
some point in
time god says
to george your
will be done
next point
your love of
people's praise
respect and
honor will move
you farther and
farther from
jesus and deeper
and deeper into
darkness the
positive the
next point
andrew every
aspect of your
salvation in
jesus christ is
from him every
aspect next
point there is
no part of your
salvation that
you can take
credit for allowing
you to expect
praise from
others and or
look down on
others and
finally if you
could put it
up when you
believe in
jesus he
gives you
eternal life
and remakes
you into a
son or daughter
of light
you see to be
gripped by the
gospel and to be
a disciple of
jesus is to
ask that the
light will
characterize who
you are more
and more the
light of justice
the light of
mercy the light
of goodness the
light of truth
the light of
beauty will
characterize you
more and more
please stand
once again you
know if you
have never given
your life to
jesus there is no
better time than
now to say
jesus deliver me
from hardness of
heart and love of
darkness and make
me your own
just just say
those in your
own words jesus
deliver me from
hardness of heart
and love of
darkness and make
me your own
make me a son or
daughter of light
there is no better
time than now to
call out to jesus
and ask for that
and for those of
us who struggle
with if we're aware
of it that there's
things in our lives
right now that we're
just sort of
forgetting that he's
made us sons of
daughters of light
but we discover
that we have a
we've been challenged
that we have a bit
of a fear about the
truth the fear of
the light then
there's no better
time than now not
to not to become a
christian again but
to recommit to him
and say father thank
you so much that you
love me that you
know me that you
want me to be your
son and daughter of
light that you want
light to describe who
i am more and more
there's no better
time than now just to
call out to him
that the light would
have an even deeper
role in your life
let's pray to god
father i don't
preach to others
i preach to myself
i need your word
father
i father i hope
father no one here
thinks that i am a
shining example of
of of of the good
the true and the
beautiful father
it's all jesus i
thank you so much
for grace i thank
you father that
your son has drawn
me and others here
to him that you do
not wear merits but
pardon our offenses
that you do not
desire the death of
a sinner but that
we would turn to
you and live we
thank you father you
did not desire that
we would have hard
hearts but soft
hearts so we would
not choose darkness
but choose light and
we ask father that
your holy spirit would
move with might and
power and deep
conviction within us
and make us disciples
of jesus who are
gripped by the gospel
and able to confront
the darkness and
confront the hardness
that you would make
our hearts soft and
our minds more and
more hungry our hearts
more and more hungry
for the good the true
the beautiful for you
and we ask this in the
name of jesus and all
god's people said amen
you