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John 1:6-13 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word. Join me in John chapter 1. Our text for this morning is John chapter 1.
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A little over a year. On the first Lord's Day, I introduced the book and gave a summary of it. We spent the last two Sundays looking at John's prologue where he introduces Jesus to us with three titles and two characteristics.
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First, we see that Jesus is the Word, the physical representation of God. We see that he is preexistent, that he is the creator, that he is self-existent, and that he is the unquenchable light.
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God stands, conquers darkness. John spends the first five verses establishing Jesus' deity. This is the aim of what he is doing in the prologue.
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Jesus is God. It is a decorative statement. This is what he is trying to accomplish.
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C.S. Lewis, speaking in 1942 and then published in Mere Christianity in 1952, gave the following argument concerning Christ.
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And I quote,
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I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus.
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I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.
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That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
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He would either be a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell.
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You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.
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You can't shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.
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But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.
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He has not left that open to us.
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He did not intend to.
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Now it seems to me obvious that he was neither a lunatic nor a friend, and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem,
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I have to accept the view that he was and is God.
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End quote.
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John makes some audacious claims in the first five verses, and they are claims that Jesus is going to reinforce again and again and again across the book.
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How we respond to these claims makes all the difference in the world.
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And we're going to see two responses to these claims in our text today.
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Before I read it, I want to remind you, beloved, that this is God's word to us.
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It was written for his glory and our good.
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That we might believe its promises, obey its commands, and have affection for its author.
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May we hear it and respond accordingly to it.
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John chapter 1, verse 6 and following.
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There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
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He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him.
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He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
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The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
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He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
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He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
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But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
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who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
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So we see in our text today three simple points.
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Number one, a reliable witness.
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And we're going to see witnesses again and again and again.
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Sometimes Jesus himself, sometimes his works, sometimes people saying things about him,
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and that's the case this morning.
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We're going to see then rejecters of who Jesus is, and then we're going to see believers.
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So first, a reliable witness.
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And we can see this in verses 6 through 9.
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And John continues to pick up this language of light.
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So when we're seeing all of this language about light, we're thinking about Jesus.
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Jesus is the light of the world.
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And there we see a man sent from God whose name was John.
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A different John than the John that wrote this.
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That's John the Apostle.
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Here we're talking about John the Baptist.
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I think it'd be better to say John the Baptizer, although I don't mind claiming him at all.
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So we will call him John the Baptist.
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And he comes as a witness.
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Witness to what?
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To Jesus.
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To who Jesus is.
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That people would believe.
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John the Baptist's intention, his point of his ministry, was the very same as that of John the Apostle.
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That people would repent and believe in Christ, have deliverance from their sin, and eternal life in him.
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John the Baptist, I'm making the case, was a reliable witness to Jesus as the Christ.
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Because he was divinely appointed.
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He was sent by God to be a witness to Jesus as the Christ.
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We see that there in verse 6.
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There was a man sent from God.
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John the Apostle is telling us that John the Baptist was sent by God himself.
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We can read a bit of John the Baptist's ministry and then his predicted birth.
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Matthew chapter 3, verse 1 through 3 says,
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In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 40, verse 3.
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The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
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Prepare the way of the Lord.
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Make his paths straight.
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So Matthew tells us that this is the prophet of Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 3.
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Sent from God.
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And in Luke chapter 1, verse 13 and following, we can learn,
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An angel says to Zachariah, John the Baptist's father,
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Your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
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and you shall call his name John.
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And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
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For he will be great before the Lord.
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And he must not drink wine or strong drink,
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and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
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And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
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And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
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to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children
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and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just
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to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.
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So John the Baptist's entire mission
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was to prepare the way for the Messiah, for the Christ,
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and point others to him, not to himself.
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John the Apostle, who wrote the text before us,
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is careful to note in verse 8,
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he was not the light.
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John the Baptist, not the light,
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but came to bear witness about the light.
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John the Baptist was also clear on this matter.
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He famously declared in John chapter 3 and verse 30,
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He, Christ, must increase, but I must decrease.
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He sought to magnify Christ with his life.
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John fearlessly called people to repentance and faith.
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John the Baptist suffered and died
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rather than compromising the truth.
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In every way, John's testimony calls us
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to look away from ourselves
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and behold the true light, Jesus Christ.
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John the Baptist's ministry
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was about drawing people's gaze to behold Jesus.
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And John the Apostle employs him
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in what fairly could be framed
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as the introduction to this book
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to do that very same thing,
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to draw our attention off ourselves
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and draw our gaze toward Christ.
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So we see a reliable witness,
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and we'll see that pattern again and again
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throughout John the Apostle's book.
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Secondly, though, we see responses to this declaration,
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Jesus is the Christ.
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We see rejecters, verses 10 and 11.
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There it says,
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He was in the world,
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and the world was made through him,
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yet the world did not know him.
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He came to his own,
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and his own people did not receive him.
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This is a theme developed through John's writing,
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the tragic rejection of the divine Jesus as the Christ,
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specifically the rejection of him by the Jewish people.
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Praise God, not all Jewish people rejected Christ.
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You can even back up a little bit to what Luke had to say
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about John the Baptist and the people being prepared.
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But largely, there was a rejection of Jesus as the Christ
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by the Jewish people.
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Let me just show you with some selected texts throughout John.
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There's a pattern that repeats again and again,
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a theme that's being developed,
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and I believe it's being developed,
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that we would not be a people who reject Jesus as the Christ.
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So John chapter 5 and verse 18,
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this is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him,
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because not only was he breaking the Sabbath,
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but he was even calling God his own Father,
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making himself equal with God.
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That was a blasphemy in their mind,
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and it would have been if it wasn't true.
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The Spirit who gives life, verse 63 and following.
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There it says,
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It is the Spirit who gives life.
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The flesh is no help at all.
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The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
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But there are some of you who do not believe,
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for Jesus knew from the beginning
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who those were who did not believe,
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and who it was who would betray him.
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And he said,
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This is why I told you that no one can come to me
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unless it is granted him by the Father.
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And then verse 66 says,
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After this, many of his disciples turned back
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and no longer walked with him.
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So when the teaching got difficult,
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they bailed.
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John chapter 7, verse 28 and following.
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Jesus proclaimed as he taught in the temple,
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You know me and you know where I come from,
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but I have not come of my own accord.
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He who sent me is true,
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and him you do not know.
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I know him, for I come from him,
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and he sent me.
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So they were seeking to arrest him.
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But no one laid a hand on him,
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because his hour had not had come.
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He says,
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You don't know God,
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but I do,
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because I came from him.
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God sent me,
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and they sought to kill him as a result.
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John chapter 10, verse 20.
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Many of them said,
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He has a demon and is insane.
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Why?
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Listen to him.
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John chapter 12, verse 37.
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Though he had done so many signs before them,
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they still did not believe in him.
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And this rejection, we know,
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ends in Christ's suffering and death on the cross.
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Widespread by the Jewish people,
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and in our day,
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this rejection of Jesus,
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of the Christ.
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Why does this happen?
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Paul tells us in Romans chapter 1,
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verse 18 and beyond says,
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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
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against all ungodliness
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and unrighteousness of men,
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who by their unrighteousness
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suppress the truth.
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For what can be known about God
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is plain to them,
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because God has shown it to them.
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For his invisible attributes,
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namely his eternal power and divine nature,
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have been clearly perceived
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ever since the creation of the world
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and the things that have been made.
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So they are without excuse.
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Darkness doesn't love light.
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Light causes darkness to scatter.
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And so man in his sinful state
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wants to hide away from Jesus
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that their sins would not be exposed.
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And this category of people,
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if you want to reduce us most simply,
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we have those who will reject Jesus
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as the Christ
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and those who will receive Jesus
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as the Christ.
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which brings us to our third
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and more expansive point.
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Third, believers.
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Believers.
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Verses 12 and 13.
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There John writes,
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But to all who did receive him,
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who believed in his name,
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he gave the right to become children of God,
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who were born not of blood
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nor of the will of the flesh,
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nor of the will of man,
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but of God.
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Now I was careful here
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to use the word believers
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rather than receivers,
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which is in the text.
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I so wanted to alliterate my point,
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reliable witness,
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rejecters,
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receivers,
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that work so well together.
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But I think clarity
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is very necessary at this point,
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and I think that John thought so too.
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He states in verse 11,
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his own people
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did not receive him,
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or as I've said,
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rejected him.
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And then at the beginning of verse 12,
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he turns his attention
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to others,
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the other group
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who did not reject,
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but received him.
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At this moment, however,
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he does something peculiar.
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He qualifies
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his previous statement.
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He doesn't just leave off there,
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but who did receive him,
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he gave the right
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to become children of God.
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He could have done that.
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I think he certainly
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could have,
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but he qualifies
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and he adds clarity
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to what he means.
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And I think we should
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especially stop
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when things like that happen
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in the scripture.
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Why?
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Why?
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It feels like a redundancy,
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doesn't it?
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What's he doing here?
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What does it mean
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to receive Jesus?
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John's telling us
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that very thing.
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If we are to receive him,
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then we need to
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believe in his name.
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That's what it means
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to receive Jesus.
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It is to believe
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in his name.
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The word rendered,
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believe,
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is the Greek verb
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pistou,
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which conveys
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far more
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than mere intellectual
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agreement
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with a set
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of facts.
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It's far more
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than that.
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The original readers
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would have understood
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the word
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in that way,
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but we tend
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not to.
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It carries
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the kind of idea
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that we're so
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confident
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in a thing
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that it's going to
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shape how we act
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in relation
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to that thing.
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It's not
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just an assent.
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It's just not
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intellectual agreement.
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There's so many
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people today
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who will go,
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I believe in Jesus.
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Just saying it
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with your words
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doesn't necessarily
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mean
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you believe
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the way the Bible
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uses this
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word.
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This is critical.
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We need such
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careful clarity
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at this point.
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To believe
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carries the idea
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of full trust,
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personal reliance,
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and wholehearted
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commitment.
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You may have
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heard the example
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before of the
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parachute.
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I did this
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with my boys
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on our couch
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where we jumped
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off the couch
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like we were
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jumping out
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of a plane.
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Well,
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catch me
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if I fall
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on the ground
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is an easy
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thing to do.
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It's different
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altogether
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when you're
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the next one
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out the door.
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It's that kind
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of confidence.
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You put it on
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and you know
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it's going to
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do the thing
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that it's
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designed to do.
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That's how
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we're to believe
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in Jesus.
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To believe
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is not simply
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to acknowledge
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the historical
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existence
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of Jesus
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but to
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entrust
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yourself
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entirely
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to him.
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All that
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his name
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represents
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his person
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and his
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work
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his saving
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power
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and implies
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a surrender
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of the will
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a confidence
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that Jesus
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alone
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can save
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and an
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active
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ongoing
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dependence
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upon him.
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That word
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is packed
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full
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of meaning
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in the original.
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The text
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before us
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doesn't mention
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it
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but we also
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must be sure
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to understand
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that true
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pistuo
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is in
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step 14
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and 15.
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Now,
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after John
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the Baptist
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was arrested,
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Jesus came
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into Galilee
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proclaiming
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the gospel
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of God.
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Listen to the
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words that
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Jesus says,
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proclaiming
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the gospel
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of God
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as Mark
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records it
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for us.
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This is the
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good news.
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The time
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is fulfilled
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and the
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kingdom of
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God
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is at hand.
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Repent
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and believe
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in the gospel.
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Now,
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there's much
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to be said
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about what
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the gospel
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itself is
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but what
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are Jesus'
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instructions
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in response
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to the gospel?
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The way
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he calls
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people
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as he says,
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repent
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and believe
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in the gospel.
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Repentance,
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that word
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at its very
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core
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means to
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change
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one's mind.
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So,
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contextually
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we understand
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that it is
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a turning
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away
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from sin.
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It's a
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rejecting
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of the
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way
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of this
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world
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and belief
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is what
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we're
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turning
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to.
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So,
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we're
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turning
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away
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from
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sin.
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Repentance
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rejects
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the world.
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Belief
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takes
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hold
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of,
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receives
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Christ.
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Belief
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is not
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passive
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ascent
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but active,
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living faith
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that transforms
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the heart
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and produces
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obedience.
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Biblical
20:26
belief
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is the
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very
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foundation
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of saving
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grace,
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a total
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entrusting
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of oneself
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to Christ
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as Lord
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and Savior.
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So,
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why all
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the time
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on this
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matter?
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Why be so
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careful at
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this point?
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I think
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that John's
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being very
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careful
20:45
at this
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point.
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Because the
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gospel of
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Jesus Christ
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needs to
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be
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clear.
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If we're
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going to be
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sorted into
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two categories,
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those who
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receive
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Jesus Christ,
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those who
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reject
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Jesus Christ,
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and this
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message is
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the saving
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message,
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we have
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to be
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so
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clear.
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The
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gospel is
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by itself
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an offense.
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Just by
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itself,
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the gospel
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is
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offensive.
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It first
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kills
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so that
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we can
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live.
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It first
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shows us
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how wretched
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we are
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so that
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we turn
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from that
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wretchedness,
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we repent,
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and we
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turn to
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the
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righteousness
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of Christ.
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When we
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get it
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just right,
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it's
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offensive.
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We should
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not add
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to that
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a lack
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of clarity
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or a
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lack of
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depth.
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We should
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be so
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careful here.
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I worry,
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and I mean
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this from the
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very bottom
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of my
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heart,
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I worry
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with great
21:54
anguish,
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probably more
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than I
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should,
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that much
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of our
21:59
modern
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Christian
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practice
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is creating
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vast
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swaths
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of false
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converts.
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And I'm
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not suggesting
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that we're
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immune to
22:09
this.
22:10
False
22:10
converts,
22:12
people who
22:12
think that
22:14
they are in
22:14
Christ and
22:15
they are not.
22:17
I am grieved
22:18
to think that
22:18
this morning
22:19
there are
22:19
many well-meaning
22:21
people giving
22:22
lip service
22:23
to God,
22:24
but their
22:25
hearts are
22:26
far from
22:27
Him.
22:28
And that
22:28
there are
22:29
churches
22:30
that don't
22:31
seem to be
22:31
pressing against
22:33
that at
22:33
all.
22:36
Just think
22:36
with me for
22:37
a moment
22:37
about some
22:38
of the
22:38
language used
22:39
in calling
22:40
people to
22:41
saving faith.
22:42
So,
22:43
if you back
22:44
your mind
22:44
up just
22:44
for a
22:45
moment,
22:45
I met
22:46
you from
22:46
Mark
22:46
chapter 1
22:47
and verse
22:48
15,
22:49
how is it
22:49
that Jesus
22:50
called people
22:50
repent and
22:52
believe in
22:54
the gospel?
22:55
This is what
22:55
he said
22:56
said,
22:57
but we
22:58
get phrases
22:59
like,
23:00
say yes
23:02
to Jesus.
23:05
Salvation
23:06
is a
23:07
miraculous,
23:09
divinely
23:10
wrought
23:10
miracle
23:11
worked in
23:12
the heart,
23:13
not a
23:14
casual
23:14
agreement.
23:17
Ephesians
23:18
chapter 2
23:18
verse 1
23:19
and following,
23:20
Paul there
23:20
writes,
23:20
and you
23:21
were dead
23:22
in the
23:22
trespasses
23:23
and sins
23:23
in which
23:24
you once
23:24
walked,
23:25
following
23:26
the course
23:27
of this
23:27
world,
23:28
following
23:28
the prince
23:29
of the
23:29
power
23:30
of the
23:30
air,
23:31
the spirit
23:31
that is
23:32
now at
23:32
work in
23:32
the sons
23:33
of disobedience,
23:34
among whom
23:35
we all once
23:36
lived in the
23:36
passions of
23:37
our flesh,
23:38
carrying out
23:38
the desires
23:39
of the body
23:39
and the
23:40
mind,
23:41
and were
23:41
by nature
23:42
children of
23:43
wrath like
23:43
the rest
23:44
of mankind.
23:45
That should
23:46
hit.
23:47
If you
23:47
were not
23:47
in Christ,
23:48
that should
23:48
convict your
23:49
heart.
23:49
If you
23:50
are,
23:50
you should
23:51
remember,
23:52
yes,
23:52
that's who
23:53
I once
23:53
was,
23:54
dead,
23:55
a servant
23:56
of the
23:57
devil,
23:58
and destined
23:58
for wrath.
24:00
And then you
24:00
get this
24:01
beautiful
24:01
conjunction
24:02
in verse
24:02
4,
24:03
but God,
24:06
being rich
24:07
in mercy,
24:08
because of the
24:09
great love
24:09
with which he
24:10
loved us,
24:10
even when we
24:11
were dead
24:12
in our
24:13
trespasses,
24:13
made us
24:15
alive together
24:15
with Christ.
24:16
By grace,
24:17
you have
24:18
been saved.
24:19
This is a
24:21
miraculous,
24:23
divinely wrought,
24:24
beautiful
24:25
thing that
24:27
happens in
24:28
all those who
24:29
believe in
24:29
Christ.
24:30
To say
24:31
yes to
24:32
Jesus makes
24:33
it so
24:33
paltry.
24:36
Ask Jesus
24:37
into your
24:37
heart.
24:38
That's another
24:38
phrase.
24:41
The Bible
24:42
nowhere portrays
24:43
Jesus as
24:44
some destitute
24:45
stranger that
24:46
needs your
24:47
invitation to
24:48
do anything
24:49
He is the
24:51
Lord of the
24:52
universe.
24:53
Think about
24:53
how He's
24:54
been introduced
24:54
to us in
24:55
John chapter
24:56
1.
24:57
He's not
24:57
asking your
24:58
permission.
25:00
I don't care
25:00
how you work
25:01
out God's
25:02
sovereignty and
25:02
all the details
25:03
of your life.
25:04
He doesn't
25:04
need you to
25:05
ask Him to
25:07
do the things
25:07
He intends
25:08
to do.
25:11
John chapter
25:11
10,
25:12
verse 27
25:13
and following,
25:13
My sheep
25:14
hear my voice
25:14
and I know
25:15
them and they
25:16
follow me.
25:18
I give them
25:18
eternal life
25:19
and they
25:19
will never
25:20
perish and
25:20
no one
25:21
will snatch
25:21
them out
25:21
of my
25:22
hand.
25:23
My
25:23
Father who
25:23
has given
25:24
them to
25:24
me is
25:24
greater than
25:25
all and
25:26
no one is
25:26
able to
25:26
snatch them
25:27
out of the
25:28
Father's
25:28
hand.
25:29
That's a
25:29
declaration of
25:30
power to
25:32
save.
25:34
You have
25:34
not once,
25:35
nor will you
25:36
ever,
25:37
we don't have
25:37
sheep around
25:38
here,
25:39
you'll never
25:39
see a sheep
25:40
asking a
25:41
shepherd for
25:42
anything.
25:44
Another one,
25:46
make a decision
25:47
for Christ.
25:49
I won't
25:49
unpack the
25:50
problems with
25:51
this phrase
25:52
at the
25:52
moment,
25:54
but today's
25:55
text has
25:55
something to
25:56
say concerning
25:57
it, which
25:57
we will
25:57
address
25:58
momentarily.
26:01
And then
26:01
my final
26:02
example,
26:04
this brings
26:04
us back to
26:04
our text,
26:05
receive Jesus
26:07
into your
26:08
heart.
26:10
Beloved,
26:11
we need to
26:11
use biblical
26:12
language when
26:12
calling people
26:13
to respond
26:14
to the
26:14
saving
26:15
message
26:16
of the
26:17
gospel.
26:18
Yes,
26:19
people need
26:19
to respond
26:20
to a
26:20
call,
26:21
but a
26:21
call to
26:22
what?
26:25
Repentance
26:26
and faith.
26:27
Repent
26:27
and believe.
26:30
This is the
26:31
language we
26:32
use because
26:32
it's the
26:32
language that
26:33
the Bible
26:33
uses.
26:34
It's the
26:35
language that
26:36
Jesus uses.
26:39
We ought
26:39
to call
26:40
people to
26:40
repentance
26:41
and faith
26:42
with great
26:43
earnestness
26:44
and explain
26:46
with great
26:46
care what
26:47
repentance
26:48
is and
26:49
what belief
26:50
is.
26:52
We have
26:53
to be sure
26:53
the gospel
26:54
of Jesus
26:55
Christ is
26:56
clear and
26:57
the way
26:57
people should
26:58
respond to
26:59
it is
26:59
also
27:00
clear.
27:03
Now,
27:04
John says
27:05
that those
27:05
who believe
27:06
in his
27:06
name,
27:07
Jesus gave
27:08
the right
27:08
to become
27:09
children
27:10
of God.
27:12
to be a
27:13
child of
27:14
God is
27:14
to be
27:14
lifted from
27:16
the ash
27:16
heap of
27:16
sin and
27:17
set among
27:18
the princes
27:19
of heaven.
27:21
He who
27:22
was once
27:22
a rebel
27:23
is now
27:24
called
27:25
beloved.
27:26
He who
27:27
was once
27:27
far off
27:28
is brought
27:29
near and
27:29
has a
27:31
forever
27:31
home.
27:33
The child
27:33
of God
27:33
is adopted
27:34
into the
27:34
divine
27:35
family,
27:37
clothed
27:37
with Christ's
27:38
righteousness,
27:38
loved with
27:39
an unshakable
27:40
love and
27:41
granted an
27:42
inheritance
27:42
that neither
27:43
time nor
27:44
any power
27:45
can take
27:46
away.
27:47
To be
27:48
God's
27:48
child is
27:49
to walk
27:50
under his
27:51
smile,
27:52
to rest
27:54
in his
27:54
promises,
27:55
to bear
27:56
his discipline
27:57
with hope,
28:00
and to
28:00
await his
28:01
glorious
28:01
appearing
28:02
with joy.
28:04
To be a
28:05
child of
28:06
God is
28:07
not an
28:07
abstract
28:08
principle,
28:09
but a
28:10
felt
28:10
reality.
28:12
Oh, I
28:13
hope you
28:13
feel what
28:14
it means
28:15
to be
28:15
a child
28:16
of God.
28:17
How good
28:17
it is
28:18
to belong.
28:20
Oh, how
28:20
wonderful to
28:21
have God
28:22
look at
28:22
you and
28:23
declare
28:24
mine.
28:27
Those who
28:28
believe in
28:29
Jesus' name,
28:30
he gives
28:30
the right
28:31
to become
28:32
children
28:33
of God.
28:34
God
28:36
how?
28:38
How?
28:38
How does
28:39
this happen?
28:40
What is
28:40
the impulse
28:41
for it?
28:42
John doesn't
28:43
pull any
28:44
punches
28:44
here.
28:46
He wastes
28:47
no time
28:48
dropping his
28:49
plum into
28:50
the depths
28:51
of God's
28:51
magnificent
28:52
grace.
28:54
John tells
28:55
us in
28:55
verse 13
28:56
that those
28:57
who Jesus
28:57
gave the
28:58
right to
28:58
become
28:58
children of
28:59
God
28:59
became
29:00
children,
29:01
not of
29:02
blood,
29:03
nor of
29:03
the will
29:03
of the
29:04
flesh,
29:04
nor of
29:05
the will
29:05
of man,
29:06
but of
29:07
God.
29:10
John makes
29:10
three negative
29:11
statements and
29:12
one positive
29:13
in answering
29:14
this question.
29:15
How is a
29:16
person born
29:18
again?
29:21
He says,
29:22
negative
29:22
statements,
29:23
not of
29:23
blood.
29:25
No ethnic
29:26
or national
29:27
claims can
29:29
save us.
29:30
Can't say we
29:31
belong to a
29:31
certain people
29:32
group and
29:33
therefore,
29:33
we are
29:35
saved.
29:36
He says,
29:37
nor of
29:37
the will
29:38
of the
29:38
flesh.
29:40
No desire
29:41
of the
29:41
will,
29:42
apart from
29:43
grace,
29:45
can save
29:45
us.
29:46
You can't
29:46
effort your
29:47
way.
29:48
I'm going
29:48
to do it.
29:49
I desire to
29:50
do it,
29:50
therefore I'm
29:50
going to
29:50
do it.
29:51
You need
29:51
the grace
29:52
to respond
29:52
in faith
29:53
to the
29:54
call of
29:55
the gospel.
29:56
Nor of
29:57
the will
29:58
man.
29:59
No religious
30:00
system can
30:03
save us.
30:04
Not following
30:05
the rules and
30:05
checking the
30:06
boxes.
30:09
How is a
30:09
person born
30:10
again?
30:11
He makes
30:12
one positive
30:13
statement and
30:15
he needs
30:15
only one,
30:17
as he says
30:18
summarily,
30:19
but of
30:21
God.
30:22
those three
30:24
little words
30:25
could take
30:25
up our
30:26
time for
30:26
the rest
30:27
of the
30:27
spring and
30:28
on into
30:29
the summer.
30:30
In fact,
30:31
I could argue
30:32
that those
30:32
three little
30:32
words will
30:33
be our
30:33
awe-filled
30:34
contemplation
30:35
for all
30:36
of
30:36
eternity.
30:39
The point
30:40
is,
30:41
we have
30:41
not nearly
30:41
the time
30:42
this morning
30:42
to unpack
30:43
them.
30:44
And,
30:44
frankly,
30:45
I don't
30:45
think John
30:46
would want
30:46
us to
30:47
delay too
30:48
long
30:48
here.
30:50
He's going
30:50
to give
30:50
us plenty
30:51
of opportunity
30:52
in his
30:52
writing to
30:53
consider the
30:54
doctrine of
30:55
divine
30:55
election.
30:58
So,
30:58
for our
30:59
attention to
30:59
verse 13
31:00
this morning,
31:00
I want to
31:01
address those
31:01
of you who
31:03
may have
31:03
your fists
31:04
up at the
31:05
very idea
31:05
that God
31:06
does all
31:07
the saving
31:08
work,
31:09
that we
31:09
contribute
31:10
nothing to
31:12
our salvation.
31:13
Just put
31:14
them down.
31:15
I think
31:18
that the
31:19
doctrine of
31:21
divine
31:21
election
31:21
has been
31:23
the focal
31:23
point of
31:24
so much
31:25
unnecessary
31:26
division.
31:28
So,
31:28
just keep
31:29
your hands
31:30
at your
31:30
side and
31:30
let me
31:30
ask you
31:31
a couple
31:32
of
31:32
questions.
31:33
Let's
31:34
see if
31:34
you answer
31:35
them the
31:35
same way
31:36
that I
31:37
do.
31:37
I'm asking
31:38
you the
31:38
questions,
31:38
I'm going
31:39
to answer
31:39
my own
31:40
questions.
31:42
Number
31:43
one,
31:43
apart
31:43
from
31:44
Christ,
31:46
apart from
31:46
Christ,
31:47
are you
31:47
utterly
31:48
sinful?
31:50
Left to
31:51
yourself,
31:52
do you
31:53
possess
31:53
within you
31:54
any
31:54
good?
31:55
Apart
31:56
from
31:56
Christ,
31:56
are you
31:56
utterly
31:57
sinful?
31:59
And I
31:59
would say
32:00
yes.
32:02
Apart
32:03
from
32:03
Christ,
32:03
apart from
32:04
his saving
32:04
work,
32:04
apart from
32:05
his imputed
32:06
righteousness
32:06
given to
32:07
me,
32:07
I am
32:08
utterly
32:08
sinful.
32:09
I'm
32:09
sinful to
32:10
my very
32:10
core
32:11
before that
32:12
happened,
32:13
before he
32:13
gave me
32:14
his
32:14
righteousness.
32:17
I believe
32:18
this because
32:19
of Ephesians
32:20
2 verse
32:20
1, I
32:20
read it to
32:21
you earlier,
32:22
you were
32:22
dead in
32:24
the trespasses
32:24
and sins.
32:28
Secondly,
32:30
do you
32:30
think that
32:31
apart from
32:32
Christ?
32:33
You can
32:34
recommend
32:35
yourself to
32:36
God by
32:36
anything
32:37
that you
32:39
have done.
32:40
If you
32:40
were to
32:40
stand before
32:41
God and
32:42
plead your
32:42
case before
32:43
him,
32:44
why do
32:44
you not
32:45
deserve
32:45
eternal
32:46
damnation?
32:47
Why do
32:47
you instead
32:48
deserve to
32:48
be his
32:49
child?
32:51
Do you
32:51
have anything
32:52
in you that
32:53
you have
32:53
done that
32:54
you think
32:54
you could
32:54
actually stand
32:55
before him
32:56
and make
32:56
a reasonable
32:58
case?
33:01
To that,
33:02
I would
33:02
say no.
33:04
I would
33:04
say no.
33:05
I need
33:06
the righteousness
33:07
of Christ.
33:08
I need my
33:09
penalty paid
33:10
by his
33:11
death.
33:11
I need
33:12
his perfect
33:12
life given
33:13
to me in
33:14
that beautiful
33:14
thing called
33:15
the great
33:15
exchange where
33:17
I am
33:17
justified.
33:19
That way I
33:20
can be
33:20
declared in
33:21
God's
33:21
court.
33:23
Not guilty.
33:24
Not only
33:25
not guilty,
33:26
but perfect.
33:27
You have
33:27
kept my
33:28
law and
33:29
you are
33:29
welcome here.
33:31
I can't
33:32
plead my
33:32
own case.
33:33
All I can
33:33
plead is
33:34
Christ.
33:36
He did it.
33:37
He
33:37
accomplished
33:38
it on
33:39
my
33:39
behalf.
33:42
So do
33:42
you think,
33:43
apart from
33:43
Christ,
33:43
you can
33:44
recommend
33:44
yourself to
33:45
God by
33:45
anything you
33:45
have done?
33:47
I derive
33:48
this in
33:49
Ephesians
33:49
chapter 2
33:50
verse 8 and
33:52
9.
33:52
For by grace
33:52
you have been
33:53
saved through
33:53
faith and
33:54
this is not
33:54
your own
33:55
doing.
33:55
It is the
33:56
gift of
33:56
God,
33:56
not a
33:57
result of
33:57
works,
33:59
so that
33:59
no one
34:00
may boast.
34:01
I have
34:02
nothing to
34:03
boast in
34:04
in myself
34:05
except
34:06
Christ.
34:09
Thirdly,
34:10
if you
34:11
have been
34:11
saved by
34:12
Christ,
34:13
are you
34:14
now meant
34:15
to sustain
34:16
your faith
34:17
by your
34:18
own
34:19
power?
34:21
I would
34:21
answer to
34:22
that question
34:22
no.
34:24
I was
34:24
saved by
34:25
him.
34:26
His
34:27
spirit made
34:28
me alive.
34:30
I was
34:31
capable of
34:32
turning from
34:33
my sin and
34:34
turning to
34:35
him.
34:36
He saved
34:37
me and
34:39
I now am
34:39
sustained by
34:41
that very
34:41
same power.
34:43
He didn't
34:43
save me and
34:44
then leave me
34:45
alone to my
34:45
own devices.
34:47
Praise God.
34:49
Paul says in
34:50
Philippians 1.6,
34:50
I'm sure of
34:51
this, that he
34:51
who began a
34:52
good work in
34:53
you will
34:54
bring it to
34:54
completion at
34:56
the day of
34:57
Jesus Christ.
34:59
If you have
34:59
been saved by
35:00
Christ, are
35:00
you now
35:01
meant to
35:01
sustain your
35:02
faith by
35:02
your own
35:03
power?
35:06
No.
35:08
Fourth, if
35:10
you have been
35:10
saved by
35:11
Christ, are
35:12
you being
35:12
kept by
35:13
grace until
35:14
God calls
35:16
you home
35:16
or Christ
35:19
returns?
35:20
If you have
35:21
been saved by
35:21
Christ, are
35:22
you being
35:22
kept by
35:23
grace, by
35:24
Christ, until
35:25
God calls you
35:26
home or
35:27
Christ returns?
35:28
And to this
35:28
I would say
35:29
yes.
35:30
John 10,
35:32
verse 27
35:32
through 29, I
35:33
read it to
35:34
you already.
35:36
My sheep
35:36
are my
35:36
voice and I
35:37
know them and
35:37
they follow
35:38
me.
35:38
I give them
35:39
eternal life and
35:40
they will never
35:40
perish and no
35:42
one will snatch
35:43
them out of my
35:43
hand.
35:44
My Father who
35:45
has given them
35:46
to me is
35:46
greater than
35:47
all and no
35:47
one is able to
35:48
snatch them out
35:49
of the
35:49
Father's hand.
35:51
God
35:53
now
35:53
there are a
35:55
lot of people
35:56
who would
35:56
answer these
35:57
questions differently.
35:58
There are people
35:59
who claim to be
35:59
Christ followers
36:00
who would answer
36:01
them differently
36:02
and that opens
36:03
up all sorts
36:04
of problems.
36:06
I hope
36:07
you answer these
36:08
questions the
36:09
same way that
36:10
I did and
36:11
if you did
36:12
then we have
36:13
much to
36:14
agree upon.
36:16
We can get
36:17
into the nuance
36:18
of it all but
36:19
at the end of
36:19
the day this
36:20
is my understanding
36:21
of deprivity,
36:22
divine election,
36:24
justification by
36:25
grace alone
36:26
through faith alone
36:26
in Christ alone
36:27
and my perseverance
36:29
and preservation
36:29
to the end.
36:31
That's it.
36:32
If you answer
36:33
those questions
36:33
the way I answer
36:34
those questions
36:34
we are on the
36:35
same page.
36:38
So preserve
36:40
your armaments
36:41
for real battles
36:42
and settle into
36:44
John's gospel
36:45
account with me
36:45
as we observe
36:47
reliable witness
36:49
again and again
36:50
truth
36:51
and find
36:53
yourself
36:54
believing.
36:56
Jesus is
36:57
the Christ
36:58
the anointed
36:59
one sent
37:00
by God
37:00
that by grace
37:03
through faith
37:04
in him
37:05
we would be
37:06
called
37:06
his
37:07
children.
37:10
This is after
37:10
all why
37:11
John wrote
37:13
this book.
37:15
He's going to say
37:15
some stark things
37:16
to us
37:17
but don't
37:18
forget
37:18
John 20
37:19
verse 30
37:20
and 31
37:21
and I'll read
37:21
this and then
37:22
we'll pray.
37:24
Now Jesus
37:24
did many other
37:25
signs in the
37:25
presence of the
37:26
disciples
37:26
which are not
37:27
written in this
37:28
book
37:29
but these are
37:30
written so that
37:31
you may believe
37:32
that Jesus
37:33
is the Christ
37:34
the Son of God
37:35
and that by
37:36
believing
37:37
you may have
37:38
life
37:38
in his name.
37:40
Let's pray
37:41
together.