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John 3:11-21 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Good morning, everyone. Open up your copy of God's Word to John chapter 3.
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Last week we started John chapter 3 and worked our way through a little bit more of it today.
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And then next week we will finish it.
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Thank you for the music and leading us in that beautiful, directing our hearts toward God.
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Today we will be in John 3, 11 through 21.
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Just by way of reminder, the Gospel of John is one of the clearest portraits of Jesus Christ,
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one of the best clear visions we can have of Him as the Son of God incarnate who came to dwell among us.
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And John focuses not just on the identity of who Jesus is,
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but he also does it in such a way where he demands a response to it,
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to either receive or reject the Son of God.
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And last week we picked it up with this conversation that he has with Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees.
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He's in Jerusalem.
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He has just commenced with the cleaning out of the temple and his righteous anger.
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And Nicodemus, it says a little earlier, came to Jesus by night,
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hoping probably to avoid the dangerous implications of other people, particularly of his own order, the Pharisees,
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seeing him interact with Jesus.
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But Nicodemus seems to be actually intrigued.
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He wants to hear Jesus out, take a closer look at who he is and his claims.
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And we learn a lot of very serious things that you cannot miss if you want to be saved,
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if you want to have a relationship with God through Christ.
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A lot in this interaction.
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But the one we looked at last week is how can a fallen, dead sinner enter into God's kingdom?
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How can the rebels of the king actually be at peace with him and then enter into God's presence?
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And we looked at this last week, but the answer simply is you must be born again from above to see the kingdom of God.
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And Jesus goes at length to explain that to him.
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But clearly Nicodemus picks up on some things he's saying, but he still is confused.
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He doesn't quite know exactly what Jesus is saying.
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He gives him analogies from this world, talking about birth and how that connects to a spiritual birth that we must have.
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Then we go on in verse 11 today.
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Let's pick it up in verse 11.
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Let's read our text together.
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This is Jesus going on, but verse 11.
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And truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen.
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But you do not receive our testimony.
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If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe me, how can you believe me if I tell you heavenly things?
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No one has ascended into heaven except he who has descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
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And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
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that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
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For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
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For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
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Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already,
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because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
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And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world.
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And people love darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil.
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For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
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But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.
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Join me in another quick word of prayer.
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Father, we just put this text before you and ask that you would work in our hearts and our hearing,
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that your Holy Spirit would apply the word in the right way to each individual this year.
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In Christ's name, amen.
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So, we see now in this text, sort of a turning away from just the conversation with Nicodemus
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to our Lord's discourse on the true meaning of what salvation actually is.
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And this is the news of the gospel, the glad tithings of salvation.
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And a lot of you have grown up hearing a lot of this stuff for most of your life,
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especially from John chapter 3.
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And so, lest you be tempted to be too familiar, you know, John 3.16, blah, blah, blah.
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Don't do that. Refuse to do that.
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And why do we need to hear the gospel daily?
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Why do we need to be reminded of the gospel daily?
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As it has been said, because we forget it almost daily.
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And our lives reflect that very often.
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Like, how many of us could actually sit down with someone who doesn't know and explain the true Christian gospel?
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How many of you are convinced that you believe the gospel, but your life and what you love and what you chase after doesn't really reflect that belief?
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It contradicts it.
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And how many of you could be thinking that this is sort of just going back over something that you already know?
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Don't be tempted.
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The important thing is if you actually have believed the gospel and you attend church Bible studies and meetings and learn from God's word,
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you might try to be a better person and have an adequate understanding of what the gospel message is.
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But for some reason, you begin to think, is this all there is to it?
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Is there more to being a follower of Jesus?
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But your life simultaneously is characterized by a lack of joy and a lack of peace that's promised to those who do believe the gospel.
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A lack of consistent spiritual growth.
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It seems like the Christian life is reduced to a bunch of do's and don'ts.
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Trying to be good and trying not to be bad.
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And this is a failure to actually understand what the gospel is.
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This one man said the gospel is not just the ABC of Christianity.
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It is the A to Z of Christianity.
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Paul refers to the gospel in a lot of rich language.
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Romans 1.9, he calls it the good news of his son.
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Romans 15.16, the good news of God.
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1 Corinthians 9.12, the good news of Christ.
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2 Corinthians 4.4, the glorious good news.
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Ephesians 6.15, the good news of peace.
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And then, of course, Revelation 14.6, the everlasting gospel or the everlasting good news.
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But just a reminder before we start to unpack this, David Pryor wrote this.
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He says, we never move on from the cross.
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Only into a more profound understanding of the cross.
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And if you're growing spiritually, your sin that is making you feel small, a greater understanding of your need for salvation,
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you get smaller and God's salvation and God gets bigger.
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And so, we're going to look at this through three points today, walking through our text.
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Point number one, it's all just right out of the text.
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The Son of Man has come from the Father.
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The Son of Man has come from the Father.
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This may be one of the most important ones for us to understand, all that's important, but we have to understand who Jesus is.
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And we see this very clearly in verses 11 through 13.
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We just read it.
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In verse 11, you see that Jesus hones in on the idea of one's belief is tied to their spiritual ignorance.
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Nicodemus is missing the heart of the matter.
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He fails to understand Jesus' teaching.
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He's failed to believe in Jesus' witness, what Jesus is saying.
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And if you look at the verses, verses 11 through 13,
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the word you, the pronoun you, used four times is actually in the plural.
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So, he's not just saying you, Nicodemus, but he's speaking about a characteristic of the nation of Israel in general.
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Y'all, you do not believe in what I am saying.
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And he is supposed to be this great teacher of the nation of Israel.
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He is the top of the line.
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He is a Pharisee.
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And Jesus is saying, look, if you don't understand this,
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what your own scriptures teach,
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and I'm using earthly analogies here,
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if you can't understand this,
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how will you understand a greater teaching
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about heavenly things that are pertaining to God's glorious kingdom
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and that no one can enter into it except through new birth, new spiritual birth?
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So, he's laying this out very clearly.
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But one verse he really looked closely at,
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he tells Nicodemus something astonishing.
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All right?
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He says this in verse 13.
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Look at verse 13.
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No one has ascended into heaven
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except he who has descended from heaven,
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the Son of Man.
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So, no one,
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absolutely no one has ascended to heaven
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or descended from heaven
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in such a way as to come back
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and talk about what heaven is like
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other than Jesus.
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He has come from the Father.
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Heaven is his true home.
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There he dwelt eternally
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with the Father and the Spirit,
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which is in John 17.
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Totally content in the Godhead.
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Jesus absolutely insisted
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that no one,
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no one has ascended to heaven
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in such a matter
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as to come back and talk about these things.
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He's saying,
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there isn't anybody,
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like I'm it.
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He alone was in heaven
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prior to his incarnation.
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And the wisdom writer,
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something really,
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a great connection to this,
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the wisdom writer
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in Proverbs 30,
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verses 3 and 4,
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he says,
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I have not learned wisdom,
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nor have I knowledge
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of the Holy One.
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He's saying,
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I don't really understand God.
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Like,
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he is so lofty.
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Then he makes this point,
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who has ascended to heaven
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and come down?
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And in his mind,
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like,
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yeah,
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no one has.
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Like,
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no one has actually dwelt with God.
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But,
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Jesus is saying,
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yes,
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actually,
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I have,
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the Son of God.
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Therefore,
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Jesus alone
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possesses true knowledge
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and wisdom of God.
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He makes these exclusive claims
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all throughout the Gospel of John.
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Many exclusive claims.
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Let's just look at a few of them together.
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He says,
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no one has ever even seen God.
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No one has,
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except the Son.
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John 1,
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18,
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which we read about earlier.
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No one has ever seen God.
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The only God
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who is at the Father's side,
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He has made Him known.
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There's one.
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Also,
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everyone,
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it says in John 6,
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45,
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46,
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everyone who has heard
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and learned from the Father,
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Jesus says,
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comes to me.
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Not that anyone
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has ever seen the Father,
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except He who is from God.
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Talking about Himself.
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He has seen the Father.
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If you want to honor the Father,
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Jesus says,
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whoever does not honor the Son
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does not honor the Father
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who sent Him.
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That's John 5, 23.
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If we claim to love the Father,
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you must love Christ
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whom the Father sent.
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John 8, 42,
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if God were your Father.
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He's talking to a group of Jews
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and leaders
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that don't believe in Him.
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He's saying,
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if you love the Father,
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you would love me.
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For I came from God
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and I am here.
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I cannot do this
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on my own accord,
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but He sent me.
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And if we want to come
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into the Father's presence
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one day,
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if we want to enter
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into the realms
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of eternal glory
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to be with Him,
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Jesus says,
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I am the way,
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the truth,
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and the life.
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And no one comes
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to the Father
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except through me.
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John 14, 6.
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He also says
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in John 14, 9,
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do you want to see God?
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Do you want to see God?
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He says,
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whoever has seen me
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has seen the Father.
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So if Jesus is the only one
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who has come from God,
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then His authority
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on all things and matters
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pertaining to God,
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He holds absolute authority.
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And so we have to listen to Him.
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We have to trust Him
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if we are to be saved
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and if we are to know God.
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It's a very exclusive claim
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He makes before going on
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in this passage.
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So what are we going to do
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with that reality
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that He is the true Son of God?
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There's two options.
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This is the next two points.
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But number two
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is receive the Son,
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be saved,
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and have eternal life.
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Receive the Son,
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be saved,
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and have eternal life.
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And this goes on
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from verses 14 to 18.
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And He gives,
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Jesus gives this veiled prediction
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in verse 14.
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He refers back to Moses
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and the children of Israel
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when they were wandering
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in the desert.
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So He's going back
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to the Scriptures.
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He's saying,
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I love this just like Jesus
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to teach us something
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from the Scriptures
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to help make a point
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in the Scriptures.
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And when they are wandering
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in the wilderness
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in such a barren land,
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God graciously feeds them
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manna from heaven.
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And instead of being grateful
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for His provision from them,
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instead,
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they are ungrateful
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and they begin grumbling
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and complaining against God.
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And as an act of judgment
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and ingratitude,
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God sends fiery serpents,
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poisonous snakes,
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among them,
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in which many perish.
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Realizing the error of their way,
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they cry to Moses and say,
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hey, like we repent,
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we repent,
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like, you know,
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we beg you to intercede
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for us to God,
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for Him to lift His judgment
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in which Moses does
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and God does.
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But a brief verse or two
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out of Numbers 21,
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this is Jesus referring back
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to what happened.
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Numbers 21, verse 8,
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the Lord said to Moses,
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make a fiery serpent,
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set it on a pole,
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and everyone who is bitten,
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when he sees it,
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shall live.
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So Moses made a bronze serpent
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and set it up on a pole.
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And if a serpent bit anyone,
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he could look at the bronze serpent
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and live.
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So they had to,
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by faith,
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trust in what God had said,
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gaze upon this fiery serpent,
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this bronze serpent,
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by faith,
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believing that God would heal them
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if they looked upon
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the serpent on the pole
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and then they would live physically.
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So Jesus is saying,
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those who look upon Christ,
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the connection word here
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is lifted up,
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as Moses lifted this
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bronze serpent up.
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Those who look upon Christ,
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who would be lifted up
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on the cross,
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for the sins of many
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would have eternal life.
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So Jesus builds out from this
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to explain the true meaning
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of salvation.
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And that gives us to verse 16,
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one of the most well-known
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in the world,
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probably.
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So much so that WWE wrestlers
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and baseball players
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have it on their,
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you know,
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tattoos and stuff,
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but very,
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not implied what that meaning is.
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But verse 16,
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let's read it,
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for God so loved the world
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that he gave his only son
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that whoever believes in him
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should not perish
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but have eternal life.
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All right?
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So God was moved by his love
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for a sinful world of humanity.
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And really quickly,
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I didn't come up with this.
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It was more,
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I heard it from
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Sinclair Ferguson.
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But just three really good points
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on what love actually is.
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He implies,
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the greater the lover,
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the greater the love.
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And so,
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there is no being
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in all existence
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that has the capacity
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for love
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with such immensity
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and vastness as God.
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God, indeed,
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is the definition of love.
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As it says in 1 John,
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God is love.
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And he demonstrates
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his great love for us.
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So there's no greater lover
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than God himself.
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The second principle was,
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the lesser the object,
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the greater the love.
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It's relatively easy
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for us to love people
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who love us.
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That's what Jesus said.
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Like, yeah,
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of course you're going to love people
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who love you back.
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But,
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not that so with God.
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We have wrongly turned
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God's love,
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often,
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as an echo
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of our own excellence.
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God loved me so much
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because I was so important.
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I was so valuable
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and he couldn't spare me.
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That's not the case.
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The truth is
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that his sin
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had made us unlovable.
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If everything in the Scripture
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is true,
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then we were rebels
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against God.
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We were depraved
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in our minds
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and our hearts.
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And we sought
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to overthrow
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his rightful rule
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in our lives.
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So,
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he chose
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to set his love
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on the most
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less of objects
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possible,
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following humanity.
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And then lastly,
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the greater
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the expression
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of that love,
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the more marvelous
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the love.
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And what was the expression
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of God's love?
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It wasn't just sentiment,
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it was action.
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He sent
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his only son
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to die
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on a blood-stained cross
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for us.
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So,
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those three things
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what we see here,
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God's love
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has expressed
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his desire
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to welcome sinners,
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embracing them,
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cherishing them,
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and giving eternally
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of himself
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to them.
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And he did so,
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again,
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not because we were lovable.
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We were not lovable.
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1 John 4,
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for this is from God
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because God is love.
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Not that we
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have loved God,
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but that God
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loved us,
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right?
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And he sent his son
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to die for us.
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So,
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it magnifies
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God's great love
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to lavish it
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on lesser
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deserving
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rebels
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and sinners
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that have been
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against his good rule.
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It shows us
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how great his love is
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because he loved
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his enemies.
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That's the point.
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Not because we were
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valuable,
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but because we were
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enemies.
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It magnifies
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God's love.
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God's love
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for the world.
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We see this
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in the next part
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of the verse.
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In the context,
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for Nicodemus,
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a Pharisee,
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and for other Jews
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to hear,
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the phrase
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that God
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loved the world
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would have been
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a shocking
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and astonishing
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statement
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for any Jew
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to hear
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because many
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of them,
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most of them
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maybe,
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wrongly interpreted
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the Old Testament
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and other Jewish
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writings.
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They thought
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that God's love
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was exclusively
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just for the
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nation of Israel.
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And one time
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when you read
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in the scriptures
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the term
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the world
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or all men,
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it was often
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used by the New Testament
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writers to correct
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the false notion
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that God's love
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was only for
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the people
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of Israel.
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So they use
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such phrases
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to show
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that Christ
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died for all men
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without distinction,
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Jews and Gentiles,
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people from
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every nation
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and tongue,
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not just for all men
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without exception,
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meaning each and every
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single individual
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walking the planet.
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But,
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again,
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this can't be
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overemphasized.
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Nicodemus would have
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been like,
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whoa, stop,
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wait a minute,
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what are you talking about?
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It would have been
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a mind-boggling thing
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for him to hear.
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But as we know,
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the scripture teaches
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from the Abrahamic covenant
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all the way
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to the end of Revelation
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that God desires
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to collect a people
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for himself
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from every language,
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every nation,
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every tribe,
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every ethnic group,
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every tongue,
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and he will do it.
21:34
That's his promise.
21:35
He's going to do it.
21:37
And so,
21:38
that is his love
21:40
for the world,
21:42
this terrible world
21:43
that we live in.
21:45
What was the expression
21:46
of that love?
21:48
We see in the next part
21:48
of this,
21:49
that he gave
21:50
his only son.
21:52
Not mere sentiment,
21:54
again,
21:55
but he actually did something.
21:56
He sent his only son.
21:58
This implies,
21:59
like,
21:59
his only unique son.
22:02
God gave us
22:03
his most treasured
22:05
possession,
22:06
his son.
22:07
It says in John 5,
22:09
20,
22:09
that the father
22:10
loves his son
22:12
and shows him
22:14
all that he is doing.
22:16
And before all creation
22:18
and eternity past,
22:20
when the son dwelt
22:20
perfectly alone
22:22
with the spirit
22:23
and the father,
22:25
John 17,
22:26
5,
22:26
Father,
22:27
glorify me
22:28
in your own presence
22:29
with the glory
22:30
that I had with you
22:31
before the world existed.
22:34
And then,
22:34
at Jesus' baptism,
22:36
we read,
22:37
that a voice came
22:38
from heaven.
22:38
This is my beloved son
22:40
with whom I'm well pleased.
22:43
Listen to him.
22:45
So,
22:46
the father loves
22:47
and cherishes
22:48
the son.
22:50
His most valued possession.
22:52
This is what he gave
22:53
for a fallen humanity.
22:56
When it says
22:56
that God so loved the world,
22:58
it's saying,
22:58
in what way
22:59
did God
23:00
love the world?
23:02
How so?
23:03
That he gave
23:04
his one
23:04
only unique son
23:07
for us.
23:08
And then,
23:09
the next part of this,
23:10
that whoever believes
23:11
in him.
23:12
It just simply says
23:13
whoever believes in him,
23:14
not how does
23:15
one believe,
23:16
how does this
23:17
take place,
23:18
but just saying
23:19
whoever does
23:20
will be saved.
23:22
So,
23:23
the word believed
23:24
here is a key word
23:26
that we can't miss.
23:28
It's used seven times
23:29
in this context
23:31
to emphasize
23:31
our reaction
23:33
or our response
23:34
to what God
23:36
has done.
23:37
All right?
23:39
It's our response
23:40
to God's great love
23:41
and sending Christ.
23:42
But,
23:42
the Greek word here
23:44
means a deep confidence
23:46
to be fully persuaded,
23:49
fully entrust.
23:51
It means to be
23:52
fully persuaded
23:53
in such a way
23:54
that it affects
23:55
how you live.
23:56
So,
23:56
it's not just
23:57
a mental ascent
23:58
to knowledge.
23:59
It changes
24:00
how you live.
24:01
Right?
24:03
So,
24:03
here's an analogy.
24:05
I hate to use
24:05
this analogy.
24:06
There's so many
24:06
analogies out there
24:07
that relate to
24:08
airplanes and parachutes
24:10
and jumping,
24:11
but,
24:12
I don't know.
24:12
Here we go.
24:13
I think it's probably
24:14
one of the best ones,
24:14
but,
24:15
let's say that you
24:15
were going to go
24:16
skydiving
24:17
and you had
24:19
the best instructor
24:20
on the planet
24:20
with you,
24:21
the skydiving instructor.
24:22
And he says to you,
24:24
do you believe
24:25
the parachute will work?
24:27
You say,
24:27
I guess it will.
24:28
Yeah,
24:28
I've done what
24:29
I'm supposed to do.
24:30
And,
24:31
do you entrust
24:33
yourself to me?
24:35
Do you believe in me
24:35
as your instructor?
24:37
Absolutely.
24:38
You're the best.
24:39
All right,
24:39
let's jump.
24:41
And then you go,
24:41
whoa,
24:42
not quite ready,
24:44
not so fast.
24:45
This is,
24:45
I'm not ready.
24:47
And then he goes,
24:47
well,
24:48
it's okay.
24:48
Look,
24:48
I'll be jumping
24:49
with you.
24:51
But,
24:51
but then you say,
24:52
what if I mess up
24:54
and I descend down
24:55
into a death spiral?
24:58
And he goes,
24:58
don't worry.
24:59
Like,
24:59
I promise I'll be with you
25:00
and I'll make it right.
25:01
Like,
25:01
you'll be fine.
25:02
I promise.
25:03
Don't worry.
25:04
I will make it right
25:05
and I'll save your life.
25:06
And then you say,
25:07
I'm sure you'll try your best,
25:09
but just to be safe,
25:10
I'm going to sit down.
25:12
Do you really trust me?
25:14
He says,
25:14
and well,
25:14
apparently not.
25:16
Right?
25:16
And the difference is
25:17
between this mentally agreeing
25:19
that the parachute
25:21
and the instructor
25:22
will save your life
25:23
no matter what,
25:24
and then actually doing it.
25:27
And so,
25:27
what we're saying
25:28
is that
25:29
true believing
25:30
in the skydiving
25:32
and structure
25:32
will save your life.
25:34
You have to actually believe that
25:36
and you have to actually do it.
25:37
Not just have
25:38
a mental agreement
25:39
like,
25:39
yeah,
25:39
I think so.
25:40
It's actually trusting
25:42
in him to do it.
25:43
Fully being persuaded.
25:44
Not blind faith.
25:46
And so,
25:47
the results of us
25:48
truly believing
25:49
in Christ,
25:51
the results of that
25:52
are that we will not perish
25:53
but have eternal life.
25:57
Not perishing
25:57
as opposed to having
26:00
eternal judgment.
26:01
Right?
26:01
That's what we're talking about.
26:02
This is first of ten references
26:04
in John's Gospel
26:05
where he used the phrase
26:06
eternal life.
26:08
That is not just
26:09
the quantity of life
26:11
but the quality
26:12
of our spiritual life
26:14
with God.
26:14
life that we can
26:16
experience now
26:17
and one day
26:18
fully embrace
26:19
when we go
26:20
into his presence.
26:22
A lot of people,
26:22
you know,
26:23
when you ask the question
26:23
what is eternal life?
26:25
What is it?
26:26
They'll say things like
26:27
it means
26:28
not going to hell.
26:30
It means not perishing.
26:33
It means to live forever.
26:35
And all those things
26:36
are true
26:37
but they're the overflow
26:39
of something else
26:40
which is knowing God.
26:42
Jesus himself
26:43
defines it
26:44
in John 17 verse 3.
26:45
Jesus says,
26:46
this is eternal life.
26:47
I'm about to define it for you.
26:49
That they know you
26:50
the only true God
26:51
and Jesus Christ
26:52
whom you have sent.
26:54
So this sweet,
26:55
glorious sharing
26:56
of everlasting life
26:57
and intimacy
26:59
with the Godhead.
26:59
If you have that,
27:01
yes,
27:02
you will be spared.
27:04
And then
27:04
we go on
27:05
to verse 17.
27:07
Alright?
27:07
Verse 17 here.
27:12
We're pulling it together
27:13
and we understand
27:14
that
27:14
if we reject the son
27:17
we will not
27:17
be saved.
27:20
But,
27:20
sorry,
27:21
I got my notes mixed up.
27:22
So,
27:23
whoever believes in him
27:24
will not perish.
27:25
But then we see him
27:26
move to courtroom language
27:27
in the rest of the text.
27:29
Verse 17.
27:30
God did not send
27:31
his son into the world
27:32
to condemn
27:33
or to judge the world
27:34
but in order
27:35
that the world
27:36
might be saved
27:37
through him.
27:39
So here's this
27:39
courtroom language
27:40
of being condemned
27:41
and not being condemned.
27:44
So the point here
27:45
is not that
27:46
God won't ever
27:47
judge the world.
27:48
He will.
27:49
But,
27:50
that the time
27:51
has not yet come
27:52
for final judgment.
27:54
So listen,
27:55
all of us
27:55
are under threat
27:56
of judgment already
27:57
before Jesus came.
27:59
Our sin
28:00
had put us
28:01
in a perilous position
28:02
before God.
28:03
So in one way
28:04
we already all
28:05
stand condemned.
28:07
Do you see that
28:07
in the text?
28:08
We already all
28:09
stand condemned
28:10
and the way
28:11
to not be
28:11
is to put
28:12
our full trust
28:14
in the Savior.
28:16
Then it says
28:16
if you believe in him
28:17
in such a way
28:19
where it changes
28:20
your life,
28:20
right,
28:21
then you will
28:22
be spared.
28:23
So the moment
28:24
that we are born again,
28:25
the result of that
28:26
is faith
28:27
in the person
28:29
and work
28:29
of Jesus Christ
28:30
that we truly
28:31
have believed.
28:33
Jesus says,
28:33
in John 5,
28:36
24,
28:37
like something
28:37
actually happened
28:38
when you were saved.
28:40
This is one of those things
28:41
like if you have been
28:42
truly born again,
28:44
God will finish
28:45
this work in you.
28:46
Jesus said,
28:47
truly, truly,
28:48
I say to you,
28:49
whoever hears
28:49
my word
28:50
and believes
28:51
in him
28:52
who sent me
28:53
has eternal life.
28:55
They have it
28:56
like right now.
28:58
Then he says,
29:00
he does not
29:01
come into judgment
29:01
but has passed
29:02
from death
29:03
to life.
29:04
An actual thing
29:05
that happens
29:06
as a result
29:06
of being born again.
29:08
So Jesus is talking
29:10
about yet
29:10
his first coming here,
29:12
like in this,
29:13
his first incarnation
29:14
where he came
29:15
to walk among us
29:16
and die on the cross
29:17
for us.
29:18
He didn't come
29:19
to judge
29:19
then,
29:20
but he will
29:22
one day.
29:24
In his second coming
29:25
that will consummate.
29:26
So when you see
29:27
in verse 18,
29:27
whoever believes
29:29
in him
29:29
is not condemned.
29:30
So if we've truly
29:31
been born again
29:32
and placed our
29:33
saving faith in Christ,
29:35
we won't be condemned.
29:37
So the conclusion
29:37
of the suffering
29:38
and death of Jesus
29:39
is Romans 8.1.
29:42
Therefore,
29:43
there is no condemnation
29:44
for those
29:46
who are in Christ Jesus
29:47
and to be in Christ
29:49
and to have a relationship
29:50
with him
29:51
by faith.
29:53
Faith in Christ
29:54
unites us
29:56
to Christ
29:56
so that his death
29:58
became our death
30:00
and his life
30:01
is now our life.
30:03
That's what our faith does.
30:05
It unites us
30:06
to Christ.
30:07
He took the punishment
30:08
that we could not bear
30:10
and he became the perfection
30:13
that we could not perform.
30:14
All those things
30:16
are what happened
30:16
when we received the Son.
30:18
We are saved
30:19
and not condemned.
30:21
But then he gives you
30:22
the contrast
30:23
in verses 18 to 21.
30:26
This is the last point.
30:28
Reject the Son.
30:30
Point number three.
30:30
Reject the Son.
30:32
Be condemned
30:33
and perish.
30:35
Do you see
30:35
the either or language here?
30:37
Like the Bible,
30:37
particularly Gospel of John,
30:39
doesn't leave that room for us.
30:41
We see this in
30:42
verses 18 through 21.
30:45
Verse 18
30:46
is just a restating
30:47
of what he already
30:48
has said in verse 16.
30:50
He sets up
30:51
for what Jesus
30:51
is going to say next.
30:52
So on the other hand,
30:54
if you refuse
30:55
the Son of God,
30:56
if you reject
30:57
his peace offer,
30:59
then you will not
31:00
have eternal life
31:01
and you will utterly
31:02
perish.
31:05
Chilling.
31:06
If we do not believe
31:07
or fully trust
31:09
in Christ to save us,
31:10
we are condemned
31:11
already.
31:12
Meaning people,
31:14
all of us,
31:14
already stood
31:15
guilty before God
31:17
because of our sin
31:18
and our rebellion.
31:18
But that final sentencing
31:20
will come later
31:22
when Christ returns
31:24
and he will consummate
31:26
that judgment.
31:28
Unbelievers,
31:28
those who reject Christ,
31:31
that I once was
31:32
and many of you
31:32
once were,
31:33
we were condemned
31:34
in that moment.
31:36
We are condemned
31:37
already before God
31:38
because of the sin
31:39
of not trusting.
31:40
You see that?
31:41
Because they have not
31:42
believed in the name
31:43
of the only Son of God.
31:45
So our unbelief
31:47
pretty much just
31:48
is the high point
31:49
of that rebellion.
31:50
We already were guilty
31:51
but then we rejected
31:52
God's only solution
31:54
for our absolution
31:57
of our sin
31:57
before God.
31:59
So unbelief
32:00
in the Savior
32:00
is that high point.
32:01
So John,
32:02
then under
32:03
the inspiration
32:04
of the Holy Spirit,
32:06
explains why
32:07
some people do
32:08
and some people don't.
32:10
He gives us
32:10
some insight here
32:11
why some people receive
32:13
and why both reject.
32:15
But refusal
32:16
to trust in Jesus
32:18
as we read about
32:18
is this cosmic battle
32:21
between light
32:21
and darkness.
32:22
John does this a lot.
32:23
He does it a lot
32:24
in his letters
32:24
as well.
32:26
The battle of truth
32:28
versus error.
32:29
Light versus darkness.
32:31
Eternal life
32:32
versus eternal judgment.
32:34
And Jesus said
32:35
later on in John
32:36
that he is the light
32:37
of the world
32:38
and he has come
32:40
into the world.
32:43
And his light
32:44
exposes
32:44
whether a person
32:45
is righteous
32:46
or not.
32:47
And it drives them
32:48
into darkness.
32:50
So they don't only
32:51
hate the light
32:52
but they hate
32:52
the one
32:53
who is bringing
32:53
the light.
32:54
It's a very simple thing.
32:57
Most of us
32:58
when we have committed sin
32:59
we don't want
33:01
we want to hide.
33:03
It goes back
33:03
to Genesis 3.
33:05
We want to hide.
33:05
We want to run
33:06
from the light.
33:08
We don't want
33:08
to be exposed.
33:10
We run
33:11
not just from the light
33:12
but from Jesus himself
33:13
who is the light.
33:15
And in verse 19
33:16
look at verse 19
33:18
whoever does
33:19
what is true
33:20
comes to the light.
33:21
On the other hand
33:22
those who trust in him
33:23
love him
33:24
and obey him
33:26
come to the light.
33:27
Describing the kind
33:28
of judgment
33:29
that really does happen
33:30
when light comes
33:31
into the world.
33:32
And it turns
33:34
some
33:35
of us
33:36
into lovers
33:36
of the king.
33:37
We run into his presence
33:38
and others
33:39
we run away
33:40
from that light.
33:41
Proving that
33:42
we are condemned.
33:44
So it comes
33:45
by way of what we love
33:46
and what we hate.
33:47
Do we love the light?
33:49
Or do we hate the light?
33:50
Flip over briefly
33:51
to
33:52
1 John.
33:54
This is John's letter.
33:56
The same one
33:57
who wrote this gospel.
33:57
Look at 1 John
33:58
chapter 1
34:00
verses 5 through 10.
34:04
You can see
34:05
the language here.
34:07
So some of us
34:08
are wondering
34:08
like most of us
34:10
probably here
34:11
in this church gathering
34:13
have come into the light
34:14
and we hate our sin
34:16
even though we sin
34:17
but we love the Savior
34:18
and we treasure his blood
34:20
and others of us
34:21
still walk in darkness.
34:23
So 1 John 1
34:25
5
34:25
he says
34:27
this is the message
34:28
we have heard
34:28
from him
34:29
and proclaim to you
34:30
that God is light
34:31
and in him
34:33
there is no darkness
34:34
at all.
34:35
If we say
34:36
or if we claim
34:37
we have fellowship
34:39
with him
34:39
while we walk
34:40
in darkness
34:41
we lie
34:43
and do not
34:43
practice the truth
34:44
but
34:46
if we walk
34:47
in the light
34:48
as he is in the light
34:49
we have fellowship
34:51
with one another
34:52
and the blood of Jesus
34:53
his son
34:54
cleanses us
34:55
from all sin.
34:57
If we say
34:58
we have no sin
34:59
we have deceived
35:00
ourselves
35:01
and the truth
35:01
is not in us.
35:02
but on the other hand
35:04
if we confess
35:05
our sins
35:06
he is faithful
35:07
and just
35:08
to forgive us
35:09
our sins
35:09
and to cleanse us
35:11
from all unrighteousness.
35:13
If we say
35:14
we have not sin
35:14
we make him a liar
35:15
and his word
35:16
is not in us.
35:17
So go on
35:18
and continue reading
35:19
in 1 John
35:19
and he just keeps
35:20
flushing this out
35:21
but very clearly
35:23
Christ has come
35:26
he is the son of God
35:27
he has said
35:28
that I am the only way
35:29
to have your sin forgiven.
35:31
I am the only way
35:33
to the father
35:33
listen to me.
35:36
And then we have
35:37
one or two responses
35:38
we receive him
35:40
and have eternal life
35:41
or we reject him
35:43
and we are condemned
35:44
and we perish.
35:46
This is the gospel.
35:48
This is it.
35:49
This is the message
35:49
that we carry forth
35:51
from this building
35:52
and carry forth
35:53
to the nations
35:54
that Jesus has come
35:55
to give us life
35:56
everlasting life
35:57
and the motive of that
35:59
was the love of God.
36:01
The love of God
36:02
that was lavished
36:02
on sinful humanity
36:04
that rebelled against him.
36:06
I pray that
36:07
you have trusted
36:09
and looked at the son of God
36:10
and believed in him
36:11
that he saved your life.
36:13
So let's
36:13
join me in a word of prayer
36:16
for application
36:17
of this word.
36:18
Amen.