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Fixing and Breaking · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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I'd like us to turn back together to John chapter 5.
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And we're going to look at the passage that we read.
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! We can read again at verse 18.
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The start of chapter 5 is an interesting mini turning point in the Gospel of John.
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Because in many ways, the opening four chapters of John are just stunning.
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Maybe you could say that it's a bit like walking in the Hebrides on a beautiful summer's day.
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You go into chapter 1 and you have this stunning introduction as to who Jesus is.
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John takes us, he echoes the language of Genesis chapter 1, takes us right back into eternity
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and shows us that our view of Jesus has to be at the highest level.
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You've got this incredible opening section in the Gospel.
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You then have the interaction with John the Baptist where Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God
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who takes away the sins of the world.
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We then see the recognition that Jesus is the one who the Jews have been waiting for and longing for for so long.
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And the joy of the messianic age has finally arrived.
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And that's seen so clearly in chapter 2 in the wedding in Cana where in that moment, that day of great joy,
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Jesus begins to reveal who he is.
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And he does it through turning water into wine, the finest of wine, the drink of joy and celebration.
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At this beautiful wedding, of course, pointing to the fact that he, Jesus, is the true bridegroom.
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He has come for his bride.
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And John starts to reveal to us that all the old requirements of the old covenant era are slipping away.
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Those restrictions are being lifted.
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And the Messiah has come with a beautifully simple message of salvation.
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And that's what Nicodemus discovers in chapter 3.
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That God has so loved the world that whosoever, that he gave his son,
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that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
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And then you go into chapter 4.
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You have this amazing interaction with the woman at the well.
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And it's teaching us that Jesus is the one who has come to quench our thirst,
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to meet our deepest needs, to give us satisfaction that nothing else can compare with.
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And so John 1 to 4 is like walking on Luskintyre Beach on a stunning day.
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It's beautiful.
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And everything you see is breathtaking.
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But as you come into chapter 5, there's just maybe a slight change in the tone of the narrative.
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Not because it's less stunning.
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And in fact, the teaching in these chapters is some of the most,
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some of the richest and most theologically profound that we have in the whole Bible.
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But what we see coming into chapter 5 and what builds going through the rest of the gospel
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is that the clouds of opposition are gathering against Jesus.
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And he's being noticed.
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He is being questioned.
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He's being judged.
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And the criticism, the opposition, and the tension is all starting to increase.
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And in many ways, those two things that we've just described there,
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the kind of beautiful summer's day, stunning walk through John chapter 4,
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that's part of what a communion weekend is like.
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There's something beautiful and refreshing and enriching.
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But at the same time, a communion weekend,
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a time like this in the life of a congregation and the life of an individual believer,
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it's also the time where we are just conscious of our struggles,
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of the opposition that we face, of our battle with sin.
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And often that for us feels like a battle that we're losing.
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So our communion weekend is like it's summer and it's winter,
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all rolled into one.
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And so I think that, I hope, makes this a helpful chapter for us to turn to this evening.
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And one of the things that John is doing in his gospel,
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like all the other gospel writers,
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is he's trying to get us to understand more about who Jesus is.
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And in particular, he's trying to help us understand why Jesus has come.
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And I want us to think about that in a bit more detail tonight.
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And the title that we're going to use is Fixing and Breaking.
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Because that's what one of the things that this passage helps us to see,
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that Jesus has come to fix, but Jesus has also come to break.
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And these are two things that we need to recognize and understand,
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and we need to apply them to our own lives.
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And so what's he fixing?
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What's he breaking?
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Well, we're going to have two headings.
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The first heading is that Jesus has come to fix brokenness.
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And we see that so powerfully in this chapter.
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But the second heading, which I'm a bit hesitant to give you,
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but I'm going to give it to you anyway,
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is that he's come to break bonkers, ridiculous, stupid nonsense.
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Jesus has come to fix, and he's come to break.
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And we'll look at these two together.
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So first of all, fixing brokenness.
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I don't need to persuade any of you or anybody out in the world around us
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that there is a lot of brokenness in the world.
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We see that across the globe.
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We see that in our nation.
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We see that in our communities.
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We see it in our own lives as well.
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And maybe right now you are very much feeling the pain and the struggle of that.
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It happens in a thousand ways.
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Illness, addiction, loneliness, poverty, chronic pain, exhaustion, anxiety, stress.
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All of us experience these things to a greater or lesser degree at various points in our lives.
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And sometimes that brokenness is very, very obvious.
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It can be seen in people's lives.
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Other times it's very, very hidden.
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And we try to put on a good front,
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even though beneath it there is so much that feels broken and fragile.
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Whether it's visible, whether it's hidden.
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Either way, it's awful.
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And of course, the same was true in the days of the New Testament.
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And one place where you absolutely could see the brokenness of life with crystal clarity
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was at this pool of Bethesda that John takes us to in chapter 5.
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And I want you just to imagine walking around that pool.
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Verse 3 says,
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At that pool where there was five roofed colonies,
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in these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.
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And, you know, imagine just walking around that pool.
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You see people who have been there for years.
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They're filthy.
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And they're skin and bone.
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Some of them can't see anything, so they're crying out in distress.
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Many of them can hardly move.
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Some of them are completely paralyzed.
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And you're walking around that pool and it's awful what you see.
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So much brokenness before your eyes.
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And among them, among all those people,
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is a man who has been ill for 38 years.
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And he and all the other people there are waiting for the waters to be stirred.
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And they believe that if those waters got stirred,
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whoever got into the pool first was going to be healed.
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Now, some of you may have the King James Version in front of you
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or some of you may remember the King James Version from when you used it in years gone by.
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You may remember that it has a verse here that is not included in the ESV.
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So the King James Version, at the end of verse 3,
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says that there's blind, lame, paralyzed.
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And then it says,
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Waiting for the moving of the water.
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For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water.
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Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in,
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was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
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Now, this is an example of what we call a textual variant.
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And so I'll just explain what that means.
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We have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of manuscripts of the New Testament.
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And these have been found across various locations in the Mediterranean from the classical period.
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And they've been gathered, examined, and studied by scholars for centuries.
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And one of the remarkable things for attesting the truth of the New Testament
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is the fact that we have so many of these documents.
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And the numbers of manuscripts for the Greek New Testament
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far outweigh the numbers that have been found for other ancient pieces of literature.
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But because there's so many,
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occasionally there are small variations between the texts.
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So what one manuscript says is not always identical to what another manuscript says.
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And that's what you call a textual variant.
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And this is an example of that.
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That some texts include the verse that was included in the King James Version,
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which describes an angel coming down, stirring the waters,
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and whoever got in there first was made whole of the disease that they had.
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The ESV that most of us use in our congregations now
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is based on manuscripts that have been found,
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many of which have been found since the King James Translation was made,
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many of which are earlier, from an earlier period than when the King James manuscripts were compiled.
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And this verse is missing.
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And scholars debate this, and you may have some different opinions on it yourself,
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but those who translated the ESV would argue that because the earlier manuscripts do not have this verse,
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it's likely that it was added at a later date and was not originally part of John's Gospel.
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And I am persuaded by that argument myself,
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but if anybody is not sure about that or would like to ask more about it,
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I'd be more than happy to speak to you after the service.
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What I want to highlight, though, is that there was clearly this idea
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that if you got into the pool first, you would be healed.
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We know that from the verse a little bit further down, where it says in verse 7,
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the sick man says to Jesus, you know, if the pool in the water,
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when the water's stirred up, someone else gets in there before me.
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And the big question is this, did the pool really work?
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Or was it just a superstition?
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Was it really the case that, you know, if someone got in there first, they would be healed?
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Or was it just a superstition?
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That's something that we need to kind of make a judgment call on.
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And again, you can discuss that together over the weekend.
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Did it really work?
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Was it a superstition?
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I think it was probably a superstition.
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And I may be wrong in that,
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but it certainly looks as though it was.
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And it looks as though it wasn't as effective as they thought it would be.
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And it definitely wasn't working for this man.
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He'd been an invalid for 38 years.
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And whatever healing this pool was supposed to give him,
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it was not working.
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And so he's caught in this negative spiral,
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where he's convinced that if the waters are stirred,
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and he gets in there first, he's going to be healed.
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But he can't get into the water quickly enough,
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because no one's there to help him.
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And as a result, he's stuck, paralyzed,
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a chronic invalid beside this pool.
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But then Jesus comes to him.
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And I love how Jesus speaks to this man.
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He asks him a very simple question.
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Do you want to be healed?
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In verse 6.
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And the man gives this really elaborate answer.
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And he's kind of basically saying how everything's against him.
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And you know, with the waters are stirred,
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I can't get down there, and no one can help me.
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And I'm stuck.
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And there's sort of this complicated story of how everything is going against him.
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And, you know, whether he wants to be healed or not is kind of irrelevant,
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because circumstances are just making it impossible for him.
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He gives Jesus an elaborate answer.
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Jesus responds with quite a blunt reply.
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He says,
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Get up.
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Get up.
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Take up your bed.
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And walk.
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And I love how Jesus just cuts right through all the complexity and difficulty of the man's circumstances.
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He dismantles the spiral of negativity that the man's got himself into,
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tells the man to get up, take his bed, and walk.
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And that is exactly what happens.
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And it's remarkable.
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And there's two or three things I want us just to notice from this.
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First is that all of this is pointing us to the fact that Jesus has come to fix brokenness.
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Like every other healing miracle that Jesus performed in his ministry,
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this is pointing us to the great work of restoration that Jesus has come to do.
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That's one of the things that the miracles is pointing us to,
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the fact that Jesus has come to put right the things that are broken.
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And it's massively important for that to shape how we view the world around us,
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because we live in a time, and our own experience can be one,
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where we see so much brokenness in the world around us,
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and sometimes we experience so much brokenness ourselves,
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that we can easily conclude that it's just part of life that we've got to accept.
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But the Bible never makes brokenness and suffering acceptable or welcome in our experience in that kind of way.
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Instead, the Bible teaches us that the brokenness that we see in the world around us
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is an unwanted intrusion into the world.
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So every illness, every injustice, every bruise,
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all suffering, all pain, all anguish,
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Jesus never looks at that and thinks,
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oh, well, it's the way it is.
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Jesus looks at that and says,
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that's wrong.
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That is not the way things are meant to be.
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And all the suffering that we experience,
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and that the people around us experience,
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and that we see in the world,
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it can all be traced back to the fact that sin
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has broken God's creation.
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Things are not the way God made them to be.
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Things are not the way God wants them to be.
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Sin has caused so much brokenness.
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Jesus has come to put things right.
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He's come to fix it.
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Now, the crucial thing we have to recognize
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is that work of restoration is not instantaneous,
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and it's not going to be completed
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until he returns.
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But it has begun.
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And these miracles are a glimpse
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of that great work of restoration
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that Jesus has come to do.
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Jesus' great goal is a world
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where he will wipe away every tear from our eyes,
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and death shall be no more.
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Neither shall there be mourning,
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nor crying, nor pain anymore,
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for the former things have passed away.
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Now, this is one of the reasons
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why Christianity is so intellectually satisfying.
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And this is incredibly important to remember
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because often people think that to be a Christian,
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you kind of have to leave your brain behind
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and just ignore all the facts around you
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that are arguing against Christianity,
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and you just have to embrace this kind of blind faith
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that's hoping for the best.
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That is absolutely not true at all.
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This is where you see
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how intellectually satisfying the gospel is.
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Because if you abandon the Bible,
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if you reject the idea of God,
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and if you say that Jesus has got nothing to offer us,
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then ultimately, when you look at suffering,
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all you can say is,
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that is just part of life.
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But with the Bible,
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and with the gospel,
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you can look at all the pain
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and sorrow and hurt in the world,
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and you can say,
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I know that that is wrong.
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Jesus has come to heal and restore
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and fix a broken world.
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The second thing I want you to see
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is that this work of fixing
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is done in a very particular way by Jesus.
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It's done through his words.
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What does Jesus do in John 5?
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He just speaks.
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He tells the man to get up,
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and he's renewed.
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And this is another example
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of the many, many times
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that you will see Jesus
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making something happen by speaking.
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That's what you see throughout the gospels.
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Jesus speaks,
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and people are healed.
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Jesus speaks,
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and the waves are calmed.
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Jesus speaks,
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and his work is accomplished.
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Jesus does it again,
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and again,
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and again.
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Another question I want you to think about.
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Jesus speaks,
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and his purposes are accomplished.
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When was the first time
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he did that?
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When was the first time
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you see
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the voice
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of God the Son
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speaking,
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and something happens?
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Well, I think the first time
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that you see that
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is on the very first page
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of the Bible
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when he says,
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let there be light.
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Remember,
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John already told us
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in chapter 1
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that it is through the Son
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that all things
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were created.
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it's through God the Son
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that the work of creation
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was accomplished,
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and he did it
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by speaking.
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That's why it's no surprise
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that John calls Jesus
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the Word,
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and that's why
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what we see in Jesus' ministry
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is just a continuation
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from what he did
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at the very beginning
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of the universe.
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He speaks,
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and it brings life
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and order
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and healing
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and restoration.
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And all of this
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makes perfect sense
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because everything
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fits together
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because this is why
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the whole of Christianity
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is grounded
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on a message.
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It's grounded
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on words.
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And that's why
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we don't come to church
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and bow down
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before a statue.
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That's why
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we come to church
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and we open a book
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because it's his words
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that bring life.
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And this is where
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you see
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the contrast
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with the kind of superstition
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that maybe
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this paralyzed man,
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this invalid,
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had fallen into the trap of.
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Certainly you see
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that suspicion
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all over the world,
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kind of weird rituals
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and ideas.
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All of this
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is reminding us
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that the key thing
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that we need
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in order to be saved,
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in order to be healed
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and to be restored
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is to listen
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and to trust
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what Jesus
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is seeing.
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So this
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fixing of brokenness
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is pointing us
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to the work
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of restoration
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that Jesus
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has come to do.
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It's being achieved
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through his words.
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But the third thing
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I want you to notice
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is that this incident
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is an example
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of what we could call
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blunt grace.
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I don't think
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it's a very
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technical theological term,
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but I think
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it's a helpful term.
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It's definitely
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what we see here.
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Now when I say blunt,
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I don't mean blunt
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in like a rude
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or offensive way,
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but blunt in a way
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that it just
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cuts right across
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all the complexity
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and confusion
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that this sick man
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has got in his head.
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And that blunt,
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clear message
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that Jesus gives him
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is a message
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of grace.
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The man's
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completely helpless.
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He cannot do anything.
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Jesus
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does it all.
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And you see
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the same message
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of blunt grace
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not just
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for the man's
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salvation,
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you also see it
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for his sanctification
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later in the chapter
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because in verse 14
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Jesus meets him
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in the temple
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and says to him,
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see you are well,
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sin no more,
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that nothing worse
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may happen to you.
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Now that's the kind
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of verse that can
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maybe leave ourselves,
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that can leave us
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a wee bit tied up
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in knots or uncertain
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because we think,
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well, is Jesus saying,
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well, you know,
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your sickness was
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because you sinned?
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And are we saying
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that, well,
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everybody by that pool,
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they were sick
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because they sinned?
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And is it always
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a consequence
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that anybody who's sick
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or anyone for whom
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something bad happens
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to them is because
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of something wrong
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that they have done?
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It's easy to jump
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to that conclusion
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and many people have,
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but that's not the case.
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And we know
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it's not the case
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because other parts
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of scripture teach us
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that it's not the case.
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Often our suffering
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is not because of
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anything specific
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that we have done.
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In fact,
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John's gospel,
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John chapter 9
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is a very,
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very clear
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and important
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example of that.
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So why does Jesus
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say this to him?
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Sin no more
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that nothing worse
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may happen to you.
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Well, it could just
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be a general warning
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to the man
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to say that
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as he follows him,
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he needs to make sure
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that he doesn't
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turn away.
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But at the same time,
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we do need to recognize
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that there are ways
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in which some suffering
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can be the result
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of a specific
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sinful behavior.
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So I don't know
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if this is the case,
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but I just want you
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to imagine.
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Imagine that this man
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was a gambling addict
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and 38 years earlier
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he'd lost everything.
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He'd lost his home,
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he'd lost his family,
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he'd lost his income,
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he'd become destitute,
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malnourished,
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and eventually crippled.
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And every time
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he got any money,
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he just immediately
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lost it
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by gambling again.
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If that was the case,
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you could very much
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understand it
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if Jesus said,
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look,
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don't sin anymore,
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don't gamble again.
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And maybe
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that's the kind of situation
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that Jesus was dealing with.
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As I say,
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we don't know for sure.
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Either way,
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whatever Jesus is saying,
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he is saying it bluntly,
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but that bluntness
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is conveying grace.
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It's a message
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to help the man.
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It's the message
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that gives the man
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everything that he needs.
24:45
And in order to benefit
24:46
from it,
24:47
all the man has to do
24:49
is trust
24:50
what's been said to him
24:52
and listen.
24:54
Jesus gave a message
24:56
of blunt grace
24:57
and sometimes
25:00
that's what we need.
25:04
And so,
25:05
there are many times
25:05
in life
25:06
when we need
25:07
encouragement,
25:13
many times
25:14
when we need
25:14
gentle persuasion,
25:16
many times
25:17
when we need
25:17
to just be,
25:18
you know,
25:19
patiently helped
25:20
along a particular path.
25:22
And in many ways,
25:24
that's the way
25:25
I would always
25:27
like to be spoken to
25:29
and that's the way
25:29
I would always like
25:30
to speak to others.
25:33
But alongside that,
25:35
when it comes
25:36
to listening to Jesus,
25:40
when it comes to
25:41
responding to the gospel,
25:45
when it comes to
25:45
reaching out
25:46
to a community,
25:48
when it comes
25:49
to inviting
25:51
a friend
25:51
to church,
25:54
when it comes
25:55
to putting
25:56
your faith
25:57
in Jesus,
25:59
when it comes
26:00
to professing
26:02
your faith
26:03
in Jesus,
26:06
sometimes
26:07
we need
26:09
a blunt,
26:11
gracious
26:12
kick.
26:13
And that's
26:18
exactly
26:18
what this man
26:19
got.
26:22
Jesus said,
26:23
get up.
26:26
And he did.
26:28
And that
26:29
blunt grace
26:31
is sometimes
26:33
where the gospel
26:34
is at its
26:36
most powerful.
26:39
And so Jesus
26:40
came to fix
26:41
brokenness.
26:42
That's our first
26:43
heading.
26:43
But our second
26:44
heading is
26:45
that he has
26:46
come also
26:47
to break
26:48
bonkers,
26:50
ridiculous,
26:50
stupid nonsense.
26:52
There's a lot
26:53
of brokenness
26:53
in the world,
26:54
as we said,
26:54
but there's also
26:55
a lot of
26:56
bonkers,
26:56
ridiculous,
26:57
stupid nonsense
26:57
in the world,
26:58
especially
26:59
when it comes
27:01
to religion.
27:02
And that's
27:02
exactly what
27:03
you see
27:04
in this passage
27:05
before us.
27:06
Verse 9
27:06
tells us
27:07
that the healing
27:07
took place
27:08
on the Sabbath
27:09
and the controversy
27:10
immediately arises
27:11
among the Jews
27:11
because the man
27:12
is carrying his mat,
27:13
which in their eyes
27:14
is a breach
27:15
of God's law.
27:16
But this is one
27:18
of many examples
27:18
that we see in the gospel
27:19
where the Jews
27:20
had added a whole
27:21
extra layer
27:22
of requirements
27:24
on top of what
27:25
God's law required.
27:26
So God's command
27:27
rightly and graciously
27:29
instructs us
27:30
to keep the Sabbath
27:30
as a day
27:32
that is to be holy
27:33
and a day where
27:34
we can rest
27:34
from our work.
27:36
And the Jews
27:37
added all sorts
27:39
of additional details
27:40
to that
27:40
to say
27:41
that you can't
27:42
carry a bed,
27:42
you can't walk
27:43
a certain distance,
27:44
you can't do this,
27:44
you can't do that.
27:45
And so this man
27:46
by obeying Jesus
27:48
is breaking
27:49
their commandment.
27:51
And of course
27:51
we can relate to this
27:53
in our context,
27:55
we can relate to it
27:55
with Sabbath keeping
27:56
with lots of things
27:57
that have been added
27:58
over the years
28:00
to add extra pressure
28:01
in regard to how
28:02
the Sabbath
28:03
is to be observed.
28:04
We've seen it
28:05
in other parts
28:06
of life as well.
28:09
The result of all
28:10
of that is that
28:11
instead of rejoicing
28:13
that this man
28:14
is healed,
28:15
the Jews are
28:16
criticizing him.
28:18
In their eyes,
28:20
the fact that
28:21
this 38-year invalid
28:23
can walk again
28:24
is a bad thing.
28:28
And it's crazy.
28:31
It's utterly bewildering.
28:33
And you can see
28:34
it seems to have
28:35
a very damaging effect
28:36
on the man himself.
28:38
When he's confronted
28:39
by the Jews,
28:39
he immediately wants
28:40
to put the blame
28:40
on Jesus
28:41
and to deflect attention
28:42
away from himself.
28:44
And it does seem
28:45
that the man
28:45
becomes very quickly
28:46
more concerned
28:47
about what the Jews
28:48
around him think
28:49
rather than
28:51
he is concerned
28:52
with actually following
28:53
Jesus
28:53
and listening to the man
28:55
who's healed him.
28:57
In fact,
28:57
when you get to
28:58
verses 14-18
28:59
when Jesus speaks
28:59
to him in the temple,
29:00
the man goes
29:01
and reports Jesus
29:03
to the Jews.
29:04
This prompts
29:05
a confrontation.
29:07
And they attack Jesus
29:10
because he healed
29:12
the man on the Sabbath.
29:14
And then Jesus responds
29:15
in verse 17
29:17
by saying,
29:18
my father is working
29:19
until now
29:20
and I am working.
29:22
And that just makes
29:23
everything worse.
29:25
The tension escalates
29:26
and it takes us
29:28
to verse 18
29:29
where it says
29:30
that the Jews
29:31
were seeking
29:31
all the more
29:32
to kill him
29:32
because not only
29:33
was he breaking
29:34
the Sabbath
29:34
but he was even
29:35
calling God
29:36
his own father
29:37
making himself
29:39
equal with God.
29:42
Jesus goes on
29:43
later in the chapter
29:44
to say more
29:45
about his equality
29:45
with the father.
29:46
This is part of
29:47
the incredibly rich
29:48
teaching that's
29:48
going to emerge
29:49
in John 5, 6, 7
29:50
and beyond.
29:52
I want us
29:53
just to notice
29:54
a crucial lesson
29:57
that arises
29:58
from the ridiculous
30:01
nonsense
30:01
of the people
30:03
who are criticizing
30:04
Jesus.
30:06
Their argument
30:07
is like this.
30:09
Jesus is making
30:11
himself equal
30:11
with God
30:12
and that's
30:14
a reason
30:15
for us
30:15
to kill him.
30:17
That was their
30:18
great criticism.
30:19
Jesus is making
30:19
himself equal
30:20
with God.
30:21
He needs to die
30:21
we need to
30:22
find a way
30:23
in order
30:23
to put him
30:25
to death.
30:25
But there's
30:26
a huge irony
30:28
in what's
30:29
happening here
30:30
because these
30:32
Jews
30:32
when they
30:33
took
30:34
the fourth
30:35
commandment
30:36
and added
30:37
all their
30:38
additional
30:39
requirements
30:39
to it
30:40
and when
30:41
they
30:42
judged
30:43
what
30:44
Sabbath
30:44
keeping
30:45
does
30:45
and does
30:46
not
30:46
look like
30:47
and when
30:47
they decided
30:48
that healing
30:49
this man
30:50
who's been
30:50
sick for
30:51
38 years
30:51
was a
30:52
bad thing
30:53
rather than
30:54
a good
30:54
thing
30:54
and when
30:55
they reached
30:56
the verdict
30:56
that Jesus
30:58
deserves to
30:59
die
30:59
what are
31:00
they doing?
31:03
They
31:04
are making
31:06
themselves
31:06
equal
31:08
with God.
31:11
They were
31:12
saying to
31:13
God
31:13
your rules
31:15
aren't enough
31:16
so we're
31:17
going to
31:18
add some
31:18
more.
31:20
Your
31:20
terms
31:21
aren't
31:21
adequate
31:22
so we're
31:23
going to
31:24
set them
31:24
and your
31:26
ways
31:27
aren't
31:28
really
31:28
suitable
31:29
so we're
31:30
going to
31:30
do things
31:31
our way
31:32
instead.
31:34
And by
31:34
adding their
31:35
own rules
31:35
this is the
31:35
thing that's
31:35
so important
31:36
to see
31:36
that by
31:36
adding their
31:37
own rules
31:38
by doing
31:38
things their
31:39
way they
31:39
were not
31:39
honouring
31:40
God.
31:41
They were
31:42
actually saying
31:42
that God's
31:43
commands were
31:44
not good
31:44
enough and
31:45
the minute
31:46
they did
31:47
that they
31:48
made
31:49
themselves
31:49
equal
31:50
with God.
31:55
But the
31:55
really scary
31:56
thing
31:57
is that we
32:00
do exactly
32:00
the same
32:00
thing.
32:02
In fact
32:03
that's what
32:03
lies at the
32:04
heart of
32:05
the human
32:05
condition.
32:06
That's what
32:06
sin has
32:07
done to
32:08
us.
32:08
When the
32:08
devil tempted
32:09
Eve to
32:09
sin against
32:10
God in
32:11
Genesis 3
32:12
what did
32:12
he say?
32:13
He said
32:13
you'll not
32:14
surely die
32:14
God knows
32:15
that when
32:16
you eat
32:16
of the
32:16
fruit
32:16
your eyes
32:17
will be
32:17
open and
32:18
you will
32:19
be like
32:19
God
32:20
knowing
32:21
good and
32:22
evil.
32:22
In other
32:22
words the
32:23
devil tempted
32:23
Eve with
32:24
the promise
32:25
with the
32:27
lie that
32:28
she could
32:29
make herself
32:30
equal with
32:31
God.
32:32
And that's
32:32
been the
32:32
constant
32:32
trait of
32:33
human behaviour
32:34
ever since.
32:35
We want to
32:36
do things on
32:36
our own
32:37
terms.
32:37
We want to
32:38
make our
32:38
own rules.
32:39
We want
32:39
God to
32:39
listen to
32:40
us instead
32:41
of us
32:42
listening to
32:43
him.
32:43
But when
32:43
we do
32:44
that we
32:45
are making
32:46
ourselves
32:46
equal with
32:47
God because
32:48
we're putting
32:48
ourselves
32:48
alongside
32:49
God.
32:50
Maybe we're
32:51
even putting
32:51
ourselves above
32:52
God and
32:53
saying to
32:53
God this
32:54
is how
32:55
things should
32:55
work.
32:57
This is the
32:57
way it's
32:59
meant to
33:00
be.
33:02
And
33:03
really
33:04
that's the
33:06
two choices
33:07
that we
33:08
have in
33:10
response to
33:12
the gospel.
33:14
We either
33:15
listen to
33:15
God and
33:17
respond the
33:17
way he
33:18
commands to
33:18
us or
33:19
we do our
33:20
own thing
33:20
and we
33:22
make ourselves
33:22
equal with
33:24
God.
33:25
There is no
33:25
third option.
33:27
And it's
33:29
really important
33:30
that this
33:30
one thing
33:32
can happen
33:33
in two
33:33
very opposite
33:34
ways.
33:35
I want you
33:36
to imagine
33:36
two people.
33:37
One of
33:38
them hears
33:38
the gospel
33:39
and says
33:39
Christianity
33:40
is not for
33:40
me, not
33:41
interested, I
33:42
don't need
33:42
God, I'm
33:43
fine as I
33:43
am, I'm
33:44
going to
33:45
live my
33:45
own life and
33:46
do things
33:46
my own
33:46
way.
33:47
And off
33:48
they go.
33:49
And
33:49
obviously
33:50
they're not
33:53
interested in
33:54
what God
33:54
thinks, they're
33:55
making themselves
33:56
their God,
33:57
they're making
33:57
themselves equal
33:58
with God.
33:59
But the
33:59
other person
34:00
says this,
34:04
I'm
34:04
not good
34:06
enough for
34:06
God.
34:08
So I
34:09
need to
34:10
make sure
34:10
that I
34:12
get myself
34:13
into a
34:15
better
34:15
condition.
34:16
So I'm
34:17
going to
34:17
start praying
34:17
five times
34:18
a day and
34:19
I'm going
34:20
to make
34:20
sure I
34:20
give more
34:21
money to
34:21
the poor.
34:22
I'm going
34:23
to cut
34:24
myself off
34:24
from TV
34:26
and from
34:27
music.
34:28
I'm only
34:28
going to
34:28
eat plain
34:29
food.
34:29
I'm going
34:29
to fast
34:30
twice a
34:30
week.
34:31
I'm never
34:32
going to
34:33
go on
34:34
social
34:34
media or
34:35
YouTube or
34:35
anything like
34:36
that.
34:36
In fact, I'm
34:37
going to
34:37
avoid all
34:37
relationships,
34:38
I'm going
34:38
to have a
34:38
life of
34:38
celibacy and
34:40
every time I
34:41
do something
34:42
wrong I
34:43
am going to
34:43
whip myself
34:44
to make
34:45
atonement for
34:47
my sin.
34:48
So the
34:49
one guy
34:49
wanders off,
34:50
no interest
34:51
in God and
34:52
does his
34:52
own thing.
34:53
And the
34:54
other person
34:54
makes all
34:55
of these
34:56
rules in
34:58
order to
34:59
get up to
34:59
the standard
35:00
that he
35:01
thinks is
35:01
required.
35:02
They look
35:03
completely
35:04
different.
35:05
They're both
35:06
doing exactly
35:08
the same
35:09
thing.
35:11
They're both
35:12
making
35:12
themselves
35:13
equal with
35:14
God.
35:16
Because the
35:17
guy who's
35:17
doing his
35:17
own thing
35:18
is saying,
35:18
well, I
35:19
can do
35:19
what I
35:19
like.
35:21
My opinion
35:22
is just as
35:23
important as
35:23
God's opinion.
35:24
That's the
35:24
antinomian,
35:25
doing what
35:26
they want.
35:26
the person
35:27
on this
35:27
side is
35:28
the
35:28
legalist.
35:30
But the
35:31
legalist is
35:32
making himself
35:34
equal to
35:34
God just
35:35
as much as
35:35
the other
35:35
guy.
35:37
Because he
35:37
is setting
35:38
his own
35:38
rules rather
35:40
than listening
35:40
to what
35:42
God is
35:43
saying.
35:45
And what
35:46
I hope you
35:47
can see is
35:49
that all of
35:49
it is
35:51
absolutely
35:52
bonkers.
35:53
others.
35:54
But it
35:55
happens in
35:58
so many
35:59
ways.
36:02
And
36:02
it's a
36:07
good question
36:08
to ask
36:09
ourselves.
36:12
Am I
36:12
allowing
36:13
something
36:16
that is
36:16
not right
36:18
and something
36:19
that's actually
36:19
ridiculous?
36:20
Am I
36:21
allowing that
36:22
to
36:23
imprison
36:23
me
36:24
and to
36:26
control
36:27
me
36:27
in my
36:29
life?
36:31
And so
36:31
here's some
36:31
of the
36:32
things that
36:32
we can
36:32
think in
36:33
our lives.
36:35
We can
36:35
think
36:35
I
36:37
have
36:39
absolutely
36:40
no
36:40
gifts
36:40
and I'm
36:42
of no
36:42
use to
36:43
anybody.
36:45
We can
36:46
think to
36:46
ourselves
36:47
my prayers
36:49
are
36:50
just
36:51
pathetic.
36:55
They're a
36:56
waste of
36:56
words and
36:58
God's not
36:58
listening.
37:01
We can
37:01
think to
37:02
ourselves
37:03
that
37:06
I can't
37:11
go forward
37:12
to the
37:12
Lord's
37:12
table
37:13
because I'm
37:14
not worthy.
37:15
I'm
37:17
not good
37:17
enough
37:17
and I
37:20
shouldn't
37:21
do it.
37:23
We can
37:24
think to
37:24
ourselves
37:24
there's no
37:26
point
37:27
in
37:29
time to
37:29
evangelize
37:30
because
37:31
we can't
37:32
do it
37:33
anyway.
37:34
It's only
37:34
the Holy
37:35
Spirit that
37:36
can convert
37:36
people.
37:37
There's no
37:38
point in
37:38
us
37:38
making any
37:40
attempt
37:40
to witness.
37:41
mistakes and
37:43
we can
37:44
think to
37:44
ourselves
37:44
I've
37:47
made too
37:47
many
37:47
mistakes.
37:49
I've
37:50
messed up
37:50
too badly
37:51
and God
37:53
will never
37:53
forgive me.
37:58
If you
37:59
believe
38:01
any of
38:02
those things
38:03
then you
38:05
are believing
38:06
bonkers
38:08
ridiculous
38:09
stupid
38:09
nonsense
38:10
because
38:14
none of
38:14
that's
38:15
true.
38:18
None of
38:18
that is
38:19
ever
38:19
true.
38:23
And
38:23
Jesus has
38:23
come to
38:24
break
38:25
every
38:26
crazy
38:27
idea
38:27
that we
38:28
have
38:29
that makes
38:30
the gospel
38:31
more difficult
38:32
than it needs
38:33
to be.
38:34
And you
38:34
know we do
38:34
that all the
38:35
time.
38:35
We make
38:36
the gospel
38:36
more difficult
38:37
than it needs
38:38
to be.
38:39
And that's
38:40
exactly what
38:41
these Jews
38:41
were doing.
38:42
They were
38:42
making it
38:42
so much
38:43
harder,
38:43
so much
38:43
more
38:43
complicated,
38:44
so much
38:45
more of
38:46
a burden.
38:47
And Jesus
38:47
has come
38:48
to break
38:49
all of
38:49
that.
38:50
But do
38:50
you know
38:51
he breaks
38:51
it in
38:52
the most
38:53
magnificent
38:54
and beautiful
38:55
way.
38:57
Because the
38:58
incredible thing
38:58
about Jesus
38:58
is that he
38:59
actually is
39:00
equal with
39:00
God.
39:01
That's the
39:01
big point
39:02
that John
39:02
wants us
39:02
to recognise.
39:04
Yet he
39:04
was willing
39:05
to lay
39:05
aside all
39:06
the glory
39:07
and status
39:07
that he
39:08
deserves.
39:08
He came
39:09
down to
39:10
be alongside
39:11
us.
39:11
He came
39:12
to die
39:12
in place
39:13
of us.
39:14
And this
39:14
is where
39:14
we see
39:15
an astonishing
39:16
contrast
39:16
between the
39:17
mindset of
39:18
the Jews
39:18
and the
39:19
mindset
39:19
of Jesus.
39:20
Because the
39:20
Jews in
39:21
this passage
39:21
made
39:22
themselves
39:22
equal with
39:23
God by
39:24
making up
39:24
their own
39:24
commands.
39:25
But in
39:26
their opposition
39:27
to what
39:28
they saw
39:29
in Jesus
39:29
and the
39:30
idea that
39:30
he was
39:30
making
39:31
himself
39:31
equal
39:31
with
39:31
God,
39:32
they said
39:32
he deserves
39:33
to die,
39:33
we want
39:34
to kill
39:34
him.
39:35
Jesus
39:36
actually is
39:37
equal with
39:38
God,
39:39
but he
39:40
comes to
39:40
these people,
39:42
these people
39:42
who are
39:42
making up
39:43
their own
39:43
rules and
39:44
who are
39:45
making things
39:46
far more
39:47
complicated than
39:48
they need
39:48
to,
39:48
who think
39:49
that they
39:49
know better
39:50
and who
39:50
actually want
39:51
to put
39:51
him to
39:52
death and
39:53
Jesus
39:53
comes
39:54
to die
39:56
for them.
39:57
Jesus
40:01
comes
40:01
to save
40:03
them.
40:06
And
40:06
that is
40:09
the amazing
40:10
thing about
40:11
the gospel
40:12
is that
40:13
in order
40:14
to fix
40:15
us,
40:17
Jesus
40:17
gave
40:18
himself
40:18
to be
40:20
broken.
40:22
And in
40:23
doing so,
40:24
in giving
40:24
himself,
40:25
he does
40:25
absolutely
40:26
everything,
40:27
everything
40:28
that is
40:29
needed
40:29
for our
40:30
salvation.
40:31
And here
40:31
is where
40:32
there is
40:34
such a
40:34
crucial point
40:35
that we
40:36
always need
40:36
to remember,
40:37
that in
40:38
our
40:38
Christian
40:39
lives,
40:42
nonsense
40:42
is far
40:45
more
40:46
dangerous
40:46
than
40:48
brokenness.
40:51
So you
40:52
might feel
40:53
like you
40:54
are so
40:54
broken,
40:55
brokenness,
40:56
either as
40:56
somebody who
40:56
is not
40:57
yet a
40:57
Christian
40:57
or even
40:58
as a
41:00
Christian.
41:01
You might
41:01
think,
41:01
I have
41:01
messed up
41:02
so much
41:02
and I
41:02
have
41:03
failed
41:04
Jesus
41:05
and I
41:05
am not
41:05
where I
41:06
want to
41:06
be.
41:06
And you
41:07
might feel
41:07
that you
41:08
are so
41:08
broken.
41:09
And we
41:09
think that
41:10
that
41:10
brokenness
41:10
is a
41:11
massive,
41:12
massive
41:12
problem.
41:13
We
41:14
must
41:14
recognize
41:15
that the
41:16
problem
41:16
is not
41:17
brokenness.
41:19
And the
41:19
danger
41:20
is not
41:20
brokenness.
41:21
the danger
41:24
is
41:24
nonsense.
41:28
Jesus
41:29
can fix
41:30
all the
41:31
brokenness.
41:32
And if
41:33
you're a
41:33
Christian,
41:34
he already
41:35
has.
41:38
But the
41:39
nonsense
41:39
will tell
41:40
you that
41:42
he can't
41:43
or that
41:45
he won't
41:46
or that
41:48
it's
41:48
different
41:48
for you.
41:51
that is
41:52
forever
41:54
and always
41:55
and eternally
41:56
nonsense.
42:00
And
42:00
instead
42:00
we have
42:02
the
42:02
beautiful
42:03
simplicity
42:04
of the
42:05
gospel
42:05
where
42:07
Jesus
42:07
comes to
42:08
us
42:08
with
42:10
majestic
42:10
blunt
42:11
grace
42:12
and he
42:14
says
42:14
get up.
42:16
And so
42:16
for all
42:17
of us
42:17
may
42:17
those
42:18
words
42:18
be our
42:20
guide
42:21
that
42:22
we
42:22
get up
42:23
from
42:24
here
42:25
we
42:26
go on
42:26
in our
42:26
lives
42:27
serving
42:27
him
42:28
and if
42:30
you're
42:31
thinking
42:31
about
42:31
professing
42:32
faith
42:32
then
42:33
please
42:36
please
42:36
get up
42:37
and come
42:40
and tell
42:40
the elders
42:41
in this
42:41
church
42:42
who love
42:42
you
42:42
that
42:43
you
42:43
love
42:43
Jesus.
42:44
and as
42:46
as we
42:47
look ahead
42:47
to the
42:48
Lord's
42:48
table
42:48
despite
42:50
our
42:51
feelings
42:51
of shame
42:51
and
42:52
frustration
42:53
and
42:53
disappointment
42:53
in
42:54
ourselves
42:54
we are
42:55
going to
42:56
lift our
42:56
eyes off
42:57
ourselves
42:57
we're
42:58
going to
42:58
get up
42:59
we're
43:00
going to
43:00
look to
43:00
Jesus
43:00
and we're
43:02
going to
43:02
rejoice
43:02
because he's
43:04
done everything
43:04
we need
43:04
Amen
43:06
let's pray
43:07
Lord Jesus
43:12
thank you
43:12
so so
43:13
much
43:13
for all
43:14
that you've
43:14
done
43:14
for us
43:15
all that
43:15
you've
43:15
come to
43:16
do
43:16
thank you
43:17
that you
43:17
come
43:17
to heal
43:19
our
43:19
brokenness
43:20
and you
43:20
cut through
43:21
all of
43:22
our
43:22
nonsense
43:23
and we
43:23
confess
43:23
that we
43:24
do
43:24
we tie
43:25
ourselves
43:25
in knots
43:26
we add
43:26
all sorts
43:27
of
43:27
complexities
43:27
we make
43:28
the gospel
43:28
far
43:29
harder
43:30
than you
43:31
have
43:32
ever
43:33
intended
43:35
it to
43:35
be
43:35
and we
43:37
pray
43:37
instead
43:37
that
43:38
every
43:38
one
43:38
of
43:38
us
43:38
would
43:39
just
43:39
hear
43:39
your
43:39
loving
43:40
commanding
43:41
voice
43:42
calling
43:43
us
43:43
to
43:43
come
43:44
to
43:44
you
43:44
to
43:45
be
43:45
refreshed
43:46
and
43:46
strengthened
43:46
by
43:46
you
43:47
and
43:48
to
43:48
live
43:48
for
43:49
you
43:49
every
43:51
day
43:51
of
43:51
our
43:51
lives
43:51
guide
43:53
us
43:53
and
43:53
direct
43:53
us
43:53
all
43:54
we
43:54
pray
43:54
in
43:55
Jesus
43:55
name
43:55
Amen
43:56
Our
44:01
concluding
44:01
psalm is
44:02
psalm 138
44:03
and we're
44:04
going to
44:04
sing
44:05
from the
44:05
sing
44:05
psalms
44:06
version
44:06
that's on
44:16
page 179
44:17
singing from
44:18
verse 4
44:18
to the
44:19
end of
44:19
the
44:19
psalm
44:20
O
44:20
Lord
44:20
let all
44:21
earth's
44:23
kings
44:23
give
44:23
praise
44:24
when
44:25
from
44:25
your
44:25
mouth
44:25
they
44:25
hear
44:25
your
44:26
word
44:26
let
44:26
them
44:27
extol
44:27
the
44:27
ways
44:28
of
44:28
God
44:28
for
44:28
great
44:29
the
44:29
glory
44:29
of
44:30
the
44:30
Lord
44:31
we'll
44:31
sing
44:31
4
44:32
to
44:32
8
44:33
we can
44:33
lift up
44:33
our
44:33
voices
44:34
in
44:34
thanksgiving
44:35
to Jesus
44:35
as we
44:36
sing
44:36
these
44:37
words
44:37
together
44:38
O
44:43
Lord
44:44
let
44:45
all
44:46
our
44:47
kings
44:48
give
44:49
praise
44:49
O
44:52
Lord
44:53
let
44:53
all
44:55
our
44:55
kings
44:57
give
44:57
praise
44:58
when
44:59
from
45:01
your
45:01
life
45:03
they
45:03
hear
45:05
your
45:05
word
45:06
and
45:08
let
45:09
!
45:10
go
45:10
the
45:11
ways
45:13
of
45:13
God
45:14
for
45:15
praise
45:17
the
45:17
glory
45:19
of
45:21
the
45:22
Lord
45:23
although
45:25
the
45:27
Lord
45:28
God
45:29
dwells
45:31
on
45:31
high
45:32
the
45:33
lowly
45:35
person
45:37
he
45:38
protects
45:39
he
45:40
whereas
45:41
the
45:43
blood
45:44
and
45:45
haughty
45:47
one
45:48
he
45:49
knows
45:50
the
45:51
blood
45:52
of
45:53
and
45:54
rejects
45:57
although
45:59
I
46:00
walk
46:01
a troubled
46:04
path
46:05
your
46:07
tender
46:08
care
46:09
preserves
46:12
my
46:13
life
46:14
you
46:15
raise
46:16
your
46:17
hand
46:18
against
46:19
my
46:20
foes
46:21
your
46:23
right
46:25
that
46:25
saves
46:26
me
46:27
from
46:28
their
46:29
strife
46:30
the
46:32
Lord
46:33
the
46:35
certainly
46:37
fulfill
46:39
for
46:41
me
46:42
the
46:43
purpose
46:44
he
46:45
commands
46:46
your
46:47
love
46:50
endures
46:51
forever
46:52
Lord
46:54
the
46:55
words
46:56
of
46:57
your
46:58
own
46:59
hands
47:00
may
47:02
the
47:03
grace
47:04
of
47:05
our
47:06
Lord
47:07
Jesus
47:08
Christ
47:09
the
47:10
of
47:11
the
47:12
Holy
47:13
be with
47:14
Amen
47:22
may
47:24
may
47:52
Thank you.