1 00:00:00,940 –> 00:00:03,500 Well, please turn in your Bible to John’s Gospel 2 00:00:03,500 –> 00:00:07,700 in chapter three, just six verses before us today. 3 00:00:07,700 –> 00:00:11,580 The verses that have been read from verse 31 to verse 36, 4 00:00:11,580 –> 00:00:13,740 and I am so grateful for the privilege 5 00:00:13,740 –> 00:00:16,400 of presenting these marvelous verses 6 00:00:16,400 –> 00:00:17,500 to you today. 7 00:00:17,500 –> 00:00:21,120 What we have here really gets to the heart 8 00:00:21,120 –> 00:00:26,120 of who Jesus is and why faith in him matters 9 00:00:26,360 –> 00:00:28,360 for each and every one of us today. 10 00:00:28,360 –> 00:00:32,060 If you’ve been a believer for many, many years, 11 00:00:32,060 –> 00:00:34,200 these verses that are before us today 12 00:00:34,200 –> 00:00:36,840 in John three are for you. 13 00:00:36,840 –> 00:00:40,419 They will remind you of who Jesus is. 14 00:00:40,419 –> 00:00:43,400 They will renew your joy in all the ways 15 00:00:43,400 –> 00:00:46,119 that you are blessed by the Savior 16 00:00:46,119 –> 00:00:48,599 who is of supreme value to you. 17 00:00:48,599 –> 00:00:50,480 If you’re new to the church, 18 00:00:50,480 –> 00:00:52,840 if you are looking at faith, 19 00:00:52,840 –> 00:00:55,580 perhaps in the early stages of exploring faith 20 00:00:55,580 –> 00:00:59,099 or returning to faith or seeking after, 21 00:00:59,099 –> 00:01:01,799 finding faith in Jesus Christ, 22 00:01:01,799 –> 00:01:03,459 these verses are going to show you 23 00:01:03,459 –> 00:01:06,879 what faith in Jesus Christ is 24 00:01:06,879 –> 00:01:09,419 and how it is possible for you. 25 00:01:09,419 –> 00:01:11,940 If you’ve been brought up in the church, 26 00:01:11,940 –> 00:01:15,300 if you come here out of habit, 27 00:01:15,300 –> 00:01:17,500 if you’re a younger person who is brought 28 00:01:17,500 –> 00:01:18,699 because your parents didn’t give you 29 00:01:18,699 –> 00:01:20,379 the option of staying at home, 30 00:01:20,379 –> 00:01:21,320 I want to say to you, 31 00:01:21,320 –> 00:01:24,019 these verses that are before us here today 32 00:01:24,660 –> 00:01:26,720 are for you because they will show you 33 00:01:26,720 –> 00:01:29,839 what is at stake in the decisions 34 00:01:29,839 –> 00:01:31,279 that you are making even now 35 00:01:31,279 –> 00:01:33,019 at this point in your life 36 00:01:33,019 –> 00:01:35,739 with regards to Jesus Christ. 37 00:01:35,739 –> 00:01:38,959 So I want to present these six verses 38 00:01:38,959 –> 00:01:42,839 to you under two very simple headings. 39 00:01:42,839 –> 00:01:47,059 The first is going to be what we learn about Jesus 40 00:01:47,059 –> 00:01:48,480 and the second is going to be 41 00:01:48,480 –> 00:01:51,120 how we respond to Jesus. 42 00:01:51,120 –> 00:01:52,279 I hope you have the bible open 43 00:01:52,279 –> 00:01:53,860 in front of you so that 44 00:01:54,139 –> 00:01:56,339 we can follow along together 45 00:01:56,339 –> 00:01:57,220 from the scriptures. 46 00:01:57,220 –> 00:01:59,260 First then, what we learn 47 00:01:59,260 –> 00:02:01,220 and I wanted simply draw out 48 00:02:01,220 –> 00:02:02,940 from the verses that are in front of us 49 00:02:02,940 –> 00:02:07,620 seven things that you need to know about Jesus. 50 00:02:07,620 –> 00:02:08,699 Since that’s the first point 51 00:02:08,699 –> 00:02:10,199 I’m going to have to get my skates on 52 00:02:10,199 –> 00:02:12,460 and I promise you that I will. 53 00:02:12,460 –> 00:02:14,000 Seven things that you need to know 54 00:02:14,000 –> 00:02:15,220 about Jesus Christ. 55 00:02:15,220 –> 00:02:17,880 Number one, Jesus came from above. 56 00:02:17,880 –> 00:02:21,580 Verse 31, he who comes from above 57 00:02:21,820 –> 00:02:24,039 is above all. 58 00:02:24,039 –> 00:02:26,940 Now that immediately distinguishes Jesus Christ 59 00:02:26,940 –> 00:02:28,619 from all of the rest of us. 60 00:02:28,619 –> 00:02:32,139 We are, as the verse says here, off the Earth. 61 00:02:32,139 –> 00:02:34,339 We belong to the Earth. 62 00:02:34,339 –> 00:02:36,380 This is our home 63 00:02:36,380 –> 00:02:38,880 but Jesus comes from above, 64 00:02:38,880 –> 00:02:41,300 that is, he did not originate 65 00:02:41,300 –> 00:02:43,320 from the human line of descent, 66 00:02:43,320 –> 00:02:46,339 he came into the human line of descent 67 00:02:46,339 –> 00:02:48,179 and he did that has we been remembering 68 00:02:48,179 –> 00:02:50,539 recently through the Christmas story 69 00:02:50,539 –> 00:02:53,279 when he came from heaven. 70 00:02:53,279 –> 00:02:55,639 Your life began, as my life began, 71 00:02:55,639 –> 00:03:00,119 when you were conceived in your mother’s womb 72 00:03:00,119 –> 00:03:03,059 but that was not true for Jesus. 73 00:03:03,059 –> 00:03:06,720 Before he was ever consumed, conceived, I’m sorry, 74 00:03:06,720 –> 00:03:08,639 in the womb of the Virgin Mary, 75 00:03:08,639 –> 00:03:11,779 he shared the very life of God 76 00:03:11,779 –> 00:03:14,380 in heaven itself, that’s the first thing. 77 00:03:14,380 –> 00:03:18,960 Second, Jesus gave testimony 78 00:03:18,960 –> 00:03:19,800 as a witness. 79 00:03:19,940 –> 00:03:21,259 Now this is really important 80 00:03:21,259 –> 00:03:23,479 for us to grasp this point. 81 00:03:23,479 –> 00:03:28,199 Verse 32, he bears witness 82 00:03:28,199 –> 00:03:31,919 to what he has seen and heard. 83 00:03:31,919 –> 00:03:35,059 Yet says John, no one receives his testimony. 84 00:03:36,160 –> 00:03:38,520 Now we live in a culture 85 00:03:38,520 –> 00:03:41,000 that is constantly telling us 86 00:03:41,000 –> 00:03:44,440 that everything is a matter of opinion 87 00:03:45,419 –> 00:03:47,119 and the line that we are fed 88 00:03:47,119 –> 00:03:49,320 and of course in many areas of life it is true 89 00:03:49,339 –> 00:03:52,119 is that we all of our own opinions 90 00:03:52,119 –> 00:03:54,759 and it is arrogance for anyone to claim 91 00:03:54,759 –> 00:03:57,720 that one opinion is more valid 92 00:03:57,720 –> 00:04:00,419 or more important or significant than another. 93 00:04:01,880 –> 00:04:03,259 But I want you to remember today 94 00:04:03,259 –> 00:04:05,460 that there is another category 95 00:04:05,460 –> 00:04:09,880 that all of us recognize besides opinion 96 00:04:09,880 –> 00:04:12,479 which functions in an entirely different way 97 00:04:12,479 –> 00:04:14,880 and that category of course is testimony. 98 00:04:15,880 –> 00:04:17,720 In a court of law, 99 00:04:17,720 –> 00:04:22,459 a witness does not offer an opinion 100 00:04:22,459 –> 00:04:24,920 but a witness by definition offers 101 00:04:24,920 –> 00:04:29,279 what she or he has seen and heard 102 00:04:29,279 –> 00:04:30,440 and what I want you to notice 103 00:04:30,440 –> 00:04:33,359 in this verse 32 is that that is exactly the way 104 00:04:33,359 –> 00:04:36,679 in which Jesus Christ is described here, 105 00:04:36,679 –> 00:04:41,559 he bears witness to what he has seen 106 00:04:41,559 –> 00:04:44,679 and heard as the one who comes to us 107 00:04:44,799 –> 00:04:45,899 from heaven. 108 00:04:46,799 –> 00:04:47,679 In other words, 109 00:04:47,679 –> 00:04:50,359 the teaching of Jesus is not offered to us 110 00:04:50,359 –> 00:04:52,779 as an opinion to be considered, 111 00:04:53,640 –> 00:04:55,720 Jesus Christ did not come into the world 112 00:04:55,720 –> 00:05:00,299 to offer a theory for us to evaluate, 113 00:05:00,299 –> 00:05:02,959 what he brings to us as he comes into the world 114 00:05:02,959 –> 00:05:05,359 is a testimony 115 00:05:05,359 –> 00:05:07,500 of what he the one who comes from heaven 116 00:05:07,500 –> 00:05:09,160 has seen and what he has heard, 117 00:05:09,160 –> 00:05:11,359 that’s what it says here in front of us 118 00:05:11,779 –> 00:05:13,160 and it is a testimony 119 00:05:13,160 –> 00:05:15,660 that is to be believed, 120 00:05:15,660 –> 00:05:17,980 in other words Jesus Christ comes from heaven 121 00:05:17,980 –> 00:05:20,500 which is his own home, 122 00:05:20,500 –> 00:05:24,019 a place where none of us by definition have ever been 123 00:05:24,019 –> 00:05:26,559 and when he came to us he spoke to us 124 00:05:26,559 –> 00:05:28,239 out of his own experience 125 00:05:28,239 –> 00:05:29,700 of his own home 126 00:05:29,700 –> 00:05:31,119 that is what he has seen 127 00:05:31,119 –> 00:05:32,420 and what he has heard. 128 00:05:32,420 –> 00:05:33,260 Third, 129 00:05:34,299 –> 00:05:36,559 Jesus was sent by the father, 130 00:05:36,559 –> 00:05:38,799 third thing we need to know about Jesus, 131 00:05:38,839 –> 00:05:40,760 for he whom God has sent, 132 00:05:43,420 –> 00:05:44,760 That’s verse 34, 133 00:05:46,160 –> 00:05:49,140 now this wonderful truth of course is the great evidence 134 00:05:49,140 –> 00:05:53,140 of the father’s love for every one of us. 135 00:05:53,140 –> 00:05:56,820 How could you know today that God loves you? 136 00:05:58,359 –> 00:06:00,760 Well certainly you would not be able to deduce that 137 00:06:00,760 –> 00:06:03,540 from looking at the state of the world. 138 00:06:03,540 –> 00:06:05,500 The world is in rebellion against God 139 00:06:05,500 –> 00:06:07,820 the world is deeply scarred by the presence 140 00:06:07,859 –> 00:06:09,899 and by the power of evil. 141 00:06:10,779 –> 00:06:13,799 So how in the world could you know that God loves you? 142 00:06:13,799 –> 00:06:15,420 And here’s the answer, it’s just there 143 00:06:15,420 –> 00:06:17,480 in chapter three and it’s the best known 144 00:06:17,480 –> 00:06:18,600 verse of the bible, 145 00:06:18,600 –> 00:06:21,500 God so loved the world that he gave 146 00:06:21,500 –> 00:06:24,239 his one and only son, verse 16. 147 00:06:26,100 –> 00:06:27,839 This is how you know that God loves you, 148 00:06:27,839 –> 00:06:31,059 you see it in Jesus Christ. 149 00:06:31,059 –> 00:06:33,579 In the fact that he came from heaven 150 00:06:33,579 –> 00:06:36,519 sent by the father and when he came 151 00:06:36,799 –> 00:06:39,279 he did not, John chapter three verse 17, 152 00:06:39,279 –> 00:06:41,660 come into the world to condemn the world 153 00:06:41,660 –> 00:06:44,220 but that the world through him might be saved. 154 00:06:45,459 –> 00:06:47,480 Fourth thing you need to know about Jesus 155 00:06:47,480 –> 00:06:51,600 is that he speaks the words of God. 156 00:06:51,600 –> 00:06:56,600 Verse 34, for he whom God has sent 157 00:06:57,559 –> 00:07:01,660 utters the words of God. 158 00:07:02,600 –> 00:07:07,600 So here is Jesus Christ, he comes to us from the father. 159 00:07:08,579 –> 00:07:10,000 He says, and we’ll see this, 160 00:07:10,000 –> 00:07:11,760 we’ll keep picking it up in John’s Gospel, 161 00:07:11,760 –> 00:07:15,859 that the works he does are the works of God. 162 00:07:15,859 –> 00:07:20,640 The words that he speaks are the words of God. 163 00:07:20,640 –> 00:07:22,859 He says to Thomas in chapter 14, 164 00:07:22,859 –> 00:07:27,859 Thomas, he who has seen me has seen the father. 165 00:07:28,200 –> 00:07:33,200 He whom God has sent utters the very words of God. 166 00:07:36,459 –> 00:07:40,380 That is why we can trust all that Jesus Christ says. 167 00:07:40,380 –> 00:07:43,660 Number five, fifth thing that you need to know 168 00:07:43,660 –> 00:07:48,660 about Jesus Christ is that he has the spirit without measure. 169 00:07:48,700 –> 00:07:50,320 Again, verse 34. 170 00:07:50,320 –> 00:07:55,320 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God 171 00:07:56,079 –> 00:08:01,079 for he gives the spirit without measure. 172 00:08:04,899 –> 00:08:06,100 And you look at that and you may say now 173 00:08:06,100 –> 00:08:07,200 wait a minute, what does that mean? 174 00:08:07,200 –> 00:08:09,320 Does that mean that God gives the spirit 175 00:08:09,320 –> 00:08:11,600 without measure to Jesus? 176 00:08:11,600 –> 00:08:13,779 Or does it mean that Jesus gives the spirit 177 00:08:13,779 –> 00:08:15,320 without measure to us? 178 00:08:15,320 –> 00:08:17,359 And surely it must be the first 179 00:08:17,359 –> 00:08:22,359 because Jesus Christ is the one who has the spirit 180 00:08:22,440 –> 00:08:25,600 that is the Holy Spirit without measure, 181 00:08:25,600 –> 00:08:28,179 the third person of the Trinity. 182 00:08:29,059 –> 00:08:31,940 Now here’s why this is such a wonderful truth for us. 183 00:08:32,840 –> 00:08:36,960 Since Jesus Christ has the spirit without measure 184 00:08:36,960 –> 00:08:40,400 you can be absolutely sure 185 00:08:40,400 –> 00:08:43,840 that when you come to God in your need 186 00:08:43,840 –> 00:08:46,780 he never runs out. 187 00:08:46,780 –> 00:08:49,119 This is just a marvelous truth. 188 00:08:49,119 –> 00:08:50,820 I mean, think about this, 189 00:08:50,820 –> 00:08:52,940 there will never be a time 190 00:08:53,979 –> 00:08:57,179 when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ 191 00:08:57,179 –> 00:08:59,700 and say, Lord Jesus, I need forgiveness 192 00:08:59,700 –> 00:09:02,460 and cleansing for my sin, 193 00:09:02,460 –> 00:09:05,020 and he says to you, well there’s been rather a run on that, 194 00:09:05,020 –> 00:09:06,900 a lot of people asking for that recently, 195 00:09:06,900 –> 00:09:09,479 and I kind of depleted, I’m sorta run out. 196 00:09:09,479 –> 00:09:10,679 It’s never gonna happen. 197 00:09:11,619 –> 00:09:15,580 There is never gonna be a time in your entire life 198 00:09:15,580 –> 00:09:17,340 when you are facing a difficulty 199 00:09:17,340 –> 00:09:22,219 where you say, Lord Jesus Christ, give me strength. 200 00:09:22,219 –> 00:09:23,539 There’s never gonna be a time 201 00:09:23,539 –> 00:09:24,820 when he’s gonna say to you, well, 202 00:09:24,820 –> 00:09:27,739 a lot of people have been asking for that one recently 203 00:09:27,739 –> 00:09:29,979 and kinda supplies are a bit low. 204 00:09:29,979 –> 00:09:34,500 No, he has the Spirit without measure. 205 00:09:34,500 –> 00:09:36,900 That’s marvelous good news for us. 206 00:09:36,900 –> 00:09:41,460 Here’s number six, Jesus is loved by the father. 207 00:09:41,460 –> 00:09:46,460 Verse 35, the father loves the son. 208 00:09:47,460 –> 00:09:49,880 What a marvelous truth this is. 209 00:09:51,219 –> 00:09:54,059 There may be times, you see, in your life as a believer 210 00:09:54,059 –> 00:09:56,960 when you’re no longer sure about God’s love for you. 211 00:09:58,380 –> 00:10:00,340 And most Christians know this. 212 00:10:00,340 –> 00:10:02,219 And we know it particularly 213 00:10:02,219 –> 00:10:05,960 when we have a heightened sense of our own sins. 214 00:10:07,299 –> 00:10:08,780 And you will know this experience 215 00:10:08,780 –> 00:10:09,979 at least from time to time. 216 00:10:09,979 –> 00:10:13,340 You’ve messed up, again. 217 00:10:14,539 –> 00:10:16,260 Then you begin to say to yourself, 218 00:10:16,280 –> 00:10:18,700 how can God love me 219 00:10:20,000 –> 00:10:23,419 when I mess up like this, 220 00:10:24,859 –> 00:10:27,099 and how are you gonna answer that question? 221 00:10:29,020 –> 00:10:31,619 Well, here’s the way in which you answer that question 222 00:10:31,619 –> 00:10:33,340 in the depths of your darkest day. 223 00:10:33,340 –> 00:10:35,400 You say, well, one thing I know for sure, 224 00:10:36,780 –> 00:10:41,700 the Father loves the Son beyond all question. 225 00:10:41,700 –> 00:10:45,159 And if I am in him, 226 00:10:46,179 –> 00:10:51,179 the Father’s love reaches me even here 227 00:10:51,820 –> 00:10:53,479 in the depths of my own failure. 228 00:10:54,599 –> 00:10:56,059 And number seven, 229 00:10:56,059 –> 00:11:01,059 Jesus holds all things in his hands. 230 00:11:02,000 –> 00:11:05,039 Verse 35, the Father loves the Son 231 00:11:06,500 –> 00:11:11,419 and has given all things into his hands 232 00:11:12,479 –> 00:11:17,479 what a marvelous truth this is for every Christian believer. 233 00:11:18,739 –> 00:11:21,179 Everything that concerns you 234 00:11:21,179 –> 00:11:24,840 and everything that concerns me, brother, sister in Christ 235 00:11:24,840 –> 00:11:28,659 is in the hand of Jesus. 236 00:11:28,659 –> 00:11:30,479 Your joys and your sorrows. 237 00:11:31,979 –> 00:11:33,919 Your gains and your losses. 238 00:11:33,919 –> 00:11:35,799 Your sickness and your health. 239 00:11:35,799 –> 00:11:39,179 Your home, your family, your loved ones, 240 00:11:39,859 –> 00:11:42,919 your life, your death, your eternity. 241 00:11:42,919 –> 00:11:46,659 It’s all in the hands of Jesus. 242 00:11:46,659 –> 00:11:49,419 And what this means is that nothing comes 243 00:11:49,419 –> 00:11:53,820 into your life except it is first passed through 244 00:11:53,820 –> 00:11:57,700 the hands of the savior, who loves you. 245 00:11:59,099 –> 00:12:00,799 Now, if you’re new to the church, 246 00:12:00,799 –> 00:12:02,820 I hope this just gives you a flavor 247 00:12:03,780 –> 00:12:07,179 as to why as Christian believers we would rejoice 248 00:12:07,219 –> 00:12:10,679 to love and worship Jesus Christ. 249 00:12:12,000 –> 00:12:14,700 I mean, he came from above. 250 00:12:14,700 –> 00:12:17,739 He has given testimony as a witness. 251 00:12:17,739 –> 00:12:20,099 He was sent by the Father. 252 00:12:20,099 –> 00:12:23,299 The words he speaks are the very word of God. 253 00:12:23,299 –> 00:12:26,299 He has the spirit without measure. 254 00:12:26,299 –> 00:12:30,900 He is loved by the Father and he holds all things 255 00:12:30,900 –> 00:12:33,380 in his hand, of whom else in all of human history 256 00:12:33,380 –> 00:12:36,000 could that ever be said? 257 00:12:36,000 –> 00:12:38,320 But this is the glory, this is the wonder 258 00:12:38,320 –> 00:12:43,320 of our savior, Jesus Christ, to his name be all praise 259 00:12:44,320 –> 00:12:45,960 and all glory. 260 00:12:45,960 –> 00:12:49,299 That’s just walking through these verses. 261 00:12:49,299 –> 00:12:52,640 We’ve just pondered what it says right in front of us. 262 00:12:52,640 –> 00:12:54,919 Seven things you need to know about Jesus, 263 00:12:54,919 –> 00:12:56,979 his greatness, his glory, and his wonder. 264 00:12:58,359 –> 00:13:01,640 Well, that’s the first thing, and here is the second. 265 00:13:02,440 –> 00:13:07,440 What we learn, seven things you need to know about Jesus. 266 00:13:07,559 –> 00:13:12,559 Secondly, how we respond, and here I want simply 267 00:13:13,400 –> 00:13:17,640 to make three observations about faith. 268 00:13:17,640 –> 00:13:22,640 How we respond, three observations about faith. 269 00:13:24,780 –> 00:13:29,219 Now, the first of these is the simplicity of faith 270 00:13:29,219 –> 00:13:32,099 and I’m looking here particularly at verse 33. 271 00:13:33,500 –> 00:13:36,739 Whoever receives his testimony, 272 00:13:36,739 –> 00:13:39,739 that is the testimony of Jesus that we’ve just considered, 273 00:13:40,760 –> 00:13:44,000 whoever receives his testimony, 274 00:13:44,880 –> 00:13:49,880 sets his seal to this that God is true. 275 00:13:53,380 –> 00:13:56,679 Now let me put it to you this way friends. 276 00:13:56,679 –> 00:14:01,559 Faith at its root is very simply 277 00:14:01,559 –> 00:14:05,960 believing the testimony of Jesus. 278 00:14:05,960 –> 00:14:07,159 It’s as simple as that. 279 00:14:07,159 –> 00:14:08,159 That’s what it is. 280 00:14:09,039 –> 00:14:12,260 Here he is, he’s come from heaven as we’ve just seen. 281 00:14:13,159 –> 00:14:17,159 He tells us what he has seen and heard 282 00:14:18,119 –> 00:14:23,119 and faith, simply, believes the testimony of Jesus. 283 00:14:23,400 –> 00:14:28,400 Now, of course, other things grow from this root. 284 00:14:30,000 –> 00:14:31,539 I said faith at its root 285 00:14:31,539 –> 00:14:35,159 is simply believing the testimony of Jesus. 286 00:14:35,159 –> 00:14:37,219 Other things grow from this root for sure. 287 00:14:37,219 –> 00:14:42,219 I mean, love for Jesus grows from believing his testimony 288 00:14:42,599 –> 00:14:47,599 and hope in Jesus grows from believing his testimony. 289 00:14:49,299 –> 00:14:51,640 Obedience to Jesus grows 290 00:14:52,440 –> 00:14:54,760 from believing what he says. 291 00:14:54,760 –> 00:14:57,520 Strength and courage will come to you 292 00:14:57,520 –> 00:14:59,559 as you believe what he says. 293 00:14:59,559 –> 00:15:04,559 Joy in Jesus Christ will develop and increase in your life 294 00:15:04,679 –> 00:15:09,559 as you believe what he says, but faith at its root, 295 00:15:09,559 –> 00:15:11,760 and this is what I want to get at 296 00:15:11,760 –> 00:15:13,960 and focus in on most clearly today, 297 00:15:13,960 –> 00:15:15,919 what it is at its simplest form, 298 00:15:15,919 –> 00:15:17,919 at its very root, what is it? 299 00:15:17,919 –> 00:15:21,219 It is believing the testimony of Jesus. 300 00:15:22,640 –> 00:15:27,400 It is very simply receiving what he has said. 301 00:15:30,640 –> 00:15:32,960 Friends, this is of huge importance for this reason. 302 00:15:32,960 –> 00:15:34,679 A lot of people have the idea 303 00:15:34,679 –> 00:15:37,679 that faith is a very difficult business, 304 00:15:38,739 –> 00:15:40,140 that it’s a complex thing, 305 00:15:41,200 –> 00:15:43,760 that it’s gotta involve going on a long search 306 00:15:44,000 –> 00:15:45,080 and a long journey, 307 00:15:46,239 –> 00:15:50,080 and a lot of people are quite persuaded in their own mind 308 00:15:50,080 –> 00:15:52,640 that it’s much easier for some people 309 00:15:52,640 –> 00:15:54,140 than it is for others. 310 00:15:55,859 –> 00:15:57,080 In fact, if you’re a Christian, 311 00:15:57,080 –> 00:15:59,000 you have very likely heard before 312 00:15:59,000 –> 00:16:02,280 someone who does not have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 313 00:16:02,280 –> 00:16:03,239 saying to you, 314 00:16:04,640 –> 00:16:07,000 I think it’s marvelous that you have faith. 315 00:16:07,000 –> 00:16:09,520 In fact, I sometimes wish that I could have that too, 316 00:16:09,520 –> 00:16:10,919 but you know, I really can’t, 317 00:16:11,919 –> 00:16:16,080 and maybe some of you have actually said this, 318 00:16:16,080 –> 00:16:18,239 maybe this is how you’re thinking 319 00:16:18,239 –> 00:16:20,820 even as you’ve come to church today, 320 00:16:22,320 –> 00:16:24,520 oh, sometimes I wish that I could have faith 321 00:16:24,520 –> 00:16:25,460 like these other people. 322 00:16:25,460 –> 00:16:27,239 They obviously have joy when they’re singing, 323 00:16:27,239 –> 00:16:28,080 they found something. 324 00:16:28,080 –> 00:16:29,400 I wish I could have faith, 325 00:16:31,119 –> 00:16:32,679 but I just can’t believe. 326 00:16:35,020 –> 00:16:36,840 As if it was that other people, you know, 327 00:16:36,840 –> 00:16:39,799 some people had a kind of genetic disposition 328 00:16:39,820 –> 00:16:43,200 was inborn in them that tends towards faith 329 00:16:43,200 –> 00:16:44,780 and that other people are unfortunate 330 00:16:44,780 –> 00:16:47,080 because they just don’t get it when they’re born. 331 00:16:47,080 –> 00:16:48,119 No. 332 00:16:49,500 –> 00:16:52,119 I want you to see today from the Bible 333 00:16:52,119 –> 00:16:57,119 the essential simplicity of what God calls us to. 334 00:16:57,340 –> 00:17:00,780 He has sent his Son into the world. 335 00:17:01,599 –> 00:17:05,160 His Son, Jesus Christ, bears witness 336 00:17:05,160 –> 00:17:09,640 to what he has seen and what he has heard. 337 00:17:09,680 –> 00:17:14,680 And God calls you to believe his testimony. 338 00:17:15,819 –> 00:17:16,939 That’s what it is. 339 00:17:17,920 –> 00:17:19,319 And we’re told in this verse 340 00:17:19,319 –> 00:17:22,000 that when you do that, you actually glorify 341 00:17:22,000 –> 00:17:23,859 and you honor God. 342 00:17:23,859 –> 00:17:27,500 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this. 343 00:17:27,500 –> 00:17:31,280 That God is true, verse 33. 344 00:17:32,319 –> 00:17:35,680 In other words, when you believe the testimony of Jesus, 345 00:17:35,680 –> 00:17:37,459 when you believe what he says 346 00:17:37,459 –> 00:17:40,280 that he has seen and what he has heard, 347 00:17:40,280 –> 00:17:43,479 what you’re saying is I don’t think for one moment 348 00:17:43,479 –> 00:17:44,619 that God is a liar. 349 00:17:45,719 –> 00:17:47,439 And I don’t think for one moment 350 00:17:47,439 –> 00:17:50,640 that when Jesus Christ gives me his testimony 351 00:17:50,640 –> 00:17:51,800 of what he has seen and heard 352 00:17:51,800 –> 00:17:53,560 that he’s somehow misleading me, 353 00:17:53,560 –> 00:17:55,359 leading me up the garden path 354 00:17:55,359 –> 00:17:59,540 when he tells me what he has seen and what he has heard. 355 00:18:00,719 –> 00:18:04,640 So believing the testimony of Jesus, 356 00:18:04,640 –> 00:18:07,439 that’s what faith is at it’s simplist, 357 00:18:07,439 –> 00:18:12,319 it wonderfully honors and it glorifies God. 358 00:18:14,119 –> 00:18:19,119 And that is why friends the opposite of believing, 359 00:18:22,040 –> 00:18:23,000 it’s not unbelief. 360 00:18:24,599 –> 00:18:27,199 The opposite of belief is not unbelief. 361 00:18:27,199 –> 00:18:31,300 The opposite of belief is defiance. 362 00:18:32,260 –> 00:18:37,260 Because you see, belief responds to God by saying, 363 00:18:39,060 –> 00:18:42,160 I have heard what you have said and I accept it. 364 00:18:43,619 –> 00:18:47,040 But unbelief responds to God by saying I have heard 365 00:18:47,040 –> 00:18:49,319 what you have said and I do not accept it. 366 00:18:50,540 –> 00:18:51,640 I do not accept it. 367 00:18:53,459 –> 00:18:57,760 Now friends this is where the distinction 368 00:18:57,979 –> 00:19:02,979 between an opinion and a testimony is of huge importance. 369 00:19:05,239 –> 00:19:07,739 And I want us to get it clear in our minds today. 370 00:19:08,920 –> 00:19:10,979 So let me try and put it to you this way. 371 00:19:12,280 –> 00:19:17,280 If we were to be discussing who is the greatest 372 00:19:18,939 –> 00:19:22,880 classical composer of all time, 373 00:19:24,500 –> 00:19:27,040 we would have all different opinions in this room. 374 00:19:28,199 –> 00:19:32,959 And valid opinions because we all have different tastes. 375 00:19:34,199 –> 00:19:36,959 And if we got into this conversation, 376 00:19:36,959 –> 00:19:39,400 probably our own background would have 377 00:19:39,400 –> 00:19:41,000 something to do with it as well. 378 00:19:42,599 –> 00:19:43,959 I mean, if we were to do a poll, 379 00:19:43,959 –> 00:19:45,959 I suspect that there would be a good many 380 00:19:45,959 –> 00:19:48,880 Russians who would say Tchaikovsky. 381 00:19:50,199 –> 00:19:53,199 And more than a few French who would say Debussy. 382 00:19:54,260 –> 00:19:57,099 And a few Hungarians who would say Litzt. 383 00:19:58,319 –> 00:20:00,099 Some Germans who would say either 384 00:20:00,099 –> 00:20:03,520 Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Handel, Mendelssohn or Wagner, 385 00:20:03,520 –> 00:20:05,599 lot a choice these guys have. 386 00:20:07,959 –> 00:20:09,680 Some Brits who would say Elgar. 387 00:20:11,619 –> 00:20:14,000 And here in America we might go for Gershwin 388 00:20:14,000 –> 00:20:16,680 or at least that would be my opinion. 389 00:20:17,920 –> 00:20:20,920 And we could have a discussion about this. 390 00:20:20,920 –> 00:20:25,119 And I might say, I think that Gershwin 391 00:20:25,119 –> 00:20:28,380 is the greatest ever American composer 392 00:20:28,380 –> 00:20:33,380 and you might say, I absolutely disagree with you, Colin. 393 00:20:33,400 –> 00:20:37,819 I cannot accept that Aaron Copland is better by far. 394 00:20:38,959 –> 00:20:41,140 And we could have a marvelous conversation 395 00:20:41,140 –> 00:20:42,979 on the pros and cons of this. 396 00:20:42,979 –> 00:20:45,280 And if we were mature people, 397 00:20:45,280 –> 00:20:47,859 not a single bit of offense would be taken 398 00:20:49,520 –> 00:20:52,560 because all we’re doing is disagreeing 399 00:20:52,560 –> 00:20:57,560 over what is plainly a matter of opinion. 400 00:20:59,119 –> 00:21:01,040 And the joy and the freedom of that, 401 00:21:01,040 –> 00:21:03,359 and would that our culture actually had greater ability 402 00:21:03,359 –> 00:21:05,439 in this regard, is that mature people 403 00:21:05,439 –> 00:21:08,780 ought to be able to do that without offense. 404 00:21:10,280 –> 00:21:12,319 But now let me give you a different example 405 00:21:12,319 –> 00:21:14,640 and move from the world of opinion 406 00:21:15,479 –> 00:21:16,979 to the world of testimony. 407 00:21:18,959 –> 00:21:20,619 Suppose you ask me about Edinburgh. 408 00:21:22,579 –> 00:21:23,859 And let’s suppose for a moment, 409 00:21:23,859 –> 00:21:25,540 though, I’m sure many of you have been there, 410 00:21:25,540 –> 00:21:27,819 but let’s assume for a moment that you have not been there 411 00:21:27,819 –> 00:21:30,219 but you have heard that I was born there, 412 00:21:30,219 –> 00:21:31,479 was raised there 413 00:21:31,479 –> 00:21:33,959 and that I know that city very, very well indeed. 414 00:21:35,579 –> 00:21:38,699 And so you ask me about the city of Edinburgh 415 00:21:38,699 –> 00:21:41,160 where I was born and raised. 416 00:21:42,180 –> 00:21:43,040 And I say to you, 417 00:21:43,359 –> 00:21:48,359 well, the main street has shops along one side 418 00:21:51,500 –> 00:21:54,459 and gardens all along the other side. 419 00:21:55,699 –> 00:22:00,180 And towering over the main street and over the whole city 420 00:22:01,339 –> 00:22:06,339 there is a castle built on a high rock 421 00:22:07,219 –> 00:22:09,900 that arises out of these gardens. 422 00:22:10,739 –> 00:22:15,739 And from the castle at one o’clock on every day 423 00:22:19,020 –> 00:22:22,660 except for Sundays and Christmas day and Good Friday 424 00:22:23,859 –> 00:22:28,660 a gun is fired to give to people 425 00:22:28,660 –> 00:22:31,880 an indication of the fact that the time 426 00:22:31,880 –> 00:22:34,160 is precisely one o’clock, 427 00:22:34,160 –> 00:22:38,920 the very famous Edinburgh one o’clock gun. 428 00:22:38,920 –> 00:22:39,739 There you are. 429 00:22:39,739 –> 00:22:40,579 Now you have it. 430 00:22:41,739 –> 00:22:43,280 Now suppose you say to me, 431 00:22:44,459 –> 00:22:46,180 I don’t believe a word of it. 432 00:22:47,819 –> 00:22:50,540 On a main city street with gardens on one side 433 00:22:50,540 –> 00:22:52,800 and shops on the other? 434 00:22:53,719 –> 00:22:55,160 A huge castle arising 435 00:22:55,160 –> 00:22:57,260 and looking over the whole place 436 00:22:57,260 –> 00:22:59,119 and a gun that goes off every day 437 00:22:59,119 –> 00:23:02,819 except for Sundays and Christmas day and Good Friday? 438 00:23:05,000 –> 00:23:05,880 And I would say to you, 439 00:23:06,859 –> 00:23:11,859 look, I’m telling you what I’ve seen and heard. 440 00:23:13,500 –> 00:23:18,500 I went to school within a few hundred yards of the castle 441 00:23:18,719 –> 00:23:20,859 and etched on my memory, 442 00:23:20,859 –> 00:23:22,180 I mean, day after day after day, 443 00:23:22,180 –> 00:23:24,099 that gun went off every time 444 00:23:24,099 –> 00:23:27,180 when we were in the schoolyard during lunch time, 445 00:23:27,180 –> 00:23:29,739 pigeons always flew up in the air, 446 00:23:29,739 –> 00:23:30,660 it was always the same. 447 00:23:30,660 –> 00:23:32,579 You never got used to it. 448 00:23:32,859 –> 00:23:37,859 I said, look, I’m telling you what I have seen and heard. 449 00:23:40,619 –> 00:23:42,079 Now, let’s turn it the other way around. 450 00:23:42,079 –> 00:23:45,199 Let’s suppose that you’re telling me 451 00:23:45,199 –> 00:23:48,660 about your hometown where you were raised, 452 00:23:48,660 –> 00:23:50,459 a place that I have never been, 453 00:23:50,459 –> 00:23:53,560 and suppose I’m the one who’s listening to what you heard 454 00:23:53,560 –> 00:23:55,780 and what you said, and I’m saying to you, 455 00:23:55,780 –> 00:23:57,660 I don’t believe a word of it, 456 00:23:57,660 –> 00:23:59,560 then you are gonna be offended. 457 00:24:00,479 –> 00:24:03,040 You know why, because I’m calling you a liar. 458 00:24:04,640 –> 00:24:06,660 I’m impugning your character. 459 00:24:08,079 –> 00:24:10,359 I’m saying that your word of what you say 460 00:24:10,359 –> 00:24:11,839 that you have seen and heard is not, 461 00:24:11,839 –> 00:24:13,920 as far as I am concerned, trustworthy, 462 00:24:13,920 –> 00:24:16,420 or to be regarded as worthy of weight. 463 00:24:18,479 –> 00:24:20,640 Now, do you see that that is precisely 464 00:24:20,640 –> 00:24:23,040 the position that we end up in 465 00:24:23,040 –> 00:24:28,040 where we refuse to believe what Jesus has seen and heard. 466 00:24:28,819 –> 00:24:30,760 That’s the words that are used here. 467 00:24:30,760 –> 00:24:33,239 He comes from above, comes to the place 468 00:24:33,239 –> 00:24:34,479 none of us have been. 469 00:24:35,400 –> 00:24:40,280 And to disbelieve His testimony is to call God a liar 470 00:24:40,280 –> 00:24:42,579 because He speaks the very words of God. 471 00:24:43,599 –> 00:24:46,000 It’s to impugn the character of God 472 00:24:46,000 –> 00:24:48,140 as much as to believe what He says 473 00:24:48,140 –> 00:24:50,680 is to honor and praise the character of God. 474 00:24:50,680 –> 00:24:53,319 Who wants to be in a position of having impugned 475 00:24:53,319 –> 00:24:56,339 the character of Almighty God? 476 00:24:57,219 –> 00:24:59,400 But Calvin says this so clearly. 477 00:24:59,400 –> 00:25:03,920 He says, we cannot commit a greater insult to God 478 00:25:05,560 –> 00:25:07,739 than not to believe the gospel. 479 00:25:07,739 –> 00:25:09,420 That’s very striking, isn’t it? 480 00:25:09,420 –> 00:25:10,239 Take that in. 481 00:25:11,339 –> 00:25:16,339 You cannot offer a greater insult to God 482 00:25:19,020 –> 00:25:23,560 than not to believe His gospel. 483 00:25:24,560 –> 00:25:26,020 So this is why I say, you see, 484 00:25:26,020 –> 00:25:27,959 that the opposite of belief is not unbelief. 485 00:25:27,959 –> 00:25:30,599 The opposite of belief is actually defiance. 486 00:25:31,599 –> 00:25:33,680 It is to set yourself against God. 487 00:25:33,680 –> 00:25:35,839 It is to refuse the grace that He offers to you. 488 00:25:35,839 –> 00:25:38,280 By the way, that is why in verse 36 489 00:25:38,280 –> 00:25:40,479 that we’re just coming to now, 490 00:25:40,479 –> 00:25:41,400 do you notice it says, 491 00:25:41,400 –> 00:25:43,900 whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 492 00:25:43,900 –> 00:25:45,660 Whoever does not. 493 00:25:45,660 –> 00:25:47,599 Oh, the word changes, obey, see, 494 00:25:47,599 –> 00:25:49,719 cause the opposite of belief is defiance. 495 00:25:50,699 –> 00:25:53,040 Whoever does not obey the Son does not see life, 496 00:25:53,040 –> 00:25:55,819 but the wrath of God remains on him. 497 00:25:57,319 –> 00:25:59,140 So three observations about faith. 498 00:25:59,140 –> 00:26:01,300 The first was it’s simplicity. 499 00:26:01,300 –> 00:26:02,920 The second is its urgency. 500 00:26:04,219 –> 00:26:09,219 I want you to see today the urgency of faith. 501 00:26:10,040 –> 00:26:13,359 Verse 36, and let’s take the second part of it first, 502 00:26:13,359 –> 00:26:15,260 and then we’ll come to the first part. 503 00:26:15,260 –> 00:26:19,939 First part, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 504 00:26:20,719 –> 00:26:24,939 Second part, whoever does not obey the Son 505 00:26:26,380 –> 00:26:31,380 shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. 506 00:26:39,359 –> 00:26:43,060 Now, friends, just taking these words 507 00:26:43,060 –> 00:26:44,660 as they’re right in front of you 508 00:26:44,660 –> 00:26:46,619 as they’re in front of me in the Bible, 509 00:26:47,540 –> 00:26:50,699 in the light of this verse, 510 00:26:51,780 –> 00:26:53,939 it cannot possibly be the case that love 511 00:26:53,939 –> 00:26:57,099 and compassion are the only things 512 00:26:57,099 –> 00:26:59,219 that can be known in God. 513 00:27:00,579 –> 00:27:02,900 I mean, it is, and I use this word carefully here, 514 00:27:02,900 –> 00:27:04,219 it is the opinion. 515 00:27:05,339 –> 00:27:08,819 It is the opinion of some 516 00:27:08,819 –> 00:27:12,699 that a God who gets angry with sinners 517 00:27:12,699 –> 00:27:15,119 is somehow outdated and belongs back 518 00:27:15,400 –> 00:27:16,760 in the world of the Old Testament 519 00:27:16,760 –> 00:27:18,479 that we should long since have left behind. 520 00:27:18,479 –> 00:27:20,800 That’s the opinion of some. 521 00:27:20,800 –> 00:27:23,839 No one can testify to that, you see, 522 00:27:23,839 –> 00:27:25,380 but it’s the opinion of some. 523 00:27:26,520 –> 00:27:29,640 But here it is right in front of us in the fourth gospel. 524 00:27:29,640 –> 00:27:32,800 The wrath of God in the Gospel of John 525 00:27:32,800 –> 00:27:35,219 in the same chapter as John 3.16. 526 00:27:35,219 –> 00:27:38,479 Of course, because John 3.16 speaks about the danger 527 00:27:38,479 –> 00:27:40,719 that apart from Christ we would perish. 528 00:27:42,319 –> 00:27:43,760 Second, in the light of this verse, 529 00:27:43,800 –> 00:27:45,520 it cannot possibly be the case 530 00:27:45,520 –> 00:27:48,260 that all will be well with all people in the end. 531 00:27:49,859 –> 00:27:52,920 It says, if anyone does not obey the Son, 532 00:27:52,920 –> 00:27:55,640 he will not see life. 533 00:27:57,040 –> 00:28:01,119 So again, there is no room there for the opinion 534 00:28:02,199 –> 00:28:04,079 of some who say, 535 00:28:04,079 –> 00:28:06,400 though they’ve never been to hear and see to tell us, 536 00:28:06,400 –> 00:28:09,199 but the opinion of some who say 537 00:28:09,199 –> 00:28:11,180 that Jesus came into the world 538 00:28:11,219 –> 00:28:13,939 so that everybody’s gonna be in heaven irrespective. 539 00:28:13,939 –> 00:28:14,760 No. 540 00:28:14,760 –> 00:28:18,459 It says here, whoever does not believe in the Son 541 00:28:18,459 –> 00:28:20,880 will not see life. 542 00:28:22,319 –> 00:28:24,939 Third, in the light of this verse, 543 00:28:24,939 –> 00:28:27,699 what is just stated in front of us in the Scriptures, 544 00:28:27,699 –> 00:28:29,819 it cannot possibly be the case 545 00:28:30,939 –> 00:28:34,260 that death is the end of a person’s existence. 546 00:28:35,300 –> 00:28:36,579 You hear people saying this all the time. 547 00:28:36,579 –> 00:28:38,439 Oh, well, I’m gone, I’m gone. 548 00:28:39,380 –> 00:28:40,920 And you can’t testify to that 549 00:28:40,920 –> 00:28:42,959 because you haven’t heard nor seen, 550 00:28:42,959 –> 00:28:45,640 so it may be your opinion, but that’s all it is. 551 00:28:46,939 –> 00:28:48,500 And it’s not an opinion that accords 552 00:28:48,500 –> 00:28:50,619 with the word of Jesus, who came from eternity, 553 00:28:50,619 –> 00:28:53,239 who came from heaven to tell us what it’ really like. 554 00:28:54,199 –> 00:28:55,040 What’s it say? 555 00:28:55,040 –> 00:28:57,540 Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, 556 00:28:57,540 –> 00:29:02,540 but the wrath of God remains on him. 557 00:29:02,599 –> 00:29:03,640 Notice that word. 558 00:29:04,719 –> 00:29:07,520 In other words, apart from Jesus Christ, 559 00:29:07,579 –> 00:29:10,300 it is already on or at least 560 00:29:10,300 –> 00:29:12,520 hanging over a person now. 561 00:29:14,479 –> 00:29:17,380 And apart from Jesus Christ, it will never be taken away. 562 00:29:18,800 –> 00:29:19,640 No doubt ever. 563 00:29:19,640 –> 00:29:20,459 Remains. 564 00:29:20,459 –> 00:29:21,839 That’s the word that’s used. 565 00:29:23,800 –> 00:29:27,439 Now, many of you are in the world of business, 566 00:29:27,439 –> 00:29:32,160 and you are familiar with the great value 567 00:29:32,160 –> 00:29:35,560 of doing what is called a SWOT analysis. 568 00:29:35,560 –> 00:29:36,920 Some of you are really good at this, 569 00:29:36,959 –> 00:29:39,319 and it’s part of your profession. 570 00:29:39,319 –> 00:29:40,640 What are our strengths? 571 00:29:40,640 –> 00:29:42,199 What are our weaknesses? 572 00:29:42,199 –> 00:29:43,760 What are our opportunities? 573 00:29:43,760 –> 00:29:46,400 And what are our threats? 574 00:29:46,400 –> 00:29:48,500 That last question is really important. 575 00:29:50,140 –> 00:29:51,920 What is there out there 576 00:29:51,920 –> 00:29:54,479 that could blow us out of the water? 577 00:29:54,479 –> 00:29:57,359 You ask that in the context of business. 578 00:29:57,359 –> 00:29:58,359 What’s the threat? 579 00:30:00,180 –> 00:30:05,180 Now, if we were to do a SWOT analysis of a human life, 580 00:30:06,040 –> 00:30:10,640 what would be the ultimate threat 581 00:30:10,640 –> 00:30:14,140 that a person in this world could face 582 00:30:14,140 –> 00:30:19,140 that might blow them out the water, to use that phrase? 583 00:30:20,319 –> 00:30:21,760 And of course there are many things 584 00:30:21,760 –> 00:30:22,739 that would come to mind. 585 00:30:22,739 –> 00:30:26,619 Things to do with money, losing your job, 586 00:30:26,619 –> 00:30:29,359 losing your business, losing your investments. 587 00:30:30,300 –> 00:30:35,300 Things to do with health, heart attack, stroke, cancer. 588 00:30:38,979 –> 00:30:40,699 Things to do with relationships, 589 00:30:40,699 –> 00:30:42,780 losing the presence of someone 590 00:30:42,780 –> 00:30:45,979 you love, who makes your life so rich. 591 00:30:45,979 –> 00:30:49,300 Big, big threats all of them, threats indeed. 592 00:30:51,040 –> 00:30:53,819 But friends if we are to take what is in these verses 593 00:30:53,819 –> 00:30:55,339 before us seriously at all, 594 00:30:55,339 –> 00:31:00,339 we have to say that to remain under the wrath of God 595 00:31:01,900 –> 00:31:05,699 is the greatest threat that could ever hang 596 00:31:05,699 –> 00:31:08,520 over any human life. 597 00:31:10,619 –> 00:31:15,619 Now what can be done with regards to this ultimate threat 598 00:31:15,699 –> 00:31:19,260 that hangs over, according to the last verse of John 3, 599 00:31:19,260 –> 00:31:22,060 that hangs over every human life? 600 00:31:23,060 –> 00:31:26,959 And the answer, the wonderful answer, 601 00:31:26,959 –> 00:31:30,119 is that Jesus Christ came into the world 602 00:31:30,119 –> 00:31:32,920 to deal with this ultimate threat, 603 00:31:32,920 –> 00:31:34,680 and here is how he did it. 604 00:31:36,060 –> 00:31:39,780 When Jesus Christ died on the cross, 605 00:31:39,780 –> 00:31:44,780 he bore the divine wrath on behalf of sinners. 606 00:31:46,300 –> 00:31:51,199 And this is the great outpouring of the love of God. 607 00:31:51,199 –> 00:31:56,199 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son 608 00:31:57,420 –> 00:31:58,680 that whoever believes in him 609 00:31:58,680 –> 00:32:03,680 should not perish but have eternal life. 610 00:32:03,800 –> 00:32:05,719 Now, a lot of people get stuck at this point. 611 00:32:05,719 –> 00:32:08,119 They say, if God wants to show me that he loves me, 612 00:32:08,119 –> 00:32:09,839 why didn’t he give me something that I really want, 613 00:32:09,839 –> 00:32:11,520 like a cure for cancer? 614 00:32:12,880 –> 00:32:15,199 Or some other gift that relates to a loss 615 00:32:15,199 –> 00:32:16,780 that I’ve seen in my life? 616 00:32:17,780 –> 00:32:21,260 And how is it that Jesus dying on a cross 617 00:32:21,260 –> 00:32:24,040 actually shows the love of God for me? 618 00:32:24,040 –> 00:32:24,880 How is that? 619 00:32:24,880 –> 00:32:26,060 I can’t make that connection. 620 00:32:27,699 –> 00:32:30,239 Now I like to use this illustration that I dreamed up. 621 00:32:30,239 –> 00:32:35,239 Imagine a couple sitting in a car on a moonlit night 622 00:32:37,459 –> 00:32:39,420 close to Niagara Falls. 623 00:32:40,880 –> 00:32:44,319 And he slips his arm around her and he says to her, 624 00:32:44,319 –> 00:32:45,599 oh, I love you. 625 00:32:47,380 –> 00:32:50,400 And she says to him, do you? 626 00:32:51,560 –> 00:32:53,640 I sometimes wonder. 627 00:32:54,760 –> 00:32:59,060 So he says, all right, let me prove it to you, 628 00:32:59,060 –> 00:33:02,359 no sacrifice is too great for me. 629 00:33:02,359 –> 00:33:04,439 And so he gets out of the car, goes to the edge 630 00:33:04,439 –> 00:33:08,199 of the falls and with a huge leap throws himself over 631 00:33:08,199 –> 00:33:11,760 and as he descends into the abyss he shouts out loudly, 632 00:33:11,760 –> 00:33:12,599 I love you! 633 00:33:13,380 –> 00:33:14,219 I love you! 634 00:33:15,660 –> 00:33:18,640 This is an unforgettable experience for this girl. 635 00:33:20,579 –> 00:33:23,619 But it is not a demonstration of love. 636 00:33:24,939 –> 00:33:28,099 It is a demonstration of utter foolishness. 637 00:33:29,239 –> 00:33:30,500 Why? 638 00:33:30,500 –> 00:33:35,500 Because nothing is accomplished that does the girl any good. 639 00:33:35,520 –> 00:33:36,339 Good. 640 00:33:38,439 –> 00:33:41,640 So how is it that Jesus dying on the cross 641 00:33:41,640 –> 00:33:45,199 is the demonstration of His love, 642 00:33:45,199 –> 00:33:48,380 the love of the Father, the love of God for us? 643 00:33:48,380 –> 00:33:50,979 It is that He achieves 644 00:33:50,979 –> 00:33:55,560 something absolutely marvelous for us, 645 00:33:55,560 –> 00:33:57,859 that He deals actually with the greatest threat 646 00:33:57,859 –> 00:34:00,119 to human life, right there on the cross, 647 00:34:00,119 –> 00:34:01,719 and He accomplishes it. 648 00:34:01,719 –> 00:34:04,599 This is what the death of Christ achieves, 649 00:34:04,599 –> 00:34:08,459 Christian brother, sister, the wrath of God 650 00:34:08,459 –> 00:34:13,459 burned itself out on Jesus in regards to you 651 00:34:15,239 –> 00:34:18,080 when Jesus died on the cross. 652 00:34:18,080 –> 00:34:21,120 That is the most amazing achievement. 653 00:34:22,060 –> 00:34:23,840 And it is the most glorious good news. 654 00:34:23,840 –> 00:34:28,780 Jesus Christ has dealt with the greatest threat, 655 00:34:28,780 –> 00:34:33,300 the greatest danger, the greatest liability, 656 00:34:33,320 –> 00:34:38,320 He has absorbed it in Himself on your behalf. 657 00:34:39,580 –> 00:34:43,320 And one day, you, Christian brother, sister, 658 00:34:43,320 –> 00:34:45,439 will stand in the presence of God, 659 00:34:45,439 –> 00:34:48,340 and when you do, you will have absolutely 660 00:34:48,340 –> 00:34:50,580 no reason to fear the wrath. 661 00:34:51,959 –> 00:34:52,800 Why? 662 00:34:53,840 –> 00:34:57,179 Because He, your Savior, absorbed it in Himself 663 00:34:57,179 –> 00:34:59,760 on the cross, and that means it can never, 664 00:34:59,760 –> 00:35:02,820 never, never touch you. 665 00:35:02,840 –> 00:35:05,860 Therefore, the Bible says, there is now 666 00:35:05,860 –> 00:35:10,860 no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 667 00:35:12,540 –> 00:35:14,100 But, you see, that’s the urgency of faith. 668 00:35:14,100 –> 00:35:16,699 You’ve got to be in Christ Jesus. 669 00:35:18,139 –> 00:35:20,820 Don’t stand in at a distance sort of evaluating 670 00:35:20,820 –> 00:35:23,060 whether you’re gonna believe Him or not. 671 00:35:23,060 –> 00:35:25,439 You have to receive His testimony. 672 00:35:25,439 –> 00:35:27,459 And all the good that He’s coming to the world 673 00:35:27,459 –> 00:35:30,739 to accomplish for you, and offers to you with Himself. 674 00:35:31,300 –> 00:35:34,300 And so, here’s the very last thing in these last moments, 675 00:35:34,300 –> 00:35:37,879 and it’s the opportunity of faith. 676 00:35:37,879 –> 00:35:42,879 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 677 00:35:43,500 –> 00:35:46,239 The first part of verse 36. 678 00:35:46,239 –> 00:35:49,020 And the simplicity of faith means that 679 00:35:49,020 –> 00:35:51,040 it is possible for any person, 680 00:35:51,040 –> 00:35:54,120 however far you were away from Jesus Christ, 681 00:35:54,120 –> 00:35:55,979 when you came to this service today, 682 00:35:55,979 –> 00:36:00,320 it is possible for you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 683 00:36:00,780 –> 00:36:03,879 and for your life and for your eternal future 684 00:36:03,879 –> 00:36:07,280 to be changed, even today, the urgency of faith 685 00:36:07,280 –> 00:36:09,280 means not only that this is possible for you, 686 00:36:09,280 –> 00:36:11,280 but it’s necessary for you, 687 00:36:11,280 –> 00:36:13,360 you must do this, 688 00:36:13,360 –> 00:36:15,600 you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 689 00:36:15,600 –> 00:36:19,219 not just sit there and observe these things. 690 00:36:19,219 –> 00:36:21,080 And the sooner you do it, the better, 691 00:36:21,080 –> 00:36:23,199 and therefore there could, by definition, 692 00:36:23,199 –> 00:36:26,679 be no better day to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today. 693 00:36:26,719 –> 00:36:30,739 And therefore, today is a day of great opportunity. 694 00:36:30,739 –> 00:36:35,080 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, 695 00:36:35,080 –> 00:36:37,679 that could be you today, couldn’t it? 696 00:36:37,679 –> 00:36:40,080 I love this word, whoever, 697 00:36:40,080 –> 00:36:44,879 whoever believes in the Son of God 698 00:36:44,879 –> 00:36:48,540 has eternal life. 699 00:36:48,540 –> 00:36:53,219 In other words, and this has been a marvelous thought to me, 700 00:36:53,219 –> 00:36:56,439 there is enough grace in the Lord Jesus Christ 701 00:36:56,439 –> 00:36:59,620 that every person, in every congregation, 702 00:36:59,620 –> 00:37:01,659 in every campus of the orchard 703 00:37:01,659 –> 00:37:03,840 should be delivered from the ultimate threat 704 00:37:03,840 –> 00:37:06,159 and brought into the presence and the joy of God 705 00:37:06,159 –> 00:37:07,820 in heaven for ever and for ever. 706 00:37:07,820 –> 00:37:11,100 There’s enough grace in Jesus Christ to do it for us all, 707 00:37:11,100 –> 00:37:12,340 and not just us all. 708 00:37:13,379 –> 00:37:15,719 There’s enough grace in the Lord Jesus Christ 709 00:37:15,719 –> 00:37:18,199 to do this for every person you will ever meet, 710 00:37:18,199 –> 00:37:19,679 that’s why every Christian 711 00:37:19,679 –> 00:37:22,540 has good news for any other person. 712 00:37:23,439 –> 00:37:25,959 There is no person on this planet 713 00:37:26,840 –> 00:37:29,919 who could not be saved from the wrath 714 00:37:29,919 –> 00:37:33,199 and brought into eternal life by Jesus Christ 715 00:37:33,199 –> 00:37:34,659 through what he has accomplished 716 00:37:34,659 –> 00:37:37,979 in His death and resurrection for us. 717 00:37:37,979 –> 00:37:39,879 And what does he call you to do? 718 00:37:40,919 –> 00:37:42,040 Believe. 719 00:37:43,439 –> 00:37:46,679 And what does he promise to those who believe? 720 00:37:47,699 –> 00:37:51,719 Whoever believes has eternal life. 721 00:37:52,739 –> 00:37:55,959 Not might have, as if it were in doubt. 722 00:37:57,159 –> 00:38:00,379 Not will have, as if it were a long way off. 723 00:38:02,020 –> 00:38:06,939 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 724 00:38:06,939 –> 00:38:10,320 Of course, the full joy of it belongs to the future 725 00:38:10,320 –> 00:38:12,159 when you will be in the presence of Jesus. 726 00:38:12,159 –> 00:38:17,060 But the good of it can begin for you right now. 727 00:38:18,219 –> 00:38:19,959 Think about this, 728 00:38:19,959 –> 00:38:23,739 a person who walked into the church today, 729 00:38:24,679 –> 00:38:28,719 not even aware that you were under the wrath of God, 730 00:38:29,780 –> 00:38:32,300 can go out from the church today 731 00:38:32,300 –> 00:38:34,899 as someone who knows and enjoys everlasting life. 732 00:38:34,899 –> 00:38:36,300 Is that not a good news? 733 00:38:37,379 –> 00:38:41,560 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today. 734 00:38:41,560 –> 00:38:44,719 Deal with the greatest threat 735 00:38:45,899 –> 00:38:48,500 and seize, oh seize 736 00:38:49,120 –> 00:38:51,439 the greatest opportunity. 737 00:38:51,439 –> 00:38:52,899 Let’s pray together, shall we? 738 00:38:56,199 –> 00:38:58,419 Father, we are amazed 739 00:38:59,520 –> 00:39:02,040 and bow before you in wonder and worship 740 00:39:02,040 –> 00:39:06,840 at the glory of your Son, Jesus Christ, 741 00:39:06,840 –> 00:39:10,120 our Lord, and our Savior. 742 00:39:13,159 –> 00:39:17,239 I pray that every person in this congregation 743 00:39:17,340 –> 00:39:20,439 will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 744 00:39:22,040 –> 00:39:25,540 and that in believing, great joy, 745 00:39:26,800 –> 00:39:29,179 great hope, great love, great courage, 746 00:39:29,179 –> 00:39:31,939 great strength, great growth, 747 00:39:33,360 –> 00:39:36,919 and great glory to your name will come from us all. 748 00:39:38,360 –> 00:39:40,639 And these things we ask together in Jesus’ name 749 00:39:40,639 –> 00:39:42,979 and everyone together said amen.