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Thanks, Kurt. 
I appreciate it. 

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Kurt's actually the first pastor
at Vito Springs that I met when 

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they moved to town here. 
He one of the, one of the people

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that came and helped play at the
church was a, a pharmacist at 

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CVS and one of my elders was the
pharmacy manager for the area. 

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And we would play basketball on 
Sunday nights and Kurt came and 

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took it to me that night. 
So and then I didn't get to see 

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Kurt again for many, many months
after that and got to meet meet 

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him and get to know him a little
bit better. 

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But yeah, be careful with him on
the basketball court, although 

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I'm really bad at basketball, so
maybe you don't have that much 

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to worry about. 
And my my expectations are low, 

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but really, really excited to be
here this morning. 

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We're going to be in John 
chapter 12. 

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I know Kurt said John 13, but 
actually going to be in John 12.

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Hopefully that's correct because
that's what I was assigned in 

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the e-mail that was given to me.
If not, we're going to get a 

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text that you heard previously 
in a couple weeks. 

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So, and my church actually went 
through the Gospel of John about

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two years ago, took us a little 
over a year to to work through 

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through all of it. 
And so I'm excited to be here 

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with you guys this morning and, 
and starting in in about, you 

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know, the second-half of verse 
36. 

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If you're unfamiliar with John's
Gospel, we've arrived at the 

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point where we are at the end of
what is known as Jesus public 

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ministry in John's Gospel. 
And what what I mean by that is 

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the next time that Jesus is 
going to appear in the Gospel of

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John in public, it will actually
be at his beating and his 

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crucifixion. 
So we, we are at the end of most

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of the, the ministry that Jesus 
came to do in John's Gospel. 

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There, there may be some other 
things that you would see that 

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are not in John's Gospel that 
would be in the other ones. 

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But in this Gospel we are now at
the the final stages of his 

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public ministry. 
And at this point, Jesus has 

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spent three plus years working 
and teaching about who he is and

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why he came to Israel. 
He said things like I am the 

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bread of life. 
If you work through John's 

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gospels, you've seen these 
various I am statements that 

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he's made throughout the gospel.
And when he says he's the bread 

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of life, what he was saying to 
the Israelites is that he was 

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true food and sustenance for 
them. 

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He would have been harking on 
their memory of God's people in 

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the wilderness story of Exodus, 
where God provided man a daily 

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for them, saying that whereas 
God was your provision 

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physically in the wilderness, I 
am your provision spiritually. 

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He says I am the light of the 
world, claiming that He was 

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bringing light to a Dark World 
that did not know God fully. 

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He claimed that He was the door 
displaying to the Israelites 

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that He was the means by which 
people would have access to God 

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the Father. 
He called himself the Good 

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Shepherd where he was 
proclaiming to them that he was 

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portraying his love and care for
them as his people. 

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And there's shades of Psalm 23 
here where David says the Lord 

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is my shepherd. 
I shall not want that. 

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Jesus is saying I'm that 
shepherd. 

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I am the shepherd that David was
referring to. 

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He calls himself the 
resurrection and the life, 

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proclaiming to the people of 
Israel that he holds power both 

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over death and life itself. 
And so Jesus's public ministry 

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has had one goal as he's been 
preaching and teaching over 

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these these three years. 
And that was to reveal to them 

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that he is not just some 
political Liberator or prophet 

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or good teacher or a mere man or
leader, though He came to reveal

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that he was God's only son in 
the flesh, sent to reveal God's 

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truth and to rescue us from 
ourselves. 

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And that is a loaded statement 
saying that that we need 

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rescuing from ourselves. 
But if you read the Scriptures 

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consistently, what we find going
all the way back to Genesis 

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chapter 3, that mankind has a 
problem which probably everyone 

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in this room would agree with. 
And that problem is you, that 

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that problem is me. 
There's a, there's a famous 

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pastor that I, I've listened to 
his sermons for years and he has

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this line that always sticks 
with me where he says, no one 

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robs you of more joy than 
yourself. 

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Does it mean that other people 
don't sin against us or that 

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things seem unfair at times, but
that the ultimate enemy of our 

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own true joy and flourishing is 
our self, which is something 

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that Jesus teaches regularly 
throughout the Scripture. 

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And as we've studied John's, 
Jesus's ministry in the Gospel 

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of John and what you guys have 
likely seen from the other 

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pastors and preachers that have 
preached to you is John's 

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writing of this gospel is to 
really just unveil Jesus's 

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ministry to us, to truly unveil 
who he was. 

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Actually over in John chapter 
20, Jesus, John actually shares 

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with us the whole reason why he 
wrote his gospel. 

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He says, now Jesus did many 
other signs in the presence of 

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the disciples which are not 
written in this book, but these 

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are written so that you may 
believe that Jesus is the 

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Christ, the Son of God, and that
by believing you may have life 

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in his name. 
Mean that John wrote this gospel

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so that we would know who Jesus 
is, believe in Jesus and in 

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believing in Jesus, have life in
his name. 

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And that is both life for 
eternity, but it's also life for

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now, the idea that we can 
flourish in this life. 

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If you've ever read the Gospel 
of Matthew and Jesus Sermon on 

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the Mount, Jesus spends 2 full 
chapters preaching and teaching 

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what true flourishing looks like
in this life. 

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And we should understand that. 
If you've ever read through the 

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Sermon on the Mount, a lot of 
the things that Jesus says lead 

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to human flourishing are going 
to be the exact opposite of what

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the world tells you. 
Flourishing is meaning that 

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there is a way in which Jesus 
and his Kingdom turns our 

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kingdoms upside down. 
And last week, as you guys were 

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working through John's gospel, 
you saw Jesus finish kind of 

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with this final appeal as he's 
preaching and teaching. 

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He said this while you have the 
light, believe in the light, 

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that you may become sons of the 
light. 

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And so our big idea heading into
the text that we have this 

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morning is that there will be 
many who will hear of Jesus, 

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will hear of his teachings, will
know of his life, will know of 

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his story, and yet they will 
still reject Jesus in unbelief. 

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But that does not change the 
reality that Jesus came as the 

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light to save the world and all 
who believe in him receive life,

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both life for now, but also life
for eternity. 

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And so John has kind of two 
things that I want to point out 

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to us as we work through verses 
36 through 50 here in John 

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chapter 12. 
The first one is we're going to 

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see John's commentary on the 
unbelief of those who had spent 

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time around Jesus and his 
ministry and help us try to 

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understand why there is this 
struggle to believe that Jesus 

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is God's Son in the flesh. 
And then the second thing we're 

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going to see is Jesus's own 
heart and authority towards 

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unbelief itself. 
And so if you'll look at me 

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starting in in verse 36, I'm 
going to read kind of our first 

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couple verses for you, and then 
we'll spend some time unpacking 

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them. 
When Jesus had said these 

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things, He departed and hid 
Himself from them. 

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Though He had done so many signs
before them, they still did not 

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believe in Him, so that the word
spoken by the prophet Isaiah 

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might be fulfilled. 
Lord, who has believed what He 

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heard from us? 
And to whom has the arm of the 

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Lord been revealed? 
Therefore they could not 

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believe. 
For again, Isaiah said he has 

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blinded their eyes and hardened 
their heart, lest they see with 

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their eyes and understand with 
their heart in turn. 

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And I would heal them. 
Now there's a lot going on there

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and I'm going to try my best to 
to unpack what John is is saying

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to us. 
But starting in the next chapter

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from John 13 on, Jesus is going 
to devote himself specifically 

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to his disciples and preparing 
them for his crucifixion and 

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ultimately his resurrection. 
But as we finish up Jesus's 

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final kind of minutes in public 
ministry here in John chapter 

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12, according to John, Jesus 
makes a final plea to the crowds

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that are around him. 
And as he's made this final 

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plea, the Jewish leaders, the 
religious leaders and, and, and 

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just your comment, everyday 
Israelite that is with him 

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responds with unbelief. 
Now you guys have been studying 

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John's gospel for months at this
point. 

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And as you've read through the 
gospel, for those of you that 

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have been here consistently, it 
may seem outrageous to you that 

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that would be their response, 
especially considering the 

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number of signs Jesus had 
performed in front of them. 

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If you haven't been here, let me
give you a quick, maybe 32nd 

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recap of what we've seen. 
In John chapter 2, Jesus is at a

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wedding and he saves the wedding
by turning water into wine. 

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In John chapter 4 he heals an 
official son simply by declaring

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that it's done without ever 
visiting the official son. 

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In John chapter 5 he heals A 
paralytic man by the pool of 

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Bethesda. 
In John chapter 6, he feeds over

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5000 and then wants to get away 
from the people and then later 

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that night walks across water. 
In John Chapter 9, Jesus heals a

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man that had been born blind. 
Then in John Chapter 11, as if 

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what he had done up to this 
point in John's gospel has not 

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been enough to explain his power
and who he is, he raises his 

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friend Lazarus from the dead. 
And after all of these signs, 

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after all of the teachings that 
Jesus has given throughout his 

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ministry, through the I AM 
statements, after all the 

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miracles, the response is that 
there are many who still do not 

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believe that Jesus is who he 
says he is. 

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You're that we get the sense 
that John is almost sharing with

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us this sense of tragedy that he
experienced as a disciple 

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himself. 
That the entire public ministry 

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of Jesus, all the good that he 
had done over his three plus 

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years moving through Israel, 
moving throughout Samaria, going

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and healing and preaching the 
good news of who God really is 

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and why he had come could be 
summed up that despite 

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everything that Jesus did, still
they did not believe. 

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And I think this isn't important
for us, an important thing for 

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us to consider this morning, 
whether you are a follower of 

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Jesus here this morning or you 
are not often times as a, as a 

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pastor, I've heard people say to
me, I'll, I'll share the gospel 

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with them. 
I'll study the scriptures with 

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them. 
I'll explain to them my own 

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testimony of transformation and 
what God has done in my life. 

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And what regularly happens is if
someone still after all of that,

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after having the truth of who 
Jesus is unveiled to them and 

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shared with them, they will, 
they'll say something along 

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these lines to me. 
Well, unless I see God perform a

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miracle, I won't believe. 
And the first response to that 

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is, is one that Scripture gives 
us. 

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And I, I always say, well, that 
sign has already been given, 

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been given to you. 
He's alive right now. 

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He's risen from the dead. 
You, you need no other sign 

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than, as Jesus says himself, 
than the sign of Jonah being 

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given to an adulterous and evil 
generation. 

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But I think the more important 
thing and layer to peel back is 

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that these were people, men and 
women who walked with Jesus, saw

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him perform these miracles, saw 
him do these things, and yet it 

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was not enough for them. 
And I've found over the years in

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ministry that when someone says 
they need something like that, 

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there would never be a miracle 
that would be enough for them, 

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that in the stubbornness of 
their own heart, they refuse to 

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respond. 
And this is actually something 

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that John shares with us in this
passage. 

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He explains to us why these men 
and women who have experienced 

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the love of Christ and 
experienced his ministry, yet 

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still refuse to accept Him as 
their Messiah. 

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It's helpful to remember too 
that these men and women in 

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Israel are no different than 
their fathers that have come 

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before them. 
If you go back to Deuteronomy 

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chapter 29, this is not the 
first time that the Israelites 

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have rejected God and his 
teaching and what He's given 

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them. 
Starting in verse 2 of 

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Deuteronomy chapter 29, this is 
this is Moses kind of reviewing.

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00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:06,560
If you've read the book of 
Deuteronomy, it's pretty much 

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Moses reviewing his entire time 
with them and trying to prepare 

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them as a nation for entering 
into the promised land. 

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00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,920
And when you get to verse 
chapter 29, he says this in 

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verse 2. 
And Moses summoned all Israel 

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and said to them, You have seen 
all that the Lord did before 

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your eyes in the land of Egypt, 
to Pharaoh and to all his 

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servants, and to all his land, 
the great trials that you saw, 

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the signs and those great 
wonders. 

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But to this day the Lord has not
given you a heart to understand,

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or eyes to see or ears to hear, 
saying God. 

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Moses says to them, God has done
so much in liberating you, and 

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yet you still don't understand 
how good he is and follow him. 

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You still do not have eyes to 
see or ears to hear. 

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And John says that what we see 
here in John chapter 12 is very 

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similar to the history of God's 
people throughout their entire 

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existence. 
And he actually quotes the 

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prophet Isaiah here when 
describing the unbelief of the 

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Israelites. 
He quotes from both Isaiah 

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chapter 53 and Isaiah chapter 6.
And this is important for us to 

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understand because Isaiah was a 
prophet who looked forward to 

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God one day, sending a Messiah 
to rescue and redeem God's 

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people. 
That's what the the book of 

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Isaiah is about. 
And if you're unfamiliar with 

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00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,640
that book, let me give you just 
a little bit of background of 

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00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,080
understanding what what's going 
on. 

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So in the beginning of the book,
God comes to Isaiah and Isaiah 

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00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,240
repents of sin and then agrees 
to be a messenger for God, 

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00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,360
something that he would have 
never done beforehand. 

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And and in that he's been 
commissioned by God to go and 

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00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,720
preach to the the nation of 
Israel and basically tell them 

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00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,200
it's over for you, right? 
Not not a fun job. 

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He says, Hey, you're going to be
my prophet now and you're going 

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00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:06,440
to go tell my people that I'm 
done with them as a nation and 

249
00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:12,320
that they're going to experience
exile and destruction. 

250
00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,000
That's what's awaiting them. 
And by the way, you're going to 

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00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,240
go preach to them and tell them 
to repent and return to me. 

252
00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,960
But just so you know, Isaiah, 
you're going to be ignored, 

253
00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:28,080
you're going to be scorned and 
you're going to be rejected 

254
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,080
throughout your entire ministry.
Could you imagine like you're, 

255
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:36,320
you're at a job interview and 
you're really excited about the 

256
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:40,560
job and the, the, the person 
interviews and they look at you 

257
00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:44,680
and they say, we think you're 
the perfect candidate to lead 

258
00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,240
this team. 
Just so you know, though, you're

259
00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:52,560
not going to be paid. 
Your team is going to hate you 

260
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:57,080
and they're not going to listen 
to you at all while you work. 

261
00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,720
How many of you guys would still
sign up for that job, right? 

262
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,280
Because you're not crazy. 
I was like, no way. 

263
00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:05,520
I'm not. 
I'm not doing that. 

264
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:12,200
And yet Isaiah, because he's had
this experience with God 

265
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:18,359
himself, signs up for something 
that no normal human being would

266
00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,160
sign up for, because he knows 
God is in it. 

267
00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:27,200
And he goes anyway. 
And as God sends him, exactly 

268
00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:29,600
what God promised would happen 
came to pass. 

269
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,880
Isaiah goes, he preaches to 
them, he begs them to repent. 

270
00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,400
He says return to God. 
And the people's hearts are 

271
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,200
hardened towards God and they 
refuse to listen. 

272
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:49,960
And Jesus, like Isaiah, is sent 
to a people who will ignore him,

273
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,480
who will scorn him and reject 
him. 

274
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:58,400
And yet he went anyway. 
See, Jesus is the better Isaiah.

275
00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,120
Jesus didn't only come to warn 
God's people and tell them of 

276
00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,280
what their reality was in light 
of God. 

277
00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:11,320
No, Jesus came and then put 
himself in their place to die 

278
00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,680
for them, something Isaiah was 
incapable of doing. 

279
00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:22,240
And as Jesus shares his ministry
and makes one final plea here, 

280
00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:26,760
John goes so far as to say that 
God knew this would happen all 

281
00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:32,560
along, that the Jewish people 
who longed for a Messiah who had

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00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:34,960
the scriptures. 
You know, I, I joke all the 

283
00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,120
time. 
My, my, my, my family is from 

284
00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,160
somewhere in Northern Europe and
England. 

285
00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:43,240
We my family was worshipping 
bark like Thor. 

286
00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:47,800
They they were worshipping odd 
gods that we are unfamiliar 

287
00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,360
with. 
The people of God had the word, 

288
00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,520
they had the revelation given to
them. 

289
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,520
And yet when Jesus comes they do
not respond. 

290
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:06,800
And John goes so far as to say 
this happens not just because of

291
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,000
the hardness of Israel's heart, 
no, but because this actually 

292
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,600
fulfills the Scripture of what 
God said his people would do all

293
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:16,840
along. 
And as Jesus reveals himself to 

294
00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:20,440
them, the more they are hardened
to the truth of who he is. 

295
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:25,200
Now, if you look at verse 39, 
right, that's a that's a 

296
00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:28,400
difficult verse to kind of 
wrestle with in this passage, 

297
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,520
right? 
It says therefore they could not

298
00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:36,240
believe, for again Isaiah said 
he has blinded their eyes and 

299
00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,600
hardened their heart, lest they 
see with their eyes and 

300
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,120
understand with their heart and 
turn. 

301
00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:42,640
And I would heal them. 
And I want to thank Gordon for 

302
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,480
giving me this passage, because 
how kind to give such a 

303
00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,960
difficult thing to have to 
preach through, especially to a 

304
00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,200
congregation that I don't 
regularly preach to. 

305
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,960
But what are the things we need 
to see and understand, whether 

306
00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:01,720
you are a follower of Jesus in 
this room this morning or you 

307
00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:05,160
are not? 
Every one of us every day is 

308
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,560
responding to to God and what 
He's done, whether it's through 

309
00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,920
natural revelation of creation 
or your own conscience that God 

310
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,840
has given you that leaves you 
guilty before God without excuse

311
00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:18,840
and knowing His existence or 
whether you actually have the 

312
00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:20,960
word. 
You've grown up knowing the 

313
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,720
truth of who God is and what the
Scriptures say. 

314
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:28,480
All of us are responding to God 
every single day, either in 

315
00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:34,520
belief or hardening of heart 
towards Him and His truth, and 

316
00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:40,520
without a work of the Spirit by 
the grace of God. 

317
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:46,480
What John is saying is that we 
as human beings all respond in 

318
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,400
hardness, in our own natural 
condition and state. 

319
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,840
That's what we do. 
And this does not mean that 

320
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:58,240
God's sovereignty is pitted 
against man's responsibility. 

321
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:03,640
Actually quite the opposite. 
Man is culpable here, as John 

322
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,400
says. 
John doesn't say that God forces

323
00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,360
men to be hardened or forces 
them to sin. 

324
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:16,080
But what God does do, and we see
this in the book of Romans, is 

325
00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,960
he turns us over to ourselves 
into our own sin. 

326
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:24,560
God's hardening of his people is
not manipulation here. 

327
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,320
And this is important to 
understand. 

328
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:33,120
It is judicial to put it another
way, when God says that their 

329
00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:37,400
hearts are hardened, what he is 
saying is God is putting them to

330
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:42,160
a test to prove what is already 
true, right? 

331
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:46,040
God didn't need to make Pharaoh 
believe that he was God and 

332
00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,720
king. 
God didn't need to use Moses to 

333
00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,480
make Pharaoh more angry against 
God and to believe that he 

334
00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,440
didn't need God. 
No, he simply gave him a a set 

335
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,480
of tests and trials to reveal 
what was already true of 

336
00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:01,680
Pharaoh. 
He believed he was God. 

337
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,280
And what John is saying here is 
that as Jesus has come and 

338
00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:13,720
preached the good news of who He
is and who the Father is, as the

339
00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:18,200
Israelites have rejected him, 
they are not being hardened in 

340
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:19,760
the sense that God is actually 
hard to know. 

341
00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:23,280
Their hardness of heart is 
simply finally being shown to 

342
00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:28,000
everyone, including themselves, 
that they would not believe in 

343
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:34,240
the truth of who Christ is. 
And God's sovereignty in 

344
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:39,000
salvation and in proclaiming the
good news is actually a cause 

345
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:44,680
for celebration and hope because
it means some of us, we'll have 

346
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,120
our hearts softened in a way 
where we can actually understand

347
00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:54,520
who this King of kings is. 
And it also humbles us out of 

348
00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:58,080
believing that I'm better than 
you because I believe and you 

349
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:02,280
don't. 
But it is the mercy of God that 

350
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:08,200
calls us. 
And so there's a call here in 

351
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:17,960
these verses, call to pause and 
reflect on our own hearts and to

352
00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,960
seek and understand God's Word, 
understand Jesus's words, and to

353
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:29,120
be healed by him. 
Because if we're not, we fall 

354
00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:32,200
into the same trap that the 
Jewish leaders were falling into

355
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:37,800
here where they refused to 
believe and therefore remain in 

356
00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:44,840
darkness. 
And, as John says, are dead now,

357
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:50,960
it would be easy from an 
outsider's perspective to look 

358
00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,600
at Jesus's ministry and then 
know what awaits him, and to 

359
00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,000
read this passage in John 
chapter 12 with the anticipation

360
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:04,160
of knowing he's soon going to be
crucified for no crimes of his 

361
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:07,520
own. 
And to think man, this guy's 

362
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:12,280
ministry is an abject failure 
from from all earthly 

363
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:13,480
perspectives. 
It is. 

364
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:18,880
He spent three years trying to 
convince the people of God that 

365
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,480
he is their long-awaited King 
and Messiah and many reject him.

366
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:30,920
And yet what we see John say 
next is that what awaits us is 

367
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,320
nothing but the glory and hope 
that is found in Jesus, right? 

368
00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:39,640
Look at verse 41. 
Isaiah said these things, 

369
00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:47,200
referring to the rejection of 
Christ, because He saw His glory

370
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:52,600
and spoke of Him. 
Nevertheless, many even of the 

371
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,800
authorities believed in Him, but
for fear of the Pharisees, they 

372
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,160
did not confess it so that they 
would not be put out of the 

373
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,200
synagogue. 
For they love the glory that 

374
00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:07,120
comes from man more than the 
glory that comes from God. 

375
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:14,120
So, so there in verse 41, right,
Isaiah, it says that Isaiah saw 

376
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,600
these things and predicted them.
Meaning when Isaiah was 

377
00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:21,800
predicting the future of this 
coming king, that he saw Jesus 

378
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,880
himself and saw Jesus's ministry
and saw the rejection that he 

379
00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,360
would receive at the hands of 
his own people. 

380
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:33,040
And yet, if you pause and see 
what else John is saying, he 

381
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:40,000
says he saw the glory of God in 
Jesus and his ministry years 

382
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,440
before Jesus ever walked the 
earth. 

383
00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:48,320
And John is telling us that the 
glory Isaiah saw when he was in 

384
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,920
the temple was not just some 
light, was not just some 

385
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:55,320
experience, but it was actually 
the glory of Jesus coming to 

386
00:25:55,320 --> 00:26:00,720
earth. 
The one who would be rejected by

387
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:05,800
his own people is not just a 
teacher, but God himself in the 

388
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:13,560
flesh. 
And as we read in Isaiah 53, He 

389
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:17,960
would be rejected and despised, 
and yet He was bruised and 

390
00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:24,440
broken for our iniquities and 
sin, meaning that the very glory

391
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,640
He would carry and contain would
be rejected by God's people. 

392
00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:31,600
And yet that rejection would be 
the very means by which God 

393
00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:38,400
would crucify the Savior for our
sins, meaning God even uses our 

394
00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,120
hardness of heart and rejection 
to save us from ourselves. 

395
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,760
So I always think like people 
are like praying and they're 

396
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,960
like, I think God wants me to do
this thing, but I'm not really 

397
00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,320
interested in doing it. 
It's like you don't understand 

398
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:58,440
God is playing 3D chess and 
you're confused at the rules and

399
00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,640
checkers. 
I would encourage you to submit 

400
00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:06,840
to him instead. 
But if you consider we just got 

401
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,320
done celebrating the 
resurrection a couple weeks ago,

402
00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:13,560
right? 
Imagine that Good Friday. 

403
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,160
The world had thought it had 
won. 

404
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,880
They had gotten rid of this guy 
who was creating trouble for 

405
00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,120
them. 
They had gotten rid of this 

406
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:27,680
insurrectionist in Rome and 
Caesar could continue to rule 

407
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,440
and reign without any problems. 
The religious leaders now had 

408
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,640
control over the people again 
and didn't need to worry about 

409
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,320
this guy pulling them in a 
different direction and telling 

410
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:39,800
them not to listen to to to 
their teaching. 

411
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,200
Satan was rejoicing because the 
one who had come to save his 

412
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:50,680
people was now dead. 
And three days later, boom, game

413
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:56,440
over. 
Because God had a plan all 

414
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:58,400
along. 
And what we see in the book of 

415
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:04,120
Isaiah and what we see here in 
John is the full culmination of 

416
00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:07,280
the promises of what Isaiah saw 
coming to pass. 

417
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,000
This king doesn't look the way 
that they want him to look, but 

418
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,240
he's the exact king that God had
promised them. 

419
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,520
We even see, if we look closely 
enough here in John chapter 12 

420
00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:26,080
is if you consider the ministry 
of Isaiah, Isaiah wasn't just 

421
00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,480
motivated by preaching 
repentance to the Israelites. 

422
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,360
He was motivated by knowing that
Jesus was one day coming to save

423
00:28:33,360 --> 00:28:38,480
him as well. 
And we see John say here that 

424
00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:41,280
even in the midst of all of this
rejection, though some are 

425
00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:46,200
saved, some even of the 
religious leaders who are afraid

426
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,080
to say that they believe in 
Jesus because they love man's 

427
00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:59,200
glory over God's, which I think 
is maybe an important thing for 

428
00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:03,040
us to consider here this 
morning, especially if you are a

429
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:09,040
follower of Jesus here this 
morning is what glory are you 

430
00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:14,120
after? 
Because here these men, some of 

431
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:18,120
them probably even members of 
the Sanhedrin who quietly sat by

432
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:23,640
while Jesus is convicted 
unjustly in the middle of the 

433
00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:27,240
night. 
I always love that scene, right?

434
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,040
The famous part of that scene we
always think about is how Peter 

435
00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,040
denies Jesus. 3 * 1 of the most 
fascinating things about that 

436
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:37,240
scene, the night of Jesus's 
arrest is that entire trial is a

437
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,080
sham. 
The religious leaders violate 

438
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:44,600
their own laws that night to try
Jesus before they send him to 

439
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,880
the Romans. 
And there are probably some in 

440
00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,000
that room who John is talking 
about right here in John chapter

441
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,200
12 who believe and yet out of 
fear refuse to stand up and do 

442
00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,160
the right thing. 
And if you are a follower of 

443
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:05,400
Jesus here this morning, you are
given the opportunity daily to 

444
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,640
seek the glory of man or to seek
the glory of God. 

445
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:20,950
And when you seek your own 
glory, you will rob yourself of 

446
00:30:20,950 --> 00:30:28,880
joy every time. 
And so we're given this picture 

447
00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:33,080
here in John chapter 12, that 
after all this time, after all 

448
00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,040
that Jesus has done, it is still
not enough. 

449
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:40,720
For some, it's still not enough.
It's like that book, The Giving 

450
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:42,320
Tree, that we all had to read as
kids. 

451
00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,960
Anybody read that book as a kid?
Yeah, like half of you guys. 

452
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:46,720
Right. 
Like the tree just keeps giving 

453
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:48,120
to the kid, and he wants more 
and more. 

454
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,360
And as Jesus gives and gives and
gives, the people demand more 

455
00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:56,920
and more and more because they 
want what He can provide. 

456
00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:04,000
They don't want Him. 
And when we see men respond the 

457
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:08,040
way that they respond here, it 
would be easy for us to take a 

458
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,960
moment and place ourselves in 
Christ's shoes and think, well, 

459
00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:14,560
how would I respond to that? 
And I've spent three years. 

460
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,400
I was sent by the Father. 
I left my glory. 

461
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,520
I left the glory of the throne 
room of heaven, right? 

462
00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,280
I put on human flesh, becoming a
bond servant. 

463
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:27,240
As as Paul says in Philippians 
chapter 2, I've preached and 

464
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,720
I've taught. 
I've I've done miracles, I've 

465
00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,320
healed people, I've fed people, 
I've had sleepless nights. 

466
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,440
I've been I've been experienced 
rejection even by my own family.

467
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:44,440
And yet still they do not 
believe. 

468
00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:49,680
And I think it'd be easy for 
many of us to find ourselves in 

469
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:56,040
that scenario, in that 
situation, and say, well, I'm 

470
00:31:56,040 --> 00:32:01,520
done with you. 
There's nothing more I can do. 

471
00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:07,920
And yet when men seek their own 
glory rather than the glory of 

472
00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:11,080
God, look at how Jesus responds 
starting in verse 44. 

473
00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:18,560
And Jesus cried out and said, 
whoever believes in me believes 

474
00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:20,680
not in me, but in him who sent 
me. 

475
00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:26,280
And whoever sees me sees him who
sent me. 

476
00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:30,440
I have come into the world as 
light so that whoever believes 

477
00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:33,440
in me may not remain in 
darkness. 

478
00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,960
You know, John's gospel 
regularly uses imagery to help 

479
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:46,080
us try to understand the things 
of God, and it uses the imagery 

480
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:50,880
of light and darkness regularly.
And light is meant to emote 

481
00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,440
understandings of goodness and 
safety and, and help and warmth 

482
00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:00,000
and, and darkness is meant to 
describe things that are bad, 

483
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:06,480
confusion, scariness, fear, sin,
thinking that we know better 

484
00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:10,600
than God, cheering on wickedness
and idolatry while slowly dying.

485
00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:16,080
And so the assumption that Jesus
makes as he shares these verses 

486
00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:19,600
here in the midst of so many 
people rejecting him and his 

487
00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,960
ministry, the assumption he 
makes is these people are still 

488
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:25,640
in darkness. 
I need to help them find a way 

489
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:34,000
out. 
Even as he's being rejected 

490
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:39,000
again, Jesus screams out. 
Come to me, come to the light. 

491
00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:47,200
And those that come into the 
light, if you read those verses,

492
00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:52,320
experience a transformation that
is not done through some self 

493
00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:57,080
help program or CrossFit or 
whatever thing you might be into

494
00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:59,840
for your New Year's Eve. 
No, like New Year's resolution. 

495
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:04,720
No, the things that Jesus does 
for those who come to the light 

496
00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:07,560
is a complete transformation 
from the inside out. 

497
00:34:08,639 --> 00:34:12,840
They're no longer in darkness. 
They can actually see and 

498
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:15,920
experience life as God has 
created it for them. 

499
00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:20,679
They have an increased knowledge
of who God is, and in that 

500
00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:23,040
increased knowledge are 
encouraged by the power and the 

501
00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:26,239
work of the Holy Spirit, who 
comes alongside us as a helper 

502
00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,600
to move in obedience towards 
God's Word so that we might 

503
00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,880
experience true joy and 
flourishing as He has designed 

504
00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:37,239
it. 
We experience increased fruit in

505
00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:41,040
putting sin to death and loving 
others because God says that's 

506
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:45,120
what brings true joy. 
These are both marks of a 

507
00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,480
Christian, but they're also 
promises of God to His people, 

508
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:56,320
meaning Jesus is is is standing 
there at the end of his public 

509
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:59,200
ministry being rejected once 
again. 

510
00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:02,440
And instead of wiping his hand 
clean and saying I'm done with 

511
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:04,200
these people, he gives one final
plea. 

512
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:11,640
Please come to me, come to the 
light while I'm still around and

513
00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:17,200
I will rescue you. 
But then he gives the second 

514
00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:23,360
part of that plea in verse 47, 
says if anyone hears my words 

515
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:27,320
and does not keep them, I do not
judge him. 

516
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,200
For I did not come to judge the 
world, but to save the world. 

517
00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:35,840
The one who rejects me and does 
not receive my words has a 

518
00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,720
judge. 
The word that I have spoken will

519
00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:43,440
judge him on the last day, for I
have not spoken on my own 

520
00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:48,320
authority, but the Father who 
sent me has given him give it 

521
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:50,320
has me. 
Let's try that again. 

522
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:55,960
But the Father who sent me has 
himself given me a commandment 

523
00:35:57,240 --> 00:36:02,840
what to say and what to speak. 
And I know that his commandment 

524
00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:07,840
is eternal life. 
What I say, therefore I say, as 

525
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:15,240
the Father has told me, Jesus 
is, is sharing with them the 

526
00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:17,200
future of what his ministry is 
going to look like. 

527
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,720
He's saying, hey, the remainder 
of my time, my first coming, I'm

528
00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:21,920
not coming to judge. 
I'm coming to save. 

529
00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:24,680
I'm coming. 
We're getting ready to celebrate

530
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,320
the Passover. 
I'm I'm the true Passover lamb. 

531
00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:36,880
But in my second coming, I'm not
even going to need to declare 

532
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:38,280
you guilty If you haven't come 
to me. 

533
00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:39,760
My words will have done that 
already. 

534
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:44,320
The words I've already spoken 
judge you. 

535
00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,640
Either you obey God's word and 
you follow after me or you do 

536
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:50,840
not. 
This is an important thing. 

537
00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:52,920
I think especially, you know, 
we're in the South and I know 

538
00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:55,680
you know, Florida's interesting.
It's the Bible Belt, but it's 

539
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:56,840
kind of like the bottom of the 
belt. 

540
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:03,360
So like, you know, you kind of 
get like some, some like pieces 

541
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,400
of like what the Bible Belt 
culture is here in Florida, but 

542
00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:08,000
then you're also kind of like 
where am I? 

543
00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:14,520
And, and, and in that, what that
means is, is, is many of you in 

544
00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:19,360
this room probably grew up going
to church and experiencing, 

545
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,880
right, what it meant to be in a 
Christian family. 

546
00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:24,560
Or maybe you didn't have it in 
your family, but someone brought

547
00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:26,080
you to church. 
Maybe it was a grandparent or 

548
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,400
maybe you were connected to the 
church in some way and you got 

549
00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:30,480
bused to the church. 
There's so many different ways, 

550
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:32,800
right, that you could have 
experienced this. 

551
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:36,920
And what can often come from 
that is having this kind of back

552
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:39,760
in, in the back of your mind 
belief that there is a God and 

553
00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,480
he kind of cares about you when 
you only need to access him when

554
00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:44,880
you really need him. 
And, and what I would say to 

555
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,480
that is one that's not the God 
of the Bible, but there's a 

556
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,560
famous sociologist years ago who
said that the God that most 

557
00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,120
people in the United States 
believe in is the God of 

558
00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:58,280
therapeutic moralistic deism. 
He's a God that doesn't really 

559
00:37:58,280 --> 00:38:00,360
want to be that involved in your
life unless you need him. 

560
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:02,800
He doesn't really care that much
about what's going on, but he's 

561
00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:05,000
got a few more rules that he 
would like you to follow, but he

562
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,400
won't actually hold you to him. 
And He's just there to help you 

563
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:10,560
out. 
And if you want to believe in 

564
00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:12,120
that God, you are more than 
welcome to. 

565
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,280
But I'm here to tell you that is
not the God of the Bible and 

566
00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:22,560
that is not Jesus Christ. 
And what Jesus says here is that

567
00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:27,800
there is no kind of following 
me, as he says in one of the 

568
00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:32,080
other gospels, that if you are 
lukewarm, He will spit you out. 

569
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:37,160
That either you're completely 
sold out to following Him as 

570
00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:41,720
your God or you're not. 
It's very black and white. 

571
00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,280
There are many things in the 
Christian faith that like, 

572
00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:45,960
that's a Gray area. 
We've got to think through that.

573
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,120
But whether you follow Jesus or 
not is a very black and white 

574
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:50,760
answer according to Jesus 
himself. 

575
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:57,640
And what Jesus says here is 
consistent disobedience. 

576
00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:02,080
Consistent failure to believe 
and trust in who I've revealed 

577
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,680
myself to be, and consistent 
disobedience to the things I've 

578
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:09,040
commanded you to do in light of 
following me shows what your 

579
00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:14,440
heart really is. 
It's rejected and, and this is a

580
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:16,000
hard thing to hear. 
I understand that, right? 

581
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,120
It's like, well, I go to, I go 
to church every week or whatever

582
00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:19,600
else. 
And I, I was just talking to 

583
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:24,240
somebody recently who, who is, 
is someone in my church and it's

584
00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:26,720
good because they won't be here.
So I can use this example. 

585
00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:32,040
And there was some strife going 
on relationally with this person

586
00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:33,520
and some other people that they 
lived with. 

587
00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,480
And this person looks at me and 
says, well, I just treat people 

588
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:45,000
the way that they've treated me.
And I said, well, you're welcome

589
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,160
to do that, but that's not the 
way of Jesus. 

590
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:55,200
And if you think that that 
honors God, it does not. 

591
00:39:58,520 --> 00:39:59,880
He's like, that's really hard 
though. 

592
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:04,880
Yes, it's the whole point. 
It's why you need a savior. 

593
00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,480
But your own words to me. 
Are indicating to me that you've

594
00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,360
decided you like your idea 
better than the commands of 

595
00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:19,560
Christ himself. 
And I'm not going to tell you 

596
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:21,680
whether you're really a follower
of Jesus or not, because that's 

597
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:23,920
not my place. 
But the fruit of what you're 

598
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:33,080
saying says something to me. 
And some of us will sit here and

599
00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:34,840
think, OK, well then I've got 
to, I've got to obey everything.

600
00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:36,960
I've got to do everything. 
So I want to turn over to John 

601
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,760
chapter 6 just to make sure we 
understand the foundation of 

602
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:42,280
what Jesus is saying here in 
verse 29. 

603
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:46,520
He's just got done saying that 
he is the bread of life. 

604
00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:51,400
And they say to him in verse 28,
well, what must we do then to be

605
00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,160
doing the works of God? 
And look at Jesus response. 

606
00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:58,200
Jesus answered them, This is the
work of God that you believe in 

607
00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:04,760
him who he said, meaning that we
live our lives, we live them in 

608
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:09,600
obedience unto Christ, but then 
we recognize daily we're going 

609
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:14,160
to fail anyway and we throw 
ourselves at the mercy and the 

610
00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:18,920
finished work of Jesus. 
And that is the great conundrum 

611
00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,600
of the Christian life. 
It is one entirely filled up 

612
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:25,480
every day, day by day, of 
repentance and faith. 

613
00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:30,320
Repentance of sin and faith that
Christ is enough. 

614
00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:33,240
And that's over the course of 
time. 

615
00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:37,720
As you do that enough times, 
that repentance will take you to

616
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:41,240
a place of greater maturity, of 
more Christlikeness. 

617
00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:47,040
But you will not become Jesus. 
You become like him, but you do 

618
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:49,480
not become him. 
And therefore you're all of the 

619
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:51,840
Christian life from the moment 
you believed and prayed that 

620
00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:54,960
prayer in your Sunday school 
class or in your backyard with 

621
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:58,200
your parents, or in college when
a friend shared the gospel with 

622
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,800
you, or later in life, no matter
when it happened, when the 

623
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,960
moment the light bulb clicked 
on, your life from then on out 

624
00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:06,320
will be marked by these two 
things, repentance and faith. 

625
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:12,000
And what Jesus says in John 
chapter 6 is there is no 

626
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:14,560
obedience apart from belief. 
It's impossible. 

627
00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:21,440
This is why Jesus calls the 
commandment back in verse 50 of 

628
00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:26,520
John chapter 12 eternal life, 
because you're walking towards 

629
00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:29,320
this experience of the daily 
trust in Jesus for the rest of 

630
00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:33,920
your life. 
Belief in Him is eternal life. 

631
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,320
There is no other way. 
And that eternal life is both a 

632
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:40,920
transformational experience in 
the life you live now, but 

633
00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:43,400
security and eternity with the 
Father. 

634
00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:49,200
Sometimes as, as Christians, we 
can be stuck in this place where

635
00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:54,440
we think it's one or the other. 
You know, the faith that we have

636
00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,640
isn't a God that gives life for 
now, but also life for eternity.

637
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:06,360
And as John shares Jesus's words
here in John chapter 12, the 

638
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:10,360
only alternative to that life is
darkness. 

639
00:43:14,720 --> 00:43:17,480
That's what you're left with. 
You may be sitting here this 

640
00:43:17,480 --> 00:43:18,440
morning and you're not a 
Christian. 

641
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,640
You're like, well I don't feel 
like I'm in darkness and you may

642
00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:26,680
not some some days life would be
much easier for me if I was not 

643
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:34,720
a Christian. 
But ultimately you are in 

644
00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:38,400
darkness to your very core 
because you don't have the true 

645
00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:40,960
understanding of why you were 
even created and here to begin 

646
00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:43,920
with. 
Without the framework and 

647
00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:49,800
understanding of who your God is
and why you exist, you live your

648
00:43:49,800 --> 00:43:53,560
life blindfolded, throwing darts
at a dartboard that you don't 

649
00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:59,440
even know where it sits. 
And so here's how I want to 

650
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,760
encourage us this morning as we 
finish up looking at John's 

651
00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:06,600
recollection of Jesus's 
ministry. 

652
00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:14,280
I want to encourage you to 
consider how you've responded to

653
00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,840
the crying out of Jesus here to 
unbelief. 

654
00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:22,920
If you're here this morning and 
you're not a Christian. 

655
00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:28,800
These words in verses 44 through
50 are for you. 

656
00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:34,560
They're an invitation from the 
God of the universe to come to 

657
00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:41,320
the light and to trust in Jesus.
You are either walking in the 

658
00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:42,920
light or remaining in the 
darkness. 

659
00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:49,520
There is no middle ground. 
See the The good news of what 

660
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:55,520
Christians believe about Jesus 
is that starting in Genesis 

661
00:44:55,720 --> 00:44:58,000
chapter 1, God created the 
heavens and the earth. 

662
00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:02,000
And in that creation, you read 
regularly after each day, God 

663
00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:04,840
said it was good. 
This was good, right? 

664
00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:09,560
It's in, in Eden, the the 
Hebrews have a word that they 

665
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:13,160
use to describe what that was 
like and they use the word 

666
00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:15,000
Shalom. 
You're probably familiar with 

667
00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:16,400
that word. 
It means peace. 

668
00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:20,400
But in English, when we say 
peace, we we lose some of the 

669
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:23,280
meaning of that word because in 
the Hebrew, that word doesn't 

670
00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:27,360
just mean the absence of 
conflict, it also means a full 

671
00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:31,760
understanding of who you are, 
full harmony with creation, full

672
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,560
harmony with those you are in 
relationship with. 

673
00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:38,560
And that when God had designed 
Adam and Eve to tend to and work

674
00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:42,520
the garden as his image bearers 
that way back in the very 

675
00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:46,000
beginning, God's design is that 
we would be in perfect Shalom 

676
00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:49,080
with one another, with creation 
and with God himself. 

677
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:52,480
That was God's original design 
and attention. 

678
00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:57,280
And yet it takes 1 chapter, 
Genesis 3, everything is 

679
00:45:57,280 --> 00:45:59,200
shattered, right? 
The serpent enters into the 

680
00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,760
garden. 
He speaks to Eve, he whispers to

681
00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:07,520
her and he he places a lie for 
her to hold on to. 

682
00:46:07,720 --> 00:46:11,360
And the lie that Eve ultimately 
ends up believing is, is God 

683
00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:13,000
holding out on me? 
Is he really good? 

684
00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:20,360
Do I really need him to 
experience the Shalom and peace 

685
00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:23,640
that I've been experiencing with
Adam here in Eden? 

686
00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:26,640
Does God really need to be a 
part of that? 

687
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,600
And says she eats of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil 

688
00:46:30,600 --> 00:46:33,720
and Adam does as well and sin 
enters the world for the first 

689
00:46:33,720 --> 00:46:36,240
time. 
And because of that, mankind 

690
00:46:36,240 --> 00:46:41,800
since then has been trying to 
find peace and Shalom, but apart

691
00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:46,800
from God and it can't be found. 
This is the this is the story of

692
00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:52,320
God and his people. 
And the only way that peace is 

693
00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:56,280
restored is through Jesus Christ
and come into the light. 

694
00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:01,560
The story that we just 
celebrated a few weeks ago of 

695
00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:04,480
Jesus coming and and sharing 
that he was God's Son in the 

696
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:08,640
flesh to reveal to us who God is
and who we really are. 

697
00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:16,080
And, and in light of that dying 
on the cross in our place for 

698
00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:19,880
our sins so that the wrath of 
God could be satisfied and his 

699
00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:23,640
righteousness before the Father 
given to us, restoring that 

700
00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:26,120
Shalom that had been fractured 
back in Genesis three. 

701
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:32,320
That is the story of the Bible. 
That is the good news of Jesus 

702
00:47:32,320 --> 00:47:35,520
Christ and who He is. 
That is what Christians for 

703
00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:39,960
thousands of years have thrown 
their hope upon in Jesus. 

704
00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:43,840
And if you are here this morning
and you have not yet believed, 

705
00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:47,080
hear this call from Jesus 
himself. 

706
00:47:47,320 --> 00:47:55,160
Come into the light, walk in the
light, trust in me and I will 

707
00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:57,400
restore that Shalom between you 
and the Father. 

708
00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:02,720
There is no other way. 
Now, if you're here this morning

709
00:48:02,720 --> 00:48:04,360
and you're like Kevin, I've done
that. 

710
00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:09,560
I've prayed the prayer. 
I'm in a community group at Vita

711
00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:11,360
Springs. 
I serve in the kids ministry, 

712
00:48:12,240 --> 00:48:13,720
right? 
All, all the things that you can

713
00:48:13,720 --> 00:48:16,440
do around here to walk the good 
Christian life. 

714
00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:18,440
What what is the call in these 
verses? 

715
00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:25,040
For me it's to walk in the light
and to not stop walking in that 

716
00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:26,960
light because you are already in
it. 

717
00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:32,080
It's too when you have the 
opportunity to share that good 

718
00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:36,040
news with other that you speak 
on His authority, witnessing and

719
00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:39,520
sharing the good news of how God
has transformed you and given 

720
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:44,840
you that eternal life. 
It's growing in your faith as 

721
00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:47,240
you walk in the life being 
encouraged. 

722
00:48:47,360 --> 00:48:50,400
You know, if if you believe 
today, it's not because you are 

723
00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,080
smarter or better than anyone 
else, it's because God and His 

724
00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:55,480
grace has opened your eyes to 
the light itself. 

725
00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:00,160
Yeah, If you look at verses 49 
through 50, again, I want to 

726
00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:02,840
read them really quickly to you.
He says, for I have not spoken 

727
00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:06,280
on my own authority, but the 
Father who sent me has given, 

728
00:49:06,920 --> 00:49:09,800
has himself given me a 
commandment, what to say and 

729
00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:11,760
what to speak. 
And I know that his commandment 

730
00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:14,240
is eternal life. 
What I say, therefore, I say as 

731
00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:17,120
the Father has told me, You 
know, one of the things I love 

732
00:49:17,320 --> 00:49:21,280
about John's gospel is if you 
read it closely, you end up 

733
00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:24,800
seeing that Jesus is the most 
dependent human being that has 

734
00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:28,560
ever walked this earth. 
You know, we spend our whole 

735
00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:30,320
lives thinking like, what can I 
do to be more independent? 

736
00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:31,440
What can I do to be more 
independent? 

737
00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:32,920
How do I, how do I get 
independent? 

738
00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:34,880
I have two kids. 
My entire life is centered 

739
00:49:34,880 --> 00:49:36,640
around how do I get these kids 
out of my house and be 

740
00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:39,320
functional adults one day 
doesn't mean I'm trying to get 

741
00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:43,320
rid of them. 
I love my kids, but like my 

742
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:46,080
entire existence feels like as a
father in many ways is like, how

743
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:51,640
do I prepare these two 
knuckleheads to like function, 

744
00:49:51,720 --> 00:49:59,280
to do things like eat food that 
they made, to do things like 

745
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:05,200
clean up messes that they made, 
to do things like work and have 

746
00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:09,600
a job, to treat others with 
kindness and respect and 

747
00:50:09,600 --> 00:50:12,760
dignity, to love them. 
This is my entire kind of goal 

748
00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:16,160
as a father is to launch my kids
out to be independent. 

749
00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:19,800
And yet if I miss the most 
important key, which is if I do 

750
00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:23,560
not teach them that their 
independence is solely dependent

751
00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:25,440
upon the one who created them, 
I'll have failed them. 

752
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:32,480
Because if Jesus himself says 
that everything he says and does

753
00:50:32,480 --> 00:50:36,240
is dependent upon his heavenly 
Father, then that is who example

754
00:50:36,240 --> 00:50:40,200
we're following. 
So if you were here this morning

755
00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:44,120
and you're a Libra, I want to 
encourage you don't try to 

756
00:50:44,120 --> 00:50:46,640
become more independent, try to 
become more dependent. 

757
00:50:47,480 --> 00:50:50,000
Try to become more dependent in 
your on your Heavenly Father. 

758
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:52,040
And you're going to do that 
through things that Christians 

759
00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:55,960
have done for thousands of years
by being in the word, by being 

760
00:50:55,960 --> 00:50:58,240
in community with other 
Christians, by being known and, 

761
00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:01,120
and walking in humility and 
walking in repentance and faith 

762
00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:06,920
and growing and gratitude and 
worship towards God to increase 

763
00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:09,800
that dependence upon him. 
And as you increase that 

764
00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:15,560
dependence upon him, you walk in
obedience to love Jesus and obey

765
00:51:15,560 --> 00:51:18,040
his commands. 
And one of the things that 

766
00:51:18,080 --> 00:51:22,440
excites me even today is there 
are some people in this church 

767
00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:26,160
today who are taking that step 
of obedience. 

768
00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:31,840
They're going to be baptized. 
You're one of the last things 

769
00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:34,840
that Jesus says in the Gospel of
Matthew is he tells us to go 

770
00:51:34,840 --> 00:51:37,440
therefore, into all nations, 
baptizing in the name of the 

771
00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:39,720
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit 
and teaching them to deserve all

772
00:51:39,720 --> 00:51:41,600
that that I've commanded you. 
And then he promises that he's 

773
00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:43,200
with us to the end of the age, 
right? 

774
00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:46,160
Meaning baptism is one of the 
early steps that a Christian 

775
00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:48,560
takes in obedience to the 
commands of Jesus. 

776
00:51:52,920 --> 00:51:59,800
John's gospel was written so 
that we would believe in Jesus 

777
00:51:59,800 --> 00:52:01,400
Christ and have eternal life in 
him. 

778
00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:07,240
And the people getting baptized 
this morning are going to share 

779
00:52:07,240 --> 00:52:10,000
that story of how they have 
found that in Jesus. 

780
00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:16,440
As we see in John 12, many saw 
and did not believe, but some 

781
00:52:16,440 --> 00:52:19,680
believed and received life. 
And so the question I leave you 

782
00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:22,800
with this morning is where do 
you stand? 

783
00:52:23,560 --> 00:52:27,520
If you've received that life, 
continue to walk in it. 

784
00:52:28,920 --> 00:52:31,160
The world has nothing better to 
offer, I promise you. 

785
00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:35,360
And if you were here this 
morning and you have not yet 

786
00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:38,360
received Jesus, come and receive
him. 

787
00:52:38,360 --> 00:52:43,240
Do not leave this room today 
with having stepped into the 

788
00:52:43,240 --> 00:52:45,400
light. 
I'm going to invite Pastor Kurt 

789
00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:46,640
up. 
I'm going to pray for us as he 

790
00:52:46,640 --> 00:52:49,120
comes up, and then he's going to
lead us through baptism. 

791
00:52:52,360 --> 00:53:00,040
Would I thank you for your word?
I thank you for the ways in 

792
00:53:00,040 --> 00:53:08,880
which. 
It brings clarity to the chaos 

793
00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:14,400
of life. 
Lord, in a world marked by 

794
00:53:14,720 --> 00:53:20,920
suffering and and difficulty and
challenge, it's easy to ask 

795
00:53:20,920 --> 00:53:22,640
questions of why, what is going 
on? 

796
00:53:22,640 --> 00:53:24,880
What do I need to do? 
What is my, what is my place 

797
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:26,400
here? 
And yet your word tells us 

798
00:53:26,400 --> 00:53:30,640
exactly why all of this is and 
exactly what you've done about 

799
00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:35,120
it. 
And so, Lord, I pray this 

800
00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:38,720
morning two things. 
If there's anyone in here this 

801
00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:43,640
morning who has not yet 
surrendered to you in trust in 

802
00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:48,760
faith, Lord, will you reveal 
yourself to them now, Call them 

803
00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:54,920
to the light. 
And Lord, for those that are 

804
00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:59,280
walking with you who know you, 
have trusted in you, or will you

805
00:53:59,280 --> 00:54:03,400
encourage them to walk in deeper
dependence upon you and your 

806
00:54:03,400 --> 00:54:07,360
word, helping them to believe in
the things not yet seen, to 

807
00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:13,240
believe in the things hoped for?
And God, we ask that all of this

808
00:54:13,240 --> 00:54:18,280
would be done to the glory and 
praise of your name, to make you

809
00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:20,880
look glorious both here in 
Gainesville and to the ends of 

810
00:54:20,880 --> 00:54:24,320
the earth. 
And I ask this all in Jesus 

811
00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:30,960
name, Amen. 
Thanks, Kevin. 

812
00:54:33,720 --> 00:54:37,080
And for the record, that was the
correct passage he was supposed 

813
00:54:37,080 --> 00:54:38,640
to preach. 
I misspoke. 

814
00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:43,400
Finished up John 12, but super 
thankful. 

815
00:54:43,400 --> 00:54:47,200
It was great. 
I get the privilege of talking a

816
00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:49,320
little bit about baptism this 
morning. 

817
00:54:50,720 --> 00:54:55,480
And so before we introduce you 
to our baptizees, what is 

818
00:54:55,480 --> 00:54:59,200
baptism? 
Baptism is a symbol, might say 

819
00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:02,200
it's the outward symbol of the 
inner reality. 

820
00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:07,360
Baptism represents a cleansing 
from sin via repentance and 

821
00:55:07,360 --> 00:55:12,240
faith in Jesus, symbolizing that
person's death, their burial, 

822
00:55:12,240 --> 00:55:15,880
and the resurrection to new life
with Christ by faith. 

823
00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:20,800
Romans 6 verses 3 and 4 say it 
like this Apostle Paul writing. 

824
00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:25,160
He says, do you not know that 
all of us who have been baptized

825
00:55:25,160 --> 00:55:28,520
into Christ Jesus were baptized 
into his death? 

826
00:55:29,240 --> 00:55:32,760
We were buried, therefore with 
him by baptism into death in 

827
00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:35,720
order that just as Christ was 
raised from the dead by the 

828
00:55:35,720 --> 00:55:39,560
glory of the Father, we too 
might walk in the newness of 

829
00:55:39,560 --> 00:55:43,160
life. 
Why would somebody get baptized?

830
00:55:43,560 --> 00:55:46,480
Baptism does not save you. 
Jesus saves you. 

831
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:50,720
It is by faith and then we get 
baptized. 

832
00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:53,720
You don't get baptized to become
a better Christian. 

833
00:55:53,720 --> 00:55:57,240
This isn't a magical power, some
superstition, and now you get to

834
00:55:57,240 --> 00:55:59,120
be a better Christian because 
you've been baptized. 

835
00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:03,800
You might think of your baptism 
as like a covering or a sign of 

836
00:56:03,800 --> 00:56:06,840
entrance, if you will, into 
God's family, Something you'll 

837
00:56:06,840 --> 00:56:12,160
be able to look back on in faith
and remember and think I am his.

838
00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:16,120
And this marked me in that way. 
We also get baptized and Kevin 

839
00:56:16,120 --> 00:56:17,840
was mentioning this due to 
obedience to Jesus. 

840
00:56:17,920 --> 00:56:21,080
Jesus right in Matthew 28, Jesus
says go and make disciples of 

841
00:56:21,080 --> 00:56:24,480
all nations and baptize them in 
the name of the Father, Son and 

842
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:27,600
Holy Spirit. 
It's a public display of your 

843
00:56:27,600 --> 00:56:31,120
new life in Jesus. 
Who should be baptized? 

844
00:56:31,640 --> 00:56:34,480
Those who have truly repented of
their sin. 

845
00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:37,440
They have placed their trust in 
Jesus as their Savior. 

846
00:56:37,800 --> 00:56:40,680
You do not need to know 
everything about the Bible and 

847
00:56:40,680 --> 00:56:42,640
Jesus. 
You don't need to be doubt free 

848
00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:45,640
or sin free. 
The the two people that are 

849
00:56:45,640 --> 00:56:49,600
getting baptized today have met 
with some of our pastors and 

850
00:56:49,600 --> 00:56:51,800
they can affirm their profession
of faith. 

851
00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:55,360
As you can see, we have some 
children coming to join us 

852
00:56:55,960 --> 00:56:57,840
because it's just a wonderful 
thing. 

853
00:56:57,840 --> 00:57:00,000
We want them to be able to be a 
part of it and witness it this 

854
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:01,400
morning. 
So hi kids. 

855
00:57:07,280 --> 00:57:15,600
Not sure who's he's talking to, 
but how can I didn't expect that

856
00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:19,400
one note to self next baptism 
service, don't talk to the kids.

857
00:57:20,560 --> 00:57:23,480
How can I be baptized at Vita 
Springs Church? 

858
00:57:24,120 --> 00:57:27,640
Sometimes as you watch other 
people be baptized, it stirs up 

859
00:57:27,640 --> 00:57:30,080
faith and desire for you to be 
baptized. 

860
00:57:30,080 --> 00:57:33,560
In fact, in a moment you'll hear
Mari's story and that happened 

861
00:57:33,560 --> 00:57:36,360
to her at our last baptism 
service back in January. 

862
00:57:36,840 --> 00:57:39,800
So if something gets stirred up 
into you, talk to one of our 

863
00:57:39,800 --> 00:57:42,000
pastors today. 
If you're wondering, maybe that 

864
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:44,800
is what is next for me. 
We would love to meet up with 

865
00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:46,640
you. 
You can fill out the welcome 

866
00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:48,920
card. 
So just scan that from your 

867
00:57:48,920 --> 00:57:52,320
program, fill out the welcome 
card, put baptism, interested in

868
00:57:52,320 --> 00:57:55,360
baptism in there. 
Or just talk to myself or one of

869
00:57:55,360 --> 00:57:57,760
our pastors, one of our leaders,
talk to somebody and say, hey, 

870
00:57:57,760 --> 00:57:59,920
I'm interested. 
Point me in the right direction.

871
00:57:59,920 --> 00:58:03,200
We would love to meet with you 
before we I've got a few more 

872
00:58:03,200 --> 00:58:05,320
things, but I want to have Mari 
come on up. 

873
00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:06,920
So Mari, why don't you come on 
up? 

874
00:58:07,880 --> 00:58:12,080
She's going to share briefly 
some of her story now, so. 

875
00:58:16,480 --> 00:58:23,320
Hi everyone, so my name is Maury
and I was baptized as a baby in 

876
00:58:23,320 --> 00:58:27,360
the Lutheran Church but we would
only go occasionally me and my 

877
00:58:27,360 --> 00:58:30,120
family. 
I always believed that God was 

878
00:58:30,120 --> 00:58:32,960
very distant and that I would 
never read and that I would 

879
00:58:32,960 --> 00:58:35,880
never read the Bible because I 
thought it was just an old book 

880
00:58:35,880 --> 00:58:37,880
that nobody read besides 
bastards. 

881
00:58:39,320 --> 00:58:43,480
Then after watching The Chosen, 
my mom began taking us to church

882
00:58:43,480 --> 00:58:46,800
and even got his Bibles and 
devotional books, but nothing 

883
00:58:46,800 --> 00:58:50,200
inside me ever clicked. 
I wasn't willing to give up a 

884
00:58:50,200 --> 00:58:52,880
lot of things in the world, and 
he kept being like that for two 

885
00:58:52,880 --> 00:58:55,880
years. 
I came from Brazil to 

886
00:58:55,880 --> 00:58:59,800
Gainesville in 2024 to play 
volleyball at Santa Fe, and I 

887
00:58:59,800 --> 00:59:02,400
believed that my whole purpose 
coming here was to play 

888
00:59:02,400 --> 00:59:05,000
volleyball, do my best in school
and go. 

889
00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:07,400
Do you want? 
And it was happening. 

890
00:59:07,640 --> 00:59:10,920
I got a 4.0 GPA and had an 
amazing freshman season. 

891
00:59:11,920 --> 00:59:14,200
But I wasn't happy. 
It wasn't enough. 

892
00:59:14,560 --> 00:59:18,800
I needed to do better, work 
harder, and only then I would be

893
00:59:18,800 --> 00:59:21,600
happy. 
So I came back the next fall 

894
00:59:21,920 --> 00:59:25,160
ready to do even better. 
However, it didn't go as I 

895
00:59:25,160 --> 00:59:29,200
expected. 
The 2020 fall season was 

896
00:59:29,200 --> 00:59:31,280
definitely one of the worst 
times of my life. 

897
00:59:32,320 --> 00:59:36,120
Volleyball wasn't going well, my
classes were harder, and I felt 

898
00:59:36,120 --> 00:59:40,480
so alone and empty all the time.
I felt like I had no worth. 

899
00:59:41,200 --> 00:59:46,000
I hated myself and just felt so 
much anger, loneliness and 

900
00:59:46,000 --> 00:59:49,320
emptiness inside of me. 
I just wanted to pack my things 

901
00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:51,000
and go home. 
I was done. 

902
00:59:52,480 --> 00:59:56,720
But then in January of 2026, 
when I was deep inside that 

903
00:59:56,720 --> 01:00:00,800
hole, I came to a baptism 
service at Vida and it stirred 

904
01:00:00,800 --> 01:00:03,800
something in me. 
It made me want to get baptized,

905
01:00:04,480 --> 01:00:08,200
but I felt like I was dirty. 
I believe that for me to get 

906
01:00:08,200 --> 01:00:10,880
baptized, I needed to be a 
perfect Christian and that I 

907
01:00:10,880 --> 01:00:14,320
needed to be clean enough 
because if not, God would never 

908
01:00:14,320 --> 01:00:17,280
accept me because I knew that 
the way I lived didn't please 

909
01:00:17,280 --> 01:00:19,920
Him. 
Then I decided to attend to the 

910
01:00:19,920 --> 01:00:22,280
membership series to become a 
member of the church. 

911
01:00:23,080 --> 01:00:25,680
And those four days of learning 
brought me to the biggest 

912
01:00:25,680 --> 01:00:29,240
decision of my life. 
I wanted to change and I wanted 

913
01:00:29,240 --> 01:00:32,840
to follow Jesus. 
I can say that that was the 

914
01:00:32,840 --> 01:00:36,160
period of my life that God 
opened my eyes and he changed 

915
01:00:36,160 --> 01:00:38,280
me. 
I'm a completely different 

916
01:00:38,280 --> 01:00:41,400
person from who I was. 
In January, God saved me. 

917
01:00:42,640 --> 01:00:46,480
He put his hand on my eyes and 
he opened them and I could hear 

918
01:00:46,480 --> 01:00:50,480
him calling me and saying, I 
love you and you don't need all 

919
01:00:50,480 --> 01:00:52,280
those things. 
You need me. 

920
01:00:52,680 --> 01:00:55,440
I created you. 
I know you're worth and you're 

921
01:00:55,440 --> 01:00:59,760
worth it for me, and I want you 
to be with people who see that 

922
01:00:59,760 --> 01:01:02,680
worth. 
God opened my eyes to things 

923
01:01:02,680 --> 01:01:05,640
that I was doing that weren't 
right, and in a matter of a 

924
01:01:05,640 --> 01:01:09,120
month He flipped my life over 
and opened my eyes to so many 

925
01:01:09,120 --> 01:01:14,240
things, but mainly to but mainly
that this was my purpose in 

926
01:01:14,240 --> 01:01:17,800
Gainesville all along. 
Not school and volleyball, but 

927
01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:20,760
so that He could find me and 
never let me go again. 

928
01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:29,400
And I can say that now I'm no 
longer a lost sheep here I am 

929
01:01:30,320 --> 01:01:34,080
getting baptized today. 
And the reason for that is that 

930
01:01:34,080 --> 01:01:39,600
I want to show that I was saved 
by Jesus Christ, that I'm a new 

931
01:01:39,600 --> 01:01:41,160
person. 
Sorry. 

932
01:01:42,240 --> 01:01:46,040
And a new being and that 
everything that happened, all 

933
01:01:46,040 --> 01:01:49,160
the sin, sins that I committed 
in the past, there in the past, 

934
01:01:49,640 --> 01:01:52,880
and Jesus forgave me and saved 
me from all of them. 

935
01:01:53,920 --> 01:01:56,520
Jesus found me in my worst 
moment and brought me back to 

936
01:01:56,520 --> 01:02:03,520
him. 
I just want to say, I just want 

937
01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:06,120
to say that he's willing to save
everyone, including you. 

938
01:02:06,840 --> 01:02:09,440
So I encourage you, if you feel 
this emptiness, if you feel 

939
01:02:09,440 --> 01:02:12,000
lost, trust me, it's Jesus who's
missing. 

940
01:02:12,880 --> 01:02:15,320
He's letting that emptiness 
reach you because that's where 

941
01:02:15,560 --> 01:02:18,200
Jesus belongs. 
Give him a try. 

942
01:02:18,200 --> 01:02:22,240
Open your heart. 
He's perfect, He's merciful, and

943
01:02:22,240 --> 01:02:25,520
you're never too dirty for him. 
You're never too horrible for 

944
01:02:25,520 --> 01:02:28,520
him. 
He created you, He loves you, 

945
01:02:28,520 --> 01:02:32,760
and he's willing to forgive. 
As long as you believe in Him 

946
01:02:33,600 --> 01:02:38,080
and follow His steps, He will 
save you and He'll fulfill you 

947
01:02:38,080 --> 01:02:41,600
in such a way and bring you such
joy that you won't even remember

948
01:02:41,600 --> 01:02:43,520
how it was to not feel this joy 
before. 

949
01:02:44,480 --> 01:02:47,920
He's the way, the truth and the 
life and all we got to do is 

950
01:02:47,920 --> 01:02:51,000
deny ourselves, take up our 
crosses and follow Him. 

951
01:02:51,320 --> 01:03:11,640
Thank you Jesus. 
Worship. 

952
01:03:11,640 --> 01:03:12,760
He wants you good. 
Come on up. 

953
01:03:14,880 --> 01:03:18,920
It's been a joy to see Maher 
grow in the college group this 

954
01:03:18,920 --> 01:03:23,360
semester. 
And I helped her, whittled down 

955
01:03:23,360 --> 01:03:25,120
that story to be able to read to
us today. 

956
01:03:25,120 --> 01:03:28,360
And just hearing out of her 
mouth is it's powerful. 

957
01:03:29,160 --> 01:03:30,720
Mari and Titus, why don't you 
stand up? 

958
01:03:35,360 --> 01:03:38,640
I want to read a list of 
confessions and commitments. 

959
01:03:39,720 --> 01:03:41,400
You guys can respond. 
I do. 

960
01:03:44,320 --> 01:03:47,800
Do you turn away from the sin 
that has separated you from God?

961
01:03:49,720 --> 01:03:53,160
Do you believe and confess that 
Jesus Christ died to pay for 

962
01:03:53,160 --> 01:03:57,400
your sins? 
Do you confess that Jesus rose 

963
01:03:57,400 --> 01:03:59,720
from death to give you eternal 
life? 

964
01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:05,040
Do you trust Jesus as Lord and 
the only source of salvation and

965
01:04:05,040 --> 01:04:14,240
choose to follow and obey Him in
light of your confession of 

966
01:04:14,240 --> 01:04:16,480
faith and your desire to be 
baptized? 

967
01:04:16,720 --> 01:04:19,520
I, along with the elders of 
Edith Springs Church and our 

968
01:04:19,520 --> 01:04:23,120
church as a whole, we affirm 
that you have been made a new 

969
01:04:23,120 --> 01:04:26,840
creation through faith in Jesus.
You have been forgiven of your 

970
01:04:26,840 --> 01:04:30,240
sin and made righteous through 
Jesus death on the cross. 

971
01:04:30,560 --> 01:04:34,560
You have been adopted into God's
family and you will one day be 

972
01:04:34,560 --> 01:04:37,960
glorified with Jesus, inherit 
his Kingdom and reign with him 

973
01:04:37,960 --> 01:04:41,520
forever. 
I encourage you to seek Jesus 

974
01:04:41,520 --> 01:04:45,000
daily through Bible reading and 
prayer, worship and other 

975
01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:47,120
disciplines that might help you 
grow in your faith. 

976
01:04:47,960 --> 01:04:51,200
I encourage you to seek to be 
regularly filled and empowered 

977
01:04:51,200 --> 01:04:54,120
with the Holy Spirit that you 
might be effective in serving 

978
01:04:54,160 --> 01:04:57,040
Jesus. 
I encourage you to seek to grow 

979
01:04:57,040 --> 01:05:00,320
and loving God with all of your 
heart, your soul, your mind, 

980
01:05:00,320 --> 01:05:02,800
your strength. 
And I encourage you to seek to 

981
01:05:02,800 --> 01:05:06,160
give yourself in love and unity 
to God's church, the people. 

982
01:05:06,160 --> 01:05:09,960
I want to pray over you guys. 
Now, if we have our elders and 

983
01:05:09,960 --> 01:05:14,680
maybe have our old jaw, Frankie,
you in here. 

984
01:05:14,680 --> 01:05:17,960
Come on up, Frank. 
Let's pray for these guys, and 

985
01:05:18,000 --> 01:05:19,280
then we're going to baptize 
them. 

986
01:05:21,760 --> 01:05:25,440
Jesus, thank you for the work 
you've done in Titus and Mari. 

987
01:05:27,440 --> 01:05:31,360
Thank you, Lord, for opening 
their eyes to see you and to 

988
01:05:31,360 --> 01:05:37,560
know you and to believe in you. 
Jesus, you are so good and kind 

989
01:05:37,600 --> 01:05:41,080
and merciful, and your timing 
and your plan is perfect. 

990
01:05:42,720 --> 01:05:46,600
We thank you for drawing these 
two to yourself, for saving 

991
01:05:46,600 --> 01:05:50,400
them, and now for leading them 
into obedience into baptism, 

992
01:05:51,040 --> 01:05:54,760
which is only just the beginning
as they live out walking in the 

993
01:05:54,760 --> 01:05:56,400
light for the rest of their 
life. 

994
01:05:58,000 --> 01:06:01,120
Lord, we pray you would bless 
them, You would bless their 

995
01:06:01,120 --> 01:06:04,080
obedience, and you would protect
and cover over them. 

996
01:06:06,240 --> 01:06:07,800
Jesus, we pray this all in your 
name. 

997
01:06:09,040 --> 01:06:12,360
Amen. 
Well, church, you can go ahead 

998
01:06:12,360 --> 01:06:16,520
and stand up with me. 
These two are going to be 

999
01:06:16,520 --> 01:06:19,000
baptized here in a moment. 
We're going to start singing 

1000
01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:21,200
together because this is a 
celebration. 

1001
01:06:21,680 --> 01:06:24,960
And so we get to celebrate and 
sing to God while we watch them 

1002
01:06:24,960 --> 01:06:27,360
be baptized. 
Family and friends, you are 

1003
01:06:27,360 --> 01:06:30,280
welcome to go ahead and come on 
up to the front and get a closer

1004
01:06:30,280 --> 01:06:32,000
view. 
Support them, take some 

1005
01:06:32,000 --> 01:06:34,240
pictures. 
It's a celebration, church, so 

1006
01:06:34,240 --> 01:06:36,080
let's make sure we celebrate 
this. 

1007
01:06:36,640 --> 01:06:40,360
As the worship team begins to 
play, we'll sing together when 

1008
01:06:40,360 --> 01:06:42,360
the worship. 
After a few songs, I'll come 

1009
01:06:42,360 --> 01:06:43,920
back up. 
I'll lead us through a time of 

1010
01:06:43,920 --> 01:06:47,480
prayer, but for now, let's sing 
and let's baptize.