1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:03,440 All right, open up your Bibles to the book of John. 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:05,920 We're going to be in John chapter 5 this morning. 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,160 We have been in John for the past four months. 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,320 We're preaching through the whole book of John verse by 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,000 verse. We're actually after this 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,240 Sunday, we're going to take a break for seven weeks and we're 7 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:21,640 going to start a new teaching series talking about the church 8 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,760 in more depth. And so we'll push pause on John. 9 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,840 And then after that series, we'll jump back into John 10 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,720 chapter 6. But today we're going to be 11 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,120 looking at chapter 5, verses 31 through 47. 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,320 If you didn't bring a Bible with you, we've got some under the 13 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:37,840 seats in front of you. Feel free to use those. 14 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,920 Feel free to keep one of those if you don't have a Bible and 15 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:47,160 it's page 890 in that Bible. So you're familiar with if you 16 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:53,880 have a cell phone multi factor authentication, right? 17 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,800 You're laughing because you don't like it, right? 18 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:01,040 It's annoying, isn't it? It requires users to provide 19 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:05,519 more than one method to verify that it's you so that you can 20 00:01:05,519 --> 00:01:10,440 actually access your account. So if you're trying to log into 21 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,000 your bank account to see if you have enough money in your 22 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,640 account to get a burrito for lunch today, it's going to 23 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,520 authenticate. The bank wants to authenticate 24 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,800 that it is authentically you looking into that account. 25 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:24,000 So you have to enter your password. 26 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:26,920 And then there's some kind of biometrics thing. 27 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:28,640 It scans your retina or something. 28 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:33,680 And then it wants to send you a text message with a code because 29 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,720 it wants to make sure that it's actually you and your phone and 30 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,800 your hand. And you get the text and then 31 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,840 you enter it. It starts to ask you security 32 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,160 questions. And So what is your mother's 33 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,800 maiden name? And what was your first grade 34 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,320 school teacher's name? And who's your favorite sports 35 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:51,000 team? You have to answer them. 36 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,520 Those are presumably things that only you would know. 37 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:56,440 You have to complete a puzzle to prove that you're actually a 38 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,120 human and not some kind of robot. 39 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,760 And then you have to click the boxes that have the bridge or 40 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,240 the motorcycle or the stoplight in them. 41 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,400 And then now you can finally see your pathetically low checking 42 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,800 account and realize you're having ramen for lunch. 43 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,320 You're not going to Chipotle. But all of that works together 44 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:21,000 so that you can prove that you really are who you say that you 45 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:25,000 are and not some hacker in Sweden or the Netherlands or 46 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,960 something like that. In the text that we're looking 47 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,120 at today, Jesus is doing the same thing, but 2000 years 48 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:37,800 before iPhones. He is doing this to prove to 49 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,000 skeptics that he is who he says he is. 50 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,200 He is seeking to authenticate his identity. 51 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,080 Last week we read a story a couple weeks over the past 52 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,000 couple weeks about Jesus healing a cripple on the Sabbath. 53 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,000 The Jewish leaders were upset because you weren't supposed to 54 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,600 do that kind of thing on the Sabbath. 55 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,960 And so Jesus is breaking Jewish tradition. 56 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,920 Jesus comes back at them and he says, hey, I have authority to 57 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:10,000 do that because I'm God, right? This is he's starting to claim 58 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,320 his true identity. The Jewish leaders are very 59 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,440 upset and they begin to persecute him. 60 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,800 Jesus pushes back against them. If you were here last week, I 61 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,920 taught on those verses where Jesus claims to be one with the 62 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:27,200 Father in activity and purpose and love, in giving life to the 63 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,040 dead and in judgment. And he tells them they they owe 64 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,280 him honor, worship because he is God. 65 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,520 And then we ended last week on verse 30 where Jesus says you 66 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,920 can look at it with me. Chapter 5, verse 30, He says I 67 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:46,920 can do nothing on my own as I hear I judge and my judgment is 68 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,240 just because I seek not my own will, but the will of him who 69 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,360 sent me. So he's basically saying I'm not 70 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:58,560 some madman with a God complex. What I'm doing is right because 71 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:03,440 I am one with the Father, right? I am God in the flesh. 72 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,840 And so today Jesus is continuing his argument with these leaders 73 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:14,440 and he presents four factors to them or 4 witnesses to them to 74 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:18,200 authenticate to these hard hearted religious leaders that 75 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,279 Jesus is in fact who he says he is. 76 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:25,480 He is God in the flesh. So my hope for us today is that 77 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,440 we would all realize that if you're a Christian here, if 78 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,240 you're not a Christian here, that Jesus says he proves that 79 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,360 he is who he says he is in multiple ways. 80 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:35,720 If you're not a follower of Jesus, realize that. 81 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,880 Excuse me? If you are a follower of Jesus, 82 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:43,760 realize that your faith is built on a bona fide Savior who really 83 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:49,360 is God, and you can trust him because he is who he says he is. 84 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:55,800 So I want to give us a brief moment of silence before we read 85 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,000 God's Word. And so I want to encourage you 86 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,640 during this 10 or 15 seconds of silence to just quiet your 87 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,880 hearts, humble your hearts. You may whisper a little prayer 88 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,840 to God just to ask Him to give you open ears and open eyes and 89 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:12,320 an open heart. You may want to lay aside any 90 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,160 cares and anxieties and burdens that you came in with this 91 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,600 morning, may want to repent of some sin as we get ready to hear 92 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,760 from God. I'll give you a few moments and 93 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:50,720 then I'll read the text. John chapter 5, starting in 94 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:56,640 verse 31, Jesus says to these religious leaders, he says if I 95 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,800 alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 96 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:05,360 There is another who bears witness about me and I know that 97 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,000 the testimony that He bears about me is true. 98 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,240 You sent John, he's talking about John the Baptist, and he 99 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,920 has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I 100 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,760 receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be 101 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,960 saved. He was a burning and shining 102 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:27,000 lamp, and you were really willing to rejoice for a while 103 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,280 in His light. But the testimony that I have is 104 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:33,520 greater than that of John. For the works that the Father 105 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,880 has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear 106 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,080 witness about me that the Father has sent me. 107 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,960 And the Father who sent me has Himself borne witness about me. 108 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,560 His voice you have never heard, His form you have never seen, 109 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:52,960 and you do not have His word abiding in you. 110 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,240 For you do not believe the one in whom He has sent You Search 111 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,000 the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal 112 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,280 life. And it is they that bear witness 113 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:06,800 about me. Yet you refuse to come to me 114 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,400 that you may have life. I do not receive glory from 115 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,200 people, but I know that you do not have the love of God within 116 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,560 you. I have come in my Father's name, 117 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,520 and you do not receive Me. If another comes in His own 118 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,440 name, you will receive Him. How Can you believe when you 119 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,400 receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that 120 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,560 comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse 121 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,280 you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, 122 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,040 Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 123 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:39,640 For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote 124 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,280 of me. But if you do not believe his 125 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:46,360 writings, how will you believe my words? 126 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,320 Complicated text. Today let me pray for us and 127 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:54,800 then we'll dive in. Jesus, we worship you because 128 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,200 you are one with the Father. You are almighty God, your 129 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,760 Maker, your Creator, your Savior, your Redeemer, your 130 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,400 Lord, and so we're here in your name. 131 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:06,280 We're here to worship you, not ourselves. 132 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:09,640 We're here to hear from you, not just to hear from me or 133 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,320 ourselves. And so we pray, Jesus, that you 134 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,240 would speak loud and clear to all of us through your Bible 135 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,920 today. Give us humble, soft hearts and 136 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,720 open ears and open eyes that we might see you and hear you. 137 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:25,000 God, we give this time to you. Help us to understand, fill us 138 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,920 with your Holy Spirit, make us more like you, and help us to be 139 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,360 more and more in love with you and devoted to you. 140 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,240 And we pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen. 141 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:41,840 OK, so back up to verse 31. Jesus says to these Jewish 142 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:47,360 leaders, he says, if I alone bear witness about myself, my 143 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,160 testimony is not true. What is Jesus saying there? 144 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:55,600 Well, he is arguing his case. And so this whole section of the 145 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,800 book of John, we get like courtroom vibes. 146 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:02,360 It's kind of like a trial. Jesus is defending himself 147 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:07,240 against accusations. So he says, if it's only me 148 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:11,960 testifying to my Godness, then I don't have a case. 149 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,880 Anyone can say anything about themselves, right? 150 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,800 But that does not necessarily make it true. 151 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,080 And if you have little kids and you know your little kids, 152 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,800 Mommy, daddy, I'm a horsey. You're like, no, you're not. 153 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:26,880 I'm a froggy. You know, you're not. 154 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,680 I'm a dinosaur. You're like, well, you're a 155 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:31,040 monster. You're not a dinosaur. 156 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:36,160 But just because you say that, that does not make you that 157 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,400 right? It's not necessarily true. 158 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,840 According to Jewish legal standards, for a valid 159 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:47,480 testimony, you had to have at least two or three witnesses. 160 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,320 Jesus knows this. This is Deuteronomy 1915. 161 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,920 He says a single witness shall not suffice against a person for 162 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,560 any crime or for any wrongdoing in connection with any offense 163 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:02,840 that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two 164 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:07,600 witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 165 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,520 So this is ingrained into the Jewish mind. 166 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:14,480 This is how these people think. Jesus knows that this is how 167 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:18,440 they think. So he lists four more witnesses 168 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:20,760 to his divinity. He's like Deuteronomy says, you 169 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,240 need two or three. How about I give you 4? 170 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,160 And now he's going to present to them the four witnesses that 171 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,360 bear witness to the fact that he is in fact God. 172 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:32,800 And the four witnesses are John the Baptist. 173 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:37,160 The miracles are works that he does the Father himself and the 174 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,440 scriptures. OK, so we're going to work 175 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:43,600 through those 4 witnesses. So the first witness, John the 176 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:48,800 Baptist, look at verse 32. Jesus says there is another who 177 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,320 bears witness about me and I know that the testimony that he 178 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:57,360 bears about me is true. He's telling the truth about me. 179 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:02,880 You sent to John and he has borne witness to the truth. 180 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:08,040 So he says you asked John the Baptist, my cousin, who is in 181 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:13,680 fact a prophet from God, what he thought about me, and he told 182 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:16,360 you the truth about who I really AM. 183 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:20,200 And so Jesus is thinking back to some things that John has said 184 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,080 that the apostle John has recorded that John the Baptist 185 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:27,760 has said in chapters 1 and chapter 3, John said things 186 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:33,320 about Jesus like he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins 187 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,320 of the world. He said even though he was born 188 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,560 after me, he was before me, right? 189 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:41,920 What does that mean? He's like, he's my little 190 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,240 cousin, but he's actually the eternal God. 191 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:48,160 He says. John says I saw the Spirit 192 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:53,320 descend and remain upon him. And So what John is saying is 193 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:58,520 Jesus is greater than the Old Testament prophets because the 194 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,320 the Spirit descended on him and then remained on him. 195 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,680 In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon a man for a 196 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:09,400 time, for a season, for a task. But with Jesus, the Spirit came 197 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:14,640 upon him and remained upon him. John says he's the Son of God. 198 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:20,040 John says he's the groom who has come for his bride, his people. 199 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:24,320 He's telling them Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the 200 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,680 long-awaited Savior King who's come in the light of David to 201 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:33,560 rescue and redeem his people. That is John's testimony about 202 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:35,880 Jesus. Look at verse 34. 203 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,400 Jesus says, not that the testimony that I receive is from 204 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:43,320 man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 205 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:48,240 I think what he's saying here is I don't need John's testimony to 206 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:52,080 prove who I am, but you do, right? 207 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,560 You need it. And so that's why I'm telling 208 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:58,240 you this. That's why John told you this. 209 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,320 It's so that you might be saved, so that you can actually believe 210 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:04,960 in what he said. Verse 35, he says he was a 211 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:10,680 burning and shining lamp and you were willing to rejoice for a 212 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:15,360 while in his light. So he's saying John did his job, 213 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:17,360 right? John did his job. 214 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,320 He was a lamp. He wasn't the light. 215 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,800 Who's the light? Jesus is the light of the world. 216 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:28,360 John is the lamp. He's trying to illuminate who I 217 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:33,160 really am, who Jesus really is. He is the light that gives life. 218 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:35,120 And we just look back at John, chapter 1. 219 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,360 This is in John's prologue starting in verse 6, The apostle 220 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:43,160 John says there was a man sent from God whose name was John. 221 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:44,880 He's talking about John. Lots of John's we got to deal 222 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,320 with here, right? This is he's, he's John the 223 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:50,440 Baptist. He came as a witness to bear 224 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:55,400 witness about the light that all might believe through him. 225 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,720 He, John, was not the light, but came to bear witness about the 226 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:04,360 light, the true light which gives light to everyone. 227 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:10,680 Jesus was coming into the world, so he says John did his job. 228 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:14,360 You were excited about his message. 229 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,840 You were excited about his light for a while until I started 230 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:20,640 telling you that I'm one with the Father. 231 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,920 And then you did not so excited anymore. 232 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:26,120 Now you're accusing me of blasphemy and trying to kill me. 233 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,960 John the Baptist, who was an authentic prophet sent from the 234 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:39,680 one true God, said that Jesus is Messiah, and Jesus is saying 235 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:42,560 that that should be enough. All right, that should be enough 236 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,920 for you. Now, one quick point of 237 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:51,680 application here. I love John the Baptist because 238 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,960 he knew who he was and he knew who he wasn't, right? 239 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,360 He is the messenger. He's not the message, He's the 240 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:02,680 lamp, he's not the light. He knew what he could do and he 241 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:06,400 knew what he couldn't do. He is the the bearer of the 242 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,640 message. He's not the Savior. 243 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,120 And so John, we see so much humility in John, right? 244 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:16,280 He says, he says in chapter 3, verse 30, he says he must 245 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,040 increase that I might decrease, right? 246 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,600 He's talking about Jesus. He must increase and I must 247 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:23,280 decrease. He's a humble, humble man. 248 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:26,800 He knew his place. I think this is actually very 249 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:30,360 helpful and very important for us to remember as we are seeking 250 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:34,000 to share the message of the Gospel with other people. 251 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:40,400 I used to be so hard on myself that I'm not better at getting 252 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,520 people saved. And if you share any sense of 253 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,600 guilt like that, like you don't have to raise your hand, but I 254 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,640 just, you know, like, why aren't I more? 255 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,320 Why aren't I better? Why aren't I more effective? 256 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,320 And I would, I would kind of lay these guilt trips on myself and 257 00:15:55,520 --> 00:16:00,520 just feel crummy about myself. And then at some point I 258 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,080 realized, wait a second, I can't save anybody. 259 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,320 I can't save anybody. I can give the most perfect, 260 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:12,040 articulate gospel presentation. And unless the Holy Spirit moves 261 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,160 through that message, through those words, I can't do anything 262 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,280 about it, right? I can't make a dead soul alive. 263 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,120 Only God can do that. I'm not the Savior. 264 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,640 I'm only the messenger. I'm not the light. 265 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:27,640 I'm just supposed to be a lamp. It's true of all of us. 266 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:29,760 You're not the light. I'm not the light. 267 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,600 You can't save. I can't save. 268 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:37,480 Only Jesus can do that. And so our job is just to be a 269 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,280 faithful lamp, right? Just be a faithful lamp, be a 270 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,800 faithful messenger, and God will take that message and He will 271 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:50,560 provide light. That's what he did through John. 272 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,760 There's power in the Gospel to save, not in you. 273 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,480 OK, Don't forget that. Know who you are, know your 274 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,800 role, stay in your lane. You be the messenger and let God 275 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:10,280 deliver the message. So witness number one is John 276 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,800 the Baptist witness #2 we move on and we see Jesus talking 277 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:20,480 about his miracles or his works. Verse 36, he says, but the 278 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:26,920 testimony that I have is greater than that of John for the works 279 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:31,080 that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that 280 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:36,360 I am doing bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 281 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,880 So he's saying I have another testimony for you, another 282 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:44,960 witness for you that is greater than John the prophet. 283 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,040 And that is my miracles that I have begun doing. 284 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:53,640 And my miracles prove that God has sent me right there evidence 285 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,840 to you. And he's referring at least to 286 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:00,120 the two primary miracles we've seen in the text so far, Jesus 287 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,120 changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana in chapter 2. 288 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,640 And then also we saw in chapter 5, Jesus healing a disabled man 289 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,640 who would have been disabled for 38 years. 290 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,600 No one would be able to help him for 38 years. 291 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,040 And then Jesus just heals him. All right? 292 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,640 These are works that only God could do. 293 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,160 No mere man, no mere mortal could accomplish those things. 294 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:29,120 Water has a very simple molecular structure. 295 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:32,760 You know what it is, right? H2O. 296 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,680 You sat if you were awake in chemistry class, at least you 297 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:38,480 learned that, right? H2O. 298 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:44,920 Wine is more complicated. Wine is about 85% H2O. 299 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,280 And then there's a whole bunch of other stuff mixed in there. 300 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,680 There's ethanol and sugars and proteins and acids and and other 301 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,680 stuff. To transform water into wine. 302 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:59,440 You have to create molecules, OK? 303 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:04,360 You have to create something to be there that was not initially 304 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:09,520 there. Who has power to create 305 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,840 molecules? Does does man have, Has any 306 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,920 human even now in our scientific age figured out how to make 307 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:21,200 something from nothing? No, they're trying and trying 308 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:23,200 and trying. But we can make lots of things, 309 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:24,560 but you have to start with something. 310 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,320 But Jesus here in making the water into wine is doing a 311 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:34,280 supernatural feat above nature, superior to just nature. 312 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:39,360 He is creating something when there was nothing there before. 313 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,160 This is John chapter one verse 3. 314 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:47,240 All things were made through him and without him was not anything 315 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,280 made that was made. That's what God can do. 316 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:55,200 God spoke a word and creation happened from nothing. 317 00:19:55,200 --> 00:20:01,840 Ex Nilo. And Jesus is saying, he said 318 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,600 when I did that, when I made the water into wine, that wasn't a 319 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,920 trick, that wasn't smoke and mirrors. 320 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,800 That wasn't like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. 321 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,440 You realize when the magician magician pulls a rabbit out of 322 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:16,040 the hat, the rabbit already existed. 323 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,040 Right. It was just hiding somewhere. 324 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,000 It's sleight of hand. He's tricking you. 325 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,720 It's illusion, saying that's not what I did. 326 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:24,960 He says I made something out of nothing. 327 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:29,800 This is a miracle. I am proof to you that I am God, 328 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,800 the Creator. It's the same with the healing 329 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,080 of the disabled man. He's saying that was a miracle. 330 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:43,800 He was suffering for 38 years, 38 years. 331 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:48,320 No one could help him laying on a mat by this pool suffering. 332 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,440 And he's saying in a moment I made him whole. 333 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,360 In a moment, with a word, I made him whole. 334 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:57,800 I healed him. How did I do that? 335 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,680 Well, I made him in his mother's womb. 336 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,480 I knew exactly what was wrong with him in the 1st place. 337 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:10,000 I actually knew every single cell in his body and I am God. 338 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,200 And so I healed him. I have the power and the 339 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:18,720 authority to do it. Jesus could not have done these 340 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:23,640 mighty works if he was not God. And by the way, there's more to 341 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,400 come, a lot more to come. Greater things than these, 342 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:27,440 right? He says earlier. 343 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:33,720 Lots more miracles to come. Now, it's very easy for us to 344 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,440 relegate Jesus's power to the book, right? 345 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,520 And think that was a story back then, that happened back then, 346 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:42,440 but that kind of stuff doesn't happen now. 347 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,400 We're so much more educated, right? 348 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,160 Enlightenment and college degrees and science and AI. 349 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,640 We have all these things and we don't, you know, God doesn't do 350 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,360 that kind of stuff anymore, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 351 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,760 But I'm telling you, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and 352 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:00,080 forever. If he had power back then to do 353 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,840 these works, He has power today to do these works. 354 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:04,920 He will always have power to do these works. 355 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,480 He didn't lose His power sometime between the Book of 356 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:14,960 Revelation and now. Some of you need Jesus's power 357 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,480 in your life. You need a word from Him. 358 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,600 You need a touch from Him. You need healing from Him. 359 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:26,000 You need deliverance from Him. He is able to help you. 360 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,840 You have to understand that He is able. 361 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:33,280 He is still able to help you. Some of you have been fighting 362 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:38,000 your anxieties, your depression, your fears, your torment, your 363 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,600 enslaved in certain areas that you cannot seem to break out of. 364 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,440 You've tried therapy, you've tried books, you've tried 365 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,760 memorizing verses, and it's like you're just stuck. 366 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:52,880 Come to Jesus, come to Jesus. He is alive, He is with us, and 367 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:56,640 He is able to help you. Some of you are in a hard spot 368 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:01,360 as far as provision goes, right? You do your best to work hard 369 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:05,400 and earn money and budget and spend responsibly, but it's like 370 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,120 you still, you just can't. It's like you just don't have 371 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:10,080 enough. Or maybe some of you have crisis 372 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,120 expenses. Don't you hate crisis expenses? 373 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:15,080 It's like, I was doing such a good job. 374 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,960 We were finally stable financially and then bam, I need 375 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,680 a new roof. You know, like refrigerator 376 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,840 breaks out of nowhere and you're just freaking out about that. 377 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:30,320 Please understand Jesus is Maker and Creator, Jesus's provider. 378 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,920 Come to him, Seek him, ask Him, he. 379 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,200 He can help you. Some of you need healing. 380 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:42,680 You need healing in your physical bodies. 381 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,720 You have medical conditions. Some of you don't know what's 382 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:47,760 going on. The doctors don't know what's 383 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,400 going on. But you're off and you know 384 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,320 you're off. You have pain. 385 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,440 Jesus can help you. He is the great physician of our 386 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,760 souls, yes, but also of our bodies. 387 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,680 Let me share a story with you. This is a this is hot off the 388 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:03,680 press. I love this. 389 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,440 It's about a young man in our church named Isaiah. 390 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:09,240 He, he gave me permission to share this story with you all. 391 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:11,640 And I'm just going to read his words. 392 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,680 He said leading up to Sunday a few weeks ago, I had been 393 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,160 dealing with excruciating knee pain for about two weeks. 394 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,880 I'm an athlete and a coach, so I usually know how to manage pain 395 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,720 or rehab an injury. But this time was different. 396 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:28,680 I couldn't walk for long distances, stretch my leg out or 397 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:32,080 be on my feet for long. It felt deeper than just a 398 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,600 strain or overuse. I wasn't planning to go up for 399 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,800 prayer that Sunday, but during the message, Tony invited anyone 400 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,040 who needed physical healing to come forward. 401 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,400 That's when I knew I needed to respond. 402 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,240 When I went up, a couple men prayed for me. 403 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:53,720 As they did, I felt heat in my knee, not just surface level, 404 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,120 but like it was being rebuilt from the inside out. 405 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,480 We all knew God was doing something in that moment. 406 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:06,200 The next day I lifted heavy with 0 pain and now I'm back training 407 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,080 to run and hoop again. I've been able to stretch long, 408 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,520 walk long distances, and do things I couldn't do just a few 409 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,960 days earlier with no pain. I know Jesus healed me, not just 410 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:22,000 for me, but to remind us all that he sees us and that he is 411 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,640 our healer. I had lunch with Isaiah on 412 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:25,960 Thursday. Every time I see Mike. 413 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:26,960 How's your knee? How's your knee? 414 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,800 How's your knee? Like I'm kind, I'm, I'm a, I'm a 415 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,360 skeptic when it comes to healing. 416 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:33,880 I don't want to claim that something is a healing if it's 417 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,680 not actually a healing. And so he keeps telling me it 418 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:37,800 feels great. It feels great. 419 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,840 It feels great. I'm like, praise God, he has 420 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,680 power to heal. He still heals broken bodies. 421 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,160 We're so quick to run to ibuprofen and you should I use 422 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:48,280 ibuprofen. It's fine. 423 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,440 God's grace to humanity. But what about prayer, right? 424 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,320 What about coming to God and asking God who is the maker and 425 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,360 creator of your body? Jesus, who is the great 426 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:02,960 physician, the great healer to show you mercy and heal. 427 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:04,880 We pray. Sometimes he does it. 428 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,080 When he does it, it's like throw my hands up. 429 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:09,520 I don't know why he didn't that time, but what I know is 430 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,880 sometimes he does. And so we keep coming to asking 431 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,280 him to heal. He is able to heal. 432 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,840 So Jesus has appealed so far to two witnesses, to John the 433 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:25,080 Baptist, and now to his works. But he says, I'm not done yet. 434 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,640 And he goes on. We see the third witness, the 435 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:32,480 witness of the Father himself. Look at verse 37. 436 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:41,680 He says, And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness 437 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:46,040 about me. His voice you have never heard, 438 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,360 His form you have never seen, and you do not have his word 439 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:54,240 abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has 440 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:55,720 sent. Yikes. 441 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:01,640 So he says the Father himself has told you the truth about me. 442 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:07,280 I think he's referring to the moment when he was baptized by 443 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,400 John the Baptist, his cousin, and the heavens open. 444 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:16,680 And his Father spoke audibly, like able to hear with your ears 445 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,120 of flesh. Listen to this account in Mark 446 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:21,040 chapter 1. Verses 9 through 11 will be up 447 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,560 on the screen. It says in those days Jesus came 448 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,440 from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John and the Jordan. 449 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,320 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the 450 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:36,320 heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a 451 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:39,560 dove, and a voice came from heaven. 452 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:46,200 You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased. 453 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:51,720 In this moment, the Father himself is speaking audibly and 454 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:56,680 calling Jesus his Son. He's saying I'm pleased with 455 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,400 him. He authenticates him. 456 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:03,120 He's saying he's not a fraud, He's not a lunatic, he's not a 457 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:07,720 madman, He's not a poser. He is my son, the one whom I 458 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,800 sent. He and I are one. 459 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:17,440 Jesus is saying to them, he says God has spoken through my 460 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,360 miracles, but you can't hear him. 461 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,080 You can't see him in me, right? His voice you've never heard, 462 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,400 his form you've never seen. He's spoken through the prophets 463 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:29,080 in his word, but even though you know your Old Testament inside 464 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:31,920 and out, you still don't believe, right? 465 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,680 He's spoken audibly, but you won't listen. 466 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,920 You've heard him, but you won't listen. 467 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:46,000 It is possible to hear about Jesus, but not actually here. 468 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,040 And that's what's going on in these Jewish leaders. 469 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,040 Jesus keeps presenting them with evidence and evidence and 470 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:58,080 evidence and word and word, and they just can't hear. 471 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:02,320 They had many voices, they had many signs, but they were still 472 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:06,640 deaf and they were still blind. And now, before we get too hard 473 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,320 on them, please realize this isn't just their problem. 474 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:11,720 This is a human problem, all right? 475 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:15,120 This is a human problem. As humans, we are born into sin. 476 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:19,080 We are dead in our sin and in our trespasses. 477 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,200 And guess what? Dead people can't see and dead 478 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,840 people can't hear, right? It doesn't. 479 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:29,360 It doesn't work. We all need God to revive our 480 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:35,280 hearts, to open our spiritual eyes, to open our spiritual ears 481 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:39,560 so that we can hear, so that the message of the gospel that Jesus 482 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:43,320 is God, that we are God is holy and we are sinners and deserving 483 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,880 of judgment. And God sent Jesus to die in a 484 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:49,520 cross for our sin, and then he rose again to authenticate who 485 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:53,040 he was. We need God to give us eyes and 486 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,600 ears to be able to hear, to be able to receive so that we can 487 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:58,720 respond with faith. We're in the same boat as these 488 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,240 Jewish leaders. We've just on this side of 489 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,960 Jesus, we've experienced the grace of God that he made us 490 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:09,520 alive. My senior year in college, I 491 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:13,160 was, I was not a follower of Jesus. 492 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:17,920 I, I grew up going to a formal denominational church, but I did 493 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,520 not have ears to hear. I did not have eyes to see who 494 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:22,360 Jesus was. I had people through my 495 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:27,240 childhood sharing the gospel with me, but I was blind and 496 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:29,400 deaf to the truth of the message. 497 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:34,760 My senior year in college, God began stirring in me and it was 498 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:36,880 a whole bunch of things going on in my life at that point. 499 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,280 I think it was like 1/4 life crisis. 500 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:42,160 OK, I've not had a midlife crisis, thank God, but I think I 501 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:46,280 had a quarter life crisis. And, and I remember during that 502 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:51,040 season, because I had some background with God and 503 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,560 Christianity in the Bible, I remember getting down on my 504 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,480 knees next to my bed in my apartment one night. 505 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:01,880 And I remember specifically asking God to bring someone into 506 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:05,600 my life who could help me understand the Bible and help me 507 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,240 understand who He was because I knew that meant something. 508 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:13,320 I knew I needed something there. That was the best prayer I have 509 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:17,840 ever prayed in my life. And it did not take God long to 510 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,640 answer it. Shortly after that, I met 511 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:23,520 someone who is a Christian. I was invited to an Inter 512 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:26,280 varsity Christian Fellows fellowship, small group, just 513 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:28,800 the campus ministry and the college campus that I was a part 514 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,280 of. I started going to these Bible 515 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:35,360 study groups with other college students and hearing more about 516 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:38,680 Jesus and asking questions and they would answer questions. 517 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:40,880 I started going to church with them, going to their large group 518 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:44,640 meetings together. And I remember very distinctly 519 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,880 the moment I was driving through campus one night. 520 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:50,840 I was heading to the library to study and I remember thinking, I 521 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:55,280 believe this stuff about Jesus. And for me it was like, where 522 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:57,880 did that come from? How did that happen? 523 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:02,560 You know, it's like all of a sudden I felt like I could see 524 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,640 him for who he was. I could see myself for who I 525 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:10,880 was, a Sinner in need of grace, and I believed, right? 526 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:15,160 God just sovereignly, supernaturally opened my eyes, 527 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:19,800 opened my ears and made me new again, made me alive again. 528 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,640 Now, I know that for some of you, God is stirring in you. 529 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,600 You know God is stirring in you, and I suspect maybe for some of 530 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:31,920 you, he's been stirring in you for a long time. 531 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:38,600 It's like you feel this kind of dissatisfaction with life, 532 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:43,880 reality, you know, you name it. It's like something is not 533 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,320 whole, something is not right, something is not complete. 534 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,200 And maybe you've searched down this path to see if you can find 535 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:53,040 life or you've searched down that path and maybe if I try 536 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,080 this, I'll get there. Maybe. 537 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:56,720 And it's like every one of them just feels like a dead end to 538 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,240 you. I believe God is stirring in you 539 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:03,760 and He's calling you. And so I would encourage you to 540 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,800 ask Him. Remember, He's the Savior. 541 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:10,560 Ask Him to give you eyes to see Him. 542 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:13,600 Ask Him to give you ears to hear Him. 543 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:18,400 Ask Him to give you a soft heart that you might receive Him. 544 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:21,640 He loves to answer those kinds of prayers. 545 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:26,560 Turn to Him, seek Him, and I would encourage you as He draws 546 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:30,320 you to Himself. Trust in Him and believe in Him. 547 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,080 That is how a person is saved and made right with God. 548 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:39,280 Many of you here, probably most of you here are followers of 549 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:44,520 Jesus, but you have loved ones who don't believe, family, 550 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:47,480 friends, Co workers, roommates, children. 551 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:54,880 Please understand that evangelism, again, remember, 552 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,640 we're the, we're the messenger. We're not the message, right? 553 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,000 God is the one who takes the message of the gospel and 554 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,080 applies it to a person's heart. And so evangelism must be 555 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:10,120 coupled with prayer, OK? Because saving is not something 556 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,360 that we can do. Saving is something that only 557 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:17,000 God can do. God through prayer breaks up 558 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:20,719 Stony, the soil in Stony hearts, right? 559 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:24,080 He breaks that up. It's like he plows that hardened 560 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,679 earth over and over so that when the seeds of the gospel are 561 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:31,440 planted, they can actually begin to germinate and take root and 562 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:34,840 grow into saving faith. So I just want to encourage you. 563 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:37,120 Sometimes it's discouraging because it's like they just 564 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:39,320 don't, they're not listening. They don't see it the way that I 565 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:41,600 see it. And I've tried and, and I want 566 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:46,719 to encourage you to keep praying and keep sharing and trust and 567 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:49,600 watch God move and act. I was reading a story about a 568 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,080 man named Hudson Taylor, today, famous missionary from at the 569 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:56,320 1800s, first guy to kind of move missions into inland China. 570 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:58,920 And it's a story. And he was known for prayer and 571 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:00,280 for faith. I mean, that was his thing. 572 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:03,280 He would just trust God for crazy works and God would 573 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,600 deliver. And I was reading a story about 574 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:09,040 how he had two people who he loved who were not followers of 575 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:13,000 Jesus. He prayed for them for 50 years. 576 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:16,160 For 50 years, he prayed for them. 577 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:20,480 One of them became a follower of Jesus right before Hudson Taylor 578 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:22,960 died. The other one became a Christian 579 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:26,080 right after he died. So he got to enjoy the fruit of 580 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:28,680 one of those 50 years of prayer. The other one he's enjoying now 581 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,280 in heaven. But be faithful. 582 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:35,800 God is the one that opens ears and opens eyes. 583 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:40,440 Jesus calls on the Father as a witness. 584 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,000 And now we look at the 4th witness, the witness of the 585 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:45,800 scriptures. Look at verse 39. 586 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:51,840 This is where it starts getting a little hairy, confusing in the 587 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:53,080 text. What in the world is Jesus 588 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:59,480 talking about? So he says in verse 39, he says, 589 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:03,120 you search the Scriptures. These are these are men who have 590 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:07,360 given their life to reading and studying and copying the 591 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:09,560 Scriptures. They knew all of it. 592 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:12,960 Many of them knew it by heart. You search the Scriptures 593 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:18,280 because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is 594 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:24,080 they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me 595 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:30,240 that you may have life. So he's saying you know your Old 596 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:36,200 Testament inside and out. You have chunks of it memorized, 597 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:38,720 but you've completely missed the point. 598 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:44,440 You thought that knowing the book is what gave you life. 599 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:50,120 There's actually a revered Jewish rabbi who has, who said, 600 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:55,600 he said, Whoso hath gained the words of the Torah hath gained 601 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,480 for himself life in the world to come. 602 00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:02,160 So if you've gained the words of the Torah, if you've if you've 603 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,600 read them and heard them, that equals life. 604 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:07,640 So this is their kind of operating system. 605 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,480 As long as I know these words, then I have life. 606 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,520 But Jesus is correcting them here. 607 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:18,240 He's saying knowing the Bible is not what gives you life. 608 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:23,840 Knowing the one who the Bible points to is what gives you 609 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,760 life. The life is not in the words on 610 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,720 the page. The life is in the author of the 611 00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:34,520 words on the page. This is very important. 612 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:39,320 We live in a very hyper intellectual Information Society 613 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:42,880 and we tend to think that if I can just know more, that leads 614 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:44,480 to life. And you cannot apply that kind 615 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,000 of thinking to your Christianity. 616 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:54,360 The truth is, the whole Bible is a kind of a signpost, a pointer. 617 00:37:55,080 --> 00:38:01,240 It testifies or it bears witness about Jesus, who is the author 618 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:05,760 of the Scriptures, and it is a call to come to him right now. 619 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:09,600 Don't just stay on the page, come to Jesus himself. 620 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:15,280 Let me just do a quick, maybe a big sweeping summary of this 621 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:19,200 idea. Show you how Jesus is the point 622 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,200 of the Bible in Genesis chapter 1. 623 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:27,240 Jesus is the Word who was with God and was God in the 624 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:30,000 beginning. OK, John echoes that in his 625 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,520 beginning of the book of John, Genesis chapter 3. 626 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,800 Right? Adam and Eve eat the fruit. 627 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,960 Jesus is the seed of the woman who will crush the serpent's 628 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:42,560 head. Where does he do that? 629 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:47,680 On the cross in Genesis 12, Jesus is the offspring of Adam 630 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:50,400 through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. 631 00:38:51,240 --> 00:38:54,400 In the book of Exodus, Jesus is the new Moses who will lead 632 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:58,440 God's people out of slavery, through the wilderness and into 633 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:00,960 the promised land. Jesus is the fulfillment of that 634 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:03,040 type, that picture that Moses was. 635 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,240 In Leviticus, Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who would atone 636 00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:11,640 for the sins of God's people. In the book of Numbers, Jesus is 637 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:15,320 the bronze serpent that is lifted up to save Israel from 638 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,680 death because of their sin. In the book of Deuteronomy, 639 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:23,960 which actually means second law, Jesus is the only one who 640 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:27,200 perfectly obeyed and fulfilled the law. 641 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:31,760 He's the only one who could. Jesus is the great high priest 642 00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:33,520 who mediates between God and man. 643 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:37,840 Jesus is the ultimate prophet who not only spoke the word of 644 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,200 God, but he is himself the word of God. 645 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:44,320 Jesus is the perfect King of whom the great King David was 646 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:47,520 only a shadow. David failed. 647 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:49,920 Jesus is our King, will never ever fail us. 648 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:53,600 He will rule us perfectly. Jesus is the wisdom of God that 649 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,240 is taught in the Proverbs. Jesus is the one being 650 00:39:56,240 --> 00:39:58,520 worshipped and prayed to in the Psalms. 651 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:02,800 Jesus is the coming Messiah that all of the prophets foretold. 652 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:06,560 Jesus is the new Adam. The first Adam messed up. 653 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:10,120 The the new Adam came to make right what the first one messed 654 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,200 up. Jesus is the ark that saves 655 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:16,520 God's people from judgment. Jesus is the Passover lamb who 656 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:19,560 was slain for our sins. Jesus is the manna from heaven 657 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,800 that feeds God's people. He is the water from the rock 658 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,280 that satisfies our thirst. He is the Tabernacle and the 659 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:29,240 temple where a man goes to meet with God. 660 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:33,480 He is the eternal Sabbath where we find ultimate and true rest. 661 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:39,080 Jesus fulfills the Scriptures. The Bible is about Jesus. 662 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:43,160 The whole book is in some way or another foreshadowing him, 663 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:46,840 pointing to Him, calling us to know Him, to put our trust in 664 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,000 Him, to love Him, to worship him. 665 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:56,160 Now when you start to see these things in the Bible, your Bible 666 00:40:56,160 --> 00:41:03,320 reading life will come to life. It just starts exploding off the 667 00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:08,080 page and you read a story from Zechariah. 668 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:12,160 What's in Zechariah Lamentations. 669 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:17,000 That sounds so depressing. You know, Ezekiel, what a weird 670 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,240 dude. Like what in the world? 671 00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:24,280 But when you actually begin to develop eyes, you start to see 672 00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:29,920 Jesus everywhere he is. He's the substance. 673 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:33,080 He's he's the he's the the star of the show. 674 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:37,680 The Bible's about him when God gives you eyes to see this 675 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:40,080 stuff. Now Bible reading isn't just 676 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:42,960 like assigned homework. You guys like assigned homework 677 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:45,800 reading. No, it becomes joy. 678 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:48,160 It becomes delight. It's like it becomes like a life 679 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:51,960 giving meeting with a friend where you come face to face with 680 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:54,960 Jesus. You connect with the author of 681 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,960 scripture. So I want to give some just some 682 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:02,320 practical thoughts for you here about Bible reading. 683 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:07,960 Don't read your Bible like a textbook looking for information 684 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:10,520 if that's the way you approach it. 685 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:12,160 It's going to feel like homework. 686 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:17,080 It's going to be very dry. Read the Bible to see and 687 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:21,320 connect with Jesus. OK, Read the Bible to see Jesus 688 00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:24,760 and to connect with Jesus. And so let me give you a very 689 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,040 simple, basic framework for your Bible reading life. 690 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:29,800 And you might want to write this down if you're a note taker 691 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:31,240 type. Very, very simple. 692 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:38,080 Read to connect to to Jesus with prayer as worship. 693 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:45,880 OK, read to connect with Jesus with prayer and as worship. 694 00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:50,080 When you sit down with your Bible in the morning, over 695 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:53,360 lunch, in the evening, whenever you read your Bible, remind 696 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:58,360 yourself that when you open this book you have a chance to come 697 00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:02,560 face to face with the Creator, that you have a chance to 698 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:07,200 connect with God himself. Moses had to climb up Mount 699 00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:10,560 Sinai to see God, to talk with God. 700 00:43:10,840 --> 00:43:19,280 You and I can sit in a recliner and open a book read to connect 701 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:23,040 with him with prayer. Very important that you read 702 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,320 your Bibles with prayer. Understand the Bible is a 703 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:31,800 supernatural book written by a supernatural God, about a 704 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,560 supernatural God, right? The book is about him. 705 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:37,120 It's not about us. It's about heavenly things. 706 00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:43,080 Prayer calls upon that God to help us, to help us see, to help 707 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:45,840 us here, to help us understand, to help us receive, to help us 708 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:52,120 digest, to help us implement. So read your Bible with prayer. 709 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:55,600 Pray before you read. Maybe you take a minute and you 710 00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,560 pray before you read and pray something like God, I'm sitting 711 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:00,240 down right now. I want to meet with you. 712 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:01,680 I want to see you. I want to hear you. 713 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:05,000 Open my eyes, open my ears, soften my heart that I might 714 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:07,800 receive from you right now as I read your Bible. 715 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:12,280 Simple prayer, asking Him to help while you read. 716 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:16,320 Pray, right? Thank Him for the things that 717 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:19,520 you read that strike you. Ask Him to help you with the 718 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:21,600 things that you read that are challenging to you. 719 00:44:22,240 --> 00:44:25,960 I'm regularly as I'm reading my Bible on my own, I whisper out 720 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:30,720 prayers under my breath and I'm just seeking God in the midst of 721 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:36,160 my Bible reading. Pray after you read, Thank Him, 722 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:38,720 right? Take hold of the promises that 723 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:42,240 He has made to you in Scripture. Bring your petitions, your 724 00:44:42,240 --> 00:44:45,440 requests to him. Give praise to Him. 725 00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:48,200 Worship Him for what He's just shown you. 726 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,400 Read your Bibles with prayer. And then finally, read your 727 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:55,440 Bibles as worship, right? Not duty, but delight. 728 00:44:56,240 --> 00:44:58,600 Not you have to. But you get to. 729 00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:01,400 Why? Because you love and you adore 730 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:04,040 and you worship the one who the book is revealing to you. 731 00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:09,720 Bible reading to connect with the one who your heart adores is 732 00:45:09,720 --> 00:45:12,040 worship, right? When we think of worship, we 733 00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:13,960 usually think of singing. But you realize reading your 734 00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:17,680 Bible to connect with Jesus is an act of worship in itself. 735 00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:22,720 The Bible is about Jesus and it's meant to lead us to Him. 736 00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:27,840 So now let's dive very quickly into verses 41 through 47. 737 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:30,200 This is the most challenging part of this text, and so I'm 738 00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:33,480 going to read bits of it and I'm going to give you the TRV 739 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:37,360 translation, the Tony Renvestal Version translation of these 740 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:40,360 verses. He says he goes on in this last 741 00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:46,720 chunk of text and basically to tell them, you know your Bibles, 742 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:48,640 but you've missed the point entirely. 743 00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:54,120 He says in verse 41, he says I do not receive glory from 744 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:56,240 people. And I think what he's saying to 745 00:45:56,240 --> 00:45:58,360 them is I'm not here to get your approval. 746 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:01,640 I'm not here to people, please. Obviously I'm telling you off 747 00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:05,600 right now. You know verse 42, he says, but 748 00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:08,560 I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 749 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:12,320 I have come in my Father's name and you do not receive me. 750 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:16,360 If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 751 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:20,480 He's saying something like, you know your Bibles, but you don't 752 00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:23,440 really love God because you've rejected me and I'm God. 753 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:27,640 If somebody else came promoting themselves Tooting their horn as 754 00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,600 an important person, you would believe them, you would receive 755 00:46:30,600 --> 00:46:33,720 them. Verse 44, he says how Can you 756 00:46:33,720 --> 00:46:38,560 believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek 757 00:46:38,560 --> 00:46:41,560 the glory that comes from the only God? 758 00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:44,920 He's saying it's no wonder that you don't believe. 759 00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:48,680 All you care about is impressing one another with your vast 760 00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,160 knowledge. You don't care about God's 761 00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:53,400 glory. You care about your own glare, 762 00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:56,600 your own glory. You don't worship God, you're 763 00:46:56,600 --> 00:47:01,120 worshiping yourselves. And then 45 to the end he says, 764 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:03,240 do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. 765 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:08,000 There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your 766 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:10,240 hope. For if you believed Moses, you 767 00:47:10,240 --> 00:47:13,360 would believe me, for he wrote of me. 768 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:16,480 But if you do not believe his writing, how will you believe my 769 00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:19,120 words? He's saying I'm not here to 770 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:21,200 accuse you because somebody else already has. 771 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:26,400 And it's Moses. You worship his words, but you 772 00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:29,000 missed the point of his words completely. 773 00:47:29,280 --> 00:47:33,360 He's writing about me. If he was here right now, he 774 00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:36,960 would say you have not understood a word of what I was 775 00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:40,880 writing. This book is about Jesus. 776 00:47:41,680 --> 00:47:45,240 If you don't believe that, it's no wonder you don't believe in 777 00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:47,640 Jesus. So he is. 778 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:53,160 He's really bashing their so-called faith which is 779 00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:57,440 completely misplaced. It was in their knowledge, not 780 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:01,400 the savior that the Bible speaks of and points to. 781 00:48:03,640 --> 00:48:07,760 This is a this is a warning for the religious. 782 00:48:08,680 --> 00:48:12,080 This is a warning for the hyper intellectuals among us. 783 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:19,680 You can dominate in a Bible bowl. 784 00:48:20,720 --> 00:48:24,320 You can be the Bible trivia wizard. 785 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:28,680 You can go on Jeopardy and oh look, a Bible category and you 786 00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:32,840 can clear out that category because you know the facts, you 787 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:36,920 know it all, but not have eternal life in Christ. 788 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:43,840 You're not saved by how much of the Bible you know, you're not 789 00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:46,760 saved by having consistent quiet time. 790 00:48:48,240 --> 00:48:51,080 You're not saved by how many verses you've memorized. 791 00:48:51,080 --> 00:48:53,600 You're not saved by your weekly church attendance. 792 00:48:54,400 --> 00:48:57,200 Those things are helpful habits. And I don't want to, you know, 793 00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:59,280 you should pursue those things. You should do all those things, 794 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:02,960 but ultimately those things are not what save you from sin. 795 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:09,440 We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus 796 00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:14,160 Christ alone. You might think of it this way. 797 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:18,000 This is a little bit of a crude illustration, but it's I think 798 00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:21,960 it's helpful. The Bible is the menu that leads 799 00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:24,280 you to the meal. OK. 800 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:26,680 The Bible is the menu that leads you to the meal. 801 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:30,720 The meal is what gives you life, right? 802 00:49:30,720 --> 00:49:33,800 If if I walked into Applebee's and you're chewing on the menu 803 00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:37,080 like you don't, you don't understand how this works. 804 00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:42,640 There's no there's like that is showing you what they will bring 805 00:49:42,640 --> 00:49:46,120 you then that you can feast on and enjoy and it will give you 806 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:49,360 nourishment in life, right. So, and I don't want I'm not 807 00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:52,320 trying to diminish the Bible because this is a holy book that 808 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:57,080 points to our Savior, but the life is in our Savior. 809 00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:01,840 And so we read the book knowing that it's going to show us him 810 00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:05,240 and point us to him. If you have a lot of head 811 00:50:05,240 --> 00:50:09,160 knowledge about the Bible, but not a lot of love for Jesus in 812 00:50:09,160 --> 00:50:12,240 your heart, then I would urge you to examine your faith. 813 00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:16,080 Examine your faith because it might be that you're worshipping 814 00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:18,560 the words and not the author of the words. 815 00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:25,800 And that's a problem. So as I close us here, John the 816 00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:29,760 Baptist, Jesus's miracles, the Father, and the Scriptures all 817 00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:33,160 testify to the fact that Jesus is Lord. 818 00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:37,560 If you don't yet believe that, I pray that you will consider that 819 00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:42,040 I would ask you to read your Bible, look for Jesus in the 820 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:44,560 scriptures, pray that God would open your eyes and open your 821 00:50:44,560 --> 00:50:47,080 ears and show himself to you through His Bible. 822 00:50:47,480 --> 00:50:50,520 And then repent of your sin, turn away from it, and put your 823 00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:52,760 trust in Jesus, the only one who can save. 824 00:50:53,920 --> 00:50:59,800 Those of you who are in a stale Bible reading rut, I would, if I 825 00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:02,120 were you, I would ask Jesus to open your eyes. 826 00:51:02,120 --> 00:51:03,920 I would learn how to pray through that. 827 00:51:04,640 --> 00:51:08,440 Repent of your unbelief, repent of having lukewarm hearts, and 828 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:11,640 seek Him afresh. Look for him on all the pages. 829 00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,880 I would urge you to read, to learn, to study, to memorize, to 830 00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:19,440 feast on the Scriptures, but make sure that in the end, 831 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:22,200 you're getting to the author of the Scriptures. 832 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:27,040 And then finally, all of us, I want us just to remember this. 833 00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:35,000 Jesus is absolutely trustworthy. He is absolutely trustworthy. 834 00:51:35,240 --> 00:51:41,760 You can take him at His word. He has proven through witnesses 835 00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:45,600 that he is who He says He is, and He will do what he says he 836 00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:49,760 will do Trust him. Let's all stand. 837 00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:52,400 We're going to worship Jesus now together. 838 00:51:53,280 --> 00:51:54,720 We could have the band come on the stage. 839 00:51:54,720 --> 00:52:05,280 I want to pray for us. Worship is a response to God as 840 00:52:05,280 --> 00:52:07,800 we've just heard from Him through His Bible. 841 00:52:08,040 --> 00:52:11,600 Now we get a chance and the opportunity to privilege to turn 842 00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:14,960 our faces to Him, open our hearts to Him, lift our hands to 843 00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:18,000 Him, raise our voices to Him, and praise Him and worship Him 844 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:20,360 and thank Him for who He is and what He has done. 845 00:52:20,360 --> 00:52:25,800 So I encourage you to sing, and I encourage you to sing loud 846 00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:29,840 together, right? And God loves a joyful noise. 847 00:52:30,200 --> 00:52:32,720 And so I'm going to pray for us. And then we'll worship with the 848 00:52:32,720 --> 00:52:33,800 band. And then we'll have a time at 849 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:36,120 the very end of our service where if you would like to come 850 00:52:36,120 --> 00:52:39,800 forward and have someone pray for you individually, you can do 851 00:52:39,800 --> 00:52:41,400 so. But first, let's worship him. 852 00:52:41,400 --> 00:52:45,000 Father, I thank you for your gathered church. 853 00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:49,160 I thank you for your Bible, the gift that it is to us. 854 00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:52,720 Thank you that you are speaking God who has revealed himself to 855 00:52:52,720 --> 00:52:55,280 us in many ways over many, many years. 856 00:52:55,280 --> 00:52:58,240 I thank you for the gift that the Scriptures are to us and 857 00:52:58,240 --> 00:53:02,080 help us just to remember who they point to. 858 00:53:02,720 --> 00:53:07,120 Help us to be worshippers, not of the book, but of the God that 859 00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:10,360 the book is about. And so even now, as we sing to 860 00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:14,440 you, Lord, would you give us freedom and joy as we celebrate 861 00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:16,120 you, as we worship and praise you. 862 00:53:16,120 --> 00:53:18,240 You are good, you are holy, you are worthy. 863 00:53:18,600 --> 00:53:21,120 And so we lift our voices and we give ourselves to you. 864 00:53:21,120 --> 00:53:24,280 Now we pray that you would be honored and glorified and 865 00:53:24,280 --> 00:53:26,640 pleased with our worship. And we pray all these things 866 00:53:27,080 --> 00:53:28,800 through Jesus. Amen.