Incarnation Part 35 - Gospel of John - John 11:45-48

[00:00:00] So, with any further ado, I'm going to ask Jacob to come and share what he has. And after him I'll have a few other words from John 11 and then we'll dismiss. Come, Jacob, thank you.

[00:00:21] I'm going to be setting a little timer here today because time is short but I've been asking to keep it about 15 minutes and that's a good thing for me because I had a day to prepare because of certain providential circumstances in which God has been

[00:00:51] and will be glorified through as we've seen already explained. Good morning. God has provided me a wonderful opportunity to explain the value of God's word faithfully preached in his church. And I just want to say thank you to both Randy and Mike for speaking on this subject.

[00:01:14] We had no collaboration on this but I guess that's just the Holy Spirit's operation here. Because I've been asked to preach, I think that this is a wonderful opportunity provided to just kind of faithfully expose it to the text on why expository preaching and preaching

[00:01:33] is general and in general is so treasured here at Christ the word church. So I'll ask a question for you why do we value expository preaching at Christ the word church? So much that I've been asked to kind of supplement it a little bit today.

[00:01:55] Well instead of saying maybe increasing the amount of singing songs, singing a few more songs here and there or maybe add a time of fellowship in between every speaker or maybe we could add a very long giving time. No, I'm kidding, of course.

[00:02:18] But time is short so please forgive me if I talk really fast here. I've got a lot of points to make and I will be getting to the scripture soon. Speaking of, I'll make a quick few arguments from Scripture.

[00:02:30] Firstly, for why preaching the word of God is necessary and including a quote from John Calvin, a French Protestant performer. Secondly, why expository preaching is the ideal method and then finally a conclusion where I'll do a little preaching on the gospel.

[00:02:51] So I'm going to be preaching from 2 Timothy, chapter 4 and then pause letters to Timothy. Why some of the greatest arguments for preaching? Timothy was a young church leader being guided and taught by Paul and Paul for seeing that

[00:03:06] he might not be able to meet with his, as it calls him, true son in the faith. Timothy wrote some guiding letters on how to lead a church as Timothy was a young church leader and by extension, this applies to all church leaders, Paul's guidance.

[00:03:26] So beginning, verse 4, chapter 1, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. This is this is serious. I charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus who was to judge the living and the

[00:03:41] dead and by his appearing and his kingdom to preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Prove, review and exhort with complete patience and teaching. That's a very serious charge he's giving him there.

[00:04:00] Paul emphasizes this charge by saying he's charging in the presence of God and Jesus Christ and he mentions who is the judge the living and the dead and by his appearance and of his kingdom.

[00:04:13] The word, this is of utmost importance to a church leader like Timothy, preaching the word. So to quote John Calvin on this subject he says, where the word is not preached and heard. There is no church.

[00:04:36] To the body of Christ and to worship, to be the body of Christ and to worship God. We need preaching. That is how important it is. What can he possibly mean when he said to worship God we need preaching?

[00:04:53] That is a very powerful, headstrong argument right there that should have a lot of backing for it as such a substantial claim that we can't worship without preaching? Well, this passage has actually come up a few times, interestingly enough today.

[00:05:13] Romans 116, for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it as the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The gospel is the power of God's salvation.

[00:05:28] Preaching the gospel is essential as we'll see in Romans 10 because preaching the gospel is God's appointed means for communicating it. Romans 10, Paul is arguing that Israel needs the gospel and I'm sure we've all heard that voice or that verse 13 of chapter 10.

[00:05:48] For whoever calls in the name of the Lord shall be saved. But then, who remembers the next verse I should say, where Paul says something very applicable to Calvin's argument here. So whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

[00:06:08] Calvin shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard. And how shall they hear without a preacher? This is just one example of our inability to worship without the preaching of the Word

[00:06:28] of God. Calvin had a lot more denser meanings to that and there's many more aspects in which to look at why we need preaching to worship. The teaching of the Word of God will bring us to doxology, which is worshiping God.

[00:06:43] We have theology that leads to doxology and the way we communicate that is through preaching. We spread the gospel by preaching. That is why one of the reasons from Scripture why teaching and preaching in the church is so highly treasured.

[00:07:02] Now into my next argument here, why expository preaching is the supreme method. That is not to say that other forms of preaching are exactly bad, I just believe and a few people here would agree with me that expository preaching is the supreme method.

[00:07:24] So what happens when we lose faithful preaching of the Word or properly expositing the meaning of the text of Scripture? Well, at times we just get what the pastor wants to say and I'll use Scripture to prove that or what the pastor wants to say about Scripture.

[00:07:44] It's his view of Scripture not what Scripture is teaching. Paul lays it out for us in the subsequent verses that I preached on earlier in Timothy starting in verse 3 after verses 1 and 2 of chapter 4.

[00:07:59] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves, teachers to suit their own passions. And we'll turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths as for you, Timothy,

[00:08:16] church leaders, I'm adding that myself. Always be sober-minded and do our suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry and Paul starts that fulfilling of the ministry off with preach the Word.

[00:08:31] And he says here that there is going to be teachers coming who are just trying to tickle the ears of their listeners, maybe try to build up more listeners for no other reason than to have more bodies or possibly more money or possibly for their egos.

[00:08:48] Unfortunately, this is plainly evident in our culture today as was also brought up by Randy earlier. There's constant examples of churches having a circus. Things like using Star Wars characters on stage to teach Bible stories or writing an expensive

[00:09:12] car on the pulpit to show the wealth of the pastor to say if you have an faith and belief while God will bless you with one of these, driving a car on stage or perhaps

[00:09:26] sitting in a boat on a pool on your stage to just make some example and ultimately just entertain and hold a circus for your people. The Word of God, unfortunately in these situations, is barely touched upon for the sake of entertainment.

[00:09:46] In fact, we see today in many of these churches the Holy Scriptures and Jesus are used merely as a simple excuse to say whatever they want to say, to use and manipulate the Scriptures to say whatever they want to say. For instance, give me money.

[00:10:07] If you believe in Jesus and have a faith, give me money and he will bless you. Perhaps the Bible says explicitly to vote for this person. Certainly politics sometimes is a little necessary when discussing the evils of the world

[00:10:24] certainly, but some people will use it to endorse their favorite candidate or it could be just or it could simply be something as simple as look at me. I'm really funny and caresmatic. Look at all these people that I'm speaking to.

[00:10:41] I find the as an example, the Christian rap artist, Shaolin, who am a very big fan of, summed it up well with one of his verses that he addressed to the congregation. He says let me explain and this is a song about expository preaching. How about that?

[00:10:59] A rap song about expository preaching. I'm a little nerd when it comes to theological topics there so of course I'm a big fan of these things. He says, let me explain what I mean. It's not too complex.

[00:11:10] It's preaching God's word in its proper context and this is to you. It's preaching God's word in its proper context. As you listen, be discerning what you have to determine what's the point of the passage

[00:11:22] the point of the sermon if not this problem must be confronted today because he just used the Bible to say what he wanted to say. And even if it's delivered with fire and intelligence it's basically making what God has inspired irrelevant.

[00:11:37] I find those very wise words using rhymes because the pastor could just be saying whatever he wants to say and that makes what God has inspired in his word of God that he has bent over to us to deliver us from himself irrelevant to twist scripture.

[00:11:57] And a great example of this of using the Bible to say whatever you want to say to make up some message by taking words out of the pages of the Bible has been used by many faithful pastors speaking and making the point of expository preaching.

[00:12:16] The example goes along the lines of this. A popular hairstyle for women at one point was wearing their hair tight up. This is also known as a top knot. A certain pastor wants to make a name for his church used Matthew 24 verse 17 in the King James

[00:12:39] version to say that Jesus had declared himself that women cannot wear top knots. So what does Matthew 24 verse 7 say in the King James version? Well, let him which is on the house top not come down to take anything out of this house.

[00:12:58] Now let me deliver let me read it again how he probably delivered it. He probably said something along the lines of let him which is on the house top not come down to take anything out of his house.

[00:13:12] Top not come down thankfully I don't see any top knots in here. Otherwise Jesus would be pretty angry according to his interpretation of scripture. That is what twisting scripture looks like. Just random words taken out of a larger sentence to say whatever you want to say.

[00:13:32] We have verses and structures merely to help us find certain passages in the Bible, help memory. I mean I don't know how the church survived for the first 1600 years when they didn't have chapters and verses

[00:13:46] but they are extremely valuable in determining what the subject currently is by splitting things up into chapters here and sub-sub dividing sections and giving headings for certain passages. Now those aren't inspired but there's proper context that we need to look at when it comes to scripture

[00:14:08] because otherwise you could believe anything you want. You could believe that Matthew 24 Jesus is saying women need to wear their top knots down. That's what happens without expository preaching, without faithful preaching of the word. Scripture begins to text or scripture begins to twist.

[00:14:27] So how about I do a little faithful interpretation of scripture by presenting the gospel. Unfortunately I have left my Bible over there but I've got the verse here. I was I was prefer usually to read the scripture straight out of the Bible but the scriptures

[00:14:48] the same no matter where I read it from. So if you'd like to turn your Bibles to 1 John 4 verses 9 and 10. The Apostle John wrote 1 John just as he wrote the gospel according to John.

[00:15:05] And in this chapter he's talking about the love of God and he makes the point beginning in verse 9 of chapter 4 that in this the love of God was made manifest among us.

[00:15:21] That God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him in this love and in this is love not that we have love God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the

[00:15:36] Prophysiation for our sins. Jesus coming to the world is the manifestation of the love of God for his people. That is the point that John makes among his many points on what love is and how we should love one another.

[00:15:55] He uses this example of how God loved us by sending his son to be the Prophysiation for sins. Now what does that mean? Prophysiation. Well the Greek word used here is he lost most which has a similar meaning to Prophysiation.

[00:16:13] So defining both words here it is to it is an offering to appease or satisfy an angry or offended party. Our sin has angered God as we spent many weeks in the catacys of describing the awful depth of that anger and

[00:16:33] justice towards those sins. But it is an offering to appease or satisfy an angry or offended party. Now he lost most is used two times in the New Testament both times in first John chapter two

[00:16:51] and then once again in the first that I read today first John chapter four. Both times it is used of Christ's toning blood that appeases God wrath on all confessed sin. By the sacrifices himself on the cross Jesus Christ provided the ultimate

[00:17:12] he lost most or Prophysiation that is what that word means moving onto the other point is that he has a piece of wrath of God for all that belief in him that is the love of God. That is the purpose for why Christ came

[00:17:27] and that is the ultimate expression of God's love from here to us on earth as John the Apostle's winner for we will yourself. The second point I will be making drawing the drawing from the text and drawing specifically

[00:17:42] from the context in which John's tradition teaches for him and to our conclusion because the love of God loves us before we love him. What does that mean? Well, if we look back at John

[00:18:02] he sees the talk about the certain doctrine of electing love where God has chosen to love us before we ever love him. In fact before we could respond to him we were so dead in our sins and yet he

[00:18:15] called us out to love them and believe in him. As we'll see a little bit later John used the example of Christ's raising of his dear God last verses. He loved so he called him out of the grave even though he was

[00:18:30] completely dead for days. He did the miracle of calling him out of the grave to life and that isn't exactly what Jesus does when he says it is why the Apostle John used that sign as a eventual pointing to the

[00:18:47] kingdom of God because that is how God does for us. And that is what John is talking about here when we says in the previous verse. In this love God but that thing loves us. We have nothing

[00:19:09] in this before we didn't love God but he loved us first and like last call those from them. Yeah and the grave to new life where we will live in the rub rubber. If you're not already

[00:19:26] loving Jesus well he's always standing there calling for you and biting you saying he's standing there ready that if you believe in him he is calling you right now out of the grave I should say

[00:19:40] he is loving you right now if you believe on him because Christ's a toning blood appeased the wrath of God for our sins already and as I talked about in our catacom Christ has paid for all the sins

[00:19:54] of those who believe in him that means all sins that you have ever committed and all sins that you will ever commit Jesus Christ has paid for and if you believe in him well I've good news because that

[00:20:06] means that he has loved you with an eternal steadfast love and is calling you right now out of the grave. Brother God thank you for sending your son to a tone for us since Lord we thank you

[00:20:23] with an incomprehensible thankfulness Lord that you have somehow loved us before we loved you that you have called us out of the grave when we were dead rotting at the bottom of the

[00:20:37] sea you dove to the ocean to bring this up again Lord you wanted to do humanity to express your love you died to express your love and to pay for the sins of your people Lord who we spirit illuminate this text for us penetrate our hearts now

[00:20:58] help us to understand your graceful powerful salvation and Jesus name my prey amen thank you thank you Jacob I don't know if I'm the most proud of Jacob or if it's his dad

[00:21:21] that's here today or if it's his grandparents and friend that are up from Florida welcome by the way made the trip did you just make the trip for today? I did okay pressure was on you if they did

[00:21:34] in any case there's a depth to Jacob that some people don't see you know that saying that says still water is run deep there's some depth to Jacob and his knowledge and his love for the

[00:21:48] word and love for Jesus so I'm so proud of him I'm sure I can speak for dad and for for Grandpa and Grandma and your friend Jacob was friend well we're coming up toward the end I do have a

[00:22:00] couple of verses I'd like to speak with you about in general 11 and I think everything here as you have seen I think the Holy Spirit has had a hand in this we've heard from Mike and from Randy and Jacob and

[00:22:11] myself and certain things that you have said or Mike or Randy I've thought about this week and God has providentially brought this service together for his purpose I believe because I can see

[00:22:26] that his spirit has been working and all of our hearts to some degree in a similar way and so my sermon or sermon at today is shorter but I think that's by God's providence

[00:22:39] I really do so we'll go through a couple of verses and then we'll be on our way for God's important business after the service we've been in general 11 and I'll look through a few

[00:22:51] verses here we're in general 11 verse 45 and if you turn there you can read along with me we don't have slides today to God's glory you know part of me doesn't want me to have slides because I think sometimes

[00:23:02] they're distracting and maybe God has his way this day because we're trying this out but he'll be glorified in any case John 11 verse 45 begins with the words of the apostle John and remember this is just

[00:23:16] after Lazarus walks out of the tomb and he's there and they unwrap him and Jesus says let him go verse 45 many of the Jews therefore who had come with Mary and had seen what he did believed in him

[00:23:29] but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done so the chief priest and Pharisees gathered the council and said what are we to do for this man performance many signs

[00:23:41] if we let him go on like this everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation their Lord please bless this time before I preach these words I

[00:23:57] pray that you a night them so that they wait take hold in people's hearts into these message and I pray in Jesus name amen I want to ask you this question can you remember the first time

[00:24:10] you were confronted with the truth of Jesus Christ or his message because if you were saved when you were four years old five ten a kid maybe you don't remember that maybe it was at a camp and

[00:24:22] you were at 12 camps when you were a kid you don't quite remember when but maybe you were 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 and you realized I have a decision I have to make

[00:24:34] because I'm just seeing now that Jesus is real what am I going to do now the first verse we read verse 45 could have been the perfect ending Lazarus was in the tomb four days he came out and the

[00:24:53] Jews believed it could have said the end but that wasn't the end yes many of the Jews that were there did believe praise God that was kind of one of the primary objectives that Jesus wanted from

[00:25:10] this entire ordeal remember when Martha and Mary sent word to say Lazarus your friend is sick Jesus said I'm glad you told me and then he waited two more days told his disciples Lazarus is dead

[00:25:27] and then he went he wanted to make sure the people knew Lazarus really was dead so that he could raise him up and God would be glorified and then many more would believe that was the point

[00:25:40] and so that objective was achieved here many of the Jews did believe verse 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done you know of course they did

[00:25:57] of course somebody did that it's almost as if we would say well why can't you just all believe haven't you just seen what has happened here but in all of course some had to go it's like the

[00:26:09] students in junior high that remind the teacher on Friday afternoon that forgot to assign the homework hey teacher you forgot the homework can we have some homework this weekend as always one or two

[00:26:20] of those of course now they're running the country that wasn't me but I think we can up a thighs but you know that was the plan after all that was God's plan that some wouldn't be happy with

[00:26:35] Jesus for what he was doing and they wouldn't be happy because of what he was claiming and who he was claiming to be even though I think deep down they knew he was right I read this last

[00:26:46] week from Acts chapter 4 to further this point where we read truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed listen to these people both

[00:26:59] here and punch his pilot along with the gentiles and the people of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place this was all God's plan Jesus Christ was born to

[00:27:15] die in that cross to provide for our salvation that was the plan you could read in first Peter chapter one verses 19 and forward that this plan was conceived before the world began this wasn't a backup plan

[00:27:32] and so certainly to have that plan be thrown into into the beginning of what would actually happen some people had to be upset about Jesus and they were and that act of raising Lazarus proved that

[00:27:46] he really was a son of God that he really did have power over even death what more could you ask if someone or you think your God prove it what more could you ask raise someone from a dead

[00:28:01] and he did it and they saw it and some believed but some went and told others we need to do something about this man and it still goes without saying that even today people are still reacting

[00:28:18] differently to Jesus aren't they they're reacting differently to him all while their souls hang in the balance I don't know if they realize that or not I think they some of them who remembers the

[00:28:33] the show the ex files back in the 90s I think one person okay well this show is about some FBI agents from a secret department within the FBI that would study and investigate strange things

[00:28:47] UFOs and all those phenomena and the lead investigator they never talked about it but there was always a poster in his office and it had a picture of a UFO apparently and it said I want to believe

[00:29:03] and I think for Christians who believe were already there and some people who aren't Christians especially these people in verse 46 I think they didn't want to believe I don't want to believe this is true

[00:29:19] because I might lose everything that's what the Pharisees thought here if what he says is true I don't want that to be true because I'm going to lose my position and we're going to lose this good

[00:29:34] thing that we have going here there's a few different groups here that react differently to Jesus message the many Jews in verse 46 who believed in Jesus they hadn't before and when John uses the word

[00:29:51] the Jews or the phrase the Jews he's really meaning the the leadership in the Jewish culture the people with influence that weren't really four Jesus especially at the beginning some of them are

[00:30:01] even coming now the many Jews who believed of course this includes the family of Lazarus too they were believers that second group of people were the chief priests and the Pharisees they were actively

[00:30:14] hostile to Jesus they didn't want to believe and they've seen some things like Lazarus being raised from the dead like that poster in the inverse you know I don't want to believe that but I have a

[00:30:29] suspicion he might be true what he says there's that third group the many others which will get to next time verse 55 who were indifferent or didn't know we're we're curious but we're quite sure either way

[00:30:47] they ask themselves what do you think is he coming or not to the Passover is he truly who he says he is there's that outer circle of interested people or maybe indifferent people so you have the people

[00:31:01] that believe those who are hostile to Christ and then everybody else and if you're only aware of Jesus or maybe you believe that he existed just like George Washington existed I believe that

[00:31:18] but you don't trust in him for salvation the Bible says that you may as well just be hostile toward him because either position leads you to the same condemnation you must deliberately trust in

[00:31:35] him alone to save you have to take that positive posture toward Christ and so we see these different responses to the people of the person of Jesus and the question here is what do we do with Jesus what

[00:31:50] do you do with Jesus? Do you believe in him trust in rely upon him that's what it really means I trust him I rely upon him to save me and I believe we're all in that position here today though I can't see in

[00:32:03] anyone's heart I believe that or by contrast do you reject him or for anyone listening there isn't in this room are you hostile toward him or do you want to just reserve judgment I'll wait and see

[00:32:19] I need to see more or I really don't care I don't have an opinion yeah Jesus is fine he he seemed to be a good person good teacher and that's where you land and if you think well I think

[00:32:33] he's a good person fine just like this person that person so also who way have lived and died and had some good things to say and I believe in that far but if you don't believe him as your savior

[00:32:47] it's a dangerous place to be it's dangerous because if you don't believe in trust in him alone to save you there's only two categories you do or you don't not as we make our selves believe oh there's this

[00:33:05] category of I believe and I'm saved and then there's the other category of no I don't believe then there's this well I'm not quite sure wishy was she haven't made it's sitting yet all those

[00:33:14] actually don't exist you either believe or you don't there's no third category or fourth or fifth of like Dante's infernal he wrote of all the different layers of hell there's not these different

[00:33:27] layers of heaven where well this person really believed actually they go on the top and this person for the most part believed yeah this person was kind of 50 50 this person was an enemy of Christ

[00:33:39] doesn't exist you're all the way in you're all the way up it's dangerous place to be the only safe way to be to be safe place to be when dealing with Jesus isn't to be adjacent to him

[00:33:58] you know how they say well I'm a football fan my wife's not so much but she's football adjacent if there's a big game on and we have people over at the house you know she'll put the jersey on

[00:34:12] and and cheer for whatever she thinks she needs cheer for you know she's football adjacent she's kind of there but she's not a dire fan I don't blame her but you can't be Christ adjacent only

[00:34:29] and walk through the pearly gates you can't just be nearby Jesus but you have to be in Christ that's why Paul uses that term that's the most that's a favorite term he uses to be in Christ when

[00:34:47] he says when he refers to Christians you're in Christ and the Bible tells us that we're not only in Christ but we're hidden in Christ in God you're safe there that's where you should be

[00:35:00] that's the only safe place to be not well I'm friendly to Jesus and I really you know not having anything bad to say about him but I can't call him my Savior Matthew wrote in Matthew 12 30 whoever is not with me is against me he makes it very clear

[00:35:22] well not really with you Jesus but I'm not against you no he says no no if you're not with me you're against me that's how he considers our positions towards him and there's no neutral position you can take with

[00:35:37] Jesus you can't just be I'm waiting to see because if you're waiting to see like in any trial if you're not sure well that's a knock-ilty vote that's what it is you have to vote guilty

[00:35:53] beyond the reason we'll doubt that's guilty if you're not sure there's no voting for not sure it's guilty you're not guilty so if you're not sure you have to vote not guilty just like here if you're

[00:36:05] not with me you're not not against me there's no category for that you are against me is what Jesus says the next two verses summed up this way this is the reaction from the Pharisees

[00:36:22] so the cheap priests and the Pharisees gathered to counsel and said what are we to do for this man performs many signs if we let him go on like this everyone will believe in him

[00:36:31] and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation it's as if they said guys we have to do something about this this Jesus because I think two things one they feared

[00:36:46] man more than they feared God they feared the Romans coming in and taking their temple their system and their position and they liked what they had more than they liked what Jesus was offering they treasured their status and their livelihoods more than what Jesus offered

[00:37:11] and this happens today too we could say these exact this exact message using different words of the 21st century but we could figure out somebody who said this hey if this Jesus is real I could

[00:37:24] does everything this reminds me of an example I heard many years ago of a Christian documentarian who had an interview with a female lesbian priest I couldn't think it was hard to put those words

[00:37:45] together in my head but this was real and he had it on she allowed him to interview her and he gave her the gospel as he understood it from the Bible and he said

[00:37:56] explained to her what the Bible says about homosexuality well how it's in a bombination to the Lord and that people who are ministers are held to higher standards on judgment thing

[00:38:08] and he explained many of these things and she sat there and let him speak it was in her office and at the end he said to her do you believe this basically what will you do about this I've given you this honest

[00:38:22] proclamation of the gospel seems like she's confronted now with this Jesus question and I remember her looking back at him and saying well I appreciate you coming in here today but

[00:38:36] I do expect me to resign or what are you asking me and he said I just wanted to know now that you know what the scripture say about what you're doing and how you're living and what you have

[00:38:47] here and how you're ministering and what will you do about that she said well I'm not going to do anything and he said why not and she said because it would cost me everything she says you can't expect

[00:39:03] me to resign you can't expect me to divorce my same sex partner can you I would have to lose everything and that's the point isn't it what is Jesus calling us for to hold on to who you are

[00:39:28] is he calling us to hold on to all the things that we think we built up on earth our positions our influence our garage full of toys is he calling us to keep all those things or is he calling us to say

[00:39:42] I want all of you and I wouldn't when I mean all of you I don't mean plurally all of you I want everything about you all of me that's what I'm demanding my truth demands that

[00:39:57] in the first you said well we might lose everything they they said we will lose everything because if we don't do something they will all believe in him and that means we're going to lose it all

[00:40:13] and that's the point Jesus doesn't call us to give him half of our heart we're willing to give 25% of our bank account he says if I call upon you for anything

[00:40:31] if you love me if you believe in me you'll give me all of it this is what they're afraid of John 11 48 says they're fear if we let him go on the Roman army will come into destroy our temple

[00:40:49] in our nation this big bad boogie man was the Roman army that would destroy their temple in our nation it's almost as if they couldn't function in their faith walk without a temple

[00:41:01] a building we didn't even have our own building here but I think if this building was destroyed we could still have our faith couldn't we but that was their special place and they had their

[00:41:16] special positions and they did pretty well for themselves so the question is on an individual level do you have your special place that you don't want anyone touching and you really hope

[00:41:29] God doesn't demand that you give him that special place in your heart got I really follow you but please don't ask me to give you this part of my heart when we know that Jesus' person is real he's

[00:41:46] the real deal and that to follow him really to follow him requires everything it's harder to do that doesn't mean you're not saved but the point here is that this man Jesus has to be dealt with

[00:42:06] we have to understand his proposal like we said a couple weeks ago the gospel message really if you want to boil it down to one phrase one sentence believe it or die and that's something

[00:42:22] you say to someone you love I'm warning my loved ones believe it or die and in that word believe means believe all the way and even if you lose it all whatever that means you used to live

[00:42:39] I'll provide for you more than you ever thought he could or anyone could because you're probably focused on the wrong things anyway if your heart like these ferris he's we're so focused on

[00:42:48] the temple my status my influence all this power I think I have that's not really all what's all quote unquote is your soul you're not going to lose it all for Jesus you're going to

[00:43:03] gain it all in closing look at Matthew 15 16 Jesus says for whoever would save his life you're trying to save your temple to save your status whoever would save his life will lose it

[00:43:19] but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it he lose all that you think you're losing something Jesus has no your gaining you're gaining me just better than all that stuff the market expands in his gospel in chapter eight verse 36 Marx says

[00:43:37] quoting Jesus for what is a prophet a man to gain the whole world for what can a man give in return for his soul for whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him will the son of man also be ashamed

[00:43:58] when he comes in the glory of his father and with the holy angels are you willing to run the risk of Jesus rejecting you a judgment day of Jesus being ashamed of you because you were ashamed of him during this short life whatever however long as you

[00:44:19] you're afraid of losing your influence at work or your status and your family or losing your job or whatever he asks of you to put that in the balance on judgment day and Jesus might look and say

[00:44:39] what does he say I never knew you you said you knew me but I never knew you we know each other like no someone you kept me an arms length so today Jesus is I'm keeping you an arms length

[00:45:00] so why the Christian life has these terms that we use were new creations in Christ were new all the way that old man has died you don't hang on to any part of that old man

[00:45:12] he's gone now he wants to come back to life on his son of a while and we fight our temptations innocent but he's dead you have new life in Christ he guarantees us so we should live and serve

[00:45:24] with an open hand every part of my life Lord take it use it if I lose my job my truck anything at least have the heart he may never call you and ask you for that but we should have

[00:45:36] that heart to live as if you ask I'll give it and if you want to use all your stuff and you lose all your stuff and you're in Christ you can rest assured that by God's

[00:45:53] Providence you know what it's probably better for you because he's our good father and he'll best maybe he thinks you know you're really getting more concerned about all your stuff

[00:46:03] so I'm going to take that away for a while get back to me someone he once called god the hound of heaven you've heard that we think let's a dog that doesn't really sound very flattering

[00:46:16] what that means is he's coming after you what is Jesus do he seeks and saves the lost he's he's will send to find that what's was lost he seeks you he sounds if you go too far away if you get

[00:46:28] to hung up on your all your stuff he's going to hound you and say in your heart what are you doing come back little too far we have kids go to the beach they go little too far out now you know

[00:46:40] you go too little too far I'm coming to get you I'm going to get my kids the same idea your his and so in closing we ask ourselves this question and we should ask it really every day what

[00:46:55] do we do with Jesus like those wristbands what would Jesus do we should ask ourselves what am I going to do with Jesus today I know he wants me to do this thing or not do that or

[00:47:12] well I hope you believe in our willing to lead all online for him let all don't for him every last corner of your life and proclaim him in your life that those who haven't heard about him yet

[00:47:23] or maybe to those who are Christ adjacent or maybe to those who are indifferent maybe they're close I'm getting friendly to Jesus proclaim him in your life that's where the power is in the gospel not in convincing people only mentally like George Washington exists like that doesn't mean

[00:47:45] if I believe that Jesus Christ existed that I'm saved there's something more there the gospel changes your heart your life you understand I need Jesus and sometimes people hear that message through a

[00:47:58] friend like you and if we do that and if we proclaim his name before our friends here on this earth he says that unjustement they he'll be proclaiming your name in front of the

[00:48:18] father and that's what we all want isn't it and he says well good well done good and faithful servant enter into your blessing that's what we want that's our blessed hope we're all looking forward to

[00:48:31] Amen and you know please stand and we'll pray in close together your Lord Jesus you're the only reason we come to church it should be anyway and I thank you so much that you

[00:48:51] fill our hearts with your truth from our word and from the people that have come here that come here and just love each other you can as your words says you can tell your people by

[00:49:05] how they love one another and we have a lot of love in this place that's all to your glory Lord as we go from these walls I pray that you help us to reconsider our priorities and

[00:49:17] have a renewed willingness to lay everything down for you if you ask if you would ever demand anything I pray that we would live our Christian lives with an open hand and see yes Jesus have it I don't need it

[00:49:29] and that we would never look upon you with anger if something's taken quote unquote from us but that we look at those things as a blessing that you are refocusing our hearts back upon you

[00:49:43] so long as we go I pray you're blessing for the meeting we'll soon have after the service and by your providence I pray that who are those who are appointed to these positions will serve you faithfully and will lead this group of your people into the future

[00:50:04] always following you and always to your glory we pray in Jesus' name amen