John, pt. 76 | John 12:36-43

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September 1, 2024 Covenant Reformed Baptist Church Tullahoma, TN Pastor Jeff Rice

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John, pt. 77 | John 12:44-50

John, pt. 77 | John 12:44-50

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All right, if you will take your copy of the scriptures we will Be in the gospel of John chapter 12 the gospel of John chapter 12, we will consider verses 36 through 43
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John chapter 12 verses 36 through 43 and this is our 76 message
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I always have trouble when I get up here 70 this is the 76th message that Something like yeah, right that we're that we're in this gospel.
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Let me begin with prayer Hopefully I'll get better as we go Father Lord, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ Well, we ask that by your spirit that you will speak to us
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Lord that you will Allow us to feed feast Zion or we have gathered together.
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We are devoting ourselves to the teachings of the Apostle John And Lord, we just ask that you bless us during this time that you will speak to your people through me in Christ's name.
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Amen All right. So let's begin with the text John chapter 12 verses 36
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Through 43 Jesus begins here.
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He says while you have the light Believe in the light that you may become sons of light
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When Jesus had said these things he departed and hid himself from them
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Though he had done So many signs before them They still did not believe in him
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So that the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah Might be fulfilled
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Lord who has believed what he has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the
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Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe for Isaiah's again for again
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Isaiah said he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they
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See with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them
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Isaiah said these things because he Saw his glory and spoke of him nevertheless many
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Even the authorities believed in him but for fear of the pharisees.
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They did not confess it So that they would not be put out of the synagogue
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For they love the glory that comes from man more Than the glory that comes from God What a profound text to be under today
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Our theme for this lord's day is as you might be able to guess unbelief
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Unbelief and my proposition is this the same Sun that hardens clay
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Melts ice the same Sun that hardens clay melts ice so too
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You and I the same message That can harden your heart to believe not
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Can open your heart to receive christ the same gospel message
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That can harden your heart To hate god to not believe god to shake your fist at god
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Can open your heart to receive christ to call upon his name and to follow him
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The message of christ will either be a stench of death or a fragrance of life
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Foolishness or the power of god unto salvation my dear friends. There is no in between It's one or the other
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It's foolishness Or it's the power of god unto salvation It's a stench of death like when you hear it, it's the stench of death
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Or it's the fragrance of life And my dear friends only you know this about yourself
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I cannot enter into your heart Or enter into your mind and know certain things
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When i'm out preaching the gospel and red and I or whoever it is We're out preaching the gospel whenever you witness to someone and you're telling them the gospel.
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It's either one of those two things Right then and there you are either presenting to them a fragrance
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Of death that makes them want to snarl their nose Or you're presenting to them the fragrance of life
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You're saying something that's either foolishness to them or they realize that what you're saying is the power of god and so I This is a question that must be asked
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Is your belief in jesus christ an intellectual head nod or is jesus your king?
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And here's how you know the difference If he's your king You do
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What he says If you profess to be a christian
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And you do not do what the king says your belief is an intellectual head nod So just to help you understand your own heart today
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If you will give me your attention, that's what our theme is focused on Because the intellectual head nod belief in jesus christ is unbelief
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In jesus christ that last portion of that text it says verse 42
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It says nevertheless many Even the authorities believed in him but for fear of the pharisees they did not confess it
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They had an intellectual belief in jesus When jesus was speaking they believed the words that were coming out of his mouth
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But they did not follow jesus therefore their belief is unbelief amen
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And in our outline we're going to examine the reasons behind unbelief
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We're going to see the person the message the glory and the fear so point number one the person point number two the message
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Point number three the glory and point number four the fear and as we transition
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We are days away in this text We are days away from the passover. And that means we are days away from jesus being crucified on that cross days away from him who knew no sin
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Becoming sin days away from him atoning for the sins of unworthy men and women days away from him being glorified meaning him rising from the dead and weeks away from him ascending
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To the father and receiving the kingdom as the son of man
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This is where we are in the text So let's begin with our first point the first reason for unbelief is the person
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And it's talking about the person of jesus christ We're going to see this in verses 36 to 38, but let's first begin with that first part of 36
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And we and we looked at this a little bit last week. This was a part of our structure from last week verse 36 jesus said
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While you have the light believe in the light
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That you may become sons of light The light here in verse 35
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Is speaking of jesus's three and a half years of ministry While the darkness is speaking about the three days and three nights
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That jesus was placed in that chamber. We spoke about how dark that darkness must have been
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Right when evil when satan thought he had won until Those three days were up And I like to visualize jesus is kicking that stone out of the way, right?
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That's that's my My mind right mark my the way that I think
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Right him coming out of that tomb proving who he said he was and that is god
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And at that moment satan knew he lost He knew Everything was taken away from him
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The power of death was taken away from him because the god of this universe who took on flesh
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Who lived the life that we could not live who took upon himself the punishment that we deserve in his death rose from the dead
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And that was the power that satan had he had the keys of death And by rising from the dead he stripped satan of this power
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And he still does not have that power And that was a whole Purpose of of lazarus dying and jesus coming and raising him from the dead as a as a
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Type of what's going to happen for us in the future christ being the the first fruits of our resurrection
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Showing that just as he has risen from the dead We too are going to rise from the dead and ladies and gentlemen
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That's the structure of scripture right the old testament god promises that he's going to destroy death
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It's his promise. I am going to destroy death how I am sending a seed from the woman
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And this seed is going to keep my covenant. He's going to keep my commands He's going to inherit the land and he's going to bless the nations
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But certain passages in here reveal how all this takes place The new testament reveals to us how he does so and it's through his death his life death burial and resurrection
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And he says that he's the first fruits and just like he's been raised. We're going to be raised
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Verse 36 gets more specific about this light this light in verse 36 is speaking about jesus him himself being the light
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Believing in jesus is how we become sons and daughters of light
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That's how we become christians The children of god the church is called the lampstand.
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What does a lampstand do right? Oh, it's a flight We reflect the light
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And listen darkness cannot permeate light The church is supposed to permeate darkness
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And yet we look around and we think man, we're we're in for it The darkness is coming for us
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And it's because we're we're being just as disobedient as the israelites were in the old covenant.
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We're not shining the light We're not taking the light where it's supposed to go and that is in the darkness
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We take our light we hide it under the bushel of a church a building This little light of mine i'm gonna let it shine we walk outside Blow it out
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Because we're afraid of persecution Amen We're afraid to be who god has called us to be
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Turn with me to john chapter 1 john chapter 1 Look at verse 1
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It says in the beginning was the word This word here is speaking of jesus because if you look at verse 14, it says in the word became flesh
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And dwelled among us and we have seen his glory Glory as the only son from the father full of grace and truth
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So you go back to verse 1 in the beginning was the word was jesus And the word is jesus was with god and the word jesus was god
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It was in the beginning with god and all things that were made were made through him were made through who?
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jesus and without him jesus Was not anything made that was made in him jesus was life
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And the life was the light of men And the light shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it
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Jesus says in john chapter 12 verse 8 that he is the light of the world And whoever follows him will not walk in darkness
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Because we will be permeating the light That last part says but we'll have the light of life
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So my dear friends, do you have? the light of life That's the question.
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Do you have the light of you who profess faith in christ? Do you have right now present tense the light of life?
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Because if you do you are the sons and daughters of light If you do not
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You are not the sons and daughters of light There is no halfway in You're either a son and daughter of light
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Or you're not you're either a child of god or you are a child of the devil.
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That's what scripture teaches Now to those who truly believe this believe in him
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And they follow him They follow him, right? He says whoever follows me
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Will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life believers follow jesus there's more than being a disciple than just Becoming a christian a disciple is a student.
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It's a learner. It's someone who sits under the teacher Jesus is our teacher.
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He is our rabbi Well, how do how do we how do we do that? He has given us a book
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He's given us a book And in this book, we have positive laws plus laws of what jesus tells us as christians to do
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And we are to follow him if he says do it do it if he's the king he can tell us what to do
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Right. Amen If you don't agree you can say oh my God Now look with me at the second half of verse 36 and we'll read to verse 37 the second half of verse 36
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This is when he had finished saying these things and he said well what things speaking of verse 30 the beginning of it that he is the light
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I mean that while you have the light believe in the light So that you may become sons of light so when he had said these things he departed and hid himself from them
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Though he had done Many signs before them. They still did not believe in him the person
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They did not believe that jesus was who he said he was What does he said he who's he said that he was well earlier in john chapter 8
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We just read it that he is the light of the world He this is coming off with the feast of the boots when they were just celebrating the light
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They were lighting these huge torches these huge lamps and I mentioned as we was preaching through this that if we
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Had about had a bird's eye view during this time and we would fly over. We probably have never seen anything as glorious As those lights in that land at that time and they would light these lights as a way to remember
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How god led the israelite people through the wilderness as that bright cloud by day
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And that fire by night and so when jesus said these words I am the light of the world
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They would have understood him to be saying that he is god That he is the one who led the people in israel as that light
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And he is telling him just as there's those Fathers ones that we're here remembering right now who follow this light just as they follow that light you too
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Must follow the light and that light is him. He's pointing to himself as him being that light
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They did not believe the person who he claimed to be Jesus has been proclaiming himself to be
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And he has backed it up by doing signs and wonders before their eyes
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And yet they did not believe He's been healing people. He's been he took a sack lunch.
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Imagine a sack lunch For a little boy and he fed over 20 000 people with it
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Who could do that? But god who can heal a blind man? But god who can tell a leopard to uh, uh,
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Who can touch a leopard and cleanse them who can tell a man with a shriveled arm to stretch out their arm?
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And it does who can forgive sins, but god alone Who can raise dead people to life but god alone?
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He's proclaimed himself to be god and he's proved it by doing signs and wonders and yet they still
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Did not believe The messiah they wanted Was not the messiah they got
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They wanted a conquering king and listen to me. He is the conquering king
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Right now he's in heaven ruling and reigning on the throne of david putting all of his enemies under his feet however
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He first had to be the suffering servant He had to live the life that we could not live
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And take upon himself the punishment That we deserve now look back at this text.
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Let's read verse 37 with 38 It's as though he had done
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So many signs before them They still did not believe in him.
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Now. Here's why so that The word spoken by the prophet isaiah might be fulfilled
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And here's what he said lord Who has believed what he has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the lord?
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been revealed Now turn with me to that passage isaiah 53 isaiah 53 verse 1
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Just to show you that he was quoting this says Who has believed what he has heard from us?
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And to whom has the arm of the lord been? revealed Now the original audience when they would have heard this quotation from isaiah 53 verse 1
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They would have been they would have understood this as the whole Story the whole chapter they would have understood this in the context
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Let's say They would have understood this in the context so whenever he quotes this they're thinking all
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Of the context here. And so what I want to do right now is I just want to read this chapter and listen to me
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As I read this chapter kids, look at me all you kids. Look at me as I read this.
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I want you to ask yourself Who is this speaking about? Okay Grown -ups ask yourself.
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Who is this speaking about? First one Who has believed what he has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the lord?
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been revealed for he grew up before him like a young plant like a root out of dry ground who
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Had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty
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That we should desire him He was despised and rejected by man a man of sorrow acquainted with grief and as one
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From whom man hid their faces. He was despised and we esteemed him
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Not surely he has bored our griefs and carried our sorrows and yet we esteem him stricken smitten by god and afflicted
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But he was pierced For our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace
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And with his wounds we are healed all we Have gone astray and have turned each one to his own way
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The lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all He was oppressed
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And he was afflicted yet. He opened not his mouth like a lamb That is led to the slaughter like a sheep
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That is before his shears is silent. So he opened not his mouth
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By oppression and judgment. He was taken away And as for his generation who was considered
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Him was cut off out of the land of the living stricken for the transgressions of my people
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And they made his grave with the wicked And with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth yet It was the will of the lord to crush him
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He has put him to grief When his soul makes an offering for guilt
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He shall see his offspring and prolong his days The will
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Of the lord shall prosper in his hands Out of the anguish
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Of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied By his knowledge shall the righteous one my servant make many to be accounted righteous
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And he shall bear their iniquity therefore I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because He poured out his soul to death
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And was numbered among the transgressors Yet he bore the sins of many and makes intercession
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For the transgressors Who is he speaking about who is isaiah speaking about answer?
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Jesus jesus isaiah is speaking about jesus This group that i've been watching this these jews for jesus, right they're going around and they're they're having this written on a piece of paper and they're having jews who've never read the tanakh who've never read the
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The tour the bible the whole bible the old testament They're having them to read this and they're saying to them
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What's this saying the old old testament or the new testament and every one of them are saying that's the old testament
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I mean, that's the new testament because that's speaking about jesus And when they say no, this is the old testament
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They're left in unbelief You cannot read that text and not think of jesus ladies and gentlemen, this book was written the book of isaiah was written 700 years before the time of jesus 100 years before the time of jesus and yet when you read this chapter, you cannot help but think about jesus christ
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Because it was written about him Isaiah chapter 53 is a prophecy concerning jesus speaking of the suffering servant that he was to be
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They're all about these the the servant that's coming to rule But they miss the fact that he had to suffer
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He had to bear the sins of his people Now the tense here in this chapter can be confusing
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Isaiah did not write this chapter in past tense Biblical hebrew is not does not employ tenses in the same way as english and greek
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Isaiah wrote this chapter in the perfect aspect i .e He saw the actions and verbs as a whole and complete without respect to their timing
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And in our text the text that we're reading john chapter 12 the apostle paul
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Is applying isaiah chapter 53 to jesus He compares those who are rejecting jesus with the ones who are rejecting the arm of the lord
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And he points out that this is fulfilled prophecy You might be thinking yeah, but we haven't got to the end of the story yet this
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Gospel john was written after jesus Had already been crucified What we're seeing here is commentary from the apostle john point number two the second reason for their unbelief is the message
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We're going to see this in verses 39 Through 40 39
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Through 40 therefore
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They could not believe For isaiah said for again isaiah said
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He has blinded their eyes And hardened their hearts lest they see with their eyes
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And understand with their heart And turn and I would heal them
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This is a quotation from isaiah chapter 6 Verse 10 turn with me to isaiah chapter 6
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We'll read verses 8 through 10. No, let's just Yeah, we'll read 8 through 10
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This is isaiah's response from verses 1 through 6 He says and I looked
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No, excuse me, and I heard a voice of the lord saying Whom shall
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I send? And who will go for us? Then I said here am
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I send me And he said go and say to this people keep on hearing but do not understand keep on seeing but do not perceive
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Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and blind their eyes lest they see with their eyes
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And hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn and be healed
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Yahweh Is calling isaiah to preach a message that will harden hearts deafen ears and blind eyes
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Heart swallow, right? He is calling him to preach a message
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That is going to harden hearts deafen ears and blind eyes
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The book of isaiah is a call to repentance The israelites have been disobedience
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Disobedient It's a call to repentance. It's a book of prophecy and a revealing of the messiah
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It is a book that displays the sovereignty of god That god is the one who is in control and we see this
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Very clearly if you want to turn there in isaiah chapter 46 Isaiah 46 beginning in verse 8
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God's speaking he says remember this So what he's about to say we should pay attention, right?
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God's god saying remember this so let's see what he says remember this
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Stand firm Recall it to mind He's trying to get us to understand right remember this stand firm recall this to mind you transgressors
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Remember the former things of old for I am god and there is none
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There is no other I am god and there is none like me right here verse 10
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Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times Things not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish my purpose
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Calling a bird of prey from the east the man of my counsel from a far country
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I have spoken And I will bring it to pass. I have purposed and will do it
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The litmus test here that we see in this text For one to be god the the true god is the ability
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To know the end from the beginning right verse 10. It says declaring The end from the beginning and if you look right above it, he says for I Am god and there is no other
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I am god and there is none like me Declaring the end from the beginning
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And listen to me saints It's not that god looked forward into time and found out something learned something
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God knows all things because god has decreed all things
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If god has to learn something, I want to know who he learned it from well, that means there's someone greater than him
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Right. Hallelujah Hallelujah He knows all things because he has ordained all things my dear friends we are living in his story
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You are playing a part in his story he has purposed you for this moment to be lights to be the candlestick
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That doesn't hide it under a bushel. No, right? That's that song goes this little item
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I'm gonna let it shine this ain't in my notes this little item. I'm gonna let it shine
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Hide it under a bushel. No, i'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.
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Let it shine Y 'all can pay me later for that one He is sovereign
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And he has given us the litmus test to know who it is That is speaking to us that he has declared the end from the beginning
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And that he's going to call a people unto himself from a far country Ladies and gentlemen, we are that people we are that people jesus in the gospel of matthew
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Explains to us how this message? Causes them to reject him
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Turn with me to matthew chapter 13 Matthew chapter 13
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We're going to read verses 10 through 17.
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I know there's a lot of reading today but it's
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It's needed Look at verse 10 Then the disciples came
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And said to him why do you speak to them in parables? And he answered them to you.
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It has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven But to them
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It has not been given right the same sun that hardens clay melts ice
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The same message that will open your heart to receive christ Can harden your heart to hate him?
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To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given
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For to the one who has more will be given And he
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Will have an abundance but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away
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It's how funny is that he read from matthew 25 earlier today And it lines up with what we're talking about today
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The man took his talent and hid it He hid his talent And it was taken away from him and given to the one who had 10 talents
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He's sovereign He's in control even of this message Verse 13
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This is why I speak to them in parables because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear
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Nor do they understand indeed in their case the prophecy of isaiah is fulfilled
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You will indeed hear but never understand you will Indeed see but not perceive
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For this people's hearts have grown dull in their ears They can barely hear in their eyes they have closed lest they should
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See with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn and I would heal them
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He's purposely speaking to them in parables To deafen their ears all the more to blind their eyes all the more
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And to harden their hearts all the more so they will not look to him and be healed
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Blessed are your eyes saints For they see in your ears for they hear for truly
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I say to you many prophets listen to this Walk away from this message with this verse
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For many for truly I say to you for many prophets and righteous people long to see
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What you see and did not see it and to hear
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What you hear and did not hear it Although these disciples saw it personally and heard it personally
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They have handed it down to us They've handed it down to us
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We see jesus and hear jesus in his word Jesus revealed himself to them in such a way speaking to these ones that would reject him
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He revealed to them in such a way that it caused their hearts to be hard toward him
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And go back to our text John chapter 12 verse 40a and it says
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He has blinded their eyes Who's the he
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It's jesus Jesus is the he How did he do so by speaking to them in parables?
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He has blinded Their eyes the he here is jesus one of the clearest reasons as to why
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We can say that jesus did this Was that his hour had come to be glorified
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Right verse 23 jesus answered them my the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified
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If their eyes were not blinded if their ears were not deafened and if their heart was not hardened
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They would have not have crucified the son of glory And if that had not happened we'd still be in our sins
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He is sovereign if jesus had not been put to death he would have not been glorified
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I also want to point out the reason as to why the message of the cross that this is the reason
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Why the message of the cross is foolishness? To those who are perishing
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It's foolishness for the purpose of their eyes to be blind It's foolishness for the purpose of their ears to be deaf
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It is foolishness for the purpose of their hearts to be hard When we go out and we preach this gospel
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And we we see this take place There's a purpose to it My dear friends the word of god does not return void the scriptures
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Will accomplish what they have been purposed to do Remember I said it again earlier the same sun that hardens clay melts ice.
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So too you and I the same message That can harden someone's heart to not believe can open it up to receive christ
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God is sovereign And he is sovereign in people's rejection of christ
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And he is sovereign in people's receiving christ There's no other way to see this now when the original audience heard this they would have
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Know that this was a quotation from isaiah chapter 6 And they would have understood it in the context.
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So point number three The reason for their unbelief is the glory Let's look at verses 39 through 41
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Says therefore They could not believe for again, isaiah said
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He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they see with their eyes
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And understand with their hearts in turn and I would heal them isaiah said these things because he saw his glory
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And spoke of him Turn back with me to isaiah chapter 6 isaiah chapter 6
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We're going to read verses 1 through 13 Again, I said it earlier.
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There's gonna be a lot of reading But it's for your benefit verse 1
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In the year that king usiah died I Isaiah saw the lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple above him stood the seraphim
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Each had six wings with two wings. He covered his face with two wings
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He covered his feet and with two wings he flew And one called to another and said holy holy holy as the lord of hosts
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The whole earth is full of his glory And the foundations of the thresh floor shook at the voice
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Of him who called at the voice of these angels the foundation shook And the house was filled with smoke and I said woe is me
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For I am lost For i'm a peep for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of people with unclean lips
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Let me break that down in layman's terms I have seen things and done things that I should not have seen or done
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Isaiah sees god and he knows that he has sinned And he knows that he's about to die.
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At least he believes he's about to die He says for my eyes have seen the king the lord of hosts
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Then one of the seraphim flew to me having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from an altar
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And he touched my mouth and he said behold this has touched your lips
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Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for So he was about to die he seen the lord and the lord did something about it
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He atoned for his sins and he took away his iniquity verse 8
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I read it earlier And I heard the voice of the lord saying
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Whom shall I send And who will go for us?
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Then I this is isaiah said here am I send me And he said go and say to this people keep on hearing but do not understand keep on seeing but do not perceive
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Make the hearts of this people dull and their ears heavy and blind their eyes Lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn and be healed
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Then I said how long oh lord And he said into the cities are laid waste without inhabitant and houses without people
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And the land is a desolation a desolate waste and the lord removes people far away and the forsaken places are
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Many in the midst of the land And though a tenth Remain in it
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It will be burned. It will be burned again Like a terrible or an oath whose stump remains when it is filled the holy seed is the stump
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Romans 11 tells us that a partial hardening Is on the jewish people not a total hardening but a partial hardening
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We see in the scriptures that many jews truly did believe in jesus
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We see jewish people today come into the knowledge of jesus christ I spoke earlier about the jews for jesus and how these they're going around and they're witnessing the other jews about Jesus christ and jews are coming to jesus
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But a partial hardening is on them still today
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They do not see that jesus was their messiah is their messiah the only messiah
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And that holy seed is jesus
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He is the holy seed and also
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He is who isaiah saw On the throne go back to verse 41 of john chapter 12 isaiah
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Said these things Because he saw his glory and spoke of him spoke of who spoke of jesus
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Of jesus the antecedents here in john chapter 12 all point to jesus
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To quote james white If you were to ask isaiah
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Who he saw on the throne His answer would be yahweh But if you ask john who isaiah saw on the throne john would say jesus in quote
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Remember john is an apostle of jesus christ in acts 2 42 tells us to devote ourselves to the teachings of the apostles
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So if john says isaiah saw jesus guess who isaiah saw Jesus isaiah saw jesus
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That was jesus on that throne That was jesus who was high and lifted up.
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That was jesus that the seraphims were reminding one another how holy he is That was jesus
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That was jesus on the throne They were saying holy holy holy is jesus
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My dear friends, this is what christianity is missing today Jesus is not our home boy.
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He is our god He is our god He's not a homeboy.
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He's our god The bride of christ is to submit herself to her husband her bridegroom, which is christ
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We are missing true reverence of jesus christ Turn with me to second corinthians chapter four
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We're going to read verses three through six verse three
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Even if our gospel is veiled It is veiled to those who are perishing
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In their case the god of this world has blinded their minds the minds of the unbelievers
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To keep them from seeing the light of the gospel in the glory of jesus in the glory of christ, excuse me
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Who is the image of god? For what we proclaim is that is not ourselves but jesus christ as lord with ourselves we are
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We as servants of for jesus's sake For god who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in the hearts
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In our hearts to give light of the of the knowledge And the glory of god in the face of jesus christ
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So i'm going to pause right there a second and reread that verse It says for god who said let light shine out of darkness
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Has shown in our hearts Our hearts for those who are in christ our hearts
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To give There's a purpose There's a purpose why it shines in your heart to give
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Is that what it says to give the light? of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ
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If you have that light in you if you are sons and daughters of light The purpose is to give that light to give it how in the knowledge
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Of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ. We should be witnesses We're to proclaim what god has done for us in christ.
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Jesus Every one of us if you have it you are to give it Do do you have it?
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If you don't have it you don't have it to give But if you have it you're to give it If you don't give it guess what you're doing
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You blew out the light You blew out the light That's what i'm saying.
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It says he says that they were calling to one another reminding each other How holy holy holy is because the whole earth is full of his glory
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The jews were expecting a mere man a son of david to come and rescue them
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They were not expecting God to step down from his throne in the person of jesus as the messiah
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In all of his glory But veiled in human flesh to live the life that they cannot live and you and I cannot live
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And to take upon himself the punishment of the elect That message is foolishness
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That message is a stench of death to those who are perishing
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But to those of us who are being saved that message is the fragrance of life And it is the power of god for salvation and that message is how we give it
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It's how we give it Point number four the fourth reason for unbelief is the fear
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The fear look with me at verses 42 and 43 nevertheless
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Even the authorities believed in even the authorities believed in him.
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Let's see that again. Even the authorities believed in him but for fear
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Of the pharisees they did not confess it so that they would not be put out of the synagogue
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For they love the glory That comes from man More than the glory that comes from god
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They love their reputation among others more than their standing with god
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We have anyone in here like that today? You love your reputation You love to be spoken well loved by those outside the church
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You love it so much That you're unwilling to stand for the truth anyone
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I've been there I've been there. There's times where i've cowered There's times where i've cowered can we be open can we be honest there's there's times where red how many times were you cowered?
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Plenty of times. Yeah We don't want we don't want nobody speak bad about us
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This is this is not something we enjoy I don't enjoy going into a restaurant and see people in this in my own county whisper about me
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I don't enjoy that Let me say this a faith that does not confess jesus publicly is not a saving faith
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It's not That's bible That's bible Many of them the authorities they had an intellectual belief in jesus
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But they were not committed to him because they were not following him This is telling us that you can
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Believe in jesus without believing in jesus You can believe the words that he says
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And not submit yourself to him right I get this you probably heard me say this before there's a difference between believing and believing right if I If I was if I was somebody that can walk a tight rope a tight rope, right?
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And i'm up here and i'm walking this tight rope and I got this big old audience around me and they're Celebrating.
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Oh, look at it. He's doing so good. I'm over here doing flips and stuff like that I'm doing I have one hand stand i'm balancing on it.
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I can't do any of that, right? I got vertigo I will pass out but just saying if I was able to do these things on a tight rope, right?
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And then I was you know I had all this audience and applause and I would say who believes that I can walk across this tight rope with a will barrel
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Barrow or barrel There's a debate on how to say it, right? I say burl will burl.
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My wife says will bear row However, you want to say it. It's fine with me. Um, if I make
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Well, the jury's out on that one Anyways And everyone's like yeah, of course you're over doing handstands, of course you can walk a wheelbarrow and I said well who believes
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I can Walk this tight rope pushing this wheelbarrow with someone in the wheelbarrow and everybody's going. Yeah, of course
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We believe that and I say well who wants to get into the wheelbarrow? And no one says a word
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It's one thing to believe intellectually
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It's another thing to believe in action My dear friends following jesus is getting into the wheelbarrow
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It's getting into the wheelbarrow barrel barrel, whatever. I can't even say I think i'm doing half way in between i'm giving credence to both
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Believing in jesus is getting into the wheelbarrow. It's getting in it's following him
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That's what it means many of the authorities intellectually believe
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But not many followed him. They were not committed This is telling us that you can believe without believing
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The letter of james tells us that even demons believed However, those demons are not in heaven
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They believed And my cousin one time telling me that she believed I said even the demons believe and tremble at the name of jesus and then
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I said jesus And she didn't tremble There's a difference in john chapter 2 we saw that meanie believed in jesus because of the signs that he was doing
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But jesus did not give himself to them Because they didn't truly believe in him
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And in our text they believed but they were honest, but they were ashamed of their belief
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Luke chapter 9 verse 26 says this whoever is ashamed of me in my words
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Of him the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of his father and of the angels
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And if we are ashamed of him, he will be ashamed of us when he comes
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John 14 6 says this jesus says I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father
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Except through me meaning what you believe about jesus
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Matters it matters It matters if it's intellectual Or if it's of the heart it matters
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It matters because there's only one way to the father and jesus proclaims his own exclusivity
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If you are ashamed of him rather if it's in baptism or witness in the gospel or living your life in obedience to him
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You better repent today You better repent today
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In our text they were ashamed they feared the pharisees They did not confess jesus because they were afraid to be put out of the synagogue
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And we saw that in chapter 9 when jesus healed that blind man His parents were afraid to be put out of the synagogue so they did not take up for their own son
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That's how much this religious system had a hold up hill Is this talking about you?
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What are you afraid of? Jesus is on the throne He is on the throne when
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I witness to jehovah witnesses I say this I say uh in isaiah chapter 6 that god that's on the throne that the seraphims
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These sixth wing angelic beings that if one of them were to walk in here, we will be so terrified
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We fall down and pretend that we were dead Right It says that sixth wing being there
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Two wings are hiding their face With two wings are they're hiding their feet and with the other two wings are flying
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And they're calling to one another reminding each other how holy holy holy this god is that's on that throne
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I'll say to them I say that god that's on that throne. Is there anyone above him? Is there anything greater than him?
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And they always say no No, that's That's jehovah.
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I say yeah I call him y 'all way. But yeah, that's jehovah I take him to isaiah chapter 6 and I show them that that is jesus
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It's jesus And they storm out of my house every time
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It's jesus. There's nothing greater than him. He is on the throne and god did not send an angel with tongues with a burning coal in his hand to touch our lips to To to to take away our guilt or to atone for our sins, but god sent his son
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Jesus steps down from the throne and he lived the life that we could not live and he took upon himself the punishment that we deserve
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As a substitute to atone for our sins He did not send an angel he himself steps down from the throne
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My dear friends If you are not following jesus you have no assurance in your death
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You have no assurance in your death So here's my call I know i'm a minute over.
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Please forgive me repent Believe the gospel
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And listen to me children And be baptized every one of you in the name of jesus christ
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We are available to anyone who wants to talk let's pray
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Father Lord, we love your word We ask lord that you use us to grow us in holiness
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And lord if there's anyone here today that needs to repent Because of cowardness lord that you grant that today
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Lord, I especially pray that for myself Lord, we're about to partake in the meal
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And lord, we just pray lord if there's any here today that's living in sin lord and they're just they're refusing to To see their sin as sin and confess that to you you keep them from the table but lord
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We've all sinned and we've all fallen short of your glory And for those of us who see our sin as sinful
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And who are not trying to cover it up with fig leaves But i've confessed these things to you knowing that you are just and faithful to forgive
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Lord as we partake in this supper You use this to grow us