John, Pt. 39 | John 7:25-32

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June 18, 2023 Covenant Reformed Baptist Church Tullahoma, TN Pastor Jeff Rice

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All right, if you will at this time, take your copy of the scriptures. We'll be in John chapter 7, the gospel of John chapter 7, and we will consider verses 25 through 31.
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John chapter 7, verses 25 through 31. This is our 39th message in this gospel.
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Oh God, Lord, in the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus, by which there is no salvation in anyone else under heaven outside of the name of Jesus.
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The stumbling stone that was rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
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Lord, we gather in his name and ask, please,
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Lord, we ask you to please speak to us. Lord, we come here seeking your will for our lives, and we understand that it is only through your word.
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I have nothing good to say outside of what you have said.
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Please, in Jesus' name, speak to us.
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Amen. I'm going to begin reading the text again,
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John chapter 7, verse 25 through 31.
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So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, is this not the man whom they were seeking to kill?
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And look, he is speaking openly, and they are saying nothing to him.
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Do the rulers truly know that this is the Christ? However, we know where this man is from.
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But whenever the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from.
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Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, you both know me and know where I am from, and I have not come of myself, but of him who sent me is true, whom you do not know.
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I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.
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So they were seeking to seize him, yet no one laid his hands on him because his hour had not yet come.
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But many of the crowd believed in him, and they were saying, when the
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Christ comes, will he do more signs than this man did?
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Our theme for this Lord's Day, as you should be able to guess, who is the
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Christ? The themes are not falling far from each other. Who is the
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Christ? My proposition is that Jesus alone fits the criteria of the long -awaited
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Messiah. There is no one else, right? I've been harking on this, this quote from Paul Washer, heaven has sent to us its champion.
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Concerning prophets, concerning priests, concerning kings, concerning redemption, heaven has nothing else to offer.
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Nothing else. If you're looking for something else, nothing's coming.
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It's not coming. It has nothing else to offer.
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The most important question you could be asked is, who is Christ?
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There's nothing more important that you could be asked, nor could you ask someone. Who is the
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Christ? Having the correct answer to this question is a matter of life and death.
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It is a matter of life and death, eternal life if you have the correct answer, and eternal death if you do not.
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This paragraph that we are in is not based on fear, but my interrogative is.
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My calling, your attention to the text is. Because as Ray Comfort says, fear is your friend.
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Don't look at fear as your enemy. Fear is your friend. It's your friend.
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And I'm going to prove it to you. A healthy fear of getting ran over, run over by a car will keep you from playing in the road.
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Amen? And it will cause you to look both ways as you're crossing the street.
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Having a healthy fear of getting run over, who in here would walk across the street to the tobacco store with their eyes closed?
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Any takers? Now if I tell you to look both ways, are you going to say, stop putting, using fear?
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Stop using fear for me to cross the street. How senseless would that be?
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Ladies and gentlemen, who is Christ is a matter of life and death.
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It's a matter of life and death. Ladies and gentlemen, fear is a good thing.
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It's a good thing. It's your friend. When it comes to the question of who is
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Christ, you should not assume that it doesn't matter. It absolutely matters.
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It matters more than anything you could ever think of. If nothing else matters, it is the only thing that matters.
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Who is the Christ? Who is it that God has sent?
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And if Jesus is not the
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Christ, which he is, but if he wasn't, that means we are looking for someone else.
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But no one else is coming because he is the Christ. And if Jesus is the
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Christ, again, he is, that means if you have not come to him, come today.
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Come today. You don't have to wait to the end of the service. Right now, in your heart, cry out to God that you believe that Jesus is the
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Christ. The sermon that I preach normally is a long sermon.
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You might not have that much time on earth. You might not.
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I could die right now, but I know who the
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Christ is. Come today.
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Hebrews chapter 10 verse 31 says this, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
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God. And that fear should cause you to look both ways.
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It should cause you to cry out to God, confessing
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Jesus to be the Christ. In our outline today, we're going to review the question that is brought up concerning the
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Christ. And I want to permanently fix in your mind, I have no questions about it,
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I want to permanently fix in your mind that there could be no one else but Jesus.
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He was rejected by his own people. He was born in Bethlehem.
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He came down from heaven and he displayed power. So point number one, he was rejected by his own people.
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Point number two, he was born in Bethlehem. Point number three, he came down from heaven.
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Point number four, he displayed power. So as we transition, let's remember that Jesus at this time in the text, he's in Judea.
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And this is the first time Jesus has been in Judea since the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread.
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Jesus has been ministering in Galilee because the religious
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Jews in Judea were seeking to kill him. They were wanting to put
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Jesus to death. So Jesus spent six to seven months in Galilee.
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Again, it had been six to seven months and the Feast of Booths was taking place.
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The Feast of Booths was a week -long feast celebration where all
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Jewish men had to attend. So Jesus, even though they were seeking to kill him, had to go up and to attend the feast.
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Why? Because he was a man and he was a Jewish man. He had to attend the feast.
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He had to go in the shadow of death, right? Okay, Jesus goes up to the feast.
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In the middle of the feast, Jesus goes to the temple and he begins to teach. Last week,
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I took the liberty of guessing what it was that Jesus may have been teaching in the temple.
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I took this liberty because the text doesn't tell us what he was teaching. My guesswork had to do with what
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Jesus had already been teaching throughout this glorious gospel. The message doesn't change.
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How many times, well, you know, for those who have been here week in and week out, has the gospel message
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I preach changed? It's been the same.
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I don't feel like I have to build on something that's perfect.
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As a matter of fact, if I attempt to, I ruin it. It's no longer the gospel. Jesus has been consistently teaching a message, that message being that he is
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God, that he came down from heaven, and that believing in him is eternal life.
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That's been the message. So point number one, he was rejected by his own people.
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We get this from verses 25 and 26. Let's read those two verses again.
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So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?
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And look, he is speaking openly, and they are saying nothing to him.
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Do the rulers truly know that this is the
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Christ? They were asking a question. Does the rulers know something we don't?
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Are they keeping something from us? Remember, this is a mixed crowd. You have the religious
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Jews who are seeking to kill Jesus, and then you had a combination of the
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Jewish, the common Jewish folks. Some believe that Jesus was a good man, right?
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They partook in some of the miracles, and some, probably even those who partook in the miracles were saying, man, he's leading people astray, and which he was in one sense, right?
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He come to fulfill the old covenant and to usher in the new covenant.
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He came to remove them from keeping the law according to righteousness, to understand that he kept the law according to righteousness, and now they were to trust him.
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Again, not saying that they're not to keep the law, but the reason behind keeping the law changes.
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We don't have to keep the law to earn righteousness with God, because we can't keep the law. Christ kept the law.
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Christ earned righteousness. We believe in him. He puts his spirit in us, who keeps the law in us.
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Now, I would be remiss of my duties as a pastor not to mention the confession of Peter, and how his understanding was that Jesus brought to Peter, and Peter understood that this was not from himself.
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So if you will turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 16, beginning in verse 13.
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Now, when Jesus came to the district of Cicero of Philippi, Cicero of Philippi, he was asking his disciples, saying, who do people say that the son of man is?
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Remember, the son of man is a messianic term. And they said, some say
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John the Baptist, others say Elijah, but still others
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Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But he said to them, but who do you, speaking to his disciples, say that I am?
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And Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ, the son of the living
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God. And Jesus answered and said to him, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father who is in heaven.
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And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock,
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I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
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I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
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Then he warned the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the
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Christ. The revelation of Jesus being the
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Christ, the son of the living God, is from above and not below.
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Confession of Jesus being the Christ is the rock, the foundation upon the new covenant.
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It's the foundation. The first confession after the new birth should be
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Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. That revelation again, that Jesus is the
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Christ, the son of the living God, is from above not below. It's from heaven not earth, right?
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This is something given to us by the father in regeneration. It's not something that we gather information of.
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Having this understanding is a gift from God.
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If you understand that Jesus is the Christ, listen to me, you have been given the gift of God, which is faith.
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Faith is the gift of God. In Isaiah chapter 53, also known as the suffering servant, has been long understood by the historical rabbis, not rabbis today, historical rabbis of Judaism, to be speaking of a redeemer who would one day come to Zion.
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Beginning in Isaiah chapter 42 through Isaiah chapter 52, we see the servant of the
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Lord who is also understood as being the Messiah. The servant of the
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Lord is the Messiah. And what's understood in the Christian faith is that the servant of the
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Lord who is the Messiah is the suffering servant found in Isaiah chapter 53.
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Now, if you would, please turn with me to Isaiah 52, beginning in verse 13.
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Isaiah 52, beginning in verse 13. Verse 13,
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Behold, my servant will prosper.
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He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
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Just as many were appalled at you, speaking to Israel, my people, remember his people were persecuted, rejected by other nations.
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So his appearance, speaking of the servant, was marred more than any man in his form more than the sons of man.
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More than y 'all, right? That's what he's saying. Thus, he will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on count of him.
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For what he had been, for what had been told to them, they will see.
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And what they had not heard, they will understand.
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This is telling us that this servant right here at the end is going to be marred, he's going to be persecuted.
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But the kings of this earth are going to shut their mouth and that other nations are going to come to serve this servant.
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Chapter 53, verse 1, still speaking of the servant, but transitioning to the suffering of the servant, who has believed our report?
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And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed? For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, like a root out of parched ground.
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He has nothing, status from his majesty, that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should desire him.
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He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrow acquainted with grief.
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And like one from men hid their face. He was despised and we did not esteem him.
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Surely our grief he himself bore, and our sorrow he carried.
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Yet we ourself esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our transgressions, who's this talking about?
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He was crushed for our iniquities, and the chastising for our peace fell upon him.
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And by his wounds we are healed. All of us have, all of us like sheep have gone astray.
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Each of us has turned to his own way. But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.
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He was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth like a lamb led to the slaughter, like a sheep that is silent before its shears.
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So he did not open his mouth. Listen to verse 8. By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
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Listen to this rejection. And as for his generation who consider that he was cut off, rejected, out of the land of the living, that for the transgression of my people striking was due to him.
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So his grave was assigned with the wicked. Are you thinking when
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Christ was crucified beside thieves? Because if you're not, you should be. He was with a rich man in his death, he was buried in the tomb of a rich man.
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Because he had not done no violence, nor was there any deceit found in his mouth. But Yahweh was pleased to crush him.
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Why would Yahweh crush Yahweh, right? Yahweh was pleased to crush the servant, putting him to grief.
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If you would place his soul as a guilt offering, he will see his seed.
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He will prolong his days. And the good pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in his hand.
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As a result of this anguish of his soul, he will see and be satisfied.
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By his knowledge, the righteous one, my servant, will justify many.
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He will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide for him a portion with the many.
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And I will divide the spoil with the strong. Because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.
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Yet he himself will bear the sins of many and intercede for the transgressors.
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Ladies and gentlemen, I've been preaching the righteous for the unrighteous.
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Right here, look at verse 11. As a result of the anguish of my soul, he will see and be satisfied.
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By his knowledge, the righteous one, my servant, will justify many.
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The righteous for the unrighteous. The just for the unjust.
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Jesus is the righteous. Jesus is the just. You are unrighteous.
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You are not just. And what we have here is what's called double imputation.
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He lived the life. You should have lived but could not live. He took your punishment because you broke
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God's law. The one who is able to keep the law is crucified with the wicked because we could not keep the law.
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The righteous for the unrighteous. This prophecy giving of the
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Messiah and he would come and he would suffer and he would be rejected and that he would give his life as a ransom and that it would be his life that justifies them and he would take their punishment.
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Look back at our text, verse 25.
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So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?
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And look, he is speaking openly and they are saying nothing to him.
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Do the rulers know that this is the Christ? Jesus knew they were seeking to kill him.
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Still stands in the temple and teaches the truth that he is
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God. He is the second person of the Godhead, God, the son, that he came down from heaven, that he was incarnated, that God, the son, leaves heaven, becomes man, takes on, becomes flesh.
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The infinite becomes finite. The creator entered creation and that by believing in him, the son of God, who became flesh, you have eternal life, believing that he is who he says he is and that by trusting in him for salvation, you are freed from this life of sin and misery.
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The clearest way for us, for you and I, the clearest way for us to know that Jesus is the
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Christ is by the rejection of his own people. That's the clearest evidence that the scripture gives to us.
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Who is the Christ? Well, who was rejected? Again, verse 8 of Isaiah 53, by oppression and judgment, he was taken away and as for his generation who consider that he was cut off, he was rejected.
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Look at John chapter 1, verse 11. John chapter 1, verse 11, speaking about Christ, he came to what was his own and those who were his own did not receive him.
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He came to his own people and his own people did not receive him.
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The religious Jews were seeking to kill him. They were seeking to kill him because they reject him, the servant of the
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Lord, the servant, the suffering servant, their Messiah, as was prophesied.
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They're only doing what was prophesied. The rulers truly didn't know that Jesus was the
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Christ. They didn't know. They didn't know. Our neighbors don't know that Jesus isn't the
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Christ. They don't know. It wasn't revealed to them.
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Jesus being the Christ is a revelation from God through the message of Christ.
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And if anything, it was hidden from them by the information that they had and for our neighbors, it's hidden from them because we're not telling them.
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We're not giving them an opportunity for God to regenerate them because we're not telling nobody.
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Some thought he was John the Baptist. Some, Elijah, Jeremiah, are one of the prophets.
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They didn't know. Now, if you want a clear understanding, is
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Jesus the Christ? Was Jesus rejected by his own people? If you say yes, then you know that's evidence that he is the
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Christ. Point number two, he was born in Bethlehem. Look at verse 27.
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However, we know where this man is from. But whenever the
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Christ comes, no one knows where he is from. Turn your attention to Matthew chapter two,
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Matthew chapter two, verse 16. Now, this is a quote.
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This is quoting from Micah chapter five. I said 16, and I mean,
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I meant to put six. Micah chapter, I mean, excuse me, Matthew chapter two, verse 16.
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I mean, verse six, but let's go to verse four. And gathering together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people were inquiring of them where the
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Christ would be born. Now, understand right here, gathering together the chief priest and the scribes of all the people, he was acquiring, this is speaking of King Herod, was acquiring to where the
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Christ was to be born. And they said, right here, in Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what has been written by the prophets.
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And you, Bethlehem, so this is the quotation from Micah five. And you,
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Bethlehem, land of Judea, are by no means least among the leaders of Judea.
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For out of you shall come forth a leader who will shepherd my people
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Israel. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.
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He was raised in Nazareth, which was located in lower
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Galilee. Born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, which is located in lower
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Galilee. According to the scriptures, they should have known where the
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Christ was born. And I just showed you in Matthew five that when Christ was born, the scribes knew, the leaders knew where the
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Christ would be born. However, according to extra biblical writings that were held by the
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Jews at this time, they understood that they would not know where the Christ comes from.
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On this subject, they held extra biblical writings over biblical scripture.
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They knew that he was to come from Bethlehem. But there's extra biblical writers such as the
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Maccabees, and there's some other ones I can't remember quite at the moment, that spoke about you would not know where he would come from.
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So point number three. Well, to clear that point up, second evidence to know that Jesus is the
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Christ is that he comes, the Christ comes from Bethlehem. Was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
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And if the answer is yes, then that is evidence that Jesus is the Christ. Point number three, he came down from heaven.
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We see this in verse 28 and 29 of our text. Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, you both know me and where I come from, and I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know.
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I know him because I am from him, and he sent me. Now, right here,
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Jesus acknowledges the fact that they know him personally, and they knew where he was from,
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Nazareth of Galilee, right? Jesus grew up in this area. The Jews know him.
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They knew his family. Again, I've made the comment that, you know, as kids, they probably played with one another.
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The people that were screaming, crucify him, were probably the same people playing tag with him.
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Wrestling and being boys being boys. They knew him.
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They knew where he was from. Jesus acknowledges that they knew him, his humanity.
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They knew where he was from. But then he goes back to the fact that he is from somewhere else, and that they don't really know him.
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Jesus, the claim of Jesus was that he was in heaven with the
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Father, and that he came down from heaven. That's the claim. Jesus claims he was in heaven with the
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Father, and that he came down from heaven. More than that, that he was sent to earth by the
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Father. That has been the witness of John the Baptist, the witness of Jesus, the witness of the writer of this gospel, who is also named
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John, and the witness of Scripture, for the most part, by way of revealed mystery.
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Right, as you're reading through the Old Testament, revealed mystery shows you that it's speaking about Jesus, such as we just spoke about in Isaiah 53.
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Right, if you begin in Isaiah, and it starts speaking, I think it's chapter 42, it starts speaking about the servant of the
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Lord, who is the Messiah. And there's things that's spoken about him, and then when you get into 53, the servant of the
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Lord becomes a servant, suffering servant, and what plays out there, we actually see play out in history to the man,
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Christ Jesus. Let's look at 1 John. Again, 1
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John is also written by the writer of our gospel. 1 John chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, what was from the beginning.
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So right here, he is acknowledging that Jesus was in the beginning.
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He was in the beginning of time. He always was as far back as you can go, he was in the beginning.
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What we have, what was from the beginning, this is speaking about Jesus, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have be held and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life, that which was manifested.
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And we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the
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Father and was manifested to us. Remember, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was
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God. What we have seen, with his own eyes, what we have seen, what we have heard, that they heard him speak, what we have seen, what we have heard, we proclaim to you also, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
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And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father, and with his
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Son, Jesus Christ. These things we are writing so that our joy may be complete.
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John, along with the other writers of the New Testament, are eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ.
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They believe and taught that he came down from heaven, so much so they were willing to die.
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They spent 1 ,290 days with Jesus before he was crucified, and over 40 days with him after he was risen, raised from the dead by the
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Father. His disciples were beaten to death, crucified, skinned alive, and faced many other ways of being tortured.
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Question, who in here is willing to die for a lie, for something that's made up, for something that's not true?
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Any volunteers, anyone willing to die for a lie? I can guarantee you these disciples are not willing to die for a lie, but these disciples were willing to die because Jesus is who he says he is.
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He is eternal life. They saw him with their eyes.
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He who was from the beginning, they touched him. They were able to put their hands on him, and they witnessed him interacting with others.
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They saw him perform miracles, right? They saw him take the little boy's sack lunch and feed 20 ,000 people.
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They saw him tell men who had shriveled arms to stretch out their arm, and it was healed.
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They saw him forgive sins. They saw him take lame people who laid on mats and told them to get up and walk, and they got up and walked.
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They were even actually able after this to do miracles themselves in his name.
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They saw him perform miracles. They heard him prophesy his own death, burial, and resurrection, and they witnessed his death, and they spent 40 days with him after he rose from the dead.
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They were willing to die because it's the truth, and although this group of Jews in our text knew him and where he was from, they didn't really know him, nor did they know where he was from.
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Now, ultimately, the greatest witness of Jesus is the
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Father. Look again at the end of verse 28 and 29.
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Jesus says, And I have not come for myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know.
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I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.
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In short, Jesus is saying, You somewhat know me. I'll acknowledge that.
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You somewhat know me. I know the Father. The Father sent me, but you do not know the
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Father. Imagine being a Jew and someone telling you that. You don't know
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God. You don't know God. If you don't have the
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Son, you don't have the Father. First John chapter 2 verse 23, Everyone who denies the
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Son does not have the Father. The one who confesses the
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Son has the Father. Were these Jews confessing Jesus? Because if not, they did not have the
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Father, nor do they know the Father. Jesus came first,
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I mean chapter John, the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 18, He came to explain the
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Father. He came to explain. They didn't have a proper understanding of the
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Father. Jesus comes to exegete the Father. And the only way to know him is through Jesus Christ.
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They did not receive the testimony of Scripture. These Jews who claim to be the sons of Abraham, who claim to be followers of Yahweh, did not receive the testimony of Scripture.
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Because they did not know the Father. Turn back a couple of chapters to chapter 5. Look at verse 37.
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Jesus speaking, And the Father who sent me has bore witness about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
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And you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he sent.
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You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life.
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It is they, speaking about the Scriptures, that bear witness about me, the me here being
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Christ. And you are unwilling to come to me, so that you may have life.
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Again, pointing to the rejection that he is the
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Christ who came down from heaven. Point number four. He displayed power.
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You kind of touched on this already, but look at verse 30 and 31. So they were seeking to seize him, yet no man laid his hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
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But many of the crowd believed in him, and they were saying, When the Christ comes, it shows their denial, they're looking for someone else, when the
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Christ comes, will he do more signs than this man did. At least they're recognizing the signs performed by Christ, right?
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Those who reject Him ultimately recognize that this man done miraculous works, and it would be almost impossible for someone else to come to do these same kinds of works and more.
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Remember, the book of the ending of John tells us that there's not enough books to write all the things done by Christ.
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If you can remember, a couple of weeks ago, I spoke on the divine timing of God.
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The reason they were unable to seize Jesus in our text was because it was not
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Jesus's time to be seized. It wasn't time. Jesus was to be put to death, excuse me,
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Jesus wasn't to be put to death at the Feast of Booths, but He was to be put to death at the
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Feast of Passover. Remember, again, harking back to the witness of John, John sees
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Jesus, John being John the Baptist, John sees Jesus, and he says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
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John growing up knowing that every year at the Passover, they would sacrifice lambs, and they would put the blood on the doorpost and on the lintel.
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John sees Jesus. He sees this being carried from Exodus, this shadow, and it leads to the feet of the man walking toward Him to be baptized, and he says,
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That's Him. He's the one. Here comes the fulfillment.
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After this, there's no more need to sacrifice animals.
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The divine timing of Jesus to be seized, beaten, and put to death was six months away at the
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Passover. So Jesus stands up, and He teaches in the shadows of death because it wasn't time for Him to be seized.
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They could not take Him by force. It wasn't time yet. They are, you and I are operating on the divine timing of God.
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In our text where it says, But many of the crowd believed in Him, this is speaking of superficial belief.
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They were believing because of the signs. So I believe that it was because of the signs that Jesus performed, because it mentions in the text, it says,
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When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than this man?
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If you remember as we're walking through this gospel, did Jesus accept the belief of those who believed because of signs?
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No. He rejected that kind of belief. He did not accept belief because of the signs.
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The only true belief that Jesus accepts is the belief of re - and in -regeneration,
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Him giving you faith to believe. The power of Jesus has been on display since His baptism, and I went over some of the miraculous signs that He done earlier.
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Their believing wasn't necessarily that He was the Christ, but that He was, as a man, was able to perform miracles.
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Now the question, what do you believe? What do you believe?
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Is Jesus the Christ? That's the most important question you can be asked.
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Is He the Christ, the Son of the living God? Has the Father given to you this revelation of the
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Son? Does Jesus meet the criteria laid out for the
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Messiah? Is Jesus God? Did He come down from Heaven and is believing in Him eternal life?
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If you're an unbeliever, are you willing to continue to play in the traffic of death?
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Death is coming. 54 million people die a year, 150 ,000 a day, 100 per minute, almost 2 per second.
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We are playing in the traffic of death. Death is going to come and seize every one of us.
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Or are you willing to give your life to Christ?
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If you have not come to Jesus, come today.
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According to the testimony of Scripture, there should be no doubt in your mind that Jesus is the
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Christ, that Jesus met the criteria. Just to point out real quick,
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He was rejected by His own people. He was born in Bethlehem.
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He came down from Heaven and He displayed power. Your leadership is available to anyone who wants to talk.
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Let's pray. Oh God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Lord, we just ask for Your grace.
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And we ask for Your mercy. Lord, we do pray if anyone in here has not with their mouth professed
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Jesus as their Lord and believe in their heart that You have raised this
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Jesus from the dead, that He is the Christ, Lord, this day
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You will grant to them faith to believe. And Lord, You will give them the want to partake in the covenant sign.
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Lord, we love You. And we genuinely ask that You work in us, this church, this day, and every day for Your own glory.
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And Lord, now as we are preparing ourselves to partake in the supper, Lord, I pray that each person here is looking within themselves,
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Lord, as they're looking to Christ.
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And Lord, I pray that as we look to Christ, Christ will reveal to us our sins that we need to repent from.
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Again, as Calvin says, the supper is not for the righteous, but for the broken.
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It's not for the perfect, but for the broken. Lord, we know that we cannot be perfect.
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We know that we are broken, which is why we come to You. We know that outside of Your work in our life, we cannot conform to the image of God.
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And so as we have been under the preaching of the Word, and now we are to partake in the supper, we pray that You use both these things to those who have been baptized to grow us to the image of Your Son.