So That You May Believe - [John 14:28-31]

Well, I would invite you to open your Bibles to John chapter 14 as

We conclude John 14 as we've been steadily working through the gospel of John.

I don't know.

Well, it's a blessing to be here in any event preaching to you this morning.

You know, there's a there's a real plus and a negative to social media, isn't there?

I mean, I enjoy staying connected with people and everything, but it seems to me as I'm thinking about it that

there are Controversies that come up and just kind of explode super fast if

you follow Twitter, and I don't really advise it by the way.

But it just seems in in fact, I hardly I think I go on there maybe once a week on average.

Because I don't like it.

I don't like Twitter.

But controversies just flare up whether it's about social issues or

well social issues because it all everything seems to be a social issue and And things

are attached to the gospel, in fact, I would say that there's more confusion Surrounding what actually

is a gospel essential today than I've seen in quite some time.

But the gospel is let's be honest, it's simple right it's very simple.

So why are people always trying to add to it?

There's one strain of thought currently making the rounds that people who are

Engaged in lifestyles of sexual perversion don't even need to repent that they can

just Come to God as they are after all God made them.

That's the way they are and he doesn't make any mistakes and there's no reason for them to change and as

I read some of the things especially again on Twitter, but Throughout evangelicalism.

I just think well, is it any wonder that Unbelievers are confused if church leaders are

disagreeing about what they say are gospel essentials.

Then why wouldn't the world why wouldn't unbelievers be confused?

Now the positive side of social media is that sometimes you interact with people that you

might not necessarily Expect to interact with and I got a message today or a message

a few days ago on Facebook messenger.

From an unbeliever and I know this guy.

I've talked to him a little bit in person and he's an agnostic Jew.

He believes that there's something greater, but he doesn't really know what it is and so he just sort of makes up his own religion as.

Probably about six point eight billion people on the planet do they just make up their own sort of belief systems

and he's very eclectic.

And what do I mean by eclectic?

That's a sophisticated way of saying He's his own authority, right if you say well, why do you

believe that he says.

Because it makes sense to me and I stand in judgment of

everything that is He is the judge of what is Sin, what

is salvation and who is God?

We have the Bible and the Word of God is very clear on such matters.

We're not left wondering what God's standard is or how it is met and let me give you a

hint.

The only one who has ever met the standard of God is the Lord Jesus Christ and so we come to John

chapter 14 this morning and I feel like years ago I went to Janet and I and the kids were all up

at Mount Hermon this a long time ago we went up to Mount Hermon with Mike and the family and

One of the Dallas Theological Seminary men got up front and he smiled

and he said Let me tell you about my Jesus and this morning.

I'm gonna tell you about my Jesus.

That's what we're here for to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm gonna begin reading John

14 in Verse 25 and I'm gonna read through the end of the chapter.

I'm gonna focus this morning on verses 28 to 31, but I'm gonna back up just a little bit and read from 25 on

The Lord Jesus speaking and he says these things.

I have spoken to you while I am still with you.

But the Helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name He will teach you

all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives to you do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Neither let them be afraid.

You heard me say to you I am going away and I will come to you if you

loved me.

You would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father for the Father is greater

than I.

And now I have told you before it takes place so that when it does take place.

You may believe I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is

coming.

He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me.

So that the world may know That I love the Father.

Rise let us go from here now the word gospel

means Good news as most of you know.

So the four Gospels are not lists of things to do and this is a

Common misperception of what Christianity is.

It's not a list of things to do.

The gospel is not.

What we do is what Jesus Christ has done.

So when we read a gospel in the New Testament, they are biographies of Jesus.

Underscoring what he did and it is by believing in him that we are saved.

And that belief is not something that we generate on our own.

It's not something that we arrive at on our own.

It's not something that we reason to on our own and it's not something that we subjectively decide like my friend

my Facebook friend Jesus himself said No one can come

to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

It's a supernatural work of the Father Son and Spirit to save you.

God Must cause you to be born again.

He must give you faith.

God the Holy Spirit works through the scripture to cause that faith which is why we preach the

Bible week after week and We're in the upper room discourse, which starts in John

chapter 13.

You might also think of it as the Last Supper and It is the feast to begin

the celebration the week of Passover.

Jesus and the twelve have gathered together.

For what?

Ostensibly is really a meal of joy a gathering together to celebrate to be

together and just in a joyous occasion to think back on the Faithfulness of the Lord in bringing

the people of Israel out of Egypt the Passover.

But chapter 13 Opens with Jesus knowing that the end of his

mortal life is near.

Jesus if you'll recall tells Judas to go and finish his act of betrayal after there after they've eaten

dinner.

He says what you do go could do quickly.

And then he tells the remaining eleven that he soon will be leaving them.

They don't respond well to this.

And if we think about it if it was us if we were sitting there and Jesus says well, I'm leaving.

Well, wait a second.

I Spent three and a half years following you.

I gave up everything that I had and so chapter 14

Begins with Jesus seeking to comfort them to encourage them to put as it were

some steel in their spiritual backbones.

He promised them the Holy Spirit he has promised them the indwelling of the Father and the Son.

In other words He's told them that The Trinity the triune God is going to be with them and in

them.

And the last time we were in John in verse 27 Jesus promised them the 12

the 11 now peace.

Well, what does it mean to have the peace of Christ?

And if you recall we talked about a few things one is it means that you have peace with God.

The most important need that anyone has is To have peace with God because you come into the world

not neutral.

But an enemy of God you're at war with him even though you think yourself well this little baby.

This this little baby that Vincent and Rachel just had this is just such a cute innocent baby

who hates God and is wretched and Will rebel against God.

What that's not what we think right when we see them, but that's who they are.

Nobody teaches them to be selfish.

Nobody teaches them to lie.

They learn these things on their own peace with God because of

the fall because we're all in Adam because we are all sinners by nature and

by desire our Greatest need is to have peace with God and in

Christ.

We have that because of his life his death and the resurrection.

All believers have that.

And then we also talked about there.

There really is a sense that The peace of Christ is.

It's also excuse me is also meant to provide comfort for us to give us

as I said earlier a little steel in our spiritual backbone the the strength the wherewithal

to Withstand temptation and trial.

Why?

Because we know that we have peace with God because we know where we're going because Jesus is with

us.

Therefore we have confidence to face the trials of life and This morning I'm going to highlight

four of the perfections of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perfections which demonstrate the necessity of faith in Christ alone for salvation

and I wrote several things To my friend

that I'm going to say to you this morning because these are important truths

as we consider.

Are there many ways some of the other issues that he talked about are there many ways back to God well?

There's only one and that's the Lord Jesus Christ perfection number one.

I Could say requisite perfection number one things that a

Savior must have.

The perfect humility of Jesus Christ his perfect humility.

Look at verse 28 where he talks about his coming death.

You heard me say to you.

I am going away, and I will come to you.

He didn't mean he was going away on vacation.

He meant he was going to die right he was going to cease

his earthly existence, and this is what caused such upset with the

with the disciples.

He was going to leave them.

He was going to die.

He said he was going to go to the father in fact in John chapter 14 if you go back to the beginning of the chapter in verses

2 and 3 it says this.

In my father's house are many rooms if it were not so.

Would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

Well, you don't go into the father's house into heaven.

Temporarily he was going there.

He wanted them to understand.

He wasn't coming back physically to them not humanly.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself.

That where I am you may be also

and in verse 12.

At the end of verse 12 in John chapter 14.

He says because I am going to the father he was going to heaven.

And he had told them that he would come to them that he would return to them in verses 18 19

21 and 23 well.

Why.

Because he wanted to prepare them for what was coming and he wanted to give them comforts future hope.

Understanding that everything in spite of the fact that things looked really dark right now that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

That things were going to do that.

They were ultimately going to wind up where he was in heaven with him forever.

And as I've said before as we look at John 13 through 16

17 One of the important facets I think is

to understand the emotion of the Lord here.

And when we think about God, you know, we think he is impassive meaning.

He doesn't have he's not subject to Emotions per se.

Well in his humanity Jesus loves these men.

Not just in kind of the God like I've set my affection upon these but he is intimately

involved with these guys.

He's known them for three and a half years.

They do everything together.

This isn't just a camping trip for a couple days with Becky.

This is this this is life on life.

This is teaching this is eating this is doing everything together ministering together.

They are in every sense his brothers and Leaving them is

not you know as a man is not easy.

He knows that he must but it's not easy for him to do it.

Look at the end of verse 3 in chapter 14.

We get a sense of it.

He says I will come again and we'll take you to myself that where I am you may be also.

He's gonna have to say that he could just say, you know what you guys will be where I am someday.

But he says I'm gonna come to you and I'm gonna take you.

It's this kind of tender affection.

It's gonna be okay.

I'm you know when you guys die, I'm gonna come get you.

He's going to personally escort them to the place that he has personally prepared for them.

The man Christ Jesus is looking forward to that reunion with them in heaven

his humility is Evident here.

He's trying to lower himself down to them and just get on the same level because he loves them and he

cares about them.

Now, how about their response?

They're really lack of love.

Look at verse 28 If you love me the second part of it.

If you love me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the father.

Now what's the reaction of the disciples?

He says I'm leaving and they're concerned about what?

Themselves, right.

They were not rejoicing in fact back at the beginning you don't have to turn there but back in the beginning of

Chapter 14 verse 1 he told them not to let their hearts be troubled.

They were worried they were consumed with worry.

After all who was gonna take care of them.

What was gonna happen to them?

They were gonna be persecuted.

They knew that good things were not gonna happen when Jesus left at least in their minds they knew that and

again in verse 27 Jesus tells them not to be troubled or afraid but their focus is on their own well

-being their own safety and There's a word for that if we think about it.

It doesn't take long to generate it.

It's Selfishness.

Somebody gives us good news and sometimes our first thought is well, how does that impact me?

How often are your thoughts about someone else with no thought of how it impacts you?

Think about it.

Why do you suppose that Jesus gave commandments to what love one another?

To love your wife.

Even as Christ loved the church to love the Lord your God.

Why do we have these commandments because love doesn't come easily to us.

That kind of selflessness doesn't come to us.

Naturally.

What comes with naturally is selfishness.

We're born into selfishness and have to be both commanded and empowered to be

selfless.

Jesus wording in verse 28 makes it plain that the disciples do not love him as they should

if you think about Paul's words in Philippians 1.

Where he says it is better for me to Die right death is gain

he says to die is gain.

Well.

What does that mean.

Means it's better to be in heaven than it is to be on earth suffering.

Well, how much better for the Lord Jesus Christ to return to his glory?

That's what's gonna happen, right?

When he ascends he goes straight to glory.

But that's not what the disciples are thinking about.

They're consumed with Themselves why.

Because they don't love him as they should they love him.

But they don't love him to the degree that they should Now

also notice Jesus submission to the father.

And this is a part that will generate a little bit of controversy I think as we think about it.

This is Jesus submission to the father.

Look at verse 28 for the father is greater than I.

Those words have been used by some great heretics of the past, you know, we don't often study them.

Great hair.

I mean there's a book that you don't want to buy over there in the book check great heretics of the past.

Profiles in you know, what heresy or whatever?

Some have used this Passage here to claim that Jesus is less in

terms of his deity than the father.

Some have argued that this shows that he's a created being.

Some say look.

He eventually became God, but he didn't start out as God.

He's less.

That's not the point at all in his humanity.

Jesus was less than the father because he had chosen To be less.

Turn for a moment to Philippians chapter 2 and I try as much as I can to stay in the

gospel of John and.

But we're going to go out of it just a few times this morning just it for illustration purposes.

Philippians 2 familiar verses verses 5 to 8.

Jesus is not Inherently lesser than the father.

He chose to lower himself verse 5 have this mind among

yourselves.

Paul writing to the Philippians telling them to think the same way that Jesus does.

Humble yourself.

Listen have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Who though?

He was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

In other words, he was equal to the father.

He was entirely equal to the father.

The historical belief of the church Settled at many many occasions the

Council of Nicaea and on and on and on is that they are of exactly the same Substance.

There is no difference between the father and the son in terms of their deity in terms of their attributes

in terms of their godhood going on verse 7

but emptied himself.

By taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form.

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a

cross the only requirements that the Lord

Jesus Christ come to the earth and take on a human

Body a human nature to be born as a baby and to live a perfect life here on earth.

The only reason he did that was.

It was the will of the father and he's eternally the son and Voluntarily submits

to the father's will and this was the will of the father.

This was the plan from the beginning.

For Jesus to come to earth.

But he's not lesser.

He's not less God.

In fact go back to the Gospel of John and we're gonna look at John 17 for a moment.

John 17 Verses 4 & 5.

This is the climax.

We'll see this here in a few weeks Lord willing.

The climax of this evening where Jesus is praying what's called the high priestly prayer.

The spiritual climax anyway and in verses 4 5 of John chapter

17.

He says this.

He's praying to the father and he says I glorified you on earth.

Having accomplished the work that you gave me to do well.

When did he give them him that work before all eternity before time existed

in the council of God?

This is what was determined to happen.

Father son spirit.

Verse 5.

And now father glorify me in your own presence.

With the glory listen that I had with you before the world existed.

He's not going to increase.

He's going to be returning back to what he had.

Let's go back to John chapter 14 this is.

When we talk about the Trinity.

We're talking about they are of all father son spirit all the same essence all

have the same power.

All have the same attributes.

The difference is in their function.

Right now is Jesus fully

God.

Yes.

He told us so.

On several occasions he told us so in John chapter 10, you don't have to turn there.

John chapter 10 verses 27 to 33 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and

they follow me.

I Give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of

my hand.

First of all, ask yourself who can give anyone any mortal eternal life only God

going on he says my father who has given them to me is greater than all and No one

is able to snatch them out of the father's hand.

I.

And the father are one.

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Jesus answered them I've shown you many good works from the father in other words many miracles.

You guys have seen what I've been Able to do by the power of God.

For which of them are you going to stone me?

The Jews answered him it is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for

blasphemy.

Blasphemy being something that is said about God that is not true.

And so they're saying what you have committed blasphemy.

Why.

Because you being a man make yourself God.

They understand perfectly what his claim is.

They're not confused.

They listen to him and he doesn't if we went back to the context.

He doesn't say no.

No, no, you guys have misunderstood me.

That's exactly what he was saying and they understood it

so in what way was the father greater than Jesus and Again, this

just gets back to one thing their function.

Their function.

In what way is a husband greater than a wife?

Does he have more inherent value?

No, maybe he has more responsibility more accountability.

Because he's the one that's going to be held responsible for what goes on in their home.

Is he more Human than a wife.

No.

They have different functions.

Is one greater than the other will know one has more functional responsibility than the other and here We

see it.

It's the same with the father and the son and the spirits if we study the scripture.

We would see this that the father sent the son, right?

He who sent me he says Jesus says over and over again, but the son never sends the

father.

That is not because the father is more God, but because the son willingly subordinates himself

to the father.

This is the whole concept of voluntary subordination of submission.

Father son spirit all equally God, but there's a structure to how they operate.

We call it the economy of the Trinity how they function their functional economy.

Because Jesus was living on earth not in the fullness of his glory with the father because he had voluntarily

relinquished the exercise of his Attributes while he was on earth.

That's his humility.

That's him showing that that's him making himself less.

For the time that he was on earth, but he would soon return to be with the father and Jesus longed to do this.

His humiliation as it's known was coming to an end and it would end with his rightful

Exaltation he would be raised back to where he was.

So that's perfection number one perfection number two the perfect love of Jesus

the perfect love of Jesus.

Now Jesus knew How the disciples were to respond to his death?

He knew that their faith would falter.

He knew that they would cower that they would split up that they would not know what to do.

And he knew that they would ultimately fail if it were not for the power of God

lovingly displayed for them.

He wanted again to strengthen them.

So what does he say in verse 29?

This is love in action here.

Look at what he says in verse 29 and now that I have or now I have told you before it takes place.

So that when it does take place you may believe.

He wanted them to understand what was going to happen when he died.

Why?

So that when it happened, they would go.

Jesus told us that We can have faith in him.

Because he told us that and it happened and he said something similar when he told them

about his betrayal.

In John chapter 13 just a chapter back in verses 18 and 19

Jesus says this.

I'm not speaking of all of you.

I know whom I have chosen.

But the scripture will be fulfilled.

He who ate my bread.

He's talking about Judas right.

He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me rebelling against me.

I am telling you this now before it takes place that when it does take place you may believe that I am

he.

He was telling him about the betrayal of Judas.

Why so that when he ascended to the father and when these things happened?

When the betrayal of Judas happened they would know that he had told them about it that he had warned them about them that he Had

basically prophesied about it.

And it's really to me as I as I was reading this and studying this I thought you know, where does God say.

That I told you about this Before it happened and it's Isaiah

46 don't turn there because I'm not even gonna read it.

But he says I told you the beginning from there or the end from the beginning.

I've always told you what was coming ahead.

Why so that you would know that I am God and that there's no other and what he's doing here is letting

them know ahead Of time so that when these things happen, they would understand that Jesus is God.

Well, didn't they already believe in him weren't they already saved?

Yes but they didn't believe enough and They certainly didn't

believe.

At the depth that they were going to need to believe to endure what they were going to have to endure.

The deeper the valley that you have to walk through in life the greater your faith has to be.

The more you love the Lord Jesus Christ the more you are enabled.

If need be to suffer, let's think about it this way

if you Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you love him, right?

If you love him more your faith is greater.

Well, what does that do?

What does that do for you?

Greater love greater faith should Spur you on to greater action

greater service.

Greater giving as you think less about yourself and more

about Christ.

You want to do more for him?

Let me put it another way.

Why do we sin?

You say well, I don't even I don't even get that.

Why do we sin?

We sin because We don't believe enough.

Because we don't love the Lord Jesus Christ enough if we loved him fully well our heart soul mind and strength

we would not sin.

The fact that we still sin indicates that we don't love him enough so Let's look at

it the other way.

Why do we serve?

Why do we obey?

Why do we?

Do anything for him?

It's because we love him.

Jesus loved his disciples so much.

Despite their failures Despite their lack of faith despite their

selfishness.

That he wanted them to be equipped to face the challenges they would face in Serving as his

Apostles as his messengers when he gives them the Great Commission when he sends them out.

When he puts them essentially in charge of the church right of that on on earth.

They have to have a faith that is willing to do anything for him

and Again, going back to setting the context again in John chapter 13 John tells us that

Jesus loved those who were his.

How far?

To the end to the very minute he left the earth.

He loved them and he wanted the best for them.

And even what he's doing here when he's talking to them is really just to kind of encourage them.

And prepare them for all the things that were coming.

So we've seen these two perfections.

The perfect humility of Jesus.

The perfect love of Jesus not concerned with himself.

But concerned for his disciples.

Thirdly the perfect humanity of Jesus.

And when I say perfect humanity, I don't mean simply that he was perfectly human.

I mean he was sinless in his humanity.

Look at verse 30.

I will no longer talk much with you.

What does he mean?

He means the time of discussion with them the time of interacting with them is coming to a conclusion.

He doesn't have much time with them.

It's just a matter of hours.

Until their time their earthly time together comes to a complete end

and he notes here.

For the ruler of this world is coming.

Who is the ruler of this world?

You know this from Ephesians chapter 2 you would see that he is the prince of the power of the ruler of the air.

We're talking about Satan.

So, how is Satan?

Coming for Jesus says the for the ruler of this world is coming.

Well, he's coming in the person and the actions of Judas Iscariot.

If you recall back in John chapter 13 after Simon Peter meant motion to John

and You know to ask Jesus would you just ask him who this one who's going to

betray him is and this is what?

Jesus answers.

He says Jesus answered it is He to whom I will give this morsel of bread

when I have dipped it.

So when he had dipped the morsel he gave it to Judas the son of Simon Iscariot.

Then after he had taken the morsel talking about Judas Satan entered

into him.

Thus as Judas went and met with the Jewish leaders and then leads them to where

Jesus and the disciples are it is in effect Satan who is the ruler of

this world who is coming to Jesus?

It's Satan a Satan led party that is coming to arrest him and put him on trial.

Now again in verse 30 Talking about the ruler of this world Jesus says he has no

claim on me.

What does that mean that Satan has no claim on him?

Well, who does Satan have a claim on of those who?

Sin.

Every single person who dies in their sin.

Then what they're going to hear on that faithful day of judgment depart from me you worker of

iniquity and they will be sent to Everlasting hell and

who else will be there?

Satan himself.

So what is he saying?

Jesus is saying he is sinless.

He is the sinless Spotless Lamb of God and the ruler of this world

has no claim on him.

Perfection number four.

The perfect obedience of Jesus or we could say the perfect submission to the Father of Jesus.

And let me first address the end of verse 31 since it doesn't neatly fit in I'm not gonna lie doesn't

neatly fit into my outline rise.

Let us go from here.

Jesus talking to the disciples rise.

Let us go from here.

So do they leave the upper room and then Go somewhere else.

Probably not.

They don't leave yet.

It's like this you ever have a big group of people over your house for dinner and you say, okay.

It's time to start wrapping things up.

You're laughing because it has happened.

Now.

Does everybody instantly say yes.

Stand up and go to the door.

No, you know, it's probably usually like 45 minutes or an hour later, you know.

And you're just like, okay.

I thought we agreed we were heading for the door and that's the kind of thing here.

When he says rise, let us go from here.

They're not gonna leave right away.

In fact, it's really not till chapter 18 that we have

any indication of movement, so they're just staying there and

It's a it's possible that there are some movement before 18, but we don't have any kind of recording of it.

So it seems like they just stayed there right through the high priestly prayer.

Which if you think about it when we get to the high priestly prayer if you think about it.

What a great way for Jesus to love them to the end.

Right and to just pray for them and to bring them before the Lord before the Father and just

pray for them right there.

Now back to verse 31.

Satan has no claim on him, but I Do as the Father has commanded

me.

Satan has no hold on him, but sharp contrast underscore.

He doesn't sin.

Jesus has no sin in him, but instead but rather Obeys the Father

he does exactly as the Father has commanded him.

In what sense what we could say in perfect obedience in everything that he was told to do, right?

He says only what the Father tells him to say he does only what he sees the Father doing.

But he's specifically referring to the cross here now think about this.

What would Satan have desired right then?

What did he put into the heart of Judas Iscariot?

What was Judas leading these people to do to go grab Jesus and lead him to trial so that he would be

what?

Crucified executed

would that happen if it was not the eternal will of the Father?

No.

This is Jesus submitting to the will of the Father.

Satan has no right to do what he's about to do.

Satan and his minions are about to fulfill all their evil plans.

But what they meant for evil God means for good the good of all who will ever

believe.

Reminds me of Acts chapter 2 verse 23.

Peter speaking says this.

Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan of foreknowledge of God you Speaking to the Jews you

crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

In that case it was God is sovereign man is responsible in this case in this context.

This is the plan of Satan.

But it's also the plan of God.

He had to go to the cross.

To fulfill the Father's will to take away the sins of the world.

As I was looking at the Greek this week.

It's interesting because the ESV has this last or second in the in the set in the

translation.

But it's really first it's put up front this part here, so the world may know that

I love the Father.

This is important.

It's emphasized in the Greek.

Jesus wants the world to know there's a purpose here his submission to the Father.

This is you know if we think about it from a natural standpoint who would ever say

I am.

Not just going to you know grudgingly go to the cross.

I am willingly going to the cross.

Why.

Because it's the Father's will who sent me.

Why.

Because I want the world to know that I love the Father.

What greater display of love could there be of submission.

Could there be then to just say I am doing the Father's will I am?

Going to show it by going to the cross

his purpose was to comfort the disciples.

But he also Was honoring the Father in fact.

It's interesting this word father is

in this chapter 23 times as he's encouraging the disciples he

refers to his father 23 times in chapter 14 alone and

This is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus love for the Father is explicitly mentioned

the only place and He shows his he doesn't talk about

his love for the Father.

He demonstrates it in verse 28.

He had challenged his disciples on their level of love for him because they were worried about themselves.

And here He is showing what true love is.

True love sets aside the cost true love takes action true love sacrifices

and this is Jesus Christ doing exactly that

the perfect obedience of Jesus as he shows Them what love

really looks like.

So we've seen the perfect humility of Jesus the perfect love of Jesus the perfect humanity of Jesus the perfect obedience

of Jesus.

Now my agnostic friend actually began our conversation with this question now.

Just think about this you have an unbelieving friend.

And they say this to you where does the Christian belief that you don't have to be a good person?

You only have to accept Jesus as your Savior come from.

I read that note, and I just thought Thank you, Lord.

You are so kind to me to give me the Internet so that I can answer a question from somebody

who still doesn't believe yet, but You can you can be praying for Brad.

Could there be a better question.

And if we just think about these four verses this morning?

We would see that Jesus is truly God.

Only God could perfectly love God.

You did you mean to say that yes, I did.

Only God can perfectly love God.

Why?

Because we're fallen we're never going to perfectly love God.

And if you think about why is it important that Jesus is truly God.

Because only the death of the God man could have enough value.

To redeem all who would ever believe.

If a man died for another man well that would only be Right right one for one.

But God has infinite value thus he's able to redeem an infinite number of

souls for himself.

Jesus is also truly man.

Only a man could sacrifice himself for other men there there couldn't be a Bull

or sheep or some other animal to do that he had to be fully and truly man.

Jesus lived his whole life without sinning.

Only Jesus perfectly obeyed the commandments of God, and then he willingly laid down his life.

Even though Satan had no hold on him.

He willingly did that.

Then Jesus conquered death and could not be held by the grave because the grave had no hold on him either.

He rose triumphantly on the third day.

Is this the Jesus?

That you're following.

Do you love him perfectly.

Do you believe in him.

Have you trusted him?

Let's pray father.

We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even as we think about that night

at that meal as he Loved

those who were his right to the very end.

How he taught them how he Comforted them

how he even challenged them while he was doing so.

But how he set an example for them of love of obedience of

humility the perfect standard Jesus is

Father we thank you that there are not.

As my friend would have us think an infinite number of ways to God.

There is one only in Christ.

Because only he could redeem Sinners such as us.

Father we would pray that you would make us your ambassadors.

Ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ who would go out and say let me tell you about my Jesus.

Let me tell you about this perfect Savior this perfect sacrifice.

Who humbly died?

That we might have eternal life.

We thank you and praise you in Jesus name.