Christ's Mission and Man's Decision

If I may, could I ask that we sing that, not what your hands have done again, at the end.

! Thank you.

I don't, every week, change the order of the service, but I don't think I do, do I?

No, I don't.

I don't.

But I got to tell you, the words to that song just fit perfectly with the text.

I want you to understand that it's the text that drives our music, and it's the text that drives our singing.

So we come to the text.

In John chapter 3, we're going to look at verses 17 through 21.

John 3 · chapter mention

And as we take up this passage this morning, I would be remiss if I didn't labor for a moment to plead with you to do that,

which is probably my most common request, and that is that you pray as the preaching of the Word of God goes on.

I am fully persuaded that prayer is a vital part of preaching, in that it is the work of the Spirit of God,

both to declare the truth and then to have the truth strike hearts and make a difference.

And I can tell you that Tim Knoyer has, on many occasions, sat through sermons,

the start of which I thought, well, I've got to last for another 40 minutes or whatever,

and then the Spirit of God has tapped me on the shoulder.

How many of you know what the Spirit's tap is like?

It's not a physical tap.

It's just like, hey, Bubba.

And it's like, okay, I got this.

I'm supposed to pray now and ask you to work in my heart.

Yes, and the Spirit does.

So I'm going to ask that you join me as we pray and that as I preach, you pray.

And I don't mind if your eyes are closed.

I won't have any suspicion.

I mean, after all, you didn't have to come to Sunday school, so I know you're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

And so if your eyes are closed, I'm assuming that you're thinking, oh, Lord, help him.

I'm there.

I buy it.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Even as it does today, the frailty of mankind.

And you had these words penned for our edification, not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.

And so this morning, as we take this sacred passage in hand,

we are mindful that we are coming to a text that is for our profit and for the glory of Christ.

And it is our humble desire and our confessed dependence on you that you would be exalted.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, as we look at John 3, verse 17 through 21, we are continuing the study of the book of John.

John 3:17–21

And I want to remind you that John is not like the other synoptic gospels in that it is not a gospel that gives us a great deal of detail about Christ's life here on earth.

It is fundamentally a theological discourse.

And I don't want to use the word theological to cast it in this heavy, gloomy light.

But it is instruction about the nature and character of Christ.

If you were actually looking for one verse that would give you a summary of why the book was written,

you would find it in John chapter 20, verse 31, where the apostle says,

John 20:31

Hey, listen, all these things that I've gathered, and he only tells us about eight different incidents about Christ in the early flow.

He says,

These things are gathered so that you may have the information on which to rest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,

who is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

And that believing, you might have eternal life.

And so as we work our way through this passage, one of the things that we're going to see is this recurring theme of John's gospel is profoundly evangelistic.

And John's gospel is profoundly edifying for the believer.

And the two pieces come together.

There's another thing that we are going to find in particular today.

And that is that we are going to be challenged by the doctrines of the responsibility of mankind for his rejection of the sweetness of the offer of salvation.

And on the other side, by the reminder that really salvation is a work of God.

And when we try to put these together in a perfect and symmetrical way where we've got it all figured out,

the truth of the matter is that our minds kind of short out.

I'm reminded of Isaiah chapter 55, verse 8.

Isaiah 55:8

You probably know it by recitation and not by the text.

It says,

My thoughts are not your thoughts.

My ways are not your ways.

You see, we have a tendency of being rather singular.

We can pick up on,

All right, all right, that's what I'm supposed to do.

Or,

All right, all right, that's what God does.

And being able to put the two together requires a broader scope and grasp of truth than our little pea brain can handle.

And so we kind of have a tendency to get wigged out on one side or the other.

How many of you understand where I'm talking about so far?

Okay?

The truth of the matter is, is that often in Scripture, in order to help our frailty, we find that,

I just don't want to trip on this and embarrass myself,

kick, kick, kick, kick.

There we go.

Okay.

In order to help us with our frailty, remember, we see one thing or the other, right?

Often in Scripture, you find that when God explains something about His sovereign work in a situation,

He also helps us understand the dynamic of our own responsibility.

We're going to see that today.

I want you to look this morning at Christ's mission and the gospel's division.

And in essence, what we are going to do this morning is answer two questions.

Number one, why did God send Jesus?

Why did God send Jesus?

I do love that as my go-to Christmas question.

You know, whenever I'm involved in a conversation with people in the proximity of Christmas,

and we get into this business of salvation, and after all, that's where some of our conversations should go,

I don't think you can force them, but hey, you ought to be praying and looking for opportunities

to talk about why Jesus came.

And in the course of conversation, when I come up with this issue,

I always like to ask that real trick question, why did Jesus come?

I mean, if salvation is just a matter of a little bit of self-improvement,

or, you know, helping at SPCA or something like that,

I mean, hey, Jesus wouldn't have had to come for that.

And the truth of the matter is, is that we're going to answer,

we're going to find the Bible answer to the question, okay, why did God send his son?

The second one is this, and if Christ came to save men, why aren't all men saved?

So we're going to look at those two pieces this morning and put these together

and have a good Bible understanding of it.

So let's begin by looking there in verse 17,

for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world,

but in order that the world might be saved through him.

I have to tell you, as I began praying and meditating about this verse,

earlier in the week, and just so you understand,

generally what happens is when I go home on Sunday,

guess what I'm already beginning to do?

I'm beginning to pray and meditate and think about it.

I'm generally about two weeks out,

just a little wiggle at the verse that I'm going to look at next week.

This morning, as I was having devotions in prayer,

I was studying, as a sidebar,

just kind of took a look at the passage in Philippians

that we're going to come to next week.

It's just the way my mind works, okay?

I'm not sure how it works, it just does.

And so here, as I've been meditating

and just chewing on this thing here in verse 17,

why would God tell us that?

I mean, that's an obvious...

How many of you understand that asking the question why,

with a prayerful deliberation,

and also a dependence upon the Holy Spirit,

is an intelligent thing to do

in the process of figuring out what the Bible has to say?

Why is it there?

And so here is John telling us,

hey, God wants you to know why Jesus came.

And I want you to recognize,

as we look at this there in verse 17,

that God's first thought towards mankind is merciful.

Is merciful.

That's the way He is.

Now, it would help us to understand

that that is a challenge for us in some senses

because the truth of the matter is

is that there's an inclination in our heart

to not always be very merciful.

Would you agree with that?

I mean, let's try this.

You're driving,

and the person in front of you

is not driving responsibly,

at least according to your set of rules.

How many of you understand

that our set of rules is very flexible?

And so when you have an opportunity

to exercise mercy or judgment,

what is the first inclination?

Off with their heads.

Thank you, Mark.

It's like, yeah.

What story does that one come from?

That's not a Bible story.

Okay.

I'm teasing, Mark.

But, you know, the truth of the matter is

is that here is God

wanting us to understand something

that's against our flow and our nature.

He wants us to understand

that this business of the reason that Jesus came

is foundational and against the grain of our thinking.

So why is it so important for us to grasp

that Jesus came to save men and not judge them?

Stop and realize that judgment for sin

is actually an understandable expectation

and one that is woven into so much of common sense

and thinking all around the world.

No religion that I can think of

that really has a long history

does not have some thinking

regarding the matter of judgment.

Now, the way in which judgment is accommodated may vary,

but nevertheless,

the idea that consequences flow out of decisions

and actions is woven throughout our thinking.

Even our common vernacular,

the way in which we communicate,

is marked by this.

You know, you've heard the old saying,

what's going around comes around.

Have you ever heard that one?

Or what about that?

What you sow is what you reap.

The idea underlying that

is that you get what's coming to you.

You did bad, you're going to get bad.

And that's the way it is.

And the idea that judgment is out there

in some form or another

kind of lurks on the horizon

in all of our thinking.

The Bible also helps us understand

that this business of understanding judgment

is not just a matter of common vernacular,

but it's also something that the Bible is very clear on.

Romans chapter 1,

Romans 1 · chapter mention

very interesting that unbelieving men and women

really do have a sense of judgment.

We may not think so,

but they do.

Romans chapter 1,

Romans 1:32

verse 32,

it says,

men knowing that those who practice sin

deserve to die,

does that make sense?

They still go on and do those sins.

Another passage would be Luke chapter 23,

Luke 23 · chapter mention

and here is Jesus between two thieves

who are hanging there on the cross.

And remember,

one of the thieves is kind of railing at Jesus.

Hey, if you are the man,

the son of God,

come down off the cross

and do something for us too, you know.

And what does the other thief say?

Does anybody remember?

Hey,

we're getting what we have coming to us.

Another illustration would be

in the Jewish culture in that day,

when a lot of people died,

they thought that the death

was the consequence of divine judgment.

Remember when Jesus said,

hey,

all those guys who got squashed

when the tower fell on them,

don't you just think

that they were worse sinners

because you need to repent as well.

All of us stand condemned before a holy God.

Probably one of the most sobering pictures

of men's attitude towards judgment

is over in the book of Revelation.

So I want you to look,

if you would turn in your Bible

to Revelation chapter 6,

Revelation 6:16

verse 16 and 17.

Talk about some of the more sobering

Bible verses regarding the heart of man.

I mean, after all,

the attitude of some is that,

oh, well, men have some problems,

but just with a little bit of tweaking,

a little bit of helping,

they'll get there.

Listen, everybody,

smile at me

because I want you to look at me

just for a second, okay?

The book of Revelation makes it clear

that God will judge sin.

That's what the tribulation will indicate.

And here's the other piece in that.

And in the full face

of the evident judgment of God against sin,

men for the most part will not repent.

Revelation chapter 6,

Revelation 6:16

verse 16 and 17.

And we find that as these horrible things

are happening,

the seals, et cetera,

it says,

calling to the mountains and rocks,

fall on us and hide us

from the face of him

who is seated on the throne.

And now mark this part,

and from the wrath of the lamb.

For the great day of their wrath has come

and who shall stand?

Instead of saying,

I have it coming,

I deserve it,

and your judgment is just and holy,

men will,

instead of coming to grips

with the reality of their sin,

will resist that fact.

Let me have you look at another passage.

Revelation chapter 16.

Revelation 16 · chapter mention

How many of you ever just thought to yourself,

well, if guys would just make it a little clearer,

or if people could just figure it out,

it would be okay?

Remember I said the book of Revelation

is a very clear indicator

that what men lack

is not more information.

Revelation chapter 16, verse 9.

Revelation 16:9

They were scorched by the fierce heat,

and they cursed the name of God

who had power over these plagues.

They did not repent

and give him glory.

They knew who was causing the heartache.

This was not just the providential,

circumstantial happenings

of accidents that,

whoop, bang, there it is.

Well, is it my fault?

Is it your fault?

No, they knew this was God doing something

and trying to get their attention

and help them understand

the absolute hardness of their heart.

Verse 11.

And they cursed the God of heaven

for their pain and their sores,

and they did not repent

of their deeds.

Verse 21.

And great hailstones,

about 100 pounds.

How many of you have seen a hailstone

the size of a softball?

I never have,

other than on Google.

You know, it's like, whoa.

I mean, can you imagine

hailstones the size of softballs?

Now, this is not a softball-sized hailstone.

This is a 100-pound chunk of ice.

And it says here,

they were falling from heaven on people,

and they cursed God

for the plague of the hail

because the plague was so severe.

Now, why were they cursing God

for his judgment against them?

Because of the hardness

and the darkness of their heart.

So I want you to understand this morning,

as you look,

going back to John chapter 3,

John 3 · chapter mention

that when John the apostle

opens up here in verse 17

and says, hey, listen,

let me make it clear,

God did not send his son into the world

to judge the world,

but to offer salvation.

He wants the unbelieving world

to understand the heart of God

as merciful and gracious,

tender, long-suffering,

and compassionate,

and God's desire

is that not any should perish,

but all should come to everlasting life.

And so I want you to understand this morning

that the Spirit wants us to marvel

at the mercy and the grace of God

who offers salvation to us.

I trust that that is one of the things

that gives you that buoyant sense

of confidence and hope

that you know for certain

that salvation is of the Lord

and there is no one

that is beyond the shadow,

beyond the pale

of his ability to save.

Earlier in the week,

I had the opportunity

of sharing the gospel

with two men

had come to clean out my drain.

You buy a new house

and you find out

that the drains are plugged.

You know,

there are lots of surprises

in home ownership.

And so I figured

that they needed supervision.

I'm down there,

you know,

just watching and figuring out,

you know,

if I'm going to be a drain cleaner

later in my life,

I need to have

a little bit of experience.

So I'm on the job

watching them,

grinding it out.

And you know what?

I did not wear

my turned-around collar.

I was in blue jeans

and a gruddy-looking old shirt.

But somehow or another,

we got to talking about,

guess who?

First about life.

And I mean,

they were right there.

Tattoos on both arms

and pretty impressive.

And you know,

guy said,

hey, look here.

I mean,

there was so much ink.

I am not a tattoo expert,

so I just want to...

Do you see it?

No.

What is it?

It's a cross.

Okay.

Well,

it was a pretty fantastic cross.

It wasn't one

that was traditional.

It was very unusual.

And they said,

do you see that?

Well,

that I could see.

It was a devil.

And I said,

yeah,

I got that one.

That's a devil.

And then somewhere

in the midst of just

hundreds of other

little dots and things,

he said,

do you see that?

I said,

no.

Those are two eyes.

That's me.

He says,

and the devil's fighting for me

and Jesus is fighting for me.

And I said,

well,

I'll tell you what,

it's better than that.

I want to tell you

the sweetness of the gospel

is this,

is that God sent his son

not to condemn the world,

but that through him

all men might be saved.

And I want you to know

this morning

when you think about

this verse,

the thing that the spirit of God

wants us to understand

is that God sent his son

for our sakes,

to be our savior,

to help us

in the absolute despair

of our life.

And so there's a sense

in which this repetition,

and you have to admit

that it is repetitious,

I mean,

what's it say in verse 16?

For God so loved the world,

right?

And then in verse 17,

God didn't send his son

into the world

to condemn the world.

Connected.

So we understand

that in this repetition

there is a desire

in the heart of God

to make it clear

that men need salvation

and Christ came

to be their savior.

Well,

if Christ came

to be our savior,

why are not more saved?

I mean,

that's a fair question,

isn't it?

I mean,

after all,

who is Jesus?

Let me give you

a couple illustrations

so you have this

fixed in your mind already.

You'll remember

that when the water

into wine deal

pulled off,

remember,

Jesus didn't ask

all the people

who were sitting around,

do you think I can do it?

Do you believe I can do it?

What do you think?

Do you think I can?

No.

Shambang,

what happened?

Just ordinary

Palestinian water

became top shelf wine.

And how did it happen?

It happened

by the power of God.

And so when you think

about this business

of salvation

and you stop

and recognize

God sent his son

to be the savior

of the world,

why are not more saved?

Well,

actually,

I want you to recognize

in the following verses,

beginning there in verse 18,

carrying on down to 21,

we find that Christ

is actually a divider.

The light of the world

draws,

but also repels.

So let me break down

the next few verses

into several

very simple truths.

believers.

First,

we find in verse 18

that God divides mankind

into two separate groups,

believers

and unbelievers.

Look at the verse.

Whoever believes in him,

that's the believers,

whoever believes in him

is not condemned.

But whoever does not believe

is condemned already

because he has not believed

in the name of the

only

son of God.

And so,

you may not be thinking

about this this morning,

but here is the absolute

gospel truth.

All mankind

falls into two categories,

one of two different groups.

Those who have trusted in Christ

and those who are rejecting him.

Those who've come to faith

and those who refuse

the call and the work of Christ.

So,

let's think with this,

about this just for a moment

and recognize that a believer

is one who believes

that God sent Jesus

to be your Savior.

That's what is meant

in verse 18.

Believes in him.

It's like,

yeah,

I believe there is Jesus.

I mean,

remember over in James

it says,

you believe there is one God,

you're doing well,

even the demons believe

and that doesn't rescue them.

So,

what is it saying really

when it says

that salvation

is the matter

of believing in Jesus?

It's not just believing

in the historical fact,

but it's coming to grips

that Jesus is real

and he is real to you

and he makes a world

of difference

in your life.

Believing in his name

means believing

that you need a Savior

and that you recognize

you have no hope

apart from his finished work

on the cross.

Why is it

that I have abiding confidence

that the day I draw

my last breath,

I will wake up in eternity

and I will enjoy

the presence of Christ?

Not because I look back

across the record

of my miserable life

and say,

well, you know what,

Tim,

at least you've been

on the uphill journey

and you're getting better

all the time.

Well, that's the work of God,

not me.

And I want you to understand

that when I stop

and think about it,

it's Christ who saved me.

I want you to recognize

something else

as you look at verse 18.

The unbeliever

really rejects the truth

that God sent his Son

to be the Savior of mankind.

Look at the passage.

It says,

whoever does not believe

is condemned already

because he has not believed

in the name

of the only Son of God.

It's stunning

for us to really stop

and ponder

just how arrogant

this rejection is.

It's not just among

jihadis in Iraq

or in Afghanistan

or rebels in Africa.

America,

the depravity of man

abounds everywhere

you turn.

One of the things

that I was really struck by,

just deeply affected by,

was the fact

that I was doing

some research

and came across

the fact that

the state of Ohio

ranks around about fifth

in human trafficking

and sexual slavery.

Can you imagine that?

Let me say that again slowly

so you can appreciate

what's being said.

There are how many states?

This is not

a political question.

The answer is 50, okay?

So some of you

are wondering,

you've been in Washington

too long

and you don't know

what the answer is.

It's 50.

And we are where?

Fifth.

You stop and think,

the depravity of man's hearts

is evident everywhere you go.

Everywhere you go.

It follows then,

given the truth

that God sent His Son

to save men

that we want to know why.

Why is it?

Why would men not believe?

Why would they reject salvation?

The answer that follows

actually is there

very clearly for us

in verses 19 through 21.

And as we follow the verses,

we understand,

for one thing,

that men do not just

wander away

to their own destruction

ignorantly in the dark.

I want you to recognize this.

Men do not just slip away

and fall into eternity

in darkness

with complete oblivion

of their condition.

Just as being a fool,

I want you to follow

very carefully

because this is worth

thinking about.

Just as being a fool.

Now what's the difference

between doing foolish things

and being a fool?

How many of you know

the difference?

Smile at me if you do.

We all on occasion

do foolish things,

okay?

A fool is someone

who's making a career choice

to stay that way.

Got that?

A fool is someone

who's making a career choice

to stay that way.

I mean,

we've all done

boneheaded things.

But then when

the Holy Spirit

and our family

and officers of the court

or whatever else

come aside

and give us

a little gentle tap

to say,

not good,

I got that.

I'll work to change.

A fool is someone

who makes a career choice.

I'm going to keep doing that.

I don't care what you say.

It's what I want to do

and hey.

I want you to understand

rejecting Christ

is a deliberate

and conscious choice.

Listen to the indictment

of Scripture

against man.

You look there

in the passage

going back

just a little bit

to John 1,

John 1:4

verse 4 and 5.

It says,

the light has come

into the world.

There in verse 19

we see the same thing.

It says,

the light has come

into the world

and in essence

what John the apostle

is doing

is reciting

what he's already said.

So I want you to turn back

just for a second

to John 1,

John 1:4

verse 4.

It says,

in him was life

and the life

was the light of men.

The light shines

in the darkness

and the darkness

has not overcome it.

Instead of stepping

into the realm

where truth

and grace operate,

men consciously

and deliberately

choose the dark.

Their deliberate choice

is not an accident

or an act of ignorance.

It is a willful act

to suit their wicked hearts.

I remember many years ago

early on in my ministry

we had a break-in

out in the garage

out here

and this was before

we had a lot of security lights

here on the property

and I remember

that those who were involved

in caring for the property

suggested,

well,

we need to put

a security light up.

I said,

how much does that cost a month?

It was $12 back then.

I thought,

not on your life.

We're not spending

$12 on some light.

Now why,

you look around,

how many do we have?

In fact,

when one of them burns out

we get an email

from somebody saying,

did you know

you got a light turned out?

Put another bulb in.

You know,

it's like,

why is it that light

makes a difference?

It's because men love darkness.

Men love darkness.

Thieves hate the light.

Thieves hate security cameras.

One of the interesting things

is to go into a store

and watch people

who you're wondering

about their intentions.

You know,

those who just are out there

to shop,

they're kind of buzzing around

looking at shelves.

Do you know there are people

that specialize

in loss prevention?

Do you know

what loss prevention is?

Stopping people

from stealing.

Do you know what people

who specialize

in loss prevention watch?

People who are looking up.

Do you know

what people are looking up for?

Not for the coming of Jesus.

They're trying to figure out

where they can get away with it.

Okay?

And so I want you

to understand

as you think about the truth

that the Bible makes it clear

that men love darkness

when the heart is pure

and the conscience is clear,

there's no desire

to hide from the light.

Where sin is,

there's a desire to hide.

Furthermore,

as you look in the passage,

go back to John chapter 3,

John 3 · chapter mention

let's just mark

what we read there

in verse 20.

It says,

for everyone who does

wicked things

hates the light.

Hates the light.

I'll never forget years ago

when I was in seminary,

I was a paint contractor

and there was a home

that had burned

under suspicious

circumstances.

You've heard the saying

that spontaneous combustion

is where the mortgage papers

and the insurance papers

get too close together.

Have you ever heard that?

Okay?

Well, this home

was an absolute dump.

I mean,

it was the dumpiest dump

that I can remember,

at least at that time.

And for whatever reason,

I was hired to paint

in this house.

And the guy who hired me,

the insurance agent,

said,

listen,

all I want you to do

is put it back

in the shape it was.

Yeah,

I saw that look.

It was a challenge

for my conscience

to do that,

but that's what he did.

I remember going into

one of the rooms

and deciding that,

you know,

I mean,

I had to paint the windows

so I thought I'd lift the window

just to see,

you know,

painters want to know

whether the windows work

before they paint them.

Okay?

And so I remember

the window was

kind of halfway open

so I moved the window up

and there were cockroaches

that were just,

I mean,

they were back to back

and belly to belly

across the window sill.

No,

the sill is on the bottom part.

What is it?

Pardon?

The sash.

I mean,

and when I moved that,

I mean,

there are like about

30 or 40 cockroaches

that suddenly sprinted

for the dark.

I thought to myself,

ah,

I can't believe

I'm going to work here.

And one of the things I did,

I thought,

you know,

if they don't like light

and I don't like them,

I think the idea is what?

More light is better.

Here's the deal.

It's not just cockroaches

that don't like the light.

Sinners don't like the light.

Sinners don't like

to be exposed.

Sinners want to hide.

I kind of chuckle

when I think about politicians.

Isn't it standard

for politicians

to tell you

that their administration

is going to be

the most transparent?

I mean,

it's like,

really?

Men who engage

in lies

hate the light.

Now,

I want you to look

at the closing part.

We can understand

wicked,

disobedient,

rebellious hearts

don't want to hear

the truth.

Turn it off.

I'm out of here.

There's something

very interesting

in verse 21.

But whoever does

what is truth

comes to the light

so that it may be

clearly seen

that his works

have been carried out

in God.

God.

Remember I said

that where you find

the responsibility

of the heart of man

and the sovereignty

of God

in salvation

in close proximity,

they're hard

to put together.

But God puts

both pieces there.

You look

and the answer

to the question,

why are men

not saved?

Well,

because they choose

the darkness.

That's what it says.

They hate the light

and they choose

the darkness.

They don't want

their deeds exposed.

But listen to verse 21.

Give you a summary of it.

It says it this way,

believers come to the light

so that God can be glorified.

The believer does not

prance into the light

to get credit

for being a wonderful person.

Do you understand that?

That's what this verse

is telling us

is that when men

come into the light,

they're coming into the light

so someone else

gets credit.

I think that's pretty

important to understand

and you need to put

your finger on it,

okay?

See,

verse 21

is not saying

that those of us

who were good people,

we kind of march

into the light

and say,

hey,

do you see how good I am?

I'm just the most

wonderful person.

I am the best neighbor.

I'm the kind of person

that you want

to spend time with.

I am just sweet

and lovable

and I'm always going

to think good things

about,

you know,

that's not it.

That's not it.

The believer

walks into the light

and this is what

the passage says.

The believer

walks into the light

so that it can

clearly be seen

that what has happened

is a miracle

of God's doing.

That little part

towards the end

of verse 21

says,

so it can clearly

be seen

that his works

have been carried

out in God.

Turn in your Bibles

to Colossians 1

Colossians 1:29

verse 29.

Colossians 1

Colossians 1:29

verse 29.

And we're going

to come back

to John

so stay with there.

Don't take your finger

out of there

but we're going

to look at Colossians

just for a minute.

I love this text.

Colossians 1

Colossians 1:29

verse 29.

For this I toil,

struggling with all,

what's the next word?

Look at it.

Not my face.

I'm not growing a horn.

I mean,

look in the Bible.

Okay?

For this I toil,

struggling with,

what's the next word?

His.

Energy

that he powerfully

works within me.

How does Tim Kenoyer

know he is saved?

It's because

I see the evidence

of someone else

helping me do things

I couldn't do

myself.

Go back

to John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

Let me put it this way

for you

and have it stick

in your mind.

When the believer

tells his story,

the hero is Jesus.

I want to make that clear.

this Tuesday,

I will preach

my father's

memorial service.

I think it's reasonable

for a son

to think highly

of his dad.

But I want you

to hear me say it

this morning.

My dad's not

the hero of his story.

Jesus is.

John chapter 4,

John 4:29

verse 29,

and we'll close

with this.

I love

the story

of the woman

at the well.

I like it

because her life's

a mess.

serialized marriage

and prostitution

are not

radically separate.

Do you follow that?

And here's a woman

who Jesus comes to

and he says,

hey,

you need living water.

And she says,

well,

give it to me.

And he says,

go get your husband.

He says,

I don't have one.

She said,

you're right

because you've been

married five times

and you're shacking up

with somebody now.

And then God

brings salvation

into her life

and she's saved.

And do you know

what she does?

She runs into town.

Now,

what does she say

when she gets into town?

Do you know?

I love this part.

I love this part.

Look at the passage.

Verse 29,

so the woman

left her water jar

and went away

into town

and said to the people,

come,

see a man

who told me

all that I ever did.

How could that broken

and wicked woman

say that

apart from understanding

the complete forgiveness

of Christ in her life?

Do you understand that?

So what should I do?

I want you to understand

the passage is simple.

God sent his son

into this world

not to condemn the world.

There will be a day

of judgment

and Jesus will be

the one who's judging.

But at this time

as you hear

the presentation

of the sweetness

of the gospel,

it is this,

Christ Jesus came

to save you

from your sins

and to take away

the complete burden

and guilt

and shame

that Satan

has afflicted you

and terrified

with you.

Terrified you with.

So I want you

to understand

this morning

the plea

of scripture

is this,

be reconciled

to Christ.

Come to him.

Understand

that Christ

Jesus

came to be

your savior

and it would be

a horrible,

eternally

condemning

choice

choice

to walk away

from the gift

he offers you

this morning.

Let's close

in prayer.

Our Father God

as we

take this passage

in hand

and we just revel

in the sweetness

of Christ,

we who know

the Lord Jesus

stop and recognize

that the hero

of our story

is not us.

we were broken,

ruined

on our

deliberate way

towards hell

and you

in your kindness

found us

and drew us

to the cross.

And this morning

that offer

of salvation

through complete

forgiveness

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

is available

to those

who sit here

this morning

under the hearing

of the word

of God

and sense

the prompting

of the spirit

that says

you don't have

to stay there.

You don't have

to carry

that burden

of sin anymore.

You may have

complete forgiveness

but you have

to humble yourself.

You have to come

as a broken

contrite sinner

that says

I deserve

the judgment

of a holy God

but I hear

the word

that Christ Jesus

died in my place

and I want

his blood

attached to my account.

And that's

our prayer

this morning.

In Jesus' name.

Let's stand together.