The Most Important Question You Will Ever Answer

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Pray together.

Lord, we've come to do just that to praise you.

Uh, because that's what the Bible does.

It praises you.

Every page resonates with your worth.

And so give us an increased capacity to see you in the pages of scripture today and to hear what the Bible's saying.

We're not here to boast in any gift or any power or any wisdom.

We're here to boast in Jesus Christ, his death, and his resurrection.

We're not here to splash around in the shallow waters of a water-only gospel.

We're here to plumb the depths of a water and blood gospel, the only true gospel that comes from God.

And so, Holy Spirit, illuminate today the scripture so we can see it for what it is and understand it for what it means and see and savor and enjoy the life you came to make available to us.

This is why we're here.

This is what we pray for and we ask for it in Jesus' name.

And everyone said, Amen.

Amen.

You can have a seat.

If you got a Bible, I invite you to take it and open up to 1 John chapter 5.

1 John 5 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible, don't sweat it.

Uh everything I say will come up on the screen.

We're going to the book of 1 John right now.

We're up to chapter 5.

I'll start reading verse 5 where Leo left off last week, and we'll read from verse 5 all the way down to verse 12.

And I want to talk to you this morning about the most important question you will ever answer.

The most important question you will ever answer.

And I'll just tell you, it's not where's the cheapest gas?

What am I doing for lunch?

Who am I going to marry?

Should I take that job, that, that promotion?

The most important question that everybody in this room will answer, everybody in the world will answer, is real simple.

It's this do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?

Then let me just acknowledge the obvious.

You're like, dude, that's kind of disappointing.

It's kind of like a religious pop quiz.

I know it can sound like that, but what you'll see in the text this morning is that that question has implications for not only this life, but the life to come.

And if you do believe that, on what basis do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

Or if you don't believe that, on what basis do you not believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

Because to not believe that is to call God a liar.

You see, I'm not just here to promote the positive virtues of belief.

I'm here to point out uh the negative consequences of unbelief.

The Bible doesn't ask us to believe this on the basis of blind faith or religious tradition or hearsay.

Um why is it important that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

We can't just say he's a great teacher or a moral example or even a prophet.

This is what's known as a water-only gospel.

Uh, it talks about the miracles, the love, the compassion of Jesus because of what it means for us, for us, but it neglects our sin and the cross because of what it means about us.

Now, this water-only gospel got started way back in 1 John, and I'll show you in the text in just a minute, and it's very popular today.

That's why when you turn on your TV, some of the most popular preachers out there never talk about sin.

They never talk about the cross.

They talk about, you know, you breaking through to the next level and experiencing your destiny and all these other things that really aren't central to the gospel.

And so here's what I want to do.

I'm gonna read and I'm gonna talk about uh the witnesses, I'm gonna talk about the testimony, and then I'm gonna talk about the life.

Now, if you're new to our church today, just relax.

No one's we're not gonna dim the lights and do anything creepy.

Uh, I'll teach what the Bible says, and then to end, some questions come up on the screen, and we'll spend some time just kind of slowing down and thinking about what the Bible said, and then we'll be dismissed.

You down for that?

Say amen.

All right, here's what the Bible says.

First John chapter 5, starting in verse 5.

1 John 5 · chapter mention

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Again, hear this again.

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Here's why this is such an important question.

Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?

Because apart from this reality, how do you plan to overcome the world?

If you look, this is the epistle of John, if you look at the gospel of John, there's a long teaching section in John, chapter 14, 15, and 16.

John 14 · chapter mention

At the end of chapter 16, Jesus says in verse 33, These things have I spoken unto you, so that in me you may have peace, because in the world you will have tribulation.

Gas will fee be$5 a gallon, it'll get crazy, there'll be supply chain issues, there'll be a chip shortage, and cars will be more expensive than they've been ever in the history of the world, okay?

The in the world you will have tribulation, but then he says this, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

The Bible doesn't ramp us up and fuel us up and say, go out there and overcome the world.

It says, hey, you should believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He has done for you what you could never do for yourself.

And because of this, you can overcome the world.

Not on your own, but because you believe that what Jesus has done, he has overcome the world.

Verse six, after you ask the question, who is it in verse five that overcomes the world, except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

And then it begins to unpack the answer to the question in verse six this is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by the water only, but by the water and the blood.

And the spirit is the one who testifies because the spirit is the truth.

For there are three that testify the spirit and the water and the blood.

And these three agree.

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater.

For this is a testimony of God that he is born concerning his son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony that God is born concerning his son.

And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his son.

And whoever has the son has life.

Whoever does not have the son of God does not have life.

Now, I told you, first thing I told you I'm gonna talk about is the witnesses.

And the Bible points to three of them in response to the question Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

The witnesses in verses six, seven, and eight.

Now, they call three witnesses: the water, the blood, and the spirit.

Now, the first two are historical realities for the life of Jesus, where he is revealed to be the Son of God.

Let me say that again.

The first two witnesses, the water and the blood, it's easy to read the Bible and kind of go, I don't understand all what he's saying.

Yeah, that doesn't mean you're not smart.

That just means no one's ever taken the time to explain it to you.

The first two water and the blood are historical realities from the life of Jesus, where he is revealed, demonstrated to be the Son of God.

But when it says the water, it's talking about the baptism of Jesus.

The Bible talks about it in Matthew chapter 3.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

Here's what it says.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.

John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?

But Jesus answered him, Let it be so for now.

For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

Then he consent consented.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.

Now, if you do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you've already called God a liar, because right here in Matthew chapter 3, God speaks from heaven and says, This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

On what basis are you willing to disagree with God the Father, who speaks and says, now he doesn't just say, Hey, this is my son, listen to him.

Really, what it is is when he speaks these words, he's putting together two verses from the Old Testament.

Psalm chapter uh Psalm 2, 7 is a messianic psalm, talks about the Messiah that's going to come, and it goes on to describe what he's gonna be like.

And then in Isaiah 42, uh verse 1, it's what's called the song of songs.

It's kind of like God promising.

So when God speaks and says, This is my son, my beloved son, uh uh, you would do well to listen to him.

Uh, this is my son whom I love, with whom I'm well pleased.

When God says that, he's announcing not just this is my son, but he's good, he's the Messiah.

He is gonna be a different kind of ruler because they expected a military conquering hero.

And Jesus comes as the suffering servant.

Jesus comes and says, A smoldering wick, I will not snuff out.

You're like, what does that mean?

It's the candle that you lit in your office and forgot about, and the wax melted and got up around the wick, and the wick is almost snuffed out.

Some of you may be sitting here right now thinking, dude, I am hanging on by a thread.

Look at me.

God doesn't come along and go, ps, we don't need you anymore.

No, no, no.

The Bible says, hey, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In other words, God understands where you are and what you need.

Now, the first witness he calls is the is the water, his baptism, because God is announcing, hey, this is not what y'all think.

This is going to be different.

This is going to be a suffering servant and a servant king.

All right.

Now, now the next witness that he calls is the blood.

This is a reference to the crucifixion.

Now, when I prayed when I first got up here, I referred to a water-only gospel.

This started right back here in 1 John, and it's very popular and prevalent today.

So listen carefully.

You say, What do you mean it started back then?

Remember, I told you when we first started 1 John, uh, nine years ago.

Remember that?

Uh, and that this faith community was infiltrated by these people called Gnostics.

Gnostics, uh, gnosis is a Greek word for knowledge.

And what they said was, we have this hidden knowledge, we understand things that you don't.

And one of the things that they believed, as crazy as it sounds, they believed that Jesus was just a man.

And at his baptism, the Spirit of God came on him and he became the Son of God.

But they believed that before Jesus died on the cross, the Spirit of God left him.

And so when Jesus dies on the cross, he just dies as a regular man.

Nothing is accomplished in this life.

This is why that John says, by the water and the blood.

Basically, they said, hey, we don't really need Jesus because we're not as bad as you people make us out to be.

Sound familiar?

See, there's nothing really new under the sun.

So this water only gospel is very popular today.

This is why, if you really, that's why when you turn your TV, no one talks about sin anymore.

Have you noticed that?

They say, Oh, that's too negative.

I don't like to be negative.

I want to discover the champion in you.

There's not a champion in you.

There's not.

You by nature are damnedable wretches who deserve hell.

Aren't you glad you shaved your legs for this, ladies?

Aren't you just sitting there thinking, look at your friend and going, Thank you for bringing me here?

This is so uplifting.

Hey, listen to me.

You do not need to be encouraged.

Say with me.

You need to be told the truth because the truth is what sets you free.

Because if we're all so good, see, we've been taught we're all so good that we don't need Jesus to be the Son of God, much less die on the cross in our place and for our sins.

You see, we don't need Jesus to be the Son of God because we don't believe we're as sinful as the Bible says.

We can read in our minds, we can redeem ourselves and our bad deeds by doing good deeds.

This is uh atonement through activism.

This is how we get the water-only gospel that focuses on Jesus' teaching, his good deeds, his miracles, his moral example, and leaves out sin and the cross.

But the Bible won't allow us to do that.

And so John writes here, he says, hey, he calls three witnesses.

The first one, he says, Hey, he comes by the water, but he also comes by the blood.

It's a reference to the crucifixion.

The Bible describes it like this in Matthew 27.

Not only does it does Jesus die on the cross, but things happen that fix it in people's minds so they never forget it.

Matthew chapter 27, verse 50.

Matthew 27:50

Jesus is on the cross.

He's in the process of dying.

The Bible says this, and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

Jesus gives up his spirit so that the Holy Spirit can come.

He yielded up his spirit, and behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split, and the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Just stop right there.

Did you hear what I just read?

Some of you should have reached over and slapped your kid and said, Pay attention, son.

No, I mean, it's like your kid's at school and he comes home and you're eating supper and says, How was school today?

Well, Dad, I think I saw Daniel and Moses walk across the playground.

They got up out of the grave.

Yes.

God so wants to fix this in the forefront of our mind that He He caused things to happen that we would never forget.

The Bible goes on and says, When the centurion, those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake, uh, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, Truly, this was the Son of God.

So just to point to the obvious, let me point these four things that happened.

Number one, the curtain of the temple was split from top to bottom.

What does that mean?

That means that in there were compartments in the temple.

That's where they worshiped God.

It's kind of like church.

And there was a part of it that was off limits called the Holy of Holies.

And that's where the Ark of the Covenant, that thing in Indiana Jones first movie, that got the bad people, that's where it stayed.

That represented the presence of God.

And there was a thick woolen chocolate brown curtain that kind of walled that off, and nobody got to go in there.

The high priest only went one time a year, okay?

It's very sacred, and people were scared of that.

People didn't go near that because if they had any unconfessed sin in their life, God would strike them dead.

No one signed up for that bad boy.

And when Jesus dies on the cross, notice how subtle the Bible is.

This curtain is torn from the top to the bottom.

What are you saying?

God says, you don't have to be afraid of me.

Anybody here old enough to remember when you you you couldn't go to church because you didn't have church clothes?

Say amen.

I saw somebody walking in this morning.

I was like, dude, is that a speedo?

You should pull that down a little bit.

Now, if you're here and you're like, is that me?

No, Sam, that hard castle, that's not you.

No.

I'm like, Sam, is that your swim trunks?

No.

Look at me.

Now here's why.

Are you okay?

He just said that kid's name.

He said, big boy, he can take it.

And look at me.

Here's the thing.

I remember as a kid, I didn't go to church and we would be riding the back of the truck and we'd drive by the first Baptist church in my little town, and we would duck down.

Why?

Shame.

That's why.

We knew we we should probably be in there, but we don't have what you're supposed to need.

God tears the curtain to say, Ali Alien for you, come out, come out wherever you are.

There's a new way been opened up to God, and God opened it Himself.

You never have to dress up or pretend you come just like you are.

Amen.

Here's the second thing that happens.

There was an earthquake.

You say, Well, that's not such a big deal.

Kind of a big deal for them because God's shaking the earth to say, do not ever forget what happens here.

Here's the other one.

A number of Old Testament saints were raised from the dead and appeared to many as the first fruits of the resurrection.

Again, think of somebody that you've lost and you go home today for lunch and they ring the doorbell and go, is lunch ready?

You're like, Yeah.

It's just a reminder, hey, death isn't final.

There's life after this.

Here's the fourth thing.

Roman guards responded, truly, this was the Son of God.

Notice again what the Bible says in Matthew 27.

When the centurion and those who were with him, it wasn't just one guy.

It was like security, the guys in the yellow church at the concert holding everybody back.

The Roman centurions are at the cross, the Roman guard, they're at the cross to make sure that Jesus dies because they think they're in charge and they're killing this upstart Jew.

Take a message.

What a sinner.

Honey, turn your phone off.

Anyway, uh so they're standing.

The Roman centurion, this guy, and the people keeping watch over Jesus.

They saw this the earthquake and what took place, and they were filled with awe.

And hear this he said, truly, this was the Son of God.

So back in his baptism, you have God the Father saying, This is my son.

At his crucifixion, you have his hated enemy saying, This was the Son of God.

On what basis can you continue to say, I don't think Jesus was the Son of God?

You see, the first two witnesses are the water and the blood.

Now, this is why the atonement should matter to you, okay?

Without Jesus dying as a son of God in your place and for your sins, then you are still in your sins, and there's nobody advocating before the Father on your behalf.

Bring it down to where you live right now.

You are really truly alone in this world and without hope beyond yourself.

This is the place where nothing matters, so do whatever you feel is right.

This is why I cannot stand to listen to politicians on both sides of the aisle, okay?

Both of them, all politicians, talk about gun control and this, that, and the other.

And in Chicago, they kill people every weekend.

10, 12, 14, 26, just shooting people in the streets.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, just shooting people openly.

They're like, what in the world?

And then politicians want to get on TV and act surprised.

Hey, folks, let me explain to you.

When there's no sanctity of life in the womb, there can be no sanctity of life outside the womb.

Now, this this is not a uh don't clap.

I'm fixing to make you mad.

This is not a this is not a sermon about abortion.

This is about common sense.

If life doesn't matter in the womb, on what basis can it matter outside the womb?

Because you educate your kids from kindergarten on in the public school system.

Hey, this has no meaning.

You're in charge, you're God, and then they ruthlessly turn on each other and slaughter each other, and you have the audacity to get on TV and act surprised.

No.

No.

So the women I live with, one of them said yesterday, hey dad, are you okay?

I'm like, yeah, why?

You seem a little.

And my wife goes, Oh, your dad didn't get to preach last week, so he's a little built up.

I'm like, no, I've just been watching TV all week and watching people lie.

You say, How do you know they're lying?

Their lips are moving, that's how.

I'm like, how do you sleep at night?

Well, you know, we're gonna have bipartisan legislation.

Oh, could you just be quiet?

Again, if life doesn't matter in the womb, you're the biggest hypocrite when you tell an 18-year-old not to shoot his friend.

You can't have it both ways.

Stop going to Brett Kavanaugh's house, okay?

Just put your signs up.

You're the biggest hypocrite anybody knows.

This is called integration, boys and girls.

When you take what you profess to believe and you apply it to your life.

Again, if there is no sanctity of life in the womb, there can be no sanctity of life outside the womb.

And what you have is a violent culture.

Well, whoever has the biggest gun carries the day.

Welcome to America.

This is what happens when you have a water-only gospel where you focus on Jesus and love and compassion and serving people and giving cups of water in Jesus' name, and you don't have water and blood, where Jesus dies on the cross in our place and for our sins, and is seated right now at the right hand of the Father, and He is advocating on our behalf.

There is no hope apart from that.

The third witness is that he calls us the Spirit.

The other two are silent witnesses to the reality of who Jesus is, and the spirit testifies to the truthfulness of both.

Let me just read verse 7 and 8 again.

For there are three that testify the spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.

Mark that last part in your Bible.

These three agree.

Why?

Because in the Old Testament, the Mosaic law said, a thing is established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

God is establishing something here.

He is saying, Hey, listen, I want to establish forever.

You don't have to wonder about this, that Jesus is the Son of God.

So you have the witnesses.

Secondly, you have the testimony.

It's verse 9 and 10.

Verse 9 says, If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater.

For this is the testimony of God that he is born concerning his son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed of the testimony that God is born concerning his son.

Now, what do you mean the testimony?

The first thing you have to ask ourselves is a simple question.

Which is greater in your life, the testimony of men, people, or the testimony of God?

See, this is what happens.

This is why students, if you want to go home today, you say, well, the testimony of men or testimony of God, what do you mean?

Ask your parents today at lunch.

Do I have any friends that you're concerned about their influence over me?

Yes, that's your mom laughing right now.

Your mom is home just sharpening an eye, going, I have to cut this girl.

Yeah.

Why?

Because you're influenced by the testimony of men.

Someone sent you a podcast and said all roads lead to heaven.

So why is Christianity so full of hatred for the LGBTQ community and now you're a spokesman for them?

Yes, because you believe the testimony of men over the testimony of God.

This is what happens.

And pretty soon you're like, oh well, I don't I don't really know how to listen to it.

Then they just piles on and piles on.

And here's what happened: it's hard.

I'm old, I don't care.

I don't care if people like me or accept me or invite me to their party.

I'm trying to relate to you.

So it's hard when you're 15.

And your friends are like, oh, if you don't believe that or you don't agree with me, then we're not gonna be friends with you.

That's hard.

That's hard to testify.

So let's don't sit here as adults and act like, oh, kids, suck it up.

No, the testimony of men is big when you're when you're younger.

For some of you, it was a friend, quote unquote, whose quote unquote testimony you begin listening to and believing.

It led you away from the faith.

Now you feel a thousand miles away.

And so you've got to build intellectual things to support your argument.

But deep inside, when you lay in bed at night, you're like, oh my God, how'd I get here?

Look at me, it's not too late.

God doesn't give up on you.

God doesn't turn his back on you.

That's why the Bible says the testimony of God is greater.

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater.

For this is the testimony of God that he is born concerning his son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

I know some of you think, mark that in your Bible, whoever believes the testimony of God, you have this testimony in yourself.

Some of you are like, oh, I just think you go around looking to get into awkward conversations.

No, the testimony of God that is within me will not allow me to let in the testimony of men.

Like I was at a friend's daughter's party years ago, and he's like, it's like a kid party.

And I love the dude that shows up with a case of beer to a kid party.

I'm like, really, dude?

Is this an adult party or a kid party?

Are you a moron or an idiot?

Which one?

Okay.

So we're there, and my buddy says, because I know how y'all are.

You invite me to your party, so your pagan friends come, you want to see the collision.

I'm a gracious person.

I don't make it awkward, but my friends, hey, hey, my friend's coming, and he likes to deconstruct Christians and talk them out of their Christianity.

And I'm like, what?

So he's gonna come gunning for you.

And in my mind, I just thought, you're bringing Kool-Aid to a gin party, my man.

Whoever you are.

And so 20 minutes later, guy comes in, he's an older man.

The Bible says I'm gonna depict him like I would my father.

And I'm not sure that's great, but anyway, uh, so I'm minding my own business, sipping my capri son.

Here's just a suggestion.

At your kids' party, have real coax for the something for the adults.

So I got my caprice son, and the guy says, So you're the preacher?

And I said, Yeah, my name's Neil.

He says, and he starts in, and I just like I let him talk, I let him talk, I let him talk, and it's just regurgitated nonsense.

He goes, What do you think?

I said, I think you're a doddering old man who goes around running your mouth because you sound smart, but you're not really smart.

This is the same tired thing.

Everybody get off the internet.

Well, why do they wear blend want to wear blended garments of cotton and linen?

Oh, you're talking about Leviticus.

Here's why, knucklehead, because the priest was the only person that was allowed to wear that garment to signify to the people the separation between God and man.

Next, oh, oh, oh, oh, see, you're not smart anymore.

All of a sudden it's not a party.

Now, I'm not trying to be harsh, but the testimony of God in me is not gonna compromise for the testimony of man.

And so I'm just like, see, I said, you sound really smart when you talk to people who hadn't read the Bible, but people actually read the Bible, you don't sound so smart.

Well, I'm gonna leave you alone.

Oh, don't leave me alone.

Keep coming.

This is like a buffet.

Take all you want, but be prepared to eat all you take.

Well, I'm gonna leave you alone.

No, don't leave me alone, please.

You think I'm here for this party?

I think we celebrate our kids too much.

I'm not giving two and a half hours of my life to this.

I'm like 30 minutes in.

I'm like, okay, is it rude to leave you?

Oh, I pulled a hamstring, I gotta go.

No, here's the deal.

Now, now for some of you, it wasn't that the testimony of man was a friend.

For some of you adults, the testimony of man was your kids.

Your kids chose some lifestyle that you know is against what the Bible teaches and it reveals to be sinful, but you believe the testimony of man and you begin reading the Bible through the lives of your kids.

And so there isn't much left that you can believe.

Now let me be real clear, okay?

I am not saying stop loving your kids.

Now, some of you, right now, when I said your kids endorse a lifestyle or live a lifestyle, you went LGBTQ because it's Pride Month.

Let me tell you something.

Your son living with his girlfriend, heterosexual sin is just as simple as homosexual sin.

So get off your righteous, self-righteous high horse, okay?

When our kids live a lifestyle, any lifestyle that violates the Bible, and you just kind of go, well, you know, kids will be kids.

You know, I don't want them to take my grandkids away.

You believe in the testimony of man over the testimony of God.

You should ask yourself, is the testimony of God, is it really in me?

Is it really?

Now, I'm not saying stop loving your kids.

I am saying believe the testimony of God.

Here's why, mom and dad, because when your kids repent, it will be their only hope.

So if it isn't your hope now, how can it be their hope then?

How could there be anything to come home to?

If you don't stand your ground and go, oh, I fundamentally disagree with you.

And don't send me emails.

I've been asked before, well, what if one of your daughters came out and blah, blah, blah.

It wouldn't change what the Bible says, one iota.

I don't read the Bible through the lens of my children.

I just don't love my kids, I don't worship them, and I don't fear them.

Can you feel this?

We're meddling now.

And I'm not saying it's easy, it's hard.

I have friends.

Their daughter said to them, I'm not coming, you don't let my partner come around.

I'm gonna, I'm never gonna come home again.

And the mom weeps over that, and the dad is like, stand your ground, honey.

And he's gracious, he's like, sweetie, you're welcome here anytime.

But I got other children, and I'm not gonna let that get around my kids as if I think that's okay.

Now I didn't make this choice, you made this choice, and so the consequences that come will be your doing, not mine.

That's a man that says the testimony in God in me will not allow me to make room for the testimony of our culture.

The testimony.

Verse 10.

People who believe in Jesus have this testimony in them, they don't have to look for it, decide if they believe it, or what are we gonna do about this?

It is in them and it testifies to them that they were right to trust Christ and their right to keep on trusting Christ.

Just look around our world today and ask yourself, how is this testimony that is in you stirring up certainty in the midst of so much uncertainty?

Because as Christians, we experience a deep assurance because of the inward testimony of the Spirit.

God gas pump at Sam's the other day said, Man, can you believe this?

Yeah, it's just gonna get worse.

Man, that's not very comforting.

You better have something bigger than gas prices to believe in, my man.

All right, all right.

We we go in there.

I live there, my man.

It ain't a trip for me.

It's real short.

By the same token, if you don't believe the testimony of God, you're saying God's a liar.

And look at me.

I'm not I'm not down on that.

I can't make you believe anything.

Be prepared.

I do have to warn you, be prepared to stand before this God that you've called a liar your whole life, to make room for the testimony of man, because ultimately the testimony of God will prevail over your life.

And I would be hating you to not tell you that.

And then there's the life.

You still with me?

And then there's the life.

What do you mean the life?

It's verse 11 and 12.

Look at it.

And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life.

And this life is in his son.

Whoever has the son has life.

Whoever does not have the son does not have life.

Now, you got to think rightly about this life.

This life is the rule and the reign of the kingdom of God, which is being demonstrated in the lives of people who are governed by eternity.

It's not quantity, it's quality.

It's not, oh, you get to keep living what you're doing now forever.

You don't want to do that.

Now, Christianity, please hear this and go we're about done.

Focus.

Christianity is living the life of eternity.

That's why we call this the life of eternity.

It's living the life of eternity right now.

You should be asking yourself consistently, what would eternity have me to do?

Like this morning at 7:31 in the morning.

Brett Land texted me.

Hey, man, they live in Austin.

They drive in on Saturday night.

We put them up at a hotel.

I said, Man, bring your wife and kids.

They swim in the pool.

It's great.

And he texted me at 7:31 this morning.

He said, Hey, our car battery's dead at the hotel.

And I was like, You got anybody?

Yeah, yeah.

So I called Wade Burgess.

He said, I'm on, I got somebody.

This is why I love my church.

We got rednecks that got power tools.

One of our men said, Wade, I got it.

You're on the blood drive over there, get going.

He got a jump box in his truck.

He goes over there, jumps the thing off, gets him to church, takes the car down here to O'Reilly, gets the battery checked.

He told me between services, I said, How are we doing good?

He goes, Yeah, it checked out.

I went and filled it up with gas.

And but I came up and I'm usually the staff parking is on the other side of the old sanctuary in the furthest most away in that crushed concrete parking lot.

But today I parked right back here.

And one of you snarky church people, like, hey preacher, isn't staff parking over there?

Like, oh, could you just shut your yamper?

But I didn't say that because I'm governed by eternity.

I said, no, actually, our guest worship leader, their car battery is dead.

And it may be the battery, it may be the alternator.

And so I may have to say, hey, take my truck, put your car seats in my truck.

Because a man shouldn't drive a Volkswagen.

I think God's punishing because he drives a Volkswagen.

Let's just start that.

He'd never ridden in a truck that smells like coffee and Johnny Cash, all right?

And so I may have to say, hey, take my truck and I'll take your car and get it fixed and I'll drive it to Austin.

And you're like, you would do that?

Oh, absolutely.

I would take my friend Tom Zakara with me.

He's a barbecue snob.

We'd go to Austin, we'd go to Franklin's and we'd swing back through Lockhart, stop at Krig's or Black's and get some sausage, come home with a greasy smear all over my face.

My wife, did you eat healthy?

No.

You want some ribs?

Yeah.

See, the way you think about this life informs how you engage this life.

If you think the life of eternity is sitting on a cloud, playing the harp, eating angel food cake, you hate this right now.

No, it is bringing the reality of eternity to bear on this temporary world.

That's what it is.

And you have opportunities or you should have opportunities all the time.

Again, it's not living forever as much as it is living the life of eternity right now.

I've been beating this in your head when we preach the gospel of John and the epistle of John.

This life, Jesus said in John 10, 10, I came so you can have life and have it to the full.

Jesus did not come to forgive you.

Jesus did not just come to forgive you.

He didn't come just to get you to heaven.

He came to get heaven into you.

This life, because it's not bad people become good people, it's dead people become alive people.

Ask yourself this question.

Not do I pray the prayer?

Do I believe in God?

Is the life of eternity in you, longing to find expression, get out of you on a consistent basis?

This is how you know you're a Christian.

Not because you went to VBS when you were seven.

Your parents wanted to break.

Is the life of eternity just just just supernatural, just naturally flowing out of you?

You say, What is this life?

The Greek word for life is Zoe.

This kind of life is Zoe.

And one last time, because I can't talk about it anymore, but here's what it means: the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God.

Life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessing the portion even in this world of those who put their faith in Christ.

But after the resurrection, hello.

This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we're to be pitied above all men.

After the resurrection, look at me, beloved.

That's not Jesus' resurrection, it's yours.

After you are resurrected, to be consummated, there's a honeymoon word.

To be consummated.

In other words, there's some things that haven't happened yet, but they're gonna happen.

To be consummated by new experiences, among them a more perfect body and to last forever.

This is the life.

This is why we titled preaching through 1 John the life of eternity.

It's not something we wait to heaven to begin to experience in, it's a life Jesus came to demonstrate and make available and give to everyone who believes.

So you have to ask yourself, is this life in you?

Because this is the way God set it up.

I remember years ago reading about this, uh a man, he was a multi-millionaire, almost a billionaire, and he had one son.

His son got into drugs and alcohol, started when he's about 16, 17, uh, and really ramped up when he got in his early 20s.

And he just, at 21, he just said, I don't care about your money, I got enough.

And he just left.

And the dad never saw him ever again.

And he spent his whole life trying to find his son.

His son just went off the grid, couldn't find him.

And so finally, the guy's like, at the end of his life, he's like, he, I mean, he had detectives, private investigators, couldn't find the kid anywhere.

And so he just said, Hey, listen, I'm gonna auction off all my possessions because I only had that one son.

My wife's already dead.

And so they had an auction.

And they just said, okay, here's the deal.

And so people got word that this guy's got this is gonna be, this is not the neighborhood garage sale last Saturday.

This is invitation only.

Bring a lot of money because we got a lot of nice stuff.

They get up there, and now they the first thing they put up on the little auction block is a portrait of the son that the guy the father had painted when he was 16.

He said, This is the last portrait.

And they said, folks, of the father's will, he stipulated the first thing to be auctioned off was a portrait of his son.

Now who'll start the bidding?

People got the little paddles with a number, no one's doing anything.

There's 300 invitation-only people in the room, and nobody does a thing.

They're just like, Are you kidding me?

Why would I want a picture of a kid that's not my kid hanging in my house?

And finally a guy in the back said, the auctioner's like, who give$50,$50,$50, guy in the back, says, I'll get$50.

Oh,$50, I got$70,000.

And then$50 going once,$50 going twice.

Sold$50 a man in the back, number 322.

And then the auctioneer picks up the gavel and bangs it down and says, folks, thank you for coming.

The auction is over.

And they're like, What?

And he said, Here was the second stipulation of the father's will.

The first stipulation was the picture of the sun goes first.

The second stipulation was, whoever got the son got it all.

Look at me.

The father is stipulated in his will.

Whoever got the son, got it all.

This is what verse 12 means.

Whoever has the son has life.

Whoever does not have the son does not have life.

It's not about morality.

It's not about I don't want to go to hell.

It's not even about I want to go to heaven.

It's the life of eternity expressing itself in and through you.

Let's pray together.

If you're our guests, just relax, we'd like to teach the Bible.

No boogeyman Jesus.

Christianity is an intellectual reality.

You have to contend with a simple question.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Why or why not?

Voice of prayer, some questions come on the screen for you to think about.

Let's just engage your minds for a moment before we dismiss.

God, thank you for the truth of the Bible.

Thank you that engages head, hand, and heart.

Holy Spirit, brood over us now as we think about these things.

We think about our life.

We think about the testimony of men, the people we've let in to have a place in us.

And the testimony of God.

Hover over us, Holy Spirit.

Father, we believe Jesus to be the Son of God, not just because the Bible presents him that way and validates through historical incidences that can be verified.

Because we know deep in our intellect that no one's loved us enough to sacrifice themselves for us.

Love goes first.

And you went first to open the way, to say, I'll the Ali Infreak.

Come out, come out wherever you are.

So pray for anybody in this room that's far from God, that's just like, man, I'm I'm a million miles away.

No, they're not.

No, they're not.

Pray for the believer that's let the testimony of man get in their head and heart.

And they're dysregulated now, trying to manage the consequences of their life.

They just come back to the simplicity and the purity of devotion to Jesus.

That may mean we have to end some friendships.

That's okay.

That's just part of growing up.

God, this testimony is in us.

That's what the Bible tells us.

That's why in 1 Peter you say, don't worry what to say.

The Holy Spirit will give you what to say.

Because the Holy Spirit is in us.

The testimony of God is in us.

We're not trying to win arguments.

Instead, we're here to demonstrate a reality.

So, Holy Spirit, seal up the truth in us today.

We pray in Jesus' name.

And everyone said, Amen.

Amen.

If you're our guest, let me say this.

You're always welcome here.

You may look at me.

You may be sitting in that chair right now and thinking, dude, I disagree with everything you just said.

That's okay.

I want to be your pastor and I want this to be your church, okay?

So if you're here and we don't do uh like guest cards, we just have you text welcome to that number right there.

We're not gonna show up at your place and announce.

We just think you matter to God and look at me.

We want to help you take your next step, whatever that step is.

In the last service, I baptized a 63-year-old man.

Absolutely.

I mean, somebody said, I don't see that guy very often.

I said, Yeah, he's uh he's a man's man.

That sucker still works out.

He has a white Ford Dooley pickup because he does ropings, team ropings, all over the all over the state.

So he's out a lot of Sundays.

Uh but when he's here, he's here.

We're having lunch tomorrow.

Uh he came to Christ who was 14, and he said, I got back and there was chaos in my home.

My parents separated shortly after.

I never followed through and got baptized.

It's always kind of nagged at me.

63.

We were having coffee a couple months ago, and he goes, I need to get baptized.

I said, I know.

You resist as long as you can.

I ain't helpful.

I said, Yeah, you'll wake up one day and it'll just be you just can't help yourself.

You can't help but obey.

About three weeks ago, he said, I can't help it.

Why don't I tell you that?

Because some of you're in that category.

You've never followed through.

So that may be your your your your next step in your spiritual journey.

Whatever that is, we just want to help you take that step, okay?

And so uh there's things we have at our church, events, opportunities, they're all designed to help you take the next step.

And so every Sunday we show you our announcements by video because we want you to see there's there's opportunities for everybody to take the next step.

So let's check out some opportunities for this week.

Here's a look at what's happening at Grand Parkway Baptist Church.

If you're new, text welcome to 281-626-5707.

This way we can know you're here and get you connected with the church.

Over the next few weeks, our students are at camps here and abroad.

Continue in prayer for our students as they come to faith and grow in their faith.

The Blood Drive is happening today in the warehouse.

If you have registered, we'll see you there.

This Wednesday is our first men's dinner for the summer.

We'll meet at Rudy's in Richmond at 6 p.m.

See you then.

Be sure to check out our website where you can find information about staff, upcoming events, what we believe, and resources from our church.

Also, be sure to give us a follow and a like on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you have any questions about what you heard today or would like someone to pray for you, find one of our pastors at the front of the stage at the conclusion of our service.

Let me make you aware of one thing before we're dismissed.

Uh, these are our devotionals, uh, there for June, July, and August.

And basically, it's just a little half-page writing.

Uh, it gives you a Bible verse and some things to think about.

It's a great way to kind of get your attention and your affection aimed in a Godward direction.

These are free.

They're available in the lobby from anybody on our welcome team.

They'll be able to just grab one, grab two, grab three if you know some people.

Uh, but but if you take them, plan to use them.

Don't just take them because, like, oh man, I want to take all these.

Okay.

Great way to kind of get your head and your heart aimed in the right direction.

One last thing, the lady heard up here, Neary, from Neary's Promise.

Uh, she has a trailer in Rosenberg.

That's her ministry.

We're partnering with them.

So when you give money to this church, every month some of that money goes to help feed and educate, teach kids to read in Rosenberg, Texas.

They said she'll be available at the mission center.

Uh, if you say, where is that?

If you walk out the doors and go to the right, there's a flat screen TV right over here on the wall.

And there's some people standing there that can help you understand.

You say, hey, I can't pray.

Don't ask me to preach.

I don't like to sing, but I can help a kid read, we need you, okay?

There's always opportunities for people to get involved.

Because look at me.

Your priesthood is just as viable as mine.

Okay?

You're not a second-class citizen.

If you can sit down and explain to a kid how to sound out words, we need you.

Go out of this door.

You say, Hey, I can help cook, we need you.

Go out this door, hang a right.

Brent and some people from our mission team will be right there.

They would love to talk to you and get your information, okay?

You down with that?

Say amen.

All right, stand to your feet.

We'd like to conclude our service with a smoke and blessing.

Now, by way of reminder, I'm going to remind our elders.

Uh, we're praying over some folks.

So if you're an elder, I need to see you down here to my right, your left, as soon as you're dismissed.

Hold your hands out.

It's all about life.

It's not about avoiding, it's about experiencing the life Jesus came to make available.

This is yours in Christ.

And it's the Christ of everyone around you.

Live this life of eternity.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Bless you.