1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,590 Thank you to our music ministers. Always. We 2 00:00:03,590 --> 00:00:06,800 just got the best in town. That's just all 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:07,280 there is. 4 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:13,650 That's right. Get any Bibles open with me to 5 00:00:13,650 --> 00:00:14,160 John. 6 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:18,860 In a John type of week, by now you know what 7 00:00:18,860 --> 00:00:20,240 that means. 8 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:28,320 I love preaching Jesus in action. 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:33,840 I really, there's nothing better to preach. 10 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,950 John 7, verse 25, and we come back now to 11 00:00:38,950 --> 00:00:42,160 really what this is, is just one day 12 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:47,600 in the life of Jesus. And isn't it interesting 13 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:52,320 that the story of the Gospel of John in 14 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:53,120 particular, 15 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,110 you remember in John 1-1, it starts in 16 00:00:57,110 --> 00:00:59,840 eternity past. In the beginning was the Word, 17 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:00,480 and Word was 18 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,620 God, and Word was with God, and Word was me. L 19 00:01:02,620 --> 00:01:06,200 ashen, 2nd of August, verse 14, "But it goes 20 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:06,720 from there 21 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,510 through the life and the ministry of Jesus on 22 00:01:10,510 --> 00:01:15,120 earth." So it covers his whole life while he 23 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,260 was here in his incarnation, and it even 24 00:01:17,260 --> 00:01:19,890 throws in some of eternity. None of the other 25 00:01:19,890 --> 00:01:20,960 Gospels do that. 26 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:26,550 And yet, there are large portions of the 27 00:01:26,550 --> 00:01:31,440 Gospel of John that focus on one day. There 28 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:32,880 are also large 29 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,420 portions of John that focus on one week, and 30 00:01:36,420 --> 00:01:39,900 this is one of those. So we picked this back 31 00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:40,160 up from 32 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,980 where we were last time. It's the middle of 33 00:01:42,980 --> 00:01:46,970 the week. It's October. It's the fall. The 34 00:01:46,970 --> 00:01:47,440 harvest 35 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,090 is pretty much done. Remember, it's the time 36 00:01:51,090 --> 00:01:55,760 of the Festival of Booths. And we're now, at 37 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:56,320 this point, 38 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,090 in the life of Jesus. We're just six months 39 00:02:00,090 --> 00:02:04,880 away from the spring and the Passover that 40 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:05,520 Jesus will 41 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:10,960 be crucified at. So we come to where we are 42 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:15,600 really in the life of Jesus in the Gospel of 43 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:16,080 John. We're 44 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,150 really coming to the last leg of Jesus' 45 00:02:19,150 --> 00:02:23,330 journey here on the earth. And we talked last 46 00:02:23,330 --> 00:02:24,080 time about 47 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,100 the Festival of Booths, one of three great 48 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:29,620 Jewish feasts that all Jewish men were 49 00:02:29,620 --> 00:02:31,200 required to attend. 50 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,730 And if you remember, I told you, the Festival 51 00:02:34,730 --> 00:02:37,840 of Booths remembered the time of God's 52 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:38,560 provision 53 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,190 and protection of the Jews and the wilderness. 54 00:02:41,190 --> 00:02:44,320 Really, Booths means tents, and the tents that 55 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,900 they stayed in for 40 years before they 56 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:51,630 entered into the Promised Land. And at this 57 00:02:51,630 --> 00:02:52,240 feast, like 58 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,310 all the other major feasts in the city of 59 00:02:54,310 --> 00:02:57,840 Jerusalem would be packed, Jerusalem would be, 60 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,150 to overflowing with hundreds of thousands of 61 00:03:01,150 --> 00:03:04,480 people, literally. And really, this was one of 62 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,220 the feasts that just had the most joyous 63 00:03:06,220 --> 00:03:08,930 celebration and was kind of cool. I know my 64 00:03:08,930 --> 00:03:10,400 grandkids would 65 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,030 like this. They had tents that they would set 66 00:03:13,030 --> 00:03:15,680 up all over the city. They would set them up 67 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:16,000 in the 68 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,400 streets. They would set the tents up in the 69 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,960 rooftops, and everybody just had a great time 70 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,570 with the Festival of Booths and Feast of Bo 71 00:03:23,570 --> 00:03:26,400 oths. And people would come from Galilee, 72 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,060 they'd come from Peria, they'd come from all 73 00:03:29,060 --> 00:03:31,840 over Judea, and really all the towns around 74 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,300 Israel, the villages, all these people are 75 00:03:35,300 --> 00:03:38,400 gathered here at one time in Jerusalem. I mean 76 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:38,400 , 77 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,210 even Jews from other parts of the world would 78 00:03:41,210 --> 00:03:44,080 come back to Jerusalem if they had the means 79 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:49,020 and were able to celebrate this feast. And the 80 00:03:49,020 --> 00:03:52,720 center of gravity, as you know, in the 81 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,980 city of Jerusalem, which you could see from 82 00:03:56,980 --> 00:04:01,120 afar off, you know, is the Herodian Temple. 83 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,650 It was made of cedar, it was made of marble, 84 00:04:04,650 --> 00:04:08,320 and it even had gold plating on it, so it 85 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:08,640 would 86 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,680 shine in the sunlight. And the massive, if you 87 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,560 remember, I've described it to you many times, 88 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,910 the massive outer courtyard of the Gentiles 89 00:04:17,910 --> 00:04:22,070 that would just be topped with people and 90 00:04:22,070 --> 00:04:22,800 engaging in 91 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,750 all of the celebration and the events. And 92 00:04:26,750 --> 00:04:30,700 think back to our last message. Jesus very 93 00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:31,840 wisely waited. 94 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:34,050 Remember, his brothers wanted him to come, " 95 00:04:34,050 --> 00:04:36,000 Come on, let's go down to the feast." And they 96 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:36,160 would 97 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,400 usually go in a caravan with the family. He 98 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,080 said, "No, you all go down. I'm going to come 99 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:42,400 later." 100 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,220 So he waited until the mid-week to go down to 101 00:04:46,220 --> 00:04:49,970 the feast because he knew that the Jewish 102 00:04:49,970 --> 00:04:50,240 leaders 103 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,240 were wanting to kill him. We've ramped up big 104 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,360 time in that situation. And so he waits until 105 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,750 everybody got real settled into town and they 106 00:04:59,750 --> 00:05:03,040 're thinking, "Well, this middle of the week, 107 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:03,120 he's 108 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,570 obviously not coming." And right at that 109 00:05:05,570 --> 00:05:08,160 moment, when everybody thinks he's not coming, 110 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,980 Jesus comes into the temple courtyard and he 111 00:05:11,980 --> 00:05:16,240 starts to teach. And that's what we find him 112 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,910 continuing to do in our text for today, which 113 00:05:19,910 --> 00:05:24,080 is going to be verses 25 to 36 of this 7th 114 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:24,480 chapter. 115 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,600 Interesting to consider before we get into it, 116 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,640 there's a trend of rejection that just 117 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:34,160 continues 118 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,520 to escalate here with Jesus in his earthly 119 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,280 life. There is, in fact, this progressive 120 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:40,640 rejection. 121 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,640 We've been seeing it in our study of John that 122 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,760 continues all the way through the ministry of 123 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,520 Jesus. John made it clear back in the first 124 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,200 chapter, you remember? He came to his own, 125 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,060 his own people, the Jewish people, and his own 126 00:05:57,060 --> 00:06:00,800 received him not. And as we've been noting, 127 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,290 by the time we get to this, the last week of 128 00:06:03,290 --> 00:06:06,810 Jesus' life, many more people than just the 129 00:06:06,810 --> 00:06:07,600 Jewish leaders 130 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,770 are going to be rejecting him. By the time we 131 00:06:10,770 --> 00:06:13,840 get to Passover week, so many of them will be 132 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:19,260 crying out for his execution. Remember? Cruc 133 00:06:19,260 --> 00:06:24,640 ify him. Possibly really the most horrible 134 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:25,360 death 135 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,650 ever invented by man. So let's start. Let's 136 00:06:28,650 --> 00:06:32,640 start by reading our text in verses 25 through 137 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,440 36. God's 138 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,950 word says, "So some of the people of Jerusalem 139 00:06:38,950 --> 00:06:42,160 were saying is this not the man whom they are 140 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,150 seeking to kill?" Look, he is speaking 141 00:06:45,150 --> 00:06:48,560 publicly and they are saying nothing to him. 142 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:50,160 The rulers 143 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,580 do not really know that this is the Christ, do 144 00:06:52,580 --> 00:06:55,360 they? However, we know where this man is from, 145 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,550 but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows 146 00:06:57,550 --> 00:07:01,840 where he is from. Then Jesus cried out in the 147 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:05,920 temple teaching and saying, "You both know me 148 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,720 and know where I am from, and I have not come 149 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:09,680 of myself, 150 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,360 but he who sent me is true, whom you do not 151 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:18,320 know. I know him because I am from him and he 152 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:18,880 sent me." 153 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,730 So they were seeking to seize him and no man 154 00:07:21,730 --> 00:07:25,710 laid his hand on him because his hour had not 155 00:07:25,710 --> 00:07:26,320 yet come. 156 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:29,190 But many of the crowd believed in him and they 157 00:07:29,190 --> 00:07:31,440 were saying when the Christ comes will he not 158 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,760 perform more signs than those which this man 159 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,720 has, will he? The Pharisees heard the crowd 160 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:39,120 muttering 161 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,100 these things about him and the chief priests 162 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:43,280 and the Pharisees sent officers to seize him. 163 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,010 Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while 164 00:07:46,010 --> 00:07:49,570 longer I am with you, then I go to him who 165 00:07:49,570 --> 00:07:50,080 sent me. 166 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:55,510 You will seek me and will not find me, and 167 00:07:55,510 --> 00:08:00,720 where I am you cannot come." The Jews then 168 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:01,280 said to one 169 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:03,720 another, where does this man intend to go that 170 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,160 we will not find him? He is not intending to 171 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:06,480 go to 172 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,890 the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the 173 00:08:08,890 --> 00:08:11,600 Greeks, is he? What is this statement that he 174 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:11,840 said, 175 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:16,290 "You will seek me and will not find me, and 176 00:08:16,290 --> 00:08:20,400 where I am you cannot come." Now I want you to 177 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:20,800 notice 178 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,470 what sticks out to them is what Jesus said in 179 00:08:24,470 --> 00:08:27,680 verse 34. Look at verse 34 again, 180 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,920 "You will seek me and will not find me, where 181 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,980 I am you cannot come." And then look at verse 182 00:08:33,980 --> 00:08:34,400 36. 183 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,180 They repeat that. They do in 36. What is this 184 00:08:38,180 --> 00:08:40,880 statement that he said, "You will seek me and 185 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,880 will not find me, and where I am you cannot 186 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,200 come." Of all the conversation here that they 187 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:47,600 have with 188 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,700 Jesus, that's the part that really sticks out. 189 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:55,560 That's the part they repeat. So what does it 190 00:08:55,560 --> 00:08:56,160 mean? 191 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,760 He's saying to them big picture, there's going 192 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:01,680 to come a time in your life 193 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,450 when you're going to seek me and I won't be 194 00:09:06,450 --> 00:09:11,040 there. Now that's not a new idea in Scripture 195 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:12,000 Genesis 6. 196 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,130 My spirit will not always strive with man. 197 00:09:14,130 --> 00:09:16,320 That's why Isaiah says, "Seek the Lord while 198 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:16,880 he may be 199 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,880 found, call upon him while he is near." There 200 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:25,890 are many, many warnings in the Bible about 201 00:09:25,890 --> 00:09:26,960 waiting too 202 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,970 late. You know anybody or have you ever 203 00:09:29,970 --> 00:09:33,350 encountered anybody? I'm going to get to that. 204 00:09:33,350 --> 00:09:34,800 I'm going to 205 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:41,060 get to that later. Think about it. Hell itself 206 00:09:41,060 --> 00:09:47,120 is truth discovered too late. It was just too 207 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:47,360 late 208 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:53,860 once you're there. It's impossible for me to 209 00:09:53,860 --> 00:10:01,200 go too far, too overboard, too over the top 210 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:10,110 when considering the terror factor of hell. It 211 00:10:10,110 --> 00:10:18,720 's the most frightening reality that there is. 212 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:24,640 It's overwhelming to think about, isn't it? 213 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:29,040 That's why the majority of modern-day 214 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:29,600 preaching 215 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,230 in the church stays away from this topic and 216 00:10:33,230 --> 00:10:35,200 believe me, I get it. 217 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:45,040 I don't like to preach about it either. I find 218 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,760 sometimes preachers will have an insensitivity 219 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,950 about it. But unbelievers go into hell and you 220 00:10:53,950 --> 00:10:57,200 better stop and think about this. 221 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:04,570 It's overwhelming and we don't like to think 222 00:11:04,570 --> 00:11:11,920 about it, really, but we have to. We must. 223 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,540 The reason why we must is that it's one of 224 00:11:18,540 --> 00:11:25,360 only two destinations that exist for all human 225 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:26,160 beings 226 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:33,670 after death and it lasts forever. It's just 227 00:11:33,670 --> 00:11:40,240 staggering. I cannot wrap the totality of my 228 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:40,960 mind 229 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:47,280 around hell. I can't. But I can understand 230 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:53,040 something of what it is from the Bible. 231 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:59,040 Part of what hell is is suffering for sin, 232 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,880 righteous wrath being endured. 233 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,160 But hell is also resentment. There will be a 234 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,600 lot of resentment there. It's also 235 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:16,300 unrelieved bitterness under the eternal wrath 236 00:12:16,300 --> 00:12:17,280 of God. 237 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:28,740 It's also eternal regret forever with no 238 00:12:28,740 --> 00:12:35,920 remedy. It's everlasting remorse 239 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:44,770 without any hope. Consider what Jesus is 240 00:12:44,770 --> 00:12:50,480 saying here. "You will seek me, but you will 241 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:51,840 not find me." 242 00:12:51,840 --> 00:13:00,700 Hell is not where Christ is forgotten. Hell is 243 00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:03,680 where Christ is unavailable. 244 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,520 Jesus also says in verse 34, "Look at it, and 245 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,880 where I am, you cannot come." 246 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:19,520 That means you're shut out of heaven forever. 247 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:26,300 It's so sad that the most common conception in 248 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:28,960 our land is this, and you know this, we've 249 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:29,200 gone 250 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,200 over it many times. The most common conception 251 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,960 in our land is, hey, God is good and everybody 252 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:35,280 that's 253 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:41,040 good is going to heaven. The prevailing belief 254 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:46,200 in our land is that just because you went 255 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:46,400 through 256 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:52,060 life on earth, everybody that's good graduates 257 00:13:52,060 --> 00:13:58,480 to heaven when they die. Most people reason, 258 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:03,600 hey, I'm not perfect, but I'm basically good. 259 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:09,600 I'm going to heaven. They even make up jokes. 260 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,830 I've heard them at funerals. Grandpa's up 261 00:14:12,830 --> 00:14:16,160 there doing the best fishing he's ever done. 262 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:22,220 A golfing or whatever they enjoyed on earth 263 00:14:22,220 --> 00:14:24,800 somehow being done to its absolute fullest in 264 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:25,200 the 265 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:31,230 afterlife. You also hear this. Well, I mean, 266 00:14:31,230 --> 00:14:36,320 if anybody is going to heaven, it has to be 267 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:40,310 momo-mortal. She was so kind. She was so 268 00:14:40,310 --> 00:14:44,720 generous. She was such a loving person. She 269 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,080 gave of herself. 270 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:49,310 I never heard her raise her voice. She never 271 00:14:49,310 --> 00:14:52,480 got angry. She loved all her children and 272 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:53,200 grandchildren, 273 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:59,030 and it's always based on how good they were 274 00:14:59,030 --> 00:15:02,800 like that according to man's standard. 275 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,500 Whether or not she surrendered to the Lord 276 00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:08,080 Jesus Christ and saving faith doesn't matter. 277 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:08,720 She was 278 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,090 good. Surely she's going to be in heaven if 279 00:15:12,090 --> 00:15:13,440 anybody is. Or 280 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:17,620 you see somebody, look at how much they've 281 00:15:17,620 --> 00:15:21,200 suffered. I mean, they've been in the hospital 282 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:22,000 for years, 283 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,680 years with pain and cancer. Surely because of 284 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,080 all of this years of suffering, 285 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,490 surely God is good and they are gone through 286 00:15:33,490 --> 00:15:36,660 all this stuff, and surely they'll be in 287 00:15:36,660 --> 00:15:37,120 heaven. 288 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,540 Look how much tragedy they endured in life. Or 289 00:15:40,540 --> 00:15:46,080 another one. I heard this at funerals. 290 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:52,340 Oh, heaven gained another angel. No heaven did 291 00:15:52,340 --> 00:15:56,240 not ever gain another angel. All the angels 292 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:56,400 have 293 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,900 already been created and are fixed in number. 294 00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:01,460 We don't turn into angels when we go to heaven 295 00:16:01,460 --> 00:16:01,760 . 296 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,220 There's angels and there's human beings, so 297 00:16:04,220 --> 00:16:06,620 there's no new angels in heaven. That's 298 00:16:06,620 --> 00:16:07,280 nonsense. 299 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,140 And so many people think like this, and that's 300 00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:20,800 why it's hard to imagine a more clear 301 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:25,920 and devastating statement than what Jesus is 302 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:30,500 saying right here in our text, "You will seek 303 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:30,640 me 304 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,910 and you will not find me." And where I am, you 305 00:16:36,910 --> 00:16:39,360 cannot come. Fox News Alert. 306 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,900 Heaven is not for everybody. That's what he's 307 00:16:43,900 --> 00:16:44,560 saying. 308 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:49,310 This Vodibachem says, "Hey, I didn't write 309 00:16:49,310 --> 00:16:53,680 this mail. I'm just delivering the mail. 310 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:58,160 I'm just the postman." Folks, this is a 311 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,040 warning passage right here. 312 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,540 And I just want you to mark in your mind as we 313 00:17:04,540 --> 00:17:08,170 go through this text that this statement is 314 00:17:08,170 --> 00:17:08,720 made 315 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,380 to two groups. It's made to the people in 316 00:17:11,380 --> 00:17:14,200 general, and it's made to the leaders, and 317 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:15,520 they are different 318 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,870 characteristically. The people look at Jesus 319 00:17:19,870 --> 00:17:23,280 from one perspective, and the leaders 320 00:17:23,280 --> 00:51:01,830 are looking at Jesus from another perspective, 321 00:51:01,830 --> 00:17:30,000 but both are given the same sentence. 322 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:34,930 The common people and the rulers. And guess 323 00:17:34,930 --> 00:17:37,520 what? It doesn't matter, 324 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:43,150 because there is no class separating the 325 00:17:43,150 --> 00:17:47,440 condemned. There's a hierarchy 326 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:53,600 in condemnation, eternal judgment. 327 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:58,240 Eternal judgment will fall on the people who 328 00:17:58,240 --> 00:17:59,600 are confused about Jesus 329 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,510 in the same way that it will fall on people 330 00:18:02,510 --> 00:18:04,560 who hate Jesus right now. 331 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,400 Now, there's different degrees of suffering 332 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,320 and hell. We've been through that. I don't 333 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:10,640 have time 334 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,140 to take you through all of that. It's another, 335 00:18:12,140 --> 00:18:13,760 so you've got a question about that. Ask me 336 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:14,160 afterwards. 337 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,570 But the point is this, whether you're an 338 00:18:16,570 --> 00:18:19,520 outright rejecter or whether you're a person 339 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:20,240 who's just kind 340 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:24,470 of not sure about Jesus, the same warning is 341 00:18:24,470 --> 00:18:29,190 given. And so, we're going to break this 342 00:18:29,190 --> 00:18:29,760 passage 343 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,970 down into these three points. The people's 344 00:18:32,970 --> 00:18:36,960 confusion, the ruler's rejection, and the 345 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:37,680 Savior's 346 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:39,930 exclusion. Those will be the three points as 347 00:18:39,930 --> 00:18:42,000 we walk our way through these verses. And 348 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:42,240 there's 349 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:45,280 no mistaking the attitude of the people here. 350 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:49,200 They're confused. Verse 25 introduces us to 351 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:49,440 their 352 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:51,840 confusion. And it's very important for you to 353 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,320 take note in verse 25. Look at it again. 354 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:59,940 So, some, you see that? Of the people of 355 00:18:59,940 --> 00:19:03,280 Jerusalem were saying, "Is this not the man 356 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:04,160 whom they are 357 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,720 seeking to kill?" Some of the people are 358 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,640 saying that. Now, if you compare that with 359 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:11,200 just a few 360 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,050 verses earlier where Jesus says, look at verse 361 00:19:14,050 --> 00:19:16,800 19, "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet 362 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:17,040 none 363 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,420 of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to 364 00:19:19,420 --> 00:19:22,240 kill me?" Verse 20, the crowd answered, "You 365 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:22,400 have 366 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,690 a demon. Who seeks to kill you?" So, how can 367 00:19:25,690 --> 00:19:29,200 they say in verse 20, "Who seeks to kill you?" 368 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:29,440 And then, 369 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,500 in verse 25, "Is not this the man whom they 370 00:19:32,500 --> 00:19:35,350 are seeking to kill?" And the answer is, the 371 00:19:35,350 --> 00:19:36,160 distinguishing 372 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,170 mark is, the people of Jerusalem, we're 373 00:19:39,170 --> 00:19:42,510 talking about here, who are well acquainted in 374 00:19:42,510 --> 00:19:43,360 Jerusalem 375 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:46,050 with the Jewish leaders. They live in 376 00:19:46,050 --> 00:19:49,050 Jerusalem every day. That's who we're talking 377 00:19:49,050 --> 00:19:49,840 about here. 378 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,840 Everybody in Jerusalem, at that point in Jesus 379 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,360 's life and ministry, knew the attitude of the 380 00:19:57,360 --> 00:19:57,760 Jewish 381 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,860 leaders toward Jesus. The residents of 382 00:20:00,860 --> 00:20:03,950 Jerusalem knew very well that the leaders 383 00:20:03,950 --> 00:20:05,520 wanted Jesus dead. 384 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,470 But the people that were there, as I told you 385 00:20:07,470 --> 00:20:09,520 in the beginning, who were there from out of 386 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:10,240 town, 387 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,000 all the areas and villages outside of 388 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,240 Jerusalem, they didn't have this knowledge, 389 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,620 like the residents did. And so, that is why 390 00:20:16,620 --> 00:20:19,100 John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit 391 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:19,200 , 392 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:22,510 is very careful to say, look at verse 25 again 393 00:20:22,510 --> 00:20:25,120 , "Some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, 394 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,930 is this not the man whom they are seeking to 395 00:20:27,930 --> 00:20:33,780 kill?" And they, the hometown folk, are 396 00:20:33,780 --> 00:20:34,560 confused. 397 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,780 Because here's Jesus. He shows up in the 398 00:20:39,780 --> 00:20:40,960 middle of the week. 399 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,750 This is the guy they want dead, and here he is 400 00:20:43,750 --> 00:20:45,520 in the temple teaching. 401 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:50,310 They know the leaders want him dead, but they 402 00:20:50,310 --> 00:20:57,200 're letting him teach. And look at this. Nobody 403 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:57,280 's 404 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:01,920 stopping him. They know how the rulers feel, 405 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,140 and they are confused. Why don't they stop 406 00:21:06,140 --> 00:21:06,560 Jesus? 407 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,980 Why? Why don't they just tease him right now 408 00:21:09,980 --> 00:21:12,000 and execute him if that's what they want? 409 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,920 I mean, it's from a human's perspective. It's 410 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:16,720 their space. It's their 411 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,560 temple. They're in charge. But look at verse 412 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,760 26. It starts out with them saying, "Look, 413 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:25,260 he is speaking publicly, and they are saying 414 00:21:25,260 --> 00:21:26,800 nothing to him." 415 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:31,900 And we know what he was teaching every time, 416 00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:35,570 all about the kingdom, salvation, sin, 417 00:21:35,570 --> 00:21:36,000 judgment, 418 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,040 righteousness, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and 419 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:42,960 identifying who he is on a regular basis, the 420 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,060 Son of God. Come down from heaven, right? And 421 00:21:46,060 --> 00:21:50,480 here's the Jewish leaders just letting him go 422 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:50,960 on with it. 423 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:54,580 They consider his claims of deity, as you know 424 00:21:54,580 --> 00:21:58,380 , and we've seen this already, absolute blasph 425 00:21:58,380 --> 00:21:58,800 emy. 426 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,490 Why don't they stop him? And then next in 427 00:22:01,490 --> 00:22:03,840 verse 26, look, the thought comes to them. 428 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:07,480 The rulers do not really know that this is the 429 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,160 Christ. Do they? Now, the construction of the 430 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,810 wording here from the original Greek can throw 431 00:22:12,810 --> 00:22:15,600 you off base. What they are really asking, 432 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:16,000 literally, 433 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,480 in the Greek is this. They haven't decided 434 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,010 that he's the Messiah, have they? That's more 435 00:22:22,010 --> 00:22:22,880 the rendering. 436 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:28,250 I mean, again, I never feel like I can convey 437 00:22:28,250 --> 00:22:32,720 this enough or strongly enough. Think about 438 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:36,030 the things they have seen Jesus do. The 439 00:22:36,030 --> 00:22:44,190 miracles work. I've told you many times, it's 440 00:22:44,190 --> 00:22:45,120 just impossible 441 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,540 to be faked. And with Jesus being allowed to 442 00:22:48,540 --> 00:22:52,240 teach, they start to think, I mean, okay, well 443 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:52,640 , here he 444 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,440 is. We've seen all these miracles. Have the 445 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,920 rulers started to decide that maybe he is the 446 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:58,560 Messiah? 447 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,300 Is that why they're letting him teach? But 448 00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:04,160 that thought goes away pretty fast, because 449 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:04,640 look next 450 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:09,010 in verse 27. However, we know where this man 451 00:23:09,010 --> 00:23:12,750 is from. In other words, this can't be the 452 00:23:12,750 --> 00:23:13,920 Messiah. 453 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,240 We know his history. He's the son of the carp 454 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,720 enter named Joseph and his wife, Mary, and of 455 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:19,280 all places 456 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,050 they come from, Nazareth. No Messiah coming 457 00:23:22,050 --> 00:23:24,960 out of that place. This can't be the Messiah. 458 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:25,600 We know him. 459 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:31,180 We know his family. We know his hometown. You 460 00:23:31,180 --> 00:23:34,080 know what this really was? 461 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,730 This thought here was one of the safe zones 462 00:23:37,730 --> 00:23:41,330 that they had in rejecting Jesus. No matter 463 00:23:41,330 --> 00:23:42,480 what he offered, 464 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:48,860 in order to receive the offer that Jesus was 465 00:23:48,860 --> 00:23:53,680 giving, you had to accept the indictment that 466 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:53,920 he 467 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:57,750 made about you. They hated the indictment. Let 468 00:23:57,750 --> 00:24:02,240 me give you an example. In his own hometown, 469 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:06,630 when he told him that they were going to have 470 00:24:06,630 --> 00:24:11,170 to recognize themselves as poor prisoners, 471 00:24:11,170 --> 00:24:11,840 blind, 472 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,380 and oppressed, and headed for judgment, and if 473 00:24:15,380 --> 00:24:18,560 they didn't do that, they'd never be saved. 474 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:20,510 What did they try to do in his own hometown? 475 00:24:20,510 --> 00:24:22,480 They tried to throw him off a cliff and kill 476 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:22,640 him. 477 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,010 They hated the indictment that he made about 478 00:24:26,010 --> 00:24:27,280 their sinfulness. 479 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:29,950 He taught that that day in Nazareth. You can 480 00:24:29,950 --> 00:24:32,240 read about that in Matthew 13. 481 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,380 You remember they said, "Where did he get this 482 00:24:35,380 --> 00:24:38,640 wisdom and miraculous powers and isn't this 483 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:38,800 the 484 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:40,760 carpenter's son and his mother, Mary's 485 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,240 brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, Judas?" You 486 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:45,120 see what it was? 487 00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:49,620 It was the same default response here that it 488 00:24:49,620 --> 00:24:52,000 was in Nazareth. 489 00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:57,490 And as they took offense at Jesus, Jesus gave 490 00:24:57,490 --> 00:25:00,640 that memorable line, and you remember it, 491 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,220 "A prophet is not without honor except in his 492 00:25:04,220 --> 00:25:05,440 own country." 493 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,130 Many a preacher has experienced that in his 494 00:25:09,130 --> 00:25:10,400 own family. 495 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:16,520 They love to fall back on the fact that he can 496 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,660 't be the Messiah because we know where he came 497 00:25:20,660 --> 00:25:20,800 from. 498 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,160 We saw the same thing back in chapter 6 of 499 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,120 John is not Jesus the son of Joseph, 500 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:29,040 who father and mother we know. Remember that? 501 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:33,680 If you look down at verse 41 of this seventh 502 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,870 chapter, let's look at verse 41 through 43. 503 00:25:36,870 --> 00:25:39,480 Still others were saying, "This is the Christ 504 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:39,840 ." 505 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:41,970 Still others were saying, "Surely the Christ 506 00:25:41,970 --> 00:25:44,400 is not going to come from Galilee." Is he? 507 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,270 "Has not the Scripture said that Christ comes 508 00:25:47,270 --> 00:25:49,830 from the descendants of David and from Bethleh 509 00:25:49,830 --> 00:25:50,000 em, 510 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,910 the village where David was?" And verse 43, " 511 00:25:52,910 --> 00:25:57,350 So a division occurred in the crowd because of 512 00:25:57,350 --> 00:25:57,600 him." 513 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:02,340 So this is their confusion. Some thought it 514 00:26:02,340 --> 00:26:05,200 had to be Bethlehem, and they were right. 515 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:08,890 That's Micah 5-2 from the Old Testament. And 516 00:26:08,890 --> 00:26:11,140 guess what they could have done? They could 517 00:26:11,140 --> 00:26:11,280 have 518 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,110 checked the records at the temple. They could 519 00:26:14,110 --> 00:26:17,240 have seen that he actually had been born in 520 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:17,840 Bethlehem, 521 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,290 and they could even check his genealogy at 522 00:26:20,290 --> 00:26:22,800 that point to see that he was definitely in 523 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:23,520 the Davidic 524 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:25,820 line, and actually he was in the Davidic line 525 00:26:25,820 --> 00:26:28,160 on both sides of the family from both Mary and 526 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:28,480 Joseph. 527 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,990 They could have checked that, but they didn't 528 00:26:31,990 --> 00:26:36,830 check it. All they were looking for was 529 00:26:36,830 --> 00:26:37,840 justification 530 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,760 for their rejection of him. You know why? 531 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:46,160 Because he didn't fit their messianic pattern. 532 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,400 And then we get an interesting statement at 533 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,040 the back end of verse 27. They say first, 534 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:54,540 first they say, "However, we know where this 535 00:26:54,540 --> 00:26:55,920 man is from." And then they say this, 536 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,570 "But whenever the Christ may come, no one 537 00:26:59,570 --> 00:27:02,320 knows where he is from." Well, wait a minute. 538 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,300 What about Bethlehem? Well, this is a popular 539 00:27:08,300 --> 00:27:12,480 notion at this time period in Jewish history. 540 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,210 It had developed in Judaism that the Messiah 541 00:27:15,210 --> 00:27:17,760 was actually going to have some kind of really 542 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:20,820 grand entrance into the world. And what it was 543 00:27:20,820 --> 00:27:24,720 was they misinterpreted some passages in Micah 544 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:29,190 and Isaiah that say he would suddenly come to 545 00:27:29,190 --> 00:27:32,720 his temple and who shall declare his 546 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:33,520 generation, 547 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:36,010 in other words, who would know anything about 548 00:27:36,010 --> 00:27:38,240 his family is how they would interpret that. 549 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:40,920 And so those misinterpretations resulted in 550 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:44,000 this notion that Messiah was going to have 551 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:44,400 some kind 552 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:49,190 of supernatural deal at his arrival in the 553 00:27:49,190 --> 00:27:53,040 temple. And at the same time, they wouldn't 554 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:53,440 know it would 555 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,420 just be so sudden and so miraculous they 556 00:27:55,420 --> 00:27:57,900 wouldn't know anything about his family. 557 00:27:57,900 --> 00:27:58,480 People had started 558 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,260 to believe this. And so with Jesus, they 559 00:28:01,260 --> 00:28:05,320 reason, "Well, this can't be him. We know his 560 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:06,160 family. 561 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:10,080 We know he came from Nazareth." Now, the 562 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,920 Jewish leaders could have helped the people. 563 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,320 They knew Messiah was supposed to be born in 564 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:21,360 Bethlehem. The chief's priests and the scribes 565 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:25,000 said as much back in Matthew chapter 2 to hear 566 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,320 it. The records show that Jesus had come from 567 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,630 Bethlehem and the temple records showed that 568 00:28:30,630 --> 00:28:32,560 he was born, as I said, to two Davidic 569 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:33,360 families. 570 00:28:33,360 --> 00:28:36,620 The leaders knew he perfectly fit the Messiah 571 00:28:36,620 --> 00:28:39,760 's credentials, but they conveniently did not 572 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:40,000 want 573 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,780 to help the people with their dilemma. So the 574 00:28:43,780 --> 00:28:48,960 people were in confusion. The leaders are not 575 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,060 about at this point to set the record straight 576 00:28:51,060 --> 00:28:53,120 that Messiah comes from Bethlehem, and they're 577 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:53,360 never 578 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,820 going to say, "Hey, we checked the records, we 579 00:28:55,820 --> 00:28:58,480 checked the genealogy, and Jesus fits the bill 580 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:00,080 all the way down the line." They're never 581 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:01,840 going to say that. Instead, they're just 582 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,450 going to leave the people in confusion. And so 583 00:29:05,450 --> 00:29:09,760 again, the people reason, if he's not the 584 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:10,480 Messiah, 585 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,270 why aren't they arresting him? And at this 586 00:29:16,270 --> 00:29:22,400 point, next, verse 28, it gets real dramatic. 587 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:29,030 Verse 28 starts out, "Then Jesus cried out in 588 00:29:29,030 --> 00:29:34,000 the temple." This is why expository preaching 589 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,790 is so important. You have to understand that 590 00:29:37,790 --> 00:29:43,230 phrase cried out in the Greek. That phrase 591 00:29:43,230 --> 00:29:44,640 means he is 592 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,540 yelling at the top of his voice, what he's 593 00:29:48,540 --> 00:29:52,160 fixing to say yet, as loud as he, he did this 594 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:52,720 four times 595 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,860 in the New Testament, yelled at the top of his 596 00:29:55,860 --> 00:29:59,280 voice. It's a very strong word for yelling. 597 00:29:59,280 --> 00:29:59,440 There's 598 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,750 only one that is stronger and Jesus used it 599 00:30:02,750 --> 00:30:06,320 only one time, a stronger crying out even than 600 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:06,720 this on 601 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,830 the cross as he gave up his life. Incredibly, 602 00:30:09,830 --> 00:30:12,800 he had enough strength to cry out on the cross 603 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:12,800 , 604 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,760 even louder than he did in the temple this day 605 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,790 , because as he said, "No man takes his life 606 00:30:18,790 --> 00:30:20,080 from 607 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:24,400 him," but he gave it up by himself. So here 608 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:29,600 though, in verse 28, "Jesus," imagine this 609 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:29,920 picture, 610 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:32,490 he's in the courtyard, it's packed with people 611 00:30:32,490 --> 00:30:34,840 , packed with Jewish religious leaders, the 612 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:35,280 courtyard 613 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:39,150 of the Gentiles, and he yells at the top of 614 00:30:39,150 --> 00:30:43,200 his voice in the middle of all these people 615 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,450 and the Pharisees and all of the scribes and 616 00:30:45,450 --> 00:30:48,000 all those there. It says teaching and saying, 617 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,980 "You both know me and know where I'm from, and 618 00:30:51,980 --> 00:30:56,090 I have not come of myself, but he who sent me 619 00:30:56,090 --> 00:30:56,400 is 620 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:01,060 true, whom you do not know," to the top of his 621 00:31:01,060 --> 00:31:05,680 lungs. Imagine that, imagine that scene. 622 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:11,130 And what Jesus is really getting at here is, 623 00:31:11,130 --> 00:31:16,400 yeah, you know me and you know where I'm from. 624 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:24,260 That's what you think, but you really don't 625 00:31:24,260 --> 00:31:26,240 know me. 626 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:30,700 You don't really know who's standing in front 627 00:31:30,700 --> 00:31:35,200 of you right now in this temple courtyard. 628 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,010 The very idea that in your confusion and unbel 629 00:31:39,010 --> 00:31:42,800 ief that you really know me is ridiculous. 630 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,970 You don't know where I'm from and you don't 631 00:31:46,970 --> 00:31:48,160 know who sent me. 632 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:53,090 Later at the end of John chapter 8, verse 19, 633 00:31:53,090 --> 00:31:58,260 he says to them, "You know neither me nor my 634 00:31:58,260 --> 00:31:58,800 father." 635 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:03,920 You don't know anything really about me. Yeah, 636 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:08,320 oh yeah, you know that I'm from a family in 637 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:09,200 Nazareth. 638 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,700 You know I'm from Galilee. You may know about 639 00:32:11,700 --> 00:32:14,400 my public deeds and my miracles. You may have 640 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:19,460 heard my words, but you really have no idea 641 00:32:19,460 --> 00:32:25,000 who I really am. And you have no idea who sent 642 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:25,360 me. 643 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:32,210 And you have no knowledge of the one that you 644 00:32:32,210 --> 00:32:34,000 claim to know. 645 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:38,210 Remember later in John 8, he says, "Why do you 646 00:32:38,210 --> 00:32:41,280 not understand what I am saying? It's because 647 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:41,680 you 648 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:44,970 can't hear my word. You can't understand that 649 00:32:44,970 --> 00:32:47,680 you are of your father the devil." He told 650 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:47,840 them 651 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:54,360 right to their face. Now listen, knowing some 652 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:59,280 details and some external things about Jesus 653 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:03,560 is really to know nothing about really knowing 654 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:08,560 him. Okay? To know some of his history, 655 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,680 to know his stories, to have this kind of CNN 656 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:14,850 finding Jesus kind of knowledge about Jesus 657 00:33:14,850 --> 00:33:15,040 means 658 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,100 you're still needing to look for him because 659 00:33:18,100 --> 00:33:22,640 you don't really know him. Not in the way that 660 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:22,960 counts 661 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:28,690 forever. So Jesus is saying here in verse 28, 662 00:33:28,690 --> 00:33:32,540 "You don't know anything about God." For this 663 00:33:32,540 --> 00:33:32,960 whole 664 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,970 crowd, religious leaders and people, what an 665 00:33:35,970 --> 00:33:40,400 indictment of Israel. He's standing in the 666 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:40,720 midst 667 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,430 of a people destroyed for a lack of knowledge, 668 00:33:45,430 --> 00:33:52,960 just like here in America. The vast majority 669 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,300 of Americans can right now tell you stories 670 00:33:56,300 --> 00:33:59,800 about Jesus and they could be right about them 671 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:00,160 . 672 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:07,080 Bibles saturate this nation. Churches are 673 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:11,760 everywhere. Sometimes I'm in 12 different 674 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,470 towns in one day on Thursdays when I deliver. 675 00:34:14,470 --> 00:34:16,800 Every single town I ever go into has churches, 676 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:21,440 more than one. It's not an exaggeration to say 677 00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:30,340 that the vast majority of Americans do not 678 00:34:30,340 --> 00:34:33,600 know Jesus savingly. 679 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:39,820 Jesus says, "You don't know me and you don't 680 00:34:39,820 --> 00:34:43,090 know the one who sent me." And then in verse 681 00:34:43,090 --> 00:34:43,520 29, 682 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:51,090 he says, "I know him because I am from him and 683 00:34:51,090 --> 00:34:55,600 he sent me." And as you know, 684 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:58,410 the people prided themselves on being the 685 00:34:58,410 --> 00:35:02,560 people of God who knew God and here's Jesus in 686 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:03,920 the temple, 687 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:09,430 teaching, saying, "You don't know God." Do you 688 00:35:09,430 --> 00:35:14,800 realize just from the human perspective down 689 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:15,200 here 690 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:20,940 in Responsibility Land how bold it is of Jesus 691 00:35:20,940 --> 00:35:24,400 to do this in the middle of this crowd of 692 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:25,360 lifelong 693 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:29,090 Jewish people and even leaders? What a man was 694 00:35:29,090 --> 00:35:31,520 the God man when he was here. 695 00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:36,460 He made it clear to them back in chapter 5, " 696 00:35:36,460 --> 00:35:40,640 If you don't honor me, you don't honor the 697 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:41,280 Father." 698 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,480 Deity alert! Just as an aside, that means I'm 699 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:46,160 God. 700 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:50,600 These people are confused about who Jesus is 701 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:54,880 just like the majority of our nation is. 702 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:58,690 They say they know Jesus, but they don't. They 703 00:35:58,690 --> 00:36:01,520 don't know the Father who sent him. 704 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:06,260 And that's a frightening position folks to be 705 00:36:06,260 --> 00:36:09,200 in because there will come a time 706 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:14,650 when they will seek to know him and he will 707 00:36:14,650 --> 00:36:19,760 not be available and they will be shut out of 708 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:20,080 heaven 709 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,530 forever. Confusion is not the place to be when 710 00:36:24,530 --> 00:36:28,590 it comes to Jesus. And that's where the people 711 00:36:28,590 --> 00:36:28,720 are 712 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:31,200 here in this text. And next we go from these 713 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:33,840 people's confusion to the ruler's rejection, 714 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:37,220 point two. They see nothing but blasphemy in 715 00:36:37,220 --> 00:36:40,240 Jesus and they now know that the people are 716 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:41,120 expecting 717 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:46,110 them to act. They know that we can't let him 718 00:36:46,110 --> 00:36:50,480 keep doing this. And remember there are many 719 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:50,720 in the 720 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:53,000 crowd who said you have a demon. Remember we 721 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:55,410 looked at that and they wanted the leaders to 722 00:36:55,410 --> 00:36:55,920 act. So 723 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:59,150 they need to act before Jesus has some kind of 724 00:36:59,150 --> 00:37:02,720 positive effect here in verse 30. So they were 725 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:04,960 seeking to seize him and no man laid a hand on 726 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,310 him. They tried to do that back in chapter 727 00:37:07,310 --> 00:37:07,680 five if 728 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:09,120 you remember. They wanted to do it at the 729 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:10,720 start of this chapter. There's a bunch of 730 00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:11,280 people in this 731 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:15,610 crowd that want the leaders to do something, 732 00:37:15,610 --> 00:37:19,910 but no man lays a hand on him. Nobody touches 733 00:37:19,910 --> 00:37:20,160 him. 734 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:25,620 Now why would that be the case? Well, look at 735 00:37:25,620 --> 00:37:29,120 it two ways. If you try to look at it from 736 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:29,600 just a 737 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,660 human perspective, you could understand. This 738 00:37:33,660 --> 00:37:37,680 is like nobody we ever met. This dude got some 739 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:38,000 power. 740 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,910 I mean, think about, we watched him have 741 00:37:40,910 --> 00:37:45,760 supernatural powers over the demons. I mean, 742 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:48,270 that means he probably has pretty supernatural 743 00:37:48,270 --> 00:37:52,410 power over us. He also had supernatural power 744 00:37:52,410 --> 00:37:52,640 over 745 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,960 all disease. I mean, there had to be a measure 746 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:59,280 of fear, right? And also because of the way he 747 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:03,140 operated. Also because of the way he spoke. I 748 00:38:03,140 --> 00:38:08,000 mean, just think about it folks. Whenever 749 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:08,400 Jesus 750 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,780 rolled up on any situation, there just 751 00:38:11,780 --> 00:38:15,070 instantly had to be an overwhelming, no matter 752 00:38:15,070 --> 00:38:15,680 even you 753 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,910 thought he was a blasphemer, he commanded 754 00:38:18,910 --> 00:38:22,240 respect because he's God in human flesh. 755 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,610 And just his countenance, much less the things 756 00:38:27,610 --> 00:38:30,560 that he said. And so those things may give us 757 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,830 some human explanations, but we don't get that 758 00:38:33,830 --> 00:38:37,600 in the Bible. We only get the divine 759 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:39,120 explanation. 760 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:42,880 The reason no man laid hands on him to arrest 761 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:47,600 him is next in verse 30, because his hour had 762 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:48,640 not yet 763 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:54,200 come. Big picture. They were restrained by the 764 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:58,880 sovereign, invisible hand of God. And again, 765 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:00,440 I refer you, if you're struggling with 766 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,440 sovereignty and responsibility, Jesus knew 767 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:03,680 this. 768 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:06,040 He knew this wasn't the weekend, but yet he 769 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:08,160 was very careful about coming down in the 770 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:08,480 middle 771 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,020 of the week and didn't go with the family 772 00:39:10,020 --> 00:39:12,000 sovereignty and responsibility right there. 773 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,720 But I already preached that. They couldn't act 774 00:39:15,720 --> 00:39:18,880 , folks, big picture because they were under 775 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:19,040 the 776 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:22,730 divine control of God himself. And God himself 777 00:39:22,730 --> 00:39:26,000 was working through their willing choices, but 778 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:26,240 make 779 00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:28,900 no mistake from the sovereign perspective, he 780 00:39:28,900 --> 00:39:31,680 was controlling everything just like he does 781 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:36,040 everything else in the universe every single 782 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,320 day. Redemptive history is planned by God 783 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:43,970 and executed by God. And it all happens 784 00:39:43,970 --> 00:39:48,240 according to his purpose and his divine 785 00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:50,610 timetable, just like the day you and I came to 786 00:39:50,610 --> 00:39:52,000 faith in Jesus Christ. 787 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:55,000 Think of it. We've read it already multiple 788 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,220 times. They were determined to kill him. He's 789 00:39:58,220 --> 00:39:58,480 in the 790 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:01,210 temple. The people are right now in real time 791 00:40:01,210 --> 00:40:03,040 being persuaded by him and yet 792 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:08,500 by invisible restraint from above. They can't 793 00:40:08,500 --> 00:40:10,640 even move forward. They can't even lean their 794 00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:10,960 head 795 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:14,500 toward it. Not a hair of his head could be 796 00:40:14,500 --> 00:40:19,600 touched at this point because God was not yet 797 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:20,000 ready for 798 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:24,550 that to happen. So they are paralyzed. Next, 799 00:40:24,550 --> 00:40:28,480 the stakes start to get a little higher. Look 800 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:28,800 at verse 801 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:32,190 31. But many of the crowd believed in him and 802 00:40:32,190 --> 00:40:35,120 they were saying when the Christ comes, he 803 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:35,440 will not 804 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,270 perform more signs than those which this man 805 00:40:39,270 --> 00:40:43,280 has, will he? Looks like many in the crowd are 806 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:43,600 starting 807 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:46,870 to lean a certain direction. In the midst of 808 00:40:46,870 --> 00:40:50,160 their confusion, they start to think about, 809 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:54,130 wait a minute, maybe he is the Messiah. I mean 810 00:40:54,130 --> 00:40:57,920 , after all, will anybody ever do more 811 00:40:57,920 --> 00:40:59,830 miracles than this guy has done that we've 812 00:40:59,830 --> 00:41:02,080 watched over the last three years? And in 813 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:04,620 reality, they had never known anybody that had 814 00:41:04,620 --> 00:41:06,080 done any miracles ever. 815 00:41:08,720 --> 00:41:12,250 So they are believing, but what kind of belief 816 00:41:12,250 --> 00:41:14,960 is it? Well, I think it's probably a mixed bag 817 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:15,040 in 818 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:16,650 that big old crowd. I think there were those 819 00:41:16,650 --> 00:41:18,400 who believed because of the miracles, like the 820 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:18,560 ones 821 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:21,000 we studied in chapter 2, like the disciples 822 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:23,200 who followed for a little bit of a time and 823 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:23,360 then 824 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:25,770 eventually they left. And then I think there 825 00:41:25,770 --> 00:41:28,400 were some in this crowd who genuinely believed 826 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:28,960 , not many. 827 00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:32,840 But the leaders, of course, just like us today 828 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,560 , can only see belief from the outside and they 829 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:38,700 get very concerned because many in the crowd 830 00:41:38,700 --> 00:41:40,240 are starting to buy in the fact 831 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:43,440 that he might actually be the Messiah. Think 832 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:47,040 about all those miracles we saw, verse 32. 833 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:52,000 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these 834 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,080 things about him. In our language, 835 00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:56,360 this thing is starting to get trending in the 836 00:41:56,360 --> 00:42:00,800 crowd. And for these Pharisees, they're 837 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:01,440 realizing, 838 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:05,770 hey, this thing can get out of control quick 839 00:42:05,770 --> 00:42:09,760 if this belief continues to grow. So it says, 840 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:13,170 next in verse 32, "And the chief priests and 841 00:42:13,170 --> 00:42:16,080 the Pharisees sent officers to seize him." 842 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:21,540 The temple police are dispatched. Go arrest 843 00:42:21,540 --> 00:42:25,120 him. And you remember last time we looked at 844 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:25,280 what 845 00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:27,930 happened. We looked ahead. The temple police 846 00:42:27,930 --> 00:42:30,480 came back, no Jesus. And when they said, what 847 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:30,960 is y'all's 848 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:34,360 deal? Why didn't you arrest him and bring him 849 00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:38,000 back? What did they say? No man speaks the way 850 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:38,240 this 851 00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:40,570 man speaks. And we're going to get to that 852 00:42:40,570 --> 00:42:43,400 next time we're here in John the Lord willing. 853 00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:44,160 But verse 854 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:48,810 33, Jesus speaks. Now, you can't know this for 855 00:42:48,810 --> 00:42:52,400 sure. Might have been to everybody. Might have 856 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:54,060 been to the temple police. Might have been to 857 00:42:54,060 --> 00:42:55,920 just the leaders. I can't know this for sure. 858 00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:01,480 It seems to me in the context here that this 859 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:03,920 is the people in general 860 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:06,830 and the rulers based on what is said in verse 861 00:43:06,830 --> 00:43:09,920 35 about the Jews responding. But let's just 862 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:10,080 stay 863 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:14,480 here in verse 33. "Therefore, Jesus said, for 864 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:19,680 a little while longer I am with you. Then I go 865 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:19,840 to 866 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:24,750 him who sent me." Now, think about that. There 867 00:43:24,750 --> 00:43:29,360 's a certain sadness, isn't there, in that 868 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:30,080 statement. 869 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:34,460 Considering who Jesus really is, the creator 870 00:43:34,460 --> 00:43:38,160 of the universe, standing right in front of me 871 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:38,160 , 872 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:41,590 he's saying, "Hey, it's not going to be long. 873 00:43:41,590 --> 00:43:46,480 I'm going to be gone. I came here on a divine 874 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:46,960 mission 875 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:48,750 from heaven to die for sinners and soon I'm 876 00:43:48,750 --> 00:43:51,440 going to be out of here. I'm going to be out 877 00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:51,680 of your 878 00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:54,570 lives. Soon you're not going to have to worry 879 00:43:54,570 --> 00:43:59,280 about dealing with me at all." So this takes 880 00:43:59,280 --> 00:43:59,360 us 881 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:01,120 from the people's confusion to the leader's 882 00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:03,080 rejection in our last point of the day, the 883 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:03,360 Savior's 884 00:44:03,360 --> 00:44:08,880 exclusion. He says, "I'm not going to be here 885 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:14,160 long." There's a certain loneliness in that, 886 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:18,300 isn't there, sorrow. And here's the reality. 887 00:44:18,300 --> 00:44:23,200 There's only six months left at this point 888 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:29,070 that the world will have God incarnate in it, 889 00:44:29,070 --> 00:44:35,840 God in human flesh, the Son of God walking in 890 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:36,080 the 891 00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:41,030 world and loving a world that hates his guts, 892 00:44:41,030 --> 00:44:46,320 loving a nation that hates his guts, his own 893 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:46,720 people. 894 00:44:46,720 --> 00:44:51,280 He's just months away from returning to the 895 00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:56,080 one who sent him, he says. And what is truly 896 00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:56,560 sad, 897 00:44:56,560 --> 00:45:00,850 verse 34 again, where he says, "You will seek 898 00:45:00,850 --> 00:45:06,370 me and will not find me and where I am you 899 00:45:06,370 --> 00:45:07,120 cannot come." 900 00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:11,220 40 years later from recorded history, the 901 00:45:11,220 --> 00:45:14,510 Romans came and sacked Jerusalem, an 902 00:45:14,510 --> 00:45:16,800 unbelievable massacre. 903 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:18,710 When Brother John Green was here, he took us 904 00:45:18,710 --> 00:45:20,830 through on Sunday nights, this great history. 905 00:45:20,830 --> 00:45:20,880 He 906 00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:24,530 did all this research from Josephus about the 907 00:45:24,530 --> 00:45:28,720 unbelievable, horrible slaughter. Josephus 908 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:32,030 estimates a million, definitely in the 909 00:45:32,030 --> 00:45:35,200 hundreds of thousands of Jews that starved to 910 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:35,760 death and 911 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:38,260 were slaughtered and killed in the siege and 912 00:45:38,260 --> 00:45:40,960 the raising of Jerusalem. Makes you wonder 913 00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:46,270 if the people who heard what Jesus said that 914 00:45:46,270 --> 00:45:49,040 very day and were still alive in that 915 00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:49,760 generation when 916 00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:54,000 the Romans came thought about seeking him, but 917 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:57,600 no longer being able to find him as the Romans 918 00:45:57,600 --> 00:45:57,760 were 919 00:45:57,760 --> 00:46:00,520 slaughtering him because he's gone. He told 920 00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:03,010 them, "I'm not going to be here long. I'm 921 00:46:03,010 --> 00:46:03,520 going to be gone. 922 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:05,890 You're not going to be able to find me." The 923 00:46:05,890 --> 00:46:12,240 miracle worker was gone, just like he said. 924 00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:17,520 And then, as I said, this is certainly true 925 00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:20,000 after death. 926 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:24,960 That's part of what hell is, 927 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:31,840 seeking what you will never find forever. 928 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:37,840 Again, lastly, verse 34, "And where I am going 929 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:37,840 , 930 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:39,960 you cannot come." And what he means is, "I'm 931 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:42,320 going to the Father. I came down from heaven. 932 00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:45,110 I'm going back to heaven. You will never go to 933 00:46:45,110 --> 00:46:49,390 heaven. You reject me. You call me a blasph 934 00:46:49,390 --> 00:46:50,240 emer." 935 00:46:50,240 --> 00:46:55,590 Heaven is not for everybody. It's only for 936 00:46:55,590 --> 00:46:59,830 those who come to Jesus Christ on his terms 937 00:46:59,830 --> 00:47:00,240 according 938 00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:04,720 to his definition of what saving faith is. And 939 00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:07,840 then here's proof of the unbelief. The Jews 940 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:08,080 just 941 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:10,480 mock him. Look, verse 35, "The Jews then said 942 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:12,480 to one another, 'Where does this man intend to 943 00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:12,800 go 944 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:14,550 that we will not find him?'" He is not int 945 00:47:14,550 --> 00:47:16,680 ending to go to the dispersion among the Greeks 946 00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:16,960 and teach 947 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:20,080 the Greeks, is he? This is a joke. He's not 948 00:47:20,080 --> 00:47:22,960 going to leave and go out and talk to the Jews 949 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:23,600 dispersed 950 00:47:23,600 --> 00:47:26,580 out there in the Gentile world and maybe even 951 00:47:26,580 --> 00:47:29,680 talk to Gentiles, is he? God forbid, what an 952 00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:30,160 absolute 953 00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:35,710 horror that he might talk to a Gentile that he 954 00:47:35,710 --> 00:47:40,080 mocked with scorn the Son of God standing 955 00:47:40,080 --> 00:47:40,240 right 956 00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:43,550 in front of him. And it's all based on 957 00:47:43,550 --> 00:47:47,650 ignorance and willful, willful rejection. As I 958 00:47:47,650 --> 00:47:49,680 've said before, 959 00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:54,130 think about this. Can you imagine being one of 960 00:47:54,130 --> 00:47:57,760 the Jewish leaders who lived at that time, 961 00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:02,650 who publicly treated God incarnate this way 962 00:48:02,650 --> 00:48:07,600 when he was here and then having to live the 963 00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:08,080 rest of 964 00:48:08,080 --> 00:48:10,910 eternity out knowing you did that in your life 965 00:48:10,910 --> 00:48:16,120 forever in hell? They're thinking about it 966 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:17,280 right now. 967 00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:21,040 And it seems what he said in verse 33 must 968 00:48:21,040 --> 00:48:24,160 have gotten to them because, look, again, 969 00:48:24,160 --> 00:48:25,900 I was pointing this out in the beginning, look 970 00:48:25,900 --> 00:48:27,840 at verse 36, what is this statement that he 971 00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:28,320 said, 972 00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:30,570 'You will seek me and you will not find me for 973 00:48:30,570 --> 00:48:32,800 where I am. You cannot come.' They done 974 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:33,280 mentioned it 975 00:48:33,280 --> 00:48:37,970 twice now. So it's heavy on their mind. That 976 00:48:37,970 --> 00:48:42,320 statement applies to both the confused and the 977 00:48:42,320 --> 00:48:44,340 rejection because at the end of the day, as I 978 00:48:44,340 --> 00:48:46,560 said, there's no difference at the end of the 979 00:48:46,560 --> 00:48:46,800 day. 980 00:48:46,800 --> 00:48:50,400 Whether you reject Christ out of confusion or 981 00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:54,000 you reject Christ out of your hatred for him, 982 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:58,590 the end game is the same. This is a warning 983 00:48:58,590 --> 00:49:02,160 right here. Not only for those people of this 984 00:49:02,160 --> 00:49:02,320 day, 985 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:04,630 but for the rest of the world. And it's 986 00:49:04,630 --> 00:49:07,140 written down in a book for all the people for 987 00:49:07,140 --> 00:49:07,520 the rest 988 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:11,210 of history to read. What was said that day, 989 00:49:11,210 --> 00:49:14,120 what went down that day is a matter of 990 00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:15,520 absolute history. 991 00:49:16,080 --> 00:49:21,440 And we've been reading about it ever since. 992 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:22,880 Don't you know, for most Americans who die, 993 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:27,940 Americans rejecting Christ, having lived out 994 00:49:27,940 --> 00:49:31,920 their life in the most gospel-saturated nation 995 00:49:31,920 --> 00:49:35,300 in the history of humanity, don't you know 996 00:49:35,300 --> 00:49:38,400 that Jesus is on their mind from the first 997 00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:40,940 moment they go into outer darkness? That's the 998 00:49:40,940 --> 00:49:43,840 first thing they think about. I rejected him. 999 00:49:44,800 --> 00:49:46,910 He gave me this life to believe in him and I 1000 00:49:46,910 --> 00:49:49,700 rejected him. And they never stopped thinking 1001 00:49:49,700 --> 00:49:50,000 about 1002 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:55,340 mind-boggling thought. That's why this same 1003 00:49:55,340 --> 00:50:00,160 book right here says, "Seek the Lord 1004 00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:03,250 while he may be found." That's what you need 1005 00:50:03,250 --> 00:50:07,280 to tell people. Let's pray. Father, we thank 1006 00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:07,440 you 1007 00:50:08,240 --> 00:50:16,130 for your word-overwhelming task to preach the 1008 00:50:16,130 --> 00:50:18,880 very words and actions of Jesus when 1009 00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:22,460 he was here. But what glory there is in it. I 1010 00:50:22,460 --> 00:50:24,480 certainly don't deserve such a wonderful 1011 00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:24,960 privilege 1012 00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:27,440 to be able to preach the very words of Jesus, 1013 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:30,080 but you have to have a preacher. So thank you, 1014 00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:33,370 Lord, for allowing me to preach this message. 1015 00:50:33,370 --> 00:50:36,480 It is such a weighty, weighty, weighty matter. 1016 00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:40,080 Please help this message to not only deepen 1017 00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:43,200 our understanding of who Christ is, 1018 00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:47,020 but also to give us the courage to tell the 1019 00:50:47,020 --> 00:50:51,280 story of Jesus and his gospel to those who so 1020 00:50:51,280 --> 00:50:53,820 desperately need to hear it. We pray that all 1021 00:50:53,820 --> 00:50:56,220 that we've done in this church, your church 1022 00:50:56,220 --> 00:50:56,800 today, 1023 00:50:56,800 --> 00:51:00,160 has brought you maximum glory. In Jesus' name 1024 00:51:00,160 --> 00:51:01,600 we pray. Amen.