This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:00] I invite you to grab a Bible and open it with me to the gospel of John. And if you've been coming to our church this school year, this has become a familiar thing for us to do here on Sunday morning, because we've been going through this gospel ever since. Basically, schools started and this is our thirty fourth sermon from the Gospel of John. We're in Chapter twelve now, and I've got to go to a fellowship group, a new group. We started here at the church group I hadn't been to before, and I was really encouraged by how seriously people were taking the sermons. They showed up at the group, they had notes, they had the questions even answered on the back. They were ready to discuss them. In fact, I met a man at our church who has every sermon from the Gospel of John in a notebook that he had with them, like he really wanted to study this book. And I hope that you have enjoyed our study of the Gospel of John. I've definitely enjoyed our study this year of it. And we're going to continue studying. And after a break for the summer, we'll get to Chapter 13. But once we get to Chapter 13, everything changes. It's Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper in the upper room there. And it's more Jesus instructing his disciples how to live for him. And really, the tone. The theme of these first 12 chapters has been Jesus talking to the crowds and encouraging them to believe in him. And so a lot of these sermons have been evangelistic, calling people to believe in Jesus. And we're really now kind of leaving that season in the Gospel of John behind. We just have one more sermon after this and then we'll be done for our summer break. And so go to with me to John, Chapter 20. And let's just start where it all began here. When we began this book, we did a sermon. Even the demons believe anybody here for that. Anybody remember when we did that a long time ago now? Yeah. One person remembers. Thanks. Thanks, Chase. I like I like that. But yeah, we started with this John Chapter 20, verse 30 and 31, where John says, here's why I wrote this book. And this has been our theme really all year long. It says now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples miracles, things that point to God that he is got, which are not written in this book. But these signs are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. So that's been our theme. We're preaching the signs, the miracles, the things that Jesus did. We're calling people to believe to be saved by Jesus, to be born again. And once you believe in Jesus, you have this life, this life of the age to come, this eternal kind of life. And we've had little glimpses of who Jesus is. And we've been able to peel back the wallpaper a little bit of space and time and see the glory of God that is outside of the universe that we live in. And so we've been working on that. But a lot of the sermons have been to people who don't believe calling them to believe in Jesus Christ. And personally, I don't ever get tired of these sermons. And I hope you don't, too, because even if you do believe in Jesus Christ, what could be closer to the heart of God than the salvation of souls? Right. And so I hope that's something we're always about. And we just now we come to kind of the end of our emphasis on the evangelistic part of the gospel of John. And so go to Chapter 12 with me and we'll read now are text and you'll see that just like we're running out of time to preach through this book because because we're coming to the end of it.

[00:03:39] The offer of salvation, the offer to believe in Jesus, the offer to live forever with Jesus in heaven. It's an offer that's available only for a limited time. Read it with me here in John. Chapter twelve, verse twenty nine to thirty six is our text. Please follow along with me as I read. And if you're just joining us and you've missed a lot of this gospel, this will catch you up right here today because it's got some of the main themes. John, 12 verse twenty nine. The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel has spoken to him. And Jesus answered, The voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now, while the ruler of this world be cast out and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show about what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him. We have heard from the law that that Christ remains forever. How can you say that the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of man? So Jesus said to them, the light is among you.

[00:04:51] For a little while longer.

[00:04:55] Walk while you have the light. Less darkness. Overtake you. And the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. And when Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

[00:05:20] Now, if you have our handout for today's sermon, you'll see we're gonna go through two parts, two points here. And I just want to say that these two points we're gonna go through. Go right over the head of the crowd the Jesus is talking to here in John Twelve. So I hope they don't go over our heads this morning. But I think that this crowd here and John has shown us this time and time again. He likes to use this irony when he's writing. He likes to show us that people are completely missing the point of what Jesus is saying.

[00:05:50] And if you look back at verse 28, Jesus had just prayed, father, glorify your name. And a voice came from heaven. The father answered Jesus, saying, I have glorified it and I will glorify it again. So we get a moment here where we hear a voice from heaven. The father speaking to the son. And this happened when he got baptized. This happened when he got transfigured and glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration. And here now, a third time, we have the father speaking to the son so others can hear. And what is the response of the crowd who hears this voice from heaven? Well, some say it thundered. That's what it says in verse twenty nine. Oh, hear that thunder. Some say, wow, an angel has spoken to him. Wrong answers, my friends. They completely miss what's going on. He says, Father, glorify your name. And right then a voice comes from heaven. Who might it be? I have glorified it. I will glorify it again. Now we're used to at this point in the Gospel of John, people missing the point. But then Jesus says something that's confusing a little bit. Verse 30, Jesus answered. This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Okay. How could the voice come for the sake of the crowd? Who doesn't even understand who the voice is?

[00:07:13] So when he says, for your sake, who is Jesus talking to? Is he talking to the people that are right there that day? Or might he be talking over their heads to a future audience who might be reading his words? Might he be talking straight to us? You know, sometimes Jesus does. This gives a little wink and he gives a little head nod and he lets, you know, am talking to you out there. Huntington Beach, 2016. Right. Like at the end of the great commission, he says, I'll be with you always. Even to the end of the what end of the age was anybody who was there hearing his voice going to still be around at the end of the age?

[00:07:49] Who's he talking to? Stuck at a future disciples.

[00:07:53] In fact, John, 17, verse 20. He says, I don't just pray for these disciples. I pray for those who will believe in me through the word of these disciples. He's praying for future disciples. He's praying for us. And I think this is a passage as we come now to the end of this kind of evangelistic section of the gospel of John. I think that Jesus is kind of giving us a wink and a head, not any saying, hey, this is for your sake. This is for your sake, that the father made it very clear that he will glorify himself through the death of his son, Jesus Christ on the cross, and Jesus says a key phrase throughout, John, that he's going to be lifted up. He says that in verse 32, lifted up. And this is something the crowd does understand. They know that means what kind of death he's going to die. The kind of death on a cross. And they're immediately confused about that because they're thinking that Jesus is going to be the king. They're thinking Jesus is the son of man, as it says. And Daniel seven, 13 to 14, the one who comes riding on the clouds, who has a reign that lasts forever and all peoples come under his dominion. And so how could the king who's going to reign forever die on a cross? Who's that son of man? That's our question.

[00:09:09] Once again, missing the point of what's going on. And then Jesus says, hey, do you guys realize you just have the light for a little while?

[00:09:17] You've got a chance to believe for just a little while. And then the lights gone and the darkness overtakes you. And you might think, oh, he's giving the pitch to the crowd. He wants people to believe in him right then and there. No. As soon as he says you've got the light for just a little while, it says he disappears and they don't see him again. He's gone. So I don't think Jesus is necessarily talking to the crowd that was there on that day. I think this is a passage where Jesus is speaking straight to the crowd that's here on this day, right here, right now, us. And he saying to us, hey, I want you to know that when I died, I got glorified. And when I when I'm lifted up from the earth, Jesus gives us three things that happened when he died for us, for our sin on the cross. Point number one, let's get it like this. Let's get specific concerning the cross. Okay. Let's get specific. Concerning the cross. Now, hopefully you've heard and you know that Jesus died for you. You had a big problem. God's holy. You're not. Therefore, you can't go into the presence of God. Jesus comes down lives holy, which you couldn't do. He does what we failed to do. He lives the perfect life. And then he offers himself as a sacrifice for our place. Now we're teaching that in the kids ministry. Hopefully you know it. But I would also appreciate it if we could all agree that we don't really know at all. And we can we not be know at all here at CompassHB Bible Church. OK. Last thing we need is people who start zone and out of sermons because all this is another sermon about Jesus dying for me. Yeah, I know all about Jesus dying for me.

[00:10:48] Really. You know all the implications of the cross of Jesus Christ. You've plummeted down to the full depths of his sacrifice for your sin.

[00:10:59] So I don't I don't think we're ever gonna get tired. I hope not. Or we're ever going to get to the end of learning about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel of the Gospel is old news to you then. That's bad news for you, my friend.

[00:11:14] Because it doesn't get any better than this. And if you're over it, we ain't got something else to bring along. All right.

[00:11:21] This is what we're all about. And when Jesus says, look at it in verse 31 and 32, he says, well, when I am lifted up from the air, three things. Now is the judgment of this world. Now, will the ruler of this world be cast out? And when I am lifted up from the air and will draw all people to myself. So he talks about dying through this phrase of being lifted up. And that's a very unique phrase to get to the gospel of John. Go back to Chapter three. Let's start with that. What is Jesus mean? Because in Gospel of John, it talks about the cross like being lifted up. Go to John chapter three, verse 14, the first time it uses this word, this phrase of being lifted up. So it's a unique way that John writes about the cross. Lift it up. What does that mean? Well, here we start to understand. And John, chapter three, verse 14, he gives us an Old Testament comparison to what he's going to do. You might be familiar with John 316, but right before that, in verse 14, it says, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up. And then when the son of man is lifted up, whoever believes in him may have eternal life. So what does it mean for the son of man to be lifted up? Well, here's an Old Testament comparison, and you can write down the passage numbers 21 versus 49. And we did a whole sermon on this here at the church lifted up. Was he to die? Was a Good Friday service from John Chapter three. It's on the back. You could find it on our Web site. And we told the story of numbers 21. And this is the people of Israel and the Old Testament being led through the wilderness. And they begin to complain and grumble and give kind of an are we there yet? And what do we have to eat on this trip through the wilderness? And they start complaining to God about how he's leading them. And he brings among them a bunch of fiery. What does anybody know? Snakes and these snakes start biting the people of Israel. And they're called fiery serpents because we think that when the snake bites you, the poison that comes into you and kills you, it feels like you're on fire. It feels like your body is in flames because there's poison just comes upon you and kills you.

[00:13:34] That's the idea, we think.

[00:13:36] And so all of a sudden now, because they complained against a holy God and they sinned, they're being judged and they're being bitten by snakes and they're dying, and Moses goes and he gets a serpent, a bronze serpent, and he puts it up on the pole. And the idea is, even if you've been bitten, even if you're in the process of dying, if you look at the bronze serpent on the pole, you will live.

[00:13:59] And Jesus says, just like in the Old Testament, they had to look at this serpent and then they were saved and then they lived. So I will be lifted up. And whoever believes in me, whoever looks to me, they're on the cross dying for your sin. That person will live.

[00:14:14] Just because you see him on the cross and you believe in him by faith, that's where life, salvation from a fiery death comes from. Faith in Jesus on the cross next to John 828.

[00:14:25] Here's another place where it talks about being lifted up. And this is why I would argue another reason why Jesus wasn't just speaking to the crowd there in his day, but he's speaking to the crowd in our day because look what it says here in John, chapter eight, verse 28, in response to the fact that the people can't understand Jesus. He said to them, When you have lifted up the son of man when translation when you have killed me on the cross, then you will know that I am he. OK. When we study the Gospel of John together, when Jesus says I am well, who is he comparing himself to? He is comparing himself to God, the father who said to the people of Israel in Exodus 314, I am that I am. He's claiming to be God. And he's saying, hey, you're not fully understanding it now, but after you have lifted up the son of man, then you will be able to understand who I really am. So it's after he is lifted up that Jesus knows people like us because John understood what Jesus was saying, maybe not even the moment, but later. And he wrote it down so that you and I could hear the words of Jesus Christ. And now that he's lifted up, we're supposed to know who he is, that he's God. We're supposed to see what he did for us to sacrifice for our sin. And it's by believing in Jesus that we are saved.

[00:15:51] That's the whole point of this book.

[00:15:53] Now we've got three little dashes under point number one here, because three things that he says he's going to do when he is lifted up. First one, he says, is the judgment of the world. Now, that's super confusing to me when I'm reading it, when I'm studying it, because I'm thinking that Jesus died on the cross to save the world. So how is him dying on the cross? The judgment of the world, that seems a little confusing. Well, John, chapter three. Go back to John, Chapter three and let's keep read in there where we left off. About him being lifted up because it actually explains this. Jesus dying on the cross is both the salvation of the world. But it is also the judgment of the world. Now, you know, John, 316, hopefully maybe you've heard it before. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. All right. You believe in Jesus. You're saved. You get the life of the age to come. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. There we go. He didn't come to judge. But in order that the world might be saved through him. I like this. Jesus came to save me. Verse 18 continues. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God. Very interesting. And this is the judgment, the light Jesus has come into the world and people love the darkness, sin rather than the light because their works were evil for everyone who does wicked things, hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his work should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out. And God. So here's the salvation of the world. God, the father, holy in heaven above, sends his son to die for sinners like us. You believe in Jesus. You get the life of the age to come. You're saved. However, if you don't believe in Jesus, there's your judgment right there, because God has offered your one way of salvation. He and his love have given you now a gift to receive a way to be with him. And you look at Jesus, you hear about him dying on the cross for your sins and you are drawn to the light. But then you decide. No, I'd rather go keep doing more sin. And I love the works of darkness rather than the light. See, if you don't believe in Jesus, that is your condemnation. The reason you will be judged is because you did not believe in Jesus. Here's Jesus. The light of the world coming to save man. He comes to his own people, to the Jewish nation. He comes and tells them the truth of who he is. And what do they do to him?

[00:18:37] They kill him on a cross and they reject him completely. And that is the judgment now upon the world.

[00:18:46] Say, when you reject Jesus, when the offer of the gospel is presented to you and you decide that you would rather continue in sin, maybe you even say you believe in him. But you keep on in the works of darkness, as it says here, because you love the works of evil and you want to keep him not exposed and out in the open. You want to keep him secret where you can keep doing him.

[00:19:07] It says, well, that's the judgment right there, that you've rejected the light and you've chosen the darkness instead of the light.

[00:19:14] So you must believe let's get that down for our first dash here under point number one. You must believe there is no other way. There is a way of salvation that is being offered to all to believe in Jesus. But let me just make this very clear as we can, concluding our belief section in the gospel of John. If you don't believe in Jesus as it's presented to you, you in the gospel. There is no other way for you to be saved. All that is left for you in your rejection of Jesus Christ is the judgment that is surely coming.

[00:19:44] And Jesus says the judgment of this world is that they're going to crucify me and reject me. And that's what people do today when they hear the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and they see the light maybe of his glory and they see him coming to save them. His perfect righteousness offered to them and they decide they would continue insane. Well, there's judgment right there. There's no hope now, just a fearful expectation of judgment for those who know the truth of Jesus and decide to continue in sin. All you've got left is judgment to come. That's what Jesus is saying. That's what John three here is saying. So, hey, you've got to believe in Jesus. And it breaks my heart. We've got people here. They've become into this church throughout so many of these sermons. And they would still say, even if you just asked them, they just point blank say to you that they don't believe in Jesus, even though they've now heard so much of what John has written about.

[00:20:39] And their hearts are hard and they will not believe. Well, that's the judgment of the world. Those who don't believe in Jesus Christ go back to John Chapter twelve.

[00:20:47] A second thing that he says being lifted up is gonna do. One, it's the judgment of the world to the ruler of this world will be cast out. Who is the ruler of this present darkness that we're live in Satan? One of the things that we're doing when we die on the cross, Jesus says, that he's doing is he's defeating Satan. I like that part. I get really amped on that because the Bible says that we are actually children of the devil. Have you read that part before? Or Jesus rebukes the religious leaders of his day and he says, you're of your father, the devil, because you tell lies to were born into sin. Satan had some some power over us. Right. Sin. And we're enslaved as sin. It has some power over us. And because we practice sin, the wages of our sin is death. And that's something we're afraid of. That has power over us. And when Jesus comes in and he has no sin and he dies and then rises again, it's the bouillon of Satan. It's victory over Satan effect. Go to Revelation Chapter twelve. Look ahead into the future with me here. Remember that not only did John write the Gospel of John about believing in Jesus, and not only did he write first, John, about how to live as someone who has eternal life, but he wrote Revelation about the unveiling of the glory of Jesus as we're going to see him. And in Revelation, Chapter twelve, you know, Revelations, a confusing book. And some people, they disagree with how to interpret it. But I think we can all agree that when we meet this drag in here in Revelation Chapter twelve, that the dragon is a symbol of who is the dragon symbolizing Satan. And it calls him very clearly here, the accuser. What Satan does is he likes to bring up your sin and he likes to rub your face in the guilt of what you've done and the shame of of how you are before God. And he would like to accuse you of your sin and he would like for you to be condemned.

[00:22:43] That's what he would like.

[00:22:44] And it says here that the dragon is thrown down to the earth and he's no longer able to do this, accusing look at verse 10 of Revelation twelve. It's, as I heard, a loud voice in heaven saying now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have gone. Yes. Now is the reign of Jesus for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them day and night before our God. And they, the brothers now Christians now have conquered him. Satan. How do we conquer Satan by the blood of the. Who does it say they're the lamb. Jesus Christ. So when Jesus is lifted up and he sheds his blood for you, that is your victory over Satan. Let's get that down for our second dash. You must believe. So you won't be judge. And when you do believe that's your victory that you have right there by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. You have victory over say you are no longer a slave to sin. You no longer need to fear death because you now will not be accused on the day of judgment, because the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the accusations of Satan. Any day of the week and Jesus will stand at your defense as one of the people he has purchased with his blood. Is that good news? Is that good news to anybody there? Let Satan bring his accusations and let Jesus defend you against everyone that he already died for.

[00:24:12] That's what it says, he's going to get thrown down with his accusations and we will have victory over Satan through Jesus being lifted up.

[00:24:23] So you got to believe in this or you're going to be judge and look at what happens when you do believe you get out of the realm of darkness. Satan is no longer your ruler. Sin doesn't have power over you. Death is no longer something that's going to take you down to judgment, but something that's going to lift you up to glory. Now, there's another thing that Jesus says he's going to do when he's lifted up from the Earth in verse 32. He says, I will draw all people. He says all people to myself. And I'll just putting it back in in context here. And John, twelve Jesus came into Jerusalem and they were shouting out, Hosanna, save us now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And they were calling Jesus the king of what Israel is, what they were calling it. They were ready for Jesus to be king of Israel. But then some Greek show up. And these Greeks, people who aren't Jews, they're seeking out Jesus. And that's what kind of sparked this whole conversation that we're looking at now. And one thing Jesus makes clear is when I'm lifted up and everybody understood that, it's like the one part they understood, the king saying he's going to die. That's not how we understood it. That doesn't sound good. But he says when he dies, he's going to draw all peoples to himself. Now we're living here in 2016. We're a part of the church. We're living in the New Covenant, New Testament era of world history. It is hard for us to really understand how completely mind shattering, how much that would have just rocked the world of the Old Testament Hebrew person. You mean the Jews are not the way to God the father exclusively? You mean that you could be a gentile, that you could be from any nation on planet Earth, that you could speak any different language, that you could be of any different color or any different social status or any different gender. And you could be drawn to Jesus Christ no matter who you are on planet Earth. That would be so hard for the Jewish mind to to wrap itself around that concept. It would have been offensive to them. And before we start bashing the Jews, I think we can just kind of agree a little bit here that most people tend to think that they're kind of person is probably the right kind of person because after all, that's who we are. Right. So we tend to be a little bit prejudiced. And to see the world from our perspective, as if maybe our country is the best in our kind of peoples, the best and our kind of language is the best. Right. That's kind of naturally how we're own, all prone to think of the Jews.

[00:27:00] They definitely thought this way. And for Jesus to say he's drawing all peoples to himself. And some of the juice, they just flat out hated this.

[00:27:11] I mean, this is maybe even one of the reasons they tried to kill him, Shirley in Nazareth one day when he was talking about good things going to the Gentiles. They tried to run him off a cliff. What do you mean we're not gods exclusive people, you mean that anyone can believe go to a Fijians to.

[00:27:27] And let's look at one of the great passages here. And I know as Gentile's we've kind of taken this for granted maybe or we're just used to the idea that we could believe in Jesus. But this is a massive shift in the history of the world. And and really one thing that we can see right now in America when we consider our nation, even if you look at it from the perspective of the country that that you and I live in, slavery is clearly one of the one of this major sins in American history. I mean, it's really something that still you can see people feel bad about. And now there's this massive movement to be politically correct.

[00:28:04] And really, you can see there's so much talk in America that we don't want to see people based on the color of who they are. We don't want to see people based on rich or poor. We don't want to see people based on young or old. We don't want to even see people based on their gender of a man or a woman or maybe the gender that they might even choose to be like. We're just trying to be so politically correct that everybody's all one and everybody's all equal and everybody's all the same. And let's just make it very clear here at church this morning, we will never be politically correct until we are righteously correct in Jesus Christ, because there's only one place where everybody's the same. And that's the cross of Jesus Christ. And he brings everybody together. And if you want to see diversity, you go to heaven.

[00:28:46] That's where you're going see it. All kinds of different people, all peoples drawn to Jesus by himself. The lover of all mankind.

[00:28:56] And it says that clearly to gentiles like us here in Ephesians, chapter two, verse eleven. Is that where I turn to Ephesians, chapter two, verse eleven.

[00:29:07] And it says, therefore, remember that at one time and this is hard for maybe us to remember, maybe for some of us, this is even a new thought because we don't think of ourselves as Gentiles, as in not Jews, but therefore remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh who were called the UN circumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands, basically, who were called gentiles, by those in the club, those of us who weren't in the club. Remember that you were at that time, you were separated from Christ, you were alienated, you were foreigners. You were strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenant of promise. You had no hope and you were without God in this world. But now, in Christ Jesus, you, who were once far off I of every different nation, now you've been brought near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. He's abolishing the Law of commandments expressed in ordinances. We don't have to go according to the Jewish way of the Old Testament. With those sacrifices, those sacrifices were just a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two. And so he made peace and he might reconcile us both to God. In one body, there's one body of Christ through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. When Jesus died, he killed the hostility between the Jews in the Gentiles. He really killed the idea of even racism, really. And he came and he preached peace to you, who were far off peace to those who were near. Now anyone can be saved, Jew or Gentile, for through him. We both have access in one spirit to the father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the Saints and the members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ, Jesus himself being the cornerstone. And so now Jesus has provided a way that it doesn't matter where you came from, what language you speak, what gender you are, how much money you have. It really doesn't matter who you are.

[00:31:17] If you believe in Jesus, you will be a part of the body of Christ.

[00:31:23] And we are all one in Christ. So we like to talk about and sing about how Jesus paid at all for our sin. But let's put it down as our third Dasch here that he paid for all as in all peoples, all nations that every nation, tribe and tongue can shout in heaven for eternity. Worthy is the lamb that was slain and they could put on there for me. So this is what Jesus is doing when he's lifted up, when he's done on the cross. He's saying, hey, I'm giving you a way to believe so that you will not be judged. And those who don't believe that is your judgment. I'm giving you victory over Satan. We're casting out the ruler of this world. Sin, death, don't have power over you anymore. And it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, because you can all now. All peoples all be drawing to myself.

[00:32:13] Jesus is showing us he's the real MVP here. If you're following the the P there, that's maybe a way you could remember that. I mean, this is what he's doing on the cross.

[00:32:24] Now, perhaps you're coming in and you're learning this for the first time, maybe some of this is review, maybe I haven't thought it all the way through. But I just want to encourage you, if you're sitting here this morning and sometimes I think people sit here and some of these evangelistic sermons that we've done at our church and they say to themselves, well, I already know this business. I already know this stuff. When you're going to teach me something new around here, well, hopefully you'll bear with me and I'll keep getting better at preaching.

[00:32:53] That would be one response that that I would have. The second response that I would have, if you know so much about the gospel, show me the list of disciples you've made in the last year as we've been going through this gospel. Because this is news to use. This isn't just news to know it all. This is news to pass on to people. And you don't really know Jesus Christ unless your heart breaks for lost people, unless you feel bad for people who don't know what you know. And you do something about it. That's what it means to know Jesus.

[00:33:25] You know what he knows. Yeah, we. We get saved and we start to grow and we get sanctified and we learn more and more. And what is the ultimate goal of our sanctification here in this life as we grow and as we learn more? What is the ultimate goal? To pass on what we're learning to someone else who doesn't know.

[00:33:44] That's the end game that we're going for. That's why I hope we never get tired of evangelistic kinds of sermons like this where we say, hey, isn't the gospel awesome? Does anybody want to praise Jesus for what he did for you? And if it is so awesome, if it is such good news, how could we keep the secret to ourselves? How could we not go and shine a light and let the whole dark world that we're live in and see Jesus Christ and see what happens when we come here? And we preach like this and we we say preach the gospel. People get a little glimpse of the light of Jesus Christ. Like right now when we're sitting here, right here with what we've just heard about Jesus being lifted up, providing you a way of salvation, victory over Satan no matter who you are. You can come to Jesus. See, right now, there's some people in this room who don't believe. And right now they can they can see the light just a little bit.

[00:34:37] Maybe they're feeling it right now. Maybe they're feeling convicted that, yeah, they kind of are choosing the darkness. They kind of are choosing to do what they want to do rather than to really follow Jesus and walk in his light and live in his life. And they're seeing right now perhaps more clearly than they've ever seen in their entire life, that the light is really the place to be in. The darkness is passing away.

[00:35:00] And I want to be in the light, the eternal light with Jesus Christ and to that person who might be thinking that sitting in this service right now, Jesus says to you, you only have the light for a little while longer, he says. He says, if you can see it there, and John, twelve verse 35, if you're not, if you want to turn to John Twelvers 35 here, we have it there on the handout.

[00:35:24] If you want to look at it, he says the light is among you for a little while longer. And when we say something like that, I think people jump to stuff like, yeah, well, you never know when you're gonna die. Yeah. You never know when Jesus is going to come back. No. You don't know if you're ever gonna hear a sermon like this one again. That's what I'm saying. You don't know if you're ever going to have the gospel presented to you clearly in a way in which you could respond to it, where you can see the light and you could believe in the light of Jesus Christ. You don't know how many of those opportunities you have even in your life.

[00:35:58] I mean, we've seen some cool things happen this year, we've seen Pete's scenes of people come to this church and they have believed in Jesus and they've just started to get to know him. And it's awesome to be around new Christians for that. You know what else we've seen this year?

[00:36:10] We've seen the people who have come to this church for the last time and they heard a sermon just like this one, and they knew they should believe in Jesus.

[00:36:18] And they could see the light for for a little while right there. They could see the light and then they went back into the darkness and they may never come back here again. And the light may never be as clear to them as it was on that day. And then they just walked away from it.

[00:36:33] See, it says Micron Cronon is the Greek here, Micron Chron. Let's see if we can figure that out. Micron As in micro, as in teeny tiny. Anybody remember Micromachines? Right. Really super small cars for kids. Right. There's macroeconomics out.

[00:36:51] What are we going to do about this economy? And then there's microeconomics. Your bank account. Very tiny. Very small. Right. Micron and then Quraan on. Do we know what Chronos is say?

[00:37:06] Moments, moments of time, there are just small moments in your life where you see the light. Just small moments. And then they're gone. And if you don't believe in them when you have those small moments of life, then the darkness overtakes you, it says. And if you're walking around in the darkness, see, the only reason you would be walking in the darkness is you don't know where you're going. That's what says you don't know where you're going in the darkness. Or you might think it's exciting to live in this present world right now and to do what you want to do and to continue in that scene right now. But you don't know where you're going.

[00:37:45] That's what it says.

[00:37:47] But hey, if you're going to come into the light, there are small moments where you can believe in the light of Jesus Christ. And right now we are sitting in one of them at the offer of Forever With Jesus is available to you right now for only a limited time. Does anybody else hate deals that are only available for a limited time? Has anybody else been burned by these things? You're standing there with your coupon and and you are ready to cash in its ticket. It's something exciting. And they tell you that it has expired. And the rage that you feel, I mean, oh, God, the emotions. You know what I'm saying? I have felt those emotions at the counter at Taco Bell. What do you mean you no longer have the cheesy gordita crunch?

[00:38:35] Well, it was available only for a limited time. What do you mean? Right. Well, you could have at least told me when the time was, B, that you would stop having the beautiful cheesy gordita crunch.

[00:38:49] And now I'm left with your regular menu items, which I'm sure you make more money on than the cheesy gordita crunch. You people at Taco Bell, I see your heart. You don't care about me getting the best experience of meat and cheese that I can get. You just want my money. And then they'll always ask you, those people at Taco Bell. They will always ask you, do you want a drink with that? Have you noticed how they always ask you that?

[00:39:16] Why do they go for the drink? Why don't they say, do you want a crunch supreme with that? Right. Do you want those amazing tasting little churros with that?

[00:39:24] No. Why do they say. Do you want a drink with that? Is it because they care about you and the fact that you might be thirsty? Or is it because that they get their biggest profit margin off soda and that they're selling it to you for a dollar thirty nine and it costs them three cents and they're just laugh in their head back at you at Taco Bell right now. I can't believe they bought that soda for that much. It's where they make their money is on the soda. Sometimes when I'm at Taco Bell I like to stick it to the man and when they ask me, as they always do, you watch it. They're onto us. Do you want a drink with that? I just like to say no.

[00:40:03] And I eat my food and I get thirsty. You know?

[00:40:09] See, it sees it sees offers. We're just suckers for these limited time kind of offers. We just. That's how they draw us in. And retailers and advertisers, they know way more about us than we realize about ourselves. Right. Like, they realize that if they tell us for a limited time, it's by to get one free, like all of us are immediately going to start thinking. I only need one of those. But wow, I need three of them now. I mean, that's how it works or we're being honest. This is church, right? Let me just tell you, when a store says for a limited time, everything here, it's by to get one three. What they're really telling you is we're ripping you off for an extra 33 percent all the time. And now we're just showing you aren't true selves. I mean, that's what's really going on. One of my favorite of these kind of deals, and this has happened to people in this room, so I won't mention any names, but this is how I know people who have done this. It's one of those coupons where you get that says save sixty dollars at your favorite clothing store. And then in parentheses, in small print that you have to, like, get a magnifying glass out to read, it says, with a purchase of seventy five dollars or more. You guys know these kind of coupons I'm talking about? Is this getting too close to home because you got somebody walking out of the store buying three outfits that they don't need, saying I just saved sixty dollars while the people inside the store are saying no, you just spent seventy five dollars. Right. We just busted you. Right.

[00:41:30] These kind of offers, like, here's what really frustrates me. If I said today for a limited time in and out is having half price cheeseburgers, everybody would be like, I should jump on that right now. But when I say, hey, eternal salvation is only available for a limited time. People in this room are like all I think about that later.

[00:41:48] Like, I'll get to that later, like right now I'm I live up a little more dirt. Darkness, please. And then later I'll I'll really think about maybe believing in Jesus Christ. How do you know there is a later. How do you know this isn't the last sermon you're ever going to hear, where the gospel is clearly presented to you?

[00:42:05] And this isn't that small moment of light where you can see it and then it's gone and the darkness overtakes you.

[00:42:12] I mean, this is a moment.

[00:42:16] It's only here, a small moment. For a couple more minutes. And then it's gone. Why are we not jumping on that?

[00:42:25] Why are we not suckers for that? Why do we love the darkness more than the light of Jesus Christ, just like I stood at Taco Bell, like I can't believe it's gone. There will be people standing in hell saying to themselves, I thought I had more time. In fact, I wonder if that will be the number one thing that is said by people. When they find themselves in outer darkness and they realize where they were going, I wonder if they will look back on moments like the one we are in right now and they will wish they could get a redo on today.

[00:43:05] Because they could see the light today, just a little bit of it for a little while. They could see it.

[00:43:11] And when you're lost and you're in the dark, what is the only thing that makes sense to do? The only thing that makes sense to do is look for a light right in the way when you're in your house and it's dark. You do what I do. You grab your phone and you use it as a light. Anybody with me? Right.

[00:43:29] When you when you have your phone and you don't know where you're going and you're driving in your car, especially if it's dark out and it feels a little bit scary and you're in some kind of edgy neighborhood, you get out your smartphone and you use your map app and you ask it to give you directions where to go. Do you think you're dumb when you use a smartphone? Now you think you're smart. So why do people then have a hard time admitting that they're in the darkness and they need someone to help them find the light?

[00:43:56] Do you see how twisted this is? Do you see where the reason we don't jump on the light when it's presented to us? Do you see the reason we don't ask for help? We don't admit we're in the darkness is because we love sin.

[00:44:10] And we want to have our own life.

[00:44:13] And Jesus is saying to you, if you can hear his voice to you thousands of years after he said it through his apostle John, he's saying to you, hey, behold, you've just got the light for a small moment. And then he says, believe in the light, walk in the light. Become a sun of light. Before the darkness overtakes you and you don't know where you're going and you can't even see the light. Like, maybe you can see it right now here this morning. That Jesus was lifted up and he died to save you. And he died to give you victory over Satan. And it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you've done. He can save you here this morning. He can bring you into the light. Here's what Jesus said in John 812. Look at it with me up here on the screen. He said it like this again.

[00:45:01] Jesus spoke to them saying, I am. That's a statement to be God. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. But has the light of what? What does he say? Their life. I mean, it was a one time calling you out of the darkness and into the light of Jesus Christ. And once you take that step into the light by faith, believing in the cross of Jesus Christ, you will never go back to a light of darkness because you have his light shining through you for the rest of your life. In fact, now you'll gladly come to the light so that people can see God's done a new work in you. You're not hiding doing your works of darkness anymore.

[00:45:41] Know God's done a work in you and you're not afraid of the light anymore and you'll gladly step into it time and time again. You want to shine the light of Jesus Christ.

[00:45:51] And he's saying that I'm the light of the world and you want to follow me? Hey, why don't you take up your cross today? Why don't you say you're done with your old life in the darkness? And why don't you come and follow me and I will give you Jesus says I will give you my light. And you'll have it in your life. That's the offer. This offer is too good to refuse. Can we get that down from point number to this offer, this limited time offer of salvation?

[00:46:15] That's on the table here this morning. It's too good to refuse. And if you've been a sucker all your life for available for a limited time, buy to get one three, spend seventy five to save sixty. Well, here's a legitimate deal. Takes you out of the darkness and puts you into the light for all of eternity. And he will show you when he peels back the wallpaper of space and time, you will see the glory of Jesus Christ and you will worship him in his presence.

[00:46:47] Which would you rather do be in the light with Christ or be away from him in the darkness? That's where the darkness leads.

[00:46:54] Make no mistake.

[00:46:56] Go back to the beginning of the gospel of John John, Chapter one, and John. He loves this light and darkness analogy. He uses it in everything that he writes. And really here in the prolog of the entire gospel, it's how he even sets up the way for us to think about Jesus coming into the world. It says in John chapter one, verse four, that in him, this word that came from God Jesus in him was life. And the life of Jesus was the light of men. And you see it. You have one of those little moments right now where you can see who Jesus is. And without it says the light shines in the darkness. That's him shine into us in our sin and the darkness has not overcome it. The darkness cannot put out the light of life. Now, there was a man sent from God whose name was John, referring to John the Baptist. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. So that's what I'm saying. If you already know the light and you've already believed in the light and you are walking in the light as a sun of light. Well, your point now is to bear witness to the light that those still in darkness might come and see Jesus as the light. Verse nine, The True Light, The Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world. This is Jesus becoming a man and the world was made through him when he was with the father. An eternity passed. In the beginning. He created the world.

[00:48:21] Yet the world that's now the system, the present evil system of darkness that Satan's running. The world did not know him. And he came to his own his own people, the Jews. And they did not receive him. But to all who did receive it?

[00:48:37] To those who believe in his name. To those who take that step into the light. Maybe even here this morning, he gave the right to become children of God. And when you're a child of God, you're born not have blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. It is Jesus who draws you to himself and saves you.

[00:48:58] And you're born again.

[00:49:00] And it gives you a new life. And so the light came into the world and the world did not know him and the world killed him. But it says that the darkness could not overtake the light. And so the light still shines. And it's offered to anyone who acknowledges that you're in the darkness this morning. You can be called and drawn into the light. Here today.

[00:49:21] In fact, go to first Peter, chapter two, and this will be a transition into we're going to study the Book of Hosoya here in a few weeks when we finish the Chapter 12 of the Gospel of John. And really first Peter to nine to 10 is what Hosoya is all about here. And this is an awesome passage because it speaks of us now who are gentiles but who have believed in Jesus and who are now sons of light, just like the Jews who have believed in Jesus. And it's not talking about the Jewish people specifically when it says in verse nine of second verse, Peter's all right. First Peter, chapter two.

[00:49:55] Verse nine says you are chosen race. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy nation. We us are a people for God's own possession. Why that you may proclaim the Excellency's of him who called you out of the darkness and into his marvelous lie. That's what we're here to do, to claim how glorious it is, how better it is, how sweet it is to be in the light of Jesus Christ rather than the darkness of this world.

[00:50:27] And it says that we proclaim these excellencies, you once were not a people verse 10, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, you deserve judgment. But now you have received mercy. God's never going to give you the judgment you deserved because he poured it out on his son and he's going to give you salvation.

[00:50:45] So I'm here to plead with you right now. If you know right now that you're in the darkness and I'm sure that there are people in this room right now who the Holy Spirit is convicting, that you are insane and you do want to continue in the works of darkness. Rather than coming forth and being honest and open and stepping into the light, I just want to tell you, you only have a little while with this light that we're talking about right now. It's just some small moments, some micron Quraan on that we're experiencing here together. And then we're gonna be in the age to come in in that age. It's either all light or it's all darkness for all of time. And which one will you experience? I hope that you can say that you have believed in the light of Jesus Christ that you are following him, that you are walking in his life, and that you're ready to shine that light and proclaim the excellence of the light, the marvelous A. of the light that the light of Jesus is so much better. What a savior we have lifted up. Was he to die? It is finished. Was his cry now in heaven, exalted on high. Hallelujah. What a savior we have in Jesus Christ. God, I do pray for those souls here today who still find themselves in the darkness of their own sins. And they can maybe hear you calling them out of that darkness. They can maybe see that light of Jesus shining his glory when he was lifted up from the earth when he died for them on that cross. They can maybe see it a little bit right now. God, I pray that they would believe in the light. That this would be the moment this would be the hour when Jesus said he was lifted up, he would draw all peoples to himself, we pray, God, that you will draw people to yourself right here in this service this morning. And then you'll call them out of the darkness and from this day forward, they'll never go back to their old life of sin because they'll be walking in the light of life, the light of Jesus Christ for all of eternity. God, we want to proclaim here at this church and God, I pray, will never grow tired of it. We'll never get enough of it that we want to proclaim the glorious excellences that Jesus is the light and that Jesus died for our sins. And we want to learn more about it. And we want to love it. And we want to think about it all week long. And we want to go and tell the world about it. God. And how we pray that you would do what your will is. And we know that it delights you, that people don't perish, that they don't go into outer darkness, but that they come into your life.

[00:53:23] God, we pray that you will bring people to repentance. We know that it's your will for men to be saved for all kinds of different men from all kinds of different nations, speak in all kinds of different languages, of all different ages, of both genders. Guy. We pray that you will draw people to yourself and that you'll do it through our church here in Huntington Beach for the glory of Jesus and Jesus alone. We pray Amen.