 The title of our sermon this morning is believe before it's too late. Believe before it's too late. We're in John chapter 12. We've come to the end of John chapter 12 verses 37 through 50 in this last text in the first section of John's gospel, which has been called the book of signs. The book of signs. And we'll talk about that a little bit as we go forward. But this is the end of John's account of the Lord's public ministry to the Jews. We've come to the end of his public ministry. In John chapter 12, verse 36, the Lord Jesus Christ leaves and he is hidden from them. And he signifies with that the judgment that he is just spoken of in that section of scripture. And here we are at the end of his public ministry. The Lord Jesus Christ has left, has departed from them. And we're left in John chapter 12 as John was as the Jews were at that time of sort of putting together the pieces of what we've seen and witnessed in the first 12 chapters of John's gospel. After the public ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ, why all the unbelief you would have thought as a rationally thinking Christian person that this is the greatest news ever heard and why would so many reject it? The message of that day is the same as the message that it is today. Just a little while longer the Lord says, right? Just a little while longer the light is with you. He said, while you have the light, walk while you have the light, less darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness doesn't know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. The Lord says just a little while longer, just a little while longer the lights with you. That's the same message that we have today. We'll see that as we walk through the text together. God will not always strive with men. There is a limit, so to speak, in practicality to his grace toward you in the preaching of the gospel. Just a little while longer the light will be with you. If you find yourself in darkness and you wander around in darkness, you're going to fall on the rocks. Remember we went out of town for Thanksgiving and one of the places that we visited while we were out of town for Thanksgiving was Linville Caverns in North Carolina. Really beautiful place, beautiful caverns, really beautiful part of the country. But one of the things that they'll do is they take people into the caverns to show them the caves. They'll get you down in the middle of that thing and then they'll shut the lights off so that you can see how dark it is in the middle of those caverns. Now, it's so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face. I mean, it's pitch black. And I can imagine before electricity, people wandering into those caves, finding themselves in that kind of darkness down in the depths of those caves and being completely unable to find their way out. That's the picture that's being painted here. When the light is taken away from you, when you are judicially blinded, as we talked about last week, you can't find your way out. You can't find your way to Christ. It's incumbent upon us, incumbent upon you to believe before it's too late. Believe, put faith in Christ, follow the Lord before it's too late. In fact, as part of this text in John chapter 12, we're gonna hear the Lord's final appeal to the Jews before that light is taken away and they plunge into darkness. This is in effect his last sermon to them and they are mere days away from murdering their only hope. Believe before it's too late. I want you to see from verse 37 that the unbelief, one of the explanations for the unbelief that we see reported here by John is that this unbelief has been prophesied. Unbelief has been prophesied. Look at verse 37. But although he, the Lord Jesus Christ, had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. Now the emphasis there, if you look at verse 37, in Greek, emphasis is often shown through word order. You wanna emphasize something, you move it to the front of the line, so to speak. Here, the emphasis in verse 37 is on the many signs that Jesus had done. Literally it says there, but so many signs he had done before them, they did not believe, right? The word signs, we know this from going through the Gospel of John, it's referring to the glorious miracles or the glorious works that the Lord Jesus Christ had performed, think about it for a moment. This whole first section of John's Gospel is called the book of signs, right? He turns water into wine in John chapter two. He heals the nobleman's son from a distance, right? In John chapter four. He heals the paralytic man, the pool of Bethesda in John chapter five. He feeds the 5,000, walks on water in John chapter six. He heals the man born blind in John chapter nine. He raised Lazarus from the dead in John chapter 11. They, the Jews here at this time, heard God's voice out of heaven affirming the Lord in John chapter 12. And then God raises Jesus himself from the dead in John chapter 20. All of these signs, verse 37, are said to have been done before them, before them in their presence, before their eyes. These miracles were not done in a dark corner or somewhere hidden. They were done in the most public place of all in the temple, many of them. These were before their eyes in the open. Now, why, why were they done? The reason that's given for these signs has two initial components. One, the signs were done, the miracles were done to affirm who the Lord Jesus Christ is. When the Lord heals or forgives the paralytic man in Luke chapter five, if you remember that story, as the man was dropped through the roof, the Lord forgives his sins. The Pharisees say, who can forgive sins but God alone? Now, how does the Lord respond? What does the Lord do? He heals him. He performs a miracle, performs a sign. And he says this in Luke chapter five, verse 24. So that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. He said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, arise, take up your bed and go to your house, right? So that you may know it affirms the Lord Jesus Christ, right? So that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. I'm gonna do this sign. I'm gonna perform this miracle. I'm gonna give this attestation of who I am. So one of the reasons for the signs is that they affirm who Jesus is. Both the forgiveness and the miracle. The fact that he can forgive sins shows that he is God in the flesh. Pharisees are right about that. Who can forgive sins but God alone? Right. So who is the Lord Jesus Christ, right? That's what they should have said. Secondly though, one of the reasons that signs were given was to engender or to inflame or to produce belief, faith in Christ. If the Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, then these miracles should provoke belief in who Jesus Christ is and that believing they might have life in his name. Look at John chapter 20 with me. Turn to John chapter 20 and let's see that in the purpose for which John writes here. John chapter 20 and look at verse 30. And we see here one of the purposes for these signs. He had done so many signs before them and yet despite all of those signs done in their presence, they did not believe him. John chapter 20, look at verse 30. And truly John says, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. Look at verse 31. But these are written. John the evangelist selects of all those signs of all those miracles that the Lord has done, John selects specifically seven there are others in the gospel, specifically selects these signs, these miracles so that for the purpose that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name. Now he's writing to those who aren't eyewitnesses of the miracles. They're reading of these miracles, these signs in the gospel of John and the purpose that these things were written, the purpose for which Jesus Christ performed them is so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name. Now if you think about it, in John chapter one, John chapter one, just hearing the Lord teach in John chapter one was enough for Andrew to tell his brother Peter that they had found the Messiah. Think about the difference here, the contrast between the two. He had done so many signs in their presence and yet they didn't believe in him, right? But in John chapter one, it was enough just hearing the Lord teach that Andrew went and found his brother Peter and said, we found the Messiah, right? Just hearing the Lord teach. Also in John chapter one, when Jesus had met Nathaniel for the first time, you remember that encounter? He told Nathaniel, when he saw Nathaniel, behold an Israelite in whom there's no deceit, right? You remember that statement? But he told Nathaniel, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. He essentially tells Philip, listen, when I wasn't there, I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. How did Nathaniel respond? You are the son of God, Nathaniel said. You're the king of Israel, right? Think about the contrast, the great contrast. What is the cause of that? Why such a contrast? Their faith, the belief, take for these three for example, right? Andrew, Peter, Andrew, Peter and Nathaniel. Their belief wasn't shallow. Their faith wasn't superficial. It wasn't hypocritical. Their faith was lively and growing and healthy and thriving. Now take just those three, Andrew, Peter and Nathaniel. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, their belief or their faith in Christ was affirmed as James would say, by their works. Just those three is an example. They continued to preach Christ to their deaths. Andrew was crucified. And because Andrew didn't feel he was worthy to be crucified in the same way as his Lord was crucified, Andrew was crucified on what is called St. Andrew's Cross. It's an X. He was crucified on St. Andrew's Cross. Peter also not feeling worthy to be crucified like his Lord. Church history has it that Peter was crucified upside down. Crucified, went to his death, preaching Christ. Nathaniel, church history states, Nathaniel was flayed. It means he was skinned alive. And then he was crucified. These men went to their deaths, preaching Christ. Their faith was a lively, healthy, growing faith. It's seen the Lord signs, just like the others. In great contrast to that, in great contrast to that, after all the signs that Jesus did, after all the sermons that he preached, right? After all the miracles that he performs, what is the result that John records for so many others in chapter 12, verse 37? They did not believe in him. Staggering, isn't it? It's like astonishing. Why, the contrast, the grammar there means they kept on not believing. They persisted in unbelief. The way the grammar is set up, it's like the Lord is doing miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle. Sign, sign, sign, sign. And they just kept on not believing, right? Just thumbing their nose at everything. They persisted in dogged, determined, resolved unbelief. They refused to believe. They were unwilling to be moved. They just kept on refusing. Now verse 37, if you consider verse 37, it gives you the sense there, doesn't it? That they should have believed. The way that it's written, the way that John writes this, he performed so many signs, right? So many signs he did. And yet they did not believe. It gives you the impression they should have believed. It gives you the sense of human responsibility. It also gives you the sense, verse 37, that guilt lies heavy upon them because they did not believe. So many signs done in their presence and they still don't believe. Now they're unbelief, we have to conclude, their unbelief is not because of a lack of signs, is it? No, it's not because of a lack of evidence. It's not because the Lord hasn't adequately revealed himself. You know, no one ever really even questioned his miracles anymore by this point. Not even his enemies. If you look back at John chapter 11, just flip the page back to John chapter 11 and drop down to verse 45. John chapter 11, verse 45, the miracles aren't even really questioned anymore by his enemies. Verse 45, then many of the Jews who had come to Mary had seen the things that Jesus did believed in him. Look at verse 46, but some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, now these are the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees. This is the Sanhedrin. This is the Sanhedrin that eventually put him to death. And they said, what shall we do? For this man works many signs. They didn't argue that his signs were fake, they were counterfeit or somehow arguable. They admitted that he did signs. These signs were done in the open before them in their presence. Even the Pharisees believed that he was performing miracles. So tremendous evidence has been given. Tremendous evidence has been given. So many signs, in fact, that John writes in chapter 21, verse 25, that if they were written, all of them one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. And still, verse 37, they refuse to believe. And who actually believes? Who actually believes? Truly believes. A small, seemingly insignificant group of primarily uneducated fishermen. Such a small group, right? Such a small group. There's about 120 in the upper room at Pentecost, about 500 at the Ascension of the Lord, among the thousands and the thousands and thousands that followed him through Judea, that went to the temple, went to Jerusalem for Passover. A seemingly insignificant group. Interesting to think about, isn't it? That such a small group of believers when the masses, the masses and all of their educated leaders had it wrong? Really? Who would think that, right? All of these people, maybe they've got a doctor in the pulpit. Massive denominations, massive groups, massive mega churches, all these people, can 1.6 billion Catholics have it wrong? Yes, yes. Many have said before that rampant unbelief was proof that Jesus could not be the Messiah. In the same way that Catholics today say 1.6 billion Catholics can't be wrong. Many believe that they're blessed because of numbers. Large numbers often indicate exactly the opposite. How is this to be explained? How is this to be explained? How would a first century Jew have understood this in coming to Christ? Are you gonna imagine? After seeing what is being proclaimed as the Messiah, God's promised deliverance being crucified, taken by lawless hands as Peter would say and murdered, how is it that this is to be explained? Now the very reason, the very reason for this astounding unbelief is given to us in verse 38. And this is powerful. I want this to sink in for us. Verse 37, but although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. Verse 38, so that the word of Isaiah, the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke. Lord, who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? In other words, the signs were also given for the purpose of fulfilling God's word through the prophet Isaiah that Israel would not believe. So the first cause of unbelief given here in verse 38 is that it was prophesied. The first cause of unbelief is that that unbelief was prophesied. Now, John is not merely drawing a connection between the two. You gotta understand here from the language, there's no room for that. John is not merely drawing a connection here between their unbelief and what Isaiah had written. It's clear that they don't believe precisely because of what Isaiah has written. Their unbelief occurred so that this prophecy would be fulfilled in them. Jesus would later say to Judas, right? The son of man goes just as it is written of him. We can say from verse 38 that these unbelievers go just as it is written of them. See the connection? On verse 38, John quotes Isaiah 53, and I want you to turn to Isaiah 53 with me. Isaiah 53, and let's look at this text together. We wanna give you John's statement here, the Lord's statement in its context from Isaiah 53. As you turn to Isaiah 53, flip one more page to the left and go to Isaiah 52. I wanna give you more context. Isaiah 52. Now, Isaiah was written 700 years before Christ, right? 700 years before Christ. Many call Isaiah the evangelist of the Old Testament. These are so much gospel in the prophet Isaiah. 700 years before Christ, and the prophecies in Isaiah about the Lord Jesus Christ are just breathtaking, right? Staggeringly precise and clear. Could be fulfilled by no one but Christ, and these were written 700 years before the time of Christ. The Jews here are captive in Babylon. And in chapter 52, God begins proclaiming their deliverance. They're gonna be brought out of captivity, but through the prophet Isaiah, in proclaiming their liberty, or their deliverance from the Babylonians, God also proclaims or foreshadows the great deliverance that he has wrought for God's people by his suffering servant. Look at verse seven. Chapter 52, verse seven. How beautiful, the prophet says, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says design, your God reigns. If you remember from Romans chapter 10, Paul quotes this verse in reference to the gospel. As a fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah, of the gospel, the coming of the gospel, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news. Look at verse eight. Your watchman shall lift up their voices. This is the Lord proclaiming their deliverance. With their voices, they shall sing together, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together. You waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. Interesting here that it's spoken of in the past tense, isn't it? I always find that fascinating. It's called a prophetic perfect. It's so sure God's redemption of Israel, God's deliverance of his people is so certain it's spoken of as in the past tense, right? This is a prophecy of something that will happen in the future spoken of as it's in the past tense. Look at verse 10. The Lord has made bear his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. And you see some connections, right? Lord who has believed our report to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. Here the Lord makes bear his holy arm, right? His power, his might to all the nations, not just the Jews, but to Greeks, to Gentiles. In the eyes of all the nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Verse 11, depart, depart, go out from there, go out from Babylon, touch no unclean thing, go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight, for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Amazing deliverance, right? Now, think with me with Isaiah here. How will that deliverance in the prophetic voice of Isaiah here, so to speak, how will that be brought about? Look at verse 13, behold my servant. Have you read through Isaiah and you read the servant songs of Isaiah? My servant is a prophecy of the Messiah. The Jews also in looking at the prophet Isaiah see my servant as a prophecy of the Messiah. When Philip, right, witnesses to the eunuch, he's taking him to those prophecies in Isaiah, dealing with the Messiah. And we see from John chapter 12, the Messiah is the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 13, behold my servant, the Messiah, shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. He will be, as John 12 says, right, lifted up, lifted up as we said in John chapter 12, those verses preceding our text this morning. His lifting up is not only a picture of his crucifixion, it's also a picture carries the sense of his exaltation. He is exalted in his crucifixion. Here, he shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. He begins here with his exaltation, but then he quickly moves to his humiliation. He's exalted by God, his servant, but he's rejected by the people. Look at verse 14. Just as many were astonished at you, astonished at you, Israel, in your captivity, in your rejection, so his visage was marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men. He was going to be brutally mistreated. So in that shall he sprinkle many nations, not just the Jews, but his blood, so to speak, will sprinkle many nations. Many will be saved through his sacrifice. Kings, verse 15, shall shut their mouths at him. For what had not been told them, they shall see. Up until this point, this gospel of God's grace through faith in Christ has not been preached to the Gentiles in that way. A Gentile would have had to become a proselyte of Judaism. They would have had to convert to Judaism in order to be saved. Here, this gospel has been preached to Gentiles that formerly were not told this. What they had not been told, they shall see. And what they had not heard, they shall consider. Paul quotes this again in Romans chapter 15 regarding his preaching of the gospel to Gentiles. This is speaking about the Gentiles here. In other words, from verse 15, the kings of the nations, Gentiles, are going to hear and consider the gospel. And he, the servant of the Lord, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will sprinkle with the blood of his sacrifice many nations. If you put this together with first Peter chapter one, verse 11, Peter says there that there are two things that the prophets beforehand, the prophets in the Old Testament prophesied about. One, the sufferings of Christ. And two, the glories that would follow. The sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. Many Jews at this point in time back in John chapter 12 were understanding his glories, understanding him as a conquering king, were not understanding his sufferings. If you go on into chapter 53, the Jews simply could not accept the notion of a suffering and dying Messiah. Chapter 53, verse one. In light of that, in light of God's deliverance and how God would accomplish his deliverance through a suffering servant, a suffering Messiah. Verse one, Isaiah says, who has believed our report? Who's believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Now this is said in verse one. It's said in amazement, amazement, astonishment. It's staggering to Isaiah in this prophecy that many don't believe, that many believe, many should believe and they don't. It's an amazing thought to Isaiah. And it's an amazing thought to John. They're expressing amazement over unbelief. Do you see? Our report here refers to the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. The arm of the Lord refers to his might, refers to his power in the miracles that the Lord performed. Of the many, many, many people that hear the message of the gospel and of the many, many, many people that witness the wondrous miracles and signs of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are very, very, very few that believe it. Now on the surface, the reason given is the contempt that they show for the Lord Jesus Christ as the suffering servant. Look at verse two, Isaiah chapter 53, verse two. They have contempt for this Messiah. He shall grow up before him as a tender plant and has a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness. And when we see him, there's no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. Now again, look at the past tense, right? The past tense, a prophetic perfect. But again, this is as if Jews now saved looking back on the Messiah whom God has provided. They look on him whom they've pierced and they're saying we didn't esteem him. We despised him. He was afflicted. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid our faces from him. Look at verse four, surely he has borne our griefs and he's carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. I think about that for a moment. Explaining to a first century Jew after the cross that the Lord Jesus Christ who hung there and died was not cursed by God, but was God's victor. And coming to grips with that in their mind, trying to make sense of that reality. Here they say, we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, cursed by God and afflicted. But the Lord in him has accomplished their salvation. Look at verse five. But, but he was wounded for our transgressions. Do you see the change of mind, right? The change of thought here? He was bruised for our sin, for our iniquity. The chastisement for our peace was laid upon him and by his stripes we are healed. Do you see the change in thought? The change in mind, why, why? You see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in his exaltation, in his death, in his obedience to the Father, purchasing their salvation. They see the glory of the Lord and they see their own wickedness in comparison to it. Do you see? All we, verse six, all we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all. You see, this is nothing new. The way that they viewed their Messiah in Isaiah's day and the way that they view their Messiah in the first century, in John chapter 12, the way often that he is viewed today, there's nothing new. John was saying, back in John chapter 12, John was saying here that this astonishing unbelief is nothing new. It's nothing new. You and I can say today, right? You and I can say today. The rampant unbelief that we see day after day in this world is nothing new. There's great significance. If you look at John chapter 12 and you look down at verse 38, there's a great significance and a very key word at the end of that statement. And it's the word revealed. Do you see that? Lord, who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Behind all of the external reasons, behind all of those things and that's why they haven't believed. Behind all of that stands the fact that to them, the arm of the Lord has not been revealed. According to John chapter one, verse 13, it's not according to inheritance, this revelation of the gospel to them. It's not because of inheritance, their ability to respond to the gospel, not because of inheritance, not according to the will of the flesh, nor according to the will of man. It is according to the will of God. Jesus says in John chapter three, verse five, that men cannot see the kingdom of God unless they are born again by the spirit of God. The reality is from John chapter 12, verse 38, that no one, no one can respond in faith apart from the work of God to reveal the initial and the initiating work of God in the heart of man. Speaks to our depravity, doesn't it? Speaks to our depravity. In the same way that in Isaiah's prophecy, as you make that transition to verse five, seeing their own sin, right, is the same effect that should have on you and I. Man is depraved. He's not sick in his sin, he's dead in his sin. According to Ephesians two, we who were dead in trespasses, he must make alive in Christ and only then can we see and believe and trust and follow. We have to be made alive. Someone may say today, if I only had a sign, I'd believe. If I only had a sign, you wicked generation that always seeks for a sign. What was the result the first time that Jesus Christ came performing so many signs? What was the result? It was rampant unbelief, rampant unbelief. It's a testimony of the wickedness of man's heart. All this to say that unbelief actually fulfills scripture rather than being in conflict with it. Unbelief isn't contrary to the plan of God, it's actually a part of the plan of God. In the very same way, great unbelief has been prophesied concerning our time. Second Timothy chapter four says this in verse three, for the time will come, that's our time. The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. Fables of the mass, fables of Mary alitry, fables of ask Jesus into your heart, fable after fable after fable, right? Believe in Christ before it's too late. There's another explanation. That's one explanation for the unbelief that John gives in John chapter 12 verses 37 and 38. There's another explanation given for the unbelief that we see in John chapter 12. We see that beginning in verse 39 that unbelief has been judged. Unbelief has been judged. Verse 39 says this, therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. Now for anyone to try to undermine God's obvious meaning in these verses, it's inexcusable, inexcusable. Trying to change the obvious meaning of what's being said here that you and I can both see very clearly to fit someone's theology is ungodly scripture twisting. You can't do it. The passage clearly stands as stated. If anyone's going to cut it straight, he's got to deal with what is said honestly. Verse 39, they would not believe in verses 37 and 38. They would not believe in verses 37 and 38. Therefore they could not believe in verse 39. You see, therefore they could not believe in verses 39 and 40. The Greek word there is dunamai. It means that they were not able to believe. They weren't able. Now why? Why were they not able to believe? Because of God's judicial blinding and God's judicial hardening described again by Isaiah. And this is described for us in Isaiah chapter six. Turn back there with me, Isaiah chapter six. Again, God's judicial blinding and God's judicial hardening. So unbelief in Isaiah 53, prophesied by Isaiah as part of the plan of God. Here, God's judicial blinding, God's judicial hardening described in Isaiah chapter six. Look beginning at verse one. Now in context here in Isaiah chapter six, God's pronounced judgment on Judah. God's pronounced judgment on Jerusalem. And in chapters one through five, he's describing that judgment, calling them to repentance. If you look at quickly at chapter five, it's woe after woe after woe. Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may follow intoxicating drink, right? A woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sins as if with a cart of rope. A woe to those who call evil good and good evil. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. Woe to men mighty at drinking wine. Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink. Woe, woe, woe, okay? He's pronouncing judgment. And then we come to verse, or chapter six, verse one. In the year that King Uzziah died, King Uzziah was one of Judah's greatest kings. Isaiah would have loved Uzziah. For the most part, a godly king for the most part. He ruled Judah for 52 years and now Uzziah is dead and in the ground. And Isaiah looking away from that earthly king who is dead and in the ground looks to his heavenly king who is eternal on the throne. Look at verse one. In the year that Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple. And above it stood Seraphim. Each one had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out and the house was filled with smoke. And so I said, happy I am. No, no, what was Isaiah's response to this? Woe is me. Woe is me for I am undone, Isaiah said, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Now, what he knew about himself in contrast to what he saw in the thrice, holy God of his vision, terrified Isaiah, terrified him. I am undone, why Isaiah? Because I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Isaiah is saying, I am a sinner, I'm a sinner. See a vision of God's glory and Isaiah's response is I'm a sinner. You remember Peter, right on the boat. We've talked about this before. He throws the net, a great catch of fish. He realizes that who he's dealing with is the Lord. And he's like, Lord, depart from me, I'm a sinful man, right? A vision of God's glory should have that effect on a sinner. The only comfort that we should have in a circumstance like this is knowing that he has forgiven us of our sins. Look at verse six. One of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said, behold, this has touched your lips, your iniquity is taken away and your sin purged. Also, I've heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Right, us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And then he said, here am I, send me. As we consider this text, what kind of ministry was Isaiah called to? Well, God says, preach judgment, Isaiah. Preach judgment. You look at verse five, that's the ministry. That's the preaching that Isaiah was called to. He would prophesy the ruin of the people. Not only would he prophesy the ruin of the people, but his very preaching would ripen them for that ruin. The Babylonians are coming. And he was called to a ministry designed, a ministry designed to deafen the ears and blind the eyes of Israel. Why? Because God had determined to judge them. It was too late. Right, it's too late. Time is up. Judgment is now certain. Look at verse nine, he said, he said to Isaiah. This was Isaiah's commission. Go and tell this people. Keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make, Isaiah, make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return and be healed. God's saying, I'm not going to heal them. So dull their heart, deafen their ears, shut their eyes. Isaiah is going to preach to them. And they're not going to hear. They're not going to understand. They're going to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye. How does this apply to what we're studying in John chapter 12? Those that have been willfully blind shall be made judicially blind. Those that have been willfully deaf shall be made by God judicially deaf. And God does all that for a reason. The reason given is lest they see with their eyes and lest they hear with their ears, lest they understand with their heart and return and be healed. That's the reason given. This is judgment. This is the judgment of God on those who will not hear and now cannot hear. It's the judgment of God on those who will not see. And so they're given up to being unable to see. This is the judgment of God and it will lead to their destruction. Their repentance, repentance for this one will become utterly impossible. They would not believe, they would not believe. And so now they cannot believe. And referencing this passage in John chapter 12, back in John chapter 12, and in verse 40, John simply communicates here. With this statement communicates an ongoing reality in the life of Israel, in the life of Judah. And it's an ongoing reality concerning the judgment of God. He basically says, listen, you will not, you have not believed, you will not believe. And so now there will come a time when you cannot believe. With your finger in John chapter 12, I want you to see this from Deuteronomy chapter 29. Deuteronomy chapter 29. This is in Israel's history, right? It's in Israel's history. We'll see it's throughout the Bible. Deuteronomy chapter 29. And John taps in here to just a continuation of this history that's now being unfolded again in the life of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in John chapter 12, and in their experience. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 29. Look at verse one. These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. Now Moses called all Israel and said to them, verse two, you have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials which your eyes have seen and look, the signs and those great wonders. You ever thought to yourself, wow, you know, if I'd seen the Red Sea parted, I would have believed, right? They saw great and mighty signs. Now, did they trust God as a result of those signs that they saw when God did all those works in the wilderness before their eyes, leading them with a pillar of fire by night, the cloud by day, right? Water coming out of a rock, manna being dropped out of heaven. They heard God's voice from the mountain and saw the mountain shake and smoke with fire. Did they trust God as a result of all those signs and all those wonders? Deuteronomy says no. Deuteronomy one says that they grumbled and complained against the Lord in their tents saying, has the Lord brought us out of Egypt to kill us out here by the hand of the Amorites? They grumbled in their tents against God. So what was God's judgment? They have not believed. They will not believe. And so now they cannot believe. God's judgment was their wandering around the wilderness for 40 years. They wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years and every one of that generation died in the wilderness. God swore in his wrath, they would not enter his rest and look at verse four. After all this, they are gathered together here around Moses and what does Moses say in verse four yet? The Lord, to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Not to them. The Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear to this very day. And I have led you 40 years in the wilderness. Look at these signs. Your clothes haven't worn out on you. Your sandals have not worn out on your feet. You've not eaten bread nor have you drunk wine or similar drink. That you may know that I am the Lord your God. And when you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshban, Og king of Bashan came out against us to battle and we conquered them. Look at all these signs, right? We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Rubinites, to the Gaddites and to the half tribe of Manasseh. Therefore, therefore, in light of all that, what should be the response? Keep the words of this covenant and do them that you may prosper in all that you do. You see the similarities? Back in John chapter 12, in Moses' day, it was the same. In Isaiah's day, it was the same. In the Lord Jesus Christ, in his day, it was the same. In our day today, it is the same, right? God's desire, through all of this, this redemptive history, God's desire is that people would turn and see. People would turn and hear and understand. They would turn from their sin. However, in confirmation of and in judgment of unbelief, God blinds eyes and deafens hearts. There are other examples of this very truth. Jesus said that he spoke in parables and he quotes this very passage in Isaiah when he does it as the very reason for why he spoke in parables to blind their eyes, to deafen their ears, to deaden their hearts unless they should turn and be healed. Paul, in Acts chapter 28, quoting this very passage, again, in Isaiah chapter six, Paul in Acts chapter 28 says that he's going to preach the gospel to the Gentiles because they would hear it when the Jews refused. In Romans chapter one, God has said three times to give the unbeliever over finally to a debased mind that is incapable of understanding. It's important to understand. This is not God cursing good people. This is not God judicially blinding people who really want to understand, who really want to see the Lord, who really want to believe and this is not God not allowing them to believe. These are people who are guilty of unbelief and as a consequence or as a judgment of their own belief, they are hardened. They reject obvious truth. They reject God's supreme revelation and so God condemns them to what they want. He abandons them to what they want. Those unwilling to believe grow increasingly unable to believe. It's terrifying, isn't it? That's why you must respond in repentance and faith before it's too late. This is not a gospel. It's so frequently preached today of just any time you want to. You can frolic down the aisle, right? Do a cannonball into the baptistry and be saved. If you are not fervently and faithfully, fervently and faithfully and earnestly and diligently serving the Lord, following Christ by faith, this concept should terrify you. He's our only hope from this. And the more that I refuse him, the more that I deaden my ears to his commands, the more that I turn my heart from devotion to him, the more that I can be rendered by God unable to turn, unable to believe, unable to repent. Esau didn't seek repentance with tears and he could find no place for it. Why? He was judicially judged by God. We must respond. That's why it's no light matter to listen to a sermon. It's no light matter to listen to a Sunday school class or a young adult school. It's no light matter to place yourself with an earshot of the word of God. You must respond. You have to believe before it's too late. Back in chapter 12, look at verse 39. They could not believe because Isaiah said again, he, God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts in turn so that I should heal them. These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. Again, this fulfilled prophecy from Isaiah shows that unbelief doesn't derail the plan of God. It's a part of the plan of God. Why? Well, one reason with the Jews specifically is that was part of God's plan to save us. That's part of God's plan to save us. In judgment on the Jews for their sin and rejection of their Messiah, God had determined to use the Jews to crucify Christ for our sins. He was the lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world. Part of God's plan all along. The cross involved both the will of unbelieving Jews and it involved the will of God. And God secured our redemption through the crucifixion of his own son by the hands of his own people whom he then judicially blinded. Second reason though is that the rejection of the Jews led to the fulfillment of the people of God in the church. The church would take the gospel to the ends of the earth so that people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation could be saved. The Jews were intended to do that through their obedience but because they would not obey, God accomplished it through their judgment. You see, it's in the plan of God, the plan of God. Paul said in Romans chapter 11 verse 11, through their fall to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. But thirdly also because God intends to judge unbelievers in order to vindicate his son. In order to vindicate his son. Isaiah references that in verse 41. John chapter 12 verse 41. All this Isaiah communicated. All this he communicated when he saw his glory. Now who's the his there? You look at antecedents in our text, that's Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. When he saw his glory and spoke of him, the Lord Jesus Christ, John unambiguously connects Jesus Christ to God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. The vision of God that Isaiah had in chapter six in Isaiah chapter six was nothing other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. The word there in verse 41, when the stronger reader, it's better reading, it's better translated because Isaiah, these things Isaiah said because he saw his glory and spoke of him. It's obvious that a vision of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ should produce a response in the heart of man like Isaiah's. Like Isaiah's response when he saw the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah six. In John chapter 12, after having seen so many signs demonstrating his glory, we don't see the same response. Why is that? It's because of judicial hardening. Believe before it's too late. Believe before it's too late. This is not unusual in scripture. It's not uncommon in scripture. People seek their own glory. If you look quickly at verse 42, unbelief in that context is exposed. Verse 42, nevertheless, even among the rulers, many believed in him. Now initially that sounds great, right? The rulers would include the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priests, the scribes, members of the Sanhedrin. What does it mean here that they believed in him? The rest of the statement makes it clear. Verse 42, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For verse 43, they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Now the word confess, confess in verse 42, means to acknowledge publicly in a way that's observable, right? In a way that's observable. The reason they did not confess is because they didn't wanna be put out of the synagogue. And basically now that means put out of Jewish society too. They would have been outcasts. We're gonna be outcasts and so I don't wanna confess Lord Jesus Christ. They didn't wanna be shamed in that way. And Mark chapter eight, verse 38 says, for whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him, the son of man, will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels. The reason they didn't wanna be put out of the synagogue, they didn't wanna be shamed. The motivation is given in verse 43. They loved, they cherished, they treasured, they valued the praise. The word there for praise is glory. It's the very same word that is used in the Septuagint of Isaiah, seeing the glory of Lord Jesus Christ. They treasured, they valued the glory of men more than the glory of God. Isaiah was caught up, Isaiah caught up by the glory of God. Here, these men caught up by the glory of men, the glory of this world, the glory of man's acceptance. Now if you compare that with scripture, even in our context here in John, this falls under the condemnation of John chapter five, verse 44. Flip a few pages to the left and look at that quickly. Condemnation of John chapter five, verse 44. If you look beginning at verse 41, it sets it up for us. Verse 41, Jesus says, I do not receive honor from men, but I know you that you do not have the love of God in you. How does he know? I have come from my father's name, you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, him you will receive. Verse 44, how can you believe who receive honor from one another and do not seek the honor that comes only from God? They seek their own glory. They seek the glory of men. They cherish, treasure, value the glory of men more than the glory that comes from God. They, as Jesus says there in John chapter five, do not truly believe. John exposes in John chapter 12, verse 42 and 43, John exposes their so-called belief as superficial, as spurious, as a half-hearted counterfeit. There's a cost to following Christ. It's gonna cost you your life in a very practical way. It could cost your life as in death as it did for Andrew and Peter and Nathaniel and the other disciples. It's gonna cost you your friends in many cases. It's gonna cost you your friends in many cases. Are you prepared for that? It's gonna cost you your leisure. It's gonna cost you pleasure. It's gonna cost you comfort. It's gonna cost you time. It's gonna cost you money. This salvation that God offers by his grace is a gift of God's grace, but that gift comes with implications for your life. Comes with consequences in your life. Everyone has their reasons for not accepting that gift. Everyone who rejects the Lord has this motivation. They prefer their own glory. They prefer glory from others rather than the glory that comes from God. That's not unusual in scripture. In fact, it's extremely common, right? John chapter two at the first Passover, it said that many believed in him, but what? But he did not commit himself to them because he knew it was in their heart. He knew it was in their mind. He didn't need anyone to tell him that. Those who followed him in John chapter six, when the Lord Jesus Christ presents a hard staying, they turn and they follow him, they walk with him no more. There were crowds who believed in him in Jerusalem in John chapter seven. There were crowds who shouted in Hosanna in Jerusalem at the beginning of this week. They're shouting crucify him at the end of the week, why? It's because they seek their own glory. James says, you believe that there is one God, you do well, listen. Even the demons believe and tremble. There's a difference in genuine belief. Matthew explains that there are those who say they believe, they call Jesus Lord and yet they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. There are those who say they believe who build their spiritual life on sand and they do not obey the word of God. And when judgment comes, their house falls. There are tears among the wheat. There are bad fish among the good. There are foolish versions among the wise. Why? Because there will always be among us. Those who cannot see, those who cannot hear and those who cannot understand. Why? Why? Because they will not see, because they will not hear, because they will not understand. You see? You have no excuse to be fatalistic in thinking about these things. If you don't see, you don't hear, you don't understand, it's because you will not hear, you will not see, you will not understand. The difference lies, I believe, in the comparison with Isaiah. Isaiah saw the glory of God and Isaiah was undone. He was ripped apart at the seams because he saw the glory of the Lord. And when he saw a God who is holy, holy, holy, he had no response, but to see himself as a man of unclean lips pummeled and crushed under the weight of his sin and I dwell among the people of unclean lips. And Isaiah's response was worship and devotion. Lord, send me, I'll go, right? It's the glory of God. To whom has the Lord revealed his arm? He revealed it to Isaiah. He revealed it to Isaiah and that was Isaiah's response. It was a response of repentance. It was a response of devotion. I will forsake my life for Christ because I have seen the glory of God. Isaiah no longer feared the world. Isaiah was no longer enamored with the world. He saw the glory of God. He saw heaven and he saw hell and he saw judgment and he saw grace and he saw eternity as unquestionable realities. And that vision had an effect on Isaiah's heart and on his mind. Those that don't see it, those that don't see it, those that refuse to see it, they turn a blind eye to it, right? Those who in ignorance suppress that truth in their unrighteousness, God judicially blinds them. God judicially hardens them. It applies to the true and false today. How is the glory of God revealed to us today? Think about Isaiah. Isaiah saw that glorious vision, glorious vision. How is that glory revealed to us today? That's right. It's revealed to us on the pages of scripture, in the preaching of his word, in the true Christian fellowship of his people. Not when you get together and talk about work and complain about the church, but when you fellowship with God's people with an open Bible in your hands and you praise the Lord for all that he's done for us in Christ, the glory of God is revealed in that. The glory of God is revealed through his word. That's why listening to a sermon is no light matter. That's why you're grumbling and you're complaining is no light matter. That's why persistent disobedience to God is no light matter. That's why your hard heart is no light matter. And someone might say, well, I'd believe, I'd believe if I had a vision like Isaiah, you wicked generation that always seeks a sign, always seeks an experience. Peter, you know, Peter having a vision, right, of the glory of the Lord on the mount of transfiguration saw the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ said this in second Peter chapter one, verse 16. For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty for he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Awesome, right? Awesome, what did Peter say? And so we have the prophetic word confirmed which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, displaying the glory of God, right? This word displaying the glory of God as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. You have the word of God in your hands, believe before it's too late, trust Christ, repent, turn from your sin, turn from your lethargy, turn from, who knows, right? Who knows if your lethargy, your apathy, your indifference, your neglect, your disobedience is the judicial hardening of God because you won't respond in repentance and faith to the commands of God. Don't linger on that slippery slope. Don't stand there on that crackling, weak, fraying rope bridge over hell. Repent of sin, turn to Christ in faith, follow Him, obey Him, fervently, faithfully, be diligent to add to your faith, right? Virtue, knowledge, be diligent to make your calling and election sure. Unbelief has been prophesied, unbelief is judicial, unbelief is a deceptive counterfeit. Therefore put your faith and trust in Christ, believe before it's too late, amen. Take a few moments and let's pray. Just consider these things from God's word and ask the Lord to apply them to your heart and follow Him in faith, the power of the Holy Spirit for His glory, let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, we pray God, please help us, Lord, from your word, reveal to us the glory of Christ, open our dim eyes, open our deaf ears, open our dull hearts to see Christ for who He is and in seeing Christ for who He is, may we see ourselves for who we are and God, by your grace and mercy to us that we would become undone, that we would repent of sin and follow you by faith, reveling in the grace of our God in Christ to justify us, to cleanse us of our sin, forgive us and praise be to your name for such a glorious salvation, I pray God, help us, we are incapable, Lord, unable in any way to do that apart from you, the work of your spirit in us, we are unable, reveal your mighty arm in us and to us for your glory, God. Help us, Lord, in the strength that your spirit supplies to live for you, to walk in the light while we have the light, knowing the darkness has come. Protect us, Lord, from being overcome by the darkness. Help us to live for you faithfully, fervently for your worship, for your praise. We love you, Lord, I'm grateful to you in Jesus' name, amen.