 I'll begin reading at verse 37, I'll read verse 41 and we'll get into our study. And John writes, but although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. 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? 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 in turn, so that I should heal them. These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. And so let's begin like this. I'll share a little bit with you when I was first saved. I came into the faith of Christ as a believer in miracles. I believed that God was capable of doing anything, and there really was nothing too hard for him. Now I had yet to read Jeremiah 32, 27, where God says, there, behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? I had yet to read that, but I came into my walk with the Lord believing that if there is a God, then of course he can do all things. Yes, he can do miracles. And so as a new believer, I began to hear the word miracle thrown around quite a bit. I began seeing that the word miracle was often used for ordinary things. Somebody said, oh man, this morning I got in my car and it started. Man, that's a miracle. I heard people saying how it was a miracle because they needed money and they found change in the couch, or the baby slept all night last night, man, what a miracle I was able to rest. And so the word miracle was used quite often for things that were ordinary, for things that were not necessarily miraculous at all. Now obviously those were all good things, but they fall under a different category. They don't fall under the category of the miraculous. They come under what is called the category of common grace, that God does things for us because he loves us. God allows things because he loves us. But they're common things. They don't require anything supernatural. And so what we're looking at today is something that refers to miracles. Notice again, verse 37, how it says he had done so many signs before them. So this is in reference to things that are miraculous. And so naturally seeing that I brought up the fact that people used the word miracle for normal things, let's define miracle for you. And I took this out of a theological handbook. I didn't invent it, but it's been said a miracle is an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message. Now that's a long kind of definition. In other words, a miracle occurs without the aid of human effort. It's something a human being can't do. And it's something that reveals that God is behind it. You see, as I began to read my Bible, I began to see that the Gospels recorded many miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you read your scriptures, you'll see that there's a there's a discrepancy. Some theologians say that you can count 37 miracles in the Gospels. Others will say no, they're approximately 40. And so between 37 to 40 miracles are recorded according to what is found in the Gospels. But that is not a complete total of the works Jesus performed. Now how do we know that? Well, at the end of this book at the end of the gospel of John chapter 21 verse 25, John says this, he says, there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written, amen. So there are numbers of miracles that are unrecorded. And so Jesus performed many miracles and throughout the Gospels, the writers carefully presented that Jesus would perform miracles. And John makes it clear that he performed miracles and he did it with a purpose. So as I'm developing this with you, what is the purpose of miracles? Well, let me give you a few things. And this is all important for you to have in your heart as you read your Bibles and you begin to see the works that Christ performs, the works that he does. One, we know that by going through the Bible, we see that signs were performed to attract the attention of people, that he would do things that would cause people to notice. He intended people to believe the Gospel because belief in miracles does not save and so he had performed a miracle so he could give to them a message. You see that in the life of the man by the name of Nicodemus. We saw it in John 3, 1 and 2 where it says a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can form the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him. And so Jesus did miracles in order to initiate opportunity to proclaim a message of salvation. A second thing we see about miracles when you read your Bible is that Jesus' miracles gave him credit. They established, in other words, the truth of his ministry. In the book of Acts, in chapter 2, verse 22, we read these words, men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. And so he's saying Jesus had established credibility by the works. God demonstrated he was with Jesus by the miracles. It's interesting how he uses the words miracles, wonders and signs. Now miracles speaks of the demonstration of the power of God, the miracle. But a sign is something that points you somewhere. And so you're going somewhere, say you've never been to this fellowship before and you're looking for a sign to show you how to get here. And you say, what kind of sign? You know some kind of, you know, a dove flying directly to the church. I mean, what are you talking about? While you're coming down the 60 and you look for Ramona and you exit on Ramona, you get the sign, take a left turn, you know, you get to Philadelphia, you know, whatever. You take, the signs are directing you somewhere. A miracle is what God does, the sign directs your attention. And the wonder is what you experience when you see the miracle. And so that's why you'll see miracles, signs, wonders, and very often clustered together because it's a demonstration of the power of God pointing you in a certain direction and it affects you with wonder. And so Jesus and his works were demonstrating that he was from the Lord. Remember in Luke chapter seven, verses 20 through 23, it says this. When the men had come to him, come to Jesus, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you saying, are you the coming one or do we look for another? And that very hour he cured many, many, cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits and too many blind, he gave sight. And Jesus answered and said to them, go and tell John the things you have seen and heard, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, deaf hear. The dead are raised. The poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me. So his works intended to communicate that he was from God. A third thing that we know about miracles is that John recorded miracles of Jesus to encourage faith in him. We saw in John chapter 10, verses 37 and 38, where Jesus said, if I do not do the works of my father, don't believe me. But if I do, though you do not believe me, believe the works. That you may know and believe that the father is in me and I in him. In chapter 20 of John, verses 30 and 31, John goes on to say this. Truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. So he did miracles so that people might believe in him. And so as we're looking at this, and having that as a backdrop, notice with me again in verse 37 how he begins here. It says, although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. When it says he had done so many signs before them, when it says before them, it speaks of before their eyes. He had done so many signs in their presence. And it's speaking of this multitude that is gathered around that he's speaking to. He did many signs, but notice the result, they did not believe in him. In spite of so many amazing things, they rejected him and they rejected his message. John 111 says it like this, he came to his own and his own did not receive him. No matter what it was that Jesus did, no matter how miraculous the work was, they still refused to believe. They still refused to accept that he was who he said he was. John says that Jesus performed various miracles of great quality and lasting effects, but they were blinded by unbelief. They were hardened in their hearts against the truth. And so he says that he had done so many signs before them and they did not believe in him. But he goes on to explain, verse 38, that the word of Isaiah, the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke. Lord who has believed our report and to whom as the arm of the Lord been revealed. And therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, he's blinded their eyes, hardened their hearts. Thus they should see with their eyes, thus 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. And so John gives the cause of their unbelief. He actually traces it to a prophecy of Isaiah. Notice verse 38, when the questions asked, who has believed our report? To whom as the arm of the Lord been revealed. So what he does here, notice with me, is that he distills salvation into faith, into God's message, into God's strength to save, as well as revelation. Who has believed? So when he's speaking concerning this, who has believed our report? He's distilling salvation into faith. Who has believed our report? Faith is to be working together with the message. Who's believed this? You see in Isaiah, this is Isaiah's amazement at the rejection of God. Who has believed? I mean, you've heard what we have said and yet you still reject it. Who's believed our report? Who's believed our testimony? Who's believed our message? Who has believed in New Testament terms? Who has believed the gospel? You see, Israel was given a message, but they voluntarily refused to listen to it. In spite of God crying out to them over the centuries, they continued to refuse to listen. It's a message that reveals how God sends Messiah that they might be saved. You see, later on Paul is going to quote the same passage and he's going to make a comment on it in Romans 10, 16, and 17. He says, they have not obeyed the gospel. Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? But he goes on to say, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Who has believed our report? They need to believe it in order to be saved. And so that report, that message, who has believed? And then he speaks concerning the strength of God to save. He speaks of the arm of the Lord. And that speaks of God drawing man to himself in order to save them. The arm of the Lord is a picture of the strength of God. And God is very strong. He's not like a man, the older you get, the weaker you are. We were in Israel. Oh, I don't think I should tell you, but why not? It's embarrassing, but I'll tell you anyway. So I'm dragging our suitcases because God knows that that's my job. And as I was dragging the suitcases with Marie's things in mind, one suitcase was heavier than the other. I won't tell you which one. But as we're dragging it, we have a couple of, it's like you're walking, and then you have to go up some stairs. Then you walk in up some stairs, and that's what you're doing. So by the time I'd gone to a series of these things, I'm getting tired. And I'm thinking, oh, man. And we came to this where it's kind of went up a few steps and then a little platform up some steps and another platform. And I'm thinking, oh, I'm tired. I don't want to. And I'm thinking to myself that. And I'm saying, oh, I guess I'll just have to take one up at a time and I'll drag it up. One of the women, one of our girls, says, let me take that up there for you, Pastor David. She picked up both of them, walked up two flights, and put them down for me. And I said, I am old. I am officially over the hill. When I have my ladies carrying up bags for me. So anyway, why did I tell you that? I've been laughing about it for a couple of weeks now. Marie should have done that. Anyway, the arm of the Lord. The arm of the Lord speaks of strength. And God's arm is not too short to save. And he's not too weak to save. And so when he speaks of the arm of the Lord, he speaks of the strength of God. God draws him, draws man to himself. As he draws him, he's saving them. Psalm 44 verse three says it like this. They did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arms save them. But it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance because you favored them. Isaiah 52 10 reads, 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. So the arm of the Lord, the strength to save, he said, had been revealed. So God's strength to save has been revealed. How? Well, it is seen in the incarnation of Christ. God took upon himself human flesh and dwelt amongst us. And it's seen in his voluntary death on the cross as he died there as the propitiation for our sins as the sacrifice took upon himself our sin. And it's seen in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his ascension, all of this encapsulated in what is called the gospel message. And so the arm of the Lord has been revealed. His strength to save has been revealed through the incarnation to the gospel and all the good things that relate to that. And so Lord, verse 38, who has believed our report, to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Well, it says, though, they couldn't believe, verse 39, 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 in turn so that I should heal them. And so notice how verse 39 says they could not believe. Now, this was not the purpose of Isaiah's ministry. It was the effect of it. His purpose was that they would understand that they would turn, that they would be healed. That was the purpose, but they could not believe his miracles were of God because they would not receive the message. They couldn't believe that. And so in the day of Isaiah, they rejected voluntarily what God was revealing to them and that applied to the days of Jesus Christ. They would not recognize that the miracles Jesus performed was validating his ministry, that he was sent from God to be the savior of the world. They couldn't believe it, they rejected it. They refused to believe it. It was something they just would not accept. When you read your Bibles, you're gonna see that the nation of Israel habitually rejected God's call. In the Old Testament book, in the prophet Jeremiah, in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah chapter 35 verse 15, listen to what it says. I have also sent to you all my servants, the prophets rising up early, sending them saying, turn now everyone from a evil way, amend your doings and do not go after other gods to serve them. Then you will dwell in the land which I've given you and your fathers, but you have not inclined your ear nor obeyed me. That was what took place in the time of Jeremiah and continued. You see, prophetically, this explains the lack of response of the nation to Messiah because Israel habitually rejected one prophet after another until they ultimately rejected the savior. In Luke 11, verses 49 through 51, it reads, therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles. Some of them they will kill and persecute, that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah from A to Z, who perished between the altar and the temple, yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. They killed them all, they persecuted them, basically is what he's saying, they rejected the message. So though they had God's word, they failed to see Messiah in it and they did not believe. In Hebrews four, verse two, it says it like this, indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, listen, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. You might wanna mark that down, Hebrews four two, somewhere on your Bible and you might wanna read it again because the last phrase in that verse is a very powerful one, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. I wonder how many Bible studies I've heard that I didn't mix faith with. How many times I've heard a preacher, a teacher give a message and I heard it, but I didn't mix faith with it, I didn't receive it by faith, I didn't apply it to my life, I didn't say, yes, this is God, I'm gonna do these things. You know, if you hear something long enough, you get used to it and you begin to ignore it. I was in Switzerland many years ago in 1975 and I was in a city called Montreux and in Montreux, Switzerland, they were having what is called the Montreux Jazz Festival. I wasn't there for it. I just happened upon that Montreux on that week that they were having it and I say that because I got off the train because I didn't wanna go any further. I was by myself at that time, I was traveling with a friend of mine but we had separated, he had gone somewhere else and I went off by myself to Switzerland and there I am in Switzerland in a place called Montreux and I start walking. I have a backpack and I'm carrying my backpack and I'm looking for a place to stay and I can't find a motel because it's the Jazz Festival and it was the International Convention of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Interesting combination, you know, the Jehovah's Witnesses were listening to the jazz going, cool daddy, but you know, as the... And so all the rooms were taken. They were all taken and I couldn't find a place to stay and I'm walking back and forth through where all of these, we'll say motels are and finally I came upon one, everyone was already booked, all the rooms are taken and I finally find one and I remember going in and the fellow behind the desk speaks French, I don't speak a word of French, you know, other than the word sack and French fry, that's pretty much my vocabulary and so I don't get it. So he says, he's got a room and he takes me to a room, I'll never forget it, nice, clean room and I sit down on the bed and I'm putting my stuff down and he has a little container and he holds it up like this and he speaks to me, I don't get what he's saying, he's speaking French and I don't get it and I make that, I don't know what you're talking about, he's a gesture, you know, and so he points it like this and then he points to his ears like that, I'll never forget this and he puts it down, walks out of the room and I'm thinking, I don't know what that is so I'm sitting there looking at this can and I lay down on the bed and as they lay down on the bed, the whole room starts to shake, it's vibrating like an earthquake and then I hear a sound of a rumbling and then I hear the sound of a train and I stand up and I walk up and I open up the drapes and 10 feet away are tracks and it's the tracks that are slowing down to enter into a train station and so now I get it, those things in that can were made of wax that you're supposed to put in your ear so that you can sleep because the trains kept coming every 15 minutes, yes, but do you wanna know something? I got used to that within an hour. I got used to the sound of trains, 10 feet from my window and I didn't use those little wax things, I already had enough wax, I didn't use those wax things to sleep because I discovered that you can get used to almost anything, the noise you can get used to and guess what, I also discovered in my spiritual life you can get used to anything and you can hear something over and over and over again and still ignore it and the gospel message is that way to some people. Some kids were raised in Christian homes, they went to children's ministry, they did all of the things from when they were small until they were in high school, they've heard Bible study after Bible study, sometimes even raised in homes where mom and dad gave them devotions so they're in church, they have devotions, they've heard the gospel, heard the gospel, but it was not mixed with faith and they never received Christ and that's a very distinct possibility and it isn't a difficult thing to harden yourself against the grace of God and Isaiah says that's what happened to Israel. There were prophets who rose up early, spoke the word of God, called them to repentance and God said, you didn't listen. Why, the word of God profited you not. It was not mixed with faith. So when the Lord speaks, isn't it wise to receive? Isn't it wise to believe and act on it? Absolutely. And so he's blinded their eyes, hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes unless they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. It wasn't that God intended for them to be blind is that his message being spoken to them so many times they were blinded voluntarily. They didn't want to hear, they didn't want to receive. What's interesting also, and I'll point this out for just a moment in verse 41, is how it says, these things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. When he saw his glory and spoke of him. That reveals to us that when Isaiah in chapter six of the book of Isaiah is speaking there. That reveals to us when he says in the day that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, he was high and lifted up and his train filled the temple. And it speaks concerning the winged creatures and how they were saying, holy, holy, holy and all of that and his glory filled the temple and all. And that's interesting because it says these things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. This is actually a word that's prophetic related to Jesus. It shows that Jesus is the Lord who was revealed to Isaiah there in Isaiah chapter six. And in Isaiah six, verse five, it says, I said, woe is me, I'm undone because I am a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of the people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Who was he referring to? Jesus. He said, I have seen him and that's what verse 41 would be speaking of. Now in verse 42, nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the synagogue for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Now, when it speaks of the rulers, those are the religious rulers. It says, notice how it says, among the rulers many believed. Now we only know of two. We know of Nicodemus. We saw him in chapter three. We see him other places. And we also know Joseph of Arimathea was part of that ruling class. It's interesting to note. Now look at it. It says many were convinced of who Jesus was but were secret in their belief. They were aware of who he was but they also were afraid to be excommunicated. Now, that's common knowledge what would take place if they were to confess Christ they would be kicked out of the synagogue remember in John 9.22 how the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ he would be put out of the synagogue. And so these people were secret. They were secret believers if you will. It says in Proverbs 29.25 the fear of man brings a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be saved. The fear of man brings a snare. Listen, if I can encourage you in any way in this let me do it this way. When I first got saved, I always have to go back to this. When I first got saved, I was taught something that I never forgot and I've been saved a long time now and I've still never forgotten. And it's very basic. It is something I want us as a church to always remember. Don't be afraid to speak for the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't be afraid of man. Don't be afraid to open up your mouth. Now, be wise. Don't be argumentative. Don't be belligerent. Don't pick fights with people. You know, if you're in a college class with a PhD in philosophy, the guy's got a PhD in philosophy and you're somebody like me, I have a high school education. And don't go on and start trying to out, you know, philosopher him. It's not gonna work. It ain't gonna work. You're gonna end up looking pretty foolish if you do that. So I'm not saying pick fights. You know, I'm not saying argue. I'm not saying that. What I am saying is seek opportunity. Look for an opportunity to share because you will be blessed when you actually learn that because as intimidating as people can be, and they can be, and educated people, extremely educated people can be extremely, extremely intimidating. I know that at my age. I still know that. I realize, you know, and I say this in all truth, I realize that I'm not that sharp. You know, I know that. But I also know that I have seen God open doors when you just are willing to speak. And Jesus said, if you obey me, you love me. And he said, and I will love you. And my father, we will manifest ourself to you. God will manifest himself. God will show up. There's hardly anything more exciting than when God shows up. I have to tell you, that's true. That's true. It's hardly, I don't know what's more exciting than God showing up somewhere. And we've seen him do that. We've seen him do that, where he just is there and there's a sense like, whoa. You may be talking, you know, that's a Greek word that means, whoa. So, because as you share, and here's the thing too, you know, I will give you words of wisdom that none of your enemies will gain, say, no resist. Jesus said, it is not you, but it is a spirit of my father who speaks in you. Jesus said, and he does, and he does. And you happen upon a conversation that's taking place in the workplace, and you have a freedom to speak and you just kind of stand there. And then the person turns, you say, what do you think about this? And you go, thus saith the Lord. No, you just kind of look. And you say, you know, as I was listening to you, I couldn't help it. And the Lord begins giving you, have you had that? He begins to give you things that you're saying, wow, I wish that this was on tape. I'd go on radio. This is good stuff. It is, there have been so many times, so many times that you just open your mouth and share. Doesn't have to be 25 minutes. It doesn't have to be five different scriptures. And it just learned to open your mouth. Learn to say, God, here am I, use me. You go to your class or you're in your neighborhood. You go to work, whatever. I would do that when I was working secular. I'd say, Lord, you know, use me on the job. If it means just being a good worker, because you don't give me an opportunity to speak because I shouldn't, then I won't. But just use me. I just want to be used by you. You see, there's nothing more exciting. There's nothing more rewarding than being used by the Lord, being used by God. You know, I'll be sharing this on Sunday, but you know, I'll be sharing some things on Sunday. And I probably will share this. So I'm giving you a preview of it. I really don't want to because I want to share it Sunday, but it comes to mind, Marie and I were, we were in Israel many, many years ago now. And normally your Jewish guides will, if you don't have a believing Jewish guide, they're respectful. They walk away and let you do your devotions, but they don't listen. You'll see your Jewish guide just walk away and stand over here. They don't want to hear it. Many of them have already heard it from better teachers than you anyway. So they'll walk away and they'll, so we had a new guide and this particular new guide was standing there and we were in the city of Capernaum and we're in the synagogue of Capernaum. And I opened the word and I shared out of the particular passage there and shared some things about Jesus in this place. And all it was just, it's a devotion that you have and shared certain things. I'll never forget this. It has stayed with me. How after I closed, my guide walks up and says, what he just said was true. What he said is true. And you need to know that and you need to know this and this. And he started adding some things because he had, he's been a guide to many Christians. And so he's quoting other pastors in that passage, exhorting the people to do what I had just encouraged them to do. And I looked at my wife and I went, whoa. Have we ever seen anything like this before? We're shaking our head like, amazing, amazing. And he eventually, and I'll tell the story this Sunday in more detail, he gave his heart to Christ, not then, but later on. And I'll share about that. You never know when you're sharing the impact. But if you refuse to share, how can they hear? So open your mouth and speak. Just share, you know. And I really believe that's really important. You see, because these people notice again, even among the rulers many believe, but because of the Pharisees, they didn't confess them. They were afraid of being kicked out of the synagogue. And why wouldn't they not notice verse 43? They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Because they cared about the praise of men. They didn't want to lose their positions in society. So they secretly believed in him. But Jesus and John 5.44 said, how can you believe who receive honor from one another and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? In Matthew 10, 32, and 33, he had said, whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my father who's in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my father who's in heaven. Don't deny him, speak openly when given opportunity. And so he says in verse 44, it says, Jesus cried out and said, he who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I've come as a light into the world. Whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. If anyone hears my words and doesn't believe I do not judge him, I didn't come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. I have not spoken on my own authority, but the father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say, what I should speak. And I know that his command is everlasting in life. Whatever I speak, just as a father has told me, so I speak. And so he cries out and he says, whoever believes in me, doesn't believe in me. Well, what he's saying is he's really calling out the desire of God that they might be saved. And he's making it very clear to them, if you believe in me, you believe not in me, but in him who sent me. In other words, it's God's desire because he's crying out. And he says, I want you to be saved. In second Peter 3.9, it says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness, but his long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And he's crying out. He's making it loud enough for people to hear. And what is he saying? Well, he's saying that Jesus was giving his father's message and that he's performing the works his father gave him to do. And so to trust one is to trust the other. To receive one is to receive the other also. To receive Jesus is to receive his father because they do not exist independent of one another. In Matthew 10.40, he who receives you receives me. He who receives me receives him who sent me. And so we honor the son just as we honor the father. And in John 5.23, it said he who does not honor the son doesn't honor the father who sent me. And notice in verse 45 where he says, he who sees me sees him who sent me. So to perceive Jesus as the one sent from the father is to perceive God. You see, Jesus gave the message of his father faithfully. In John 3.34, Jesus said, he whom God has sent, John 3.34 reads, he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. In John 17.8, it said, I have given to them the words which you gave me and they have received them and have known surely that I came forth from you and they have believed that you sent me. You see, it's receiving Christ and it's seeing who he actually is because Jesus is God in human flesh. Always remember that. In Hebrews 1.3, it says the son is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of his being. In Colossians 1.15, it says that he's the image of the invisible God. To look at Jesus is to see the father in human flesh. To receive Jesus is to receive the father. They're not independent of one another but work together. Now notice verse 46, I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. This will sound judgmental, it's not in my notes but it's true and many of you understand this and it isn't intended to be a judgment against people. It's an observation of reality. Being in the ministry as long as I have and being a Christian as long as I have, I know that it's, I know that none of us is perfect and I know that every one of us fail. Every day I fail and the rest of us too because we're human beings. It's not like you wake up saying, how many times can I fail today and what can I do that's really bad? You know, maybe you do if you do, but most of us don't. Most of us don't, most of us, most of us, most people don't wake up in the morning as a believer and say, I wanna do something today that will cause everybody to question whether I'm saved. But sometimes you blow it, don't you? Sometimes you do things you might even wake up late into the next day saying, how in the world did I get there? How? So you know, there are things that you can sometimes do that break your heart, you repent, you're so sad and sorry about it, you never repeat it. But then there are others who don't seem to have a single bit of regret over it, a single bit of sorrow over it, a single bit of remorse over it. It's just their life and then they get mad at you if you point out and say, but you hurt them or you did this and it was wrong. And they live in the darkness. And there are many, many today, and I think we need to examine our hearts. There are many today guys who habitually live in sin. That is their lifestyle with no sense of regret or remorse or repentance whatsoever. If you truly have come to faith in Christ, yes, you can blow it, but guess what, you can't live in your sin. You can't make it your habitual lifestyle. You cannot do it every day without any sense of conviction. It doesn't happen that way. Because what happens is the spirit of the Lord is grieved within you and there's a conviction that takes place in you and you become very miserable. It's like what David said after his sin with Bathsheba. He said, my sin is always before me. It's something that you can't escape. Where can I flee? Where can I hide? The conviction, the hound of heaven is follow me wherever I go. I have to repent because I have been wrong. And so it's very important for us to understand that, that we're not to live in darkness. That that isn't to be our way of life. That your friends and your family and those who know you best on the job or in the neighborhood, that just the quality of life that you live ought to be so different that it impacts people. I was on a plane and I opened up the seat packet before me and it looked like an Etch-a-Sketch. Anybody even remember what that is? That was our computer back in the 50s, an Etch-a-Sketch. And I looked like an Etch-a-Sketch and I thought, poor kid, some kid left his toy in the back. And I looked at it again and it was an iPad. That was in an Etch-a-Sketch frame, but it was an iPad. And I opened it up and, oh wow, this is an iPad. Thank you, Jesus. No, it's an iPad. And so I got off the plane when we landed and I walked up to the steward and I handed him the iPad and he said, I was in this seat. And this was in the seat packet. Because I'm gonna assume that he's gonna find out who owned it. I'm assuming that. That he's gonna find out who owned it because it's easy to trace the seat, the passenger and get that to him. That's the honest thing to do. So I handed it to the guy and I said, could you make sure that this guy gets his iPad back? And the guy behind me, some young man says, whoa, hey, hey, there it goes again. Whoa, he goes, he goes, I've never seen anybody do anything like that before. Because the world is that way, isn't it? It'll take what's not theirs. Because guess what? When we got back from Israel, I had my backpack. I had two iPads in it, my Bible, and I had a sweatshirt and I left it on the conveyor belt that goes through the X-ray machine. And someone decided that my Bible and my iPads were really theirs. They took it, they stole it. They took off with it, stole my things. I pray for them every day. God kill them, you know, in Jesus' name. Break their teeth, oh Lord. No, because that's the world, right? That's the world today. I'll take it if I want it. Doesn't matter if you bought it. Doesn't matter if it belongs to you. It's now mine, because you left it here. And I'm telling you, but you know what? That guy who was behind me, he said, I've never seen anything like that. Well, that's called being a light in a very dark place. And that's what you are. Just remember that, because we're not to live in darkness. We walk in the light, and that's what Jesus is speaking about. I have come as a light into the world and whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness or in sin. If anyone hears my words and doesn't believe, I don't judge him, for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects me and doesn't receive my words has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. So the primary reason Jesus came was to save, he's saying, and not to condemn. You see, judgment must occur and it's based on how his message is responded to. Men will be guilty of judging themselves because in rejecting Jesus, they reject the one who could save them. In Matthew 7, 26, and 27, it says everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell. And great was its fall. So men will be guilty of judging themselves because they hear the sayings but do not do them and their life crumbles around them. And then finally in verse 49, I have not spoken on my own authority. The father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say, what I should speak. And I know that his command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the father has told me, so I speak. So the message of salvation is not originating from a Jewish carpenter turned creature. The message comes from God the father, he's saying and I'm delivering it to you. And if you believe it, you shall be saved. But if you reject it, you will be condemned. So my word is everlasting life. I speak what the father says. To receive it is to live, to reject it is the word that I gave to you that ultimately will judge you. So obviously it's wise to accept, to believe and to do what Jesus taught us.