← ArchiveSunday, April 21, 2019DateApril 21, 2019Speaker—TextJohnPassages in this sermonJohn 204:48John 14:52TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00"There exists a love far greater than we will ever understand"0:23"A love prophesied for ages" "Then to disrupt the ray in the dark" "One to challenge the skeptics" "A love that quenches our thirst"0:51"Seeks after the sick" "And met the broken" "A love that came to our rescue" "Despite our betrayal and our denial"1:19"We go the way of our sin" "Faced with death" "By being nailed to low cross" "And while darkness appeared victorious" "And while darkness appeared victorious" "This love emerged from the grave"1:47"He heard from the grave" "Well happy resurrection day" "What a wonderful time to know Jesus Christ" "If you can't get excited about today" "You don't know Jesus" "And our prayer is that by the end of this service that you will" "And that you'll be excited about the good news" "You see we firmly believe"2:16"That this is one of the greatest stories ever told" "The Bible describes what you're about to hear as the gospel" "The euangelion or joy news" "And a man in England" "J.R.R. Tolkien" "The famous writer and author of the Lord of the Rings" "Any Lord of the Rings fans here?" "Yes" "He said this, that there are some stories that are so beautiful and powerful that they stir our souls"2:42"And he named these stories 'You Catastrophes'" "Joyful Catastrophes" "And this is what he envisions about every single person here and every single person that's lived" "Tolk can imagine that we all have a base string in our heart" "And he says that some stories like the Lord of the Rings are so beautiful" "So dramatic, so tragic that they have the ability to move or reverberate your heart and your soul"3:11"And for many of you, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" "The Lord of the Rings" "You read those stories even seeing Anita, what a fantastic gift she has, the one who painted" "Seeing that, you know, my soul was stirring" "What a beautiful story that Jesus would die" "For us"3:40"For us" "And this is what Tolkien says" "He says that there is only one story, one gospel that can move your heart forever" "There's only one story, the greatest story that can move and bring joy to your life for eternity" "And it's this story, it's the story of resurrection" "It's the story of Easter, it's the story that God sent His only Son because He loves you" "So much that He didn't want you to die and live under a curse that you're currently living"4:06"But He sent Jesus to remove the curse, to become a curse for us" "This is the story of Easter" "This is the story that has the power to save" "So my hope today is that God would give you new ears and a new heart to hear the word like you've never heard it before" "So if you have your Bibles with you join me in the book of John"4:32"The Gospel of John" "Matthew, Mark, Luke and John" "If you don't know who I am, my name is Josh, lead pastor here" "And it's just what a joy it is to serve the Lord and open His word with you" "John chapter 20, if you'll find your way there" "And I want to quickly catch you up to John 1 through 19" "On a cool evening, Jesus, along with most of His disciples, went across the Kidron Valley into"4:58"Gethsemane" "Translated, the Olive Press" "And it was here that Jesus did what Jesus does" "He went to a solitary place and began to pray" "And it was in that moment of prayer that the immense weight of His mission came crashing down" "As if a press was pressing upon olives that would produce oil that was fit for consumption"5:28"Jesus the scripture says that the pressure and the weight of the sin and the mission that God had for Him" "He began to sweat drops of blood" "It was on that same exact night that one of His best friends comes to Him" "And betrays Him with a kiss" "His name was Judas" "And Judas hands Jesus over to the authorities for 30 pieces of silver"5:56"So the authorities take Him to first Annas and then Caiaphas "And they've already purposed in their minds and their hearts to kill the Messiah" "One, because if they let Jesus live and He keeps raising dead men to life" "As He did Lazarus in a couple chapters prior" "They firmly believe that the whole world will believe in Jesus Christ" "And you know what? "They were right" "So they thought it was best that they would kill Jesus and end the threat"6:26"And so Annas and then Caiaphas bring the other leaders and they have these trials in the secrecy of night" "Which was against the law, but let's ignore that" "And they found that Jesus was a blasphemer" "That He declared that He was God" "Now that would be blasphemy if you were not God" "The only way that would not be blasphemy is if you were the only person in the whole world that could claim"6:52"That you were God and that be true" "And I'm here today to tell you that Jesus was correct" "He is the Son of God" "He is God" "Not a created being, but He was the firstborn of creation" "He was the primary, He was the firstfruits of creation" "And so they finally said, 'He is guilty to die'" "But here's the issue with the Jewish authorities" "They didn't have the authority to execute their sentence"7:20"And so they bring Jesus to the Roman counselors" "The pro-counsel by a man by the name of Pilate" "Pilate usually lived on the east coast" "The west coast, actually the east coast of the Mediterranean" "But because Jerusalem's swelling at this time" "And they went from about 30,000 to 300,000" "He's there to keep order and peace" "And so they bring Jesus to Pilate" "And they say, 'This man is a blasphemer' "He says he hates Caesar, he wants to bring rebellion"7:49"We need to crucify him" "And Pilate finds that there is no legal indictment against the Messiah" "And so he comes to the other leaders and says, 'I have no charge to crucify this man" "Because he is innocent, so this is what I will do" "I'm going to hand him over to my gruesome, brutal soldiers" "And they're going to mock him, they're going to beat him, and they're going to scourge him" "Forty scourgings minus one"8:18"Which was enough to kill a man" "And they would take a whip with metal at the end" "Or some type of iron balls wrapped in leather straps" "And they would begin to brutally beat the perpetrator" "And one, to weaken them for crucifixion" "But two, maybe that they would die" "So here is Jesus" "And Pilate brings Jesus out with the hope that this would satisfy the bloodthirsty crowds"8:44"And he says, 'Okay, here is your king, is this enough?'" "And the crowds begin to chant" "Crucify him, crucify him" "And you know the story possibly that Pilate washes his hands and says "That this man's blood is not on my hands, because he's innocent" "But to keep peace, I will crucify him" "So they put the crossbeam upon the shoulders of the Messiah"9:12"And asked him to walk the several hundred yards to his place of execution" "But by this time Jesus has lost so much blood" "Maybe because he's sweating drops of blood" "And maybe because he's lost blood from the scourgings and the whippings" "That he is too weak to carry the 75 to 100 pound crossbeam" "So they grab a man from the audience, Simon" "And they say, 'You carry the cross'" "Then they crucify Jesus"9:43"On a public highway" "On his left, common criminal" "And on his right, another criminal" "And above Jesus is written his indictment" "The reason that he's executed the king of the Jews" "And little did they know that that was a testimony to the power of God upon that man"10:12"That he was the king of the Jews" "This is our Messiah" "And John tells us that upon the cross at around three o'clock" "That Jesus breathed his last" "And before he did, he cried out in a loud voice" "It is finished"10:41"And then he gave up his spirit" "This is where we pick up in the word of God" "And I'm here today to tell you, yes, it is finished" "But that was not the end of the story" "There's more" "That Jesus didn't stay dead like other prophets" "Like others who claim to give life and to give good moral value as they taught"11:08"That something is different about the Messiah" "Something is radically different" "And so let's pick up here in the word of God" "In John 20 beginning in verse 1" "On a day much like today on the first day of the week" "Mary Magdalene came out of the tomb early while it was still dark" "She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb" "So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple"11:37"The one Jesus had loved and she said to them" "They've taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have put him" "And Peter and the other disciple went out" "Heading for the tomb" "The two were running together but the other disciple outran Peter" "And got to the tomb first" "Stooping down he saw the linen cloths lying there but he did not go in" "Then following him Simon Peter also came"12:05"He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there" "The wrapping that had been on the head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded in a separate place by itself" "The other disciple who had reached the tomb first then also went in saw and believed" "For they did not yet understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead" "Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying"12:34"But Mary remained" "So look at verse 15" "The second half" "She begins to talk with this man and supposing he was the gardener" "She replied sir" "If you have taken the messiah away tell me where you have put him and I will take him away" "And Jesus said to her, Mary" "Turning around she saw him and said in Aramaic, 'Rabboni' which means teacher"13:00"Don't cling to me, Jesus told her" "Since I have not yet ascended to the father but go to my brothers and tell them that I am descending to my father" "And your father to my God and to your God" "And Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord" "And she told them what he had said to her"13:27"Let's pray, Father" "Open our eyes afresh to behold your glory and your holiness" "Open our hearts to believe by faith that you are who you say you are" "But that you are the Messiah, the one who has come to give life to dead men like me" "Like us" "Change us that we would find this unbelievable story worth believing and worth living for" "We ask these things in Jesus name"13:58"Amen and amen" "What an unbelievable story" "That someone who was dead is now in the tomb" "And look at what's going on here in the word of God" "Listen to the words that are used and quickly let me recap again" "In verse 1 Mary came to the tomb" "She saw that the stone was rolled away" "She went running to Simon Peter who was obviously slow" "And the other disciple"14:27"Which we would just call it the Usain Bolt of the Twelve" "Because he got there first" "And they went to the tomb running together" "And they saw in verse 5 and they followed him" "And in verse 6 they entered the tomb and they saw the linen wrappings" "In verse 8 they went in and they saw and they believed" "And again when Jesus appears to them" "Later on in the same chapter they see" "Thomas obviously wasn't with them when Jesus appeared" "And he said I will believe it when I see it"14:56"When I can see the wounds in his hands" "And when I can put my fingers there" "What is going on in this word?" "Obviously they had no preconceived notion that Jesus would rise again" "So if you're here today and you say this can't happen" "I can't even believe that Jesus would rise again" "You're not alone" "Everyone here in the word of God"15:24"Mary, John, Peter, Thomas" "They're in the same boat as you" "They don't believe" "They've heard that Jesus would rise again" "Jesus has shared that with them but they don't believe it" "Because it's unbelievable" "If this were to happen this would be the greatest story that the world had ever heard" "And we see here that there are all these action words" "They're participatory" "Saw, went, came, believed, touched"15:54"What is the gospel calling you to do right now?" "You see, if the resurrection really happens" "Then God is calling you and he's calling me to participate in that" "That's what the gospel does" "The gospel doesn't say sit where you are and just watch" "Sit where you are and just listen" "The gospel calls us in the resurrection" "This power calls us to come into the tomb and to see"16:21"This is the power of the resurrection" "God wants you to participate in his redemptive plan" "To take part, to take possession" "So, Easter is your invitation to believe" "And if you believe that this story becomes your story" "It's not just a story" "If we believe this unbelievable event"16:49"This is our story" "This is your story" "Rejoice" "Wake up" "What an incredible turn of events" "But far too often we become spiritual spectators, don't we?" "We're content to sit back and watch" "This time of year is about the time I start watching basketball, NBA basketball" "And for me, because I have family who lives in California"17:19"And my wife's grandmother used to live in this area in Campbell" "She would live in what is now Silicon Valley" "I cheer for the Golden State Warriors" "One, because we have family there" "Two, I just liked a winner" "I'm that guy, right?" "And so I have a Golden State shirt" "It's not a replica jersey, I'm too cheap" "I went to Chinatown in San Francisco and bought my shirt" "But how foolish would it be of me" "That if Golden State wins this year"17:50"That I would declare to you guys, look what I did" "Game seven, winning shot, boom" "How foolish would it be to tell you that the Golden State winning story is my story?" "No, I'm a spectator" "But what would happen if the coach Steve Kerr calls me up on game seven of this year" "And says, Josh, we have a dilemma" "Steph Curry's hurt" "This is a serious story, I don't know why"18:24"And Josh, you're our guy" "There's a private jet waiting for you in Birmingham right now" "Get on it" "So I make my way to Oakland and I'm nervous because I've never played in the NBA game" "I haven't even played in the high school game, but I'm here" "And the coach looks at me and gives me a pep talk and says, Josh, here's your jersey" "And this is what I need you to understand, it's game seven"18:54"But you're going to sit the bench, relax" "But I want you to know this, that when you put on this jersey, you're part of the team" "And when we win this series, this story is your story" "And in the same way, when Jesus died on the cross, he provided the uniform" "He provided us new clothes" "Clothing of righteousness that we can put on"19:23"The gospel tells us" "And that Easter is really about God telling you and telling me" "Look, I want you on my team" "And don't worry if you can't shoot" "Because I've made a way" "And his name is Jesus" "And when you put on the clothes of righteousness" "This unbelievable story of victory can become your story" "Are you part of the team?" "That's God's desire for your life"19:52"That this story is your story" "It's unbelievable, but I believe it's true" "I stake my life upon it" "But we also see this, Thomas, like you and I" "In verse 24 says, this can't be true" "He says actually" "In verse 25" "He says, I will never believe unless" "I can put my hands in the marks of the nails in his hands"20:21"And I can put my finger in the mark of the nails" "And if I can put my hand into his side" "And maybe that's you" "Maybe you're here right now and you say, I won't believe unless this" "Well, Thomas, he didn't have to wait long, did he?" "Less than a week later, Jesus appears" "And in a miraculous turn of events, he's with the disciples"20:50"Thomas is with the disciples in a closed, locked room" "Probably as they wait" "And Jesus appears" "Jesus doesn't knock, he doesn't bust the door in" "Jesus is there" "And he looks at Thomas, a man who says, I need an empirical test" "Because what does Thomas know?" "Thomas knows that execution and Roman crucifixion is lethal"21:16"And no one comes back from this" "Is this an empirical fact that people on the cross die?" "And the Romans were professional executioners" "They don't make mistakes" "If they made a mistake, it might be that they put the wrong person on the cross" "But when the person was on the cross, rest assured that person was going to die" "So Thomas says, I'll believe it when I see it"21:45"Because this whole resurrection deal, it's unbelievable" "And look what Jesus says to Thomas" "In verse 27" "Jesus said to Thomas, because Jesus heard what he said" "If you're hearing doubts, Jesus knows those doubts" "It's not a surprise" "Jesus says, put your finger here"22:14"Right here" "Remember when you said a week ago that you wanted to see my hands?" "Put your finger here" "And to the marks" "Reach out your hand and put it in my side" "And then he says this" "Thomas, don't be faithless" "Believe" "Don't be faithless believe" "And in that moment, Jesus eternally and intricately links belief and faith"22:42"What is Thomas saying?" "I'll believe it when I see it" "And what did Jesus reply?" "Have faith" "You see belief and faith are two sides of the same coin" "That's why it is by faith that we're saved" "And maybe you're here and you wrestle with it and you say, I'll believe this story when it's proved to me"23:08"That it forces a crisis of faith"23:35"Claim that it forces a crisis of faith" "The resurrection is such an absurd claim that it forces a crisis of belief" "Do you or do you not?" "That's the heart of the matter" "And you either today have to say, well, I believe in the resurrection" "Or I reject this absurd narrative that God would send his son who is God"23:58"That this son would die and that three days later he would rose again" "That he would rise and defeat death and give us life" "You either today have to say, well, I believe this crazy story that is unbelievable" "But I believe it by faith" "Or you say, I can't" "I can't take that step of faith" "And God desires that you believe" "He desires that you believe by faith"24:28"And very clear the gospel says that's God's goal for you" "Look at the very last verse in this same passage, this same chapter" "John writes and he says, I am writing this to you" "That you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God" "And that what?" "That by believing you might have life in his name" "John says, I am giving you all this so that you might believe and have faith"24:52"Do you have faith?" "Do you have faith in this unbelievable story?" "John MacArthur says it this way" "The object of saving faith is not a creed, it is not a church, it is not a pastor, it is not a set of rituals or ceremonies" "It's not baptism, it's not communion" "Jesus, and Jesus alone is the object of saving faith"25:23"The cross and the resurrection look at you and they look at me and they say, do you believe?" "And let's acknowledge that this is unbelievable" "For some of you it's just a story" "And God is saying to you today that it should become your story" "Like Whitney and Hannah and Kara and Walker and Cooper and Livy Kate who stood up today and said "This story, this resurrection story is now my story and I believe by faith"25:52"Do you believe?" "The gospel invites you to participate" "The resurrection challenges you to believe" "And lastly we see this in the resurrection" "Thomas responding in verse 28" "Thomas says, my Lord and my God" "My Lord and my God"26:20"You see, the unbelievable story of the resurrection" "When you believe" "If you believe" "Changes your life" "Changes your life" "Some of you know this man who said these words as" "What's his nickname that we gave him?" "Something Thomas, right?" "Doubting Thomas" "But history would tell you a different tale" "Eusebius, one of the early church fathers would say this about Thomas"26:48"That he was the first man that brought the good news of Jesus Christ to northern Afghanistan" "And church tradition would tell you that Thomas didn't stop in Afghanistan, that he also carried the good news of Jesus Christ to India" "And that even men like Robbie Zacharias can go back and trace his faith history to Thomas" "Who brought the good news of the resurrection to India" "What does that tell us about Thomas?"27:19"That he didn't doubt" "That he didn't stay in his doubt" "That when he believed that the good news of Jesus Christ changed his life" "And that he staked his life, the rest of his life on the fact that the unbelievable good news of Jesus" "Was worth it" "And that it was worth carrying to Afghanistan where he risked his life" "And it was worth carrying to India where he risked his life" "So this unbelievable story asks us very simply"27:48"Are you ready to let Jesus change your life?" "Are you ready to let this good news change your life?" "You see Thomas lived out the rest of his life so that the world would also declare" "My Lord and my God" "And the early church would tell the rest of the tale" "Historias would tell you this about the early church"28:17"That the first generation answered the question of why they were Christians" "With the straightforward answer" "If you ask Thomas and Mary and John and Peter and all the apostles" "If you ask even Eusebius and the early church fathers in the first century church" "If you ask them why do you believe" "They would give you one answer" "Because Jesus rose from the grave"28:45"Why are you a Christian?" "Because Jesus rose from the grave" "Mary, why are you a Christian?" "Because the tomb is empty" "John, why would you write the words of God so that we might believe that Jesus is the Messiah" "And that He rose again?" "That is who we are if we believe" "This is an unbelievable story"29:15"And because of this unbelievable story" "This new church that was birthed by the power of the resurrection" "They gave new dignity to women in contrast to their current classical culture" "They had a remarkable change in worship from the Sabbath to the first day of the week" "You might know it as Sunday" "They had a new focus on family and a willingness to embrace death as martyrs"29:43"And they lived as if they knew that death was not the final answer" "What a peculiar people these Christians are" "They're willing to die because they believe that even if they die for the sake of the good news" "That Jesus has the power to raise them back again" "Wow, what a belief" "And you see, those who experience the power of the resurrection"30:10"They live as if they know history itself" "It's not arrogance" "It's faith" "It's the same faith that Lazarus could look at the world and say" "Go ahead and kill me, but I'm going to proclaim Christ and Him crucified" "And even if you kill me, I've been through this before" "Jesus can look into my life and He can say" "Lazarus, come forth"30:38"That is the power of the resurrection" "So what?" "John would simply tell us in his word in verse 30" "That Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of these same disciples" "And they're not written in this book, but these things are written so that what?" "So that you, and you, and me, so that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah"31:03"The Son of God" "And that believing by faith, you might have new life" "And so I just simply ask you this morning, do you believe?" "Is this incredible, unbelievable story your story?" "Can you stand today before God and say God, I believe it on the basis of faith that you sent your son to die for my sins"31:33"And that when he did, that you remove this curse and that you offered me and redeemed me again by the blood of your son" "And God, I believe that he rose again, and I believe he is the Messiah and by believing that, I will have life in your name" "If you don't believe today, you are here right now because God has brought you here to hear this life saving message"31:58"So that you will not have to live under a curse of sin and guilt, but that if you come to Jesus Christ, you can have abundant life" "And if you are here today, we invite you to place your trust in Christ" "It is a simple prayer, but it is a prayer of faith" "God, I know that I have sinned and I know I am guilty, but I know you sent your son to remove the guilt and to forgive the sin and to make me righteous"32:24"God, to give me a new uniform and I want those righteous clothes that only Jesus can give" "So I believe by faith today in the name of your son, Jesus" "If that's you and you prayed that prayer or will pray that prayer, we celebrate new life in your name, the name of Jesus"32:53"Maybe you are here and you say, well, I have heard this story a million times, this is my 100th Easter" "Well, what is your next step of faith?" "God has brought you here to grow and to live abundantly because this story changes our life" "Are you living today as if you know the outcome of history?"33:17"I do, his name is Jesus and he rose from the grave" "And like Thomas, I believe that it is worth it to give my life so that the world might also say, my Lord and my God" Let's pray, Father.More sermons on John →
