← ArchiveReformation: 5 statements that form/faithSunday, October 29, 2017DateOctober 29, 2017Speaker—TextJohn 12Passages in this sermonJohn 124:38Isaiah 64:49Romans 112:49Romans 1:2013:28Luke 2:914:30Acts 714:39Revelation 1815:12John 12:4218:55Matthew 729:412 Corinthians 331:43Isaiah 4236:27TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*Piano music* *Piano music* *Piano music*0:18*Piano music* Well, in case you did not recognize, we have changed the music today. And some of you might not be familiar with that, but that song is one of the most famous compositions in the history of the world.0:40You might have heard of a man named Johann Sebastian Bach, who composed what is now called the Toccata and Fugue in D minor. That's not Halloween music. That is classical music that stimulates our mind and our heart.1:02Bach was born in 1685 and you ask, "Well, why change the music? Why introduce classical music into our hearts this morning?" See, Bach understood something that we are discussing today and that we need to understand as people who seek Christ together. Bach understood that his music represents Christ to the world.1:29Bach understood that the death, burial and resurrection transformed everything about him. So much so that in the majority of his compositions, you'll see in small script at the bottom of the composition, the initials S-D-G, which stand for this: Soli Deo Gloria. All glory to God alone.1:57Bach understood that his passions and his cantatas and his organ corrals, that everything in his life should point back to Christ. You see, if it is by grace alone that we are saved, through faith in Christ alone, then it is by the glory of God that we now live. Bach once famously said this: "The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."2:21The church needs to hear that, the modern church. Music is not about us, right? All music should glorify God and refresh our soul. Today I stand in agreement hundreds of years later with Bach.2:47He said, "I want my life to glorify God and refresh others' soul by the spirit that's living out in me." The Westminster Shorter Catechism reiterates this thought of glorifying God. So if you are five years old to 12 years old, if you'd raise your hands. We have some of them represented with us. Some are still awake. Awesome. We are glad you guys are here. I love having our kids with us.3:15We've had our youth lead us in worship. Thank you. You did an amazing job. And now we have our kids engaged with us. So here's the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. This is a question I want you to ask your parents and your grandparents at the end of the service. What is the chief end of man? What is our number one goal? And if you only hear one thing. Kids, this is what I want you to hear. Our goal in life is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.3:40So repeat that with me. What is our chief goal? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Okay, kids, one more time. What is our chief end? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Heaven, adults, is not about your enjoyment. It's not. Who cares if you have a mansion or a shack in heaven?4:09You are in the presence of the King. Like the gold streets in heaven are going to be gravel compared to what we're used to. The goal of our life is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. And as we continue this series on the five sayings that define our faith, we say, God, we want to glorify you and you alone. And so how do we do that? If you would turn in your Bibles with me to John 12.4:38So if you have your Bibles, please join me in John chapter 12. We're going to be reading in verse 37 through 43. And jumping to Isaiah also, Isaiah 6. So John 12. Please join me whether it's physically or electronically in God's Word this morning. How wonderful is it that we can open up God's Word. What a privilege that God has given us His truth to behold His glory in our life.5:04May we not take this for granted, church. We have brothers and sisters around the world today that have no Bible in their native language. May we treasure God's truth to us. Verse 37 of John 12. The fourth gospel in the New Testament begins this way.5:28Even though He had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet who said, Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? This is why they were unable to believe because Isaiah also said, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts.5:56And turn and I would heal them. Verse 41. This is going to be our focus verse this morning. Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory. Now we're going to ask the question, who is His and what is glory? And He spoke about Him. Nevertheless, many did believe in Him, even among the rulers.6:22But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him so that they would not be banned from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise from God. The ESV says that they loved human glory more than the glory from God. Let's pray. Father, we have read your word. And in that it is sufficient to stir the affections of our heart for you.6:51Lord, we confess that we can know nothing apart from your spirit. So we ask that you would give us wisdom to understand. And know that you would convict us in a way that we would change and live out the transformational power of the good news that Jesus Christ did. Jesus Christ died to save sinners. Lord, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen.7:20And amen. I have two thoughts today just to encourage you. And the first is this question. What did Isaiah see? And the second is like it. If Isaiah saw something that we also see, then how do we live? So basically, what did Isaiah see? And then how do we live out that glimpse of what he saw? So what did Isaiah see? Verse 41. Verse 41. What did Isaiah see? He saw something glorious.7:49He saw something glorious. You see, Isaiah was a prophet much like Moses in the same lineage. And it's in the fourth gospel that Isaiah becomes a link from Moses to Jesus. So John is pointing us to something great here. He said, Isaiah, pay attention. Isaiah sees something that we should also see. And if you see something that Isaiah saw, then there should be a life change in us.8:12And we ask, well, what did he see? Well, read with me in Isaiah 6. Isaiah is about halfway in your Bible. Page 616, if you have my Bible. And I'm reading out of the Christian standard version.8:33So what did Isaiah see? And what was this chief voice in redemptive history? How does it apply to our lives? How does it apply to our lives? A very familiar passage. And if we agree that, as the scripture says, that God does not change. He was the same yesterday and today as he will be tomorrow. Then whatever Isaiah saw is the same thing that we should see.9:01And the vision that Isaiah sees of God is the same God that we should see and love out. Now, before we say amen to that, what Isaiah saw is terrifying. This is not a God that says, come here. Or let me pat you on the back. This is a God that strickens our heart with fear. Verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died in Isaiah 6. The prophet says, I saw the Lord seated on high and lofty.9:30You ready for this? The hem of his robe filled the temple. What part of God filled the temple? Like the hem, a thread in his coat. So I don't know what the rest of God filled. But this is the grandeur of God. Isaiah is basically saying, all I can see is a thread and the one thread of God filled the temple.9:55Now, do you feel small yet? Let's keep reading. Verse 2, seraphim. Let's just stop there. You say, what is a seraphim? We don't know. The word literally means flaming things. The seraphs were, even in the Old Testament, serpents that when they bit, they felt like fire. So seraphim are a lot of fiery things. And these fiery things are standing above him.10:23And really the best translation is they're standing all around. And they had six wings. Two, they cover their face. Two, they cover their feet. And with two, they, very coordinated creatures they are. Verse 3, and one called to another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of armies.10:45His glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorway shook. And when these fiery angelic things, beings, seeing this, the temple, the foundations are shaking. Then the temple was filled with smoke and Isaiah said what?11:13He didn't say, this is so awesome. God is love. How cool. Jesus is my homeboy. That's not what he says. Look at what Isaiah says. We need to understand this, church. I said, woe is me for I am ruins. That's Isaiah's way of saying, I see God and it is not good for me.11:40It is not good. I am a man of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies. And if you continue reading, this description grows and grows and grows. And so let's flip back to John 12. We say, well, what did Isaiah see? He sees all of this. How big is God? I don't know.12:09But his thread fills the temple. And the angels, when they sing about his holiness, the world shook. Romans echoes this. Awe inspiring view of the glory of God. The glory of God. The word is doxa. We sing that doxology. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. That it fills the whole earth. What is the glory of God? It fills the whole earth. You see, the glory of God is not simply an attribute of God.12:38It's something that flows from him and fills the earth. Romans 1 says it like this. From the foundations of the world, his invisible attributes, his internal power, his divine nature has been clearly perceived. So what does that mean for us? We have seen, everyone in here, in nature, has seen a glimpse of God.13:03So how dare I say, well, I haven't ever seen God. No, he is showing you his mighty right hands. The glory of God surrounds him and fills the whole earth. Ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made. So they, us, are without excuse. Romans 1:20. We have seen a glimpse of the glory of God.13:30Why? Because it fills the whole earth. Where do you live? The earth. God's glory fills the earth. Pay attention. That's what Isaiah wants us to see. Pay attention. Not only does God's glory fill the earth, but God is surrounded by his glory. God is surrounded by his glory. The seraphim, the fiery ones, were around him and they were singing what? They weren't singing love, love, love.14:00What were they singing? Glory, glory, glory. Holy, holy, holy. And Isaiah says, I am ruined. Because God's glory, he is surrounded by it and it manifests itself as brightness. God's glory manifests itself as brightness. So it fills the earth and he's surrounded. You say, well, where do we see that else in Scripture?14:27In Luke 2:9. The glory of the Lord shone when the angel of the Lord appeared. His glory shines. In Acts 7, Stephen gazes into heaven and he beholds what? The glory of God. Now before you say, I want to be like Stephen, why does Stephen see God? He is being stoned and he's dying for his faith. We also see this at the transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appear with Christ.14:56What happens to the clothes of Jesus? They shine because of his glory. Revelation 18, an angel comes down from heaven and the earth was made bright with his glory. Over and over again, we see the brightness of God manifest itself. In him, there is no shadow of turning.15:24Right? God is so bright that when the new heavens and new earth come, the sun gives up. How bright does God have to be for the sun to tap out and say, I'm done. That's how bright God is. Look at read Revelation. The sun is there, but it's not shining. That's how bright our Savior is. God is surrounded by his glory and his brightness. So what is heaven going to be like?15:53I don't really know, but I know it's going to be bright. So get your spiritual sunglasses on because it's going to be bright. Now, why is that important for us? Because if God is bright, then we are called to reflect and shine his light to the world. We are reflectors of his glory. We'll get to that. But God's glory fills the earth and it shines. God's glory fills the earth and it shines.16:21Awesome, I heard a voice. Not only does it shine, but God's glory only belongs to him. God's glory only belongs to him. What were these angels saying? These fiery angels. They were singing a song in verse 3. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. Not us. Not a church.16:50Not a building. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. God's glory is his and his alone. And Isaiah recognized that when he says, I am ruined. Why is that important for us? Because God's glory will never be shared with anyone else. God does not share his glory. Ask Satan. Ask Satan. When Satan wanted to king himself and take God's glory for himself, he lost that battle this fast.17:19And we are hard-headed people and we are ruined, as Isaiah says, because this is sin. The eternal consequences of sin in our life is separation from God. And you know what sin ultimately is? It is us trying to take God's glory for ourselves. Like sin makes us glory thieves.17:49Think about that. Sin makes you a glory thief. Now, who is Jesus crucified with on the cross? Two thieves. I think the Bible is showing us that when we steal his glory, we deserve death and the cross. And yet, Jesus died for us. Your sin is serious, church.18:17My sin has eternal consequences. And it is us trying to take back God's glory. It is us saying, God, we know better. And we are judged for every instance of our glory thievery. Every instance of my theft is eternal and I will be judged for every instance. God's glory is his alone. It fills the earth and it shines. And you say, well, now how do we live? How do we respond to this glory?18:46If this is what Isaiah sees in chapter 12 of verse 41, how do we respond? Look at the next verse, John 12:42. If God is glorious and all glory be to God, then how do we live out God's glory? Verse 42. Some scholars call this the theological break in the book of John. Because from this point on, people have seen, if you go back in chapter 11 and 12,19:15Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. He has been anointed at Bethany. He is rid in triumphantly to Jerusalem. And now we say, well, no one would reject Jesus as Lord and Savior, right? I mean, how hard-hearted do you have to be to look at Lazarus and say, Jesus raised him from the dead and I still don't believe. Look at verse 42.19:44Nevertheless, many did not believe in him, even among the rulers. So let's look at how we respond to God's glory in our life. Scripture says there are many that see God's glory and do not believe. There are many that see God's glory and will deny his, deny the faith and deny that he is the risen Christ. Look at verse 37.20:13Even though Jesus had performed many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. And then we see in the next verse that God makes their hard heart. And if you joined us on Wednesday, we said that God is not making hard, hearts that are hard without responsibility. That people have already rejected God and now God has hearted in their hearts more. And the same is true with us. There are many in this room right now that are denying that God is God and that he is glorious and Jesus Christ is Redeemer and friends.20:40And if that is you, I want to share some words of hope. If you are here today and you say, I do not believe anything in this book. God's truth does not depend on whether you believe it or not. God is God, whether I validate that or not.21:08God does not need my validation. God's truth does not need my validation. But I want you to know this, even in your unbelief, Jesus died for you. Even in your own, if you say, I don't believe anything, that's okay. Because Jesus still died for you and I know that Jesus can melt your hard heart and your dark mind. How do I know that?21:38Because he did it for me. He did it for me. And God is gracious and he is offering you the invitation of grace right now. Right now. You see, you would think that the invitation of new life in the time of Christ would melt the hard heart and that people would leap for joy. Yet that is not the case. Isaiah was proclaiming the good news and people rejected and denied. Jesus comes and sets the captives free and many denied he was Lord.22:07And even today, over and over again, the good news of Christ is proclaimed and many are sitting in this church. This is not a sermon or a message for those that are outside the walls, the pagans who decided to sleep in today. I am speaking to those that are right here. I am speaking to those who do not believe. And I want you to know that God is calling you to believe today. He is calling you to lay down your prejudice and your pride and to say, God, I know I've been stubborn.22:36I have stolen, I've tried to steal your glory, but yet you still died for me. That is the power of the resurrection. I want you to know this, that maybe you say, well, I want to believe, but I just want to delay the decision. I want to believe, but today is not a good day. That is one of the greatest lies from Satan.23:05One of the greatest lies that you will ever hear is you have more time, punt until tomorrow. That is a rejection of God's glory in your life. And I just want to say this, do not be like me. I remember sitting in a small Baptist church in North Mississippi, right back there. And I remember that the time of response was given and I don't know what the pastor said.23:32I don't care, but I know the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart as a lightning bolt came from heaven. And I felt like God surrounded me by the little, the flaming seraphs. I thought they were attacking me. And I realized I was sinful and that God was the answer because he sent his son graciously to offer me new life. And you know what I did as a young teenager? I said, God, today's not a good day.24:01I was foolish and I denied the faith. Do not be like me. And I am thankful that God gave me a second chance. But I just want to tell you, I don't know if God is going to give you a second chance. It only takes one chance. And if God is moving your heart today, I pray that you would respond to the invitation of new life. Some will deny, but all are invited. Will you turn and trust him today?24:31There's a second group though. Not those that are denying the faith in scripture here, but there's a second group. Look at verse 42. Nevertheless, many did believe in him. Now we say, before we clap, I say, awesome. Good job, guys. Let's continue to look at the scripture. Many did believe in him, even among the rulers, but not good. Because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him so that they would not be banned from the synagogue.24:59You see, some believe, but they dismiss God. Some believe and they dismiss. This is where we're going to get really uncomfortable because there's, these are church people. These are us, right? Just kind of just, let's reread that. Many believed in him, but they did not, because of the Southern Baptist, they did not confess him. So that they would not be banned from the synagogue.25:29Or fill in the blank, right? Deacons or leaders or elders, whoever, whoever you think might not accept you. For me, it was a friend. I said, Lord, what will my friends think? How foolish that I wanted the praise of my friends more than the praise of my Savior. You see, some, like the religious elite, fear man more than they fear the Lord.25:53And if that is you today, I just want to share these words and chastise you and also comfort you. These people knew nothing of the powerful new birth that would make them children of God and enable them to enter the kingdom. These people did not know the new life. It's, we can't say, well, they believed.26:21God, God, that's enough, isn't it? No, John is telling them, Jesus Christ is speaking to us and saying, secret faith does not work. Secret faith does not work. Look at the scriptures. They believed, but they did not confess them. You know who also believes and does not confess? Demons. Welcome to the club. Right? If we believe and we say, well, Lord, if I just believe, you're a demon.26:50You're not, you're not the blue devil. You're not a moody blue devil or, or Duke blue. You're a demon. Amen. Satan believes, he believes in God because he was cast out of heaven by God. And how terrifying it is for us to be demonic in our belief and to believe the lies that Satan feeds us. Just believe, just believe, just believe, just believe. But don't confess.27:19Don't confess. Seek the glory of man. Don't seek the praise of the Father. Secret faith is not enough. It is not enough. I had the, the sad conversation recently. The lady that's a member here of this church. That's all the details I'll give you. Not to, to call out anyone. I never met this lady in my life. And, and to my understanding, she hasn't been here in years. But as we dialogue, she, she asked me to pray for her daughter-in-law and her grandchildren.27:49I said, absolutely, I'll pray. She said, they don't know the Lord. She said, but my son does. He knows the Lord. I'm, I'm, I'm silent. I'm okay with awkward silence. As many people will tell you. So I just looked at her. I just listened. And over and over again, she said, my son believes. He's never been in church, but he believes. Never been a life change, but he believes. And I wanted to scream at her because I love her. I want to say, lady, he does not believe.28:17If you're holding onto a prayer or an aisle that he walked years ago, and there has been no life change. Church, listen to me. If there is no transformation, that is not new life. That is not, God does not clean us up to make us good traditional Southern Baptist. This church will not save you. If we're, if we're honest, church can lead people to hell.28:43Because we say, clean up, be religious and believe that's it. And God says, I will make your dead life new. That's the power of the scripture. The Holy Spirit that I want. If you are here today and you are clinging to a prayer that you participated in years ago. You are baptized, that is great, but there has been no life changing.29:06You have never experienced new life and new birth. You do not know Christ. And John is screaming at you. Secret faith is not faith. Confess him as Lord. Confess him as Lord. That he would be king and king. Do not steal his glory. A scripture that keeps me up at night.29:36As a pastor is this. Matthew 7, 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord. Will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my father. You see, confession of the king always leads to obedience of the king. Colossians says, if you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, so walk in his ways.30:02And I am terrified that there are people who are sitting here today that when you are judged by the creator, you're going to say, Lord, Lord. And he's going to say, I never knew you. And you're going to say, Lord, but you don't realize I was baptized at 8332 Moody Parkway. Bethel Baptist Church. By the most holy pastor you'll ever meet.30:31And God's going to say, but you don't know me. But Lord, you don't know what I did for the kingdom. I cast out demons in your name. And Lord, I built buildings in your name. And I knocked on doors in your name. And he's going to say, but you don't know my son. You put your faith in yourself. And you believed in yourself and in church and in tradition. But you don't know me. That keeps me up at night.31:00And why do I say that? Because I love you. If you don't know Christ, I pray that that would shred your heart. And that you say, Lord, I want to know you today. Because we are saved by faith alone, in grace alone, in Christ alone. We say, well, pastor, that's a horrible message. Can't we end on a better note? We can. We can. See, there are some, though, that will reflect his glory.31:28There are some that will reflect his glory. So I ask you, do not deny, do not reject, but reflect the glory of God. You see, 2 Corinthians 3 says that we are changed into his likeness from one degree to another. We are created to glorify God. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.31:54And if you know Jesus Christ, I want you to know this. One, your punishment in debt is paid. Fully. Like, God's not going to punish you for future sins. He's punished Christ for your sin. All of it. And the debt is not only paid. You know what Colossians says? It is wiped away. Like, Jesus didn't file chapter 13 bankruptcy on your behalf.32:22He paid it and wiped it clean. That is a glorious thought. And we are fully righteous. He said, well, Pastor, I'm not perfect. I didn't say that. We are fully righteous in Christ. We are being perfected. But we are fully righteous. And so I ask you, will you reflect the glory of God in our life? So what does that look like? The scientific term reflect is albedo. Albedo.32:51Albedo. And we see this measured in our planets especially. So the albedo of the planet Venus is 0.65, which is 65%. So whatever light hits Venus, 65% of those rays are redirected. For the baby planet, they actually call it the dwarf planet, Pluto. It's not near as strong. It's 0.49. So 49% of all light that hits Pluto is redirected. And then where we get our light at night?33:18The moon. Can you guess what this albedo is? 7%. Only 7% of the light that hits the moon is redirected. Now, why do I give you that? Because we are to be reflections of the king. And my prayer for us today is that we would be 100% reflective. 100% that when people see us, they would see Christ. They wouldn't see half Christ and half Josh.33:48They would see 100% Christ. That we would reflect. Our albedo would be 100%. That is what God has called us. And I'm reminded in Scripture that we cannot produce light. But we can reflect light. We don't produce anything. We produce sin. And that's not good. We should produce confessions. We should say, God, woe is me.34:16I have seen your glory. Lord, I have seen the hem of your robe. And that scares me. But Lord, I have seen your son. And he welcomes me. And Lord, I want to reflect your glory. So I ask you this morning, on a scale from the moon to Venus to more, how well are you reflecting the king?34:33Maybe you're here and you say, well, about 7%. Every now and then there's a ray of reflection. Will you commit your life and renew your faith today? Maybe you say, well, you know what? This is a good week. I was slaying demons.35:02I was exercising things I didn't realize could be exercised. I read my Bible. I read it five times through. And pray without ceasing. But you know, that tongue, as James says, it is hard to cap sometimes. Maybe you're a 99%er. One day I hope I'm there. But you can still renew your faith. Will we commit our lives to Christ and say, Lord, all glory be to you.35:27Buck said this. That his music should be a refreshment of spirit. At the end of Johann Sebastian Bach's life, when the enlightenment was spawned, this is what the culture believed about music. The culture defined music and said it is the art of pleasing and innocent luxury. A gratification of the sense of hearing.35:57Or that art that merely plays with sensations. That's what Immanuel Kant said. I'm reminded of what Bach said in the beginning. That his music is to glorify God and refresh the soul. Oh, what a great declaration that is for us who call Jesus the King of Kings. That we could glorify God and refresh the soul. That's only found in the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 42 says this.36:27I am the Lord, that is my name. My glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. You see, some of our idolatry is crass. It's a wood idol or it's money. But some of our idolatry is sophisticated. It's a mentality. It's an enlightenment. It's a worldview. And I believe one of the most deadly worldviews that we have, the most deadly idolatry that we struggle with is religion.36:52It is the American way. It is the American way. Or in my life, it was the southern way. If you work hard and make a good life for you and keep your nose clean, you'll be a good person. Scripture says that none of us are good. I don't care how hard you work or how clean your nose is.37:18We are depraved and in need of a Savior. But here's the glorious news of the gospel. That when we, like sheep, were gone astray, each of us to his very own way, the Lord took your iniquity, your sin, and laid it upon Jesus. I don't know what's keeping you from following Christ today, but I pray that today would be the day of your salvation.37:43Today, not tomorrow. That you would say, Jesus, I need you. I reject myself and I turn to you in repentance. Maybe you're here and you are a man pleaser and not a God pleaser. Maybe you've never been baptized because you're scared of what other people will do, think, or say. They're not worth it. They are not worth it.38:12You will not be held accountable to men on the day of judgment. We are disappointed to a man once to die and then judged by the king. And I pray that God would give you the boldness to step out in faith and say, God, I'm tired of having a secret faith. I don't want just to believe. I want to confess that you are king and I have submitted my will to you. Maybe you're here today and you just want to reflect more. And you want to say, God, I want my life, every square inch of my life to reflect your brightness and your glory.38:42Because you are worth it. Because you are worth it. You are worth it. You are worth it. What did Isaiah see? He beheld his glory. How should we live out? Soli Deo Gloria. In the glory of God alone. pray.← Previous in Reformation: 5 statements that form/faithSunday, October 22, 2017Next in Reformation: 5 statements that form/faith →Sunday, November 5, 2017More sermons on John →
