John

Getting Jesus right is essential. Not just for intellectual assent and understanding, not just so you have the right answers but because what you do with Jesus Christ will determine your eternal destiny. Getting Jesus right is of the utmost importance in your life. You cannot understand your purpose in life, you cannot know God, you cannot be forgiven of your sins or enter heaven without Him. It might seem that your studies are of the utmost importance or your job or your girlfriend are the main priorities in your life, and truly they are important, but I would ask you to put all those things aside and make sure that you are getting Jesus right. We will see that He is not just a good teacher, not a miracle worker, not a religious fanatic, or some figure from history that has no bearing on your life, but rather that He is much, much more.

There are only 2 options. Either you will see Him as an interruption to your way of life and what you are trying to accomplish, thinking you are ok with your own religion, and your own pursuit of God by doing good things, and so reject Him as the Pharisees did. Or you will see Him as the One who died to pay for your sins and rose again 3 days later conquering sin and death. And you will lay your sin stained life down at the foot of His cross and give yourself to Him believing that the only way to be made right with God is through His work, not your own. To know and to believe. As we see Jesus more and more each week, we will be pressed to either follow Him or reject, and in that your eternal destiny is set.

God is 100% sovereign, and man is 100% responsible.

C.H. Spurgeon was once asked if he could reconcile these two truths to each other. “I wouldn't try,” he replied; “I never reconcile friends.” They are not uneasy neighbors; they are not in an endless state of cold war with each other. They are friends, and they work together.

Every person matters to God, you have never locked eyes with someone who doesn’t matter to God. We need to see every person we come in contact with as glorious eternal being or a dreadfully lost soul. Jesus put aside the stereotypical racist attitudes of His day and reached out to those who needed Him. We too must put aside our stereotypical attitudes and reach out to those who need Christ. Friends, you are not better than those around you. Jesus went to great extremes to show that His love supersedes these boundaries. What will you do? Love the unlovely, the difficult, that annoying, those unlike you. The ministering heart sees eternal souls and cares not for the externals, but looks past that and looks at the heart.

We have seen a brief snapshot into the heart of Christ and how He did ministry 

1. Ministry is a series of divine appointments 

2. Ministry is costly 

3. Ministry is about people

There is way too much at stake. Eternity is too long and your soul is way too valuable to ignore it or put off dealing with it, but this is what most people do. Content to enjoy the here and now, convinced that they will have time later, consumed with too many other priorities, they kick the can down the road. Someday but not today. Better later than now. When I feel like it. When I am settled. But not now. I'm too busy. Having too much fun. Too many other things in my life. but friend be careful. Over and over again, the Scripture reminds you to deal with your mortality, to remember that your soul is of an infinite value and to lose your soul is a devastating and unrecoverable loss. This is the message of John 5. In a nutshell, there is a God, one day you will stand before Him face to face and you will give an account for your life, and that will determine your eternal destiny. So, don't mess around with your soul. 

Thirst is a universal sensation that all of us have felt, it is an innate desire within us. The body can go for weeks without food, but without water we last only a handful of days. But Jesus isn’t talking about physical thirst, He is talking about spiritual thirst. And if physical thirst is painful, how much more so is the thirst of the soul?

It was as darkness falls, and these great candles were being lit that Jesus announced to them that He is the light of the world. He is the One who would lead His people across the desert of this world and into the promised land. He is the One who saves people from darkness and provides life.

“Jesus Christ alone brings the light of salvation to a sin-cursed world. To the darkness of falsehood He is the light of truth; to the darkness of ignorance He is the light of wisdom; to the darkness of sin He is the light of holiness; to the darkness of sorrow He is the light of joy; and to the darkness of death He is the light of life.”

- John MacArthur

Look at how he changes as the chapter goes on. When asked who Jesus is, v11 The man who is called Jesus healed me. (v17) What do you way about Him? He is a prophet. (v33) He is from God. (v38) He calls Him Lord and He worships. This is always the pathway to spiritual sight, you see and understand who He is and what He has done for you, that leads to belief. Which leads to worship. Jesus healed his blindness with clay restoring his sight, and now He healed his spiritual blindness offering him forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

The world offers happiness, but always based on circumstances, Christ offers joy that is not based on circumstances that change but on His unfailing character that no matter how hard the tempest of life blows and no matter what the devil throws at you, you can rest under the mighty hand of God and have joy.

You are going to die. Take a moment to let that sink in. One morning the sun will rise and you won't see it. Birds will greet the new day with their songs and you won't hear them.  Your friends and family will gather round to celebrate your life and then they will put your body in the ground. The world will pause briefly to remember you, and then it will continue on without you.  I hope that on that day, the great enemy will be silenced because Christ is in you, and you are raised to life in Him.

John 12 showed us 6 different people who each had different interactions with Jesus.

1. Martha—the ever ready servant 

1. Lazarus—the friend of Christ 

1. Mary—the worshipper 

1. Judas—the traitor 

1. The Jews—hangers on 

1. The chief priests—the rejecters 

Who are you?