Christian Wisdom 3 (John 1)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.360 Please remain standing if you're able, and turn. Let's all turn our attention 2 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:17.149 to John, Chapter One. John One read verses one through thirty four. 3 00:00:19.949 --> 00:00:23.460 In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and 4 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:28.539 the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things 5 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:32.340 were made through him and without him was not anything made. That was made 6 00:00:33.460 --> 00:00:38.130 in him was life, and the life was the light of men. The 7 00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:43.530 light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. There was 8 00:00:43.649 --> 00:00:47.210 a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness, 9 00:00:47.329 --> 00:00:51.880 to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He 10 00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:55.560 was not the light, but he came to bear witness about the light. 11 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:00.679 The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was 12 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:03.079 in the world and the world was made through him. Yet the world did 13 00:01:03.120 --> 00:01:07.030 not know him. He came to his own and his own people did not 14 00:01:07.189 --> 00:01:11.030 receive him, but to all who did receive him, who believed in his 15 00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:15.469 name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born 16 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:19.099 not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the 17 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:23.540 will of man, but of God. And the word became flesh and dwelt 18 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:29.379 among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son 19 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:34.329 from the father full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him and 20 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:38.209 cried out, this is he of whom I said, he who comes after 21 00:01:38.250 --> 00:01:44.329 me ranks before me, because he was before me and from his fullness we 22 00:01:44.530 --> 00:01:49.599 have all received grace upon grace, for the law was given through Moses. 23 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:55.760 Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, 24 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:00.840 the only God, who is at the father's side. He has made him 25 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:05.549 known, and this is the testimony of John. When the Jews sent priests 26 00:02:05.629 --> 00:02:09.389 and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you, he confessed and 27 00:02:09.550 --> 00:02:14.949 did not deny, but confessed I am not the Christ, and they asked 28 00:02:14.949 --> 00:02:16.620 him what then? Are You Elijah? He said, I am not. 29 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:21.500 Are you the Prophet? He said No. So they said to him, 30 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:24.419 who are you? What need we need to give an answer to those who 31 00:02:24.419 --> 00:02:29.900 sent us? What do you say about yourself? He said, I am 32 00:02:29.939 --> 00:02:32.330 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of 33 00:02:32.409 --> 00:02:37.610 the Lord, as the Prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from 34 00:02:37.610 --> 00:02:42.370 the Pharisees. They asked him then why are you baptizing if you are neither 35 00:02:42.449 --> 00:02:46.240 the Christ, nor Elijah nor the Prophet? John answered them. I baptize 36 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:50.759 with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he 37 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:53.639 who comes after me, the strap of whose Sandal I am not worth thee 38 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:59.069 to untie. These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where 39 00:02:59.069 --> 00:03:02.789 John was baptizing. The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him and 40 00:03:02.909 --> 00:03:07.189 said, behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the 41 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:12.710 world. This is he of whom I said after me comes a man who 42 00:03:12.750 --> 00:03:16.659 ranks before me, because he was before me. I myself did not know 43 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:22.300 him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be 44 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:27.889 revealed to Israel, and John bore witness. I saw the spirit descend from 45 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:30.330 heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not 46 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:34.930 know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me 47 00:03:35.610 --> 00:03:39.169 he on whom you see the spirit descend and remain. This is he who 48 00:03:39.210 --> 00:03:45.360 baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and I have seen and have borne witness that 49 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:59.669 this is the son of God. Man, please be seated so I'm continuing 50 00:03:59.789 --> 00:04:06.909 this morning series on wisdom, series of sermons which I intend to proclaim the 51 00:04:06.990 --> 00:04:12.379 wisdom of God as we find it in Christ, that we might learn, 52 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:16.819 through faith in him, to walk wisely in this world. And Psalm one 53 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:21.579 of four, the first sermon I gave on this, we considered how God 54 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:29.810 made the world in wisdom and that his wisdom in creation is evident in the 55 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:35.250 creation itself. Then in Coloshins one fifteen through twenty, last week we heard 56 00:04:35.449 --> 00:04:40.639 the good news that Jesus is the son of God who made the world, 57 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.560 something that's also testified to here and John, he who was in the beginning 58 00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:49.040 verse three, says all things were made through him and without him was not 59 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:53.829 anything made. That was made, just as Paul says. In Colossians one 60 00:04:54.269 --> 00:04:59.470 fifteen through twenty, we learned that this same God in Psalm one o four 61 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:05.110 is this is the god of Colossians one fifteen through twenty and also John One, 62 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:11.620 father, son and Holy Spirit, and that this son through whom the 63 00:05:11.779 --> 00:05:16.500 world was made, has also come into the world that he made as a 64 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:24.490 man. Paul testifies that when he talks about Jesus being also the head of 65 00:05:24.569 --> 00:05:27.889 the church, that he might be the firstborn of the resurrection of the dead. 66 00:05:29.170 --> 00:05:33.769 Can't die unless you are a man. John Testifies to that as well 67 00:05:33.930 --> 00:05:39.759 as this one who has come into the world, that he is the the 68 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.720 man who has come after him. And yet was before him, because he 69 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:46.439 was before him, after, before, before, after, what is it, 70 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:54.310 John? Let's both. Because Jesus comes after him as his younger cousin 71 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:57.910 in a way, well, not in a way exactly, that comes after 72 00:05:57.949 --> 00:06:01.470 him as as his a relative, as a younger coversin, comes after him 73 00:06:01.509 --> 00:06:09.060 according to Time, comes after him in First John Proclaims the Kingdom of God, 74 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:14.259 and then Jesus following that. And yet John Proclaims that this man, 75 00:06:14.660 --> 00:06:18.050 this cousin of his, this Jesus of Nazareth, he's not even worthy to 76 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:28.410 untie the strap of his Sandal. Why? Because he was before me. 77 00:06:29.810 --> 00:06:35.040 How much before he is God, John Says, the son of God, 78 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:46.319 who was from the beginning with God, the father. So Paul tells us 79 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:50.870 in Colossians that this Jesus, that John Speaks of two and that the John 80 00:06:50.949 --> 00:06:56.629 the Baptist is testifying to is a voice in the wilderness preparing the way of 81 00:06:56.709 --> 00:07:01.060 the Lord, that he is the key to wisdom. Remember that from Colossians, 82 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:08.420 true wisdom. Remember Paul's prayer. He says, we have not ceased 83 00:07:08.459 --> 00:07:11.899 to pray for you, he says to the Colossians, asking that you may 84 00:07:11.939 --> 00:07:15.610 be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom, isdom and 85 00:07:15.730 --> 00:07:21.089 understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing 86 00:07:21.250 --> 00:07:28.290 fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. If you 87 00:07:28.490 --> 00:07:31.519 lost track a little bit there, just caught recalled your mind all the Times 88 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:38.600 that wisdom and knowledge and understanding came up in just those few, those few 89 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:43.279 short sentences. It's piled up with that kind of language. This is what 90 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.829 we are to be filled with, filled with knowledge of his will and all 91 00:07:46.870 --> 00:07:53.870 spiritual and understanding. But it's not a head knowledge, wisdom in the Christian 92 00:07:53.910 --> 00:08:01.899 life is not a mere information dump. He what does he say? So 93 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:07.420 that we can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit and 94 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:16.370 every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. This Jesus, then 95 00:08:16.649 --> 00:08:18.689 that, and that's why John, I'm sorry, that's why Paul tells us 96 00:08:18.769 --> 00:08:24.889 about Jesus. That's why John tells us about Jesus and invites us to come 97 00:08:26.089 --> 00:08:31.600 to know him here in this Gospel, John The author of this and John 98 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:37.320 The baptist, proclaiming this Lord, proclaiming this one who is a light to 99 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:43.429 the world, another word that signifies life and Whiz, tem and salvation. 100 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:52.230 This light to the world should result in a kind of growing and a change. 101 00:08:52.470 --> 00:08:54.940 That happens in US right you know, this is how light works. 102 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:58.899 When when you are in a dark room and you turn on the light, 103 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:03.940 a change happens, a dramatic change happens. You can see things that you 104 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:09.620 couldn't formally see. You Act in a new way. Perhaps you move faster 105 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:16.970 instead of slower, you are quicker, you make better decisions. The light 106 00:09:16.009 --> 00:09:22.009 changes things. By the light we see, by the light we walk. 107 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:28.519 It is the key to our living, not just living in this action and 108 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:35.679 that action, but life itself, to enter into life and even eternal life. 109 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:43.029 And throughout the New Testament this is a very high theme, that the 110 00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:46.710 great that in order to receive wisdom, in order to grow in the ways 111 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:52.789 of the Lord, you must come to know Jesus more and more, that 112 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:58.179 Jesus is the key to understanding these things. We begin on milk and simple 113 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:03.700 things, but we move to meet through the understanding of God's will as it 114 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:09.690 is given to us in Jesus Christ, and because wisdom comes to us in 115 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:15.169 Jesus Christ, and because Jesus Christ is the very son of God, God 116 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:18.090 himself, God of God, light of light, very god of Very God, 117 00:10:20.289 --> 00:10:24.159 we can safely say that the wisdom of God that is manifest to us 118 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:31.360 in Christ is ultimately never ending. It's a treasure of wisdom that continues on 119 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:37.149 and on and on and on. It's a light that never grows dim that 120 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:39.909 just goes brighter and brighter and brighter the closer you get to him. And 121 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:46.549 so in this way we can never say that, as I said, that 122 00:10:46.789 --> 00:10:52.500 knowledge or wisdom is a mere in a merely intellectual thing. It's a relational 123 00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:58.299 thing, it's an effective thing. Jesus says he comes into the world as 124 00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:01.980 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 125 00:11:03.940 --> 00:11:07.929 It's power. It's not a mere set of facts or bullet points on a 126 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:15.370 page. It's more than that. To understand what it is to fear the 127 00:11:15.490 --> 00:11:20.480 Lord, to understand what it is to walk in his ways, to understand 128 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:24.799 what it is to bear forth fruit of godliness, you need to understand who 129 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:31.639 the Lord is and the Lord who cannot be seen has made himself manifest. 130 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:39.590 We read in John One, in Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible 131 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:46.500 God, and in him then we begin to not just understand something about him, 132 00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:54.779 but to know him. To Know God in the deepest sense and truest 133 00:11:54.820 --> 00:11:58.580 sense is not just to know a handful of things about him, it's to 134 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:05.850 know him like two lovers looking in each other's eyes knowingly. Right, they 135 00:12:05.889 --> 00:12:09.730 are remembering when they do that. Oh yes, she has blue eyes, 136 00:12:09.970 --> 00:12:15.879 Oh yes, he has dark hair. They're not simply listing off a set 137 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:20.480 of things in their minds. Right. They are knowing each other, relating 138 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:24.039 to one each other. Rate it relating to one another. Of course that's 139 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:31.950 not separated from knowledge, but it's much more than just bare knowledge. Paul 140 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:35.990 talks about this to titus when he tells titus to preach the whole counsel of 141 00:12:35.070 --> 00:12:41.669 God concerning Christ. If the people are to grow and devote themselves to good 142 00:12:41.750 --> 00:12:46.539 works, you want your congregation, Titus, Pastor Titus, you want your 143 00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:52.779 congregation to be zealous for good deeds, to be loving the Lord Jesus Christ 144 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:58.500 or Lut and loving one another, then you need to tell them about Jesus, 145 00:12:58.169 --> 00:13:01.769 about this thing and about that thing, and he has a big list 146 00:13:01.850 --> 00:13:09.330 there. You should go read it in titus three. Preach these things, 147 00:13:09.529 --> 00:13:15.399 teach these things, don't give up on these things. Through them people will 148 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:22.559 learn to love as they have been loved. And John Speaks about this when 149 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:26.000 he talks about our knowledge of God's love. In First John, he'd when 150 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:31.269 he talks about our our knowledge of God's love and our faith in God's love, 151 00:13:31.389 --> 00:13:39.110 are receiving that as intimately connected to our obedience to God's love. Now, 152 00:13:39.190 --> 00:13:41.539 when I'm talking about love here, I'm not getting far afield from wisdom, 153 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:46.820 am I? Is the wise person, a hateful person? Is the 154 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:52.659 wise person an angry person, a deceitful person, one who acts against love? 155 00:13:52.820 --> 00:13:58.210 Or is the wise person one who is filled top to bottom with love 156 00:13:58.330 --> 00:14:03.769 in their hearts, who knows how to perfectly give that love to other people? 157 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:09.450 You know people like this right the person who knows exactly the right word 158 00:14:09.529 --> 00:14:15.960 to say the right time and just warms your heart with Christian love, the 159 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:20.679 person who, at the exact right time and and in the exact right way, 160 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:26.029 knows how to come for you, or maybe even admonish you and warn 161 00:14:26.149 --> 00:14:31.269 you of a warning for which you're thankful, because it's not either too hard 162 00:14:31.350 --> 00:14:39.340 or too soft, but it's truth spoken in love. To be wise is 163 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:45.340 to fulfill the Lord's commands in a careful way, in a way that is 164 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:52.620 proper and and and in a in an accord with the right season and the 165 00:14:52.659 --> 00:15:01.409 right timing. Means and ends connected together. Wisdom, law, love, 166 00:15:01.730 --> 00:15:09.320 they all to go together and they all come to us through Jesus. Another 167 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:16.639 aspect of this that we've also been considering as we consider wisdom and Christ, 168 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:22.509 who is our wisdom, is the way that wisdom always acts in accord with 169 00:15:22.750 --> 00:15:28.549 reality. Right. Why is acting, why is living? Is always done 170 00:15:28.789 --> 00:15:35.070 in accordance with what is real and what is true. Right if I'll give 171 00:15:35.070 --> 00:15:37.980 you an example of this in a moment, but let me just say this. 172 00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:43.539 When you come to a passage like John, it's hard to say, 173 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:46.100 if I could put it in this way, there's anything more real than this. 174 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:54.970 There is John Out in the wilderness, you know, with this hairy 175 00:15:54.210 --> 00:16:00.929 clothes eating locusts, people coming out the fair at what everybody's going what's going 176 00:16:00.090 --> 00:16:06.840 on here? And John says, I'll tell you what's going on. I'm 177 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:10.879 here to prepare the way of the Lord, the Kingdom of God. And 178 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:15.360 in fact there's one coming after me whose sandals I'm not even unworthy, I'm 179 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:22.830 not even worthy to untie. And then one day Jesus comes and John Points 180 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:26.950 at him and he says, behold the lamb of God, who comes to 181 00:16:26.029 --> 00:16:33.899 take away the sins of the world. That is intense. And if that's 182 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:40.779 not intense enough, this great respected Prophet that people are streaming out of the 183 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:45.139 cities to come in here then is pointing to this man and saying this one 184 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:51.049 I'm not even able to I'm not even worthy to touch, because he is 185 00:16:51.289 --> 00:16:56.090 the son of God. Then is he is baptizing them there and the Jordans, 186 00:16:56.330 --> 00:17:00.529 the heavens open up John, or the God himself, but God, 187 00:17:00.610 --> 00:17:06.400 the father, declares this is my son, and the Holy Spirit descends on 188 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:17.150 him like a dove. Can you imagine? There are moments in history that 189 00:17:17.430 --> 00:17:25.950 change everything. Right, we focus sometimes on on on wars or leaders, 190 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:30.140 on World War One, World War Two or the civil war eleven or maybe 191 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:36.099 we think about particular things within our communities. Are Our families. That was 192 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:38.539 the day that our third child was born, or that was the day that 193 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:44.220 we got married, or that was the day that grandma died, or any 194 00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:48.009 number of things. These sort of moments, these significant things that happen that 195 00:17:48.130 --> 00:17:56.569 change us. Right, there's nothing bigger than this one, this event of 196 00:17:56.769 --> 00:18:03.319 God coming into the world and taking on the form of a man, taking 197 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:10.680 on human flesh, that he might die on a cross to take away our 198 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:18.950 sins. What could possibly be bigger than that? It affects it affects everything, 199 00:18:18.990 --> 00:18:27.140 every moment and time before it and after it. Nothing is more ultimate 200 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:33.339 than God and here he is, acting at this crucial moment in history, 201 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:41.299 revealing himself and his wisdom that had long been hidden. That's why, if 202 00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:45.049 you want wisdom, if you want to walk wisely in this world, you 203 00:18:45.130 --> 00:18:52.250 can't ignore this. How could you walk according to reality and ignore the most 204 00:18:52.490 --> 00:19:03.720 important thing that has ever happened that ever will happen? Imagine you walked into 205 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:10.430 a room where the light was on, but you acted as though the light 206 00:19:10.589 --> 00:19:14.390 were off. Okay, just imagine that in your minds. First moment. 207 00:19:15.190 --> 00:19:18.390 Kids, can you picture that? Can you imagine how silly a person would 208 00:19:18.390 --> 00:19:23.420 look who is in a room acting as if the lights were off when the 209 00:19:23.460 --> 00:19:30.660 lights were on right, carefully feeling around the walls, trying to find a 210 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:33.220 lights which, but with their eyes open, sort of, I don't know, 211 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:38.089 bumping into things, knocking over a light. They look ridiculous. He's 212 00:19:38.130 --> 00:19:42.569 what are you doing? The light is on. You're not acting in accordance 213 00:19:42.609 --> 00:19:47.569 with wisdom. Why are you closing your eyes? It's the same thing. 214 00:19:48.769 --> 00:19:52.079 The light of God has come into the world, it's shines in the darkness, 215 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:57.000 and yet the world closes its eyes and its blindness and stumbles around, 216 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:04.279 even hides from the light, which is nothing except light and goodness and joy. 217 00:20:08.509 --> 00:20:12.630 The Sun, and it comes up in the morning. It affects your 218 00:20:12.670 --> 00:20:17.869 whole day, doesn't it? We even frame our time this way, right. 219 00:20:17.910 --> 00:20:19.950 It's how time it's press just how it is. It's reality. From 220 00:20:21.029 --> 00:20:25.779 Sun Up to sundown, from morning tonight right. Every moment of your day 221 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:30.819 is affected by this the from the clothing you wear to the decisions you make 222 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:34.849 to the places you work. All kinds of things are affected by by the 223 00:20:34.970 --> 00:20:38.930 Sun. But the sun and the sky, as bright as it is, 224 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:44.890 is affecting, as powerfully effective as it is, is in our lives, 225 00:20:44.890 --> 00:20:49.359 is not the highest and most ultimate thing. It is the sun of God. 226 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:55.559 And if you are be a fool to ignore the sun, how much 227 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:59.720 more of a fool would you be to ignore the one who made the sun, 228 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:03.549 the true wisdom, the one who indeed will cause the sun itself to 229 00:21:03.670 --> 00:21:10.069 melt like wax in the sky when he returns to establish a new heavens and 230 00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:15.630 the new earth? You have to take Jesus into it account. Jesus talks 231 00:21:15.670 --> 00:21:21.819 about this and some of his parables. Like the foolish virgins who didn't prepare 232 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:26.420 for the bridegroom, for the bridegroom to come, there was a reality that 233 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:30.099 they all should have been aware of and yet failed to be or like the 234 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:34.210 foolish man who builds his house on the sand, failing to account for the 235 00:21:34.410 --> 00:21:40.490 reality that sand does not hold a house. It's a foolish thing, it's 236 00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:45.450 a stupid thing to act against reality. Well, what John is saying here 237 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:52.279 at the beginning of this Gospel, what Um what Paul says in a Colossians 238 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:56.200 one, what we read in Psalmono four? This is all about reality. 239 00:21:56.920 --> 00:22:00.509 Look at the world, look at history, look at what God has done. 240 00:22:02.630 --> 00:22:07.150 He has caused these works to be remembered for a reason. That he 241 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:11.789 might make himself known to you, that you might hear and walk accordingly. 242 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:21.380 So in these verses, John One and other places, do you hear them 243 00:22:21.579 --> 00:22:27.259 the call to heavenly wisdom? Do you seek to make good choices, smart 244 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:33.930 choices, things that will bring you advantage, by ignoring reality or by living 245 00:22:33.970 --> 00:22:40.250 in its light? Do you know Jesus? Have you heard about how he 246 00:22:40.289 --> 00:22:44.559 has come into the world, how he has conquered the world through his death, 247 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:49.000 not by a sword in his hand, but by nails put through them. 248 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:55.960 On the cross he died and in doing so, Jesus Christ put death 249 00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:02.190 to death and he has our of darkness. He was bringing us into the 250 00:23:02.230 --> 00:23:07.589 light of salvation, into eternal rest, as John says in one hundred and 251 00:23:07.630 --> 00:23:14.059 twenty nine, he was the lamb of God, like all the old sacrifices, 252 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:18.019 except he was the final sacrifice which all the old sacrifices pointed towards, 253 00:23:18.940 --> 00:23:22.500 the lamb of God to take the sins away, the sins of the world. 254 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:33.250 Wisdom sees these things clearly. So Open Your eyes and if you find 255 00:23:33.289 --> 00:23:36.609 them shot, if you find it difficult to see, if you find it 256 00:23:36.769 --> 00:23:41.000 hard to believe, what ought you to do? Clamor back into the darkness. 257 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:49.319 No, pray to the God of this world. Pray to the God 258 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:56.190 who has made the world to come. Pray to him who has revealed this 259 00:23:56.349 --> 00:24:00.630 light and is shining it in the dark places. Ask him to shine it 260 00:24:00.750 --> 00:24:04.109 in the dark places of your life and of your heart, of your sins 261 00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:10.500 and of your doubts, and to draw him close to you. Ask him 262 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:15.299 to open your eyes that you might see. And you know what, he 263 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:19.700 answers those prayers. If you have any doubt about that, go and read 264 00:24:19.859 --> 00:24:26.569 more of the Gospels. Read about person after person after person coming to Jesus 265 00:24:26.650 --> 00:24:33.609 and saying, Jesus of Nazareth, save me, and over and over and 266 00:24:33.890 --> 00:24:41.759 over again he does, including opening the eyes of the blind. Let's pray