Kaleo San Diego Church

After two weeks of topical studies I am so hungry and thirsty for this Gospel that I don’t want to waste much time in a preamble.

 

Verse 34 The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"

 

Selective hearing, misquotes, willful disbelief even when evidence is given, rhetorical and snide questions that are made from doubt and frustration. 

 

These are the people you and I live with from day to day.  These are the people that Christ was dealing with in this text.

 

“The people” that are mentioned here I am sure mingled with some of those that were just moments ago crying out “hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

 

Is it possible that some of these same people that were just crying out praises to Christ are now frustrated at His not fitting in with their agenda and have turned from “hosanna” to “Who is this Son of Man?”

 

I would say yes.  The human heart has a tremendous capacity for duplicity.  Our heart knows no limits to fake loyalty as long as our needs and agendas are being furthered.

 

Christ tells this group in verse 32 that if He is lifted up He will draw all peoples to Himself.

 

Then in verse 33 John is gracious enough to give us commentary that the reason He said this was to tell them what kind of death He would die.

 

Jesus just tells them that the Son of Man, that He described earlier, that is now to be glorified, and must die like a grain of wheat is none other than Himself.

 

The question that these people ask is not a sincere question.  It is not a humble question.  It is a statement.

More often than not, the questions of those that most aggressively and boldly deny in God or the truth of Christ are not interested in answers to their questions.  They are interested in their own statements.

 

I would even say that when we doubt God’s word as believers, that our doubt says more as a statement than it does as an honest question.

 

But why would God do this?  Why would God do that?  Why didn’t He do this or that?  These questions are often not questions that seek truth, but statements of doubt, sin, even judgment against God’s sovereign choices.

 

God has no fear for the questions of man.  And as creatures that have been created to think and inquirer, He has laid down for us a tremendous amount truth in His Word.  But, when those questions are not interested in answers, it moves from honest inquiry to the sin of disbelief.

 

The next time you hear yourself asking questions of God, ask yourself some questions; are you really looking for an answer in humility?  Are you willing to accept that answer, even if it contradicts your view?  Are you willing to change if the answer is given?

 

If your answer to any of those questions is either no, or even a hesitant yes, you may want to rethink your question before asking God or others.

 

Jesus, being much wiser than myself, does what I have great difficulty doing.  He simply ignores their insincere question.

 

And as Jesus often does, He moves their attention from their question to Him.  

 

Verses 35-36 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

 

Jesus now teaches us about limited opportunity.  He teaches us about redeeming the time we have. 

 

“A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light…”

 

Jesus tells this group that He is only with them for a short time.  That once He is gone, their privileged position of having the light with them will be over and they will be swallowed up by darkness. 

 

Jesus implores them yet again believe in the light so that they can become sons of light.

 

He is that light.  Jesus declared in John 8:12, that He is “the Light of the world.”

 

I find this such a sad note of warning.  That Christ Himself tells us that without faith in Him the darkness will overtake you. 

 

As Christ tells those that are skeptical unbelievers, I believe He is telling us as well. 

 

We are to live in such a way that we recognize the limit to our days.  We recognize the importance of not only believing in this light, but actually walking into it in all of its beauty.

 

For those of you that have not grown up in a climate that is different than San Diego, you may miss this comparison:  I grew up in Port Orchard, Washington.  A place that is not known for its abundance of sunny days.

 

I would also walk to school every day as a little boy and I remember morning after morning in the winter when it was so cold I didn’t want to get out of bed and face walking to school that day.  In Washington, those days are often because of the weather.

 

But I also remember, every now and again, very rarely the sun would break through.  I remember walking to school with the sun on my face and I would think to myself “this is a good day.”  The warmth, the feel of the sun as it would cut through the clouds and instantly envelop you.

 

One of the reasons I moved to California was to get away from the doom and gloom of gray skies every day, day after day.   The main reason I would never want to move back to Washington is because I have grown so accustomed to the sun in San Diego that I don’t think I could readjust back to cloudy, dreary days.

This is how it should be for us that have been brought into the light, that have had their sins laid bare before God and forgiven because of what Christ did on our behalf. 

 

As we stepped into the light of God, bringing nothing to Him but our doubts and fears and sin, He makes us children of light.  He takes that love of darkness, that fear of the light, and He exchanges it for the glorious warmth of His light.

 

It should be strange for us to desire darkness.  It should be strange for us who have seen, to desire blindness.  Our trust in Christ and our love for Him should draw us constantly to the light.

 

Imagine how painful it would be if you have never been able to see, and suddenly an operation connects the necessary nerves for you to see.  The very thing that you prayed for, hoped for, and wanted, was now given to you and you can see light for the very first time.

 

The pain of that light would soon disappear and be replaced with gratitude and thanks for your new sight.  You no longer have to stumble through life, you no longer have to rely on someone else to tell you what is safe or unsafe, you can see for yourself.

 

So it is for the children of God.  The pain we experienced as we stepped into the light of Christ and were overwhelmed by its holiness and our sinfulness, was soon replaced by the awareness of our new vision.  We can now see.  The blindfold has been removed.

 

If we stay in the light we will no longer stumble through life, we will no longer need anyone’s opinion about what is right or wrong, good or bad, you can see for yourself.

 

Darkness is the absence of light.  In order for it to be, something must be missing, that something is the light.

 

Jesus, as the light of the world now departs from them to leave them in their darkness.  He hides from them for the last time.  The next time this group will see Christ, they will cry out “crucify Him!”

 

Verses 37-41 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 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?" 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them." 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

 

This is so painful to read.  Jesus performs great miracles and so clearly demonstrates His identity, yet no matter what signs He does the still could not believe. 

 

Israel’s heart was so hard, their ears so hard, and their eyes so blind, they not only reject the messiah and ask for His crucifixion, they go so far to even say “His blood be on us, and our children.” 

 

This self-condemnation would be fulfilled 4 decades later when Jerusalem was destroyed, her children slaughtered, sold as slaves, and scattered throughout the earth.

 

Their hardness so much more amazing considering the prophecy of Isaiah given about the Messiah.

 

We could construct an entire life of Christ out of the book of Isaiah, beginning with “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” and ending with “he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death.”

 

Isaiah spoke of John the Baptist as the “voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” 

 

The prophecy spoke of our Lord as “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” 

 

Isaiah speaks of Christ suffering for us as “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed.” 

 

It is so clear that Isaiah sounds more like an evangelist than a prophet.  He sounds more like an eyewitness, rather than one foretelling an event that would take place some 700 years later.

 

But all of this clarity was lost to his generation and the generations that followed after.  This nation had so long turned from God’s truth that its heart was hardened beyond belief.

 

Isaiah’s prophecy was now fulfilled.  Their time of privilege has run out.

 

All the prophecy, all the fulfillment, all the signs and wonders, their hardened hearts were simply not able to believe in the report of the prophet.

 

Jesus fed them with bread that they could see and handle.  He healed the sick and raised the dead, and they hated Him all the more.

 

I feel as if God is speaking to us this morning.  As those that are responsible for preaching the Gospel, have to deal with much of the same issues; hard hearts, deaf ears, and blind eyes.

 

Our nation is much like Israel, we over and over want to distance ourselves from light and be overtaken by darkness.  Our judicial system is broken, our political system an international joke, and our educational system is trying everything it can to move away from any form of right or wrong, good or bad.

 

The heart of the nation has become hard.  The people of this nation have become deaf.  The Christians of this nation have become blind to all they see before them.

 

Think of the ministry of Isaiah.  Go tell the people they are doomed, don’t back down, don’t try to save them.  Just deliver my message, signed..God!

 

Think of Moses ministry to Pharaoh; “Go tell him to let my people go, but I am going to harden his heart so that he won’t listen.”

 

Think of Noah’s ministry; “Build the ark because I am going to destroy everything.”  Guess who follows?  Just his family and the animals.  Not even one legitimate convert to God’s message outside of his own family.

 

This difficulty of God’s justice should not baffle us.  What should baffle us is God’s mercy to those whose hearts are hard!

 

How should we as Christians respond to Christ today?  What should be our attitude of hear to the one that has saved us?

 

Verse 41 says “These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.”

Let’s turn to the vision that God have Isaiah of Christ in Isaiah 6.

 

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

 

What is the first thing Isaiah sees?  He sees the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up. 

 

Isaiah is in a time that many were speaking against the Lord, some were arguing for another deity, some saying there is no God, others hating the promises God gave to Israel. 

 

But then He enters the sanctuary of God and he saw the Lord sitting on a throne: still reigning, still glorious, not disturbed by human opposition. 

 

If I could press a point home to each of you today from this text, it would be this vision.  Christ upon His throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple with glory!

When we face evil in our lives and evil in the lives of others, never imagine that it defeats the eternal purpose of Jehovah.

 

When you hear blasphemy and mockery towards God and your blood boils, don’t ever think Christ has lost His glory.

 

When men are openly sinning without a conscience, never forget that Christ is not only on the mercy seat, but also on the judgment seat.

 

This Christ that died on the cross is crowned with majesty, and all the angels of God worship him. 

 

As our world around us seems to be destined for destruction, never forget throne of our redeemer is never moved.  How can we be afraid when Christ is on His throne?

 

The second thing Isaiah sees is the “Seraphims,” which means “burning ones.” 

 

Their wings cover themselves from the direct gaze of Christ on His throne.

 

Their desire is to remain concealed.    These burning ones are at the beckoned command of God.  They stand as ready servants and offer holy praise.

 

Their one response to the glory and holiness of Christ is to cry out one to another “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.”

 

In Christ is seen the holiness of God. 

 

I pray that God would give us such a heart as to praise Christ with the same attitude.

 

That we would see Him for who He is and fall on our face and cry out “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

 

The only right response when confronted with His holiness is to follow actions of the doorposts. 

 

These massive posts were shaken when He spoke.  Even inert matter when placed before the glory of God will shake and tremble before Him. 

 

How then could we ever enter God’s sanctuary and not have some sense, to some degree, the same attitude of praise, and the same trembling as did Isaiah and the door-posts?

 

This is the vision that John speaks of when he tells us that Isaiah saw His glory.

 

Verses 42-43  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; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

 

How sad this is that one would say that they believe in Christ, yet not confess Him before men.

 

Jesus warns us in Matthew 10:32-33 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

 33 "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

How unnatural it would be for someone to not tell others about the person that saved their life.  How much more should our love for Christ compel us to tell others about Him.

 

Verses 44-46 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

 

Christ perfectly represents the Father, that He can say that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father.

 

Jesus then tells us again that we should not abide in darkness.  He constantly uses this theme of light and dark over and over again throughout this Gospel.

 

Verses 47-50 "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 "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. 49 "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 "And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

 

Christ’s first coming to this world was to save those out of the world that are His.

 

Jesus tells us in John 3 that “he who does not believe is condemned already.”  There is not need for judgment from Christ at this time.  But He will return to Judge all things. 

 

That reality is both beautiful and terrible.  It is beautiful because we know we will be with Him for eternity.  Yet it is terrible because when He comes to call into account every person in judgment, we will see many of our loved ones standing before Christ is judgment without a defense or excuse.

 

Jesus tells us that this is not simply from His own mouth.  The Father has given Christ a command as to what He should say.

 

And what has Christ come to bring as a message?  The Gospel.  Everlasting life.  This great message of God’s good news to those that are lost, dead, broken, hungry, guilty, and hurting. 

 

God’s great message is the truth of Christ.  Christ’s message is the truth of the Father.

 

For the next 5 chapters this Gospel will center around one night.

 

We are going to learn some deep, deep truths about our Messiah in His time and conversations with His disciples over the next few weeks.

 

But before we continue on in this Gospel, I want to emphasize the importance of what God is saying to us each and every week as we read His word.

 

I realize that the Holy Spirit must bring you to that place of awe, and reverence for Christ and so I pray for the Spirits power.

 

I pray we remember over this next week the vision of Isaiah as He was confronted with the holiness of Christ in all His splendor.

 

I pray we consider what our response should be to that vision as we enter the sanctuary of God each week and as we live out our lives in ministry and mission outside of these walls.

 

May God grant you a glimpse of the glory of Christ.

 

Communion, tithe.

 

Pray.

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