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We can turn with me in your Bibles 
to the Gospel of John. We find ourselves in John chapter 
12 at the end of Jesus' public ministry. There's certainly more 
in the Gospel of John, but the bulk of it is the Passion Week. 
He spends time with his disciples, equipping and preparing them, 
and then he goes to that death of the cross. So as we come to 
the end of his public ministry, we'll look specifically at verses 
44 to 50, but I just want to read beginning in John 12 at 
verse 27. John 12, beginning in verse 27. 
Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save 
me from this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour. 
Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven 
saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. 
Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it 
had thundered. Others said, an angel has spoken 
to him. Jesus answered and said, this 
voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is 
the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from 
the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. This he said, signifying 
by what death he would die. 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? 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. 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. But although he had 
done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him, 
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? Therefore they could not believe 
because Isaiah said again, 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. These things Isaiah said when 
he saw His glory and spoke of Him. 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. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise 
of God. Then Jesus cried out and said, 
he who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent 
me. And he who sees me, sees him 
who sent me. I have come as a light into the 
world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. 
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. 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. For I have not spoken 
on my own authority. The father who sent me gave me 
a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And 
I know that his command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, 
just as the Father has told me, so I speak. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our gracious 
God, we thank you for the gospel according to John. We thank you 
for the way that he sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ as that 
word became flesh who dwelt among us. We pray that you would guide 
us now in our thoughts and our minds as we consider again the 
Lord Jesus, his identity, his mission, his authority, all these 
themes that we have seen, reviewed, or repeated in John's gospel. 
We know that John has an agenda to set forth the divine word 
who became flesh. And we rejoice in that because 
we know it was for us men and for our salvation. We know it 
was for our life eternal because we are sinners and we have rejected 
you. We have rebelled against you. 
We have transgressed your most holy law. But you sent your son 
to live for us in perfect obedience to that law, to die as a sacrifice 
and to substitute on that cross and to be raised again the third 
day so that all who look to him in faith may not abide in darkness, 
but may know that light of the world. they may know that joy 
of being found in Jesus Christ. God bless the word today here 
and elsewhere. May it run swiftly and be glorified. 
May it go forth conquering and to conquer. And may men and women 
and boys and girls from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation 
come to the Father through the Son in the Spirit. May they by 
grace believe on Him for forgiveness and for righteousness that avails 
with you. Forgive us now from all of our sin and rebellion, 
and cleanse us in that precious blood. And we pray in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, as we come here to the 
conclusion of Jesus' public ministry, as I said, the gospel doesn't 
end. We go from chapters 13 to chapter 21. But the public ministry 
of our Lord is concluded here. As I said, he will spend time 
with his disciples in the upper room, and then the events of 
the Passion will take place. He will be arrested, he will 
be brought before the Sanhedrin, he will be brought before the 
Pontius Pilate, he will be condemned to die. And as we consider the 
Word of God, we know that he was not condemned to die because 
of his sin, or because of his transgression, or because of 
his criminal activity. He was condemned to die for us, 
for our sin, because we have rebelled against God. Well, as 
we come to verses 44 to 50 in John's gospel, we see common 
themes. Jesus ends his public ministry 
the way the gospel of John starts. John 1, 1 to 18, we refer to 
that as the prologue. That's where John gives us theology. He shows us the relation between 
the Son and the Father. And he tells us unequivocally 
that the Son is God. He says in John 1.1, in the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
And that self-same Word of John 1.1 is the Word of John 1.14, 
who became flesh and dwelt among us. So the identity of Jesus 
is crucial in John's gospel. But as well, we understand or 
we need to understand his mission. What did he come to do? Well, 
the prologue tells us that he came in order to save his people 
from their sins. But also John wants to underscore 
his authority. So after we leave that prologue 
in John 1, 1 to 18, we then come to what theologians and commentators 
call the book of signs. So John 1, verse 19 to here, 
John 12, verse 50. And what do we see Jesus doing? 
He reasserts on several occasions His identity, His mission, and 
His authority. And that is precisely how He 
ends His public ministry. So that's what we will look at 
this morning. First, the identity of the Son in verses 44 and 45. Second, the mission of the Son 
in verses 46 to 48. And then thirdly, the authority 
of the Son in verses 49 and 50. But remember the context. John 
has told us that not everybody who heard Jesus believed. In 
fact, he tells us that specifically in verse 37. In John 12 we read, 
But although he had done so many signs before them, they did not 
believe in him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be 
fulfilled which he spoke. This wasn't a surprise. This 
didn't catch God off guard. This wasn't something that Jesus 
would stew and brood about. He knew according to the prophet 
Isaiah, both in chapters 53 and chapter 6, that there would be 
this general unbelief that obtained. He came to his own and his own 
did not receive him. But then tracing down specifically 
in verse 42, we read, nevertheless, even among the rulers, many believed 
in him. But this is not a saving faith. It's probably a temporary faith, 
or perhaps a historical faith, because what John continues to 
report. Notice in verse 42, 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, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise 
of God. That is not saving faith. Saving 
faith does not concern itself with what men think. In other 
words, if we side by grace with the Lord God Most High, we invoke 
that promise of the apostle, if God is for us, what can man 
do? I mean, there might be some remaining 
fear and some remaining trepidation in us, but for the large part, 
when we come to the Lord Jesus Christ, we now have boldness. 
We want to confess Him. We want to own Him. We want to 
go into the Baptistry. We want to identify with Him 
publicly. So these men, at least on the 
surface, had some understanding that perhaps He might have been 
the fellow that the Old Testament prophesied. But they feared man. They loved the praise of man. 
They didn't want to side with the Savior. So it's in that context 
that, again, he reiterates his identity. He reiterates his mission. He reiterates his authority. 
In other words, you say you believe. In other words, you say you have 
faith, but it's not biblical saving faith, because you reject 
his identity, you reject his mission, and you reject his authority. So that's the particular context. 
So let's look at the identity of the son in verses 44 and 45. Notice what he says. Then Jesus 
cried out and said, he who believes in me. Again, brethren, this 
is not haphazard or accidental. We just read that many believed, 
but their faith isn't legit. So what does Jesus do in terms 
of concluding his public ministry? He speaks to what genuine saving 
faith looks like. And again, when we come to this, 
it's probably repetitious. You've been here for however 
long we've been in John's gospel. This is the 76th sermon on John's 
gospel. I have that in my notes. I didn't 
just sort of come up with that. But you've heard this, his identity, 
his mission, his authority. Why is that? Because John keeps 
telling us about his identity, his mission, and his authority. 
And if you think about it in terms of the construction of 
the book, the unbelieving Jews in the first century, they didn't 
have the prologue. They didn't have verses 1 to 
18. The unbelieving Jews in the first century didn't have the 
Holy Spirit. The unbelieving Jews in the first 
century didn't have this vision of Christ that he commends here. 
And as a result, he continues to bang that hammer against that 
nail to instruct them that the only way you move from death 
unto life is by faith in the Son. In fact, look back for just 
a moment to John chapter 8, where we see this again, repetitive 
emphasis on this issue of his identity, his mission, and his 
authority. Notice in John 8 at verse 23, 
And he said to them, You are from beneath, I am from above. 
You are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said 
to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe 
that I am, you will die in your sins. That's a statement concerning 
his identity. If you don't believe that I am. And the I am there speaks concerning 
Exodus 3.14, when God reveals himself and all of his glory 
to Moses when he comes to commission him. And so Jesus says, it's 
absolutely crucial that you understand this. You can miss some stuff 
in the Bible. You can know that, or not know 
certain contours of eschatology, for instance. You may be a bit 
perplexed or puzzled by some of the food laws, perhaps in 
the book of Leviticus or Deuteronomy, Can't miss the identity of Christ. 
You cannot miss who Jesus is and pass from death to life. 
He is the object of our faith. He is the altogether lovely. 
He is the one that brings forgiveness of sin and the one that brings 
that righteousness that we need that avails with God. So notice 
on the heels of this declaration of his identity, therefore I 
said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not 
believe that I am, you will die in your sins. Then they said 
to him, who are you? That was always the issue. Again, 
they didn't have the prologue, they didn't have the Holy Spirit, 
they didn't have the eyes of faith to lay hold of Jesus as 
the Savior. And so they ask again, who are 
you? And Jesus said to them, just 
what I have been saying to you from the beginning. So from the 
beginning and at the end, he reiterates who he is, what he 
came to do, and the authority by which he does what he does. So back to John 12, 44, he says, 
he who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent 
me. Now belief is emphasized all 
throughout John's gospel. We've seen it up to this point, 
we'll see it throughout the rest or remainder, and it all comes 
to fruition in John 20, verses 30 and 31. John the apostle says 
many other things Jesus did. He did many other signs, many 
other wonders, many other miracles, but these are written that you 
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that 
believing in his name, you may have everlasting life. So there's 
no question as to why John wrote the gospel. John wrote the gospel 
so that you get saved. John wrote the gospel so that 
you'll learn who Jesus is. John wrote the gospel so that 
you'll believe on Jesus and come to him for everlasting life. 
There's no mystery. There's no esoteric thing going 
on. There's no mysticism. It's not 
about experience and feeling. It's about understanding God's 
provision in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and 
coming to him in faith and gaining everlasting life. And so what 
we have here is Jesus' repetition. It sounds almost contradictory, 
but it's not. He's stressing what we've seen 
up to this point. He who believes in me, believes 
not in me, but in him who sent me. Again, it is not a contradiction. Faith is an overarching concern 
in this gospel and specifically in light of verse 36. While you 
have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons 
of light. In light of verse 37, but although 
he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in 
him. And then in verse 42, nevertheless, even among the rulers, many believed 
in him. It's no accident that Christ 
is responding now to this particular situation of faith. In fact, 
some of you young people and children, and probably older 
people, adults, you've wondered that as well. What does it mean 
to believe? You guys talk about that a lot 
in your church. You emphasize it a lot in your 
church. Your particular tradition, the 
Reformed tradition, in terms of theology, emphasizes justification 
by faith alone. What does it mean to believe? 
Please listen to Jesus. Please listen to the word of 
God. Please listen to his instruction here. Faith is the empty hand 
that receives the blessings that God promises to sinners. And that object of faith is our 
Lord. So he's not saying that I want 
you to believe some sort of a contradiction. Rather, he is underscoring his 
identity with the Father. Remember that statement, in the 
beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. That teaches us three things 
about Jesus. His co-eternality with the Father, 
His distinctiveness or distinction from the Father, and then it 
teaches what we call in theology the consubstantiality of the 
Son with the Father. Now please don't shut down. When 
we define these words, they make perfect sense. An older confession 
or creed says, of one substance. That's what consubstantiality 
means. Of one substance. Having the 
divine essence. Just like the Father does, so 
does the Son. That's why when Jesus says, he 
who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent 
me, He's not saying faith in him is bad. He's not saying faith 
in him makes it such that you're not actually believing in God. 
He's saying, when you believe in me, you have the Father. When 
you believe in me, you have the blessings of the Father. In somewhat 
of a clunky way, Cyril of Alexandria explained it this way. When you 
believe in me, I, who am a human being, like you for your sake. 
It's important we don't miss that. Remember, for you and I, 
living in the 21st century, having Bibles on our phones, having 
some degree of theology because we live in a blessed era, in 
a blessed generation, we come to this, especially as the blood-bought 
children of God who have the Holy Spirit and understand something 
about the prologue and everything previously written. We see it. It's obvious, right? It's as 
clear as clear could be. But these are unbelieving Jews 
standing in the presence of a man who is claiming to be God Most 
High. You can understand, not justify, 
but you can understand their incredulity. You can sort of 
understand why they've got a bit of an axe to grind. Why they're 
a bit on edge? Why they're a bit defensive? 
Why in previous chapters, and again, I'm not condoning it. 
I'm not justifying it. You can kind of understand why 
in John 8 and why in John 10, when Jesus makes himself equal 
with God, these Jews pick up stones to throw at him. You can 
kind of understand as we'll move through the gospel narrative, 
when on that day, they cry out, away with him, away with him, 
crucify him. Again, not condoning, not justifying. But entering in, as it were, 
to the life of an unbelieving Jew who doesn't have the Holy 
Spirit, who's standing before one who's claiming to be Yahweh 
of Israel, it seems a bit strange. It seems a bit of a stretch. 
It seems a bit odd. They didn't understand in the 
beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the 
Word was God. And so Jesus is clarifying for 
them now. So back to Cyril, when you believe 
in me, I, who am a human being like you for your sake, but also 
God on my own and because of the father from whom I am, do 
not imagine that you are placing your faith in a human being. 
I am no less than God by nature. even if I look like you, and 
I have within myself the one who begat me. Since I am of the 
substance as my begetter, your faith will certainly transfer 
also to the Father himself." So back to the text, he says, 
he who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent 
me. Notice that this isn't ultimately 
just informational. but it's condemnation as well. 
Because you see, these guys thought that God was their father. These 
guys, in fact, turn back for just a moment to John 8. John 
chapter 8, Jesus had a go-around with these guys back then, and 
you'll notice something there. In John 8 at verse 39, they answered 
and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if 
you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 
But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, 
which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this, you 
do the deeds of your father. Then they said to him, we were 
not born of fornication, we have one father, God. So when we go 
back to John 12 at verse 44, Jesus is condemning their unbelief. Jesus is condemning their rejection. Jesus is condemning their resistance. Because he says, if you had believed 
in me, you would have the Father also. But what's the converse? If you reject Jesus, you don't 
have the Father. It's that simple, brothers and 
sisters. That's what he's emphasizing 
here at the conclusion of his public ministry. He wants to 
leave them with that resounding thought that he is, in fact, 
the embodiment of God Most High. In him, all the fullness of deity 
dwells bodily. And so, when you reject him, 
you reject the Father. And then notice he ups the ante 
to assert that he is one substance with the Father. Notice in verse 
55, and he who sees me sees him who sent me. Now the vision is 
not physical because there are a lot of people in Jesus' 33 
years on earth who laid eyes on him. but they didn't believe 
on him. They didn't receive him. They 
were not born again. They had not passed from death 
to life. The vision that he is espousing here is spiritual. In other words, when you look 
into the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, you see God. He says 
this later in the upper room when Philip says, show us the 
father. And what does Peter say, or Jesus saying, have I been 
so long with you? If you have seen me, you have 
seen the father. So he is telling these Jews by 
way of condemnation, a rejection of the son is necessarily a rejection 
of the father. Listen to Gil here, he says, 
not with bodily eyes, for there were many that saw Christ who 
never saw the father. They saw Christ as a mere man 
and were offended at the meanness of his outward appearance. They 
saw nothing divine in him nor the glory of the father through 
him. But with the eyes of the understanding, whoever saw or 
perceived the glory of Christ and his miracles, saw the glory 
of God in them also. For the father that dwelt in 
him did the works, John 2 11. And whoever truly sees Christ 
with an eye of faith, sees his glory as the glory of the only 
begotten of the father, as the brightness of his father's glory, 
as having the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in him, the 
same perfections as in the father, so that he that hath seen the 
one hath seen the other also." That's his point. He's condemning 
them, and not in some shaking-his-finger-in-their-face sort of way, but he's doing it 
in order to bring conviction. He wants them to move from this 
place of a temporary or a historical faith into a receiving all the 
benefits of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's 
the end of his public ministry. What does he do in his public 
ministry? He ministers the word concerning 
himself. And he, according to his humanity, 
is like any other man who's ever preached the gospel. except maybe 
Jonah, they want to see people saved. They want to see people 
convicted for their sin, thus he gives them this sort of a 
rebuke, but he wants them to get that conviction such that 
they'll receive by grace through faith the benefits of Christ. 
So the conclusion of his public ministry underscores, once again, 
his identity. And Thomas says, and the reason 
why one sees the Son also, sees the Father, is that the Father 
is in the Son by a unity of essence. In the beginning was the Word, 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That is an overarching, 
controlling statement for the rest of John's gospel, that we 
mustn't jettison. We must keep that in mind all 
the way through, so that when we come to passages like that, 
we go, oh yeah, we've already learned this, we've already seen 
this, this is in fact his identity. And thus, he is the worthy object 
of our faith. Let's not temporarily believe, 
let's not just historically believe, but let's by God's grace lay 
hold of Him. Let us know Him. Let us pass 
from death to life. Let us enjoy that every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now for those here 
that are not converted, those here that are not Christians, 
those here that are not believers, all of this may seem a bit confusing, 
but this much should be absolutely crystal clear. God is a holy 
God. He made man in His image to do 
what He called us to do. We didn't do what he called us 
to do. We fell in Adam, our federal head, our representative, if 
you will. And as a result, we're justly liable to God's wrath 
and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. That's 
what the Bible calls bad news. It is bad news, right? Under 
the punishment or under the judgment and wrath of God Almighty. You 
know, it's only a fool that would say, well, you know, that's not 
so bad. Yes, it is. It's very bad. It is very bad. Whoever does not believe the 
Son shall not see life, John 3, 36, but the wrath of God abides 
on him presently. That's hard for us to appropriate 
that because we eat good food, we enjoy the weather, we enjoy 
the benefits that God gives us on this side of eternity. So 
it's hard to tell a sinner, you're under the wrath of God. Well, 
no, I'm not. I had a good steak. I had steak and eggs this morning. 
I've got a good wife. I've got nice kids. I've got a good job, 
all these things. It's hard to sort of convince 
somebody No, you're under God's wrath. So that's the bad news. The good news is that the Father 
sends the Son. The Father sends the Son into 
this world to do a particular task, not simply to set forth 
an example. Oh, we should just follow Jesus 
right on into heaven. We don't have the ability to 
follow Jesus right into heaven. We need rescue from Jesus. We 
need redemption from Jesus. We need salvation from Jesus. 
And the good news is, is that's precisely what Jesus came to 
do, to save his people from their sins. So it's crucial that you 
understand that He is in fact the Son of God and that those 
who by grace believe on Him have the Son and the Father. They 
receive the Holy Spirit. They're bought and paid for property 
of God Most High. Now that brings us to His mission. I'm getting ahead of myself, 
but notice the mission of the Son in verses 46 to 48. what 
he is or rather who he is and what he does. And verses 46 to 
48, he underscores that. Notice, I have come as a light 
into the world. We see that in John's gospel, 
John eight, specifically at verse 12, John nine at verse five, 
when Jesus announces, I am the light of the world. We see that 
in the prologue as well. He manifests the light. He is 
the light that gives light and life to men. So this is actually 
his task. This is why it's so offensive 
when men forget the redemptive component of Christianity and 
just treat it as a series of ethics or morality. Right? You've heard that. Well, just 
try harder and be like Jesus. Really? Try harder and be like 
Jesus? The natural mind is enmity against 
God. It's not subject to the law of 
God, nor indeed can it be. The carnal mind hates Jesus. 
The carnal mind hates God. The carnal mind despises Him. 
So this admonition to just try harder and modify your behavior 
and work on your morals and just get better. Be a better you. 
You see that sometimes in social media. It's kind of the ultimate 
diss at somebody. You need to be better. Well, 
that's okay in social media, but from a Christian pulpit, 
that is criminal. There's no emphasis on be better. The emphasis is on believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That's what his 
emphasis is when he concerns or rather considers his mission. 
Verse 46, I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes 
in me should not abide in darkness. You see, He corroborates everything 
I've just said. Well, I'm corroborating everything 
He just said. What He does as the Son, the 
Word became flesh, is to free us. It is to liberate us. It is to redeem us. It is to 
buy us out of the market of sin. And again, it's not liberation 
theology. You've got a bad economic status 
politically or the downtrodden. That's not the point. The point 
is spiritual. He will save his people from 
their sins. He comes as a light shining in 
the darkness. And he speaks specifically concerning 
this, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. That's a tough place to live, 
isn't it? Darkness. For those of us who are saved, 
ask us after the service. What was it like when you were 
in darkness? You know what you won't get from a believer? Oh 
man, it was great. I loved it. I sure wish I could 
go back. That's not what you get from 
a believer. The believer says it was darkness. It was horrible. It was miserable. It was depraved. I loved my lusts. I served my flesh. I celebrated 
my wickedness. I ran, as it were, from the God 
who's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. It's madness. Remember that demoniac who dwelt 
among the tombs? No man would go near him. No 
man would venture into that area. Why? Because he was a mess, and 
he was a violent, raging mess. He couldn't be bound. He would 
be out there naked. He would be out there crying 
and howling and weeping and wailing. He would be cutting himself with 
stones and bleeding all over his body. So guess what? There was one that went into 
that region. There was one who ventured into 
that area. And it's the champion of our 
salvation. And the text is very beautifully 
conspicuous. After Christ saves the man, it 
says that the man was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed 
and in his right mind. So prior to that encounter with 
Jesus, he was naked and out of his mind. So if you ask a believer 
here this morning, what was it like living in darkness? They 
don't say, oh, you know, I wish I had just a bit more of that. 
I wish I, no, that's not it at all. I was in the far country. I was a child of wrath. I deserve God's wrath and curse, 
both in this life and that which is to come. So now that you've 
come to Jesus and you're clothed and in your right mind, does 
everything always work out for you? Well, no. I've got challenges 
in my life. My bank account didn't increase. 
My wardrobe didn't get better. My hair didn't grow back. I didn't 
gain another six inches in my stature. The short guys around 
here feel it keenly when we're looking up to these giants. I 
baptized two young giants last week. I look like a midget in 
the picture I take with them afterwards. So the physical benefit 
isn't more money in your account, more hair on your head, a few 
more inches. A few less. That's not it. The darkness is 
sin. The darkness is depravity. The 
darkness is wickedness. The darkness is rebellion. The 
darkness is wretched. And so what does Christ come 
to do? As the Son of the Father, He comes to free us. He comes 
to liberate us. He comes to redeem us. He comes 
to save us. That's the emphasis on the mission. 
So in the face of unbelief, what does Jesus do? Well, I'm going 
to just talk about morals now. I'm going to just rehearse politics 
with these fellows. No! He presses the point. I am the Son. I am the Son of 
the Father. You believe in me, you have the 
Father. You reject me, you reject the Father. And the purpose for 
which I've come is for this very task. I have come as a light 
into the world that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. 
But then notice it doesn't stop there. He does speak of judgment 
in verses 47 to 48. In other words, this is a passage 
of condemnation. It'd be great if we lived in 
a world with, you know, unicorns flying around and pixie dust 
and fairies and, you know, just happiness and joy. Well, there 
are consequences for sin. I realize that's hard on us because 
we don't see it in this present evil age. We see criminals get 
away with all kinds of criminality. We see abortionists not punished, 
but celebrated. We see euthanasia increasing 
and expanding to encompass more hapless souls out there. We see 
all manner of evil and very little consequences. I still just want 
one person to suffer some degree of consequence for the decisions 
made in COVID management, just one. But we don't see it. So 
we start to kind of conclude, well, maybe the world just works 
that way. No, it doesn't. It does not work that way. I 
mean, it does in rebellion against God, but God does not work that 
way. God will judge the unbeliever. The unbeliever who dwells and 
abides in darkness, who hears the ministry of the gospel, who 
hears about the Lord Jesus Christ and doesn't believe, and continues 
to resist, and who continues to abide in darkness, there is 
judgment coming. Let's look at Jesus' words there, 
specifically in verses 47 and 48. And if anyone hears my words 
and does not believe, note the standard of judgment, it's the 
word of Christ. No bell curve. There's no, well, 
I'm not as bad as my neighbor. I'm not as bad as, you know, 
your neighbor. I'm not as bad as you. So therefore, 
no, it's the standard of Jesus' words. Jesus says in Mark 8, 
38, whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this sinful and 
adulterous generation, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed 
when he comes in the glory of his Father. So the word of Christ 
is the standard here. It's not just the prevailing 
opinions of men. But then notice when he says, 
I do not judge him. Brethren, you need to understand 
that that is connected to His first coming. The Word became 
flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His glory, the glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
In fact, turn back for just a moment to John 3. John chapter 3 in 
Jesus' discourse with Nicodemus. We see him teach a very similar 
message to that man. Notice what he says in John 3, 
verse 16. The most popular verse probably 
in all of the Bible, for God so loved the world that he gave 
his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life. Now note verse 17, for God did 
not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that 
the world through him might be saved. Why did Jesus come in 
that first coming? To take on our humanity, to live 
for us, to die for us, and to be raised again for us. So in 
the first coming of Jesus, and this is why he says there in 
John 12, I do not judge him. But there's something else that 
we need to continue on here in John 3, because we're reading 
John 12 in light of John 3 here. Notice in verse 18, he who believes 
in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe, notice, 
is condemned already. In his first coming, Jesus didn't 
need to judge the world, because the world was already under judgment. The world was already a mess. 
The world was already a cesspool. The world was already a sewage 
pit. In fact, read on. Verse 19, and this is the condemnation, 
that the light has come into the world and men loved darkness 
rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone 
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light. 
lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes 
to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have 
been done in God." The world was condemned already. That's 
what he means when he says in John 12, specifically at verse 
44, I do not judge him. And then he ends verse 44 by 
saying, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save 
the world. So in other words, his first 
coming, when he assumes our humanity, when he lives for us, when he 
dies for us, when he's raised again for us, it's to save us. 
We're already judged. Or else he wouldn't have had 
to come to live for us, to die for us, and to be raised again 
for us. But something to notice before we go on is that the first 
coming wasn't associated with his judgment and condemnation. 
The second coming most certainly will be. Do not make the mistake 
of thinking, well, you know, Jesus, gentle, meek, and mild. 
In Revelation chapter six, we have an expression of judgment 
in history, an expression of judgment on the part of the Son 
of Man through historical means. I would say the Roman armies. 
And when the targets of that judgment are seeing the chaos 
all around them, they understand that this is in fact a judgment 
from on high. And it's intriguing because they 
call upon the mountains to fall on that. They call upon the rocks 
to cover that. They say, hide us from what? 
They say, hide us from the wrath of the Lamb. The gentle Jesus, 
meek and mild is a biblical truth, but it's not canceled by the 
reality of the wrath of the Lamb. So in the first coming, the primary 
emphasis was on salvation, redemption, a life eternal. It wasn't on 
judgment because we're already judged. But don't make the mistake 
that in the second coming, there's not going to be judgment. Of 
course there is. Matthew chapter 25, when the 
Son of Man comes in the glory of His Father with all of His 
holy angels, He makes this distinction. He puts the sheep on the right, 
He puts the goats on the left. The sheep go into everlasting 
life, and the goats go into everlasting death. They go into everlasting 
punishment. They go into everlasting hell. 
And so because the first was not associated primarily with 
judgment, don't conclude that the second isn't. Oh yeah, the 
second most surely is. There is a judgment to come for 
those who abide in darkness. Remember, he's condemning their 
unbelief. He is trying to promote conviction 
in their wretched hearts so that they, by grace, will receive 
his benefits with the empty hand of faith. And then notice what 
he goes on to say in verse 48. He amplifies this. He who rejects 
me and does not receive my words has that which judges him. In 
other words, you're already judged. You're already condemned, you 
abide in darkness. In God's good providence, you've 
heard gospel preaching. In God's good providence, you've 
had parents. In God's good providence, you've had a wife or a husband. 
In God's good providence, you've come into a church that's not 
telling you to be a better you, but is calling upon you to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. You've already got that word, 
and it's that word that's gonna come back around to bite you. 
And Jesus mentions this, He affirms this, and He stipulates this. 
Notice in verse 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. He'd be speechless. See, we think 
that it's going to be like some courtroom. You know, everybody 
likes a good drama, whether in print or on the screen. We like 
a good courtroom drama. We like the, you know, the defense 
giving, whatever side we happen to fall out on. I happen to like 
the prosecution, but, you know, that defense attorney gave a 
great, you know, great testimony. And then the prosecution comes 
there, comes in there and owns them. Well, what is it all contingent 
upon? contingent upon, well, cross-examination, testimony, 
you know, were you there on the night of the crime? Well, no, 
I was with my wife. I have a perfectly good alibi. 
We think there's dialogue, right? We think that we're going to 
stand before the Most High and dialogue that we're not guilty? 
Try to pin it on somebody else? Well, that wasn't me. I wasn't 
there every single time I sinned. It's not going to be like that. 
The word that Jesus has spoken judges you. It's that prosecuting 
attorney from whence you can't escape. So if you abide in darkness, 
you hear the ministry of the gospel, and you resist and reject 
that gospel, that's on you. That is yours to own, and it 
will come back to you on the day of judgment. Remember that 
time? Remember that time? I doubt God's 
gonna do that, but just say for an instance He did. Remember 
that time, and that time, and that time, and that time. There's 
that incident in Luke 16. I don't think it teaches what 
people say it teaches, but there is something there that is intriguing 
about the rich man and Lazarus. And the rich man goes off into 
hell and he basically wants to, you know, barter and, you know, 
make his case to try to send somebody so that his brothers 
can be warned. It's intriguing because Jesus 
says that Abraham says, son remember, Son, remember, whatever that 
little bit of scripture means, I think there's continuity between 
this life and the age to come. And the continuity, again, is 
not that I'm going to grow six more inches and be, you know, 
6'4'' and strappingly beautiful. I don't think that's the continuity. 
The selfsame body with which Jesus went into the grave is 
the selfsame body that came out again. The selfsame bodies that 
go into the grave are the selfsame bodies that are going to come 
out. Now glorified and prepared and fit for worship of God Most 
High. But I think the memory, the memory, 
son, remember. Remember, I don't think hell 
would be as hellish if there was no memory. I don't think 
hell would be as hellish if we didn't remember the various times 
we sat in churches like this and heard the gospel and resisted 
it and rejected it. I think if we were in hell and 
we had no consciousness of that, that would be, at least in my 
thinking here, would be better than you mean I could have and 
should have believed. You ever think about that? The 
worst words in the English language are could have and should have. Well, they're especially worst 
when you come to the matter of salvation. I would have, or I 
could have, and I should have. My encouragement to you this 
morning is to believe on Him. He came for this purpose. He 
is the Son of God sent from the Father on this particular mission 
in order to save His people from their sins, those who abided 
in darkness. They have the hope of everlasting 
life. Now notice that Jesus ends on 
the high note of His authority. the high note of his authority, 
specifically in verses 49 and 50. For I have not spoken on 
my own authority, but the Father who sent me gave a command what 
I should say and what I should speak. It's bad reading comprehension 
and even worse exegesis to find in this passage some sort of 
a separateness from the Father and the Son. The Lord can say 
this because He's one in substance with the Father. The Lord can 
say this because He's consubstantial with the Father. He's not suggesting 
He has no authority. He is declaring that He has absolute 
authority. So when it comes to the teaching 
of who he is and what he does, his authority is absolute. That's the emphasis in 49 and 
50. I have not spoken on my own, but the father who sent me gave 
me a command that I should say what I should say and what I 
should speak. Remember introducing one of the 
sermons in John's gospel saying, at times it looks like it's proceeding 
according to a script. It is the script given by the 
Father, penned for us in the Old Testament by the power of 
the Holy Spirit. There's nothing shocking, there's 
nothing surprising. I mean, some of the contours 
and the theological dimension is awe-inspiring, but we had 
it announced in the Old Testament. that the Son of God would come 
as the champion of God to redeem the people of God. That's the 
constant refrain in John's gospel. So when the Son takes on our 
humanity, when He comes and speaks to us and to men for their salvation, 
He speaks with the very authority of God Most High. Remember that 
bit in John 1 18? No one has seen the Father at 
any time, but the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the 
Father, He has declared Him. Well, guess what the vehicle 
of declaration is in John's Gospel? It is the assumption of our humanity, 
and it is his public ministry and his oft-repeated emphasis 
on his identity and on his mission. The word that he speaks is authoritative. The word that he says is absolutely 
true. The word that he says will not 
return unto him void, but it will accomplish the purpose for 
which he sent it. So notice verse 50, and I know 
that his command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, 
just as the Father has told me, so I speak. The Lord's public 
ministry ends where the prologue begins and where we see his ministry 
conducted. It begins and ends with his identity, 
his mission, and his authority. And that brings us, in conclusion, 
to make three quick observations and then we go. First, the challenge 
of unbelief. The challenge of unbelief. I'll 
hit the Christians, the believers, first. We're not supposed to 
be like these men described in verse 42. I believed in Jesus, 
but for the life of me, I'm never going to confess it. For the 
life of me, I will never testify. I will never share that because 
I want to be one of those secret disciples. Are there more obscure 
disciples in the Bible? Yeah. I mentioned the case of 
Obadiah in 1 Kings 18. He's not the Elijah that stands 
out on Mount Carmel and challenges the prophets of Baal and Asherah 
to a contest. Obadiah's behind the scenes, 
saving the true prophets of God from the murderous massacre of 
Jezebel, woman of the year, by the way. So there is those unsung 
heroes in the history of the church that aren't the Elijah 
types. They don't walk around with hair shirts and eating locusts 
and honey and that sort of thing and standing in the midst of 
false prophets and wagging their fingers at them. Not every preacher's 
a John the Baptist. We heard it this morning. But 
what does John do in the face of Herod? Well, I don't want 
to encroach upon you. It's unlawful for you to have 
your brother's wife. It's unlawful for all the things 
that you do. John didn't shrink back. I'm 
not saying everybody's a John the Baptist. I'm not saying everybody's 
an Elijah the prophet. I'm saying everybody's a C.H. 
Spurgeon. But everybody blood-bought, spirit-filled, is gonna confess 
faith in Jesus Christ. They're gonna do it publicly 
in the waters of baptism, and they're gonna do it at Tim Horton's. 
Remembering, I'm not, again, stand up on the table in Tim 
Horton's. Brother, I got a three-point 
sermon for you all. No. Why are we afraid to bow our 
heads and thank God for food? Why is that trepidation there? 
Why? The God-haters, the heathen, 
are going to be upset with us? They don't like that? They don't 
want us to do that? After all, it's a pluralistic 
society. Brethren, we are gods, believers. We need buckets of 
courage. increased faith and the wisdom 
to know when to stand up and when to speak up and when to 
shut up. That is our duty in this present 
evil age. For unbelievers, may I just try 
and encourage you that this idea that, yeah, Jesus is a pretty 
special fellow. Jesus was a wonderful man. It's 
true, but it's only a little bit true. I mean, it's true, 
but there's so much more true. He's the son of God. who for 
us men and for our salvation came down from heaven to be made 
like us in all points and yet without sin, so that he could 
do what we could never do, obedience and death and resurrection, such 
that we can have everlasting life. Don't fear the face of 
man. Don't fear what relationships 
in your life may become. Don't fear what others might 
think because you're now one of those nuts who side with Jesus 
and you go to that Bible-thumping church. Brethren, Jesus is altogether 
lovely. He's chief among 10,000. Notice 
the emphasis in his ministry. Notice what he says in verse 
46. I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes 
in me should not abide in darkness. See, it's not like I have a great 
life, but I could have a better life. That's sometimes how the 
gospel is preached. Well, you know, come to Jesus 
and you'll get more. You will get the hair. You will get the 
three or four more inches. You'll get the big bank account. 
No, the difference is abiding in darkness, rebellion and transgression 
and iniquity and sin against God Most High. Or having everlasting 
life, passing into the very presence of God Most High when we breathe 
our last. Ask those same Christians, what 
do you think about death? They might say something like 
this, I'm not sure that I want to be there when it happens, 
but I'm okay with it happening. Right? It's like somebody falling 
off a building. It's not the fall so much, it's 
that sudden impact at the end. That's the bit of the bummer. 
The believer doesn't fear death. I mean, there is probably within 
us the same way when we go to Tim Hortons, we don't want to 
bow our heads. There's always that. There's 
always that remaining corruption that we need to kill and destroy 
and mortify and put out of us. But the believer looks at death. 
Not with some sick, morbid fascination. I don't have to qualify everything, 
because there's people out there that look at death with sick, 
morbid fascination. The believer who looks at death 
is passing from this life into the presence of God Almighty. 
Every birthday, you're a step closer. Every new day, you're 
a step closer. Every moment, you're a step closer. We're going to be where He is. We're going to see the Lamb. 
We're going to adore the Lamb. We're going to give praise to 
the Lamb. We're going to be in His land where there's no more 
sorrow. There's no more pain. There's 
no more hunger. There's no more thirst. There's no more death. 
Christ has defanged the very tomb. Christ has taken away the 
victory from death. Christ has conveyed light and 
life upon those who formerly abided in darkness. So when it 
comes to this issue of faith, come to the Lord Jesus. Believe 
all that the Bible says concerning Him, and you will have everlasting 
life. Secondly, if we haven't made 
this point, we need to bask in the glory of the sun. We're going 
to come back to John's gospel in the new year. We'll come back 
to the upper room, John chapter 13, verse 1 and following after 
the new year. But for now, just by way of summary, 
the prologue declares His glory. The life and ministry, the signs, 
the wonders, the doctrine, all of that declares His glory. The 
book of the Passion, chapter 13, verse one, to chapter 20, 
verse 31, declares how. It demonstrates what John the 
Baptist says in John 1, 29. Behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. Up to this point, we know who 
he is. Up to this point, we know his mission. Up to this point, 
we know his authority. But there's that one nagging 
question. How does he do it? How does he affect it? How does 
he execute the plan? How does he bring us from a state 
of darkness into marvelous light? He does it because he is arrested. He does it because he is crucified. He does it because he is dead. 
He does it because he is buried. And he does it because he is 
raised again from the dead. The apostle Paul summarizes it 
beautifully in Romans 4.25. He was delivered up because of 
our offenses, and He was raised for our justification. That's 
what the book of the Passion will explain in great and vivid 
and glorious detail to us. And finally, where we began is 
where we end. Come to Him. Believe on Him. 
Abiding in darkness is no good. Abiding in darkness is not the 
liberation and the joy and the expression of life that the liars 
have sold you on. The way of blessing, the way 
of joy, the way of peace is through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that the Gospel 
resounds with these three themes concerning the identity of the 
Savior, the mission of the Savior, and the authority of the Savior. 
And we pray that this message would go forth today. We pray 
that many who are in darkness, abiding in darkness, even loving 
their own sin, and wretchedness and evil would see the glory 
of Jesus Christ and would reach out, even if it's a weak faith, 
even if it's a simple faith. May they lay hold of that Redeemer, 
and may they know the joy of being found in Him. God, do this 
for your glory, do this for your honor, do this to populate the 
new Jerusalem, that blessed Emmanuel's land. We know there will be a 
great multitude assembled there, and we will always live to bring 
praise and glory to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thank you again 
for this time together, and we pray now through Jesus Christ 
our Lord, amen. Well, you can turn in your hymn 
books, and we'll close our service by singing number 564. 564, a 
bit from Psalm 72. We'll stand as we sing together. Israel, who only do it wondrous 
works in glory that is hell. Who only do it wondrous works 
in glory that is hell. is is me The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all, amen. Father, thank you for the Word 
who became flesh for us. We thank you for so great a salvation. We pray, Father, that you would 
go with us now, that we would know your nearness as our good 
and be glorified, we pray, through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, 
amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.