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[0:00] The nations, we're going to begin our service. We worship God by singing to his praise from Psalm 84. You'll find that in the rhetoric at the beginning. You'll also find the words on the screen.

[0:12] Psalm 84, and we sing from verses 1 through to verse 9. And it's to the double tune which Elna will play in just a minute.

[0:24] How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts to me. The tabernacles of thy grace are pleasant, Lord, in thee. My thirsty soul longs be, when ye faints thy courts to see.

[0:36] My very heart and flesh try out, O living God, for thee. Down to the end of verse 9. To God's praise. How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts to me.

[1:12] The tabernacles of thy grace, how pleasant are they be.

[1:26] My thirsty soul longs be, when ye faints thy courts to see.

[1:41] My very heart and flesh try out, O living God, for thee.

[1:55] Behold the spot, O find the touch, on house wherein to rest.

[2:11] The swallow of all so far herself a purchase said on nest.

[2:25] In thine own altars where she's still her young one's forth may bring.

[2:40] O thou almighty Lord of hosts, who art my God and King.

[2:55] Blessed are they in thy arms that dwell, may ever give thee grace.

[3:10] Blessed is the man whose strength thou art, in whose heart are thy ways.

[3:24] Who passing thorough make us still, therein to day unwell.

[3:38] O so the rain that falleth down the pools with water fills.

[3:53] So therein to day unwell. So therein to day unwell. So therein to day unwell. Still forward unto strength. Until in sight of the day appear, before the Lord of us.

[4:21] Lord God of hosts, my prayer I hear. Lord God of hosts, my prayer I hear. O Jacob's God, dear, dear.

[4:36] See God, our shield, look on the face of thine anointed ear.

[4:51] Amen. Amen. Amen. O name'sینisle. Amen. Amen. Amen. www.cdfc. GRHTC. Amen.

[5:02] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[5:13] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. our creator, our sustainer, the designer of all things and we thank you that we can come to you this morning and call you our Father.

[5:30] We acknowledge that you are the God who is holy and who cannot look upon sin and we acknowledge afresh that we are those who are sinners in thought and in word and in deed.

[5:43] We acknowledge that there is a barrier between us by nature of our fallen humanity. But we thank you that we come this morning to meet in the name of Jesus and we pray and ask that you would hear our prayers not because we come in our own name but we come in the name of Christ, the anointed, your son, our saviour.

[6:10] And we thank you that he died so that we might live. We thank you that he took our sin upon his shoulder. We thank you that he who knew no sin was made sin so that we could become righteous in him and so that we could come, as we do this morning, to the throne of grace with reverence and yet with a holy boldness believing that we will be received and that we will be blessed because of the finished work of Christ.

[6:45] We thank you that the saviour died but he rose again. And we thank you that this Lord's Day and every Lord's Day we are reminded of the fact that on the first day of the week the tomb was found empty and the word that spread through the ears of the believers was that Jesus, the saviour, lives.

[7:09] We thank you that he does live. He lives today and he reigns and he will return one day and we pray that we may be found ready, that we may be found watching for him and pray that we may be found as those who are secure eternally in Christ.

[7:31] Those who will, when we see him with our eyes, be recognised by him as those whom he knew and those whom he saved by his blood. So accept us, we pray, Lord, this morning in Christ and lead us as we would seek to come and worship.

[7:50] We pray that you would take from our minds anything that would distract us. We pray that you would open our hearts to the wonder of the riches of Christ. And Lord, we pray that we would truly be in the Spirit on the Lord's Day.

[8:06] That the Spirit himself would be taking the words of Scripture and applying them to our lives. Lord, that he would be inhabiting the praise of your people and that he would be illuminating our minds so that we would understand clearly and see Jesus for who he is as God the Son and God the Judge of all the earth and God the Saviour.

[8:36] Hear our prayers. We pray that you would bless those who would desire to be with us this morning but who can't be. We pray that you would be with those who are housebound and those who have come to a stage in life where they are unable to get about and to come to church.

[8:54] We pray that you would draw near to them and that they would know, as we here know, that there is such wonder and loveliness in the dwelling place of God and we thank you that you are not limited, Lord, by the buildings that we erect but you are everywhere.

[9:13] And so we pray that as you would draw near to us in this hall, you would draw near to those who are infirm, those who are struggling with illness today, some who may be in our minds who are in hospital.

[9:26] We pray that you would meet with each one and that you would bless them where they are. We pray for our students and we ask that you would help them and that you would bless them in this time in their lives where they study and where they, we pray, would grow in their faith and their knowledge of Christ.

[9:47] We pray for those who have moved away and who are working, that you would bless them and that they would be salt and light in the places that they are in. And as we pray for those who are removed from us, we thank you for those who are with us visiting today from different places and we ask that you would bless them and bless the congregations that they have a connection with, those that they are attendants or members within.

[10:12] We pray that whatever the gospel of Jesus Christ would be preached, that you would add your blessing. We thank you especially for Sharon and for the ministry yesterday that was shared.

[10:24] We pray that the seed that was shared would indeed find a deep root, good soil in many hearts and would bear much fruit. We pray for the church in Nedry that she's part of and for the ministry, for the Mez, the minister there and all who would serve you there and in different schemes in different places around this country.

[10:46] We ask, Lord, that you would build your church and we thank you that you are and you will and nothing will come against the building of the church of Christ. And we ask, Lord, that we would see more of the evidence of Jesus building in this place and in this country.

[11:05] We ask, Lord, that you would be with Farrakhar this morning and as we ask for your help as we open your word here, we pray that you would be with him in a special way and as he preaches in Leverborough, that you would bless him and lead him and use him for your glory.

[11:22] And we pray for all who preach in this island and across these islands that you would assist them, that you would work through them and that this would be a day in these parts where you, Jesus, are lifted up and many are drawn to you.

[11:38] Hear our prayers. Bless the young ones with us as well. And we ask, Lord, that you would enable them to remember you in the days of their youth. Hear our prayers.

[11:49] Take away our sin. We despise your spirit and we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Boys and girls, would you like to come out, please? How's everyone today?

[12:03] Fine. All fine? All fine, good. I've got a question for you today. Who's ever been in a boat? Me. Okay, put your hand, keep your hand up if you've been in a boat that's not a ferry boat, but just like a wee boat.

[12:22] You're going around maybe the log here, maybe you've got some things over the side and you're trying to get your odd wee fish. Who's been in a boat like that? Finley, Alistair, Ailey, Trace, Anna.

[12:38] And tell me, what about ones out there? Who out there have been in boats? With maybe little lines and nets over the side.

[12:50] Show of hands? Didn't think so. If you're going to go in a wee boat out in the loch at Tarbert or maybe out at Kylis where we were, what would you need?

[13:04] What kind of things would you need to, what would you need to have if you're, if you're going out in a boat? Different things. Hayley, what would, what would? A net? You'd need to have a net, would you?

[13:19] Yeah, Cammy's just gone under the chair. Gordon's just written something in his notebook. So you need to have a net, maybe you'd need to have a net if you were going to go fishing, a certain kind of fishing.

[13:32] What else would you need? Tell you what, Alistair and Jono, go up that aisle at a moderate speed.

[13:46] Don't take, um, Loran's hat off as you're running the class. Wonder up there and just go into the mirror and the middle back and see if you can find something that you would need to have if you were going to go in a boat.

[13:58] So watch this. That's a life jacket. So, if you're going to go in a boat and you want it to be safe, you would make sure you had a life jacket.

[14:12] How do you put this on? Cammy, do you want to come and help us? Who wants to put this on? Let's have Lily put it on. Maybe a wee bit big for Lily, but we can put, Cammy, show Lily how to put it on.

[14:25] This should turn into a children's talk about the importance of knowing how to put the life jacket on. Look at that. Try to rinse so everybody can see.

[14:37] What a beautiful, what a beautiful life jacket. Well, just while you've, you can leave it on for a wee second more and, uh, you can just, uh, you can just sit down and I'll, I'll leave.

[14:53] But I was going to tell you a wee story that I, um, I read just not long ago and it was about some guys who were going to go out in a sailing boat.

[15:04] It's a, it's a sad story really. And these boys were going to go out in a sailing boat and they were thinking about all the things we needed to have before they went out and we had a conversation, just like the conversation we had there.

[15:16] We'd have this and fishing rods and we need to have life jackets. And two of the three boys said, yep, yep, life jackets. We'll put life jackets and we'll bring our life jackets.

[15:27] And one of the boys says, I'm not wearing a life jacket. And he said, it's okay, we've got another one at home. We can give it to you. I don't need a life jacket. I'll look daft in a life jacket.

[15:39] It'll make me look a bit chubby around the waist. It doesn't matter. You've got to wear a life jacket. No, it'll make me look silly. People might laugh at me if I've got a life jacket on.

[15:49] And anyway, I'm a good swimmer and if anything happens, I'm such a good, strong swimmer, I can look after myself. And it's a sad story and I'll tell you why it's a sad story.

[16:03] Because they went off out fishing. And what happened was the waves got up and the wind was up and the boat went down. Not far from the shore, but the boat went down and the two boys who had their life jackets on, they survived and they were able to get to the shore.

[16:25] But the boy who hadn't, he wasn't strong enough as a swimmer. and he didn't have a life jacket on. And he didn't survive.

[16:38] It's such a sad story because the life jacket was there and he just could have put it on. And if he put it on, almost certainly he'd have been saved.

[16:51] And the Bible tells us in John 3, you know this verse very well, I think you could say it to me, For God so, for God, louder, for God, and he gave his own his son, he's not a man that he ever shall not die and he can't turn away.

[17:14] That's right. And you know, Jesus loves us and Jesus wants us to be safe forever in eternity.

[17:27] That place where we go and we die that never ever ends. and Jesus came to this world and he came to save us. He came to this world to save us.

[17:42] And some people say, well, if I trust in Jesus, some people are going to think I'm going to look stupid. I'm going to look silly.

[17:52] And at school, people might say, you started going to church or you believe in Jesus. Now, that's a bit daft. and they might laugh at you. Sometimes that happens.

[18:03] Sometimes that happens when you're older as well. But, Jesus is the one who saves us. And so, even though sometimes people may say, you look a bit daft for believing that.

[18:17] And even though we might think in our minds, oh no, what happens if somebody asks me about this? Remember, if we want to live forever, if we want to be safe forevermore, even though people may laugh, we trust Jesus and put on Jesus.

[18:35] And other people say, I can do it all myself. I'm a good person. I don't do lots of bad sins. I know lots of people who do bad sins. They're not me. I'm a good person.

[18:47] And I think when God looks at me, he'll say, well, you've been strong enough in yourself. You've been good enough on your own without Jesus. But, the Bible makes very clear that there is no one who is righteous.

[19:02] No one who is strong enough and good enough in themselves that they will be safe. We all need to trust Jesus.

[19:13] So, boys and girls, it's silly to go out in a boat without a life jacket when you know there's a life jacket you can put on and be safe.

[19:26] It's sillier still to go on for one more minute in this world without trusting Jesus as your Savior.

[19:38] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, Jesus, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish.

[19:49] but shall have eternal life. Let's pray. Lord God, we thank you for the fact that you love us and you have made it possible for us to be safe forever by trusting in Jesus.

[20:08] We thank you that Jesus came to die on the cross to take away our sin. And we thank you that when we believe in him, we don't die, we don't perish, but we go on to have everlasting life.

[20:21] So help us, we pray, all of us, whether we are young or whether we are old, to trust in Jesus and to know that we are saved forever. And we ask this in Jesus' name.

[20:33] Amen. Just as the children are making their way out, if we can turn in our Bibles, please, to John chapter 5, Gospel of John and chapter 5.

[20:45] Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. Now, there is in Jerusalem near the sheep gate the pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda, and which is surrounded by five covered colonies.

[20:58] Here a great number of disabled people used to lie, the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, do you want to get well?

[21:15] Sir, the invalid replied, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me. Then Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your mat and walk.

[21:29] At once the man was cured. He picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath. And so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, it is the Sabbath.

[21:40] The law forbids you to carry your mat. But he replied, the man who made me well said to me, pick up your mat and walk. So they asked him, who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk.

[21:54] The man who was healed had no idea who it was for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later, Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, see, you are well again, stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.

[22:08] The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. So because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, my father is always at work to this very day and I too am working.

[22:23] For this reason, the Jews tried all the harder to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer, I tell you the truth, the son can do nothing by himself.

[22:39] He can only do what he sees his father doing because whatever the father does, the son also does. For the father loves the son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement, he will show him even greater things than these.

[22:54] For just as the father raises the dead and gives them life, so even the son gives life to him who he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the son, that all may honor the son just as they honor the father.

[23:11] He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned.

[23:22] He has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, the time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live.

[23:34] For as the father has life in himself, so he has granted to the son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the son of man.

[23:46] Do not be amazed by this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good will rise to live and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

[24:00] By myself, I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid, there is another who testifies in my favour and I know that his testimony about me is valid.

[24:21] You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth, not that I accept human testimony but I mention it, that you may be saved.

[24:32] John was a lamp that burned and gave light and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John for the very work that the Father has given me to finish and which I am doing testifies that the Father has sent me and the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.

[24:52] You have never heard his voice nor seen his form nor does his word dwell on you for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.

[25:05] These are the scriptures that testify about me yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept praise from men but I know you.

[25:19] I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name and you do not accept me but if someone else comes in his own name you will accept him.

[25:31] How can you believe if you accept praise from one another yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? But do not think I will accuse you before the Father.

[25:44] Your accuser is Moses on whom your hopes are set. If you believe Moses you would believe me for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote how are you going to believe what I say?

[26:00] Amen. And may God bless his word to us and give us understanding of it. John McSween will now come and lead us in prayer and gather. to month to hisiov and Thank you.

[26:47] Thank you.

[27:17] Thank you. Thank you.

[28:17] Thank you. Thank you.

[29:17] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[30:19] Thank you. Thank you.

[31:19] Thank you. Thank you.

[31:51] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Thank you.

[32:03] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[32:15] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[32:27] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[32:43] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[33:17] Thank you.

[33:47] Thank you.

[34:17] Thank you.

[34:47] Thank you.

[35:17] Thank you.

[35:47] Thank you. Thank you.

[36:19] Thank you. Amen. Thank you. And as I was reading one of the commentators in relation to John's gospel and having been splashing around in the swimming pool for most of yesterday, the quote just seems very relevant.

[37:06] It's Leon Morris who writes this. He says, And I want to say, And I want to say, And I want to say,

[38:14] And it's a question, which is actually which we lift, And I want to say, And I want to say, Which I suppose, The text, And I want to say, And I want to say, And in chapter 5, And I want to say, And I want to say, And I want to say, And I want to say, And they're asking this man, And they're asking this man, And they're asking this man, Who is this fellow?

[38:48] Who is this fellow? Who is this fellow? And it's all in the light of what happened in the opening part of the chapter.

[39:00] And we studied that last Sunday, And we studied that last Sunday, So we're not going back over that. But the question, Who is this fellow? Who's addressed to the man who's been healed by Jesus, And he's been healed on the Sabbath.

[39:14] And that was such a huge outrage to the religious Jews. And so the religious Jews, The religious priests, They come at the man who's been healed. 38 years he's been lying, And they've passed him by, And maybe thrown the occasional coin in his direction.

[39:32] 38 years he's been an invalid. 38 years he's been helpless, Not able to help himself. And he's been desperate for healing, And he's been looking to get well, To no avail.

[39:48] And then one day, As they pass the same spot that this man would have been sitting in, Day after day, He's not there. And when, A wee bit down the road, They bump into this man, They realise, This is the man who for 38 years, Sat helpless.

[40:11] And all of a sudden, He has his mat under his arm, And he's walking. And he's full of life, And mobility. And the religious Jews, Have not the slightest hint of joy, Or happiness, Or, Desire to enter into the goodness of what's happened with him.

[40:37] They don't say anything to him about, How were you healed? Or isn't it wonderful that you were well? Or what happened? All they can see, Is that on the Sabbath day, Here is a man, There is a mat under his arm, And he's walking.

[40:55] And this was against, And this was against, Not the Sabbath teaching of scripture, But it was against some of the laws, That they had manufactured, To surround the Sabbath teaching, To try and interpret it.

[41:09] And so as they confront the man, They spit their question at him, Who is this fellow, Who told you to pick up your mat, And walk?

[41:23] And you know, If we were to step back, Through John's gospel, Even the early part that we've been in, We could see that all the signs, The miraculous signs, That John has recorded, And he has presented in this gospel, They are designed to prompt this question, Who is this fellow, That John is writing about?

[41:46] Who is this fellow, That is at the centre of all these miraculous signs, All these staggering teachings, Who is this Jesus? And that was the question, That was so unsettling, The religious Jews.

[42:04] And that was the question, That was being whispered around, The ears of the gathered crowds. This was the question, That was constantly being asked by the disciples. And this is the question that John, The author of this book, As the spirit carried him along, As the spirit inspired him, This is the question, That John intends us to, To address, And think through to a conclusion, Who is this fellow?

[42:35] Who is this Jesus? And so I hope you're here this morning, As one who has either found the answer, To that question, And you're here in worship, Or I hope you're, If not that, You're somebody who at very least, Is exploring, Earnestly, And trying to find an answer, To this question, Who is this fellow?

[43:07] Who is this Jesus? This is the question, We need to give our attention to, Because all of eternity, Hands, On the answer, To this question.

[43:21] There's many questions, That we have to process, In the course of a normal week, There's so much, Demands on our time, There's so much, That clutters our own, Thought space, That there are many people, Who go through their lives, Running from pillar to post, Never really considering, This question, Never really thinking, What is going to happen, When they leave this world, The scene of time, And they enter into eternity, And whether it will be spent in heaven, Or whether it will be spent, In heaven, A brief little text, I think it is, In Christian, To explore, Who says, So often, The, Urgent, The urgent, Gets in the way, Of the important, And that's the story, Of our lives, One urgent task, Followed by the next, By the next, By the next, There will be people here,

[44:22] Who are thinking about, Four urgent tasks, That need to be done, Tomorrow morning, And yet, It is far more critical, That we give our attention, To the important, Than it is the urgent, And there is no, More important question, For us to ask, And to answer, Than this one, Who is, This fellow, And John teaches us, He is more, Than a fellow, He is God, He is God, And he is God, The son, Point number one, And he is God, The judge, Point number two, And he is God, The saviour, Point number three, So first of all, Let's consider, John's answer, As it develops, In this gospel, To this question,

[45:22] Who is this fellow, He is God, The son, And the testimony, Of the witnesses, That John has been calling, In his gospel, And the clarity, Of the signs, That have been accumulating, As the gospel develops, Have all been building, To this conclusion, That this fellow, Is more than a fellow, But he is God, And he is God, The son, Think back to chapter one, In chapter one, We see hardened fishermen, Those who bow to no one, Those who have fear of no one, And suddenly Jesus intercepts them, And with one strong word, Calls them to leave everything, And follow him, And they do it, Such is the authority, And the power, Of the word, Of Jesus, Who is this fellow, He is no fellow, What authority he has,

[46:24] He must be God, The son, John chapter two, Water, In the wedding feast, Which is about to go pear shaped, Is turned into wine, Miraculously, No explanation, In physics, No explanation, In this world, And those who are witnessing, Must have been thinking, Who is this fellow, Who did such a thing, Well he is more than a fellow, He is God, The son, And then in his father's house, When he looks around, And he sees so much, That disturbed him, So much that unsettled him, The place, That was reserved for prayer, That had been turned into, A house of profit, Overgo the tables, Out comes the whip, Out, It's driven all the prophets, And the pigeons, And the doves, And all the, Business, Commerce, That was going on, It's driven out of the place, What a scene, What gives this fellow,

[47:26] The right, To do such a thing, Well maybe he's more than a fellow, Maybe he is God, The son, And then John chapter 3, Nicodemus, The man, Who is the top man, In the religious establishment, The man who is recognised, As Israel's teacher, In all the things of God, And yet he's drawn, To Jesus, And he's drawn, Because he has questions, That he cannot answer, About eternity, He has a desire, In his heart, That he has not found, A satisfaction, For, And so he comes to Jesus, This fellow, Is God the son, And then in John 4, The discontented, The disowned, Samaritan woman, Who has looked everywhere,

[48:26] For satisfaction, And found it nowhere, Here she is, Speaking to Jesus, And her life is changing, Because he's God the son, And then John chapter 5, Where we're at, A man 38 years, Sick, Instantaneously, Made well, With the word, Of Christ, And so we see, As the gospel develops, And we're still in the early stages of it, A body of evidence is developing, Is building, Signs are pointing, To the fact, That, Jesus is no ordinary man, He's no mere teacher, He's no gifted philosopher, He's no social carer, He's all these things, But much more than that, He's God the son, And the signs, Have been pointing to it, And the testimonies, Are leading to it, And now Jesus, Comes straight out,

[49:27] And he says it, And this would have come, As such a shock, To the Jews, Who were outraged already, They're furious, They're furious, At what Jesus had done, On the Sabbath day, There's steam coming out, Of their ears, Over the Sabbath healing, They are determined, Verse 16, To persecute, Jesus, And, Jesus, Essentially says to them, You're worried about, The Sabbath healing, Well let me give you, Something more to worry about, Let me give you, Something else to chew over, And think through, If that's perplexing you, If that's disturbing you, Wait until you hear, What I'm about to say, And then as the chapter, Continues, Jesus makes crystal clear, To them, That God, Is his father, And he, Jesus, Is the son, Look at verses 16 to 18,

[50:29] Just for an example, Because Jesus, Was doing these, Things on the Sabbath, The Jews, Persecuted him, Jesus said to them, My father, Is always, At his work, To this very day, And I too, Am working, And for this reason, The Jews, Tried all the harder, To kill him, Not only, Was he breaking, The Sabbath, But he was, Even calling God, His own father, Making himself, Equal, With God, So even in these, Three verses, We see, That they have, Grasped correctly, What Jesus is teaching, That he is, The son, Of God, And then as the chapter, Goes on, If there was any, Shred of doubt, In the minds, Of the religious Jews, That maybe they had, Misheard what Jesus, Had said, Then he removes it, As the conversation, Goes on, He presses upon them,

[51:29] With great force, The truth, Of his identity, Because, Not once, Not twice, But if you count, In the chapter, As I have done, You'll notice that, Fifteen times, In the chapter, Jesus identifies, Himself, As, Having, God, As his father, Fifteen times, He calls God, His father, And eleven times, He identifies, Himself, As the son, So who is this fellow, That was the question, For them, That is the question, For us this morning, Who is this fellow, Who is this Jesus, And the answer is, He is God, The son, And I cannot, Over emphasize, How important, It is, For us to see that, That Jesus, Is God, He is God,

[52:31] The son, He is not just a fellow, He is not just a healer, He is not just a teacher, He is not just a philosopher, He is not just a prophet, He is not just a king, But he is God, The son, And that's not a title, That the church, Of Christ, Has, Imposed upon him, In retrospect, Jesus, Is crystal clear, By virtue of what he did, And what he said, About himself, That he, Is, God, The son, And he looks for us, To bow, To bow before him, In worship, And in praise, Who is this fellow, He is God, The son,

[53:32] Secondly, He is God, The judge, And, I think it's fair for me, To say that, There's a lot less preached, About, The whole office of Jesus, As judge, And the whole area, Of judgment, Than there was, In past generations, But I think that, Is much more to do, With cowardly preaching, Than it has to do, With the clarity, Of Jesus teaching, Because it's very clear, That he, Identifies himself, As God the son, And as God the judge, This fellow is your judge, And mine, There's a TV program, That used to be on a lot, I haven't seen it for, A good while now, But it was called, I think, Undercover Boss,

[54:33] I think it was an American, Television program, And the gist of the program, Was that, The owner of a company, A big company, With lots of, Offices around, The country, He would go undercover, Or she would go undercover, And put on a disguise, And make themselves, Unrecognizable, And then they would go, And work in some, Aspect, Some part, Department of their, Their business empire, Anonymously, And so they would go in, And maybe there would be, A mechanic, Or maybe there would be, A cleaner, Or maybe there would be, A kitchen porter, Or a chef, Or whatever it was, In the company, And they would just be employed, And they would arrive, And they would say, Well I'm on my, On my first day, And they would just observe, Everything that was going on, In the place, That they were working, And then the people, Who were around, This new employee,

[55:34] They would just do, What they always did, They worked hard, They would work hard, They were slovenly, And sloppy, They would continue, To be slovenly, And sloppy, Sometimes they would, Poke fun at the new employee, Sometimes they would ask, To be quite cruel, To the new employee, And they were all, Oblivious to the fact, That this new employee, Was actually, Their judge, The one, That they answered to, And it strikes me, That is a, A picture, Of the world, That we, Live in today, Everything, That happens, In this world, And in your life, And in your experience, And in mine, Is seen by Christ, Our God, Is the all seeing God, Nothing is missed by him, He sees, Everything, He knows, Everything that is going on, And yet the world,

[56:38] That he made, The world, That he owns, The world, That answers to him, In large measure, That has no thought of him, And no regard for him, And no word, Of the fact that one day, They, We, Will stand before him, And he will speak to us, Of what he saw, The Bible speaks, Very clearly, About a day, Of judgment, And that day, Will happen, For all of us, It's an appointment, That no one will miss, Hebrews 9, 27, Says, It is appointed, Unto men, Once to die, But afterwards, The judgment, You know, We can miss, A doctor's appointment, We can miss, A dentist appointment, There's not too much drama,

[57:39] If we do, But no one, Will miss the appointment, They have to stand, Before Jesus, Everyone, Will have to give an account, Of what, They have done, With Christ, And what they have done, With the lives, That Jesus, Has allowed them to have, 2 Corinthians, 5, 10, If you want other texts, Just to embed that, For we must, All appear, Before the judgment seat, Of Christ, And on that day, We all, Seeing Jesus, The one, Who knows us, The one who knows us, As he knew the religious Jews, Who were before him, Look at verse 42, He can see into their hearts, The same Jesus, With the same knowledge, He will be our judge,

[58:41] And he himself teaches that, In this passage, Look at verse 22, This is what he says, Isn't it? He says, The father judges no one, But has entrusted, All judgment, To the son, And then in verse 27, He says it again, In other words, He the father, Has given him, Jesus, Authority, To judge, Because he is the son, Of man, Who is this fellow?

[59:13] He is God, He is God, He is God, He is God, The judge, And here's a sobering question, But it's one that we have to ask, Are you ready for the day of judgment?

[59:30] We are ready for so many eventualities, In this world, But are you and I ready for the day, Of judgment, When we leave, This world? Are you ready for the day, When we will stand before Jesus, And he scans our hearts, And he examines our lives, And as that assessment is done, What will he see, In your life and mine?

[60:02] What will he see, As he looks into our hearts, As he did, In the hearts, Of the religious Jews, In verse 42, He saw no love of God, In their hearts, But does he see the love of God, In our hearts, And will he see, The love of God, In our heart?

[60:23] Will he recognize us, As people whom he knew, People who honored him, As God the son? People who bowed before him, Who confessed him as Lord, And who worshipped him, With our lives?

[60:45] Or will he look at us, And declare conclusively, That he never knew us? Will he declare, That our eternity, Will have to be spent, In torturous separation from him, And every good thing, That comes from his hand, In hell, These are hard hitting questions, But they are very clearly, Taught in scripture, And so we must ask them, We must answer them, J.C. Ryle, Says this, In relation to this chapter, He says, This passage, Is one that ought to sink, Down way deeply, Into our hearts, And never be forgotten, All is not over, When people die, Whether they like it or not,

[61:48] They will have to come forth, From their graves, At that last day, And stand at Christ's fire, None can escape the summits, When his voice calls before, When his voice calls them before him, All must obey, It's quite a thought, Isn't it?

[62:13] When we think about some of the most vocal, Aggressive, Atheists, Who are so determined, And zealous, Against, The myth, As they say, Of Christianity, And yet, There is going to come a day, When his voice, Calls them, To come before him, And they must obey, We must obey, Who is this fellow?

[62:49] Jesus is God, The judge, Jesus is God, The son, And finally, Jesus is God, The saviour, And this, Again, Is a, A joyful message, Which has been, Building, Throughout this gospel, The glad tidings, Of great joy, That are spoken of, In the other gospels, They have been rising in volume, As time has been passing, From the whispers, Of the incarnation, We sing often, At Christmas time, How silently, How silently, The wondrous gift, Is given, There is a, A very quiet, Joyful sound, Of the salvation, That is coming, As Jesus comes, Into this world, But even, By this point, We are brought, To hear a clear call, The clear call, Of the gospel, And even, Even if we,

[63:49] Isolate this, To John's gospel, Itself, This is a message, A message of salvation, That has been, Steadily amplifying, Over these chapters, John chapter 1, Verse 29, John, As he, Points to his disciples, He points to Jesus, And he says, Look, The lamb of God, Who takes away, The sin, Of the world, That's the message, Of salvation, This is our sin, That kills us, It's our sin, That brings eternal death, Look, The lamb of God, Who's come, To take away, The sin of the world, It's the message, Of salvation, John chapter 3, The children, Spoke it to us, Just a moment ago, Jesus said, To Nicodemus, The son of man, Must be lifted up, That everyone who believes in him, May have eternal life, For God so loved the world, That he gave his one and only son, That whoever believes in him, Shall not perish, But shall have eternal life,

[64:51] For God did not send, The son into the world, To condemn the world, But to save the world, Through him, So already, We're seeing, Jesus is being identified, As God, The saviour, The son, The judge, And praise the Lord, The saviour, John 4, Jesus says to the, Samaritan woman, Whoever drinks the water, I give him, Will never thirst, It's a woman, Who's been gasping, Thirsty, Hopelessly thirsty, And Jesus says to her, The water, I give him, Will become, In him, Or her, A spring of water, Welling up, To eternal, Life, Salvation, And then the response, Of the Samaritans, Remember, Who are, Met by this woman, And told the good news, About Jesus, They say,

[65:52] To Jesus, And to the woman, As she's witnessed, We no longer believe, Just because of what you said, Now we have heard, Now we have heard for ourselves, And we know, That this man, Really is, The saviour, Of the world, And now in John 5, There is such, Glorious clarity, Given to us, In verse 42, As we read that verse, Not verse 42, Sorry, Verse 24, Jesus, Gives us such wonderful clarity, And hope, And joy, In that verse, And this is a verse, Before we read it, This is a verse that, If we will grasp this verse, By faith, It's one thing to sit here, And just hear it, With our ears, But if in our hearts, We will take hold of this, Verse by faith, And say to the Lord, I believe, I believe,

[66:53] I see, Jesus, I hear this message, And I believe, If we will take hold of this, Verse by faith, This will transform, The judgment day for us, From a trial, Where we stand before Christ, And are pronounced, Rightly, Guilty as sin, A prize giving, Where we are rewarded, For every cup, Of cold water, That we are, That we have given, In Jesus name, Verse 24 then, Jesus says, I tell you the truth, Whoever, Whoever, Hears my word, And believes him, Who sent me, Has eternal life, And will not be condemned, He has crossed over,

[67:57] From death, To life, What, What, A wonder, I tell you the truth, Whoever, Hears my word, Are you hearing the word, Of Christ this morning, Whoever, Hears my word, And believes him, Who has sent me, Has eternal, Eternal life, And will, Not be, Condemned, He has crossed, Over, From death, To life, Who is this fellow, He is God, The son, He is God,

[68:59] The judge, But if you and I, Believe what he says, If we will trust him, Then we will meet him, On that judgment day, As God, Our saviour, The one who will welcome us, Into the fullness, Of, Eternal, Life, Life, What a promise, The cost of that promise, Was to be the breaking of his body, The cost, The cost, Of making, That promise, Was to be, The shedding, Of his blood, The cost, Of taking you and I, Off the, Path of condemnation, That leads to death,

[70:00] And on to the road, To salvation, And eternal life, The cost, Would be immense, And we see it, That calvary, But the offer of the gospel, Is free, Because Jesus paid it all, All to him, I owe, Sin, Has left a crimson stain, He washed it, White, As snow, He's taken, Our condemnation, And he offers us, Eternal, Life, And salvation, So, As you, Walk out that door, This morning, Remember, You have an offer, So will you accept,

[71:00] The whole, Of the thrust, Of this gospel, Is that you will believe, That you and I, Will accept, These things are written, Says John, That you may believe, That Jesus, Is the Christ, The son of God, And that by believing, You may have, Life in his name, That's the offer, But it has to be accepted, In time, And it has to be accepted, By faith, In Christ, So when you walk out that door, You're still in time, If you sit in your chair, This morning, If you're hearing, You're still in time, But when you leave, The scene of time, And you enter, Into eternity, There will be no opportunity, To accept,

[72:02] Because there will be, No opportunity, To put your faith, In Christ, Because there will be, No need for faith, Because you will see him, In stark, Reality, As God the son, And as God, And as God your judge, But today, There is opportunity, To receive him, And to come to know him, As God your saviour, Who is this fellow, Who is this fellow, Let's pray, Father, We thank you for this gospel, And we thank you that, By the spirit, John was inspired, To write these things, So that we will believe, That Jesus, Is the Christ, The son of God, And that by believing,

[73:04] We would have life, In his name, We pray that, You would enable, Each one of us today, To cross over, From death to life, And to be able to sing, With great, Sincerity and gusto, At the end, No condemnation, Now I dread, Jesus, And all in him, Is mine, We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.