Well, grace to you and peace from our God and Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Please silence your phones and prepare your hearts for worship. so so Hmm. Amen. Well, we welcome you this morning to Dayspring Fellowship. If you are a visitor here with us this morning, we would like to extend an offering of a gift. It's called Ultimate Questions, which you should find out there in the hall table. That is our free gift to you for visiting us this morning. If you wouldn't mind signing the guest registry, it's not a an email list or won't spam you or anything, it's just to have a record of your visit with us this morning. So with that said, we have our announcements this morning. If you look down at the bulletin, we were in 2 Samuel 9, the king blesses Mephibosheth. It was a wonderful lesson this morning, very gospel saturated. And then our passage for next week will come from John chapter 20 verses 30 through 31, John's two purposes, so you can use that to prepare yourself for... That's today. John 21 1 through 14, there you go. to prepare your hearts for worship for next Sunday. And then on the other page, we are needing a volunteer to serve in the AV ministry. It is a wonderful ministry because we know that the gospel's not just presented here, but is going out into all the nations. It's a very needed ministry. So if you feel the Lord leading you to go and serve, then you can see our deacon Rob Parchman for more details. And then we have our second Wednesday testimonies coming up this Wednesday. Rafael Estrada will be giving his testimony. His wife gave her testimony last month. He will be giving his this month. And I'll be looking forward to that. And then we also have the glorious parchment wedding this upcoming Saturday. And It will be March 15th at 2 p.m. All are invited to attend his wedding. We have today a congregational meeting after... Not today? Okay. Next Sunday. So we have a congregational meeting next Sunday. So just put that in your schedule. And then we have the fifth Sunday fellowship meal on March the 30th, and couples and families should bring two of these, a main dish, vegetable, or dessert, and singles should bring one of these, bread, drinks, or ice. All are welcome to attend, whether you're a member or not. And then lastly, we have the 2025 Annual Bunyan Conference. Providence Theological Institute of New Covenant Theology's free John Bunyan Conference will take place at Grace Church in Franklin, Tennessee. The dates are from June 22nd to 25th, and the speakers will include Dr. Joshua Griever, our missionary to South Africa, Paul Carstens, Pastor Gary George, and our own pastor, Greg VanCourt. So if you wouldn't mind please standing with us for our call to worship. Our call to worship this morning comes from Colossians 3, verses 14-17. It says, And above all these things put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. So please take your red hymnals this morning. Our first hymn this morning will come from 110. 110 in the red, hallelujah, praise Jehovah. Alleluia, praise Jehovah, from the heavens praise His name. Praise Jehovah in the highest, all His angels praise, proclaim. All His hosts together praise Him, sun and moon and stars on high. Praise Him, O you heavens of heavens and your floods above the sky. Let them praise His gift, Jehovah, for His name alone is high, and His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted far above the earth and sky. Let the praises give Jehovah They were made at His command Then forever He established His decree shall ever stand From the earth, O praise Jehovah All you seas, you monsters all Fire and hail and snow and vapor Stormy winds that hear His call Let them praise His gift, Jehovah, for His name alone is high, and His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted far above the earth and sky. All you fruitful trees and cedars, All you hills and mountains high, Creeping things and beasts and cattle, Birds that in the heavens fly, Kings of earth and all you people, Princes, great earth's judges all, Praise His name, young men and maidens, aged men and children small. Let them praise His gift, Yehovah, for His name alone is high. And His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted far above the earth and sky. Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning that you are to be exalted, Lord, above all things. We praise you, Father, that your name is great. Lord, we come to you with nothing. Lord, we have nothing to offer you this morning, but you have offered us your Son, by whom and in whom we come, that we may worship you and all honor and glory and strength and majesty be proclaimed to you, Father. We pray this in your Son's name, amen. You may be seated. So as we continue with our hymns this morning, please turn to hymn number 508. 508, in the red, Jesus, lover of my soul. Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Guide me, O my Savior, guide, till the storm of life is past, safe and to the haven guide. O receive my soul at last, other refuge have I none. Range my helpless soul on thee. Leave, O leave me not alone. still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring. Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of the wing. Thou, O Christ, art all I want, More than all in thee I find, Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick and lead the blind, Just and holy is thy name. I am all unrighteousness, false and full of sin I am. Thou art full of truth and grace, plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin. Healing streams abound, make and keep me pure within, Thou of love. Let me take of Thee, spring Thou up within my heart, rise to all eternity. Now please turn a few pages over to the left to 467. 467, Wonderful Grace of Jesus. Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin. How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall its praise begin? Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free. For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, Deeper than a mighty rolling sea, Higher than the mountains, Sparkling like a fountain, All-sufficient grace for even me, Broader than the scope of my transgressions, Greater for all my sin and shame, O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His name! Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching a mighty host. I ain't have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost. Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty. For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, Mighty than the rolling sea! Wonderful grace, all-sufficient for me, for even me! Broader than the scope of my transgressions, Greater far than all my sin and shame! O magnify the precious name of Jesus, and praise His name! The wonderful grace of Jesus Reaching the most defiled By its transforming power Making him God's dear child Purchasing peace and heaven For all eternity The wonderful grace of Jesus Reaches me Full of the precious grace of Jesus. Higher than the mountains, Sparkling like a fountain, All-sufficient grace for even me. Broader than the scope of my transgressions, Greater far than all my sin and shame, O magnify the precious name of Jesus. Praise His name! Amen. Now we have the reading of God's word. Good morning. Good morning. Happy to see you all. So this morning's scripture reading is from John chapter 3, verses 14 through 18. And Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Amen. You know, as we prepare our hearts for communion this morning, All who are here are welcome to participate. You are not required to be a member of Dayspring to participate in communion, but you are required to be a son and daughter of the Lord Jesus Christ. So I want to make clear that in order to be a son and daughter of the Lord Jesus Christ, you come not of what you give, you come to receive Him and repent of your sins. that it's not because of your work alone, it's not because of your work that you were saved, but because of his finished work upon the cross. So first, we ask that you be a son and daughter of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we ask that you be a baptized believer. We leave the details of your baptism up to your individual conscience. And then thirdly, we ask that you not be under church discipline from your local congregation so that we may respect the Lord's work as he builds his church. So with that said, as we prepare harsh communion, please turn to hymn number 524. Thy works, not mine, O Christ. That works not mine, O Christ, speak gladness to this heart. They tell me all is done, they bid my fear depart. To whom save thee? Who canst alone for sin atone? Lord, shall I flee? Thy page, not mine, O Christ, upon the shameful tree, have paid the lossful price and purchased peace with me. To whom save thee? Who canst alone for sin atone? Lord, shall I flee? Thy cross, not mine, O Christ, has borne the awful load. Of sins that none in heaven or earth can bear, But God, to whom save thee? Who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee? Thy righteousness, O Christ, alone can cover me. No righteousness avail, save that which is of Thee. To whom say Thee? Who canst alone force an atonement? Shall I flee? Good morning. In Mark chapter 9, we have a story of Jesus casting out a demon from a boy. The disciples weren't able to cast it out, so they brought him to Jesus. We pick up the story in verse 20. And they brought the boy to him, and when the spirit saw him immediately, it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, how long has this been happening to him? And he said, from childhood. And it is often cast him into the fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, if you can, all things are possible for one who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief. And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you. come out of him and never enter him again. And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out. And the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, lifted him up, and he arose." Now the part I want to focus on is the father's response to Jesus. I believe help my unbelief." The Father had faith, but he also knew that he had doubt, and he wanted Jesus to help him overcome that doubt. According to the Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5, we walk by faith and not by sight. Paul, writing to the Galatians in chapter two, says, we live by the faith of the Son of God. Hebrews 11 says, without faith, it is impossible to please God, and faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So we believe, and we live by faith. Faith is the dominating feature of every life or the life of every Christian, because we have to put our trust entirely in what we cannot see. And that's not easy. It's not blind faith. It's based on evidence. And the evidence for our faith is what anchors it. And that anchor is the scripture, the word of God, because it tells us all that we need to know. The faith that we have to believe the word of God, to believe the gospel, is a sufficient faith because it is faith given to us by God. And God designs it to be sufficient. Is it perfect? No. It's weak. Our faith is weak. Is it waver? Yes. Do we doubt? Yes. But is it sufficient? Yes. And that's where the part where the father asked Jesus to help his unbelief. That's what we call the process of sanctification. Where tests and trials prove out our faith. Not to God, but he's proving it to us. That is why we rejoice in trials. The Lord is helping our unbelief through those trials. We see ever more deeply that He is trustworthy, that He is sovereign, that He loves us and He has us well in hand. There is nothing beyond Him. The people all thought that the boy was dead after Jesus cast out the demon, but look what happened. Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up. Well, beloved, we were dead in sin, but he took us by the hand and raised us up. He granted us the sufficient faith to believe, and he will prove our faith to us as we walk daily with him. And so I speak as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Let's take a moment to examine ourselves. Heavenly Father, we thank you that though we were dead in sin, you sent your Son to take us by the hand, to call us, to make us alive, and to give us the faith that was sufficient to believe. And Lord, the days ahead may be difficult, and trying, but we know that all things work together for good for those who love you and who are called according to your purpose. And though the road be hard, you are with us. And where we cannot walk, you carry us, that at all times you have us well in hand. If we but trust in you and rely on you, and we will bring you honor and glory and you will prove our faith. You will help us in the times of our unbelief to see you clearly and to know you more deeply. We ask that you would do this work in all of us and if there is any here who does not know you as Lord and Savior, take them by the hand, call their name, that they may see your face and come to know you as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. The same way also he took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. This is the body of the Lord which is given for you. This cup is the new covenant in Christ's blood, shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. Please, as we sing our last hymn, please take the insert in your bulletin. We will be singing this morning, Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery. Behold the wondrous mystery in the dawning of the King. He, the theme of heaven's praises, robed in frail humanity, End our longing in our darkness, now the light of life has come. Look to Christ, who condescended, took on flesh to ransom us. Come behold the wondrous mystery, He the perfect Son of Man. In His living, in His suffering, never trace nor stain of sin. See the true and better Adam come to save the hell-bound man. Christ the great and sure fulfillment of the law, in Him we stand. Come behold the wondrous mystery Christ the Lord upon the tree. In the stead of ruined sinners Hangs the Lamb in victory. See the price of our redemption, See the Father's plan unfold, Bringing many sons to glory With a measured love untold. Come behold the wondrous mystery, Slain by death the God of life, But no grave could ever strain Him, Praise the Lord, He is alive! What a foretaste of deliverance! How unwavering! Amen. Please take your red hymnals this morning. We will be doing our responsive reading, which will come on page 785. 785, a responsive reading, Psalm 1. And please stand. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit unseasoned, and whose leaf does not wither, whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked. They are like shaft that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Heavenly Father, Lord, we praise you for the work that your son did on the cross that paved the way for sinners to come to you, Lord, not on our merit, but on your righteousness alone that you imputed to us through saving faith. Father, I pray for Greg this morning as he preaches your word. I pray that he would speak with both unction and in the power of the Holy Spirit that your gospel would be proclaimed, Father. I pray for Josh Hayward, Father, at Kemeny Avenue, that you would speak through him, Lord, that you would use Josh, Lord, as your instrument to bring about your saving grace to those who don't know you. Father, I lift up Sarah, who has been sick, Lord, for many weeks now. I pray that your hand of healing would be upon her. Lord, I pray that your comfort would be with her, Lord. Lord, that you would remind her of your ever-abiding presence, Lord, in her life. And Lord, though she may be away from the body physically, she is still with you. And Father, I pray for the leaders in our government, both in our civil government, Lord, our local government, and then in our federal government, Father, that they would lead this country with humility. Father, I pray for their salvation. Lord, I pray that your church would continue to be established, Lord, throughout the ends of this earth, and that people from all tribes and tongues and languages, Lord, would be able to praise you, that you restore your righteousness, Lord, to places where it is in darkness. Father, I pray all of this in your Son's most precious and holy name, amen. You may be seated. And then I will invite Greg, our pastor, to come and preach for us this morning, as if you need my invitation. And our children may go out to Children's Church at this time as well. And as they go out, if you would please turn with me in your copy of God's holy, inspired, and inerrant word back to chapter 20 of the Gospel of John. John chapter 20. That's where we're going to be today. We're just going to be looking at the two concluding verses, verse 30 and verse 31. So we've actually come to what most people understand to be kind of the proper end of the book, the last two verses of chapter 20. I mean, obviously there is one more chapter that's coming, and we're going to spend a few weeks together in chapter 21. But chapter 21, as most Bible scholars understand it, that final chapter really acts as kind of an epilogue to the main body of the Gospel. So I don't know if you're a reader of novels, but a lot of time the main action of a book will come to its conclusion to an end at the last chapter, and then you'll have a thing at the end just following the last final chapter called the epilogue, which is really just kind of tying up loose ends, telling you some of what happens to some of the characters in the future, or making reference to something that happened earlier. Epilogues do all kinds of things, but they're really not part of the main action of the book. Well, so it is here with John chapter 21. John, in this portion of his book, chapter 21, is just kind of wrapping up unfinished business. But the real climax of the book actually comes in the passage that we looked at together last week, when Thomas, who's called Doubting Thomas, when he sees the scars in Jesus' wrists, right? And he sees the wound in his Lord's side. And he gives what winds up being just the highest confession of Jesus' identity of anybody in the entire book. He says to Jesus, my Lord and my God. It's really a fascinating confession that the highest thing that's said of Jesus the whole book, because that's what John the Evangelist, John the Apostle, has been driving at for the entire narrative. He wants you, the reader, to understand not just that Jesus is King, not just that he is the long-awaited Messiah that Israel has been praying for and looking for and waiting for for centuries. He wants you to believe that, but he wants something much, much greater. He wants you to believe what Thomas realized, that this long-awaited Messiah, this King of Israel, this Christ, is in fact God, the creator of the universe made flesh, right? The source of all life and goodness made man. And he's been driving at this from the very beginning, even in the very first sentence of the book, where he says, remember, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory from start to finish. That's the purpose of the book. In every story, every teaching, every paragraph, He has been driving towards that singular end of convincing you, the reader, that Jesus really is God incarnate. So John brings the book to a climax with Thomas's confession, my Lord and my God. And then he ends the main part of his book by basically just telling us, his readers, in case we haven't already picked up on it, what his purpose has been throughout the whole thing, across these 20 rich chapters. So look with me at the very end of chapter 20, verses 30 and 31, because the Apostle John, he is as clear as he could possibly be here about why he has written this book. Starting in verse 30, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. I mean, it's pretty straightforward, right? It's not often that you get a book, not even often that you get a book of the Bible that tells you straight up exactly why it has been written, right? I mean, you can kind of suss it out, usually. You can look at Paul's letters, for instance, and you can kind of figure out, oh, the reason the Apostle Paul wrote Galatians was for the purpose of correcting the false teaching concerning the salvific necessity of circumcision, and by consequence conformity to the old covenant law. Or he wrote Colossians, or Philippians or 1st Corinthians for this purpose or for that purpose, but it's not often anywhere else in literature that you get somebody just laying it out so clearly like this. I mean, it's remarkably straightforward. John tells us straight up, I haven't told you everything that Jesus did. There's a whole bunch of other stuff that Jesus did that I haven't written down here, in this book, many things that are, in fact, written down in Matthew and Mark and Luke Acts that Jesus did and taught. But I, John, I hand-selected these things and I wrote these things down with two very clear aims and purposes in mind. First, so that you would believe that he's the Christ, the Son of God. and secondly, second purpose, so that you may have eternal life by believing in him. It's really that simple. Jesus, he did a lot of other things that I didn't write about, but what I did write about, I carefully selected and wrote down in this book for you so that you will believe in him, and so that in the believing, you will have life in his name. So look at the structure of this. It has a kind of structure to it, these two verses do. So in verse 30, John says, there's a lot more I could have written about, right? So Jesus, he did a lot of other signs. I've given you some of them. Most scholars agree that of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, John wrote his gospel last. And even that John was aware of and familiar with Matthew, Mark, and Luke Acts, which would have been circulating among the churches. So that he deliberately fills in some of the gaps, some of the words and the acts done by Jesus, which had not yet been recorded by the other apostles. So he says that there's a lot more that's not written here in this particular book, the Gospel of John. And then in verse 31, he tells us the purpose for which he did, in fact, write down these things that he's included in all these chapters, these 20 rich chapters that we have studied together over the course of these many months. The goal of it all The goal of all of it, I wrote this so that, there are actually two so that's in the Greek of verse 31, two distinct purpose clauses. So two distinct purposes for the writing of this gospel. They're related to one another, obviously, and John makes that relationship clear by repeating the verb for believing in both purpose statements. So faith is the central theme here. He gives twin purposes logically connected by faith. He gives the first purpose for which he wrote the book, and then he tells us the second purpose. So the goal for which he wrote was, first of all, so that we would believe. that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And then secondly, he wrote this book so that through believing, by faith in Christ, we will possess life in his name. Okay, now think about the terms that John is using there. I've written these things so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. If you've been with us for very long through the study of the book of John on these Lord's Day mornings, all of those prominent terms, Christ, Son of God, believing, life, his name, all of those should be setting off all kinds of bells. your head, all kinds of, you know, intratextual connections, because these are the themes that John has been writing about from the very beginning. He's been trying to convince you of this from the beginning, that Jesus is the Messiah King. That's what the Christ means, that he is the Son of God, that he is God in in the flesh, and faith in Him, believing in Him, is the only way to salvation. And that salvation, what salvation, eternal salvation, actually is, in the final analysis, is to have genuine life, spiritual life. He's been talking about these things from the very beginning. of the book. So figuring out the main idea of this passage, it's not very hard at all. The main idea, the thing that John is driving at is Believe in Jesus and live. It's really that simple. Believe in Jesus and live. He's really giving us the application points of his entire book, his entire gospel, right here. So having now read the gospel of John, what are we to do? Believe in Jesus and live. So corresponding to both of these purposes, I just have two sermon points this morning. Number one, the object of faith. The object of faith. And number two, the outcome of faith. The outcome of faith. So the object of Christian faith and the outcome of Christian faith. John has a central goal for his readers, and that goal is Christian faith. And Christian believing, saving faith, will result in true living and in coming to life spiritually in this welling up, overflowing, abundant life that will flourish and grow forever and ever. So let's begin first here with the object of faith, the object of faith. Have you ever noticed how when the world talks about faith, it talks about faith in this abstract, object-less faith? It's just a faith in general, sort of a fuzzy faith. They talk about faith-based initiatives and faith communities. Or I was very recently invited. to take part in an interfaith partnership, or they'll describe a person who's inspiring, a person who seems spiritual in a kind of New Age way as being a person of faith, without any defined object for that faith, just faith in general. I once heard a guy say, you know, after I went down to South America and I participated in an ayahuasca ceremony. Ayahuasca, for those who don't know, it's a pagan plant-based psychedelic drug that's been used in demonic religious ceremonies for thousands of years. and it's become very popular again. And he said, after I went down to South America and I participated in this ayahuasca ceremony, my inner eye, what was opened to spiritual realities, and now I've become a person of faith. It's just sort of this vague, wishy-washy, objectless, abstract faith. But it's not just the world that talks that way. Christians often talk about faith this way too, just faith in general, a faith in the abstract, just sort of this separated, you know, floating word. Like, you know, you can purchase on sale to hang on your wall from Hobby Lobby, you know, one of those home decor, kitschy frame decorations with the word faith in beautiful, decorative, uppercase letters, right? Faith without an object. Christians can talk about faith that way, as if it's this abstract spiritual thing, or even this power that they possess, right? A word of faith that they can employ to alter their reality. Mountain-moving faith that's employed as a sort of baptized version of just the New Age power of positive thinking kind of stuff. But a faith in general, a faith in the abstract, it's utterly worthless. Just to believe in spiritual reality, just to believe in things like life after death experiences, or angels, or in the existence of God, and Jesus, and heaven, and all kinds of things, is not enough. The only kind of faith that really matters is a faith that says, I believe, I trust, I know that all of those spiritual realities, they have their focus and their center in one singular object, in Jesus, and I'm trusting in Him. Do you this morning, do you have a faith in general? or do you have a faith in specific, in particular? Faith in general is worthless. You need to have faith in someone. It means trust, it means reliance. That's what John is calling on his readers to do, to take faith in general and make it a faith in particular, a faith in specific, a faith in Jesus Christ alone. Some of you may need to do that today. You may think of yourself as spiritual. You may think of yourself as religious or even godly. You may even think that there's some value in that. You may think that there's some merit in that. There's not. There's none. That kind of faith in general is empty and worthless. You need to make it personal and specific. You need to personally rely upon and trust in Jesus alone as the object of your faith, which is John's whole purpose in writing you this book. He says, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. So what is the object of Christian faith? The object of our faith, in verse 31, is not a what, but a who. It's Jesus. But it's not just Jesus the good man, or Jesus the holy prophet, or Jesus the charismatic religious teacher, or Jesus plus Mary, or Jesus plus your good behavior, or Jesus plus anything, right? The object of our faith is only Jesus the Christ, Jesus alone, the Son of God. So a man named Jesus from Nazareth, whose name was quite normal, quite common, actually, in the Hellenistic Jewish world of his day, but invested with significance for him because it means, what Jesus, the name means, is the Lord is my salvation. The Lord is salvation. That's why, remember, God sent the angel Gabriel to the little town of Nazareth with the divine command to the pregnant virgin Mary, that she must name her child Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins. That Savior, Jesus, John says, is the Christ. This announcement that Jesus is the Christ was also, by the way, in God's message to Mary through the angel Gabriel. She was told in Luke 2, or Luke chapter 1, The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob. That's Israel. He will reign over Israel forever. And of his kingdom, there will be no end. In other words, he is the anointed king from David's line who was promised in the very climax of the Hebrew scriptures in 2 Samuel 7. Remember in the very first chapter of John, Andrew found his brother, Simon Peter, and he said to him, Simon, we found the Messiah. We have found the Christ. Peter eventually confesses to Jesus, when he says, who do you say that I am? You are the Messiah. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And at that moment, Jesus told him, it wasn't your brother Andrew who finally convinced you and got that through to you. Flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you, but your Father in heaven. The woman at the well, remember in chapter four, she told Jesus how, oh, she's just looking so forward to the Messiah, the Christ, coming. Because when he comes, he's going to explain things to us. And Jesus says to her, I who speak to you am he. Jesus is the Christ. He is the King. He is the Messiah. He reigns and rules over the everlasting Kingdom of Israel. Brothers and sisters, this isn't a reign or a rule that we're just looking forward to. He has been raised and ascended and exalted and enthroned as King over all. And He lives and He sits upon David's throne this very day. And he's putting all of his enemies under his feet, just as it was promised. He is the promised anointed one of God, right? The son of David, the king of Israel. And John says here that he's not only the Christ, he is also the son of God. Now Adam is called the Son of God, Israel is called the Son of God, David is called the Son of God, but that title, Son of God, it has a particular meaning in John's Gospel. Because remember how it nearly got Jesus stoned to death several times. John 5, 18 is a great example. The Apostle John says there, This is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. For John, the meaning of Jesus being the unique Son of God, that means that Jesus is of the same essence as God the Father, very God of very God. And that claim was what caused very religious people to call him a blasphemer and pick up stones to execute him for blasphemy. He is, as the Apostle Thomas has just declared, he is my Lord and my God. He is the object of Christian faith, saving faith, the Christ, the Son of God. So what does that mean? What exactly are you supposed to believe? Just the bare facts that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, you just sort of mentally agree with and assent to those statements, and then you have eternal life? How do you become a Christian? How do you receive this everlasting salvation? Well, on the surface of it, it just kind of means to give that intellectual assent to the fact that Jesus is who he claims to be, and that because of who he is, to believe that through his life and death and resurrection in your place, that he is able to save you from the condemnation that you deserve. But you know, belief or faith, it's the same word, it's more than just mere intellectual assent. It is trust. It's to take all of those truths that you intellectually assent to, so the facts about Jesus, and not just say, yeah, he is the Savior, he is the Christ, he is the Son of God. I think those things are true, but it is to rest your life on them, right? To trust Him as Savior and Lord and God of your life. That's what believe means. That's what faith means. It's a reliance upon, a resting in the person and work of the true and living Jesus. John Patton, the missionary to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific. He was once racking his brain searching for a native word that could convey and translate the English word faith into their primitive native tongue. And at that very moment, one of the natives ran into his hut, plopped down in the chair, and said in his native language, I will rest myself upon this chair. And John Patton said, that's my word. It's like letting another object carry all of your weight. That's how a person becomes a Christian. you know, say, 50 Hail Marys. They don't do penance. They don't outweigh their bad actions with good actions. They don't work in any way whatsoever. They just rest their sinful, wicked, ungodly soul upon the Savior. And they're immediately received by God the Father through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith alone in Him alone. So look to Christ and believe. Here is, in Christ, the immovable, rock-solid, sure, and certain object for your faith, your Savior, your King, your God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ. Depend on Him. Rest in Him. Trust Him. Well secondly, and finally, John gives us here not only the object of saving faith, but also the outcome of saving faith, the outcome of believing in Jesus, which is this, life in his name. Verse 31 again, this gospel was written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that by believing you may have life in his name." Have you ever wondered if you were really alive? You may think that question's a little bit silly to ask in a room full of people who were just earlier standing and singing vigorously and who just listened mostly attentively to the first point of my sermon, to ask them whether they are actually alive. I mean, it's clear that you can all breathe and move and think and talk. You got out of bed this morning of your own power and will in order to come here and to gather here in this place. So it may appear silly to ask the question, are you really alive? But I'm certainly not the first person in history to ask that question or to think it's a question worth asking. In fact, I would argue it's a question that in some form or another, every one of us wrestles with. Maybe you've heard of the philosopher Rene Descartes. He was anxious to prove the reality of his own existence. And if you haven't heard his name, maybe you'll recognize his famous line, I think, therefore, I am. Descartes made that statement in the year 1630, and what he was trying to do was to show that even by consciously doubting the reality of his own existence, in reality, by doubting, by that very act of thinking, he proved that he was really alive. interesting thought experiment. I don't think most of us wrestle with this question, you know, so much at the philosophical level of sort of mere existence versus non-existence. But I think where we do wrestle with this question is in whether or not we are truly alive in the sense of pleasure, in the sense of contentment, in the sense of joy. I think this is what most people often refer to and mean when they talk about really living, as opposed to just merely existing. You'll hear people say things like this, you know, when I do this activity, when I'm with this particular person, when I'm in this particular place, I feel alive, right? I feel like I'm really, really living. What are they talking about? They're talking about peace, right? They're talking about contentment. They're talking about joy. So in one sense, we know we're alive. We think, we breathe, we move. But in another sense, there's this nagging question, am I really living? Do I really have life in the fullest sense? experiencing all that life has to offer, or maybe even more fundamentally, and maybe a little more unsettling, does life offer what I truly want, what I truly desire, what I truly need, what will truly satisfy my soul, ultimately? You know, if you look to the world to find guidance on how to find abundant life, like how to really live, you will get all types of advice and counsel. Find your passion. Travel the world. Eat holistically. Exercise. Get out into nature. Keep a journal. Turn off your smartphone. Read a good book. Think positive thoughts. Be kind to others. Be authentic to yourself. Set goals. Be present in the moment. And the list could go on and on and on, right? And actually, I think there's a measure of wisdom in many of those things. But even if you have done all of those things to your very best, Why does there still seem to be this persistent desire, this stubborn yearning and longing and need for something more? I mean, even the greatest joys that we experience, right, the greatest successes and triumphs that we have in our lives, they fade so quickly. And ultimately, they leave us empty and wanting more. And then even beyond our present experience, if we're willing to be honest and just face it for what it really is, there is this truly horrific, looming, dark reality for all of us called death. Death. which threatens to rob us of every single good thing that we may love. One of the things I so greatly appreciate about God's Word is that it speaks to us honestly and directly to some of the most significant questions of our lives. And it speaks to us clearly about death, the reality, the horrific reality of that looming death. And the good news, the good news is that we can even face death with genuine hope because through faith in Christ, there's life. blazingly true and abundant life. So remember, all of this, it's coming right on the heels of Jesus facing his own horrific death, and then conquering death by rising to eternal life. and now appearing bodily alive in risen life. First to Mary, and then to most of his disciples, and now finally here to Thomas. And now John declares that by believing on Jesus, through faith in the only Savior, the Christ, the Son of God who is risen, who lives forever, reigning over an everlasting kingdom, we also can have life. his name. The outcome of Christian faith is life, true life, blazing life. So notice, what does John imply with this final purpose statement? He implies that there is life, some type of life, that apparently we don't have simply by existing. simply by being on this planet physically, moving and breathing, that there is life to be found, life that is to be gained, to be experienced, that is not simply ours by being physically alive. What is that life? Where is that life? Well, again, John's very straightforward. John declares that that life, it is found not ultimately in some new mindset, some new personal discipline, some new health protocols, some experience of getting out in nature or experiencing financial freedom or political freedom. And again, the list could go on and on and on. But that's not where John points us to. He points us to verse 31. John says that life is found in his name. And of course, he's speaking of Jesus's name. And in saying that, John's not talking about the name of Jesus in terms of the word itself, as if there's some magic, right, to the name of Jesus. Some people use it that way. He's talking about the person. In the Bible, when someone's name is spoken of, it's a reference to who that person is. And so John tells us he has written this entire book so that we might find life. in the person of Jesus Christ. Now just consider again the placement of these final verses and what has just come before. What we've already seen and learned from the verses just before these two verses, we've seen that when you encounter Jesus, you encounter the truly living one, the one who is risen from the dead in newness of life, right, in fullness of life. And when you encounter Jesus, you don't just come to a unique man who rose from the dead, although that's true, but you come to the one who is both Lord and God. God the Son, equal in essence and power and glory with God the Father and God the Spirit, worthy of all of our trust and obedience and worship. Truly God, truly man in one glorious person. which is why we see in Mary's encounter, in the disciples' encounter, in Thomas' encounter with the risen Christ, that when you come to Jesus, you come to one who not only lives to the fullest, but to one who gives full life to those who trust in him. Jesus brings the dead. to life, not just physically like he did with Lazarus, but spiritually. We are all dead spiritually, dead in our trespasses and sins, as Bill said before at the communion. Jesus, he speaks and brings our dead souls to life again. This is what he was talking about to the Pharisee who snuck by night to come and see him in chapter three, right? Jesus told that Pharisee Nicodemus that he needed to be born again, to be born spiritually, which is to live spiritually, to come to life spiritually. And when you encounter Jesus, when you encounter the risen Jesus, you encounter the one who gives spiritual birth, spiritual life to those who trust in Him. That's the blessing that Jesus has just promised right here in verse 29. Look at it again, verse 29. He promises, Blessed are those, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. So how are those who believe in Jesus blessed? Well, that's what John tells us right here in his concluding summary of the whole purpose of his book, here in verse 31. These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. Those who believe are blessed in that they are given new birth. They are given new life in the name of Jesus. And as John's gospel makes clear just all over the place, the life that he speaks of here, it is eternal life. That threat of death, that looming threat of death to take away every good thing that you love, It is conquered in Christ, and it is given to you as a gift to live forever, so that death will never rob you. It will never rob you of any of that. It's eternal life that lasts forever. But I think it is so important to see that it's more than just that. It's more than just life that goes on forever. Because you know, everybody, every single human being is going to live forever somewhere, right? I mean, God is clear in his word. At the return of the king, all are raised and face judgment. So this is more than just resurrected physical life that lasts forever. This is a certain kind of life. It is a certain quality of life, a life of peace, a life of joy, a life of contentment, a life of deep, increasing fullness of satisfaction that nothing in this world could ever provide. It is found in Jesus Christ alone. And it's the true pleasure, the true joy that our hearts desire, whether you fully realize that or not. Every single human heart comes into this world yearning, longing for this exact life, which is only found in Jesus. Just listen to how Jesus himself describes this life that we're talking about in other places in John's Gospel. So back to the woman at the well in chapter 4. All right, Jesus, he says this to her. Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to what? To eternal life. John chapter six, 33 and 35. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. satisfaction. John 10 10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and may have life abundantly. John 17 3, and this is eternal life." So here's the definition according to Jesus from his high priestly prayer. He prays and he says, this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. What do you hear in those statements? Peace. joy, contentment, satisfaction, intimacy of knowledge, just this growing satisfaction that will never be taken away. Never hunger, never thirst, this overflowing welling up of eternal life, abundant life. In what? In the personal knowledge of God and in his divine son, Jesus Christ. that that is the genuine, ever-flourishing life that Jesus offers to anyone who will trust in him as Savior and Lord. True, lasting, overflowing satisfaction and pleasures, eternal pleasures at his right hand forevermore in the knowledge of him, the personal relationship of love with him. It's the eternal joy that your heart pants for, that this world itself can never provide. Jesus is the risen Savior. He has conquered death. He is alive, and he is ruling and reigning as the Davidic king over the everlasting kingdom. He is the eternal Son of God, the Word made flesh. He is Lord and God, and he alone gives life to all who believe on him. So, There's just one question that remains. Will you believe? Will you rely on Him to save you and give you this life? Will you trust Him as your Savior? Will you follow Him as your Lord? Will you worship Him as your God? Because if you will, He alone will give you life. John the Apostle, he wrote these things down, this whole book, as a gift, a precious gift to you, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life. in his name. Let us pray. Our divine Lord Jesus, how we thank you that you live and reign today, that you promise what we could never find on our own, that you provide what we could never achieve on our own. that you promise true life, blazing life, life everlasting, life abundant and filled with peace and joy and contentment in the knowledge of you. Lord Jesus, by your Spirit, open our hearts and minds to see you for who you really are as Savior and Messiah and God, so that we will turn from our sinful ways our selfish ways, and trust in you for eternal life, for the fulfillment for which we were created. We ask all of this, Lord, in your majestic name, the name of Jesus, amen. Well, please stand together. Just some reminders and announcements. So I want to thank Jonathan for leading us in worship this morning. It was interesting and fun to be sitting in the pew for the first half of the service. And as we told you in the business meeting last month and in the announcements last week, Jonathan has begun a six-month pastoral internship. We're super excited for him. We want you to be giving him feedback because there is an internal call to pastoral ministry, but there's also an external call, which means that we have a role to play in Jonathan's pastoral call to ministry. And so we want to be mindful of that and taking part in it. You will see him in various different pastoral roles over the six months that you're not used to seeing, and we're going to be very blessed by it. I want to also just remind you this is a very busy week for Day Springs, so this Wednesday evening at 545 in the Fellowship Hall, we'll have a brown bag supper for anyone who wants to enjoy some fellowship with us there, and then at 630, we're going to gather back here in this room, and we're going to hear the remarkable personal testimony of our brother Rafael Estrada. Rafael has a fantastic story about how God took him from the kingdom of darkness and brought him to the kingdom of light. You don't want to miss it, so I look forward to that this coming Wednesday evening. Then on Saturday at 2 p.m. right here in this room, the wedding of Rob Parchman and Leslie Mercado, they're serving over here in the nursery this morning for us. They will be joining in holy matrimony, and so you're invited to be here. And again, you're not just a passive bystander, you're a participant, you have a role to play as a witness to their holy vows and to keep them in your prayers and to hold them accountable to the vows that they are making to one another. And then finally, a week from today on the next Lord's Day, we are gonna have just a brief informational congregational meeting right after we have some time to greet visitors and greet one another at the sound of the piano. we'll come back into this room and just give you some information about my pastoral sabbatical and answer any questions. This is gonna be especially helpful for those of you who were not here for my first pastoral sabbatical in my seventh year. This one will be in my 14th year, so it'll be my second. So if the whole idea of sabbatical is foreign to you, especially I want you to be here to ask your questions clear up what a sabbatical is and how it differs from vacation and so forth. All right, well, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.