Pierced for our Transgressions - John 19:31-37

0:35Somebody asked me, How do you respond? How do you get back in the pulpit after all that's taken place? So the way you get back in the pulpit and you pick up right where you left off. We are proclaiming the good news of Christ. And until man leaves his darkness, there is going to be chaos in the world. There is going to be dysfunction in relationships on an individual, on a societal level. And so we proclaim Christ. We keep proclaiming Christ. I do admire those men who have or several men who have spoken out to give instruction on some of the issues at hand. And I would recommend to you Vodi Baukam, V-O-D-D-I-E. You go listen to what he has to say on civil justice. Also, John MacArthur has some good instruction out there as well. So I encourage you to that.

1:46As for me this morning, I want to pick up right where we left off. We're at a high point in John's gospel. We're at a high point, really, in Scripture. Remember the very last words we read last week in verse 30. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. When he said, it is finished, he was saying, God is satisfied. The guilt of unrighteousness is paid for. Jesus died for sinners. It is finished. And when he said, it is finished, we also recognize that those who are in him will be satisfied. Jesus died for the thirsty.

2:50He died to remove the guilt, but he died also to give life. You see, man has two fundamental problems. We have the guilt. Of our sin, and then we have the disposition to sin. And Christ came to deal with both. His blood takes care of the guilt of our sin, substitution, atonement. But we need more than just being pardoned for our past sins. We need a new nature. We need to be cleansed from our corruption, our disposition to sin.

3:31And so, what is opened there at the cross is a fountain of blood and water. Metaphorically, Jesus' death provides the satisfaction to God for our unrighteousness. And God's and Christ's sacrifice opens up a life-giving supply, brings about a regeneration, a new nature, a purification from our ongoing corruption, and a sanctification. This is the great exchange at the cross that Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus, he said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so. Must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life? Nicodemus asked, How is a man born again? How can a person be born again? And Jesus said, He must be born water in the Spirit, you must be cleansed, you must have a new life-giving supply granted to you. How that happens is that the Son of Man is going to be lifted up, crucified, and those who look upon, those who take in the reality of his death by faith receive eternal life.

5:08The motivation behind the cross, Jesus explains, or John's commentary in verse 16: for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. The motivation behind the cross was God's love for us. And when you understand that God loves you to this point, that the highest in the universe loves you to the highest degree, that satisfies your soul. And out of that truth can flow a whole new way of life. And he gives us that at the cross. And what is granted at the cross, John has already said in John chapter 1, verse 12. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not. Of the blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

6:07The grant at the cross to be children of God, to be cherished as Christ was cherished. That's the good news of the gospel. That you can be loved to the same degree that the Father loved his perfect, holy Son. That's the good news of the gospel. And that is the message that must continually be proclaimed. That is the only thing that transforms. That is the only thing that satisfies the soul. And so, him we proclaim and we will keep proclaiming, regardless what happens around the world. This is the message that must be proclaimed.

6:45You will leave your darkness when you turn to the sun. And you are a sinner. And you need a guilt-off-substitute. You need someone to pay for the guilt. You also need a life-giving supply. And the Spirit does that in regeneration. So we're just going to pick up right where we left off. Only today we don't deal with shadows and types or generalities, but we deal with the specific reality of Christ upon the cross that moment. That all of Scripture looks forward to, that was prophesied in types and in shadows, and Jesus himself spoke of in types and shadows, now the reality, Christ upon the cross.

7:51That's what we want to focus upon. So let's pick up where we left off. Let me just read to you, beginning in verse 31 down to 37. Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for the Sabbath was a high day, asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with him. But coming to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. For these things came to pass to fulfill the scripture, not a bone of him shall be broken. And again, another scripture says, they shall. Look on him whom they pierced.

9:08So, there's some people here that want to get Jesus out of their lives. We've seen there's been a great effort to get Jesus out of their lives, to get the God of Jesus out of their lives. And so we'll just pick up, look back at verse 31. Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that Sabbath was a high day, and boy, it was, because the whole next week was going to be celebration, feast of unleavened bread. And this was the day before the Passover and the preparation day. So a lot had to go in, and it was a high day. It was a high Sabbath.

9:55And they asked Pilate, so they go to Pilate and they ask him that they might break Jesus' legs and the others and take them away. So their desire is to get Jesus down off the cross, out of sight, out of mind, as well as the others, but conveniently to get rid of Jesus, right? They want him out, probably don't want him up any longer than they have to. It's still popular, but a lot of people wouldn't understand a political issue. It's created, they had to do it by night, sneak him where. Get all that, turn the crowds against him and have him crucified. Now they want him down, they want him off, they want him out of sight, they want to bury Jesus, they want to get them out of their lives.

10:42Is that you? I hope not. But there are many want him out. And look at their excuse. They give an excuse: we don't want him to defile our land. He, if he was up on the cross over the Sabbath, that would defile our land. Well, friend, the land was grossly defiled. That's why he came. Their whole satanic madness through the night to put him on the cross, to pervert justice, was all a defilement of the land. But they appeal to a verse, probably like Deuteronomy 21, verses 22 to 23, to say, We can't have him up, or our land will be defiled. Now, Rome, they had no problem with leaving him up there. In fact, that's why they crucify him, is so that people could look at these crucified individuals and say, Don't be like them. So they would have no hesitation to leave Jesus and all crucified up there. But you see, in this, God's sovereign hand.

12:00God is the one who's in control. And he is seeing to it that his holy one does not see decay. And he is going to have him removed from the cross, even through the selfish wishes and the hypocritical wishes of those who crucified him. So that's what they want. But now let's look at what actually happened. Look at verse 32. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with him. But coming to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with the spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

12:47It's interesting. Jesus had already laid down his life. When they came to him, he was already dead. So they didn't break his legs. But this is interesting. You can see the hand of God in this. You have soldiers who are commanded to do something, and they didn't do it. Especially the prisoner like this, or with a situation like this, they're given strict commands, go and break their legs. They didn't do it. They were not commanded to pierce him. And guess what they did? They pierced him.

13:25You can see God's hand in all this as Scripture is going to be. Going to be fulfilled. And John's going to be careful to point that out in verses 36 and 37. But instead of breaking their legs, his legs, they pierced him. And John's laying out, by the way, two lines of evidence that Jesus really died. There are some that would say he swooned, he didn't really die, or a substitute, or somebody else, or he really, it was an appearance. Even Islam today says he does not really die.

14:02John clearly, by two lines of evidence. Number one, soldiers knew what death looked like. This was their business. They knew. And there's no need. Jesus has already died. He is already, having already died when they came to him, saw no need to break his legs. And they didn't. Second, he was pierced into the side. Jesus died. Jesus laid down his life, as he said. And the result of this piercing, his blood and water flows from his side. And John attaches a great deal of significance to the fact that Jesus was pierced. Look at what he says in verse 35. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he. He is telling the truth, so that you may also believe. For these things came to pass to fulfill scripture. Not a bone of him shall be broken. And again, another scripture: they shall look on him whom they pierced.

15:15So, this morning, what I want us to do is to look at these three verses a little more carefully. And as we do, I want us to point, I want to focus our attention upon three aspects of John's testimony here. John is testifying to what he saw, and there are three aspects of that testimony that I want us to look at this morning. And I want to do all this. I want you to understand what John believed. I want you to see what he saw. I want you to take in what he took in and the connections that he made so that you and I will have the same kind of faith as John. That's what's at stake here.

15:58I want us to have the same kind of faith that John had. We'll come to that more in a minute because that's what he wants. But first of all, I want you to see the truthfulness of John's testimony. He was pierced through for our transgressions, certainly as Isaiah says. And here, John is looking at this reality. But I want you to. Grasp the truthfulness of his testimony. Verse 35. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth. So you've got someone testifying, look, what I'm saying is true. I know it's true. I'm telling the truth. It's like a, you know, like a little kid, right? No, Dad, really, that's what happened. Honestly, that's well, John, in a much more deliberate way, is saying something very similar. He's saying, and he who has seen has testified. By the way, the word testify is the word we get martyr from. And so a martyr is somebody who testifies to the point of death. They love the truth that they are communicating even more than their life. And so they lay down their life, and we call them martyrs. But it's the same word for testimony. And John is saying, I am testifying, testifying. And my testimony is that of an eyewitness. Notice, and he who has seen has testified. In other words, I have seen with my eyes. I saw what happens, and I am testifying. So in other words, John is not, well, let me tell you what one of my buddies saw or heard that another buddy saw. It's none of that. It's first-hand witness. That's the best concept.

18:02So, John's testimony is eyewitness. John's testimony is true. Look at what he says. And his testimony is true. It's reliable. It's dependable. You can stake your life upon what I'm saying. I saw this and it is true. And then he adds one more detail. He doesn't just say, oh, it's true. He elaborates, right? John's testimony is from somebody who knows it is true. Look at what he's saying. And he knows that he's telling the truth. He's like, I have seen with my eyes. I have testified. My testimony is true. And I absolutely am very certain that what I am testifying is the truth.

18:49See, John personally witnessed the crucifixion, the sponge, the hyssop, the offering of the wine, the cry, it is finished. The legs of the others being broken. He saw the piercing of Jesus. He saw the flow of blood and water. He wants us to know about it as well. And that's really what a follower of Christ does. Testify, right? Testify. Testify about what God has done, what Christ has done. And that's the focus of the church. It's what he commissioned the disciples to do: to go and to testify. Concerning him. That is what we do. We continue to testify to the Christ of Scripture through the words of Scripture. And we proclaim them.

19:46John testifies. Why does he testify? For what purpose? He's really going at great lengths to give us a true testimony. Why? Why? Why? That's a good question. Brings us to the next point. The purpose of John's testimony. What is the purpose? Yeah, it's truthful, but what is the purpose of it? Look at that last part of verse 35, so that you also may believe. So that's what John's saying. He who has seen has testified. His testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth. So that, here's the reason he is testifying, that you also may believe. Also, also, like him, like him.

20:42Wouldn't you have loved to have been one of the disciples, to have seen what Jesus saw? I mean, to see what John had saw, to heard the things that John heard, to have understood the things that John. Had understood. Wouldn't you love to have the faith of John the Apostle? That's why he writes. It's so that you will have the faith that he had, that you also may share in this precious faith that John Himself had. That's why he writes.

21:35That's why he writes. So, John's purpose is clear. He wants his readers to believe. What does he want them to believe? Well, certainly the reality of Jesus' death. He wants them to believe that Jesus died. But second, he also wants to understand the significance of him who died and why he died. And that's what verse 36 and 37 is about. But John believes. John has been touched. And the reason he writes is so that you and I can be touched in the same way that he has been touched. So we can believe the same things, not just in content, but with the same degree of conviction and experience the life-giving supply that such truth brings.

22:29That's what John says. That's why he writes. That's why all the authors write: is to share that we might have the same faith. And they shared the things that they saw, they shared the things that they heard, so that you and I may be inspired by the same Spirit of truth, that we may share in what he inspired. And you cannot separate truth from the Spirit of truth. And so, by believing the truth, you fellowship with the Spirit of truth. That's what John's gospel relates over and over.

23:16So, we looked at the truthfulness of John's testimony. We've looked at the purpose of John's testimony. Now, let's get into the details of the specifics of it, the significance of it. What is the significance of John's testimony? And that's where we go in verses 36 and 37. But just back up one second, and I just want you to notice a detail: his eyewitness detail about the blood and the water. Verse 34: One of the soldiers pierced his side with the spear, and immediately blood and water came out. Literally, it gushed out, it proceeded forth, it flowed out. Water, blood, mixture.

24:01Distinct, but not able to separate the question is raised a lot of speculation. What is the significance of this blood and water? What is going on in John's mind? And there have been a lot of answers. Some would argue that, well, it's nothing really significant, or certainly we cannot know. It's nothing really significant. It's just an eyewitness account of Jesus's death. And that's just what really happened. Well, certainly, it's clear that's what really happened. Some have made much and try to build a whole mystical revelation about observing sacraments upon this verse. I don't think that's what's going on in John's mind. I don't think he's thinking about those things. Some make a great deal of the medical explanation that Jesus died of a ruptured heart, and they go into the anatomy and physiology of what could have happened here. And certainly, I find their reports very convincing from the medical side or insightful that he died of a ruptured heart.

25:23And perhaps, he said, no one took his life from him. He laid it down. And in Mark's. Gospel, he yells really loud. He, a loud cry, probably saying it is finished. At that moment, so much pressure, the race run that he ruptured his heart, and it's over. So he laid down his life as a champion finishing his race. The time of his flesh culminated. He used the body, he took upon flesh, and then he laid it down as a sacrifice. His life wasn't taken from him. So, yeah, I think that there could very well be a medical explanation of what's happening here, but I don't think that's in John's mind.

26:14John has laid out blood and water. He sees significance in blood and water, and I will admit, I do not think you can be too dogmatic on exact nuance, but I do think he gives some insight into two scriptures that he uses that he sees this fulfills. And one is as closely associated with blood, and the other is as closely associated with water. But here's, listen to John's statement in 1 John. As he thinks about the Gospel of John as the events of the Gospel and Jesus and John's interaction with Jesus, his witness, his testimony, and And then in 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, you have letters that are written for practical instruction to the church and that draw on the thoughts and the things that he saw and learned from Christ in his gospel. But listen to what he says in 1 John 5:5.

27:20Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are in agreement. And if we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for the testimony of God is this, that he has testified concerning his Son. So the testimony of God involves the Spirit, the blood, and the water. And so there's definitely a significance in John's mind.

28:05I think there's also, he's correlating this physical blood, but certainly what he's doing is correlating the physical blood and flow of Jesus' death to the spiritual blessings that come by believing in the reality of it. We're no longer talking about symbolism. We're talking. About the reality of Christ upon the cross, his literal death, and what understanding that literal death of God who took upon flesh coming to earth and laying down his life for your benefit and well-being communicates, a sacrifice communicates a love of the highest order, and that these spiritual blessings flow out of the reality of Jesus's literal death. But it's as if John sees the blood and the water and he makes a connection.

29:07And it's like he's saying, Here it is. All that the blood represents, all that the water represents. Here it is. Here's the fountain. Here's the source. It's at the cross. There is the precious fountain. Jesus, keep me near the cross. A blood that saves from wrath and makes me pure. A blood that cleanses our guilt and cleanses our disposition. It's like the tap. Into all the eternal blessings of union with Christ, come here at the point of the cross. We never outgrow the cross.

30:15We are continually to be instructed by the cross, what it says about the tremendous value we have to our Creator and the way He has made payment for our sins. You know, when Adam and Eve left the garden, the serpent who deceived them the first time just kept on deceiving them. Run from him, run from him, run from him. And the truth of the gospel is: no, run to him, run to him, run to him. And that's what the cross opens up.

30:56He is the tap into the living waters. It is here at the cross. What John does is he goes on to give two scriptures. We don't have to imagine what maybe he meant by the water and the blood. He gives us two scriptures, takes us into two truths, biblical truths that explain the connection in his mind of what he sees. Look at verse 36, scripture number one. For these things came to pass to fulfill the scripture, not a bone of him shall be broken.

31:44The question becomes: what scripture does John have in mind here? It's really two scriptures, two possibilities. One involves a specific scripture, and the other involves a pattern or a type. But in Psalm 34, there is this depiction of God's care for the righteous. And let me just read it to you. Psalm 34, 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all of his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of his servants, and none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. And certainly, I would see that Jesus took refuge in his father, and certainly the father protected Jesus as promised in this Psalm. But I don't think this is the text that John has exclusively in mind here.

32:56There's another couple of verses. That's more. That comes out of a type or a pattern of the Passover Lamb. When he speaks about not a bone of him shall be broken, there are in a couple of places, Exodus 12, 46 and Numbers 9, 12, that speak very clearly that you're not to break any bone of the Passover, the Lamb. His bone shall not be broken. And it's actually a real peculiar requirement that the Passover Lamb was not to have any bones broken. And when you're thinking about it, you're like, okay, you've cut him to pieces. You've basically mutilated him. You've spread his blood everywhere. What's the big deal about breaking a little bone? But specific instructions. You are not to break this Passover lamb. You're not to break a bone of this Passover lamb.

34:05So I think that John is making a connection here. He has already related the hyssop. He's already spoken much about Passover, made a big emphasis. I think Passover is on his mind. The lamb. I think he's seen an identification that this peculiar little or about this bone not being broken. You've practiced this throughout your entire history, O Israel. You are not to break a single bone. Why? Because it's a specific address to the real Passover lamb. Not the type, not the shadow, but the reality to which they all point.

34:52And what does the Passover Lamb in the Old Testament speak about? Really, two things. Number one, substitution. Substitution. You need atonement. You need your guilt removed. Somebody has to deal with your guilt because if you are left with your guilt, you will be condemned. You cannot stand. So you need a substitution to pay for the guilt. But their second thing, the Passover lamb in the Old Testament teaches us is that concept of distinction. How does God distinguish between two peoples? Exodus 9:4, Exodus 11:7, by the blood of a lamb. That's the distinction between Israel and Egypt. This is how God makes a distinction. Blood, the lamb.

35:58Whereas you come to John 3. Gospel. Keep in mind, the Apostle John was a disciple of who? John the Baptist. And what was John the Baptist's testimony? Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And he says, sin of the world, I'm sorry. And he tells John, John the Baptist tells John the Apostle, you go follow him. And later he must be the one to increase. So from the time that the apostle John left the side of the Baptist, he saw Jesus as the Lamb. That was very much in his thinking. That is what he has taught. And he makes a correlation here. But one cannot think about the Lamb without thinking about blood. Blood, the testimony of the blood. And I'll tell you what, that sacrificial system, it was a bloody, bloody place. Probably on this Passover, some couple of hundred thousand lambs were slain. Blood would flow, that much blood.

37:21Testifying, testifying to man's need to be forgiven, justified, made right, and it's going to come at. The expense of another. In fact, John, so prominent is the concept of blood in John's gospel that Jesus will say this in other places. But in John 6:53, Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourself. In other words, you must take in the reality of his death, that it is a death as a substitutionary lamb for his people. And unless you do that, there will be no life in you. There can be no life in you.

38:06But praise God, those who do. That's the life-giving stream. Knowledge that your sins are forgiven. Well, God testified to Jesus being the lamb. In Luke 23, verse 44, perhaps by an external witness. You remember in verse 44, it was about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus crying out with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Having said this, he breathed his last. Now, when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, Certainly this man was innocent.

39:03You want to know why those they didn't break Jesus's legs? The commander and centurion said, No, I don't know, perhaps that's what happened. But certainly, they were taken away by this. So, there's an external witness, but then there's an internal witness of scripture and the ceremonial customs, the pattern of the Passover. And John sees God's providence and, as I said, identification marker that Jesus's legs were not broken. A miracle in itself, evidence that God was involved and God was directing these events as if to single out and identify Christ as his Passover Lamb.

39:47Then there's a second scripture that John cites as he's putting this together and reflecting upon what he saw. And he writes, He says, The piercing, or just look at verse 37. And again, another scripture says, They shall look on him whom they pierced. And this is a clear reference to Zechariah 12, verse 10. Listen to this: I, speaking the Lord, Yahweh, Yohe Bab Hei, Yehovah, Yahweh, the Lord, capitals, I will pour out on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over him, like the bitter weeping of a firstborn.

40:50What happens? Remember, what happens in Zechariah 12, or leading up to it, in chapter 11, we meet a flock that is doomed to be slaughtered. Zechariah breaks the staff, favor and union, favor with God, and union among national unity, among Israel. And that's exactly what happens when favor is broken with God, union among humanity is broken. The good shepherd is despised, 30 pieces of silver is thrown to the potter. God promises to raise up a worthless shepherd. And then there's a promise of a day when all the nations will come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12, 3, listen to this. It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will be severely injured, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.

41:55So a day when all comes around it, and in that day, Zechariah 12, 8, the Lord. Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And so there's going to be a restoration of God's favor upon these people. And one of the first expressions of God's return favor upon Jerusalem is drawing them into a right relationship with himself, just like he does with any person. A drawing them into a right relationship. And this is what he says in verse 10. I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, very specific, who these people, the spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will look on me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn, they will weep bitterly over him.

42:43And then Zechariah keeps going. Chapter 13:1, in that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and impurity, a fountain that deals with Jerusalem's sin and its disposition to sin. Zechariah 14:4, in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives in front of Jerusalem. Zechariah 14, 8, and in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the Eastern Sea, the other half toward the Western Sea. It will be in summer as well as in winter, and the Lord will be king over all the earth. In that day, the Lord will be the only one and his name the only one.

43:33So John sees a day, Zechariah sees a day that the nations will surround Jerusalem, that God will fight for them. And the first thing he will do in restoring his favor is drawing them into a right relationship, and they will look upon one who they have pierced sometime in their past history. And that will be a time of great transformation in the nation. And they will begin to experience the benefits of the new covenant. Now, back to the cross. It's interesting how Jesus, or how John cites this. He recalls this prophecy, but he changes the words around a little bit. You know, he says, so that they will look on him, right? They will look on him who they pierced. But the actual text says this: so that they will look on me, whom they have pierced. Who's the they? The Jews. They, the Jews. They will own it. They will not blame any more Gentiles or come up with other. They will own this. They pierced.

44:50They pierced me. Who is the me? I thought Jesus was pierced. But according to Zechariah, no, it's me. Yahweh, they pierced. They will. Jesus will, the Jews pierced God, their God, the one they professed to love. How? How did this happen? Because he became man and he allowed them to crucify him so that he would be, so that he would remove their guilt, the penalty for their sin, and their disposition to sin. Notice, they shall look upon. That speaks of a future action. They will, sometime in the future, look upon. They will look upon him whom they have pierced. Who have they pierced? Somebody in the past. So in the future, they're going to look back upon an event where they pierced Yahweh. And the results, the results, it's going to be genuine mourning, national repentance. And we're not talking about a panic because they're surrounded, but a deep, heartfelt conviction and realization of what they have done.

46:18And they will lead the world in showing us what national repentance looks like. They will mourn. And you read Zechariah, they will mourn. Mourn on a level like no nation has ever mourned. There will be a turning like no other turning. They will show us what national repentance looks like. They will teach us how to repent. They will teach the nations that are remaining and what are the results of this great transformation: living waters flowing out.

47:02Jesus, King over all, no more curse. And John is testifying to the reality that in piercing Jesus, the Jews pierced God. And having pierced, a fountain for sin and corruption is set forth, a satisfying stream. Friends, I'm going to take about another eight or so minutes. We've looked at the truthfulness of John's testimony. We've looked at the purpose of John's testimony. We've looked at the significance of John's testimony. I wanted to bring this home to us today and to think deeply about us individually.

48:01And even as a nation, there are two trajectories of life: a trajectory of growing autonomy from God, and a trajectory of growing compliance with Christ. Sin is fundamentally autonomy from God, and you are on one trajectory or the other. You are either growing in your separation and distance from God, your autonomy from Him, and fundamentally, that is what sin is. It shows up throughout scriptures in words like: Everyone did what was right in his own eyes, each of us turned to his own way. And you know what comes out of growing autonomy, social disaster, whether it's in a relationship, whether it's on a national level.

49:03When we break favor with God, union with each other is, of course, going to be a natural consequence of that. When everyone lives for themselves, we see this in our world all around us. And scripture is clear: when a person or society gives themselves over to lawlessness, more lawlessness will result. And you can expect it. 2 Timothy 3:13, they go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. There is a spirit. Of lawlessness, and there is a spirit of Christ. Which are you gripped by? What are you growing in?

49:42Listen, we were created to be in compliance with God, not independent of Him. I see expressions of this all around our society today, whether you're looking at the CHOP district in Seattle that have marked off an area of being autonomous, so that they realize they can't really be totally autonomous, that creates just another order of rule. I was made aware this morning, the Minneapolis Police Department has moving to defund the police, and the mayor is going to appoint another director of another system in the city council and moving into a different kind of order. We see this all around us, which, by the way, I think this may be one of the most important elections for you to get out and participate in. And I'm not just talking on the national level, I'm talking on the local level. I'm seeing across the nation far more authority and important decisions in the hands of mayors and city councils. I think it's a time to really be engaged. In the process, you are citizens of this land. Do your work to be involved.

51:08Maybe some of you need to run. Maybe it's more than just showing up on the polls one day. Maybe it's getting out and really understanding there's a lot more authority being vested in our councils than you may realize. But regardless, understand this: Scripture has long declared the nature of sin, and it has also long envisioned that one would come and suffer for the well-being of humanity and turn us back to God. And His name is Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:5 says this: He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.

52:06God's law is fixed. You will never thrive unless you're in compliance with law, the law of Christ. What trajectory are you on? Growing compliance, growing lawlessness. And how do you change? Growing in lawlessness. Three simple truths. Number one, go back to where we were in our scripture this morning and let's gaze for a moment upon the scene. Number one, you need to recognize that your lawlessness can deceive you. Some of you are far more lawless than you realize. You can put on a garb of religion. You can put on a garb of a good cause, but you are far more lawless than you might imagine. Do not trust your own assessment of yourself.

53:10Keep in mind, these religious leaders, think of what they're doing at this moment in our text. They've rid themselves of Jesus, they've put on their Passover attire, they're celebrating national deliverance according to the law. Why, they themselves are slaves of satanic oppression. From the outside, they look good, devout, wise. Submission to a good cause. They're submitting themselves to the law of God. They're in submission. And yet they're doing everything they could to get rid of God in their lives. Lawlessness can be very deceiving.

54:01Second, recognize your lawlessness. Second, be repenting of your lawlessness. Every manifestation of it, whether in word, whether in thought, be turning away. Let this be your pattern. Be turning away from your lawlessness and being turned to the law of Christ. Number three, recognize the remedy for your lawlessness. You not only need to recognize your lawlessness and be repenting of it, but recognize the remedy. It's not just bettering yourself, it's fixing your eyes upon the cross and letting those truths transform you. When he said, it is finished, blood and water flowed, remedy, healing, justification, regeneration.

55:02And so here's the truth. God loves you. That's what's displayed. God died for you, made a way for you to enter into relationship with you. And he loves you the highest in heaven, loves you to the highest degree. That should satisfy your soul. Truth. God's ways are better than your ways. And they're good. And he wants you to walk in them. He's excited about you walking in his ways. Favor with God is still possible. A better way of life is set before you this morning, a way of life and a way of death. But the truth is, a better way of life is set before you, and it is God's desire for you to walk into it.

55:59So understand your need. See what John saw, and let this define your life. Have the faith of John. Believe what he believed, embrace what he embraced, be transformed by what transformed him. That's why he wrote this. That's why the Spirit moved him to write it, so that you and I could have the very same faith as the Apostle John. Impossible? Not through God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for these truths given by the Spirit of truth.

56:50It's what you want to do. In Jesus' name. Amen.