We turn in the Word to Genesis 3 and verse 15 and then Luke chapter 7. Let's stand together. And we read this living and powerful life-giving Word of God. We'll begin actually at verse 9 and read through verse 15. The context is that Adam and Eve have just transgressed God's command. They have eaten the forbidden fruit. They have plunged the human race into rebellion. They are about to hear the word of the Lord concerning that rebellion. I'm not going to read the whole chapter. The later half of the chapter is the curse. The first word of the Lord is astonishing. It's full of grace and mercy. Hear the word of God. Then the Lord called to Adam and said to him, where are you? And he said, so I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? And the man said, the woman you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman, what is this that you have done? The woman said, the serpent deceived me, NIA. So the Lord God said to the serpent. Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." We turn now to the New Testament, to Luke chapter 7. And we read something of the consciousness of that first promise of a coming Redeemer here in the disciples of John the Baptist and John himself. Then, Luke 7 and verse 18, Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another? When the men had come, said John the Baptist, and sent us to you, saying, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another? And that very hour he cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits, and to many blind he gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard. At the blind sea, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who is not offended because of me. The grass withers, the flower fades, the word of God endures forever. And we turn to Luke chapter seven, preaching of the word. It'd be good to have your Bible open. You might follow along and better understand by the help of the Spirit the Word of God which brings salvation and life. It is a simple fact of history that the fall of Adam that we just read the immediate aftermath of the fall of Adam into sin. Our first father is what the scriptures teach. It's what Christianity has confessed for 2000 years, without exception, that there was a historical figure named Adam, the father of the human race, and that he was appointed by God to represent humanity, placed into the Garden of Eden in perfection and glory, free from all suffering, sorrow and pain, given the gift of communion with God in that garden. together with Eve, our first parents. It is a fact of history that Adam's fall into sin, that his transgression of the divine command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that that singular and simple act, the beginning of human history, that its effects indelibly mark the human condition and all of subsequent history. that the story of humanity began with a fall. Fall into sin. And the effects of that fall are all over the world, right now. We use two words to describe that aftermath. Well, two words to describe the fall and its aftermath. Sin and misery. Because of the fall, Sin in the world. Our first father sinned, and we saw from Psalm 51 that David understood that every subsequent human being in history was conceived and born in sin, and was born with a nature bent to rebellion. This is profoundly against the modern age, or the natural human condition in our fallenness, which is to think, I'm still good. The Bible says the opposite. The Bible says not only did one man sin, Paul teaches this in Romans 5, through one man sin entered the world, but he goes on to say, and death through sin, and that's misery. So rebellion and suffering. You all know that these two mark the human condition. Rebellion and suffering. Rebellion against God and suffering because of sin. By heeding Satan's suggestion, humanity was plunged into this condition of sinfulness and suffering. And our Father's first sin reverberates through history. People do a lot of things to try and erase that and push it away and invent other histories of origins of the human race Relegate this story to a fable, but it's history and it's why we are the way we are. Adam's fall then in this first way, sin and misery, indelibly marks the human condition. But there's a second way that Adam's fall marks human history. And there's some of you who've probably had this very painful experience. of a hard father. The pain, perhaps, of a father who didn't love or didn't lead well. Now, those words just passed my lips and I think, Lord, because of my sins, I'm like one of those fathers. It's only grace that makes a difference. But, you've perhaps met people who've been shattered because of the hurt of a hard father. Someone who maybe left and never loved. And what does that often leave us with? An aching in our hearts for a father. Someone to protect and make right and overshadow and deliver and help. And the absence of the thing creates a void in the heart that often a lifetime of natural longing is never filled. Now the Lord can fill that longing with Himself as the great Heavenly Father, but I want to point to something about the Father. There exists deep within the human condition a longing for someone to restore my condition. There is something wrong with the world, and if there would be somebody who could come and save me. Now, because of our sinful rebellion, we don't want a Savior from sin, we want a Savior from trouble. But even that points to this reality. A Savior from trouble. And I said this in a sermon a couple of weeks ago from Psalm 146. Politics is a way in which if you listen to politicians' speeches, what are they trying to promise? They're trying to promise to save you from trouble. Aren't they? You have to be careful about that. Pray for wise decision making, make wise choices, but don't put your trust in princes, the son of man in whom there is no help. Promises are often made. I will give you a better life. I will solve your problems. And there's a profound human longing. At least this is profound human longing, that the judgments of God that rest against this fallen world would be reversed. Somebody reverse the judgment, wipe away the tears, make a new world. And the Bible's answer is this, that that one is Jesus Christ and Him alone. No one else. Jesus Christ. The only one who could undo and has undone what Adam did and we in him have continued to do, inviting more even of the judgment of God. One and one only, and His name is Jesus Christ. The gospel of Luke is about Him and presents Him as the one and only Savior. I did a little review last week in a different way, but I want to trace this theme. One of the questions that the Gospel of Luke is seeking to answer is the identity of Jesus Christ and His mission. Identity and mission. Who He is and what He came to do. It's the central question of human history, isn't it? Who is He and what did He come to do? I remember watching a video a year or two ago of a, I think he was a professional basketball player who dressed up as a janitor in disguise and walking around a basketball court. You would see this and somehow got into the game and within moments what happened? Well, it was clear that the assumption about his identity was badly wrong. Now why we assume that janitors can't play basketball is probably another question, but we do, don't we? Interesting, isn't it? At least not like he did. The minute he began to play, the view of his abilities raised a question, who is this? In other words, the original assumption was suddenly seen to be so wrong, completely wrong. An assumption about identity and capability and capacity because of a simple disguise was shown to be something made in haste. When the assumptions are shattered, the question of identity rises. Who actually is this? And at the heart of this text is a similar sort of dynamic. There were a lot of people making assumptions about Jesus' identity, and they were making very wrong assumptions until they saw what He was able to do. And that suddenly changed everything. Now, I know the analogy is very poor, but I'm trying to get to the heart of this question of identity and answering the question, who is this? Things about the Gospel of Luke that already answer this question are the following. He has a forerunner named John the Baptist who Jesus would say the greatest prophet amongst men. John the Baptist's birth was announced by angels. His conception is a miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit. His birth is attended by angels and visitation of shepherds and the representatives of kings. He goes into the temple and Simeon and Anna prophesy about him Zechariah prophesied in principle about him, and Mary sang about him, and his identity as the one who is both born of Mary and the Lord of Glory is beginning to pulse in the gospel right in the first two chapters. Then his public ministry, baptism, the voice of God from heaven. Satan comes to attack him as the second Adam. He preaches with authority. He does miracles. He casts out demons. And last week, he raises the dead. He can say to the widow of Nain's only son, arise, and the dead hear and live. A power that only belongs to God, exercised by Jesus Christ. And I want you to look at verses 16 and 17, because they lead right into the verses that we're going to look at, verses 18 to 23. When He raises the dead, something happens. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us, and God has visited His people. At the very least, this is a prophet. Surely they're remembering Elijah and the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. And God has visited His people. This is divine presence and power. Maybe not pulling together rightly the full identity of Jesus, but seeing in Him a unique ministry and power. And then what happens, verse 17, the report spreads throughout Judea and all the surrounding region. And then the disciples of John the Baptist, verse 18, and here John the Baptist comes into the picture, reported to him concerning these things. These central questions of Jesus' identity are floating around. And I want to say something to you. How long is eternity? Because the question we're going to seek to answer today is going to determine Eternal destiny. Your life, the Bible says, is a vapor. It lasts a few moments. And then there's a future condition that will never end. The Bible also says that your answer and confession of the answer to the question of the identity of Jesus Christ will determine forever. How's that for importance? Urgency. Forever. Jesus said, if you believe, you'll have eternal life, but he does not believe is condemned already. John 3. Fork in the road is this question, identity of Jesus and confession of that identity. The answer to the question, who is this? Who is this prophet? What is this power? Who is this man? As a matter of fact, if you look at the last verse in the text, we're gonna look at verse 23. Jesus said, blessed is the one who is not offended because of me. He's saying eternal blessedness, the happiness and peace of the soul is dependent on how you receive him. The question of the text is who is he? Again, the disciples of John heard about this, and we know, as we look at Matthew 11, and earlier in the Gospel of Luke, that John is in a particularly hard spot right now. He's in prison. He's in prison because he's been preaching against the Roman authorities, and particularly the family of Herod, that Herod is a scoundrel, an adulterer, and Herod was not very happy about it, so he locked him up. John's in prison and his disciples are the messengers. This is what's happening in Israel and Judah right now, and he brings the news to him. And the news is that Jesus is raising the dead. The whole world is hearing about this. So they bring that to John, and then we have a curious narrative. Because John, verse 19, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, asking the question, are you the coming one or do we look for another? Now what's curious about this? Let's think about who's asking the question. It's John the Baptist. He's Jesus' cousin. Mary and Elizabeth are cousins, and so he's in the extended family. They're close. They know each other's family lines. They're relatives. They know each other and know each other's history. Then we know that John baptized Jesus. And he's the one who said this about Jesus as he saw him. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We know that he was there when heaven opened and the Spirit descended like a dove on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Father said, this is my beloved Son and to whom I am well pleased. John was the forerunner of the light of the world. John was the greatest prophet among men. We'll read in the coming weeks here in Luke chapter 7. John was this remarkable forerunner. He knew his mission. His mission was to prepare the way of the Lord. In other words, John was rolling out the red carpet from the wilderness to Israel. Every valley brought up, every hill brought low in a paved road, as it were, for the king to enter Zion, paved by the preaching of the word of John the Baptist. That's his entire life and mission. But here he's asking a curious question. Go ask Jesus, are you the coming one or should we look for another? Why is he asking? He sends these messengers, chapter 3 and verse 20, we know he's in prison, from prison, to ask Jesus this question. He sends them. The question is repeated in the text twice, which tells us it's an important question. Not only does John give the question to ask, verse 19, the text goes on to narrate that they ask the same question. John the Baptist has sent us to you, Jesus, asking, are you the coming one or you will look for another? In other words, the pulse, the drumbeat of this whole text is this question. Now why does John ask this question? Doesn't he know? And it seems the purpose is for his disciples. They've been following John, he's had this massive ministry, there's revival in Israel, he's very influential, and they're his followers, they're devoted to him. And he's the one who said, he must increase, I must decrease, in a sense, leave me and follow him. It seems that they're not for some reason. J.C. Ryle, following actually Calvin, said John must have felt much anxiety about the future course of his disciples, that there seems to be an urgency in him to direct them from him in prison to Christ and his ministry outside the walls. And so he asks them, go ask him who he is. Ask him, are you the coming one or should we look for another? And that brings us to the very central phrase is the coming one. Who is the coming one? To answer this question, I want you to keep two things in mind. The fundamental human condition of sin and misery. And the second thing is the longing for someone to save. The great hope of Israel was for a savior to come. And the coming one is language rooted in Scripture about the Savior God would send. Who is this? Why are they asking about one that they can all seem... John can say, ask Jesus about the coming one. The disciples are saying, okay, we're going to ask Jesus about the coming one. They go to Jesus, are you the coming one? And Jesus knows what the question means and He's going to answer, I'm the coming one. So who's the coming one? Genesis 3.15 is where we begin. We read it a few moments ago. Since the fall of humanity into sin and misery, God has been saying one thing across the ages, leading to the New Testament and this moment in Jesus' life, which is that I will reverse the destruction and closing of Eden. the rebellion of humanity and all of its attendant sufferings through the person and work of a singular individual whom John the Baptist and his disciples and Jesus understand with the phrase, the coming one. And so the first thing that God says to Adam and Eve after the fall is remarkable. He doesn't first pronounce the suffering, he first pronounces the salvation. He says to the serpent, on your belly you will go, you'll be cursed, but A seed of the woman, a coming son will destroy you. Your end is already sealed and in that destruction will be the salvation of sinners and a restoration of Eden. First thing God says, I want you to think about the character of God for a moment. The first thing he says in the presence of Adam and Eve is I will send a redeemer. The Old Testament is filled with the intimations of what He'll do. Already in Genesis chapter 3, the animals were killed so that Adam and Eve could be covered. Sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sins. We go to God's dealings with Noah. What is the flood? The flood is God's declaration that the curse that I have pronounced on humanity because of sin is real! And this is the end of all flesh in rebellion against Me, but God saved Noah and his family in an ark of salvation." There is a way of deliverance through the waters of judgment on the other side to a new creation. But Noah falls into sin. God answers again when He begins to deal with Abraham and He says, What does he say to him? What's the central promise? Remember, Abraham, you have no children. I will give you a son. And that son, if you trace the Abrahamic covenant, that son will die as a whole burnt offering for sins. He will rise again from the dead. Isaac on Mount Moriah with Abraham. He will rise again from the dead. Your son is destined to be a redeemer. He's going to be a royal king. He's going to inherit the earth. The down payment is Palestine. But one day, He'll rule over all things. Abraham, your son is coming. And Paul says to the Galatians in Galatians 3, the seed was Christ. It's answered in the Mosaic Covenant where Moses, the great prophet of history, and here they're confessing the crowds. A great prophet has risen among us. They're on the edge of Moses' confession that someone greater than me will come. And you go to the Davidic Covenant. Well, actually, let's stop for a minute. More about the Mosaic Covenant. We have Aaron, a high priest. We have a tabernacle. We have a Passover lamp. We have an exodus. We have a redemption event that eclipses everything else in history except the cross and the empty tomb. And then we go to David. And God says, David, what's the promise? I will give you a son who will sit on the throne forever. Forever. out of a dying human race, somehow, you're gonna have a son that will never die, but will rule and reign with all the glory and prerogatives that I've promised the Davidic line, which you, David, don't deserve, neither did Solomon deserve, neither did your sons deserve, but somehow, there will rise up a holy son from your seed, and he will sit on the throne forever and ever. And then you read the Psalms, and you read in Psalm 2 that David understood already that this king would be the one who would be brought low by human rebellion and raised up by divine power to conquer the world. And then you read. And you understand, actually, after that, why the good kings were so hopeful. We've been reading through 1 and 2 Kings with the family, and you watch Israel just ebb and flow by her kings. The king goes into sin, and all Israel just built, they're firing up the idol factories and filling the land with idols, and then another king, and destroys half of them. We're just reading Josiah right now. And he destroys it, pierces all of them. What a great king. But you realize that king and people, their future are tied together, and if you have a good king, there's salvation. If you have an evil king, there's death. And the principle is laid in the scriptures. At the end of the Old Testament, where's the Davidic line by the way? It looks like it's in the ash heap of history. The rest of the prophets fill in the details. How about this one? He'll be born in Bethlehem, Micah chapter 5, of a virgin, Isaiah chapter 7. He'll be hated by the world. He'll go to Egypt and return like Israel did in the Exodus. He will pour out the Spirit, Joel chapter 2. He will triumphantly enter into Jerusalem, Zechariah chapter 9. He'll be the light shining in the darkness, Isaiah chapter 9. He will die, we just read Isaiah 53. He'll be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He will rise again, Psalm 16. He will ascend into heaven. And the Father will say to him, sit at my right hand until I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet. One line, one person, one redeemer, one mediator, one Messiah, promised coming one. And John says, go ask, if this one in shrouded glory is the one. Find out for yourself. Is he the one? As an aside here, you'll notice that the entire message of the scriptures and the paucity or poverty of understanding of the contemporary church of the Old Testament only contributes to an impoverished view and understanding of Jesus Christ. It's not Old Testament law and darkness and New Testament light and glory. No, there's one line with ever greater brightness and glory that leads all the way to the cross and empty too. No other name has been the Word of God to the world since the beginning, since the fall. One way of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ in every age. Clarity. How does Jesus answer? Look back at the text. How is He going to answer this question? He doesn't answer it. What He does is He turns immediately and He does something. He exercises His power immediately. That very hour, look at verse 21. How is He going to answer this question? First He says nothing. Nothing at all. Instead, he exercises in blazing glory a torrent, as it were, of the living water, the river of life, divine power, and he blazes a trail for a few hours in history where he heals every disease, he heals every broken heart, After raising the dead, he opens the eyes of the blind. Look at the text. He cured many of the infirmities, afflictions, casting out evil spirits, power of the kingdom of darkness, and to many blind he gave sight. So blind people are coming to him left and right, eyes opened, eyes opened. Evil spirits, demons cast out. An authority and a power and a glory is the answer to the question, are you the coming one? Which is why John, for example, would read, we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. In His incarnation, glory veiled for a moment here. He, as it were, pulls back a little to exercise a power that belongs to Him alone. To answer the question, am I the salvation of Israel and the world? Watch this. The question sparks miracles, healings, and power. The sense of the text is it doesn't matter who was brought to him or whatever their condition, without hesitation, with power and glory, he restored, saved, healed, and delivered. Which should tell you if you're here this morning and you are in a desperate condition on account of your sin and just broken because of its consequences, that whoever and whatever your circumstance, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, here's the coming one. This is what he does. Part two, he says, okay, now that you've seen that, verse 22, go and tell John the things you have seen and heard. Just tell him what happened. Just tell him what I just did. There's your answer. But he said something with clarity. He says, take a detailed report back to John. And this is important, that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. The poor have the gospel preached to them. Tell him exactly what happened. All of these things. Tell him two things, that miracles and preaching together are bringing salvation. And there's a part three. to Jesus' question that's unstated. Why does he say these words? That the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Because this is important. What was the question? Are you the coming one? Where do we get the idea of the coming one? From the whole of the Old Testament. He's answering that question specifically. Isaiah chapter 35. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God, He will come and save you. Listen. And the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame shall leap like a deer, the tongue of the dumb shall sing. For water shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. Later on a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the highway of holiness. Later, the ransom of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy in their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. What is Jesus saying? Let me take one of the great promises of the coming one. Watch. Watch me do it before your eyes. Go tell John. And then tell him that I've been preaching the gospel. I've been preaching the gospel, not just generally, but I've been preaching the gospel to the poor. Because Isaiah 61, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has appointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. And in between these two things are the great servant songs that identify the coming one of Israel. And Jesus is saying, what I have just done matches exactly what God has always said in history. What I have said is the word. And I'm here. And that's your answer. I am the coming one. Everything that God has said and promised is found in me. Powerful, conclusive, irrefutable statement of identity. He's the one. The second Adam. The God-man. And he will fulfill every divine promise of salvation. A few things to drive this to our hearts. The first thing is, it's clear that Jesus is dealing with a problem. And maybe it's a problem some of you here share. I don't know. But God would know. Skepticism or doubt. Somebody's doubting Jesus. Go ask Him. Are you really the one? Go find out for yourself. Are you really the one? Many students of the Bible rightly infer, I think, that in this text the reason the disciples of John need this answer is because there's someone somewhere not believing. Someone in John's inner circle. I want that to sink in for a moment. Somebody who was under the preaching of the man who Jesus would say was the greatest prophet in Israel's history has not yet come to grips with the identity of Jesus Christ. Was refusing maybe to turn from John to Christ. How does Jesus answer those doubts? Power in the signs and wonders connected to the word which has always been the same about the Messiah. And so presents himself to the doubting, the skeptical. and the unbelieving, that God had come in judgment to humanity, and the result was that Eden was lost. And it's interesting in the prophet Joel that he uses this imagery of Eden lost to describe God's judgment in his own day. And he says, blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm in my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. And then he says, a day of darkness, gloominess, clouds thick darkness, Then he says, a fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. There is land like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. Nothing shall escape them. I'm reading that quickly, but Joel is saying when God brings judgment to Israel, where God has brought blessing, the judgment sweeps it away. It looked like Eden, it'll become the wilderness. And what Jesus is doing in this text is the opposite. He's saying, here I am in the wilderness of sin, and when I come through, behind me it looks like Eden, and it was the wilderness. I am the one. Don't doubt me. This is what I have the power to do. This is what I came to do. And what's so powerful about the testimony of the Bible is that Isaiah, centuries before Jesus, Jesus read Isaiah. He knew who He was. He could just walk into the world and do what God had prophesied. One message of salvation, Jesus Christ. This was to quell the doubts. Word and Spirit. What is He forcing the skeptic to do? Go answer your own question. Take your Bible. Look at my ministry. Answer for yourself. You'll find I'm the one. Powerful. Second thing, Jesus not only deals with doubters, he proclaims his exclusivity. Coming one, there's only one. Not a bunch, not many, one. I'm the coming ones. I'm singularly the hope of salvation for the world. I am the son of David. I'm the son of Abraham. I'm the savior of the world. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me. Yes, all that God has said. One is coming and the one is here. Luke is saying from his forerunner to his birth, to his baptism, his temptation, he uniquely fulfills the Old Testament. By the way, this is why the Old Testament is so important again to your Christian faith. Because Christ comes to fulfill it. He has no competitors, no peers, no successors, no other. He's the coming One. He's not one among many, but He's the one and only. The Word who became flesh. He is the Lord and there is no other. There's no salvation in any other name. It's just Him, only Him, and all Him. You young people here at Covenant, you're going to be challenged on this because the world's going to tell you there's a lot of other ways or options. There's only one, Jesus Christ. There's only one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, the name of Jesus, Acts 4 and verse 12. Third thing to learn, there's an urgent responsibility to respond. Verse 23, blessed is he who is not offended because of me. Do you ever wonder about this? I often wonder as a preacher of the gospel at what I call the insanity of unbelief. People who go years and generations, perhaps humanity. I want relief from my tears. Drugs, pleasure, money, a million other things I can't satisfy. One comes in history, and He opens the eyes of the blind, and He takes away afflictions, and He heals the sick, and He casts out demons, and He forgives sins, and He goes to the cross for us, and then to the grave and rises again, and He says, I am the one, I'm the fulfillment of everything God has ever said to humanity. It's in me. And some people are offended. Why? Why? Because this Jesus demands worship allegiance and submission Can't come to him halfway There's an urgency of eternity here It's heaven or hell of salvation or condemnation your father's the devil or your father is my father in heaven Jesus says and listen carefully that Destiny hinges on your understanding of an acceptance of his identity that he's the one. This interesting comes right after the raising of the widow's son. This points to Elijah's ministry and that reminds me of something that Elijah said to Israel at Mount Carmel. How long will you falter between two opinions? Is it the Lord? Or is it Baal? Jesus understood his mission would be rejected. He said, the word here is, blessed is he who is not scandalized because of me. Some will hear and deny. He knows this. For some, this torn of divine saving power will be too much. It has to be suppressed and rejected because it comes with a demand to acknowledge Him as the Lord of Glory. And what else this teaches you is that unbelief is cruel and hateful and hates life because they would rather not have the sick healed, the blind see, or sins forgiven. Alas! Well, let me say something now. Let me pause. I know I'm going a little longer, but I understand that there's something urgent here. Don't make excuses and hold Jesus Christ at arm's length. The question is, why would you die, O house of Israel? That's the prophet's question. This is life. Salvation and dimensions of glory beyond our ability to fully comprehend. It's in him. How could you be offended and walk away? Don't do that. Jesus says, come, it's in me. The blessedness finally of those not offended. Blessed. You have Him, you have everlasting spiritual happiness. You have the assurance of God's love. You have peace of conscience. You have joy in the Holy Spirit. You know your sins are forgiven because of His cross. You know even if you die, you'll rise again. And you know that you have a home in glory. You know that your future, because of Him, will be a place where there will be no more blind or lame or lepers or deaf or dead or poor. It will just be life in abundance. A new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. Now we experience that by the power of the Spirit. In the future, this Eden-making power will make a new heavens and a new earth where God will wipe every tear from your eyes. And this short life will be eclipsed by everlasting blessedness. Blessed are those who are not offended. A new exodus where our souls and bodies will be made fit for a future life in a new world by the power of Jesus Christ. Salvation, here's the final point, is in the difference between being offended by Him as Lord of all or receiving Him as the only one. Let's pray. again have had Christ presented to us. We know that that's the great message of your word from beginning to end. There is one and one only and his name is Jesus. Think of John's disciples struggling with doubts and fears as their master was in prison and would soon die. Think of Jesus grace, John's wise pointing them to Christ. We think of that answer, Lord Jesus, were you in this world blazed on that day, a short path of Edenic glory, which fulfilled the message of salvation from every age and testifies to your identity and saving power. We pray that we, by the simplicity of your word and your word alone, would receive this testimony and enjoy the everlasting blessedness in deeper ways or for the first time and forever. as we look to you, the one who came and fulfilled. Father, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen.