Jesus The Final Revelation

God has spoken, and the claim of the Gospel of John is that He doesn’t whisper from a distance. He steps into our world in the Person of Jesus Christ. We return to the final message of our Without Excuse series and trace the line of God’s revelation to fallen humanity through creation, conscience, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit, then land where John lands: the final, decisive revelation is the Son.

We build the message around John 20:30–31, John’s Spirit-given purpose statement for writing. Those words raise the questions that won’t leave us alone: Why is the Gospel written? Who is Jesus really? What does God require from me? What is at stake eternally? Along the way we connect Isaiah 45:21–22 with John’s call to believe, and we walk through Hebrews 1 and John 1 to show why Christianity stands or falls on the identity of Christ as the Word made flesh, fully God and fully man.

Then we get painfully practical. Saving faith is not mental agreement, a church habit, or an emotional moment; it is a heart response that includes repentance and rests everything on Christ alone. We read Jesus’ own words from John 3:16–18, echo Peter’s blunt clarity in Acts 4:12, and open Ephesians 2:1–10 to underline salvation by grace through faith, not works. John’s closing phrase matters: life comes “through his name,” meaning Christ’s identity, authority, and finished saving work, not our performance.

If you’re a believer, we’ll challenge where you place your assurance. If you’re unsure, we’ll ask you to face the real question: will you believe and have life through His name? Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more listeners can find it.

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
If you haven't received Jesus Christ by Faith, as your personal Lord and Savior; I strongly encourage you to do so before it is eternally too late!!!

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Transcript

Welcome And Series Recap

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Words from the Word of God. Thank you all so much for joining us today as we uh step back into our without excuse series that we have been in for some time. Uh I think it's been since last year we began this series. And I know there's been some times in uh in between broadcast, but uh be assured that much preparation and much prayer uh has went into this final message in this series. Uh so far we've looked at the other revelations of God to fallen man. Uh the first one we looked at was God's revelation to fallen man through creation, how that uh creation testifies of the glory of the eternal Godhead. And then secondly, we looked at how God has revealed Himself in our conscience by writing His law upon our hearts. We all have an innate uh sense of what is right and what is wrong as His laws have been put in our hearts. Uh then we looked at the the third revelation we looked at was God's revelation to fallen man in his written word, his holy word, his spirit-inspired, supernatural word, that it is eternal, it is inerrant, it is infallible, and how it is the truth of God, and how God being a God who cannot lie, we can stand upon the promises, every promise in it, and how it transforms the hearts of men. Look at the many facets of uh its inerrancy and uh its uh it's inspired uh nature, uh, how we can trust in it, how it's infallible again, and how it's inerrant. Then uh last week, about uh about a month ago, we looked at uh the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, how he presses the word of God into the hearts of fallen man, how he convicts, as Jesus would say in John chapter 16, the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment through the word of God, the application of the word, how he, being the spirit of truth, leads us into all truth as Christ had promised, and how he brings all things to our remembrance. I don't care if it's a Sunday school lesson that you learned when you were a small child, uh, but at some point in some time in your life that you have encountered the word of God, no matter how far you may stray from that experience, that revelation, the Holy Spirit can take the word of God and it can He can bring it back. He can bring it back into your heart, just like you received that revelation yesterday. He uh brings the word of God to life off the page. We discussed that in some detail. But today we step into the final revelation of God to fallen man. There's many words like remarkable, wonderful, uh preeminent, uh you know, just so many words that we could use uh that to describe this final revelation, this final revelation of God. And that's in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. But as I said, we could use many words to try to describe it, but I assure you that all would fall greatly short of the full significance of this final revelation. It is only the prayer of my heart that I can, uh the Holy Spirit will speak through me today to bring this revelation home to your heart, uh, that you might find the significance and transformation that can come by receiving and recognizing Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God. Uh, but before, and we'll look at John's gospel, the two verses we'll look at today for this message are John chapter uh 20, verses 30 and 31. But before we step into John's spirit-given purpose uh statement today, we must hear the voice of God as it thundered through the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 45, verses 21 and 22. There the Lord loudly proclaims and declares, There is no God else beside me, a just God and a savior. There is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. Here is the heart of God revealed. Here alone is God. He alone is God, he alone is Savior, the eternal God Almighty, He alone's open the way of salvation to all the ends of the earth, to every man, woman, boy, and girl in all the earth. He invites everyone to look unto him because he alone is God, he alone is Savior. And when we come to the gospel of John chapter 20, verses 31 and 30, excuse me, 30 and 31, we discover the final full climactic expression of the same revelation. The God who spake or who spoke in Isaiah now speaks through his son. The God who said, Look unto me and be saved, now says, These are written that you might believe that God who declared himself the only Savior now reveals his salvation in the person of his son, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. Isaiah calls us to look. John calls us to believe. Both call us to lie. Uh look at the text with me, if you will, in the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 30 and 31. We'll read that today. Go ahead and turn over there and let's read this together and allow the Lord to truly uh speak to our hearts with the authority of his word today. John writes here, and this is toward the end of his gospel, he said, and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written. These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the believing ye might have life through his name. May the Lord bless the reading of his word to our hearts today. Uh as I said, this is uh the Spirit-given purpose statement of the entire gospel of John and the seven signs that the Holy Spirit uh chose to for John to uh record in his gospel. There's seven different ones, and notice John refers to them as signs, not miracles. Uh signs meaning they're significant for teachings, as uh there are teachings of Christ attached to each one of those signs. Now, we won't look at those signs today, but we will look at what's revealed here in the Word of God, uh, that we might know that that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that we might believe, and that believing we might have life through his name. Uh but the gospel of John here in this purpose statement uh reveals four essential questions. The first one is why was the gospel written? Why was this gospel written? Number two, who is Jesus? Number three, what does God require of us? And number four, what is at stake eternally? As we move through verse 31 today, we will examine five ways these questions are clearly answered and how each applies to you, whether you are a true born-again believer or whether you are the most wretched of sinners. These five things revealed here through this uh verse today answered the four questions we just spoke about. The number one thing revealed is these are written. It this means it is God's final revelation, and we will look at there in Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1 through 3. Uh, the number two thing that's revealed here as the reason or the purpose for the revelation that ye might believe. Uh, the number three thing revealed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the saving identity of Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, uh, number four, and that believing you might have life, the two eternal outcomes to believe or reject, to stand condemned and under the wrath of God, or to be uh born again into the God into God's family, given the authority to become the sons of God, sons and daughters of the Most High God, and have life through his name. And that's what our last points revealed here in this scripture today. Through his name, we will look at the exclusivity and simplicity of salvation. The exclusivity and simplicity of salvation. As we stand before this Spirit given purpose statement, John has already placed four eternal questions in our hands, but he does not leave us to search for the answers of our own selves or in our own intellect. Under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, he leads us phrase by phrase into the very heart of God's revelation, and the first truth he sets before us is the foundation upon which everything else rests. God has spoken. And by saying right here, uh right here in the verse uh 30, he says, and many other signs did Jesus, did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But verse 31, but these are written, but these are written. Uh if you look at with me, John here acknowledges that Jesus did many other signs not recorded here. As a matter of fact, if you'll look over there at the end of verse 20 uh chapter 21 and verse 25, he says, and there are also many other things which Jesus did, but which, if they should be written, every one. I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. Many other signs were done. John signifies that, he acknowledges that. But as I said, uh we know that scripture is Holy Spirit inspired, and that the men who wrote it, the authors that wrote the word of God, and that includes John in his gospel, were carried along and inspired, carried along by the Holy Spirit as they wrote, so every word is the word of God. The Holy Spirit-inspired word. Uh, not only that, the Spirit guided John to select the specific signs. As I said, there's seven specific signs laid out throughout the Gospel of John. Uh, and as I said, we're not going to review those today. The Lord hasn't called us to do that. The main one we want to look at today is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. Uh, these signs uh are called signs because John doesn't call them miracles because there is teachings from Christ attached to each one. So there's significance behind the miracle. Henceforth, he calls them signs. Not only that, these are written, points to intentional, sufficient, purposeful revelation. The written, these are written, again, I want to repeat that points to intentional, sufficient, purposeful revelation. Let's look at a few verses across reference here, if you will read with me there, if you'll turn over to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 1, uh we'll be reading the first three verses there. And we're gonna take their time as we go through this today, because I really want your heart to be grasp to grasp what's said here. I want you to really grab a hold and understand that there is only one way of salvation, and his name is Jesus. There is only one, and we must understand something significant here. These are written. This is the final revelation of God to fallen man. Above else and beyond, there is none other coming. Jesus Christ is the final revelation of God to fallen man. So if we miss him, we miss eternity. If we miss him, we stand condemned. If we miss him, we stand under the wrath of God because of our sin nature. Uh, we stand condemned. He didn't send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, as Jesus would tell us there in John chapter 3. But read with me if you will. Hebrews chapter 1. We'll look at verses 1 through 3. He says, right here, I'm gonna go ahead and read, but for the purpose, if you want to pause the broadcast and catch up with us, that's that's understandable. But for the sake of time, I want to go ahead and read because this is gonna be quite a lengthy message already. But it says right here, God, who in sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days, in the last days, the days of the church, the days of the Gentile, spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of majesty on high, the right hand of majesty on high. These folks are written. It puts significance to these are written, as that says this is God's revelation to us. Christ is God's final revelation. He says right here, the Father who in times past spake by diverse manners, different ways, and at different times, many other times, spoke in times past by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Beyond Christ, there is no other revelation coming. Beyond Christ, there is no other way of salvation. And today's message will make that very, very clear as we move along. John chapter, if you will, turn with me back to John, the gospel of John chapter 1. I want to look at verses 1 through 5 and then 14 through 18. So turn over there with me if you will. And again, we're going to take our time here. The word of God tells us here, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness could not overcome the light that He shines into the darkness of this world, into the darkness of the human hearts. Folks, all this means God is not silent. Look with me over there, uh skip over to verse 14 down through verse 18 of John chapter 1. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John, speaking of John the Baptist, bare witness of him. He and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake. He that coming after me is preferred before me, for he was before me, and of his fullness have we all received and grace for grace, for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten of the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. God is not silent. All this is telling us. The God who says, look unto me and be saved, all ye ends of the earth, is not silent. We've already talked about the various ways, the various ways he's revealed himself to fallen man already, through creation, through our conscience, through this word by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the tribe of Godhead. Now today he's telling us to the second person of the tribe of Godhead. He's the eternal son, Jesus Christ. And he's telling us, I have spoken. He has spoken all throughout history. But here in Scripture, and especially in the person of His Son, He has spoken finally and clearly. Let's look at this right here in John chapter 1. In the beginning, that takes us all the way back to the beginning of the Scriptures, Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And it says, John says right here, was the word, and the word was with God. That means face to face. That speaks of communion, face-to-face communion between God the Father and God the Son. And he was and he was with God and He was, the Word was God. See putting him co-equal, co-eternal, uh coexisting, eternal and co-endity, as the eternal Son of God, God in the flesh. And then verse 14 says it's the word became flesh. He was incarnate. He was all God and He was all man, all at the same time. He lost none of his divinity when he came to this earth and stepped into our history in the flesh, God in the flesh, God with us, Emmanuel, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. We do not have all that Jesus did here in John's gospel. And not only that, but we don't have all that he did in the four gospels account. Verse 25 of John chapter 21 tells us that if all were recorded that he did, even the world could not even consider. The books that would have to be written to record all of it. But these are written for a purpose. God has stated that these are written for a purpose in His Word, that we might believe and have life. This means the revelation that we've just all what we just read, the final revelation is sufficient. We are not condemned for what God has not revealed, but for rejecting what He has revealed. Scripture is purposeful, not random stories, but carefully arranged testimony to Christ. And that's what we as we'll look at and continue on today. So I ask you to say this, if God has spoken and he has, yes, he has, in a mighty, mighty way, then we must ask, why has he spoken? What is the divine intention behind this written revelation? What is behind, what is divine intention behind every revelation of God to fallen man? John does not leave us to wonder. He moves from the fact of revelation to the purpose of revelation with a single spirit guided praise that ye might believe, that ye might believe. This was not some afterthought of God. We must understand that. God in eternity past selected his son, anointed his son, chose his son to die on a place called Calvary's Cross before you and I were ever even thought of, before the worlds were ever formed. We were in the heart of God in eternity past. He looked down through the portals of time and he saw that Jeff Thomas one day would need salvation. He knew I would be one of the most wretched sinners in need of a great Savior. And he appointed Christ to die at a place called Calvary. John was saying his epistle that he came as propitiation for our sins and not for our sins alone, but for the sins of the whole world. The propitiation means that he was the place by which God's judgment was poured out. And the place where God's justice was accomplished upon the sins of humanity. We are a fallen creature. We are under the penalty of death. We all inherited a sin nature from Adam, our forefather, our forefather. But that we might move on for the sake of time. Let us now follow him into that purpose, that we might believe. He says, But these are written that ye might believe. Again, this is God's eternal divine purpose. That introduces that word that introduces purpose. That introduces the purpose. God's purpose in giving this written revelation and the revelation of his dear son is not merely information, but faith. Yeah is a personal and inclusive. This is aimed at not only one hearer but many, but not only many, but one, that ye might believe. This is aimed at you and me. Romans chapter ten, verse seventeen says, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. John chapter 5, verse 24, he that heareth my words, these are the words of Christ, he that heareth my words and believeth on him that sent thee hath everlasting life. Everlasting life. There we see that God's goal in Revelation is not curiosity. It's not about debate. It's not about mere agreement with, intellectual acceptance of. So we didn't recognize him. They didn't receive him, but he says right here the glorious blessing. But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, even to them that believe on his name. His goal in the revelation of his son, and Jesus' goal in the revelation of himself coming in the flesh, being incarnate, God in the flesh, the Son of God, the eternal Son of God. The goal of his coming, the goal is our saving faith by his perfect life lived, his perfect, sinless, blemish-free sacrifice, his blood shed in the ground there at Calvary's Cross that day was that we might have a saving faith, a heart response to trust in his son. Faith is not mere mental ascent. Remember, it is not intellect. We're not talking about the intellect here. We're talking about the heart transformation. It's not about mere tradition. Faith is not about mere emotion. Having an emotional experience and saying, Oh, I'm a Christian now. I I believe in Christ, but I'm gonna go out because of grace and I'm gonna live like I want to. No, that's not coming in repentance because true saving faith must come through repentance. Repentance that we will turn from where we're at, a change of mind that leads to a change of action, an eternal change of action in our hearts. Faith is hearing what God has said about his son. Faith is hearing what God has revealed about him. Faith is agreeing with what's been revealed as true, and faith, saving faith, personally means personally resting one's trust everything upon, leaning upon, understanding that he is the only one that you can be saved by, and that's placing all of your trust and resting all of your hopes upon Christ and Christ alone. Not only that, but in the per if the purpose of Scripture is to bring us to faith, saving faith, then the next question is unavoidable. Faith in whom? Faith in whom? I think we've already answered this, but we I would really want us to catch a hold of this today, because if we miss Christ, we miss eternity. If we miss Christ, we stand condemned. If we miss Christ, we stand under the wrath of God. If we miss Christ, we end up in an eternal hell in the lake of fire, forever and ever, separated from the presence of God, eternally separated from him. Faith is only as strong as its object. And John wastes no time identifying the one to whom all scripture points. He moves from the call to believe to the person we are commanded to believe in. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Two uh significant key titles here are addressed. Christ, the Christ. That means Messiah, the anointed one, the promised Savior. And then you have the Son of God, the title of deity, equality with the Father. Remember what we covered there in John chapter 1, verses 1, where it took us back into eternity past before the world was made, and how it says God, Christ was the second person of the God who Godhead was the tribe of Godhead, was face to face, face to face with the Father in fellowship. Not only that, but he was God Himself, and that He stepped into our humanity and into our history in the flesh, as God in the flesh, all God, all man. This is not a vague belief in Jesus as a figure, but a specific belief in who he is as revealed in Scripture. The Lamb of God, as John the Baptist would say as he saw him coming to him, he said in John chapter 1, verse 29, is where you'll find it. He said, Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, that we might believe in the identity of his son, that Jesus in fact is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the eternal deity, the eternal divine Son of God. All God, all man. As John would say, behold the Lamb of God, the Lamb of God who came to give himself a ransom from the souls of many, but one who came to seek and to save that which is lost. Jesus would tell us in John chapter 3, verse 16 through 18. Turn over there and read with me, if you will. The word of God tells us here that Jesus says right here, and he's talking to Nicodemus and in context, he's talking to Nicodemus about how we must be born again. And Nicodemus says, Well, how can this, how can this be? How can these things be? How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter in a second time into his mother's womb? And then he says, right down there in verse 9, Ashman said, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the master of Israel and knowest not these things? Verily, verily I say unto thee, we speak that we do know and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I had told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? And no man has ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven. And then he goes into how we can be born again. He doesn't leave us with a question. The word of God, I love it. The words of Christ and the revelation of Christ leaves us with no doubt as to who he is as the eternal Son of God, but he leaves us with no question as how to be saved and how to trust in him alone and have saving faith. Jesus says right here in verse 14, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must, it's an emphatic, must the Son of Man be lifted up. That whosoever, did you hear that? Whosoever, all inclusive, believeth on him, should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, who, his only begotten son, the very one, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the only na in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. And men love darkness wrapped in the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God. There is nothing apart from Christ. Peter would tell us in Acts chapter 4, Acts chapter 4, verse 12, he's talking to the Jewish people there after the healing of the lame beggar. He says, Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name. Did you notice that? None other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Folks, we must believe. We must believe. There's no option. Either you believe or reject. Either you believe unto salvation or you reject unto damnation, condemnation, or you receive him for justification. There's only two choices. There's only two possibilities, either believing or unbelieving. And as he says right there, Christ didn't come to condemn the world. Christ came to save the world. The world stands condemned already. It says the light shined into darkness. So the darkness of sin, death, and Satan were already in the world. But Jesus going to the cross said, uh, this the prince of this world stands judged. And not only that, the Holy Spirit takes these revelations of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, and brings them to life in our hearts and lets us know that that testimony of his name, who he is, is true. And that believing on that name, believing on his revelation, believing that he is the Christ, the eternal Son of God, and the only way of salvation, believing and placing all our trust in that revelation, is the way to be saved. So don't reject it today. Once the identity of Christ is established, John presses further. If Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then what follows from believing in him? What is the eternal consequence of receiving or rejecting this revelation? John answers with divine simplicity, that ye may believe that ye might have life. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, as John 336 says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Ephesians chapter 2. Let's read there verses 1 through 10. It'll take me just a few moments to get over there. Let's just turn over there together as we turn. Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 1. I want to read the first 10 verses. I know we're doing what I like to call a walk through scripture today, but I folks I think this is very, very important. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 10. The word of God tells us, and you have he quickened, has he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in times past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, none other than the devil. The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us, hath made us abide together with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should mutter. Folks, what does it say right here? What do we say? John says, and that believing ye might have life. Everything without him is death. Everything without him is condemnation. Everything without Christ is damnation. But Scripture sets before us two and only two eternal conditions, believing unto life or not believing unto wrath, death, and judgment. There is no third category, no almost saved in eternity, no neutral ground in eternity, no undecided after death. Once you're dead, once you die in your sins without Christ being your Savior, you are cast out into all outer darkness into eternity, eternally separated from God in a devil's hill. You will be cast into hell. And then one day hell and death will give up the dead which are in them. And we find this in Revelation chapter 20, verse 11 through 15. The great white throne, where the great and small will stand before the judgment, the great white throne judgment, Christ Himself, and they will be cast, as their names are not found written in the Lamb's book of life, but cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, eternally separated from God. Folks, everything is significant here. Accepting this revelation of Christ is significant that you might have life. Christ has opened up that new and living way. Believing in Christ is God's appointed way from death to life, from wrath to peace, from condemnation to justification. Then we move on here. He says, Having shown us the two eternal conditions, life or wrath, John now reveals the exclusive channel through which life is given. If eternal life is offered, how is it received? By what authority? By whose merit? John concludes with the only answer heaven recognizes. The only answer through his name. Through his name. Significant. This is eternally significant for the souls of men. The souls of men are being sought out right now, the souls of fallen men. You might be saved. You might be born into the family of God. You might have been given that authority by placing your trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But many others may not. So let's take our time and let's allow the revelation of Christ to truly speak today. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak through the Word of God and through the revelation of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, through His name. In Scripture, name, the word a name is not just a mere label. If you read through and translate the Hebrew names, for example, uh throughout the Old Testament and all the way through the New Testament, carrying in that name, it is a revelation of the person, the character, the authority, and the work of the one who bears that name. When John writes that life is given through his name, he is declaring that salvation is bound up entirely in Jesus, who he is, and what Jesus has done. Throughout the Bible, the name of the Lord represents his nature, what he is in his essence, his authority, what he alone has the right to do, his mission, what he came to accomplish, his presence, how he makes himself known, his salvation, the power by which he rescues sinners. Praise God for that. This is why Scripture speaks so powerfully of his name. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, Proverbs 18 10 says. And as we read there in Acts chapter 4, verse 12, there is none of the dame under heaven given among men whereby we must, it's emphatic, we must be saved in the name of Jesus Christ. Placing all of your faith and trust in the name of Christ. And it's that close, his name reveals his purpose. His name reveals his person. And that is the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. God has given him a name which is above every other name. Philippians chapter 2, verse 9. And when the angel announced his birth, he declared the meaning of that name. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 121, the name Jesus, Yahshua, literally means Jehovah is salvation. So when John says that life is given through his name, when the word of God says and assures us that life, believing in his name and that life comes through his name, the word of God is proclaiming that life is through his divine identity. Life is through his saving mission. Life is through his perfect obedience. Life is through his atoning death. Life is through his victorious resurrection. Life is through his sovereign authority to save. His name is not a formula. His name is not a ritual. His name is not just for intellectual pursuits. His name is not just a religious phrase. His name is His identity, the eternal Son, the Christ, the Savior, Jehovah in the flesh. Salvation is in the name. Salvation, it says is exclusive in its means. Only Christ, only His name, only His work. But it's inclusive. That's the exclusive part of His name. The inclusive part is whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. But it says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Whosoever shall believe upon his name shall not perish but have everlasting life. It is not by works, by law keeping, by religious performance, no matter what some people may tell you. They'll work you to death, but by it's by only by Christ's finished work, his finished redemptive work received by faith, expressed in calling upon his name. The entire gospel of John has been moving toward this climactic truth. Life is found in one name and one name only, the name of Jesus Christ. Folks, as we uh close today, we have stood where John has led us from the written revelation of God to the purpose of that revelation, to the saving identity of Christ, to the eternal outcomes of believing or not believing, and finally to the one name through which life is given. Every thread of this passage has been drawn tight, every truth has been declared, and the full testimony of God concerning His Son has been set before your heart today. So the only thing now, right now, just as John does, we come to the moment where revelation demands response. The word has been spoken, the Spirit has witnessed, the way of life has been made plain. Let us now hear the full gospel invitation that God has to speak to our hearts lovingly and but urgently and personally to every soul here today. Beloved, we have walked through the written word of God, and we have heard the Spirit's own testimony concerning Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. Now we stand where every soul must respond. The scripture declares these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the believing you might have life through his name. This is not an invitation to religion. This is not an invitation to a system. This is not an invitation to church to church. It is a or denomination. It is God's invitation to receive his eternal son, the only one by which we all can be saved. To the believer, the word has searched your heart today. Are you resting in Christ alone or suddenly leaning on your performance, your ministry, your consistency? The ground of your assurance is not your name, but his eternal life is not merely a future hope. It is your present possession. We now have, currently have, eternal life through his name. Walk in that life and feed your faith with the word that gave it birth. Let your priorities, affections, and decisions reflect that Christ is not merely your helper, he's not merely a good teacher, he's not merely a great man. No, he is Lord of all. Make it known to people by the way you live. He is your Lord and your God. Your only God and your only Savior. To the unbeliever, hear this with all tenderness of God who speaks it. You may feel unworthy in the sight of Jesus Christ today. You may feel unworthy at the revelation of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. You may feel too simple. You may feel too far gone, but the gospel does not ask if you are worthy. It asks if you will come. God has not asked you to work your way or to prove yourself. He has not asked you to clean yourself up. He has said simply, Whosoever call it shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. Right now, this very moment you stand in one of the two conditions, believing unto life or not believing under the wrath and condemnation of God. There is no third category, yet here is the heart of God. He said, I have, in Ezekiel, he said, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will you die? He does not desire your destruction. It is not his will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He desires your salvation today, hence the reason he sent his only son to die at a place called Calvary. And remember what I said earlier in the message. That was in his heart before the world was ever founded, before the world was ever created, in eternity past, Christ the Messiah was anointed to be the Savior, the Lamb of God, which will take away the sin of the world. If the Spirit of God is drawing you today, if the word has pierced you, if you feel the weight of your sin and you need mercy, then come to Christ now. You may express that faith simply by a simple prayer, not as a ritual, not as magic words, but as an honest cry with a believing heart. You say to say, Rick, pray this prayer with me right now. This prayer, now what I'm praying can't save you, but pray from your heart in repentance, meaning you want to turn. You have a change of mind where you're at. You want to turn from that scene, you want to turn from the world, and you want to turn to God by placing all your trust in the only name of the one who can save you today. Pray this prayer with me, Lord Jesus. I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God. I believe you died for my sins and rose again. I come to you as a sinner in need of mercy. I trust you alone to save me. Give me life through your name. I believe your word. I receive your gift of eternal life right now. In your holy name for your glory, I pray. Amen. If you have believed on Christ, the scripture says not that you will have everlasting life or that you might have it. It says it said it doesn't say you might have it or you might not have it. It says you definitely will have it. You have it and you have it right now. If you have prayed that prayer and you meant it from the bottom of your heart and you prayed that prayer in repentance, you can't, you can fool me, but you can't fool God. That's between you and the Lord. If you have prayed that though in sincerity and repentance, through his name, you have life and you have it forever. Thank God and praise his name today. Thank you for joining with me today. And I pray that we would join together in the next broadcast of words from the Word of God. I pray for every one of you, and I thank you so much for your uh patience today and your attentives through this message. Most of all, I thank the Lord for revealing his truth to our hearts in a powerful way today. In Jesus' name, I want to say, Lord, just bless us now with your word. Lord, just thank you for the portion that you have given every heart today. Lord, we leave this time together with you. Uh, Lord, praying that you truly have transformed many hearts today. And I pray this message would find that sinner today that's closest to hell, that they might come through the saving knowledge of your gospel, Lord Jesus, and be saved. Believing in your uh person, believing in your purpose, your your your sacrifice on Calvary's cross, and believing in your resurrection and come through faith and repentance. In Jesus' holy, sweet name I pray, and for your glory. Amen.