August 16, 2025 • 37 mins
Welcome to Mesa Palms Seventh-day Adventist Church! We hope that you will find this sermon to be a blessing to you, as you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you would like to learn more about our church, check out our website:
https://www.mesapalmssdachurch.com
Bible Studies: https://itiswritten.study/home
Reading Library: https://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library
Donations: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANP4CG/envelope/start
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Jesus paid it all.
All to him we owe.
Sin caused a crimson stain.
But who washed it?
Who washed it?
Jesus washed it and made it white as snow.
(00:25):
We're getting feedback.
made as white as snow.
Isaiah 118 says,
Though your sins may be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Let's pray.
Dear Father in heaven,
(00:47):
I just ask that you'll take my voice down,
that you will please speak through me
with the words that you would have me speak.
Father, I pray that you will please send your Holy Spirit
into this place this morning
(01:10):
that we can be filled with your Spirit
and know that you are a God of love.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let's turn in our Bibles to John 1, 17.
John 1.
Sorry.
Let's turn our Bibles to John 17.
(01:33):
It is important that you open your Bibles.
There's power in God's Word.
There's power in the Holy Spirit comes.
And even if you didn't bring one, there's one in front of you in the pew.
It's important that you look.
It doesn't matter what translation it is.
Let's read together.
(01:56):
so jesus had just finished the last supper and he looked up toward heaven and he prays father
the hour has come so what hour has come something big is about to happen something is going to
(02:21):
happened hasn't happened since Jesus was born, since he was on this earth. And that's true because
we find in John 2, 4, that at the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus says, my hour has not yet come.
When asked about going to the feast of tabernacles in John 7, 6, he says, my time is not yet here.
(02:49):
Matthew 26, 18 says, before the Passover meal, Jesus said, my time is near.
Does it sound like something's going to happen?
It sounds like something big is going to happen.
Now, you can probably guess what it is.
And you would be right.
He is about to be crucified.
(03:10):
You know that, right?
I'd like to have you dig just a little deeper with me this morning
and find out what Jesus' mission truly was when he came.
Jesus came to show the truth of God's true character of love.
(03:33):
Jesus came to show us what God's love is really like.
Let's turn to John 17.
You're still in John 17, verse 1.
It says, glorify your son, that your son may glorify you. So I'd like to just look a little
(03:57):
bit at this word glorify. I don't know, I've wondered about that for a long time. I said,
well, is this just Jesus' brightness? Is this God's brightness? What is going on with this glorify?
Well, the Greek word here is doxazo, which actually means to honor, to praise, to magnify.
(04:27):
What happens when you magnify something?
It does.
You can look at it closer and you can see it.
And you know what?
God says, I want you to look at me so close that I will be magnified in your life.
And so it also means in the Greek, the word doxos also means an interesting word.
(04:53):
You don't usually hear, but it means to reveal.
Now that opens up a whole new world here, and I'm going to show you in a few verses.
And here it is.
Reveal your son, that your son may reveal you.
(05:14):
Do you understand?
So this just takes a different look at this.
For the Father granted Jesus authority over all people,
that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
Now, this is eternal life.
(05:35):
Here it is.
We're going to find out what it is.
Wouldn't you like to know what it takes to have eternal life?
Here it is.
It says that they know you.
The Greek word here is gnosko, which means not only just to know about somebody.
So you know about Jesus, you know he came, you know about God.
(06:00):
That is not what it's talking about.
It's talking about an intimate relationship.
This is a relationship that you have with God every day, a relationship throughout the day.
This is somebody who is with you all the time. This is an intimate relationship that's so
(06:25):
intimate that it produces offspring. Do you understand? That's the Hebrew thinking of this
word. As good notes go, the Hebrew thinking is so intimate that it produces offspring. Are you
producing offspring today? Now, that doesn't mean with a spouse. This is spiritually. Are you
(06:50):
producing offspring? That means, are you sharing Jesus' love so that we bring more souls into God's
family. Amen? That's producing offspring. And so it says that they know you, the only true God,
in Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Then it says, I have revealed your glory. Now,
(07:21):
this word glory is very interesting. Remember, we talked about glorifying. Glorify me, that's
reveal. But what are we revealing about God? We're revealing attributes of God's character.
So when we talk about glory, we're talking about, I have revealed your character on earth
(07:48):
by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, and by the way, you may ask what
What translation I'm reading from, the fact of the matter is, most of all these words come from reading them straight from Greek and Hebrew.
That's what I do.
And I go through.
(08:08):
I have a theology degree from Andrew's University.
And I love studying Greek and Hebrew.
Amen?
Why?
Because that's what translators do.
They go back to originally Hebrew and Greek.
And when you translate a word, you find out there are several different meanings you can use.
(08:30):
You have to find the ones that fit the context.
But in those meanings, you get new revelations of what God is trying to talk to you about.
Praise God for that.
Now, look at this verse, verse 5.
And now, Father, I reveal you.
(08:51):
This is very interesting.
I reveal or I glorify, okay, reveal you with the glory.
We'll talk about that in a minute.
You had when I was beside you.
(09:11):
Now, that's the Greek translation for the word para, literally to stand beside someone.
Look and see what you have in the Bible there.
It says, before the world existed.
So what Jesus is now trying to say,
(09:33):
that I am revealing God's character
with the same character that I had
when I stood beside you before the world began.
(09:53):
And it's very interesting that Jesus, something big is about to happen.
And this big reveal is getting close.
As we see up in verse 6 here, it says, I have manifested your name.
(10:15):
Another word for manifest is the Greek word,
which means to reveal or I have revealed your name.
And when we see God's name, what is that telling us?
It is his what?
(10:35):
His character.
Thank you.
You've heard this.
This is very good.
To those who you gave me out of the world.
And so Jesus is revealing God's name or his character to the world.
Let's turn to Exodus 33.
(10:59):
Exodus 33.
Exodus 33, 18.
Very interesting to find here Moses talking with God.
And he said, then Moses said, now show me your what?
Your glory.
And God's glory is his.
(11:22):
That's important.
You're going to find out more reasons that you will substitute that word.
But it is his character.
Because when he said, show me your glory, it didn't just mean I want to see the big brightness of you walking by.
No, he wants to see a God, a loving God.
(11:43):
And so here it is.
Show me your glory.
And the Lord said, I will cause all my love or goodness to pass in front of you.
So when Moses sees God, what is he seeing?
God's character.
(12:04):
That's what he sees.
He sees God's character.
It says, I will cause all my love to pass in front of you,
and I will proclaim my name.
God's name is his character.
Okay.
The Lord Yahweh, in your presence,
(12:26):
I will have mercy on those whom I have mercy.
I'll have compassion on those on whom I'll have compassion.
34 verse 5. Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name.
So this is his name, his character, which was the Lord. I can't take time to go, but Exodus 3, 4,
(12:56):
He uses two words for God, Elohim and Yahweh.
Elohim was the God of power and authority, preeminence, preexistence.
This is what God began to start the Israelites out with
because they were used to authority from Egypt.
(13:19):
They would only take somebody who had power and authority.
And so that is the God that God represented.
Now God is saying, I need to show you another attribute of my love.
And that love is Yahweh, a personal, intimate desires and intimate relationship.
(13:44):
This is the Lord when you see it here, that Yahweh.
Notice what he says.
I want to see in the Lord's as I'll show you my name.
What does he see?
What does he see of God when he passes?
Here it is in six.
The Lord, the Lord, compassionate and gracious,
(14:06):
loading anger, abounding love, faithfulness,
maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness,
rebellion, and sin.
Let's turn to John 13.
John 13
(14:30):
In John 13
we're going to now get to see the big reveal
here it comes
we're going to show a true love
the love of God's character
and here it is
John 13, 31.
(14:54):
It says, when he was gone, Jesus said, now.
And again, I was very intrigued by what Jesus was saying here.
Now the Son of Man is glorified.
What's the word glorified mean?
Revealed.
Thank you.
Very good.
(15:14):
And God is glorified in me.
Jesus came to do what?
Show God's character.
That's what he came to do.
Now, within that mission is a God of love who dies for us and dies for our sins.
That's what a God of love does.
(15:35):
But he came to show the true character of God.
It had gotten misunderstood throughout the whole Old Testament.
It was still being misunderstood when Jesus came to this earth and was born.
The only way that they could truly show what God's love was all about was to bring Jesus
(16:01):
and have him say that if you've seen me, you've seen the Father.
So here it is.
My children, I'll only be with you a little while longer.
You will look for me and just as I told the Jews,
So now I tell you now, where I am going, you cannot come.
Here it comes.
That's pretty neat.
(16:21):
Look at this.
A new commandment I give you, love one another as I have loved you.
So you must love one another.
By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
Is this the first time they had heard this before?
Is this something new?
(16:45):
it's a new look on an old commandment do you understand jesus came to show us and give us a new
insight into the attributes of god's love so that people wouldn't only see this powerful god
(17:06):
but they see an intimate God that loves them. And that's what he came to show.
So when it says here, when Jesus says, love one another as I have loved you, when he says the
word loved, which love is he using? What's the word for it? You knew that. And that's agape.
(17:29):
But I'm going to show you what the word agape really means.
And here it comes.
So, John 12, 23.
John 12, 23.
(17:49):
John 12, 23 and verse 23, Jesus replied, the hour has come.
Wow, something big is going to happen.
and I'm showing you right now, it's going to be soon.
The Son of Man is going to be revealed.
Then we go to verse 27.
(18:09):
Now my soul is troubled.
And what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour.
In other words, okay, I've come to this point.
My hour has come, and I'm going to say, I don't want to do this.
Father, I just don't want to go through this.
Do you think Jesus wanted to say that? He might have, but he knew that to reveal God's love,
(18:38):
something big had to happen. And here it is. For this very reason, I came to this hour. I mean,
it's right there. This is something that's going on right now. Father, glorify, reveal your name.
(18:58):
Okay, God, here it is. I'm right at the hour. I need you to do this right now. Reveal your
character. Now, this is interesting. God actually answers them, and it was audible to the people
that were there. I mean, God accurately spoke out loud. It was pretty neat. Then a voice came from
(19:22):
heaven. Wait a minute. He said, wait a minute. I have revealed it, and I'm going to reveal it again.
The crowd was there and heard it said it had thundered. Others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said, okay, this voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for the judgment on this
(19:56):
world. Now the prince of this world, who is that? Satan is going to be driven out. Okay, it's coming
right up to it right now at this time. And here's the big reveal, the full demonstration of
(20:18):
unselfish, unselfish, selfless, willing to serve others before yourself, self-sacrificing love.
Do you have that kind of love?
That's what Jesus was asking Peter.
Peter, do you love me?
(20:38):
Oh, yeah, I'm a good friend of yours.
Oh, of course I'm your friend.
I like you a whole lot.
No, no, that is not what I've been trying to teach you.
I'm trying to show you what the true love of God is,
and that is an unselfish self-sacrificing.
(21:04):
Do you understand what that word?
This is serious stuff.
This is the kind of love that Jesus came to show us.
That means totally putting others before yourself.
If you don't have time to do something and someone needs something,
you put your plans aside and you do that.
This is self-sacrificing.
(21:24):
This is what Jesus came to show.
Let's turn to 1 John 4, 7.
1 John 4, 7.
1 John 4, 7.
(21:45):
Okay, dear friends, let us love.
And what kind of love is John talking about here?
Agape love.
Did John learn about agape love?
Yes.
His life had already been threatened.
He had already had a rough time.
(22:07):
Peter, I mean, most of all the disciples had already been done away with.
This was a self-sacrificing love commitment time.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows, same word, gnosko, what does know mean?
(22:34):
This is this intimate relationship.
This is to know God, not only as your friend, but as someone you would give your life for.
It's that big.
It's a big commitment.
Whoever does not love does not know God because God is what?
(22:58):
God equals love.
God is love all the time.
And all the time, God is love.
Can you say that?
God is love all the time.
And all the time, praise God.
(23:21):
Thank you.
Thank you for responding.
I like that.
God is love all the time.
And all the time, praise God.
Amen.
Amen.
1 John 3, 16 says, love equals, love equals Jesus' death on the cross.
(23:43):
Romans 5, 8 says, demonstrate, the demonstration of love is that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
God is love all the time, and all the time, God is love.
Thank you.
Exodus 6, 6, and 7 says, I've redeemed you from slavery.
(24:08):
I bought you back.
the kingdom of heaven may be compared to the story of a father and his son. Our son,
our 10-year-old son, Ben, came home from a Pathfinder meeting to tell us the Pathfinders
(24:30):
would be hosting a banquet and cake sale. The cakes were to be baked by the Pathfinder without
any hands-on help from their parents.
My wife said it sounded fun,
but she would be gone that weekend for a women's retreat.
Now, when the day came,
(24:52):
I went to the store
and bought an instant cake mix,
a yellow cake mix,
And I followed the instructions exactly the way it says.
(25:14):
I mixed it all together, and I mixed it up.
And it's amazing how you have to do this exactly right.
You know you can only mix it for like one minute.
That's what it says.
I mean, it's serious.
And then I tried to follow all the instructions,
And then once you get it all mixed up, you take it and you pour it out into the cake pans.
(25:42):
And you pour it out.
And by the way, it's not so easy to get the same amount there as here.
Did you know that?
I did all this myself.
By the way, I didn't say that.
But by the way, the Pathfinders were told that the parents could not have any hands-on help,
(26:05):
including any help from the mother, or Christy in this case.
I said, no, don't help me.
I'm going to figure this out on my own.
So I just did this yesterday.
So, made a cake, and we carefully put it in the oven, and it says exactly 24 minutes.
(26:30):
24.
So, follow the instructions exactly.
I looked in the oven, 24 minutes.
I pulled them out.
I put them on.
And it's amazing how they don't look exactly like the case.
A little more smashed looking.
(26:52):
And then I took the chocolate and carefully put it on.
But it was a little thin in the spots.
But we tried to make it as good as we could, Ben and I.
And then we took and put tinfoil on it so it would be very protected.
(27:13):
So nothing would happen to the cake.
As we hurried to the banquet, Ben casually mentioned that the cake would be an auction.
(27:37):
and for a moment I wish we'd had a little more time for finishing the touches
the hall was filled with people the dinner was in progress I walked over to the auction table
I was stunned a long table was filled with fantastic array of exquisitely designed masterpieces
(28:01):
angel food, spice, carrot pound, all exotically iced and imaginatively festooned.
Perhaps Ben had misunderstood, and this was some kind of world cake competition.
There were cakes shaped like Indian teepees, rocket ships, Pathfinder emblems,
(28:24):
hats, the United States, people and animals.
There were toppings of cherries and glazes.
marshmallow and candy glitters. Cakes were displayed on ornate cake pans and porcelain
serving dishes. There were cakes topped with ornaments, miniature flags, figures of Bible
(28:45):
scenes, and landscapes. It seemed other Pathfinders had been given a little more help than our son.
So Ben solemnly carried our cake forward, and on the same paper plate at which we had frosted it, carefully, almost reverently, he unwrapped the tinfoil.
(29:27):
I wanted to make sure it was protecting.
Yeah.
(29:50):
As he peeled at the foil, he found that the frosting had stuck to the tinfoil.
And unfortunately, oh, it's even worse than I thought.
Frosting stuck to the foil.
Took to the foil and the yellow spots glared in the bright lights above in the meeting hall.
(30:27):
There was a lot of chocolate on there, too.
I think it's all here.
Wait a minute.
That is pretty good.
(30:58):
I even got some of my coat.
I was afraid men would be ashamed of our creation.
Only pathfinders would be in the auctioneer in bed.
I hurriedly gave Ben $40.
(31:23):
And I said, Ben, don't spend it all in one place.
Take care that you get the most from your money.
Let's see.
The auctioneer raised the first cake.
He described its design in intricate ornamentation, the exotic fillings, the bright colors, and the cherry topping.
(31:53):
He suggested those attributes warranted a high-opening bid.
$5, $8, $10, going once, going twice, said sold for $10.
The next cake was described and sold for $8.
I anticipated the audience reaction to our cake and felt a dull pain inside.
(32:20):
The next cake was described and sold for $8.
I anticipated the audience reaction to our cake,
and my son would probably pretend he didn't know our cake when the time came.
I could almost hear the boos and the groans.
Was it my imagination or was the auctioneer tactfully avoiding our cake?
(32:47):
I began to overhear people in the audience murmuring about the one with the yellow spots.
Some teenagers behind me call it the leprosy cake and laughed.
The moment arrived, the auctioneer raised our cake.
(33:09):
The plate sagged over his hand and the crumbs fell off.
The numerous holes in the frosting shone garishly beneath the bright overhead lights.
Who will give me?
But before...
But before...
(33:30):
Let's see.
Oh, boy.
Who will give me?
But before he could continue, Ben was on his feet yelling at the top of his lungs.
Forty dollars!
Forty dollars!
(33:56):
There was stunned silence.
No counterbids were offered.
After a couple of double takes, the auctioneer quietly said, well, okay.
Ben ran forward wearing a walled wall grin.
I heard him tell his friends in route, that's my cake.
(34:16):
My dad and I made that cake.
He handed over the $40 and beamed at the cake as if it were a treasure.
Smiling, he sampled the frosting with a deaf swoop of his index finger.
When he saw me, he shouted, Dad, I got it.
(34:38):
We drove home happy, Ben holding his prize on his lap.
He asked why he'd open the bidding by offering all the money he had.
He answered, I didn't want anyone else to get our cake.
As we compare this parable to the spiritual, to our spiritual lives,
(35:02):
so who is the father?
Who is the father in this parable?
God.
God is it.
Who has been?
Jesus.
Jesus gave it all.
He paid everything for your life, gave his life for you.
(35:22):
He gave every bit he had.
That was Ben.
Who is the cake?
Us.
Thank you.
Very good.
It is us.
Romans 3.23 says,
For all have sinned and come short of the character and glory of God.
(35:46):
Romans 5.8,
While we are still sinners or covered with these yellow blemishes,
Christ died for us.
623 says,
For the wages or blemishes of sin cause death.
(36:08):
Romans 12, 3,
Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.
That's because don't think that what you do or say,
you are spotless before God.
Isaiah 64, 6 says, all our righteousness is as filthy rags.
(36:30):
We are all covered with yellow blemishes,
only accepting the free gift of grace of Jesus' death on the cross for us.
Are we covered by his unblemished righteousness?
God is love all the time, and all the time.
Very good.
(36:52):
In heaven's eyes, God in his love and Jesus who reflected that same love
showed us an unselfish, self-sacrificing love.
In heaven's eyes, you are without blemish when you choose to accept the gift of redemption,
(37:17):
which is the sacrifice Jesus made for you,
and you allow Jesus to cover you in his righteousness.
In heaven's eyes, you are loved whether you have blemishes or not.
Because why?
(37:38):
Because you choose to accept Jesus' righteousness to cover you,
And then you are a beautiful cake before God.
Praise God.
In heaven's eyes, you are loved.
Jesus paid it all.
All to him we owe.
Sin caused a crimson stain.
But who washed it?
Who washed it?
Jesus washed it and made it white as snow.
(00:25):
We're getting feedback.
made as white as snow.
Isaiah 118 says,
Though your sins may be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Let's pray.
Dear Father in heaven,
(00:47):
I just ask that you'll take my voice down,
that you will please speak through me
with the words that you would have me speak.
Father, I pray that you will please send your Holy Spirit
into this place this morning
(01:10):
that we can be filled with your Spirit
and know that you are a God of love.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let's turn in our Bibles to John 1, 17.
John 1.
Sorry.
Let's turn our Bibles to John 17.
(01:33):
It is important that you open your Bibles.
There's power in God's Word.
There's power in the Holy Spirit comes.
And even if you didn't bring one, there's one in front of you in the pew.
It's important that you look.
It doesn't matter what translation it is.
Let's read together.
(01:56):
so jesus had just finished the last supper and he looked up toward heaven and he prays father
the hour has come so what hour has come something big is about to happen something is going to
(02:21):
happened hasn't happened since Jesus was born, since he was on this earth. And that's true because
we find in John 2, 4, that at the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus says, my hour has not yet come.
When asked about going to the feast of tabernacles in John 7, 6, he says, my time is not yet here.
(02:49):
Matthew 26, 18 says, before the Passover meal, Jesus said, my time is near.
Does it sound like something's going to happen?
It sounds like something big is going to happen.
Now, you can probably guess what it is.
And you would be right.
He is about to be crucified.
(03:10):
You know that, right?
I'd like to have you dig just a little deeper with me this morning
and find out what Jesus' mission truly was when he came.
Jesus came to show the truth of God's true character of love.
(03:33):
Jesus came to show us what God's love is really like.
Let's turn to John 17.
You're still in John 17, verse 1.
It says, glorify your son, that your son may glorify you. So I'd like to just look a little
(03:57):
bit at this word glorify. I don't know, I've wondered about that for a long time. I said,
well, is this just Jesus' brightness? Is this God's brightness? What is going on with this glorify?
Well, the Greek word here is doxazo, which actually means to honor, to praise, to magnify.
(04:27):
What happens when you magnify something?
It does.
You can look at it closer and you can see it.
And you know what?
God says, I want you to look at me so close that I will be magnified in your life.
And so it also means in the Greek, the word doxos also means an interesting word.
(04:53):
You don't usually hear, but it means to reveal.
Now that opens up a whole new world here, and I'm going to show you in a few verses.
And here it is.
Reveal your son, that your son may reveal you.
(05:14):
Do you understand?
So this just takes a different look at this.
For the Father granted Jesus authority over all people,
that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
Now, this is eternal life.
(05:35):
Here it is.
We're going to find out what it is.
Wouldn't you like to know what it takes to have eternal life?
Here it is.
It says that they know you.
The Greek word here is gnosko, which means not only just to know about somebody.
So you know about Jesus, you know he came, you know about God.
(06:00):
That is not what it's talking about.
It's talking about an intimate relationship.
This is a relationship that you have with God every day, a relationship throughout the day.
This is somebody who is with you all the time. This is an intimate relationship that's so
(06:25):
intimate that it produces offspring. Do you understand? That's the Hebrew thinking of this
word. As good notes go, the Hebrew thinking is so intimate that it produces offspring. Are you
producing offspring today? Now, that doesn't mean with a spouse. This is spiritually. Are you
(06:50):
producing offspring? That means, are you sharing Jesus' love so that we bring more souls into God's
family. Amen? That's producing offspring. And so it says that they know you, the only true God,
in Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Then it says, I have revealed your glory. Now,
(07:21):
this word glory is very interesting. Remember, we talked about glorifying. Glorify me, that's
reveal. But what are we revealing about God? We're revealing attributes of God's character.
So when we talk about glory, we're talking about, I have revealed your character on earth
(07:48):
by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, and by the way, you may ask what
What translation I'm reading from, the fact of the matter is, most of all these words come from reading them straight from Greek and Hebrew.
That's what I do.
And I go through.
(08:08):
I have a theology degree from Andrew's University.
And I love studying Greek and Hebrew.
Amen?
Why?
Because that's what translators do.
They go back to originally Hebrew and Greek.
And when you translate a word, you find out there are several different meanings you can use.
(08:30):
You have to find the ones that fit the context.
But in those meanings, you get new revelations of what God is trying to talk to you about.
Praise God for that.
Now, look at this verse, verse 5.
And now, Father, I reveal you.
(08:51):
This is very interesting.
I reveal or I glorify, okay, reveal you with the glory.
We'll talk about that in a minute.
You had when I was beside you.
(09:11):
Now, that's the Greek translation for the word para, literally to stand beside someone.
Look and see what you have in the Bible there.
It says, before the world existed.
So what Jesus is now trying to say,
(09:33):
that I am revealing God's character
with the same character that I had
when I stood beside you before the world began.
(09:53):
And it's very interesting that Jesus, something big is about to happen.
And this big reveal is getting close.
As we see up in verse 6 here, it says, I have manifested your name.
(10:15):
Another word for manifest is the Greek word,
which means to reveal or I have revealed your name.
And when we see God's name, what is that telling us?
It is his what?
(10:35):
His character.
Thank you.
You've heard this.
This is very good.
To those who you gave me out of the world.
And so Jesus is revealing God's name or his character to the world.
Let's turn to Exodus 33.
(10:59):
Exodus 33.
Exodus 33, 18.
Very interesting to find here Moses talking with God.
And he said, then Moses said, now show me your what?
Your glory.
And God's glory is his.
(11:22):
That's important.
You're going to find out more reasons that you will substitute that word.
But it is his character.
Because when he said, show me your glory, it didn't just mean I want to see the big brightness of you walking by.
No, he wants to see a God, a loving God.
(11:43):
And so here it is.
Show me your glory.
And the Lord said, I will cause all my love or goodness to pass in front of you.
So when Moses sees God, what is he seeing?
God's character.
(12:04):
That's what he sees.
He sees God's character.
It says, I will cause all my love to pass in front of you,
and I will proclaim my name.
God's name is his character.
Okay.
The Lord Yahweh, in your presence,
(12:26):
I will have mercy on those whom I have mercy.
I'll have compassion on those on whom I'll have compassion.
34 verse 5. Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name.
So this is his name, his character, which was the Lord. I can't take time to go, but Exodus 3, 4,
(12:56):
He uses two words for God, Elohim and Yahweh.
Elohim was the God of power and authority, preeminence, preexistence.
This is what God began to start the Israelites out with
because they were used to authority from Egypt.
(13:19):
They would only take somebody who had power and authority.
And so that is the God that God represented.
Now God is saying, I need to show you another attribute of my love.
And that love is Yahweh, a personal, intimate desires and intimate relationship.
(13:44):
This is the Lord when you see it here, that Yahweh.
Notice what he says.
I want to see in the Lord's as I'll show you my name.
What does he see?
What does he see of God when he passes?
Here it is in six.
The Lord, the Lord, compassionate and gracious,
(14:06):
loading anger, abounding love, faithfulness,
maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness,
rebellion, and sin.
Let's turn to John 13.
John 13
(14:30):
In John 13
we're going to now get to see the big reveal
here it comes
we're going to show a true love
the love of God's character
and here it is
John 13, 31.
(14:54):
It says, when he was gone, Jesus said, now.
And again, I was very intrigued by what Jesus was saying here.
Now the Son of Man is glorified.
What's the word glorified mean?
Revealed.
Thank you.
Very good.
(15:14):
And God is glorified in me.
Jesus came to do what?
Show God's character.
That's what he came to do.
Now, within that mission is a God of love who dies for us and dies for our sins.
That's what a God of love does.
(15:35):
But he came to show the true character of God.
It had gotten misunderstood throughout the whole Old Testament.
It was still being misunderstood when Jesus came to this earth and was born.
The only way that they could truly show what God's love was all about was to bring Jesus
(16:01):
and have him say that if you've seen me, you've seen the Father.
So here it is.
My children, I'll only be with you a little while longer.
You will look for me and just as I told the Jews,
So now I tell you now, where I am going, you cannot come.
Here it comes.
That's pretty neat.
(16:21):
Look at this.
A new commandment I give you, love one another as I have loved you.
So you must love one another.
By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
Is this the first time they had heard this before?
Is this something new?
(16:45):
it's a new look on an old commandment do you understand jesus came to show us and give us a new
insight into the attributes of god's love so that people wouldn't only see this powerful god
(17:06):
but they see an intimate God that loves them. And that's what he came to show.
So when it says here, when Jesus says, love one another as I have loved you, when he says the
word loved, which love is he using? What's the word for it? You knew that. And that's agape.
(17:29):
But I'm going to show you what the word agape really means.
And here it comes.
So, John 12, 23.
John 12, 23.
(17:49):
John 12, 23 and verse 23, Jesus replied, the hour has come.
Wow, something big is going to happen.
and I'm showing you right now, it's going to be soon.
The Son of Man is going to be revealed.
Then we go to verse 27.
(18:09):
Now my soul is troubled.
And what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour.
In other words, okay, I've come to this point.
My hour has come, and I'm going to say, I don't want to do this.
Father, I just don't want to go through this.
Do you think Jesus wanted to say that? He might have, but he knew that to reveal God's love,
(18:38):
something big had to happen. And here it is. For this very reason, I came to this hour. I mean,
it's right there. This is something that's going on right now. Father, glorify, reveal your name.
(18:58):
Okay, God, here it is. I'm right at the hour. I need you to do this right now. Reveal your
character. Now, this is interesting. God actually answers them, and it was audible to the people
that were there. I mean, God accurately spoke out loud. It was pretty neat. Then a voice came from
(19:22):
heaven. Wait a minute. He said, wait a minute. I have revealed it, and I'm going to reveal it again.
The crowd was there and heard it said it had thundered. Others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said, okay, this voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for the judgment on this
(19:56):
world. Now the prince of this world, who is that? Satan is going to be driven out. Okay, it's coming
right up to it right now at this time. And here's the big reveal, the full demonstration of
(20:18):
unselfish, unselfish, selfless, willing to serve others before yourself, self-sacrificing love.
Do you have that kind of love?
That's what Jesus was asking Peter.
Peter, do you love me?
(20:38):
Oh, yeah, I'm a good friend of yours.
Oh, of course I'm your friend.
I like you a whole lot.
No, no, that is not what I've been trying to teach you.
I'm trying to show you what the true love of God is,
and that is an unselfish self-sacrificing.
(21:04):
Do you understand what that word?
This is serious stuff.
This is the kind of love that Jesus came to show us.
That means totally putting others before yourself.
If you don't have time to do something and someone needs something,
you put your plans aside and you do that.
This is self-sacrificing.
(21:24):
This is what Jesus came to show.
Let's turn to 1 John 4, 7.
1 John 4, 7.
1 John 4, 7.
(21:45):
Okay, dear friends, let us love.
And what kind of love is John talking about here?
Agape love.
Did John learn about agape love?
Yes.
His life had already been threatened.
He had already had a rough time.
(22:07):
Peter, I mean, most of all the disciples had already been done away with.
This was a self-sacrificing love commitment time.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows, same word, gnosko, what does know mean?
(22:34):
This is this intimate relationship.
This is to know God, not only as your friend, but as someone you would give your life for.
It's that big.
It's a big commitment.
Whoever does not love does not know God because God is what?
(22:58):
God equals love.
God is love all the time.
And all the time, God is love.
Can you say that?
God is love all the time.
And all the time, praise God.
(23:21):
Thank you.
Thank you for responding.
I like that.
God is love all the time.
And all the time, praise God.
Amen.
Amen.
1 John 3, 16 says, love equals, love equals Jesus' death on the cross.
(23:43):
Romans 5, 8 says, demonstrate, the demonstration of love is that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
God is love all the time, and all the time, God is love.
Thank you.
Exodus 6, 6, and 7 says, I've redeemed you from slavery.
(24:08):
I bought you back.
the kingdom of heaven may be compared to the story of a father and his son. Our son,
our 10-year-old son, Ben, came home from a Pathfinder meeting to tell us the Pathfinders
(24:30):
would be hosting a banquet and cake sale. The cakes were to be baked by the Pathfinder without
any hands-on help from their parents.
My wife said it sounded fun,
but she would be gone that weekend for a women's retreat.
Now, when the day came,
(24:52):
I went to the store
and bought an instant cake mix,
a yellow cake mix,
And I followed the instructions exactly the way it says.
(25:14):
I mixed it all together, and I mixed it up.
And it's amazing how you have to do this exactly right.
You know you can only mix it for like one minute.
That's what it says.
I mean, it's serious.
And then I tried to follow all the instructions,
And then once you get it all mixed up, you take it and you pour it out into the cake pans.
(25:42):
And you pour it out.
And by the way, it's not so easy to get the same amount there as here.
Did you know that?
I did all this myself.
By the way, I didn't say that.
But by the way, the Pathfinders were told that the parents could not have any hands-on help,
(26:05):
including any help from the mother, or Christy in this case.
I said, no, don't help me.
I'm going to figure this out on my own.
So I just did this yesterday.
So, made a cake, and we carefully put it in the oven, and it says exactly 24 minutes.
(26:30):
24.
So, follow the instructions exactly.
I looked in the oven, 24 minutes.
I pulled them out.
I put them on.
And it's amazing how they don't look exactly like the case.
A little more smashed looking.
(26:52):
And then I took the chocolate and carefully put it on.
But it was a little thin in the spots.
But we tried to make it as good as we could, Ben and I.
And then we took and put tinfoil on it so it would be very protected.
(27:13):
So nothing would happen to the cake.
As we hurried to the banquet, Ben casually mentioned that the cake would be an auction.
(27:37):
and for a moment I wish we'd had a little more time for finishing the touches
the hall was filled with people the dinner was in progress I walked over to the auction table
I was stunned a long table was filled with fantastic array of exquisitely designed masterpieces
(28:01):
angel food, spice, carrot pound, all exotically iced and imaginatively festooned.
Perhaps Ben had misunderstood, and this was some kind of world cake competition.
There were cakes shaped like Indian teepees, rocket ships, Pathfinder emblems,
(28:24):
hats, the United States, people and animals.
There were toppings of cherries and glazes.
marshmallow and candy glitters. Cakes were displayed on ornate cake pans and porcelain
serving dishes. There were cakes topped with ornaments, miniature flags, figures of Bible
(28:45):
scenes, and landscapes. It seemed other Pathfinders had been given a little more help than our son.
So Ben solemnly carried our cake forward, and on the same paper plate at which we had frosted it, carefully, almost reverently, he unwrapped the tinfoil.
(29:27):
I wanted to make sure it was protecting.
Yeah.
(29:50):
As he peeled at the foil, he found that the frosting had stuck to the tinfoil.
And unfortunately, oh, it's even worse than I thought.
Frosting stuck to the foil.
Took to the foil and the yellow spots glared in the bright lights above in the meeting hall.
(30:27):
There was a lot of chocolate on there, too.
I think it's all here.
Wait a minute.
That is pretty good.
(30:58):
I even got some of my coat.
I was afraid men would be ashamed of our creation.
Only pathfinders would be in the auctioneer in bed.
I hurriedly gave Ben $40.
(31:23):
And I said, Ben, don't spend it all in one place.
Take care that you get the most from your money.
Let's see.
The auctioneer raised the first cake.
He described its design in intricate ornamentation, the exotic fillings, the bright colors, and the cherry topping.
(31:53):
He suggested those attributes warranted a high-opening bid.
$5, $8, $10, going once, going twice, said sold for $10.
The next cake was described and sold for $8.
I anticipated the audience reaction to our cake and felt a dull pain inside.
(32:20):
The next cake was described and sold for $8.
I anticipated the audience reaction to our cake,
and my son would probably pretend he didn't know our cake when the time came.
I could almost hear the boos and the groans.
Was it my imagination or was the auctioneer tactfully avoiding our cake?
(32:47):
I began to overhear people in the audience murmuring about the one with the yellow spots.
Some teenagers behind me call it the leprosy cake and laughed.
The moment arrived, the auctioneer raised our cake.
(33:09):
The plate sagged over his hand and the crumbs fell off.
The numerous holes in the frosting shone garishly beneath the bright overhead lights.
Who will give me?
But before...
But before...
(33:30):
Let's see.
Oh, boy.
Who will give me?
But before he could continue, Ben was on his feet yelling at the top of his lungs.
Forty dollars!
Forty dollars!
(33:56):
There was stunned silence.
No counterbids were offered.
After a couple of double takes, the auctioneer quietly said, well, okay.
Ben ran forward wearing a walled wall grin.
I heard him tell his friends in route, that's my cake.
(34:16):
My dad and I made that cake.
He handed over the $40 and beamed at the cake as if it were a treasure.
Smiling, he sampled the frosting with a deaf swoop of his index finger.
When he saw me, he shouted, Dad, I got it.
(34:38):
We drove home happy, Ben holding his prize on his lap.
He asked why he'd open the bidding by offering all the money he had.
He answered, I didn't want anyone else to get our cake.
As we compare this parable to the spiritual, to our spiritual lives,
(35:02):
so who is the father?
Who is the father in this parable?
God.
God is it.
Who has been?
Jesus.
Jesus gave it all.
He paid everything for your life, gave his life for you.
(35:22):
He gave every bit he had.
That was Ben.
Who is the cake?
Us.
Thank you.
Very good.
It is us.
Romans 3.23 says,
For all have sinned and come short of the character and glory of God.
(35:46):
Romans 5.8,
While we are still sinners or covered with these yellow blemishes,
Christ died for us.
623 says,
For the wages or blemishes of sin cause death.
(36:08):
Romans 12, 3,
Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.
That's because don't think that what you do or say,
you are spotless before God.
Isaiah 64, 6 says, all our righteousness is as filthy rags.
(36:30):
We are all covered with yellow blemishes,
only accepting the free gift of grace of Jesus' death on the cross for us.
Are we covered by his unblemished righteousness?
God is love all the time, and all the time.
Very good.
(36:52):
In heaven's eyes, God in his love and Jesus who reflected that same love
showed us an unselfish, self-sacrificing love.
In heaven's eyes, you are without blemish when you choose to accept the gift of redemption,
(37:17):
which is the sacrifice Jesus made for you,
and you allow Jesus to cover you in his righteousness.
In heaven's eyes, you are loved whether you have blemishes or not.
Because why?
(37:38):
Because you choose to accept Jesus' righteousness to cover you,
And then you are a beautiful cake before God.
Praise God.
In heaven's eyes, you are loved.
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com