In Jason Dohm's sermon 'Trifling with the God of Glory,' the focus is on John 12:37-43, highlighting the persistent unbelief of people despite Jesus' many miracles. The sermon warns against taking God's grace for granted and emphasizes the judgment that comes with persistent unbelief, termed as 'judicial hardening.' Dohm explains that God's patience has limits, drawing parallels with Isaiah's prophecies about the blindness and hardening of hearts as a divine judgment. The sermon also addresses the dangers of fearing man and desiring human praise over God's approval, urging believers to live in the light and confess their faith openly. This is contrasted with the behavior of some Jewish rulers who believed in Jesus but feared public confession. Believers are exhorted to remain steadfast in their faith and avoid trifling with God by presuming upon His grace.

Our sermon text for today is John chapter 12 verses 37 through 43. For context, I'm going to start reading in verse 35, go to the end of the chapter. Please follow along. Then Jesus said to them, A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.

He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. But although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him, that the word of Isaiah, the prophet, might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should hear them. These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Then Jesus cried out and said, he who believes in me believes not in me But in him who sent me and he who sees me sees him who sent me I have come as a light into the world and whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness And if anyone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I do not come to the world, for I do not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told me, so I speak." Let's pray. Lord, we pray that you will bless the preaching of your word, that you'll pour out your Spirit on this place, open up our hearts and our ears to hear, Lord, and that you'll bless Mr. Doe as he comes, that you'll give him your words. In Jesus' name, amen.

The title of the sermon this morning is, Tri-Fling with the God of Glory. Isn't that a fearful Isn't that a fearful title? Think about that. Think about the God who is all-powerful and all-knowing and in all places at every moment. Think about playing games with that God.

Think about trifling with the God of the Bible as He is set forward to us in Scripture. Really the heartbeat of the text is a people who have trifled with the King of everything. We see God's judgment on that. We see God's anger against that. This week in our text we have no red letters.

Jesus doesn't say any of the words of our text. All are either the words of John the Gospel writer or John the Gospel writer quoting Isaiah. He'll quote Isaiah twice. Isaiah 53 and Isaiah chapter 6. But the immediate context And what John is offering additional commentary on is on red letters.

The words that Jesus has just spoken in verses 35 and 36. Look at those again. John 12, 35 and 36. And Jesus said to them, A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.

He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. John, the Gospel writer, is commenting on this. What was Jesus doing there? He had been asked a question about how to understand these different things that the Old Testament say about the Messiah.

They seem to the people to be incompatible. Rather than answering that question, which would have been very easy for Jesus to do, He knows how to reconcile the parts of the Old Testament about his first coming in humility with the parts in the Old Testament about his second coming in glory to judge. So he could have answered that question, but we see as we have seen a number of times in John, He doesn't answer the question. He answers a question that wasn't even asked. Rather than explain, he warns the people.

They were a people who never seemed to be satisfied. He did many miracles. They asked for one more sign. He taught many things. They asked for one more explanation.

Meanwhile, they are missing the time of their visitation quibbling over smaller stuff. That is what Jesus was talking about. That is why Jesus doesn't offer one more explanation. He warns them that they're about to miss their visitation by the Son of God. And so he tells them to walk in the light while they have the light, lest they are overtaken, overrun, overcome by darkness.

So this is what John is talking about. Jesus is warning to the people not to miss their opportunity to repent because they are quibbling over smaller things. As we come to our text, let's ask the Lord to help us. God, you are the great God, You are the only God. There is one God in three persons.

God I pray that a deep reverence for you would settle in our hearts. Pray that we would determine today to be done with any game playing that we've been doing. Any trifling with you that we would become so afraid that we would tremble at your word as you say what you sometimes do with those who have played games and trifled with you, as if you are one of us. God, far be it from us. Teach us, press these truths on us in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. I'd like to begin by looking at what John says in verses 37 and 38. So please follow along, John 12, 37 and 38. But although He, Jesus, had done so many signs before them, They did not believe in Him. That the word of Isaiah, the prophet, might be fulfilled which he spoke.

The Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? In these verses we have the nature of unbeliefs. If you're taking notes by filling in blanks on the handout, it's nature. The nature of unbelief.

John the Gospel writer here makes two big points about unbelief. Big point one, unbelief persists in many in spite of abundant and astonishing evidence." So this is John the Gospel writer's first big point here. Unbelief persists, it continues, in many hearts, in spite of abundant and astonishing evidence. The unbelief is undisturbed. There is abundant evidence, there is astonishing evidence, But the unbelief is undisturbed.

It continues. Three things are said by John of the works that Jesus did. Number one, there were so many of them. Not just many of them, not just he did many of these works, but he did so many of them. He is using linguistic techniques to get you to see by piling up words.

Jesus did so many signs. Read the Gospel accounts and count them. A quick Google search in the early morning hours this morning, I found one man who said that he listed 34 miracles across the Gospel accounts. Another person who made a list made a list of 37. That's undoubtedly because there are some, or it's hard to tell whether it's different accounts of the same miracle or not.

But mid to high 30s, when you itemize them, mid to high 30s of things that are wonderful works. What an abundance! What an abundance of works the Lord Jesus did. That's number one. There were so many of them.

Number two, they were miracles. John calls them signs, But the King James renders that same Greek word, miracles. So if you have a King James Bible, instead of seeing signs, but although he had done so many signs before them, the King James says, but although he had done so many miracles before them. That's because the Greek word essentially means authenticating miracles. So I actually like John in that it renders it, there's something behind the signs.

It's more than just a miracle. It's a miracle with a purpose, but what I like about the King James is it keeps in focus how astonishing the works of Jesus were. They were so astonishing, they were so miraculous, that a natural explanation would have seemed silly for them. In other words, if you tried to explain them away by saying, oh, it was this, it would just ring hollow. They were authenticating miracles.

They were astonishing things that had no natural explanation in order to authenticate Jesus. They were a declaration of God in heaven that Jesus was sent by God in heaven. By his father. So number one, there were so many of them. Number two, they were miracles.

Number three, he did them before the people. He did these astonishing works, this abundance of astonishing works, in front of the people, in the presence of the people. They were public works. They were not done in secret. So if you had an appetite to trace these out, or to run down the evidence, you would find that these were things that had overwhelmingly been done publicly before many eyewitnesses.

You would be able to verify. In fact, we are in chapter 12, what was chapter 11? Lazarus. Where was Lazarus raised from the dead? Less than two miles from the gates of Jerusalem.

If you wanted to know, he did this in front of many people. Many people did go from Jerusalem to see, and they wanted to talk to Lazarus, and many believed. If you wanted to, you could, because these were miracles not done in private, not done in secret, but so many of them were done with many, many eyewitnesses. There were many miracles done in front of many eyewitnesses. This is the point of what John is saying.

Remember chapter 20, 30 and 31, we quote this almost every week, I'm quoting it again John 20, 30 and 31, John says and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Why the miracles? John tells you. Why the miracles? So that you would believe that Jesus is who He said He is, the Savior that God promised to send.

And that believing that you would be spiritually raised from the dead, that you would have life in His name. The Father sent the Son to do these works to authenticate His identity. He is who He said He is, and to authenticate His message. What he is saying is words from heaven. God giving truth to mankind through his son.

But the heart of man is such that miracles, even many miracles, even miracles done publicly in front of many eyewitnesses, do not guarantee belief. We are learning that in our text. If God were to make it so that I would do a miracle today to prove that the words preached are true words, that would not guarantee belief. How do we know that? Well, because one so much better than me already did many miracles, he did them publicly, they were astonishing, where no other explanation would do, and yet they weren't believed.

So you can know that we're not different. We're not cut from different cloth. We're cut from the same cloth. And if a miracle were done here today, there would still be unbelief. Because miracles don't guarantee belief.

So that's big point one. Unbelief persists in spite of many abundant and astonishing evidence. Big point two is unbelief never takes God by surprise. That's sort of stating the obvious, isn't it? Unbelief never takes God by surprise.

Nothing takes God by surprise. He is omniscient. He knows everything. Everything past, everything present, everything future is in the mind of God. There is nothing hidden from God in any period of time.

We know that. This unbelief did not take God by surprise, but this point is driven home by what John the Gospel writer quotes. He quotes something that was written something like 700 years earlier. Earlier. John quotes Isaiah.

Isaiah was writing his prophecies, the words that God gave him, about 700 years before the arrival of Jesus Christ. 700 years. John quotes Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 is about the suffering servant, the Messiah, from the start of the chapter to the end of the chapter. Of all the Messianic prophecies, Think of all the things about the promised Savior in the Old Testament.

And there is a pile of them, of all of them. I think you put Isaiah 53 at the top. Isaiah 53 is the mountain peak of all of the Old Testament prophecies about God's promised Savior. And yet, the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah knew and said that though God would work in this mighty way to save His people, The arm of the Lord, that just means God's work. When you see the arm of the Lord, it's talking about what God is doing.

The arm of the Lord would be recognized by few, And many would refuse to believe what God was doing. Listen to it as it's quoted by John. Lord, who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. The whole implication of Isaiah 53 verse 1, that's verse 1 of that chapter, the whole implication is that few would believe, that many would see, but not discern the arm of the Lord, the working of God in these things. Here's the takeaway.

We shouldn't be surprised either. God knew 700 years before Jesus was born. God put in the mouth of a prophet 700 years before Jesus was born. That though He was doing these things, had said he was doing these things very specifically with great detail, that even the people who the prophecies had been sent to, Few of them would believe. Who has believed our report?

The implication is few. To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? The implication is not too many. We shouldn't be surprised either at unbelief. Moving on to the next section, verses 39-41.

Back in John chapter 12 verses 39 through 41. John writes, Therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. These things Isaiah spoke when he saw his glory and spoke of him Here in these verses we have the cause of blind eyes and hardened hearts So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, it's cause. The cause of blind eyes and hardened hearts. John says something stunning by quoting Isaiah, God did this.

God blinded these eyes. God hardened these hearts. Friends, how can that be? How can it be that God blinds eyes and hardens hearts? Doesn't God want people to see?

Doesn't God want people to understand? Isn't it the testimony of scripture that we are to see and to understand? How can this be? Consider the logic and flow of the Gospel of John and of what he quotes from Isaiah. Verse 39 begins with a significant word, with a significant word, therefore they could not believe.

Because they refused to believe even in the face of so many public authenticating miracles. God from heaven pointing at His Son. This is my Son. The miracles are pointing at Him. These are marks of the Messiah.

How many weeks have gone by without me saying the phrase marks of the Messiah. There's mark after mark after mark testimony from God the Father in heaven. This is my son I sent him. He is who he says he is. His words are truth from heaven.

Because they refuse to believe, even in the face of so many public authenticating miracles, as a consequence of that, God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. It's a judgment. It's a judgment on stubborn, persistent, unbelief. J.C. Ryle and Matthew Henry, and I'm sure many other commentators, call this judicial blinding, judicial hardening.

What do they mean by that? They mean it's a judgment. It's a penalty meted out, rendered by the judge for persistent unbelief. Does God care if you persist in your unbelief even though he's given you light. Does God care?

Does He ever. Go to Isaiah 6. We're going to go right to where he quotes from. Isaiah chapter 6. At least in the Christian Church, if you say which are the two most famous chapters In Isaiah, you would probably say Isaiah 6, where the prophet is undone in the presence of God.

That's Isaiah 6. And Isaiah 53, about the suffering servant. Because It's the clearest picture of substitutionary atonement. The just dying for the unjust. The innocent dying for the guilty.

These are the two chapters. And these are the two chapters that John is quoting. I'm going to read the whole chapter, Isaiah chapter 6. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. The train of his robe filled the temple.

Above it stood Seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory, and the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

So I said, Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said, Behold, this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then I said, here am I, send me. And he said, go and tell this people keep on hearing and do not understand keep on seeing but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed." Then I said, Lord, how long? And he answered, until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant.

The houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate. The Lord has removed men far away and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it, and will return before consuming, as a terebinth tree or as an oak tree, whose stump remains when it is cut down, so the holy seed shall be its stump." Now let's look at a few selected spots in the chapter. Verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple." Isaiah the prophet had this vision of the Lord on the throne in his temple. According to John, this is the Lord Jesus Christ.

In our text, John 12, 41, John says, these things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. This must be Jesus Christ. This can only be Jesus Christ. When you look at what John says, that his glory and spoke of Him has to be Jesus. Jesus is the subject before that verse and Jesus is the subject immediately after that verse.

The His and Him can only be the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Gospel writer says, Isaiah 6 Verse 1, the King on the throne, whose glory is on display, is Jesus Christ. Friends, Guard against small thoughts of Jesus. Guard against small thoughts. Yes, He came and dwelled among us and He took on flesh.

And he had the appearance of a man. But this is Jesus in Isaiah 6 verse 1. This is Jesus, the king on a throne with angels covering their eyes. Verse 9 and he said, go tell this people keep on hearing but do not understand. Keep on seeing but do not perceive.

Keep on. You have been seeing but not perceiving. Keep on. You have been hearing but not understanding. Keep on.

This is a continuation. If you look at what is said in 2 Chronicles and what is said in Jeremiah 25, what you learn is that God has waited patiently for 500 years in the face of unbelief and disobedience. And now he is rendering judgment. And this generation that Isaiah is being sent to speak to is just like their fathers. They are just persisting in their unbelief and in their disobedience.

So God says, you tell them, keep on. Continue on. What you have been doing, what your fathers did, what your grandfathers did, what your great grandfathers did, keep on. Verse 10, make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return and be healed." This is what John quotes. An irrevocable judgment is being pronounced for the persistent unbelief and disobedience for the people.

God will not hold back this judgment. He's waited for 500 years and he sent prophet after prophet after prophet after prophet and the people would not hear and they would not hear and they would not hear and their time is up and God will not shrink back from rendering this judgment. That's why the people go into captivity. This is what Isaiah is prophesying. The Babylonians are coming.

They're going to sweep through you and take you into captivity. And nothing can keep that from happening now. Your time to see and hear and turn has come and gone. These are terrifying words. Verses 11-13 Then I said, Lord, how long?

And he answered, until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant. The houses are without a man. The land is utterly desolate. The Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land but yet a tenth will be in it and will return and be for consuming as a terrible tree or as an oak whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump." God actually leaves them with hope.

This is actually fulfilled in Ezra and Nehemiah. The bringing back of a remnant who will serve Him. God leaves hope. He promises to have mercy on a remnant and He leaves the people who will hear this prophecy to be left with this question, why not me? Why not me?

God has said He won't hold back this judgment. Why can I not be part of a faithful remnant? He actually leaves them with hope, even in the midst of announcing this judgment. In Isaiah 6, they had trifled with the God of glory. God had been patient through centuries of their game playing.

And He held back, And he held back, and he held back, and he held back, and here he says, I'll not hold back anymore. With those who trifle with me as if I were a man, as if I were a peer, as if I didn't see and didn't know. They would not walk in the light God had given them, so darkness overtook them." This is what you see in Isaiah 6, they would not walk in the light that God had given them, so darkness overtook them. That's exactly what John 12 is about. Jesus just said, walk in the light while you have the light.

Less darkness overtakes you. That's why John quotes Isaiah 6 because that's exactly what is happening in the history of Israel at this point? Listen to this. Our text has these terrifying words. They could not believe.

They could not believe. Because they abused God's grace. God withdrew His grace. Can God do that? If it's grace, he can.

If it's grace, by definition, you didn't earn it, pay for it, deserve it. He gave it because of his goodness, and you abused it, and he said, I'm taking it back. In Isaiah, would God have been just to do this a hundred years earlier? How about two hundred years? How about three hundred years?

You know, the wages of Santa's death, he can pay your wages at any time. To say, that's not fair, when God just withdraws grace that you've been abusing, you know that's not true. You know that's not true. God is patient, But God is not a man that you should trifle with Him. Who among you, who here is trifling with the God of glory?

Who here is refusing to walk in the light, insensible to the fact that darkness might be about to overtake you? About to overtake you. Who here is abusing the grace of God, the unearned, undeserved goodness of God, and you are abusing it, and God is right on the cusp of withdrawing it. You're trifling with God as if He owes it to extend it to you tomorrow. I plead with you.

I plead with you. Based on our text. Come to our text. Read what it says. Consider these people whose condemnation...

Do you know what it was like when the Babylonians came upon Jerusalem? Do you know what it was like when the Babylonians came upon Jerusalem? Do you know what it was like when the Romans came upon many of these people that John is speaking about who were judicially hardened by God, God withdrew His grace and they could not believe because of their persisting in the face of overwhelming evidence. He sent the Son of God and He did so many very public authenticating miracles in their midst. And they would not believe.

Would not believe. To read Josephus about the Romans overrunning Jerusalem will turn your stomach. It will make you tremble. John the Gospel writer is working for that. He's working that we would tremble.

That those who are trifling with the God of glory, the God who sits upon a throne with the angels covering their eyes and His robe fills the temple. You're abusing His grace as if He owes it to extend it to you again tomorrow, I plead with you. Because there is another side of this coin. The side that is set before us is not seeing, not understanding, so not turning, and not being healed. What's the other side of that coin?

Seeing and understanding. Seeing God as He is, and yourself as you are. Understanding what that means and so turning as a consequence of seeing and understanding, turning, realizing you're on a broad way that leads to destruction. And so turning, and then what? You're healed.

You're healed. You're saved. You're held back from destruction and brought into glory to share in His glory. Isaiah actually gives us the recipe for salvation in showing us the recipe for condemnation. Not seeing, not hearing, so not turning, not being healed.

The opposite of that is true. When you see and understand, and so as a consequence you turn, God heals. God will heal you. God is extending His grace again today to you. This is repentance and faith.

Back to our text. John 12, 42 and 43. Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." In these verses we have the fear of men and the praise of men. What a trap both of these things can be.

If you're taking notes by filling in blanks, it's fear and praise. The fear of men and the praise of men. John, the Gospel writer, sets these forth as traps. We are seeing what we have already seen in the Gospel of John. In John chapter 7, there is the feast of tabernacles.

And there is an undercurrent among those who have come to the feast wondering whether Jesus will come to the feast, wondering who Jesus really is, wondering if he is good or not good. We read this in John chapter 7 verse 13. However, no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. Even talk about Jesus has been suppressed by fear of the Jews. In John chapter 9, Jesus heals the man who was born blind.

He gives sight to the man who was born blind. His parents get interrogated and they are reluctant to say much. We read this in John 9 verse 22. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. That has a direct bearing on our text.

Many of The rulers believed in Jesus, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him unless they should be put out of the synagogue. For some time there has been a code of silence that extends even to the rulers. Here's the deal. You buy ongoing acceptance with your silence about Jesus. You buy, you purchase Your ongoing acceptance by being quiet about Jesus.

Why would these rulers of the Jews agree to that? It seems like such a dirty deal. Two factors are given in the text. One, the fear of men, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. They were afraid of being put out of the synagogue.

And two, the love of the praise of men, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. What was underneath their fear of being exiled from the synagogue? They loved their spot. They loved the praise of men. They couldn't stand the thought of losing it.

They would rather have the acceptance of these Pharisees than the acceptance of God, the approval of God. So, can a person who fits this description be a born-again person? I think this text begs that question. Can a person who fits this description believe in Jesus but not confessing Him because of fear and love of praise. Can you be a born again person and fit that description?

I'd like to say three things about that. First, John the Gospel writer puts these people in direct contrast to those who are persisting in unbelief in the face of the overwhelming evidence. So the flow of what John wrote. Jesus did a lot of many astonishing public miracles. And even though he did that, many didn't believe.

And they fulfilled what Isaiah said. Nevertheless, these believed in him. So this is the contrast. And the Greek construction believed in him normally refers to saving faith. Not universally, not comprehensively.

You can find some exceptions, but those really are the exceptions to the rule. Most of the time, it's indicating saving faith. That's the first thing I'd say. These people are in contrast to the people who are persisting in unbelief. Secondly, this is not a person but a group of people.

And this is not the end of the story, but a snapshot in time. These are important things. This is not just about one person, but this is a whole group of people. And it doesn't tell you how they end up, it just gives you, in this point in time, they will not confess Jesus. Let me give you a couple of examples that will shape our thinking about this, I think.

Listen to John chapter 3, verses 1 and 2. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, remember this? A ruler of the Jews. So it's very possible that Nicodemus is one of the group of people that John is describing here because he is a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs you do unless God is with him.

Nicodemus really seems to fit the bill of what is being described in John chapter 12. Then we see this of Nicodemus in John chapter 7 verses 50 and 51. Nicodemus, he who came to Jesus by night, okay so here again, Nicodemus is the one who came to Jesus by night, not openly during the day but by night, said to them, does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing? In the context of John chapter 7, it's a sideways way of helping Jesus without identifying with Jesus. So he's not identifying with Jesus.

Or consider the testimony of the Gospels about Joseph of Arimathea. So who was he? I'm going to give you Matthew and Mark and Luke and John's picture of Joseph of Arimathea. Quickly. Matthew 27, 57.

Now when evening had come, There came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. So this is Matthew 27. This is about the claiming of the body of Jesus after his death on the cross. And he is identified as a rich man who had become a disciple of Jesus. Now listen to Mark, Mark 15 43.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, This is a member of the Sanhedrin, a ruler of the Jews, who was himself waiting for the Kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went into Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Now it's in public. Now Joseph is going publicly to Pilate and asking for the body of Jesus. This is not a secret act. Now Luke, Luke 23 verse 51.

He Joseph had not consented to their decision indeed. So when there was a vote in the Sanhedrin To put Jesus to death, Joseph did not vote that way. He had not consented to this. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the Kingdom of God. Now turn to John 19.

I want you to see John's testimony. Or Joseph of Arimathea. John 19 verses 38-40. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body of Jesus.

Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury." It looks to me like in John chapter 19 Nicodemus and Joseph come out of the shadows. Where before Nicodemus came by night, he said nice things about Jesus, but from what Jesus says in John chapter 3, it's clear that Nicodemus is not born again. He does not have saving faith in John chapter 3. You see such an act of devotion in John 19.

Here's what I conclude. My guess is that in this group of people there is probably a mixture. Some who will prove to be real disciples of Jesus and will come out of the shadows, you have a snapshot in time where they shrink back. Has that ever happened to a Christian before? Has there ever been a snapshot in time since you've been a real live Christian where you shrank back when you shouldn't have?

There are probably some in that group of people who will prove to have a false profession. And we'll always shrink back and we'll never identify with Jesus. So the first thing I wanted to say was, John put these people in direct contrast to the people who were persisting in unbelief. Secondly, this is not one person, but a group of people. It's really hard to make that kind of a judgment on a group of people.

And it's not the end of the story. It's midstream in everyone's story. Then thirdly, this is not about making a definitive judgment about this group of Jewish rulers. This is a warning to his readers. You can't read what John says about these people without understanding that John the Gospel writer is condemning them for their actions here, or actually condemning them for their silence.

He says they love the praise of man more than they love the praise of God. That's a condemnation if there ever was one. This isn't about classifying them as saved or unsaved. This is a warning to his readers about how dangerous the fear of men is. About how dangerous loving the praise of men is.

Beware the fear of man and the love of praise. This is why John says what he says. Applications. I'll start right there. Beware the fear of men and the love of praise.

Beware, beware, beware. It is in your heart, the fear of men is in your heart, causing you to want to shrink back with every fiber in your being when it is time to identify with Christ. Beware. Beware of the love of praise. It's in there.

If you don't see it, it's just because you're self-deceived. It is there. It's there. It is lurking, wanting to snuff out signs of spiritual life in your heart. The best that can be said of the fear of men and the love of praise is that it is unchristian behavior that sometimes Christians partake of.

Right? It's unchristian behavior, meaning what is the standard for Christian behavior? Christ! What Christ would do. Christlikeness is the standard of Christian behavior.

Jesus was exactly the opposite of that. He cared nothing for the praise of man. He cared everything for the approval and favor of his father. Every second of his life was spent that way. Well, you're not Jesus.

Welcome to the club. So the best that can be said of the fear of man and the love of praise is that it's un-Christian behavior. It's un-befitting of someone who's trying to act like Jesus. The worst that can be said is it's damning behavior. Listen to Matthew 10 verses 32 and 33.

Therefore whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." If you persist in being in the shadows, in being a secret Christian when the time to be counted comes, if you persist in that, it shows that you are not his. He will not own you before his Father on the day when we are judged for being in Christ or out of Christ. If this is you, if you you're afraid to own Christ publicly, you should be robbed of your joy. You should be robbed of your joy.

You should be robbed of your assurance. You might be a Christian, but you shouldn't have confidence that you're a Christian. This is joy-sapping, assurance-sapping stuff. And rightfully so. Rightfully so.

Number two. That was number one. Beware the fear of men and the love of praise. Number two, do you know in your heart of hearts that you have been trifling with the God of glory? You've been playing a game.

You've been playing a game. You've been abusing His grace and acting like He owes it to you to extend it to you again tomorrow and next week and next month so that you'll repent at your leisure. Just understand how dangerous that is. Understand that God is a God who maintains the right to withdraw his grace. By definition, he can withdraw it.

It's grace. He doesn't owe it. And that there is historical precedent on a national level for him withdrawing his grace from millions of people because they abused it. Number three, don't be surprised by unbelief. Just keep doing what Jesus did.

He warned And he kept declaring. Next week, right back in a declaration text, Jesus has warned the people and he's going to be declaring himself as Savior again next week. He wasn't surprised. God put it in the mouth of the prophet 700 years before Jesus that many, many, many wouldn't believe the report. He wasn't surprised.

He warned the people. He kept declaring. That's what we should do. God, thank you for this text. Thank you for the truth of your word.

I pray that we would never be ashamed to own you. We would look for opportunities to say, we are Christ's. I pray if there's anyone here who's been presuming on your grace, abusing it, as if you owed it again tomorrow and next week and next month, that you would cause them to tremble and to turn. You would let them see and understand and turn so that you would heal them. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.