Pastor Rick Lentz's sermon titled 'The Supremacy of Jesus Christ' emphasizes the paramount importance of recognizing Jesus Christ's supreme authority in the life of believers. Drawing from scriptural passages, Pastor Lentz explains that while many profess a belief in God, true belief requires a heartfelt relationship with Jesus, characterized by active trust and surrender to His lordship. He contrasts mere head knowledge with a vibrant personal faith that entrusts one's life to Christ. The sermon uses various analogies to illustrate the human inability to bridge the spiritual gap between man and God through personal efforts, underscoring that salvation is a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Pastor Lentz further highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in leading believers to truth and the necessity of allowing Christ to have preeminence in all aspects of life. He calls for a genuine surrender to God’s will, which is marked by obedience and a transformed life that reflects God's truth and love to the world. The sermon concludes with a prayer for God to search hearts and lead believers into deeper surrender and service.

Yesterday afternoon, Rex shared with me that he couldn't believe I was going to be 82 until he saw me stand up and walk. Now you've seen me shave. It wasn't a violent activity, it was just a loss of blood. But we're doing fine. A text this morning, there it is, chapter 3, verses 31 and following.

Let's read it together. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what he has seen and heard, he testifies.

No one receives his testimony. He who has received his testimony has certified that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life.

He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Father as we search your word, your promise is that your Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. And that is our prayer, Lord, that we would be willing to be led. And that in your leading, by obedience, we would follow. Lord, we do adjust that you would just speak to every heart, my heart, and that ears would be open to hear and receive all that you have for us today.

In Jesus' name, Amen. I want to talk this morning about the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Throughout Scripture, particularly in this passage, but throughout Scripture, we are continually informed, encouraged, exhorted to see that reality that Jesus Christ is supreme. And in seeing that, obviously the question we're asked is, have I given him that rightful place in my heart and life? Do I just acknowledge that or have I surrendered to that?

Last week, Brother Jerry finished with, he must increase, I must decrease. And that's a reality for all of us. It will never stop until that day when he calls us home. And in that process of sanctification, we're told that's the will of God concerning Christ Jesus for all of us, that in that process we would come to that place of giving Him His rightful place. I would decrease, he would increase.

Sharing that thought a while ago with a man of God, he said, look Rick, here's the deal. We're not where we were, we're not where we're going, but we're on the path. And we can praise God for that. He has set our feet upon a path towards righteousness and holiness and we will attain that when he calls us home. It's exciting.

And John Purpos in writing this gospel was just expressly that. Jerry repeats it, I've repeated it, it's important we can repeat it again. Truly Jesus did many other things 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. 57 times in this gospel alone is the word believe.

You think it's important? You know, somebody once said, if God said it once, it's important. If he says it twice, it's really important. What do you suppose 57 times means? It's really important.

But it's really important that we put the right definition on believing. Because 99, maybe that's high, percent of the American people would say, I believe in God. But that's head knowledge. That's intellectual. Believing in the original language speaks to entrusting your life.

It's an active verb. It's not passive. It's always active. The enemies believe. We're told that.

You believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. So just head knowledge isn't what God is after. It's after a heart relationship with Jesus Christ. And we hear John in our text speaking to these attributes of Jesus Christ.

The reality of how perhaps we might phrase that he has earned the right to his place in my life and in your life. We read it, I'm going to read it again to you today, and he is before all things and in him all things consist. He is the head of the body, the church, which is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Listen, in all things, He may have preeminence. Not predominance.

A lot of people who profess Christ, who profess a belief in Jesus Christ, give Him that predominant place. That's not what He's after. He's after the preeminent place. He has the last say. He has the last word for me and for you.

And so as we look at the text this morning, speaking of the supremacy of God, it tells us in the first verse of our text, he who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. Twice. Above all.

He who comes from heaven. We know that it's speaking to Jesus Christ from John 316. God so loved the world. We know from John one one in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

And God sent His Son to redeem all of mankind. There's a story. I can't confirm it, but it's a good story. But there's an island off of California called Catalina, it's 22 miles. And Every year there's a contest.

There's a cliff in California and the contest is for men or women, children, to run and jump off this cliff and land on the island. And it's supposedly have been going on for years. No mechanical device. Some inventions of man, they've strapped feather wings, they've done all sorts of things. Some just believe in their head they can do it, and they run fast enough and they jump.

But it all ends up in ultimate failure. Nobody's ever made it. That's a good story. But the story does reflect something in my life and in your life. And that's the gap between a sinful man and a righteous and holy God.

And we've tried everything to bridge that gap. Everything good works. We've tried going to church. We've tried all manner of things. The night that Beverly and I came to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the pastor preached about ten false faiths, Things you believe in, but aren't in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

And man's best efforts, I call that religion, man's best efforts can never bridge that gap between mankind and a righteous and holy God. But God has a solution. God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The wages of sin is death. All have sin that come short of the glory of God.

We're all trying to get to this island, if you will, the goal, heaven, eternity with Jesus, eternal life, and we're trying to get it by our own efforts and God says, I have created a bridge. It's my son, Jesus Christ, who died on Calvary's cross, shedding His blood that you and I could receive forgiveness of our sins and invite Him into a blood cleansed heart and serve Him, surrender our heart and life to Him, giving Him the supremacy, the preeminent place. And there's nothing you and I can do. It's by grace through faith we've been saved. Not of yourselves, it's a gift of God.

Not of works, lest any man should boast. So as we ponder this, Just for the reality of this morning's time, ask yourself the question, have I just been trying to please God by my efforts, or have I really believed, trusted my life to Him and surrendered to His Lordship? It's an important comment. It's an important thing to surrender. We're told in Philippians chapter 2, let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider a robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and becoming the likeness of men.

Being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven, those on earth, those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord Supreme, has that rightful place in a heart and life, and God gets all the glory. God left His throne in His Son Jesus Christ willingly to suffer and die for me and for you with a goal that we would proclaim Him Lord above all, We're told twice.

We're also shared in this text where we are. It says, He who comes from above is above all Jesus. He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. So here we are, Jesus Christ coming to earth, and here we are earth and speaking earth.

And we have that influence of the world. We have that influence from Adam, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And through one man's sin, death entered the world, we're told. And so we have this picture of God above all, you and I, here on earth, being influenced and persuaded and perhaps making worldly decisions. 1st Corinthians teaches the man, the first man was of the earth, made of dust.

The second man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust. And it is the heavenly man, so are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne in the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man." There's a lot of words, you know, you and I who read through scripture understand Paul was never a short sentence kind of guy, you know, he's just kind of... But what's he saying?

He's saying, you and I bear the image of Adam, and through a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ, yielding to his supreme place in our hearts and lives, we can and will become partakers of the image of Jesus Christ. The end of that psalm, my favorite psalm, talks about when I shall awake, I shall be like Him. That's the goal. That's the journey. That's the path.

And God has set us on that path. And our text goes on to say that what He has seen and heard, He testifies, no one receives His testimony. We know how true that is from Scripture because we learn in the first chapter of John he came unto his own and his own received him not. Read through the Old Testament. Probably easier and faster way is to look in your concordance and just look at how rebellious and stiff-necked people.

Go ahead, type that in your search. And then raise your hand with me. God speaks, Testifies. This is how I want you to live. This is how I want you to be.

This is how I want you to represent me. We don't hear it. Kind of picking choose, don't we? There's a reason. Here's the reason.

Natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit for their foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they're spiritually discerned. We expect our unbelieving relatives to behave like Christians. I won't ask you parents to raise your hand But how many of you have thought in your head, why don't my kids act like Christians? Probably because they're not, which is a grim reality. But we expect them to act like they behave, like they believe, like they understand, like they comprehend, but they can't.

Only God can open up an eye. Only the Lord can give sight and vision. The One thing required for sight is what? Light. And you and I have read, I am the light of the world.

The only source. In chapter 3 a little earlier it said, if I have told you earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe when I tell you heavenly things? But my people would not heed my voice. Israel would have none of me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own counsels.

That's not a good place, people. You know, those of us who have been in that place, and I'm sure most of us have, in fact, all of us have, been given to our own stubborn heart and walk in our own councils, and it's ended poorly. I want you to hear this, it will every time. It may not from the world's perspective, But in the most important relationship we have it will end poorly if you are left to your own Because our own will never come to that place of our own efforts of serving God And so we need to stop and listen to what he's saying. He said, my people would not heed my voice.

We wouldn't listen. We wouldn't hear. We wouldn't obey. And there's consequences for that. How many of you have ever sung the little chorus, every promise in the book is mine?

You know they're not all positive? Yeah. And we need to be aware of that this morning. Because obedience to the Spirit of God in my life and in your life affect our relationship and how it ends in God's perspective. I don't want anyone here to take this as kind of a guilt trip because it's never meant to be that way.

But we've been worshiping in this building as a voice of voice of faith since about 1969. You can do the math. The world would expect this place to have been much bigger and much fuller. But we don't serve the world. We serve God.

And God has brought each and every one of you to this place for this time. And I know I speak for Jerry as I speak for myself. We are humbled and honored to be granted the privilege to pastor this congregation, because it's God. And as we acknowledge that, we purpose to acknowledge His place in our hearts and lives. He was received his testimony as certified that God is true.

It's an interesting verb, certified. Have you ever thought of yourself as certifying the truth of God? But what he's saying is our lives reflect our relationship. Our lives reflect and give testimony of the reality of God in our lives. As Gary pointed out this morning, we're not alone.

And perhaps we are suffering, perhaps not like the people that Gary shares every Sunday morning, praise God for the persecuted church, that we can relate to them. But we begin to understand that we bear testimony that God is true. We affirm, we attest. It's not knowledge, it's revelation. And Jesus said, John answered and said unto him, a man can receive nothing unless he's been given to him from heaven.

We give evidence by how we live. How we live in obedience to his word with his people by our love, to the world by letting our light so shine that they may see our good works and glorify our Father. It goes on in our text to say, for he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. You see, Jesus, fully God, fully man, has all the attributes of God, His power, His gifts, His authority, His Word, without limit. We're told that in Colossians chapter 2, beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty the seat according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." We limit ourselves. We have that potential, that capacity. We're told in 1 Corinthians, for who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. But if you're like me, you get distracted.

If you're like me, you find things of the world more attractive. If you're like me, you give yourself and your time priorities the things of the world and not the things of the Kingdom of God. And yet, God is given to us. And by his grace, we need to stay focused. We need to pay attention.

Isaiah tells us this, you will keep him in perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you. Trust in the Lord forever for in Yah the Lord is everlasting strength. Our mind stayed on him, focused. Giving Him that supreme place in our hearts and lives. The Father loves His Son and has given all things into His hand.

Perfect love. That relationship between God and His Son, Jesus Christ, That relationship was restored between all of mankind through his death and resurrection. We need to live in that, people. Isaiah said, Here, behold my servant whom I have upheld, my elect one whom I sold the light. I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles." And then it says, then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom of God, the kingdom to the God the Father when he puts an end to all rule and authority and power and he remains the supreme one.

Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess. Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And Colossians teaches us that that's that kingdom as we read this morning that you and I have been translated into, carried into, placed into by our relationship with Jesus Christ. You're the only gift a Supreme Lord could give. Salvation.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. He who does not believe in the Son shall not see him, but the wrath of God abides in him. One of the 57 times, he who believes in the Son. Jesus spoke these words lifting up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that your Son may also glorify you as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should have eternal life, who as many as you have given him.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I've glorified you on the earth. I finished the work which you have given to me to do. And now, oh Father, glorify me together with your Son with the glory which I had with you before the world was. First John chapter five says that this way, he who has the son has life.

He who has not the Son of God has not life. It's a wonderful illustration. I have this, the Word of God, given to us as a gift. And Jesus is saying, I hold it out to you, like I would say to Gary, because I can tell him he can't get out of that pew so he can't come and get it. Gary, do you have this Bible that I want to give you as a gift that will change your life?

You don't have it. I still have it because he hasn't reached out and received. It's just an illustration of the Bible. I know Gary has received Jesus Christ, so I'm not picking on him today. He's just close and it's easy.

But people, that's what God is asking of us today today. Will you surrender to my supreme place? I've given you my word. I have shared with you in my word my place and my desired place And I'm asking each and every one of you this morning, like God is asking me, will I surrender? Will I yield my right to my self-rule?

Will I allow him to make the final decision through His word for every direction and everything in my heart and life, by grace through faith rule, have complete supremacy, empowered by His Holy Spirit, that God would be glorified. John's gospel is proclaiming this throughout all of it. And he's looking for our response. And I would trust this morning that God's Holy Spirit, speaking to my heart and every heart here, would say, Lord, I surrender all, not some. Not partial, not predominant, Preeminent.

Father God, search our hearts. See if there be any wicked way in me. Any wicked way that desires my own way, my own self-rule. Proclaiming my own self-righteousness. Search me, O God, by your Spirit, try me.

And then, Lord, by that gracious gift of repentance, allow us to see and surrender to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And Lord, let us then go forth and shine in this dark world that you may be glorified. And that Lord, the reality that John expresses over and over again in this gospel that Jesus Christ is the Son of God would be given evidence in my life and all those gathered. Lord our hearts call and our hearts desires to serve and please you. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.