07-06-08 Sermon Review

He Knows You; Yet, He Still Loves You
John 2:23-25

We come today on a topic that is called the "most despised; yet the most distinctively Christian doctrine," and that is the doctrine of human depravity. It is not a pleasant topic to discuss; actually, some Evangelical Christians consider this doctrine as repulsive. I have met quite a few persons who are so appalled at the teaching's view of the human soul. Many have put humanity on the pedestal of moral virtue or even themselves. They consider the human to be morally good. If that is the position you hold today, I pray that I may destroy this pedestal with biblical truth and erect another for the glory of God who alone is worthy to be called morally good.

The story that we see in the passage today is quite straightforward. Jesus received a wide following with the signs that he was performing. Yet, He did not entrust Himself to them. The reason Apostle John gives is staggering. He did not because He knew all men. Jesus' deity comes into play as the verses state that He knew what was in all men. Now the question then becomes: What did Jesus see so clearly (He did not need any testimony concerning man) that He purposely did not entrust Himself to them? That is the question that I want to answer today.

Only God Can See the Heart - First, we need to recognize that only God can see the heart of man. The rest of us are blinded to what's actually in the heart, and unlike Jesus, we do need a testimony concerning man. We do not know instinctively and truly what is in man. But God can see the heart, and God does not have a vision problem.

Only God Can Judge the Heart - Not only is God the sole being in the existence to see and understand the nature of our hearts, He is also the only one who can judge it with righteousness. His assessment of our hearts is the only valid and true one. Jeremiah says "But, O LORD, of hosts, who judges righteously, who tries the feelings and the heart, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause" (Jeremiah 11:20).

Now, the Bible does not only teach these two truths - that God can see the heart and judge the heart; it teaches that He actually has seen the heart and has judged the heart. And here is the verdict: our heart is corrupt. Jeremiah goes even as far as to say that the heart is beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). This assessment is not only for the murderers, the adulterers, the hypocrites: those who have consummated their evil desires into physical action. This assessment is for all of us. "As it is written, 'There is no one righteous, not even one'" (Romans 3:10).

Only God Can Save the Heart - If we ended the sermon there, there is not much hope for us. We are judged as wicked people with sinful hearts who are being prepared for the God who will tread the winepress of His fuirous wrath. But it is this same God who saw our hearts and judged our hearts, who can save our hearts and has saved our hearts by sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. What a love! James Montgomery Boice writes of this kind of love: "It's not hard to love somebody who is lovely. We all do that. It is often possible to love someone who is unlovely. Some do that occasionally. But to love someone who is rebellious, proud, arrogant, corrupt, ruthlessly independent, and who will crucify the very one who most loves him - that is real love! Of that sort of love only God is capable."

Jesus Christ knows you. There is no need to try and fake being someone you are not. And the amazing thing is this: the holy One, Jesus Christ, though He knew full well the evil and sin in your hearts, did not choose to neglect you, though He would have been perfectly just to do so. In your complete helplessness, Christ saved you, Christ showed His love to you, Christ shed His blood for you. What a love indeed, a divine love. Yes, He knows you; yet, He still loves you. There are not many who can know you so well, and love you so much. For us to understand such a great love, we need to come to grips about our own sinfulness. I pray that the sermon has helped to show you how wicked and sinful you are and that it has led you to a place where all you can say is, "Lord save me." I pray such truth of your own sinfulness will liberate you into the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.