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[648.98 --> 649.18] Right?
[649.18 --> 654.52] We all know we need places where wrong is judged
[654.52 --> 657.88] by someone who's put some thought into it according to law.
[657.88 --> 659.68] We all know that.
[659.68 --> 661.30] We're happy for that.
[661.30 --> 664.02] That evil behavior is punished,
[664.36 --> 668.54] and hopefully the one who did the evil is somehow rehabilitated,
[668.80 --> 670.68] and we want all that to happen.
[670.68 --> 673.66] But that only happens with judgment.
[673.66 --> 681.48] As Christians, we are called to speak the truth in love.
[682.28 --> 684.06] Emphasis on the word in love.
[684.94 --> 690.00] Not to win an argument, which often is not motivated by love.
[690.00 --> 692.66] So that we might bless others.
[693.00 --> 696.26] Jesus confronted especially the religious leaders of his day
[696.26 --> 699.92] because they misled people, and they were self-righteous.
[700.22 --> 702.02] And he speaks truth to them.
[702.42 --> 704.78] You vipers, you whitewashed grays.
[705.14 --> 705.42] Why?
[705.64 --> 707.38] Because he loves truth.
[707.92 --> 709.26] He points out truth.
[709.62 --> 710.42] God's truth.
[710.62 --> 711.28] God's ways.
[711.56 --> 712.72] And he loves people.
[712.72 --> 714.20] And he's saying to the leaders,
[714.56 --> 716.32] don't mess this up.
[718.00 --> 719.12] Don't mess this up.
[719.18 --> 721.12] You have a big responsibility with these people.
[721.18 --> 721.68] Don't mess it up.
[721.92 --> 725.00] He's challenging them for the sake of the people,
[725.14 --> 727.08] but also for the sake of the leaders.
[728.86 --> 729.06] Right?
[729.10 --> 730.46] One of those leaders, Nicodemus.
[731.46 --> 732.26] He was a Pharisee.
[732.38 --> 735.12] Later on, he became a follower of Jesus, it seems.
[736.46 --> 736.68] Right?
[736.68 --> 741.32] So Jesus speaks truth in love to transform people
[741.32 --> 744.06] and bring them to their need for salvation.
[744.66 --> 747.02] The cross, though, is a stumbling block
[747.02 --> 749.40] because it speaks the central truth.
[749.94 --> 756.88] You need a Savior every single day of your life.
[762.88 --> 764.40] That's a stumbling block for some.
[766.68 --> 769.78] Jesus refers to this defining moment
[769.78 --> 771.84] in our passage as baptism.
[773.14 --> 774.58] You might think, what's that about?
[774.80 --> 775.78] What's he mean, baptism?
[776.46 --> 778.50] Baptism in its significance,
[779.22 --> 780.92] and we see it sometimes when we baptize, right?
[781.18 --> 783.32] We saw that a while back here, not so long ago.
[783.52 --> 783.68] Right?
[783.74 --> 784.52] You go underwater.
[784.88 --> 786.08] You die to self.
[786.46 --> 787.32] You come up again.
[787.68 --> 789.42] You're alive in Christ.
[789.84 --> 791.78] That's the picture where Jesus says,
[791.92 --> 793.74] you know, my death is a baptism.
[793.74 --> 797.70] It's a baptism where out of death comes life,
[798.10 --> 799.32] through the cross.
[802.40 --> 803.84] Through the cross, through his death.
[805.98 --> 808.26] There's a line in verse 52 of our passage
[808.26 --> 810.24] that says, from now on.
[810.42 --> 812.74] It's a phrase that Jesus uses elsewhere, too.
[812.98 --> 814.98] When he calls his disciples, when they're fishing,
[815.44 --> 816.14] and he says, you know,
[816.22 --> 817.72] I will make you fishers of men.
[817.76 --> 819.50] He says, from now on,
[819.58 --> 821.18] I will make you fishers of men.
[821.18 --> 822.18] Right?
[822.94 --> 824.52] When he's going to ascend into heaven,
[824.64 --> 826.26] he says, from now on,
[826.60 --> 828.68] the Son of Man is seated at the right hand of the Father.
[829.76 --> 830.82] From now on.
[830.94 --> 832.04] From now on,
[832.10 --> 833.56] from the time of Jesus
[833.56 --> 836.30] to now and beyond,
[837.22 --> 838.24] things are going to be different.
[838.32 --> 839.06] The kingdom has come.
[840.58 --> 841.68] The kingdom has come.
[843.16 --> 844.78] So, yeah, there's going to be divisions.
[846.54 --> 848.12] Divisions even in families,
[848.12 --> 850.66] because people are going to stumble over this.
[852.08 --> 856.04] We don't easily want to surrender to that truth.
[858.82 --> 861.24] Maybe you've experienced that in your life,
[861.28 --> 861.84] in your family.
[863.70 --> 864.72] And Jesus has said,
[864.88 --> 865.32] take heart,
[865.66 --> 866.76] I have overcome sin and death.
[866.84 --> 867.52] That's the good news.
[867.86 --> 870.52] I have come to bring life in all its fullness.
[870.68 --> 873.40] I have come to bring peace beyond your comprehension.
[873.40 --> 875.84] Share that peace,
[876.40 --> 878.50] even if it isn't always received.
[880.38 --> 883.54] Peace is generally seen as a good thing.
[884.18 --> 884.34] Right?
[885.06 --> 887.18] When we hear the angel saying,
[887.52 --> 888.66] peace on earth,
[888.78 --> 889.32] good will to man,
[889.40 --> 890.00] we say, yeah,
[890.14 --> 890.88] everybody agreed.
[890.98 --> 892.30] Yay, yay, peace.
[892.94 --> 893.78] Merry Christmas.