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INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: Highest bridge over the deepest chasm in the world is the walking bridge over the Royal Gorge in Canon City, Colorado. It
spans across Arkansas River, 1053 feet in the air, 1260 feet long, Anybody been there? Did you walk across? Highest and longest
bridges I crossed were over Mississippi, Missouri, or Ohio rivers, Red Rock, Boone Railroad over Des Moines River, Highway 20
bridge by Eldora over Iowa River. How do you build those bridges?
There is a huge chasm between God and man, a chasm caused by sin. How does one bridge that chasm? In our text Jesus makes it
perfectly clear how distant unbelieving man is from the true and righteous God, yet He also makes it clear how that great distance
can be bridged. Let us unravel this text today. READ 8:21-30
1. On One Side is God
- On one side of the sin caused chasm stands the holy and righteous God. Perfect in beauty, glorious in majesty, all
powerful sovereign of the universe, the creator of mankind.
QUOTES: Great hymns like “A Mighty Fortress” and “How Great Thou Art”
- Jesus is the Son of God., 2nd person of Triune Godhead. In our text He speaks about His relationship with
the Father - v. 27.
- v. 23 Jesus is from above, not from this world - from heavenly realm
- v. 26, 28b Jesus is sent by the Father, speaks on behalf of the Father, His Father is true, everything Jesus does is at
the Father’s initiative.
- v. 29 The Father is with Him, “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him” (29). Jesus is God
in the flesh. Called - Incarnation of Christ.
- Jesus, the divine being takes on human flesh to live among us. He left the splendor of glory to live among us humans.
And when His mission is completed Jesus will return to the Father “where I am going, you cannot
come.” He was speaking of His coming death, resurrection, ascension.
- Once again, self-righteous Jews were thinking they were going to heaven, Jesus must not be going there - kill himself
and go to Hades.
- When Jesus finishes His mission, He will return to the Father, and where He goes His listeners cannot come with Him if
they do not believe in Him
- v. 25 They ask “Who are you?” They had no clue, Jesus mystery at best, a blasphemer at worst - claiming to
be God.
- The gap between them and God was so wide, the chasm so deep, they had no understanding of the holiness of God, the
uniqueness of Jesus, and their own sinfulness. One on side is God.
ILLUS: How do you picture God? Hymn “Immoral, Invisible” - “In light inaccessible, hid from our
eyes.”
2. On the Other Side stands Man
- Natural man cannot go to where Jesus is in the presence of Father.
- As long as we from below, from this world, we are far away from God.
- “world” = in the context refers to the invisible spiritual system of evil that opposes the kingdom
of God.
- John 14:30 “for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing to do with me.” 1 John 5:19
“the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
- Without Christ in our life, we sinners stand on the other side of the chasm, we are so far away from the Holy God, and
wrapped in the darkness of our sin, unless God penetrates our darkness, we will never find our way out. Only by
revelation, never by our own reformation.
- So bad is our state, so wide and deep is that chasm, that 3 times in the text, Jesus says “you will die in
your sins” (21, 24) Definite, emphatic. Two terrible words in one phrase.
- Die apart from God, die in the waste of our lives of sin, die paying for the punishment of our sins, die with no hope
of redemption, die in darkness of our sins, die in judgment with no more opportunities, die self-condemned to hell, die
doomed in spite of any good works or wealth or power or name - “unless you believe, you will die in your
sins.”
ILLUS: “He who dies with the most toys wins.” No “He who dies with the most toys still
dies.” Wasted your life by living in sin - thus die in your sins.
- Mankind lives in darkness, an eternal chasm between God and man.
- 1 John 2:15 “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” - God and man are
on opposite sides of a huge chasm, chasm caused by our sin.
- How can that sin chasm be bridged? How can man be right with God?
3. The Two Sides are Bridged by Jesus
- The great chasm between the righteous God and unrighteous man is bridged only by Jesus Christ. How so?
- Two times, “I am” - Covenant name of God.
- v. 24 and v. 28 (draw line through italicized “He”)
- “I am” Jesus is the Great I am.
ILLUS: Exodus 3:14 Our Daily Bread January 21 The Perfect Sentence -I AM WHO I AM - covenant
name, eternal nature. Jesus took that name and said: “I am the Light of the World, I am the Bread of
Life,” “I am.”
- Jesus the “I am” came so that we could be - be forgiven, be saved, be secure, be holy, be eternal
with His life
- v. 28 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am”
- The cross and resurrection is the true revelation of who Jesus truly is. At the cross He took our sins, the earth was
dark for 3 hours and Jesus died in the darkness of sin. 3 days later Jesus arose from the dead, an earthquake occurred,
the world shock at the power of life coming from death.
- When that happened, that the final evidence the world needed to know that Jesus is the “I Am.”
That He is God. What He said and did for 33 years, was confirmed to be not from His own making but from Heaven above.
He was lifted up between heaven and earth on the cross between God and man to bridge the chasm, bring man to God. Our
sins put Jesus on the cross, but there our sins were redeemed, This is what Jesus did.
- v. 24 Tell how to receive Christ. Belief. “believe that I am” = trust, depend upon Jesus
that He is God, He is the Savior of the world, He is the light of the world, He is the truth of the world. Believe that
He can save you from your sins. He can give you eternal life.
- Jesus offers an open invitation for all to believe, it is too costly to have unbelief - you will die in your sins.
- Man and God are separated by man’s sin, in sin he is choosing unbelief. What damns the sinner is unbelief in
Christ, rejection of Christ.
- The unbeliever thinks only in the realm of the world, what is here below, doesn’t look up to the cross at who
came down from above. But a simple “unless”, can change that. Jesus puts it into the negative to stress the
cost of unbelief - die in your sins, die hopeless, in your own misery.
- The cross of Jesus bridges the gap between God and us.
- Instead of dieing in our sins, we live and die (only physical death, not spiritual damnation) in righteousness.
- Phil 1:20b-21 “with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or
by death. For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.”
- Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”
- 1 Cor. 15:54-57 The Chasm is Bridged by Jesus Christ
CONCLUSION
ILLUS: Man in Bay City, Michigan who died in his cold house because of $1,000 unpaid electric bills. He was forced to
have a Restrictor meter that limited the electricity. Yet had $600,000 -for whatever reason, he didn’t use any of
it to pay the bill. The man did not have to die in the cold.
No one has to die in their sin, but many do. You don’t have to die in your sin. Christ has paid your redemption. Have you
accepted His gift?
Over the years, I have used and recommend 4 different evangelism tools:
- Bridge Illustration found in Steps to Peace with God from Billy Graham, also other publishers. This
message had its graphics.
- A-B-C, of Salvation - three simple steps Church Brochure
- The Answer/Cross - great for young people
- The Roman Road that Leads to Heaven. - directly from the Bible
Several different ways to list - mine has the road signs listed.
If you have never had anyone walk through something like this for you, we would be glad to. You can take your pick, someone can
talk to you.
The need in your life is urgent.
For each day you live as a sinner apart from Christ is one day closer to living for eternity in hell, you will die in your sins,
unless you believe in Jesus. Let us show you how.
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