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So we turn in our Bibles to the

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Gospel according to John.

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The Gospel of John was the last of

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the Gospels that was written.

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It was written towards the close of that

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first century, written by John for the purpose

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of convincing people that Jesus is the Christ,

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that by believing in Him they might have

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life in His name.

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John declares his purpose in writing these books.

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He said, many other things did Jesus which

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are not written, but these things were written

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that you might believe that Jesus is the

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Christ, the Son of the Living God, and

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by believing have life in His name.

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So there is a definite purpose in John's

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mind as he wrote this book.

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And because this is the reason for this

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book, it is the best book to encourage

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an unbeliever to read.

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Because John wrote that they might believe that

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Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the

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Living God, and by believing have life in

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His name.

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That's why he wrote it.

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And he's very upfront in telling you why

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he wrote it.

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And so it was written to counteract some

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of the false concepts concerning Jesus Christ, a

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lot of the heresy that had developed in

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the very first century.

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Now Paul the Apostle warned the Ephesian elders

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that after I'm gone, I know that there

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are going to be wolves that are going

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to come in, not sparing the flock of

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God, but seeking to draw men after themselves.

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And from your own group there will be

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of those who arise who will even deny

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our very Lord.

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And before Paul was gone long from Ephesus,

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these things were already happening.

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The false teachers were moving in, perverting the

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truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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A system known as Gnosticism was one of

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the early systems of belief that permeated the

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church and began to draw people away into

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false concepts concerning Jesus Christ.

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The church wasn't very old before the Arian

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heresy arose, the denying of the deity of

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Jesus Christ, putting him on the level of

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man.

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Gnosticism with its concepts of Jesus and really

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confusing concepts of Jesus, part divine, part man,

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and yet sort of a phantom kind of

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a thing.

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They made up stories that as he walked

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on the sandy beach, he wouldn't leave footprints

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because he wasn't really real.

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And their idea was anything that is real

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is evil.

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The world is so evil that God could

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not have created the world.

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And so originally there was the pure, holy

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God and emanations went out from this pure,

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holy God.

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And finally, one of these emanations got so

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far from God that it no longer knew

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God.

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And it was this emanation that created the

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world.

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And thus the world was created by an

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evil force and everything material is evil.

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And so Jesus could not have been a

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man else he would have been evil.

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So he was a phantom and a lot

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of weird things.

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And so John wrote this epistle or this

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letter, this gospel actually, in order to correct

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some of those early false teachings that had

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begun to permeate the church.

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Now, it is interesting that as the writers

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begin the gospels, they each one picked a

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different place to begin.

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And with the gospel of Matthew, he began

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with the generation or the genealogy of Jesus

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going back to Abraham.

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And when Mark began his gospel, he began

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it at the baptism of Jesus by John.

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When Luke began his gospel, he began it

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with the annunciation to Zacharias, the father of

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John the Baptist, the father of Abraham.

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And with his gospel, he goes clear on

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back to the very beginning of time, which

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had no beginning.

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He goes back even further than Genesis.

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The book of Genesis is the beginning of

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creation.

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In the beginning, God created.

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But God existed long before he created.

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And so Genesis, you go back to the

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beginning of creation.

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But before that, God was.

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God existed.

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So John goes back to the that infinite,

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eternal past and declares in the beginning was

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the word.

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Now, the Greeks talked much about the Logos.

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And according to the Greek philosophy, everything pre

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-existed in a thought.

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Anything that you see existed in thought before

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it became form.

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In other words, this pulpit here began with

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a thought.

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Some craftsman had in his mind a design,

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an idea for a podium.

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And so he drew it out on a

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piece of paper, but it was the expression

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of his thought.

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And so before anything exists, it has pre

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-existed in a thought.

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So to the Greek philosopher, the thought was

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the origin of things.

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Well, the Bible takes you one step further

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back.

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It said if there was a thought, then

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there had to be a thinker because you

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can't have a thought without a thinker.

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So in the beginning, God in the beginning

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was the word.

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And so it actually goes back even before

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the thought you have the existence of the

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one who thought or the existence of God.

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So in the beginning, God here in the

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beginning was the word.

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He was existing then.

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And the word was with God.

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And the word was God.

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Powerful declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ.

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So plain, so straight, so forthright that even

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a little child in reading it could not

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be confused.

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It would take a Jehovah witness to confuse

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this passage of Scripture.

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And they did by the insertion of an

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article, the, and the word was or a

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God.

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But they had to create something that doesn't

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exist in the original language in order to

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twist this whole thing around.

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John is starting out with the plain declaration

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that Jesus, the word is God, just as

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straight and forward, forthright as can be declared.

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The same was in the beginning with God.

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All things were made by him.

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And without him was not anything made that

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was made.

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So now he comes to creation.

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You see, John goes back before creation.

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In the beginning, before there was anything, there

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was the word.

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He was with God.

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He was God.

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He was in the beginning with God and

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then creation.

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All things were made by him in the

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account.

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In Genesis, we read in the beginning.

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God created the heaven and the earth.

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The word God in Hebrew there is Elohim,

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which is a plural form.

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Now, there are those who say, well, the

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plural form was used for emphasis, but that

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appears to be an invention because God is

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also referred to as the singular.

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And if it is used only for emphasis,

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then it would be confusing to use the

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same term to refer to God in the

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singular.

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It is my opinion that when the God

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L singular is used, that it is a

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reference to the father.

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That the Elohim is a reference to the

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triunity of the Godhead, one God existing in

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three persons.

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And God said, let us make man in

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our image and after our likeness.

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Who was God talking to?

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In the divine councils, there was that creation.

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The father, the son and the spirit and

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divine counsel.

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Let us make man in our image after

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our likeness here in John.

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The first chapter, Jesus is ascribed as the

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creator of all things.

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Paul, as he is writing to the Colossians

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concerning the preeminence of Jesus.

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He declares that he is not only the

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creator, but he is the object of creation.

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By him were all things made and for

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him.

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So, he is not only the creator, but

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the object of creation.

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All things were made by him.

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The universe around us and all of its

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life forms.

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And without him was not anything made that

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was made.

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And in him was life.

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And the life was the light of men

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and the light shineth in darkness.

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But the darkness comprehended it not or apprehended

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it not or could not lay hold of

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it.

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Jesus said, I am the light of the

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world.

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He that cometh unto me shall not walk

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in darkness, but shall have the light of

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life.

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Now, here it is declared that the light

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shineth in darkness.

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This is the reference to the coming of

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Jesus Christ to the earth.

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Here he is, the light of the world

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shining in the darkness, but the darkness does

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not apprehend it.

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Now, there was a man who was sent

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from God whose name was John.

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The same came for a witness.

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And twice we will read of John's witness.

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Here in chapter 1 verse 15, John bare

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witness of him and cried saying, this was

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he of whom I speak.

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And then he also testified in verse 34.

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And I saw and bear record that this

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is the son of God.

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That's the testimony of John the Baptist concerning

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Jesus Christ.

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So there was a man who was sent

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from God.

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His name was John.

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He was.

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He came for a witness to bear witness

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of the light that all men through him

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might believe.

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Now he, John was not that light, but

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was sent to bear witness of that light.

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And that was the true light, which light

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of every man that cometh into the world.

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He was in the world.

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The world was made by him and the

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world knew him not.

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Can you grasp that one?

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Jesus, the light.

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He came to shine in the darkness, the

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true light.

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He was in the world.

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We are already told that we're already told

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that all things were made by him.

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And without him was not anything made that

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was made.

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He was in the world and the world

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was made by him.

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And yet the world knew him not.

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That is the world of man.

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It would appear that there were aspects of

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nature and of the world that did know

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him.

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It is interesting that those who were possessed

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with evil spirits often cried out, we know

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who you are.

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Evidently the winds and the waves knew who

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he was.

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For when he was standing in the little

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ship and it was about to sink, when

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he spoke to the wind and the waves

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and said, peace, be still, they obeyed his

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voice.

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They knew who he was.

279
00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:07,200
The rocks evidently knew who he was.

280
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,940
Because when the Pharisees were encouraging him to

281
00:16:11,940 --> 00:16:14,600
rebuke his disciples on the day of his

282
00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,360
triumphant entry, he said, I say unto you

283
00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:19,900
that if these should hold their peace, these

284
00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:22,840
very stones would immediately cry out.

285
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,890
They knew who he was, but it was

286
00:16:27,890 --> 00:16:31,110
only the darkened minds of man that failed

287
00:16:31,110 --> 00:16:32,330
to recognize him.

288
00:16:35,860 --> 00:16:36,940
He was in the world.

289
00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,200
The world was made by him.

290
00:16:41,660 --> 00:16:43,220
And yet the world knew him not.

291
00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,580
Evidently that little donkey knew who he was.

292
00:16:47,540 --> 00:16:50,120
No man had ever ridden on that little

293
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:51,120
donkey before.

294
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:54,900
And yet I'm sure that when Jesus sat

295
00:16:54,900 --> 00:16:56,660
on him, he was just as docile as

296
00:16:56,660 --> 00:16:57,120
could be.

297
00:16:59,620 --> 00:17:00,640
He knew who he was.

298
00:17:07,940 --> 00:17:12,260
Someone has put words in the mouth of

299
00:17:12,260 --> 00:17:13,060
that little donkey.

300
00:17:14,140 --> 00:17:15,540
I think it was Chedderton.

301
00:17:20,170 --> 00:17:21,750
I don't know if I can recall it

302
00:17:21,750 --> 00:17:22,170
or not.

303
00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:48,350
Yeah, it's coming.

304
00:17:48,550 --> 00:17:49,390
It's working.

305
00:17:49,630 --> 00:17:53,550
It's the juices are flowing and the circuits

306
00:17:53,550 --> 00:17:54,510
are coming together.

307
00:17:57,910 --> 00:18:05,570
When fishes flew and forest walked and figs

308
00:18:05,570 --> 00:18:06,690
grew upon a thorn.

309
00:18:08,050 --> 00:18:11,990
Some moment when the moon was blood, then

310
00:18:11,990 --> 00:18:20,140
surely I was born with an ugly face

311
00:18:20,140 --> 00:18:23,940
and let's see.

312
00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:25,760
No, it isn't.

313
00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:26,740
It isn't ugly face.

314
00:18:26,860 --> 00:18:27,020
Let's see.

315
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:32,840
And ears like errant wings, the devil's walking

316
00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,500
parody of all four footed things.

317
00:18:36,620 --> 00:18:40,180
The ancient outlaw of the earth with stubborn,

318
00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,760
tattered will mock me, scourge me.

319
00:18:43,900 --> 00:18:46,800
I am dumb, but I hold my secrets

320
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,180
still fools.

321
00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:54,100
I also had my day, one fierce day

322
00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:55,000
and sweet.

323
00:18:56,060 --> 00:18:59,320
I heard the shouts around my ears and

324
00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,220
there were palm branches at my feet.

325
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,080
The story of the donkey, it's, it's, I

326
00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:08,500
missed one line in there.

327
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:14,860
It's with sickening cry and something and ears

328
00:19:14,860 --> 00:19:17,660
like errant wings, but it's sickening crying.

329
00:19:18,100 --> 00:19:19,360
I'll get it one of these days.

330
00:19:34,610 --> 00:19:39,140
He was in the world.

331
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,700
The world was made by him and the

332
00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:44,700
world knew him not.

333
00:19:45,660 --> 00:19:49,220
One step further, he came to his own

334
00:19:49,220 --> 00:19:52,700
and his own received him not.

335
00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:58,040
He said, I am come to the lost

336
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,800
sheep of the house of Israel, his own.

337
00:20:02,860 --> 00:20:04,680
He was their promised Messiah.

338
00:20:06,670 --> 00:20:11,060
He came to his own, but they said,

339
00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,320
we have no King, but Caesar.

340
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,540
They said, we will not have this man

341
00:20:18,540 --> 00:20:19,800
to rule over us.

342
00:20:20,780 --> 00:20:23,140
And his own received him not.

343
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,700
And the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled.

344
00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:32,400
He was despised and rejected of men, but

345
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:38,480
glorious good news as many as received him

346
00:20:40,050 --> 00:20:45,150
to them, gave he the power, the authority

347
00:20:45,150 --> 00:20:50,390
to become the sons of God, even as

348
00:20:50,390 --> 00:20:52,690
many as believed on his name.

349
00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,320
So here he is in the beginning with

350
00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:02,080
God, the creator of all things coming to

351
00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,520
his creation, not being recognized, not being apprehended,

352
00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:09,960
coming to his own, not being received.

353
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,020
And yet as many as would receive him.

354
00:21:14,100 --> 00:21:17,660
And so the gospel of grace, as many

355
00:21:17,660 --> 00:21:20,500
as would receive him to them, he gave

356
00:21:20,500 --> 00:21:22,560
the power to become the sons of God,

357
00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:28,600
the son of God becoming man in order

358
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,100
that he might make each of us sons

359
00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:34,500
of God who would believe in his name,

360
00:21:36,940 --> 00:21:44,830
which were born, not of flesh or not

361
00:21:44,830 --> 00:21:45,330
of blood.

362
00:21:45,430 --> 00:21:49,130
First of all, you cannot become a son

363
00:21:49,130 --> 00:21:54,880
of God through physical genealogy.

364
00:21:57,870 --> 00:21:59,930
I am not a son of God because

365
00:21:59,930 --> 00:22:02,230
my parents were Christians.

366
00:22:03,690 --> 00:22:06,790
My children are not Christians because I am

367
00:22:06,790 --> 00:22:07,410
a Christian.

368
00:22:09,010 --> 00:22:10,630
It's not of blood.

369
00:22:11,830 --> 00:22:14,670
It's not something that you can inherit from

370
00:22:14,670 --> 00:22:18,430
your parents or pass on to your children.

371
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,600
This dynamic life as a child of God

372
00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:26,580
is not of the will of the flesh.

373
00:22:28,810 --> 00:22:31,550
It is not something that you can set

374
00:22:31,550 --> 00:22:33,630
your mind to and become.

375
00:22:34,350 --> 00:22:37,610
That is, I'm going to live this new

376
00:22:37,610 --> 00:22:38,750
dynamic life.

377
00:22:39,610 --> 00:22:43,710
I'm not going to walk in darkness anymore.

378
00:22:43,990 --> 00:22:48,690
I'm going to live a generous, self-sacrificing

379
00:22:48,690 --> 00:22:51,710
life, the life that is the ideal that

380
00:22:51,710 --> 00:22:53,090
God has declared for man.

381
00:22:53,290 --> 00:22:54,870
You can't do it by the will of

382
00:22:54,870 --> 00:22:59,060
the flesh, nor is it by the will

383
00:22:59,060 --> 00:22:59,680
of man.

384
00:22:59,860 --> 00:23:02,100
It isn't by the force or coercion of

385
00:23:02,100 --> 00:23:04,960
others or the encouragement of others.

386
00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,100
You cannot come into this new life because

387
00:23:09,100 --> 00:23:13,860
someone is pushing you or coercing you into

388
00:23:13,860 --> 00:23:14,520
it.

389
00:23:15,820 --> 00:23:19,660
This new birth can only come from God,

390
00:23:20,700 --> 00:23:24,820
born of God as a child of God.

391
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:33,420
So, I was born once by blood, by

392
00:23:33,420 --> 00:23:35,760
the will of the flesh, and by the

393
00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:36,300
will of man.

394
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:36,940
Here I am.

395
00:23:37,380 --> 00:23:38,780
That was my physical birth.

396
00:23:39,580 --> 00:23:42,100
But my spiritual birth can't take place that

397
00:23:42,100 --> 00:23:42,380
way.

398
00:23:43,380 --> 00:23:46,940
The spiritual birth has to come from God.

399
00:23:50,220 --> 00:23:53,740
And so, I have been born again by

400
00:23:53,740 --> 00:23:55,380
the Spirit of God, the new life.

401
00:23:56,660 --> 00:24:03,700
And the Word was made flesh and tabernacled

402
00:24:03,700 --> 00:24:05,400
among us.

403
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:16,280
This is, of course, the tremendous swing of

404
00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:18,800
the pendulum, if you can follow it.

405
00:24:19,780 --> 00:24:21,500
In the beginning was the Word.

406
00:24:22,820 --> 00:24:25,020
He was with God, He was God.

407
00:24:25,340 --> 00:24:27,780
He was in the beginning with God, and

408
00:24:27,780 --> 00:24:31,340
all things were made by Him, the divine,

409
00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:33,040
eternal Creator.

410
00:24:35,670 --> 00:24:37,810
And the Word was made flesh and He

411
00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:38,770
dwelt among us.

412
00:24:41,140 --> 00:24:48,580
This tremendous downward sweep from the area of

413
00:24:48,580 --> 00:24:51,260
the infinity into the realm of the finite,

414
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,740
from the eternal into time.

415
00:24:56,340 --> 00:25:00,180
Surely our minds cannot grasp the scope of

416
00:25:00,180 --> 00:25:00,560
this.

417
00:25:02,780 --> 00:25:08,260
The disciples, as years passed and they had

418
00:25:08,260 --> 00:25:11,720
an opportunity to really reflect upon Jesus and

419
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:17,100
their acquaintance and their relationship to Him, I'm

420
00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:20,380
certain were more and more amazed and marveled

421
00:25:20,660 --> 00:25:22,620
at what actually transpired.

422
00:25:24,550 --> 00:25:31,580
As John begins his first epistle, he begins

423
00:25:31,580 --> 00:25:34,240
it much the same way as he declares,

424
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:40,370
that which was from the beginning, which we

425
00:25:40,370 --> 00:25:47,270
have seen, which we have heard, which we

426
00:25:47,270 --> 00:25:50,470
have seen with our eyes and gazed steadfastly

427
00:25:50,470 --> 00:25:53,690
upon, and our hands have handled of the

428
00:25:53,690 --> 00:25:54,410
Word of life.

429
00:25:55,090 --> 00:25:58,670
For that life was manifested, and we've seen

430
00:25:58,670 --> 00:26:02,210
it, and we bear witness and show unto

431
00:26:02,210 --> 00:26:06,530
you that eternal life, which was with the

432
00:26:06,530 --> 00:26:09,830
Father and was manifested to us.

433
00:26:10,950 --> 00:26:13,730
Now John is just reflecting on his relationship

434
00:26:13,730 --> 00:26:14,370
with Jesus.

435
00:26:16,170 --> 00:26:19,370
That which was from the beginning, which we

436
00:26:19,370 --> 00:26:22,890
have heard, and suddenly they realized when we

437
00:26:22,890 --> 00:26:25,830
heard Him talk, we were listening to the

438
00:26:25,830 --> 00:26:26,830
voice of God.

439
00:26:29,110 --> 00:26:31,790
When we looked upon Him, we were looking

440
00:26:31,790 --> 00:26:32,410
upon God.

441
00:26:32,530 --> 00:26:35,110
When we touched Him, we were touching God.

442
00:26:37,140 --> 00:26:44,260
That eternal life, we saw Him, we gazed,

443
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:45,520
we touched.

444
00:26:48,150 --> 00:26:49,590
Oh, the wonder of it all.

445
00:26:51,130 --> 00:26:55,270
And John stands in awe and wonder of

446
00:26:55,270 --> 00:26:57,090
that experience that he had had.

447
00:26:59,830 --> 00:27:01,690
Jesus said, I and the Father are one.

448
00:27:02,590 --> 00:27:04,410
When Philip said, Lord, just show us the

449
00:27:04,410 --> 00:27:05,590
Father and we'll be satisfied.

450
00:27:05,970 --> 00:27:08,570
He said, Philip, have I been so long

451
00:27:08,570 --> 00:27:09,270
a time with you?

452
00:27:09,330 --> 00:27:10,450
Have you not seen me?

453
00:27:10,450 --> 00:27:13,930
He that hath seen me hath seen the

454
00:27:13,930 --> 00:27:14,230
Father.

455
00:27:14,630 --> 00:27:16,950
How sayest thou then, show us the Father?

456
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:21,340
Believest thou not that I am in the

457
00:27:21,340 --> 00:27:22,460
Father and the Father in me?

458
00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:24,820
The works that I do, I do not

459
00:27:24,820 --> 00:27:26,120
of myself, but the Father.

460
00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:28,020
He doeth the works.

461
00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:30,420
Now believe me that I am in the

462
00:27:30,420 --> 00:27:31,980
Father and the Father in me, or else

463
00:27:31,980 --> 00:27:35,160
believe me for the very work's sake.

464
00:27:39,140 --> 00:27:41,300
In other words, I've been doing the work

465
00:27:41,300 --> 00:27:41,920
of God.

466
00:27:44,580 --> 00:27:46,600
I've been showing you the Father.

467
00:27:52,370 --> 00:27:53,830
We'll read in a moment, No man hath

468
00:27:53,830 --> 00:27:55,350
seen God at any time, but the only

469
00:27:55,350 --> 00:27:57,030
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of

470
00:27:57,030 --> 00:27:57,330
the Father.

471
00:27:57,550 --> 00:27:58,910
He has displayed Him.

472
00:27:58,970 --> 00:27:59,830
He has made Him known.

473
00:27:59,910 --> 00:28:00,850
He has declared Him.

474
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:05,980
He that hath seen me hath seen the

475
00:28:05,980 --> 00:28:06,320
Father.

476
00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:10,440
And so do you want to know what

477
00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:11,180
God is like?

478
00:28:13,570 --> 00:28:14,910
Do you want to know the truth about

479
00:28:14,910 --> 00:28:15,290
God?

480
00:28:16,530 --> 00:28:19,770
Then you must look at Jesus Christ and

481
00:28:19,770 --> 00:28:25,250
study Him carefully, for He was God manifested

482
00:28:25,250 --> 00:28:30,130
in flesh, for the Word became flesh and

483
00:28:30,130 --> 00:28:34,050
dwelt among us, in order that He might

484
00:28:34,050 --> 00:28:37,410
reveal the Father unto man.

485
00:28:38,260 --> 00:28:45,170
Because man had developed such wrong concepts of

486
00:28:45,170 --> 00:28:45,530
God.

487
00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:58,000
God has been maligned and lied against continually

488
00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:58,780
by Satan.

489
00:28:59,980 --> 00:29:05,760
And even today, Satan continues his work so

490
00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:10,940
that people have all kinds of grotesque, false

491
00:29:10,940 --> 00:29:13,560
concepts concerning God.

492
00:29:18,740 --> 00:29:23,200
One of the most common phrases in profanity

493
00:29:26,510 --> 00:29:31,780
is that God would damn certain things or

494
00:29:31,780 --> 00:29:32,940
certain people.

495
00:29:35,910 --> 00:29:45,150
And you hear it so often, as though

496
00:29:45,150 --> 00:29:49,890
God is just desiring to damn everything and

497
00:29:49,890 --> 00:29:50,470
everybody.

498
00:29:53,610 --> 00:29:55,630
Nothing could be farther from the truth.

499
00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,460
God Himself, the Bible declares concerning God, He

500
00:30:01,460 --> 00:30:04,700
is not willing that any should perish, but

501
00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:06,720
that all should come to repentance.

502
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:12,100
And God cried to Israel and said, Turn

503
00:30:12,100 --> 00:30:14,780
ye, turn ye, for why will ye die,

504
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:15,500
saith the Lord?

505
00:30:15,820 --> 00:30:19,320
Behold, I have no pleasure in the death

506
00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:19,960
of the wicked.

507
00:30:20,370 --> 00:30:21,400
Turn ye.

508
00:30:27,490 --> 00:30:34,500
People see God as fury and wrath and

509
00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:43,520
judgment and fire and thunder, when in reality,

510
00:30:46,230 --> 00:30:51,410
He has a heart that yearns after your

511
00:30:51,410 --> 00:30:53,430
love and your fellowship.

512
00:30:56,570 --> 00:31:03,240
How people misread the Bible, even in the

513
00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:08,490
book of Genesis, when man first fell and

514
00:31:08,490 --> 00:31:11,470
God came into the garden to commune with

515
00:31:11,470 --> 00:31:18,770
man and Adam hid himself, for he realized

516
00:31:18,770 --> 00:31:19,670
that he was naked.

517
00:31:20,950 --> 00:31:26,840
And God said, Adam, where art thou?

518
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,400
Now, we have the words, but we don't

519
00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:32,840
have the tone of voice.

520
00:31:32,940 --> 00:31:35,960
And that's what people put into their own

521
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:37,660
minds, the tone of voice.

522
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,380
And so often a person in reading that

523
00:31:42,380 --> 00:31:45,100
puts in that tone of voice of an

524
00:31:45,100 --> 00:31:48,760
arresting officer holding the gun on the bank

525
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:50,460
robber.

526
00:31:53,390 --> 00:31:55,690
Hold your hands up, you know, blast a

527
00:31:55,690 --> 00:31:56,430
hole through you.

528
00:32:01,110 --> 00:32:02,390
Adam, where art thou?

529
00:32:07,550 --> 00:32:12,170
But as I read the whole scripture and

530
00:32:12,170 --> 00:32:19,190
I understand God through the whole revelation of

531
00:32:19,190 --> 00:32:25,390
himself, I'm convinced that rather than the bark

532
00:32:25,390 --> 00:32:30,090
of an arresting officer to hear the voice

533
00:32:30,090 --> 00:32:33,310
correctly, you will hear it as the sob

534
00:32:33,310 --> 00:32:35,030
of a heartbroken father.

535
00:32:36,370 --> 00:32:38,070
Adam, what have you done?

536
00:32:39,090 --> 00:32:41,670
Adam, where are you?

537
00:32:42,610 --> 00:32:45,630
Just that broken heart of God over the

538
00:32:45,630 --> 00:32:46,850
failure of man.

539
00:32:52,350 --> 00:32:54,490
And this is what Jesus shows to us

540
00:32:54,490 --> 00:32:56,490
as he weeps over Jerusalem.

541
00:32:59,110 --> 00:33:02,130
Oh, Jerusalem, if you only knew your possibilities,

542
00:33:03,410 --> 00:33:05,890
if you only knew the potentials, if you

543
00:33:05,890 --> 00:33:07,530
only knew the things that belong to your

544
00:33:07,530 --> 00:33:14,660
peace, but you don't, they're hid from your

545
00:33:14,660 --> 00:33:15,180
eyes.

546
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:20,260
And as the result of your ignorance, devastation

547
00:33:20,260 --> 00:33:20,960
is going to come.

548
00:33:21,020 --> 00:33:22,920
And we see his chest as it is

549
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:23,460
heaving.

550
00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:25,460
And we hear him as he is sobbing,

551
00:33:25,580 --> 00:33:28,940
as he cries over Jerusalem and the terror

552
00:33:28,940 --> 00:33:32,720
that will come because of their blindness, because

553
00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:33,660
of their ignorance.

554
00:33:33,900 --> 00:33:36,900
If you only knew, if you only knew.

555
00:33:37,180 --> 00:33:39,420
And he weeps as he looks at the

556
00:33:39,420 --> 00:33:43,140
city and he knows the impending doom that

557
00:33:43,140 --> 00:33:45,060
is coming because of the path that they

558
00:33:45,060 --> 00:33:45,720
have chosen.

559
00:33:49,220 --> 00:33:51,860
And there you see the heart broken, the

560
00:33:51,860 --> 00:33:54,700
broken heart of the heavenly father as he

561
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:57,600
is weeping over the lost estate of man.

562
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,460
Jesus came to reveal God.

563
00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:03,720
The word became flesh and he dwelled among

564
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:05,580
us in order that we might know the

565
00:34:05,580 --> 00:34:06,860
truth about God.

566
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:30,300
There was a publisher of a newspaper who

567
00:34:32,260 --> 00:34:34,260
declared himself an agnostic.

568
00:34:38,170 --> 00:34:40,570
And yet every year his wife, who was

569
00:34:40,570 --> 00:34:44,530
a Christian and the children would go to

570
00:34:44,530 --> 00:34:46,310
church for the Christmas Eve service.

571
00:34:47,370 --> 00:34:49,590
And because it was Christmas Eve and a

572
00:34:49,590 --> 00:34:54,210
family celebration, he went yearly with them as

573
00:34:54,210 --> 00:34:56,750
the children would give their recitations and their

574
00:34:56,750 --> 00:34:58,370
program and sing the carols.

575
00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,380
But this one particular year he decided that

576
00:35:04,380 --> 00:35:07,560
he wasn't going to make his annual pilgrimage

577
00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:09,680
to the church because he saw it as

578
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,900
an act of hypocrisy.

579
00:35:13,620 --> 00:35:15,520
He said, I do not believe in the

580
00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:16,000
incarnation.

581
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,920
I do not believe that Jesus was God

582
00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,400
in the flesh, for I don't see any

583
00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:25,740
reason why God would have to come in

584
00:35:25,740 --> 00:35:26,380
the flesh.

585
00:35:29,190 --> 00:35:30,850
And therefore, I'm not going to be a

586
00:35:30,850 --> 00:35:31,950
hypocrite any longer.

587
00:35:32,090 --> 00:35:34,690
I'm not going to church with a family

588
00:35:34,690 --> 00:35:35,370
on Christmas.

589
00:35:36,490 --> 00:35:39,870
And despite all of the persuasive efforts of

590
00:35:39,870 --> 00:35:41,730
the wife, he could not be dissuaded from

591
00:35:41,730 --> 00:35:42,890
his position.

592
00:35:44,090 --> 00:35:47,310
And so on Christmas Eve, he saw the

593
00:35:47,310 --> 00:35:51,230
family leaving in a blizzard to go to

594
00:35:51,230 --> 00:35:54,190
the church to celebrate the Christmas Eve program.

595
00:35:54,700 --> 00:35:57,110
As he sat by the fire, got out

596
00:35:57,110 --> 00:36:00,790
a book and began to just sort of

597
00:36:00,790 --> 00:36:02,730
settle into his reading.

598
00:36:06,230 --> 00:36:13,860
Before long, a little bird tried to fly

599
00:36:13,860 --> 00:36:16,300
into the window, attracted by the light of

600
00:36:16,300 --> 00:36:19,900
the fire inside and suffering outside in the

601
00:36:19,900 --> 00:36:20,300
blizzard.

602
00:36:21,580 --> 00:36:24,640
This little bird started flying up against the

603
00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:28,700
window, beating itself against the window pane, trying

604
00:36:28,700 --> 00:36:29,640
to come inside.

605
00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:33,900
And it distracted him from his reading and

606
00:36:33,900 --> 00:36:35,420
he thought, well, a little bird go away,

607
00:36:35,540 --> 00:36:36,080
but it wouldn't.

608
00:36:36,180 --> 00:36:38,140
It kept trying to fly in.

609
00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:41,560
And so he finally decided, well, I guess

610
00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:43,040
I'll have to do something about it.

611
00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:46,140
And so he went down to the barn

612
00:36:46,140 --> 00:36:48,160
and opened up the door and turned on

613
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,020
the light so that the little bird could

614
00:36:50,020 --> 00:36:51,860
be attracted to the light in the barn,

615
00:36:52,180 --> 00:36:53,520
hoping that it would see the light and

616
00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:55,800
fly on down and find the shelter there

617
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:56,940
in the barn from the blizzard.

618
00:36:58,180 --> 00:37:00,060
Walking back up to the house, he found

619
00:37:00,060 --> 00:37:02,480
a little bird on the outside, still trying

620
00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:03,560
to fly into the window.

621
00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:07,560
By now it begun to bloody itself from

622
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:10,760
just flying up against the pane of glass.

623
00:37:12,700 --> 00:37:17,240
So he tried to show the bird that

624
00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:18,940
there was the light on in the barn

625
00:37:18,940 --> 00:37:20,580
and there was a place down there for

626
00:37:20,580 --> 00:37:23,160
it to go and to get warm and

627
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,100
to be sheltered from the storm.

628
00:37:26,820 --> 00:37:29,040
And he started to sort of shoosh at

629
00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:30,480
the bird and swing at it a bit.

630
00:37:30,700 --> 00:37:32,280
But the more he did, the more frantic

631
00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:34,400
the little bird became in trying to fly

632
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,380
into the glass and began to injure itself

633
00:37:36,380 --> 00:37:37,080
even more.

634
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,520
And he found himself talking to the little

635
00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:40,880
bird.

636
00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:44,300
He said, little bird, I don't hate you.

637
00:37:44,420 --> 00:37:45,780
I'm trying to help you.

638
00:37:45,820 --> 00:37:47,220
Don't you understand, little bird?

639
00:37:49,580 --> 00:37:50,780
I'm your friend.

640
00:37:51,940 --> 00:37:53,120
I don't mean you harm.

641
00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:54,260
I want to help you.

642
00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:58,580
Poor, stupid little bird, don't you know?

643
00:38:01,650 --> 00:38:03,750
And then the thought came into his mind.

644
00:38:04,910 --> 00:38:07,690
Oh, if only I could become a bird

645
00:38:07,690 --> 00:38:09,710
for a moment to communicate to this poor

646
00:38:09,710 --> 00:38:12,350
little creature that I don't hate it.

647
00:38:12,410 --> 00:38:13,610
I'm trying to help it.

648
00:38:16,030 --> 00:38:18,030
And suddenly the light flashed.

649
00:38:21,850 --> 00:38:25,570
God became man because man so misunderstood God.

650
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,180
He didn't hate man.

651
00:38:29,260 --> 00:38:30,680
He wasn't trying to harm man.

652
00:38:31,420 --> 00:38:33,200
He wanted to help man.

653
00:38:34,740 --> 00:38:36,440
He went in the house, got his overcoat

654
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:40,100
and everything and headed off for church, met

655
00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:40,680
the family.

656
00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:44,500
He saw the reason for the incarnation that

657
00:38:44,500 --> 00:38:47,200
God might communicate to us the truth about

658
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:50,580
himself, that truth that had been lost in

659
00:38:50,580 --> 00:38:54,180
the garbled concepts that man had created.

660
00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:56,180
Of God.

661
00:38:57,420 --> 00:39:00,720
So the word was made flesh and he

662
00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:04,460
dwelt among us and we, John said, beheld

663
00:39:04,460 --> 00:39:08,780
his glory, the glory as of the only

664
00:39:08,780 --> 00:39:11,620
begotten of the Father.

665
00:39:13,730 --> 00:39:15,870
We are sons of God through faith, but

666
00:39:15,870 --> 00:39:19,410
we have been begotten again through our faith.

667
00:39:19,530 --> 00:39:21,810
We've been born again, but there is only

668
00:39:21,810 --> 00:39:26,750
one begotten son in the sense that Jesus

669
00:39:26,750 --> 00:39:30,110
was begotten of the father and we beheld

670
00:39:30,110 --> 00:39:32,530
him as the only begotten of the father,

671
00:39:32,830 --> 00:39:36,550
full of grace and truth.

672
00:39:38,010 --> 00:39:40,310
Now, John, there was a man sent from

673
00:39:40,310 --> 00:39:40,610
God.

674
00:39:40,750 --> 00:39:41,830
His name was John.

675
00:39:41,910 --> 00:39:42,730
He wasn't the light.

676
00:39:42,850 --> 00:39:44,210
He came to bear witness of the light

677
00:39:45,170 --> 00:39:48,930
and John bear witness of him and cried

678
00:39:48,930 --> 00:39:55,990
saying, this is he of whom I speak.

679
00:39:56,830 --> 00:40:00,310
He that cometh after me is preferred before

680
00:40:00,310 --> 00:40:02,990
me for he was before me.

681
00:40:04,450 --> 00:40:08,110
Now, John was by physical birth, a cousin

682
00:40:08,110 --> 00:40:08,990
to Jesus.

683
00:40:11,470 --> 00:40:20,980
However, John was born before Jesus was born,

684
00:40:23,930 --> 00:40:28,370
probably in about the sixth month of Mary's

685
00:40:28,370 --> 00:40:30,330
pregnancy when John was born.

686
00:40:33,090 --> 00:40:37,070
So yet John is saying of him, he

687
00:40:37,070 --> 00:40:40,350
is preferred before me for he was before

688
00:40:40,350 --> 00:40:40,670
me.

689
00:40:40,770 --> 00:40:44,390
So he is talking about that pre-existence

690
00:40:44,390 --> 00:40:49,540
of Jesus prior to his incarnation and of

691
00:40:49,540 --> 00:40:57,080
his fullness have all we received and grace

692
00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:03,500
for grace for the law was given by

693
00:41:03,500 --> 00:41:10,140
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus

694
00:41:10,140 --> 00:41:10,820
Christ.

695
00:41:12,220 --> 00:41:17,800
Now, when God made man, God made man

696
00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:23,670
for fellowship, that was the purpose of God

697
00:41:23,670 --> 00:41:29,400
creating you, that he might receive just that

698
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:35,240
praise and glory and all from your fellowship

699
00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:37,940
with him that he might enjoy and just

700
00:41:37,940 --> 00:41:41,360
receive that, that joy and blessing of just

701
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:42,780
fellowshipping with you.

702
00:41:48,650 --> 00:41:51,630
You say, well, that sounds sort of selfish

703
00:41:51,630 --> 00:41:52,070
to me.

704
00:41:54,530 --> 00:41:58,830
Well, perhaps it was nothing I can do

705
00:41:58,830 --> 00:41:59,250
about it.

706
00:42:04,070 --> 00:42:05,610
That's why God created me.

707
00:42:06,290 --> 00:42:08,130
That's the only reason why God created me,

708
00:42:08,230 --> 00:42:09,730
really, that I might have fellowship, but that's

709
00:42:09,730 --> 00:42:12,410
the primary purpose that we might have fellowship

710
00:42:12,410 --> 00:42:12,910
with him.

711
00:42:13,150 --> 00:42:18,610
Now, if you are not fulfilling that primary

712
00:42:18,610 --> 00:42:20,810
purpose of your life, then your life is

713
00:42:20,810 --> 00:42:26,130
bound to be empty, unfulfilling, and ultimately frustrating

714
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,400
because you're not fulfilling the basic purpose for

715
00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:32,560
which God created you.

716
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:39,360
You're not answering to that basic need and

717
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:44,400
necessity in man of worshipping God, fellowshiping with

718
00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:44,620
him.

719
00:42:47,300 --> 00:42:49,500
But man did not live on this planet

720
00:42:49,500 --> 00:42:52,900
long before he broke that fellowship with God

721
00:42:52,900 --> 00:42:59,330
by disobedience, sinning against God in his disobeying

722
00:42:59,330 --> 00:43:00,710
of the commandment of God.

723
00:43:01,710 --> 00:43:04,330
And the net effect of sin is always

724
00:43:04,330 --> 00:43:06,850
that of severing fellowship with God.

725
00:43:08,750 --> 00:43:10,450
God's hand is not short that he cannot

726
00:43:10,450 --> 00:43:13,010
save, neither is his ear heavy that he

727
00:43:13,010 --> 00:43:17,290
cannot hear, but your sins have separated between

728
00:43:17,290 --> 00:43:18,290
you and God.

729
00:43:19,170 --> 00:43:21,490
Sin always has that effect of separating a

730
00:43:21,490 --> 00:43:22,170
man from God.

731
00:43:23,170 --> 00:43:24,930
God said to Adam, in the day that

732
00:43:24,930 --> 00:43:26,470
you eat, you will surely die.

733
00:43:26,570 --> 00:43:29,250
That is the death of the consciousness of

734
00:43:29,250 --> 00:43:31,390
God within the heart of man, the death

735
00:43:31,390 --> 00:43:33,290
of the life of God, that spirit of

736
00:43:33,290 --> 00:43:35,410
God and that life of God within man.

737
00:43:36,050 --> 00:43:36,910
It happened.

738
00:43:37,090 --> 00:43:39,630
Adam ate and that death took place, that

739
00:43:39,630 --> 00:43:40,570
spiritual death.

740
00:43:43,710 --> 00:43:48,650
Now, God still longed for fellowship with man,

741
00:43:48,710 --> 00:43:50,910
but that fellowship had been severed by man

742
00:43:50,910 --> 00:43:52,250
because of man's sin.

743
00:43:53,770 --> 00:43:56,730
Now, in order that man might have fellowship

744
00:43:56,730 --> 00:44:01,090
with God, something first had to be done

745
00:44:01,090 --> 00:44:02,190
about man's sin.

746
00:44:03,630 --> 00:44:09,790
And so God sent Moses and God gave

747
00:44:09,790 --> 00:44:15,050
to Moses the law of the sacrifices, the

748
00:44:15,050 --> 00:44:20,790
covering of sin, making possible the restoration of

749
00:44:20,790 --> 00:44:21,790
fellowship with God.

750
00:44:21,870 --> 00:44:24,510
And in part of the sacrificial offerings were

751
00:44:24,510 --> 00:44:34,080
these offerings that were just fellowship offerings, the

752
00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:37,000
communion offerings, the meal offering in which I

753
00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:39,220
just would sit and eat with God and

754
00:44:39,220 --> 00:44:41,380
fellowship with God after the sin offering.

755
00:44:41,860 --> 00:44:46,900
Then that offering of consecration, the burnt offering,

756
00:44:47,260 --> 00:44:50,180
and then the peace offering, the fellowship offering,

757
00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:51,940
where I just sit down and eat with

758
00:44:51,940 --> 00:44:53,880
God and fellowship with him.

759
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:56,120
But that could not be until, first of

760
00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:57,080
all, the sin offering.

761
00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:00,240
I had to take care first of the

762
00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:00,620
sin.

763
00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:04,200
And so under the law and under Moses,

764
00:45:04,300 --> 00:45:07,380
the covenant of God through Moses, there was

765
00:45:07,380 --> 00:45:10,380
that provision for the covering of sin so

766
00:45:10,380 --> 00:45:14,520
that sinful man could be restored into fellowship

767
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:17,040
with God and could sit and commune and

768
00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:17,860
eat with God.

769
00:45:22,690 --> 00:45:30,770
But these offerings of the bulls and goats

770
00:45:30,770 --> 00:45:33,750
could not put away sin.

771
00:45:34,090 --> 00:45:36,190
All they could do was cover sin and

772
00:45:36,190 --> 00:45:40,230
they could point to an offering that God

773
00:45:40,230 --> 00:45:44,130
himself was going to make by which the

774
00:45:44,130 --> 00:45:46,190
sin of man could be put away so

775
00:45:46,190 --> 00:45:48,710
that the fellowship between man and God could

776
00:45:48,710 --> 00:45:51,530
be totally and completely restored.

777
00:45:54,570 --> 00:45:57,550
And so the law came by Moses.

778
00:45:58,710 --> 00:46:00,290
This is not looking at the law in

779
00:46:00,290 --> 00:46:01,530
a derogatory sense.

780
00:46:02,770 --> 00:46:05,790
This is looking at the law as God

781
00:46:05,790 --> 00:46:09,090
intended it as a tool by which man

782
00:46:09,090 --> 00:46:11,450
could come into fellowship with God, but an

783
00:46:11,450 --> 00:46:15,370
imperfect tool because of man's failure.

784
00:46:17,250 --> 00:46:18,430
Nothing wrong with the law.

785
00:46:18,490 --> 00:46:18,990
It was good.

786
00:46:19,070 --> 00:46:19,670
It was holy.

787
00:46:20,830 --> 00:46:22,530
But man was still sinful.

788
00:46:24,470 --> 00:46:27,650
And that's the necessity of year after year,

789
00:46:27,770 --> 00:46:29,910
the offering of the sacrifices for sin.

790
00:46:32,190 --> 00:46:38,150
So God has established now through Jesus Christ,

791
00:46:38,290 --> 00:46:41,230
a new covenant of grace and truth by

792
00:46:41,230 --> 00:46:45,890
the law, Moses covenant with God, but now

793
00:46:45,890 --> 00:46:48,450
through Jesus Christ, a new covenant, a new

794
00:46:48,450 --> 00:46:50,830
covenant that is established on the grace of

795
00:46:50,830 --> 00:46:53,190
God in the truth of Jesus Christ.

796
00:46:53,330 --> 00:46:56,010
So the law came by Moses, but grace

797
00:46:56,010 --> 00:46:58,730
and truth came by Jesus Christ.

798
00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:04,080
Now, no man has seen God at any

799
00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:04,620
time.

800
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:07,220
Of course, people immediately say, well, what about

801
00:47:07,220 --> 00:47:07,940
Moses?

802
00:47:09,260 --> 00:47:11,000
When God said to Moses, what would you

803
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:11,220
like?

804
00:47:11,280 --> 00:47:12,940
He said, Lord, I'd just like to see

805
00:47:12,940 --> 00:47:13,120
you.

806
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:14,700
And God said, you can't see me and

807
00:47:14,700 --> 00:47:15,020
live.

808
00:47:17,620 --> 00:47:18,980
But God said, I'll tell you what you

809
00:47:18,980 --> 00:47:23,200
get there in the rocks and I will

810
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:24,180
pass by.

811
00:47:24,340 --> 00:47:28,020
And then you can see the afterglow.

812
00:47:28,380 --> 00:47:30,460
It says the hinder part, but it's actually

813
00:47:30,460 --> 00:47:33,320
the afterglow of God having passed by a

814
00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:33,600
spot.

815
00:47:34,020 --> 00:47:36,480
And then Moses looking at the radiation of

816
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:39,340
the afterglow and he became irradiated in looking

817
00:47:39,340 --> 00:47:39,900
at that.

818
00:47:41,020 --> 00:47:43,200
His face began to shine so that when

819
00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:44,440
he came back to the children of Israel,

820
00:47:44,480 --> 00:47:46,420
they couldn't look at his face.

821
00:47:46,460 --> 00:47:48,300
They said, cover it, man, you're shining, you

822
00:47:48,300 --> 00:47:50,160
know, can't stand to look at your face.

823
00:47:53,940 --> 00:47:57,680
But no man has seen God at any

824
00:47:57,680 --> 00:47:58,080
time.

825
00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:03,840
Your, your, your physical body just couldn't handle

826
00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:04,260
that.

827
00:48:09,500 --> 00:48:11,020
It'd be like trying to stand in the

828
00:48:11,020 --> 00:48:11,380
sun.

829
00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:14,000
You'd be consumed.

830
00:48:19,780 --> 00:48:24,100
Now, God has promised that the pure in

831
00:48:24,100 --> 00:48:25,960
heart shall see him, but not in this

832
00:48:25,960 --> 00:48:26,300
body.

833
00:48:26,340 --> 00:48:27,420
We're going to have to have a change

834
00:48:27,420 --> 00:48:27,780
of body.

835
00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:30,580
Paul said, this corruption must put on incorruption.

836
00:48:30,580 --> 00:48:33,320
This mortal must put on immortality.

837
00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:36,500
One day I expect to see God, but

838
00:48:36,500 --> 00:48:37,380
not in this body.

839
00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:43,350
In my new body, this body is designed

840
00:48:43,350 --> 00:48:46,410
for the earth of the earth, earthy design

841
00:48:46,410 --> 00:48:48,050
for the environmental conditions of the earth.

842
00:48:48,130 --> 00:48:51,470
My new body far superior design for the

843
00:48:51,470 --> 00:48:52,170
heavenly environment.

844
00:48:52,730 --> 00:48:56,110
And in that new body, I can behold

845
00:48:56,110 --> 00:48:57,550
the face of the Lord and I can

846
00:48:57,550 --> 00:48:59,250
sit and worship at his feet.

847
00:49:03,850 --> 00:49:05,990
What a glorious day that will be.

848
00:49:07,590 --> 00:49:09,230
So no man has seen God at any

849
00:49:09,230 --> 00:49:15,140
time, but the only begotten son, which is

850
00:49:15,140 --> 00:49:17,500
in the bosom of the father, he hath

851
00:49:17,500 --> 00:49:25,520
manifested him, declared him, demonstrated him, brought him

852
00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:27,240
forth into full revelation.

853
00:49:28,220 --> 00:49:30,360
He has revealed him to us.

854
00:49:31,580 --> 00:49:35,080
And this is the record of John the

855
00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:35,580
Baptist.

856
00:49:35,920 --> 00:49:40,240
When the Jews sent the priest and the

857
00:49:40,240 --> 00:49:43,180
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are

858
00:49:43,180 --> 00:49:43,680
you?

859
00:49:46,650 --> 00:49:47,970
John was baptizing.

860
00:49:48,130 --> 00:49:50,130
We read in the wilderness and multitudes of

861
00:49:50,130 --> 00:49:52,370
people were going out, being attracted by this

862
00:49:52,370 --> 00:49:52,810
man.

863
00:49:54,070 --> 00:49:57,830
And so in Jerusalem, the religious leaders got

864
00:49:57,830 --> 00:49:58,290
upset.

865
00:49:58,390 --> 00:50:00,650
You know, this guy's out there baptizing and

866
00:50:00,650 --> 00:50:02,430
we didn't send him out there and he

867
00:50:02,430 --> 00:50:03,550
doesn't have our authority.

868
00:50:05,920 --> 00:50:07,780
And they sent the priest and Levites out

869
00:50:07,780 --> 00:50:09,840
to ask the guy, who are you anyhow?

870
00:50:13,440 --> 00:50:15,280
And this is the record of John.

871
00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:19,640
He confessed and he did not deny, but

872
00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:20,340
he confessed.

873
00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:22,840
I am not the Messiah.

874
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:26,900
And that was really, who are you?

875
00:50:27,160 --> 00:50:28,580
You know, are you saying that you're the

876
00:50:28,580 --> 00:50:28,800
Messiah?

877
00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:32,200
He said, I am not the Messiah.

878
00:50:33,820 --> 00:50:36,380
And because the word Christ is Messiah.

879
00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:39,840
So got to remember that I am not

880
00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:40,460
the Messiah.

881
00:50:41,180 --> 00:50:47,090
And they asked him, are you then Elijah?

882
00:50:49,050 --> 00:50:52,970
Now the prophecy said that Elijah would first

883
00:50:52,970 --> 00:50:54,470
come and turn the hearts of the children

884
00:50:54,470 --> 00:50:56,970
to the fathers before the coming of the

885
00:50:56,970 --> 00:50:57,930
great day of the Lord.

886
00:50:58,450 --> 00:50:59,650
And so are you Elijah?

887
00:51:00,630 --> 00:51:02,950
The Jews, even to the present day at

888
00:51:02,950 --> 00:51:06,610
their Passover services or in their home at

889
00:51:06,610 --> 00:51:10,390
their Passover celebrations have the chair, the empty

890
00:51:10,390 --> 00:51:12,770
chair, the door is open.

891
00:51:14,210 --> 00:51:18,170
Waiting for Elijah, are you Elijah forerunner of

892
00:51:18,170 --> 00:51:18,590
the Messiah?

893
00:51:19,510 --> 00:51:21,950
And he said, I am not.

894
00:51:23,490 --> 00:51:26,830
Now this brings confusion to some people because

895
00:51:26,830 --> 00:51:29,790
in Matthew's gospel about the 17th chapter, Jesus

896
00:51:29,790 --> 00:51:31,890
talking about John said, this is Elijah.

897
00:51:32,010 --> 00:51:36,600
If you're able to receive it, but John

898
00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:37,400
said, I am not.

899
00:51:38,140 --> 00:51:41,400
That is, he is not the full, complete

900
00:51:41,400 --> 00:51:43,820
fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah.

901
00:51:43,820 --> 00:51:46,180
He came in the spirit and the power

902
00:51:46,180 --> 00:51:48,720
of Elijah going back to Luke's gospel chapter

903
00:51:48,720 --> 00:51:52,280
one, when Gabriel, the angel appeared into Zachariah,

904
00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:54,000
the father of John the Baptist, as he

905
00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:56,600
was ministering during his course in the temple.

906
00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:04,560
And when Zachariah saw the angel standing there

907
00:52:04,560 --> 00:52:05,740
at the right side of the altar, he

908
00:52:05,740 --> 00:52:06,680
was greatly afraid.

909
00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:10,020
And he said to Zacharias, fear not.

910
00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:11,480
I am Gabriel.

911
00:52:11,620 --> 00:52:13,100
I am standing in the presence of God.

912
00:52:13,140 --> 00:52:14,880
And I've been sent him to the, to

913
00:52:14,880 --> 00:52:16,400
let you know that your wife, Elizabeth in

914
00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:17,900
her old age is going to conceive and

915
00:52:17,900 --> 00:52:18,400
bear a son.

916
00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:19,680
And that's what call his name, John.

917
00:52:19,820 --> 00:52:21,880
And he shall go forth in the spirit

918
00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:23,780
and the power of Elijah to turn the

919
00:52:23,780 --> 00:52:25,380
hearts of the children to their fathers.

920
00:52:25,660 --> 00:52:27,000
And he began to tell him of the

921
00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:28,720
ministry of his son, John the Baptist.

922
00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:31,780
He'll go forth in the spirit and the

923
00:52:31,780 --> 00:52:32,540
power of Elijah.

924
00:52:33,660 --> 00:52:36,440
But when they asked John plainly, are you

925
00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:37,340
then Elijah?

926
00:52:37,500 --> 00:52:38,000
He said, no.

927
00:52:43,900 --> 00:52:47,620
And they said, are you that prophet now

928
00:52:47,620 --> 00:52:50,920
Moses promised and there shall come a prophet

929
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:53,280
like unto myself and to him, shall you

930
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:53,780
give heed?

931
00:52:54,100 --> 00:52:56,560
Are you that prophet that Moses spoke about?

932
00:52:56,700 --> 00:52:57,440
And he said, no.

933
00:53:00,680 --> 00:53:01,440
20 questions.

934
00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:05,860
And they then said unto him, then who

935
00:53:05,860 --> 00:53:06,460
are you?

936
00:53:07,680 --> 00:53:09,680
That we may give an answer to those

937
00:53:09,680 --> 00:53:10,640
who have sent us.

938
00:53:11,400 --> 00:53:12,980
What do you say of yourself?

939
00:53:13,940 --> 00:53:16,140
And he said, I am the voice of

940
00:53:16,140 --> 00:53:19,380
one crying in the wilderness, make straight the

941
00:53:19,380 --> 00:53:23,340
way of the Lord as was predicted by

942
00:53:23,340 --> 00:53:24,700
Isaiah, the prophet.

943
00:53:26,990 --> 00:53:28,710
And they which were sent were of the

944
00:53:28,710 --> 00:53:29,250
Pharisees.

945
00:53:29,290 --> 00:53:30,450
And they asked him and said unto him,

946
00:53:30,930 --> 00:53:33,130
why do you baptize then if you are

947
00:53:33,130 --> 00:53:36,110
not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?

948
00:53:38,300 --> 00:53:40,960
And John answered them saying, I baptize with

949
00:53:40,960 --> 00:53:46,540
water, but there is standing one among you

950
00:53:46,540 --> 00:53:48,260
whom you do not know.

951
00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:52,140
He it is who's coming after me is

952
00:53:52,140 --> 00:53:55,760
preferred before me, whose shoe latchet I'm not

953
00:53:55,760 --> 00:53:57,080
unworthy to untie.

954
00:53:58,180 --> 00:54:01,240
Now, these things were done in Bethabara beyond

955
00:54:01,240 --> 00:54:03,600
Jordan, where John was baptizing.

956
00:54:04,860 --> 00:54:08,100
And the next day, John saw Jesus coming

957
00:54:08,100 --> 00:54:11,360
unto him and he said, behold, the lamb

958
00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:15,960
of God that taketh away the sin of

959
00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:16,480
the world.

960
00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:20,640
Oh, what a tremendous statement concerning Jesus, the

961
00:54:20,640 --> 00:54:22,920
lamb of God that taketh away the sin

962
00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:23,380
of the world.

963
00:54:25,120 --> 00:54:27,920
How did the lamb of God remove the

964
00:54:27,920 --> 00:54:37,230
sin by a sacrificial substitutionary death that was

965
00:54:37,230 --> 00:54:41,210
just deeply embedded in their mind as a

966
00:54:41,210 --> 00:54:43,210
result of their culture and their worship and

967
00:54:43,210 --> 00:54:43,870
their religion?

968
00:54:44,570 --> 00:54:46,550
How then is Jesus to take away the

969
00:54:46,550 --> 00:54:49,890
sin of the world by his substitutionary death?

970
00:54:50,270 --> 00:54:53,890
Behold, the lamb of God that takes away

971
00:54:53,890 --> 00:54:54,890
the sin of the world.

972
00:54:57,240 --> 00:54:59,100
This is he of whom I said after

973
00:54:59,100 --> 00:55:00,800
me, there comes a man which is preferred

974
00:55:00,800 --> 00:55:03,520
before me for he was before me and

975
00:55:03,520 --> 00:55:06,500
I knew him not, but that he should

976
00:55:06,500 --> 00:55:07,980
be made manifest to Israel.

977
00:55:08,300 --> 00:55:11,160
Therefore, I am come baptizing with water.

978
00:55:11,480 --> 00:55:12,960
Now I knew him not.

979
00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,320
And then we have a new phrase, but

980
00:55:15,320 --> 00:55:17,800
that he should be made manifest to Israel.

981
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:20,500
I have come baptizing with water.

982
00:55:20,580 --> 00:55:22,380
That's why I'm here in order that this

983
00:55:22,380 --> 00:55:24,400
man might be made manifest to Israel.

984
00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:25,900
I didn't know he's my cousin.

985
00:55:25,980 --> 00:55:28,040
I didn't realize who he was.

986
00:55:30,610 --> 00:55:31,470
I knew him.

987
00:55:31,530 --> 00:55:32,750
I didn't know who he was.

988
00:55:34,070 --> 00:55:35,830
I didn't know that he was the one.

989
00:55:35,890 --> 00:55:39,410
I know that God sent me to declare,

990
00:55:39,530 --> 00:55:41,750
to declare, prepare you the way of the

991
00:55:41,750 --> 00:55:42,930
Lord, make straight his paths.

992
00:55:43,010 --> 00:55:45,390
But, you know, I didn't know who he

993
00:55:45,390 --> 00:55:49,130
was, but the purpose of my being here

994
00:55:49,130 --> 00:55:51,050
is that he might be made manifest to

995
00:55:51,050 --> 00:55:51,550
Israel.

996
00:55:53,680 --> 00:55:56,680
And I knew him not, but that he

997
00:55:56,680 --> 00:55:57,980
should be made manifest to Israel.

998
00:55:58,100 --> 00:55:59,600
Therefore, I'm come baptizing with water.

999
00:55:59,720 --> 00:56:03,000
And John bear record saying, I saw the

1000
00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:07,540
spirit descending from heaven like a dove and

1001
00:56:07,540 --> 00:56:09,460
it abode upon him.

1002
00:56:10,220 --> 00:56:13,260
And I knew him not, but he that

1003
00:56:13,260 --> 00:56:16,140
sent me to baptize with water, the same

1004
00:56:16,140 --> 00:56:19,220
said unto me upon whom thou shalt see

1005
00:56:19,220 --> 00:56:22,580
the spirit descending and remaining on him.

1006
00:56:22,820 --> 00:56:25,640
The same is he which baptizes with the

1007
00:56:25,640 --> 00:56:26,360
Holy spirit.

1008
00:56:26,740 --> 00:56:28,380
So John said, I didn't know him until

1009
00:56:28,380 --> 00:56:31,060
I saw the spirit like a dove coming

1010
00:56:31,060 --> 00:56:32,060
and resting upon him.

1011
00:56:32,060 --> 00:56:33,780
And I know that the one who told

1012
00:56:33,780 --> 00:56:35,840
me to go out and baptize also told

1013
00:56:35,840 --> 00:56:37,740
me that the one that you see the

1014
00:56:37,740 --> 00:56:40,000
spirit descending and staying upon, that is the

1015
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:41,720
one who is going to baptize with the

1016
00:56:41,720 --> 00:56:42,320
Holy spirit.

1017
00:56:43,180 --> 00:56:45,340
And so John said, I saw, and I

1018
00:56:45,340 --> 00:56:48,860
bear record that this is the son of

1019
00:56:48,860 --> 00:56:49,220
God.

1020
00:56:49,860 --> 00:56:51,500
John was sent as a witness of the

1021
00:56:51,500 --> 00:56:51,720
light.

1022
00:56:52,060 --> 00:56:54,180
What is John's witness concerning Jesus Christ?

1023
00:56:54,420 --> 00:56:56,960
He is the son of God.

1024
00:56:57,520 --> 00:56:59,660
Now, the next day after this, John was

1025
00:56:59,660 --> 00:57:04,160
standing with two of his disciples and looking

1026
00:57:04,160 --> 00:57:07,820
upon Jesus as he walked, he said, behold,

1027
00:57:08,380 --> 00:57:09,900
the lamb of God.

1028
00:57:12,580 --> 00:57:14,660
Again, he had said earlier, behold, the lamb

1029
00:57:14,660 --> 00:57:16,020
of God that takes away the sin of

1030
00:57:16,020 --> 00:57:16,280
the world.

1031
00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:18,280
Now he just says, behold, the lamb of

1032
00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:18,620
God.

1033
00:57:20,380 --> 00:57:22,980
As John is writing the book of revelation,

1034
00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,540
the book of revelation centers around the lamb

1035
00:57:26,540 --> 00:57:30,540
of God to understand the book of revelation.

1036
00:57:30,740 --> 00:57:33,780
You've got to see the land and our

1037
00:57:33,780 --> 00:57:36,920
first view of the lamb of God, of

1038
00:57:36,920 --> 00:57:39,400
course, is, is in the first chapter of

1039
00:57:39,400 --> 00:57:41,840
revelation, as he describes Christ in his glory.

1040
00:57:42,700 --> 00:57:45,040
But then as he gets into the heavenly

1041
00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:50,760
scene, chapter five, when he was weeping, sobbing

1042
00:57:50,760 --> 00:57:52,900
convulsively, because no one was found worthy to

1043
00:57:52,900 --> 00:57:54,440
take the scroll or loose the seals.

1044
00:57:54,920 --> 00:57:56,980
And the, and the elder said unto him,

1045
00:57:57,220 --> 00:58:01,520
John, don't sob behold the lion of the

1046
00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:03,300
tribe of Judah has prevailed to take the

1047
00:58:03,300 --> 00:58:04,300
scroll and loose the seals.

1048
00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:06,420
And I turned and I saw him as

1049
00:58:06,420 --> 00:58:09,580
a lamb that had been slaughtered.

1050
00:58:09,640 --> 00:58:11,240
And he came and he took the scroll

1051
00:58:11,240 --> 00:58:12,460
out of the right hand of him that

1052
00:58:12,460 --> 00:58:13,580
was sitting upon the throne.

1053
00:58:14,520 --> 00:58:16,280
And when he took the scroll out of

1054
00:58:16,280 --> 00:58:18,080
the right hand of him sitting upon the

1055
00:58:18,080 --> 00:58:20,220
throne, the 24 elders came forth with their

1056
00:58:20,220 --> 00:58:22,400
golden vials, full of voters, which are the

1057
00:58:22,400 --> 00:58:23,140
prayers of the saints.

1058
00:58:23,200 --> 00:58:24,600
And they offered them before the throne of

1059
00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:25,020
God.

1060
00:58:25,260 --> 00:58:27,900
And they sang a new song saying worthy

1061
00:58:27,900 --> 00:58:30,980
is the lamb to take the scroll and

1062
00:58:30,980 --> 00:58:33,420
loose the seals for he was slain and

1063
00:58:33,420 --> 00:58:35,940
has redeemed us by his blood.

1064
00:58:36,260 --> 00:58:38,520
Behold the lamb of God that takes away

1065
00:58:38,520 --> 00:58:39,400
the sin of the world.

1066
00:58:40,020 --> 00:58:42,940
One day by the grace of God, we'll

1067
00:58:42,940 --> 00:58:45,220
be standing in that heavenly scene and we'll

1068
00:58:45,220 --> 00:58:47,540
see him as he comes and takes the

1069
00:58:47,540 --> 00:58:49,980
scroll and we'll hear there.

1070
00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:53,360
Behold the lamb of God who has taken

1071
00:58:53,360 --> 00:58:56,640
away our sins, the sin of the world.

1072
00:58:58,140 --> 00:59:00,080
So John is now with two of his

1073
00:59:00,080 --> 00:59:04,980
disciples and John is saying to his disciples,

1074
00:59:05,100 --> 00:59:05,900
they're standing there talking.

1075
00:59:06,140 --> 00:59:08,420
He says, behold the lamb of God.

1076
00:59:10,020 --> 00:59:13,280
And the two disciples heard what John said

1077
00:59:13,280 --> 00:59:15,260
and they followed Jesus.

1078
00:59:16,860 --> 00:59:19,940
Now John's testimony of Jesus is, is, Hey,

1079
00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:25,280
you know, I'm only a, an attendant to

1080
00:59:25,280 --> 00:59:28,880
the bridegroom and I'm honored when the bridegroom

1081
00:59:28,880 --> 00:59:32,460
is honored and he must increase, I must

1082
00:59:32,460 --> 00:59:32,920
decrease.

1083
00:59:33,360 --> 00:59:35,720
So John is now pointing his own disciples

1084
00:59:35,720 --> 00:59:36,560
to Jesus.

1085
00:59:37,120 --> 00:59:39,040
And one of those disciples happened to be

1086
00:59:39,040 --> 00:59:40,780
Andrew, the brother of Peter.

1087
00:59:42,060 --> 00:59:44,660
And so these two disciples started to follow

1088
00:59:44,660 --> 00:59:47,640
Jesus and Jesus turned and he saw them

1089
00:59:47,640 --> 00:59:48,300
following him.

1090
00:59:48,320 --> 00:59:51,060
And he said, who are you looking for?

1091
00:59:51,920 --> 00:59:55,360
And they said unto him, rabbi, which is

1092
00:59:55,360 --> 00:59:59,760
being interpreted master, where do you live?

1093
01:00:00,820 --> 01:00:02,680
And Jesus said, come and see.

1094
01:00:03,540 --> 01:00:05,380
And they came and saw where he was

1095
01:00:05,380 --> 01:00:08,360
living and they stayed with him that day

1096
01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:10,300
for it was about the 10th hour.

1097
01:00:10,420 --> 01:00:12,520
It was getting late in the afternoon, four

1098
01:00:12,520 --> 01:00:12,860
o'clock.

1099
01:00:13,760 --> 01:00:15,920
So one of the two, which heard John

1100
01:00:15,920 --> 01:00:22,180
speaking and followed him was Andrew, Simon, Peter's

1101
01:00:22,180 --> 01:00:22,540
brother.

1102
01:00:24,880 --> 01:00:26,980
Now, Andrew, we are not told too much

1103
01:00:26,980 --> 01:00:29,220
about these Simon, Peter's brother, but it is

1104
01:00:29,220 --> 01:00:33,460
interesting that in the new Testament, we always

1105
01:00:33,460 --> 01:00:37,360
find Andrew bringing people to Jesus.

1106
01:00:38,100 --> 01:00:40,820
That seemed to be his ministry, just bringing

1107
01:00:40,820 --> 01:00:41,700
people to Jesus.

1108
01:00:41,840 --> 01:00:43,800
But what a beautiful ministry that is.

1109
01:00:44,720 --> 01:00:46,760
It was Andrew who brought the little boy

1110
01:00:46,760 --> 01:00:48,500
to Jesus with the five loaves and the

1111
01:00:48,500 --> 01:00:49,080
two fish.

1112
01:00:51,910 --> 01:00:54,250
Andrew, and you'll see him bringing people to

1113
01:00:54,250 --> 01:00:54,470
Jesus.

1114
01:00:54,610 --> 01:01:01,800
So Andrew, first of all, found his own

1115
01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:02,900
brother, Simon.

1116
01:01:03,140 --> 01:01:05,580
And he said unto him, we have found

1117
01:01:05,580 --> 01:01:09,520
the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ.

1118
01:01:09,720 --> 01:01:12,680
So there you see the Christ is Messiah.

1119
01:01:13,920 --> 01:01:15,860
And he brought him to Jesus.

1120
01:01:16,940 --> 01:01:20,060
And when Jesus beheld him, he said, you're

1121
01:01:20,060 --> 01:01:24,580
Simon, the son of Jonah, and you shall

1122
01:01:24,580 --> 01:01:29,960
be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a

1123
01:01:29,960 --> 01:01:30,500
stone.

1124
01:01:31,540 --> 01:01:33,560
You're Simon, you're son of Jonah, but you're

1125
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:36,740
going to be called Cephas, a stone.

1126
01:01:38,740 --> 01:01:43,380
The following day, Jesus came forth into the

1127
01:01:43,380 --> 01:01:45,720
area of Galilee, and he found Philip.

1128
01:01:46,740 --> 01:01:49,700
And he said unto him, follow me.

1129
01:01:52,880 --> 01:01:56,440
Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, which was the

1130
01:01:56,440 --> 01:01:59,620
same city where Andrew and Peter originated.

1131
01:02:00,840 --> 01:02:04,240
Actually, Andrew and Peter evidently moved from Bethsaida

1132
01:02:04,240 --> 01:02:07,360
to Capernaum because Peter had a house in

1133
01:02:07,360 --> 01:02:09,500
Capernaum where Jesus stayed.

1134
01:02:12,680 --> 01:02:15,920
But Bethsaida was probably their hometown on up

1135
01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:19,520
about five miles from Capernaum around the Sea

1136
01:02:19,520 --> 01:02:21,780
of Galilee and up near where the Jordan

1137
01:02:21,780 --> 01:02:23,640
River comes into the Sea of Galilee.

1138
01:02:24,440 --> 01:02:29,200
Now, Philip found Nathanael and said unto him,

1139
01:02:29,680 --> 01:02:32,820
we have found him of whom Moses in

1140
01:02:32,820 --> 01:02:36,360
the law and the prophets did write, Jesus

1141
01:02:36,360 --> 01:02:38,240
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

1142
01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:39,680
We've found him.

1143
01:02:41,590 --> 01:02:43,730
The one that Moses wrote about, the one

1144
01:02:43,730 --> 01:02:47,030
that the prophets have written about, Jesus of

1145
01:02:47,030 --> 01:02:47,590
Nazareth.

1146
01:02:48,650 --> 01:02:52,730
And Nathanael said unto him, can any good

1147
01:02:52,730 --> 01:02:54,330
thing come out of Nazareth?

1148
01:02:56,420 --> 01:02:58,940
Philip said unto him, come and see.

1149
01:03:02,740 --> 01:03:04,800
Nazareth evidently didn't have too good of a

1150
01:03:04,800 --> 01:03:05,380
reputation.

1151
01:03:07,880 --> 01:03:10,940
And so Philip's answer was just a good

1152
01:03:10,940 --> 01:03:11,140
answer.

1153
01:03:11,220 --> 01:03:12,180
You just come and see.

1154
01:03:13,820 --> 01:03:16,500
So Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and

1155
01:03:16,500 --> 01:03:19,620
he said of him, behold, an Israelite indeed,

1156
01:03:19,620 --> 01:03:22,480
and whom is no guile.

1157
01:03:23,700 --> 01:03:25,300
You're a straight shooter.

1158
01:03:27,580 --> 01:03:33,820
And Nathanael said unto him, how did you

1159
01:03:33,820 --> 01:03:34,300
know me?

1160
01:03:35,500 --> 01:03:38,480
And Jesus answered and said unto him, before

1161
01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:43,360
Philip called you, when you were sitting there

1162
01:03:43,360 --> 01:03:45,260
under that fig tree, I saw you.

1163
01:03:46,500 --> 01:03:49,000
And Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi,

1164
01:03:50,120 --> 01:03:51,800
thou art the son of God.

1165
01:03:52,220 --> 01:03:53,380
You're the king of Israel.

1166
01:03:54,220 --> 01:03:56,760
And Jesus answered and said unto him, because

1167
01:03:56,760 --> 01:03:58,380
I said unto you, I saw you under

1168
01:03:58,380 --> 01:03:59,080
the fig tree.

1169
01:03:59,160 --> 01:03:59,780
Do you believe?

1170
01:04:01,140 --> 01:04:01,980
Stick around.

1171
01:04:02,160 --> 01:04:03,700
You're going to see greater things than that.

1172
01:04:06,190 --> 01:04:10,090
And he said unto him, verily, verily, I

1173
01:04:10,090 --> 01:04:15,490
say unto you, after this, you're going to

1174
01:04:15,490 --> 01:04:18,890
see the heaven open and the angels of

1175
01:04:18,890 --> 01:04:21,990
God ascending and descending on the son of

1176
01:04:21,990 --> 01:04:22,290
man.

1177
01:04:23,770 --> 01:04:25,610
Where do we find that in scripture?

1178
01:04:26,430 --> 01:04:29,770
The heaven open and the angels ascending and

1179
01:04:29,770 --> 01:04:30,110
descending.

1180
01:04:33,380 --> 01:04:35,780
Remember when Jacob was running from his brother

1181
01:04:35,780 --> 01:04:40,960
Esau and he came to Bethel and he

1182
01:04:40,960 --> 01:04:46,020
was tired and he was scared and he

1183
01:04:46,020 --> 01:04:49,320
got a pillow, a rock for a pillow

1184
01:04:49,320 --> 01:04:53,360
and he went to sleep and he dreamed.

1185
01:04:54,620 --> 01:04:57,060
And in his dream, he saw the Lord

1186
01:04:57,060 --> 01:05:00,800
of heaven standing at the top of the

1187
01:05:00,800 --> 01:05:04,400
ladder and the angels of God were ascending

1188
01:05:04,400 --> 01:05:05,620
and descending.

1189
01:05:07,480 --> 01:05:09,940
And God spoke to him and said, behold,

1190
01:05:10,860 --> 01:05:13,620
I am the Lord, the God of your

1191
01:05:13,620 --> 01:05:16,320
fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

1192
01:05:17,480 --> 01:05:19,940
And in the morning when Jacob got up,

1193
01:05:20,000 --> 01:05:22,500
he said, truly, the Lord is in this

1194
01:05:22,500 --> 01:05:22,880
place.

1195
01:05:23,240 --> 01:05:24,940
And I knew it not.

1196
01:05:26,300 --> 01:05:30,060
Now, Jesus, in essence, is saying I am

1197
01:05:30,060 --> 01:05:30,600
the ladder.

1198
01:05:34,220 --> 01:05:37,860
I am the access by which man can

1199
01:05:37,860 --> 01:05:38,440
come to God.

1200
01:05:38,500 --> 01:05:40,340
I'm the one who ties heaven and earth

1201
01:05:40,340 --> 01:05:40,900
together.

1202
01:05:42,680 --> 01:05:44,160
You're going to see heaven open.

1203
01:05:46,180 --> 01:05:49,220
You're going to see the angels of God

1204
01:05:49,220 --> 01:05:52,600
ascending and descending upon the son of man.

1205
01:05:52,700 --> 01:05:54,140
So the son of man is the ladder

1206
01:05:54,140 --> 01:05:58,860
by which heaven is joined to earth.

1207
01:06:02,400 --> 01:06:07,460
When one of Job's friends counseled him, look,

1208
01:06:07,620 --> 01:06:11,200
man, just get right with God and you'll

1209
01:06:11,200 --> 01:06:13,740
be over with your problems.

1210
01:06:15,040 --> 01:06:17,240
He said, thanks a lot, you bag of

1211
01:06:17,240 --> 01:06:17,540
wind.

1212
01:06:18,920 --> 01:06:20,900
You tell me, get right with God.

1213
01:06:21,340 --> 01:06:22,740
You think you're helping me?

1214
01:06:25,060 --> 01:06:27,360
Who am I that I complete my case

1215
01:06:27,360 --> 01:06:28,060
with God?

1216
01:06:29,100 --> 01:06:30,400
God is so vast.

1217
01:06:30,480 --> 01:06:31,580
I look for him and I don't see

1218
01:06:31,580 --> 01:06:31,860
him.

1219
01:06:33,420 --> 01:06:35,260
I look to my right.

1220
01:06:35,380 --> 01:06:36,100
I look to my left.

1221
01:06:36,180 --> 01:06:37,940
I look behind me and I can't see

1222
01:06:37,940 --> 01:06:38,180
him.

1223
01:06:42,460 --> 01:06:46,540
And he said, there is no days man

1224
01:06:46,540 --> 01:06:49,120
between us who can lay his hand on

1225
01:06:49,120 --> 01:06:49,640
us both.

1226
01:06:50,200 --> 01:06:51,280
God is so vast.

1227
01:06:51,560 --> 01:06:52,760
He fills the universe.

1228
01:06:53,020 --> 01:06:53,800
I can't see him.

1229
01:06:54,040 --> 01:06:55,520
How can I plead my case with him

1230
01:06:55,520 --> 01:06:57,300
when I am just so nothing and God

1231
01:06:57,300 --> 01:06:59,500
is so great and there's no one between

1232
01:06:59,500 --> 01:07:01,180
us that can touch us both?

1233
01:07:02,760 --> 01:07:03,900
Heaven is so high.

1234
01:07:03,900 --> 01:07:04,880
How can I ascend?

1235
01:07:05,300 --> 01:07:07,320
How can I plead my case before God?

1236
01:07:09,330 --> 01:07:13,590
But Jesus is the answer to that cry

1237
01:07:13,590 --> 01:07:15,730
of Job, the days man who stands between

1238
01:07:15,730 --> 01:07:18,010
God and man, who touches God and who

1239
01:07:18,010 --> 01:07:21,910
touches me, the days man between us.

1240
01:07:23,650 --> 01:07:29,700
He is the ladder that has bridged from

1241
01:07:29,700 --> 01:07:34,940
the infinite to the finite, from eternal to

1242
01:07:34,940 --> 01:07:35,400
the time.

1243
01:07:37,710 --> 01:07:38,890
Now, in the third day, there was a

1244
01:07:38,890 --> 01:07:42,410
marriage in Cana of Galilee and the mother

1245
01:07:42,410 --> 01:07:43,850
of Jesus was there.

1246
01:07:44,150 --> 01:07:49,270
Cana of Galilee is about about oh five,

1247
01:07:49,570 --> 01:07:52,350
six miles from Nazareth and it's down.

1248
01:07:52,930 --> 01:07:54,410
You're starting from Nazareth.

1249
01:07:54,490 --> 01:07:55,790
You come over the top of the hill

1250
01:07:55,790 --> 01:07:57,990
from Nazareth and you sort of start down

1251
01:07:57,990 --> 01:08:00,690
this valley that ultimately brings you out to

1252
01:08:00,690 --> 01:08:02,550
the Sea of Galilee and it's the path

1253
01:08:02,550 --> 01:08:05,050
or the road that went from Nazareth to

1254
01:08:05,050 --> 01:08:05,690
the Sea of Galilee.

1255
01:08:05,890 --> 01:08:07,650
Cana, just a little village there.

1256
01:08:08,490 --> 01:08:11,870
And there was a marriage there in Cana

1257
01:08:11,870 --> 01:08:15,310
of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was

1258
01:08:15,310 --> 01:08:18,890
there and Jesus was invited and his disciples

1259
01:08:18,890 --> 01:08:20,149
with him to the marriage.

1260
01:08:20,990 --> 01:08:23,250
And when they wanted wine, the mother of

1261
01:08:23,250 --> 01:08:27,529
Jesus said unto him, they've run out of

1262
01:08:27,529 --> 01:08:27,930
wine.

1263
01:08:29,609 --> 01:08:33,290
And Jesus said, what business is that of

1264
01:08:33,290 --> 01:08:33,630
mine?

1265
01:08:34,529 --> 01:08:36,649
My hour is not yet come.

1266
01:08:36,810 --> 01:08:38,290
Woman, what am I to do?

1267
01:08:38,350 --> 01:08:39,350
What are you trying to do to me?

1268
01:08:39,470 --> 01:08:42,390
You know, my hour is not yet come.

1269
01:08:43,210 --> 01:08:46,270
Now, Mary knew more than she was saying.

1270
01:08:46,270 --> 01:08:49,950
She had pondered all these things in her

1271
01:08:49,950 --> 01:08:52,529
heart and now she began to realize the

1272
01:08:52,529 --> 01:08:54,689
full impact of what was happening with this

1273
01:08:54,689 --> 01:08:56,470
child that was born of the Holy Spirit

1274
01:08:58,680 --> 01:09:01,140
and his mother said to the servants.

1275
01:09:01,279 --> 01:09:01,960
Now, it's interesting.

1276
01:09:02,100 --> 01:09:05,200
Jesus sort of ignored her in a sense.

1277
01:09:07,850 --> 01:09:09,270
Woman, what have I to do with you?

1278
01:09:09,370 --> 01:09:10,450
My hour is not yet come.

1279
01:09:10,870 --> 01:09:15,170
But Mary said to the servants, whatever he

1280
01:09:15,170 --> 01:09:17,029
says for you to do, do it.

1281
01:09:17,029 --> 01:09:21,069
And there were there about six water pots.

1282
01:09:21,350 --> 01:09:23,870
There were there six water pots of stone

1283
01:09:23,870 --> 01:09:26,710
that were these water pots were the type

1284
01:09:26,710 --> 01:09:28,609
that they use for the purifying.

1285
01:09:29,630 --> 01:09:31,510
So each of them held two or three

1286
01:09:31,510 --> 01:09:34,569
firkins a piece and a firkin is about

1287
01:09:34,569 --> 01:09:35,490
nine gallons.

1288
01:09:35,750 --> 01:09:37,910
So 18 to 27 gallons a piece.

1289
01:09:38,149 --> 01:09:40,189
So they're good sized water pots, the kind

1290
01:09:40,189 --> 01:09:42,710
that you use for your cleansing ceremonies.

1291
01:09:44,290 --> 01:09:47,189
And Jesus said unto them, fill the water

1292
01:09:47,189 --> 01:09:49,069
pots with water.

1293
01:09:50,350 --> 01:09:52,450
And they filled them up to the brim

1294
01:09:54,080 --> 01:09:57,540
and he said unto them, now draw it

1295
01:09:57,540 --> 01:09:59,360
out and bear it to the governor of

1296
01:09:59,360 --> 01:09:59,840
the feast.

1297
01:09:59,940 --> 01:10:01,320
And so they took it to the governor

1298
01:10:01,320 --> 01:10:02,180
of the feast.

1299
01:10:03,380 --> 01:10:05,340
And when the ruler of the feast had

1300
01:10:05,340 --> 01:10:08,660
tasted the water that was made wine and

1301
01:10:08,660 --> 01:10:13,480
he knew not its origin from whence it

1302
01:10:13,480 --> 01:10:16,940
was, but the servants which drew the water,

1303
01:10:17,080 --> 01:10:18,820
they knew the governor of the feast called

1304
01:10:18,820 --> 01:10:19,480
the bridegroom.

1305
01:10:19,600 --> 01:10:21,720
And he said unto him, every man at

1306
01:10:21,720 --> 01:10:25,060
the beginning does set forth good wine.

1307
01:10:25,520 --> 01:10:27,820
And when everyone is pretty well drunk, then

1308
01:10:27,820 --> 01:10:29,160
he brings out the worse.

1309
01:10:30,020 --> 01:10:32,540
But you've kept the best, the best wine

1310
01:10:32,540 --> 01:10:33,320
until now.

1311
01:10:34,340 --> 01:10:37,280
Now this is the beginning of miracles, which

1312
01:10:37,280 --> 01:10:40,340
Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested

1313
01:10:40,340 --> 01:10:45,440
forth his glory and his disciples believed on

1314
01:10:45,440 --> 01:10:45,880
him.

1315
01:10:46,940 --> 01:10:49,060
And after this, he went down to Capernaum,

1316
01:10:49,200 --> 01:10:51,920
he and his mother and the brothers and

1317
01:10:51,920 --> 01:10:55,780
his disciples, and they continued there not many

1318
01:10:55,780 --> 01:10:56,300
days.

1319
01:10:58,580 --> 01:11:01,300
So the turning of water into wine, the

1320
01:11:01,300 --> 01:11:03,360
beginning of the miracles of Jesus.

1321
01:11:03,800 --> 01:11:07,340
And it is interesting to me that it

1322
01:11:07,340 --> 01:11:10,620
was at a festive occasion, a marriage feast.

1323
01:11:11,360 --> 01:11:14,740
And the first miracle, of course, of Christ

1324
01:11:14,740 --> 01:11:18,800
is, is very interesting and perhaps significant to

1325
01:11:18,800 --> 01:11:19,180
many.

1326
01:11:20,700 --> 01:11:23,540
And the Jews Passover was at hand and

1327
01:11:23,540 --> 01:11:29,640
Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found

1328
01:11:29,640 --> 01:11:32,360
in the temple those that sold oxen and

1329
01:11:32,360 --> 01:11:35,080
sheep and doves and the changers of money.

1330
01:11:36,780 --> 01:11:38,480
And when he had made a scourge of

1331
01:11:38,480 --> 01:11:41,260
small cords, he drove them out of the

1332
01:11:41,260 --> 01:11:44,300
temple and the sheep and the oxen, and

1333
01:11:44,300 --> 01:11:47,080
he poured out the changers money and overthrew

1334
01:11:47,080 --> 01:11:47,740
the tables.

1335
01:11:49,740 --> 01:11:50,940
I love him.

1336
01:11:54,940 --> 01:11:57,200
There are those who try to picture Jesus

1337
01:11:57,200 --> 01:12:06,280
as a rather effeminate person, you know, just

1338
01:12:06,280 --> 01:12:12,300
the kind who wouldn't swat a fly, just

1339
01:12:13,820 --> 01:12:20,120
sort of weak and all, but he was

1340
01:12:20,120 --> 01:12:21,980
a man's man.

1341
01:12:24,960 --> 01:12:27,020
He came in and when he saw what

1342
01:12:27,020 --> 01:12:29,740
was going on in his father's house, he

1343
01:12:29,740 --> 01:12:30,840
was upset.

1344
01:12:32,600 --> 01:12:35,320
And he took and made a whip and

1345
01:12:35,320 --> 01:12:38,220
started cleaning things up, picking the tables and

1346
01:12:38,220 --> 01:12:39,100
dumping them over.

1347
01:12:39,700 --> 01:12:42,340
And it's interesting, one fellow could do so

1348
01:12:42,340 --> 01:12:47,080
much upsetting of that whole thing and yet

1349
01:12:47,080 --> 01:12:49,000
they couldn't handle him.

1350
01:12:49,060 --> 01:12:51,760
I mean, they just, they had to let

1351
01:12:51,760 --> 01:12:52,220
him go.

1352
01:12:52,980 --> 01:12:53,540
Why?

1353
01:12:53,640 --> 01:12:55,360
Because he was a man's man and they

1354
01:12:55,360 --> 01:12:56,980
didn't dare to challenge him.

1355
01:13:04,150 --> 01:13:05,950
He said unto them that sold the doves,

1356
01:13:06,110 --> 01:13:07,910
take these things out of here.

1357
01:13:09,350 --> 01:13:12,030
Make not my father's house, a house of

1358
01:13:12,030 --> 01:13:12,750
merchandise.

1359
01:13:14,090 --> 01:13:16,930
And his disciples remembered that it was written,

1360
01:13:17,110 --> 01:13:19,710
the zeal of thine house has eaten me

1361
01:13:19,710 --> 01:13:20,110
up.

1362
01:13:23,140 --> 01:13:25,340
Then answered the Jews and said unto him,

1363
01:13:25,540 --> 01:13:28,240
what sign do you show us seeing that

1364
01:13:28,240 --> 01:13:29,600
you're doing these things?

1365
01:13:31,320 --> 01:13:33,220
And he answered the Jews and said unto

1366
01:13:33,220 --> 01:13:36,920
them, and Jesus answered and said unto them,

1367
01:13:37,260 --> 01:13:43,360
destroy this temple, and in three days, I

1368
01:13:43,360 --> 01:13:44,160
will raise it up.

1369
01:13:46,540 --> 01:13:50,540
Now, this is an accusation that was brought

1370
01:13:52,580 --> 01:13:55,080
against Jesus at his trial.

1371
01:13:57,540 --> 01:13:59,180
He said, if we destroyed the temple, he

1372
01:13:59,180 --> 01:14:00,520
rebuild it in three days.

1373
01:14:01,900 --> 01:14:03,740
Now, they didn't understand what he was talking

1374
01:14:03,740 --> 01:14:03,920
about.

1375
01:14:03,940 --> 01:14:07,640
He was talking about his body, but they

1376
01:14:07,640 --> 01:14:10,160
thought that he was talking about this monstrous

1377
01:14:10,160 --> 01:14:16,320
building that Herod had begun to construct for

1378
01:14:16,320 --> 01:14:16,840
the Jews.

1379
01:14:17,080 --> 01:14:20,120
Herod died before it was ever finished, but

1380
01:14:20,120 --> 01:14:21,920
he had drawn the plans and had begun

1381
01:14:21,920 --> 01:14:25,140
the construction of this tremendous temple with its

1382
01:14:25,140 --> 01:14:26,400
huge stones.

1383
01:14:26,920 --> 01:14:28,880
And at this point, when Jesus was about

1384
01:14:28,880 --> 01:14:32,420
30 years old, they had been working, building

1385
01:14:32,420 --> 01:14:35,400
on it for some 46 years.

1386
01:14:37,520 --> 01:14:40,020
And it would take them another 19 years

1387
01:14:40,020 --> 01:14:40,940
to complete it.

1388
01:14:42,460 --> 01:14:46,100
And there were huge stones, some of them

1389
01:14:46,100 --> 01:14:50,180
weighing, according to Josephus, as much as 140

1390
01:14:50,180 --> 01:14:51,020
tons.

1391
01:14:53,680 --> 01:14:55,620
And so Jesus said, destroy this temple and

1392
01:14:55,620 --> 01:14:56,980
I'll build it again in three days.

1393
01:14:58,060 --> 01:15:05,550
And they said to him, 46 years was

1394
01:15:05,550 --> 01:15:07,010
this temple in building.

1395
01:15:08,490 --> 01:15:11,830
And will you rebuild it in three days?

1396
01:15:13,050 --> 01:15:15,450
But John tells us he was speaking of

1397
01:15:15,450 --> 01:15:16,910
the temple of his body.

1398
01:15:18,390 --> 01:15:21,150
Now, after he was risen from the dead,

1399
01:15:21,270 --> 01:15:23,890
his disciples remembered that he had said this

1400
01:15:23,890 --> 01:15:26,670
unto them and they believed the scripture and

1401
01:15:26,670 --> 01:15:29,470
the word which Jesus had said.

1402
01:15:30,590 --> 01:15:32,830
Now, when he was in Jerusalem at the

1403
01:15:32,830 --> 01:15:35,950
Passover in the feast day, many believed in

1404
01:15:35,950 --> 01:15:38,070
his name when they saw the miracles which

1405
01:15:38,070 --> 01:15:38,570
he did.

1406
01:15:39,050 --> 01:15:42,850
But Jesus did not commit himself unto them

1407
01:15:42,850 --> 01:15:45,530
because he knew all men.

1408
01:15:46,490 --> 01:15:49,030
And he needed not that any should testify

1409
01:15:49,030 --> 01:15:52,450
of man, for he knew what was in

1410
01:15:52,450 --> 01:15:52,750
man.

1411
01:15:53,130 --> 01:15:55,050
There are many believed in him, but Jesus

1412
01:15:55,050 --> 01:15:58,070
did not commit himself to them.

1413
01:15:58,890 --> 01:16:00,010
He knew all men.

1414
01:16:00,190 --> 01:16:01,330
He knew what was in men.

1415
01:16:01,450 --> 01:16:03,290
He knew the fickleness of men.

1416
01:16:04,790 --> 01:16:06,950
You didn't have to tell Jesus about people

1417
01:16:06,950 --> 01:16:07,930
he already knew.

1418
01:16:09,880 --> 01:16:11,900
How many times we tell Jesus all about

1419
01:16:11,900 --> 01:16:13,500
ourselves, he already knows.

1420
01:16:14,780 --> 01:16:16,900
He needs not that any should testify of

1421
01:16:16,900 --> 01:16:17,180
man.

1422
01:16:18,920 --> 01:16:23,360
So, we move now into chapter three and

1423
01:16:23,360 --> 01:16:25,460
you're going to have a couple of weeks,

1424
01:16:25,620 --> 01:16:27,360
three weeks or so to study this one

1425
01:16:27,360 --> 01:16:28,720
over, so you ought to really get it

1426
01:16:28,720 --> 01:16:29,500
down tight.

1427
01:16:30,020 --> 01:16:31,760
Chapters three and four when we come back

1428
01:16:31,760 --> 01:16:33,320
to the Gospel of John.

1429
01:16:33,580 --> 01:16:34,220
Shall we stand?

1430
01:16:46,400 --> 01:16:47,860
Now, I know that some of you want

1431
01:16:47,860 --> 01:16:49,740
to know if it was real wine that

1432
01:16:49,740 --> 01:16:50,620
Jesus made.

1433
01:16:56,290 --> 01:17:01,170
Was it fermented wine or unfermented wine?

1434
01:17:05,620 --> 01:17:06,480
Who knows?

1435
01:17:10,180 --> 01:17:11,580
You know, you want me to know things

1436
01:17:11,580 --> 01:17:12,640
that I don't know.

1437
01:17:15,200 --> 01:17:18,680
However, the governor spoke about the type of

1438
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:20,140
wine that they had could make a person

1439
01:17:20,140 --> 01:17:20,500
drunk.

1440
01:17:22,580 --> 01:17:26,980
And the general procedure was to, you know,

1441
01:17:27,040 --> 01:17:30,420
serve your good stuff when everybody's taste buds

1442
01:17:30,420 --> 01:17:34,740
are fresh and your minds are real clear.

1443
01:17:34,960 --> 01:17:37,020
And then when your mind start getting foggy,

1444
01:17:37,120 --> 01:17:39,160
then bring out your junk, you know.

1445
01:17:40,600 --> 01:17:42,600
They don't know what they're drinking by then.

1446
01:17:54,600 --> 01:17:55,600
I don't know.

1447
01:17:57,770 --> 01:18:02,530
I do know that the scripture teaches that

1448
01:18:02,530 --> 01:18:06,130
wine is a mocker and that strong drink

1449
01:18:06,130 --> 01:18:06,890
is raging.

1450
01:18:08,330 --> 01:18:12,870
And he who is deceived by it isn't

1451
01:18:12,870 --> 01:18:13,390
wise.

1452
01:18:16,110 --> 01:18:20,770
I do know that for an overseer in

1453
01:18:20,770 --> 01:18:23,570
the church, they're not to be given to

1454
01:18:23,570 --> 01:18:24,010
wine.

1455
01:18:27,830 --> 01:18:30,530
A person who has been chosen to the

1456
01:18:30,530 --> 01:18:33,030
office of the bishop or the overseer in

1457
01:18:33,030 --> 01:18:35,850
the church is not to be given to

1458
01:18:35,850 --> 01:18:36,170
wine.

1459
01:18:39,130 --> 01:18:45,150
So, all I can do is answer for

1460
01:18:45,150 --> 01:18:51,260
myself and I do not and would not

1461
01:18:51,260 --> 01:18:51,980
drink wine.

1462
01:18:52,880 --> 01:18:54,480
Because of my position.

1463
01:18:56,120 --> 01:18:58,120
All things are lawful for me.

1464
01:18:59,320 --> 01:19:01,620
But I will not be brought under the

1465
01:19:01,620 --> 01:19:03,420
power of any.

1466
01:19:07,140 --> 01:19:09,860
I really love the freedom that I have

1467
01:19:09,860 --> 01:19:10,560
in Christ.

1468
01:19:11,820 --> 01:19:16,060
The freedom to do or, even more important

1469
01:19:16,060 --> 01:19:18,600
to me, the freedom not to do.

1470
01:19:19,440 --> 01:19:22,260
I'm glad that I'm not bound by something

1471
01:19:22,260 --> 01:19:25,080
that, you know, is pulling me down and

1472
01:19:25,080 --> 01:19:26,460
tearing me down and I can't get away

1473
01:19:26,460 --> 01:19:26,740
from it.

1474
01:19:26,860 --> 01:19:29,080
I'm glad that I'm not under the power

1475
01:19:29,080 --> 01:19:30,800
of something like that.

1476
01:19:33,580 --> 01:19:35,240
Though it might be lawful for me to

1477
01:19:35,240 --> 01:19:35,440
do.

1478
01:19:36,580 --> 01:19:38,660
If it can bring me under its power

1479
01:19:38,660 --> 01:19:40,780
or if it can bring me under its

1480
01:19:40,780 --> 01:19:41,620
influence.

1481
01:19:43,360 --> 01:19:44,860
Which is a common term.

1482
01:19:45,860 --> 01:19:46,820
He's under the influence.

1483
01:19:46,940 --> 01:19:47,420
What does it mean?

1484
01:19:47,620 --> 01:19:48,900
He's under the power of it.

1485
01:19:50,220 --> 01:19:52,180
Now, all things are lawful for me.

1486
01:19:52,760 --> 01:19:54,300
But I will not be brought under the

1487
01:19:54,300 --> 01:19:54,900
power of anything.

1488
01:19:55,000 --> 01:19:56,020
I don't want to be.

1489
01:19:56,020 --> 01:19:58,320
I love my freedom too much.

1490
01:19:59,400 --> 01:20:01,380
I love having a clear mind.

1491
01:20:01,540 --> 01:20:06,360
I like having this freedom that I have.

1492
01:20:06,460 --> 01:20:10,580
I think it's absolutely glorious to be so

1493
01:20:10,580 --> 01:20:11,700
free in Christ Jesus.

1494
01:20:12,720 --> 01:20:22,580
So, as you well know, I don't set

1495
01:20:22,580 --> 01:20:25,020
rules for others.

1496
01:20:27,000 --> 01:20:30,100
I only encourage you to seek first the

1497
01:20:30,100 --> 01:20:31,680
kingdom of God and his righteousness.

1498
01:20:34,120 --> 01:20:35,360
Seek it preeminently.

1499
01:20:36,380 --> 01:20:37,960
Seek it diligently.

1500
01:20:39,460 --> 01:20:40,980
Seek it with all of your heart.

1501
01:20:44,060 --> 01:20:45,120
Follow after the Lord.

1502
01:20:46,820 --> 01:20:49,020
Don't be deterred by anything.

1503
01:20:52,950 --> 01:20:55,650
And may the God of peace and the

1504
01:20:55,650 --> 01:20:59,130
God of love keep your minds and your

1505
01:20:59,130 --> 01:21:04,150
hearts steadfast in Jesus Christ that you might

1506
01:21:04,150 --> 01:21:12,850
grow into that perfect, complete, mature child of

1507
01:21:12,850 --> 01:21:13,390
God.

1508
01:21:14,390 --> 01:21:16,770
That person that he wants you to be

1509
01:21:16,770 --> 01:21:21,770
conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

1510
01:21:22,270 --> 01:21:25,010
Coming into the fullness of the stature of

1511
01:21:25,010 --> 01:21:27,370
the measure of the image of Christ.

1512
01:21:27,890 --> 01:21:30,130
So, God bless you and God keep you.

1513
01:21:30,130 --> 01:21:35,910
And watch over you until we, by his

1514
01:21:35,910 --> 01:21:41,990
grace, gather together again to learn and to

1515
01:21:41,990 --> 01:21:42,290
worship.