Testing. Good evening, brothers and sisters. It's good to be amongst you again. Good to be before you preaching Christ. There's nothing better. You know, it's quite a privilege. I never thought that I would have such a privilege like that in my life, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. Let's open up in prayer. Father, just come to your throne, Lord, to receive mercy and grace so that we may hear your word, Lord, that we may hear an individual rhema for each one of us, Lord. that we would know your will for us in these evil times Lord. Let's pray for those people down in Texas Lord, those who remain Lord, that they will mourn but they won't be like those without hope that we talked about a few weeks ago here. And Lord, that you would bless them. And I'm sure that they're face to face with you right now. And they're probably not too worried about what we're doing. And it's all for your glory, Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saintly ones, his holy ones. And it's always a blessing knowing that they've gone to heaven, though we mourn. And it's a shame, a pity that men like that are out on the streets. Just shows how lost humanity is without you, Lord. And we're so thankful that you've reached down and pulled us up out of the mire to set us up to be seated with you in heavenly places. And we just can't thank you enough for that. And we love you so much for it. We love your word. I know all these people here, they love your word, and they can't wait to hear what you have to say to them tonight. And Lord Jesus, thank you once again, who loved us and gave himself for us. We never forget what you did on the cross for us. And we thank you for that with all our hearts. And just bless your word, Lord, tonight as it goes forth. In Jesus' precious name, amen. We're going to start with Turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 1. I'm going to read through the, I believe, 18th verse just to make sure in case we run out of time and I don't get to all of it. But I want to try something a little different tonight. We're going to look at some exegesis to see how we come to some of the things that we believe and some of the things that we say from the pulpit. It's not too difficult. If I can understand it and if the Lord could teach me, anybody could figure it out. Okay, 1.1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things coming into being by Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. They couldn't understand it. There came a man sent from God whose name was John. He came for a witness that he might bear witness of the light that all might believe through him. That word witness, that's pretty much like our word musterion that we had a few weeks ago. Well, this is marturion where we get our word martyr for testimony or a witness. He was not the light but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man. He was in the world and the world was made through him. The world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God, and that such we are. 1 John 3, 1. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. and the Word become flesh and dwelt among us. We behold His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." That's the name of the church. John bore witness of Him, cried out, saying, This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, because He existed before me. For of His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him. He calls him right there, the only begotten God. Not son of God, the only begotten God. who is in the bosom of the father and he is exegetomide him that's where we get our word exegesis and uh it we just go through the old uh the Koine Greek, and break it down and look at the different words and the different meanings of the different words. And most importantly, all the conjunctions and all the other words, the propositions are real important. So we're going to try a little bit tonight. Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of his disciples, but you're not written in this book But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that Believing you may have life in his name when I first believed I I didn't realize you don't know a lot you just heard enough to to believe and and he reckoned that his righteousness to you, but I Don't remember it was a lot longer maybe a year, that I was reading this chapter here, this verse one day, and it just hit me all of a sudden. Jesus is God. Whoever whoever I heard the gospel from or whatever the books that I was reading and and I will watch Billy Graham I think that's when I got saved I couldn't get up to change its channel because I was too hammered So I had to sit there and watch it and that's when I got saved. I'm pretty sure so It's good thing. I couldn't get up to change that was before the day of the clicker. So we didn't have a clicker I Yeah, and exegesis, it's tricky, too, because the main part is that you've got to go with the context that you're in. If you just write out the Greek and put your own meaning to it, that's eisegesis, and that's not right. You've got to remember the context when you're doing it. So let's try verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, The Word was God, with God, and the Word was God. Okay, that starts with the proposition N. If you're taking notes, draw a circle, and right in the center of the circle is N. If you're just making a circle in your mind, N is right in the center of the circle. Okay, that's our first preposition we're going to be dealing with. Genesis 1-1, same beginning. In the beginning God created the heaven and earth, and we all know Jesus is the creator of all things. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. by the ramah by the word of his power in hebrews one three uh... the ramah is is not just a word it's the spoken words he's speaking he's talking to the world keeping it going that's how that planets and everything keeps keeps going and first john one one is another beginning what was from the beginning same beginning i believe what we have heard what we have seen with our eyes what we have looked at what we have touched with our hands concerning the word of life uh... here we have some uh... some eyewitnesses john peter uh... the closest peter john and james they were there they were more the inner circle and uh... they seen everything he did a They did stuff that we can't do. They touched him, they listened to him, and they heard him, and they seen him doing all his miracles, and preaching to all the people, and preaching to the Pharisees, and yelling at him, and all the stuff he did. They were eyewitnesses. And that had to be a great thing. And the Word became flesh, dwelt among us, and we saw His glory. Glory is of the only begotten from the Father. full of grace and truth we already read that but doesn't hurt to read it again revelation 1913 he is clothed in a white robe and his name is called the Word of God he is the Word of God John 17 5 now father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which i've had before the world was they already he's going back to where he started out seated next to the father in heaven glory first John 1 2 the life was manifested and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the father so there's two separate people there there the word was with the father and was manifested to us Philippians 2 6 who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped to be taken by robbery is what the word means okay so let's start out here we got to our end that's in the middle of your circle RK that word is the beginning first first in authority first in time that's what it means mostly is first And the principalities and powers are arcays. But that's designated power that he gave to them. Delegated, and they're only allowed to do so much, and they can't do anything that he doesn't allow them to do. Now we have I'my, which is I am. That's the first person. Second person would be you are, and the third person would be he, she, it is. Well, this is the imperfect. And that's meaning that it's a continuous action in the past. So in the beginning, he was being would be the way you would translate that. Hold on. Thank you. And since we have the beginning, it would be even safe to say that he always was being. Hologos, that's an enominative, that's the, he's the subject of the sentence. So the first part would be in the beginning, was being the logos, that's how it would be translated, if you wrote it in the order that the, that the Greek is in. Then we have chi, hologos, then we have that hein again, which was, was always being. Pros, which means with, and in proximity. with tone they on The God that's the That's a certain that's a different person all completely And holo goss was being with God and Then we have kaigen theos this time, which is a nominative again. So that coincides with hologos. And it's the subset, and it's the class of what the word would belong to. It's a predicate. It means the class of, so. And it wouldn't make sense if you said God was the Word, then the only thing God would be was, or the Word would be God, or the Word. Here, I wrote it out, here. In the beginning, the Word always was being, and the Word was always being with. Proximity to God. Another person altogether. Sorry about that. Verse two, he was in the beginning with God, just Just sort of repeating what he said in the first in the first verse and we have the Accusative again tone they on which is a different person altogether than the logos First three all things came into being through him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being John 1 10 he was in the world the world was made He made the world and the world did not know him 1st Corinthians 8 6 yet for us there is but one God the Father from whom are all things and we exist for him one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we exist through him Colossians 1 16 for by him all things were created both in the heavens and the earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers there's archaic and authorities All things have been created through Him and for Him. Hebrews 1, 2, In these last days He has spoken to us, and in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. Now that's not Cosmos world, that's the Aeon, the Aeonus, which is the ages. He made all, he figured out what was going to happen in every age before time began. So far it's worked out according to plan, and I'm sure it will. As we study Revelation, we see what's going to happen in the end. Okay, the first word there is PANTA. That's an indefinite adjective. Depends. It means all, each and every. Now, all in this room here is probably 20 people. That would be all of us. But in the whole world, it would be how many ever people are in the world. But it always means each and every. So for this would mean everything. Everything all together everywhere. And next is dia, that would be a circle going right through the middle of your circle, or a line going right through the middle of your circle, for dia. It could mean through, by means of, and sometimes because. Altu. Agoneto. Came into being. It came into being through him. And nothing, coris, apart from him, the preparation our prepper preposition agonator meaning to come into being who day not but not and then and again and then ho gag omen the one who created who made it happen who made it come into being so we would say everything through him came into being and apart from him not one thing came into being that has been that has been made so uh... there's nothing uh... he didn't he didn't handed something off to another god somewhere there's only one god uh... three persons one god and he was with the father Doesn't mention the Spirit here, but the Spirit will be coming in later in later chapters. We'll learn about Him. The Holy Spirit. Verse 4, And Him was life, and the life was the light of men. It says in Ecclesiastics 3.14, I know that everything God does will remain forever. There is nothing to add to it. There is nothing to take from it. For God has so worked that man should fear him. Job in 1210 says, In whose hand is life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. So human life Since God doesn't do anything that it won't remain forever. The soul is eternal. The body is biodegradable. And it comes through the union of two human beings. Procreation. But Jesus Christ makes the soul. He breathes life into everyone. He did it to Adam and he's been doing it ever since. And he ignites, as we'll see later, he ignites life into man. And then Daniel said in 523, but the God in whose hand your life breath and yours you have not glorified. So he holds your very breath in his hand. So the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Give glory to God. In him was life and the life was the light of men. John 526. For just as the father has life in himself, even so he gave to the son also to have life in himself. John 11, 25, Jesus said to her, I am, Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, he will live. John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes through the father but through me. John 8, 12, on my lighter, Then Jesus again spoke to them saying I am the light of the world. So he's life and he's light Of the world he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life Nine five of John while I am in the world. I am the light of the world 1246 of John I have come as light into the world so that Everyone who believes in me will not walk in darkness You could probably do a year on light and dark light and darkness It's pretty intense, pretty intense study once you get down to it, because people love the darkness, as he says in when he's talking to Nicodemus, because their deeds are evil and the light exposes. The light exposes all wrongdoing, all evil, and that's part of what's going on now that the darkness is fading away and the light is the light's increasing and it's showing people for what they really are. murderers and haters and The light won't most There's no darkness in light God is light and there's no darkness in him in it There's just no amount of darkness that can deal. That's what it says. He the the darkness couldn't comprehend it Psalm 119 05 105 your word is a lamp. I my feet and a light to my path 2nd Corinthians 4 6 for God who said light shine out of darkness is the one who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ all right here we have an alto in him Zoe let's say normative which means it's the subject of this of the sentence Zoe life Animation not just spiritual life, but also soul life physical life There's Hain again was always being and the life Hain was always being the light so He always was being it when I discovered it at that At form of I me I me as I am Jesus. That's what Jesus said a go I me I I am and that's when they always wanted to throw stones out of that song, but he was he was being in the past of No time, like I said since it said beginning we'll go with always Tone anthropon all men mankind as a species more or less not just males And in him was being life, and that same life was being the light of all mankind. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 3, 19. This is the judgment. The light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. 5, 8 of Ephesians. For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them. For it is disgraceful even to speak of these things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light. For everything that becomes visible is light. For the reason it says, awake sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but wise. Isaiah said in 9.2, repeated in Matthew 4.16 and Luke 1.79, The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the lights will shine on them. So Isaiah was in on that too. He knew what was going on. Well, he didn't know what was going on. He just proclaimed it. He doesn't know what he was proclaiming. But it was for our sakes, so that's the good part. Okay, we have Kai, which is and, Tophos, the light, and the darkness, Ente Scotia. Now, darkness isn't only just lack of sunlight or whatever, but it's also spiritual, darkness, depravity, that all has to do with darkness. It's not just something that when your eyes can't see nothing, it's dark, but it's when your mind can't not see anything and your heart can't feel anything anymore cuz you're got a callous even on your feelings and you can't even can't even tell right from wrong anymore and that's what happens to people they go too far and that's it so here we have fine a which is a present indicative it shines its illuminated becomes visible fine you to to light and hey scotia and the darkness who could not cada layman now cada means down and layman means to take and receive it's like a wrestling term that the darkness couldn't take the light down couldn't take him down and out uh and it thing about darkness is It doesn't only, they hate you when you disagree with them, but that's not even enough. They want to go further and hurt somebody because they don't agree with you. Like the person who wouldn't bake the cake for the gay wedding or whatever. They weren't happy just saying, oh, he doesn't agree with this. No, they had to take him to court, take all his money, and close his bakery. And it was a terrible thing. But the darkness wants to destroy. And they thought they were getting rid of Jesus, too. But that didn't work. That didn't work. Through death, he destroyed the one who had power over death. Destroyed the power over death with death itself. That's amazing And the light illuminated and made visible to darkness That same darkness could not comprehend the light so as to take it down or out Verse six there came a man sent from John whose name was or who came from God Whose name was John? We won't spend a lot of time on John, because we're trying to glorify Christ here tonight. But enough to say that he was six months older than Jesus. He was Jesus' second cousin, because Elizabeth was Mary's cousin. And he knew who he was. He knew he wasn't the light, or he knew he wasn't the Messiah. They would even come and ask him, are you he? No. No. But Isaiah had something to say about that also in verse 40, chapter 40, verse 1. Comfort, O comfort, my people, says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, and that she has received the Lord's hand double for all her sin. a voice is calling clear the way for the lord in the wilderness make smooth in the desert a highway for our god that every valley be lifted up in every mountain and he'll be made low and let the rough ground become a plane and the rugged terrain abroad valley then the glory of the lord will be revealed all flesh will see it together for the mouth of the lord has spoken Malachi 3 1 Behold I am going to send my messenger and he will clear the way before me and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple messenger of the covenant in whom you delight behold he is coming like a refiner's fire like a fuller soap and the very last verse of the Old Testament Would be darkness for 400 years after this Behold This is Malachi 4 5 and 6 behold. I am going to send you Elijah the prophet Jesus said Yeah, you could say that he's Elijah if you want to say that he's Elijah who was coming He said that to some in one of the chapters there and John I believe Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. I He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." So that's how the Old Testament ended until in the beginning the word came flash. But he came as a witness to testify about the light so that all might believe through him Christ that is the light first eight he was not the light but came to testify about the light there was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man first John 2 8 on the other hand I'm writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you Because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. As I said before. So there's your Hain again. Was from the beginning. Tophos, the light. Now there's an adjective here, the Aletheion, which is the true, the original, the real. The true light. The one, ho, relative pronoun is fo-tee-zai, which illuminates, lights, shines upon. Fo-tee-zai. Panta. Now that's, he just doesn't enlighten those who are born again, he lightens Panta Anthropon. He lightens all men that come into the world. So that's how I figure that he's the originator and giver of human life also. Erk Omenon. Entering into the world. All men coming into the world. Into the Cosmo. Cosmon. Cosmos is It's not just the planet, it's the inhabited planet with all the people in it. It's not the Earth, really, either, because that's Tain, Tain Gain is the Earth. But the world is, and then, if it's in a negative sense, Cosmos is Satan's diabolical plan for the ages he has a plan for the ages too, and it's He's running out of time it with his and he said that the darkness is getting lit up So there won't That's probably the end when all that when there's so much light that the darkness can't hide anymore. That's when all All heck would break loose probably But uh There always was being the light The light which lightens and ignites each and every man coming into the world. He was in the world. The world was made through him. The world did not know him. It's pretty funny. I don't get it. And to Cosmo in the world. He was always being. The world of him. Eganato. There we have coming to being again. That's just the heiress of Ginemai. So, to be, which is to be, to come into being, to happen. Ook there we have another ook and that's not egg. No, they did not know He was always being in the world and the world came into being through him and the world did not know him He came to his own And those who were his own did not receive him. He came to Israel as the, he created Israel for his own glory and purpose through a barren woman 90 years old and a 99-year-old man who were blessed to have a child in that old age. And his name was Isaac. And then Isaac, of course, gave birth to Jacob, who stole the birthright from Esau. And that all started the whole ball of wax rolling, the 12 children he had. It was the 12 tribes of Israel, and that's how Israel got started. It all started with that spark that Jesus lit in an old man and an old lady so they could have a child. No wonder they're hated so much all over the world. They're such a miracle. A whole race of miracle. You gotta love it. All right, this one starts, Ice to, Ice to, now Ice is to or unto. To Idea, which is his own. He came to his own. Elthane. the heiress of Arkham I and those idea those ones who were his ooh parallel bone did not receive him he thought he was a liar and I thought he was a just trying to hook and crook him and most people didn't After a while, eventually, a lot of them did, and John 8, John 8 30 says, those who believed him were still listening to him. And that's when he said that the, if you keep my word, you're my disciples indeed, and then you'll know the truth. You just won't know the truth. A lot of people like to spit that verse out, like all things are gonna work out for the good, but Taking it out of context. You can't take it out of context. You've got to remember the context when you're trying to read verses. You've got to think of the correlating verses and who he's talking to and what's being said and who's listening. You've just got to take all that into consideration. He came unto his own his creation and his creation of Israel His cosmos which he formed and those ones Who were his own did not receive him? But there's good news, but as many as received him to them he gave the right or power it says in the King James to become children of God even to those who believe in his name and John 1152 when Caiaphas was speaking and not for the nation only but in order that he might gather together into one all the Tecna of God scattered abroad all over the world that's what he's done and he's gonna gather together all the all of Israel one day at the tribulation he's going to he's going to gather him from the four corners of the of the world that'll be a good thing to see too for you all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus there it says sons but could be their sons or daughters for as any livers women's livers john one seven john came to testify about the light so that he might believe through the light John 3 18 who believes in him is not judged. He does not believe it's judged already Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son It's believing its faith alone in Christ alone. It's not just a mere acknowledgement, but it's relying depending That's what faith is about you're you're looking at somebody else to for their merits for their for their good for your to have for your own first John 3 23 this is the commandment that we believe in the name of his son love one another just as he commanded first John 5 13 these things These things believe in the name of Jesus that you might, he wrote these things, that you might believe in the name of Jesus that you might know you have eternal life. Faith, eternal life is through faith in Christ. All right, here we have Hosoi, which is a relative program, as many, as many as those. Duh was but, Alabon, who received him. then we have our next word is out on which is him those who received him the doken that is the arist past tense that's all there is most of the time it's the past tense of did me which is a verb of grace it's to give to grant or bestow so to those who believed on him to them he gave out toys to those ones He gave exousion. That's the power, the authority, the designation, the power to become sons of God. That's our names now. That's what we are, the sons of God, and daughters of God, and the children of God. Tecna, which is children of God. Theo. Geneste, which is the heiress, became, came to exist. Toyce Pistiosen is a participle. Now, Toyce is the article and Pistiosen is those who were believing. That's a present, so it's a continuous. So, he gave life to those who are believing, not just who acknowledged and went away and did their own thing, but who are believing. We're believing right now. The second day after we got saved, we got up and Maybe not right away, but we were believing that day at one point in time or else we wouldn't continue to and we wouldn't be where we are now. Sitting here listening to his word. But some don't hear that voice and some don't want their life interrupted. They don't want to go for the American dream and get rich and grow up. Excuse me, grow up, have a nice family, which is all good stuff. You want to be respected in the neighborhood and all that, but that's not the most important thing. Eternal life is the most important thing. Like I said before, the soul is eternal. The body is going to be dead someday. People think when that happens, that'll be it. the soul go to one place or another, heaven or into the pits, the lower regions, which would be hell until they're thrown into the lake of fire because once you die, you can't believe. So it's really not good to Sorry to pray for people who already died because it's too late anyway 113 who were born not of blood nor the will of flesh Nor of the will of man John 3 5 when he was talking in Nicodemus Except a man be born of water and spirits. He cannot enter the kingdom of God That born of the flesh is flesh and that born of the Spirit is spirit It's not a human thing. It's not a flesh and blood thing. James 118. In the exercise of his will, he brought us forth by the word of truth so that we would be kind of the first fruits among his creatures. First Peter 123. For you have been born again, not of seeds which is perishable, but imperishable through the living and enduring word of God. And if you know he is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of him. All right, here we have oy, which is a relative pro those who, which. Uk, not. There we have another ek. Now on your circle, from the outside rim of the circle, draw an arrow out, and that is ek. Or no from the center. I'm sorry from the center of your circle. That's act from the outside of your circle. It's Apo But echoes is from the source the source of so it's not from the source of I'm a tone blood which is plural bloods Who day which is a coordinating conjunction just means nor? nor out from fellow Matos the will and desire or purpose not out from the will sarcos genitive of flesh Which is just another name for humanity your body? Uday nor Ek thalam a toss and Ross now that's a word for man. That's not the same as Anthropos But and Ross is like a husband like it's a male like Anthropos could be man and woman that's just mankind in general most of the time but and Ross is just a man It's not man's will But, ek, out from God is the source. We are born, born again. Ege nathazin. Some of them words I can't, shouldn't even try to pronounce them, I guess. So as many as those who were not out from bloods, nor out from the will and purpose of flesh, Nor out from the will and purpose of a man, but on the contrary. Oh, there was an ally in there That's but but it's on the contrary Born out of the will purpose of God so The born-again experience is not it's not a natural thing. It's it's It's from heaven. It's sourced in heaven. It's sourced in God and it's sourced in Christ Jesus. Also. He is life and that life was the light of men as we saw already the word became flesh dwelt among us we saw his glory glory as of the only begotten from the father full of grace and truth there's the name of our church again speaking of coming from his flesh he is Mary and Joseph were his Well, Mary was his mother, but Joseph was his adopted father. They both came through the line of David. I just thought this was interesting when I seen it. Joseph was from Nathan's line. Mary was from Solomon's line. So two different sons, but all ended up being in the line to Messiah. Joseph was a lucky man. He lucked out. He was blessed. He was picked out, just like Mary was picked out to give birth to Jesus, Joseph was picked out, every man on the planet to do what he did. So, you gotta, God's grace is amazing. You just don't ever know how it works or how it's going to, but it's awesome. And we're all the recipients of it, and we're all, like I said, what we are. We are what we are by the grace of God. Romans 1 3 concerning his son who was born a descendant David according to the flesh at Sarks Galatians 4 4 but when the fullness of time came God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law 1st Timothy 3 16 by common confession great is the mystery of godliness he was revealed in the flesh he came as a man dwelt among us Vindicated by the spirits seen by angels proclaimed among the nations believed on in the world taken up in glory Hebrews 2 14 therefore Since the children sharing flesh and blood he himself also protect of the same that through death through He might render powerless him who had power over death, even the devil. That's great. That's awesome. 1 John 4.2. By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God. So to believe in Jesus, and he didn't come in the flesh, or some believed that he was like a phantom or something, and when he walked on the beach, he didn't leave any footprints, but he was God and man in one person. Can't really explain it. You can't explain a lot of this stuff, you just gotta believe it. And that's why it's called faith, because you're just believing something that by sight and by common sense you wouldn't think it could be, but he'll make it happen. By this you know the Spirit of God, 1 John 4, 2. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus is coming to flesh is from God. 2 John 1, 7. For many deceivers have gone out into the world. Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ is coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Luke 9 32 the transfiguration they saw Jesus in all his all his glory and he was with Moses and Elijah and then they all fell on their faces because they couldn't stand it when they got back up it was just Jesus alone Moses and Elijah got their marching orders and they were gone just Christ Christ doesn't share his glory with anybody Not even great men like that Moses and Elijah you go on for hours talking about them, too. I was thinking Elijah the day when he was Against the 450 priests and he was pouring because this day seemed to have one thing after another go wrong or something something happened and I was thinking how He kept pouring the water on the sacrifices and said, God will come down and the fire will come down and I'll take my sacrifice. And he kept dumping barrels of water on it until even around the rim of the altar was filled up with water. And of course, we know what happened. The fire came down and took his sacrifice and nothing happened to the 450 and he killed them all. They slew all 450 of them. It was great. Great victory. Then he ran and hid. He ran and hid from Jezebel. John 17 22 the glory which you have given me I have given to them that they may be one just as we are one first John 1 1 what was from the beginning or we have heard I've seen with our eyes looked at touched concerning the word of life Romans 5 21 so that sin reigned in death even so grace there's our grace would reign with through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord And then we have the truth. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. If you keep His word, you'll be His disciples. Then you'll know the truth. He just doesn't make the truth known to everybody. You have to be a disciple. You have to take up your cross. Follow Him. Hate your life. That's not a real hard one to do anymore these days, the way things are going. You should love your own life, I guess, but it's just the other things going on around you that kind of make you say, come quickly, Lord. Because I guess His patience is salvation, but I would have ran out a long time ago, I think. But he came to his own and his own, they didn't receive him. He grew up, Isaiah 53. He grew up before him a tender shoot, like a root out of parched ground. He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Like one from men hide their face, he was despised and we esteemed him not. It's a sad story there, but they will. They'll regard him someday. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Every eye will see him coming with the clouds, even those who have pierced him. He's going to have his day. Of course, this is still the day of man, the day of Satan still on the loose. Only as far as the Lord will let him, but he's still on the loose. So there we have Kai, even and even, Hologos, Sark's flesh. He became, he came into being as flesh, God in the flesh. Being a form of God, he'd not thought of robbery, but he emptied himself of his deity. came obedient to death even the death of a cross therefore he learned obedience from the things he suffered and if and uh... hebrews five eight and he's uh... He's qualified, qualified to be our savior. He was qualified to be the sacrifice. Remember that no sacrifice was official till it was slain. So he had to be killed. But like we said here a little bit ago, he had the final laugh when death conquered the fear of death. Okay, he came and Eskenosen, he tented among us. Eskeno is tent. He tented, 2 Corinthians 5.1. Paul refers to the body as a tent. He came, took up housekeeping on the earth with us. Lived like a man for 30 years, 33 years and grew up. Under the tutelage of mother and father and just like just like we all did but yet without sin And we beheld The word is the asthma and that's where we get our lord theater. It was like a theater production his life You sit back and watch all the all the things he said and all the all the people he healed and all the lives he touched We beheld his glory Tane dokes and I Doxan, glory as of, the monogamous, the one of a kind, the uniquely born, the only begotten son of God. There's only been one and there's only gonna ever be one he's he's glorified humanity right now sitting at the right hand of the throne Where he said in John 17 and the high priestly prayer return return me to the glory, which I had before and and holo goss became flesh took up residence among us in an earthly tent and We saw his glory as we were watching him and touching him and handling like john said glory like the one of a kind uniquely born of the father full to the max of grace and truth yeah that uh play rum that's a that's an old term they used um was reading one of my my books that the uh When they loaded, to go on a long journey in their ships, if they would have, like, maybe Columbus coming to clear across the ocean, like, they would have to store stuff everywhere inside the ship, every, like a Thomas' English Muffin there, I guess, every nook and cranny. And under the beds, they would keep buckets or tubs of water, probably. Well, that's play Roma. Do you feel everything to the like a smell of it? You light a candle or something at Christmas time and it wherever you go in a house If you stood up and against the corner probably like that You would probably you would probably still smell because that smell permeates. Well, that's that's the idea of Pleroma his fullness It's full to the full till it can't get full anymore and verse 115 john testified about him and cried out saying this is he whom i said who comes after me is a higher rank than i for he existed before me First 16 for of his fullness. We have all received grace upon grace Well, we could all have a testimony probably about all the gracious gracious things he's done for us and people he's brought across this in our in our journey through life and Even some of the bad stuff that happened. It's all it truly does if you love God all things work out for the good and He'll never let us suffer beyond what we could handle, but he'll always offer a way of escape. And that's his faithfulness. See, God could not be the Word, because that would mean that was the only thing God was, was the Word. He's so much more. He's righteousness, justice, grace, mercy, truth. You could go on forever. He's everything. He's the fullness of all that fills all in Ephesians 1 23 and We just couldn't be any more happy or blessed to be serving him and Now we don't go out and serve him on the streets or probably at the food kitchen or what? But this is this is our reasonable low key costs right here what we're doing and rubbing shoulders listening to the word of God between the coffin, but One of these days maybe so I said it's always it's always a pleasure and I appreciate the opportunity Scott and it's like I said, there's there's no greater privilege on earth and I Talking about Jesus. It's the best. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for these believers who love your word, Lord. Bless them. Don't let them down. Give them everything that they came to hear tonight. I know that you are faithful to bless one and all. It's just, like I said, it's without words sometimes. You can't find words to explain how grateful and how much we love you. And we wish, we want to see you. It's not that we want to die and get out of here. We can't wait to see you. We're anticipating. We're really excited about that day when we get to see you face to face. And that's what it's all about. That's why we want to know you. We don't want to be ashamed when we're standing before you. We want to know you. We don't want to look at you and say, oh, you're Jesus? But Jesus. Like we're really glad to see him. That's what I want. And that's what we all want here, Lord. And we can't wait. So don't take a lot longer because we want to see you face to face. We've heard about you, but we want to see you. I'm sure everything that we ever heard will just light up and we'll have full knowledge. You'll be faithful then like you're faithful now and we just love you for that. Lord, it would all not be possible if you didn't come in the flesh and you came to your own and they rejected you and you came and put on that suit of humanity and lived amongst us Sweated and toiled working in and and just living like the rest of us, so you could associate with us, so you would know us personally. You created us and you knew us, but now you knew us as a man, and that's quite a different thing. Even though many hated you and did not receive you, you still went to that cross, and for that, That's beyond understanding, too, why you would do that, but that's who you are. God is love, and he had to do it, and he chose to do it himself. No man took his life, but he laid it down freely of his own accord, and we thank you for that. We just thank you, Lord, and bless the offering in Jesus' name, Lord. Amen. Ladies study Tuesday 10 a.m. That is I just saw the thing here Crafton Heights breath