this afternoon, I think. Pretty good chance. Well, I've been praying about where to go next since we finished Galatians. I think we're going to go to the Gospel of John. And can somebody quote Genesis 1-1 the way it's written in the Word of God? Just anybody, just quote it. Short verse. A little audience participation. perfect. The other versions say the heavens and the earth. Just added one letter, changes everything. Changes everything. You get into Genesis, you find out he didn't make heaven until the second day, where He created our atmosphere. And then it says heavens. In the beginning, God created the heaven, space, and the earth, and put it in time. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. So you add one letter, it changes everything. Well, the Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. When asked what would be the sign of thy second coming, The first thing the Lord says, be not deceived. Be not deceived. There's going to be many come in my name saying, I am Christ and shall deceive many. That was the first warning of the second coming, be not deceived. There's a lot of deception going on today. You can find any doctrine you want on the internet. Man, it's just looted. You can find anything you want. You find Jehovah Witnesses, Mormonism, Calvinism, all the isms possible, Catholicism, anything, anything you want. There are some people that still stick with the one book that God gave us. And getting into the first chapter of John, well, let's just start out and read the first couple of verses here. When you get into eternity and start thinking about eternity, I mean, just let your mind try to comprehend what happened before in the beginning. Eternity. No beginning, no end. Wow. Can you even comprehend this much of it? You can't. God is so great. He's just always been. I am. You tell Him, I AM has sent you. He has no need of anything. He doesn't need people. He needs nothing. But He made this creation. And he made man that he could fellowship with man. That was his goal. He knew what would happen before he made us. He knew Satan would fall. He made him Lucifer, the light bearer. He put him the chariot that covered, or the chariot, the cherub, the cherub that covered the throne. He was the greatest creation that God ever made. And he fell. He knew this all was gonna happen prior to him creating anything. He knew it was gonna happen. He knew it all through his foreknowledge. No, I don't believe He programmed everything to happen, that He ordained it all to happen. That's to me a false doctrine. That's one of the greatest false doctrines in the world, that God foreordained everything to happen before He made it. Which means that God ordained and foreordained and is behind every sin, every terrorist attack, every rape, every murder. If you think like that, that's not the God of the Bible. God gave man a free will. He knows what's going to happen because he's God. He sees the end from the beginning. There's no time with God. I mean, we can't comprehend that. Everything we do is in time. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Amazing. Amazing. What a God we serve. In John 1.1, it says, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Wow, what a verse of Scripture. In the beginning was the Word. He was there in the beginning. Well, if he was there in the beginning, and the word, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ, then he is eternal, because if he was there in the beginning, he was eternal. He was there whenever. And Colossians says all things were made by him and for him, and without him was not anything made that was made. We're going to see that right here. In fact, I just quoted John 3 instead of Colossians. Let's read on. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. So there we have the Creator. Well, who is the Lord Jesus Christ? He's God. Well, He's the Word. So you've got the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. It's very interesting. I know I've pointed this out before. capital W. I heard that little poem years ago and it was so good I just memorized it I thought I'd write it up there. The Scriptures and the Lord share one tremendous name. The written and incarnate word in all things are the same. We're looking at the Word of God, the capital W, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you say something or I say something we own those words. We can't accuse each other of saying something you didn't say, but if you said it, you own it. Well, one thing the Lord never defends in the scripture is his word. He just takes it for granted that the capital W and the small w are one and the same. There can't be any flaws in either one of them. If there's a flaw in the Lord Jesus Christ, He can't be God. If there's a flaw in His Word, then did He preserve His Word or not? I believe there's one Lord, like it says in Ephesians, there's one Lord, one faith, one body, one Savior, one way, one body. I believe there's one book. I believe God kept a perfect book in our English language and gave it to us in the authorized version. That's a personal conviction, but I think you can prove it by Scripture. Now, turn back to 1 John 5, 7. We've looked at this verse too. There's a whole industry today, it's called Bible correcting. Well, they have different titles for it, it makes it sound much more elite than that, but that's what they do. They correct the book, and they keep correcting it, and they keep giving us newer and newer versions that are better and better than the last version. In 1 John 5 verse 7, this verse is missing in all the new versions, every one of them. It says, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. Now think about that. There are three that bear record in heaven. Before the beginning, anything was ever made the Word, the Father, and the Holy Spirit were one. The triune Godhead. Can't comprehend it. When He made man, He made man in His own image. We're a body, a soul, and a spirit. We're three parts. People say, I can't understand the Trinity. I can't either. It's one God they just work in different ways. They. He just works in different ways. Colossians, let's look at that real quick, Colossians chapter 1. Talking about the Word, capital W, verse 14, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. There's a lot in those two verses. He is the image of the invisible God. God's a spirit, you cannot see God, God is a spirit. So God became a man so we could have an image of the invisible God. And the next verse says, for by him were all things created. that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. It says that he is the creator of all things. Well, who created everything? God, in the beginning, God. Christ did not work independently of the Father and the Spirit. God created everything. They don't work independently of each other. Just like we can't work independently of our body, soul, and spirit. Everything we do, all three of us go together. When the spirit leaves, they bury you. But God made us in his image. God can, well, he's God. Can't comprehend him. We'll never be able to comprehend him on this earth. I mean, we're in an area today where I just, you wonder what the first thing you're gonna see when you step into eternity. You ever think about that? It's amazing. It's amazing. We have no idea. But we know that whatever happens, He's inside of us. He says, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. He's the Creator. He's the eternal God. Nothing can ever overthrow Him. He's in control of everything. And we're His children by virtue of a spiritual birth. Has nothing to do with the flesh. There's people today saying, well, you got to be baptized. Well, you got to do this, or you got to do this, or you can't do. The Lord says, you're sinners, you're lost. The wages of sin is death. I will become a man so I can have God's blood, God becoming a man, living a perfect, sinless life, and then laying His life down for all who will simply trust and believe what He did for them. What a Savior. What a Savior. What a gift. I've had a lot of gifts in my life and nothing could ever even come close to the gift of eternal life. The love of God, you can't put into words, it just does not exist. Let's go back to John chapter one. Now words are, they're thoughts that are expressed through words. There's many times I should keep my mouth shut, and I don't, and those thoughts become manifest through words. There's other times I should say things, and I don't, and after I don't say it, I think, why didn't you say that? You can compliment people, you can teach people, I mean, they're just thoughts put into words. Words are spiritual. When they come out, you can't see them, they cease to exist. But they happen, see? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The living Word of God became a man. You guys that are married, communication's pretty important. You ever, Susan and I, we used to laugh at times. You know, you'd think something. Are you mad at me? Why, why would I? Well, she was. She just wouldn't tell me, and I'd pry it out of her. Communication, it's a good thing to have. Words can also teach, and that's what we're looking at here. When you take the Word of God, the written Word of God in, you're learning about the capital W. I mean, they're one and the same. This book is so perfect and so pure, I am more convinced today than I was yesterday that this is the preserved Word of God. There's not one flaw in it, just like the living Word of God that became flesh, there's not a flaw in Him. He's perfect, not a flaw in Him. they both, think about this, they are both needed for a new birth. This book, the Word of God brings you to the Word of God. They both have two natures. This is holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And God became a man, two natures. They both will judge you. He says, all judgment is committed unto Me in Heaven and Earth. And He said, the words that I have spoken the same shall judge you in that day. They are both eternal. I mean, it just goes on and on and on. You cannot separate the Word of God from the living Word of God, which is at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us today. Prophet, priest, and king. When he was on this earth, he prophesied what was going to happen. He told the apostles, I'm going to be turned over to the Gentiles. I'm going to be crucified. In three days, three nights, I'm going to rise again. Well, when he showed up, they preached the kingdom of heaven for three and a half years to nobody but Israel. He said, don't go to the Gentiles, don't go to the Samaritans, go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and as you go, preach the kingdom of heaven's at hand. The king is here. And he kept telling them, I'm going to be turned over, I'm going to be killed, I'm going to be crucified, three days, three nights, I'm going to come. says these things were hid from them. They were so excited that the whole Old Testament that prophesied of the coming Kingdom, and the Millennial reign of Christ, and how things were going to change, and Israel was going to be in control of everything, and God was going to rule from a throne on this earth. They were so excited that they did not hear that He came to die. The Old Testament has two Messiahs in there, the King that's going to reign on David's throne, and the Suffering Messiah. And when Nicodemus, getting a little ahead of myself, when he came to Jesus at night, he didn't want his buddies to see him coming, he says, we know, he was a Pharisee, we know that you've come from God because no man can do the things that thou doest except God be with him. I mean it was pretty obvious. Could you imagine following the Lord around? Here comes a funeral procession with a dead child in a casket. Lord stops, rise, brings them to life, my goodness. Lepers, touching lepers and healing them. The Pharisees, right in the midst, a guy with a withered hand. He says, is it right to do good on the Sabbath there or not to do good? He says, put your hands forth. Put his hands, made it. What'd the Pharisees wanna do? They wanted to kill him. That's the mindset of a lost man. It's just amazing how dark the darkness is when you think about it. Bill was just telling me, he says, did you see the opening of the Olympics? I said, no, I didn't watch it. I used to watch it. He said it was about as ungodly as the satanic high mass. I can't imagine, but I can because the world is going just the opposite direction. The world wants nothing to do with the Word of God. I think of myself when the first day we talked, he says, you ever think about eternity? And my first thought was, hmm, that's a stupid question. I said, no, not really. He says, where are you going to go when you die? Who thinks about that? I was in a bad car accident years ago. I could have died. I'm laying in the hospital with teeth in a bag, you know, and blood and stitches and cuts everywhere and never thought of dying. Boy, I sure hope I can get home okay. That's weird how, you know, you don't think of dying. You just don't. get older and get a cancerous disease or a terminal disease they'll begin to think. And they're susceptible to the Gospel then, but the average person today most people don't want anything to do with it. It's so sad. They just don't know what God has for them. Let me get a note or two out here. How about Mother Nature? She gets credit for everything when it's good. Oh, Mother Nature is gonna give us rain, or Mother Nature's gonna... She doesn't exist. You know, when you talk to people, you get them to open up, words will reveal their character. I mean, we have such a good time together on Tuesday, Bible Fellowship, on Fridays, at the old man's restaurant down there, Cracker Barrel. Man, it's just such a good time just talking about the Lord. There's just nothing like it, being with God's people, wherever you find them. Faith bears witness to faith. You know, when you find another Christian, they're just, you're one with them. Wow, just our Savior is so great. But God is related in time, he's eternal. The Godhead, the verse we just looked at, there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. Greatest verse in the Bible describing the Godhead. The Word, capital W, is in the authorized version seven times. And if you know that that number is God's number, you know that, everybody knows that. The other versions have taken 1 John 5-7, taken it out. It's not the other versions, it's the people behind the other versions. The guys responsible for those other versions, they were evolutionists. They thought Darwin was the greatest thing that ever lived. They hated God with a passion. They thought Jesus Christ was a created being. These were the people in the 1800s that were responsible for the Greek text that all these other versions come from. And man, the average man goes through, the average church member probably doesn't read their Bible during the week. I hope you guys all study your book, I really do. I think most of you do. But there's nothing better than reading the Word of God. The more you read, the more that faith increases, the more you understand, the more light God gives you. And there's nothing wrong with light. If you've ever been in a cave, that's a pretty important thing. I remember when we were newlyweds, we went down to the Mammoth Cave just for a trip. That was impressive. When they turned those lights out, the guy warned us, he says, now it's gonna get dark. I've been in dark spots already, but when they turned that light off, you literally, you could feel the air passing your face, but you could not see anything, zero. And after just a few seconds, it was almost a fear setting in. I mean, you're in total darkness, total darkness. And it was kind of spooky. He had the lights out, probably, it seemed like 10 minutes, it was probably 30 seconds. But by the end of that 30 seconds, I mean, it was, man, turn the lights on, it's getting spooky in here. Your mind just goes, yeah. And to think that the darkness that a man is in spiritually, it's the same thing, but it's a spiritual darkness. He has no concept of what light is. The Lord Jesus Christ, we're gonna see this. Look at verse four of chapter one, Gospel of John. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Man is born in spiritual darkness. Well, let's read on here. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not the light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. And that was the true light, which light of every man that cometh into the world. Look at that. That was the true light, which light of every man that cometh into the world. Now, every man, you go into the book of Romans, well, let's do that. Turn to Romans chapter 1. There's not a better chapter in the Bible that describes the last days than Romans chapter 1. I'll show you exactly where we're at. Verse 16, the Apostle Paul says, I'm sorry, God says through the Apostle Paul, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek or the Gentile. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. That verse right there is explaining exactly what I was talking about before, when you meet another Christian, you maybe never met him in your life, and you find out he's saved, there you go, faith to faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. So we see three characteristics of the gospel. 17 it's the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. In verse 18 it's the wrath of God revealed from faith to faith. And in verse 16 it is power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. So there's three characteristics revealed. You have to be righteous to go to Heaven. The righteousness of God was revealed. The Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins was buried and rose again. And when you trust Him, He takes His righteousness and puts it onto your account. He takes your sin, He's paid for them. He's paid for the sins of the world. They're all paid for. And then he says, because that which may be known of God Remember, he is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Every person born on this earth has a conscience, and every person born on this earth can look at creation. Even if you're blind, you know there's a creation, you can feel things, you know things. Those two alone, your conscience and the very fact that there has to be a creator. Charles Darwin, you know there are churches, professing Christian churches all over the world. This is a worldwide thing. They celebrate Evolution Sunday. I think it's like the second or third week of February. It's when Charles Darwin was born. They celebrate Darwin and evolution in their churches. Incredible. They're Christian, quote and unquote. You know what I'm saying? Everybody's Christian today. You run into people, well, I'm a Christian. Well, you start talking to them, what do you believe? Well, I was baptized. Christ is God. God is a spirit. Water does not put you in Christ. you must be born again. It's a spiritual baptism. We've looked at that going through the gospel, or going through Galatians. There's one baptism, and it's not water. It's God himself, when you come to the son of God, he takes his spirit and he puts it in you when you believe on him. That's salvation, that's a new birth. That's the spirit, that's the baptism that saves you. He puts you in Christ and puts Christ in you. What a truth. And when that happens, You go from darkness to light. You go from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. And for the first time in your life, you have spiritual discernment, which you never had before. I remember when I got saved, man, I could not get enough of this book. Before I got saved, I'm thinking, I wish this guy would leave me alone. More scripture? I got to go to bed with more scripture? And the whole thing was the Lord saying, hey, Larry, you're going to hell, bud. You're drowning. Just here. Just reach out and take my hand. I'll save you. simple. So simple. But your philosophy, and your religion, and your thoughts, and your beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. After the rudiments of the world and the wisdom of this world and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And my favorite verse picked it up very early in life, and you are complete in Him. only two kinds of people on this earth. You're either in Adam, which everybody is until they're saved. Once you're saved you're no longer in Adam, you're in Christ. In fact let's go to 1 Corinthians 15 and look at a verse or two. So man is without excuse. He has a conscience and the visible creation to bear witness to the truth. 1 Corinthians 15. Now there were people in this church that were teaching, well, let's just read it. Verse 12, he says, now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some of you that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if the dead rise not. For the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, and you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Now let's get context. This is early church. My note says 58 AD. Even the apostles at the death of Christ didn't fully comprehend who he really was. If they would have listened, believed they would have been at the tomb on Sunday morning waiting for Him to come out. But where were they? They were in the upper room scared to death. The women went to the tomb to anoint His body. When they showed up the angels were there. Whom do you see? Well Jesus. What happened to Him? He's not here. He is risen as He said. Don't tell us you're going to die. I You're the King. Three and a half years we were preaching the Kingdom's year. They didn't believe Him. And after He rose from the dead He taught them about things concerning the Kingdom of God right before He sent them to Heaven. The only question they asked Him, are you at this time going to restore again the Kingdom to Israel? That was the only question they asked Him. They still weren't hearing Him. When the Holy Spirit finally came, And Peter preached, and time went on, and Peter went to the Gentiles. God had to probe him a little bit to get him to go to Cornelius. At the time, Saul of Tarsus was the biggest enemy the church had. The church had begun on Day of Pentecost. Saul of Tarsus was killing them. He was arresting them. They all knew who Saul was. Next thing you know, Saul of Tarsus gets saved, and he becomes the apostle to the Gentiles. And now Peter's going, Gentiles? We've never gone to the Gentiles or Samaritans. Well now, well I guess God's changing, doing different things. And Paul and Peter got together, the Holy Spirit bearing witness to the truth. And here we are 2,000 years later still preaching the same message that Christ died for the sins of the world. So you can see how progressive Revelation, that's the way we are. When you first get saved we know nothing, nothing other than Christ died for our sins and we trust in Him. The more you learn, the more you realize how great this salvation that we have is. I mean, that God is in control. He's got us. He said, He that has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He's got us. He's given unto us eternal life and they shall never perish. tell you a false doctrine, I hate it, I despise it. It's not the people, they're just victims. I mean I was there, I was just a victim. It took the Word of God and a lot of prayer, and patience, and Brother Charlie, his testimony, flipping the radio one day on the way to work, and here's this guy preaching. He stopped and he listened. What, six months? Four months? months nobody ever witnessed to Him. All they heard was the Word of God over, and over, and over. Got on the bus and opened the newspaper and there's a Billy Graham article in there. Says, what's it mean to be born again? Right there on the bus he just came by faith and trusted what Jesus Christ did for him. Now, I believed in vain, Charlie believed in vain, Dan believed in vain. I never doubted who Jesus was. I never doubted that He was God, the Trinity, that He died for the sins of the world, was buried and rose again, and I was a sinner. But that's where the truth ended. I was taught that the priest, when he poured that water over your forehead as a baby, that made you a child of God. I was taught when the priest anointed me with oil, that gave me the Holy Spirit. I was taught when I went to confession, I couldn't go to God, I had to go to the priest, he would forgive me. And then I was taught when the priest gave me that wafer, I received Christ. Lie, lie, lie, lie. I thought I was a Christian. It says, well, let's read the very beginning of chapter 15. Moreover, brethren, verse one, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. That's where I was. I believed in vain. I had the knowledge, I knew all about what Christ did, who Christ was, but I never realized that he did all that for me personally. When I finally, after six weeks of scripture, finally God got me so lost that there was nothing, you know, well, you know, at first, well, Lord, I've always believed in you. I've always believed you were God, that you died, was burned. You've got to come to the end of self completely. And only God can do that. Only God can bring you to the point where you see yourself as a lost individual, drowning, and He's reaching out. Say, here, take my hand. Believe on me. I'll save you. So people believe in vain. Most people you talk to that go to Christian churches could tell you they believe in the Trinity. They believe in the doctrine of Christ, that He was God, died, buried, and rose again. But what do they trust in? Say, Satan, I mean, he's behind it. Satan's the deceiver. He is the deceiver. There was people in this church that didn't believe in the resurrection. Okay, let's go a little further. Verse 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. Remember, we just read about the firstborn from the dead in Colossians. He became the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam, all die." That's where everybody is that comes into this world, they are in Adam. Sprinkling water on Adam cannot change Adam, he's still Adam. Even so in Christ, shall all be made alive in Christ." Those two words are the most important words to a Christian that there is. But every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming. So in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Before you're saved, you are in Adam. All you know is what your own memory, conscious understanding, it's all you know. The philosophies you've built up, the religious experiences you've had, the conversations you've had with people, that's all you know, is what yourself tells you, the spirit of man. Look at chapter one of 1 Corinthians. Actually, chapter 2. He says, And I, brethren, verse 1, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And I can relate to that. My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, see man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. And who is the power of God? Look at verse 18 of chapter one. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. It just reminds me, we're talking versions, how we believe, I personally believe that there's one book and there's one Lord Jesus Christ, both called the Word. The other versions say that the preaching of the cross is foolishness unto us which are being saved. Think about that. It's a progress, see? Fits right in with religion. The Word of God says, unto us which are saved, are saved. When you were born physically, it wasn't a three or five or 50 year process, it was a one moment thing. You're born physically. When you're born again, you're born again spiritually. When a person comes by faith and believes the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ from the heart, you're born again. And unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. Now going back to chapter 2, verse 5, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. How be it we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. If you're in Christ, you are perfect, because God is in you. Yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes of this world, which come to naught, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory. You see that? When you're in Christ, this was all done before the foundation of the world, which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. If the princes of this world would have listened to Peter, When Christ said he's gonna be turned over to the, not so Lord, we're not gonna let that happen. He said, get thee behind me, Satan. That's one of God's chosen people. ordained before the foundation of the world that the Lord Jesus Christ would be the Lamb of God who would come to this earth, virgin born, live a perfect sinless life, shed His blood at Calvary, die for the sins of the world, be buried and rise again." And He said, "'Whosoever will, let him come unto Me.'" Whosoever. My goodness, what an invitation. But the darkness, just like Mammoth Cave, man turn that light on. People don't know they are in darkness, spiritually. They think everything is cool, everything is going great. I did. Going through life, 33 years, everything was fine. I run into a guy who says, where are you going to spend eternity? Wow, what a question. Praise the Lord. Worst time of my life, I thought. Looking back on it, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was in total darkness. Look at verse nine, but as it is written, I has not seen nor your heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God had prepared for them that love him. Let me ask you this before you were saved, did you have any idea what God had for you? Zero. And now look at what we've got promised to us. The next thing on God's calendar is the rapture of the church. And at that rapture of the church, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet Him in the air. And at that very moment, we're going to get a new body like Christ's body. Wow, think about that. That's just the start. That's the first millisecond. And for eternity, it's just going to get better and better. We're not going to be sitting on a cloud, strumming a harp. It's just every day. I remember one of the preachers years ago, he says, that's the way I could describe eternity. He says, just stick your finger in a socket. Just for eternity, it's going to be like that. You talk about excitement. My goodness. What a Savior. And what did we do to deserve it? Nothing. Zero. We can't brag about anything except the one that died for us. That's who we should be bragging about. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was made flesh. Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and the Word was made flesh. My goodness. God is incredible, isn't he? He is just incredible. Verse 10, let's read 9 again. But as it's written, I has not seen, nor you heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, say the Spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. For now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for there are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. There's so much in there that you can't even comprehend, that we have the mind of Christ. What a complete salvation. No wonder the book says you're complete in Him. The more you yield, the more you read. I mean, you sit and read, and God will just show you something. Wow, I've never seen that before, Lord. That's incredible. And it leads to something else. The next thing you know, you've gone through 20 books in the Bible on one topic, which you never saw before. What a Savior. What a Savior. And to think that God's Spirit dwells within the body of every believer. What a salvation. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word is in you. Boy, I've run over. Let's look at one more verse. Colossians chapter 2, I believe it is. Yeah, Colossians chapter two, verse 25, the apostle Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, he says, whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery, which has been hid from ages and from generations, but is now made manifest to his saints. to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. What a Savior. What a Savior. God, thank you so much, Lord, for your word. Thank you, Father, for Just this time together to just rejoice in what you've done for us, Lord, and just get a comprehension of the greatness of your gift, the greatness of your incarnation in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we pray to bless Brother Bob, bless this upcoming service. Father, give us some visitors. Lord, just fill us up today, Father. We thank you now for everything that you've done, and we rejoice in what you have done and finished for us, and we ask it all in Jesus Christ. Amen.