1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,200 Let’s open our Bible at John’s Gospel. 2 00:00:03,200 –> 00:00:05,800 The new series is called Meet Jesus. 3 00:00:05,800 –> 00:00:08,120 And I think that that title is a good description 4 00:00:08,120 –> 00:00:10,620 of what we’re looking for, for ourselves 5 00:00:10,620 –> 00:00:13,520 and for others in this new year. 6 00:00:13,520 –> 00:00:17,520 We want, every time that we gather together for worship, 7 00:00:17,520 –> 00:00:20,959 that we will meet with Jesus Christ. 8 00:00:20,959 –> 00:00:25,400 We do not meet here to preserve a dying tradition. 9 00:00:25,400 –> 00:00:28,080 We meet here to worship a living savior, is that right? 10 00:00:28,180 –> 00:00:30,480 And always remember, the most important question 11 00:00:30,480 –> 00:00:33,320 when you leave church, 12 00:00:33,320 –> 00:00:36,220 what’s the most important question when you leave church? 13 00:00:36,220 –> 00:00:39,220 It’s not, did I learn anything new? 14 00:00:41,160 –> 00:00:43,200 It’s not, did you like the music? 15 00:00:43,200 –> 00:00:47,619 It’s not even, did you meet up with some good friends? 16 00:00:49,160 –> 00:00:51,700 The most important question when you leave church 17 00:00:51,700 –> 00:00:55,360 on a Sunday morning is, did I meet with Jesus? 18 00:00:55,360 –> 00:00:57,439 Did you draw near to Jesus Christ? 19 00:00:57,619 –> 00:00:59,320 Did you meet with Him? 20 00:00:59,320 –> 00:01:00,740 Did He draw near to you? 21 00:01:00,740 –> 00:01:02,880 Did you know what it was for Him to give light 22 00:01:02,880 –> 00:01:05,879 to your mind and renew faith within your heart 23 00:01:05,879 –> 00:01:07,360 and bring strength to your soul? 24 00:01:07,360 –> 00:01:08,599 That’s why we gather. 25 00:01:08,599 –> 00:01:11,800 That’s why we, as it is on the front of your folder today, 26 00:01:11,800 –> 00:01:14,519 we read the Word and we sing the Word 27 00:01:14,519 –> 00:01:16,680 and we pray the Word and we preach the Word. 28 00:01:16,680 –> 00:01:19,239 We open the Word of Christ 29 00:01:19,239 –> 00:01:23,959 in order to meet with the Christ of the Word. 30 00:01:23,959 –> 00:01:26,040 And so to meet with Jesus is what we want 31 00:01:26,040 –> 00:01:27,199 for ourselves today, 32 00:01:27,940 –> 00:01:29,400 and every time we gather. 33 00:01:29,400 –> 00:01:32,839 It is also what we want for other people. 34 00:01:32,839 –> 00:01:35,160 During the Thrive campaign, 35 00:01:35,160 –> 00:01:39,419 we learned a statistic that really is worth keeping in mind, 36 00:01:39,419 –> 00:01:42,879 that one in every four people in America today 37 00:01:42,879 –> 00:01:45,660 have no experience whatsoever of church. 38 00:01:47,080 –> 00:01:50,239 One in every four people have never experienced 39 00:01:50,239 –> 00:01:52,720 what we are experiencing right now, 40 00:01:52,720 –> 00:01:55,160 a congregation of people gathering together 41 00:01:55,160 –> 00:01:57,680 to worship the living Lord Jesus Christ, 42 00:01:57,680 –> 00:02:01,080 never had any experience, any of the elements of worship, 43 00:02:01,080 –> 00:02:02,360 don’t even know what it is. 44 00:02:02,360 –> 00:02:05,940 One in every four in America, 45 00:02:05,940 –> 00:02:09,119 and we want to be really intentional 46 00:02:09,119 –> 00:02:13,000 about inviting many of these people to the orchard 47 00:02:13,000 –> 00:02:15,240 in order to gather with us 48 00:02:15,240 –> 00:02:17,240 in order to meet with Jesus, 49 00:02:17,240 –> 00:02:19,279 and that’s why at the center of our worship, 50 00:02:19,279 –> 00:02:21,479 there is always an open Bible 51 00:02:21,479 –> 00:02:23,820 so that we are able to discover who he is 52 00:02:23,820 –> 00:02:24,960 and what he has done 53 00:02:24,960 –> 00:02:26,660 and what he is able to do 54 00:02:26,660 –> 00:02:30,419 for all who will put their trust in him, 55 00:02:30,419 –> 00:02:31,779 and we’re coming to John’s gospel 56 00:02:31,779 –> 00:02:36,380 because John’s gospel is a great place to meet with Jesus. 57 00:02:36,380 –> 00:02:38,179 We’re looking at the early chapters 58 00:02:38,179 –> 00:02:41,220 in the first months of the year, 59 00:02:41,220 –> 00:02:43,639 but if you glance to the end of the gospel, 60 00:02:43,639 –> 00:02:46,699 we have a little statement there about why it was written. 61 00:02:46,699 –> 00:02:49,740 John 20 in verse 21 tells us 62 00:02:49,740 –> 00:02:52,899 that these are written, that is, this gospel was written 63 00:02:52,919 –> 00:02:55,520 so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, 64 00:02:55,520 –> 00:02:57,119 the Son of God, and by believing, 65 00:02:57,119 –> 00:02:59,339 you may have life in his name. 66 00:03:00,279 –> 00:03:02,199 Well, that that’s a wonderful description 67 00:03:02,199 –> 00:03:03,800 of what we want this church to be. 68 00:03:03,800 –> 00:03:06,639 We want the Orchard to be a place 69 00:03:06,639 –> 00:03:10,720 where people from every imaginable background 70 00:03:10,720 –> 00:03:11,940 would come together 71 00:03:11,940 –> 00:03:14,619 and believe that Jesus is the Christ, 72 00:03:14,619 –> 00:03:16,800 the Son of the living God, 73 00:03:16,800 –> 00:03:19,220 and by believing have life in his name. 74 00:03:19,220 –> 00:03:20,520 So if you’re a visitor today, 75 00:03:20,520 –> 00:03:22,520 and I’ve spoken already this morning 76 00:03:22,539 –> 00:03:25,160 to a good number of people who’ve been here today, 77 00:03:25,160 –> 00:03:26,339 beginning of a new year, 78 00:03:26,339 –> 00:03:28,399 for the very, very first time, 79 00:03:28,399 –> 00:03:31,240 if you’re here for the first time or just very, very new 80 00:03:31,240 –> 00:03:33,679 I do want to say again, as Darren said earlier, 81 00:03:33,679 –> 00:03:34,779 welcome, 82 00:03:34,779 –> 00:03:37,039 so glad that you are here. 83 00:03:37,039 –> 00:03:38,160 Glad that you are here 84 00:03:38,160 –> 00:03:40,220 if you have a Christian faith, 85 00:03:40,220 –> 00:03:42,660 or if you have some other faith, 86 00:03:42,660 –> 00:03:44,440 or if you have no faith at all, 87 00:03:44,440 –> 00:03:46,559 we are very glad that you would be interested 88 00:03:46,559 –> 00:03:48,839 to come here and to sit with us 89 00:03:48,839 –> 00:03:50,839 with a Bible open 90 00:03:50,839 –> 00:03:53,960 in order to meet with Jesus. 91 00:03:53,960 –> 00:03:56,199 That’s what we’re about here, 92 00:03:56,199 –> 00:03:57,899 in this place. 93 00:03:57,899 –> 00:03:59,600 Now, I want to focus today, 94 00:03:59,600 –> 00:04:01,039 particularly on verse 18 95 00:04:02,240 –> 00:04:05,199 of John and Chapter One, 96 00:04:05,199 –> 00:04:08,199 where John speaks to what surely must be the first issue 97 00:04:08,199 –> 00:04:11,360 on any journey to faith. 98 00:04:11,360 –> 00:04:12,619 Now, what’s the first question? 99 00:04:12,619 –> 00:04:15,000 Well, how can I know God? 100 00:04:15,000 –> 00:04:18,579 How can I come to know who God is? 101 00:04:18,619 –> 00:04:21,179 And John makes two statements here in this verse, 102 00:04:21,179 –> 00:04:25,820 no one has ever seen God. 103 00:04:25,820 –> 00:04:30,119 The only God who is at the father’s side, 104 00:04:30,119 –> 00:04:34,880 he has made him known. 105 00:04:35,720 –> 00:04:37,579 Now, there are clearly two statements here. 106 00:04:37,579 –> 00:04:40,059 So let’s take them in order. 107 00:04:40,059 –> 00:04:45,019 The first, no one has ever seen God. 108 00:04:47,100 –> 00:04:48,019 Now, friends, 109 00:04:48,100 –> 00:04:52,420 these words are of huge importance for all of us today 110 00:04:52,420 –> 00:04:54,820 as we live, I think very wonderfully 111 00:04:54,820 –> 00:04:59,600 in a increasingly diverse and therefore very rich culture. 112 00:05:01,859 –> 00:05:04,559 Earlier generations in this country 113 00:05:04,559 –> 00:05:07,160 grew up in an environment 114 00:05:07,160 –> 00:05:10,420 that was so dominated by Christianity 115 00:05:10,420 –> 00:05:13,019 that there really only was one question, 116 00:05:13,019 –> 00:05:15,339 do you believe it or do you not? 117 00:05:16,279 –> 00:05:20,359 But today, a student going onto the campus 118 00:05:20,359 –> 00:05:24,220 of any university and quickly realizes 119 00:05:24,220 –> 00:05:26,059 that there are people who profess 120 00:05:26,059 –> 00:05:31,059 many, many, many different beliefs on that campus 121 00:05:31,279 –> 00:05:34,339 and there are Muslims and there are Jews 122 00:05:34,339 –> 00:05:37,459 and there are Christians and there are Hindus 123 00:05:37,459 –> 00:05:39,059 and there are sikhs. 124 00:05:39,059 –> 00:05:40,980 There will be a new age group probably, 125 00:05:40,980 –> 00:05:43,459 a number of different varieties of that sort 126 00:05:43,500 –> 00:05:46,260 and there will be some who are into the occult 127 00:05:46,260 –> 00:05:49,359 and all of them are all talking about God. 128 00:05:51,220 –> 00:05:53,679 Now as our student who arrives on the campus 129 00:05:53,679 –> 00:05:56,600 and all of these people are speaking about God, 130 00:05:56,600 –> 00:05:59,640 saying all kinds of different things in regards to him, 131 00:05:59,640 –> 00:06:02,980 how in the world is a thoughtful person 132 00:06:02,980 –> 00:06:04,660 to choose between them? 133 00:06:04,660 –> 00:06:05,839 That’s the question. 134 00:06:07,660 –> 00:06:10,500 And I think that the first thing to keep in mind 135 00:06:10,500 –> 00:06:12,579 for that student going onto the campus 136 00:06:12,600 –> 00:06:14,799 or indeed for any of us in the culture 137 00:06:14,799 –> 00:06:16,000 in which we live today 138 00:06:16,000 –> 00:06:19,359 is the first part of John 1 in verse 18, 139 00:06:19,359 –> 00:06:24,359 no one has ever seen God. 140 00:06:24,359 –> 00:06:26,820 That cuts through a lot of clutter. 141 00:06:27,739 –> 00:06:32,239 No one has ever seen God. 142 00:06:33,980 –> 00:06:36,739 Now these words could hardly be clearer 143 00:06:36,739 –> 00:06:39,040 but they obviously raise some questions. 144 00:06:40,140 –> 00:06:42,079 What about the Old Testament? 145 00:06:42,100 –> 00:06:43,980 Didn’t Adam and Eve walk with God 146 00:06:43,980 –> 00:06:45,019 in the garden of Eden? 147 00:06:45,019 –> 00:06:47,779 Didn’t Moses speak with God? 148 00:06:47,779 –> 00:06:49,660 Does it not say face to face? 149 00:06:49,660 –> 00:06:51,459 Does Isaiah not say, 150 00:06:51,459 –> 00:06:53,380 in the year that King Uzziah died, 151 00:06:53,380 –> 00:06:55,619 I saw the Lord? 152 00:06:56,940 –> 00:06:58,739 Well, there are indeed many occasions 153 00:06:58,739 –> 00:06:59,779 in the Old Testament 154 00:06:59,779 –> 00:07:03,959 when God appeared in a visible form. 155 00:07:03,959 –> 00:07:06,760 We call these theophanies 156 00:07:06,760 –> 00:07:08,339 and they are wonderful examples 157 00:07:08,339 –> 00:07:10,579 of God making himself known 158 00:07:10,579 –> 00:07:12,420 in particular times and places 159 00:07:12,420 –> 00:07:15,380 and to particular people. 160 00:07:15,380 –> 00:07:17,220 But remember, the Bible is very clear 161 00:07:17,220 –> 00:07:19,500 that God is spirit. 162 00:07:19,500 –> 00:07:22,940 He is invisible to us. 163 00:07:22,940 –> 00:07:25,140 As we read later on in the New Testament, 164 00:07:25,140 –> 00:07:25,959 these words. 165 00:07:25,959 –> 00:07:30,100 He dwells in unapproachable light 166 00:07:30,100 –> 00:07:32,339 and no one has ever seen him 167 00:07:32,339 –> 00:07:34,380 or can see him. 168 00:07:35,540 –> 00:07:36,700 When Isaiah says, 169 00:07:36,700 –> 00:07:38,619 in the year that Uzziah died, 170 00:07:38,619 –> 00:07:39,540 I saw the Lord, 171 00:07:39,540 –> 00:07:41,899 we just need to read a couple of verses further 172 00:07:41,899 –> 00:07:43,239 and you get a more, 173 00:07:43,239 –> 00:07:44,440 a clearer description 174 00:07:44,440 –> 00:07:46,420 of what it was that he actually saw. 175 00:07:46,420 –> 00:07:47,459 He says, 176 00:07:47,459 –> 00:07:50,980 I saw the hem of the Lord’s garment. 177 00:07:50,980 –> 00:07:54,140 The edge of his train 178 00:07:55,220 –> 00:07:57,339 and that filled the temple. 179 00:07:57,339 –> 00:07:59,839 So if you imagine a robe 180 00:07:59,839 –> 00:08:01,940 and the hem of the robe is so massive 181 00:08:01,940 –> 00:08:04,739 that it fills this entire sanctuary. 182 00:08:04,739 –> 00:08:06,299 Fills it. 183 00:08:06,299 –> 00:08:07,200 And you look up 184 00:08:07,200 –> 00:08:09,140 and all you see is the hem of the robe 185 00:08:09,140 –> 00:08:10,720 filling this entire sanctuary. 186 00:08:10,720 –> 00:08:12,399 You can’t see anything beyond that 187 00:08:12,399 –> 00:08:13,339 because all that you can see 188 00:08:13,339 –> 00:08:14,359 is the hem of the robe. 189 00:08:14,359 –> 00:08:16,059 That’s what Isaiah saw. 190 00:08:17,399 –> 00:08:20,059 So it’s a manifestation of the presence of the Lord. 191 00:08:20,059 –> 00:08:22,220 A little edge. 192 00:08:22,220 –> 00:08:23,339 And what about Moses? 193 00:08:23,339 –> 00:08:24,179 He says to God, 194 00:08:24,179 –> 00:08:26,760 I really want to see your glory 195 00:08:26,760 –> 00:08:29,459 and you can read this in Exodus in chapter 33. 196 00:08:29,459 –> 00:08:31,700 God says to Moses, 197 00:08:31,700 –> 00:08:35,280 you cannot see my face 198 00:08:35,280 –> 00:08:39,080 for man shall not see me and live. 199 00:08:40,000 –> 00:08:42,159 Moses, if you as a sinful person, 200 00:08:42,159 –> 00:08:43,359 we are all sinners, 201 00:08:43,359 –> 00:08:44,960 were to be exposed 202 00:08:44,960 –> 00:08:47,099 to the direct 203 00:08:47,099 –> 00:08:49,159 and full knowledge 204 00:08:49,159 –> 00:08:50,679 of the glory of the Lord, 205 00:08:50,679 –> 00:08:53,000 you would be fried on the spot. 206 00:08:53,000 –> 00:08:54,039 You wouldn’t survive it, 207 00:08:54,039 –> 00:08:55,320 that’s what’s being said. 208 00:08:56,760 –> 00:08:58,159 And so then God said this, 209 00:08:58,159 –> 00:08:59,000 here’s what I’ll do, 210 00:08:59,000 –> 00:09:00,359 you do want to know me Moses, 211 00:09:00,359 –> 00:09:01,200 that’s a good thing, 212 00:09:01,200 –> 00:09:03,200 so I’m going to hide you 213 00:09:03,200 –> 00:09:05,840 in the cleft of a rock. 214 00:09:05,840 –> 00:09:07,119 And I’m gonna put my hand 215 00:09:07,119 –> 00:09:08,380 over the cleft of the rock, 216 00:09:08,380 –> 00:09:09,219 and I’m going to allow 217 00:09:09,219 –> 00:09:11,119 my glory to pass by, 218 00:09:11,119 –> 00:09:13,739 and afterwards I’ll take my hand away, 219 00:09:13,739 –> 00:09:15,000 and then you will see, 220 00:09:15,000 –> 00:09:16,840 God says, my back 221 00:09:16,840 –> 00:09:18,280 but you cannot see my face 222 00:09:18,280 –> 00:09:19,200 because no one can see 223 00:09:19,200 –> 00:09:20,820 the face of God and live. 224 00:09:22,340 –> 00:09:23,520 And so what Moses saw, 225 00:09:23,520 –> 00:09:24,340 if you like, 226 00:09:24,340 –> 00:09:26,719 was the afterburn 227 00:09:26,719 –> 00:09:28,000 of the glory of God 228 00:09:28,000 –> 00:09:29,719 having passed by 229 00:09:29,760 –> 00:09:32,440 the cleft of the rock. 230 00:09:33,359 –> 00:09:35,080 And in line with all 231 00:09:35,080 –> 00:09:37,039 of that truth from the Old Testament, 232 00:09:37,039 –> 00:09:39,159 here the Apostle John says 233 00:09:39,159 –> 00:09:41,260 no one has ever 234 00:09:41,260 –> 00:09:43,359 seen God. 235 00:09:45,080 –> 00:09:45,919 Now friends, I want us 236 00:09:45,919 –> 00:09:46,760 to take that in 237 00:09:46,760 –> 00:09:47,580 and just think through 238 00:09:47,580 –> 00:09:48,619 what that means here. 239 00:09:49,820 –> 00:09:50,700 What that means, 240 00:09:50,700 –> 00:09:53,380 no one has ever seen God, 241 00:09:53,380 –> 00:09:54,780 not Moses, 242 00:09:55,979 –> 00:09:57,020 not Muhammad, 243 00:09:57,619 –> 00:09:59,280 not the Dalai Lama, 244 00:10:00,539 –> 00:10:02,039 not any Guru 245 00:10:02,039 –> 00:10:03,679 or any religious teacher 246 00:10:03,679 –> 00:10:04,520 from the West 247 00:10:04,520 –> 00:10:06,000 or from the East. 248 00:10:07,000 –> 00:10:08,380 No one who lays claim 249 00:10:08,380 –> 00:10:09,679 to television, 250 00:10:09,679 –> 00:10:10,520 on television 251 00:10:10,520 –> 00:10:11,340 or in a book 252 00:10:11,340 –> 00:10:12,559 of having had experiences 253 00:10:12,559 –> 00:10:14,619 or visions of another world, 254 00:10:15,900 –> 00:10:17,820 no prophet, 255 00:10:17,820 –> 00:10:19,900 no pastor, 256 00:10:19,900 –> 00:10:22,440 no person you can ever meet 257 00:10:22,440 –> 00:10:23,520 or read 258 00:10:23,520 –> 00:10:24,559 or hear 259 00:10:24,559 –> 00:10:25,539 or see 260 00:10:25,539 –> 00:10:26,739 in this world 261 00:10:26,739 –> 00:10:27,559 has 262 00:10:27,559 –> 00:10:28,380 ever 263 00:10:28,380 –> 00:10:29,219 seen 264 00:10:29,219 –> 00:10:30,179 God, 265 00:10:30,179 –> 00:10:31,020 period. 266 00:10:32,419 –> 00:10:33,479 So here’s what that means 267 00:10:33,479 –> 00:10:35,020 for a student going onto the campus. 268 00:10:35,020 –> 00:10:36,400 Don’t be gullible. 269 00:10:38,020 –> 00:10:39,520 Don’t be naive. 270 00:10:40,460 –> 00:10:41,859 Don’t believe everything you hear. 271 00:10:41,859 –> 00:10:43,500 A lot of people have the idea 272 00:10:43,500 –> 00:10:45,520 that if you’re going to have faith, 273 00:10:45,520 –> 00:10:46,559 the first thing you have to do 274 00:10:46,559 –> 00:10:47,760 is park your mind 275 00:10:47,760 –> 00:10:49,500 and become the most naive person 276 00:10:49,500 –> 00:10:50,820 on the face of the earth. 277 00:10:50,820 –> 00:10:53,479 Not according to what John is saying here. 278 00:10:54,479 –> 00:10:55,299 He’s saying 279 00:10:55,299 –> 00:10:56,619 don’t believe everything 280 00:10:56,640 –> 00:10:57,460 that you hear. 281 00:10:57,460 –> 00:10:59,179 All of these claims that are out there, 282 00:10:59,179 –> 00:11:01,140 put every religious claim 283 00:11:01,140 –> 00:11:03,619 you ever hear in your entire life 284 00:11:03,619 –> 00:11:04,940 through this filter, 285 00:11:04,940 –> 00:11:05,719 no one 286 00:11:05,719 –> 00:11:06,479 has 287 00:11:06,479 –> 00:11:07,219 ever 288 00:11:07,219 –> 00:11:08,539 seen 289 00:11:08,539 –> 00:11:09,559 God. 290 00:11:11,000 –> 00:11:12,380 By the way, that’s the answer 291 00:11:12,380 –> 00:11:13,820 to authoritarianism. 292 00:11:14,760 –> 00:11:16,960 You’re some big shot pastor 293 00:11:16,960 –> 00:11:18,580 who arises within a church 294 00:11:18,580 –> 00:11:20,880 and suddenly is trying to tell everyone 295 00:11:20,880 –> 00:11:21,719 what to do. 296 00:11:21,719 –> 00:11:22,780 That’s how cults get going, by the way, 297 00:11:22,780 –> 00:11:23,619 isn’t it? 298 00:11:24,679 –> 00:11:25,900 And what’s your answer 299 00:11:26,099 –> 00:11:27,099 to someone who starts 300 00:11:27,099 –> 00:11:28,380 trying to make every decision 301 00:11:28,380 –> 00:11:29,260 for your life 302 00:11:29,260 –> 00:11:30,719 and tell you everything 303 00:11:30,719 –> 00:11:31,780 that you should be doing? 304 00:11:31,780 –> 00:11:33,140 Here’s how you would answer, 305 00:11:33,140 –> 00:11:34,599 you have not 306 00:11:34,599 –> 00:11:35,440 seen 307 00:11:35,440 –> 00:11:36,840 God. 308 00:11:36,840 –> 00:11:38,260 No one has ever seen God. 309 00:11:40,099 –> 00:11:41,020 There’s a tremendous freedom 310 00:11:41,020 –> 00:11:42,380 that comes for knowing that. 311 00:11:42,380 –> 00:11:44,500 Clears away all the clutter. 312 00:11:46,020 –> 00:11:47,419 Now, notice the second 313 00:11:47,419 –> 00:11:48,739 statement here. 314 00:11:50,059 –> 00:11:52,260 The only God 315 00:11:52,260 –> 00:11:55,039 who is at the Father’s side 316 00:11:55,919 –> 00:11:58,940 has made him known. 317 00:12:00,260 –> 00:12:01,500 Now, John is referring here, 318 00:12:01,500 –> 00:12:03,159 of course, to Jesus Christ, 319 00:12:03,159 –> 00:12:04,719 who is the subject of the gospel 320 00:12:04,719 –> 00:12:08,039 and is the subject of the entire Bible. 321 00:12:08,039 –> 00:12:09,080 And if we ask the question, 322 00:12:09,080 –> 00:12:10,640 how is it that Jesus Christ 323 00:12:10,640 –> 00:12:11,799 can make God known? 324 00:12:11,799 –> 00:12:13,760 How then, can he do 325 00:12:13,760 –> 00:12:15,760 what no religion has ever done 326 00:12:15,760 –> 00:12:17,119 and what no other person, 327 00:12:17,119 –> 00:12:19,380 past, present, and future could ever do? 328 00:12:21,039 –> 00:12:22,820 Well, obviously, verse 18 329 00:12:22,820 –> 00:12:24,340 is the conclusion 330 00:12:24,340 –> 00:12:25,479 to this introduction 331 00:12:26,000 –> 00:12:28,580 or prologue to John’s gospel. 332 00:12:28,580 –> 00:12:29,900 And I want you to see 333 00:12:29,900 –> 00:12:31,460 that these verses, 334 00:12:31,460 –> 00:12:33,260 the opening verses of John’s gospel 335 00:12:33,260 –> 00:12:34,419 actually give us 336 00:12:34,419 –> 00:12:37,140 a seven-fold description 337 00:12:37,140 –> 00:12:40,239 of the unique glory of Jesus Christ, 338 00:12:40,239 –> 00:12:41,659 which when all of these things 339 00:12:41,659 –> 00:12:42,640 are laid together, 340 00:12:42,640 –> 00:12:44,059 you can see why John 341 00:12:44,059 –> 00:12:45,859 draws the conclusion from this 342 00:12:45,859 –> 00:12:46,859 that the only God 343 00:12:46,859 –> 00:12:48,380 who is at the Father’s side 344 00:12:48,380 –> 00:12:49,919 has made him known. 345 00:12:49,919 –> 00:12:52,299 Let me give it to you in a sentence. 346 00:12:52,299 –> 00:12:53,179 Jesus Christ, 347 00:12:53,179 –> 00:12:55,380 according to these verses of the Bible, 348 00:12:55,380 –> 00:12:59,619 is the eternal, personal, divine, 349 00:12:59,619 –> 00:13:02,460 creating, life-giving incarnate 350 00:13:02,460 –> 00:13:03,359 Son of God. 351 00:13:03,359 –> 00:13:04,799 There’s a seven-fold description 352 00:13:04,799 –> 00:13:05,940 of his unique glory. 353 00:13:05,940 –> 00:13:07,219 Jesus Christ 354 00:13:07,219 –> 00:13:08,799 is the eternal, 355 00:13:08,799 –> 00:13:10,099 personal, divine, 356 00:13:10,099 –> 00:13:12,460 creating, life-giving, incarnate 357 00:13:12,460 –> 00:13:13,739 Son of God. 358 00:13:13,739 –> 00:13:14,780 Look at each of these things 359 00:13:14,780 –> 00:13:15,780 in these verses. 360 00:13:15,780 –> 00:13:17,659 First, he is eternal. 361 00:13:17,659 –> 00:13:19,479 In the beginning 362 00:13:19,479 –> 00:13:23,739 was the Word. 363 00:13:23,739 –> 00:13:24,280 You see, thank God 364 00:13:24,280 –> 00:13:25,239 it does not say 365 00:13:25,239 –> 00:13:26,700 in the beginning was God 366 00:13:26,700 –> 00:13:28,080 and no one has ever seen him 367 00:13:28,080 –> 00:13:30,960 or made him known. 368 00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:31,619 If that was the case, 369 00:13:31,619 –> 00:13:32,340 there would be no point 370 00:13:32,340 –> 00:13:35,099 in his being here. 371 00:13:35,099 –> 00:13:35,780 It does not say 372 00:13:35,780 –> 00:13:37,020 in the beginning was God 373 00:13:37,020 –> 00:13:37,979 and no one has ever seen him 374 00:13:37,979 –> 00:13:38,799 or made him known. 375 00:13:38,799 –> 00:13:39,219 It says 376 00:13:39,219 –> 00:13:42,520 in the beginning was the Word. 377 00:13:42,520 –> 00:13:43,760 So God speaks. 378 00:13:43,760 –> 00:13:45,940 God communicates himself. 379 00:13:45,940 –> 00:13:49,320 He makes himself known. 380 00:13:49,320 –> 00:13:51,059 That’s what we’re being told here. 381 00:13:51,059 –> 00:13:53,700 I said in the earlier service, 382 00:13:53,979 –> 00:13:54,580 you know, some of you 383 00:13:54,580 –> 00:13:57,400 may not have heard this story, 384 00:13:57,400 –> 00:13:58,299 but I heard that many, 385 00:13:58,299 –> 00:13:59,700 many times years ago. 386 00:13:59,700 –> 00:14:01,400 And then someone in the fire said, 387 00:14:01,400 –> 00:14:02,820 I’m so glad you told that story 388 00:14:02,820 –> 00:14:03,940 and gave the answer to it, 389 00:14:03,940 –> 00:14:05,619 because I was reading last night 390 00:14:05,619 –> 00:14:06,919 in a philosophy class 391 00:14:06,919 –> 00:14:09,179 and it had exactly this story. 392 00:14:09,179 –> 00:14:10,099 So if you’re on campus, 393 00:14:10,099 –> 00:14:11,059 you might hear it. 394 00:14:11,059 –> 00:14:12,679 I thought it was too old to repeat. 395 00:14:12,679 –> 00:14:13,260 But there you are. 396 00:14:13,260 –> 00:14:14,820 It’s partly in a philosophy class 397 00:14:14,820 –> 00:14:16,619 that’s being taught today. 398 00:14:16,619 –> 00:14:17,539 Here’s how the story goes. 399 00:14:17,539 –> 00:14:20,119 People are critical of faith. 400 00:14:20,119 –> 00:14:21,080 And it goes like this 401 00:14:21,200 –> 00:14:23,460 that all religions are really 402 00:14:23,460 –> 00:14:26,900 like the attempts of blind men 403 00:14:26,900 –> 00:14:29,200 to describe an elephant. 404 00:14:29,200 –> 00:14:30,679 And what happens, 405 00:14:30,679 –> 00:14:33,200 you see, is that one blind man 406 00:14:33,200 –> 00:14:36,000 gets hold of the tail of the elephant 407 00:14:36,000 –> 00:14:38,099 and says, an elephant, 408 00:14:38,099 –> 00:14:41,520 it’s like a long thin rope. 409 00:14:41,520 –> 00:14:43,219 And another blind man, 410 00:14:43,219 –> 00:14:44,919 he gets hold of the front of the elephant, 411 00:14:44,919 –> 00:14:45,960 the trunk of the elephant. 412 00:14:45,960 –> 00:14:46,619 He says no, no, no. 413 00:14:46,619 –> 00:14:47,679 That’s definitely not right. 414 00:14:47,760 –> 00:14:53,719 An elephant is like a long, long, flexible tube. 415 00:14:53,719 –> 00:14:54,719 And then there’s another guy 416 00:14:54,719 –> 00:14:56,179 who is at the side of the elephant. 417 00:14:56,179 –> 00:14:58,119 He said, you guys must be blind or something. 418 00:14:58,119 –> 00:14:59,440 I don’t know what you’re talking about. 419 00:14:59,440 –> 00:15:00,619 He says, an elephant is 420 00:15:00,619 –> 00:15:04,940 like a high wall made of leather. 421 00:15:04,940 –> 00:15:07,340 And so the conclusion of the story goes, 422 00:15:07,340 –> 00:15:10,099 this is what of course all religion is. 423 00:15:10,099 –> 00:15:11,979 No one has ever seen God. 424 00:15:11,979 –> 00:15:14,400 We’re all just like blind men. 425 00:15:14,400 –> 00:15:15,640 And so we’re like blind men 426 00:15:15,679 –> 00:15:19,080 attempting to describe the elephant, 427 00:15:19,080 –> 00:15:20,359 and therefore we’re all speaking 428 00:15:20,359 –> 00:15:22,119 across each other and so forth and so on. 429 00:15:22,119 –> 00:15:23,700 Now how are you gonna respond to that story 430 00:15:23,700 –> 00:15:25,760 when it comes up in your philosophy class? 431 00:15:26,940 –> 00:15:31,440 See, I think that a good response to that story is, 432 00:15:32,799 –> 00:15:35,559 what if the elephant were to speak? 433 00:15:37,239 –> 00:15:40,539 What if the elephant could say, 434 00:15:40,539 –> 00:15:43,539 let me tell you who I am. 435 00:15:44,340 –> 00:15:47,919 I am a very complex animal 436 00:15:47,919 –> 00:15:51,419 with a trunk and a body and a tail. 437 00:15:52,719 –> 00:15:55,799 Listen to me you blind man. 438 00:15:55,799 –> 00:15:59,039 And I will tell you who I am 439 00:15:59,039 –> 00:16:04,039 and you will be able to make sense of your experience. 440 00:16:05,039 –> 00:16:06,880 Now do you see the significance of this? 441 00:16:06,880 –> 00:16:09,979 In the beginning was the Word, 442 00:16:09,979 –> 00:16:12,320 the living God who has created all things, 443 00:16:12,479 –> 00:16:17,340 speaks, he communicates himself, he tells us who he is. 444 00:16:17,340 –> 00:16:19,280 Otherwise, we would be complete ignorance 445 00:16:19,280 –> 00:16:21,380 because no one has ever seen God. 446 00:16:23,080 –> 00:16:25,880 But there is a way in which he can be known 447 00:16:25,880 –> 00:16:27,799 and it begins with the fact 448 00:16:27,799 –> 00:16:32,859 that in the beginning was the Word that speaks. 449 00:16:35,080 –> 00:16:36,119 I’ll tell you who I am 450 00:16:36,119 –> 00:16:37,419 and then you’ll be able to make some sense 451 00:16:37,419 –> 00:16:38,559 of your experience. 452 00:16:39,520 –> 00:16:42,799 Second this Word is personal. 453 00:16:42,799 –> 00:16:46,640 The Word was with God, verse one. 454 00:16:46,640 –> 00:16:49,500 So there’s personhood here. 455 00:16:50,359 –> 00:16:53,679 We’re coming right to the central truth 456 00:16:53,679 –> 00:16:56,080 of the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. 457 00:16:56,080 –> 00:16:57,859 The great truth of the Trinity itself 458 00:16:57,859 –> 00:17:00,200 is right here in the scriptures 459 00:17:00,200 –> 00:17:02,239 and derived from here as well 460 00:17:02,239 –> 00:17:04,119 as from many, many other places. 461 00:17:04,119 –> 00:17:06,160 The Word does not an aspect of God, 462 00:17:06,160 –> 00:17:09,160 the word is not a characteristic of God 463 00:17:09,160 –> 00:17:10,680 like God’s mercy or God’s love. 464 00:17:10,680 –> 00:17:13,500 There is distinct personality here. 465 00:17:13,500 –> 00:17:15,359 The Word is him. 466 00:17:15,359 –> 00:17:17,359 All things were made by him 467 00:17:17,359 –> 00:17:21,500 and without him nothing was made that has been made. 468 00:17:21,500 –> 00:17:25,119 So he’s with God, that is personality. 469 00:17:25,119 –> 00:17:30,119 He has personhood but notice that this is a divine person 470 00:17:31,060 –> 00:17:33,000 because not only was the Word with God, 471 00:17:33,000 –> 00:17:34,900 the Word was God, he was God. 472 00:17:34,959 –> 00:17:36,099 Not part of the creation, 473 00:17:36,099 –> 00:17:38,520 he is not some kind of emanation, 474 00:17:38,520 –> 00:17:43,239 he is not like an angel created by God or like ourselves. 475 00:17:43,239 –> 00:17:46,319 Notice how the same twin truths 476 00:17:46,319 –> 00:17:48,880 that relates to our Lord Jesus Christ 477 00:17:48,880 –> 00:17:51,479 are stated in verse one and again, 478 00:17:51,479 –> 00:17:53,839 in the same way in verse 18. 479 00:17:53,839 –> 00:17:57,439 In verse one we are told that the Word was with God, 480 00:17:57,439 –> 00:18:01,900 there’s personhood and was God, there’s deity. 481 00:18:01,920 –> 00:18:06,239 And in verse 18, he is the only God 482 00:18:06,239 –> 00:18:08,319 and he is at the Father’s side. 483 00:18:08,319 –> 00:18:10,479 So there’s deity and there is personhood, 484 00:18:10,479 –> 00:18:13,300 you have the same thing in verse one and in verse 18. 485 00:18:14,479 –> 00:18:17,060 And this eternal Word who is personal 486 00:18:17,060 –> 00:18:19,599 and who is divine is creating, 487 00:18:19,599 –> 00:18:23,880 it was through him that all things were made. 488 00:18:23,880 –> 00:18:26,260 The reason that there is some knowledge of God 489 00:18:26,260 –> 00:18:28,699 that can be gained from the created order, 490 00:18:28,699 –> 00:18:31,359 the rivers, the moon, and the stars and so forth. 491 00:18:31,380 –> 00:18:34,020 They speak of His greatness, they pour forth speech, 492 00:18:34,020 –> 00:18:38,780 is that they are the handiwork of this eternal Word of God, 493 00:18:38,780 –> 00:18:43,699 therefore they bear some impression of who he is 494 00:18:43,699 –> 00:18:45,920 and some expression of who he is, 495 00:18:45,920 –> 00:18:48,839 because he’s the creator, he’s the life giver. 496 00:18:48,839 –> 00:18:52,099 In him was life, verse four. 497 00:18:52,099 –> 00:18:54,319 Dr. Jim Packer says, here is the Bible’s answer 498 00:18:54,319 –> 00:18:57,959 to the problem of the origin and the continuance of life, 499 00:18:58,020 –> 00:19:03,020 in all its forms life is given and maintained by the word. 500 00:19:04,560 –> 00:19:08,239 So what is it that makes me alive? 501 00:19:10,140 –> 00:19:14,280 That question actually is who is it, who makes me alive? 502 00:19:14,280 –> 00:19:18,359 It’s this word of God, it’s God who breathes life into me 503 00:19:18,359 –> 00:19:22,339 through this being who’s being introduced to us 504 00:19:22,339 –> 00:19:25,599 here in these verses and he became incarnate. 505 00:19:25,839 –> 00:19:29,680 This word became flesh verse 14 and dwelt among us. 506 00:19:29,680 –> 00:19:31,920 So, the baby who lay in that manger 507 00:19:31,920 –> 00:19:33,520 we’d been celebrating at Christmas 508 00:19:33,520 –> 00:19:37,239 really was the eternal word of God. 509 00:19:37,239 –> 00:19:41,300 God himself with us, that’s what John is saying. 510 00:19:41,300 –> 00:19:43,579 And as we listen to the very words of Jesus 511 00:19:43,579 –> 00:19:45,880 we’re listening to God speaking, 512 00:19:45,880 –> 00:19:50,660 God in Christ reconciling the world to himself 513 00:19:50,660 –> 00:19:51,839 and he is the son of God. 514 00:19:51,839 –> 00:19:53,439 He is the only son from the father. 515 00:19:53,439 –> 00:19:55,920 The word became flesh and dwelt among us. 516 00:19:55,920 –> 00:19:58,719 We’ve seen his glory as of the only son of the father 517 00:19:58,719 –> 00:20:00,099 full of grace and truth. 518 00:20:00,099 –> 00:20:02,280 So, he’s introducing Jesus. 519 00:20:02,280 –> 00:20:04,060 Meet Jesus. 520 00:20:04,060 –> 00:20:05,599 You’re gonna hear all kinds of stories 521 00:20:05,599 –> 00:20:07,420 about him in the gospel. 522 00:20:07,420 –> 00:20:09,920 Hear words that he spoke. 523 00:20:09,920 –> 00:20:12,540 Let me tell you John says, right up front who he is, 524 00:20:12,540 –> 00:20:14,760 I’ll give you a sevenfold description of his glory, 525 00:20:14,760 –> 00:20:17,339 Jesus Christ, you’re gonna meet in this gospel 526 00:20:17,339 –> 00:20:19,520 is none other than the eternal, personal, 527 00:20:19,520 –> 00:20:22,459 divine, creative, life giving incarnate son of God. 528 00:20:22,579 –> 00:20:24,859 That’s who you’re gonna meet. 529 00:20:24,859 –> 00:20:29,339 This one was with the father from the beginning 530 00:20:29,339 –> 00:20:30,900 at the father’s side. 531 00:20:30,900 –> 00:20:33,199 He is one with the father. 532 00:20:33,199 –> 00:20:35,219 He is God and he is God with us. 533 00:20:35,219 –> 00:20:37,260 He has come down from the father. 534 00:20:37,260 –> 00:20:39,800 This is how he and he alone 535 00:20:39,800 –> 00:20:44,219 is able to make the father known. 536 00:20:46,500 –> 00:20:49,500 Now, that is the essence of what we have 537 00:20:49,500 –> 00:20:52,020 in these marvelous verses that are at the beginning 538 00:20:52,020 –> 00:20:54,540 of John’s gospel, let’s get now to the application. 539 00:20:55,859 –> 00:21:00,459 The question before us is how can I know God? 540 00:21:02,099 –> 00:21:06,000 How can we know who God is? 541 00:21:07,420 –> 00:21:10,540 And I would suggest to you there are at least three answers 542 00:21:10,540 –> 00:21:14,339 out there in our culture today 543 00:21:14,339 –> 00:21:16,939 and what John says here speaks to every one of them. 544 00:21:17,939 –> 00:21:21,500 One answer to the question how can I know who God is 545 00:21:21,500 –> 00:21:25,640 is some people say well, we can’t know. 546 00:21:26,640 –> 00:21:29,819 That’s the answer of agnosticism of course. 547 00:21:29,819 –> 00:21:32,199 We can’t know actually, the number of people 548 00:21:32,199 –> 00:21:35,579 who are in the don’t know category, 549 00:21:35,579 –> 00:21:38,319 according to all religious surveys that I’ve seen 550 00:21:38,319 –> 00:21:42,880 is rapidly increasing, the don’t knows. 551 00:21:42,880 –> 00:21:45,380 I don’t know when it comes to things about God, 552 00:21:45,380 –> 00:21:46,420 I don’t know. 553 00:21:47,660 –> 00:21:50,459 And it may well be, I’d be surprised if it was not the case 554 00:21:50,459 –> 00:21:53,459 that there may be many people, a good number of people 555 00:21:53,459 –> 00:21:55,420 in the congregation today and that would be 556 00:21:55,420 –> 00:21:56,819 your honest position. 557 00:21:58,040 –> 00:22:00,079 Again, I’m so glad that you would be here 558 00:22:00,079 –> 00:22:01,939 and that we would be able to sit here together 559 00:22:01,939 –> 00:22:05,180 with an open Bible and to submit ourselves 560 00:22:05,180 –> 00:22:07,099 to open our minds and our hearts 561 00:22:07,099 –> 00:22:11,359 to what is said here with regards to Jesus Christ. 562 00:22:12,380 –> 00:22:14,280 But your position may be right now, 563 00:22:14,280 –> 00:22:16,599 you say well you know what, I’ve not been able really 564 00:22:16,599 –> 00:22:18,500 to get to the place of committing myself 565 00:22:18,500 –> 00:22:20,839 to any particular faith or creed. 566 00:22:22,099 –> 00:22:23,739 On the other hand, why am I here in church? 567 00:22:23,739 –> 00:22:27,260 Well I’m not an atheist. 568 00:22:27,260 –> 00:22:28,920 I have a sense that there may be something out there 569 00:22:28,920 –> 00:22:30,140 I just don’t know what it is. 570 00:22:30,140 –> 00:22:31,880 I don’t know. 571 00:22:31,880 –> 00:22:33,619 I don’t know. 572 00:22:33,619 –> 00:22:35,400 And because I don’t know that’s why I’ve not 573 00:22:35,400 –> 00:22:37,199 been able to commit myself. 574 00:22:39,160 –> 00:22:42,979 Now do you see friend, where that’s your position, 575 00:22:43,599 –> 00:22:47,760 do you see how what John says here speaks to you 576 00:22:47,760 –> 00:22:50,640 and gives to you the most marvelous invitation? 577 00:22:52,359 –> 00:22:57,359 You’re saying, I don’t know. 578 00:22:58,459 –> 00:22:59,959 I don’t know God. 579 00:23:01,839 –> 00:23:04,339 John is saying that the son of God 580 00:23:04,339 –> 00:23:09,339 has come into the world in order to make him known. 581 00:23:10,300 –> 00:23:13,500 So in order to make him known do you see 582 00:23:13,500 –> 00:23:16,219 how Jesus then offers to you 583 00:23:16,219 –> 00:23:19,640 something very, very wonderful? 584 00:23:19,640 –> 00:23:22,180 And why this gospel that we’re opening up together 585 00:23:22,180 –> 00:23:23,859 that is written for the very purpose 586 00:23:23,859 –> 00:23:26,239 that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, 587 00:23:26,239 –> 00:23:28,920 the son of God, and that you may have life in his name, 588 00:23:28,920 –> 00:23:31,520 do you see how this speaks to you? 589 00:23:33,739 –> 00:23:36,060 Some of you who are committed Christians, 590 00:23:36,060 –> 00:23:38,000 you’re gonna speak this week, 591 00:23:38,000 –> 00:23:39,239 they’re gonna be a conversation, 592 00:23:40,219 –> 00:23:41,540 with a friend or a colleague, 593 00:23:41,540 –> 00:23:42,520 a work, a neighbor, 594 00:23:42,520 –> 00:23:44,479 member of the wider family or whoever, 595 00:23:44,479 –> 00:23:48,699 who is a don’t know with regard to Christian faith. 596 00:23:48,699 –> 00:23:50,199 And you know they may say to you, 597 00:23:50,199 –> 00:23:52,680 how was your New Year and what did you do over the weekend? 598 00:23:52,680 –> 00:23:54,339 Oh yeah, you were in church and so forth. 599 00:23:54,339 –> 00:23:55,520 And they might say to you, 600 00:3:55,520 –> 00:23:57,359 hey, that’s great if you find it helpful 601 00:23:57,359 –> 00:23:59,060 but I just don’t know, 602 00:23:59,060 –> 00:24:01,699 I’m agnostic when it comes to these things. 603 00:24:02,719 –> 00:24:05,000 Well, you could say to them something like this 604 00:24:05,000 –> 00:24:06,280 and it might be helpful. 605 00:24:07,219 –> 00:24:08,060 You could say, you know what, 606 00:24:08,079 –> 00:24:10,599 I understand why you could come to that conclusion. 607 00:24:10,599 –> 00:24:13,260 I mean, we were reading in the Bible just this weekend. 608 00:24:13,260 –> 00:24:16,800 It actually says in the Bible, no one has ever seen God. 609 00:24:16,800 –> 00:24:18,319 I could understand why you would say, 610 00:24:18,319 –> 00:24:21,099 well, how could any of us possibly know? 611 00:24:21,099 –> 00:24:22,239 But have you ever looked 612 00:24:22,239 –> 00:24:25,839 at the second half of the verse that says that? 613 00:24:25,839 –> 00:24:27,520 Because in the second half of the verse, 614 00:24:27,520 –> 00:24:31,699 it says God, the One and Only who’s at the Father’s side 615 00:24:31,699 –> 00:24:33,819 has made him known. 616 00:24:35,500 –> 00:24:37,180 See, it would be a great mistake 617 00:24:37,199 –> 00:24:40,060 for anyone who’s a don’t-know in church today 618 00:24:40,060 –> 00:24:42,699 to kind of say, you know, that was interesting, 619 00:24:43,660 –> 00:24:44,640 but I don’t know, 620 00:24:45,680 –> 00:24:48,280 and go off, get something to eat, pick up a game, 621 00:24:48,280 –> 00:24:49,680 and just move on with your life. 622 00:24:49,680 –> 00:24:50,800 That’d be a great mistake. 623 00:24:50,800 –> 00:24:53,140 That would be for you to miss a great opportunity 624 00:24:53,140 –> 00:24:55,140 that is held before you today. 625 00:24:56,319 –> 00:24:59,560 God, the One and Only who is at the Father’s side 626 00:24:59,560 –> 00:25:02,359 has made him known. 627 00:25:04,140 –> 00:25:05,719 John is telling you 628 00:25:05,719 –> 00:25:08,339 that if you get to know Jesus Christ, 629 00:25:08,339 –> 00:25:10,599 you really will know God, 630 00:25:11,619 –> 00:25:13,579 and that this Gospel has been written 631 00:25:13,579 –> 00:25:15,180 precisely for this purpose, 632 00:25:15,180 –> 00:25:17,239 so that you should believe that Jesus is the Christ, 633 00:25:17,239 –> 00:25:18,079 the son of God, 634 00:25:18,079 –> 00:25:20,459 and that by believing, you should have life in his name. 635 00:25:21,479 –> 00:25:23,979 So, surely the right response is not for you to say, 636 00:25:23,979 –> 00:25:27,099 well, huh, very interesting, but I don’t know. 637 00:25:27,099 –> 00:25:30,119 Surely the right response for you is to say, 638 00:25:30,119 –> 00:25:33,180 you know what, I need to learn from Jesus. 639 00:25:33,180 –> 00:25:34,739 I need to start opening this Bible. 640 00:25:34,739 –> 00:25:36,900 I need to come back Sunday by Sunday, 641 00:25:36,900 –> 00:25:38,380 place myself under this Bible. 642 00:25:38,380 –> 00:25:40,459 Let Jesus become my teacher, 643 00:25:41,579 –> 00:25:43,760 because he’s the only one who can teach me 644 00:25:43,760 –> 00:25:45,099 what I do not know, 645 00:25:45,099 –> 00:25:47,599 and he’s the one who can bring me into a knowledge 646 00:25:47,599 –> 00:25:52,239 of this God I otherwise could not possibly ever know. 647 00:25:53,420 –> 00:25:55,599 That’s one position. 648 00:25:55,599 –> 00:25:57,099 We can’t know, 649 00:25:57,099 –> 00:26:00,180 and you can see how John speaks to that very, very clearly. 650 00:26:01,579 –> 00:26:03,099 Here’s a second answer to the question. 651 00:26:03,099 –> 00:26:04,459 How do we know who God is? 652 00:26:04,459 –> 00:26:06,099 How can we know God? 653 00:26:06,099 –> 00:26:08,099 How can we grow in our knowledge of God? 654 00:26:09,339 –> 00:26:11,180 Well, a second answer that’s out there, 655 00:26:11,180 –> 00:26:13,219 and again, increasingly common I think, 656 00:26:13,219 –> 00:26:14,859 is we all know, 657 00:26:14,859 –> 00:26:16,780 kinda the opposite. 658 00:26:16,780 –> 00:26:21,239 If we can’t know is the answer of agnosticism, 659 00:26:21,239 –> 00:26:25,640 then we all know is really the answer of mysticism, 660 00:26:26,660 –> 00:26:30,699 and mysticism has been surprisingly 661 00:26:30,699 –> 00:26:34,099 attractive down through the centuries 662 00:26:34,500 –> 00:26:36,839 to many evangelical Christians. 663 00:26:36,839 –> 00:26:38,319 It has been a kind of lure 664 00:26:39,319 –> 00:26:43,760 that has caught many evangelical Christians over the years 665 00:26:43,760 –> 00:26:48,400 and led them away from sure foundations of faith. 666 00:26:48,400 –> 00:26:49,219 And for that reason, 667 00:26:49,219 –> 00:26:52,199 I want just to make this application today. 668 00:26:52,199 –> 00:26:57,199 Evangelicals have, for many, many years, centuries, 669 00:26:57,339 –> 00:27:01,300 talked about having a quiet time. 670 00:27:01,300 –> 00:27:02,359 That’s a good thing. 671 00:27:02,500 –> 00:27:06,599 By that, evangelicals have meant a time 672 00:27:06,599 –> 00:27:11,699 of reading the Bible, which is how God speaks to us, 673 00:27:11,699 –> 00:27:15,800 and prayer, which is how we speak to God. 674 00:27:15,800 –> 00:27:19,359 And with that understanding, 675 00:27:19,359 –> 00:27:21,920 I hope that you would have made it a commitment 676 00:27:21,920 –> 00:27:23,439 and that it would already be a practice 677 00:27:23,439 –> 00:27:26,020 and if not, that it would be beginning this new year, 678 00:27:26,020 –> 00:27:27,640 that you should have such a time 679 00:27:27,640 –> 00:27:30,199 of reading the Bible and of prayer 680 00:27:30,199 –> 00:27:33,239 and that you weave it into the regular pattern 681 00:27:33,239 –> 00:27:36,400 of your daily life so that you know what it is 682 00:27:36,400 –> 00:27:38,280 to walk with God, to listen to His voice 683 00:27:38,280 –> 00:27:40,920 through the scriptures and to be able to speak to Him, 684 00:27:40,920 –> 00:27:43,900 and to walk and to live in fellowship with Him. 685 00:27:45,160 –> 00:27:46,420 But here’s what’s happened 686 00:27:46,420 –> 00:27:50,040 and it’s a change that perhaps some have not noticed. 687 00:27:51,239 –> 00:27:54,800 As large parts of the Church 688 00:27:54,800 –> 00:27:58,079 are drifting away from the scriptures, 689 00:27:58,880 –> 00:28:01,800 many people have latched onto the idea, 690 00:28:01,800 –> 00:28:05,119 including many evangelicals have latched onto the idea 691 00:28:05,119 –> 00:28:10,119 that we can listen to God simply by being quiet. 692 00:28:12,540 –> 00:28:14,739 In fact, it has become alarmingly common 693 00:28:14,739 –> 00:28:18,839 among Christians to think that listening to God 694 00:28:18,839 –> 00:28:23,839 means being quiet and basically listening to your own heart. 695 00:28:23,939 –> 00:28:25,040 Your own heart. 696 00:28:26,319 –> 00:28:28,719 Now here’s the problem with that. 697 00:28:28,719 –> 00:28:33,060 God says and I’m quoting Isaiah chapter 55 in verse eight, 698 00:28:33,060 –> 00:28:36,140 my thoughts are not your thoughts. 699 00:28:37,459 –> 00:28:42,119 And your thoughts are not my thoughts. 700 00:28:43,319 –> 00:28:47,160 So, you see, the problem, if you believe 701 00:28:47,160 –> 00:28:50,000 that you listen to God by becoming quiet 702 00:28:50,000 –> 00:28:51,880 and tuning in to your own heart, 703 00:28:51,880 –> 00:28:53,380 what you have actually done 704 00:28:53,380 –> 00:28:57,079 is you have put your own heart in the place of God himself. 705 00:28:57,079 –> 00:28:59,439 You have made an idol of your own heart, 706 00:28:59,439 –> 00:29:01,339 and if you make an idol of your own heart, 707 00:29:01,339 –> 00:29:02,180 here’s what you’ll do, 708 00:29:02,180 –> 00:29:04,400 you’ll spend your life following the impulses 709 00:29:04,400 –> 00:29:05,239 of your own heart, 710 00:29:05,239 –> 00:29:07,500 and who in the world knows where that will lead you? 711 00:29:09,180 –> 00:29:13,079 Thank God, the Gospel does not begin by saying 712 00:29:13,079 –> 00:29:16,339 in the beginning where our hearts, 713 00:29:16,339 –> 00:29:20,699 and our hearts were with God, and our hearts were God. 714 00:29:20,699 –> 00:29:22,339 It does not say that. 715 00:29:23,420 –> 00:29:26,420 It says, in the beginning was the Word, 716 00:29:26,420 –> 00:29:29,880 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, 717 00:29:29,880 –> 00:29:31,739 and the Word became flesh, 718 00:29:31,739 –> 00:29:36,660 and he has made the Father known. 719 00:29:36,660 –> 00:29:38,719 So that the entrance of God’s Word, 720 00:29:38,719 –> 00:29:39,959 that is the scriptures, 721 00:29:39,959 –> 00:29:42,880 and we only know Christ through the scriptures, 722 00:29:42,880 –> 00:29:44,880 we do not know Christ apart from the scriptures, 723 00:29:44,880 –> 00:29:46,959 we’re only left with the Christ we imagine 724 00:29:46,959 –> 00:29:49,079 if we close our Bibles. 725 00:29:49,979 –> 00:29:53,599 The entrance of God’s Word gives light. 726 00:29:53,599 –> 00:29:55,319 Now let me try and put this as clearly 727 00:29:55,319 –> 00:29:57,479 as I possibly can so that we get it. 728 00:29:58,859 –> 00:30:03,859 You won’t get to know God by having a time every day 729 00:30:04,520 –> 00:30:06,959 where you reflect on your own thoughts and feelings 730 00:30:06,959 –> 00:30:09,439 sitting with your legs curled up on a sofa 731 00:30:09,439 –> 00:30:11,280 with a cup of coffee and Christian music 732 00:30:11,280 –> 00:30:12,599 playing in the background. 733 00:30:13,479 –> 00:30:15,040 You will not get to know that God. 734 00:30:15,040 –> 00:30:16,800 That’s not how you get to know God. 735 00:30:17,560 –> 00:30:21,079 You might be surprised how many Evangelicals 736 00:30:21,079 –> 00:30:22,459 actually have bought into that. 737 00:30:22,459 –> 00:30:25,479 That’s my version of the quiet time. 738 00:30:25,479 –> 00:30:27,920 Have a cup of coffee, Christian music 739 00:30:27,920 –> 00:30:30,060 and I sit curled up on the sofa 740 00:30:30,060 –> 00:30:32,959 and I got my journal and I reflect 741 00:30:32,959 –> 00:30:34,680 on my thoughts and feelings and tune in 742 00:30:34,680 –> 00:30:37,680 and this is my time with God, really. 743 00:30:39,040 –> 00:30:41,140 You speak to God in prayer. 744 00:30:43,099 –> 00:30:46,520 God speaks to you through his Word. 745 00:30:46,520 –> 00:30:48,640 And if the elephant did not speak 746 00:30:48,640 –> 00:30:52,359 the man indeed would be very blind. 747 00:30:52,359 –> 00:30:56,520 And God does speak but he speaks through his word. 748 00:30:59,760 –> 00:31:01,560 You listen to God with an open Bible 749 00:31:01,560 –> 00:31:03,359 because that is how he speaks. 750 00:31:03,359 –> 00:31:04,319 Now let me just apply this 751 00:31:04,319 –> 00:31:06,859 and push it just one step further. 752 00:31:06,859 –> 00:31:08,420 And I think this is a very good thing, 753 00:31:08,420 –> 00:31:10,339 a kind of resurgence of interest 754 00:31:10,339 –> 00:31:13,260 in journaling over these last years. 755 00:31:14,219 –> 00:31:16,560 And just look at the array of beautiful journals 756 00:31:16,560 –> 00:31:18,719 that are on sale in any bookstore these days 757 00:31:18,719 –> 00:31:20,739 and you can see that there’s a big market for this. 758 00:31:20,739 –> 00:31:23,420 Not only among Christians but very, very, widely. 759 00:31:23,420 –> 00:31:25,880 And many of us may have made a commitment to 760 00:31:25,880 –> 00:31:27,180 you know I’m gonna journey this year 761 00:31:27,180 –> 00:31:29,380 and I’m gonna write things down and so forth and so on. 762 00:31:29,380 –> 00:31:31,280 That’s really a very, very good thing. 763 00:31:32,380 –> 00:31:35,819 I have not always but during critical periods 764 00:31:35,819 –> 00:31:37,380 of my life particularly where there seemed 765 00:31:37,380 –> 00:31:39,939 to be an important issue or perhaps change or whatever. 766 00:31:39,939 –> 00:31:42,719 I’ve found it very helpful to write down thoughts 767 00:31:42,819 –> 00:31:43,900 and feelings and impressions. 768 00:31:43,900 –> 00:31:44,800 Things that people have said, 769 00:31:44,800 –> 00:31:46,959 questions people have asked and so forth and so on 770 00:31:46,959 –> 00:31:49,479 and then you look back over them on a period of time. 771 00:31:49,479 –> 00:31:50,780 That’s a good thing to do. 772 00:31:52,520 –> 00:31:54,420 But if you want to do that and you want 773 00:31:54,420 –> 00:31:56,920 a nice shiny new journal with a lovely cover. 774 00:31:56,920 –> 00:31:59,079 Here’s what to write in the front page 775 00:31:59,079 –> 00:32:01,380 before you even get started in the new year. 776 00:32:02,800 –> 00:32:05,520 Write on that first page so that you never forget it. 777 00:32:06,500 –> 00:32:11,400 This is a journal of my thoughts and feelings 778 00:32:13,260 –> 00:32:16,719 and experiences they will change over time 779 00:32:17,900 –> 00:32:20,359 and they have no eternal significance whatever. 780 00:32:21,579 –> 00:32:23,680 Write that on the front page. 781 00:32:23,680 –> 00:32:26,400 And then fill out your entire journal. 782 00:32:26,400 –> 00:32:28,219 And it will be a record of all you’ve ever thought 783 00:32:28,219 –> 00:32:29,959 and felt and it will be very fascinating 784 00:32:29,959 –> 00:32:31,920 to go back years later and you say my goodness 785 00:32:31,920 –> 00:32:33,359 to think I once thought that. 786 00:32:35,359 –> 00:32:36,920 But if you’re keen on journaling here’s what 787 00:32:36,920 –> 00:32:39,839 I want you to do go buy a second journal. 788 00:32:40,660 –> 00:32:44,660 A different cover so you can always tell the two apart. 789 00:32:45,680 –> 00:32:48,000 And write on the inside of that one 790 00:32:48,979 –> 00:32:53,979 this is a journal of what God is teaching 791 00:32:54,380 –> 00:32:56,520 me through His word. 792 00:32:57,599 –> 00:33:00,239 God’s word is truth. 793 00:33:01,300 –> 00:33:04,020 It abides forever. 794 00:33:05,420 –> 00:33:08,859 And those who trust in Him will never be put to shame. 795 00:33:08,900 –> 00:33:11,859 And you use that journal to write down 796 00:33:11,859 –> 00:33:14,500 what God is teaching you from an open Bible 797 00:33:14,500 –> 00:33:17,760 concerning Jesus Christ as you meditate on 798 00:33:17,760 –> 00:33:20,819 and reflect and apply and believe 799 00:33:20,819 –> 00:33:23,219 all that you are reading in the scriptures. 800 00:33:23,219 –> 00:33:25,959 What I’m pleading with you today 801 00:33:25,959 –> 00:33:29,939 is to get beyond the self-absorbed world 802 00:33:29,939 –> 00:33:31,819 of sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee, 803 00:33:31,819 –> 00:33:33,660 the Christian music and reflecting 804 00:33:33,660 –> 00:33:35,540 merely on your own feelings. 805 00:33:35,540 –> 00:33:38,500 I’m saying get the Bible open on the mix. 806 00:33:38,540 –> 00:33:40,260 Fine with the coffee, fine with the sofa 807 00:33:40,260 –> 00:33:42,099 and I don’t even mind the Christian music 808 00:33:42,099 –> 00:33:44,060 but get the Bible open 809 00:33:44,939 –> 00:33:47,719 because that’s how God speaks to you. 810 00:33:47,719 –> 00:33:49,560 And if you’re not practicing that, 811 00:33:49,560 –> 00:33:52,099 you’ve really slid into mysticism 812 00:33:52,099 –> 00:33:54,119 much more than you realize. 813 00:33:55,060 –> 00:33:56,660 This is core to Christian belief. 814 00:33:56,660 –> 00:33:58,180 No one has ever seen God. 815 00:33:58,180 –> 00:34:00,739 It’s the Son of God, the Word of God, 816 00:34:00,739 –> 00:34:02,819 the One and only, who is at the Father’s side 817 00:34:02,819 –> 00:34:03,819 who has made him known 818 00:34:03,819 –> 00:34:05,420 and we know him through the scriptures. 819 00:34:05,420 –> 00:34:08,260 So get your Bible open if you want to know God. 820 00:34:09,120 –> 00:34:10,060 Make it your commitment this year 821 00:34:10,060 –> 00:34:11,879 that whatever you do in your time, 822 00:34:11,879 –> 00:34:14,120 you’re gonna make sure that you immerse yourself 823 00:34:14,120 –> 00:34:16,020 in some part of the Word of God 824 00:34:16,020 –> 00:34:18,179 and make it part of your commitment to say 825 00:34:18,179 –> 00:34:19,479 and every week I’m gonna do that 826 00:34:19,479 –> 00:34:21,159 and I’m gonna be part of a church 827 00:34:21,159 –> 00:34:22,300 that really believes 828 00:34:22,300 –> 00:34:25,580 that we’re about immersing ourselves in the Word of God 829 00:34:25,580 –> 00:34:27,300 and I want to be part of that 830 00:34:27,300 –> 00:34:31,300 because how else will I possibly come to know him? 831 00:34:33,040 –> 00:34:36,879 So some people say how we gonna know God? 832 00:34:36,879 –> 00:34:37,699 We can’t! 833 00:34:37,699 –> 00:34:39,399 Well, John says, no, no, no, that’s not the case. 834 00:34:39,399 –> 00:34:42,939 The one and only has come to make him known. 835 00:34:42,939 –> 00:34:44,540 Some people say, well, we all know him. 836 00:34:44,540 –> 00:34:46,419 It’s just in our hearts, by intuition. 837 00:34:46,419 –> 00:34:48,739 It’s what we’re thinking and what we’re feeling 838 00:34:48,739 –> 00:34:52,300 and John says, nobody has ever seen God 839 00:34:52,300 –> 00:34:54,020 and it’s only through Jesus Christ 840 00:34:54,020 –> 00:34:56,120 that you have the true knowledge of God 841 00:34:56,120 –> 00:34:58,300 and this Christ is the Christ of the Word 842 00:34:58,300 –> 00:35:01,080 and so that then takes us to the third answer 843 00:35:01,080 –> 00:35:02,840 which of course is what John is saying 844 00:35:02,840 –> 00:35:04,199 and what’s before us today. 845 00:35:04,239 –> 00:35:06,040 How do I know who God is? 846 00:35:06,040 –> 00:35:08,479 Jesus Christ knows, that’s it. 847 00:35:08,479 –> 00:35:09,959 Jesus Christ knows. 848 00:35:10,879 –> 00:35:12,520 No one has ever seen God. 849 00:35:13,560 –> 00:35:16,000 The only God who is at the Father’s side, 850 00:35:16,000 –> 00:35:19,739 he has made Him known 851 00:35:21,520 –> 00:35:23,300 and what that means for us friends 852 00:35:23,300 –> 00:35:28,300 is that no one else ever stands beside Him 853 00:35:29,260 –> 00:35:34,260 beside Him about who else has it ever been said 854 00:35:35,120 –> 00:35:38,159 or could it ever be said that He is 855 00:35:38,159 –> 00:35:40,399 the eternal personal divine creating 856 00:35:40,399 –> 00:35:42,439 life giving incarnate Son of God. 857 00:35:43,540 –> 00:35:45,500 You say why do Christians worship Jesus? 858 00:35:45,500 –> 00:35:47,040 Because of who he is 859 00:35:48,000 –> 00:35:50,639 and no one else can ever stand beside Him. 860 00:35:51,560 –> 00:35:55,459 Who else could ever say I am the Way 861 00:35:55,459 –> 00:35:56,760 and the Truth and the Life? 862 00:35:56,840 –> 00:36:00,020 No one comes to the Father except by me 863 00:36:00,020 –> 00:36:03,580 except this eternal and personal and divine 864 00:36:03,580 –> 00:36:06,120 creating life giving incarnate Son of God. 865 00:36:07,320 –> 00:36:10,020 But he says it and what that means 866 00:36:10,020 –> 00:36:12,560 as John introduces us to this Jesus 867 00:36:12,560 –> 00:36:16,280 is that you will not find any higher way 868 00:36:16,280 –> 00:36:17,459 than you will find in Him. 869 00:36:17,459 –> 00:36:19,919 You will not find any more reliable Truth 870 00:36:19,919 –> 00:36:20,800 than you find in Him. 871 00:36:20,800 –> 00:36:23,600 You certainly will never find a better life 872 00:36:23,600 –> 00:36:25,280 than you can find in Him. 873 00:36:25,280 –> 00:36:26,360 Believe it my friend! 874 00:36:27,600 –> 00:36:30,040 And not only is there no one who can stand beside Him, 875 00:36:30,040 –> 00:36:33,020 there will never be anyone who goes beyond Him. 876 00:36:34,100 –> 00:36:36,739 See, we live in this world of upgrades don’t we? 877 00:36:36,739 –> 00:36:38,540 But everything is built in obsolescence. 878 00:36:38,540 –> 00:36:40,419 Every product you buy within a few months 879 00:36:40,419 –> 00:36:42,199 or at the very most a few years, 880 00:36:42,199 –> 00:36:43,959 will be on the heap and it will be replaced 881 00:36:43,959 –> 00:36:47,459 by some later and more improved model. 882 00:36:47,459 –> 00:36:50,600 But no one has ever gone beyond Jesus Christ 883 00:36:50,600 –> 00:36:53,919 and no one ever can and no one ever will. 884 00:36:53,919 –> 00:36:56,719 Not in this world and not even in heaven itself 885 00:36:56,739 –> 00:37:00,000 but in the world to come for all eternity. 886 00:37:00,000 –> 00:37:01,919 A man by the name of H.R. Mackintosh 887 00:37:01,919 –> 00:37:04,020 wrote a sentence that has moved me 888 00:37:04,040 –> 00:37:05,320 and so I share it with you. 889 00:37:05,320 –> 00:37:06,139 He says this, 890 00:37:06,139 –> 00:37:09,639 never in any experience of God, 891 00:37:09,639 –> 00:37:12,159 here or here after. 892 00:37:12,159 –> 00:37:13,600 So he’s talking about experience 893 00:37:13,600 –> 00:37:15,840 that you can have in this world 894 00:37:15,840 –> 00:37:17,699 or experience that you will have 895 00:37:17,699 –> 00:37:20,080 in the eternal world that lies beyond. 896 00:37:20,080 –> 00:37:22,679 He says never in any experience of God, 897 00:37:22,679 –> 00:37:24,080 here or here after 898 00:37:24,080 –> 00:37:27,300 will you or I ever find anything 899 00:37:27,300 –> 00:37:29,820 that is not already there for us 900 00:37:29,820 –> 00:37:32,520 in Jesus Christ, the word made flesh. 901 00:37:32,520 –> 00:37:34,199 You never move beyond. 902 00:37:35,280 –> 00:37:36,820 You never outgrow him. 903 00:37:36,820 –> 00:37:38,699 How could you? 904 00:37:38,699 –> 00:37:40,280 When you look at who he is? 905 00:37:41,760 –> 00:37:43,120 That’s why at the end of the Bible, 906 00:37:43,120 –> 00:37:44,479 John, who wrote this gospel, 907 00:37:44,479 –> 00:37:45,959 he’s given this marvelous glimpse, 908 00:37:45,959 –> 00:37:47,820 a vision of the people of God 909 00:37:47,820 –> 00:37:49,820 at the end of time and they’re there 910 00:37:49,820 –> 00:37:51,739 in the presence of the Lord in heaven 911 00:37:51,739 –> 00:37:53,360 and he looks through the crowd 912 00:37:53,379 –> 00:37:55,219 and he sees at the center, there’s a throne 913 00:37:55,219 –> 00:37:57,340 and on the throne is the Lamb. 914 00:37:57,340 –> 00:37:58,659 That’s one of the ways 915 00:37:58,659 –> 00:38:00,300 in which John introduces Jesus. 916 00:38:00,300 –> 00:38:02,340 We’ll see in a couple of weeks 917 00:38:02,340 –> 00:38:04,219 the Lamb of God who was slain, 918 00:38:04,219 –> 00:38:05,620 who laid down it’s life as we’re 919 00:38:05,620 –> 00:38:07,860 thinking about that at the communion table. 920 00:38:09,820 –> 00:38:12,100 And it says he is their shepherd 921 00:38:13,179 –> 00:38:14,959 and he is the one who leads them 922 00:38:14,959 –> 00:38:18,139 into springs of living water. 923 00:38:18,139 –> 00:38:19,820 In other words, every joy 924 00:38:19,820 –> 00:38:20,979 for the people of God 925 00:38:20,979 –> 00:38:23,100 forever and forever is with him 926 00:38:23,120 –> 00:38:25,840 and through him and in him 927 00:38:25,840 –> 00:38:28,600 and never without him. 928 00:38:30,219 –> 00:38:32,459 You take the kids to some park 929 00:38:32,459 –> 00:38:33,699 you know, a theme park 930 00:38:33,699 –> 00:38:35,899 or a park where there’s rides 931 00:38:35,899 –> 00:38:36,780 or whatever that is, 932 00:38:36,780 –> 00:38:38,540 you get, you pay your way in, 933 00:38:38,540 –> 00:38:39,360 you go and what’s the 934 00:38:39,360 –> 00:38:40,620 first instinct of the kids? 935 00:38:40,620 –> 00:38:42,459 They wanna run off on their own. 936 00:38:43,520 –> 00:38:44,600 They wanna say, lets go 937 00:38:44,600 –> 00:38:46,860 and explore these rides 938 00:38:46,860 –> 00:38:48,739 and the swings of the slides 939 00:38:48,739 –> 00:38:52,899 or chutes or rides or whatever it is. 940 00:38:53,239 –> 00:38:54,260 Heaven will not be like that. 941 00:38:54,260 –> 00:38:56,139 It will not be that Christian believers 942 00:38:56,139 –> 00:38:57,659 will come and we’ll see Jesus 943 00:38:57,659 –> 00:38:58,540 and we’ll say oh Jesus, 944 00:38:58,540 –> 00:38:59,840 thank you, aren’t you wonderful 945 00:38:59,840 –> 00:39:01,280 and then after we’ve been there 946 00:39:01,280 –> 00:39:02,600 for a bit we say hey, let’s go. 947 00:39:02,600 –> 00:39:05,320 Let’s go into the celestial playground. 948 00:39:05,320 –> 00:39:09,219 No, no all our joy is in him. 949 00:39:10,659 –> 00:39:12,020 And every joy we experience 950 00:39:12,020 –> 00:39:14,239 is with him and through him 951 00:39:14,239 –> 00:39:16,560 and because of him and in him. 952 00:39:16,560 –> 00:39:18,540 He’s the shepherd that’s leading us 953 00:39:18,540 –> 00:39:20,820 into everlasting springs 954 00:39:20,820 –> 00:39:22,500 of water and of life 955 00:39:23,340 –> 00:39:24,280 and of joy. 956 00:39:24,280 –> 00:39:28,159 Our life and our joy is in knowing him 957 00:39:28,159 –> 00:39:30,959 and that’s why the beginning of life 958 00:39:30,959 –> 00:39:33,379 and the beginning of joy 959 00:39:33,379 –> 00:39:35,300 is when you meet Jesus, 960 00:39:36,379 –> 00:39:37,379 Let’s pray. 961 00:39:39,919 –> 00:39:41,280 Father we’re so grateful 962 00:39:41,280 –> 00:39:43,520 that you have not remained 963 00:39:44,820 –> 00:39:45,820 unknown to us 964 00:39:48,320 –> 00:39:49,699 but that you have come to us 965 00:39:49,719 –> 00:39:52,540 as a person of your Son, Jesus Christ, 966 00:39:52,540 –> 00:39:53,860 the eternal word 967 00:39:55,239 –> 00:39:57,739 who has made the Father known. 968 00:39:58,919 –> 00:40:00,840 And therefore with gladness 969 00:40:00,840 –> 00:40:03,899 we look to him and put our trust in him 970 00:40:03,899 –> 00:40:06,000 and believe in him and would follow 971 00:40:06,000 –> 00:40:08,100 and serve him all the days of our lives 972 00:40:08,100 –> 00:40:10,939 and count him to be our greatest prize 973 00:40:10,939 –> 00:40:13,199 and our greatest joy 974 00:40:13,199 –> 00:40:15,260 and to his name therefore be all the praise 975 00:40:15,260 –> 00:40:18,459 and all the glory in God’s people together said, 976 00:40:18,459 –> 00:40:19,280 Amen.