Knowing Who God Is

John 1:1-18
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Pastor Colin emphasises that the purpose of gathering for worship is to meet with the living Saviour, Jesus Christ. Learning new information, enjoying music, or socialising are secondary to the ultimate goal of meeting with Jesus and being transformed by His presence.

Colin points out that many people in Britain have no experience with church and that it is crucial to invite them to experience worship and to meet Jesus. He notes that the Gospel of John is particularly effective for this purpose, as it was written to help people believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and to find life in His name.

He delves into John 1:18, explaining that no one has ever seen God directly, but Jesus, who has been with the Father from the beginning, has made Him known. Pastor Colin discusses the significance of Jesus as the eternal, personal, divine, creating, life-giving incarnate Son of God.

Pastor Colin stresses the importance of distinguishing between our own thoughts and feelings and the truth of God’s Word. He warns against mysticism and the danger of putting one’s own heart in the place of God. Instead, he encourages the congregation to engage with the Bible to truly know God.

He concludes by highlighting that Jesus is unique and unrivaled in His ability to reveal God to us. Through Jesus alone can we come to know God, find the highest truth, and experience the best life. Pastor Colin encourages everyone to immerse themselves in the Bible and to commit to growing in their knowledge and relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

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.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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