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Following Jesus and Jesus Only - Minister Max Lucado · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

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  Speaker 1: We've been walking the footsteps of Jesus. So I hope
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  Speaker 1: you brought your passport, your toiletries. Because today we go
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  Speaker 1: to Jerusalem. Over the last few decades, I've made many
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  Speaker 1: trips to the Holy Land. And on one occasion, we
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  Speaker 1: took a film crew there. envisioning moments like this in
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  Speaker 1: which we could present a message captured somewhere in the
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  Speaker 1: Holy Land. And today we have the privilege of going
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  Speaker 1: to one of those few places where we're absolutely certain
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  Speaker 1: Jesus stood, the southern steps outside of where the temple
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  Speaker 1: used to be in Jerusalem. So far we've focused on
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  Speaker 1: the region of Galilee, but now it's time for us
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  Speaker 1: to turn south, and follow Jesus as he makes his
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  Speaker 1: way to the city of Jerusalem. Many Jewish travelers followed
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  Speaker 1: the course of the Jordan River until they reached the
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  Speaker 1: city of Jericho, and there they turned west toward Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 1: A shorter route was available, but it led through Samaria.
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  Speaker 1: And Samaria was off limits, at least to most Jews.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't to Jesus, and that's where he met the
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  Speaker 1: Samaritan people. woman at a well. Pilgrims in the day
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  Speaker 1: of Christ would travel to Jerusalem to visit the temple.
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  Speaker 1: A model of the structure helps us appreciate its grandeur.
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  Speaker 1: It took 84 years to build. 84 years. But it
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  Speaker 1: was demolished by the Roman armies in AD 70. And
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  Speaker 1: all that remains is a portion of the retaining wall
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  Speaker 1: or the wailing wall. as well as the temple steps
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  Speaker 1: or the southern steps. As we'll see in this message today,
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  Speaker 1: it was somewhere in the vicinity of the temple that
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  Speaker 1: Jesus revealed to a man by the name of Nicodemus.
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  Speaker 1: And Jesus revealed to him the identity of the Son
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  Speaker 1: of God. And it was a message that shook the
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  Speaker 1: world then, and it's a message that shakes the world still.
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  Speaker 1: Let's turn our attention.
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  Speaker 2: To the screen.
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  Speaker 1: Two of our three daughters were born in the south
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  Speaker 1: zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Yeah, we got a
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  Speaker 1: carioca here among us, yeah. We lived in the North Zone,
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  Speaker 1: separated by our doctor's office, by a tunnel marked Mountain Range.
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  Speaker 1: And during those many months of pregnancy, we had to
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  Speaker 1: make the drive often. And we didn't complain. Those of
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  Speaker 1: you who know anything about Rio de Janeiro know it's
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  Speaker 1: got charm dancing the samba on every street corner. There's
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  Speaker 1: Sugarloaf Mountain. There's Ipanema. There's Copacabana Beach. I never begrudged
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  Speaker 1: those South Zone forays, but I certainly was confused by them.
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  Speaker 1: I am directionally challenged already. I literally can get lost
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  Speaker 1: in a hotel room going from the bed to the bathroom.
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  Speaker 1: I get confused easily. Complicate my disorientation with ancient winding paths.
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  Speaker 1: narrow roads, and I didn't stand a chance. My only
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  Speaker 1: hope was Jesus. No, I mean literally Jesus, the Christ
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  Speaker 1: the Redeemer statue that stands overlooking the city of Rio
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  Speaker 1: de Janeiro, Brazil, 90 feet tall with a wingspan of
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  Speaker 1: 110 and 63 feet, 1,320 tons of reinforced steel. The
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  Speaker 1: head alone measures 10 feet from chin to scalp. And
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  Speaker 1: it's perched a mile and a half above the sea
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  Speaker 1: level on a mountain called Corcovado. And a person can always,
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  Speaker 1: always in the south zone, see the elevated Jesus, especially
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  Speaker 1: those who are looking and especially those who are lost.
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  Speaker 1: And since I was always lost, I was always looking
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  Speaker 1: because I could get my bearings. Once I could, oh, okay,
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  Speaker 1: there's the Christ the Redeemer statue. That means I'm north
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  Speaker 1: or south or east or west. Find him and I
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  Speaker 1: could find the hospital. Jesus gave me my bearings. find
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  Speaker 1: Christ and I could find my way millions upon millions
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  Speaker 1: of people are saying the same many of whom who've
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  Speaker 1: already been translated into paradise many of whom are still
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  Speaker 1: on the planet and if our Lord tarries many of
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  Speaker 1: whom are are yet to be born but we have
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  Speaker 1: found Christ and in doing so have found our way
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  Speaker 1: And we do not believe that our life is just
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  Speaker 1: a brief trip between a birth and the hearse. But
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  Speaker 1: we believe that we are here to make a decision,
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  Speaker 1: and that is what to do with Jesus Christ. The
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  Speaker 1: one who walked these steps was and is unlike any
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  Speaker 1: other of the billions upon billions of human beings that
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  Speaker 1: have ever lived. He made claims that either make him
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  Speaker 1: the hope or the hoax of mankind. He made claims
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  Speaker 1: that set him apart. He never claimed to be just
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  Speaker 1: like us, although he became one of us. He never
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  Speaker 1: kept his uniqueness a secret. And in one of the
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  Speaker 1: occasions that he was most clear about about His uniqueness
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  Speaker 1: is in the most famous verse in the Bible. I'll
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  Speaker 1: start it. As you recognize it, you can chime in.
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  Speaker 1: For God so loved the world that He gave His
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  Speaker 1: one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him
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  Speaker 1: shall not perish but have everlasting life. At the heart
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  Speaker 1: of that verse is the heart of the claim of
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  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. He claimed and claims to be the one
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  Speaker 1: and only Son. So one way to consider the uniqueness
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus is to consider this phrase, that he claimed
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  Speaker 1: and claims to be the one and only, one and only,
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  Speaker 1: the one and only Son. Allow me to get technical
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  Speaker 1: for just a moment. It helps to know that one
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  Speaker 1: and only is a compound word in the Greek language.
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  Speaker 1: You'll find it helpful. Monogenes. Monogenes. M-O-N-O-G-E-N-E-S. You recognize the
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  Speaker 1: second part of a compound word as genes. Genes. Genetic. Relationship.
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  Speaker 1: So what does this mean? Monogenes, one and only son. Well,
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  Speaker 1: monogenes highlights a singular relationship that Jesus, who walked these steps,
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  Speaker 1: had with God, the creator of the universe. You are
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  Speaker 1: a child of God. I am a child of God.
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  Speaker 1: But neither you nor I is a monogenetic child of God.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus alone is the one and only son. Only Christ is.
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  Speaker 1: can be called monogenetic, one and only, because only Christ
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  Speaker 1: has the genetic makeup of God. Your children have your
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  Speaker 1: genetic makeup. You might put your arm around me and
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  Speaker 1: say you're like a son to me, and I appreciate that,
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  Speaker 1: but I'm not your son. I'm not your child. I
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  Speaker 1: don't have your genetic makeup. I don't carry on your DNA.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus presented himself as the monogenetic, in other words, everything,
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  Speaker 1: everything you could say about God, you could say about Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: So Jesus enjoys a relationship with God that is unprecedented
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  Speaker 1: and unexperienced by anyone in human history. He claims to
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  Speaker 1: enjoy the Christ the Redeemer perch, high above all. And
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  Speaker 1: we can thank Matthew. for giving us more details about
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  Speaker 1: what this means. In Matthew chapter 11 and verse 27,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus said, my father has given me authority over everything.
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  Speaker 1: First of all, he presents Jesus as the one and
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  Speaker 1: only ruler. Ruler. Jesus says, my father has given me
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  Speaker 1: authority over everything. Over everything. There was a time in
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  Speaker 1: which a Roman officer sent a message to Jesus asking
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  Speaker 1: Jesus to come and heal his servant. Jesus went, but
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  Speaker 1: before he arrived at the home, the master sent a
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  Speaker 1: servant to tell Jesus it's an unnecessary trip. You don't
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  Speaker 1: have to come. Listen to what he said. Just say
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  Speaker 1: the word from where you are. My servant will be healed.
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  Speaker 1: I know because I am under the authority of superior
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  Speaker 1: officers and I have authority over soldiers. I only need
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  Speaker 1: to say go. They go, come, and they come. And
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  Speaker 1: if I say to my slaves, do this or do that.
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  Speaker 1: In other words, the officer says, I understand authority. I'm
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  Speaker 1: a part of the Roman Empire. I get it. I
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  Speaker 1: clear my throat and people stand up. to listen. I
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  Speaker 1: get authority. And Jesus, you have authority. When the one
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  Speaker 1: in charge commands, the ones beneath obey. The soldier in
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  Speaker 1: essence says, Jesus, you call all the shots. So you
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  Speaker 1: don't have to come. I mean, if you want to come,
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  Speaker 1: it's great. But I know you don't have to. Just
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  Speaker 1: say the word and my servant will be healed. Now,
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  Speaker 1: as amazing as as the words of the servant are
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  Speaker 1: the words of Jesus in reply. Jesus did not say, oh,
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  Speaker 1: you're overstating the case. Oh, you give me too much credit.
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  Speaker 1: He didn't say that. No, what he said was, I
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  Speaker 1: tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all
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  Speaker 1: the land of Israel. Jesus did not correct him. Just
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  Speaker 1: the opposite. Christ applauded him and said, oh, okay, here's faith.
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  Speaker 1: You want to know what faith is? Faith says, Jesus speaks,
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  Speaker 1: it happens. That's it. And Jesus says, well, I've not
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  Speaker 1: seen faith like this until I found this fellow here.
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  Speaker 1: He gets authority. There we see Jesus as the one
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  Speaker 1: and only authority of the universe. He then invites us
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  Speaker 1: to go further. He's not only the one and only ruler,
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  Speaker 1: but look at this. He's the one and only revealer.
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  Speaker 1: He's the one and only revealer. Jesus says no one
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  Speaker 1: really knows the Son except the Father. No one knows
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  Speaker 1: the Father except the Son. Nobody knows God except Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Nobody. Nobody.
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  Speaker 1: We can't separate these pronouncements. We have to feel them
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  Speaker 1: as a couplet. No one knows the Father except the Son.
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  Speaker 1: No one knows the Son except the Father. So Jesus
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  Speaker 1: depicts an intimacy with God that no one else has had.
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  Speaker 1: Now you couples get this to a degree. I know
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  Speaker 1: Dean and I do. We just celebrated 40 years. We
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  Speaker 1: no longer converse. We communicate in code. She'll see me
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  Speaker 1: in the kitchen. making a sandwich. And I'll say, honey?
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  Speaker 1: And she'll say, no, I don't want one. I don't
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  Speaker 1: have to finish the sentence. I'll open the fridge and
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  Speaker 1: I'll stand there and stare as I do so often.
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  Speaker 1: And she'll look at me and look at the sandwich
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  Speaker 1: and she'll say the pickles are in the door where
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  Speaker 1: they have been for 40 years. She knows my thoughts
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  Speaker 1: and she will complete what I say for me or
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  Speaker 1: she will say what I'm thinking for me. Consequently, Dillon
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  Speaker 1: has absolute authority to speak on my behalf. She does.
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  Speaker 1: If she says, you know, I don't think Max will
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  Speaker 1: like that, she speaks with authority. When she says, oh,
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  Speaker 1: I think Max will want to go there, she knows.
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  Speaker 1: She knows. After four decades, she's lived with me as
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  Speaker 1: long as Moses had to put up with the wilderness.
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  Speaker 1: Can you imagine? So she shares an intimacy and I
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  Speaker 1: share one with her unequaled with any other relationship. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: says that he shares an intimacy with God. Consequently, when
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  Speaker 1: he speaks, he speaks with authority. Please hear this. He
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  Speaker 1: claims to be not a top theologian, not an accomplished theologian.
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  Speaker 1: not even the supreme theologian. He claims to be the
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  Speaker 1: only theologian. He's the only theologian to ever live. Others
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  Speaker 1: have claimed to be, but they're not. No one really
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  Speaker 1: knows the Father except the Son, he says. Nobody does.
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  Speaker 1: He has pedestrianed streets that no human being has walked.
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  Speaker 1: He has witnessed moments that no person will. Maybe this
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  Speaker 1: would help. You're a fifth grader studying astronomy. And the
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  Speaker 1: day you read about the first mission to the moon,
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  Speaker 1: you and your classmates begin to pepper your teacher with questions.
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  Speaker 1: What does moon dust feel like? Can you swallow when
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  Speaker 1: there's no gravity? What about going to the bathroom? Well,
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  Speaker 1: the teacher does the very best she can. She says, well,
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  Speaker 1: I think, or maybe, or perhaps, but she's unsure. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: how could she know? She's never been to the moon.
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  Speaker 1: And then in some amazing accomplishment, the next day she
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  Speaker 1: invites a guest to come into her classroom, one of
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  Speaker 1: the 12 people to have walked on the moon. And
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  Speaker 1: now you begin asking some questions. And he speaks with authority.
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  Speaker 1: He speaks with conviction. He speaks with clarity. Why? Why?
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  Speaker 1: He's been there. That's why the people who heard Jesus
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  Speaker 1: teach on these very steps said he was teaching them
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  Speaker 1: as one who had authority. How can he speak with
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  Speaker 1: such confidence? In addition, the Holy Spirit was blessing his
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  Speaker 1: words and creating conviction in the hearts of the people.
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  Speaker 1: He knows the dimension of God's throne. He knows the
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  Speaker 1: fragrance of the incense. He knows the favorite song of
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  Speaker 1: the unceasing choir. You see, Jesus doesn't just boast in
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  Speaker 1: his knowledge. He shares it. He doesn't just gloat. He gives.
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  Speaker 1: He doesn't just revel. He reveals. He reveals to us
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  Speaker 1: the secrets of eternity. Now we don't understand them all,
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  Speaker 1: but we can ask and we can seek them. And
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  Speaker 1: as he shares them, He shares him freely. And again,
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  Speaker 1: not just with the accomplished or the learned, but with anyone,
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  Speaker 1: with the hungry and the needy, which takes us to
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  Speaker 1: our key verse of the week. Jesus said, come to me,
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  Speaker 1: all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I'll
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  Speaker 1: give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me
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  Speaker 1: teach you. Let me teach you. Because I'm humble and gentle.
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  Speaker 1: And you will find rest there. for your souls do
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  Speaker 1: yourself a favor find the brightest highlighter manufactured find the
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  Speaker 1: darkest ink ever produced and underscore underline and accept his
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  Speaker 1: invitation let me teach.
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  Speaker 2: You you don't have to stay close As long as
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  Speaker 2: you're somewhere out there, that's enough for me.
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  Speaker 3: I don't need to hold you near me Don't need
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  Speaker 3: promises to keep.
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  Speaker 2: Just the thought that you are breathing Somewhere in this
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  Speaker 2: world I see.
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  Speaker 3: Even if I'm not beside you Even if you never
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  Speaker 3: know There's a quiet kind of comfort just in knowing
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  Speaker 3: you still glow.
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  Speaker 2: I don't need forever. I just need you to exist.
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  Speaker 3: You don't have to stay with me. You don't have
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  Speaker 3: to feel the same Just as long as you're still
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  Speaker 3: out there Calling softly through my days You don't have
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  Speaker 3: to look my way You don't have to be my
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  Speaker 3: home It's enough to know you're living In a world
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  Speaker 3: I'm not alone.
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  Speaker 2: I won't chase you through the distance.
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  Speaker 3: Won't disturb your chosen life I'll just keep you in
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  Speaker 3: my silence.
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  Speaker 2: Like a star that shines at night Through the dark
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  Speaker 2: and through the blue I still think of you.
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  Speaker 3: Me you don't have to feel the same just as
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  Speaker 3: long as you're still out there calling softly through my
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  Speaker 3: day You don't have to look my way. You don't
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  Speaker 3: have to be my home. It's enough to know you're
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  Speaker 3: living in a world I'm not alone.
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  Speaker 2: I don't need to be your light I don't need
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  Speaker 2: to cross your mind All I.
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  Speaker 3: Need is just the truth That you're somewhere.
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  Speaker 2: Still alive You don't have to stay with me You don't.
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  Speaker 3: Have to feel the same Just as long as you're
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  Speaker 3: still out there Calling softly through my days You don't
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  Speaker 3: have to look my way You don't have to be
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  Speaker 3: my home It's enough to know you're living In a
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  Speaker 3: world I'm not alone