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Sunday Morning Message: Guest Speaker - Tom Mason · CCC West Covina

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  If you would turn with me to 1st.
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  John Chapter 5. We will be.
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  Reading from verse 5. Through verse 13, who?
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  Is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who.
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  Believes that Jesus. Is the Son of God.
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  This is the one who came by water and.
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  By blood, Jesus Christ. Not with water only.
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  But with water. And with the blood.
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  It is the Spirit that testifies because the Spirit is truth.
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  For there are three that testify the.
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  Spirit and the water and the blood and the three are in
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  agreement. If we.
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  Receive the witness of men. The testimony of God is.
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  Greater for the. Testimony of God.
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  Is this? That he has testified.
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  Concerning his son, the one who believes in the son of.
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  God has the. Testimony in himself the one who
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  does not. Believe God.
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  Has made him out to be a liar because he has not believed in
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  the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
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  And this is the. Testimony that God has.
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  Given to us eternal life and this test.
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  And this? Life is in his Son.
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  The one who has the Son has life.
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  The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life,
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  these things. Have I written unto you who
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  believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that
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  you have eternal? Life.
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  On Wednesday night, June 19th. I reviewed the 1st 4 chapters.
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  Of first John. Plus the 1st 4 verses of chapter
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  5. Because the last time I had
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  preached on 1st John was Wednesday March 4th 2020, so I
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  thought some review was needed. So we did that on Wednesday
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  night and. Today as we look through the
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  verses. We have tonight verses 5 through
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  13. Actually, 5 through 8 would be a
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  review of. Wednesday night.
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  So let's start with verse five. Who?
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  Is the one who is overcome the world, but the one who.
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  Believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
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  This word. Overcome or Overcomer?
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  It's a word that. Means conqueror or victorious. 1
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  It was used when the Ancients would go out to.
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  War and they would war against another king, the.
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  Victorious ones would come home with this.
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  They would. Be the overcomers.
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  So the question is. Acts here who is?
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  The one who overcomes the world, but the one who.
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  Believes that Jesus. Christ is the Son of God.
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  You and I, believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, puts
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  us in that camp of the overcomers.
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  Now this. Isn't talking about an
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  intellectual belief, It's talking.
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  About a practical belief, if you believe in Christ, that means
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  you trust. In and rely up on Christ and
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  what it is He has done. For your salvation and that
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  believing also brings with it obedience.
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  There is nothing to the idea of being a Christian and not being
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  obedient to God. That's just not in the.
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  Scriptures at all. And so when we see that.
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  We must understand that then, and that he says.
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  The one who? Believes that Jesus.
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  Is the Son of God. Everyone who believes this is a
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  continuing belief when he talks to us about the.
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  Ones who have been commanded to believe in God.
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  That's talking about the time that we.
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  Gave our life to Christ, but every Christian continues from
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  that point of giving their life to.
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  Christ to believing in what it. Is that God has done for him.
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  But the Christian never will, and that's what he is bringing
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  to us, to help us to understand that.
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  There's never a point to where we as Christians stop believing.
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  Someone else may stop and and stop participating with us and
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  walk. John helps us with that idea in
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  John Chapter 5, verse one, everyone.
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  Who believes that Jesus is the Christ is?
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  Born of God and everyone who. Loves the father, loves the
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  child, that is. Born of him, everyone who
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  continues to believe he's born of God.
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  That's your proof of. How it is that you know that
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  you're born of God. Then he talked about that one
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  time thing and. First, John 523.
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  And this is his commandment that we believe in the name of.
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  Jesus Christ. And love one another.
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  Just as he has. Commanded us See this is that
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  one time thing, remember? The jailer in Acts chapter 16
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  when he asked the question men and.
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  Brother And what must I do to be saved?
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  In Acts chapter 16 verse 31 they give him the answer.
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  Believe in the Lord. Jesus Christ and you will be
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  saved. And your whole house make a
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  decision now this point in your life.
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  Believe in the Lord. Jesus Christ and.
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  You will be saved and from that point on the the jailer continue
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  to believe. And that's what's happened.
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  To all of us as. Christians and we see this.
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  What are we to believe? Believe that Jesus is.
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  The Son of God when John. Says Jesus is.
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  The Son of God. Every Jew knew that John was.
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  Saying that Jesus is God. Every.
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  Jew would believe that. Look at the.
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  Gospel of John chapter 5, starting at verse 15.
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  He's already talking about. The persecution of Jesus.
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  He says for this. Reason the Jews.
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  Were persecuting Jesus because. He was doing these things.
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  On the Sabbath for things he had healed a lame man.
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  He did this on the Sabbath, but he answered them.
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  My father is working until now and I myself am working.
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  For this. Reason, therefore the Jews were
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  seeking. All the more to kill him because
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  he. Not only was breaking.
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  The Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, making
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  himself equal with. God.
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  No person in the Old Testament ever called God his Father when.
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  They saw this, they said. This man has now claimed to be
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  God. Because, he said, my father has
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  worked up until now and now. I am working look at John
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  chapter 10. Verse 33 the.
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  Jews answered him. We are not stoning you.
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  For good work. But for blasphemy, and because
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  you being a man made. Yourself out to be God now if
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  you familiar with? How they translated?
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  The Bible. If you look at those 3 words out
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  to be, they're probably in italics.
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  In your Bible, that means they're not in the.
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  Original, so the. Phrase would really mean you
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  being man, made yourself God. This why that they were about to
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  stone him, that he. Being a man had made himself.
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  Out to be God. But you know, even the disciples
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  didn't really get it. You look at John chapter 14.
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  Verses 7 to 9 Jesus would say to them, if you have known me, you
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  would have known my Father also. From now on you know him and
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  have seen him, Philip said unto him, Lord, show.
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  Us the Father. And it is enough for us.
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  Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you?
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  And yet. You have not not come to know
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  me, Philip. The one who has seen me has seen
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  the Father. How can you say?
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  Show us the Father. It is clear from Scripture that.
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  Jesus Christ is God. And when John uses this term?
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  He is telling us that. Believe that Jesus is the.
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  Son of God. He mean in the fullest sense of
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  the. Bible description of Jesus.
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  He is the Christ from the Old Testament called the Messiah.
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  He has come to us in the flesh. That he would die.
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  On the cross and be. Raised the third day he would
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  ascend back into. Heaven to make intercessions for
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  us. And He's coming again to receive
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  us unto himself. This is what He's calling us to
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  do when he says believe in. Jesus Christ, let's move.
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  Further in our review for first John Chapter 5. 6 through 8.
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  This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ,
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  not with water only, but with water and with the blood.
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  It is the Spirit who testifies because the Spirit is true.
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  For there are three that testify the Spirit.
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  And the water and the blood. And the three are in agreement.
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  When you're in agreement, that means you say the same.
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  Thing you you are bringing out the same thing.
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  What are the? 3IN agreements.
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  About about who Jesus Christ is. At the baptism the heavens open.
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  The father spoke. And the spirit came down in the
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  form. Of a dog dove.
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  And rested up on him. Matthew chapter 3 verses 16
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  through 18 at the Crucifixion the.
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  Veil was torn from. Top to bottom Matthew Chapter 7,
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  verse 51, indicating that there is no reason to keep the.
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  Holies of Holies heed from everybody else.
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  Because he who is holy has. Died on the cross and paid the
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  penalty for all of our sins, therefore.
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  All of those who? Could not go in now and see it
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  it has been ripped. From top to bottom.
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  That brings us to our. Verses for today if we received.
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  The Testimony of Men, verse 9. The testimony.
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  Of God is greater for the. Testimony of God is.
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  This that he has testified concerning his son John.
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  Lets the people. Of his day know.
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  That if they. Accept the testimony of men on
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  lesser issues. How foolish it is to not to
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  accept God's testimony. On greater things if John was
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  writing. To us today he would say
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  something like if. You receive the testimony of the
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  Internet or your favorite news. How foolish it would be.
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  Not to receive the testimony of. God, because God's testimony is
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  greater. And that's the thing that we
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  have to come to and have to keep in mind and share with.
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  Those as we go among. People of the world today, Donna
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  and I was up in. Washington visiting some
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  relatives and having a family reunion.
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  And there was a preacher there in the group.
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  He asked me. He's What's your opinion on the
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  flood? He just Was it a worldwide
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  flood? Was it a local flood?
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  And then he quoted. Hugh Ross and I already knew he
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  was in trouble. When he said that, so I said to
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  him my opinion. Of the flood is the exact as the
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  Bible says it was. We don't have to wonder, was it
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  a worldwide? Flood the The Bible tells us it
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  was so why are we debating whether or not it was a
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  worldwide flood or not? I don't care who.
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  Says it is. When God says it, we can believe
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  it. And we can stand on it.
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  And that's the thing. That we are called to do because
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  God testimony is. Now look at verse 10.
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  The One who believes. In the Son of God.
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  Has this. Testimony in himself.
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  The one who does not. Believe God has made.
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  Him out to. Be a liar.
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  Because he has not believed the testimony that God has given
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  concerning his Son. Now, on Wednesday night, the
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  19th, when I shared this, I quoted John McCarthy.
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  Here he he talks about the fact that is John writes in his
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  epistle and as he wrote the gospel, John always make a clear
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  comparison between two things and John MacArthur says he never
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  adds 1/3 and that's a good point because when he walks through
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  these scriptures with us he keeps the comparison.
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  To two the one who believes in the son of.
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  God has this. Testimony in himself, by the
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  way, that's a clue. He didn't say he knows this
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  testimony. He says he has this.
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  Testimony within himself. The one who does not.
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  Believe God has made. Him out to.
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  Be a liar. Because he is not believed in
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  the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
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  What arrogance? To believe that you know more
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  than God and you're willing to say now, it doesn't mean that
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  God is a liar. He said for that person he has
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  made God. Out to be a liar.
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  And that's what you and I. Are called to.
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  By the way, we see. A lot of things being passed off
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  as Christianity Today, one of our cousins in Washington said
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  to her parents recently. I.
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  Am giving up on the church, but I'm not giving up on God now.
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  My concern was that the parents didn't ask any questions.
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  My question would have been how do you give up on the church
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  whom God died? For and not give up on God.
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  It's impossible. How is it that you forsake the
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  assembling of? Yourself, together with the
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  people who God has told you not to forsake yourself and not.
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  Give up on God. There are times to ask question
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  people, and when you hear some junk like that, you need to ask
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  some questions. In verse 10 here the one who
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  believes in the Son of God has this testimony in himself.
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  Look at first John chapter. 4 verse 2.
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  He says By this you know the Spirit.
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  Of God. Every spirit that confess that
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  Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
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  Every Spirit that confess. That Jesus Christ is coming to
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  flesh. There's a difference between
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  saying that Jesus Christ is coming to.
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  Flesh and confessing that Jesus Christ is coming to flesh when
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  you say something you're speaking with.
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  The mouth. When you confess something, you
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  are agreeing with what has already been said.
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  We have to agree with what the Bible.
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  Has said about Jesus Christ not what man says about him.
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  That's what he's bringing us to understand here, a lot of
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  people. Will come and knock on your door
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  and tell you about a. Jesus that they believe in.
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  It is not the Jesus of the. Scripture and that's what John
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  is pointing out here. You have to believe in the
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  Jesus. Of the scripture first.
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  John Chapter 4, verse 15, whoever.
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  Confesses that Jesus is. The son of.
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  God. Remains in him and he and God.
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  There's that word again. Confess whoever agrees with.
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  What? The Bible has already said that.
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  Person has the. Spirit of God.
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  In him. That's why the Bible tells us if
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  we confess our sins, it's not really telling us to.
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  Tell God our sins. It's telling us.
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  To agree with the Holy Spirit who has convicted.
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  Us that we have sent and when we do.
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  That he says he's faithful and just to.
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  Forgive us of our. Sins and to cleanse us from all
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  unrighteousness. Moving on to verse 11.
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  And this is the testimony. That God has given to us eternal
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  life, and this life is in his Son.
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  He just keeps coming back to this this thing about eternal
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  life. John has a point that he wants
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  to make here. For the believers and He's.
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  Bringing it home to them. Look back at first.
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  John Chapter one verse. And the life was revealed.
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  And we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal
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  life. Which was with the Father and
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  was revealed to us. He says This life.
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  Was revealed. And we have seen it and.
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  We have testify. And proclaim to you the eternal
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  life which. Was with the Father and has been
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  revealed to us. Now who was that?
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  Jesus Christ, he says. We've seen him.
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  He would go on to say we have touched him, Our eyes have seen
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  him, we have touched him with our hands and we've handled.
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  Him. He says this is eternal life.
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  First John chapter 2 verse 25. This is the promise which.
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  He himself made to us eternal. Life.
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  You know, people make promises all the time.
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  This is the. Sometimes they're kept,
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  sometimes they are not. Paul as he was writing to
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  Timothy. I'm sorry to Titus.
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  In Titus chapter one verses one and two Paul.
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  A slave of God and an. Apostle of Jesus Christ, for the
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  faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge.
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  Of the truth which is according to godliness in the hope of
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  eternal life. Which God who cannot lie,
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  promised? Ages ago.
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  Now, isn't it? Good to have a.
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  Testimony about God that He is the One Who.
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  Can not lie. He has promised.
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  What has he promised? He's promised to us the hope of
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  eternal life. And I just want to keep going
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  over this word. Hope because the English.
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  Word isn't good enough for us, You know I.
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  I hope. I get to tomorrow.
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  Don't know if I will or not, but I hope.
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  I get there. That's the English word but the
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  Greek word. Here is the assured expectation,
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  so let's read it that way. In the assured expectation of
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  eternal life, which God who cannot lie.
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  Promised a long time ago. What does an assured expectation
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  mean? Something that you are.
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  Sure of that you? Do not have right now, he says.
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  That's the hope that we live in. That's how we.
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  Live this life and we get this from the God who cannot lie.
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  Who is promised so John, as he writes in First John 225.
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  He says this is the promise. Which he himself made to us
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  eternal life. John would further on this and
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  1st John 5/20 he says and we know that the son of.
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  God has come and has given us understanding so that we might
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  know Him who is true and we are in Him.
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  Who is true in his Son Jesus? Christ, this is the.
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  True God and. Eternal life.
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  John just keeps on bringing this out that.
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  Jesus. Christ is eternal life and that
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  he has come. To share this with us in this
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  next verse. Would be verse 12.
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  John breaks the whole. In the two groups of people.
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  He breaks the whole. World into.
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  Two groups of people. Verse 12 says the one who has
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  the son has life. The one who does not have the
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  Son of God. Does not have life.
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  There's not a room. Here for a third group.
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  You either have the Son and have life, or you do not have the Son
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  of God and you do not have life. And the life that is being
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  talked about here is eternal life.
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  John makes it clear this is how we can know where we stand.
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  You know, you can just about Google, Google anything today.
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  So I went and googled what was the population of the earth at
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  the time of Christ? Came back with an answer, they
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  said. There was about 300 million
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  people. Living on the earth at the time
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  that this was written, John broke those 300 million people
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  into two groups, The one who has the son and the one who does not
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  have the son. The same report goes on to.
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  Tell us that the population. Of the earth was unchanged all
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  the for about another 1000 years, and then in 18.
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  O4 the population. Surpassed the 1 billion mark.
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  But it was still true. That the ones who had the Son
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  had life and the one. Who did not have the son did not
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  have life. Our population records tells us
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  today that we are approaching 8 billion people in the world.
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  The Bible is still true. The one who has the Son has.
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  Life and the one who does not have.
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  It's just that simple. The Son of God does not have.
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  People. There are two groups of people
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  in the world. Two, you and I as Christians,
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  make up one of those groups. And the other group would be
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  those who do not have the son or the.
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  Scripture would say they're. Sinners for you and for me every
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  time we meet a new. Person our thought should be.
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  What group are you in, Donna and I?
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  Was down in Texas recently, if you don't know this.
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  Texas has a travel center. Called Bucky's if you.
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  Ever in Texas, you want to stop by Bucky's.
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  So Donna and I. Was had visited Bucky's early in
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  the morning. Donna's gone back.
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  To the car and I was walking out.
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  To the car and there was this young lady walked up beside me.
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  She said good morning, Sir, said good morning, she says.
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  I just want you to know that. Jesus.
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  Loves you, and he has a wonderful plan for your life.
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  As we chatted there. For a couple of moments and
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  decided that we were both on our way to heaven.
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  We greeted each other and we went our separate ways.
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  I have a question for you. Why did she approach me?
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  She wanted to know what group I was in.
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  When she found out then we had a short time of fellowship.
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  Here are two people leaving Bucky's and she decided I'm
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  going to find out what group this guy's in and the benefit
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  was. We got the fellowship for a
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  little bit. You and I have to be in that
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  same mind. Reference Meet this new person,
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  How can I get? To the question.
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  Of what group is this person in? If it's a believer.
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  We get to rejoice. If it's not a believer, then we
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  look for an opportunity to share that we might proclaim him.
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  You see this third mark on the board.
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  Over here. Our purpose is to proclaim him.
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  That's what our purpose is. That's why we have been left
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  here on this earth. To proclaim him.
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  Who are we proclaiming him to? To those who do not know him,
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  that's what our responsibility is.
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  Now let's. Look at verse 13.
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  These things have I written into you who believe in the name of
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  the Son of God, that you might know.
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  That you have eternal. Life when I was.
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  Studying this years ago and I reviewed this this time.
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  When I'm studying it, I I look. This word.
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  No, up in about 20 different versions of the scripture.
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  All of them translated the same way.
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  That you may know that you have eternal life one writer.
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  Said this is a. No.
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  So salvation We aren't wondering whether we are saved or not.
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  We can know. That we are saved.
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  When John says in this verse these things, he is referring
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  back to everything that he has written.
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  Up to this point, these things have I written unto you.
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  Let us. Look at a similar station, a
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  statement in John's Gospel in John chapter 20 and verse 31.
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  The Gospel of John, chapter 20, verse 31.
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  These things, excuse me, but these have been written.
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  So that you may believe in that. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
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  God, and by believing you may have life in His name.
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  These things have been written. John is referring back.
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  To what he is written from the first of the gospel.
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  Up to this point. Now he tells us who he is
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  writing to and why he is writing to unbelievers.
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  So that they might come to believe.
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  I find it interesting that John waits until chapter five of
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  First John. To tell us who?
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  He's writing to these things. Have I?
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  Written unto you who believe. So now he's writing to
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  believers. For what purpose?
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  So that we may know that we have eternal life.
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  If someone asks you. Today for the address.
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  Of your home, you wouldn't say. Well, I think it's this.
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  You would tell them what it is when someone asks you or you
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  saved. We're not to say, I think.
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  So we ought to say I know so. Why?
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  Is and what it? Because of my belief in who?
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  Jesus. Is that he has done and by the.
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  Evidence in my life of my. Obeying him, having put my faith
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  in him. This is not the first time, by
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  the way, that John has made it clear that we can know this in
• 31:43
  first John chapter 3, verse 10. He says by this the children of
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  God and the children of the. Devil are obvious.
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  Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor
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  the one who. Does not love his brother John
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  is clear. There's a way to know whether.
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  You are of the. Children of God or the children
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  of the Devil? And he says it's obvious you
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  don't have to. Well, I think that person.
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  Is saved. Or I think I'm.
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  Saved, he says it's. Why is it obvious?
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  It's obvious because of your conduct, he said.
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  The one who does not practice righteousness is not of God.
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  If your lifestyle is more of unrighteousness than it is of
• 32:38
  righteousness, John says, there's a problem.
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  You can claim all you want to that you are his child, but
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  you're not my middle. Son lives in that category and
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  when I challenged him on it, he said.
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  Dad, you are too serious about this stuff.
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  My response is son you are not serious enough and if you die in
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  that condition. You're headed for a Godless.
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  Eternity now we can't change people, but we can share.
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  And that's what you and I have been.
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  Called to do our. Purpose is to proclaim him.
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  John says I write unto. Those who believe so that they
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  might know that they have eternal life.
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  First John, chapter one, verse 4.
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  John says these things we write so that our.
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  Joy may be complete. I write these things so that our
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  joy may be complete. John is telling us to know that
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  you have eternal life. Is to know complete?
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  Doesn't mean there are no problems.
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  Doesn't mean that death won't come into your family.
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  It means when it does, God. Gives you.
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  Comfort. And that's the thing that he's
• 34:25
  pointing to us. John, through the inspiration of
• 34:30
  the Holy Spirit, wants us to know that eternal life.
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  That we have eternal life, although eternal life is living
• 34:39
  with God forever. It is more than just living
• 34:44
  forever. It is the quality of life we
• 34:48
  live now and. Forever as a.
• 34:54
  Christian, I'm not waiting to get to heaven to enjoy my.
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  Eternal life. I experience it now.
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  With the joy that God brings to me, and with the comfort He
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  gives to me and the opportunity He gives me to share and to
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  bring this to others. That's because I have the
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  eternal life. That he has given unto.
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  Us that we might know him and that we might.
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  Follow him. It is with this knowledge.
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  That we, the children of God, know that we have eternal life,
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  that we come to receive the elements this morning that's on
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  the table. It is out of that confidence
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  that we come to this time. We don't just come because we
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  did it last first Sunday. Or.
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  Because we've been doing this for years, we do it because of
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  the confidence that God gives. Us in Him that we have eternal.
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  Life and If you are here this morning and not a member of the
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  church, but you are a believer, you are welcome to join us as.
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  We come to this point, Paul writes in First Corinthians 11,
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  starting at verse 23. He says.
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  For I received from the Lord. That which I also delivered to
• 36:31
  you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was.
• 36:36
  Betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and
• 36:42
  said this is my body. Which is for you.
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  Do this in remembrance of me in the same way.
• 36:51
  He took the cup after supper, saying, This is the cup in the
• 36:58
  new Test, in the new covenant, in my blood.
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  Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me, for as
• 37:08
  often as. You eat this bread and drink.
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  This cup you proclaim the Lord's.
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  Death until he comes. Every time we take the cup.
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  We are saying. That it represents the blood
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  that. Jesus Christ has shed for us.
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  On the cross, and therefore we are proclaiming to each other.
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  That. This has been done so we can
• 37:37
  then go out and proclaim to others that they might come and
• 37:43
  join us and have this fellowship that we have in here.
• 37:49
  As the men come down, let us. Pray Father, we thank you for
• 37:52
  our time in your word. Ask that you would direct us
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  now? As we prepare our hearts to
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  receive this representation of your body and your blood, in
• 38:06
  Jesus name we pray. Amen.