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June 27 - John 1 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends. Yep, it's shown here as
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  expected. Great to have your company on
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  today, which is the 27th of June.
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  It's Thursday. And today, today with great
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  excitement, we are going to open up our Bibles page ourselves
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  back from James to the last of the four gospels, the Gospel of
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  John. Ohhhhh Yeah, we are going to
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  read through this gospel now. What a treat.
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  This is John's gospel written written quite a while after the
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  other three gospels. The other three are quite
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  similar, called the Synoptic gospels.
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  John is not a blow by blow account of Jesus life.
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  John is a deeply theological reflection on Jesus life.
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  This is written by one who knew Jesus very well a decades later
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  as he reflected on his life of teaching and living in the
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  spirit of Jesus, his life as he reflected on his years with
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  Jesus and subsequent reflection on what those years meant and
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  what it is that Jesus was actually on about.
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  So in this book we get this reflection from someone who is
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  there, someone who knew what was going on, someone who understood
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  Jesus, who really kind of rounds out and fills out the words of
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  Jesus, the intentions of Jesus. And he constructs these long
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  stories and narratives filled with symbolism and meanings so
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  that we really get such a profound sense of who Jesus is
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  and what Jesus was on about during his life in his ministry.
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  And we can take it at face value all week and dive deep into any
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  one of the sentences contained in this book.
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  It is a treasure trove that we are going to Jewel by Ruby by
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  Emerald, unpack and enjoy together over the next few
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  weeks. How epic is that?
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  So friends, we are going to read it starting at the beginning,
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  working all the way through. And the beginning is just very
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  beginning, ish. It's like we've gone all the way
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  back to Genesis and the way that John chooses to start to give us
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  no misconceptions that indeed this Jesus who he'll be writing
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  about is indeed one and the same as God himself.
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  What a treat. Let us read together John
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  chapter one. In the beginning, the Word
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  already existed. The Word was with God, and the
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  Word was God. He existed in the beginning with
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  God. God created everything through
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  Him and nothing was created except through Him.
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  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life
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  brought light to everyone. The light shines in the
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  darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
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  God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light
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  so that everyone might believe Because of his testimony, John
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  himself was not the light. He was simply a witness to tell
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  about the Light, the one who is the true Light, who gives light
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  to everyone who's coming into the world.
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  He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't
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  recognise him. He came to his own people and
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  even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and
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  accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
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  They are reborn not with the physical birth resulting from
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  human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
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  So the Word became human and made his home among us.
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  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness, and we have
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  seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.
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  John testified about Him when he shouted to the crowds.
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  This is the one I was talking about when I said someone is
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  coming after me who is far greater than I am, for He
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  existed long before me. From His abundance we have all
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  received one gracious blessing after another.
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  For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love
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  and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
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  No one has ever seen God, but the unique One who is Himself.
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  God is near to the Father's heart.
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  He has revealed God to us. This was John's testimony.
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  When the Jewish leaders sent priests and temple assistants
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  from Jerusalem to ask John, who are you?
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  He came right out and said, I am not the Messiah.
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  Well, then, who are you? They asked.
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  Are you Elijah? No, he replied.
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  Are you the prophet we are expecting?
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  No. Then who are you?
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  We need an answer for those who sent us.
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  What do you have to say about yourself?
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  John replied In the words of the prophet Isaiah.
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  I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, clear the way for
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  the Lord's coming. Then the Pharisees who had been
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  sent asked him, If you aren't the Messiah or Elijah or the
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  prophet, what right do you have to baptise?
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  John told them I baptised with water, but right here in the
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  crowd as someone you do not recognise, though his ministry
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  follows mine. I'm not even worthy to be his
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  slave and untie the straps of his sandal.
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  This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the
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  Jordan River where John was baptising.
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  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
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  Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
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  He is the one I was talking about when I said a man is
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  coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he
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  existed long before me. I did not recognise him as the
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  Messiah, but I have been baptising with water so that he
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  might be revealed to Israel. Then John testified, I saw the
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  Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting
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  upon him. I didn't know he was the one,
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  but when God sent me to baptise with water, he told me the one
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  on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who
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  will baptise with the Holy Spirit.
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  I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that He is the chosen
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  one of God. The following day, John was
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  again sitting with two of his disciples.
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  As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, look, there
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  is the Lamb of God. When John's two disciples heard
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  this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them
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  following. What do you want?
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  He asked them. They replied Rabbi, which means
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  teacher. Where are you staying?
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  Come and see. He said it was about 4:00 in the
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  afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was
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  staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.
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  Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who heard
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  what John said and then followed Jesus.
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  Andrew went to find his brother Simon and told him we have found
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  the Messiah, which means Christ. Then Andrew brought Simon to
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  meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus
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  said Your name is Simon, son of John, but you will be called
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  Cephus, which means Peter. The next day Jesus decided to go
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  to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,
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  Come follow me. Philip was from Beth Sader,
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  Andrew and Peter's hometown. Philip went to look for
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  Nathaniel and told him we have found the very person Moses and
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  the prophets wrote about. His name is Jesus, the son of
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  Joseph from Nazareth. Nazareth exclaimed Nathaniel.
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  Can anything good come from Nazareth?
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  Come and see for yourself, Philip replied as they
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  approached. Jesus said.
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  Now here is a genuine son of Israel, a man of complete
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  integrity. How do you know about me?
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  Nathaniel asked. Jesus replied.
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  I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you
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  then, Nathaniel exclaimed. Rabbi, you are the Son of God,
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  the King of Israel, Jesus asked him.
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  Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under
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  the fig tree? You will see greater things than
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  this then, he said. I tell you the truth, you will
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  all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down
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  on the Son of Man, the one who was the stairway between heaven
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  and earth chases.
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  You are just so wonderful. It is such a joy for us to be
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  able to read these words and to hear about your disciple
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  reflecting on you and who you are, our Lord.
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  So often it it feels confusing with all that there is to
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  process about a life of faith in you.
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  And then we read these words, the very first opportunity that
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  John has to describe you. Lord, you are full of unfailing
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  love and faithfulness. Lord, let it be your love that
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  lands with us. Open our hearts so that we can
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  experience your love and know that no matter who we are, no
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  matter what we bring to the table, no matter what we've
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  done, no matter what the posture of our heart, you have an
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  unfailing love for us. Unfailing, And you are faithful
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  that the God of the universe would humble himself, that you
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  would become flesh and blood. This man's dwelling among us to
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  show us this unfailing love and faithfulness.
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  Well, that is just too much for us to comprehend, but we thank
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  you. I'm we love you and we are so
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  grateful for your love for us. We just settle in that love and
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  I pray that it would soak all the way through us, transforming
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  us so that we, without a shadow of a doubt, know that we are
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  loved, loved children of the Almighty God.
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  Thank you Jesus for your love, unfailing and never ending.
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  I mean.