Latest / Heart Check Podcast / Bible Study with Pastor Los | The Gospel of John (1:14-18)

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Bible Study with Pastor Los | The Gospel of John (1:14-18) · Heart Check Podcast

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  What's up, everybody? Welcome back to Heart Check
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  podcast. I'm your host.
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  Past the lows. Yeah, let's go and I'm so
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  excited to be back with you guys.
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  Welcome back my heart Check community and new friends.
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  If you have not yet, subscribe below leave a like leave a
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  comment. I hope you guys are enjoying
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  this dive and walking through the Gospel of John series.
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  We're going to continue today. We are going to be in chapter 1
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  still, but we're going to be in verses 14 through 18 today.
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  So if you'd like to read along with your Bible you want to
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  follow on the screen, I'm going to have it right here below.
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  And again, I'm reading through the end Lt. translation.
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  But let's get straight to it. Verse 14 starts like this.
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  So the word became human. So remember the word Jesus
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  became human and made his home among us.
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  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
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  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and
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  only Son. Verse 15 John testified about
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  him when he shouted to the crowds, This is the one I was
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  talking about when I said, someone is coming after me who
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  is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.
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  Verse 16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious
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  blessing after another. Verse 17 For the law was given
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  through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness
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  came through Jesus Christ. Verse 18, No one has ever seen
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  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. Let's go.
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  So John continuing to make his point as we talked about in week
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  1, Matthew, Mark and Luke being the synoptic gospels being
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  focusing on what Jesus did, what Jesus said, but John, the Gospel
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  of John being the focus of who Jesus is.
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  So again, we read that word with a capital W word describing
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  Jesus as the logos, the power that brought everything into
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  order, that created all things. As we discussed in week one,
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  that Jesus is the one who got created through, created for,
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  created everything. Jesus is the one that brought
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  the chaos into order, that he's the one that created you and me.
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  He's the one that created everything we see.
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  And so John again starts in verse 14.
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  So the word Jesus became human and made his home among us a
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  manual, which means God with us. That's who Jesus was God with
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  us. He made his home alongside us on
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  this earth. He was full of unfailing love
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  and faithfulness and we have seen his glory, the glory of the
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  Father's one and only Son. I love this because again, John
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  making this point and this verse, this is one verse, but it
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  unpacks so much deep theological truth in it that again we're
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  reminded that Jesus is God, that he is the word of God coming to
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  be flesh with us, that Jesus is God, that he was fully human,
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  but also fully God, that he made his home among us.
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  But I love if you read in that second sentence of this verse,
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  it says he was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
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  And that's interesting because another point as to why people
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  try to argue against Jesus's divinity in Exodus 34 chapter 6,
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  when Yahweh God meets Moses on Mount Sinai, it says in verse 6
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  the Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out Yahweh the
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  Lord, the God of compassion and mercy.
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  I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and
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  faithfulness. This is the text that everyone
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  goes back to when God gives us an answer to who he is that
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  right here God is meeting Moses on the Mount Sinai, but he's
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  describing to Moses and to us who he is, his character, what
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  he's about. We get to know who God is and
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  This is why it's incredible because in verse 6, he's
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  describing his characteristics and he says that the that I
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  Yahweh, the Lord, the God of compassion and mercy, that God
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  is slow to anger, that he's filled with unfailing love and
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  faithfulness. Verse 7, it goes on.
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  I lavish unfailing love to 1000 generations.
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  I forgive iniquity, rebellion and sin, but I do not excuse the
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  guilty. I lay the sins of the parents
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  upon their children and grandchildren.
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  The entire family is affected, even children in the 3rd and 4th
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  generation. So we have this God describing
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  who he is, that he's compassionate, that he's
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  merciful, that he's slow to anger, that that description,
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  that he's got wide nostrils, that it takes him a while to get
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  angry, that he's patient, that he's filled with unfailing love
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  and faithfulness. That he forgives us, He forgives
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  generations, he forgives our sin.
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  And but the reality is because he's a good God and he's a just
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  judge, he does not let the guilty go unpunished.
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  And so we read in, in Exodus 34, six that God describes to us who
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  he is. And it's interesting because
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  when we go back now and jump back to John chapter one, verse
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  14, what wording does John use to describe Jesus?
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  That Jesus was what? Full of unfailing love and
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  faithfulness. The same verbiage that's used
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  that God uses to describe himself, John is using to
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  describe Jesus. Because Jesus is God in flesh.
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  Jesus is God. The Word became human and made
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  his home among us, and he was full of unfailing love and
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  faithfulness, just like God in heaven.
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  And so I love that John continues to unpack this truth
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  in chapter one, that Jesus is not just a prophet or an
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  ordinary man or a man that did these pretty cool things.
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  No, he is God in flesh dwelling among us.
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  But it's pretty incredible when you think about that, that the
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  word God became human and made his home among us, That Jesus
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  lived the life that you and I live as a human being in
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  Philippians Chapter 2 made me think about this passage in
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  Philippians chapter 2, verse 6, it starts, it says though he was
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  God Jesus, he did not think of equality with God as something
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  to cling to. Verse 7.
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  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges.
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  He took the humble position position of a slave and was born
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  as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
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  verse 8, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a
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  criminal's death on a cross. So we have this powerful truth
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  that Paul reiterates in his letter to the church in
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  Philippi. He says Jesus, though he was
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  God, he did not think of equality with God as something
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  to cling to, that he gave up his divine privileges.
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  He left heaven to come down to dwell among us.
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  As John just said, that he took the humble position of a slave
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  and was born as a human being. That God is not this distant God
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  or dictator that he is near. That he came to be with us.
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  That God came to earth, to his creation, to the people that he
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  created and loves and wants a relationship with.
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  That he came in human form to show us the way to him, which is
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  through faith in Jesus. And that's incredible when we
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  think about that. Sit on that a little bit today.
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  That God sent his one and only Son so that whoever will believe
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  in him will not perish but have eternal life.
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  That's how much God loved the world.
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  For God so loved the world that he sent Jesus to die a death
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  that you and I deserve for our sins, so that anyone who puts
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  their faith in his life, death and resurrection, that they will
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  have eternal life and be made right again with God and have a
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  relationship with our heavenly Father.
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  That's an incredible truth that you need to let lavish over you
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  today. But I also love in Hebrews 4, it
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  kind of points this point out again that God came to dwell
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  among us, Emmanuel, God with us. Chapter 4 of Hebrews verse 15,
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  it says this high priest, which is Jesus of ours, understands
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  our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet
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  He did not sin. I mean, that's incredible.
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  The God who created us, the God of the cosmos, the God of this
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  world who created everything in it, you and I included, He
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  understands our weaknesses. He understands what we go
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  through. He gets it.
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  It's not like you're struggling with whatever you are, not like
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  you're going through grief. Not that you're going through
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  loss or or confusion or hurt or pain, whatever it may be,
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  whatever season you're in, God gets it.
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  Jesus lived it as fully human, but also still fully God.
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  That he's not just distant from you.
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  The Lord is near to you. He understands our weaknesses.
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  He gets you and He gets me. That's something that brings me
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  comfort that when I'm in a season of feeling frustrated or
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  seasons that I've had when I've been frustrated with God, like
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  why is this happening? Why are you allowing this?
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  Going after him in a real and genuine way, but really
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  wrestling through that. Why am I experiencing these
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  things that I'm experiencing? Jesus is sitting there going.
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  I understand. I get it.
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  I faced all the same things and testings that you do.
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  That I experienced loss, I experienced pain, I experienced
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  hurt. But guess what?
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  I did not sin. And so now you can find victory
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  through me. That we are more than conquerors
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  through Christ because Jesus has the victory.
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  Jesus has defeated death and sin.
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  That now we put our faith in Him.
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  We have Him dwelling in us 'cause He came to dwell among
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  us. That God is with us always until
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  the end of age, as Jesus tells us He will be.
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  But we have a God who gets it, that understands our weaknesses,
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  that isn't just far way up in heaven and just chilling on his
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  throne and not really caring and not really understanding.
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  No, He cares more than anyone and anything else.
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  And He gets what you're going through and He sees you and He
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  hears you and He loves you and He wants to meet you right where
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  you're at because He understands.
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  That's an amazing and powerful truth, and we need to never take
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  that for granted. But I love that John continues
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  on focusing on how we have seen his glory, the glory of the
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  Father's one and only Son. That Jesus, again, is the
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  visible image of the invisible God.
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  As Colossians 115 puts it, Jesus is God.
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  We experience God through Jesus, that Jesus came and was God
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  among us. That when you read about Jesus
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  and the Gospels, you're learning about who God is because they
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  are one. As John 17 will say, Jesus prays
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  that the Father and him are one. And so when we see Jesus, we see
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  God, that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, our
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  heavenly Father. And so, as John is saying, we've
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  seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.
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  They've seen it because they've seen Jesus.
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  And that's incredible. Well, John testifies this truth
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  again, guys, what are you doing about this truth in your life?
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  If you've come to find faith in Jesus, that you know him, that
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  you follow him, that you have faith in him, what are you doing
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  about it? Are you testifying about that
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  truth in your life? Are you telling others?
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  Are you shouting to the crowds as John did?
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  This is the one I was talking about.
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  Are you in your workplaces saying this is who I'm talking
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  about Jesus? The one that I know, the one who
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  has radically changed me, the one who loves me, the one who's
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  created you and me, the one who wants a relationship with you,
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  the one who sent his son to die death that you deserve.
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  But three days later he rose from the grave, and now he's
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  sitting at the right hand throne of God.
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  And if you put your faith in Jesus, you will find eternal
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  life in the next life. But you'll find life to the full
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  in this life because you will be living in purpose.
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  Because the God who created you with purpose now lives in you.
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  Are you testifying about Jesus to others?
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  Are you excited to let people know about the God that you know
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  that loves you? I, I hope I say this all the
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  time. I hope you are loving people so
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  well that they can't help but wonder who loves you.
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  Go out and love this world. Go out and love those who don't
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  know Jesus so they can't help but wonder who loves you and who
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  lives inside of you. Preach Jesus.
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  Tell others about Jesus. Always have a reason for the
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  hope that you have. Testify about Him because it's
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  the power of a God within you who can reach those who don't
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  know Him yet. But are you willing to
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  participate in the Great Commission?
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  Are you gonna continue to be a spectator on the sidelines?
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  John goes on to say from his abundance in verse 16, we have
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  all received one gracious blessing after another.
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  Or as the original Greek texts saying, receive the grace of
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  Christ rather than the grace of the law, that this is grace upon
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  grace. I love In Ephesians chapter 3
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  verse 16, Paul says, I pray that from his glorious unlimited
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  resources, he will empower you with inner strength through his
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  Spirit. God has unlimited resources,
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  unlimited resources of grace. That his grace is a bucket full
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  that continues to not run out, that's over and lavished over
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  your life. That God's grace will never ever
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  run out. That his mercies are fresh in
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  the morning as the Scripture says.
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  That when we wake up in the morning, God's grace is over our
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  life and He continues to pour it over our lives and it will never
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  run out because God has unlimited resources in His
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  abundance. We receive His gracious
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  blessings after another. Knowing Jesus, living in God's
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  favor, that is God's grace over your life.
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  That's an incredible thing. Give him praise right now and
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  say Jesus, thank you for your unlimited resources over my life
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  'cause I know I am incredibly grateful for it because I am
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  unworthy of it. But He is in verse 17.
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  For the law was given through Moses, but God's again,
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  unfailing love and faithfulness came through who?
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  Jesus Christ, not through Moses, but God's unfailing love and
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  faithfulness came through Jesus, not the law through Jesus.
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  Faith in Jesus equals everything.
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  But when we try to say faith in Jesus plus something, it's
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  nothing. It's faith in Christ alone.
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  For we are saved by grace through faith.
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  Ephesians 28. It's by what Jesus has
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  accomplished. The law was given through Moses,
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  but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus
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  Christ. Our salvation comes through
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  Jesus Christ. Our purpose comes through Jesus
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  Christ. Our souls are changed and
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  transformed through Jesus Christ.
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  Faith in him in verse 18. To wrap it up, John said no one
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  has ever seen God but the unique 11 capital O which is Jesus who
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  is himself God. I don't know how we can read
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  these scriptures, but I love going through the Bible verse by
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  verse because you can't ignore the truth that hits you over and
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  over again. Listen, people are trying to say
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  Jesus is not God and we read it over and over again, verse 18.
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  No one has ever seen God, but the unique one who is himself
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  God. Jesus is God and is near to the
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  Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.
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  You know God the Father through your faith in Jesus.
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  Jesus is our high priest. He's the one that bridges the
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  gap of God the Father to us. That's incredible that we now
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  have access to the throne room of God.
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  I'm I'm a go on that Hebrews 4. Let me let me wrap it up with
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  this. I read verse 15 and verse 16 and
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  Hebrews 4 says, so let us come boldly to the throne of our
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  gracious God. There we receive His mercy and
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  we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
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  That our High Priest, Jesus Christ.
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  He now gives us access to heaven.
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  He gives us the ability to be bold, to come to God in His
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  throne room because of Christ life and death and resurrection.
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  And now our faith in Him connects us to God the Father.
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  That we can walk boldly into God's throne room with our sin
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  and our junk because He now sees Jesus, not us.
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  That when God looks down and looks at his children, he
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  doesn't see your mistakes, He doesn't see your sin, He doesn't
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  see your regret. He doesn't see those things you
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  thought those things you did. He sees his perfect lamb that
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  died on the cross for you. He sees his Son Jesus.
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  And now, because of our faith in him, we have access to the
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  throne room of God. We get to talk to our heavenly
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  Father boldly. That's wild, That's amazing.
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  Don't take that for granted when Satan tries to tell you to be
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  stuck where you're at and not go to not go to God 'cause he
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  doesn't want to hear from you or you, man, you're in that sin.
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  You just did that again. God doesn't want you to come.
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  False lies. Rebuke that junk because Jesus,
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  who's our high priest, understands our weaknesses, that
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  he knows what you're struggling with.
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  But guess what? He did not sin.
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  So we have a perfect unblemished Savior that we can go to and
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  through him we have access now to God the Father that we can
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  boldly come into his throne room of grace, his unlimited
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  resources because he loves us and he's a good father.
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  I love you guys. I hope this blessed you today
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  and I'm praying for you to walk in the freedom that God has for
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  you. You have access to unlimited
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  resources in your heavenly Father.
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  Go to him and know that your high priest has got you.
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  Let me pray for y'all and let's get up out of here.
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  Lord Jesus, I love you God, I thank you for who you are.
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  You are a good father and I'm just so thankful God for your
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  grace. I am unworthy of it, Lord, but
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  it's not about my character, it's about yours because it's
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  who you are. You were the same yesterday,
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  today and forever and I thank you for that and I praise you
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  for that. God help us walk in this truth
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  that we just read today. Let your word fill our hearts.
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  God, we love you, we thank you, we give you glory and we pray
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  all this in Jesus name, Amen. I love y'all.
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  God bless.