1
00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,040
Hey everybody, this is Pastor 
John Ewart from Inglewood 

2
00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:05,920
Baptist Church in Rocky 
Mountain, North Carolina. 

3
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,119
Thank you so much for tuning 
into our podcast. 

4
00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,320
You're going to hear from God 
today as we share from his word 

5
00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,080
about important issues facing 
your life that can guide you 

6
00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:22,800
according to the Bible. 
So welcome to this this session 

7
00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,200
of of core training. 
I appreciate those who are 

8
00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,880
listening online and I hope that
you've been listening to other 

9
00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,640
episodes. 
I thank you for the good group 

10
00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,280
that's here tonight live with 
me. 

11
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,360
And then also if some of you who
are here, if you've not been 

12
00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,200
here for all these weeks, you 
can go online and listen to this

13
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,160
on podcast as well. 
And we last week we talked about

14
00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:48,360
what we believe about the Bible 
and why is that important. 

15
00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:53,080
A part of really there's two 
parts to this series. 1 is one 

16
00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,280
is I need to know what I believe
and there are there are certain 

17
00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,120
doctrines that I need to believe
in order to be a Christian. 

18
00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,960
And so I need that for me. 
But then also I need to 

19
00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:07,600
understand how to articulate or 
to express those things to this 

20
00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,480
lost world. 
And so this is a kind of A2 fold

21
00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,800
intent to help you. 
I'm really setting you up. 

22
00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,000
You may not know that because 
down the road we're going to be 

23
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:18,600
talking about personal 
evangelism. 

24
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,680
And I'm trying to give you some 
content that you can use in your

25
00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:26,040
conversations as you go and show
the gospel, but also for your 

26
00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:30,160
own benefit as well, because we 
live in a we live in an 

27
00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,360
interesting world that Matt 
Carter and Josh Redberg wrote 

28
00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,440
this. 
They said the current religious 

29
00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,320
culture in America loves to talk
about belief and believing. 

30
00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,360
These spiritual buzzwords are 
often used generically and end 

31
00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,280
up devoid of any meaning. 
Contemporary spirituality 

32
00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,920
trumpets not belief in an object
or a person, but rather belief 

33
00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,720
in belief. 
It goes something like this. 

34
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,680
It doesn't matter who you 
believe or what you believe. 

35
00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,200
All that matters is that you 
believe. 

36
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,840
So there's a belief in belief 
and that's really pretty 

37
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:07,800
accurate when you look at our 
culture today. 

38
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,640
But but we recognize in in our 
world and Christianity and 

39
00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:15,080
biblical Christianity that that 
are the belief about what is the

40
00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,560
truth actually determines not 
only in my eternity, but it 

41
00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,640
actually should determine how I 
live day by day. 

42
00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,400
And so this is hugely important 
for me to understand what I 

43
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,080
believe and why. 
And I know that if I were to 

44
00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,840
just call this a doctrinal 
study, that might sound boring 

45
00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,240
because because I really want it
to be a life study. 

46
00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,320
This is this is how I should 
live. 

47
00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,920
And this is how I should be able
to respond. 

48
00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:42,600
And This is why I should make 
the decisions, the way I make my

49
00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,960
decisions and why I'm for things
or even against things because 

50
00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,680
there's a reason for that. 
And and it's, it's, it's even 

51
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,080
beyond me most of the time. 
So again, last week we examined 

52
00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:56,800
what we believed about the Bible
is the word of God, our 

53
00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,560
authority and our truth. 
And if you missed that, because 

54
00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:01,520
the topic of the Bible and 
authority, they're going to come

55
00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,640
up in conversations out there 
because people don't necessarily

56
00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:07,960
believe this book. 
And as we've talked multiple 

57
00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,560
times, we're, we're at a 
different beginning point than 

58
00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,640
we once were. 
The Roman Rd. which is a classic

59
00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:17,280
gospel presentation. 
And obviously the word of God is

60
00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,680
always going to be useful, but 
often in, in our conversations 

61
00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,960
today, we might not be able to 
start in Romans. 

62
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,200
We have to maybe start in 
Genesis and define who God is 

63
00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,800
and who what his word is. 
So, so that's going to be 

64
00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,560
important. 
But another vital apologetic 

65
00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,120
point that we're going to talk 
about tonight is equally 

66
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:37,040
important, if not even more 
important. 

67
00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,640
And that is how, how can I 
understand and be able to 

68
00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,400
explain to others what I believe
about Jesus Christ and why that 

69
00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,080
really matters? 
And it might seem like something

70
00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,560
you already know or we ought to 
all know, but you've got to 

71
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:52,840
believe me when I say that the 
world does not. 

72
00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,920
And so we need to know how to 
express what we would we would 

73
00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:02,400
say about Jesus. 
And so why that belief is 

74
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,840
important and how that actually 
effects why I have to live the 

75
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,360
way I do and why I have to make 
the decisions that I do because 

76
00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,880
who is Jesus? 
The answer to that is vital for 

77
00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,200
every aspect of my life. 
And this world out here holds 

78
00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,560
several different views. 
Obviously, there are all kinds 

79
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,160
of historical views. 
There's there's a Jewish view of

80
00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:27,000
Jesus, there's Islamic views of 
Jesus, there are ancient 

81
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,960
philosophical views of Jesus, 
there are modern philosophical 

82
00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,240
views of Jesus, there are 
atheistic views of Jesus and all

83
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:40,400
kinds of liberal views of Jesus.
And they range everywhere from 

84
00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,880
heretic to deceiver to prophet, 
to lunatic, to good teacher, to 

85
00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:50,080
moral example, to myth. 
And I may never totally be able 

86
00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:51,920
to understand all of those 
views. 

87
00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,520
And I've said this to you before
that the key to, to apologetic 

88
00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,920
thinking, the key to being able 
to deal with everything and 

89
00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,840
everybody out there where 
there's so many different 

90
00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:04,640
beliefs is not that I understand
all of those beliefs perfectly, 

91
00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,680
but that I understand mine. 
And so I need to know what I 

92
00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,560
believe about this because some 
out here and maybe some of you 

93
00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,560
know the what about Jesus 
because they've heard the story 

94
00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,000
somewhere, but they don't 
necessarily know The Who and the

95
00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,920
why about Jesus, which is 
extremely important. 

96
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:30,120
So the doctrine of the work and 
person of Jesus Christ is called

97
00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,760
Christology. 
Don't let that word throw you. 

98
00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,880
And this is definitely what we 
would call a primary doctrine. 

99
00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,440
We need to believe this. 
We must believe this. 

100
00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,960
Now, in the next session 
together, I'm going to start 

101
00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:46,000
talking about some secondary and
tertiary doctrines. 

102
00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,240
We might call these mountains 
worth dying on. 

103
00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,440
I'll call those mounds of 
identity right to where we could

104
00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,480
have some differences of opinion
and some different view. 

105
00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:57,880
And some of those will separate 
us. 

106
00:05:57,920 --> 00:05:59,760
And some of us, we could still 
work together. 

107
00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:01,520
We'll be talking about those 
over the next couple weeks. 

108
00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,680
But but for this session, we 
need to focus on this primary 

109
00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:08,960
doctrinal hill that's worth 
dying on. 

110
00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,840
And because without it, we 
recognize that we're missing the

111
00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:14,720
very essence of Christianity, 
frankly. 

112
00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,000
I mean, it's named after him. 
And so if we don't understand 

113
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,800
Christology, we don't understand
Christianity at all. 

114
00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,200
My former boss, my friend Doctor
Danny Aiken, has written 

115
00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,800
extensively in the area of 
Christology. 

116
00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,720
It's a speciality of his. 
And he says there are at least 

117
00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:34,960
three ways to approach this. 
So you can approach Christology 

118
00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,040
from above. 
In other words, you think about 

119
00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:40,880
the beginning with his divinity 
and his pre existence. 

120
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,320
And we're going to do some of 
that as we look at John chapter 

121
00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,040
1. 
You can look at Christology from

122
00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,200
below, where you begin with the 
life of Jesus on earth, which is

123
00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,200
what some of the Gospels do when
you have the classic Christmas 

124
00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,160
stories, the Bethlehem Manger 
stories and those kinds of 

125
00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,560
things. 
Or you can look at Christology 

126
00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,200
from behind, where you start in 
the Old Testament and you 

127
00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:06,840
recognize that the whole story 
of the Bible is really the story

128
00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:09,600
of Christ. 
So even though the Bible is 

129
00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,560
made-up of, of many different 
books written by many different 

130
00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,960
authors and several different 
languages and many different 

131
00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:19,080
places over many, many years, 
it's actually because of the 

132
00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:23,360
unifying perfect inspiration of 
the Holy Spirit that we talked 

133
00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,160
about in the previous session. 
But because of what the Holy 

134
00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:31,120
Spirit can do in, in the work of
inspiration and revelation, we 

135
00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,720
recognize that according to the 
will of the Father, this is 1 

136
00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,000
big grand story. 
This Bible is 1 big story. 

137
00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,240
We call that the grand narrative
or the meta narrative. 

138
00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,400
So I'm just throwing language 
out there at you because you 

139
00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,480
might hear those terms along the
way. 

140
00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,440
So when we talk about the grand 
narrative or the meta narrative,

141
00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:53,680
what we mean is is from Genesis 
to Revelation, the story is 

142
00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,840
about Jesus. 
And it really is pointing to him

143
00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,760
and leading to him and helping 
to define who he really is and 

144
00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:03,760
why he is and who he is and what
he did when he came. 

145
00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,920
So theologian and author 
Christopher Morgan said this. 

146
00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,520
He said Jesus is the hero of the
grand narrative of the 

147
00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,520
Scripture. 
He is the Father's agent at each

148
00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,560
stage, and often that grand 
story, that story, the whole 

149
00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:21,720
Bible, is broken down into a few
pieces. 

150
00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,600
There are a couple of different 
ways to describe it, but God the

151
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,160
Son plays a role in every single
one of these steps in the 

152
00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,440
unified narrative that we call 
the Bible. 

153
00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:38,000
So from creation to the fall, 
from redemption and what we 

154
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,159
would call restoration, from 
Genesis to Revelation, Jesus is 

155
00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:45,360
the is the theme. 
He's the fulfillment, He's the 

156
00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:48,880
culmination of the whole story. 
And I want to break that down 

157
00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,360
for just a couple of minutes. 
And then I want us to go to John

158
00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,480
chapter 1. 
So you've got to recognize, and 

159
00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,120
this is something that often I 
don't think we think about as 

160
00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:02,360
much as we should, that at 
creation nothing is a created in

161
00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:07,200
the in the beginning, nothing is
created apart from Jesus. 

162
00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:10,080
And you might sit there and 
think, well, in Genesis it just 

163
00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:11,800
talks about God. 
I know, but listen to what 

164
00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:16,280
Colossians tells us. 
In Colossians chapter 1, it says

165
00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:20,400
he is the image of the invisible
God, the first born of all 

166
00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,000
creation. 
For by Him all things were 

167
00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:29,160
created in heaven and on earth, 
visible and invisible, whether 

168
00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,720
Thrones or dominions or rulers 
or authorities, all things were 

169
00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:37,880
created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and

170
00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:43,320
in Him all things hold together.
I often say that Jesus Christ is

171
00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:45,600
actually the glue that holds the
universe together. 

172
00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:50,720
And so we recognize that we, we,
we often do not recognize the 

173
00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:54,680
Trinitarian formula in Genesis 
at creation. 

174
00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,560
And sometimes that's because of 
our English translations, 

175
00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:01,440
because in the original Hebrew 
there are plurals in there. 

176
00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,560
We scholars will call them the 
divine plurals to where there's 

177
00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:11,440
us, there's we in the creation 
story to where God the Son, God 

178
00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,240
the Father, and God the Holy 
Spirit are all working together 

179
00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,280
in Genesis in the creation 
story. 

180
00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:22,880
So we we recognize that that God
the Son plays a key role even in

181
00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,800
creation. 
And then we talk about the fall 

182
00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:30,800
or Genesis chapter 3 when sin 
comes into the creation. 

183
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,600
So we see that when Adam and Eve
sinned, God announced his plan 

184
00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,920
to rescue humanity. 
Even from the very beginning, he

185
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,840
mentions his plan to rescue 
humanity through Eve's 

186
00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,480
offspring, which we know that 
was the second Adam, which is 

187
00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,680
Jesus Christ. 
And so you, you have what is 

188
00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:53,440
called, here's your fancy word 
to throw out tomorrow at work. 

189
00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:57,560
You have the proto evangelium 
in, in, in Latin. 

190
00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:01,880
So the first evangelist, first 
evangelism, proto evangelium, 

191
00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,560
which is the first indication of
a Messiah in the Bible. 

192
00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,200
It's the first mention of a 
deliverer. 

193
00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:13,160
It's the first mention of Jesus 
and it's in Genesis 315. 

194
00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,320
And you, you've probably read 
this verse before. 

195
00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,440
He says I will put enmity 
between, he's cursing the, the 

196
00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,240
serpent, right? 
And you, I will put enmity 

197
00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,600
between you and the woman and 
between your offspring and her 

198
00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,760
offspring. 
He shall bruise your head and 

199
00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:33,320
you shall bruise his heel. 
And so Jesus is the one who 

200
00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,160
strikes the head of the serpent 
through his life, through his 

201
00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:39,480
death, and through his 
resurrection. 

202
00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:44,160
So Jesus is actually the 
fulfillment of Genesis 3:15. 

203
00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:48,280
In fact, if we go on the writer 
of Hebrews, and as I mentioned 

204
00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,080
in previous sessions, we need to
have a conversation someday 

205
00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,840
about who we think actually 
wrote Hebrews. 

206
00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:57,320
I know the leading vote getter, 
but you know who actually wrote 

207
00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,360
Hebrews? 
But in Hebrews chapter 2 it says

208
00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,080
this. 
It says since therefore the 

209
00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:05,960
children share in flesh and 
blood, He himself likewise 

210
00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,440
partook of the same things, that
through death He might destroy 

211
00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:15,080
the one who has the power of 
death, that is the devil, and 

212
00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,360
deliver all those who through 
fear of death were subject to 

213
00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,120
lifelong slavery. 
So we see his role even in the 

214
00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,480
from the very beginning because 
of the fall. 

215
00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:28,680
But then you move into the phase
called redemption, which is a 

216
00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:31,200
part of the the meta narrative 
or grand story. 

217
00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:36,400
So God's plan to redeem, to fix 
that problem, to fix the fall, 

218
00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,680
to fix sin, to give us hope and 
salvation. 

219
00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:45,320
So God's Kingdom throughout the 
Old Testament, we recognize that

220
00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:49,160
he prophesized and testifies to 
the fact that that there's going

221
00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,280
to be a deliverer that comes. 
And you see that it all the way 

222
00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,120
in the in what's called the 
Pentateuch, the first five books

223
00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,160
of the Bible, you'll see it 
there, you'll hear it through 

224
00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,440
the prophets, you'll hear it in 
the psalmist to where God's 

225
00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,040
going to deliver, God's going to
work. 

226
00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:07,120
And step by step in the Old 
Testament, God begins to reveal 

227
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,120
who this deliverer is going to 
be. 

228
00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,320
He tells us that he's going to 
come from the line of Abraham, 

229
00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,560
he's going to come from the line
of Judah, he's going to come 

230
00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:18,960
from the line of David. 
And so there are these messianic

231
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:23,280
prophecies talking about who 
this is going to be and how he's

232
00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,200
going to come and from what his 
background might be. 

233
00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,720
Isaiah of all the prophets 
probably tells us more than 

234
00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,080
anything. 
If you ever want to really read 

235
00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,960
about Jesus in the Old 
Testament, read, read in, read 

236
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,920
in the 50s of Isaiah, read in 
those fifty chapters, those 

237
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,320
especially chapters 52, 53, 
where you have what are called 

238
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,080
the suffering servant passages 
of Isaiah. 

239
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,760
This is the best way to share 
the gospel with a Jewish person,

240
00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:51,960
by the way, is take them to 
Isaiah. 

241
00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,800
They'll have a hard time not 
concluding with you that he's 

242
00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,080
talking about Jesus because 
Jesus fulfills these chapters 

243
00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,560
perfectly. 
And so there's no question about

244
00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:02,760
what Isaiah is prophesying 
about. 

245
00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:08,600
Daniel even tells of one who is,
who is like a son of man, but 

246
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,120
who is both God and man. 
And so you see these prophetic, 

247
00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:17,320
these prophetic images of Christ
as he fulfills one image after 

248
00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:21,520
the next, one prophecy after 
another as the Redeemer. 

249
00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,120
And then of course, because of 
what Jesus actually does in the 

250
00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:29,360
gospel, he actually dies and 
lives again so that we can do 

251
00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:34,560
that, that he, he fulfills the 
redemption of God and that part 

252
00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,400
of the story and then the last 
part of the grand narrative. 

253
00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,040
And there again, there are 
different ways to describe that,

254
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:46,240
that grand story, but it's often
the the last part of it would be

255
00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:50,200
called restoration. 
And so because of what he's 

256
00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,880
done, Jesus is the great 
restorer. 

257
00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,600
He's going to be the great 
consummator because of his 

258
00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,600
incarnation, because of his 
saving work, because of his 

259
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,120
resurrection. 
He not only saves, he preserves 

260
00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,840
and, and even the creation 
itself is, is seeking this, the 

261
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,560
creation itself. 
And, and when I talk about the 

262
00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,200
problem of evil here in a few 
sessions from now, and we're 

263
00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:14,480
going to do that, I'm going to 
take on kind of this doctrine of

264
00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,400
evil conversation because I feel
like you need those 

265
00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,160
conversational points. 
Plus in talking to some of you, 

266
00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:24,280
some of you need to hear this. 
Why is why does evil exist? 

267
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,600
Why? 
Why do bad things happen, 

268
00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,080
etcetera. 
If God is real, why does he 

269
00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,080
allow this kind of conversation?
We're going to talk about that. 

270
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:36,000
But even the creation itself, as
a part of that answer, the 

271
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,440
creation itself groans. 
The Bible says the creation 

272
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,840
itself has fallen. 
So when Genesis Three took 

273
00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,160
place, it wasn't just humanity 
that suffered. 

274
00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,160
Creation itself suffered. 
So that's why we have disease, 

275
00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,240
and that's why we have natural 
disaster, and that's why we have

276
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:53,760
certain things that happened 
today. 

277
00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,680
And so even the Bible says even 
the creation seeks restoration. 

278
00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,600
And so in Romans chapter 8 it 
says this. 

279
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,880
For we know that the whole 
creation has been groaning 

280
00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:09,200
together in the pains of 
childbirth until now. 

281
00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,240
And not only the creation, but 
we ourselves, we have the first 

282
00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,280
fruits of the Spirit, who have 
the first fruits of the Spirit 

283
00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:22,960
grown inwardly as we wait 
eagerly for adoption of sons, 

284
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,360
like the redemption of our 
bodies. 

285
00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:30,040
And so part of this is the fact 
that Jesus will return one day, 

286
00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:37,240
I can guarantee it. 
So one of these days, you know, 

287
00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,160
maybe I'll be right, but not 
today. 

288
00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,080
I guess so. 
And there will be a new heaven 

289
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:44,000
and there will be a new earth. 
See, those are going to be a 

290
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,320
restoration of everything. 
So the the place of eternal 

291
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:52,560
restoration, the place of this 
consummation of God's incredibly

292
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,760
grand story because he's the 
alpha, he's the Omega, he's the 

293
00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:01,600
beginning and the end, the 
creator and frankly the judge as

294
00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,160
he plays both roles. 
So we need to be very clear 

295
00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,119
about Jesus. 
The Old Testament taught that he

296
00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,960
would come. 
Then the New Testament taught 

297
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:15,319
that he came and we need to be 
clear that the whole book is 

298
00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:18,440
really pointing to him. 
And if you need more evidence 

299
00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:22,480
sometime look at Luke chapter 24
as he's talking after the 

300
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:24,839
resurrection to some of the 
disciples on that road to 

301
00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:27,400
Emmaus. 
And he explains to them how the 

302
00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:29,680
how the prophets were speaking 
about him. 

303
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:35,160
And so when we look at that and 
we go to the New Testament, we 

304
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,560
and we're going to go to John 
just as the example for time and

305
00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:43,040
and emphasis tonight. 
We recognize that that John 

306
00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:49,520
writes his gospel to a large 
degree to reveal and to define 

307
00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,840
the identity of Jesus. 
That's what the Holy Spirit's 

308
00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,600
leading him to do, which is why 
John's gospel is kind of 

309
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,240
different. 
You don't start off with 

310
00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:00,040
Bethlehem. 
You don't start off with a 

311
00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,800
Manger. 
You don't start off with with 

312
00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,080
with with shepherds and wise men
and things like that. 

313
00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:09,000
You don't even start off with 
talk of the virgin birth, 

314
00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:11,080
though. 
The virgin birth in itself 

315
00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:13,240
should be a doctrine we could 
talk about one night because 

316
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,320
it's absolutely important to us.
It's a crucial doctrine for us. 

317
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,560
Believe it or not, the virgin 
birth is extremely important to 

318
00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,040
believe in because it actually 
displays this humanity and 

319
00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:27,840
divinity as well. 
But John begins at a different 

320
00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,960
place. 
John begins before there was an 

321
00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,480
earthly story. 
John begins at a place before 

322
00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,400
the beginning. 
And he wants us to understand 

323
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:42,760
the awesome and eternal nature 
of who Jesus really is. 

324
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,800
And so that's where I want us to
go in John chapter one verse one

325
00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:52,080
in the beginning was the word 
and the word was with God and 

326
00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,920
the word was God. 
He was in the beginning with 

327
00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,440
God. 
Now we need to break this down 

328
00:18:58,440 --> 00:18:59,760
some. 
So let's just start with the 

329
00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:01,760
idea of the identity of the 
Word. 

330
00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:03,440
Who is this? 
Who's this Word? 

331
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:06,840
So you need to note, and I hope 
you see it immediately, the very

332
00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:08,720
the first 3 words in the 
beginning. 

333
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,520
What does that remind you of 
Genesis? 

334
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:16,720
Don't miss the parallels between
John 1 and Genesis 1. 

335
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:20,680
They're extremely intentional 
to, to, to make you understand 

336
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,600
that in the beginning. 
Now the, the very first part of 

337
00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,400
this verse could be literally 
translated this way. 

338
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,080
And so we'll listen to this. 
It would get a little confusing 

339
00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:34,320
because Greek doesn't follow our
word order, but listen to this. 

340
00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:38,400
When the beginning began or 
before there was a beginning, 

341
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:43,720
the word had been or the word 
was already there, or in the 

342
00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,120
beginning the word was existing.
Those are those are different 

343
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:48,760
options that all mean the same 
thing. 

344
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:52,080
In other words, before the 
beginning was beginning, the 

345
00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,040
word already was. 
And that's the way this works. 

346
00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,120
So, so there, this is before 
time. 

347
00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:01,720
This is before Genesis One. 
This is before any part of the 

348
00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:05,880
creation, before anything else. 
The word was and the and the 

349
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,960
even that little word was the 
way it's written in the original

350
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,080
language indicates A continuous 
state of being. 

351
00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,400
So in other words, the word 
continually was. 

352
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:21,840
There was never a time when the 
word was not, and that's 

353
00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,520
significant. 
And it's hard because the world 

354
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,600
has struggles with this. 
So in the beginning that had no 

355
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,240
beginning, the word existed, 
right? 

356
00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,920
I can confuse you more. 
And so the, the the whole point 

357
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,680
is the word is it is eternal. 
The word had no beginning. 

358
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:44,280
And this this is hard for our 
very limited linear football 

359
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:50,080
size cranial cavity, human minds
to comprehend our minds struggle

360
00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,760
with eternal. 
It's hard for we have no 

361
00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,720
reference point. 
It's hard for human beings to 

362
00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:00,320
grasp or accept the idea of 
eternal but but it's not that 

363
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,040
way with God. 
So eternal has no beginning. 

364
00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,080
Eternal has no end. 
And the world will reject this 

365
00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,440
because it can't comprehend it. 
The world reject this because it

366
00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,320
can't control this. 
It can't fence that in. 

367
00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,880
It's hard to box up forever. 
And the world struggles with 

368
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:19,960
that. 
Because if I if the if I can't 

369
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,520
understand that it must not be 
true because obviously I'm 

370
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,400
smarter than anything else in 
existence. 

371
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:26,000
I mean, it's almost the 
attitude, right? 

372
00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:29,880
That's the pride and arrogance 
of spiritual blindness. 

373
00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:35,200
And so it's beyond us. 
It's, it's greater than us. 

374
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:38,520
It's different than us. 
And that's what John's trying to

375
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,360
express. 
This is not normal. 

376
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,720
And so it's difficult for many 
because they don't, they don't 

377
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:48,680
want to acknowledge anyone or 
someone greater who might 

378
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,960
actually know more than they do 
who, who might actually be 

379
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:57,000
powerful enough to hold them 
accountable for what they would 

380
00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,920
define a sin. 
And the world just doesn't want 

381
00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:03,160
that. 
But we need to understand this 

382
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:08,600
because who Jesus is is 
absolutely crucial in the 

383
00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:10,960
understanding of why the cross 
matters. 

384
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:15,880
And so verse 3 says this. 
And this just echoes what we 

385
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,720
were reading Colossians. 
One, all things were made 

386
00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:25,120
through him and without him was 
not anything made that was made.

387
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,440
So you have Paul writing to a 
church in Colossae and you have 

388
00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,880
John writing a gospel saying the
same thing. 

389
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:35,840
Jesus is creator, Jesus is God, 
That's who this is. 

390
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,000
The Word is God. 
So we recognize that not only is

391
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:44,080
he eternal, but there has never 
been a thing which does not 

392
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:46,800
depend upon the Word for its 
existence. 

393
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:48,960
You got to wrap your head around
this. 

394
00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,840
I've shared this earlier that 
all you know, all creation 

395
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,240
depends upon the word. 
They they had a beginning, 

396
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,040
creation had a beginning and and
the word is the creator who does

397
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,120
not have a beginning. 
But the word is not the first 

398
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:03,080
thing created. 
That's not what that first born 

399
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,760
word means. 
That's some heresies have taught

400
00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,440
that throughout the years. 
He has always been. 

401
00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:13,400
So the word is the source of 
life, including ours. 

402
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,640
And so he deserves ours. 
He deserves our surrender. 

403
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,280
He has earned that and he 
deserves our commitment. 

404
00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:24,880
So who was this word? 
And the Bible says, and the word

405
00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:31,360
was who word was God. 
Now in the original Greek, 

406
00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:36,440
there's no was. 
So it literally reads and the 

407
00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:43,920
word God, it's the same thing. 
It's the same person, it's the 

408
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,440
same being, They're all one in 
the same, right? 

409
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,680
So this is not simply saying 
there was something divine or 

410
00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,480
holy about the Word. 
The Word isn't in fact, God. 

411
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:57,760
All that is true of God is true 
of the Word because they're the 

412
00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:00,960
same thing and there's really 
nothing higher that could be 

413
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,360
said. 
There's really nothing more 

414
00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,760
dramatic for the reader, 
especially these original 

415
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,880
readers to have heard. 
So the word is the revelation of

416
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,640
God's truth and great power 
wrapped in this most unexpected.

417
00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:14,840
It's never happened like this 
way before. 

418
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:20,080
Unique experience in the way he 
was born and the way he lived. 

419
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,200
So we see the identity a little 
bit. 

420
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,880
So let's talk about secondly, 
the incarnation of the Word 

421
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:32,880
because you you can't not read 
verse 14 and the word became 

422
00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:38,440
flesh and dwelt among us and we 
have seen his glory glories of 

423
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:42,520
the only Son from the Father 
full of grace and truth. 

424
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,720
The word became a physical body 
that there's no other way. 

425
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:48,520
You can't make this mean 
something else. 

426
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:55,160
The word became a physical body.
God became a man and, and, and, 

427
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,640
and this is so important. 
And even that verb became these 

428
00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,680
little verbs matter. 
It's written in a tense. 

429
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,360
That means that it's a one point
in time thing. 

430
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,160
This happened one time. 
There's, there's, this has never

431
00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,600
happened before. 
It's not something that had ever

432
00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,160
happened since It happened at 
one point in history. 

433
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,760
This is a unique one time 
historic event. 

434
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:18,720
And this isn't even the word for
created. 

435
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:20,200
This is a word for physical 
birth. 

436
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,240
This is so he's physically born.
So now we're back to the virgin 

437
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,200
birth idea, sort of, even though
John doesn't describe it in 

438
00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,680
detail. 
So this, this may be the most 

439
00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:35,280
important verse in the Bible as 
far as the doctrine of the 

440
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,200
incarnation, which is a doctrine
itself we don't pay enough 

441
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,640
attention to. 
We talk a lot about crucifixion.

442
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:42,160
We talk a lot about 
resurrection. 

443
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,400
We really need to talk more 
about incarnation because 

444
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,280
without the incarnation, the 
crucifixion and the resurrection

445
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,000
don't count. 
It doesn't work. 

446
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,960
It doesn't matter. 
A good man dying on the cross 

447
00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,400
can't save us. 
Someone else had to die on that 

448
00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,440
cross. 
Something else had to die on 

449
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:00,360
that cross. 
See. 

450
00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:05,040
So the incarnation is huge. 
So nothing like this had ever 

451
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,440
happened before since. 
And John uses extremely careful 

452
00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:12,480
and very specific language here 
to leave no doubt. 

453
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:17,000
The creator God, the word of 
God, took on flesh for our 

454
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,480
salvation. 
Jesus is God, the Word, the 

455
00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,640
fully human also fully reveals 
the Father. 

456
00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:29,240
And so he has a unique nature 
that's different than us. 

457
00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,240
He's not just a man. 
And that's where this world 

458
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,640
today often struggles. 
There are still people who would

459
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,520
consider that nobody named Jesus
ever even existed. 

460
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,880
Most people of intelligence 
don't say that. 

461
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,240
Most of the lost people out 
there will believe there was 

462
00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,520
actually a historic figure named
Jesus. 

463
00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:48,840
They'll they'll often give in to
that. 

464
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,920
But who he really was, the fact 
that he was God and man, that's 

465
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:54,920
going to be something they'll 
want to dispute. 

466
00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:59,680
Chuck Swindoll once said this. 
This is a great, great sentence 

467
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:04,320
if I can do it right, he said. 
Take note of John's deliberate 

468
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:10,040
progression from Infinity and 
eternity down to the single 

469
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:14,160
individual Christ, in whom 
resides all that is infant 

470
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:16,400
infinite and all that is 
eternal. 

471
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:23,560
And so God accommodates himself 
to fulfill his eternal plan of 

472
00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,560
redemption by coming to be one 
of us. 

473
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:28,960
And, and there was no other way 
to do it. 

474
00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,400
There is no other way to deal 
with the sin problem. 

475
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,360
There is no other way to pay the
debt that needed to be paid so 

476
00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,120
humanity could have the 
opportunity to be saved. 

477
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,840
And so this is an encounter with
the divine in a special way. 

478
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,320
And the Bible says that he dwelt
among us or, or another 

479
00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,240
translation might say he made 
his dwelling among us. 

480
00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:50,360
And that word means to pitch 
your tent. 

481
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,960
It means to Tabernacle. 
So he literally tabernacles with

482
00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:55,280
us. 
He lives with us. 

483
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:59,760
Jesus lived with us temporarily 
in the physical so that we could

484
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,600
live with him forever. 
So this is John's Bethlehem. 

485
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,960
This is John's nativity scene. 
This is as close as you get. 

486
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:11,360
No camels, no shepherds. 
Instead, the miracle of the 

487
00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:14,400
incarnation wrapped in the 
mystery of the Trinity. 

488
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:18,320
I mean, it really is powerful. 
It truly is Emmanuel, which 

489
00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:20,640
means what? 
God with us. 

490
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,720
Yeah. 
And so we recognize that no 

491
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,080
other world religion contains 
this doctrine. 

492
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,680
You can understand that that why
do we believe that Jesus is the 

493
00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:31,680
only way you can be saved? 
Because there are unique 

494
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:36,400
qualities to Christianity that 
that that no other belief system

495
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:40,880
teaches, nobody else teaches 
that God became man to die for 

496
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:43,280
us. 
No one else does. 

497
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,800
And so the Greeks and the Romans
had myths of God, God's 

498
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,040
temporarily taking human forms, 
but it was always for selfish 

499
00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:53,920
reasons, not for not for reasons
of sacrifice or substitutionary 

500
00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:55,800
atonement. 
They never, they would never 

501
00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,560
teach that. 
And so not, not to come and save

502
00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:01,440
us or to appease the wrath of 
the Father against sin. 

503
00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,960
It's not to sacrifice or not to 
substitute on our behalf. 

504
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:09,320
These are unique qualities of 
true biblical Christianity. 

505
00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:12,360
And if somebody would just 
listen to that long enough and 

506
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,280
you could get them to focus with
you long enough without trying 

507
00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,960
to debate you about that, then I
think all of a sudden they would

508
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,920
realize that God's pretty cool 
and pretty good and and pretty 

509
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:26,280
gracious and went out of his way
for us. 

510
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,080
And it might just change their 
attitude about who he is. 

511
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:34,120
But one of the marks that makes 
Jesus Christ the only true way 

512
00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:36,400
to salvation is this unique 
quality. 

513
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,320
Yet many do not understand that.
But that's not new. 

514
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:42,880
They didn't understand it back 
then either. 

515
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,280
Look at verse 10. 
He was in the world, and the 

516
00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:49,480
world was made through Him. 
See how many times this gets 

517
00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,040
emphasized? 
The creation part? 

518
00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,880
It was made through Him, yet the
world did not know Him. 

519
00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:59,440
He came to His own, and His own 
people did not receive Him. 

520
00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:04,680
So the very world that the 
Creator makes rejects the 

521
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:11,800
Creator, rejects Jesus as God to
explain away or to hide from any

522
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,520
single path of salvation through
Him alone. 

523
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:16,840
The world doesn't want that. 
The world doesn't want that 

524
00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,200
singular path. 
They want to be able to have 

525
00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,320
multiple paths that they can 
create on their own, if they 

526
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:26,400
believe in eternity at all. 
And so pluralism is that idea 

527
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,880
that we've talked about in a 
previous time together. 

528
00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,960
We talked about there are many 
paths to salvation, but this 

529
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,800
doesn't work because no one else
is qualified to pay the price 

530
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,880
for our sin or or universalism 
where where that says that all 

531
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:44,360
the paths work, right? 
This can't be true because no 

532
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:49,680
sin debt is covered. 
And so these cannot be truth in 

533
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,080
themselves. 
The incarnation is one of these 

534
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,880
truths about Christianity that 
make it the only way to be 

535
00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:57,600
saved. 
Thus, it leads us to what we 

536
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,880
call exclusivism. 
There's an exclusive path to 

537
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:03,920
salvation, and it has to go 
through Jesus. 

538
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,680
So no other faith knows a God 
who gave up so much to be with 

539
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:10,760
his creation. 
No one else did because no one 

540
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:13,520
else could, because they don't 
exist. 

541
00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,760
So please, at times, 
acknowledge, praise. 

542
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:22,680
Thank God and remember the 
sacrifice of the incarnation, 

543
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:27,560
how much He gave up for that, 
for these verses to be true, and

544
00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,440
what He gave up to be here with 
us. 

545
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,000
And so recommend recognize the 
search it represents too, and 

546
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,920
the love it displays and the 
grace that it demonstrates in 

547
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:40,200
what He did for us. 
Right again, verse 14. 

548
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:45,840
And the Word became flesh and 
dwelt among us, and we've seen 

549
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,040
his glory. 
Glory is of the only Son from 

550
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:51,920
the Father, full of grace and 
truth. 

551
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,560
And what a what an experience, 
what a moment. 

552
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,760
So the number three, we just 
need to look at this glory of 

553
00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:00,600
the Word. 
So the glory of the Incarnate 

554
00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:06,040
tabernacled with us. 
It actually brings to mind an 

555
00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:11,680
Old Testament imagery of the 
Shekinah glory of God that 

556
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,440
filled the Tabernacle and filled
the temple. 

557
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:20,200
So in Exodus, for example, in 
Exodus chapter 40 is when when 

558
00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,760
the Tabernacle was first being 
committed, it says this. 

559
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:27,200
Then the cloud covered the tent 
of meeting and the glory of the 

560
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:32,000
Lord filled the Tabernacle and 
Moses was not able to enter the 

561
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,840
tent of meeting because the 
clouds settled on it and the 

562
00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,440
glory of the Lord filled the 
Tabernacle. 

563
00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,480
So Moses, and this is really 
interesting because I've been 

564
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:45,080
studying the pastors and the 
staff. 

565
00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,640
I'll tell you, I've been 
reading, reading and rereading 

566
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:49,120
Exodus this year. 
It's been interesting. 

567
00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,640
I'm not exactly sure why, but 
I've actually been working 

568
00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:55,120
through it twice. 
And I, and I again, I was just 

569
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,760
reading about Moses going back 
up to the mountain to get the 

570
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,120
second set set of the, the 
tablets. 

571
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,320
You know, long story if you 
don't know the story. 

572
00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:04,760
And, and he's up there for 40 
days and 40 nights, he comes 

573
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,800
back and his face is glowing and
then he has to wear a veil. 

574
00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,520
And every time he goes into the 
Tabernacle, he takes the veil 

575
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:11,720
off. 
But every time he comes out, he 

576
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,120
has to put the veil on because 
his face is glowing in the dark.

577
00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,400
And I just think to myself, the 
glory of God and that 

578
00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:22,000
reflection. 
How long did Moses have to wear 

579
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:24,640
a veil? 
You know, I couldn't find that 

580
00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:28,040
answer. 
But but Moses couldn't approach 

581
00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:33,920
God's presence in this story 
because it was simply too holy. 

582
00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:42,840
But now God has come to Yahweh 
has come to us, God dies for us,

583
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:47,080
God removes the barrier for us 
and he desires, even commands 

584
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:51,000
for us to approach his throne 
with a sense of complete 

585
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,360
confidence, with a sense of 
complete honesty is what those 

586
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:58,120
words mean that I can approach 
the throne of grace with 

587
00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:00,840
confidence. 
The word really is complete open

588
00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:05,880
honesty, full transparency. 
I, I, I, I can come just like I 

589
00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:12,320
am a mess and all God says come.
I mean, it's really amazing. 

590
00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:17,080
So, so they not because we're 
holy, because we're not, but 

591
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:23,199
because he the word is holy and 
he's gracious and he's the 

592
00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:25,800
truth. 
And the way this is written in 

593
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,159
is, is in such. 
They saw his glory with the 

594
00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:30,760
physical eye. 
There wasn't any question about 

595
00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:34,199
that. 
I mean, what a privilege to have

596
00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:39,760
been there then to have seen 
him, to have walked with him. 

597
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,679
You know, everyone should have 
trusted in him. 

598
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:46,280
Everybody should have believed 
in him. 

599
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,440
You know, they should have, they
should have recognized him for 

600
00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:54,880
who he truly was, but not all 
did and not all will. 

601
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:58,480
I've read the end of the book. 
The book tells me that they're 

602
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,960
still going to be people who 
don't believe in him at the end.

603
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,680
And that breaks my heart. 
I want them all to come with us.

604
00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:08,280
I want us all to be in the 
throne room. 

605
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,880
I know we're going to have 
people from every tribe, tongue,

606
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,200
and nation, but I want them all.
I just want them to be there. 

607
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,920
I don't want anybody to miss 
out, right? 

608
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,760
So John chapter 1, he helps us 
some more. 

609
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:26,160
He says in John 1/4 in him was 
life and the life was the light 

610
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,400
of men. 
The light shines in the darkness

611
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,160
and the darkness has not 
overcome it. 

612
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,920
Your translations might actually
say something else. 

613
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,440
This is ESV, but overcome might 
say comprehend. 

614
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:42,120
And what it really means is to 
to, to hang on to, to lay hold 

615
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:45,480
of the darkness can't grasp it 
there, there. 

616
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:50,080
It's beyond the grasp of the 
darkness that the darkness can't

617
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:51,480
get it. 
It can't, and it also can 

618
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,280
overcome it. 
You know darkness cannot 

619
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,760
overcome light, right? 
Darkness has tried everything it

620
00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:00,160
can. 
And darkness is going to 

621
00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,800
continue to try again. 
But no matter what darkness 

622
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,560
tries, it's going to fail. 
And it's really interesting 

623
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:08,440
because this is written in, in 
a, in a tense where it's a 

624
00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,480
completed action. 
It failed and it will fail. 

625
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,800
It will always fail is the way 
this is written, which ought to 

626
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:21,160
give us hope, because the world 
will do all it can to refute, to

627
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:25,680
distort, to dilute, to destroy 
the concept of the true 

628
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,440
biblical, historical and 
spiritual Jesus. 

629
00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:32,840
And surely this is just a myth. 
It's what they're going to say. 

630
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,760
There'll be TV shows every 
Easter, every Christmas. 

631
00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,240
Surely this is just a myth. 
Surely he really was not who he 

632
00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,440
claimed to be. 
Surely he did not really die on 

633
00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:47,480
the cross and rise again for me.
So we peer, we we peer in into 

634
00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:50,160
that and we say to the and we 
say, pour it on darkness, keep 

635
00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:53,120
pouring it on, pour it on thick 
constantly pour it out. 

636
00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:58,200
But what we know is this verse 
says the light shines and it's 

637
00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:02,720
continuous present tense. 
It shines, it keeps on shining. 

638
00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:05,560
It's never not going to shine. 
It's always going to shine. 

639
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,320
So no matter how dark, it's 
still there shining. 

640
00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:11,600
One flicker of light can 
overcome it. 

641
00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:14,360
Some of you have done this, I am
sure some of you've probably 

642
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,240
heard this story before, I'm 
sure. 

643
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:19,240
But if you've ever been to one 
of the largest caves in North 

644
00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:22,440
America, at Mammoth Cave up in 
Kentucky, they, I don't know if 

645
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:25,480
they still do this or not, but a
billion years ago when we went 

646
00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:28,160
up to Mammoth Cave, you know, 
they used to take you deep down 

647
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:30,360
into The Cave. 
And then there, there the Park 

648
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:33,000
Rangers in there and the park 
Ranger, you know, you know, 

649
00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:35,160
flips the switch and all the 
lights go off. 

650
00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:37,560
And I mean, and it's dark. 
There's no light. 

651
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:41,200
It's, it's dark, dark, right? 
And then that park Ranger will 

652
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,440
flick a cigarette lighter or 
light 1 little candle and you're

653
00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:46,600
in this huge room as big as this
room. 

654
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:50,000
And, and by the time it's done, 
you can see everything in that 

655
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:54,160
whole room because that one 
little bitty light overcomes all

656
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,080
that darkness. 
So the powerful light of the 

657
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:00,480
word of Jesus illuminates our 
souls. 

658
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:03,040
It illuminates our minds, it 
illuminates our lives. 

659
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,200
And we can know Him by grace 
through faith, and we can 

660
00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,200
experience this glorious truth. 
So he goes on. 

661
00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:11,480
Look at verse 9. 
He says the true light, which 

662
00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,200
gives light to everyone was 
coming into the world. 

663
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,760
Then on in verse 12, he says, 
But to all who did receive him, 

664
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:21,520
who believed in His name, He 
gave the right to become 

665
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:26,000
children of God, who were born 
not of blood, nor of the will of

666
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,200
the flesh, nor of the will of 
man, but of God. 

667
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,960
And so the true light, notice 
what it says, the true light. 

668
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:37,120
Not one of them, not, not one of
many. 

669
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,040
You don't get to vote on which 
one is the true light. 

670
00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:44,680
And that's where our world makes
its mistake You. 

671
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,480
You don't get to choose which 
one's the true light. 

672
00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:51,480
There's only one. 
You either get the light or you 

673
00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:53,640
live in the darkness. 
That's your choice. 

674
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:58,280
And God and his incredible 
graciousness has given us the 

675
00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:02,880
free will to make some choices. 
But either kicking that one 

676
00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:06,400
light or you're out in the dark.
So there's only one. 

677
00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:10,440
And he's absolutely unique. 
The light, the truth comes and 

678
00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:14,240
you can be lit up or you can 
struggle in the darkness. 

679
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:18,000
Now, what's interesting is one 
day, those of us who know him, 

680
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:21,360
and I sure hope it's all of us, 
I hope it's all of us. 

681
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:23,920
And I hope we take a whole bunch
of those people with us to where

682
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:25,720
there's no more empty seats in 
here. 

683
00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:27,560
There's nobody. 
Because everybody's starving for

684
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:29,280
the word and they all want to 
hear it and they all want to 

685
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,480
grow, and they're all in connect
groups with you and studying 

686
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:33,720
together. 
If you've been in a connect 

687
00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:34,840
group, you ought to be in a 
connect group. 

688
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:37,840
Connect groups are good, good 
connect groups good. 

689
00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:45,760
But in the end of time, just 
listen to this in the end of 

690
00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:48,160
time at the very end of the 
book, at the very end of the 

691
00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:51,720
book in the in Revelation 
chapter 22, I mean, you're 

692
00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:56,120
getting toward the end. 
One day we're not going to need 

693
00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:59,800
or want any other light from any
other source because here's what

694
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,720
the Bible says and night will be
no more. 

695
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:09,280
They will need no light of lamp 
or sun for the Lord God will be 

696
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:13,400
their light and they will reign 
forever and ever. 

697
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,360
But to experience that, you have
to receive and believe the light

698
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,840
of this specific biblical truth 
about Jesus. 

699
00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:22,400
You have to believe this 
specific. 

700
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:26,040
We are given the authority, the 
right. 

701
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,840
The privilege to become children
of God if we receive, if we 

702
00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:34,440
believe, if we are born again 
into the family of God, not 

703
00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,200
because of something we did, but
because of what he has done. 

704
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:40,680
So the incarnation was not the 
completion of something. 

705
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:43,400
The incarnation is just the 
beginning of something. 

706
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,440
So the crucifixion, the 
resurrection, the the ascension 

707
00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:53,400
fulfil the incarnation. 
And he was born to die and born 

708
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:56,760
to rise again so that we might 
experience this new birth again.

709
00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,320
Verse 14, We've got to hit a 
couple more points. 

710
00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:04,840
And the Word became flesh and 
dwelt among us, and we have seen

711
00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:07,920
his glory. 
Glory is the the only Son from 

712
00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:12,640
the Father full of grace and 
truth, the only Son, the one and

713
00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:17,160
only the the only begotten. 
And I've shared this word with 

714
00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:20,800
some of you before in in 
previous times in the word, this

715
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:24,800
word of mono genes, which means 
that the only one of the family,

716
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:28,240
he is completely different. 
He's of a different stock. 

717
00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:31,240
He's of a different personhood. 
He's different. 

718
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:33,840
He's not just a good or great 
man. 

719
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:38,960
He is fully God and fully man. 
It's hard for us to comprehend 

720
00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:43,640
and heresies and philosophies 
dating all the way back to the 

721
00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:46,400
early church have refuted that 
they've they've argued with that

722
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,880
many of them still believe today
are going to try to explain away

723
00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:53,240
either his divinity or believe 
it or not, his humanity. 

724
00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:58,720
You have heresies on both sides.
And so Dosatism, for example, 

725
00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:01,440
suggested that he only seemed 
physical, that he really was 

726
00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,960
just spiritual, that he really 
was never here physically. 

727
00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:07,920
Gnosticism tells stories of how 
Jesus actually created the 

728
00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:12,000
illusion of being physical, of 
the illusion of being material, 

729
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:16,360
but he really wasn't fully man. 
But the truth is much different,

730
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:20,800
and man can't explain it away. 
He was here and he will be 

731
00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:28,480
again. 
First John, and notice this, in 

732
00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:31,240
First John, he not only writes 
the Gospel, but he writes these 

733
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:34,760
epistles. 
First John chapter 1, that which

734
00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:38,680
was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen 

735
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:43,120
with our eyes, which we have 
looked upon and our hands have 

736
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:45,800
handled concerning the word of 
life. 

737
00:42:46,240 --> 00:42:49,640
Notice those words we heard, 
we've seen with our eyes, we've 

738
00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:51,800
looked upon, and we've handled 
with our hands. 

739
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:57,240
They're talking about Jesus, 
that Jesus Christ was physically

740
00:42:57,240 --> 00:43:01,240
here, but he's also the only one
of his kind, the only one of his

741
00:43:01,240 --> 00:43:06,160
stock, making it impossible to 
come to God any other way. 

742
00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:08,640
Who he is makes all the 
difference. 

743
00:43:09,720 --> 00:43:12,120
So no one else could be the 
proper sacrifice. 

744
00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:15,080
Not Buddha, not Muhammad, not 
good works, not yourself, not 

745
00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,280
Jesus and blank, not Jesus and 
anything. 

746
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:22,120
It's only Jesus, the one and 
only, which is why John 14-6 is 

747
00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:30,000
truth that Jesus said to him, 
I'm the way and the truth and 

748
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:33,160
the life. 
No one can come to the Father 

749
00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:37,160
except through me, and that's 
why that's true. 

750
00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:41,720
So Jesus reveals the Father 
because he shares his nature, He

751
00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:45,080
shares his character. 
He's full of his grace, He's 

752
00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:50,560
full of his truth. 
He is the truth, so we receive 

753
00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:53,440
the gift of salvation from the 
Father by grace and truth. 

754
00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:57,120
And the world chases this. 
The world refuses to submit to 

755
00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:00,000
the authority of the truth. 
I mean, what the world can't 

756
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:03,600
control, what the world can't 
comprehend, what the world can't

757
00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:08,840
overcome, it seeks to redefine, 
cancel, or compartmentalize 

758
00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:11,640
until it can control it. 
And that's what it tries to do 

759
00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:13,280
with the church. 
That's what it tries to do with 

760
00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:16,840
Christianity. 
So we need to proclaim that the 

761
00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:20,680
word Jesus became flesh, died on
a cross for us and rose again. 

762
00:44:21,720 --> 00:44:24,600
Again in first John chapter 2, 
he says this. 

763
00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:28,920
He is the propitiation for our 
sins and not for ours only, but 

764
00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:30,440
also for the sins of the whole 
world. 

765
00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:33,320
He's the substitute. 
He's the payment he took the 

766
00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:37,240
place of. 
So then we we we see that 

767
00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:39,920
Jesus's resurrection is not 
fable or fiction. 

768
00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:42,840
It really, really did happen. 
Listen to what Paul wrote to the

769
00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:45,760
church at Rome in Romans chapter
1. 

770
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:49,880
And it says and was declared to 
be the Son of God in power 

771
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:53,560
according to the spirit of 
holiness by his resurrection 

772
00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:59,880
from the dead, Jesus Christ our 
Lord, he sacrifices and he's 

773
00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:03,680
resurrected and he and, and 
Christ is established as 

774
00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:08,360
lordship over all things. 
He's the Lord over all, all 

775
00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:10,520
things. 
That means you, whether you 

776
00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:13,920
believe that or whether you 
don't believe that right now, it

777
00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:17,760
doesn't change the fact that he 
is still the Lord of authority 

778
00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:21,560
over you. 
And one day, I promise you, 

779
00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:25,800
you're going to believe it. 
Now my prayer for you is it's 

780
00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:29,880
not too late, but I promise you,
you're going to believe in Jesus

781
00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:33,080
one day and everybody out there 
is going to believe in Jesus one

782
00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:35,240
day. 
And for some it's just going to 

783
00:45:35,240 --> 00:45:38,800
be too late. 
Listen to Philippians 2 says 

784
00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:43,960
therefore, God has highly 
exalted him and bestowed on him 

785
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:47,560
the name that is above every 
name, so that the name of Jesus,

786
00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:53,240
what every, every knee shall bow
in heaven and on earth and under

787
00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:56,720
the earth and every tongue 
confess that Jesus Christ is 

788
00:45:56,720 --> 00:46:01,280
Lord to the glory of God the 
Father. 

789
00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:08,640
Every, every, every. 
You can bow now and you can bow 

790
00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:12,600
later, but you're going to bow. 
And I want these folks out there

791
00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:15,720
to bow now so we can serve 
together. 

792
00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:18,960
So that means us. 
That means that that stubborn 

793
00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:21,960
lost person, you know, that 
means that every atheist will 

794
00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:25,400
one day bow when it's too late, 
I'm afraid. 

795
00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:28,120
So we may need to fall on our 
faces. 

796
00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:31,120
We need to plead with God now to
show us what he wants and to, 

797
00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:33,160
to, to do what he wants. 
Right. 

798
00:46:33,800 --> 00:46:36,160
And then we also need to 
recognize there's a church. 

799
00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:38,280
We have this incredible 
relationship with him. 

800
00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:41,040
Colossians 118 says, and he is 
the head of the body, the 

801
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:43,960
church. 
He's the beginning, the first 

802
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:46,600
born from the dead, that in 
everything he might be 

803
00:46:46,600 --> 00:46:51,160
preeminent. 
In everything he is preeminent. 

804
00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:55,400
You know, it was interesting, 40
days following his resurrection,

805
00:46:56,360 --> 00:47:00,200
Jesus ascended back to heaven 
and he was exalted at the 

806
00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:04,120
Father's right hand. 
And now Jesus sits at the right 

807
00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:07,400
hand of the Father interceding 
on our behalf. 

808
00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:10,680
He does that in heaven. 
So we're right now in heaven. 

809
00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:13,720
There's a glorified Jesus 
Christ. 

810
00:47:14,240 --> 00:47:18,720
In fact, once again, the unknown
anonymous writer of Hebrews. 

811
00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:27,360
How many think Paul OK, Hebrews 
one says he is the radiance of 

812
00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:31,680
the glory of God and the exact 
imprint of his nature, and he 

813
00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:34,560
upholds the universe by the word
of His power. 

814
00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:37,320
Are you hearing these words? 
He upholds. 

815
00:47:37,720 --> 00:47:41,760
He upholds the universe by the 
word of His power. 

816
00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:45,840
After making purification for 
sins, he sat down at the right 

817
00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:51,120
hand of the majesty on high. 
Do you sense the immense power 

818
00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:54,920
of Jesus? 
So he and then again, he's going

819
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:57,840
to come again to this earth as 
King of kings and Lord of Lords.

820
00:47:58,080 --> 00:47:59,680
And and this is our blessed 
hope. 

821
00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:03,920
In fact, Paul writes to Titus 
and encourages him in Titus 

822
00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:07,400
chapter 2, waiting for our 
blessed hope, the appearing of 

823
00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:12,040
the glory of our great God and 
Savior Jesus Christ. 

824
00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:15,240
And this event brings history to
a close. 

825
00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:24,240
And I long for that moment, but 
I also know that for now, we 

826
00:48:24,240 --> 00:48:27,480
have a lot of work to do. 
We've got to grow. 

827
00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:29,640
We've got to worship, We've got 
to bring Him glory, and we've 

828
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:31,880
got to bring other people with 
us. 

829
00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:34,440
We've got to work at this. 
We've got to serve. 

830
00:48:34,720 --> 00:48:37,120
So there are lost people who 
need to hear about this truth. 

831
00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:39,600
There are lost people who need 
to become believers. 

832
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:42,360
And then there are believers who
need to grow in our knowledge 

833
00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:44,480
and our love and our action for 
Him. 

834
00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:50,240
So we truly need to understand 
who He truly is, and we need to 

835
00:48:50,240 --> 00:48:53,480
understand why that really 
matters. 

836
00:48:54,320 --> 00:48:56,640
Now, throughout history, hang in
there with me. 

837
00:48:56,640 --> 00:48:58,560
I don't want to bore you with 
church history, but hang in 

838
00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:01,320
there for a second. 
Throughout history, the church 

839
00:49:01,320 --> 00:49:06,760
has faced, as I mentioned 
earlier, many, many false claims

840
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:10,800
contrary to the biblical truth 
concerning Jesus. 

841
00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:13,160
And the early church had to deal
with this. 

842
00:49:13,640 --> 00:49:16,760
So the early church had had to 
deal with these several 

843
00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:19,480
heresies. 
Many of them were about 

844
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:22,040
Christology, in fact, perhaps 
most of them. 

845
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:25,680
And so they had what were called
christological councils. 

846
00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:28,000
If you ever heard of the great 
church councils of church 

847
00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:29,720
history, that's what we're 
talking about. 

848
00:49:29,720 --> 00:49:33,560
And many of these church 
councils were about the the 

849
00:49:33,560 --> 00:49:37,920
doctrine of Christ, right? 
And so there were false teachers

850
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:41,320
who denied his incarnation, 
there were false teachers who 

851
00:49:41,320 --> 00:49:45,120
denied his deity, there were 
false teachers who denied or 

852
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:47,240
argued about his relationship to
the Father. 

853
00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:51,640
And so these meetings of early 
theologians met to discuss and 

854
00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:54,840
debate and decide these critical
issues. 

855
00:49:55,720 --> 00:49:59,040
One of the best known ones is 
the Council of Nicaea that took 

856
00:49:59,040 --> 00:50:01,480
place in the year 325. 
Don't worry about that. 

857
00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:03,840
There is no test. 
There is no pop quiz. 

858
00:50:05,280 --> 00:50:08,720
But it happened early and they 
wrote what is called the Nicene 

859
00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:11,800
Creed that we often some people 
know that some people, some 

860
00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:14,960
churches actually recite this 
creed as part of their their 

861
00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:18,560
liturgical worship. 
And so the Nicene Creed. 

862
00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:21,280
And so here's just a brief 
portion of the Nicene Creed. 

863
00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:27,320
We believe in one Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God, begotten

864
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:31,160
of the Father as only as only 
begotten that is from the 

865
00:50:31,160 --> 00:50:34,400
essence of the Father. 
Now listen to this part, follow 

866
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:39,600
this part, God from God, light 
from light, true God from true 

867
00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:44,240
God, begotten, not created. 
And then it even goes on to say 

868
00:50:44,240 --> 00:50:46,960
there he's of the same essence. 
And they, they use a lot of 

869
00:50:46,960 --> 00:50:49,160
Greek in here that I won't 
bother you, but it just means 

870
00:50:49,160 --> 00:50:52,160
the same stuff. 
He's the same stuff as God the 

871
00:50:52,160 --> 00:50:55,520
Father, right? 
Same essence as the Father, 

872
00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:57,920
through whom all things came 
into being, both heaven and 

873
00:50:57,920 --> 00:51:02,440
heaven and earth, who for US men
and for our salvation came down 

874
00:51:02,440 --> 00:51:04,960
and was Incarnate, becoming 
human. 

875
00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:08,200
He suffered, and the third day 
He rose and ascended into the 

876
00:51:08,200 --> 00:51:10,760
heavens. 
And He will come to judge both 

877
00:51:10,760 --> 00:51:15,480
the living and the dead. 
But those who say, but those who

878
00:51:15,480 --> 00:51:21,680
say once He was not or He was 
not before his generation or He 

879
00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:25,800
came to be out of nothing or who
asserts that that He the Son of 

880
00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:30,000
God is of different substance. 
They just Greek again or that he

881
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:34,560
is a creature or changeable or 
mutable The church. 

882
00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:38,280
But they use a fancy word. 
But basically they said the 

883
00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:43,240
church denies them, kicks them 
out, removes them, has nothing 

884
00:51:43,240 --> 00:51:46,040
to do with them. 
They use fancy language for 

885
00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:48,880
that. 
Can't share that mixed public. 

886
00:51:48,880 --> 00:51:52,000
No, I'm kidding, but they just 
use strong language. 

887
00:51:52,520 --> 00:51:58,560
So anyone, anyone of a different
nature, anyone who says that 

888
00:51:58,560 --> 00:52:01,320
he's of a different nature or a 
different substance than what 

889
00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:05,600
Scripture clearly states that 
that's not the biblical Jesus. 

890
00:52:06,520 --> 00:52:10,120
And whoever claims those things 
in their minds, this is what 

891
00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:13,360
that word really means, should 
be considered a heretic and 

892
00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:17,120
removed. 
Have nothing to do with them is 

893
00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:19,920
the idea. 
So it's very strong language. 

894
00:52:21,280 --> 00:52:24,560
And then and then the last of 
these great, the last of these 4

895
00:52:24,560 --> 00:52:29,040
great councils of that kind was 
held at Kausa then and this 

896
00:52:29,040 --> 00:52:31,120
listen to this, it's shorter. 
You can, you can handle it. 

897
00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:36,560
Jesus Christ is one person with 
two natures, with the person 

898
00:52:36,560 --> 00:52:40,440
being that of the Son of the 
triune God, the eternal Son of 

899
00:52:40,440 --> 00:52:43,280
God took to himself a truly 
human nature. 

900
00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:47,560
And Christ's divine and human 
nature's remain distinct and 

901
00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:50,920
retain their own properties, yet
they are eternally and 

902
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:53,880
inseparably united together in 
one person. 

903
00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:57,840
Jesus Christ is fully God and 
fully man. 

904
00:52:57,840 --> 00:52:59,920
And that's where that phrase 
generally comes from. 

905
00:53:01,400 --> 00:53:05,520
And so they're concluding that 
this biblical Christological 

906
00:53:05,520 --> 00:53:10,080
thinking basically was, was, was
right. 

907
00:53:10,280 --> 00:53:12,720
And, and it's interesting 
because in history, it basically

908
00:53:12,720 --> 00:53:14,720
went unchallenged for over 1000 
years. 

909
00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:19,000
And it really wasn't until the 
age of of enlightenment and the 

910
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:23,520
age of reason that came 1000 
years later or so when we're 

911
00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:26,880
once again his deity and his 
work on the cross were being 

912
00:53:26,880 --> 00:53:29,600
questioned. 
And it continues today with 

913
00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:34,880
atheism or modern liberal 
theology where they question who

914
00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:37,280
he is and they redefine 
scripture. 

915
00:53:37,520 --> 00:53:41,000
But I also need you to hear this
cultic religions and I'll you'll

916
00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:44,400
see what I mean in a minute. 
Cultic religions do the same 

917
00:53:44,400 --> 00:53:48,040
thing today, for example, and 
you may come from this 

918
00:53:48,040 --> 00:53:50,600
background, I'd be glad to visit
about that. 

919
00:53:51,480 --> 00:53:55,240
Jehovah's Witnesses, for 
example, deny the full deity and

920
00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:59,600
intern eternality of the Son. 
They don't believe Jesus is 

921
00:53:59,600 --> 00:54:02,960
eternal. 
The Church of Latter Day Saints 

922
00:54:02,960 --> 00:54:07,320
or Mormons have distorted the 
person and the work of Christ. 

923
00:54:08,080 --> 00:54:12,160
So it's a very important for us 
to to have strong conclusions 

924
00:54:12,520 --> 00:54:14,200
about the truth about who Jesus 
is. 

925
00:54:14,360 --> 00:54:18,480
So let me go back to Danny Eakin
for just a minute and he's going

926
00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:22,760
to give us some affirmations. 
So there is a true incarnation 

927
00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:26,640
of the Lagos, You know that word
log logos or logos is simply the

928
00:54:26,760 --> 00:54:31,120
the word for word, the second 
person of the tribe in God. 

929
00:54:31,360 --> 00:54:36,120
So the Son of God assumed the 
whole of human nature. 

930
00:54:36,320 --> 00:54:39,320
Wrap your head around that 
sentence that the Son of God 

931
00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:43,680
assumed the whole of human 
nature and the humanity of Jesus

932
00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:47,400
was exactly like Adam and Eve 
prior to the fall. 

933
00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:51,480
It was sinless humanity, and he 
maintained it through his entire

934
00:54:52,240 --> 00:54:55,160
life on earth. 
And so the truest and most 

935
00:54:55,160 --> 00:54:59,000
genuine expression of humanity 
is seen in Jesus Christ. 

936
00:54:59,280 --> 00:55:00,600
This is who we're supposed to 
be. 

937
00:55:00,680 --> 00:55:02,880
This is how we're supposed to 
really be humans. 

938
00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:07,120
This is how we were intended to 
be when we look at Jesus, Study 

939
00:55:07,120 --> 00:55:09,400
Jesus in the Gospels. 
That's why we're supposed to be 

940
00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:12,040
Christ like. 
This is how humanity was 

941
00:55:12,040 --> 00:55:18,920
supposed to be without sin. 
And so Jesus Christ exists only 

942
00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:23,840
by the means of the incarnation.
Listen to what First Timothy 3 

943
00:55:23,840 --> 00:55:27,240
reminds us about. 
Great indeed, we confess, is the

944
00:55:27,240 --> 00:55:30,800
mystery of godliness. 
He was manifested in the flesh, 

945
00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:35,200
vindicated by the Spirit, seen 
by angels, proclaimed among the 

946
00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:38,800
nations, believed on in the 
world, taken up in glory. 

947
00:55:41,840 --> 00:55:45,160
The second affirmation that 
Danny Aiken brings is Jesus 

948
00:55:45,160 --> 00:55:49,280
Christ possesses the totality of
both the divine and human 

949
00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:52,760
natures. 
He is the God man and the God 

950
00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:55,440
man is the result of the 
incarnation and the virgin 

951
00:55:55,440 --> 00:55:56,680
birth. 
Again, this that's a very 

952
00:55:56,680 --> 00:56:00,480
important doctrine and and is 
the means by which God chose to 

953
00:56:00,480 --> 00:56:04,320
accomplish his, his purpose. 
Yet in the incarnation, there is

954
00:56:04,320 --> 00:56:09,400
no diminishing of either 
Christ's deity or his humanity. 

955
00:56:09,640 --> 00:56:12,840
He is still fully both. 
He's 100 percent, 100%. 

956
00:56:13,360 --> 00:56:18,000
We can't be that. 
And in fact, theologian John 

957
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:21,440
Owen says this. 
He is God and man in one person.

958
00:56:22,200 --> 00:56:26,520
In Him are two distinct natures,
the one eternal, infinite, 

959
00:56:26,520 --> 00:56:30,960
immense, almighty, the form and 
essence of God, the other having

960
00:56:30,960 --> 00:56:34,200
a beginning in time, finite, 
limited, confined to a certain 

961
00:56:34,200 --> 00:56:39,000
place, which is our nature. 
And each nature retained its own

962
00:56:39,000 --> 00:56:42,880
integrity and each nature 
retained its own genuineness. 

963
00:56:43,240 --> 00:56:46,840
So whatever it is that 
constitute God is God the Son is

964
00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:49,360
this in all its fullness. 
And whatever it is that 

965
00:56:49,360 --> 00:56:53,440
constitutes man as man, Jesus of
Nazareth is this in all its 

966
00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:56,640
fullness. 
And so he's special, He's 

967
00:56:56,640 --> 00:56:58,600
different. 
He's not just a prophet on a 

968
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:01,000
wooden cross. 
He's not just a good teacher. 

969
00:57:01,120 --> 00:57:03,520
He's not just some figure in 
history. 

970
00:57:05,120 --> 00:57:07,640
Paul wrote to the Colossians 
again in Colossians 2. 

971
00:57:09,040 --> 00:57:13,200
He says for in him the whole 
fullness of deity dwells bodily,

972
00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:18,880
and you have been filled in him 
who is the head of all rule and 

973
00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:22,720
authority. 
So there's there's this genuine 

974
00:57:22,720 --> 00:57:27,560
union and which is the divine 
nature and the human nature come

975
00:57:27,560 --> 00:57:31,080
together and are present in this
one person, Jesus Christ. 

976
00:57:31,440 --> 00:57:34,360
The union is real, it's 
supernatural, it's inseparable 

977
00:57:34,360 --> 00:57:37,400
and it's permanent. 
So there is in heaven right now 

978
00:57:37,480 --> 00:57:41,920
a God man who is at the right 
hand of the majesty on high, 

979
00:57:41,920 --> 00:57:47,080
interceding for us again, the 
writer of Hebrews. 

980
00:57:48,240 --> 00:57:51,840
If I asked you who wrote that 
Chapter 7. 

981
00:57:52,280 --> 00:57:56,640
Consequently, he is able to save
to the uttermost those who draw 

982
00:57:56,640 --> 00:58:01,360
near to God through him, since 
he always lives to make 

983
00:58:01,360 --> 00:58:03,560
intercession for them. 
Think about that. 

984
00:58:03,560 --> 00:58:06,960
He's still working. 
He's always working on our 

985
00:58:06,960 --> 00:58:09,920
behalf. 
The third affirmation, the last 

986
00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:11,800
one, would be the whole of 
Christ's work. 

987
00:58:11,960 --> 00:58:15,000
All that He does requires that 
He is both man and God. 

988
00:58:15,160 --> 00:58:18,160
This is necessary. 
This is why the cross works. 

989
00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:20,360
This is why salvation can be 
had. 

990
00:58:20,680 --> 00:58:24,960
It was only as man that he could
be a Redeemer for humanity, and 

991
00:58:24,960 --> 00:58:27,880
only as a sinless man that he 
could die in the place of 

992
00:58:27,880 --> 00:58:31,520
another. 
And it was only as God that his 

993
00:58:31,520 --> 00:58:34,840
life, ministry, and redeeming 
death could have infinite value 

994
00:58:35,000 --> 00:58:39,360
and satisfy the demands of God 
to so as to deliver others from 

995
00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:41,760
sin. 
We need a God, man. 

996
00:58:42,680 --> 00:58:48,360
It's the only way it works. 
So what does Englewood Baptist 

997
00:58:48,360 --> 00:58:51,960
Church believe about Jesus? 
I'll just read it to you. 

998
00:58:52,480 --> 00:58:56,760
We believe and we affirm the 
Baptist Faith in Message 2000. 

999
00:58:57,160 --> 00:59:01,480
Here's what it says. 
The eternal triune God reveals 

1000
00:59:01,480 --> 00:59:06,680
Himself to us as Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit with distinct 

1001
00:59:06,680 --> 00:59:11,080
personal attributes, but without
division of nature, essence, or 

1002
00:59:11,080 --> 00:59:13,960
being. 
Christ is the eternal Son of 

1003
00:59:13,960 --> 00:59:16,800
God. 
In His incarnation as Jesus 

1004
00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:19,760
Christ, He was conceived of the 
Holy Spirit and born of the 

1005
00:59:19,760 --> 00:59:23,240
Virgin Mary. 
Jesus perfectly revealed and did

1006
00:59:23,240 --> 00:59:26,800
the will of God, taking upon 
Himself human nature with its 

1007
00:59:26,800 --> 00:59:30,280
demands and necessities, and 
identifying Himself completely 

1008
00:59:30,280 --> 00:59:35,520
with mankind, yet without sin. 
He honored the divine law by His

1009
00:59:35,520 --> 00:59:38,840
personal obedience, and in His 
substitutionary death on the 

1010
00:59:38,840 --> 00:59:43,000
cross, He made provision for the
redemption of men from sin. 

1011
00:59:43,560 --> 00:59:46,640
He was raised from the dead with
a glorified body and appeared to

1012
00:59:46,640 --> 00:59:50,080
His disciples as the person who 
was with them before His 

1013
00:59:50,080 --> 00:59:53,200
crucifixion. 
He ascended into heaven and is 

1014
00:59:53,200 --> 00:59:56,480
now exalted at the right hand of
God, where He is the one 

1015
00:59:56,480 --> 01:00:00,640
Mediator, fully God, fully man, 
in whose person is affected the 

1016
01:00:00,640 --> 01:00:02,800
reconciliation between God and 
man. 

1017
01:00:03,680 --> 01:00:08,400
He will return in power and 
glory to judge the world and to 

1018
01:00:08,400 --> 01:00:11,760
consummate His redemptive 
mission. 

1019
01:00:14,280 --> 01:00:20,040
He now dwells in all believers 
as the living and ever present 

1020
01:00:20,040 --> 01:00:24,200
Lord. 
So Jesus of Nazareth is the 

1021
01:00:24,200 --> 01:00:30,040
Christ, the fulfillment of Old 
Testament promises and prophecy.

1022
01:00:30,640 --> 01:00:34,960
He is the Son of God. 
He is the Savior of the world. 

1023
01:00:35,280 --> 01:00:39,920
He's my Savior. 
Jesus is the God man, complete 

1024
01:00:39,920 --> 01:00:42,920
in his deity and perfect in his 
humanity. 

1025
01:00:43,560 --> 01:00:48,400
And he's the only one who is 
God, the only one who is God 

1026
01:00:48,400 --> 01:00:50,560
that should be Lord of our 
lives. 

1027
01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:56,640
So only one who is divine like 
him should have the right to 

1028
01:00:56,640 --> 01:01:01,880
have every knee, bow and every 
tongue confess his lordship. 

1029
01:01:02,960 --> 01:01:05,400
And God the Father loves to 
exalt his Son. 

1030
01:01:05,400 --> 01:01:09,400
The Holy Spirit loves to exalt 
the Son and magnify his name. 

1031
01:01:09,400 --> 01:01:12,600
And so should we. 
Only one who is God should be 

1032
01:01:12,600 --> 01:01:17,000
granted that kind of allegiance.
So what I believe about Jesus 

1033
01:01:18,040 --> 01:01:22,120
really does matter. 
Here's what I know. 

1034
01:01:22,240 --> 01:01:24,560
I know that Jesus is the 
sovereign Creator of God 

1035
01:01:24,560 --> 01:01:27,840
Incarnate who came to fulfill 
the perfect plan and mission of 

1036
01:01:27,840 --> 01:01:32,520
God by living a perfect sinless 
life and thus being the only one

1037
01:01:32,520 --> 01:01:37,000
ever qualified to pay the price 
for the sins of humanity for all

1038
01:01:37,000 --> 01:01:39,840
time. 
I believe He died on a cross for

1039
01:01:39,840 --> 01:01:43,240
me, and that because He was 
perfect and who He claimed to 

1040
01:01:43,240 --> 01:01:47,040
be, death could not hold Him. 
So the wages of sin is death. 

1041
01:01:47,040 --> 01:01:49,440
And since he did not sin, death 
could not hold him. 

1042
01:01:49,440 --> 01:01:52,840
And and he rose again from the 
dead and left an empty tomb. 

1043
01:01:53,440 --> 01:01:56,480
Then he ascended from earth into
heaven so the Holy Spirit could 

1044
01:01:56,480 --> 01:02:03,200
come to help and guide us. 
But one day, one day Jesus is 

1045
01:02:03,200 --> 01:02:09,560
coming back to take us home and 
pronounce final victory. 

1046
01:02:10,160 --> 01:02:14,200
And I know this, I know you must
truly believe all of this to be 

1047
01:02:14,200 --> 01:02:19,200
saved, to be a Christian, and 
God will graciously save you and

1048
01:02:19,200 --> 01:02:22,560
give you eternal life with Him. 
But that also means your life is

1049
01:02:22,560 --> 01:02:25,480
hidden in Him and must be lived 
for Him. 

1050
01:02:25,920 --> 01:02:29,600
Therefore, I must believe what I
do, and I must make the 

1051
01:02:29,600 --> 01:02:33,960
decisions that I make, including
at times those not supporting 

1052
01:02:33,960 --> 01:02:36,960
what this world with its false 
truths support. 

1053
01:02:37,880 --> 01:02:40,440
My faith forces me to live a 
certain way. 

1054
01:02:40,640 --> 01:02:44,640
My faith forces me to choose a 
certain way to act a certain 

1055
01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:47,040
way. 
I cannot separate my faith from 

1056
01:02:47,040 --> 01:02:50,520
my life. 
So faith without actions, the 

1057
01:02:50,520 --> 01:02:56,440
Bible tells me, is lifeless. 
So as a follower of Christ, I 

1058
01:02:56,440 --> 01:02:58,400
have no choice but to follow the
truth. 

1059
01:02:58,640 --> 01:03:02,640
And as the world spins its 
truth, we must share the truth, 

1060
01:03:03,880 --> 01:03:06,600
and we should only give our 
worship and service to the one 

1061
01:03:06,600 --> 01:03:11,800
we confess, like Thomas did in 
John chapter 20, verse 28. 

1062
01:03:12,520 --> 01:03:18,400
My Lord and my God, now what are
you going to call him? 

1063
01:03:19,440 --> 01:03:28,520
Heretic, deceiver, prophet, 
lunatic, good teacher, moral 

1064
01:03:28,520 --> 01:03:34,720
example, myth? 
Or will you dare call him my 

1065
01:03:34,720 --> 01:03:40,040
Lord and my godfather? 
Thank you. 

1066
01:03:42,760 --> 01:03:47,400
Thank you for the incredible 
price that you paid. 

1067
01:03:50,040 --> 01:03:53,480
Father. 
What a what a dramatic story. 

1068
01:03:55,840 --> 01:03:59,560
The sacrifice, what you 
surrendered. 

1069
01:04:02,000 --> 01:04:04,920
And I don't, I don't know that 
I'll ever fully understand it 

1070
01:04:06,120 --> 01:04:08,440
for us. 
You did that for us. 

1071
01:04:11,160 --> 01:04:17,040
And we are so frail. 
We are so fragile at times. 

1072
01:04:17,040 --> 01:04:24,600
We're so sinful at times we're 
we fail you. 

1073
01:04:26,120 --> 01:04:32,800
Yet you still love us. 
Father, I pray that if there's 

1074
01:04:32,800 --> 01:04:36,680
somebody here in this room or 
people listening to this online 

1075
01:04:36,680 --> 01:04:40,560
right now, who would have to 
admit that they have not 

1076
01:04:40,560 --> 01:04:45,240
believed all of this about 
Jesus, but now they do. 

1077
01:04:46,640 --> 01:04:49,760
They recognize that right now 
the Holy Spirit's working in 

1078
01:04:49,760 --> 01:04:52,160
their heart. 
They may not be able to explain 

1079
01:04:52,160 --> 01:04:56,400
that, but they know it and they 
need to be saved. 

1080
01:04:57,840 --> 01:05:00,880
They need to ask Jesus to come 
into their heart to forgive 

1081
01:05:00,880 --> 01:05:02,800
them. 
They need to confess their sin. 

1082
01:05:03,960 --> 01:05:08,160
They need to agree with you 
about what their sin is. 

1083
01:05:11,400 --> 01:05:14,160
They need to be willing to turn 
from that, to repent, to fill 

1084
01:05:14,160 --> 01:05:18,720
their life with you and Father. 
I pray that you'll help them. 

1085
01:05:18,720 --> 01:05:24,760
Lord by grace, Father, help them
to have the faith to believe. 

1086
01:05:27,680 --> 01:05:30,320
Father, I pray if someone is 
here that they would come and 

1087
01:05:30,320 --> 01:05:33,200
talk to me after this session or
if somebody's listening online, 

1088
01:05:33,200 --> 01:05:35,680
that they would call the church 
to talk to us about what it 

1089
01:05:35,680 --> 01:05:40,840
means to be saved, to really 
believe in Jesus this way. 

1090
01:05:41,320 --> 01:05:43,920
And Father, I pray for those 
believers who are here and 

1091
01:05:43,920 --> 01:05:46,720
listening that we would be 
better equipped to be able to 

1092
01:05:46,720 --> 01:05:52,720
say this is who Jesus is. 
That TV shows not right. 

1093
01:05:53,840 --> 01:05:56,480
That's special. 
That documentary is not right. 

1094
01:05:57,600 --> 01:06:00,960
The word of God's right. 
Here's the truth. 

1095
01:06:01,800 --> 01:06:04,760
This is who He is, and this is 
the only reason any of this 

1096
01:06:04,760 --> 01:06:07,840
works. 
The only reason the cross makes 

1097
01:06:07,840 --> 01:06:10,560
sense, the only reason the cross
has any effect, the only reason 

1098
01:06:10,560 --> 01:06:15,600
the resurrection matters, the 
only reason we were created in 

1099
01:06:15,600 --> 01:06:21,920
the first place. 
So Father, help us to lay hold 

1100
01:06:21,920 --> 01:06:24,280
of this. 
The darkness can't. 

1101
01:06:25,440 --> 01:06:26,760
The darkness can't comprehend 
it. 

1102
01:06:26,760 --> 01:06:30,080
But Father, I pray we will. 
And that will bury it in our 

1103
01:06:30,080 --> 01:06:33,400
hearts to the point that we can 
share with someone else or we 

1104
01:06:33,400 --> 01:06:36,520
can refer someone else to listen
to this and help them to 

1105
01:06:36,520 --> 01:06:39,800
understand who you are, what 
you've done, what your plan is. 

1106
01:06:42,920 --> 01:06:45,760
And Father, I just pray that 
then we will recognize that 

1107
01:06:45,760 --> 01:06:48,840
because of what you've done, 
Lord, we owe you our lives. 

1108
01:06:49,880 --> 01:06:52,680
We owe you our service. 
We owe you our time. 

1109
01:06:52,840 --> 01:06:56,000
We owe you our resources. 
We owe you our giftedness, Our 

1110
01:06:56,000 --> 01:06:59,440
Calling. 
We owe you our whole being, 

1111
01:06:59,440 --> 01:07:01,400
Father. 
So help us to serve you well. 

1112
01:07:01,800 --> 01:07:04,360
Help us to worship you. 
Help us to bring you great 

1113
01:07:04,360 --> 01:07:07,400
glory. 
Father, thank you for what 

1114
01:07:07,400 --> 01:07:11,880
you're doing at Inglewood. 
Thank you, Father, for the new 

1115
01:07:11,880 --> 01:07:15,080
members that are joining us. 
Father, many of them with great 

1116
01:07:15,080 --> 01:07:18,480
experience, great skill, great, 
great giftedness to Father. 

1117
01:07:18,480 --> 01:07:20,080
They're going to plug in and 
help us. 

1118
01:07:20,840 --> 01:07:25,600
They're ready to serve others 
who are brand new believers that

1119
01:07:25,600 --> 01:07:28,200
we need to help grow and 
disciple. 

1120
01:07:28,240 --> 01:07:34,360
What an exciting opportunity. 
So, Father, bless us, guide us, 

1121
01:07:35,320 --> 01:07:41,680
but help us to remember. 
Help us to remember who you are 

1122
01:07:42,640 --> 01:07:48,440
and what you've done. 
And Father, one day, Father, 

1123
01:07:48,440 --> 01:07:53,120
maybe not my lifetime, certainly
not with my prediction, the 

1124
01:07:53,120 --> 01:07:59,000
Father, one day I want to hear 
trumpets blow, I want to look up

1125
01:07:59,920 --> 01:08:05,960
and I'm ready to fly. 
But until then, we got work to 

1126
01:08:05,960 --> 01:08:08,400
do. 
So fill us with your spirit. 

1127
01:08:08,400 --> 01:08:15,480
Empower us, bind the enemy from 
this work, and bring revival, 

1128
01:08:16,200 --> 01:08:20,920
bring salvation, bring growth 
and discipleship, and we're 

1129
01:08:20,920 --> 01:08:25,840
going to praise you for it in 
Christ's name, Amen. 

1130
01:08:27,040 --> 01:08:32,760
Thank you all so much. 
Thank you so much for listening 

1131
01:08:32,760 --> 01:08:34,359
today. 
And I also hope that you'll go 

1132
01:08:34,359 --> 01:08:36,600
to 
ourwebsite@englewoodbaptist.com 

1133
01:08:36,600 --> 01:08:39,640
as well as our app and find many
other resources that will bless 

1134
01:08:39,640 --> 01:08:41,840
you and your families. 
Thank you once again.