WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.160 Well, great to see you this morning, folks. My name is Graeme. I've got the joy of being the pastor here at the church. 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:07.919 Let me encourage you to have John chapter 1 open in front of you. 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:13.019 And we're just going to pause as we begin this afternoon and we're going to pray. 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:18.359 So let's close our eyes, let's just still our hearts as we come to God's words today. 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:23.400 The words of Psalm 18. 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.460 This God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord proves true. 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:34.380 He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:39.719 So, Father, we pray that you would help turn our eyes to that which is true today. 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:45.759 By turning our eyes to your Son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. 00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:51.500 Well, with John chapter 1 open in front of you, let me just tell you what we're going to be doing as we build up to Easter, 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:55.740 which is just around the corner. We're starting a new series today that we've called Ichthus, 00:00:55.740 --> 00:01:00.800 which I'm sure the Greek boffins out there will know is the Greek word for fish. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:05.500 So what the earliest Christians used to do to let each other know that they follow Jesus 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:09.079 is that they drew a fish symbol in the ground. 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:13.500 Because Ichthus is a Greek acronym for the phrase, 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:18.099 Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior. 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:24.019 So this was their common confession about all those who followed the Lord Jesus. 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:30.140 And it's why, besides the cross, the fish has become the recognized symbol for Christianity down the ages. 00:01:30.899 --> 00:01:37.199 As many others, countless others, make this their confession too about the Lord Jesus. 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:41.280 And so what we're going to be doing on the Sunday mornings as we work our way up to Easter 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:47.219 is we're going to be thinking and working through some of the key moments in Jesus' life. 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:52.920 These moments that take us to the heart of who he is and what he came to do. 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:57.740 Because I recognize there's many of us here today who are investigating the Christian faith, 00:01:57.820 --> 00:02:00.460 which is a wonderful thing. You are so welcome here. 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:06.879 Let me just encourage you that there is no greater place to start thinking through those claims of Christianity 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:12.479 than by looking at the life of Jesus Christ as we find him in the Gospels. 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:17.840 And for those of us here who are following Jesus, maybe we've done so for a week, 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:20.579 maybe we've done so for many years. 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:25.599 It's my prayer that we would increase both in our knowledge of him 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:32.900 and that we would increase by God's grace through his spirit in our affections for him 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:35.740 as we together we savor the saviour. 00:02:36.139 --> 00:02:40.120 And so let me just get, crack on, get us to the first one of these. 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:44.340 Let me just tell you about an experience I had recently on the city bypass. 00:02:45.419 --> 00:02:47.280 So I'm in the car and I'm heading out of town. 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:49.359 Now you get the whole idea of a bypass, right? 00:02:50.259 --> 00:02:52.139 That you try and bypass the traffic. 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:58.279 Well, this particular day I was driving out of town and I'm hitting the bypass 00:02:58.279 --> 00:03:01.279 and I recognise that the cars are crawling along. 00:03:01.399 --> 00:03:04.019 Now normally when you see that you recognise that it's because 00:03:04.019 --> 00:03:08.259 either some of these cars broken down up ahead, maybe their battery's gone flat 00:03:08.259 --> 00:03:10.439 or it's because people are trying to join at different junctions 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:11.819 and it slowed the thing right down. 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:13.579 But not in this particular day. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.319 So the bypass was crawling along 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.599 and do you know what was making it crawling along? 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:21.639 It was the sun. 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:23.819 It was the sun. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:26.979 It was so unbelievably bright 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:30.799 that drivers couldn't see where they were going. 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:33.679 The sun was forcing them to slow right down 00:03:33.679 --> 00:03:38.299 and the speed of the bypass dropped to about five miles an hour. 00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:40.399 It was an incredible thing to see and think about. 00:03:40.899 --> 00:03:43.399 I wonder if you've ever had an experience like that. 00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:47.000 I guess that's kind of why they invented sunglasses, isn't it? 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:49.039 I was thinking of it this week. 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:50.199 Google's a wonderful thing. 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:52.780 And I didn't know this until this week 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:57.119 that apparently the sun is 93 million miles away from the earth. 00:03:57.219 --> 00:03:57.679 Did you know that? 00:03:58.560 --> 00:03:59.639 Learned something today, right? 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:00.919 Great fact. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.259 93 million miles away from the earth. 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:04.919 And it got me thinking, 00:04:05.079 --> 00:04:05.939 I wonder how, 00:04:07.399 --> 00:04:11.079 if that, from our point of view, 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.899 is how we react to something that is 93 million miles away, 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:17.399 how bright must the sun be? 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:19.439 And then I got thinking, 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:20.360 I love to think on these things. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.079 I wonder how close one could get to the sun 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:26.920 before you just shriveled up and died. 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:29.180 What could we take in? 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:30.640 How close could we get 00:04:30.640 --> 00:04:33.360 before simply our bodies just gave up the ghost? 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:38.640 Here's the thing about this passage today. 00:04:38.819 --> 00:04:40.140 If that's the case with the sun, 00:04:41.460 --> 00:04:43.340 then how much greater the case 00:04:43.340 --> 00:04:47.040 if we were to ever encounter the one who made the sun? 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:51.180 Now here's the confession 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:55.040 that you know if you are an Old Testament Jew. 00:04:55.520 --> 00:04:56.300 Really simple. 00:04:56.400 --> 00:04:56.960 It goes like this. 00:04:57.020 --> 00:04:58.700 You cannot look on God and live. 00:05:00.080 --> 00:05:01.620 You cannot look on God and live. 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:04.259 You cannot take him in. 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:05.439 If you were to take it in, 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:07.160 you wouldn't be here to tell the story. 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:11.040 You cannot look on the God of the universe's glory, 00:05:11.900 --> 00:05:14.160 his greatness, his goodness, 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:15.040 his otherness, 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:16.879 his majesty, 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:17.760 his holiness, 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:18.800 his splendor. 00:05:18.900 --> 00:05:21.640 This is who the God of eternity is. 00:05:22.460 --> 00:05:24.420 And you know as an Old Testament Jew 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:27.500 that you cannot look on God and live. 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:30.000 And you find this repeatedly in the Old Testament 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.240 when people encounter the living God. 00:05:32.939 --> 00:05:35.180 The prophet Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 6, 00:05:35.320 --> 00:05:37.280 he fears for his life 00:05:37.280 --> 00:05:39.379 when he finds himself in God's presence. 00:05:39.820 --> 00:05:42.480 Because he realizes he's not aware of his smallness, 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:45.259 he's more aware of his sinfulness. 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:47.340 That who is he, 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:48.840 an unclean human being, 00:05:48.900 --> 00:05:49.759 a sinful human being, 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:53.300 to come into the presence of the three times holy God. 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:54.700 He falls down and he declares, 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:55.560 woe is me, 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:56.640 I am done. 00:05:58.960 --> 00:06:00.200 We see it again similarly. 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:00.879 Ezekiel, 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:02.420 he finds himself in the presence of God, 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:02.839 a prophet, 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:04.519 falls on his face. 00:06:05.039 --> 00:06:08.019 And you get this constant refrain in the Old Testament. 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:09.039 You'll see it on the screen. 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:12.800 Who is able to stand before the Lord? 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:15.139 This holy God. 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:18.539 Which is a cracking question, isn't it? 00:06:19.539 --> 00:06:21.240 Who can stand before him? 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:24.360 And so with that backdrop, 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:27.180 you can appreciate the sheer audacity of the claim 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:30.519 that John makes in the prologue of his gospel. 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:31.259 If you've got it there, 00:06:31.379 --> 00:06:32.360 John chapter 1. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:36.680 Who can see the glory of God 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:38.439 and live to tell the tale? 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:41.319 John puts his hand in the air 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:42.199 and he declares, 00:06:42.740 --> 00:06:43.220 I can. 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:46.740 I can tell you. 00:06:48.740 --> 00:06:50.519 What does he say at verse 14? 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:51.539 See these words. 00:06:51.699 --> 00:06:56.479 We have seen his glory. 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:01.699 Now either your boy is wearing some spectacular sunglasses 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:04.219 that offer him some unparalleled UV protection. 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:05.959 He needs to get a patent on that quick. 00:07:06.299 --> 00:07:07.959 Which given we're talking in the first century, 00:07:08.039 --> 00:07:09.639 we're calling that unlikely, okay? 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:15.259 Or something's happened. 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:19.699 And what's happened, 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:21.519 verse 14, 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:24.319 and this is where we hit the jaw-dropping claim 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:26.459 that's right at the heart of the Christian faith, 00:07:27.259 --> 00:07:30.159 that the words became flesh. 00:07:31.719 --> 00:07:32.339 The words, 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:33.240 the one, 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:35.420 if you want to scan your eyes back 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:37.719 to the beginning of John's gospel, 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:39.539 when your boy doesn't go for any small talk, 00:07:39.599 --> 00:07:39.860 does he? 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:41.180 He just goes straight for the jugular. 00:07:41.300 --> 00:07:41.879 What does he say? 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:45.139 The words who John has introduced us to at verse 1. 00:07:45.219 --> 00:07:46.699 The word who is eternal. 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:48.319 This is what we're learning about the word. 00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:50.100 The word who, 00:07:51.579 --> 00:07:54.240 through whom all things were made. 00:07:55.259 --> 00:07:55.899 The word, 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:58.339 the one who sustains the stars and planets. 00:07:58.560 --> 00:07:59.120 The word, 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.980 the one who gives life to every human being 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:05.199 who holds our lives in his hand. 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:07.100 Let me just take this opportunity to say, 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:08.800 in our world at the minute, 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:10.300 let's not lose sight of the fact 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:11.379 that our God is sovereign, 00:08:11.840 --> 00:08:14.060 that it's him that holds our lives in his hands. 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.000 So we act with wisdom. 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:17.699 We wash our hands. 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:19.800 We want to love the people around about us 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:21.379 by doing that and by visiting 00:08:21.379 --> 00:08:22.439 and by going to see them 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:24.000 and helping them in any way that we can, 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:25.720 kind of loving our neighbor. 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:28.680 But let's not lose sight of the fact 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:30.980 that our lives and our times 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:33.779 are held in the hand of our good father. 00:08:35.180 --> 00:08:36.419 So back on track. 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:38.620 The word is Jesus. 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:39.539 This is what he's saying. 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:41.159 The word is Jesus. 00:08:42.319 --> 00:08:44.039 It was him who became flesh. 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:44.839 Jesus Christ, 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:46.639 get your heads around this, 00:08:47.099 --> 00:08:49.099 took a human body. 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:51.939 And whilst not relinquishing 00:08:51.939 --> 00:08:54.459 one ounce of his deity 00:08:54.459 --> 00:08:56.539 as God in the beginning, 00:08:57.419 --> 00:09:00.199 he stepped into our humanity. 00:09:01.439 --> 00:09:04.259 He entered our existence. 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:07.679 He inhabited our skin. 00:09:07.819 --> 00:09:11.159 He stepped into our situation 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:13.340 in all its frailty, 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:15.639 in all its brokenness, 00:09:15.700 --> 00:09:17.879 and all its vulnerability. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:19.860 Jesus Christ, 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.340 the theme of heaven's praises, 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:25.399 the one on whom angels long to look, 00:09:26.139 --> 00:09:29.299 God became flesh. 00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:32.719 in what is known as the incarnation 00:09:32.719 --> 00:09:33.819 in Christian circles. 00:09:35.539 --> 00:09:36.859 And the old hymn we used to sing, 00:09:38.079 --> 00:09:41.399 thou who was rich beyond all splendor, 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:43.899 all for love's sake became us poor. 00:09:44.779 --> 00:09:47.740 Thrones for a manger did surrender. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.259 Sapphire paved courts for a stable floor. 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:53.919 Thou who was rich beyond all splendor, 00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:56.439 all for love's sake became poor. 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:58.000 There's a reason that this doctrine, 00:09:58.160 --> 00:09:58.800 this truth, 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:00.980 has been and will be celebrated 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:02.520 by Christians down the ages. 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:05.880 And we saw him, says John. 00:10:07.640 --> 00:10:09.460 Worth maybe dipping into this guy, John. 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:11.320 He's a fisherman 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:13.500 who Jesus called to come 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:15.120 and be one of his 12 disciples. 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:16.360 John finds himself, 00:10:16.680 --> 00:10:17.680 not just one of the 12, 00:10:17.760 --> 00:10:18.900 but part of the inner three, 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:20.900 along with James' brother and Peter, 00:10:21.020 --> 00:10:22.360 meaning that he gets to watch, 00:10:22.380 --> 00:10:23.960 he got to watch Jesus up close 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.500 and personal in action, right? 00:10:26.560 --> 00:10:27.759 Brought into things, 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:28.980 seen things, 00:10:29.060 --> 00:10:29.639 the teachings, 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:30.620 the interactions, 00:10:30.920 --> 00:10:31.440 the miracles, 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:33.220 the people whose lives 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:34.500 Jesus transformed, 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:38.160 who he called to sin no more 00:10:38.160 --> 00:10:40.280 after they'd encountered him. 00:10:40.400 --> 00:10:42.660 He heard Jesus explain his mission. 00:10:43.060 --> 00:10:43.740 And here's something cool 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:45.060 I was thinking about this week. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:47.300 At the end of John's gospel, 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:48.100 what does he tell us? 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:49.200 He tells us that Jesus 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:51.879 is hanging suspended on the cross, 00:10:52.800 --> 00:10:54.160 bearing the sin of all those 00:10:54.160 --> 00:10:56.040 who would look to him in faith. 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:59.240 Jesus points to his mother Mary, 00:10:59.379 --> 00:10:59.940 or rather, sorry, 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:01.379 looks at his mother Mary, 00:11:01.540 --> 00:11:02.640 speaks in her direction, 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:03.800 who's standing next to John, 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:04.720 and says to John, 00:11:05.160 --> 00:11:06.480 John, you take care of her 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:07.160 as your own mum. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:09.860 And church tradition, 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:11.520 if you look it up, 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:13.540 tells us that John cared for Mary 00:11:13.540 --> 00:11:15.960 for something like 11 years or so 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:16.820 before she died. 00:11:16.900 --> 00:11:17.680 Now, here's the point. 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:19.979 These two are living together. 00:11:21.359 --> 00:11:21.519 Right? 00:11:22.779 --> 00:11:24.299 Probably having an educated guess 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:25.419 that they're not making small talk 00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:26.019 with one another. 00:11:26.219 --> 00:11:26.399 Right? 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:28.279 Another tea vicar? 00:11:28.459 --> 00:11:29.299 No, they're not doing that. 00:11:29.359 --> 00:11:30.159 What do you think they're talking about? 00:11:30.219 --> 00:11:31.000 Do you not think they're spending 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:32.439 every waking moment 00:11:32.439 --> 00:11:33.779 talking about Jesus? 00:11:36.479 --> 00:11:37.699 Remember when he said that? 00:11:37.859 --> 00:11:39.139 Oh, how cool was that? 00:11:39.359 --> 00:11:40.639 How brilliant was that? 00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:42.199 Do you remember when he did that? 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.079 I could not believe it. 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:45.479 Do you remember how the crowd reacted? 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:46.819 Do you remember how they marveled 00:11:46.819 --> 00:11:47.479 at his teaching? 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:48.580 Like they'd seen nothing 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:49.700 like this before. 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:52.360 And so John, 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:53.779 having lived this kind of life 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:55.279 and having thrown himself 00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:56.580 into chewing it all over, 00:11:56.840 --> 00:11:58.220 has written this gospel 00:11:58.220 --> 00:11:59.139 so that you and I, 00:11:59.220 --> 00:12:00.100 down the generations, 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:02.039 would find ourselves here 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:02.800 able to read about 00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:03.639 the life of Jesus. 00:12:03.899 --> 00:12:05.060 And as you read his gospel, 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:06.440 the thing is that you get a sense 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:08.019 that this guy's never stopped 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:09.259 being thrilled 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:11.460 with the risen Jesus. 00:12:11.460 --> 00:12:15.680 maybe a challenge for some of us today. 00:12:16.680 --> 00:12:17.960 Have we grown cold 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:19.300 in our affections for him? 00:12:21.160 --> 00:12:22.540 You've been a Christian for years. 00:12:22.680 --> 00:12:24.360 Today, are you still thrilled 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:26.220 with the person 00:12:26.220 --> 00:12:27.400 and the work of Jesus? 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:28.299 You know, 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:29.279 I think about the Christians, 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:30.419 particularly I'm thinking about uni, 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:32.480 the lecturers who have had 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.899 the greatest impact on me 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:35.340 as I've journeyed through. 00:12:36.319 --> 00:12:37.459 And it's those who I can tell 00:12:37.459 --> 00:12:38.919 have just never stopped 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:41.659 thinking about Jesus. 00:12:42.939 --> 00:12:44.319 And they are 80, 00:12:44.459 --> 00:12:45.039 pushing 90, 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:46.579 they're still learning things, 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:48.100 they're still marveling at this. 00:12:48.540 --> 00:12:49.139 I've got a guy, 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:50.120 a lecturer, 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:51.659 who weeps his way 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:52.779 through Hebrew poetry. 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:55.120 He just finds it that beautiful 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:56.220 that he encounters 00:12:56.220 --> 00:12:57.340 the God of the Word 00:12:57.340 --> 00:12:58.639 and this is him. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:01.200 John has never stopped 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:02.060 being thrilled 00:13:02.060 --> 00:13:04.879 with the person of Jesus. 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:05.840 How can John say 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:07.100 that he's seen God's glory? 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:08.460 Let's rattle through 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:09.960 three quick things from this text. 00:13:10.040 --> 00:13:10.659 He can say it 00:13:10.659 --> 00:13:11.720 because he saw Jesus. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:12.879 John wants us to know 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:13.779 where Jesus came. 00:13:14.420 --> 00:13:16.279 Okay, 14 to 18 in the text, 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:16.879 follow with me. 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:18.080 Verse 14, it says, 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:19.240 he dwelt. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:22.519 He dwelt quite literally. 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:23.980 He tabernacled. 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:25.159 That's the word. 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:26.920 If you know your Old Testament, 00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:28.120 this is the tent 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:29.600 that we read about 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:30.500 in the Old Testament 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:32.100 that Israel carried with them 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:32.960 before the temple 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:33.860 was constructed. 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:35.920 The tabernacle 00:13:35.920 --> 00:13:38.060 that signified God's presence 00:13:38.060 --> 00:13:39.279 with his people, 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:41.279 that God desired to dwell 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:43.040 with his people. 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:48.080 And where has the word dwelt? 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:48.920 It's tabernacled. 00:13:48.920 --> 00:13:49.220 Where? 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:50.420 Among us. 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:53.000 With us, 00:13:53.040 --> 00:13:54.159 as we were singing about earlier, 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:54.840 because you might have 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:55.500 half expected, 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:57.000 given who Jesus is, 00:13:57.519 --> 00:13:59.120 that when he came to earth 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.060 that he would go straight 00:14:00.060 --> 00:14:01.259 to the palace. 00:14:01.340 --> 00:14:02.000 And we have to say 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.139 that that would be humility 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:04.560 enough on his part 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:05.379 if he did that. 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:07.080 Having waiters serve him, 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:08.460 having people bow to him, 00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:09.800 making sure that the world 00:14:09.800 --> 00:14:10.980 recognizes him. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.180 But where is he? 00:14:12.179 --> 00:14:14.899 He's not locked away 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:15.539 in the green room 00:14:15.539 --> 00:14:16.819 of some concert venue, 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:17.699 saying to the bloke 00:14:17.699 --> 00:14:18.179 on the door, 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:18.779 would you make sure 00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:19.679 that no one gets in here 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:20.399 unless I say. 00:14:21.939 --> 00:14:24.199 He's not in the business class 00:14:24.199 --> 00:14:25.779 of British Airways, 00:14:25.939 --> 00:14:26.199 saying, 00:14:26.319 --> 00:14:26.879 can you just draw 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:27.579 the curtain please 00:14:27.579 --> 00:14:28.899 so I don't have to interact 00:14:28.899 --> 00:14:29.839 with the riffraff 00:14:29.839 --> 00:14:31.099 who are in the economy class. 00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:32.679 Where is he? 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:34.159 No. 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:37.159 Born in lowly Bethlehem, 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:39.419 grows up in joked 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:40.819 about Nazareth. 00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:42.339 And where is he so often 00:14:42.339 --> 00:14:43.219 in the Gospels 00:14:43.219 --> 00:14:44.299 when he's not praying? 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:45.979 Who is he with? 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:47.759 He's with people. 00:14:49.479 --> 00:14:50.079 People. 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:52.379 Engaging them, 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:53.659 teaching them, 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:54.919 healing them, 00:14:55.059 --> 00:14:56.319 helping them to think, 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:57.679 listening to them, 00:14:57.799 --> 00:14:58.639 eating with them, 00:14:59.059 --> 00:14:59.959 crying with them, 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:01.500 speaking with them 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:02.519 to the extent 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:03.500 that people look on 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:04.299 and they mockingly 00:15:04.299 --> 00:15:05.539 give him the nickname 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:07.059 the friend of sinners. 00:15:07.059 --> 00:15:09.979 As he steps in, 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:11.219 as he calls a world 00:15:11.219 --> 00:15:12.299 to himself 00:15:12.299 --> 00:15:13.099 and says, 00:15:13.199 --> 00:15:13.839 you need to stop 00:15:13.839 --> 00:15:14.819 going your own way, 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:15.479 you need to turn 00:15:15.479 --> 00:15:16.359 from your sin, 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:16.859 repent, 00:15:17.459 --> 00:15:18.579 start going my way, 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:19.459 Jesus turns up 00:15:19.459 --> 00:15:20.500 and offers the world 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:21.679 himself. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:24.619 Of course, 00:15:24.699 --> 00:15:25.399 as we see Jesus 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:27.000 interacting with a world, 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:28.919 this is how we should 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:29.679 interact as those 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:30.679 who would follow him, 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:32.719 by engaging with the world, 00:15:32.959 --> 00:15:34.779 loving the world 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:35.939 with the heart of Jesus. 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:36.760 Do you see how 00:15:36.760 --> 00:15:37.800 in the person of Jesus, 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:39.020 God chose to dwell 00:15:39.020 --> 00:15:39.840 among his people 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:43.280 in the most personal way possible? 00:15:45.180 --> 00:15:46.580 He dwelt among us. 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:49.220 John wants us to know 00:15:49.220 --> 00:15:49.720 where he came, 00:15:49.780 --> 00:15:50.440 he wants us to know 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:51.140 how he came. 00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:53.780 End of verse 14, 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:55.300 he came full of grace 00:15:55.300 --> 00:15:56.600 and truth. 00:15:56.680 --> 00:15:57.360 You get the same 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.840 double words again 00:15:58.840 --> 00:15:59.720 at verse 17, 00:15:59.820 --> 00:16:00.440 for the law was given 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:01.020 through Moses, 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:02.340 grace and truth 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:03.580 came through Jesus Christ. 00:16:03.580 --> 00:16:05.900 And we think about 00:16:05.900 --> 00:16:06.420 that word, 00:16:06.580 --> 00:16:06.980 grace. 00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:07.280 You know, 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:07.780 mercy, 00:16:08.520 --> 00:16:09.840 not getting something 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:10.840 that we do deserve, 00:16:10.920 --> 00:16:11.620 that's the definition 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:12.180 of mercy. 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:12.960 Grace, 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:15.120 getting something 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:17.120 that we don't deserve. 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:20.080 God's grace to us, 00:16:20.660 --> 00:16:22.160 to undeserving, 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:23.379 rebellious human creatures, 00:16:23.540 --> 00:16:24.520 comes not in the giving 00:16:24.520 --> 00:16:25.300 of stuff, 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:26.860 but it comes 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:28.140 in the giving us 00:16:28.140 --> 00:16:30.360 of his son. 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:31.720 What we need to understand 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:33.360 is if in the person 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:33.919 of Jesus, 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:34.940 it's as if God 00:16:34.940 --> 00:16:35.820 has reached into 00:16:35.820 --> 00:16:36.720 his inner being 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:37.899 and he's plucked 00:16:37.899 --> 00:16:38.800 out his own heart 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:39.860 in giving us 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:40.680 his son Jesus. 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:43.539 Such is his great love 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:45.360 for a lost world. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.759 He came full of grace 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:48.440 and truth. 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:50.580 And if you think about it, 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:51.919 in theory, 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:52.720 he could have come 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:54.800 and not brought grace 00:16:54.800 --> 00:16:55.220 and truth. 00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:55.920 He could have come 00:16:55.920 --> 00:16:56.399 and he could have 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:57.639 laid down the law. 00:16:58.800 --> 00:16:59.159 Right? 00:16:59.159 --> 00:16:59.719 I don't know 00:16:59.719 --> 00:17:00.620 if you've noticed that. 00:17:00.699 --> 00:17:01.079 It's what they do 00:17:01.079 --> 00:17:01.419 in rugby. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:02.259 I remember growing up 00:17:02.259 --> 00:17:02.719 playing rugby, 00:17:02.819 --> 00:17:04.000 never really understood it. 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:05.319 You commit a foul, 00:17:05.399 --> 00:17:06.220 you need to back off 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:06.819 10 metres. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:07.559 And if you don't 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:08.519 back off 10 metres 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:09.319 by the time the ref 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:09.759 sees it, 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:10.539 you're back another 00:17:10.539 --> 00:17:11.099 10 metres. 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:12.099 And technically, 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:12.920 you can keep on going 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:13.480 all the way to the 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:14.799 tri-line if you keep 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.159 making the same mistake. 00:17:17.639 --> 00:17:18.000 The ref says, 00:17:18.139 --> 00:17:18.559 get back, 00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:19.240 get back. 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:20.240 You committed a null foul, 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:20.839 get back, 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:21.379 get back. 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:23.180 I was thinking this week, 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:24.519 Jesus could have so easily 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:25.139 come and said, 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.359 see those Ten Commandments. 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:27.599 You know those Ten Commandments, 00:17:27.659 --> 00:17:28.460 the ones that you stink 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:28.879 at keeping? 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:31.180 I'm here to make it 20. 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:34.180 And you know what's happening. 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:34.779 If you don't believe it, 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:36.019 he's going to be 30. 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:37.060 He's going to keep on going. 00:17:39.560 --> 00:17:39.779 No, 00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:40.880 in Christ, 00:17:41.340 --> 00:17:42.680 John says 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:43.420 that we have received 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:45.440 grace upon grace. 00:17:45.620 --> 00:17:46.200 In other words, 00:17:46.300 --> 00:17:47.620 God's grace to the world 00:17:47.620 --> 00:17:48.340 and that in 00:17:48.340 --> 00:17:49.500 which in particular 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:50.279 he has already 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:51.300 consistently shown 00:17:51.300 --> 00:17:52.220 to his people 00:17:52.220 --> 00:17:54.200 down the ages 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:55.920 reaches new heights 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:57.420 in the coming of Jesus. 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:00.039 I encourage you 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:00.620 to come along 00:18:00.620 --> 00:18:01.279 the next few weeks. 00:18:01.360 --> 00:18:01.720 We're going to see 00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:02.700 exactly how that grace 00:18:02.700 --> 00:18:04.220 works itself out 00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:06.100 specifically in Jesus' life. 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:07.779 Come back next week 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:08.519 and we'll see another 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:09.360 wonderful truth 00:18:09.360 --> 00:18:10.340 about who he is. 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:11.580 But you see for now 00:18:11.580 --> 00:18:12.360 that he has come 00:18:12.360 --> 00:18:13.300 full of grace 00:18:13.300 --> 00:18:14.039 and truth. 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:16.660 Talking of grace, 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:17.840 our little girls, 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:18.600 their favorite game 00:18:18.600 --> 00:18:18.860 at the minute, 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:19.820 one of their favorite games 00:18:19.820 --> 00:18:21.180 is to run into any room 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:22.279 in our house, 00:18:22.360 --> 00:18:23.220 to shut the door, 00:18:23.360 --> 00:18:24.160 turn the lights off 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:25.080 and say spooky, 00:18:25.380 --> 00:18:25.840 spooky. 00:18:27.300 --> 00:18:28.440 They love doing this. 00:18:29.860 --> 00:18:30.680 Which is all fun 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:31.279 and games, right? 00:18:31.340 --> 00:18:31.880 Until somebody's 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:32.460 banging heads 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:32.900 or somebody's 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:33.680 running into a cupboard 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:34.720 and spooky, spooky 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:35.660 turns into daddy, 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:36.620 daddy, mommy, mommy. 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:37.900 But here's what 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:38.820 they're gradually learning 00:18:38.820 --> 00:18:40.080 in the school of hard life. 00:18:40.620 --> 00:18:41.420 School of hard knocks, 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:42.279 the school of life. 00:18:43.620 --> 00:18:44.580 That you can't see 00:18:44.580 --> 00:18:45.259 where you're going 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:47.220 and you don't know 00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:48.040 what you're doing 00:18:48.040 --> 00:18:49.800 when you're living 00:18:49.800 --> 00:18:50.480 in the dark. 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:54.079 What does John 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:54.620 call Jesus 00:18:54.620 --> 00:18:55.360 at verse 9? 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:56.059 He calls him what? 00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:57.420 The true light. 00:18:58.519 --> 00:18:59.420 The light 00:18:59.420 --> 00:19:01.799 by which you can see. 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:03.539 The light 00:19:03.539 --> 00:19:04.220 that shines 00:19:04.220 --> 00:19:05.019 into the room 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.240 of our dark existence 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:07.240 where we are 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:08.059 groping around 00:19:08.059 --> 00:19:08.940 trying to figure 00:19:08.940 --> 00:19:10.240 our existence 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:11.420 and our lives out. 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:13.720 What does the light 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:14.740 bring as he shines? 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:15.940 He brings truth. 00:19:17.360 --> 00:19:18.400 Truth about us, 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:19.940 truth about our world, 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:21.539 truth about our God, 00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:23.059 truth about our predicament. 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:26.680 And so the wonderful thing 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:27.440 about these verses 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.779 is if you're here today 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:30.640 and you want to know grace, 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:32.759 if you're here today 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:34.600 and you want to know truth, 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:36.500 John's pleading with you 00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:38.140 to see that you are living 00:19:38.140 --> 00:19:39.660 your life in the darkness, 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:42.400 that you are on the wrong end 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:45.440 of this holy God's anger 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:46.680 against our sin. 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:47.580 And he's begging us 00:19:47.580 --> 00:19:48.920 to come in to know the truth, 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:50.100 to come to the light 00:19:50.100 --> 00:19:51.440 by giving our lives 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:53.380 to Jesus Christ. 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:56.100 John wants us to know 00:19:56.100 --> 00:19:56.660 where he came. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:57.360 He wants us to know 00:19:57.360 --> 00:19:57.920 how he came. 00:19:58.039 --> 00:19:58.820 Finally, he wants us 00:19:58.820 --> 00:19:59.680 to know why he came. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:00.380 Here's the thing 00:20:00.380 --> 00:20:02.060 that I've noticed people do 00:20:02.060 --> 00:20:02.560 when they know 00:20:02.560 --> 00:20:03.560 that a baby's on the way. 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:05.160 They start trying 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:06.160 to guess the sex, 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:07.480 right? 00:20:07.560 --> 00:20:08.100 And they say, 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:09.160 well, I've got a feeling 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:10.980 that it's going to be a girl. 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:12.980 It's got a hunch 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:14.160 it's going to be a boy. 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:14.600 And you say, 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:15.400 how do you know? 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:15.720 And you say, 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:16.880 well, I guess my sister's 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:17.620 baby, right? 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:18.500 And I think I've got 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:19.640 a kind of gift in this. 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:20.760 And you say, 00:20:20.800 --> 00:20:21.880 well, maybe you got lucky 00:20:21.880 --> 00:20:22.720 with a 50-50. 00:20:24.380 --> 00:20:25.500 But people say that, 00:20:25.560 --> 00:20:25.900 don't they? 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:26.720 They try and guess. 00:20:26.760 --> 00:20:27.440 I've got a feeling. 00:20:27.540 --> 00:20:27.900 I know. 00:20:28.020 --> 00:20:29.500 And the thing is 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:30.520 that people also do that 00:20:30.520 --> 00:20:31.040 with God. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:34.420 I think God might be like this. 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:35.940 On and around, 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:37.740 I couldn't possibly believe 00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:39.980 in a God like that. 00:20:40.340 --> 00:20:41.400 But what this truth, 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:41.900 the incarnation, 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:42.860 is telling us 00:20:42.860 --> 00:20:43.660 is that when it comes 00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:44.660 to what God is like, 00:20:44.860 --> 00:20:46.500 we no longer have a choice. 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:49.960 God has made himself 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:52.360 fully known. 00:20:52.580 --> 00:20:53.240 How do you know 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:54.380 what the baby is 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:55.160 when it comes out? 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:57.000 Here is God in the flesh. 00:20:57.400 --> 00:20:58.279 Here is God 00:20:58.279 --> 00:20:59.500 making himself known 00:20:59.500 --> 00:21:00.519 to a world. 00:21:03.460 --> 00:21:04.340 Why do we know that? 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:05.380 Because of what John says 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:06.860 about Jesus at verse 18. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:09.900 No one has ever seen God, 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:12.320 but the one and only Son 00:21:12.320 --> 00:21:14.740 who is himself God 00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:16.600 and is in the closest relationship 00:21:16.600 --> 00:21:17.500 with the Father, 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:21.080 he has made him known. 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:24.320 It's out in the open. 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.700 Jesus, the one who, 00:21:26.340 --> 00:21:27.720 and you've got to wonder at this, 00:21:28.080 --> 00:21:29.720 the one who has been 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:31.200 from eternity past, 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:33.759 who was face to face 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:34.800 with the Father, 00:21:36.300 --> 00:21:36.519 right, 00:21:36.560 --> 00:21:37.620 which means he's qualified 00:21:37.619 --> 00:21:39.019 to tell us 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:40.099 and to show us. 00:21:40.879 --> 00:21:42.500 Jesus has taken on flesh 00:21:42.500 --> 00:21:43.939 and come down to us 00:21:43.939 --> 00:21:45.199 with the words of the text, 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:46.339 the express purpose 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:47.479 of making the Father 00:21:47.479 --> 00:21:48.979 known to us. 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:49.419 In other words, 00:21:49.459 --> 00:21:50.399 if we want to know 00:21:50.399 --> 00:21:51.339 what God is like, 00:21:51.419 --> 00:21:52.519 we need look no further 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:53.279 than to look 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:55.479 to the Son, Jesus. 00:21:55.639 --> 00:21:56.359 And we have to see 00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:57.059 that there's nothing 00:21:57.059 --> 00:21:58.219 other than lovingly, 00:21:58.399 --> 00:21:59.619 loving consistency 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:00.519 between the Father 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:01.099 and the Son. 00:22:03.439 --> 00:22:04.239 He is 00:22:04.239 --> 00:22:06.459 the exact representation 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:07.680 of God the Father. 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:09.000 He is the image 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:10.319 of the invisible God. 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:11.160 And what that means 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:13.019 is that if you and I 00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:13.600 want to see 00:22:13.600 --> 00:22:14.539 what God is like, 00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:15.680 if we want to know 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:16.539 what he thinks, 00:22:16.579 --> 00:22:17.500 if we want to hear him 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:18.420 speak to us, 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:19.700 then we simply have 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:20.720 to look to Jesus. 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:23.440 John says, 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:24.600 we saw his glory. 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:27.779 As we looked at the Son, 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:30.160 we saw his glory. 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:31.720 You know, 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:32.440 just as we close, 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:33.380 I wonder if you're here today 00:22:33.380 --> 00:22:34.299 and you're saying to yourself, 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:35.200 that's all very good 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:35.859 for this guy 00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:37.259 because he saw Jesus. 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.200 Maybe if I had seen Jesus, 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:40.059 if I see Jesus, 00:22:40.159 --> 00:22:41.700 I too could see his glory. 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:43.460 I'm never going to see Jesus. 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:44.799 How can I see his glory? 00:22:44.899 --> 00:22:45.680 Well, just as we close, 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:46.839 let me tell you one story 00:22:46.839 --> 00:22:47.799 to help convince you 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:48.839 on this a little bit. 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:51.259 It's a story 00:22:51.259 --> 00:22:52.039 I recently heard 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:52.980 from a Christian speaker 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:54.059 who works down in London 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:55.180 called Richard Bergonin. 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:55.879 He's the author 00:22:55.879 --> 00:22:57.099 of the Word One to One. 00:22:58.139 --> 00:22:59.180 And after one of his talks, 00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:00.019 he was telling this story. 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:01.720 A Chinese woman 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:02.480 ran up to him 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.299 and she proceeded 00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:05.140 to tell him the story 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:05.960 about how she became 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:06.500 a Christian. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.259 And I don't know if you know this. 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:09.759 Many of you know 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:10.559 that when Mao 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:11.640 was in power in China, 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:12.579 he wanted to put an end 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:13.299 to Christianity. 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:14.880 He wanted to stamp it out. 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:16.220 He wanted to stop its spread. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:17.519 And one of the ways 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:19.220 that he tried to implement that 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:21.019 was to tell all the Christian missionaries 00:23:21.019 --> 00:23:21.720 to get out. 00:23:23.140 --> 00:23:24.019 And the Christian missionaries 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:24.940 had no choice, really. 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:25.799 They had to get out 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:27.120 and they took everything with them 00:23:27.120 --> 00:23:28.920 except their Bibles. 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:31.380 The local people, 00:23:31.380 --> 00:23:32.940 after the Christian missionaries 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:33.340 had left, 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:34.460 they picked up these Bibles. 00:23:34.600 --> 00:23:35.360 They had absolutely 00:23:35.360 --> 00:23:36.600 no interest in reading them. 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:38.180 But what they realized 00:23:38.180 --> 00:23:39.200 is that these Bibles 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.740 were made of really, 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:41.460 really good paper. 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:43.180 Really good paper. 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:43.800 They could feel it. 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:44.580 So they thought, 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:46.180 that would make some great 00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:47.500 wallpaper for our houses. 00:23:48.840 --> 00:23:49.760 So they went back 00:23:49.760 --> 00:23:50.380 and they started 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:52.040 rolling this paper 00:23:52.040 --> 00:23:53.500 on their walls. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:56.460 And this lady 00:23:56.460 --> 00:23:58.640 was one of, 00:23:58.700 --> 00:23:59.060 I think she was 00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:00.099 the fifth generation 00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:00.700 of people 00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:01.940 who had become Christians 00:24:01.940 --> 00:24:03.480 by reading about Jesus 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:04.220 in the house 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:05.139 of the wallpaper. 00:24:06.059 --> 00:24:07.079 And they nicknamed it 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:07.799 the Bible Room. 00:24:08.980 --> 00:24:09.759 And so she was one of the, 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:10.339 she was, I think, 00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:11.099 the fifth generation 00:24:11.099 --> 00:24:12.319 of people to become Christians 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:13.899 in the Bible Room. 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:16.799 So what that means, 00:24:17.659 --> 00:24:18.339 here's the point, 00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:19.359 if you and I, 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:20.599 by faith, 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.179 have eyes 00:24:22.179 --> 00:24:23.659 that will see Jesus 00:24:23.659 --> 00:24:25.019 for who he truly is, 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:26.759 as we read of him 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:27.559 and encounter him 00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:28.740 in the pages of the Bible 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:29.680 and trust him 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:30.879 as our Savior and King, 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:31.759 if we will have eyes 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:32.480 to see it, 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:35.000 we too can say with John 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.980 that we have seen 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:38.819 God's glory. 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:41.160 And that's why, 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:42.180 if we want to see 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:42.779 our friends 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:44.339 and our family members 00:24:44.339 --> 00:24:45.839 and become Christians, 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:46.559 come to know Jesus 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:47.160 for themselves, 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:47.960 and that really is 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:48.559 the heartbeat 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:49.700 of this church, 00:24:50.779 --> 00:24:51.400 then the best way 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:52.000 to do that 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:53.519 is to get reading 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:54.379 the Bible with them. 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:56.020 Where are they going 00:24:56.020 --> 00:24:56.620 to meet Jesus? 00:24:57.840 --> 00:24:58.780 As he walks off 00:24:58.780 --> 00:24:59.620 the pages of Scripture. 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:02.680 For God who said, 00:25:03.580 --> 00:25:04.220 let light shine 00:25:04.220 --> 00:25:04.940 out of darkness, 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:07.120 made his light 00:25:07.120 --> 00:25:08.320 shine in our hearts 00:25:08.320 --> 00:25:10.240 to give us the light 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:11.040 of the knowledge 00:25:11.040 --> 00:25:12.040 of God's glory 00:25:12.040 --> 00:25:14.440 displayed in the face 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:15.560 of Jesus Christ. 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:17.640 Why don't we just 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:18.380 take a moment, friends, 00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:21.080 and let's respond 00:25:21.080 --> 00:25:23.180 to God's words today. 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:23.600 Today, 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:26.100 I want you to do 00:25:26.100 --> 00:25:26.720 a couple of things, 00:25:26.800 --> 00:25:27.760 maybe just in the silence. 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:29.040 Maybe you're here today 00:25:29.040 --> 00:25:29.920 and you don't know Jesus 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:30.520 as your Lord 00:25:30.520 --> 00:25:31.100 and your King 00:25:31.100 --> 00:25:32.120 and your Saviour. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:33.320 Just to encourage you 00:25:33.320 --> 00:25:34.300 to use this moment 00:25:34.300 --> 00:25:35.460 just to think about 00:25:35.460 --> 00:25:36.480 his claims 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:37.440 as we've read about them 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:38.740 there in John chapter 1. 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:40.640 And also, 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:41.300 if you're here 00:25:41.300 --> 00:25:42.160 and you are a Christian, 00:25:42.280 --> 00:25:42.860 I want you to both 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:44.040 maybe bask in the truth 00:25:44.040 --> 00:25:44.560 of this, 00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:46.160 but I also want you 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:47.280 to pray for a friend 00:25:47.280 --> 00:25:49.400 that you can think of 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:50.180 in your life 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:51.580 who you desire 00:25:51.580 --> 00:25:52.420 and you long 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:53.240 that they would come 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:53.940 to know Jesus. 00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:55.960 So maybe just in the silence 00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:56.700 now and then I'll pray. 00:25:56.779 --> 00:25:57.440 Why don't we just lift 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.600 our prayers to God 00:25:58.600 --> 00:26:00.620 knowing that he hears us 00:26:00.620 --> 00:26:01.340 because we pray 00:26:01.340 --> 00:26:02.220 in Jesus' name. 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:07.579 And so Father, 00:26:07.620 --> 00:26:08.519 we thank you, 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:11.279 gracious God of heaven, 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:13.700 for this time together today. 00:26:13.860 --> 00:26:14.500 Thank you, Lord, 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:15.140 for the freedom 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:15.819 that we enjoy 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:16.420 in this country 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:17.279 to meet together. 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:19.559 And it's our prayer 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:20.960 as we've heard your voice 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:23.279 today as it resounds 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:24.500 in John chapter 1. 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:26.160 We ask us, Lord, 00:26:26.279 --> 00:26:27.180 we ask you, Lord, 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:27.940 that you would help us 00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:28.319 this week 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:29.319 to lift our eyes 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:30.519 off of ourselves. 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:32.339 Lord, we know 00:26:32.339 --> 00:26:33.419 our proneness to wander. 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:34.740 We know how much 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:35.599 distracts us 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:36.240 and we pray 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:36.759 that you would 00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:38.639 help us look to Jesus 00:26:38.639 --> 00:26:40.759 and in so doing 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:42.639 savor something more 00:26:42.639 --> 00:26:44.079 of your glory. 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:45.919 Lord, we ask 00:26:45.919 --> 00:26:46.439 that your spirit 00:26:46.439 --> 00:26:46.819 would come 00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:47.619 and he would help us 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:47.980 this week 00:26:47.980 --> 00:26:48.859 to do just that. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:50.119 Thank you 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:50.960 for this time together. 00:26:51.059 --> 00:26:51.779 We commit this time 00:26:51.779 --> 00:26:52.439 to you in Jesus' 00:26:52.639 --> 00:26:53.299 precious name. 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:54.059 Amen. 00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:54.200 Amen. 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:55.200 Amen. 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:55.640 Amen. 00:26:55.640 --> 00:26:55.840 Amen. 00:26:55.840 --> 00:26:56.000 Amen. 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:56.200 Amen.