{"id":18309,"date":"2017-06-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-25T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/beholding-the-lord-through-his-word-part-3\/"},"modified":"2017-06-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-06-25T05:00:00","slug":"beholding-the-lord-through-his-word-part-3","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/beholding-the-lord-through-his-word-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Beholding The Lord Through His Word – Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[107],"series_event":[476],"sermon_service_type":[473],"speaker":[152],"class_list":["post-18309","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-1-john","series_event-behold-the-lord-through-his-word","sermon_service_type-sunday-school","speaker-dr-jim-mcgowan","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Beholding The Lord Through His Word - Part 3","sermon_date":"20170625","sermon_month":"6","sermon_year":"2017","sermon_notes":4758,"sermon_slides":4759,"sermon_mp3":4764,"sermon_id":"625171011536","series_or_event":476,"service_type":[473],"speaker":152,"books_of_the_bible":107,"chapter_and_verse":"1:1-4","sermon_transcript":"Dr. Jim McGowan\n\nBeholding the Lord Through His Word \u2013 Part 3\n\n6-25-17\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0John 1:1-4\n\nGood morning and welcome to Sugar Land Bible Church, it\u2019s just a delight to have everyone here.\u00a0 I love looking out and seeing the smiling faces so everybody smile at me.\u00a0 Oh, I feel so much better now.\u00a0 We\u2019d like to also thank those of you that are listening in by way of live stream, we appreciate\u00a0 you, we want you to know that we pray for you regularly; we pray that these broadcasts are a blessing to you too.\n\nCould we go to the Lord in prayer this morning: Heavenly Father, what a delight and a privilege and a blessing it is to have the opportunity to stand before\u00a0 Your people with Your message and Father, to be able to together glorify You and worship You.\u00a0 And Father, we just thank You because we know that\u00a0 You\u2019re in charge.\u00a0 And Father on my part, my prayer this morning is that we all might be able to eat the chicken and spit out the bones.\u00a0 And Father, I just thank You for that.\u00a0 We also want to pray for our pastor who\u2019s currently in Australia delivering the Word of God, Father God, and we\u2019re so pleased to be a part of that process and that ministry there and we pray for that body of believers there who have called him to speak to them.\u00a0 Thank You for that.\u00a0 And Lord, I might also add I thank you for the main service that\u2019s ahead and ask your blessing upon Brother Gabe as he comes and shares from his heart.\u00a0 So Father, with that said we just come to You now, we give you the glory; be pleased and delighted in everything we say and do.\u00a0 We pray in Christ\u2019s name, Amen.\n\nAll right, well, I\u2019m always excited to have the opportunity to come and speak with you and so what we\u2019re doing is we\u2019re continuing, this is our third session in a study that we\u2019ve entitled Beholding the Lord In His Word and if we wanted to give it a subtitle here we could say that we\u2019re seeing the living Word in the written Word of God.\u00a0 And if you haven\u2019t gone back and seen the previous two messages I would encourage you to go back out to our website, they are there archived for your benefit and hopefully for your blessing.\n\nIn our very first lesson we talked about 2 Corinthians 3:18 and we focused on this phrase \u201cBut we all beholding the glory of the Lord,\u201d and we took quite a bit of time breaking that verse apart.\u00a0 Then in our last session, which was session 2, we looked at John 1:1-18 and I know that I\u2019m just amazed and it was just a profound thing that I got through 18 verses in about 45 minutes or so and I will endeavor to do that again today, fortunately we don\u2019t have as many verses.\u00a0 Last time we focused on that and we talked about \u201cwe saw His glory\u201d that is the Lord Jesus, \u201cfull of grace and truth.\u201d\n\nSo this morning in session 3 we\u2019re going to look at 1 John 1:1-4 if you\u2019d like to go ahead and turn there, and we\u2019re going to put special emphasis on verse 3 where it says we have seen with our eyes the Word of Life.\u00a0 That\u2019s where we\u2019re headed.\u00a0 In our next session we\u2019ll be covering Hebrews 12:1-2 and we will be focusing on fixing our eyes on Jesus.\u00a0 All of these verses we\u2019re covering with the intent of seeing again the living Word in the written Word of God.\n\nSo if you have your Bibles if you\u2019d like to go ahead and turn to 1 John 1:1-4 and I\u2019ll read there and if you don\u2019t have your Bible with you, you can read along with me on the screen.\u00a0 And this is what the Apostle writes:\u00a0 \u201cWhat was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life\u2014 [2] and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us\u2014[3] what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. [4] These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.\u201d\n\nHere\u2019s a brief outline showing what it is we\u2019re going to do this morning.\u00a0 I have just a couple of preliminary observations I\u2019d like to bring out about this passage.\u00a0 And then we\u2019ll get into the verses, we\u2019ll look at verse 1 by itself, verse 2 by itself and then finally we\u2019re going to combine verses 3-4.\n\nSo preliminary observations\u2014one of the things we\u2019re going to notice here in this particular section is the use of references to physical senses and we\u2019re going to see this word \u201cwe\u201d a lot also.\u00a0 And then we\u2019re going to also notice that there are actions based on the response of the physical senses.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see the apostles reasons for writing and then we\u2019ll notice his consistency in stating his purpose in his writings.\n\nSo here I\u2019ve highlighted some of the verses for you, rather some of the phrases, what we have heard, what we have seen, what we\u2019ve looked at, touched, and then again what we have seen and what we\u2019ve seen and heard.\u00a0 One of the things that we see here in this passage is the repeated use of the pronoun \u201cwe\u201d and then we see these physical senses that are mentioned.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to talk more about that but it\u2019s important that we recognize, and we\u2019re going to identify in just a minute, who this \u201cwe\u201d is and how these physical senses are important to our understanding.\n\nThe second observation is actions based upon the response to the physical senses that we just looked at.\u00a0 And so if we come back into our verse here, verses I\u2019ve highlighted for you, notice the words here: testify, proclaim, then we proclaim and we write.\u00a0 So what is it that the Apostle John and the other apostles going to do in response to the things that they had seen and heard?\u00a0 Well, John the apostle said here that there\u2019s several different responses and it\u2019s testifying, proclaiming and writing.\u00a0 And then he comes in and expresses to us what is his reason for writing and again I\u2019ve highlighted that for you.\u00a0 So the Apostle John gives the reason why he, and I might add the other apostles, why they wrote these things and he specifically in verses 3 and 4.\u00a0 Notice what he says: \u201cso that you too may have fellowship with us;\u201d and then he adds, [4b] \u00a0\u201cso that our joy may be made complete.\u201d\u00a0 And again we\u2019ll be talking quite a bit more about that in just a moment.\n\nSo finally, our fourth preliminary observation is the apostle\u2019s consistency in stating his purpose in his writings.\u00a0 So stating his purpose in his writings was one of the Apostle John\u2019s consistent patterns and\u00a0 you will recall that we have seen this in the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 30-31 and\u00a0 you\u2019ll notice what he wrote there again, that these things that he wrote in his Gospel he says were \u201cso that you may believe and that believing you may have life in his name.\u201d\u00a0 If we come back to our passage we notice that what he says here is what?\u00a0 He says again his purpose, and he shows us a two-fold purpose here, it\u2019s \u201cso that you too\u00a0 may have fellowship with us and so that our joy may be made complete.\u201d\n\nWe are going to talk quite a bit about that here in just a minute but let me just add this comment here: spiritually speaking what John is saying here is if you have and enjoy this fellowship, he says then we\u2019re happy and our joy has been made complete.\u00a0 And that\u2019s exactly what the Apostle John is wanting to happen.\n\nSo let\u2019s get into the exegesis and exposition of verse 1.\u00a0 Here it is; he says, \u201cWhat was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life\u2014\u201c\u00a0 You will remember, no doubt, that John started off his Gospel with a similar expression; he said, \u201cIn the beginning\u201d and just like that\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0 We also find that in Genesis 1:1 and you recall that from last time we got together.\u00a0 He says, \u201cIn \u00a0the beginning\u201d here, but there\u2019s a distinction being made here.\u00a0 What is the distinction that\u2019s being made?\u00a0 Here he says \u201cwhat was from the beginning\u201d and in Genesis 1:1 and John 1 he says \u201cin the beginning,\u201d a slight difference here.\u00a0 So what he\u2019s saying here in these two verses, he\u2019s referring here to the original creation, isn\u2019t he?\u00a0 \u201cIn the beginning\u201d of what?\u00a0 The original creation, when God created all things.\n\nBut when we come here to 1 John 1:1 notice the slight change in wording again, \u201cWhat was from the beginning\u201d and what I want you to suggest to you here this morning is that this is a reference back to the introduction that he made in the Gospel of John in chapter 1, specifically verses 14-18.\n\n[John 1:14, And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. [15] John testified about Him and cried out, saying, \u201cThis was He of whom I said, \u2018He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.\u2019\u201d [16] For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. [17] For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. [18] No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.<\/em>\u201d]\n\nSo the fact that John is emphasizing this point of his introduction back in John is confirmed by the use of the same phrase in 1 John 2:7.\u00a0 Notice what he says here:\u00a0 \u201cBeloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning;\u201d now is he talking about the beginning of creation here?\u00a0 No, he\u2019s talking about another beginning; the beginning he\u2019s referring to is the beginning of the manifestation of the Son of God, when Jesus was brought forth to public attention which John goes into in his Gospel in chapter 1, verses 14-18.\n\nBut that\u2019s not the only place where John uses this expression.\u00a0 He says in [1 John 2] verses 13-14 here, \u201cI am writing you fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.\u00a0 [14] I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.\u201d\u00a0 But that\u2019s not the only verse, there\u2019s another one.\u00a0 Look at 1 John 2:24, he says, \u201cAs for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.\u201d\n\nAnd then also in 1 John 3:11, he says, \u201cFor this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.\u201d\u00a0 So John makes it very clear in his writings here in \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01 John that the beginning he\u2019s referring to is not creation, he\u2019s talking about the beginning of the ministry, the active public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nHe also says here in 1 John 5:13, notice what he says, \u201cThese things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.\u201d\u00a0 This is a fascinating passage.\u00a0 He makes it very clear here, doesn\u2019t he, that he\u2019s speaking to believers.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0\u00a0 Why is that important Jim?\u00a0 Well, there is a segment of Christendom that wants to tell us that the Book of 1 John is not based on fellowship but relationship which is a significantly different issue altogether.\u00a0 If he\u2019s talking to believers, believers do they not already have a relationship?\u00a0 And the answer is of course yes.\u00a0 So he\u2019s not discussing relationship here.\n\nBut notice what he says, \u201cThese things I have written to you who believe\u2026\u201d and why has he written it, \u201cso that you may know that you have eternal life.\u201d\u00a0 And just for fun I decided I\u2019d put up my little train here because there are many people who struggle with the issue of the assurance of their salvation.\u00a0 I can remember a time in my life as a young believer where I regularly questioned, well, am I really saved; if I\u2019m really saved why am I acting the way I am acting.\u00a0 I see some heads nodding out there.\u00a0 Right, yeah, if I\u2019m really a Christian why am I doing the things I\u2019m doing and thinking the things I\u2019m thinking and these kind of things.\u00a0 Of course who\u2019s right there to condemn us and to advocate against us?\u00a0 It\u2019s the enemy of our soul, the devil.\u00a0 Right?\n\nSo it\u2019s important that we understand this little train here, that biblical fact plus safe in God\u2019s Word equals spiritual victory.\u00a0 What happens if at any point in that formula there we run off the track?\u00a0 What if we don\u2019t have the facts?\u00a0 Well, are we going to have spiritual victory?\u00a0 No!\u00a0 What if we are not applying faith to the facts that we know?\u00a0 Are we going to have spiritual victory?\u00a0\u00a0 No!\u00a0 So we need both facts AND faith is the point here.\u00a0 So that\u2019s what John is providing for his readers here, those who are believers, facts and faith so that they might walk in spiritual victory.\u00a0 Now that was a freebie, that actually wasn\u2019t entirely in my notes so you just go ahead and mark that down \u201cfreebie\u201d on your notes there.\n\nAs we keep going here let\u2019s look at the poetic form of verse 1.\u00a0 We have that here, \u201cWhat was from the beginning,\u201d and again notice the tenses here, \u201cwhat we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life\u2014 \u201d\u00a0 There are at least three physical senses introduced here and so the thing that we need to understand is in verse 1 John is not yet introducing a spiritual element.\u00a0 He\u2019s speaking from the physical right now.\n\nThen the next thing that we want to note are the pronouns here, \u201cwe.\u201d\u00a0 He says \u201cwe have heard,\u201d \u201cwe have seen,\u201d \u201cwe have looked,\u201d so maybe the question we should ask our self is who are the \u201cwe\u201d?\u00a0 Who are the \u201cwe\u201d that John is talking about here?\u00a0 Well, the \u201cwe\u201d that we\u2019re talking about here refers to the apostles themselves.\u00a0 And they are the ones, because they are the ones who walked with the Lord, day by day, and John is including himself as one of those apostles.\u00a0 So the apostles are the ones who what?\u00a0 Had \u201cheard,\u201d they had \u201cseen,\u201d they had \u201clooked at,\u201d they had \u201ctouched,\u201d and what was it that they saw and heard and looked at and touched?\u00a0 It was the things \u201cconcerning the Word of Life.\u201d\u00a0 And who is \u201cthe Word of Life\u201d?\u00a0 The Lord Jesus, isn\u2019t it.\n\nJohn says we\u2019re not telling you the gospel account by rumor.\u00a0 I hope you\u2019re getting this; it isn\u2019t just a nice rumor, he says no, we\u2019re personally, we were personally right there; we heard, personally, we saw, personally, we looked at personally, we touched Him personally!\u00a0 We were right there!\u00a0 We were firsthand eye witnesses is what John is saying here. Notice again how John is engaging all of these senses.\u00a0 He says heard and seen again.\u00a0 What I\u2019d like to point out to you here is if you notice in the English we have \u201chave heard\u201d etc.\u00a0 So we have a little clue here.\u00a0 This is actually in the Greek perfect tense, so what he\u2019s saying here is \u201cSo having heard and having seen\u201d which are completed actions in the past time, but that\u2019s not all, they have ongoing results that carry on into the future so what is he saying?\u00a0 He\u2019s saying well, we saw, we touched, we heard, etc. and it happened at a point in time but it didn\u2019t just end there.\u00a0 The effects, the results, the influence of that carries forward even to the present time.\n\nSo these actions were completed because Christ had ascended and seated Himself at the right hand of the Father.\u00a0 But the hearing and the seeing while they were over from a physical standpoint they continued to be present in their lives by impacting them because the hearing and the seeing wasn\u2019t over yet.\u00a0 And the point we want to make here is that this impact is still not over.\u00a0 Yes, the Lord Jesus is currently sitting at the right hand of the Father; He\u2019s ascended and seated isn\u2019t He?\u00a0 But is the impact of what John says here over and done with?\u00a0 Absolutely not!\u00a0 Why not?\u00a0 Because you and I are reading about it.\u00a0 The impact is still present, even though the hearing and the seeing is long ago and done.\n\nSo what John was saying is that what Jesus had said was still ringing in their ears.\u00a0 The question I\u2019d ask you this morning is have you ever had an experience or something happen in your life that really impacted you?\u00a0 Perhaps somebody said something to you that really stuck with you.\u00a0 That\u2019s what John is saying here.\u00a0\u00a0 We can\u2019t get this out of our mind; we can\u2019t stop hearing it.\u00a0 It\u2019s as if He was right here talking to us.\n\nJohn refers to the three\u00a0 senses again, we said hearing, seeing and touching.\u00a0 Notice that he\u2019s very physical when he says \u201cwith our eyes\u201d and \u201cwith our hands.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s very emphatic; he could have just said we have seen Him, we have looked at Him, we have touched Him.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t, he added the expression \u201cwith our eyes\u201d and \u201cwith our hands.\u201d\n\nIf I could just share with you this verb \u201cseen\u201d here, where he says \u201cwe have seen with our eyes,\u201d is the verb hor\u00e1\u014d,<\/em> and this implies not the mere act of seeing but also the actual perception.\u00a0 It means to actively behold, to look with intent but also to understand the significance of what it is you\u2019re looking at.\u00a0 So what is John saying. John is saying that he deliberately listened and saw and touched and he actively beheld as he looked intently, understanding the significance of what he heard and saw and looked at and touched.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just a casual glance.\u00a0 John is very consistent and he\u2019s emphatic in his use of words and we saw this in our last session.\n\nIf you look at John 1:14 you see what he says here, \u201cAnd the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,\u201d and what\u2019d he say there, \u201cwe saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.\u201d\u00a0 Then we come down to our verse today and look what he says: \u201cwhat was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life.\u201d\n\nThe reason that I have these highlighted for you or embolden is because they\u2019re the very same word in the Greek.\u00a0 The expression \u201cwe saw\u201d and the expression \u201cwe have looked at\u201d both come from the verb the\u00e1omai, <\/em>which is very interesting.\u00a0 It\u2019s actually better translated\u2026 are you ready for this, the King James Version because the King James Version uses the expression \u201cwe beheld\u201d and that\u2019s a better translation.\n\nSo what is he saying here?\u00a0 Well, first of all what\u2019s the definition of this word, the\u00e1omai<\/em>?\u00a0 It literally means to behold, to view attentively, but that\u2019s not all, it means to contemplate what you\u2019re saying, indicating the sense of a wondering consideration involving a careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object.\u00a0 It\u2019s not just looking, oh yeah, that looks good.\u00a0 It\u2019s like WOW, it\u2019s engaging it with your eyes, with your ears, with your mind, with every part of your being.\u00a0 You\u2019re beholding it.\u00a0 How could you just casually behold the glory of the Lord?\u00a0 Right, oh, that\u2019s nice, there\u2019s a little glory there.\u00a0 NO! NO! <\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019d be captivated by it, wouldn\u2019t you.\u00a0 That\u2019s what he\u2019s saying here.\n\nJohn\u2019s saying what we looked at, it wasn\u2019t just a casual happen to glance or happen to see it.\u00a0 No, John is saying emphatically we actively looked and we saw and beheld and the beholding was so profound in our lives that we can\u2019t forget it; it has captivated us.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 When you understand a little of the background of the words and what they mean it kind of brings a whole different view to the passage, doesn\u2019t it?\n\nThe next expression in this verse, verse 1, he says, \u201cthe word of life.\u201d\u00a0 Now you recall that John has used this idea of the word before.\u00a0 If you notice here, we see in John 1:1 in the Gospel, notice what did he say?\u00a0 He refers to Jesus as \u201cthe Word,\u201d \u201cthe Word was with God\u201d then again in verse 14 he says \u201cthe Word became flesh,\u201d and then finally in Revelation 19 he talks about the fact that Jesus\u2019 name is called \u201cthe Word of God.\u201d\u00a0 John is very unique in this use of this expression, \u201cthe Word.\u201d\n\nWhy does John repeatedly call Christ \u201cthe Word\u201d?\u00a0 Well the reason is because John wants to convey, now catch this, that Jesus Christ is THE message from God.\u00a0 He is THE<\/u> message from God!\u00a0 Jesus Christ is \u201cthe Word,\u201d the message which comes in the form of a person.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that fascinating?\u00a0 Christ is \u201cthe Word of God.\u201d\u00a0 Here it comes; get ready\u2014God\u2019s deliberate message to lost humanity!\u00a0 Oh but Jim, there are all kinds of way to get to God, right?\u00a0 I mean, you just pick the way you want and good luck with it, right?\u00a0 NO!\u00a0 If Jesus is THE message of God, from God, then we\u2019d better listen to it, hadn\u2019t we?\u00a0 Amen\u2026 I\u2019ll say amen to that.\n\nAll right, John was very clear about the character of the Word of Life, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 He and the others who were in close company with the Word of Life, that would be the apostles, they lived alongside Jesus Christ.\u00a0 They witnessed firsthand Christ\u2019s death, His burial, His resurrection, and ascension into the heavenlies.\u00a0 John is also very emphatic that his experience with the Word of Life was real; it was not just a dream that he had.\u00a0 You know, you Christians, you all eat too much pizza, you have all these bad dreams and then you try to make everybody believe that, you know, what you\u2019re saying is true; you just got a bad pepperoni.\u00a0 NO!\u00a0 NOT AT ALL!\u00a0 This again was not merely a rumor that he heard.\u00a0 NO, it was real.\u00a0 Again look what he said: We touched Him, we saw Him, we heard Him, this isn\u2019t a dream of a hallucination; this is real John is saying.\n\nSo you remember what happened with Thomas.\u00a0 I just have it here for you, you remember the story, we\u2019ll talk a little bit more about this in a minute but they were all gathered together, everybody was there except for Thomas and Jesus appeared and then they told Jesus and you know, Thomas being the great man of faith that he was, like us, right, well, you know what [can't understand word] here, look here, he says if I can\u2019t stick my finger in the wounds, etc. then I\u2019m not going to believe and then Jesus appears later and what does He say to him?\u00a0 Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it in My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.\u201d\u00a0 [John 20:27]\n\nI have a question for you.\u00a0 Did Thomas touch the Lord Jesus Christ?\u00a0 Do you think he remembered touching the Lord Jesus?\u00a0 Do you think that the rest of the apostles that were gathered together at that event saw, they beheld, they witnessed what was transpiring.\u00a0 Was that just something casual?\u00a0 Oh, you know, it was nice, Jesus, that was really nice of you to let Thomas do that.\u00a0 Not at all!\u00a0 Do you think that was engrained into the very fiber of their being for the rest of their lives?\u00a0 Absolutely; absolutely!\u00a0\u00a0 Hallelujah!\n\nWhat I\u2019ve done here is I\u2019ve taken the verse in the English and given you the Greek because I know there\u2019s some Greek fanatics in the congregation that would enjoy this kind of thing, like me.\u00a0 But really I had an ulterior motive for doing it.\u00a0 What I want you to see here is what I have highlighted for you.\u00a0 In the English we see the Word of Life and that\u2019s a profound statement.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But it becomes even more profound when we break it down and see it in the actual Greek here.\u00a0 John is emphasizing in the way he puts it in the Greek he\u2019s emphasizing, the phrase \u201cthe Word of life,\u201d and the way he does that is by putting it at the end of the sentence.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not all he does; he even makes or gives even greater emphasis because he adds the definite pronouns here and in the Greek verse there the blue that I have highlighted [\u1f4b \u1f26\u03bd \u1f00\u03c0\u0313 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1fc6\u03c2, \u1f43 \u1f00\u03ba\u03b7\u03ba\u03cc\u03b1\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd, \u1f43 \u1f11\u03c9\u03c1\u03ac\u03ba\u03b1\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f40\u03c6\u03b8\u03b1\u03bb\u03bc\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd, \u1f43 \u1f10\u03b8\u03b5\u03b1\u03c3\u03ac\u03bc\u03b5\u03b8\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b1\u1f31 \u03c7\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c1\u03b5\u03c2 \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f10\u03c8\u03b7\u03bb\u03ac\u03c6\u03b7\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03b6\u03c9\u1fc6\u03c2-<\/strong>] <\/strong>that\u2019s the definite article for each of the nouns.\u00a0 So literally what he\u2019s saying here is \u201cthe Word of the life,\u201d now again, Jim, okay, great, thanks for the Greek lesson, how is that going to help me.\n\nWell, I\u2019ll just remind you again there are those people who want to say that there are many roads to God, many roads to God!\u00a0 Is that what this says right here.\u00a0 It says concerning \u201cthe<\/u> Word of the<\/u> life.\u201d\u00a0 Anyone that heard this in the original language, they wouldn\u2019t have mistaken that expression.\u00a0 They would have understood exactly what he was saying. When the Greek uses the definite article in this manner it indicates specificity therefore it\u2019s \u201cthe Word\u201d and literally you can go so far as to say it\u2019s \u201cthe Word, the one Word,\u201d there is no other.\u00a0 John is saying there are no other messages of God like this one; this one is unique.\n\nSo we could say this, Christ is the singular expression of God Himself who is also the source of spiritual life, true life, and we can even say He\u2019s the real thing!\u00a0 You like how I did that?\u00a0 I remember years ago, it might have been back in the 70\u2019s somebody was advertising like that and they actually had a Coke bottle with that on it.\u00a0 Jesus is the real thing, He really is.\u00a0 He is THE WORD,\u00a0 He\u2019s THE WORD of THE LIFE.\n\nSo what was John talking about when he used this expression here that \u201cwe have touched with our hands concerning the Word of Life.\u201d\u00a0 What does he mean when he says we \u201ctouched with our hands\u201d?\u00a0 Well, you might recall the fact that Jesus washed the feet of the disciples.\u00a0 Was there some physical contact there?\u00a0 Or was Jesus standing back and going oh feet be washed?\u00a0 NO, that\u2019s not what happened.\u00a0 There was actual physical contact there.\u00a0 And do you think that impacted their lives in any way, shape or form.\u00a0 Oh, you know, that\u2019s a nice thing to do.\u00a0 No, NO!\u00a0 Imagine, they were all thinking the same thing that Peter was thinking, Lord, You\u2019re not going to wash my feet.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 Just because it doesn\u2019t record it I promise you they were thinking the same thing.\u00a0 I would have been thinking the same thing.\u00a0 Whoa, wait a minute, You\u2019re going to wash my feet\u2026 yeah, that impacted them big time.\n\nLet\u2019s go back to John, chapter 20 again for just a moment, back to this story about Thomas and look what it says here.\u00a0 \u201cSo when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,\u201d this was after the resurrection, \u201cand when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,\u201d mighty men of God, \u201cJesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, \u2018Peace be with you.\u2019\u00a0 [20] And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 [24] \u201cBut Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came.\u00a0 [25] So the other disciples were saying to him, \u2018We have seen the Lord!\u2019 But he said to them, \u2018Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI will not<\/u> believe.\u201d\u00a0 [26] \u201cAfter eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, \u2018Peace be<\/em> with you.\u201d\n\nSide note, if we were having a party at my house and someone suddenly manifested themselves into my room and said \u201cPeace be with you\u201d I\u2019m not sure there would have been any peace to have. \u00a0How about you?\u00a0 Do you think this impacted the apostles?\u00a0 Do you think this changed them?\u00a0 Do you think this was something that was on their mind the rest of their life.\u00a0 You\u2019d better believe it.\n\n[27] \u201cThen He said to Thomas, \u2018Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.\u2019 \u00a0[28] Thomas answered and said to Him, \u2018My Lord and my God!\u2019\u00a0 [29] Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are<\/em> they who did not see, and yet<\/em> believed.\u201d\u2019\n\nI find it just fascinating here, especially when you take into consideration all those individuals who want to say that Jesus never claimed to be God.\u00a0 You know, there\u2019s more than one way to claim to be God.\u00a0 One is by declaring outright \u201cI am God.\u201d\u00a0 Another way is to not correct people who say you are God, ever think about that.\u00a0 Do you notice that Jesus did not correct Thomas here.\u00a0 Why is that significant.\u00a0 Why is there a significance here?\u00a0 Well, let\u2019s remember just for a minute; what is the religious and ethnicity of this group of people?\u00a0 They were Jews, right?\u00a0 They followed Judaism and what do we know about Judaism?\u00a0 \u201cThou shalt have no other gods before Me.\u201d\u00a0 So if a man came along claiming to be God what were they going to do?\u00a0 Well, we find that actually in the Gospels, don\u2019t we;\u00a0 on multiple occasions they attempted to stone Jesus.\n\nSo for a Jewish person to make this statement, \u201cMy Lord and My God\u201d and Jesus doesn\u2019t correct him is very significant.\u00a0 I would say to you you might want to make a note in your Bible here that next time somebody says to you that Jesus never claimed to be God just say well let\u2019s go look at John chapter 28 here and we\u2019ll look at verse 28, and explain that one to me.\u00a0 Hallelujah!\n\nLet\u2019s go to verse 2, 1 John 1:2, \u201cand the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us\u2014\u201d here\u2019s the poetic form again, I have highlighted \u201cmanifested\u201d there; this isn\u2019t the first and only time that we see this expression \u201cmanifested.\u201d\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice here in John 1:2 we have it but then notice John 21:1, Jesus says here that, \u201cAfter these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, [and He manifested Himself in this way.]\u201d\u00a0 This is very interesting. We\u2019ll just make a side note here that Jesus repeatedly manifested Himself, which means He showed Himself.\u00a0 It comes from this verb which is ephaner\u014d<\/em> [\u1f10\u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9], to make apparent, to manifest, to make known, to show openly\u2026 to show openly!\n\nNotice what else he says here in this verse; he didn\u2019t just manifest himself, or the life wasn\u2019t manifested but it also says, John again speaking says, \u201cwe have seen\u201d and notice what happens, the seen, the hearing, the looking at, the touching, has caused some action to take place here.\u00a0 He says \u201ctestify,\u201d we \u201ctestify and proclaim you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.\u201d\u00a0 Have you stopped when you read this passage; have you ever stopped and asked yourself well why did he say \u201ctestify and proclaim\u201d?\u00a0 That sort of sounds like the same thing.\u00a0 The Apostle John, I would offer to you, was so overwhelmed by what he and the other apostles had witnessed, both before the resurrection and after that he says again, what we have seen, what we have heard, what we have touched, he goes on and he says we do what?\u00a0 He says we \u201ctestify\u201d and we \u201cproclaim.\u201d\u00a0 Why again both?\u00a0 Because both refer to verbal and written expressions AND also he wanted to be redundant.\u00a0 Do you think that\u2019s what it was?\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t careful in choosing his words?\u00a0 You know, they were slow listeners so He thought he had to repeat Himself.\u00a0 No!\n\nWhy did he use both words?\u00a0 Because, actually the reason is because \u201ctestify,\u201d (you might want to make a note of this) means to tell the truth about something, to \u201ctestify\u201d while \u201cproclaim\u201d to \u201cproclaim\u201d means to make the message public.\u00a0 All right, let me say that again: \u201ctestify\u201d means to tell the truth about something, but to \u201cproclaim\u201d means to make the message public.\u00a0 So think about that for a minute; here they are, they\u2019ve seen, they\u2019ve touched, they\u2019ve heard, they\u2019ve listened, all of this, it\u2019s such a profound experience that what are they going to do?\u00a0 They\u2019re going to tell the truth about it, but that\u2019s not enough, it\u2019s such an overwhelming experience that they just can\u2019t hold it in.\u00a0 They have to tell somebody.\n\nThere was a great song back in the 70\u2019s I think, by a guy who\u2019s got to tell somebody, a great song.\u00a0 They had to tell somebody.\u00a0 John is saying here I don\u2019t just testify to the truth, I also proclaim it.\u00a0 He says I\u2019m letting everyone know because this is not something you can keep secret.\u00a0 And\u00a0 you might recall that that\u2019s exactly what the Apostles did here in Acts.\u00a0 What does it say?\u00a0 That they immediately, and immediately saw and began to do what? Proclaim Jesus in the synagogue.\u00a0 He got real public about it.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 1 John 4:14 says what we have seen we testify, we\u2019re testifying that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.\u00a0 [1 John 4:14, \u201cWe have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.\u201d]\n\nThen we notice this expression again, \u201cthe life\u201d and \u201cthe eternal life,\u201d and if you recall we encountered this last time, John\u2019s use of this expression, \u201cthe life\u201d and \u201cthe eternal life.\u201d\u00a0 The Greek text has at the end of the second line, it says \u201cthe life, the eternal,\u201d \u201cthe life, the eternal.\u201d\u00a0 Why would John express it that way?\u00a0 John wrote about the life over a dozen times in this first letter and he recognized the unfathomable value of the real life.\n\nBy the way, we don\u2019t deserve real life, do we, but we\u2019re given it freely by God\u2019s grace, and everyone should be saying amen, thank You Lord Jesus.\u00a0 When John says Christ is \u201cthe eternal life\u201d his meaning goes beyond just infinite in time to convey that Christ is real, enduring, and changeless life.\u00a0 Christ, then is a changeless certain absolute fixed hope, in other words, a certain hope.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that good to know in a life where everything is so uncertain Christ is a certain hope.\n\nSo we\u2019re going to keep seeing this expression \u201cthe life\u201d and you know what?\u00a0 We can tie it right in with Colossians 3:3-4 here, where the Apostle Paul wrote, \u201cFor you have died\u201d and notice how this is expressed here, \u201cFor you have died and your life\u201d and in the Greek it\u2019s literally \u201cthe life of you is hidden with Christ in God.\u00a0 [4] When Christ, who is our life,\u201d or literally \u201cthe life of us,\u201d when He \u201cis revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.\u201d\u00a0 WHOOOO, man, is that going to be something, when Christ is made manifest at the rapture, what\u2019s going to happen?\u00a0 We\u2019re going to go up and meet Him in the air, we\u2019re going to drop off these old nasty bodies we\u2019re carrying around.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that going to be great.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to get rid of that sin nature that plagues us and we\u2019re going to be revealed with Him in glory.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Won\u2019t that be awesome!\u00a0 I think it is.\n\nSo now I can come to this slide.\u00a0 If all of this is true, if Jesus is an unchanging real hope why would we worry?\u00a0 You know, why would we carry around stress and anxiety and tension?\u00a0 Why would we be nervous? Why would we get angry?\u00a0 Well, it\u2019s because we\u2019re operating out of the old sin nature, aren\u2019t we?\u00a0 Anybody have a sin nature?\u00a0 Don\u2019t raise your hand, I\u2019ll raise my hand for you.\u00a0 Yeah, we all have a sin nature, don\u2019t we?\n\nJohn 14:1-6, I\u2019ve decided I\u2019m just going to get my liquid paper and liquid paper this out of my Bible so I won\u2019t come\u00a0 under conviction, right?\u00a0 What does it say?\u00a0 John 14:-6, \u201cDo not let your heart be troubled;\u201d I\u2019m already convicted, I\u2019m done, I can\u2019t go any further, right?\u00a0 \u201cDo not let\u00a0 your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. [2, \u201cIn My Father\u2019s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. [3] If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there<\/em> you may be also. [4] And you know the way where I am going.\u201d [5] Thomas said to Him, \u201cLord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?\u201d]\n\nDrop down to the bottom, [6] \u201cJesus said to him\u201d Thomas, \u201c\u2018I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.\u201d\u00a0 It gives us certain hope, let that one sink in for a minute.\u00a0 Have you ever wished that somebody had posted a warning sign.\u00a0 I bet they did.\u00a0 Well guess what?\u00a0 John is also issuing a warning to us and it\u2019s a critical issue in this passage.\u00a0 Look what John is saying here.\u00a0 John is declaring that saying that Christ is not actual and real is a spiritual dead end. He\u2019s emphatic that what he saw and heard and touched is all real.\u00a0 John is addressing the error of some who were saying that Jesus wasn\u2019t a real, physical human being but merely some sort of spiritual ethereal being.\u00a0 Others were saying that Christ is only spiritually or mystically true.\u00a0 And both of these errors lead to a spiritual dead end.\n\nDo you remember the crucifixion?\u00a0 Who was at the crucifixion?\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t John there?\u00a0 He was there, wasn\u2019t he; Jesus is hanging on the cross and He looks down and he saw His momma, it says, [John 19:26] \u201cWhen He saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved\u201d\u00a0 that\u2019s John, \u201cstanding nearby, He said to His mother, \u2018Woman, behold, your son!\u2019\u201d [27] \u201cThen He said to the disciple, \u2018Behold, your mother!\u2019 From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.\u201d\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Was Jesus real to John?\u00a0 Was He just a mystical presence?\u00a0 Was He just a spook or a ghost?\u00a0 No, not at all.\u00a0 John was there.\u00a0 John was so close that Jesus could tell him to take care of His own mother.\u00a0 That\u2019s something.\u00a0 Did that impact John?\u00a0 Did that influence him?\u00a0 Was that ringing in his ears the rest of his life?\u00a0 I think probably so.\n\nBut John is also addressing other errors; he\u2019s addressing the error of some that say that Christ didn\u2019t actually die and resurrect physically in a real body.\u00a0 That too is a spiritual dead end.\u00a0 He\u2019s also addressing the error of some who say that we can find life in anyone or anything else, and that too is a spiritual dead end.\n\nIf you didn\u2019t know it let me just tell you that the world and the sin nature are trying to sell you on the idea that you can find life anywhere else and they don\u2019t really care where you try to find it as long as you don\u2019t try to find it in Christ.\u00a0 Let that sink in!\u00a0 The world and the sin nature tell you that if\u00a0 you just had this cell phone you\u2019d be happy; if you just bought this car you\u2019d be happy; if you\u2019d just dump your husband or your wife\u00a0 and get the latest model you\u2019ll be happy.\u00a0 Right? But the reality is that the life, \u201cTHE LIFE,\u201d the real life is only found in Christ.\n\nThat brings us finally to our last two verses, verses 3 and 4,\u00a0 He says here, \u201cwhat we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. [4] These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.\u201d\n\nHere\u2019s the poetic structure of that, notice what he says here, \u201cwe proclaim\u201d at the beginning and \u201cwe write.\u201d\u00a0 What did we say \u201cproclaim\u201d meant?\u00a0 That meant to be public about it, \u201cwe proclaim.\u201d\u00a0 Why do we do that?\u00a0 \u201cSo that.\u201d\u00a0 Why do we write?\u00a0 \u201cSo that.\u201d\u00a0 He says, \u201cwhat we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also,\u201d and \u201cThese things we write.\u201d\u00a0 The phrases here reflect the responses that the apostles had to the things that they saw and heard and touched.\u00a0 These words also summarize the first two verses, telling us why are we doing these things.\u00a0 The why are we doing this questions are addressed in the rest of verses 3 and 4 and that comes under the \u201cso that;\u201d \u201cso that\u201d what?\u00a0 \u201cso that you too\u00a0 may have fellowship,\u201d so that what? \u201cso that our joy may be made complete.\u201d\n\nNotice that John\u2019s purpose in proclaiming all these things is for fellowship among those who believe.\u00a0 John is inviting you and he\u2019s inviting me to join in the very same fellowship that the apostles themselves had with each other through knowing Christ.\u00a0 He says I want you to join me; I want you to have that kind of fellowship, the fellowship that we had.\u00a0 That\u2019s profound!\u00a0 It\u2019s also that we may experience in joint fellowship with Christ and the Father.\u00a0 Notice that.\u00a0 You can have fellowship with us but you can have Fellowship with the Father also.\u00a0 The fellowship that John invited us to experience is not only among humans but also with the father and with Jesus Christ His Son in whom we are.\u00a0 We are intimately connected by being \u201cin Christ\u201d and He in us.\u201d\u00a0 Why? For fellowship!\n\nBut that\u2019s not all; it\u2019s so that, John says, \u201cour joy may be made complete.\u201d\u00a0 The result of this fellowship that John is talking about is to be a full and total joy, full on full out joy.\u00a0 Spiritually speaking John is now saying if you have and enjoy this fellowship then we\u2019re happy, we, the apostles, and our joy has been made complete.\u00a0 And that\u2019s exactly what he wanted.\n\nSomeone else wanted us to have joy. Do you remember the Lord Jesus, what He prayed in John 17:13?\u00a0 He\u2019s talking to the Father, He says, \u201cBut now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they\u201d He\u2019s talking about His disciples, \u201cmay have My joy made full in themselves.\u201d\n\nThis joy to which John is inviting us is not simply a modest improvement; he wasn\u2019t looking for some slight improvement in our joy.\u00a0 Rather, it is full, he wants it to be full and total and complete and he wants it to be not from any earthly circumstances.\u00a0 It comes from the relationship and fellowship we have with the Lord.\u00a0 He\u2019s not talking about slight improvement in our spiritual condition here.\u00a0 He\u2019s talking about a radical improvement.\n\nWhat\u2019s the point of all this: Jim, get to the point, time\u2019s about out.\u00a0 The Apostle Paul wrote that as we behold the Lord through His written Word we are changed from glory to glory.\u00a0 Remember that?\n\n2 Corinthians 3:18, [\u201cBut we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.\u201d]\u00a0 As we behold the Lord through His written Word WE are changed \u201cfrom glory to glory,\u201d we\u2019re transformed.\u00a0 So God\u2019s written Word\u2026 are you ready for this?\u00a0 God\u2019s written Word is His glory growth tool.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that fun?\u00a0 It\u2019s your glory growth tool!\u00a0\u00a0 I have a lot of tools in my tool box, I have some I never use.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you have any like that; they were really great, they looked so good in a magazine, when I saw them online, I\u2019ve just got to have that, and it\u2019s in my tool box and it doesn\u2019t ever get used.\u00a0 Is God\u2019s glory growth tool sitting in your tool box unused?\u00a0 I have to confess sometimes in my life it\u2019s not being used like it should be.\n\nJohn wrote that when Christ walked this earth he and the apostles beheld Christ\u2019s glory.\u00a0 They beheld that same glory from which we also grow.\u00a0 We are therefore changed from glory to glory as we read and hear of John\u2019s beholding of Christ, both in his Gospel and here in 1 John.\u00a0 You recall we mentioned this last time: the marvelous experiences that we can share, if you will, in the apostle John\u2019s experience as he relates what he says here about touching and looking and feeling and knowing and hearing as he talks about these things we can enter into that same fellowship.\u00a0 We can behold the Lord, spiritually speaking, through His Word and we can enter into and enjoy that very same joy that he experienced.\n\nSo in conclusion, where does this all end, or does it?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know, I think\u2026 is that the road that Ed takes\u00a0 up there in Alaska, it looks kind of like it.\u00a0 What are we saying here?\u00a0 In today\u2019s passage that we\u2019ve just covered we\u2019re finding that John\u2019s beholding, touching and hearing of Christ who is alive, the eternal one, is a continuously open invitation for us to join in fellowship.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fellowship that the apostles shared with one another and also with the Father of Glory\u00a0 and with Jesus Christ, His glorious Son.\u00a0 That is not a joy that disappoints; it\u2019s full, complete and total and it\u2019s eternal because it\u2019s from the life\u2026 the life.\u00a0 Do you need joy this morning.\n\nI guess my question to you would be how\u2019s your fellowship?\u00a0 How\u2019s your fellowship with the Lord. Do you have anything impeding that fellowship?\u00a0 You know, we\u2019re very fortunate, we should give glory to God and praise Him for 1 John 1:9.\u00a0 When we sin what do we have to do?\u00a0 Do we have to get on our hands and knees and crawl on the hard surface of the ground to some shrine?\u00a0 Do we have to make a [can't understand word] and whip ourselves to show that we\u2019re repentant?\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to do any of those things do we?\u00a0 I guess we have to stay down there and wallow in that self-pity pool don\u2019t we, I\u2019m just such a bad person.\u00a0 Is that what the Lord wants in your life?\u00a0 NO!\n\n1 John 1:9, \u201cIf we confess our sins,\u201d what does \u201cconfess\u201d mean, it means to say the same thing, Father, Your Word says, and it\u2019s always true, and I blew it, I did just the opposite, You\u2019re right.\u00a0 Now what do we do?\u00a0 \u201cIf we confess our sins\u201d what does it say, \u201cHe is faithful and just\u201d to keep a detailed record of that sin and bring it up later when you\u2019re really down, and kick you?\u00a0\u00a0 Is that what it says?\u00a0 NO!\u00a0 \u201cHe is faithful and just\u201d in the instant that you confess you sin \u201cHe is faithful and just to forgive you and to\u201d do what? \u201ccleanse you from\u201d some unrighteousness?\u00a0 NO!, \u201call unrighteous\u00adness,\u201d\u00a0 \u2026 ALL unrighteousness, isn\u2019t that wonderful.\u00a0 Do you take advantage of that?\u00a0 I really believe in keeping short accounts with God.\u00a0 Do you?\u00a0 Short accounts, when I blow I try to get out 1 John 1:9 and bring it out of my tool box and use it.\u00a0 How about you?\n\nLet\u2019s close in prayer, shall we.\u00a0 Abba Father, we just love You and we thank You so much for these marvelous and amazing things that You have spelled out for us through 1 John and these verses.\u00a0 And Lord as we contemplate and mediate on having the real life and on having full and complete and total fellowship with the One who created the entire universe, the one who brought it into existence, as we ponder on what it means to have fellowship with the One who paid the price for us all and who made these things possible, Abba Father, we are overwhelmed and we\u2019re motivated to express our gratitude by praising and extolling Your majesty.\u00a0 Thank You, Father, for the Lord Jesus; thank You for the written Word and that we can behold the Living Word in the Written Word.\u00a0 In Jesus name\u2026 and everyone said Amen.\u00a0 God bless you.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t