Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

Bible Text: John 1:35-51 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

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Bible Text: John 1:19-34 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

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Series: John

John 1:1-2 tells us God the Word [Logos] has always been, He was herebefore anything was created; He was here in the beginning with God, and He is the Eternal God.

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” 17c-18a, “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”

John 1:3-4 tells us the Word is the Creator of all things, and the full embodiment of life from God, the revelation of God to all mankind (Genesis 1:1).

John 1:11-12 says all those who believe in the Word, Christ, become spiritual and eternal children of God, (v. 13) being born-again by the Spirit of God.
John 3:6-7, Jesus says to Nicodemus, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”
See John 1:14… God, the Creator and life giver, put on flesh and lived among His creation. God became fully man, yet remaining fully God.

1Timothy 3:16, “Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

God was in the flesh of Jesus, and the glory of God was clearly evidenced in Him, for He is God the Son, who came from God the Father and made His dwelling lived in a tent, i.e. tented) among us.

In the OT God lived (tented) among Israel: in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35;) and in the Temple (1Kings 8:10-11). In eternity God will dwell (tent) with His people (Revelation 21:3-4).

Jesus (God in the flesh, Immanuel) revealed God’s glory, although not fully, due to His flesh, but it was still magnificent. Up on the mountain, with Peter, James and John, when Christ was transfigured, we are told (Matthew 17:2), “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.”

God was in Jesus’ Body, full of grace and truth…

Grace = unmerited mercy, blessing & favor of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Titus 2:11, “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”

Truth = without error, as things really are, were and will be…
Ephesians 1:13, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the

word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.”

Ephesians 4:21, “Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.”

1Timothy 2:3-4, “God our Savior [who] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (John 8:32, the truth will set you free)

Back in verse 7 we read that the Baptizer was a witness to testify (that the Word, Jesus Christ, is the exact representation of God), in order that we might believe in God through Him, who said:

John 5:22-23, “The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him.”
John 8:23-24, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.”

John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”

In 1John 2:23 we read, “No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

See John 1:15… The Baptizer said, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'”

Jesus was born six months later than the Baptizer
Jesus came to the Jordan River after the Baptizer
Jesus eternally exists and has always existed; yet, He was the One (Micah

5:2) who was coming as, “ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times,” (NASB) “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” Yet He was still to come: birth, death, returns, King, Judge…

He has always existed
See John 1:16… God’s grace provides everything we need, bringing blessing after blessing (see 2Peter 1:2-4).

See John 1:17… God’s Law saves no one!

Please turn to Romans 3:19-22, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

The Law is not grace, but instead, God’s grace is granted to law breaking sinners who repent, bringing forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice. The Law convicts us and condemns us – making evident our need for the grace and truth that has come through Christ the Lord (Galatians 3:24), “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” See John 1:18… No one has ever seen God, except for God’s Son, the Word of God who came from the Father.

It is through Jesus that we have seen God; for it is Christ who shows us, revealing and making known the Father.

Please turn to Colossians 1:15-20, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”

“No one has ever seen God, except God the One and Only, at the Father’s side, who has made Him known.” “At the Father’s side” [in the bosom of the Father], is very similar to what is expressed in John 1:1-2; in that, the Son was with the Father in intimate fellowship since the beginning – and so, only the Son can reveal the Father to us.

Please turn to John 14:6-7, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’”

9 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

11 “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Matthew 11:27, “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

The Word of God’s main purpose was to exegete the Father, i.e., to show, reveal, make known. explain and interpret the Father for us, that we might hear and believe in God’s Son, the Savior who has provided forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

From the very beginning, upon creating life, God revealed Himself to His creation, humankind:

– He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve

– He spoke to people of faith throughout history, e.g., Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David…

– He sent prophets to speak to the Jews

– He was present with the Jews in the desert as a pillar of smoke/fire, in the Tabernacle, the Temple…

– Then God left the Jews for 400 years
– He again broke the silence with His Son
God Himself came to earth, putting on flesh, living among humankind,

proclaiming the way of salvation, becoming the payment for our sins, taking our punishment, redeeming all who believe in Him.

Jesus said:

John 6:40, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:46-47, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only He has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes [in Him] has everlasting life.”

What a gracious God we have, of all the people on the earth, we, God’s children ought to be thankful.

Pastor Mike <‘(((><

Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

 Last week we dove into the first five verses of John chapter 1, incredible

theology and truth about the Lord, the Word of God, God the Son, Creator, Sustainer, Judge and Savior: Jesus Christ.

Today we will be studying how people responded to the Light and Life of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, the Logos, the full embodiment and God’s nature, wisdom and power.
Read John 1:6-9… And so we go from the awesome declaration in verses 1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God, and in Him was life, and the life was the Light of God,” to the presentation of a man who came from God, whose name was John, not the author John, but the Baptizer John, cousin of Jesus, from now on to be called the Baptizer or Baptizer.

Notice John says about the Baptizer, he was “sent from God” fulfilling a special role laid out in prophecy concerning the coming of Messiah, the Christ (Isaiah 40:1-3), “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her… A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”

Both Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:2-3 proclaim that John the Baptizer is the fulfillment of this prophecy, “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.'”

Scripture speaks of an Elijah-like prophet coming before the Day of the Lord:

Malachi 3:1, “‘See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

Malachi 4:5-6, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

See Luke 1:11-20, 57-66, 76-80… The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would bear him him a son (John, the Baptizer), and he would be a prophet of God who would announce “the Messiah is here.”

Matthew 3:1-2, 5-6, “In those days John the Baptizer came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

John the Baptizer broke the john400 years of silence between God and Israel and he was clear on his mission and his subordination to Christ:

Luke 3:16, John [said to the people], “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

John 1:15, “John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'” 29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”

Jesus declared John the Baptizer to be the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time.

Matthew 11:11, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Matthew 21:23-26, “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while He was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave You this authority?’ Jesus replied, ‘I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism–where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?’ They discussed it among themselves and said, If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’–we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

The Baptizer’s mission was to be a witness of Messiah and to testify about the Light, so that people would believe and be saved; he was to stir their hearts, that they would be convicted that they had sinned against God; as the forerunner of Christ, the Baptizer called people to repent (to acknowledge their sins) and to be baptized (a public declaration of their need for Messiah).

The Baptizer was not the Light of God, he was a mere reflection of the Light, and he was to testify concerning the Holy One of God, the Word of God, Christ, who is the Light of God coming into the world, so that the people might understand and believe in Him and be saved.
Read John 1:10-13… The Word of God, Jesus Christ, is the Creator, He is the Light of God who has come into the darkness of this world to save those who will receive His Light (2Corinthians 4:4), “the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (see Luke 4:14-20, 28-30).

God’s Word tells us:

John 3:16-17, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

The dreadful reality is that the majority of mankind rejects the Light of God who has come into the world, and therefore they bring judgment upon themselves.

John 3:18-20, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

Jesus came to His own, mankind in general, the Jews specifically (cf. Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38); they did not know Him, i.e., they rejected Him as Messiah, Savior and Lord, again, bringing judgment upon themselves.

God knew the world would reject His Holy One, the Word of God, Messiah, and so God allowed them to put to death His own Son, knowing that the grave couldn’t keep Him, e.g., you can kill the body of Jesus that God lives in, but you can’t kill God, as Peter proclaimed:

Acts 2:22-24, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

The great news (John 1:12-13) is that everyone who receives Christ, those who believe in His name (all that He is [God], all that He does [Savior/Redeemer]), He gives the right to become children of God, born of God’s Spirit, born from above.

Our salvation is entirely by grace:
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.”

As we will later study in depth, in John 3:6-7 Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, explaining spiritual birth to him, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”

Notice in John 1:13 it says, “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

natural descent (lit. blood = heritage or ancestry via a bloodline) human decision (lit. flesh = desire or free will)
husband’s will (lit. man = man-made system or adoption)

This birth by God, brings you into an intimate relationship with God as His child, this cannot be obtained through a bloodline or ancestry, it doesn’t matter who your great great great grandparents were; nor can this spiritual birth be brought about through the sexual relationship between a man and a woman, for this heavenly birth is not done through human birth; nor can a man through his own volition select or adopt a child to belong to God, God chooses, calls and confirms His own.

Spiritual rebirth, being born again from above, born by God’s Spirit, born of God, is made effectual only through a person’s heartfelt response to the Word of God who is the life and Light of God to all who believe in Him.
Romans 10:9-13, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame’ (Isaiah 28:16). For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Joel 2:32).

John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

1John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

How you respond to Jesus Christ will set your destiny forever: heaven or hell, it totally depends upon whether you receive or reject God’s One and Only Son.

Everyone who calls on Him for the forgiveness of sins will receive eternal life.

Why would anyone reject God’s free offer? Do you know for sure that you belong to Jesus?

Don’t delay another day, sincerely ask Him to forgive your sins and you will become a child of God, forever!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><

Bible Text: John 1 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

John’s opening verse states a most profound truth:
Read John 1:1… Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Here in John 1:1, the “Word” was n the beginning, the Greek word translated beginning means source, origin, ruler, one in authority. The Greek word translated “Word” [Logos] means the embodiment of all divine authority, power and wisdom. Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself to the world; and in fact, He is the final word from God to mankind about salvation (see Hebrews 1:3).

John tells us that not only was the Word in the beginning, but that the Word was with God – the Greek for the phrase “was with God,” actually means “face to face,” i.e., the Word [Christ, God the Son] was in an intimate, up close and personal, fellowship with God the Father long before anything was created; and not only is that significant, the Word was God. Jesus Christ is God!
Read John 1:2… John more clearly defines the “Word,” notice, John says “He” was in the beginning with God. The “He” of course is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made “His” dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” No wonder Jesus said (John 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Again, the Word, Christ, being there in the beginning means that He is God, because only God is preexistent and eternal, everything else is created.

The major truth declared by John is, Jesus is God!

Paul declared (Colossians 2:9), “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Peter (2Peter 1:1) calls Jesus “our God and Savior,” and the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:8) says about Jesus, “Your throne O God, will last for ever and ever.”
Read John 1:3… Christ was there before anything was created or came into being; and so He is not a created being, but instead, He is the creator of all beings and everything that was and will be created.

Only God, the Creator, has always existed, everything else was created by Him. The Word of God, Christ (in the flesh of Jesus), is the Creator of the universe (see Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-2) and the Ruler of the universe (see Colossians 2:10; Philippians 2:8-11).

Jesus and God are called by the same pronouns: Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13)
Holy One (Isaiah 10:20; Acts 2:27; 3:14)
I AM (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24)

Judge (Genesis 18:25; 2Timothy 4:1, 8)
Light (Psalm 27:1; John 8:12)
Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17; Revelation 17:14)
Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6; 10:21)
Redeemer (Isaiah 41:14; 48:17; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12) Savior (Isaiah 43:11; Acts 4:12; Titus 2:13)

Jesus’ attributes are unique to God alone: Eternal (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 9:6)
Immutable (Hebrews 13:8)
Omnipotent (Philippians 3:21)

Omnipresent (Matthew 18:20; 28:20) Omniscient (Matthew 11:27; John 16:30; 21:17)

Jesus does things only God can do:
Creates all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16)
Sustains all things (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3)
Forgives sin (Mark 2:10-11)
Raises the dead (John 5:21; 11:25-44)
Receives worship (John 9:38; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 1:6)
Receives prayer (John 14:13-14; Acts 7:59-60)
Read John 1:4… The themes of “life” and “Light” permeate John’s gospel; the word [Greek, zoe] translated “life” refers to the life Jesus gives His true disciples, i.e., spiritual life or eternal life; this is differentiated from the [Greek, bios] word translated “life,” that refers to physical life, also given by God.

Jesus Christ, had zoe within Himself, because He is self-existent – He was not created, He is the Creator who is eternally existent. That is, in a way, the awesome nature of God’s name “I AM,” (Exodus 3:14).

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the
Almighty.’”

There was a time when the universe did not exist; but there was never a time when God did not exist. Jesus Christ, the Word [Logos], is God, He has always existed.

In Christ was the life and light of God – you cannot have life [zoe] from God without the Light [revelation] of God. Jesus is the source of life from God (see John 11:25; 14:6; 1John 1:1-4); He is also the source of Light from God (see John 8:12; 9:5; 1John 1:5-7).

Read Genesis 1:1-4… Without the light of God there is only darkness, Satan’s domain (see Ephesians 6:12)

Read John 1:5… The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood [lit. overcome] it.

It is not that darkness hasn’t understood the Light (see Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:34; Luke 4:34; James 2:19). The demons of darkness understand very well the judgment awaiting them in Christ. They have tried relentlessly to keep the Light and life of God from mankind (see 2Corinthians 4:4-6):

Throughout the OT Satan tried to destroy Israel so that Messiah [the Christ] could not be born.

Satan, through Herod, tried to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:16).

Satan tried to deter Jesus from going to the cross, by tempting Him (Matthew 4:1-11).

Satan used one of Jesus’ followers (Judas) to betray Him into the hands of the Jews (Matthew 16:21-23).

Satan thought he had won the battle when Jesus was nailed to the cross to die, but in reality, Satan brought about his own defeat and signed his own death warrant (see Acts 2:22-24; Colossians 2:15; 1John 3:8).

The Word of God is Jesus, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 16, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.”

John 14:6, Jesus said, “”I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Everyone who calls on this Jesus, the Word of God, God the Son, to forgive their sins, will be saved!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><

Bible Text: John 1 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

I am very excited to finally begin our study of John’s account of the gospel of Christ. Having said that, we will not begin our verse by verse study today, as there is some background information you need to be aware of before we begin.

The Book of John is set apart from the other three gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, in a variety of ways. Matthew, Mark and Luke are synoptic accounts (from a Greek word meaning “to see together”). The Synoptics follow a similar story line of Christ’s life, providing many of the same narratives and events, but each one through the eyes of the author that bears the name of that book.

John’s account does not contain any narrative parables, no list of the twelve apostles, no eschatological [last things] discussions.

Interestingly, the majority of the material found in John is not present in the Synoptics, most importantly: Christ’s pre-existence as God and the incarnation (putting on the flesh of a man) (1:1-18); His enlightening dialogue with Nicodemus (3:1-21); His interactions with the Samaritan woman at the well (4:7-26, 39-42); His healing of the lame man at Bethesda (5:5-17); healing the blind man near the Temple (9:1-41); His claim to be the living water (7:37-38); the resurrection of Lazarus (11:30-46); the washing of the disciples’ feet (13:3-15); and Jesus taught on the Holy Spirit more in John than in all of the Synoptics.

But understand this, there is nothing in John that contradicts anything in the Synoptics and nothing in the Synoptics that contradicts anything in John.

Also, it is important to note that both John and the Synoptics bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of Man, the Messiah (Mark 2:10; John 1:51), and He is the Son of God (Mark 1:1; John 1:34). All four gospels present Jesus as the Savior who came to save us from our sins by dying on the cross, that He was buried, and He rose from the grave on the third day.

The gospel of John doesn’t name its author, neither do the other three gospels; but the early church fathers (Irenaeus, Eusebius, Tertullian and Clement) unanimously named John as the author of this “Fourth Gospel”.

B.F. Westcott was a 19th century commentator and biblical scholar, he did a magnificent job of summarizing the evidence that would conclusive name John as the author of this work. The following is a summary of Westcott’s work:
1. The author had to be a Jew – He was very familiar with contemporary Jewish customs, traditions, and teachings of the Messiah (1:21, 25; 6:14-15; 7:26-27, 31, 40-42; 12:34); Jewish attitudes toward the Samaritans (4:9), women in general (4:27); wedding (2:1-10) and burial (11:17-44; 19:40) customs; the Jewish feasts of Passover (2:13; 6:4; 11:55), Tabernacles/Booths (7:2), Dedication/Hanukkah (10:22).

2. The author was a Palestinian Jew – He had a detailed knowledge of many of the local places only a resident of Palestine would know about. John describes at least three locations not mentioned in the Synoptics: the pool of Bethesda [5:2], the pool of Siloam [9:7], the Kidron Valley [18:1]; and John had a very detailed knowledge of the temple (2:14, 20; 8:20; 10:22-23) only one who was familiar with the temple would know this.

3. The author was an eyewitness to what he wrote – He gave specific details that were not necessarily important to the story; but these details were not from the Synoptics, because they were not recorded in them: the name of Judas Iscariot’s father (6:71; 13:2, 26); how long Lazarus was in the tomb (11:17, 39); that the loaves the boy had at the feeding of the five thousand were made of barley (6:9); that the fragrance of the perfume Mary poured on Jesus’ feet filled the whole house (12:3); that the branches held by the people when Jesus entered Jerusalem were palm branches (12:13); that Roman soldiers accompanied the temple guards to the Garden of Gethsemane (18:3, 12); that Jesus’ garment was seamless (19:23), and at the tomb of the resurrected Jesus’ His head cloth was folded up separate from the linens that wrapped His body (20:6-7).

4. The author was an apostle – He was intimately aware of the thoughts, feelings and actions of the Twelve (2:11, 17, 22; 4:27; 6:19; 12:16; 13:22, 28; 20:8-9; 21:12).
5. The author was the apostle John – John is mentioned over twenty times in the Synoptics, yet he is never mentioned in his own gospel. There is just no good reason why any other NT Christian, other than John himself, would have omitted John’s name when writing this gospel account. John was a very prominent figure in the NT Church, only his own humility would keep him from mentioning his name in the account he wrote.

Also, it would have taken a person of unquestioned authority to write an account of the gospel, that differed from the Synoptics, and have it universally accepted by the church, as is expressed by the early Church Fathers.

Instead of claiming to be written by John, it says it was authored by “the disciple whom Jesus loved”; at the Last Supper, only the twelve were with Jesus (Matthew 26:20; Mark 14:17-18; Luke 22:14); here in John’s gospel, there is no one else who could be referred to as the “beloved disciple” (13:23; 21:20).

John’s gospel was most likely written in Ephesus, AD 80-90, after the Synoptics were circulated in the church.

John is the only gospel writer who gives a statement in his writings as to the specific purpose of his writing, (20:31) “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

John used “believe” (and its derivatives) twice as much as the Synoptics did. From the very beginning, John’s purpose was to convince and convict his readers of the true identity of Jesus’ and the gift of forgiveness and eternal life granted to those who believe in Him, as:
God incarnate (1:1, 14), “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” (10:30), “I and the Father are one.”
Messiah (4:25-26), “The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, He will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am He,’” (Mark 14:61-62), “the high priest asked [Jesus], ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One [Jehovah]? ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
Savior of the World (4:42), “this One [Jesus] is indeed the Savior of the world.”

John repeatedly gave testimony to Jesus’ miraculous signs as proof that He was the Son of God, Messiah, Lord and Savior, and John recorded eight of these specific miracles: turning water into wine (2:1-11), healing an official’s son (4:46-54), healing a lame man (5:1-18), feeding the five thousand (6:1-15), walking on the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21), healing a blind man (9:1-41), raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-45), providing a catch of 156 large fish (21:6-14), and the most convincing of all the miracles was Jesus’ own resurrection (20:1-9, 19-20, 24-29).

Next week we will begin working, verse by verse, through this great book that presents Jesus Christ as the eternal Word, the Messiah, Son of Man and yet, Son of God who, through His own death and resurrection has made available forgiveness [salvation] and eternal life, to all men, women and children of age.

As John said (John 20:30-31), “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

Pastor Mike <‘(((><

Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Mother’s Day

5.14.17 ~ Proverbs 31:10-31, “Loving Mothers, Faithful Wives, Prayerful Grandmothers, and All Women who Honor God, are to be Praised.”

In Genesis 1-2, God spoke all creation into existence, but when it came to the first human, God personally formed him out of dirt and breathed life into him [Heb., Adam = man; similar to Adamah = ground, earth; Dam = blood so, man is nothing more than red dirt apart from God’s breath of life, that turned man into a living being].

At the end of each day of creation, it says, “God saw that it was good,” but, because there was no counterpart for Adam, on day six God said (2:18), “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” God put Adam to sleep (2:21-22), took some of his flesh and bone, made a woman, and brought her to Adam.

God’s purpose for humans (1:28), was to procreate, and to rule over all that God had made, as caretakers who were made in the image of God (1:26-27).

In Genesis 3:20 Adam names “Eve” [lit. living or life] as she would be the mother of all the living, the first child would come from her, bringing future generations.

In Genesis 4:1, with the birth of her son Cain, Eve the first mother, acknowledges God as the sovereign giver of all life. Genesis 5:1-2 says the image bearing likeness of God was passed on to all generations; but verse 3 says Seth was born in Adam’s likeness. according to his image.(imperfect, mortal, sinful, corrupt); whereas Adam, made in the image of God, before sin, was immortal, sinless, pure. I just thought that was interesting.

Just as immortality was God’s original plan for all mankind, motherhood was God’s original desire for all women. But the truth is about 10% of all women (6% of all men) are barren, physically incapable of having children; and the latest estimates suggest that 25% of the women in Britain and 20% of the women in America of childbearing age will never have a baby – because of “personal reasons.”

And yet, it was clearly God’s plan from the beginning for women to be mothers at home, raising children to know and honor God; in fact, as women get older, their own children having grown up and left home, older women are to train younger women to do the same.

1Timothy 5:9-10, “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”

Titus 2:3-5, “teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home [workers at home], to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”

In my life, I have witnessed some good examples of Christian motherhood [my mother, my wife, my mother-in-law, my daughter]; I have also witnessed many bad examples [left unnamed].

The Bible records stories of many women, some good wives and mothers, some not so good, some very bad. Today I want to center-in on the characteristics of good wives and mothers.

Read Proverbs 31:10-27…
Verses 10-12… Excellent wives are loyal to and trusted by their husbands; they do exist but they are definitely not the norm; but then, neither are excellent husbands.
Verses 13-16… These women are diligent workers, gathering raw materials in order to make what is needed for the family and they are thrifty, bargain shoppers.

The excellent wife gets up while it is still dark in order to prepare food and provide for the family, as well as the workers who help her.

Such a woman is enterprising, clever, and capable, she invests what she is entrusted with, making the most of her resources in order to care for her family. Verses 17-19… She is sweet in spirit, strong in body, and she does not avoid hard work or difficult tasks. She is not only up before sunlight, but also working late into the night. The distaff and spindle are tools used to turn wool into thread, so that clothing can be made from it.
Verse 20… She also cares for the poor and needy.
Verses 21-22… In the highlands of Palestine it gets cold, she makes warm garments for her family, as well as coverings for her furniture and adornments for her home; but then, they didn’t have Costco, Fred Meyer’s or Walmart, and definitely no Amazon.com Prime.

Verse 23… Her excellence commends her husband before the community, where he serves in leadership.
Verse 24… She not only makes clothing for her family, her wares are sold in the village marketplace, allowing her to bring home income.

Verses 25-27… She loves God, serving Him honorably and diligently, speaking wisdom to her children, so they will learn reverence for and instruction from the Lord.

She is a faithful steward of all that the Lord gives her, using it to bring praise to God and blessings to her family.
Read verses 28-31… As a result of her service to God, she sets the very best example for all women, all wives, and especially for all mothers.

We celebrate Mother’s today, and rightly so, but I believe special recognition should go to all Proverbs 31 women, that they might be praised and honored by all those they have served through the years.

Godly women are like a beautiful bouquet of fresh, colorful and fragrant flowers; no wonder this year an estimated 2.5 billion dollars will be spent to buy flowers for mothers and wives on this holiday.

If your mother is still living and you haven’t done so, take time, to honor her or at least thank her birthing you.

If your mother is not alive, why not take time to thank the other women in your life (grandmothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, mother-in-law); women who have faithfully served as examples in this present generation trying to make a difference for Christ.

This is the first Mother’s Day since my own mother died, on December 20, 2016, and Tom Perry’s mother died on April 29 of this year. This is also my wife Nancy’s first Mother’s Day without our son Ben, who died on April 17 of this year, to whom she gave the best of motherhood for 29 years.

Mother’s Day has been set apart to acknowledge Mothers, and rightly so, as motherhood should be recognized and honored by all.

Without demeaning motherhood in any way, I would like to broaden that recognition to include all women who earnestly seek to bring honor and glory to

God, women who serve others with all that the Lord has given them, like the example of the excellent wife in Proverbs 31.

And so I say, “Thank You,” to all of you ladies (mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, mother-in-laws), I hope that your family, all of your loved ones, will take time to honor you today, especially, and I pray that God will continue to bless each one of you richly, today and forever, in Christ!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><

Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale

This is the first Sunday of May and at the end of our service we will celebrate

the Lord’s Supper, also known as the Lord’s Table, the Breaking of Bread, Holy Communion or Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, the Sacrament of the Altar, i.e., Christ’s Sacrificial Death, which brought forgiveness for sins to all who believe in Him; and Christ’s Sovereign Resurrection, which demonstrated eternal life for each person who trusts in Christ as Savior.

Living in heaven forever, with the Lord and with all who belong to Him, by the payment of His own shed blood, brings great comfort to me, for this has been a most grueling Easter Season in the lives of Nancy and me, our children and our grandchildren.

In God’s grace and mercy, Christ’s Resurrection gives me supernatural hope and assurance as our family continues to grieve the death of our son Benjamin, born 29 years ago, died April 17, near our home, he was one of the sweetest people I have ever known.

John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

I do believe this, and so, I have God’s peace in the midst of my grief. Many of you here, have suffered the loss of a loved one: a mother, father, husband, wife, child, sister, brother. I do not know how anyone can get through the crippling anguish, deep darkness and disorienting fog of grief without the presence and power of God and the fellowship of God’s family.

Numerous times, over the past 38 years, I have participated in the Lord’s Supper, for last 35 years I have officiated hundreds of Holy Communions considering how Jesus Christ, God’s Son, willfully, obediently, went to the cross to die for my sins, and then on the third day came out of the grave alive, proclaiming and demonstrating eternal life, the gift of God to all who trust in God’s Son.

Romans 3:10-12 declares that no one is righteous, no one seeks God, no one is good, not even one, for we have all turned away from God. to our own way.

Romans 3:23 declares, that because of this, we are all sinners, and Romans 6:23 says that we all, therefore, deserve death, but God in His great mercy has granted us eternal life through Jesus Christ; making us acceptable to God, (Romans 5:8) God demonstrates His love for us through the sacrifice of His own Son for our sins; therefore, (Romans 8:1) there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, in fact, (Romans 11:29) nothing can take that from us, or us

from God, for God is Sovereign (Romans 8:38-39), “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Everything except God was created.]

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep,” (28-30) “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

This truth brings great comfort and assurance to me that I will indeed see my son again, along with my mom, my grandson, and my father, who have all gone before me.

The resurrection of Christ is the foundation for our faith, without it, we have nothing to celebrate or to hope for. When Jesus was raised from the dead His glorified body was quite different from the one that had died. What came out of the grave was very different from that which had been put into the grave.

During Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, He went from one place to another, and yet, without physically having to travel to those places, for He was no longer limited by time and space and material substance. Jesus appeared and disappeared multiple times after His death and before ascending back into heaven.

Luke 24:30-31, “He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.”
36-43, “While [His disciples gathered secretly, hiding, this being the very same day] were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, He asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate it in their presence.”

John 20:26, ”A week later His disciples were in the house again, and… Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’” 29-31, “Then Jesus told them, ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

We aren’t in heaven, we are still on earth and there is more than enough death,

disease, suffering and pain that touches, sometimes engulfs us, in this life.

I’ll be 68 years old in August. I lived the first 29 years of my life apart from

Christ, but for the last 38 years I have tried to serve the Lord. What I continue to

learn is that in the midst of death, disease, suffering and pain, our Lord is there

with us.

In John 11:32-35 where we find the story of Jesus arriving in Bethany to see

His close friends Mary and Martha whose brother Lazarus had recently died, we

read how Jesus was deeply troubled and moved by the grief expressed over

Lazarus’ death by Mary. When Mary led Jesus to Lazarus’ tomb, it says, Jesus

wept.

Our Lord, above all people, understands suffering, for He suffered more than all

of us, experiencing great pain, sorrow and loss. He mourns with us, comforting us,

consoling us, holding us, and at times carrying us, as we grieve, when death takes

those we love away from us.

Through the forgiveness of sins made effectual by our Lord’s sacrifice, and the

demonstration of eternal life exhibited by the resurrection of our Lord, we have an

established, secure and validated expectation, providing us with confidence and

assurance that death and despair have been replaced with life and hope through

Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior: crucified, resurrected and coming again to take us to

live with Him and with all our departed loved ones who have gone before us, where

there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of

things has passed away, and everything has become new.

Sovereignly, Jesus Christ is coming back to take all those who belong to Him to

live with Him in a new universe forever; and only through Him can despair and

death be turned into hope and life eternal.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just

because He lives.

No wonder the Book of Revelation closes with these words (22:20-21), “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”

Pastor Mike <‘((((><

Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale

See Mark 2:1-9… As Jesus is proclaiming the good news in a crowded room (verses 2-4) four men carry in a paralytic but they can’t get to Jesus through the crowd, so they go up the outside stairway to the roof; they dig through the thatch and earth roof, remove the roof tiles, and then lower the man to the room below.

It says (verse 5), Jesus “saw their faith,” and said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” It was clear to everyone that the man’s greatest need was to be able to walk, to be healed of his paralysis. But Jesus basically says, I have healed your spirit, and by forgiving your sins.

This man has just received eternal life, yet he still can’t walk.

The Pharisees (verses 6-7), equate Jesus’ statement about forgiving sins to blaspheming, for only God can forgive sins.

Many of the Jews living at that time, believed that diseases and afflictions were the result of one’s own sin. And so, Jesus asks the Pharisees, (verse 9) “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

Anyone could say, “your sins are forgiven,” I mean, who could verify whether or not it had happened? But to say, “Get up… and walk” that miracle could be witnessed by all who were there.

By healing the paralytic, Jesus’ claim to grant forgiveness was verified; and so there was spiritual healing, through the forgiveness of sins.

The emphasis here is not the healing of this man’s body, but the healing of this man’s spirit (verses 5, 10-11).

So, how does this relate to the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

We are told in the Scriptures that Jesus came to take upon Himself our punishment for sin’s penalty, to the point of death.

Isaiah 53:3-8 says the Lord was despised and rejected by men… pierced for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was poured out on Him, and by His shed blood we are healed, for God placed on Him the penalty for all our sins… He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was put to death for us.

Isaiah 53:11-12 tell us that after suffering death for the sins of all who will believe in Him, He would come out of the grave alive.

What if we only had the reality of Christ’s death, but no resurrection? If you had been the paralytic man in Mark chapter 2, it would be like Jesus saying to you, “your sins’s are forgiven, really!” But there would be no way for you to know if that were true, until after you die and regain your consciousness, either in heaven or in hell.

But, if along with saying to you, “your sins are forgiven,” Jesus also said, “now, to affirm that you really are saved, and that I have such authority, “I say to you get up and walk, for you are healed of your paralysis,” you would definitely know that you were also healed of sins’s penalty.

In the apostle John’s vision in Revelation 1:17-18 he records the Lord’s words, “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”

The resurrection of Jesus Christ sovereignly confirms and declares that Jesus, through His own shed blood on the cross, did in fact take the full punishment for our sins before God, and therefore, we have forgiveness and eternal life!
1Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Listen, Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and was placed in a tomb, and on Sunday morning His body was missing, because He had risen from the dead!
Read Matthew 28:1-15… If Jesus did not rise from the grave, and His body was missing, then, either He did rise, as He said, or someone took His body away.
1. The Jewish Leaders didn’t want Christ’s body removed from the tomb; a missing body could be a resurrected body, that would look bad for the Religious Leaders; for this reason (Matthew 27:62-65), they pressured Pilate to put a seal on the tomb and a Roman guard unit there to keep the body in the grave, for Jesus had said (v. 63), “after three days I will rise again.”
2. The Roman Guards were stationed in order to make sure Jesus’ body stayed put; moving it or allowing it to be taken, was punishable by death; therefore, they made sure Christ’s body remained in the tomb, at all costs, against all foes, but then, they had never met one of God’s mighty angels, like the one who rolled away the stone.
3. Jesus’ Disciples wouldn’t dare move His body and falsify His resurrection; for if they knew Jesus did not rise from the grave, they had no hope of eternal life, and it would have been better for them to quickly and quietly get out of town, change their names, and deny any prior relationship with Jesus of Nazareth.

Why would the Disciples continue to proclaim the risen Lord, if it were not true?

Why did the Jewish authorities bribe the Roman soldiers to spread the “stolen body” story if it were true?

Jesus told His disciples on several occasions, that He would be arrested, put to death, and on the third day He would rise from the grave. He told them He would return to the Father; but at a future time, He would come back to get all those who belong to Him (Christians) to be with Him in heaven, forever; all this is according to God’s own sovereign plan and purpose.
Mark 8:31… “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
Matthew 17:22-23… “When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filled with grief.”

Luke 24:44-48… “He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’ You are witnesses of these things.”

See John 14:1-3… “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 29 “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does

happen you will believe.”
After His resurrection, before ascending back into heaven, Jesus appeared to

many of His followers, and we will look at those events next Sunday morning. When you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross to provide forgiveness for your sins, you receive salvation; and Christ’s resurrection

demonstrates God’s sovereign power and authority over sin, death, and judgment, and is proof that you indeed have eternal life from God.

The only reasonable explanation for the empty tomb is the one that is repeatedly revealed in Scriptures: Jesus Christ rose from the grave, by His own divine power and authority (John 10:17-18), “I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and [I have] authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Christ’s death provided forgiveness; His resurrection proclaimed and demonstrated that He alone provides eternal life.
See John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”
See John 11:39-44… Going to where Lazarus was buried, Jesus said, “‘Take away the stone.” “But, Lord,’ said Martha, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ [Lazarus then] came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”

Do you see what just happened? Jesus loosed Lazarus from the bonds of death, declaring that he indeed had eternal life, for Lazarus belonged to the Lord.

Let that sink in. The resurrection is not just an event. It is a Person. Jesus is the Son of God. All authority rests in Him. “Resurrection” is through Him. The great hope that we have is that He is “the resurrection and the life”.
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Because Jesus Christ alone is “the resurrection and the life”; and because He Himself has tasted death for us—bearing our sins on the Cross; and because Himself now lives forever more—having been raised from the dead three days later; we have eternal life and hope in Him!

Today, we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior from the dead. Our celebration isn’t only looking back at some event in the distant past, or looking forward to some event in the distant (or maybe not so distant) future —Christ’s resurrection should impact our lives every single day.

God wants us to see that Jesus Himself is the substance of real hope for everyone who has placed their trust in Him. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

After He made that affirmation, He asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” And so today, as we end this study, I want to ask you a similar question:

Do you believe in and confess Jesus Christ as Lord?

Do you have the assurance in your heart [your spirit] that you belong to the Savior and that you will live, even though you die?

Take a moment right now, soberly consider this in your heart.
If you know that you have eternal life, praise God,Hallelujah!
But if you are unsure that you are saved, that have been granted eternal life,

please, settle the issue right now, right here.
Admit to God that you are a sinner (we all are).
Repent of your sins, asking God to forgive you (He turns no one away). Believe in Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior – that He died for your sins, and rose

from the grave to proclaim victory over death and judgement.
Prayerfully read God’s Word daily, obey what you understand, following the Lord

as your example in this life.
Participate in a Bible Believing, Teaching, and Practicing Church, as a member of

Christ’s Body, serving through word and deed, as if serving the Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, for He is the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection, and the Life! He is Risen!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><