The True Son of God | Sermon 07/30/2023

Apologia Utah

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We're going to be in verses 30 through 42 of John chapter 10 and The title of this sermon today church is the true son of God the true son of God Okay so starting in Verse 30 actually no, let's start at verse 22 for context

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Verse 22 of the gospel according to John chapter 10 here now the magnificent and majestic word of the living and true

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God At that time the feast of the dedication took place at Jerusalem It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon The Jews then gathered around him and were saying to him.

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How long will you keep us in suspense if you are the Christ? Tell us plainly

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Jesus answered them. I told you and you do not believe The works that I do in my father's name these testify of me

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But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me

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I give eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand

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My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand

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Here's our verse. I and the father are one The Jews picked up stones again to stone him

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Jesus answered them I showed you many good works from the father for which of them are you stoning me the

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Jews answered him for a good work We do not stone you but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself out to be

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God Jesus answered them has it not been written in your law I said you are gods if he called them gods to whom the

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Word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken Do you say of him whom the father sanctified and sent into the world you are blaspheming?

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Because I said I am the Son of God If I do not do the works of my father do not believe me

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But if I do them though you do not believe me believe the works So that you may know and understand that the father is in me and I in the father

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Therefore they were seeking again to seize him and he alluded their grasp and he went away again beyond the

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Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing and He was staying there many came to him and were saying while John performed no sign

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Yet everything John said about this man was true Many believed in him there thus ending the reading of God's holy and inspired word

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Let's pray quickly Church God. I ask that you would speak through me today Lord that you would fill me with power in the

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Holy Spirit God that you would illuminate the scriptures for the sake of your people and the glory of your name

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God, these are hard things to understand. So would you give us grace? God, would you help us to be attentive so that we can fully digest these things and God as always

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I pray that this is not just information for people, but it carries along with it transformation

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I ask this by faith God, please touch us now. I pray this in Christ's name. Amen Well as you've seen as we just read past there

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We have been looking at Jesus's indictment of Jewish leaders of Israel failed

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Jewish leaders to be exact He has to be for the people what these corrupt men are not

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These men many of them make up what's called the Sanhedrin the Sanhedrin are a religious

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Judicial council of Jewish leaders men who are often like judges judges in US history we have not been immune from Corrupt judges ourselves.

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We have faced that for example Judge Les Hayes one sentence a single mother single mother to 496 days behind bars for simply failing to pay some traffic tickets

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The sentence was so stiff that it exceeded the jail time Alabama allows for even negligent homicide

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Marquita Johnson who was the one who was locked up in April in 2012 says the impact of her jail time still affects her to this day so many years later

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You see as a single mother Johnson's three children were immediately put into foster care

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They had no one to go to and according to state record one of the children were sexually abused and another one was physically

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Abused terribly while she was incarcerated Johnson said that the judge took her life away and didn't care about her children's suffering

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And so an investigation was done on This judge judge

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Hayes and it showed that he was subjecting other people to this kind of sentencing as well jail time for unpaid fines for the following people a plumber struggling to make rent a mother who would skip meals of her own to cover the medical bills of her disabled son and A hotel housekeeper trying to work her way through college

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Hayes Admitted in court documents to violating ten different parts of the state's judicial conduct code

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But despite all that judge Hayes Did not lose his office to the bench

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He reached a deal with the Judicial Committee and he kept his job.

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This of course is only one example an Investigation of national judicial misconduct of from 2008 to 2019 was completed.

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It showed that 1 ,000 509 cases were found in which judges resigned retired or were publicly disciplined

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Following accusations of misconduct then in addition to that 3 ,613 cases were found of disciplined judges

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But their identities and the details of the misconduct were hidden from the public and they're still in Office today.

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In fact of all these figures nine out of ten judges always kept their positions

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The accounts go on and on sexual misconduct drunkenness in the judges seat drugs corruption briberies and of course neglecting to perform fair and impartial justice for the people

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But this of course is not the case for the Almighty Regarding God it says in Psalm 89

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Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Oh God loving kindness and truth go before you

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Psalm 146 says our hope is in the Lord our God who made heaven and earth the sea and all that is in them who keeps faith forever who executes

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Justice for the oppressed who gives food to the hungry The Lord sets the prisoners free the

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Lord opens the eyes of the blind the Lord raises up those who are bowed down the Lord Loves the righteous the

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Lord protects strangers He supports the fatherless and the widow and he thwarts the way of the wicked the

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Lord will reign forever Amen, amen Let's see in John chapter 10 how

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Christ fulfills these things today so remember Jesus was walking in the portico of Solomon doing during the

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Feast of Dedication He was in the temple They encircled him.

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They questioned him. They wanted a clear admission to his identity and Jesus spoke on the assurance that sheep have

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That nothing will ever cause us to perish. Nothing will snatch us out of his hand

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He and the father Have the ability to hold us protect us keep us help us to persevere to eternal life we saw that last week as God as as God is invincible.

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So is his promise. That's what I said And so we also saw that the son continually

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Unites himself to the father All that he does was ordained by the father and the father is pleased in the son's works and so Now Jesus simply won't say yeah,

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I'm the Messiah. I'm the Christ He will speak to the nature of his relationship to the father verse 30

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Ego chi ha potter hain as main I and the father are one

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This is a powerful Declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is no addition to the text.

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There's no controversy surrounding this This is in all the original language Jesus himself professed this very statement.

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I and the father are one That word are in our one is a form of a me

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Like in a go a me if you've been with us for any amount of time, you know that that means I am and it speaks to being being right

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What one is what one be what one am in? This way it's like as if Jesus is saying

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I and the father Share one being together or in this context one will

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Shared works we are one This statement will be even more fully realized in John 17 in the high priestly prayer will be coming to that in the coming months

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One theologian said regarding this this word for one is in the neuter form

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Hain Not the masculine haste Jesus and his father are not one person as the masculine would suggest for then the distinction between Jesus and God that was introduced in the prologue and John one would be obliterated and John could not refer then to Jesus praying to his father being commissioned and obedient to his father and so on What he's trying to say is this word for one in the

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Greek is in the neuter not the masculine not the feminine It's in the neuter which is significant because if it said

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If he said I and the father are one and it was in the masculine then it would be speaking to Personhood that they that they share one personhood then that would ruin the

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Trinity because we know that God is actually one in being But he's three in person

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So they're not the same They are the one God, but there is distinction

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It's again. It's a little bit confusing But the neuter form of one there shows that they are

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Distinct persons of the one Trinity. Okay, that's what's that's what I'm trying to get at John 519 showed

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Jesus can do all the things the father can do and No mere human can make that claim can they?

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That's why they thought even then he was making himself equal with God. We saw that in John 5

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Now it's not only equality but oneness oneness

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Context here is not lending primarily to the nature or Essence of God in Jesus.

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I just want to say that more focus I think is being put here on the father and the sons oneness in will and in action

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But it would be inaccurate I think to say that there are no metaphysical aspects to these words, okay

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So what I'm trying to say is again, this is high stuff difficult stuff, but I think it's important is

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Primarily I don't think Jesus is speaking exactly to metaphysical ontological being here

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But I think that's a part of it But I think he's speaking primarily because he's talking about what he does and what the father does and he's talking about one will the function united in function, but the fact is a human a

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Mere human is incapable. Okay incapable of ultimately and Exhaustively Obeying the prescribed and decreed will of God no human could do that of their own accord

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And so we look at that. We look at that at the fact that Jesus can do this Jesus can obey this will decreed and prescribed

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Perfectly and that alone the fact that he is in line and united with the father's will speaks to his nature it does

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He is eternal and again We got to think back to the prologue in John 1

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Jesus is called what the word in the beginning was the word the word was with God and the word

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Was God and so this agrees with that? Jesus is all at once with God and Was from all eternity

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God But they don't share the same personhood the father is not the son and the son is not the father

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But they are the one God Heavy stuff rewatch it if you have to this is

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Trinitarian theology. It's pretty pretty heady stuff, but it's important to go over so the will of the father the will of Christ the mission of God the mission of Christ the plans and decrees of the father and Those of the son they are in turn

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Eternally intertwined That in reality Ontologically they are one they are one

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Now what does this phrase I and the father are one remind you of what does it remind you of When I read it

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I tell you I thought of the Shema He says I and the father are one. I thought of Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4

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It says hero Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one That is the show the

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Shema was recited twice a day by Jews in Israel Hero Israel the

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Lord is God the Lord is one Jesus is claiming to be in that oneness

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And what's amazing is the Shema along with other Old Testament passages excuse me demonstrate a plurality and unity

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Remember that phrase plurality in unity Yahweh in the

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Shema and Deuteronomy 6 4 is coupled with a plural form of Elohim Okay, Elohim is when it says

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God typically Yahweh is when it says Lord all caps Lord that is not all caps is typically

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Adonai But here in the Shema the Lord our God The Lord is

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God. The Lord is one when it says Lord here. It's singular when it says God here.

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It's plural, okay So in other words in the Shema being is one

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And it says is God That is personhood plural

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The one God has a plurality Plurality in unity

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The Hebrew says IHOD, which is one or unity and that word IHOD is used in Genesis chapter 2

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To describe a man who is joined to his wife and the two become one IHOD they become one

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Of course, I'm not talking about process of the Trinity. I'm simply showing you how the word is used

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That is to say Distinct persons and yet one that happens even with husband and wife.

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They are one So what about Old Testament examples of this plurality in unity or what we know to be

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Trinity I Think of the pre -incarnate Christ we've talked about it before a

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Christophany or a theophany An appearance of God before Jesus even came that happened in Genesis chapter 22

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God Says now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son your only son that's when

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Abraham was about to offer up Isaac and there's this angel of the Lord passage and The one speaking says you have not withheld from me

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It's as if There's God there and there's God there In Isaiah chapter 6 verse 8

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God refers to himself in both singular and plural terms Isaiah says then

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I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us?

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of course many try to say that that is I Guess some sort of angelic court or something like that, but I think that's speaking to the majestic plural

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Father son and Holy Spirit, that's triune in parts of Nehemiah we see distinction and yet unity between the

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Holy Spirit and the Father and Of course many of us probably remember in Genesis chapter 1 verse 26

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God says what let us make mankind in our own image and We know we're not made in the image of angels

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Who is he talking about? father son and Holy Spirit and lastly

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You think about the time when the angels came down? to warn lot that Sodom and Gomorrah was to be destroyed and just like the

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Christophany the pre -incarnate appearance of Christ at the oaks of Mamre when when a

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God told I I'm sorry told Abraham that Isaac would be coming Just in the same way

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It seems that one of these angels was a theophany because as it says in Genesis chapter 19 verse 24

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It says this then the Lord rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the

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Lord in heaven Yahweh rained down fire and brimstone

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From the Lord in heaven Yahweh to Yahweh there appears to be a distinction

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Yet a unity a oneness Besides all these there are so many texts that speak to this truth, okay one

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God three persons But these Jewish leaders could not believe it.

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They couldn't see it Theologian John frame speaks to some of the mystery of the

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Trinity He says the concurrence of the three persons of the Trinity and all that they do is a profound indication of their unity

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He says there is no conflict in the Trinity The three persons are perfectly agreed on what they should do and on how their plan should be executed

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They support one another assist one another and promote one another's purposes this intra -trinitarian deference this

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Disposability of each to the others is called mutual glorification. He says and That sort of deference or mutual glorification

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Happens between the Spirit and the Son and the Son to the Spirit the Father to the Son You have moments when the

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Son says it's good that I go away so that the Holy Spirit may come he's speaking highly of the

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Holy Spirit the third person of the Trinity and And so we see these concepts these

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Trinitarian concepts as a major theme in the gospel according to John from the beginning.

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We've seen it and in a derivative fashion we are to look at the unity and deference of the

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Blessed Trinity and Do the same with one another? We are to follow that We are to be one body of one accord one mind

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We are to defer to one another We are to outdo one another in love consider one in one another is more important than ourselves deference you see the glory of your brother is your glory

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Your sister's glory is yours. Your glory is your sister's We are not in competition but in unity union

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So that when one of us falls we all feel it and when one of us rises back up again we praise

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God together we are to look at the relationship of the

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Trinity and Take the traits of it that we can and treat each other in similar fashion because God is a relational

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God. Is he not? God is relational Father to the son son to the father father to the spirit son to the spirit spirit to the others

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Between him and us so God has been eternally relational and then he made man and then he was relational with man and then

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God instituted marriage so that man and woman could be relational with each other and have children and multiply and the fact is

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Paul speaks to marriage being what he calls a mystery speaking to the fact that it

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Represents Christ and the church because we were never meant to do this alone

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Okay Just read an epistle sounds like there's a lot of people together

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Even when you have Paul writing the letter to Philemon Yeah, he's writing to one person or he's writing to Timothy one person

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But then it's speaking about the fact that Timothy's which with a bunch of believers We were never meant to do this alone

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The ones out there wandering they need to come back. They can't do it alone. We're one flock under one

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God the triune God one Lord Now what happens after this cataclysmic statement he says

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I and the father are one and the Jews once again They do what they did in John chapter 8.

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They they pick up stones You remember Jesus said before Abraham was I am and they picked up stones

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They are offended by Jesus's words and they're willing to bypass the law

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For the sake of their bloodlust murder is on the mind Thankfully Jesus already told us that he lays down his life of his own accord.

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No one can take it from him and There have already now including this one been three clear -cut instances of Jewish leaders

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Absolutely going after Jesus to kill him John 5 John 8 and now

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John 10 all three instances share the perception that Jesus was claiming equality or Oneness with God every single time every single time they wanted to kill him.

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It's because of something like this They were correct in a way

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Jesus is God Jesus is like the father except except distinct from the father

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But they are not correct in that Jesus was not making himself out to be an additional

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God Jesus is not another God along with the one true God and so they would be wrong if they interpreted that way and So they want to stone him

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But at this time with Roman occupation the authorities

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Didn't allow stoning Due to its ability to result in mob violence and the

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Romans had to keep things under control Excuse me.

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So Roman the Romans would handle all executions and They did that by way of crucifixion

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Primarily as we know So these Jews are beyond offended But they have yet to state their charges

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Okay the end of John 8 We saw after Jesus said before Abraham was

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I am He departed immediately. They tried to kill him He departed immediately but here in our text and now he sticks around for a little bit longer.

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He's gonna face his opponents and He responds very judicially

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Verse 32 I showed you many good works from the father for which of them are you stoning me?

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See if they're gonna stone him Let it be for his righteous deeds for things that show that he is the

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Christ Which in that case, how does that make them look? He says

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I showed you many good works. The word in the Greek is of the father I showed you many good works of the father because father here is in the genitive case which shows possession

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Jesus performed works of the father There's more unity

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Jesus performed works of the father and he says Which of these works from the father the one that you say you're sons of Which one of these works are you going to stone me for?

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These works aren't only good they are from God himself Jesus does what the father does all that he has performed has been a work of God But now here is the official charge

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The Jews declare in verse 33 For a good work.

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We do not stone you but for blasphemy and Because you being a man make yourself out to be

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God That is the word blasphemous the intentional slander or slander or defamation of God It's made infinitely worse by not by one not only claiming that they are

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Lord But it's also when someone is saying that God is not

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Lord alone. Okay But why stoning to death? Their Basis for stoning

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Jesus to death is from Leviticus 24 16 It says the one who blasphemes the name of the

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Lord shall be put to death all the congregation shall stone this person the

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Stranger as well as the native when he blasphemes the name of God shall be put to death That's the basis by which they think they should

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Stone Jesus to death It's so funny to me That I've met many people

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Especially here in Utah who think that Jesus has never made claim to deity and yet on three occasions

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Jews Jewish leaders in the gospel of John have seen Such a thing.

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They're accusing him of blasphemy and So that charge of blasphemy is founded on that verse 30.

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I and the Father are one So they can only see his humanity do you get it they can only see

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Jesus as humanity They've seen his works.

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They've seen his power But they only see a human the incarnation is not the only aspect of his identity

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You see they say you being a man They think

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Jesus is being is Only man, but we know Jesus is totally

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God and Totally man and that my friends again. Another theological term is called the hypostatic union

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Jesus being totally God and totally man. It's like the Trinity. It's it's mysterious.

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It's hard to comprehend in some ways You see those two natures are never mixed together.

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They are never there are no fusions They're simply together totally

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God and totally man And so they don't realize that they see just a human in front of them

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Despite all that he has done and despite all that he has said They don't see it and so can you imagine

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They are standing up for God By accusing God himself.

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That's the irony They're standing up for God by accusing God himself

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He did not make himself to be God. That's what they said. You make yourself to be God He did not make himself anything he is the eternal logos who was in the beginning the

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Eternity past with God was God and nothing that was made was made apart from him and that Demonstrates that he is therefore unmade if if Jesus made all things and not anything that was made was made apart from him

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Then he is the unmade maker He is the unique son

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John called him the monogamous. They asked the unique son of God But now we come to the controversial section of the passage.

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Okay verses 34 through 36 This is a this is where it all happens

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Jesus says has it not been written in your law. I said you are gods I said you are gods first off He says has it not been written in your law in Your law and I want you to know he's not purposely distancing himself from his own law word

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But he's trying to highlight the very thing that they consider to be their authority the law the word

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In fact, that's where they would go to get the definition of blasphemy. And so he says it that way he wants to Hold them to the scriptures.

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He wants to hold them to what they say is their authority in consistency and So Jesus will help explain and apply

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Psalm 82 here and Jesus's use of Psalm 82 relies upon the right interpretation of that Psalm in its context.

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Okay Dusty read it earlier He read Psalm 82. Let's read it again

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He read it in the ESV, which I think is a bit better. I have it in the NASB 95 It says

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God takes his own stand in his own congregation He judges in the midst of the rulers or gods

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How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked say law? Vindicate the weak and fatherless do justice to the afflicted and destitute

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Rescue the weak and needy deliver them out of the hand of the wicked They do not know nor do they understand they walk about in darkness all the foundations of the earth are shaken

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I said you are gods and all of you are sons of the Most High Nevertheless, you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes arise

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Oh God judge the earth for it is you who possesses all the nations. That's Psalm 82

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So it appears What we see in this psalm is the Lord has given the title of gods to a certain group a

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Certain group of people have been called gods and he says

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I this is the Lord speaking. I said You are gods Key word is said

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I said you are God God's reveals. It is an honorific title

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Given by the one true God to this group It's an honorific thing he said it he declared it that's not actually their being okay, they're not actually gods

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He says I said you are gods. It's an honorific title to a certain group Now if this alarms you that God would call people gods or creatures gods

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Just know that this Hebrew word and even the phrase sons of God has been legitimately used for Angels the angelic council fallen angels rulers

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Kings idols false gods and even judges but just know that the vast majority of the use of Elohim is

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Used for Yahweh the only God the Lord, okay Now there are three common interpretations to this group who is this group in Psalm 82 number one

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Some believe these to be angels with authority over the nation's some believe these to be angels a divine council of sorts

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With angelic beings who have failed God, okay however, I Personally don't think the context in John 10 lends to this interpretation

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Angels are not mentioned in the psalm or in John There is little to no indication of this and we don't see angels in the rest of Scripture Turning into men or dying like men, okay?

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number two Who are these gods? Some believe the gods or the sons of the

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Most High are the people when they receive the law at Mount Sinai okay that they rebelled against God in making the golden calf and Therefore all that first generation died and they never got to see the promised land.

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They died like men They were destined to wander from that point and I personally think that is not the

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Interpretation either. I think that one has some compelling arguments Because they were given the word there and Jesus says to whom the ones were given the word, but I personally

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Think this third option Contextually fits the best and I think Jesus Articulates this

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I think it fits with John 10 as well. Okay? Remember it appeared in verse 35 that the ones who were

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God's According to Jesus are the same ones to whom the Word of God came. They're the same ones

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So from the tablets of stone to the words of Moses to the prophets of God Rulers and judges.

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That's what I think this is These are rulers and judges of Israel who had access and been given the

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Word of God. They knew it and They knew They were to they were to know it deeply

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Kings priests Judges they were to be over God's people to lead and to shepherd them rightly

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They were given this honor to be called by the Lord. They were given this honor to be called

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God's and this goes right in line. I think with John 9 and John 10 Jesus has what he's been addressing the leaders the shepherds of God's people and so when considering Psalm 82

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God holds as we see a trial God holds a trial in which he judges among earthly rulers and judges in Israel men whom he has let be called

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God's for their specific offices They were given elevated statuses as kings rulers and judges

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Roles that are in a derivative way derivative only To God to mimic

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God's sort of authority But they have judged

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Unjustly and shown partiality to the wicked. They won't perform justice and help the fatherless

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They won't help the destitute the weak and the needy He says that these rulers walk about in darkness

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What does that remind you of We've been talking about that for a few weeks right who's walking in darkness in front of Jesus the

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Jewish leaders The Jewish leaders they're blind They're blind.

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So what's the Almighty's judgment in Psalm 82? Despite the special honor and titles that he gave these men.

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They will die like any regular sort of men They will lose the endowed honor of God why because their works profane the title of the

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Lord What is the title of the Lord Elohim God? They profane the title of the

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Lord by their wicked deeds. They are not fit to be called God's The name of the

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Lord cannot be stained. And so the same is true of the men before Jesus as they charged

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Jesus with blasphemy When he quotes Psalm 82, he's actually charging them back with blasphemy.

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They're like the wicked God's or judges or rulers of Psalm 82

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They have failed to be God's representatives on earth They are not worthy of being given the gifted title.

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The Lord gave them of God's For not judging rightly God will judge them and so they are now known as mere mortals

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Mere mortals death will come to them You see because the highest

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Price of treason against God is death. They will die like men now before we continue on with what

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Jesus Concludes about Psalm 82 his application of it. He says real quick there.

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The scripture cannot be broken. Did you see that? The scripture cannot be broken

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That means that the scripture cannot be proved false or made void

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This statement is meant to be a rebuke to the Jewish leaders because remember he said your law

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Your law is so precious to you but standing right in front of them is the law goss the word may flesh

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They are setting aside the authority of God's Word because it doesn't fit their agenda.

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They are not consistent What Jesus is saying is if there are other gods

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Whom God the author of Scripture can address as God on What biblical basis should anyone object when

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Jesus says I am God's Son? Let me say that again What Jesus is saying is if there are others

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Whom God can address as God on what biblical basis Can they object when

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Jesus says I am God's Son they have no room to stand The scripture cannot be broken and it shows

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With that statement that Jesus understand understand scripture to be eternal in its authority and relevance

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The scripture cannot be broken Even when someone doesn't like it so once again

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Jesus says if he called them gods to whom the Word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken

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Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world you are blaspheming

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Because I said I am the Son of God So this is now going to be

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Jesus's application of Psalm 82 against the blasphemy charges of the

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Jews He's not trying to prove his own deity here, okay by using this psalm

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Because then it would be as if God gave Jesus only an honorific title

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He'd be like men He's not using Psalm 82 to Define his deity.

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He's using it to rebuke his opponents They continue to neglect the scriptures in the heat of their own hatred

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Toward Jesus despite a professed knowledge and attachment to those scriptures

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So why do you say of him meaning the Christ? Whom the

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Father sanctified and sent to the world Why do you say of that one you are blaspheming because he said he is the

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Son of God in other words The Lord Almighty gave the title of God to ruling men, but they abused the people

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Blasphemed God by having that lowercase title lowercase G and Not ruling like the

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Lord would rule so these men died like anyone else They have that honor stripped away from them

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But how much more should Jesus be called the Son of God for not simply being given an honor or a title?

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But being one with the Father How much more should Jesus be allowed to be called the

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Son of God? To be one with the Father to say these things. He is the one with the right to the claim

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Theos God over himself He not they is the

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Son of the Most High and That's why I titled this sermon the true

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Son of God They are not sons of God He's the true

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Son of God as he said in John 6 27.

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He is the one whom the Father set his seal certified for the mission certified in Christ deity

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Jesus is not profaning the name of God He doesn't abuse this title he lives up to it

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Because it's in his own nature. It's in his very own nature what the son does showcases the action and character of the father

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Edward clink says of this passage if the judges in the Old Testament were given offices that merited the title gods

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Is it not both logical per exegesis and both appropriate per application?

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for the father to give another that office and that title

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Yes you see All of the Old Testament was filled with men who acted as God's representatives and mediators judges prophets priests and kings

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These men needed God to carry out these offices correctly. Do you get that?

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Judges priests prophets and kings they needed God to help them to do those things rightly

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God and man together but man is sinful and so the

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Lord sends down his one and only son to be totally God and Totally man to be the ultimate form of these things judge prophet priest and king

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Jesus will be these things God won't use men for these things

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He will use his divine Son who took on flesh The Son of God then isn't the same as the

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Psalm 82's Sons of the Most High he is singular capital s the

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Son of the Most High he is the Son and And yet this statement about being the

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Son of God is not so much about Jesus contrasting him to himself against mortals

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That's too easy The Son of God comparing himself to men. No problem.

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He's gonna come out on top But this is moving back to the oneness of the

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Father in Him Jesus isn't given the title God like these men.

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He is the Son of God and Therefore Psalm 82 8 is

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Fulfilled in this very moment with Jesus. Look at your Bible. Look at Psalm 82 8 It's being fulfilled right in front of these

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Jewish leaders when it says Arise, Oh God judge the earth for it is you who possesses all the nations

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That's about Jesus Men couldn't do it, right? God had to come down and do his own creation and he will do it

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We saw that how he has to be the shepherd of his people The human shepherds couldn't guard the people of God like they needed to So God had to come down.

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We looked at that the beginning of chapter 10 now in this situation These judges who were given these titles

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God's They don't deserve that title anymore Jesus will be these things

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He is the righteous judge to do with the judges of Psalm 82 and now the

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Jewish leaders of the first century could not do Jesus will serve with equity with grace and goodness and Jesus listen to this

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Jesus is not simply their replacement He is their fulfillment

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He's the fulfillment of their office He is God uppercase

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G and he is judge uppercase J From this moment forward

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Listen to this from this moment forward in John 10 not a single man will ever be given the title

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God from here on out here in John 10

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Jesus reserves that title only for himself because he is the only one who can live up to it perfectly

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God won't let any man be called lowercase G God ever again

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Because they cannot lift live up to it Ironically This is during the

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Feast of the dedication and the Jews are remembering some of Israel's greatest heroes

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But the best and greatest hero and representative of God is standing among them now

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He will judge the earth He will be the judge But not before he saves it first We'll save it first Go to verses 37 38

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If I do not do the works of my father do not believe me But if I do them though you do not believe me believe the works so that you may know and understand that the father is

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In me and I in the father He says if he didn't do the works of God then fine don't believe him

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That is to say don't take me simply at my words alone if the father has not shown great power through me or my works

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Holy and sanctified things that cannot be done by mere men then don't believe me

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But if I do them and you don't believe believe the works of God Because you can't poke a hole in anything

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Jesus has done or said thus far His works have been good and perfect righteous and loving things that are representative of the father

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And if they were to see that If they were to see that association of the works from God performed by Jesus of Nazareth They would understand and know the oneness and the father and the son have that's what he says

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He says the father is in me and I am in the father After calling them unbelievers previously

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This whole section here is an olive branch Jesus is showing them some sort of grace,

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I think Even after wanting to kill him He says believe in the works so that you may know and understand

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This is a positive invitation from the Son of God to the failed judges of Israel but the reality is

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These men unless they turn they also will die like mere mortals

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Like the failed judges of Psalm 82 Because currently they don't regard

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God or the works of God. They are the ones blaspheming. They are the sacrilegious ones

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They are held in contempt because of what they've seen and heard but don't do They don't believe and that the court of all

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Christ father is in him and he's in the father Jesus does nothing contrary to the father.

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They are one We talked about it the holy persons of the Trinity do exactly what they have willed to do as one and only as the one and only

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God You see the divine power of the Son is the same divine power of the father in the spirit

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So despite that invitation from Jesus they reject it Verse 39 they were seeking to seize him again, and he eluded their grasp.

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I Told you that word seize means to press down to put someone in custody But no doubt they wanted to drive him out of the temple then from out of the temple into the streets and from the streets outside the city walls and Just out there is where they wanted to take him and pick up the deserts biggest stones and stone him to death

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That's what they wanted to do But he eluded their grasp literally the best escape artists in the world

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He won't come into their hands he'll stay in the father's hands because what his hour has not yet come

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So let's go to our final verses verse 40 He went away again beyond the

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Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing and he was staying there His departing east from the temple and from Jerusalem is once again telling of his judgment against these false leaders of Israel But he says it says here beyond the

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Jordan You remember that? We remember that term beyond the Jordan in John chapter 1

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John told us geographically that that is beyond Bethany That is beyond that village it's by the

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Jordan River approximately 39 miles east of Jerusalem on the east side of the

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Mount of Olives and In John 1 that's where the beginning of Jesus's earthly ministry began and that's where it's coming to a close

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You know why because chapters 1 through 10 are Several years, but the rent but from chapter 11 what we're gonna start in two weeks and on are a matter of days leading up to the cross

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We've been following Jesus for years so to speak, but then after this Beyond the

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Jordan. This is where his earthly ministry began. This is where it sort of ends and He'll go to his death

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But this is perfect John sets it up in John 11 Jesus is what he's going to tarry and going to Mary Martha and Lazarus Lazarus dies, right?

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And they live in Bethany. So John's setting us up for the next chapter Verse 41 many came to Jesus and were saying

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While John performed no sign yet everything John said about this man was true

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You See Jews disregarded a lot of great men because they weren't able to perform miracles.

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They rejected them But all that John prophesied all that John the

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Baptist said concerning Jesus was indeed true John's purpose was to point people to the

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Messiah and even after he's dead. He's dead at this point by the way Even though John the

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Baptist is dead. He's still pointing people To Jesus and By bringing up John the

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Baptist again. We're reminded of chapter 1. I think that's intentional because in chapter 1 we saw various titles of Jesus he was called the

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Lamb of God. He was called the Christ the Son of God and the King of Israel He is those things they were all true finally verse 42

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This is such a blessing many believed in him there. It's all that it says many believed in him there

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This whole section may have looked like a failure But it was really a success

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He's going to where he started bore the fruit of belief for many The Christ is growing in followers

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Well, let's wrap this up church I Suppose several lessons can be taken away from this.

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Okay, three of them first Anyone who professes to be a follower of Christ?

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But denies his deity But denies his oneness with the

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Father and Spirit or denies I think even the Holy Trinity are then to be like these unbelieving and condemned

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Jewish leaders The Trinity and deity of Christ are part and parcel to Christianity and the

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Word of God and Look, we're not special It's not like I stand here going

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I know the doctrine of the Trinity in the hypostatic Union I am so blessed and smart The Spirit had to reveal this stuff to me right spirit had to reveal this stuff to you

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We didn't just get this stuff by a simple study This is supernatural

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But do you see how the Apostle John? Thought Christ deity and oneness in the

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Trinity were so crucial to understanding the gospel Do you notice that so far?

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The deity of Jesus and the oneness with the Father and the Spirit have been so important to John throughout his gospel

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Just as he said in chapter 20 He said I wrote these things down so that you would believe that Jesus is the

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Christ and believing You would have life in his name The second lesson is this

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Jesus has correctly interpreted and applied Psalm 82 It is fulfilled in him

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That means no one else will ever become a god or be given the title of God Whether it's the error,

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I'm sorry where whether it's the error riddled Concept of divinity divinization or the false doctrine of theosis with the

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Eastern Orthodox or the idea of the Mormon fallacy of eternal progression or Exaltation Jesus puts all those things to rest

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He is the only one He is the only son of God the unique one

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Psalm 82 Showed that no man can live up to this title God and it was removed we are mere mortals and We never change natures

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Men and women don't change natures. We're always creatures. We always will be we only change positions

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We go from out of Christ to in Christ we go from being under wrath to under grace we go from being of the world to now being of heaven and To say that those spectacular things are not enough

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Some people would hear what I just said and they would say that those things are not

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Spectacular enough to follow the Jesus of the Bible And so they'll make a

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Jesus of their own making they'll make a religion of their own making those are spectacular things

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To be of heaven to be forgiven to be under grace That's a high view of man and a low view of God lastly

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One lesson that goes back to the introduction You remember I talked about those wicked judges the beginning

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You See there are wicked judges rulers managers leaders in this world and Some of you have been treated without equity

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Without fairness and without care some of you have been treated poorly by your manager.

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Some of you have stood before a judge And not been treated fairly

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Maybe you've been pulled over by a police officer and they lied and it was demonstrable

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Maybe some of you want vengeance Just know that God will have a vengeance.

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He says God will remember that Jesus Has come to stand as judge over those who have wronged him and wronged you

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Those who have not repented Know that he is our perfect and good ruler.

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He is a fair and righteous King he is a just judge and reasonable leader

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However, you've been wronged in this life Jesus has and will make up for it for all eternity

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He's the true Son of God and what he has promised in his glorious Scripture he will do for as he says

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The Scriptures will never be broken And so all his promises all these things are for you and they'll never be broken

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Let's pray Father in heaven, we thank you for your word Lord.

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It was a heavy topic today Confusing stuff But Lord you can teach your people

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Lord you've shown us these wonderful truths according to your word. Thank you for that Lord God I thank you that you are the only

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God and there is no other and Mere men will no longer be given the title gods

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No one can earn it No one can take it for themselves Jesus is

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God We thank you for that We thank you that you're going to be the perfect judge over everything

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And that you've changed our position The verdict has come down You've forgiven and pardoned all our sins in the blood of your