While traveling through this world of sorrow, I'm on my way to glory land. I'll not turn back for some tomorrow. My child's here. I understand. I want to know more about my Jesus. I want to know more about my Lord. I want to know more about that mansion I'm gonna receive. If I read war, I want to know more about that old man. I mean to go there someday, somehow. And after I reach that heavenly city, I may know more than I know. I'm glad I know the blessed Savior For through His blood He set me free O come, Thou Redeemer, Thou Shall-a-way-birth, For some glad day, His face I'll see. I wanna know more about my Jesus, I wanna know more. I want to know more about my Lord. I want to know more about that next day when I'm gonna receive my reward. I want to know more about that homeland. Some day, some how. And after I reached that heavenly city, I met a poor, poor man. ♪ Promise when it's all ascended ♪ ♪ I'm coming back, the Lord did say ♪ ♪ If all is promised in death and day ♪ ♪ I'll wake the love you stole away ♪ ♪ I want to know more ♪ I want to know more about my Lord. I want to know more about that mansion I'm gonna receive as my reward. I want to know more about that homeland I'm gonna go there someday soon. And after I greet that heavenly city, I better know more than I know now. Amen, that would be the second verse, second verse, second verse. ♪ That I know the blessed Savior ♪ ♪ For through His blood He set me free ♪ ♪ The road, the road I shall not wander ♪ ♪ For someday this place I'll see ♪ ♪ I wanna know more about my Jesus ♪ I want to know more about that many ships I'm going to receive as my reward I want to know more about that homeland By many others, someday, somehow And after I reach that heavenly city I made love more than I know how. I love that song, don't you, amen. Thank God, I wanna know more about Jesus, amen. I believe that's why you're here on a Sunday night while it's raining, amen. You probably came because you wanna learn more about the Lord Jesus, amen. Amen, boy, I appreciate the Lord tonight. Excited to see what the Lord's gonna do this evening. Appreciate Miss Emily and Brother Clay. Man, we're glad we got to have a baby shower with them tonight. What a blessing, amen. Baby oughta be clean now. Amen, everything gonna be good. Amen, little Hunter said, they gonna give a shower to that little baby, get that baby clean. That was a blessing. Ain't that funny, amen? But anyhow, we're so thankful, thankful we got to do that with him tonight, what a blessing. And thank you everybody that showed up for that tonight, amen? Appreciate being able to see some of her family here tonight. Glad to see y'all tonight. Appreciate y'all, brother. Good to have y'all this evening and asking the Lord to help us and meet with us this evening and speak to our hearts, amen? We desperately need him more than ever before. We always do, amen? I'm gonna give you a few announcements really quickly, and we'll move right on with service. Don't forget, Youth Rally is at Faith Community Baptist Church on September 14th, and that'll be at four o'clock. And we may end up going to Turner's Creek too, but I just gotta figure out about the time. I still didn't get back here and look at that. But anyway, that's the 7th, amen, so that'd be the Saturday before. So young people, if y'all wanna go to both of them, just let us know about that, we'll try to figure that out. But the 7th is Turner's Creek Baptist Church is having a Youth Rally. And in the 14th, Faith Community Baptist Church is having a youth rally, and both of them are gonna be great, amen? Both of them are great Bible-believing churches, and I know there'll be great services at both of them, amen? Also... As far as Miss Erica, Miss Erica's also got a shower coming up September 21st at 12 o'clock, and she's registered at Amazon, so don't forget that. Then October 12th is our barbecue chicken fundraiser, and y'all all got gone before I finally found the chicken fundraiser tickets. Amen this morning, amen. Malia said, they're in the back, and then she said that, and I ran out the door like I do half the time. She'll say half of what she's getting ready to say, and I'll run away and go get whatever it is she said to go get, and then she finishes it after I'm gone. Amen. She said, it's in the back, and I ran out the door like she come back in the back of the church. Amen. After I've done it all through the van. Amen. So I didn't get to catch all of them chicken tickets. So if you want to help us to sell chicken tickets, that'll help us to help the young people go to Winter Challenge. And if you're a young person or anybody going to youth camp, you're expected to sell them, amen? I mean, it's a privilege to get to go, amen? I thank God for getting to go, amen? You're expected to sell them just like everybody else is. I ain't never had nobody trouble doing that. But all young people, if you're planning on going, help us sell them now, amen? Because I'm telling you, young people, it's a privilege to get to go to something that awesome, amen? A lot of churches, well not a lot of churches, some churches ain't got a bit of things going on for youth, amen? And so thank God we get to do something like that, amen? So y'all sell them, and I know God will bless you for doing that. And if you're an adult and you wanna help us sell it, and you're not going to Winter Challenge, and ain't got no young person going to Winter Challenge, but you wanna help us, we can sure use your help, amen? Because everything, every penny, every bit of it goes toward young people going to youth camp, every single thing you give. Brother Frankie had somebody give $20 just because they heard about it, and gave that to the youth this morning, amen? So that's a blessing, amen, also. But October 21st through the 24th, and oh, again, by the way, and she's got chicken tickets, and we got them, and we'll give them to you this evening. I won't run to the back of the van to get them. We'll make sure we got them in the right spot, amen? But we'll have them back there at the back if you want to grab some of them to take with you to sale, amen? But that's October 21st through 24th is camp meeting. October 21st through 24th is camp meeting. Again, that's brother Bowman, brother Curtis Ponder, different preachers in front of both of those men. Choirs, we got a couple of choirs coming to sing. We got some special singing. It's gonna be awesome. Amen. So let's pray for camp meeting. Pray God just meet with us. Again, like I said this morning, we can call it everything you want to call it. Some people call stuff revival. They call it jubilee. They call it camp meeting. Really, we just need God to meet with us. Really, we just need the Lord to meet with us. I really don't care what you call it, we just need God to meet with us, amen? We've always called it camp meeting, but I tell you, we just want the Lord. We want his presence, we want him to do something in our lives, amen? Brother Randy, Brother Alex, if y'all come help us take up offering this evening, I'd sure appreciate that, amen? And Brother Stormy, were you hoping for something in prayer, my brother? Dear Father, Lord, I thank you, Lord, for letting us come back to your house tonight, Lord. I thank you, Lord, for all your new blessings, Lord, for the God who lets us offer and use it for the building of our kingdom, Lord God. Pray, Lord God, that you would touch and move in the camp meeting, Lord God. Oh, God, please do, yes, Lord. John, as he stands and greets you tonight, Lord God. Oh, God, help us, help us. Most well, Lord God, that this church, Lord, tonight, would have an opening to hear your word, Lord God. Oh, yes, yes. To your spirit, Lord God, for the God that we would be touched, Lord, and moved, Lord. All of us would be moved. All of us would be moved. And it would be a gift from God, Lord God, that we would hear, Lord, All right, stand, get ahead on front page 92, 92. We'll sing first and last verse. Page 92. ♪ I once was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in ♪ And that little light from heaven filled my soul And just a little talk with Jesus made me whole. Have a little talk with Jesus. Tell him all about our troubles. Hear our pain explain. Extra by and by Feel a little prayer wheel turnin' Know a little fire is burnin' Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right I may have doubts and fears I may be filled with tears But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night ♪ I go to Him in prayer, He knows my every care ♪ ♪ And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right ♪ ♪ And a little talk with Jesus ♪ ♪ Tell Him all about our troubles ♪ ♪ Hear our faintest cry, answer by and by ♪ ♪ A little prayer will turn it ♪ No, Lord, the fire is burnin' Find a little talk where Jesus makes it right He counts the sparks flying off, and knows how much faith is all that he's shown, so he's every sparrow can fall. He knows my name, every step that I take, every move that I make, every tear that I cry. ♪ Can't sleep all night and day ♪ I know I'll be just fine ♪ No sleep last night and day ♪ I don't know what tomorrow will bring ♪ I can't tell you what's in store ♪ I don't know a lot of things ♪ I know there won't be answers to the questions of life ♪ But I know He'll look my way ♪ He knows my name ♪ Every step that I take by the Hey! Hey! ♪ For all that you're going to do ♪ For all that you promise and all that you are ♪ Is all that is carrying me through ♪ Jesus, we're thankful ♪ And I thank you Thank you for loving and spreading me free. Thank you for giving your life just for me. Oh, I thank you. And I'll thank you For all that you've done I will thank you For all that you're going to give For all that you've promised ♪ Thank you, thank you Lord ♪ Thank you, thank you Lord ♪ Thank you, thank you Lord ♪ Thank you for loving and setting me free ♪ Thank you for giving your life just for me Wait for me, Frankie. Ain't nothing, Frankie. Well, we got a brighter day coming. That you say, you say, Amen. Amen. Amen. She's looking for a Bible. I like that. I like the end of that. That end didn't work. Gives that tag. Says sorrow won't be a memory. Amen. Not even a memory. Amen. There's gonna be a day we go to heaven and we ain't gonna remember the sorrows of earth. It's gonna be amazing. Amen. but I won't testify, brag on the Lord. Amen. I would like to praise the Lord for saving me, first of all, just the way He takes care of me. You know, I stood up. My wife and I were maybe getting out of a handicapped van or something, trying to get my wife out of the house. We were looking in the paper in the day, I don't know if it was the food line, but she popped off and started to pick up the paper about what was going on in the front line. to silence me, to make you know that He's taking care of us. He's really going to take care of us all day long. And God will save me that I can go to Him and have a short life. making more sense than ever before, and able to make sense. At one time, he couldn't. He couldn't make no sense. He couldn't talk at all. He couldn't make any sense for the Lord. He was working his brain and his back slowly, but I've got faith in the Lord that he's going to work in America tomorrow. He's going in the already past, so I want to thank him for that. I want to give him thanks because he's able one. He's the one who hears us. David. David. shadows fall all around us darkness comes to hide our way don't despair Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? Even in the blackest midnight, I have a lamp to guide my way. For the light of God's love shines in my heart, missing today. There's a brighter day up ahead. Soon our hard days will be gone. Sorrow won't be a memory. And in the blackest midnight, I have believed. to guide my way. For the light of God's love shines in my heart, turns the darkness into day. Hey, hey. Enjoy the youth choir tonight? Yeah. Amen. Amen. Amen. If you take your Bible to John chapter number one, John chapter number one, if you love the Bible, say amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. If you don't love the Bible, come to the altar. Amen. Amen. Amen. That's the truth, ain't it? Amen. John chapter number one was there this morning. I know we're going through Leviticus on Wednesday nights. I don't know that God will have us go through the whole book of John, but I'm just gonna preach till he says to quit about it. All right, we're gonna follow the Lord on that. But I enjoy the book of John. In fact, when I first got saved, probably many of y'all got the same advice I did. When I first got saved, that preacher told me, he said, read through the book of John. And in fact, I got to reading the book of John, then I got on into Acts, and I got into Romans, and I got into 1 Corinthians, because it took me a while to read. And so by the time I got to 1 Corinthians 9, verse 16, God called me to preach. Amen. Amen. I'm glad God's got a way of helping people, amen, through His Word. Amen. That's a true story, I promise you, amen. If you want proof of this, I'll show you later, but when God called me to preach, it dealt with my heart. I had a first Corinthians 9, 16, and I say that because I started in the book of John. It made me think about that, and I just kept reading where the man of God said to read. I just got done with John, and I said, well, I guess just read the next ones. I just kept on reading, amen. And then I got to 1 Corinthians 9, 16, and I closed my Bible, because I just didn't want to hear it. And I felt like God was speaking to my heart about preaching. I said, God, I'm not worthy to preach. I'm not able to preach. I can't preach. I don't have the words to say to preach. And man, my mama had bought this little blue book for me. I closed my Bible, because I was under conviction. I wasn't really mad at God. I just didn't feel like I was worthy to do it. But anyway, I got that book in my study. It's a little book on John. It's actually called Preacher Outlines. Preacher Outlines. Why don't you buy a young man a book called Preacher Outlines and all he is and all I just had got saved. I mean, I ain't been called to preach. I know about no preaching. I ain't never know anything about none of that. Didn't even have a desire to at the moment when I got saved. I just kept trying to live for God and she bought me this book on Preacher's Outlines. Mama knew something, I believe, amen. But on the bottom, it's honest for God. You can go look at it when I get done preaching. On the bottom of that little book, it's got in gold letters. They do that on all them books they write, that whole line of books they made. But it has in gold letters, it says, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. That's the same verse God had dealt with me about, 1 Corinthians 9, 16. And man, I finally just knelt down beside my bed. I said, God, I can't, but if you'll help me for the rest of my life, I will try, amen. I'll try to do it for the rest of my life with your help. Amen. And I tell you, I'm still trying. I ain't never getting it done, but I am trying. Amen. I'm trying real hard. I mean that wholeheartedly. I've not learned how to do it, but I sure want God to help us do it. Amen. I want him to enable us, amen? Amen, I don't know how I got off on all that, but I guess just thinking about the book of John got me thinking how God called me to preach, just kept on reading, and God dealt with my heart, amen? But John chapter number one, John chapter number one, if you look at verse number 14, we looked this morning at verse number one down through about, I think we looked through verse 14, but we're gonna hit it again. But man, I got to looking down through here, and we looked this morning at the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, amen? Everything God is, you know who he is because of Jesus Christ, amen? You know he loves because Jesus Christ loved, amen? He showed the love of God at Calvary, amen? You wouldn't know God loved anybody had there not been Jesus Christ, amen, to show how much God really loves somebody, amen? You might have had a superficial knowledge of his love, but you wouldn't have had a real understanding and really still don't have a real complete understanding of it, but we sure got a better picture than what we had, amen? We got a real good picture of how much he loved us, amen. I'm telling you, Jesus shows the love of God. Jesus shows the holiness of God. Jesus shows the power of God as he raises sick, heals the sick, raises dead. Jesus does all that stuff. As the Pharisees are talking in their mind to their self, and he calls them out on what they're thinking, not even what they're speaking, he's showing you that he is not just a man, he is God Almighty. in the flesh, amen. He is revealing who God is, amen. But look at verse number 14, the Bible said, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, who beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, amen. John, bear witness of him. I said this morning, but John's main job was to witness. Your main job, my main job, is to witness. Tell people about Christ, amen. John, bear witness of him, and cried, saying, this was he of whom I speak. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me, amen. So Lord, help me preach for a little. I wanna take that phrase there in verse 16. John, bear witness of him. For the Lord to help me, for the Lord I'll preach on this thought, the testimony of John the Baptist. the testimony of John the Baptist. Amen, well Randy's got done testifying. Many of you can stand and testify about the night you got saved, the day you got saved, how God's helped you in your life, how God's changed your life. We all got a testimony tonight. We can start right here and go all the way down to the back and all the way over here and all the way back up front and ain't nobody in here that's saved that doesn't have a testimony, amen. Everybody's got a testimony, amen. I say it this morning, I'll say it again tonight. A lot of young people that think, well, because they didn't get out and drink alcohol, they didn't smoke dope, or they didn't do crack cocaine, or they didn't get out far in the world, that they don't have a testimony in Jesus. And I heard one young man make this stupid statement. He said, I wanna go and get a testimony. I wanna go out and sin and get a testimony, so where I could have something worth bragging on the Lord for. That's stupid, amen. I tell you, God saves sinners. Whether they've been a drug addict or ain't been a drug addict, whether they went to church, they ain't never been to church. It really don't matter. The testimony's not what you were. The testimony is what he did. Amen. Amen. Testimony's what he did. And young people, I said this morning, dad's dead. Dead's dead. If you've been dead five seconds or you've been dead 10 days, that's dead. Amen. And the Bible says we're dead in trespasses and sins. And if our spiritual man of our life is dead, it's dead, period. That's just it. Doesn't matter how long you've been dead. Some people have been dead longer and they stink worse. Amen. Some of us have been dead longer before we got saved and we stunk worse. Amen. But if you were lost and you realize you was lost, you ask God to save you. You was as dead as anybody else was dead. Amen. And John's testimony is your testimony, amen. I mean, Jesus is wonderful, amen. And Jesus saves sinners, amen. But Lord, help us the testimony of John the Baptist. Father, fill me with the Holy Ghost. God, I yield myself to you. I can't do anything without you. I've sure proved that many a times, God. Lord, I sure don't wanna do it now. I don't wanna do anything without you. Lord, I want to be filled with your spirit and your power. I want to be like Moses, where Moses said, Lord, I ain't going if you don't go. And God, I ain't preaching if you don't help me. And God, I mean that every service. If you ain't going to help me, I ain't going to preach. But I believe you're going to help us. I believe by faith you're going to help us. I believe by faith you're going to give us what we stand in need of. Not because we're good, because you're good. Help us tonight. God, help us. God, leave here encouraged. I know people are wore out, dear God. They've worked all evening. doing the baby shower. Everybody's been here eating and fellowshiping, and they've been here for a while already. And God, I know sometimes our minds can only comprehend and take so much. God, I pray, dear God, you'd help us tonight. God, as we read the word of God, you'd make it alive to all of us. Strengthen every one of us, I pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. I said that in prayer, and I'm telling you, sometimes that stomach can get so full Amen, and your eyes get weak. Somebody say amen, amen. But we need the Lord to help us. Amen, we need the Lord to help us. I desire that, amen. But listen to this, verse number 14. The Bible said, and the Word was made flesh. The Word was made flesh. And you say, what was the Word? If you wasn't here this morning, we'll go over that real quickly. But verse number one, the Bible said in the beginning was the Word. That's John 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Amen. So what was made flesh? God was made flesh. God was made flesh. And we know who that was. That was the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. He was God in the flesh. Listen, we live in a day where a lot of people make a lot of claims about Jesus. There are Muslims that'll claim that he's a good prophet. They'll say, boy, he is a very good prophet. Hindu people and Buddhists will say that he's a very good example. Hey, listen, but he's more than a good example and he's more than a prophet. He is God, amen. He is God in the flesh, amen. Hey, listen, it's our Bible. The word of God lets me and you know. God is, the Lord Jesus is God in the flesh. Amen. And the Word was made flesh. That means Jesus had two parts about him. Had two parts about him. He had God, which he was 100% of. He had man, which he's 100% of, amen. He wasn't 50% of anything. He wasn't half God and half man. Listen, none of his Godhead was diminished. He was all God, amen. But he was also all man, and none of that was diminished, amen. You say, explain that. I just did the best of my ability, amen. I'm telling you, it's hard to explain that, but I believe the Bible, don't you? Hey, listen, he's the God. Man. He's not the man God, or else you'd be a Mormon and believe what I said this morning. That Jesus went to Calvary and then resurrected, and when he resurrected, God the Father deemed him to be God. No, he was God before every creation ever got here. Amen. Before Bethlehem ever started, Jesus Christ was God. He didn't win being God. I'll repeat this. But I said this morning, if that's what you believe, then that was Jesus' goal at Calvary, was to be obedient enough to become God. And that's the reason that he died and rose. But that's not the reason he died and rose. You and me are the reason he died and rose. Amen. But this Lord Jesus, the Word was made flesh. So God and man on the same body. and man. Creator God in flesh. Well, I wrote this down. You say, how do you see that in the scripture? Look at or listen to it. I'll just give you this quickly. John 4, there's a woman sitting at the well, there's a woman coming to the well, Jesus is sitting by the well because he's weary, he's tired. That's the man's side of it. The man's side of it, he's tired, he's wore out, he's sitting by the well, but then she leaves saved by the time they all get done talking, amen. She leaves gloriously saved by the grace of God. Amen, that's the God side of him, amen. He was weary so he sat at the well, but he's God so he saved her, amen. Amen, Matthew chapter number four, you find Jesus has fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, and he's afterward, the Bible said, a hunger. You know why? Because that was man. A man's side of it is he was hungry, but then the Bible tells us that he overcome every temptation of the devil. That's the God side of him, amen. He can overcome all temptation, and he never sinned, amen. Not only Matthew 4, you find that, but Mark 4. Mark 4, you find he was asleep on a boat. And the disciples came and said, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he stood up. Listen, he stood up. I used to preach all the time that he stood up and he went out on the edge of that boat and surfed on the edge of that same piece, be still. I'm not gonna find that in the Bible, amen. Makes for a good preacher, but it ain't no Bible to it, amen. It makes for a good story, but don't find no Bible. Bible said he just stood up. I believe he stood up right there where he was. He said, peace be still, and it stopped, amen. He was tired, that made him human. But he made the wind stop, and the rain quit, and the storm go away, and the water go calm. That made him God, amen. He said, hey, you know what made him God? Well, you go calm a storm in. John 19, boy, best part about all of it, amen. John 19, he bleeds and dies on an old rugged cross. That makes him man, amen. Hey, but John 20, he gets up from the grave alive forevermore. That makes him God, amen, amen. By his own power, he got up, amen, amen. But I tell you, the Word was made flesh, amen. He had a God side and he had a man side, amen. Not only you find the word was made flesh, but listen to his little parentheses he puts here. He said, and we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father. Who is we? In word they see his glory. I'll give you my opinion of it. I believe it's in Matthew 17. I'm gonna turn there with you just for a second. If you wanna look with me, you can. If you don't, you can listen while I read it or to be on these screens behind me. But Matthew chapter number 17. It's called the Mount of Transfiguration. Verse number one, Bible tells us Peter, James, and John's who went, verse one it said, and after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and Johnny's brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain park, and was transfigured before them. And His face did shine as the sun, and His reign it was white as the light. That word transfigured, if you look it up, it means to turn inside out. It means to take something and turn it inside out. Listen, all that glory, all that praise, everything worthy of praise is on the inside of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53 said, when you looked at him, there was no comeliness that you should desire him. There was nothing no different looking about him than there was any other human being on the earth. But on the inside of him was the glory of God. And on that Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus turned himself inside out and let them begin to see the glory and what's worthy of praise on the inside of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. I tell you, if we could ever get a good glimpse of what they got a good glimpse of on Matthew 17, of the glory of God, amen. Boy, they got a hold of it. They got a hold of it so good that Peter writes about it in his book. You can go read that sometime, 1 Peter chapter two. Read through that chapter and find where Peter said, we heard the voice in the great mount, amen. They heard it on the mount, amen. Hey, listen, I'm telling you that John has never forgot the glory that he's seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. The Bible said, and we beheld his glory. The glory has only begotten the Father. of grace and truth, amen. Amen, he's full of grace. Thank God for forgiveness and mercy and love, amen. And God's showing favor when we don't deserve it. But he's full of truth too, amen, because he's holy and righteous and undefiled, amen. Verse 15, listen to this. John, bear witness of him. John, bear witness of him. Say, what do you bear witness of him about? Look at these verses. Look at verse 15, it said, saying, this was he of whom I speak. So evidently this was a message, this ain't the first message he ever preached about him either. When John the disciple had heard him say this and wrote it down, led by the Spirit of God, this wasn't the first time John had said it. John's a preacher, just kept preaching the same message. You say, what's the message? Jesus. He just kept preaching Jesus all the time. Jesus, amen. And can I tell you something? We do preach on stuff around here. You say, brother John, that's not biblical either. Well, read John four, Jesus did it, amen. Hey, but I'm gonna tell you this. Here's the fact. If you fall in love with Jesus, you won't have no problem with things. Amen. If you love him, there's some stuff you'll get rid of in your life. If you won't fuss, fight, and holler about it, you'll get rid of it. Amen. If you love him, you love him like you ought to. I love him like I ought to. There'll be some stuff I ought to get rid of. Amen. This was he of whom I speak. He that cometh after me is preferred before me. You know what he says first of all about it? His testimony is he is greater than I am. That's what he just got done saying. He is preferred before me. That means this, he is chosen before me. He is better than me. If you're just gonna pick me or him, you ought to pick him, cause he's better, amen. He's preferred before me. He's greater than I am, amen. Can I tell you something this evening? He's greater than you are. He's greater than I am. I'm thankful I have the privilege to preach. I'm thankful I have the privilege to stand. where, man, in the pulpit and do what God called me to do. But I tell you, the whole message is this, the preacher in the pulpit ain't anything, but the God in heaven is, amen. The Lord Jesus is greater, he's greater. Amen, he is greater. Not only that, but he was first. The Bible said he was before me. Now if you look back at the Bible, John was born before Jesus was, right? But he said he was before me. So what does it mean? He just told you earlier in the book in the beginning was the word. He was here during creation. He long before me. Amen. Not only that, we find that he was before. He was first. But then he is everything. Look at verse 16. And of his fullness have all we received. Boy, that word fullness, that pretty much just means every single thing is in him. The Bible says in Colossians 1.19 that it please God that in Him should all fullness dwell. Everything that's needed. Everything you need in life. Everything you're needing in your heart and your mind and everything that you're needing in your home and everything you're needing spiritually. Everything you're in need of. He's got it. He has it. He has what I need. He has what you need. The world is longing and searching after a fifth of something when they could have the whole of everything. Amen. You don't need a fifth of it, you need all of Jesus, amen. He's got more than the world has ever had to offer, amen. I'm telling you, if you could bottle what me and you have in Jesus Christ, we could put Budweiser out of business in a day. Amen. Miller Low Life couldn't even be in existence. And I said it right. Amen. Miller Low Life. That's exactly what it was. Amen. And what it is. Amen. Amen. And by the way, it's Bud Dummer, not Bud Weiser. Amen. Because Bud, you'd be a lot wiser to never touch it. Amen. Amen. But I'm telling you, He is everything. I need Him. I need Him. He's got what I need. He's got what I'm longing for. But there's a world longing for peace, and they'll put every prescription and every drug they can find and everything they can smoke and everything they can get ahold of, hey, to give some peace. But I'm glad the Lord Jesus gives peace that nobody else can give. He gives what nobody else has. Amen, amen. Not only find, he's fullness, man. He's got peace. The world's longing for love and looking everywhere in the world for love. But they just looked at Calvary, they find out there's somebody that loved them far greater than anybody has ever loved them in all of their lives. Amen. Oh my, amen. You can go on and on with that this evening, but he's everything. He is everything. He's the fullness, he's got it all. But I like how we got it. Have all we received. I didn't go to church and got it. I wasn't good enough, so I got it. I wasn't a good enough man, so I got it. I didn't do enough to earn it, so I got it. I got it by grace, amen. I received it, I just said, yes, Lord, I want it, boy. I need it, I need you, Lord. Boy, he saved me, amen. How many of y'all could agree, it wasn't you, but it's God that did it, amen. It's God that did it. Listen to this. Not only find he is greater is what John's testimony was, he was first. He is everything. He is received. Let me tell you this, he is abundant in grace. He is abundant in grace. Hang with me. Here's what the Bible said. And of his fullness have all we received and grace for grace. One person said that grace could, that phrase could mean grace for grace. It could mean that when one grace gets old, that he gives you another grace. But I don't much like that. I don't believe grace gets old. Amen. I ain't tired of grace yet. Are you really tired of grace? Are you really, I mean, you're really tired of grace. You know what grace is? That's God's unmerited favor to man. That means God being good to you when you don't deserve God to be good to you, amen. Have you really got over that? I mean, is it really that big, is it not a big as a deal? As it was at one time? Man, it's a big deal that a good God, a holy God is good to us when we don't deserve him to be good to us. Amen. Listen, He's abundant in grace. So I don't believe one grace got old and He replaced it with a new grace. I believe he just piled one grace on top of another, is what one writer said. Amen. He just kept piling it on. How big's your grace pile this evening? I mean, how big's he been piling your grace pile since you got born a kid? Hey, listen, I'm swimming, brother Tony, you're exactly right. I'm swimming in the grace of God. I mean, I'm absolutely head over heels in the water of the grace of God, amen. It's over my head. It's over me. It's bigger than me. It's ginormous. You say, how do you know it's big? Well, listen to what the Bible said, amen. Ephesians 2, verse number seven, it said that in the ages to come, listen to what it said, the ages to come, he might show, show what? The exceeding riches of his grace. He said, boy, it's gonna take ages and it's gonna be exceeding. That word exceeding means beyond limits. Thank God His grace is beyond limits. Amen. He's been good to me. Then another day He was good to me. Then another day He was good to me. Then another day He was good to me. And there's never been a day that I've ever deserved Him to ever be good to me. That's grace. Thank God for grace. Grace for grace. Not only that, look at verse 17, and the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Amen. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Not only is he abundant in grace, but he gives grace and truth. Grace and truth. Listen to what Ephesians, I just read that one part to you, let me read the rest of that. Ephesians 2.8, for by grace are you saved. You say, when was God good to me? You might say, well, John, I'm looking for a good place to praise him. I'm looking for a good place to thank him while I'm at church or while you're at the house or while you're at the job. Looking for a good reason to be happy or to praise him and give him glory. When's he been good to me and I didn't deserve it? Run back to when you got saved. You didn't deserve it, but he gave it to you, amen. Ephesians 2, 8 said, for by grace. He just got done saying that it's gonna take the ages to show the grace of God and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. But then he said, for by grace. Are you saved? Through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Amen. I'm glad in Jesus Christ there is grace. There is grace. There is God giving to undeserving sinners. Amen. But listen to this, not only that, but 1 Corinthians chapter 10. We'll come right back to John 1. I'm about to be done here in just a minute, you hang with me. John 15, verse 10. But by the grace of God, while of this verse, I am what I am. Amen. I'll tell you why you are what you are tonight, because of the grace of God. You're not there because you're so powerful and so amazing. You know how to live this life. You're there because God did it. Amen. You ain't got it all figured out and you ain't got all the wisdom in the world, but God's grace did it. God's grace did it. The reason you are where you are tonight in your Christian life is not because of you, but because of God who done that in you. Me too, by the way. I'm nothing, man. I am nothing at all. But if I am anything, it's because Christ did it in me. Amen? But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And His grace, which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain. Amen. Can I ask you this, this evening? It's the grace of God that He give you in vain. He didn't do nothing in you. Didn't make you no different. If it didn't make you any different, I kind of doubt whether you ever even got the grace of God. Amen. But it said, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I but the grace of God which was with me. He said, what are you trying to say, Brother John? I'm trying to say this, in Jesus Christ, there is grace. There is the favor of God. There is the mercy of God. There is the love of God, amen. Thank God for that, amen. But there's also the truth of God, that after you get saved, man, God saves you by grace. God's good to you, and you don't deserve it, and it makes me want to live for him. I don't have to, I want to. Y'all agree with that? You don't have to serve God. You don't have to do that. You don't have to come to church tonight. Nobody put a gun to your head and say, hey, you're gonna go to church tonight, I'm gonna kill you. Nobody did that. You decided to go to church because you wanted to. Nobody did that. You decided to. You want to. I tell you, when you get saved, it puts a desire to live different and do different and desire what God's got for you. Amen. Not only that, I'm hurrying. Verse number 18 of John 1. No man has seen God any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Again, that's what we've been looking at this morning, and we could even see it again tonight, that Jesus Christ was the revelation of who God is. That's what he says in that verse, he hath declared him. How'd he declare him? Just by being here, and doing what he did, he declared who the Father was, amen, amen. Look at verse 19, and this is the record. of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, I am not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. They asked him, What then? Art thou a lies? He saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah, so amen. He said I'm nothing more than one voice out in the wilderness telling people about him, amen. Just paraphrase, that's pretty much what he's saying. I'm just doing what the scripture said that I ought to do, that's all I'm out here doing, can't that be a good thing? Hey listen, nobody knows your name, nobody knows who you are, just be one voice doing what God told you to do with your life, amen. I believe we've got so many people worried about having a limelight, or having Facebook following, or being a YouTube influencer, when most of them are useless. You mean that? I absolutely mean that. Because people trust that mess, and half the people don't even go to church in the first place. Half these people say, boy, let me tell you what the scripture really says. I tell you, I'm a real expert on it. They don't ever attend church. They don't ever take time, spend time and read their Bible. They're just regurgitating some other kind of garbage they got from somebody before they threw it out theirself. Amen. Amen. You don't need a YouTube pastor. You don't need a Facebook pastor. You need a personal pastor. Amen. You need somebody to preach to you. Amen. And you need to get in the Bible yourself too. Amen. All of us do. All of us do. Listen to this, he out declared him, but then the Bible said that John's testimony was, they questioned his identity. Said, who is Christ? Who are you? Who are you? I'm the voice of one, crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. And they which were sent, were of the Pharisees. Well, ain't Pharisees alive today? They's Pharisees alive today. Amen. They's people that are holy and so holy that you can't never attain unto their holiness. Amen. Amen. You ever met a Pharisee? Amen. They sell Pharisees walking on the earth. Amen. They might not call themselves Pharisees. They might be Baptists or Methodists or Presbyterian. I don't know. Hey, but there's a lot of Pharisees in the world. Amen. Lord help us. Amen. Ain't that right? Putting the traditions of men on people instead of the Word of God on people. Amen. We need the Bible. Amen. Listen to what it said. Here's what your Bible said there in verse 20. Or verse number 24, I'm sorry. It said, and they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, why baptizest thou then? If thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet, John answered them, saying, I baptize of water. There standeth one among you whom you know not. Hey, there's somebody standing here amongst you. You don't even know who he is. You should know who he is. You know your Bibles. You don't know who he is. You have no idea who he is. John says later, even he didn't know who he was. That's what he tells later in these verses. Look at verse 27. He it is who cometh after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe latcheth. I am not worthy to unloose. Listen, I'm telling you, every preacher ought to have that kind of spirit. Every church member ought to have that kind of spirit. Everybody that's ever been saved ought to have that kind of spirit. You say, what kind of spirit? That I'm not worthy to even stoop down and unloose the shoe of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. I'm not even worthy to stoop as low as his feet. I'm not even worthy to get near his feet, let alone, let alone be anything at all. I'm nothing, but I'm just nothing and I'm unworthy and I can't do anything without him. John has got a humility about him that says, man, I'm not him. And I'm so much not him, I need to just get down to his feet, but I couldn't even untie his shoes. If he wanted to take his shoes off, I wouldn't even be worthy to unloose them. Amen. I'm telling you, we're unworthy tonight. Bible said that we are all as an unclean thing. Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags. That means the best I can do, not the worst I can do, but the best I can do is filthy in the sight of God. And listen, if I'm filthy in the sight of God, you want to tell what real worship is? Real worship is what John the Baptist just got done being quoted as saying. It's putting yourself low and putting him really high. And we come in the church, I'm telling you, worship is saying I am nothing, but he is everything. I am wicked, but he is holy. Hey, listen, I am nothing at all, but I sure do love him, amen. And I'm unworthy of him. Not only John's humility, you find there in verse number 28, Our verse number 27, he it is who coming after me is preferred before me whose shoes latch it. I'm not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him. Boy, I like these verses. And saith, behold, the Lamb of God. which taketh away the sin of the world. Amen. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. The eighth time he said behold the Lamb of God. Look at verse 35. Again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, behold, the Lamb of God. You say, brother John, why'd he say it again? He couldn't help himself. He just couldn't help it. He said, man, he said, that's him. That's him. I feel like he just, I don't know about you, I feel like he's overwhelmed. I'm not John the Baptist, but it sure does feel like that John the Baptist is overwhelmed, and he said, behold the Lamb of God, and the next day comes, and he's already seen him one day, but the next day he just can't help but say the same thing all over again. Behold the Lamb of God. I tell you, we get to heaven, that's about what it's gonna be like. We're never gonna get over it. You're gonna see him the first day and say hallelujah. Thank you for loving a sinner like me. Thank you for dying in my place. Know what's gonna happen next day? Well, it's one eternal day, so there ain't gonna be no other days. But anyway, you know what you're gonna do every moment of every day, forever and ever and ever and ever? Some point in time, you're gonna have to say again, Lord, thank you for saving a sorry, wretched, wicked sinner like me, amen! John didn't get over it. Can I ask you tonight, have you got over being saved? Have you got over Jesus Christ being born of a virgin, living a holy, sinless life, never sinning one time, overcoming all the temptations of the flesh, the world, and the devil, and then going to a bloody cross, dying, giving his life, being buried in a borrowed tomb? had three days later coming out of the grave. Have you got over the fact that that Jesus came looking for you, came looking for you in your sin and bought you with his blood, redeemed you, made you part of his family, gave you a home in heaven, made you justified and cleansed. I've not got over that. I've not got over that. I ain't over being saved. I mean, I got saved when I was 17, and I remember I just got excited. I'm still excited to be saved. But man, I got excited, and we'd have church, and I just couldn't help it. I'd just get to shouting about it. I was glad I got saved. I mean, I wasn't a preacher. I was just glad I got in. I mean, I had to be a preacher. By the way, you ain't got to be a preacher to shout. I didn't have to be a preacher. I was just glad I got in. Somebody said, well, preachers don't wanna do it. No, everybody ought to be praising him in some way. You ain't gotta shout to do it. If you gotta cry to worship, cry and worship. If you wanna raise your hands and worship, raise your hands and worship. You wanna holler and worship, holler and worship, amen. You wanna run, go run. We'll direct traffic, amen. It'll be all right, amen. It's all okay. Just speak English while you're doing it. Somebody say amen. Amen. We ain't doing that. Somebody say amen. Ain't that right? Amen. But I still have to say this, boy, I got excited. I'm so glad to be saved. They got to singing, the blood, the blood covered it all. And a bunch of the church had come there that same meeting that we was all in, the preachers up front with me. And man, I just absolutely embarrassed myself before it ever even hit me that I did it. I got up before I thought about it, and I said, yes, hallelujah, yes! And I said, oh, wait a minute. Oh, so? I didn't mean to do that. I mean, I was pretty excited, but I didn't even mean to do that. So I started to sit down. That preacher grabbed me by the arm, and I kind of got about halfway down. He grabbed my arm. He said, no, boy, that's right. Do that again. Amen. So I did it some more. Amen. But anyway, I was just glad to be saved, but I was embarrassed. I ain't telling you all to do it like I do it, but I'm just telling you this. You know what they told me? A couple of them come to me later. The reason I told all that was to say this. They come to me later and they said this. They said, you just give it a few more weeks, maybe a month or two. They said, you'll calm down. It just won't be that big a deal to you anymore. You'll be glad you got saved and everything, but you just won't be that vocal about it, and you'll be a little bit, you'll be a lot more calm than what you are right now. If you'll just give it a few more, a month, or just give it some more weeks, everything will be better. You'll be calm. You'll be calmer about it. And it's been a long time, amen. 17 years, amen. Amen, so 22 years it's been. And I don't plan on calming down, amen. I don't plan on calming down, amen. If anything, Jesus is coming. I wanna turn it up, amen. Hey, not slow it down, not calm it down. Hey, listen, I wanna go into glory doing what I'm doing here, worshiping him and just kick it right off doing the same thing when I get there. I'm just gonna be honest with you. Sometimes I do lose my fire. Sometimes I do lose my desire. But I'm going to tell you, I don't want to. And I still really haven't got over being saved. It's still wonderful to be saved. I let the devil steal some stuff sometimes. But I'm telling you, I'm not over being saved. Are you? John couldn't help but say it again. And why wouldn't you want to say it again? Behold the Lamb of God, that's the one who come to die for you. He realized he came to die and give his life a sacrifice for me. He knew that. He knew that. He knew it. So how do you know he knew it? He called him the Lamb of God, didn't he? That's what happened in Old Testament to lambs. They died. They died as a sacrifice. Jesus is the sacrifice and John knew it. He came to die, amen. Listen to this. Verse number 30. This is he of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me. Believe if you come on pen, I'm done. After me cometh a man which is preferred before me. For he was before me. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing of water. John bare a record, saying I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and abode upon him. That means it stayed there. It stayed there. Other places throughout Scripture you find that the dove landed on him, but here you're going to find it says it stayed on him. Look at verse 33. And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize the water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. He said, what's baptism with the Holy Ghost? That's Romans 6. Romans 6 tells us that baptism of the Holy Ghost is a spiritual baptism, not into speaking in tongues, not into healing and prophesying, but that baptism is a death to who you used to be. Hey, listen, you read Romans 6, I ain't got time to preach all that, but it's who you used to be dying out, and it's who you are now coming to life, amen. Jesus made you a new life and buried your old life, amen. Thank God for the spiritual baptism. But listen to this, the Bible said the Spirit of God would remain on him. Like I said, I'm giving you this, I'm through. Judges 13, verse 25, one verse. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him. It's talking about Samson. Samson, look at verse 24, I'll just read both these verses. And the woman bare a son, called his name Samson. The child grew and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times. in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtiol. If you look at Samson's life, there was times the Lord, the Spirit of God moved on Samson and he'd do some mighty thing. Then the Spirit of God, there would be a time where it would never be mentioned for a while that the Spirit of God was on Samson. And then all of a sudden God would have a purpose for Samson and the Lord would move on Samson. Listen, because the Old Testament, the Holy Ghost did not live on the inside of the Old Testament believers. Me and you that are saved in the New Testament church age, we have something the Old Testament church did not have, or the Old Testament saints did not have. They did not have the Holy Ghost dwelling on the inside. But when you got saved, He dwells on the inside. Amen! But Jesus is in between where the Holy Ghost comes. The Holy Spirit does not come to indwell believers of the church until after He rises from the dead and goes back to the Father. Then He sends the Comforter, the Holy Ghost. But during that time, Jesus, the Bible said John baptizes Him. And the Lord had told him, whoever the Spirit lands on and remains on, whoever the Spirit of God remains on. Because see, that had been weird back in Bible days and Old Testament. Because when they'd sin, evidently there is a, it sure seems to be that way, that when they'd get off in sin, the Spirit of God wouldn't move on them. And wouldn't be on them. Doesn't mean they wasn't saved. just means the Spirit of God wasn't moving on them. I'm not meaning they weren't saved. They put faith in Christ, and the fact that we had a Messiah coming, they got it. But I'm saying this Spirit of God was moving on them. but then Jesus comes, and he doesn't have the Holy Spirit here, but then for a while he don't have him and lives in sin, and then the Spirit of God comes on him, then he lives for a while in sin, and has the Spirit of God land on him. No, the Spirit of God remained on him. There was never a moment the Spirit of God did not remain on the Lord Jesus, cause there was never a time that he displeased the Father. There was never a time he didn't do what the Father told him to do, or live like the Father said to live, or think like the Father said to think, or say what the Father said to say. The Spirit of God remained on the Lord Jesus. I'm telling you, Jesus Christ, you say, what's the big deal for that? Because if He had not done that, and He had not been the holy, holy sacrifice of God, you would go to hell. If He had not been God, you would go to hell. If Jesus Christ had not been God, had Jesus Christ not lived a sinless life, he would have not been what the Old Testament called a sacrifice without blemish and without spot. But because he was holy, he was without blemish, and he was without spot, and he was a perfect sacrifice for sinners to be saved, amen. And anybody could get in, because the sacrifice is holy. If you stand on your feet, eyes closed, head bowed, God said preach tonight. Maybe you just need to come thank Him for the sacrifice. Thank Him that He died at