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Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

  Good morning. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is He on behalf of whom I said, after me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water. Here John is telling us why Jesus was water baptized - it wasn’t because he needed to repent from sins He had done. Even John did not recognize Him (as being the Messiah), and they were related. We do not know how much interaction they had with each other, nor how old John was when he went to live in the desert; after all his parents were old when John was born. I have seen the Holy Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit. I myself ...
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I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.

  Good morning. Back to John: remember that some men had come from the Pharisees to question John the Baptist. Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The reason it was designated as Bethany beyond the Jordan is because Bethany was also the home village of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. It will also help us locate where Jesus was when the messengers from Mary and Martha came to tell Jesus that Lazarus was sick. It will be called the place where John was first baptizing. Father thank You that all is well when we are in Your love and care. Help the reader to feel that love today and every day.
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No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him

  Good morning. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. Remember that no one can see God and live. Remember when we were talking about the letters that John wrote, he was fighting the heresy of Gnosticism. They said that Jesus was just a man before the Holy Spirit came upon Him after being baptized; and that the Holy Spirit left Him when He was on the cross before He died. John is saying here that not only was Jesus God, but also that He was begotten. He became man also. Here John is also saying Jesus is presently in the bosom of the Father. This would not be true if Jesus were merely a man. When the religious leaders asked John the Baptist, “who are you?” He said that he was not the Christ. They had not experienced anyone in their lifetimes acting and speaking with the power and authority of God like John was. They were trying to put him in a box, just like people do today, so they would know how to deal with ...
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He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.

  Good morning. John testified about Jesus and cried out, saying, “this was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” Now that is an interesting statement that Jesus existed before John, because John was actually born a few months before Jesus. He was again proclaiming the fact that Jesus was the Son of God - remember that He was in the beginning with the Father. For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. The letter of the law kills, but the Holy Spirit gives life everlasting! Father thank You that You give only life. Thank You for giving that life and all that goes with it to us and our family.
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There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

  Good morning. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. This tells us that John had a divine calling on his life. Why did he come? He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. You have to know about something to testify about it - you don’t just read about it in a book. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. He knew his position and his calling – he did not try to take the place of Jesus. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. There have been many false lights over the ages. There was only one true One. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. They had been looking for the Messiah for thousands of years, and they did not recognize Him when He was standing in their presence. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. That s...
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In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

  Good morning. Now we start what is probably my favorite book – John. There is only a little bit of duplication with the other Gospels. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That is so compact, and includes everything that you need to know about the Father and the Son. I forget the different heresies that it denies. A little different wording and it  could be translated that the Son was a god – not the God. Again a little different wording, and it  could be  translated that the Father and the Son were the same. He was in the beginning with God. Even  before the beginning of time, Jesus was with the Father. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. John used so many descriptive phrases for Jesus and the Light was one of them. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehen...
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See My hands and feet? Touch Me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have

  Good morning. So the two men return to Jerusalem, and find the 11 apostles together. The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon. They told the apostles what had happened. While they were telling all about these things, Jesus Himself stood in their midst and said to them “Peace to you”. Of course the apostles were not going to believe someone who told them such an incredible thing. They probably believed they were imagining things in their grief. Even though Jesus was standing right there, they still did not believe – they thought they were seeing a ghost. Of course we would probably be the same or worse. Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and feet? Touch Me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. That gives us an idea of how we will be one day. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, have you anything here to eat? They gave Him ...
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