Pastor Terence Paraso [00:00:00]:
Hey, how are you doing everybody? Okay. Wow. Jesus is the light of the world. I guess, it it could be encouraging. Other times, depending where you're at, it may be kinda scary. Right? Sometimes we feel like the cockroach in the middle of the night. Woah.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:00:18]:
They're gonna go scurrying away, but that's God knows. He's all good. How about we get together and just join our hearts in prayer to hear what God has for us today? Let's prepare our hearts. Father, we come before you, and we thank you. I mean there's so much to thank you for. You gave everything for us. You designed this entire universe for every single soul that would ever grace this planet. You provided for us in so many ways we could never conceive.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:00:52]:
Our emotional needs, our physical needs, spiritual needs, relational needs. Our cup runneth over even before we say a single thing. So Father, we come before You humbly and say: We honor You, acknowledge You as God, as the one who holds the universe still together, who is active and live and moving amongst us. And for some of us who choose to allow, who You allow to open our eyes and hearts to You, to connect, to surrender like a seed cracked open, to let You do Your work and that whatever it is You put in us bear fruit, the fruit that is good, that'll give You glory, father. So may You do Your mighty work today. Speak through me, through this crazy mouth, this humble mouth submitted to You, father. I've done my part. Now it's I just leave it up to you.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:01:52]:
May each person receive what they what they need to receive of you today by your divine grace. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Here we go. Yeah. Just stand together, please, because in the first chapter, this is the one image or metaphor that John used in this gospel that pretty much runs through the whole book. And here he set his map out in these few verses that everything else is gonna support exactly what he's saying in these verses. So let's read together.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:02:27]:
Ready? Go. In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. Bless you. In him was life and that was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:02:58]:
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God. This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. Thank you.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:03:43]:
These verses are so powerful. The first class I ever took in Bible study, at Pac Rim, experimental class I was, that 1st year, We never got to finish this book because there's so much to this book. It can go on forever. And even John himself said, there's so much more to talk about. He couldn't fit it in his in his account that he wrote. And this is the first book that opened me up. And being a visual person, I'm hoping it also connects for you in things of the natural world, and then how that can represent the spiritual realities that sometimes we blind to or we forget, or we just need a reminder of. So He came.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:04:28]:
The light came and it was in the person of Jesus Christ, and we never know until he reveals himself. He allows himself to be seen of us. But I like this phrase in verse 5. The darkness has not overcome it. And depending how it's translated, it could mean then the context is it couldn't be snuffed out, or it also means it couldn't be figured out. I mean, try to grab light. Can you control light and get a hold of it? You can't. It's something that's beyond that, and you cannot fully grasp it, but it's attainable.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:05:12]:
We get to enjoy the light. We get to see its effects. We get to get the benefits of it, and all that comes with it, and it's just not an ordinary light. It's not something that can be snuffed out. It's a person, a force, and a power that gives life to everything. So we wanna give all that to God. But I wanna, real quickly, recap a little bit to get us where we're at because we got actually 3 chapters to, like, fly through. And I don't wanna God will tell me what to tell you.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:05:41]:
I just want to prepare it all, let him then decide what to share with you guys today. But when we, remember last week was Jesus just said, I am the bread of the bread of life. And there's a question I had and pastor Glenn and I were texting back and forth from Japan. He was texting, and I was texting him, and he and I were like discussing that theological phrase, once saved, always saved. And he was asking, oh, how do you how do you explain that? And then because we have we are from different sides of it, but we came to an agreement and then this is what we came to. It's the fact that that phrase, once saved always saved, sometimes we try to understand it fully, and it is impossible. You cannot know every single buddy's heart and mind. Only God can claim to know that.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:06:25]:
Only he knows who his are and and what we struggle with, and if we're lying to ourselves, because sometimes we do. But only he knows. And sometimes it's apparent, but a lot of times it's not. So only God knows who are truly his, and we just trust that. And but everything will be brought to light eventually. One person's ministry that I used to marvel at, that just blew me away, you might just we'll see how you react to this. Ravi Zacharias. My gosh, nobody could ever speak like that man.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:07:06]:
I got to see him maybe a handful of times. He came to Hawaii for to speak to pastors and to the state prayer breakfast, maybe 3 times. I mean, amazing apologist, amazing theologian and philosopher, and he could answer everything so eloquently, and huge ministry all over the world. Smartest people, and he had his ministry called Let My People Think because he would explain so well that it's a rational faith. It's not an irrational faith. Like we don't have a faith just because willy nilly we it's based on substance. It's based and it makes logical sense. So when when John wrote in this first first line, in the beginning was the word, that word word is loaded.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:07:51]:
It's logos. It means like whenever you see, biology, it's the study of or the understanding of of life. So logos, word, the understanding of everything, the reason behind everything, All in in a person. It's so loaded. And then people like Robbie would do that, and yet at the same time we found out after he passed away, he had a dark side. There was people coming up and saying this is what happened with me, and I didn't wanna say because all these things, and we just don't know this side of heaven. And then I got to I I was kinda taken aback because I had always wanted to be like him in some ways. Just kinda glean and got me.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:08:33]:
God give me the same mind and able to communicate. And then I heard an interview of Josh McDowell. Everybody knows that famous ministry, Josh McDowell Ministries. Another man who is also well known in the US, and a huge ministry with his name on it is interviewed by his son, And the reason why it's interviewed by his son is because people were trying to sort how do we make sense of Robbie's ministry and his his character failures that really hurt a lot of people that we didn't know about while he was alive? And, Josh McDowell says this, accountability and relationship is everything. He traveled a lot by himself, one danger, one thing we can learn. And he had a lot of money, and so for and so he didn't have that much accountability, and and Josh McDowell put people around him who would always put him to task, especially because he's a big ministry like like Ravi's. Well known, and his name is on it. It's easy to get bigger and and kinda like have people gloss over their your flaws because you're such a big personality and such a big ministry.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:09:34]:
And and he said this though. He said, it is sad, and he prays for the victims of those he hurt, but at the same time, he said this, don't let it discount the truth of what he said. If you go back, and you actually listen to and read his books and all that, all sound. It's just the man was imperfect, the imperfect vessel. Where is he now? Is he in heaven? Is he not? As for God to know, I pray for his soul. He he blessed me, and it it challenges, and the enemy likes to use those things to condemn. But in the end we had a great gift. And it reminds me of the story when people were casting out demons, right, in Jesus' name and and his disciples are like, hey, look what they're doing.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:10:19]:
They didn't you know who they are? No. He says, well, don't don't stop them. So should we, you know, should we take care of them? He said, no, don't stop them them, because they're preaching. They're using My name. Don't stop them. So God will do what He needs to do. We won't know everything on this side of heaven, and yet he knows who are his. And what we do is be gracious to each other, because we each of us know we're capable of such great things, at the same time we're capable of terrible things, and God's grace is available to it all, to us all.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:10:51]:
Amen? So he is the light, the gracious light. Okay. So let's recap. In chapter 6, Chapter 6, he did couple of awesome miracles. Jesus on his way to Jerusalem because of the festival that's coming up. So he fed thousands of people with the fish and loaves. He walked on water, right? He's the bread of life. Things that only the Messiah would do, and people would know and connect it to things of the old testament.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:11:21]:
The prophecies, the the feasts, all the celebrations. It's all culminated in the person of Christ, and yet people still doubted, and people were trying to figure him out. People didn't understand who he was. He was kinda hard to figure out, and and they couldn't understand him. Sometimes people would would refuse what he was saying because it was too odd, and we've seen people leave in chapter 6. Lot of those who followed him, the word disciple in chapter 6 toward the end was describing just a general follower, not those who are really really close to him, just a general term, and many left him. And then the few that were there, he asked personally, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna leave also? And they said, no. You have the word of life.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:12:06]:
Where else can we go? Peter said. And Peter was only able to do that because God himself, the Holy Spirit was able to enlighten him. No one can confess Jesus is Lord unless the Lord tells them. And I know I'm imperfect. I'm here in fear in trembling knowing that being a teacher is a tough thing because I'm under a different accountability, accountability, and God willing I will not disappoint him. But yeah, pray for me too. So let's continue. So we're now we fast forward.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:12:38]:
Now we're in the Feast of Tabernacles in chapter 7. Okay. And I'm gonna read a couple verses. Just read, if you have up there chapter 7 verses 1 through 5. I'll turn through this. Is that it? Alright. Alright. Let's read it together.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:13:05]:
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because of the Jewish leaders. There were looking for a way to kill him. On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this, he meant the spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time, the spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified. It's almost like he's speaking in riddles, but if if your eyes have been open, it'll be very plain that he's talking about himself in so many ways.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:13:57]:
See at this Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Boots. Right? There's so many things behind the Feast of Boots. Basically it was the final of 7 feasts. 2 of these feasts, there's 3 that the first half of the year is 1 in the middle, and these 3 in the final ones were the biggest ones, where everybody is supposed to go to Jerusalem. It's a climax. And to stand up at the climax of of the final feast of the year and to be not known by anybody, a common person, just stand up. No title. Nothing.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:14:36]:
Just say I am the one that's this all this is about. You can bet there was a lot of questions going on. Right? But he was saying so many things. So let's look at each each part of this. K? Find my notes here. Alright. Here we go. Well, let's map.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:15:02]:
Before we unload some of those verses, what they mean. The map of John 7, it says, Jesus goes and teaches at the 7 day festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the festival of booths, and then there's division over who he who he said he was, and then there's unbelief with the Jewish leaders. Now there's a ongoing roadmap, right, all the way till Jesus goes gets judged and everything gets more and more challenging because the more he gets revealed, the veil gets really stood back so to speak. The more he does to reveal who he really is for some people who are not ready, and not prepared, or God hasn't enlightened them yet, it just gets darker and darker and darker, and they get more stubborn, and more resistant, and even to the point where we know where it ends. They broke his body, and he was willing to do it at the right time for us. Amazing. So let's look at this. They constantly get after him.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:16:05]:
I won't go into too much detail because there's only so much time. They get after him and they argue back and forth. The crowd is waffling. They keep asking all these questions and there's some questions and then some of the questions are this: Because of the things he's done, the things he said, they said this, the crowd says this, Jesus was a good man toward the end or He was just a smart guy, Right? And then they were some of them were saying, maybe he's he's a liar. He's just a great speaker, but he's pulling people away with some some strange new teaching. Okay? And some of those things, and but yet they never said he was the Messiah. They weren't convinced yet. Their eyes and hearts weren't aligned or opened by the grace of God yet.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:16:55]:
Even though all the proofs are solid. I mean, if you do the math, a lot of people are good at math, all the math of all the so called coincidence that happened that Jesus fulfilled from all the prophecies, all the festivals, all the rituals, even the way the tabernacle was back in Moses' day was was built. All of the metaphors, all of the imagery represented him in the in person. They just refused to make that connection because he wasn't who they wanted, or he wasn't willing to give them what they wanted. Jesus, in short, it's just people want to use Jesus as a means to their ends, not as end all for us. He is all and through all and overall, but if he's not, then He's not gonna be a God of your choosing. They said some people when you look into a well, there's an image that says, you look into a well and people look at the reflection that stares back at them, and you're looking for God, some people just see themselves. And whenever we have deals, whenever we have, we won't take God's word, our hearts are just not ready to receive that Jesus is who He said He was because the way He did and speak.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:18:10]:
Even if all the proof is there, we're just stubborn. But we rather see ourselves and not willing to let go, and that is what determines our faith in the end. And God is trying to woo us. He's trying to to call us to Him. And I pray if your heart has been hard, that tonight your heart will be melted. Your spirit will be open, and your mind enlightened of who Jesus really is, not just in general, but for you and personally. That is our prayer. But in there, in chapter 7, you turn to your notes, there's some 4 things.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:18:50]:
Four things that pastor Glenn and I were talking that I think 4 strategies of the enemy, that the enemy will use to create doubt about Jesus against your own convictions. Even when you're sure, these are still used by the enemy today, and we need you to be God wants you to be wise to them. The first is the enemy will make you feel foolish for believing something that no one else accepts. The road is narrow, right, to righteousness, but the the way is wide. The masses just follow along the mob mentality. Okay. So no one else accepts and pressure you to join the crowd. Everyone's going this way.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:19:40]:
Why are you going that way? The crowd, the numbers can't be wrong, right? Well, according to the gospel, numbers doesn't matter. The truth is the truth. No matter if it's 1 person or 10 out of a1000000 or half the group, it doesn't matter. That doesn't matter. The truth is the truth. Number 2. It is they try to shame shame you. It is shameful to disagree with the experts or those in power.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:20:09]:
To disagree with the experts or those in power. After all, 3 out of 4 dentists say so and so. Right? The people with the lab coats, if they say so, then that must be the truth. But I know good Christian Scientist as well who do just as good science. I even as a biology teacher, I actually asked this question because I know I'm a pastor. I said, no no points for this. This is just a warm up at this question. I had them answer for their own conviction.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:20:35]:
I said, everything we learn in biology, how well from the elements work when working through cells, and the cells to make systems of organs, or organ systems to work within organisms, that organisms that work tandemly. We share the things we breathe out, go to the plants, and they want to exhale and respirate come back to us. The cycles of life in so many ways all interconnected so well. How can it be an accident? So is it can it possibly be could could accidents happen to make all of this work so well together? Or is it designed? And I just let them share. And the science is too perfect for it to be a 1000000 different coincidences. There's one simple example of that. It's called it's called, irreducible complexity. You guys ever heard that term? It's one of the philosophical proofs.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:21:35]:
So imagine this. Remember that old rat trap with the piece of wood, and then the spring, and then the hook, and little place you put the bait on there, the old ones like that. It's like 4 or 5 different pieces. Now if you got the same pieces, you got pieces of metal and wire, just loosen the bag and some a piece of wood, and you shake them together in the bag for a year, 20 years, a 1000000 years, will it ever fall into place and create a mousetrap? It won't ever. It won't ever. And if they say the cell has done that, the living things from non life comes to life that way, It's never been the more we learn over over time, the more difficult it is mathematically and scientifically to even to even understand how that jump coulda happened. So if you change one of those pieces, you change everything. But the only reason why a mousetrap works, so any part of your mind or your body works the way it is because everything had to be purposely put together the way they are for it to work.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:22:39]:
Parts of the eye, just your hand, the way your mind works, and then the more we learn, it's more complex than you could ever. How about this? The human brain. There's more connections, neural connections in your brain than there are stars in the known universe. The most complex thing in the universe is right here. Your gray matter between here. And that's why the enemy is so wanting to get in there. I ask this a lot to my my students too. I said, you know what? The most expensive real estate in the world? Guess.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:23:13]:
And they always say, oh, this and that. I say, okay, that's good. Good guesses, but it's the gray matter between your two ears. That's the most priceless real estate ever. That's why the enemy wants to get in there. I was a marketing executive. You wanna come up with the best thing. I could sing jingles to you that you've heard since childhood, and you'll never ever forget them.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:23:35]:
If I start them, you'd finish them. I won't do that to you, But people pay 1,000,000 of dollars just for 10, 15 seconds in the Super Bowl because they want you to talk about their crazy gimmick that they'll get into your head and be the talk of the town and laugh at, and they kinda get into your brain. So this is how the enemy tries to get in there and fool us. Number 3, enemy will attack you personally to shame you or cause fear into aligning with them, whoever them is. Attack you personally to shame you or to cause fear, because if they can't convince you any other way, you're not listening to the experts, then they'll just character assassinate you. You're an idiot. You're just you're just not willing to You're not reasonable. Because the logical things won't work, so they just attack you.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:24:32]:
Number 4, they're just straight out lie. Lie, misquote, and twist the truth of scripture. Lie, misquote, and twist the truth of scripture. We saw that in the temptation of Jesus. The three temptations of Jesus after he got baptized in 40 days in the wilderness was all scripture the enemy used, but perverted it. And Jesus corrected in with scripture and their proper use. Be wise to those things. Well John 7 in the end of the chapter, it says this in 43 and 44.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:25:09]:
Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Someone had to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. Okay. God's timing is perfect. They had every opportunity throughout all of his time on to up to chapter 9. We're gonna end up at they couldn't. When it's not God's timing, He'll get in the way of people's free will. He won't His will be done.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:25:32]:
That's just it. It will be done by whatever means. People try. No matter what people do and our limited intellect, it will always affirm, and we'll see as we read to these these verses that whatever people have tried to stumble him, to discredit him, to disprove him, to even trap him, just flips it right back on their heads. And if you read Psalms, David prays that sometimes in the Psalms, God, these enemies just can take their traps and let it flip back on them. And Jesus did that all the time. They would be in circle circular arguments and be at a loss, and all they could do is and kill him. Just get rid of him.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:26:17]:
That's the only thing they could do. So, but they couldn't seize him until it was the right time, and it divided. That word divided. You know that verse where it says, the word of God is a double edged sword sliced through bone, spirit, and all the truth. If you think there's any gray, the spirit will just cut the motives. It will reveal us to ourselves. It's so sharp. Even when it hurts, if it's the Word, it'll hurt in the right place, in the right way.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:26:51]:
And if you let that, it can be a surgical tool to cut the cancer out. Or if you fight, if you kick under the then it could be we could do more damage. Right? Don't move. Cooperate. Or if you move, then you're gonna make it worse. Right? Just just work. Let the spirit do its thing. Let the spirit do its thing.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:27:15]:
Let the word cut you where it needs to. And then the the weird thing is it'll be cauterized and healed better than it was. If you do that in your relationships, do that in your meditations, do that when you're feeling at your worst, you will be changed in the best possible way. It may hurt, but it'll hurt good. You ever had those days where you're so tired, but you just nothing nothing, maybe even nothing worked right, but in the end you just knew you held your integrity, you did your best, and God says, there's always tomorrow and he lets you rest. That's a powerful thing. Let him encourage you in that. So John 8, we're gonna turn to that that chapter.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:28:05]:
We're gonna go forward. So we're at the festival, and then, let's see. Let me turn quick for to this. Yep. So they're wondering how this guy, who was a Mason Carpenter guy, could know so much. How could he teach so well? K. Just keep going. Oh, wow.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:28:30]:
I didn't want you all this. Okay. God. Thank you, John. Alright. Alright. K. Chapter 8.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:28:39]:
Here we go. K. Now we're on the 7th day of the feast in chapter 8. 7th day of the feast, Jesus is standing in the temple when the time comes for the water drawing festival. This is the clincher at the very end. As the waters poured out at the altar and part of the feast celebration, Jesus interrupted the ceremony to declare that those who thirst should come to Him. Because technically, this is like another I am. He said it before He referred to it.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:29:10]:
Like, if you refer to the woman at the well, he said, I am, you know, the thirst. You'll never thirst if you drink of me. Kinda like that. And he would he would give them it'll be their living water. But Jesus confronted was confronted by the Pharisees and adulterous woman, and he tried to trap a man. This is this is not this the end is like verse 53 of chapter 7. It goes into the first few verses of chapter 8. This section, I just wanna let you know, depending on translation, it will be in italics or in brackets.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:29:42]:
Okay? The reason is because it wasn't in the original manuscript. What? Don't be afraid. Okay? I'm gonna explain explain why. The woman adulterous woman caught in the act, and then they're trying to trap Jesus. That was something that has been attributed to Luke because it fits in how he use women, and how it's written and all that. Because it also if you read if you end at 752 and start at 8:12, it reads like that those verses never happened. It'll just roll roll seamlessly. But there's so much more involved in that, but there's doesn't mean it's not the word of God.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:30:21]:
Doesn't mean that it's in the wrong place, but it meets a great thing. It just enhances the fact that people are trying to trap Him who were the experts, who were the authority, and had evil motives just like the 4 strategies mentioned, and he came out of it all. The Pharisees gave him the authority. The the authority said, you decide. You're nobody, but in front of everybody, you decide. And the trap was if he says stone her because she's caught in the act, act, then they could use it against him. If he said, no, don't stone her, then they could use that against him. They had him they thought they had a double jeopardy.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:31:09]:
Well he just he just watched down. So imagine this, that happened in the most wide area of the tabernacle. So the tabernacle has different sections where certain people can go. The first section where this happened is where all the Jews can go. This is where the offering, places you can you can come to and do your offerings and so forth where this would be a bustling place during the the last largest festival of all, and then they they're doing this in front of everybody. Think, we got him. We got him. He came here at his own peril, And he just squats down and draw, writes.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:31:46]:
We got him, but what is he doing? He's just prolonging his death. Don't worry, just give him time. He's gonna he's gonna get trapped, right? But imagine that you're watching from the side. You see this spectacle going on. You're you're in the in the same area with your fellow Jews, and you're like, where did he go? You know, he disappears from the crowd. He's like it's like he physically removed himself visibly from the drama, and he's not he's not gonna play that. And I can imagine enjoying the frustration of all the smart guys trying to get him. So and he just When he finally says that he without sin cast the first stone, Not only did he get out of it, he made them look evil, and therefore the wisest, the oldest and wisest to the youngest just dropped their stones and walked away.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:32:43]:
Remember he's true to his word. He didn't come to condemn and judge the world. He came to save the world. In that very moment, he's true to his word without getting trapped. Isn't that isn't that Jesus for you? So powerful. So he goes on. Another trap avoided. And this section about living water.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:33:07]:
In the festival, there's a part with the living water there, and he was saying I am that. It's just I can't even paint a picture for you, but they pour the water in one area and it leads to the altar in other places, and it's such a big spectacle and all that, and he's saying, you won't need that anymore. Or the definition of this this whole ceremony is right here. And then that causes another stir depending upon if their eyes were enlightened by the Holy Spirit, or their flesh is still in control. See there was a system, and he was redefining it. Actually he was clarifying it, and they thought he was just doing away with it, and he didn't get it. Sometimes we like things the way they are. You ever heard this in in churches you've been to after a while? We just we never did it that way before.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:33:58]:
God cannot do a new work in a new way? None of his miracles were ever done the same. Even if it was the same kind of miracle, each time it was different. And I think God's humor is this because again he cannot the light cannot be grasped. Imagine in any miracle if we knew when exactly the miracle took place. In the 5th word that he said or the 9th word, we do this, or if we do it like bending over at this time, like as if we can figure out the formula. If we do that thing again, exactly the way he did it, we can duplicate the miracle. That's not what it is. It's God.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:34:48]:
Only God can move, right? And it's supposed to baffle us. We cannot grasp him and control him and put him in a box. There is no box. There is only God, and you and I, and that's it. We get to be marvel. We marvel at what he does. It's so amazing. So now we can go on.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:35:12]:
Now verse 12, it reads this way. Very good. Right up there. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Wow. Powerful words. Powerful words.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:35:36]:
Let's see. I'm gonna turn real quickly to refer to Galatians. I mean, I didn't have my Bible with me, so I'll do my digital thing. Galatians 3 26. If you have your Bibles with you. It reads like this, So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, period. Not by the magic words, not by the right actions. For all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:36:21]:
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and he knows who you are. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise, which also that verse reflects where the arguments came from. He was saying, you are not of God. You don't understand what I'm saying, then you're not of God in a lot of places in this in John. And then there some of them are claiming, well, we're Abraham's seed. So we're in. We're grandfathered in. And he says it's not about that.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:37:01]:
You see when Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness, it was way before the circumcision. It was when he just first believed. Remember where he came from? He came from a pagan society in the Urb, the Chaldees, and the Mesopotamia. The pagan society and God revealed himself to him and said, go. He didn't sight unseen, this god who made everything revealed to him amongst all these other gods and idols around him, he just went. Not perfectly, took some things with him. He wasn't supposed to, but he went. That's counted to him as righteousness.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:37:39]:
You see things that we do like baptism, circumcision, all those things are reenactments of the meaning of your faith. They don't determine your faith or righteousness. They are by obedience, something that reminds us, powerful reminders and to the world when we do it in public that we are weird people. Jesus freaks, and it's okay. It's more than okay, isn't it? It's more than okay. I mean, amen? TobyMac, right? Jesus is alright. Okay. Let's move on.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:38:25]:
So back to John 8. Okay. So I went over that. Oh God, really. God, thank you Jesus. K. So he goes on in, verse 13. So the Pharisees said to him, you're testifying about yourself.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:38:44]:
You can't do that. That's not true. You can't do that. So they're alluding to the fact that he's in the Mosaic law, you cannot prove anything unless there's 2 witnesses. And he's saying, no, my words are true. And they're like, no, no, no. You're breaking the law. See notice they say you weren't you're not lying.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:39:00]:
The issue they didn't question the issue of him being misled. They said, no, you can't. You're you're lying by default because you're breaking the law. And this is what he says. Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true for I know where I come from and where I am going. I do, but you do not know where I come from and where I'm going. You judge according to the flesh. I'm not judging anyone, but even if I do judge, if I wanted to, if it was the right time, my judgment is true for I am not alone in it, but I am the father who sent me.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:39:38]:
Even in your law, the law that they're trying to trap him in again, it has been written that the testimony of 2 men is true, but I am he who testifies about himself, and the father who sent me testifies about me. So how can that be true? Well, by now the people who have been enlightened, the people who have seen and heard him up to this point with minds and hearts open by the Holy Spirit know that he's fulfilled the prophets. The prophets testify to his words and actions that he is the real deal. Only the Messiah would fulfill those things. Even the last final Elijah, the second Elijah, John baptizer. Remember he was not John the Baptist because the Baptist denomination didn't exist. He is the baptizer guy. So John the baptizer, he testified to the light, right? John chapter 1, but he he would witness to the light, but he was not the light.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:40:36]:
And then the second is the miracles and his words. See how could God, how could any man do the things he's done? And even you see people saying this, people are wrestling. Who is he? See, that's funny. You wanna kill him for doing the very things that the Messiah said he's gonna do. So so wait a minute. How how could he do the things he could do in God's name unless God gave him and granted that? You see the Messiah then? That's the exact conversation they had. Do you guys are you guys because you didn't kill him yet. So we know you're wanting to kill him, so why didn't you kill him yet? You guys know he's the Messiah? Is that what it is? Oh, they got mad, really mad when they said that.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:41:22]:
Crazy. And it's just a honest question, and you notice when somebody is just stubborn and just doesn't want to give in to a truth that'll even be beneficial. They rather drink the poison than take the medicine. Just out of spite. You notice that these 2 kinda things happen, and it it in a sense, you kinda have to pity them sometimes. And you see the crowd mocking the stubborn. Sometimes you're like, you know, it doesn't make sense to me, but okay. But you know what? The people the reason why the whole nation was was as a whole didn't get what Jesus was offering, because they had to all well, they weren't willing to say it out loud.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:42:10]:
Even the ones that were saying they were believed, they were waiting for the experts to say something. Oh, you know what? My whole way of life depends upon these guys. So how can the experts be wrong? So then if they say he is not the messiah and say he is lying, then I am not willing to rock the boat on this. Even though what he is saying and doing is like, gotta be it's Messiah, like like it's all I've been taught, but I better be over here to their own peril. Okay. Alright. So the light represent the Shekinah glory of God, and then in this this huge lamp stand that's also being used, and it's called the menorah, but it's an unusual menorah, it's a huge one. And at this very last day the menorah lights are put out, and then they do the water thing and then Jesus stands up and says all this is about me.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:43:06]:
That got a lot of people mad. Okay. So let's move on. We're gonna bring this to a close. So in chapter 8, there's some points. Be discerning. The light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hang on, let me get there, is counter intuitive.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:43:28]:
Sorry. That's the only best word I could choose. Counterintuitive and not popular or easy. 2, the moment it becomes mainstream, it's most likely no longer the gospel. You see something that appeals to the masses usually appeals to somebody's baser thinking, baser desires. Oh, I am my own king. You see there's there's a thing of old saying, you might have heard about this before, cat theology and dog theology. Sorry, cat lovers.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:44:07]:
It's just a stereotype. It's an image. I like cats too, but I'm a dog person more, so but besides the point, cat love. The way the theology works out is stereotypes. Okay. Cat theology says, you feed me, you take care of me, and all these things, all my needs are met by you. Wow, I must be God. And then I will tell you when I want you to love me, and I will tell you how exactly I want it.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:44:35]:
Dog Theology says, wow. You feed me, take care of me, do all these things. You must be God, and I love you for it. Okay. So I thought that was It's very poignant to stereotype sometimes, and sometimes God has to talk to my cat and transform it into a dog heart. 3rd, most people don't want the truth. They prefer their truth, A means to their ends, not God's. John chapter 9 goes into the story of the blind man, the man who was born blind, and only the Messiah supposed to do this one particular miracle.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:45:18]:
There's certain a few of them that only the Messiah supposed to do that how you know it's supposed to be the Messiah is one is the demon cast out from a person who's mute because every other time the Pharisees or the biblical so called spiritual leaders would have to have the demon speak, and I've experienced some of that. I would have it say its name, and you can take authority in Jesus name over the demon who's there, and the spirit behind something, an infirmity or something. When God reveals that, then you can claim it specifically. But a mute one, only Jesus could do that. And this one is a miracle that would reveal the Messiah. A man born from from and he said this. This is in a nutshell. Somebody had to sin for infirmity to happen.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:46:01]:
Whose fault was it? Was it the parents or was it the man? And it kept going back and forth. If you read this, it's hilarious because they go back and forth, and then they said, no, I I only know is Jesus Jesus didn't even offer the healing. He just said, come here. Do this thing and everybody knew. That's that's the guy that's always been blind, and God Jesus did the mud thing. He didn't ask usually he asked what do you want when people come to him, right? He even asked. That never happened. He just went up to him.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:46:26]:
Do this, and then go to the pool of Siloam which is very far away. Alright? And then he comes back, washes the mud off, right? And then he can see. And this man, he couldn't know who touched him or spoke to him because he was blind, And now he can see without seeing with the only the words of God of Jesus. Believing in that by obeying it, that's righteousness. And he himself said, I believe. And he found out who he was, and Jesus talked to him and says, you know, the man didn't even know who he was talking about. Right? So he comes up to find out the Pharisees were testing him and says, no, you gotta admit you did wrong. I said, no, no, no.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:47:15]:
I'm I'm mean and he said, only one man can do this. Must be the Messiah. And he said, you guys deal with it. Because the parents said the parents didn't even wanna didn't wanna give in. They didn't wanna admit something. They said, no, no. Just talk to my son, our son. He's an adult.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:47:32]:
He can talk for himself. See they were on the expert side, afraid to rock the boat. But their son is like, all I know is I can see, and I need to meet this guy, and Jesus revealed himself. And he said, I believe. He said, no, you not only now because you see me, you believed when I told you and you went. That's when you believed. That's the proof in the pudding. Okay.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:47:57]:
Epilogue. So only certain individuals will come even because the whole nation as a whole just follow the leaders. Jesus was messiah. Now Israel as a nation as a nation rejects Jesus. We all know this. Hindsight. Until the future time full of repentance, when Jews and Gentiles altogether become together in 1. Okay? But the offer is individual.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:48:18]:
Now let's close this. In the meantime, be the light to a darkened and unbelieving world. Be the light to a darkened and unbelieving world. Remember don't hide it under a bushel. No. Put it on top of a hill, a hilltop. Share and live the gospel with truth and grace. This one can be tougher because some people will test you like some of the people tested Jesus and his followers threat of shaming you, character assassinating you.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:48:56]:
They're mean. Mean. But it's not between you and them, it's their mad at God. So they Satan can't get rid of God, so he's gonna get hurt you guys, hurt his kids. That's what he strives. So but share and live with truth and grace. Let them deal with their own anger. It's like when somebody cuts you off, and you get so mad, and you realize why why why get mad? I'm just making myself more mad.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:49:19]:
Just let them space. Okay, go you go you person, and God don't do it. No. Let them deal with their own thing. Don't try to be God and then wish evil things on them. God bless you. I hope you get stopped somehow before you hurt yourself or hurt somebody else, you know. Okay.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:49:36]:
3, avoid arguments with unbelievers who wanna test you and to prove you wrong or crazy. It's not worth it. There's no benefit to that, okay? But number 4, be prepared, be prepared to answer people's sincere questions. When it's sincere, yeah go ahead, try. Yeah. Pray for them and trust God to do the rest. That's pretty much all there is to these these verses. In a nutshell, there's not enough time, but this is a gift for you.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:50:16]:
This is the paradoxical commandments that were found on Mother Teresa's wall to encourage us in our walk. It was written by a man that I was mentored by for a short time. He became the head of Pacquiao Bible College, doctor Kent Keith. People thought mother Teresa wrote this. It was only the first 8 or so was on her wall. He was a he he graduated from Roosevelt. He went to college in the mainland. He was an editor during the sixties, and then he had some things happen in his faith.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:50:46]:
He got he was struggling. He's the editor of the school paper back when back when you publish prayers, when you interview theologians to comment on current events back then, but his life was threatened because he was Christian at a college. Already started back then. People who are darken and don't want the light will try to snuff it out or snuff you out. It was on her wall, Mother Teresa's wall. People thought she wrote it. Something he wrote to encourage him in his own faith ended up on Mother Teresa's wall. Humble guy, very nice, but let's read this as a closing prayer.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:51:33]:
People are often unreasonable, irrational and self centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you're successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you're honest and sincere, people may deceive you but be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:52:14]:
Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway, because in the final analysis, it's between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:52:45]:
Praise God. Thank you Jesus for this time together. We're encouraged by you. The truth of who you are is irreducible, cannot be done away with, irrevocable. Father, if we are to be the remnant in this world, help us to be the best possible remnant because we don't know. We are in a fruit but we don't know how many fruits can be in one seed and father, each one represents a seed and a mighty harvest that you want by simple obedience wherever their walk of life is, where their occupation is, their places of of home or their hobbies and their place where they where they walk, where they stand in line and in traffic. Father, may you move them and fill them with your words and your actions, your heart and your mind according to your spirit and be in quenchable. In Jesus name.

Pastor Terence Paraso [00:53:40]:
Amen.