Ken Boa Reflections Ministries

Dr. Ken Boa: We're going to be launching now a series, as you know, in the Gospel of John, and we're going to do a chapter a week. So we know where we'll be in the next 21 weeks. It's going to be pretty obvious, you see. That's a very ambitious program to do this, but I otherwise we might be on this thing for three years.

That's the problem, you see. It's it's the most profound book in the in the world in many ways. It's absolutely profound and utterly different in so many respects. It was asked the question first Kings 8, uh, will God indeed dwell on the earth? And how can he do so? And yet John tells us exactly how God pitched his tent in our midst and actually dwelt among us and became one with us.

And so it's an incredibly important theme that we see that Matthew's Gospel writes to the Jews and it focuses on the king, the coming king, and uses Messianic prophecies. And Mark is focusing his gospel on the Romans and very practical orientation and emphasizes him as the suffering servant. And the the calf is often associated with that.

The or the bull. And then there's Luke who writes to the Greeks and speaks to him as the perfect man. But John is different from the others because he writes both to the Jews and to the Greeks. And it's an interesting gospel in so many respects because he focuses on many themes that are need to be explained and interpreted and understood.

And John explains these things, the interpreting the Jewish words or customs. So you know he's writing to a an authorship, an an audience of both, both groups. But how Jesus fulfills all the types and 92% of John, as you know, is unique to the got to this gospel. And so it's remarkable.

So we have a great treasure trove of material we simply don't have in the Synoptic Gospels. But we see him as the as the Lamb of God. We see him in another type as the ladder that goes from heaven to earth. And we see him as the new temple. And he's the serpent who's been lifted up. And he is the bread of God.

And all these metaphors and images are symbols and types that are used in this gospel. And so we I'm going to be coming at it from several directions, but as we I'm going to I I have a little thing. I've shown you this before, the Cosmic Christ. And there are four key texts, and this is one of them, chapter one of John that focus on him as the Messiah, the anointed one.

And so Christos, which really means anointed or the anointed one. And so it's the Messiah. And that's what so the word Mashiah really had an association with being anointed. So he is the one who reveals that as the and then the other one is Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1, and Revelation 1. If you it's a great study, just to look at those four chapters and look at the how it elevates our vision of who Jesus really is, uh, in this in this understanding of his of his goodness and his greatness.

And John is particularly strong, uh, because there are going to be seven names or titles of Jesus that identify him as the eternal God. And so we're going to be emphasizing that. The first of these titles we're going to see is the Word. And in verses 1 to 3 and 4:14. So in the beginning was the Word, the Logos.

The Word was with God, the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. So we see him as the eternal Word here in the beginning. And he is with God, but he also is God. And so we see room for the understanding of the of the unity and diversity of the divine Godhead. And so here's the also the creative Word because it says all things came into being through him.

Apart from him, nothing has come into being that is come into being. So we see as this creative Word that he holds all things together as Colossians says, and that he is before all things. And he is the astonishing vision of of who he really is, of his deity, his excellence, his marvel marvelous wonder.

And yet at the same time we see that he is the source of all vitality. In him was life. And the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. So we see these these verses, but then jumping down to verse 14, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

So here we have the incarnate Word. So and we see that manifestation of it. We have it wasn't merely a likeness of flesh because he suffered and understood what it was to be fully human. So this mystery of how the two together, he dwelt among us. And we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And it's a combination of both of those. And so we see him then as the word of God, who manifests himself to us in this extraordinary way. So this preface to the Gospel of John, and if we were just to look at these first 18 verses, the the witness of John and the light which comes into the world.

It's absolutely astonishing to see how all these things come together. Um, and so the second of these titles that we can see besides the Word is he's also the light. And so he is the light in verses 4 to to 13. So we see in him was life and the life was the light of men.

And this light that we can see here is the illuminates it. It shines in the darkness, and the darkness is not able to understand it or comprehend it or exegete it. It cannot understand it. The light the the light diffuses and manifests itself in the darkness of this world. And so we see him this this motif of light and darkness, lots of these contrasts in John's Gospel of of light and darkness and the sons of of God and the sons of the devil and all these things.

A lot of components and literary components along this. But here we have in these verses 4 to 13 then in him was life. The life was the light of men. Just as the first creation began with let there be light, so also the new creation begins with the entrance of light into the heart of the believer.

And so the new life that comes. Life, light, love. Those three L's are really characteristic of John's Gospel, and you'll see them used throughout. So simple in so many ways, yet so utterly profound in other ways. And so you have to be, as I've told you before, it's the Greek is simple. It's like a child's vocabulary, but it's so profound in the meaning.

It's gets more and more layered. The more you study this book, the more it becomes. I have to say, I've been studying this book now for many years. I've been at this for a while since my uh since I might coming to faith in 1967. And I can say that as I study this book and these others the scriptures, it becomes more profound, not less.

The more you see, the more you're able to see. And it's just an in inexhaustible wealth. What will it be like by the way in the heavenly vision? When we no longer have the the the we study then instead of studying the Bible, we see the living Word in front of us. And we can see it. And your capacity to know and so forth will be vastly greater.

But here this light manifests himself. And in verses 4 to 13, we see the darkness cannot understand it. There's a mentions the the witness of John. And he came as a witness to testify about the light so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify. He's a pointer beyond himself to the one who would come.

There was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man. And this remarkable statement. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. So we we are in a the light is shining in the darkness of the fallen world. And this understanding of how it was fallen and the Genesis account and especially chapter 3, which reveals all that, shows that there's now this the the sons of light and darkness and the whole the whole movement away from that.

The world was made through him. The world didn't know him. He came to his own his own people. And those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. And the word even, you can see and this is the New American Standard, is in italics.

Whenever you see a word in italics, what does that mean? It means it's not in the Greek. It's being supplied for clarity. And but so he's giving the it's it's an apposition. As many as receive them, that is to those who believe in his name. So in this the the Greek construction means to receive him is to believe in him.

To believe in him is to receive him. You see the concept there. It's very important that we grasp this. So it's not a matter of and there's so many people who believe intellectually, but haven't yet received him personally. And that makes all the difference in the world. I hope you're not one of those. I want to make make sure, have you in fact received him by transferring your trust from yourself to him?

And it's that simple act of exchange, but it's a volitional choice because he will not impose himself upon us. So that this is a rich text here, as morning as who were uh given this grace to receive him. So to believe in him, to trust in him, to transfer your trust from your own works to himself, who are born not of blood nor of the will of of the flesh nor the will of men, but of God.

And so we need to move on because I'm trying to do a chapter in this it's a challenge. So I'm hastening, I hasten. Um, the Son of God is another image that we can see for him. So we have this this metaphor, this this picture of how he is the eternal Son of God in verse 15 to 28.

And so in looking at verse 15, we see John testified about him saying he was this is he of whom I said, He who comes after me has has a higher rank than I for he existed before me. Well, how can he exist before him? He was John was six months old, six months older than Jesus. So clearly he's referring to his deity and his eternality.

So he's eternal is in verse 15. He existed before me. And we see the fullness of grace and truth in this metaphor, this picture of how this Son of God brings about the grace and truth. Grace upon grace of this fullness we've seen. Grace upon grace. It layers itself. The law was given through Moses.

Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. Grace without truth would not be enough. It would be just uh it would be deceitful because you wouldn't have the truth that's necessary. But truth without grace would not would be condemning. We're saved by grace, but then we also live by grace. And we walk in this grace and this truth.

And so we can see that no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, he has exegeted him, is the word. We we ever heard the term exegesis means to understand it, to take it apart, to explain it. He has explained him. So it is Jesus then who reveals the the the Father to us.

And this wonderful picture, which could have never been dreamed of or guessed in the Hebrew Bible. And it wouldn't have never been imagined that the that the suffering servant would also become the reigning king and that there would be two in the in the one in the same person. And that ultimately he would come not to judge but to save.

But that ultimately he will come again and and the king of the world. But ultimately here in this world, he comes not to be be be um served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. So he's explained him to us. And so this is to see him as the Son of God. He's the one who reveals God to us in this profound way.

And so we see um in this testimony then we go on from here. Uh in verse 49 as well, I just want to jump down to that for a second because this relates to it as well. So in verse 49, we see uh Nathanael, uh answered him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You're the king of Israel.

So again that statement about him being the Son of God is is evident here. So going to the next portion here, we also see him as the Lamb of God. And this is a um extraordinary picture as well. So we see him as the this is the second day of the week, by the way, verses 29 to 34. By the way, it covers a a seven-day process, chapters 1 and 2, ending up with a wedding at Cana.

And I think that it's like the first week of creation, and it ends up in that way as well in this week. Uh so there's a lot of symbolism in that. 29 to 34 though, we take a look. And so we jump ahead. And in 29, the next day, Jesus saw him coming to him. So this is um uh we we we saw him before here.

And so this is the second day yet. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and he said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away uh the the sins of the world, the sin of the world. This is he of whom on behalf of whom I said, After me comes a man who has a higher rank than I for he existed before me.

I didn't recognize him, but so that he may be seen to be or manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water. And so you see the uh emphasis on the Lamb of God. Uh when you think about the lamb, remember in uh the offering of Isaac, who will provide the lamb, you see. And then here is the Lamb of God.

Behold the Lamb of God. And then ultimately in Revelation, what would be the phrase? Worthy is the lamb who was slain. And so we see all that that these images being wrought together and and connecting together in a profound way. And so in the New Testament then we see this this theme of baptizing in water.

We sent because he baptized it was there was the the mikvote uh and those were these um these water chambers here and so they would actually step down and and actually ritual baths were done. So it was a symbol of immersion so they would actually immerse themselves before they would have the sacrifices. It was a death, burial, and resurrection motif that was going on there in the New Testament.

And so here he's now baptizing the the Jews. That was the the that was the others for the Gentiles, but here it was it was for the Jews as well. So you see here he is in fact the um the the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And then we see him as the Messiah in verses 35 to 42.

And so in uh jumping ahead here, and 35. Again the next day. So so we see this is the third day in this uh in this uh sequence. John was standing with two of his disciples. He looked at Jesus as he walked. And he said, Behold, the Lamb of God. The the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

And Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, What do you seek? Now you know I do a lot with that verse. Don't you? In fact, while I was sitting there, guess what I was doing? What are the three questions? This is the first question. And my answer to that question, that I may know you more clearly.

You see. And then the second one is, Who do you say I am, which we'll see at Caesarea Philippi. And that that I may know love uh love you more dearly. And then, Do you love me more than these, follow you more nearly. And that is in the end of this gospel. But what do you seek is a profound question because as you know, asking that question is the most critical thing.

What do you look for? What do you want more than anything else? And a man needs to ask that question. And most people haven't asked that question. They know they don't have what they want, but they're not sure what it is. But we have to ask this question, what do I want more than anything else? And be brutally honest about that.

Is it is it money, sex, and power as the world would invite us to pursue those those those poles of the world of flesh and the devil? Are those things? But ultimately, what do you seek? And it will shape the heart. The heart is going to be shaped by what it loves. And so the heart that loves much, loves well is going to be defined by that.

The word worthiness and excellence of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love. And so that's why, as again, as Tozer put it, what comes into your mind when you think about God's the most important thing about you? So to long for him is to long for what? Eternity, infinity, and nothing less than that is big enough for us.

So what do you seek is this question. So you have this this Messianic image here that he is the Messiah himself. He said, Come, and you will see. And so they came, and they uh stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. Two of them one of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

Um, and I think the other one was John uh who came to to to this. And so Andrew brings his um his own brother Simon and says to him, We have found the Messiah, which translate means the Christ, the anointed one again. And so he says he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon, the son of John.

You shall be called Cephas, uh which is called translated Peter. And so you have this third day in the sequence here. And the Messiah means again the one who is the anointed one. It was the same as the equivalent to the name of the the Son of God who would be among them. And so you see this uh the in then he would become in verse 43 and following, um, the king of Israel.

So we go to the next one here. We see he's the king of Israel, verses 43 to 49. The next day. So this is the fourth day in in the sequence. And then the next three days lead us up to the wedding of Cana at Cana of Galilee. And I think that there's a symbolism going involved with the first the seven days of creation as well and the culmination in a wedding.

It would make that would make sense to me because remember at the uh end on the last day, then the day two uh actually amplifies that. And you have the consummation of chapter one is the creation of man. The chap consummation of chapter two is the joining of the man and the woman. And so the the two will become one flesh.

And so there's a powerful picture that's gone John's layering is is going on once again. In verses 43 to 49, he's seen as the king of Israel. The next day he purposed to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, Follow me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida Bethsaida of the city of Andrew and Peter.

And Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses and the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of of Joseph. Now I think, and I a lot of scholars uh think that Nathanael and Bartholomew were one and the same because Nathanael's not mentioned in the Synoptics, but Bartholomew is.

It would make more it would make sense to me that that would be the case. But at any rate, um, because John never mentions Bartholomew in this gospel. But he's seen here in verses 43 to 49, um, as the the one who would be the king. So Nathanael said to him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?

Great question. Yes. He the scripture said he would be called a Nazarene, but they just didn't know about the fullness of the fact that he would he was born in Bethlehem. But Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said to him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit. There is no guile, not like Jacob.

Um, Nathanael said to him, How do you know me? And Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called you, be when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. I don't know if you've seen *The Chosen*, but that scene with the calling of Nathanael is a particularly powerful scene. It kind of does some creative license with the with with the text, but it's uh very it's a plausible scenario.

But it's a moving scene in which there's something that he reveals to him that he could not possibly have known. And Nathanael's response is an amazing one because he says, uh, you are in the Son of God. You are the king of Israel. The that revelation this was granted him by the spirit that he could see this.

Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. And so the the the this powerful picture of who he really is in verses 4 up to 49 is a picture of his uh of his greatness and glory. You'll see greater things than these. In fact, he goes on to say, and then we go we jump ahead to the last of these, that he's the Son of Man as well.

So he's the Son of God. And it's intriguing to us to look at these these seven uh titles. And to explore what they mean. But um we see in verses um so it we're we were up to. Make sure I show you this. The Son of Man in verses 50 to 51. So we go to the end of this.

And he's he's because I said to you, you will see greater things than these. He said to him, Truly I truly I say to you, you will see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. And so this Son of Man, it's a it's a picture, isn't it of Jacob, uh, and and the idea of that revelation that that he had here, uh, and also the Son of Man is found in Daniel chapter 7 verse 13.

And that's pretty important for us to see as well. I want you to just see because it's a lot of these things are just being developed here and John is the more we know of the scriptures, the better we understand uh what's what's happening with with with the text. And so in Daniel chapter 7, the Son of Man is presented.

And so you had the in the Ancient of Days is on the throne, which is the Father, has vesture like white snow, is very similar to what we see in Revelation. Um, like white white wheels and burning fire and so forth. All these images that go beyond our words that this something that we can't really convey. But then I kept looking and behold the clouds of heaven one like the Son of Man was coming.

And he came up to the Ancient of Days. So here you have the Father, and then you have the Son all all we both revealed there in Daniel. And he was presented before him. To him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away.

And his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. So this is an understanding, what does it mean to be the Son of God? What does it mean to be the Son of Man? And so when we see this this imagery then we look ahead and it's implying a lot of these motifs. John. And so he understands something. He sees this vision of uh it's almost like it going up and down on the Son of Man.

And it's a picture of this uh glory of God. William Blake illustrated it in a very fascinating way when he when he does this here. It's like Jacob's ladder, and he's got these uh angels and ascending and descending on the Son of God going all the way up like that. Um God knows what it'll be like, um, but it's a fascinating picture though of how he is revealing himself.

And and Nathanael is given a revelation, given an understanding of what it would be. And so these themes about how all these things are revealed to him, that he is the Word of God, he is the light that would come into the world, that he is the Son of God, that he is the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world, that he is the Messiah, that he's the king of Israel, that he's the Son of Man.

It's an amazing array of titles, isn't it? And I want you what I want you to do is to meditate on these seven. Kind of reflect on these in your table and to kind of discuss what they may mean and the implications that they have for us so that we can actually explore it together. So let's let's do that for a few minutes.

And then I'll just leave this up.

Guest (Male): What uh came out of your discussion? I mean, this is an amazing array of of attributes and ensignment of who Jesus is. Um, and again, the issue of as many as received them, to them he became had the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, to receive and believe.

And one of the questions that came up during this time was, um, what does it really mean to receive Jesus or to transfer your trust in does it involve a measure of loss of control? And it does. We we we don't control anything. We just thought we did. So it's a hard thing. But it still there's a pushback, isn't there?

Because there's a scary idea of entrusting myself to someone I haven't yet met. And so though you do not see him, you can love him. Though you don't see him now, you can greatly rejoice with joy and expressible and full of glory, obtaining is the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your soul. So there is this whole idea of transferring trust from myself.

And I know that before God, I can't stand. I I've I've tried to trust and trying to do it my way. But you know, you can't control the contingencies of life. But also, I don't even know what's best for me. So but it is a scary thing, isn't it still? So to to do that is But in my view, it is to commit or commend all that you know of yourself to all that you know of him.

And and just you can't it's not an advanced thing. It's a simple transfer of trust from I and it simply as I know how I want to receive this gift of eternal life. I can't just acknowledge it's there. I have to choose to receive it. And so in transferring my trust from that, to believe, to receive is one and the same.

And I think that's a very important thing for us to do. If you haven't done that, I invite you to make that a simple prayer where I simply as I know how I want to transfer my trust from my own works. And I know it's a scary thing to do because I'm really casting my boat into the deeps into the deeps.

And and where he's going to take me. But I know I can't get to the other side on my own. I've figured that one out. So it's a matter of of of of making sure it's not just intellectual. But as much as these powerful words are there, uh these powerful things. This is revealing who he really is, but we have to still choose to respond to it.

That's really comes down to that. What what kind of insights did you have? Yes.

Guest (Male): You're on. Got it. Okay. Um, verses 1 through 14 are typically what my Christmas morning meditation every year.

Dr. Ken Boa: Christmas morning, huh?

Guest (Male): Yeah, that is my Christmas morning meditation. And part of it is is because when I get to the thought that deity put on flesh, it blows my mind. And it reminds me that I can't understand it, and it puts me in a place of awe and worship. Because I don't think I can ever truly understand deity putting on this human flesh.

It doesn't make sense to me. Yes. And that puts me in a place of awe and worship. And so I try to reflect on that yearly as my Christmas morning time with the Lord is John 1:1-14 is so powerful.

Dr. Ken Boa: Yeah, that's a great word. Because in the Incarnation with Christmas, you're celebrating the Incarnation. And in doing so, you're dealing with this profound mystery of how it is that the spiritual can take on the material and he can become part of his own creation, but that with undiminished deity.

It's a deep mystery, and nothing's like that. So no one could have dreamed this. So it's such an astonishing gospel. Uh it's interesting it didn't start with genealogies. It starts off with uh with with the creator the one who created all things. And the one who now the word becomes flesh and pitches his tent in our midst.

So it's a very ethereal glorious picture that builds. And it's interesting that it's much later than the other gospels as well. It's it's uh but it's it to reflect upon that it's just it's a fundamental theme. But how all these metaphors of of again light and light and love and what I find astonishing when in my own thinking when I whenever I reflect upon the glory of God is to to recognize that the one who made this is the one who made you, but the one who made you is the one who actually loves you.

And you would never know that by looking at nature itself. You could learn about his eternal power and divine nature. You'd know about that. But you'd never grasp that it was the love of your soul. That requires uh the revelation. The the third way of knowing because we know through empiricism through our senses. We can know through reason, our our our uh rationality, but you would never dream or imagine that the one who made the cosmos loves you in that way.

It's hard for me to fathom this. And so this is a love letter, isn't it? In many ways. It's a love letter from from God to us. Yeah.

Guest (Male): Yeah. Ken, um, I'm going to see if I can put this together. But based on last week, the seven I Ams, Yes. I glean on the number seven, I am the vine, which I think he was talking about a few moments ago. Yes. Um, by just last week, I've been focusing on that and being that's what ground me basically because I want to produce fruit, and more fruit, and abundant fruit.

But by only surrendering to the nutrients we receive from the vine, can we even begin to accomplish that? Yes. Uh to we're producing for his glory and honor. So tying into what you were talking about the surrendering of myself that I can do this I can produce these kind of fruits without being tied into the vine.

I can't I have to surrender to the nutrients that come from the vine so I can in turn bring that forth.

Dr. Ken Boa: Yes. So really to abide in him is a metaphor of the vine. And to to abide is to derive your life from him and not to try to try to create life on your own terms.

Guest (Male): Give him credit.

Dr. Ken Boa: That's right. So you have to be open to receiving that vitality. So the branch doesn't create the life, but it receives the life and it draws its life from him. But that's an intentional process. And so every day, this is the interesting thing, we can choose to walk in the flesh or in the spirit. We can choose to either walk when we walk in the spirit, we're deriving our life from him, but we can then choose to turn that off and grow in our own way and we'll cut ourselves off and we're no longer abiding in Christ.

So that's why this whole idea of an ongoing practice, again, the three things, trust the Father, abide in the Son, walk by the spirit, is to choose to walk in the spirit and not otherwise do the deeds of the flesh. But the flesh is consistently going to be opposed to the purposes of God. And you know it is this downward pull.

And this I'm waiting for and eagerly anticipating the glory when this world system won't be there. And this the devil and his angels will be dealt with. And this thing called the flesh will be finally dealt with. And so I love the idea of not being able to think sin. And I love the idea of thinking about heaven of what will it be like in resurrected life with resurrected beings in a resurrected world.

And what it'll be when you encounter. And everyone you encounter will always want what's best for you. Always walk with the spirit, always walk that way. Because we and and again, it comes down to training myself to live according to what the truth is. And to walk by the spirit, to abide in Christ, to draw my vitality from him is the whole key to the whole life.

What other thought? Yes, Jen.

Guest (Male): Um, we talked about a lamb of God.

Dr. Ken Boa: The lamb. Uh huh.

Guest (Male): And of course, we reflect back to the Old Testament, the rituals of killing spotless lamb, etcetera. But then we pondered when Jesus would have known that he was in fact the lamb of God, and his destiny was death. And as we ponder that, we knew that you being an ardent man with an anachronistic.

Dr. Ken Boa: Yes. We know as it says, he kept growing in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. So all those components. But even by the age of 12, he knew who his father was. And I had to be about my father's business. And his seat in the in the the the story of that. This is a deep mystery that the whole idea of the incarnation.

So the the mystery of the God man is there. How could he be omniscient? So he humbles himself and diminish. And so the Kenosis, the emptying of himself, means that he's chooses not to use his omni-attributes, voluntary non-use of his omni-attributes. Although there are times when he does use those, but largely he chooses not to.

And so in this deep mystery, how is it that omniscience can veil that from himself? I mean, it's a deep and profound. How can he learn if he's So it's it's a deep profound thing of a both and mystery. And it was the subject of my very first book really, one of the chapters is the God man. And the other one's the Trinity.

And it's filled with mysteries. And my answer to that is it's beyond our grasp, beyond our comprehension that we he would have this capacity that he'd be both God and man, fully both. And that that that mysterious holding the truth in tension rather than trying to solve it. I can't solve it. But but if I hold it and believe and in spite of that, because it makes perfect sense that this is a revelation from God.

It would contain things that would go beyond the ceiling of my own comprehension. And if it didn't, then there would be a different matter. So I have to recognize it's letting God be God. Let him go beyond your grasp. But entrust yourself. And this is what it comes down to, trust and obey for there's no other way.

Be happy in Jesus but to trust him. Do you still remember that song? As as we do his good will, he abides with us still. Only never fear, only trust and obey. It comes down to that simplicity. Trust him and do what he calls you to do and you'll never regret it.