Who's excited that we're back in the Word series?

Anybody?

Somebody said, I'm so glad we're back in the Word.

I said, no, no, we're in the Word every week when we gather.

But it's so good to be back in a specific text.

And I'll tell you why, because sometimes we can preach on our favorite topics

and avoid the things that get a little too close to us or a little too tricky or sticky

that we find in Scripture.

And I love taking a book like we're doing with the gospel of John

and going from the first verse to the last verse, because everything in there

we're going to drive by as we move together in the whole council of the Word of God.

We'll have an opportunity to impact our lives.

And I'm telling you, come to chapter 11 of John, starting back into this series.

It has absolutely got me so excited tonight about sharing what we're going to share.

We left off with John chapter 10, the thief comes to steal and to kill and destroy.

But Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and have it to the full.

But we know their challenges in the world.

I want you to look how John chapter 11 opens.

It really summarizes a lot of the dilemma of life in the very first sentence.

It's one of those things that when you start diving into a text, which I did in this text,

and you start digging into the text and letting the text dig into you,

I think our tendency would be to just sort of fly over something like this opening line.

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