WEBVTT

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 Father, sometimes your word speaks of things that are hard for us to maybe accept.

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 We want to turn our minds and our hearts away from them.

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 In fact, Father, sometimes your word says things that we might be a little bit embarrassed to talk about.

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 Father, we thank you so much that you know us.

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 You know our hearts.

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 You know our weakness.

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 And so we ask that you would gently but deeply and powerfully pour out your Holy Spirit upon us

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 and bring these words of Jesus, his encounter with his opponents,

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 bring these words of Jesus deeply into the very center of our lives,

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 that we may have a greater and greater confidence, Father, in Jesus and in you and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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 And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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 Please be seated.

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 Amen.

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 So you might have been wondering why I prayed like that.

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 And it's a little bit.

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 I guess this is probably the type of day when we don't have many guests.

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 But if we do have guests, and I can't quite recognize you right now, welcome.

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 But there's a bit of a warning.

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 Today we're going to talk about hell a little bit.

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 And, you know, it's funny.

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 I guess there are some churches that talk about hell constantly.

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 But my limited experience in most Canadian churches is you could go a long season in a church

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 and never once hear any reference to hell.

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 But the scripture text that we're going to look at,

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 because I didn't read all of the texts that I'm going to preach from,

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 the scripture text that we're going to look at today, Jesus talks about it in effect.

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 So we're going to talk about it a little bit later on.

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 So it's a bit of a heads up warning that we're going to talk about hell.

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 And so let's look at that text.

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 If you'd like to follow along, it's chapter 8, John chapter 8, verse 12.

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 And part of the context of what's going on here,

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 well, first of all, some of you who come here week in and week out,

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 I mentioned this in my blog.

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 I don't know if many people read my blog.

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 That's fine.

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 But I'm skipping a story, which is in many of your Bibles.

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 And if you look carefully at most of your Bibles,

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 if it's at all a modern translation, there's brackets around it.

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 And that's because the story of the woman caught in adultery

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 probably shouldn't be in the Bible.

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 It's not found in the earliest manuscripts.

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 And because we preach the Bible, I'm going to skip it,

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 because it probably shouldn't be there.

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 And you can read my blog.

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 And if you have more questions, you can talk to me about it during coffee.

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 You can give me heck if you want or push back.

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 But the text flows quite interestingly if you take out the story of the woman caught in adultery.

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 And so the context that's going on here is Jesus has been making some big statements

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 in the context of lots of disagreement, lots of confusion.

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 Some people believe him.

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 Many people are calling him demon-possessed.

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 His family are rude and gnarky to him.

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 And he makes this very, very big claim about rivers of life.

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 If you believe in him, rivers of life will flow out of him.

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 And so the religious and cultural authorities, they're sort of all one.

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 And they've been trying to kill Jesus since chapter 5.

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 But it has this brief scene where they get together once again and say,

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 listen, we've got to do something about this guy.

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 We've got to capture him.

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 He's condemned.

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 We've got to get rid of him.

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 And Nicodemus puts up a little quivering hand and says,

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 like, maybe is this against the law?

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 And so, you know, as the part that we're reading right now,

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 it continues on in that vein.

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 It's talking.

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 In fact, you know, if you think about it, it's a world very much like ours, isn't it?

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 We're both in religious circles and outside of religious circles.

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 Sometimes the law is just inconvenient, isn't it?

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 Like, I'm not going to get into politics, but the whole pipeline issue with B.C.

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 The fact that the summer jobs program, the government misrepresents,

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 the government that's supposed to know what the law is misrepresents the law,

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 ignores the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to mean that certain people can't get summer jobs.

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 I mean, there's many times, it's the world we live in, isn't it,

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 that often the law is an inconvenient thing for those in power.

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 And it's not just in the secular world.

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 It's a common problem in churches and religious movements and in mosques

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 where people just disregard what their holy books say

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 when they get inconvenient for those who are powerful.

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 And so it's in this type of context that the Bible says,

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 again, it's a bit of a loose time marker.

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 Sometime after what has just happened, but continuing this same thought,

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 this is what Jesus says.

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 Verse 12.

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 Again, Jesus spoke to them saying,

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 I am the light of the world.

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 Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,

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 but will have the light of life.

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 Now, just pause here.

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 This is one of those verses that Christians should memorize.

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 And it's definitely a verse that we should meditate upon.

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 It's an unbelievably huge claim.

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 Jesus doesn't say, I point the way to the light.

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 He doesn't say, I have a little bit of light within me.

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 We all have a little bit of light within us.

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 And let's all just pool our light.

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 He says, I am, which is a claim to being God.

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 I am the light of the world.

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 And there are a small number of religions and faiths and spiritualities

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 which are basically very dark.

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 They worship things like blood and violence and death and destruction.

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 But for most people, the light, and even those dark religions

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 sort of do so in a type of rebellion and anger against the light.

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 But it's sort of a universal idea in pagan religions,

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 in the East and in the West.

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 This idea of the light being something which is fundamentally good and powerful.

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 And Jesus makes this sweeping claim that he is the light of the world.

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 Not a light in the world, but the light of the world.

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 And that to follow him, which is another analogy or another metaphor

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 for believing in him, for trusting him,

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 to believe what he says and to actually try to follow him,

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 that we will receive something,

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 that we will actually have the light.

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 What does it say?

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 The light of life.

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 The light that is living.

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 The light that gives life.

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 It's an absolutely huge claim.

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 On Friday at lunchtime, I had the great privilege and honor

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 to be invited to speak at Parliament Hill

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 to the Parliament Hill Christian Fellowship.

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 It sounds more impressive than it is.

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 It's a small number of mainly Christian staff workers on the Hill

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 who gather on Fridays to spend a bit of time looking at the Bible

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 and maybe a brief time in fellowship to get to know each other.

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 And so I got to speak there at Friday over the lunch hour.

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 And I always give them a rough draft or a first draft of the talk I'm going to give.

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 And in their case, I introduced it by saying,

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 none of you folks will be able to relate to this text

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 because it deals with the problem of flagrant self-promotion,

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 something which you, of course, on Parliament Hill

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 have no experience with whatsoever.

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 And, of course, it got a bit of a laugh.

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 And then, of course, somebody said,

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 of course, in the church nobody's familiar with flagrant self-promotion either,

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 which is completely and utterly a valid point.

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 By the way, Andrew, are you having our 1-800 number

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 and how to give flashing above the screen right now as we speak

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 for autographed copy?

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 Never mind.

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 You know the problem which we live under.

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 So, you know, on one hand,

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 we're going to return to this statement a little bit at the end

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 because it sort of casts its bright light

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 throughout this entire text that follows.

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 But, you know, let's just be honest.

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 I mean, I've talked last week about the Rajna Sri Bhagwan

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 in the film thing, The Wild Wild West.

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 And he claimed he was basically divine.

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 In fact, it's very interesting.

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 When he was buried, they don't say that he was born and that he died.

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 What they say is that he only visited this earth.

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 And he began his visit in whatever it was, 1932,

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 and he ended his visit in 1990.

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 But, you know, that's just all malarkey, isn't it?

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 I mean, the fact of the matter is,

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 is if you went back, you could find out when he was born

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 and you know that his...

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 I mean, you can't find his body now because it was cremated.

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 But you know that he lived and died.

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 It's just malarkey to claim that he only visited the planet

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 and then came for a little while and left.

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 So Jesus makes this unbelievably huge statement.

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 It's flagrant self-promotion, isn't it?

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 I mean, for people who aren't Christians.

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 And that's how it's recognized by the people who hear him.

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 It isn't as if they go, oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

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 No, no.

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 Jesus is in the middle of all sorts of conflicts.

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 So how is it that they respond to this big claim that Jesus makes?

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 Look at verse 13.

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 In verse 13, it says,

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 they push back.

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 So the Pharisees said to him,

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 you are bearing witness about yourself.

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 Your testimony isn't true.

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 They just push back.

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 I mean, you know, you can just picture Christopher Hitchens

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 saying something like that.

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 You can picture your grocer, your accountant, your mechanic,

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 the stay-at-home dad who lives next door to the artist.

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 They just say, okay, well, sure, yeah, go ahead.

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 You can make those claims if you want.

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 Just you making a claim.

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 Like, why should I believe it?

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 So how does Jesus respond to that pushback?

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 Well, once again, we talked about this similar type of thing a couple of weeks ago.

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 At first glance, and at second and third glance, in fact,

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 his answer is profoundly disappointing to us.

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 But how does he answer?

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 Well, let's look at how he answered.

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 It's profoundly disappointing,

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 but if you press through our disappointment,

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 which really tells us something about our heart,

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 not about him, but our heart,

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 it's a very, very powerful answer.

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 So how does Jesus respond to their pushback?

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 Yeah, you're just talking about yourself.

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 It's not true.

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 It's just malarkey.

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 It's baloney.

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 It's garbage.

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 So verse 14, Jesus answered,

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 He said,

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 Now,

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 Now,

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 there's sort of three really big things in this innocuous and initially disappointing statement.

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 The first is the context.

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 The text begins with a game.

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 And if you go back and look at the end of chapter 7,

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 what is it following?

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 They've illegally, unjustly, and immorally condemned him to death.

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 Illegally, immorally, unjustly, and in defiance of their scriptures condemned him to death.

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 And when Nicodemus makes a very timid but still very brave little comment,

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 Isn't this maybe not right?

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 They just call him a name.

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 They just say,

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 You know what are you?

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 Are you from Hicksville?

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 Like, are you from,

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 Like, what are you from?

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 Like, are you from northern Saskatchewan or something?

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 Or northern Ontario?

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 Like, are you just from where people don't know anything?

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 Like, just shut up.

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 So, here it is.

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 He's having this conversation with people who have unjustly, immorally, improperly, illegally,

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 and unscripturally found him guilty without any type of trial

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 and are seeking to have him captured and kill him.

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 And they're saying,

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 You're only bearing witness about yourself.

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 And he says to them,

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 Well, if I judge, I judge by the truth.

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 And doesn't your Bible say something about judging?

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 Now, as you're going to see from the rest of the story,

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 it doesn't seem as if any of them get red or embarrassed.

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 I don't mean they become red Tories or something,

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 like, or liberals.

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 Like, none of them get red in the face.

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 None of them seem to have any sense of shame or embarrassment about this.

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 They have a complete and utter indifference to what they're doing.

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 So, this raises a very interesting point.

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 How on earth could Jesus ever bear witness to people like that?

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 Like, how could he, actually?

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 When they show no embarrassment or shame when the topic comes up

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 after what they've done.

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 It shows there's a bit of a problem, isn't it,

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 in terms of Jesus trying to reveal himself.

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 And by the way, the reason that the Bible says this

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 isn't so we can say,

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 Gosh, those people are really stupid and evil.

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 Like, the question, the reason it's raised is for us to say,

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 Is that me?

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 You see, that's, we, in a sense, become just like the Pharisees

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 if we hear this and we say,

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 Gosh, I wish Trump would hear that.

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 Or, gosh, I wish Clinton would hear that.

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 Or, gosh, I wish Trudeau would hear that.

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 Or, gosh, I wish Kathleen Wynne would hear that.

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 Or, gosh, I wish Andrew Scheer or Elizabeth May.

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 Go through the political spectrum.

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 And the second that we wish that somebody else would hear it,

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 there's a bit of a question.

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 Wait a moment.

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 Am I hearing it?

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 Am I hearing it?

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 And then there's a second, even bigger problem with the text.

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 And it's a problem which is,

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 it's so big we don't see it.

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 I know that's a bit contradictory,

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 but it's so big we don't see it.

00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.000
 Look at verse 15 again.

00:15:11.379 --> 00:15:12.920
 Sorry, in verse 17.

00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:16.960
 In your law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.

00:15:17.420 --> 00:15:18.680
 Well, think about that for a second.

00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:23.199
 Why is it that the Old Testament laws say that you need at least the testimony of two people?

00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:26.839
 It's because we human beings lie.

00:15:29.339 --> 00:15:29.959
 Don't we?

00:15:30.459 --> 00:15:31.799
 We human beings lie.

00:15:32.459 --> 00:15:33.219
 We dissemble.

00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:34.379
 We cloak.

00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:37.879
 We give ourselves passes.

00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:39.899
 We make excuses for ourselves.

00:15:39.899 --> 00:15:44.019
 We flatter ourselves too much to detect or hate our own sin.

00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:48.419
 We overestimate how smart and brilliant we are and we put other people down.

00:15:48.460 --> 00:15:53.039
 Unless we get very depressed and everybody seems brilliant and we seem unbelievably dumb.

00:15:53.039 --> 00:16:00.459
 But that's in fact just the shadow or the other side of the teeter-totter from the fact that we often think of ourselves as like gods.

00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:02.699
 And so it's because God knows.

00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:06.439
 You see, if everybody in the people, if we human beings told the truth,

00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:09.620
 the Old Testament law would just say you only need the testimony of one person.

00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:14.139
 Because we know that one person tells the truth.

00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:22.139
 But we know that truth is a complicated, inconvenient...

00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:27.080
 I mean, the Bible doesn't say that nobody ever says the truth at all or knows the truth.

00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:33.100
 But it's very frank about the fact that there's a truth problem for human beings.

00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:36.120
 And when I'm saying human beings, I'm including myself.

00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:37.860
 I really am.

00:16:38.920 --> 00:16:42.080
 It's not that because a person becomes a Christian all of a sudden,

00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:46.399
 it's been like there's been a brain transplant in their head and they now...

00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:48.500
 and a heart transplant and we only speak the truth.

00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:50.139
 We know that's not true, don't we?

00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:56.200
 And so this actually is pointing to another...

00:16:56.200 --> 00:17:00.639
 Once again, well, how actually is it that the Holy God,

00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:06.319
 who is true, how does he break in and reveal himself amongst a people

00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:10.259
 who tell lies and love lies

00:17:10.259 --> 00:17:13.700
 and have a tricky relationship with the truth?

00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:17.940
 Well, how actually can God reveal himself in such a context?

00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:22.859
 And that brings us then to the third sort of aspect.

00:17:24.379 --> 00:17:26.059
 It's an even bigger problem.

00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:29.220
 We think to ourselves, we're very disappointed in Jesus' answer.

00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.380
 Well, I know where I'm coming from.

00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:32.420
 I'm speaking the truth.

00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:35.759
 And God the Father also bears witness.

00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:39.160
 And by the way, in John 5, a similar type of argument happened.

00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:42.200
 And in John 5, if you go back on it and look at it,

00:17:42.259 --> 00:17:44.900
 basically Jesus says to the Jewish people

00:17:44.900 --> 00:17:47.799
 that when you hear the Bible, you're hearing God the Father's witness.

00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:51.240
 But in this particular case, there's another bit of a problem.

00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:52.400
 If you think about it for a second,

00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:54.559
 who can bear witness to God?

00:17:54.559 --> 00:18:01.440
 Like, when I shared this at Parliament Hill Christian Fellowship yesterday,

00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:02.039
 or Friday,

00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:07.779
 you know, there's like three or four levels of security

00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:12.059
 to get into the East Block on Parliament Hill.

00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:15.599
 There's security guards outside.

00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:17.480
 They have to make sure the door gets opened.

00:18:18.059 --> 00:18:19.799
 I go through a screening process.

00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:20.859
 Then there's a desk.

00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:23.339
 My things are mic...

00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:24.220
 Not microwaved.

00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:26.559
 They look, they scan everything.

00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:28.799
 I have to go through this as if I'm going to fly in an airplane.

00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:31.539
 And if my name's not on the list,

00:18:31.659 --> 00:18:33.879
 I don't even get through the first door.

00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:36.220
 But if that happened,

00:18:36.379 --> 00:18:38.279
 if for some reason my name wasn't on the list,

00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:39.639
 which happened a couple of months ago

00:18:39.639 --> 00:18:40.740
 when I went invited to speak,

00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:41.940
 I can call Craig.

00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:45.359
 And Craig will either come down himself or somebody else.

00:18:45.419 --> 00:18:46.799
 And they can come and they can deal with it.

00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:47.899
 He can bear witness to me.

00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:48.639
 He's another human being.

00:18:48.639 --> 00:18:49.579
 He can bear witness to me.

00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:51.359
 But who's going to bear witness to God?

00:18:53.579 --> 00:18:55.440
 And if you think about it for a second,

00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:57.460
 if we human beings have a truth problem

00:18:57.460 --> 00:18:58.720
 and a lying problem,

00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:03.619
 then, like, how's that going to actually work?

00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:06.200
 Like, if we just think about it for a second,

00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:07.539
 how's that going to work?

00:19:09.419 --> 00:19:11.539
 And that's one of the things which is so profound

00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:12.759
 about John's Gospel,

00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:14.500
 is that John just keeps on...

00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:15.899
 Jesus keeps sort of pointing

00:19:15.899 --> 00:19:18.619
 to this particular thing.

00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:20.139
 And we think he's dodging the bullet,

00:19:20.139 --> 00:19:21.799
 but he's actually just forcing us

00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:23.139
 to ask ourselves the question,

00:19:23.219 --> 00:19:23.679
 one second,

00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:25.479
 let me just think about this for a second.

00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:27.279
 How is it that any human being

00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:28.239
 can bear witness to God?

00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:29.619
 Like, there's going to be a bit of a problem.

00:19:30.099 --> 00:19:31.859
 If you could put up the first point, Andrew,

00:19:31.959 --> 00:19:34.179
 and this is something...

00:19:34.180 --> 00:19:35.840
 I got inspired for this point

00:19:35.840 --> 00:19:38.180
 by a man by the name of Leslie Newbigin.

00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:39.720
 He gave me the germ of the idea,

00:19:39.820 --> 00:19:41.200
 and I sort of changed the language.

00:19:42.100 --> 00:19:44.279
 But the only way for light

00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.779
 to bear witness in darkness

00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:49.160
 is to continue shining bright and clear.

00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:52.200
 The only way for light

00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:53.580
 to bear witness in darkness

00:19:53.580 --> 00:19:56.440
 is to continue shining bright and clear.

00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:58.640
 You see, light can't ask darkness

00:19:58.640 --> 00:19:59.860
 for a witness, can it?

00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:03.180
 Darkness, could you just give me

00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:05.259
 a little bit of a push?

00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.340
 Darkness is dark.

00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:13.559
 Now, some of you might say,

00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:18.519
 well, George,

00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:21.319
 I can sort of see the problem,

00:20:22.779 --> 00:20:25.700
 but, I mean,

00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:26.259
 does that just mean

00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:27.960
 anybody can just make these big claims,

00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:28.460
 can't they?

00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:30.960
 In fact, there's a very, very different thing

00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:32.299
 that's going on here in the story,

00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:33.339
 and part of it is

00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:33.980
 that you have to remember

00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:36.200
 that the gospel of John is a book.

00:20:38.139 --> 00:20:39.359
 Story, I have a little bit...

00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:40.400
 Because I've watched this movie

00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:41.660
 about the wild, wild country,

00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:43.279
 which you don't have to watch it.

00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:44.539
 I just found it very...

00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:46.039
 I found it very moving,

00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.940
 very curious and everything like that,

00:20:49.180 --> 00:20:51.220
 and this guy, Rajneesh,

00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:52.819
 who made this claims to be God

00:20:52.819 --> 00:20:53.680
 and was going to create, like,

00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:55.819
 the new man in the middle of Oregon,

00:20:56.579 --> 00:20:57.779
 all the while amassing

00:20:57.779 --> 00:20:59.859
 more semi-automatic weapons

00:20:59.859 --> 00:21:01.399
 than all of the police forces

00:21:01.399 --> 00:21:02.960
 in Oregon at the same time.

00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:04.460
 Like, is there any discont...

00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:05.960
 Is there any dichotomy

00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:07.039
 between these ideas?

00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:09.119
 Well, the fact that a lot of his followers

00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:10.720
 didn't sense any type of dichotomy

00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:12.119
 is that I found this out

00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:14.279
 from a Christopher Hitchens, actually,

00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:16.180
 that he actually had gone

00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:18.619
 to the original ashram in India

00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:19.559
 in the early 80s,

00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:20.740
 and, I mean, he's been dead

00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:21.319
 a few years now,

00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:21.859
 but he actually...

00:21:21.859 --> 00:21:23.480
 There's a thing on the internet

00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:24.779
 you can find about Hitchens

00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:26.119
 commenting about this guy,

00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:27.299
 and what he says,

00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:28.079
 which they don't show

00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:30.639
 in the documentary,

00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:32.740
 is when you go into the ashram

00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:34.359
 where the Rajneesh

00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:35.740
 was going to be doing his teaching,

00:21:35.879 --> 00:21:36.960
 there was a big sign

00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:38.839
 over the ashram

00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:39.839
 before you entered,

00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:40.700
 and it said,

00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:42.519
 please take...

00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:44.059
 I should have written it down.

00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:45.059
 Basically,

00:21:45.399 --> 00:21:47.200
 please remove your shoes,

00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:49.119
 or please take your shoes off

00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:50.399
 and turn your mind off,

00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:51.220
 basically.

00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:53.619
 Oh, no, that's it.

00:21:53.639 --> 00:21:53.779
 Sorry.

00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:54.859
 I got the wording now.

00:21:55.259 --> 00:21:56.379
 Leave your shoes

00:21:56.379 --> 00:21:57.480
 and your mind

00:21:57.480 --> 00:21:58.440
 at the door.

00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:01.259
 Leave your shoes

00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:02.359
 and your mind

00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:03.200
 at the door.

00:22:04.399 --> 00:22:05.779
 Now, Jesus never tells us

00:22:05.779 --> 00:22:06.980
 to leave our mind behind.

00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:10.440
 And at the end of the day,

00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:13.460
 the full answer to this

00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:15.000
 in the context of Jesus

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:16.880
 is just his wisdom,

00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:18.620
 his shrewdness,

00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:20.000
 his insight,

00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.339
 his goodness,

00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:22.819
 his gentleness,

00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:24.000
 his humility,

00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:26.299
 but the full answer

00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:28.359
 to their question

00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:29.819
 won't come for another

00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:31.140
 13 chapters

00:22:31.140 --> 00:22:32.640
 and in real time

00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:33.440
 six months

00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:35.619
 when he dies upon the cross

00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:36.660
 and he rises from the dead.

00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:37.880
 That's, in fact,

00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:39.240
 how God vindicates

00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:40.160
 his son

00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:42.019
 by having him

00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:42.960
 die on the cross

00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:45.700
 and rise from the dead.

00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:48.319
 the Romans

00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:49.519
 crucified

00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:51.340
 thousands and thousands,

00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:52.600
 hundreds of thousands

00:22:52.600 --> 00:22:53.259
 of people

00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:55.500
 and to my knowledge

00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:56.259
 in all of

00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:57.059
 the history

00:22:57.059 --> 00:22:57.920
 of crucifixion

00:22:57.920 --> 00:22:59.240
 there was only one person

00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:00.259
 who ever partially

00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:01.799
 survived a crucifixion

00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:03.180
 but it was a very

00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:04.180
 unusual one.

00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:04.819
 It didn't go with

00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:06.019
 the flogging beforehand

00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:07.140
 and they weren't

00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:08.580
 crucified for a very long,

00:23:08.620 --> 00:23:09.799
 just like an hour

00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:10.640
 or something like that

00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:11.440
 and there were physicians

00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:12.500
 who were right there

00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:13.960
 to care for him

00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:15.259
 and he sort of survived.

00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:18.120
 But in centuries

00:23:18.120 --> 00:23:19.340
 of this as a punishment,

00:23:19.580 --> 00:23:20.600
 hundreds of thousands,

00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.180
 that's the only case

00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:23.559
 and it's not like Jesus is

00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:24.640
 with the flogging,

00:23:25.819 --> 00:23:28.380
 with the spear thrust.

00:23:31.600 --> 00:23:32.600
 And it's not just

00:23:32.600 --> 00:23:34.140
 the resurrection of Jesus

00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:35.700
 which is going to be

00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:36.580
 the vindication of it.

00:23:36.620 --> 00:23:37.160
 It's both

00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:37.920
 as we're going to see

00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:38.279
 in a moment.

00:23:38.380 --> 00:23:39.860
 It's his death upon the cross

00:23:39.860 --> 00:23:41.380
 which in an odd way

00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:43.580
 vindicates who he is

00:23:43.580 --> 00:23:44.120
 because he said

00:23:44.120 --> 00:23:45.319
 he's going to die on the cross

00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:46.740
 and his resurrection

00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:47.480
 from the dead

00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:49.500
 vindicates who he is

00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:50.279
 and what he said.

00:23:52.399 --> 00:23:53.399
 So there's going to be

00:23:53.399 --> 00:23:54.179
 a vindication

00:23:54.179 --> 00:23:56.000
 by a spectacular miracle

00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:57.539
 on top of the other signs

00:23:57.539 --> 00:23:58.059
 and miracles

00:23:58.059 --> 00:23:59.240
 which Jesus has done

00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:00.439
 and there's never

00:24:00.439 --> 00:24:01.379
 any invitation

00:24:01.379 --> 00:24:02.720
 for us to leave

00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:03.839
 our mind behind

00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:04.899
 when we read the Bible.

00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:08.400
 In fact,

00:24:08.620 --> 00:24:09.540
 the problem we have

00:24:09.540 --> 00:24:10.460
 when we read the Bible

00:24:10.460 --> 00:24:12.340
 is that we

00:24:12.340 --> 00:24:13.560
 don't actually

00:24:13.560 --> 00:24:14.720
 look deeply enough

00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:15.860
 at what's being said

00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:18.980
 to pierce behind

00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:20.560
 our arrogance

00:24:20.560 --> 00:24:21.680
 and our disappointment

00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.680
 in the answers.

00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:26.480
 It's the shallowness

00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:27.340
 of our thought

00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:28.420
 which is the problem

00:24:28.420 --> 00:24:29.920
 and the scripture

00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:31.240
 keeps calling us

00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:32.600
 to pay heed,

00:24:32.860 --> 00:24:33.580
 to look deeper,

00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:34.839
 to look at our own heart,

00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:35.519
 to look at how

00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:36.819
 our own mind works,

00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:38.099
 to look at the problem,

00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:39.539
 to consider it.

00:24:42.919 --> 00:24:43.359
 So,

00:24:44.199 --> 00:24:46.659
 Jesus has pointed

00:24:46.659 --> 00:24:47.359
 to a big elephant

00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:47.859
 in the room

00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:51.240
 about judging

00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:53.240
 and the fact

00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:53.859
 that they've done

00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:54.659
 something illegal,

00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.099
 unjust,

00:24:55.159 --> 00:24:55.679
 and immoral.

00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.560
 how is it the Pharisees

00:24:57.560 --> 00:24:58.200
 respond

00:24:58.200 --> 00:24:59.660
 to Jesus'

00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:00.860
 bringing an elephant

00:25:00.860 --> 00:25:01.519
 into the room,

00:25:01.560 --> 00:25:02.420
 whether they notice it

00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:02.680
 or not,

00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:03.600
 whether they're so filled

00:25:03.600 --> 00:25:04.620
 with pride and conceit

00:25:04.620 --> 00:25:05.360
 that they don't notice it

00:25:05.360 --> 00:25:06.200
 or how do they respond?

00:25:06.600 --> 00:25:07.259
 Well, let's look

00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:08.640
 in verse 19.

00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:09.920
 They said to him,

00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:10.200
 therefore,

00:25:10.320 --> 00:25:11.299
 where is your father?

00:25:13.700 --> 00:25:14.600
 Jesus answered,

00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:15.259
 you know neither

00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:16.420
 me nor my father.

00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:17.600
 If you knew me,

00:25:17.600 --> 00:25:18.480
 you would know

00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:19.480
 my father also.

00:25:19.620 --> 00:25:20.560
 These words he spoke

00:25:20.560 --> 00:25:21.279
 in the treasury

00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:21.860
 as he taught

00:25:21.860 --> 00:25:22.380
 in the temple,

00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:23.920
 but no one arrested him

00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:24.580
 because his hour

00:25:24.580 --> 00:25:25.340
 had not yet come.

00:25:25.660 --> 00:25:26.840
 It's a very interesting thing.

00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:28.840
 They don't say to him,

00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:29.860
 who is your father?

00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:30.240
 They say,

00:25:30.320 --> 00:25:31.240
 where is your father?

00:25:31.360 --> 00:25:32.680
 Isn't that an interesting question?

00:25:33.580 --> 00:25:34.539
 Where is your father?

00:25:36.860 --> 00:25:37.080
 Now,

00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:38.060
 part of it's

00:25:38.060 --> 00:25:39.640
 probably a little bit

00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:40.460
 of a put down

00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:41.860
 because they might know

00:25:41.860 --> 00:25:42.820
 that there's

00:25:42.820 --> 00:25:44.160
 these claims

00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:45.500
 of a virgin birth

00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:46.400
 and that Joseph

00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:48.180
 really,

00:25:48.300 --> 00:25:48.600
 in a sense,

00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:50.100
 had to adopt Jesus

00:25:50.100 --> 00:25:52.240
 and didn't marry Mary

00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:53.460
 until she was quite

00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:54.920
 noticeably pregnant

00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:56.559
 and it might be

00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:57.059
 a little bit

00:25:57.059 --> 00:25:57.920
 of a put down

00:25:57.920 --> 00:25:58.100
 about,

00:25:58.180 --> 00:25:58.259
 yeah,

00:25:58.319 --> 00:25:59.200
 where is your dad?

00:25:59.620 --> 00:25:59.880
 Jesus,

00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:00.940
 where is your dad?

00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:03.120
 Do you even know

00:26:03.120 --> 00:26:03.680
 who he is?

00:26:08.120 --> 00:26:08.440
 But,

00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:08.799
 of course,

00:26:08.860 --> 00:26:10.539
 the great tragedy

00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:11.160
 and irony

00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:11.980
 is that God,

00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:12.720
 the Son of God,

00:26:12.779 --> 00:26:13.340
 is standing right

00:26:13.340 --> 00:26:13.880
 in front of them.

00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:16.539
 God,

00:26:16.620 --> 00:26:17.559
 the Son of God,

00:26:17.660 --> 00:26:19.360
 who reveals God,

00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:20.340
 is standing

00:26:20.340 --> 00:26:22.160
 right in front of them.

00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:26.400
 of all people

00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:26.980
 in the history

00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:27.480
 of the planet

00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:28.360
 most privileged

00:26:28.360 --> 00:26:29.000
 and blessed

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:30.980
 that they could see

00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:31.340
 God,

00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:32.200
 the Son of God,

00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:33.519
 stand in front of them

00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:35.000
 and have a conversation

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:35.539
 with them.

00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:37.360
 But instead,

00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:38.160
 they sneer.

00:26:41.340 --> 00:26:42.299
 Is this talking

00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:42.920
 about me?

00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:47.279
 So,

00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:48.580
 Jesus said to them

00:26:48.580 --> 00:26:48.880
 again,

00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:49.560
 verse 21,

00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:50.500
 and this is a very,

00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:50.820
 very,

00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:51.980
 it's a very small

00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:52.700
 little sentence,

00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:53.740
 but it's a very,

00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:55.400
 very powerful sentence.

00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:57.240
 And it's one of those

00:26:57.240 --> 00:26:58.300
 things which I'm sure

00:26:58.300 --> 00:26:59.019
 for John

00:26:59.019 --> 00:27:00.200
 and the disciples

00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:00.900
 later on

00:27:00.900 --> 00:27:01.519
 as they thought

00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:01.900
 about it,

00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:03.519
 they thought about

00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:05.000
 the profound

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:07.920
 insight of Jesus

00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:09.539
 and the profound

00:27:09.539 --> 00:27:10.600
 tragedy of what

00:27:10.600 --> 00:27:11.140
 he says.

00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:13.500
 He says in

00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:14.240
 verse 21,

00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:17.300
 we'll read

00:27:17.300 --> 00:27:18.279
 21 and 22,

00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:19.220
 I am going,

00:27:19.340 --> 00:27:20.180
 Jesus said to them

00:27:20.180 --> 00:27:20.460
 again,

00:27:20.580 --> 00:27:21.560
 so Jesus said to them

00:27:21.560 --> 00:27:21.759
 again,

00:27:21.820 --> 00:27:22.180
 because you're not

00:27:22.180 --> 00:27:22.640
 getting it,

00:27:23.080 --> 00:27:23.900
 I am going away

00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:25.500
 and you will seek

00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:26.840
 me and you will

00:27:26.840 --> 00:27:27.880
 die in your sin.

00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:29.700
 Where I am going,

00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:31.200
 you cannot come.

00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:32.660
 Say it again

00:27:32.660 --> 00:27:33.140
 and then we'll read

00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:33.500
 22,

00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:34.580
 I am going away

00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:35.899
 and you will

00:27:35.899 --> 00:27:36.419
 seek me

00:27:36.419 --> 00:27:37.919
 and you will

00:27:37.919 --> 00:27:38.839
 die in your sin.

00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:40.919
 Where I am going,

00:27:41.699 --> 00:27:42.539
 you cannot come.

00:27:43.399 --> 00:27:44.500
 So the Jew said,

00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:46.500
 will he kill himself

00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:47.819
 since he says

00:27:47.819 --> 00:27:48.740
 where I am going,

00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:49.579
 you cannot come?

00:27:50.399 --> 00:27:51.399
 Now here's the

00:27:51.399 --> 00:27:51.899
 great,

00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:52.799
 great,

00:27:52.939 --> 00:27:53.559
 great,

00:27:53.859 --> 00:27:55.339
 great tragedy

00:27:55.339 --> 00:27:56.179
 of this text.

00:27:56.659 --> 00:27:57.599
 The people who say

00:27:57.599 --> 00:27:58.299
 this are plotting

00:27:58.299 --> 00:27:58.919
 his death.

00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:03.799
 That's how the story

00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:04.259
 goes.

00:28:05.159 --> 00:28:06.000
 They are plotting

00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:06.659
 his death.

00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:09.019
 Just before this,

00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:09.859
 they said they

00:28:09.859 --> 00:28:11.000
 weren't able to

00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:11.699
 arrest him because

00:28:11.699 --> 00:28:12.379
 his hour had not

00:28:12.379 --> 00:28:12.879
 yet come.

00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:13.599
 It's just in the

00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:14.339
 shadow of their

00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:15.319
 attempts to arrest

00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:16.059
 him so they can

00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:16.859
 have him put to

00:28:16.859 --> 00:28:17.199
 death.

00:28:18.259 --> 00:28:18.799
 And in a sense,

00:28:18.879 --> 00:28:19.659
 they have the gall

00:28:19.659 --> 00:28:20.699
 to wonder whether

00:28:20.699 --> 00:28:21.759
 he's talking about

00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:22.379
 suicide.

00:28:24.399 --> 00:28:25.439
 He's not talking

00:28:25.439 --> 00:28:26.299
 about suicide.

00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:28.759
 He's talking about

00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:29.619
 his impending

00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:31.539
 murder by those

00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:33.000
 same people who

00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:33.740
 are asking him

00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:34.599
 these snarky

00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:35.299
 comments and

00:28:35.299 --> 00:28:35.819
 questions.

00:28:37.460 --> 00:28:38.279
 And the great

00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:39.240
 tragedy is there

00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:40.339
 seems to be no

00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:41.359
 reddening of the

00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:42.799
 face or looking

00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:44.220
 down or shuffling

00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:45.279
 of the feet or

00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:46.660
 embarrassment or

00:28:46.660 --> 00:28:48.299
 catching of the

00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:48.740
 throat.

00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.200
 They seem to be

00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:52.319
 completely blind.

00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:54.240
 But look,

00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:55.140
 listen again to what

00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:55.779
 Jesus says,

00:28:55.859 --> 00:28:56.759
 I am going away.

00:28:57.480 --> 00:28:58.559
 He's referring to

00:28:58.559 --> 00:28:59.140
 his death.

00:28:59.140 --> 00:29:00.980
 He's referring to

00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:01.680
 the fact, as we'll

00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:02.140
 see in another

00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:02.900
 couple of verses,

00:29:02.900 --> 00:29:04.680
 that he knows that

00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:05.360
 he's going to go,

00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:06.720
 that he's going to

00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:07.040
 die.

00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:09.660
 And then he says,

00:29:09.700 --> 00:29:10.420
 and you will seek

00:29:10.420 --> 00:29:10.680
 me.

00:29:11.360 --> 00:29:12.060
 But isn't that very

00:29:12.060 --> 00:29:12.520
 interesting?

00:29:12.520 --> 00:29:13.480
 Because that's exactly

00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:14.400
 what does happen.

00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:15.400
 They seek his body

00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:19.520
 because they can't

00:29:19.520 --> 00:29:20.280
 believe he actually

00:29:20.280 --> 00:29:21.259
 rose from the dead.

00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:23.759
 And as you know

00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.379
 from reading the

00:29:24.379 --> 00:29:25.480
 other biographies,

00:29:26.500 --> 00:29:29.059
 they seek the body,

00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:30.940
 they bribe the

00:29:30.940 --> 00:29:33.000
 soldiers, they

00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:34.240
 collude with the

00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.099
 Roman authorities

00:29:35.099 --> 00:29:36.000
 to make sure that

00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:37.019
 the soldiers aren't

00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:38.500
 punished, and they

00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:39.400
 pay the soldiers

00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:40.160
 and they put out

00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:41.279
 lies because they

00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:42.140
 can't find the body.

00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:42.819
 What do they seek?

00:29:42.879 --> 00:29:44.039
 They seek his body.

00:29:45.579 --> 00:29:46.200
 They don't seek

00:29:46.200 --> 00:29:46.460
 him.

00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:51.440
 They don't seek

00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:51.720
 him.

00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:55.319
 They seek his body.

00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:56.600
 And so what does

00:29:56.600 --> 00:29:56.980
 he say?

00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:58.360
 I'm going away,

00:29:59.039 --> 00:29:59.640
 and you will

00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:01.759
 seek me, and you

00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:02.640
 will die in your

00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:03.019
 sin.

00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:05.640
 Where I am going,

00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:06.640
 you cannot come.

00:30:09.019 --> 00:30:10.160
 Now this is where

00:30:10.160 --> 00:30:12.440
 we're going to talk

00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:13.700
 a little bit

00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:15.600
 about

00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:18.099
 hell.

00:30:20.419 --> 00:30:21.179
 Let's read verses

00:30:21.179 --> 00:30:23.480
 21 to 23

00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:24.399
 and 24

00:30:24.399 --> 00:30:24.959
 first.

00:30:26.339 --> 00:30:27.179
 So you notice how

00:30:27.179 --> 00:30:27.859
 just at the end

00:30:27.859 --> 00:30:28.539
 of 21 he says,

00:30:28.619 --> 00:30:29.179
 where I am going,

00:30:29.259 --> 00:30:30.000
 you cannot come,

00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:30.519
 and just before

00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:31.179
 that you will die

00:30:31.179 --> 00:30:31.799
 in your sin.

00:30:33.399 --> 00:30:34.719
 And three times

00:30:34.719 --> 00:30:35.219
 you will die

00:30:35.219 --> 00:30:35.939
 in your sin is

00:30:35.939 --> 00:30:36.199
 said.

00:30:36.279 --> 00:30:36.919
 The first one in

00:30:36.919 --> 00:30:37.919
 21, you will die

00:30:37.919 --> 00:30:38.480
 in your sin.

00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:40.779
 23, he said to

00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:41.099
 them, you are

00:30:41.099 --> 00:30:41.879
 from below, I am

00:30:41.879 --> 00:30:42.959
 from above, you are

00:30:42.959 --> 00:30:44.279
 of this world, I am

00:30:44.279 --> 00:30:45.039
 not of this world.

00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:46.699
 I have told you

00:30:46.699 --> 00:30:48.319
 that you would die

00:30:48.319 --> 00:30:49.219
 in your sins.

00:30:49.879 --> 00:30:51.500
 For unless you

00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:52.559
 believe that I am

00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:54.919
 he, you will die

00:30:54.919 --> 00:30:55.740
 in your sins.

00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:57.419
 Three times.

00:30:58.980 --> 00:30:59.899
 Just a couple of

00:30:59.899 --> 00:31:01.159
 months ago, one of

00:31:01.159 --> 00:31:02.019
 the people that I've

00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:03.119
 had quite a few

00:31:03.119 --> 00:31:04.119
 conversations with

00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:04.899
 about the Christian

00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:06.439
 faith, and I've

00:31:06.439 --> 00:31:07.119
 tried to share the

00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:07.939
 gospel with her.

00:31:08.639 --> 00:31:09.240
 Out of the blue,

00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:10.159
 she said, George,

00:31:10.199 --> 00:31:10.779
 do you think I'm

00:31:10.779 --> 00:31:11.179
 going to go to

00:31:11.179 --> 00:31:11.399
 hell?

00:31:11.400 --> 00:31:13.600
 Are you one of

00:31:13.600 --> 00:31:14.180
 those Christians

00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:14.840
 who believe in

00:31:14.840 --> 00:31:15.140
 hell?

00:31:15.840 --> 00:31:17.200
 And if you do, that

00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:18.060
 must mean I'm going

00:31:18.060 --> 00:31:18.259
 there.

00:31:18.340 --> 00:31:18.759
 Is that what you

00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:19.540
 believe, George?

00:31:21.259 --> 00:31:22.240
 I wasn't prepared

00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:23.019
 for the question.

00:31:24.460 --> 00:31:25.100
 And it's one of

00:31:25.100 --> 00:31:25.740
 those things I wish

00:31:25.740 --> 00:31:26.360
 I could tell you

00:31:26.360 --> 00:31:26.960
 that I gave you a

00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:27.720
 really snappy

00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:28.500
 response.

00:31:30.060 --> 00:31:30.880
 I can't really

00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:32.000
 fully remember my

00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:32.540
 response.

00:31:33.780 --> 00:31:35.360
 I wonder if there

00:31:35.360 --> 00:31:36.160
 was a videotape,

00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:36.620
 if it would have

00:31:36.620 --> 00:31:37.340
 shown me looking

00:31:37.340 --> 00:31:38.120
 like I was a deer

00:31:38.120 --> 00:31:38.640
 caught in the

00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:39.040
 headlights.

00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:40.559
 I hope not.

00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:42.200
 I know I didn't

00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:43.119
 back down and say

00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:43.500
 no.

00:31:44.879 --> 00:31:45.420
 And I know

00:31:45.420 --> 00:31:46.259
 afterwards I

00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:46.819
 thought of about

00:31:46.819 --> 00:31:47.519
 three different

00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:48.119
 things I could

00:31:48.119 --> 00:31:48.619
 have said that

00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:48.940
 would have been

00:31:48.940 --> 00:31:49.680
 a better answer.

00:31:51.619 --> 00:31:52.799
 But I know I

00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:53.440
 did say that,

00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:54.119
 yes, there is a

00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:54.819
 hell, and I

00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:55.920
 mean, that's all

00:31:55.920 --> 00:31:56.759
 part of the

00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:57.519
 reason of Jesus,

00:31:57.720 --> 00:31:59.539
 is to put your

00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.420
 faith and trust in

00:32:00.420 --> 00:32:01.819
 him so that you

00:32:01.819 --> 00:32:02.480
 don't go to hell.

00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:03.859
 And I probably

00:32:03.859 --> 00:32:04.659
 said something about

00:32:04.659 --> 00:32:05.519
 how my, it's not

00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:06.119
 that I'm better

00:32:06.119 --> 00:32:07.019
 than anybody else.

00:32:07.259 --> 00:32:08.139
 No Christian should

00:32:08.139 --> 00:32:08.700
 ever think they're

00:32:08.700 --> 00:32:09.360
 better than another

00:32:09.360 --> 00:32:10.240
 person, that we

00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:11.440
 are dependent upon

00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:12.120
 God's grace.

00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:12.819
 I know I gave

00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:13.500
 some type of an

00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:13.880
 answer, and I

00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:14.259
 know I didn't

00:32:14.259 --> 00:32:15.819
 back down and

00:32:15.819 --> 00:32:16.380
 say, no, no, no,

00:32:16.380 --> 00:32:16.740
 no, no, we

00:32:16.740 --> 00:32:17.440
 don't believe those

00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:18.000
 things, or no,

00:32:18.039 --> 00:32:18.360
 no, no, you

00:32:18.360 --> 00:32:18.759
 don't have to

00:32:18.759 --> 00:32:18.940
 worry.

00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:19.440
 Like, I know I

00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:19.759
 didn't say

00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:20.580
 anything like that.

00:32:21.380 --> 00:32:22.539
 And I, we've

00:32:22.539 --> 00:32:23.319
 never returned to

00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:24.039
 the topic, and

00:32:24.039 --> 00:32:25.299
 she still speaks to

00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:26.340
 me sometimes, so

00:32:26.340 --> 00:32:27.480
 I guess it was,

00:32:27.580 --> 00:32:28.140
 you know, this is a,

00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:28.559
 I just want to

00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:29.279
 share this with you

00:32:29.279 --> 00:32:29.840
 because, you know,

00:32:29.880 --> 00:32:30.360
 one of the things

00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:31.100
 that we worry about

00:32:31.100 --> 00:32:31.960
 when we bear witness

00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:32.920
 about Jesus is that

00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:33.220
 we're going to

00:32:33.220 --> 00:32:33.660
 blow it.

00:32:33.660 --> 00:32:34.800
 So here's the

00:32:34.800 --> 00:32:35.380
 good news.

00:32:35.620 --> 00:32:36.640
 You will blow it.

00:32:37.900 --> 00:32:39.100
 So get over it.

00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:40.660
 Because you will

00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:41.060
 blow it.

00:32:41.400 --> 00:32:42.360
 Everybody blows it.

00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:43.880
 Everybody without

00:32:43.880 --> 00:32:44.920
 exception blows it.

00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:46.700
 But that's, Jesus is

00:32:46.700 --> 00:32:47.600
 the evangelist, not

00:32:47.600 --> 00:32:48.120
 you and me.

00:32:48.380 --> 00:32:49.160
 The Holy Spirit is

00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:49.900
 the one who moves.

00:32:50.700 --> 00:32:51.940
 Just try to be as

00:32:51.940 --> 00:32:53.440
 honest as you can and

00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:54.800
 as loving as you can

00:32:54.800 --> 00:32:56.259
 and do the best you

00:32:56.259 --> 00:32:58.180
 can, and it's the

00:32:58.180 --> 00:32:59.180
 Holy Spirit that does

00:32:59.180 --> 00:32:59.660
 the work of

00:32:59.660 --> 00:33:00.800
 evangelism, not you.

00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:04.639
 But if you could

00:33:04.639 --> 00:33:05.159
 put up the next

00:33:05.159 --> 00:33:07.359
 point, Andrew, here's

00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:07.799
 the thing.

00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:11.579
 Jesus warned of

00:33:11.579 --> 00:33:13.720
 hell, so if I never

00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:15.759
 warn of hell, I am

00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:16.899
 not being Christ-like.

00:33:17.799 --> 00:33:18.599
 By the way, this

00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:19.519
 point and my next

00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:21.539
 point, there's a guy

00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:22.379
 by the name of J.C.

00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:23.500
 Ryle, and he said

00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:24.359
 something like this,

00:33:24.399 --> 00:33:24.819
 and I've sort of

00:33:24.819 --> 00:33:26.639
 adapted his little

00:33:26.639 --> 00:33:28.899
 insight just to, I

00:33:28.899 --> 00:33:29.899
 just adapted it, but

00:33:29.899 --> 00:33:30.740
 I have to give the

00:33:30.740 --> 00:33:31.640
 credit to Ryle for

00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:32.259
 this in the next

00:33:32.259 --> 00:33:33.099
 point.

00:33:34.339 --> 00:33:38.339
 But Jesus warned

00:33:38.339 --> 00:33:38.920
 of hell.

00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:40.599
 So if I never

00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:42.240
 warn of hell, I'm

00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:43.319
 not being Christ-like.

00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:44.839
 And that's what

00:33:44.839 --> 00:33:45.460
 Jesus says.

00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:46.180
 Look at that verse

00:33:46.180 --> 00:33:48.059
 21 again, and you

00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.799
 will die in your

00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:49.140
 sin.

00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:50.259
 Where I am going,

00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:51.759
 you cannot come.

00:33:53.500 --> 00:33:54.180
 And then they

00:33:54.180 --> 00:33:55.420
 repeat it in 22 as

00:33:55.420 --> 00:33:55.900
 a sort of a

00:33:55.900 --> 00:33:56.220
 question.

00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:56.720
 Will he kill

00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:57.120
 himself?

00:33:57.319 --> 00:33:58.039
 Since he said,

00:33:58.259 --> 00:33:58.759
 where I am going,

00:33:58.839 --> 00:33:59.720
 you cannot come.

00:33:59.720 --> 00:34:00.319
 So you sort of

00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:00.880
 notice it.

00:34:01.579 --> 00:34:01.980
 And then in

00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:04.400
 verse 24, he

00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:05.180
 says, I told you

00:34:05.180 --> 00:34:05.839
 that you would die

00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:06.440
 in your sins.

00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:07.079
 For unless you

00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:08.780
 believe that I am

00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:10.119
 he, you will die

00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:10.960
 in your sins.

00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:15.720
 Now, in evangelism,

00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:17.619
 I would never raise

00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:19.320
 the topic of hell in

00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:20.179
 Canada because it

00:34:20.179 --> 00:34:20.720
 would just cause

00:34:20.720 --> 00:34:21.380
 people to roll

00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:21.980
 their eyes.

00:34:23.780 --> 00:34:24.659
 There's other ways

00:34:24.659 --> 00:34:25.139
 you have to bear

00:34:25.139 --> 00:34:26.000
 witness to Jesus.

00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:26.159
 Jesus.

00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:29.059
 But the reason I

00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:30.360
 put this up is

00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:31.500
 because every

00:34:31.500 --> 00:34:32.579
 Christian has the

00:34:32.579 --> 00:34:33.159
 problem of

00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:34.059
 potentially turning

00:34:34.059 --> 00:34:34.820
 into a duck.

00:34:35.840 --> 00:34:36.539
 You know that

00:34:36.539 --> 00:34:37.380
 old thing, if you

00:34:37.380 --> 00:34:38.679
 start walking like

00:34:38.679 --> 00:34:39.480
 a duck, talking

00:34:39.480 --> 00:34:40.139
 like a duck,

00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:41.239
 pooping like a

00:34:41.239 --> 00:34:42.199
 duck, shedding

00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:43.000
 little duck-lean

00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:43.920
 feathers, and you've

00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:44.800
 just turned into a

00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:45.039
 duck.

00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:46.739
 And it's really

00:34:46.739 --> 00:34:47.659
 easy for us to

00:34:47.659 --> 00:34:48.400
 sort of just become

00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:49.099
 completely and

00:34:49.099 --> 00:34:50.599
 utterly comfortable

00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:51.380
 in the world.

00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:53.740
 And before you

00:34:53.740 --> 00:34:55.360
 know it, we just

00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:56.920
 don't look any

00:34:56.920 --> 00:34:57.519
 different than

00:34:57.519 --> 00:34:58.079
 people in the

00:34:58.079 --> 00:34:58.340
 world.

00:34:58.500 --> 00:34:59.039
 And the fact of

00:34:59.039 --> 00:34:59.640
 the matter is, is

00:34:59.640 --> 00:35:00.320
 all we've done is

00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:01.480
 become worldly, and

00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:02.720
 maybe we've never

00:35:02.720 --> 00:35:03.480
 been a Christian at

00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:03.740
 all.

00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:05.640
 And so even though

00:35:05.640 --> 00:35:06.720
 it might be that we

00:35:06.720 --> 00:35:08.059
 very rarely have to

00:35:08.059 --> 00:35:08.720
 actually warn

00:35:08.720 --> 00:35:09.780
 somebody about hell,

00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:10.640
 it's one of those

00:35:10.640 --> 00:35:11.539
 truths which is

00:35:11.539 --> 00:35:12.260
 central to the

00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:13.240
 Christian faith, which

00:35:13.240 --> 00:35:14.200
 we need to hold

00:35:14.200 --> 00:35:14.640
 clear.

00:35:15.079 --> 00:35:16.180
 Because even if

00:35:16.180 --> 00:35:16.920
 we're talking to

00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:17.400
 people and we're

00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:18.160
 doing lots of other

00:35:18.160 --> 00:35:18.900
 different ways of

00:35:18.900 --> 00:35:19.619
 bearing witness to

00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:20.440
 Jesus, we have to

00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:21.220
 remember where true

00:35:21.220 --> 00:35:21.720
 north is.

00:35:21.800 --> 00:35:22.139
 We have to

00:35:22.139 --> 00:35:22.760
 remember where we

00:35:22.760 --> 00:35:22.940
 are.

00:35:23.019 --> 00:35:23.380
 We have to

00:35:23.380 --> 00:35:24.000
 remember what's

00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:24.400
 true.

00:35:24.900 --> 00:35:25.720
 And the fact of

00:35:25.720 --> 00:35:26.300
 the matter is, is

00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:27.320
 that hell exists.

00:35:27.820 --> 00:35:28.519
 And one of the

00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:29.519
 great problems that

00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:30.940
 I have, and

00:35:30.940 --> 00:35:33.420
 probably you, is

00:35:33.420 --> 00:35:34.500
 that we've lost any

00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:35.300
 sense of the

00:35:35.300 --> 00:35:36.200
 lostness of the

00:35:36.200 --> 00:35:36.579
 lost.

00:35:39.159 --> 00:35:40.260
 We start to lose

00:35:40.260 --> 00:35:41.179
 any sense of the

00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:42.340
 lostness of the

00:35:42.340 --> 00:35:42.740
 lost.

00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:47.280
 And so we can

00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:47.960
 have a very hard

00:35:47.960 --> 00:35:48.780
 time sharing the

00:35:48.780 --> 00:35:49.679
 gospel with those

00:35:49.679 --> 00:35:50.360
 who seem to be

00:35:50.360 --> 00:35:51.039
 very good.

00:35:51.579 --> 00:35:52.620
 And we start to

00:35:52.620 --> 00:35:54.620
 live and pray as

00:35:54.620 --> 00:35:55.559
 if the good people

00:35:55.559 --> 00:35:57.480
 in Canada, and

00:35:57.480 --> 00:35:58.099
 there's lots of

00:35:58.099 --> 00:35:58.740
 good people in

00:35:58.740 --> 00:35:59.700
 Canada who live

00:35:59.700 --> 00:36:00.740
 far better lives

00:36:00.740 --> 00:36:01.440
 than you and I,

00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:02.140
 and it's as if

00:36:02.140 --> 00:36:02.620
 they don't need

00:36:02.620 --> 00:36:03.180
 the gospel.

00:36:04.360 --> 00:36:05.300
 But everybody, good

00:36:05.300 --> 00:36:05.980
 people need the

00:36:05.980 --> 00:36:06.420
 gospel.

00:36:08.200 --> 00:36:09.140
 The lost are

00:36:09.140 --> 00:36:09.579
 lost.

00:36:11.340 --> 00:36:12.220
 And I don't say

00:36:12.220 --> 00:36:12.960
 that because I'm

00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:13.400
 special.

00:36:13.579 --> 00:36:14.500
 I just say that

00:36:14.500 --> 00:36:15.099
 because what does

00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:15.660
 Jesus say?

00:36:15.659 --> 00:36:18.139
 Jesus warns us of

00:36:18.139 --> 00:36:18.940
 it, and he said,

00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:20.059
 he invites us to

00:36:20.059 --> 00:36:21.960
 believe that he

00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:24.940
 is the one, that

00:36:24.940 --> 00:36:26.879
 he is the light

00:36:26.879 --> 00:36:27.679
 that comes into

00:36:27.679 --> 00:36:28.599
 the world, that he

00:36:28.599 --> 00:36:29.440
 is the one who's

00:36:29.440 --> 00:36:30.199
 the source of the

00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:31.739
 river of life, that

00:36:31.739 --> 00:36:33.039
 he is the bread of

00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:33.219
 life.

00:36:33.279 --> 00:36:34.119
 He keeps saying

00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:34.879
 things like this,

00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:35.599
 that we would say,

00:36:35.679 --> 00:36:37.659
 Jesus, I need you.

00:36:38.359 --> 00:36:39.420
 Please be my

00:36:39.420 --> 00:36:39.799
 savior.

00:36:40.039 --> 00:36:41.519
 Please, I want to

00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:42.159
 follow you.

00:36:42.219 --> 00:36:42.759
 I want to be

00:36:42.759 --> 00:36:43.159
 yours.

00:36:43.279 --> 00:36:44.199
 I want the light

00:36:44.199 --> 00:36:45.000
 that gives life.

00:36:45.199 --> 00:36:46.480
 I can't do it

00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:46.940
 myself.

00:36:47.940 --> 00:36:49.099
 I humbly

00:36:49.099 --> 00:36:50.079
 acknowledge that I'm

00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:51.000
 completely and utterly

00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:51.980
 dependent upon you.

00:36:52.420 --> 00:36:53.619
 Jesus doesn't say

00:36:53.619 --> 00:36:54.480
 these things to

00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:59.159
 depress us, but that

00:36:59.159 --> 00:36:59.920
 we would call out to

00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:00.699
 him for savior.

00:37:02.579 --> 00:37:03.259
 And you know, these

00:37:03.259 --> 00:37:04.440
 lines here, it tells

00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:05.119
 us something about

00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:05.799
 the gospel.

00:37:06.739 --> 00:37:07.579
 It tells us something

00:37:07.579 --> 00:37:08.500
 about the gospel.

00:37:10.759 --> 00:37:11.619
 Let's just keep

00:37:11.619 --> 00:37:12.460
 reading to see how

00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:13.239
 they respond.

00:37:13.359 --> 00:37:14.239
 Verse 25, so they

00:37:14.239 --> 00:37:15.099
 said to him, who are

00:37:15.099 --> 00:37:15.279
 you?

00:37:15.299 --> 00:37:16.039
 And Jesus said to

00:37:16.039 --> 00:37:16.940
 them, just what I

00:37:16.940 --> 00:37:17.519
 have been telling you

00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:18.159
 from the beginning.

00:37:18.659 --> 00:37:19.599
 Verse 26, I have

00:37:19.599 --> 00:37:20.539
 much to say about

00:37:20.539 --> 00:37:21.400
 you and much to

00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:22.219
 judge, but he who

00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:22.920
 sent me is true and

00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:23.619
 I declare to the

00:37:23.619 --> 00:37:24.659
 world what I heard

00:37:24.659 --> 00:37:25.259
 from him.

00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:27.199
 Verse 27, they did

00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:28.039
 not understand that

00:37:28.039 --> 00:37:28.799
 he had been speaking

00:37:28.799 --> 00:37:29.500
 to them about the

00:37:29.500 --> 00:37:29.880
 father.

00:37:30.039 --> 00:37:31.000
 So Jesus said to

00:37:31.000 --> 00:37:31.619
 them, when you have

00:37:31.619 --> 00:37:32.519
 lifted up the son of

00:37:32.519 --> 00:37:35.039
 man, then you will

00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:36.239
 know that I am he

00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:37.380
 and that I do nothing

00:37:37.380 --> 00:37:38.199
 on my own authority,

00:37:38.319 --> 00:37:39.579
 but speak just as the

00:37:39.579 --> 00:37:40.480
 father taught me.

00:37:40.480 --> 00:37:41.980
 And he who sent me

00:37:41.980 --> 00:37:42.519
 is with me.

00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:43.440
 He has not left me

00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:44.440
 alone, for I always

00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:45.320
 do the things that are

00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:46.099
 pleasing to him.

00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:47.280
 And all the way

00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:48.219
 through John's gospel,

00:37:48.219 --> 00:37:48.980
 when you hear the

00:37:48.980 --> 00:37:50.500
 phrase, when you have

00:37:50.500 --> 00:37:52.880
 lifted me up, when I

00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:53.860
 am lifted up, it's

00:37:53.860 --> 00:37:55.159
 always referring to his

00:37:55.159 --> 00:37:56.039
 crucifixion.

00:37:56.860 --> 00:37:58.000
 So you see, here's the

00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:58.519
 blessed hope.

00:37:58.579 --> 00:37:59.300
 If you could put this

00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:00.039
 up, Andrew, that would

00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:00.820
 be a great help.

00:38:01.460 --> 00:38:03.500
 In Christ, when you

00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:04.719
 put your faith in, when

00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:05.820
 I put my faith in

00:38:05.820 --> 00:38:06.480
 Christ, when you put

00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:07.539
 your faith in Christ,

00:38:08.699 --> 00:38:11.059
 your sins die before

00:38:11.059 --> 00:38:14.199
 you do, because it

00:38:14.199 --> 00:38:15.619
 dies with him.

00:38:17.159 --> 00:38:18.880
 Without Christ, you

00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:19.780
 die in your sin.

00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:22.159
 That's the gospel.

00:38:24.219 --> 00:38:25.719
 When I follow Jesus,

00:38:25.860 --> 00:38:26.920
 when I put my faith and

00:38:26.920 --> 00:38:29.340
 trust in him, my sin

00:38:29.340 --> 00:38:31.519
 has died with him.

00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:35.579
 When I die, I don't

00:38:35.579 --> 00:38:36.500
 die in my sin.

00:38:36.920 --> 00:38:37.820
 I die in him.

00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:40.860
 My sin died 2,000 years

00:38:40.860 --> 00:38:41.559
 ago in him.

00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:44.219
 That's the hope of the

00:38:44.219 --> 00:38:44.619
 gospel.

00:38:45.199 --> 00:38:46.539
 Brothers and sisters, if

00:38:46.539 --> 00:38:47.559
 you are in Christ, when

00:38:47.559 --> 00:38:49.159
 you die, right now you

00:38:49.159 --> 00:38:50.179
 might be struggling with

00:38:50.179 --> 00:38:50.599
 depression.

00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:51.679
 You might be struggling

00:38:51.679 --> 00:38:52.639
 with feeling very

00:38:52.639 --> 00:38:53.239
 unworthy.

00:38:53.639 --> 00:38:54.639
 You might be struggling

00:38:54.639 --> 00:38:55.619
 with feeling like you

00:38:55.619 --> 00:38:56.239
 are a failure.

00:38:56.639 --> 00:38:57.719
 You might be struggling

00:38:57.719 --> 00:38:58.599
 with some great

00:38:58.599 --> 00:38:59.759
 besetting sin, which

00:38:59.759 --> 00:39:00.739
 seems as if it's going

00:39:00.739 --> 00:39:01.619
 to devour you.

00:39:01.879 --> 00:39:02.959
 You might be struggling

00:39:02.959 --> 00:39:05.000
 with dashed hopes and

00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:06.199
 failed dreams, but I

00:39:06.199 --> 00:39:07.359
 can tell you right now

00:39:07.359 --> 00:39:09.039
 that when you die, your

00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:11.839
 sin died 2,000 years

00:39:11.839 --> 00:39:13.000
 ago because you put your

00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:14.099
 faith and trust in Jesus.

00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:16.000
 You do not die in your

00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:16.419
 failure.

00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:18.099
 You do not die in your

00:39:18.099 --> 00:39:18.379
 sin.

00:39:18.459 --> 00:39:20.239
 You do not die in your

00:39:20.239 --> 00:39:20.619
 shame.

00:39:20.879 --> 00:39:22.759
 You die in Christ.

00:39:24.579 --> 00:39:26.079
 But without Christ,

00:39:26.439 --> 00:39:28.359
 without Christ, you die in

00:39:28.359 --> 00:39:28.739
 your sin.

00:39:30.739 --> 00:39:32.179
 You die in your sin.

00:39:32.779 --> 00:39:33.679
 And so would I.

00:39:34.379 --> 00:39:36.239
 I am not special.

00:39:39.379 --> 00:39:40.519
 I am saved.

00:39:41.500 --> 00:39:42.799
 But I am not special.

00:39:46.219 --> 00:39:47.379
 And I am not being a

00:39:47.379 --> 00:39:48.599
 narcissist and saying that.

00:39:48.739 --> 00:39:49.399
 Far from it.

00:39:50.799 --> 00:39:51.879
 That far from it.

00:39:51.919 --> 00:39:53.099
 Because a Christian isn't

00:39:53.099 --> 00:39:54.839
 saying, I'm a narcissist.

00:39:55.079 --> 00:39:55.839
 I'm so wonderful.

00:39:55.959 --> 00:39:56.639
 I'm so beautiful.

00:39:56.639 --> 00:39:57.980
 I look at Facebook and I

00:39:57.980 --> 00:39:59.199
 never get depressed because

00:39:59.199 --> 00:40:00.420
 I just think I am so

00:40:00.420 --> 00:40:00.900
 wonderful.

00:40:01.239 --> 00:40:02.179
 That's not the Christian

00:40:02.179 --> 00:40:02.639
 life.

00:40:03.719 --> 00:40:05.379
 The Christian life is my

00:40:05.379 --> 00:40:06.799
 sin has to die.

00:40:06.900 --> 00:40:07.900
 I don't want to die in my

00:40:07.900 --> 00:40:08.219
 sin.

00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:10.019
 Jesus, take my sin.

00:40:12.099 --> 00:40:12.759
 If you could put up the

00:40:12.759 --> 00:40:14.539
 final point, Andrew, that

00:40:14.539 --> 00:40:15.279
 would be very good.

00:40:16.039 --> 00:40:17.379
 Jesus says to you and me,

00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:18.599
 I am the light of the

00:40:18.599 --> 00:40:18.920
 world.

00:40:19.539 --> 00:40:20.799
 Whoever follows me will

00:40:20.799 --> 00:40:22.379
 not walk in darkness, but

00:40:22.379 --> 00:40:23.480
 will have the light of

00:40:23.480 --> 00:40:23.799
 life.

00:40:23.800 --> 00:40:25.400
 That's the bright light

00:40:25.400 --> 00:40:26.700
 that shines over this.

00:40:27.140 --> 00:40:28.300
 In the face of people who

00:40:28.300 --> 00:40:30.620
 have judged Jesus unjustly,

00:40:30.840 --> 00:40:33.180
 immorally, and unbiblically.

00:40:33.380 --> 00:40:34.840
 In the face of people who

00:40:34.840 --> 00:40:36.640
 have no shame, no

00:40:36.640 --> 00:40:37.440
 embarrassment.

00:40:38.140 --> 00:40:39.480
 Jesus just says, listen, I

00:40:39.480 --> 00:40:40.360
 am the light of the world.

00:40:40.840 --> 00:40:41.640
 I am the light of the

00:40:41.640 --> 00:40:41.920
 world.

00:40:43.720 --> 00:40:46.100
 Listen, George, I know you

00:40:46.100 --> 00:40:47.260
 have a truth problem.

00:40:47.880 --> 00:40:49.019
 I know you have a sin

00:40:49.019 --> 00:40:49.539
 problem.

00:40:49.740 --> 00:40:50.820
 I know you have a shame

00:40:50.820 --> 00:40:51.340
 problem.

00:40:51.700 --> 00:40:52.720
 I know all these things

00:40:52.720 --> 00:40:53.620
 about you, George.

00:40:54.800 --> 00:40:56.180
 I am light of the world.

00:40:56.720 --> 00:40:57.320
 Follow me.

00:40:58.460 --> 00:40:59.740
 Come and follow me.

00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:01.760
 And what am I going to

00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:02.180
 give you?

00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:04.740
 The light that gives life.

00:41:06.240 --> 00:41:07.840
 We all know that truth can

00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:09.420
 be very cruel and very, very

00:41:09.420 --> 00:41:10.060
 hard.

00:41:10.900 --> 00:41:12.080
 And truth can condemn.

00:41:12.820 --> 00:41:13.780
 I was speaking to a

00:41:13.780 --> 00:41:15.700
 retired professor on the

00:41:15.700 --> 00:41:16.860
 streets of Ottawa just the

00:41:16.860 --> 00:41:17.880
 other day, and he went on

00:41:17.880 --> 00:41:19.440
 about a 10-minute rant about

00:41:19.440 --> 00:41:20.539
 how terrible university

00:41:20.539 --> 00:41:21.720
 students are nowadays.

00:41:21.719 --> 00:41:23.779
 how they're all a complete

00:41:23.779 --> 00:41:24.419
 dead loss.

00:41:24.500 --> 00:41:25.639
 He's lucky if he finds one

00:41:25.639 --> 00:41:26.839
 in a billion who have even a

00:41:26.839 --> 00:41:27.819
 spark of interest or

00:41:27.819 --> 00:41:29.419
 intellect or desire to read

00:41:29.419 --> 00:41:29.779
 or learn.

00:41:29.959 --> 00:41:31.119
 I could go on and on and

00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:31.239
 on.

00:41:31.279 --> 00:41:32.519
 I could not master his

00:41:32.519 --> 00:41:33.159
 eloquence.

00:41:33.599 --> 00:41:35.099
 But he went on for 10

00:41:35.099 --> 00:41:35.559
 minutes.

00:41:36.099 --> 00:41:37.299
 And I said after that was

00:41:37.299 --> 00:41:38.379
 all, and he talked about

00:41:38.379 --> 00:41:39.459
 how the whole educational

00:41:39.459 --> 00:41:41.000
 system is completely corrupt.

00:41:41.359 --> 00:41:42.199
 It's a complete and utter

00:41:42.199 --> 00:41:42.799
 scam.

00:41:42.919 --> 00:41:44.079
 The government knows this.

00:41:44.379 --> 00:41:45.459
 Everybody knows this.

00:41:45.839 --> 00:41:47.000
 Students go into it knowing

00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:47.779
 that it's like getting a

00:41:47.779 --> 00:41:48.439
 lottery ticket.

00:41:48.440 --> 00:41:49.519
 You don't get jobs out of

00:41:49.519 --> 00:41:49.619
 it.

00:41:49.659 --> 00:41:50.760
 On and on and on and on

00:41:50.760 --> 00:41:51.039
 and on.

00:41:51.079 --> 00:41:52.059
 And after he finally caught

00:41:52.059 --> 00:41:53.099
 a breath, I said, well,

00:41:53.200 --> 00:41:54.420
 thank you for giving me a

00:41:54.420 --> 00:41:55.659
 dose of optimism this

00:41:55.659 --> 00:41:56.200
 afternoon.

00:41:58.059 --> 00:41:59.119
 Whether or not he's true or

00:41:59.119 --> 00:41:59.700
 not, I don't know.

00:41:59.760 --> 00:42:00.880
 But the truth can be cruel.

00:42:01.240 --> 00:42:02.119
 I doubt he's true.

00:42:02.840 --> 00:42:04.200
 He was filled with despair.

00:42:06.780 --> 00:42:08.300
 The truth often just brings

00:42:08.300 --> 00:42:08.720
 death.

00:42:09.700 --> 00:42:12.220
 But Jesus is the light, the

00:42:12.220 --> 00:42:13.860
 truth that brings life.

00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:15.679
 And he offers it to us.

00:42:16.340 --> 00:42:17.380
 One final thing, brothers

00:42:17.380 --> 00:42:18.380
 and sisters, just before

00:42:18.380 --> 00:42:19.220
 we go, two final things.

00:42:19.300 --> 00:42:19.980
 First of all, if you haven't

00:42:19.980 --> 00:42:20.880
 given your life to Jesus,

00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:22.200
 follow the light.

00:42:22.579 --> 00:42:23.539
 He's calling you.

00:42:24.039 --> 00:42:26.059
 He's calling you to come to

00:42:26.059 --> 00:42:28.000
 him and say, Jesus, you are

00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:28.740
 the light of the world.

00:42:28.880 --> 00:42:30.000
 I want to follow you.

00:42:30.619 --> 00:42:32.300
 And I know if it's just up to

00:42:32.300 --> 00:42:33.480
 me following you, I'm going

00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:33.960
 to fail.

00:42:34.380 --> 00:42:36.340
 So grab a hold of me and

00:42:36.340 --> 00:42:38.440
 Jesus, thank you that you

00:42:38.440 --> 00:42:39.460
 will never let me go.

00:42:40.640 --> 00:42:41.780
 And give me this light that

00:42:41.780 --> 00:42:42.380
 gives life.

00:42:42.780 --> 00:42:43.740
 And the second thing is one

00:42:43.740 --> 00:42:44.420
 of the things that we can

00:42:44.420 --> 00:42:45.559
 pray about us as a church.

00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:47.980
 Our culture is increasingly

00:42:47.980 --> 00:42:49.699
 becoming a culture that

00:42:49.699 --> 00:42:51.599
 pursues and embraces death.

00:42:52.199 --> 00:42:53.799
 Can you pray that we will

00:42:53.799 --> 00:42:55.840
 become an island of life,

00:42:56.599 --> 00:42:59.759
 an island of light in a

00:42:59.759 --> 00:43:02.219
 nation that is slowly but

00:43:02.219 --> 00:43:03.639
 surely embracing death?

00:43:04.679 --> 00:43:06.699
 Make us an island of light

00:43:06.699 --> 00:43:09.159
 that prays for our nation,

00:43:09.519 --> 00:43:12.019
 that it will turn away from a

00:43:12.019 --> 00:43:12.860
 culture of death.

00:43:13.320 --> 00:43:14.000
 Please stand.

00:43:14.000 --> 00:43:24.860
 Bow our heads in prayer.

00:43:27.179 --> 00:43:28.699
 Father, we know that light is

00:43:28.699 --> 00:43:29.139
 life.

00:43:29.820 --> 00:43:31.480
 We know that light is life.

00:43:33.639 --> 00:43:35.460
 And we thank you for Jesus.

00:43:36.199 --> 00:43:37.539
 We thank you that he is the

00:43:37.539 --> 00:43:38.239
 light of the world.

00:43:38.739 --> 00:43:40.480
 We thank you, Father, that he

00:43:40.480 --> 00:43:42.860
 came into this dark world and he

00:43:42.860 --> 00:43:45.000
 just shone bright and clear and

00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:45.460
 pure.

00:43:46.260 --> 00:43:48.000
 That he shines in a way that

00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:49.740
 touches our hearts, that changes

00:43:49.740 --> 00:43:50.840
 our destinies.

00:43:51.320 --> 00:43:52.840
 And not just changes our

00:43:52.840 --> 00:43:54.700
 destinies, but changes how we can

00:43:54.700 --> 00:43:55.780
 begin to live today.

00:43:56.640 --> 00:43:59.400
 As the light that brings life

00:43:59.400 --> 00:44:01.340
 becomes the ground upon which we

00:44:01.340 --> 00:44:03.380
 stand, the covering over our head,

00:44:03.980 --> 00:44:06.300
 the oxygen that we breathe, the

00:44:06.300 --> 00:44:08.300
 drink that we drink and the food

00:44:08.300 --> 00:44:08.900
 that we eat.

00:44:08.900 --> 00:44:10.980
 Father, make us disciples of Jesus

00:44:10.980 --> 00:44:12.579
 who are gripped by the gospel,

00:44:13.420 --> 00:44:15.980
 learning to live by following

00:44:15.980 --> 00:44:18.660
 Jesus and having the light that

00:44:18.660 --> 00:44:19.340
 gives life.

00:44:19.900 --> 00:44:21.500
 Father, help us to be gripped by

00:44:21.500 --> 00:44:23.559
 the gospel and live for your glory.

00:44:23.760 --> 00:44:24.960
 And we ask this in the name of

00:44:24.960 --> 00:44:25.300
 Jesus.

00:44:25.840 --> 00:44:26.200
 Amen.