WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.480 If you have your Bible with you, feel free to open it up to John chapter 14. 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:08.320 John chapter 14. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:15.320 The words will be on the screen so you can follow along there as well. 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:18.080 We're continuing the story of Jesus. 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:22.679 He's in the upper room with his disciples on the evening of his betrayal. 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:32.460 And he's giving his last words of comfort and encouragement and instruction to his friends, his followers. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:37.939 He's told them that he's going away, but he's given them assurance that he's coming back. 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:40.939 And that when he does, they will be with him forever. 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:48.840 He told them that he is the way to the Father and the truth and the life. 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:56.300 And last Sunday, we heard Philip, one of the disciples, express his own heartfelt desire. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:00.240 He said to Jesus, Lord, show us the Father. 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:02.580 And that will be enough for us. 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:06.240 Would you give us the chance to see God? 00:01:07.620 --> 00:01:12.780 And we heard Jesus say, if you've seen me, you have seen the Father. 00:01:14.320 --> 00:01:17.620 I am in the Father and the Father is in me. 00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:19.700 Believe me, said Jesus. 00:01:20.320 --> 00:01:22.980 We ended off on verse 11. 00:01:24.460 --> 00:01:25.939 Jesus is talking here. 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:30.820 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. 00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:35.820 Or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 00:01:37.860 --> 00:01:42.080 You know, it may be a struggle, don't you think, for these men sitting around the table with Jesus 00:01:42.080 --> 00:01:44.800 to accept what Jesus has been saying. 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:49.159 If you have seen me, you have seen the Father? 00:01:50.179 --> 00:01:50.780 God? 00:01:52.679 --> 00:01:55.659 What do the men around the table see when they look at Jesus? 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:02.739 Well, their basic human senses tell them that Jesus is a human being, just like us. 00:02:02.739 --> 00:02:05.899 He's got skin and bones and flesh. 00:02:07.199 --> 00:02:09.500 Eyes, mouth, ears. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:11.099 He sleeps. 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:12.000 He eats. 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:13.060 He walks. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:13.859 He talks. 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:15.019 Just like we do. 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:19.479 It's obvious to them that Jesus was truly human. 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:24.959 And so I imagine it would have been quite something for them to hear Jesus say this. 00:02:25.019 --> 00:02:28.759 If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. 00:02:29.839 --> 00:02:31.579 I am in him. 00:02:32.399 --> 00:02:33.899 He is in me. 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:39.599 This goes beyond all the categories that the disciples would have had in their minds. 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:46.019 They knew about Moses, the man who saw God up on the mountain. 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:53.000 They knew about Samson, the man in whom God's spirit worked so powerfully that he had supernatural strength. 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:59.199 They knew about Samuel, the man who heard God's voice and spoke the very words of God. 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:05.759 They knew about Solomon, the man whose wisdom came from God's spirit. 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:12.119 But this, what Jesus is claiming here, goes beyond all of that. 00:03:12.739 --> 00:03:20.060 Jesus, the man, claims to be one with God, the Father. 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:29.640 He claims to be a living, breathing, flesh and bones, human being, manifestation of God. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.099 Is this not a tough pill to swallow? 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:42.420 Would doubts not be rising in your mind if you heard him say these things there in the room? 00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:47.580 Does God expect you to just take Jesus' word for it? 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:52.800 What if somebody else was to come along and claim the same thing for himself? 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:58.360 Should we believe just anyone who makes these kinds of claims? 00:04:00.540 --> 00:04:01.060 No. 00:04:02.320 --> 00:04:04.620 God has provided evidence. 00:04:05.200 --> 00:04:16.259 He's given us things that can be seen to verify, to authenticate the things which are unseen about Jesus' true nature. 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:23.439 And so Jesus says, believe me when I say that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me. 00:04:24.719 --> 00:04:31.120 But if not, or at least, believe because of the works themselves. 00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:35.680 Believe because of the works themselves. 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:37.079 What is Jesus saying here? 00:04:37.079 --> 00:04:42.180 He's saying, if my words are too difficult for you to accept on their own, 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:49.939 think back to all the works that I have done, which you have witnessed. 00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:53.319 What is Jesus talking about? 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:56.759 He's talking about his miracles. 00:04:56.759 --> 00:05:00.199 And it kind of makes sense, doesn't it? 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:02.879 I mean, the things Jesus is calling them to believe, 00:05:03.539 --> 00:05:06.019 these are pretty lofty things. 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:08.399 That God is in him, that he is in God. 00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:12.060 He's asking them to believe that when he opens his mouth, 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:14.379 it's really God's words that are coming out. 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:17.959 What could prove that this is true? 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:24.079 Well, if Jesus can do things that only God can do, 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:26.560 well, that's a good proof. 00:05:27.479 --> 00:05:29.399 That would be solid evidence, wouldn't it? 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:31.459 And so he's asking the disciples, 00:05:31.719 --> 00:05:34.219 think back over all the works that I've been doing. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:38.519 What works have we seen Jesus do in this gospel so far? 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:41.159 Well, back at the beginning, 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:44.919 we saw him turn six large stone jars worth of water 00:05:44.919 --> 00:05:50.079 into the best, the finest of wines at the wedding in Cana. 00:05:51.299 --> 00:05:55.240 We heard about the many signs that Jesus performed in Jerusalem 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:57.699 after that at the Passover festival, 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:02.879 signs which the likes of Nicodemus and his colleagues could scarcely deny. 00:06:04.479 --> 00:06:07.819 We've seen Jesus knowing things about people 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:09.779 that he's never met before, 00:06:09.980 --> 00:06:12.719 like Nathaniel and the Samaritan woman at the well. 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:18.120 She even acknowledged that somehow he had knowledge from God. 00:06:18.659 --> 00:06:20.480 Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 00:06:21.659 --> 00:06:26.159 We saw Jesus heal a certain royal official's son from miles away 00:06:26.159 --> 00:06:28.480 while he was in a totally different town. 00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:32.899 We watched as Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed 00:06:32.899 --> 00:06:35.420 and unable to walk for 38 years. 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:40.199 Jesus, and in an instant, he got up and walked. 00:06:41.140 --> 00:06:44.340 We heard about how a great crowd began to follow Jesus 00:06:44.340 --> 00:06:47.060 all through the Galilean territory 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:49.000 because, John says, 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.220 they saw the signs that he had performed 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:54.840 and how he was healing sick people again and again, repeatedly. 00:06:54.839 --> 00:07:02.199 We watched as Jesus miraculously multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.779 into enough food to feed a whole multitude out in the middle of nowhere. 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:11.799 We saw Jesus walk across the water of the Sea of Galilee 00:07:11.799 --> 00:07:13.299 in the middle of the storm 00:07:13.299 --> 00:07:15.939 and then get into the boat where the disciples were rowing. 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:20.139 We heard about how Jesus gave sight 00:07:20.139 --> 00:07:23.500 to a man who had never seen before in his life, 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:24.480 who was born blind. 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:30.899 And then finally we saw how Jesus raised Lazarus back to life from the dead, 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:33.360 a man who had already been dead for four days. 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:39.000 And these are just the works that Jesus did that John has in his gospel. 00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:42.199 I mean, we aren't even getting into the ones in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 00:07:42.840 --> 00:07:44.280 These are amazing things. 00:07:44.379 --> 00:07:46.540 These are things that only God can do. 00:07:48.340 --> 00:07:52.620 It's only the power and working of God that can explain these things. 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:56.639 Now you might be sitting there and thinking, 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:59.959 well, how do we know that these testimonies in the Bible are accurate? 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.139 Well, first of all, I would encourage you to read them for yourself. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.100 See if they bear the marks of authenticity. 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:14.019 There's a man named J. Warner Wallace. 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:17.819 He's a famous and very successful cold case detective. 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:22.500 His job for years has been to pour over the testimonies 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:27.800 and the evidence that's been left behind from unsolved homicide cases. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:32.940 Having done so for many years, he's been very successful. 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:34.940 He's come to solve many of them. 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:38.840 He's come to see quite clearly what are the marks of authenticity 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:42.299 in people's testimonies, in their statements that they gave. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:47.100 Even many years after the events took place. 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:49.840 I'm not going to go into his whole story. 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:51.779 If you're interested, you can buy and read his book. 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:53.779 It's called Cold Case Christianity. 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:58.220 But the gist of his story is that in his effort to disprove 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:01.299 the accounts of the New Testament about Jesus, 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:07.059 he applied the same rigorous discipline that he applied to all of these cold cases, 00:09:07.179 --> 00:09:08.279 these homicide cases. 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:11.939 He applied that to the accounts in the New Testament 00:09:11.939 --> 00:09:14.779 in order to disprove them. 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:18.379 And at the end of his analysis, he gave his life to Jesus 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:22.000 because he couldn't discount these testimonies. 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:22.779 In fact, the opposite. 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:25.019 They seemed to bear all the marks of authenticity 00:09:25.019 --> 00:09:29.659 that he was so familiar with from all these other eyewitness accounts 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:32.500 and testimonies that he's studied over the years. 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:37.500 You don't even have to read his book to see that. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:41.059 Let me point out just two things here in John's Gospel 00:09:41.059 --> 00:09:43.440 that lead us that way. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:44.679 Back in chapter 6, 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:52.079 Why was it that there was this huge crowd of thousands of people 00:09:52.079 --> 00:09:55.039 following Jesus around, even out into the wilderness, 00:09:55.239 --> 00:09:57.139 out into the place where nobody lives? 00:09:58.759 --> 00:09:59.759 John says, 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:17.519 So it wasn't just John and his buddies, 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:19.539 the twelve disciples, 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:23.419 who saw these miracles, these works of Jesus. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:27.200 There were literally thousands of witnesses 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:28.980 all over Israel. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:31.319 who had been healed, 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:33.899 who had seen Jesus heal, 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:36.179 or who at the very least knew of someone. 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:37.039 They could verify, 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:37.980 yeah, that person, 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:40.879 they had this persistent disability, 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:42.419 disease, condition, 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:44.939 and after they went and saw Jesus, 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:46.419 they were healed. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:49.480 I mean, think about this. 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:50.840 With thousands of witnesses 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:52.840 who saw the miracles that Jesus did, 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:55.399 if John is just making all this up, 00:10:55.860 --> 00:10:58.500 I mean, there's no way he could get away with saying this. 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:02.820 I mean, probably many of these people are still alive, 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:04.159 even as John writes this. 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:07.960 They would have been willing to confirm or discredit, 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:10.980 give their own testimony of what really happened. 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:17.539 The second thing I want to point you to is the testimony of Jesus' enemies. 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:23.180 They would have loved to expose Jesus as a fraud, 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:25.399 or as a clever magician. 00:11:25.959 --> 00:11:30.939 They would have loved to be able to show how Jesus did all these miracles. 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:33.479 But even by their own admission, 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:37.059 they could not deny the miracles of Jesus. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:41.219 You'll remember when Jesus talked with Nicodemus, 00:11:41.699 --> 00:11:45.459 Nicodemus kind of spoke on behalf of the Jewish leaders. 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:46.960 He said, 00:11:47.040 --> 00:11:47.300 Rabbi, 00:11:48.040 --> 00:11:51.920 we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. 00:11:52.040 --> 00:11:52.300 Why? 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:56.120 For no one could perform the signs that you are doing 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:59.620 if God were not with him. 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:02.980 He admitted it. 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:05.400 Real miracles. 00:12:06.180 --> 00:12:06.860 Real signs. 00:12:06.860 --> 00:12:08.580 And again, 00:12:08.800 --> 00:12:09.379 later on, 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:10.500 John chapter 11, 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:12.480 the Jewish council met together. 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:16.840 The chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. 00:12:17.180 --> 00:12:18.279 What are we accomplishing? 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:18.960 They asked. 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.600 Here is this man performing many signs. 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:23.580 If we let him go on like this, 00:12:23.740 --> 00:12:25.080 everyone will believe in him. 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:29.240 And then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation. 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.899 We'll forget the bleak forecast for a moment. 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:38.959 Notice that even they acknowledged, 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:39.620 yes, 00:12:39.699 --> 00:12:40.919 he's performing signs. 00:12:41.079 --> 00:12:42.840 He's doing amazing things. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:49.019 And they tried to discredit him. 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:51.799 It's not as though they didn't try. 00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:55.600 We saw that as they grilled the man who had been blind from birth. 00:12:56.199 --> 00:12:56.919 Do you remember that? 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:00.699 They conducted an official investigation. 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:03.180 They brought in the man's parents to confirm. 00:13:03.520 --> 00:13:05.120 Was he indeed born blind? 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:08.400 They brought in people who knew the man and friends. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:10.720 Was he actually blind from birth? 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:11.160 Yes, 00:13:11.259 --> 00:13:11.540 yes, 00:13:11.640 --> 00:13:11.900 yes, 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:12.220 yes. 00:13:12.280 --> 00:13:12.960 They all said. 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.340 And it was plain as day in front of them that he could now see. 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:23.220 Who did this so that now you can see? 00:13:24.400 --> 00:13:25.280 What happened? 00:13:25.940 --> 00:13:26.920 Jesus did it. 00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:27.420 He said. 00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:35.879 So if even the opponents of Jesus had to acknowledge his miracles as genuine, 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:40.679 perhaps we should give a second thought to just writing off all these accounts as historical fiction. 00:13:41.979 --> 00:13:42.279 I mean, 00:13:42.339 --> 00:13:43.139 think about this. 00:13:43.459 --> 00:13:50.500 5,000 plus people out in the middle of nowhere with Jesus on the other side of Galilee. 00:13:50.500 --> 00:13:53.659 What was it that they were chewing on? 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:57.120 What did they have in their mouths? 00:13:57.240 --> 00:13:58.220 Where did it come from? 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:05.440 They didn't even dispute with Jesus over the fact that he had made all that bread and all that fish seemingly out of nowhere. 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:06.799 They ate it. 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:08.879 No, 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:09.940 their argument was, 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:13.139 what does this sign point to? 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:14.580 What does it really mean? 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:16.840 Well, 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:21.960 now Jesus is telling his disciples what the signs, 00:14:22.520 --> 00:14:23.180 the miracles, 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:26.540 and all the things that he's been doing mean. 00:14:27.280 --> 00:14:33.080 They mean that the father is in him and that he is in the father. 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:37.420 They mean that Jesus is indeed one with the father, 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:40.120 the divine son. 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:44.759 God here among us walking in human flesh. 00:14:46.060 --> 00:14:47.940 As crazy as it sounds, 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:49.179 it's true. 00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:51.100 Believe me, 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:51.899 says Jesus, 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:55.259 because of the works that I've been doing. 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:58.539 Think back over those things. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:01.419 Only God can do such things. 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.680 God's not going to work miracles through some shady imposter 00:15:05.680 --> 00:15:09.700 who's just putting on a world-class act to make himself famous. 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:13.039 Or rich on the backs of his followers. 00:15:13.460 --> 00:15:16.980 God's not going to work miracles through a liar, 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:18.440 through a deceiver. 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:21.879 If the miracles are happening, 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:25.740 and they're being undeniably witnessed by thousands, 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:28.980 even undeniably acknowledged by Jesus' enemies, 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.500 then God is truly at work. 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:34.340 And Jesus, 00:15:34.560 --> 00:15:36.000 the man doing these things, 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:37.600 speaks the truth. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.320 There's just no way around it. 00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:45.560 We should also remember that this is not the first time 00:15:45.560 --> 00:15:47.580 that Jesus has called the people 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:50.240 to believe in him because of the works that he's doing. 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:51.960 Remember back to John chapter 10. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.040 This was a more public moment. 00:15:55.920 --> 00:15:57.899 Jesus made that astonishing statement 00:15:57.899 --> 00:16:00.620 in John chapter 10, 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:01.759 verse 30. 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.259 It's just above the black words there. 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:04.659 He said, 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:06.980 I and the Father are one. 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:08.779 Amazing. 00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:13.519 And his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him. 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:15.819 But Jesus said to them, 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.919 I have shown you many good works from the Father. 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:20.620 For which of these do you stone me? 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:24.600 We're not stoning you for any good work, 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:25.279 they replied, 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:27.319 but for blasphemy, 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:28.100 because you, 00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:29.139 a mere man, 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:30.480 claim to be God. 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:33.300 And a little further down, 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:34.500 what does Jesus say to them? 00:16:34.899 --> 00:16:35.300 He says, 00:16:35.779 --> 00:16:36.960 do not believe me 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:40.200 unless I do the works of my Father. 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:42.560 But if I do them, 00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:44.759 even though you don't believe me, 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:46.159 believe the works 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.700 that you may know and understand 00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:50.159 that I, 00:16:50.580 --> 00:16:51.620 that the Father is in me 00:16:51.620 --> 00:16:53.180 and I in the Father. 00:16:53.899 --> 00:16:55.500 So Jesus has said this before. 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:55.639 Remember, 00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:01.899 are you having a hard time 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:03.820 swallowing this truth 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:05.700 that Jesus is the God-man, 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:09.920 both divine and human, 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:12.339 truly God, 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:13.619 truly man, 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:15.119 at the same time, 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:17.140 one with God. 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:20.079 Twice Jesus has said it, 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:21.619 believe me, 00:17:22.019 --> 00:17:22.960 I am. 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:27.200 And if you can't take my word for it, 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:29.920 look at the things I've been doing. 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:32.440 It's the testimony. 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:34.620 It's the evidence. 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:41.279 Here's where I want to go with this this morning. 00:17:44.100 --> 00:17:45.980 This really applies in two ways. 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:47.880 First of all, 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:50.920 if you are not yet a believer in Jesus, 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:53.480 can I challenge you? 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:57.779 Can I challenge you to give 00:17:57.779 --> 00:18:01.500 the eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:03.080 a fair hearing? 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:05.220 We call them the Gospels. 00:18:05.360 --> 00:18:06.700 It's Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 00:18:06.800 --> 00:18:08.360 Four men who wrote about 00:18:08.360 --> 00:18:10.620 what happened with Jesus. 00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:13.019 Can I challenge you to read through 00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:13.880 each of them once? 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:17.279 And I'm not going to tell you 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:18.840 before you do it 00:18:18.840 --> 00:18:19.860 to just believe them. 00:18:19.859 --> 00:18:21.899 But I will encourage you 00:18:21.899 --> 00:18:22.819 to have an open heart 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:24.839 and simply to pray 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:25.379 and say, 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:27.199 God, if you're real, 00:18:27.439 --> 00:18:29.099 if this is true, 00:18:29.179 --> 00:18:30.459 would you make that clear to me? 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.859 Would you show me 00:18:32.859 --> 00:18:35.039 as I read through these accounts? 00:18:38.679 --> 00:18:39.539 Maybe you're thinking, 00:18:39.659 --> 00:18:40.679 well, I would do that, 00:18:40.899 --> 00:18:41.119 but 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:43.559 what if I find out 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:44.519 at the end of it all 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:46.559 that they are true? 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:49.579 Because I don't really like 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:50.799 to think about the change 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:52.419 that might be required 00:18:52.419 --> 00:18:53.119 in my life 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:54.359 if it's all true. 00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:55.879 What if I have to give up 00:18:55.879 --> 00:18:57.859 some stuff that I really love 00:18:57.859 --> 00:19:00.599 in order to be a follower 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:01.220 of Jesus? 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:05.480 Well, let me put your mind 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:06.000 at ease. 00:19:06.399 --> 00:19:07.000 Two things. 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:10.859 I'll say it. 00:19:11.220 --> 00:19:12.819 Don't worry about the change 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:13.720 that is required 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:15.559 to become a follower 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:16.220 of Jesus. 00:19:17.180 --> 00:19:18.059 First of all, 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:19.039 if it's true, 00:19:19.380 --> 00:19:21.019 it's true. 00:19:24.100 --> 00:19:24.799 I mean, 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.380 you can't escape 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:27.319 the consequences 00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:28.539 of the truth. 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:31.559 You can run from them, 00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:34.179 but if this is all true, 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:35.599 you're going to have 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:36.579 a day of reckoning 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:37.720 eventually, 00:19:38.179 --> 00:19:39.399 whether you want it 00:19:39.399 --> 00:19:39.859 or not. 00:19:41.379 --> 00:19:42.559 And so it's best 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:43.700 to acknowledge this. 00:19:43.779 --> 00:19:44.559 It's best to have 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:45.319 that moment 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:46.200 now 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:47.679 rather than 00:19:47.679 --> 00:19:48.399 later 00:19:48.399 --> 00:19:49.779 on the final day 00:19:49.779 --> 00:19:52.759 when you find yourself 00:19:52.759 --> 00:19:54.480 with deep regret 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.599 and it's too late. 00:19:56.599 --> 00:19:59.439 second, 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:00.939 another reason 00:20:00.939 --> 00:20:01.740 why we don't 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:02.740 need to worry 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:03.740 about this change 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:04.459 that's required. 00:20:05.939 --> 00:20:07.299 Jesus was very clear. 00:20:07.399 --> 00:20:08.019 There is change 00:20:08.019 --> 00:20:09.079 required in your life 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:09.659 if you become 00:20:09.659 --> 00:20:10.619 a follower of his. 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:12.059 Absolutely there is. 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:12.980 He said it in a number 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:13.879 of different ways 00:20:13.879 --> 00:20:15.859 and not just a little change, 00:20:15.959 --> 00:20:17.039 not just a little adjustment, 00:20:17.219 --> 00:20:18.279 but a big change. 00:20:20.419 --> 00:20:21.959 But Jesus also said 00:20:21.959 --> 00:20:23.480 that he is the one 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:24.079 that works 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:25.259 that change 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:26.099 in us. 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:30.839 we wouldn't be left 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:31.539 to ourselves 00:20:31.539 --> 00:20:32.439 to bring it about, 00:20:33.179 --> 00:20:33.719 he said. 00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:35.639 God's power 00:20:35.639 --> 00:20:36.559 comes to work 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:37.240 in us. 00:20:37.619 --> 00:20:38.359 God gives us 00:20:38.359 --> 00:20:39.359 his Holy Spirit 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:40.480 who works 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:41.159 in us 00:20:41.159 --> 00:20:45.139 and he enables us 00:20:45.139 --> 00:20:45.559 to be 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:46.079 and to do 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:47.139 what we never could 00:20:47.139 --> 00:20:48.059 before. 00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:50.659 More than that, 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:52.019 he doesn't just 00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:52.839 enable us 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:53.859 to do the good things, 00:20:53.959 --> 00:20:55.240 he actually changes 00:20:55.240 --> 00:20:56.279 our hearts 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:58.500 so that we desire 00:20:58.500 --> 00:20:59.440 the good 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:01.319 and the beautiful 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:02.819 and the right. 00:21:05.399 --> 00:21:06.680 It's a wonderful thing 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:08.000 so if you do not believe, 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:09.180 if you have not yet 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:09.980 done that, 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:10.879 I want to challenge you 00:21:10.879 --> 00:21:11.420 this morning 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:12.839 to have an open heart 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:13.779 and to simply pray 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:14.480 and ask God, 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:16.920 if this is all true, 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:17.779 if you're real 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:18.740 and this is all true, 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:20.619 would you make that clear 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:21.420 to me as I read 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:22.279 through these accounts 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:23.119 one by one 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.719 and then do it? 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:28.419 I promise you, 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:29.839 it'll turn your life 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:30.559 upside down. 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:34.299 But what if upside down 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:35.419 is really right side up? 00:21:36.659 --> 00:21:37.639 And all this time 00:21:37.639 --> 00:21:38.299 you've been living 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:39.279 upside down 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:40.919 all along, 00:21:41.139 --> 00:21:41.779 maybe that's why 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:42.519 things aren't going 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:43.039 so well. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:44.939 So that's my challenge 00:21:44.939 --> 00:21:45.619 for you this morning. 00:21:45.679 --> 00:21:46.579 If you have not yet 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:47.399 believed in Jesus 00:21:47.399 --> 00:21:48.359 yet, 00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:51.039 many of us 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:51.579 in this room, 00:21:51.639 --> 00:21:52.039 of course, 00:21:52.119 --> 00:21:52.679 we have. 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:54.240 We believe in Jesus. 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:56.319 What's there here 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:57.459 for us this morning? 00:21:59.119 --> 00:21:59.799 Most of us 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:00.439 have already heard 00:22:00.439 --> 00:22:00.959 all this 00:22:00.959 --> 00:22:01.879 in past sermons 00:22:01.879 --> 00:22:04.899 or we've heard it 00:22:04.899 --> 00:22:05.379 from reading 00:22:05.379 --> 00:22:07.079 our Bible. 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:08.599 We're already familiar 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:09.779 with the many miracles 00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:11.559 that Jesus did 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:13.000 and we're familiar 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:13.679 with the fact 00:22:13.679 --> 00:22:14.719 of who Jesus is. 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:15.859 So what do we do 00:22:15.859 --> 00:22:16.579 with all this? 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:18.480 Well, I really do believe 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:19.619 there is something special 00:22:19.619 --> 00:22:20.899 here for us 00:22:20.899 --> 00:22:22.899 in just this one verse 00:22:22.899 --> 00:22:24.359 for us this morning. 00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:25.759 You know, 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:26.299 we all know 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:27.179 that God wants us 00:22:27.179 --> 00:22:28.220 to share our faith 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:29.099 with others, 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:31.319 with people 00:22:31.319 --> 00:22:32.179 who don't believe, 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:34.519 people who've never heard. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:37.019 We know that 00:22:37.019 --> 00:22:37.480 he wants us 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:38.039 to do that 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:38.500 in hopes 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:39.359 that they will come 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:40.480 to share 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:41.220 in our faith, 00:22:41.299 --> 00:22:41.839 to believe, 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:42.740 to be saved, 00:22:42.919 --> 00:22:43.960 to find life 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:44.619 in Jesus 00:22:44.619 --> 00:22:46.240 just like we have. 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:47.779 We know 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:48.519 that's our mission. 00:22:49.639 --> 00:22:50.500 Go and make 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.159 disciples 00:22:51.159 --> 00:22:52.960 of all nations, 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:53.960 said Jesus. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:55.720 That's our mission. 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:57.779 Of course, 00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:58.659 to make a disciple 00:22:58.659 --> 00:22:59.220 of Jesus 00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:00.419 requires 00:23:00.419 --> 00:23:01.740 first 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:02.779 that we tell people 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:04.019 about him. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:05.819 I mean, 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:06.519 how can you begin 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:07.339 to follow someone 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:07.819 if you've never 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:08.599 even heard of them? 00:23:10.339 --> 00:23:10.779 Or, 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:12.460 the way Paul said it 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:13.019 in his letter 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:13.579 to the church 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:14.019 at Rome, 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:14.419 he said, 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:15.060 everyone who 00:23:15.060 --> 00:23:15.880 calls on the name 00:23:15.880 --> 00:23:16.480 of the Lord 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.860 will be saved. 00:23:18.180 --> 00:23:19.200 But how can they 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.060 believe in the one 00:23:20.060 --> 00:23:20.519 of whom they 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:21.300 have not heard? 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:24.060 And so, 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:24.820 our job, 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:25.400 we all know, 00:23:25.560 --> 00:23:26.960 as followers of Jesus, 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:28.279 is to tell people 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:28.820 about him. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:31.180 And we all know 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:31.519 that. 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:32.980 If you're a believer, 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:34.279 I know that you 00:23:34.279 --> 00:23:34.800 know that. 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:36.759 But sometimes 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:37.680 we don't do it. 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:40.440 We choose 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:41.180 to stay quiet. 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:44.440 And one of the 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:45.180 reasons we might 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:45.759 stay quiet 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:46.240 is because 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:46.840 we're just not 00:23:46.840 --> 00:23:47.480 worried about, 00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:49.700 we're worried 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:50.480 about not 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:51.460 knowing what 00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:51.960 to say. 00:23:53.320 --> 00:23:54.080 We imagine 00:23:54.080 --> 00:23:54.820 ourselves having 00:23:54.820 --> 00:23:55.340 these kinds 00:23:55.340 --> 00:23:56.060 of conversations 00:23:56.060 --> 00:23:56.779 with people 00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:58.200 and I tell 00:23:58.200 --> 00:23:58.680 them about 00:23:58.680 --> 00:23:59.560 Jesus and I 00:23:59.560 --> 00:24:00.180 tell them that 00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:00.640 they need to 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:01.259 believe in him, 00:24:01.340 --> 00:24:01.940 that he is the 00:24:01.940 --> 00:24:02.700 son of God, 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:03.560 that he is 00:24:03.560 --> 00:24:04.360 God. 00:24:05.320 --> 00:24:06.000 But what if 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:06.620 they're skeptical 00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:07.360 when I tell 00:24:07.360 --> 00:24:07.620 them? 00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:09.279 What if they 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:09.460 say, 00:24:09.580 --> 00:24:09.920 ah, 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:10.440 those are 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:11.460 pretty lofty 00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:13.240 claims for a 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:13.860 man who lived 00:24:13.860 --> 00:24:14.740 2,000 years 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.100 ago? 00:24:15.740 --> 00:24:16.320 Why should I 00:24:16.320 --> 00:24:16.940 believe that? 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:20.140 Good question. 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:23.120 Why should they 00:24:23.120 --> 00:24:23.779 believe that? 00:24:25.060 --> 00:24:25.900 Why should they 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:26.380 believe these 00:24:26.380 --> 00:24:27.200 things Jesus is 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:27.800 saying about 00:24:27.800 --> 00:24:28.259 himself? 00:24:29.100 --> 00:24:29.620 And depending 00:24:29.620 --> 00:24:30.140 on what you've 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:30.560 been taught 00:24:30.560 --> 00:24:31.740 since you came 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:32.340 to believe, 00:24:32.800 --> 00:24:33.480 you might be 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:33.740 thinking, 00:24:33.840 --> 00:24:34.240 oh man, 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:35.480 now is the 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:36.120 time to pull 00:24:36.120 --> 00:24:37.539 out that book 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:38.620 on evangelism 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:39.979 that I read 00:24:39.979 --> 00:24:40.599 one time. 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:42.019 What am I 00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:42.439 supposed to 00:24:42.439 --> 00:24:43.179 say next? 00:24:44.659 --> 00:24:45.419 Or now is 00:24:45.419 --> 00:24:45.839 the time to 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:46.359 pull out that 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:47.559 apologetics book. 00:24:48.459 --> 00:24:49.259 What was the 00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:50.419 ontological argument 00:24:50.419 --> 00:24:50.879 again? 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:52.599 Or was it the 00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:53.979 cosmological argument? 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:56.000 I forget. 00:24:57.079 --> 00:24:57.739 You know what? 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:58.459 I'm not very good 00:24:58.459 --> 00:24:59.139 at answering these 00:24:59.139 --> 00:24:59.879 kinds of questions. 00:25:00.619 --> 00:25:01.399 I'm just going to 00:25:01.399 --> 00:25:02.899 leave the sharing 00:25:02.899 --> 00:25:04.039 of my faith up 00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:05.039 to Pastor Josh 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:06.139 church on 00:25:06.139 --> 00:25:06.940 Sunday mornings. 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:08.740 Maybe I'll get 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:10.079 the book Case 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:10.879 for Christ or 00:25:10.879 --> 00:25:11.460 Cold Case 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:12.119 Christianity and 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:12.759 I'll pass it out 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:13.299 to them and 00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:14.779 maybe they'll 00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:15.319 read it. 00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:17.519 Now there's 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:18.059 nothing wrong 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:18.460 with these 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:19.960 books and I 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:20.339 hope you do 00:25:20.339 --> 00:25:21.019 invite people to 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:21.639 come to church. 00:25:22.879 --> 00:25:23.859 I hope you do 00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:24.980 read these kind 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:25.619 of books and 00:25:25.619 --> 00:25:26.279 learn what you 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:26.859 can from them. 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:27.440 There's so much 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:28.159 value in them. 00:25:29.159 --> 00:25:29.819 But what if 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:30.240 there was a 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:31.079 simpler and easier 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:32.399 way to answer 00:25:32.399 --> 00:25:33.039 that question? 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:34.299 Why should I 00:25:34.299 --> 00:25:36.399 believe in 00:25:36.399 --> 00:25:36.759 Jesus? 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:40.379 Jesus shows us 00:25:40.379 --> 00:25:41.059 that there is an 00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:42.059 easier answer to 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:42.720 that question. 00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:44.500 How did Jesus 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:45.379 answer the question? 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:46.460 Why should we 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:47.259 believe in you, 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:47.960 Jesus? 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:49.559 Why should we 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:50.159 believe the things 00:25:50.159 --> 00:25:50.859 that you're saying? 00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:53.519 Jesus said, 00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:55.059 if you can't 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:55.759 take my own 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:56.559 word for it, 00:25:57.799 --> 00:25:59.319 believe because 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:00.579 of the works 00:26:00.579 --> 00:26:01.259 themselves. 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:03.659 the works 00:26:03.659 --> 00:26:04.839 that I have 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:05.399 been doing. 00:26:06.899 --> 00:26:07.599 Think about 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:07.839 this. 00:26:07.899 --> 00:26:08.420 How did he 00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:08.980 handle the 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:09.799 doubts rising 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:10.700 in people's 00:26:10.700 --> 00:26:11.119 minds? 00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:12.460 He called 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:13.159 them to think 00:26:13.159 --> 00:26:13.819 about, to 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:14.639 look at, to 00:26:14.639 --> 00:26:16.019 consider the 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.779 things that he'd 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:17.559 been doing, the 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:19.460 signs, the 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:19.899 miracles. 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:22.059 Why? 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:24.680 Because they 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:25.299 are the best 00:26:25.299 --> 00:26:25.720 argument. 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:28.059 They are the 00:26:28.059 --> 00:26:29.240 best evidence 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:30.519 that what Jesus 00:26:30.519 --> 00:26:31.899 said is true. 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:34.720 Isn't that 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:35.120 wonderful? 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:36.660 You don't have 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:37.440 to memorize the 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:38.080 ontological 00:26:38.080 --> 00:26:39.019 argument, whatever 00:26:39.019 --> 00:26:39.640 that is. 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:41.560 If people have 00:26:41.560 --> 00:26:42.340 doubts, if they 00:26:42.340 --> 00:26:43.120 raise objections, 00:26:43.320 --> 00:26:43.940 if they question, 00:26:44.060 --> 00:26:44.780 why should I 00:26:44.780 --> 00:26:45.580 believe in Jesus? 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:47.400 We just have to 00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:48.000 do what Jesus 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:48.340 did. 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:49.820 Read it for 00:26:49.820 --> 00:26:50.360 yourself. 00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:51.440 Look at the 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:51.940 things that he 00:26:51.940 --> 00:26:52.320 did. 00:26:56.320 --> 00:26:57.680 What explains 00:26:57.680 --> 00:26:58.440 these things? 00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:01.740 Isn't it 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:02.620 obvious that God 00:27:02.620 --> 00:27:03.460 was at work in 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:03.940 all of these 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:04.860 moments and all 00:27:04.860 --> 00:27:06.259 these eyewitnesses 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:06.920 who saw these 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:07.299 things? 00:27:08.620 --> 00:27:09.700 These works of 00:27:09.700 --> 00:27:11.480 Jesus, they are 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:12.160 the evidence. 00:27:12.340 --> 00:27:14.059 They are the 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:14.440 argument. 00:27:14.600 --> 00:27:15.160 They are the 00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:16.120 testimony being 00:27:16.120 --> 00:27:17.100 given by God the 00:27:17.100 --> 00:27:18.500 Father about his 00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:20.460 son, that Jesus 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:22.840 really is who he 00:27:22.840 --> 00:27:23.580 says he is. 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:24.680 Just tell them the 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:26.420 story of Jesus or 00:27:26.420 --> 00:27:27.100 some of it. 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:28.319 tell them about 00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:29.039 that time he 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:29.899 turned water into 00:27:29.899 --> 00:27:30.240 wine. 00:27:31.419 --> 00:27:32.240 Tell them about 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:33.539 that time he fed 00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:34.379 the multitude out 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:34.879 in the middle of 00:27:34.879 --> 00:27:35.259 nowhere. 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:38.039 Tell them about 00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:38.719 that time that he 00:27:38.719 --> 00:27:40.639 raised Lazarus from 00:27:40.639 --> 00:27:41.980 the dead four days 00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:42.379 later. 00:27:44.139 --> 00:27:44.879 Encourage them to 00:27:44.879 --> 00:27:45.500 dig out their own 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.399 Bible, read it for 00:27:46.399 --> 00:27:47.039 themselves. 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:50.079 The works 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:52.519 themselves, the 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:53.439 things he did, the 00:27:53.439 --> 00:27:54.099 signs, the 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:55.480 miracles, all of it 00:27:55.480 --> 00:27:56.959 recorded here in 00:27:56.960 --> 00:27:57.819 our Bibles about 00:27:57.819 --> 00:27:58.680 what Jesus did. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:27:59.539 This is the 00:27:59.539 --> 00:28:01.100 ultimate apologetics 00:28:01.100 --> 00:28:03.940 book written by 00:28:03.940 --> 00:28:04.620 God himself. 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:08.740 But what if they 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:09.700 simply refuse to 00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:10.299 believe in the 00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:11.500 supernatural, Josh? 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:13.440 What if they say, 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:13.880 well, that's 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:15.120 impossible for Jesus 00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:15.880 to have done these 00:28:15.880 --> 00:28:16.039 things. 00:28:16.100 --> 00:28:16.799 I don't believe any 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:17.220 of that. 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:20.039 Push back. 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:21.680 Ask them. 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:23.519 What about the 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:24.380 thousands of people 00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:25.059 who were following 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:25.720 him around and 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:26.299 witnessed these 00:28:26.299 --> 00:28:26.720 things? 00:28:28.639 --> 00:28:29.559 Ask them, why 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:30.819 were his opponents 00:28:30.819 --> 00:28:31.980 so frustrated? 00:28:32.879 --> 00:28:33.919 Why did they go so 00:28:33.919 --> 00:28:34.700 far as to kill him 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:35.139 when they could have 00:28:35.139 --> 00:28:36.079 just exposed him as 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:36.559 a fraud? 00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:39.079 And what of the 00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:39.519 disciples? 00:28:39.819 --> 00:28:40.519 Why would they give 00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:41.480 up their lives if it 00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:42.720 was all a sham? 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:44.980 All a big hoax? 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:46.899 What did they stand 00:28:46.899 --> 00:28:47.480 to gain? 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:53.120 let the Bible, let 00:28:53.120 --> 00:28:55.640 God's testimony work 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:56.740 on their hearts. 00:28:57.120 --> 00:28:58.440 There's power in it. 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:00.640 The works themselves, 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:02.120 believe because of the 00:29:02.120 --> 00:29:03.380 works themselves, 00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:06.660 said Jesus. 00:29:07.380 --> 00:29:08.980 So let's be a church. 00:29:09.660 --> 00:29:11.000 Let's be Christians that 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.319 tell the story of Jesus, 00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:15.019 the whole thing. 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:17.700 Let's make it our 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:18.939 mission to tell this 00:29:18.939 --> 00:29:20.339 community about both 00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:21.359 the words that Jesus 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:22.599 spoke and the works 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:24.419 that Jesus did. 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:26.960 And by God's grace, 00:29:27.159 --> 00:29:28.720 may many more come to 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:29.500 believe in his name. 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:31.679 Let's pray. 00:29:31.679 --> 00:29:31.740 Let's pray. 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:39.519 Father in heaven, 00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:40.779 thank you so much for 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:44.480 your word and that you 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:47.120 speak from heaven to 00:29:47.120 --> 00:29:48.319 our hearts through 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:48.960 these pages. 00:29:50.019 --> 00:29:51.720 I pray that each one 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:53.319 of us in this room 00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:55.500 here today would be 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:57.120 deeply stirred and 00:29:57.120 --> 00:29:58.400 transformed and changed 00:29:58.400 --> 00:29:59.079 by your word. 00:29:59.819 --> 00:30:01.099 I pray that we would 00:30:01.099 --> 00:30:02.980 act on the things 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:03.579 that we hear. 00:30:04.879 --> 00:30:05.939 I pray and ask that 00:30:05.939 --> 00:30:06.500 you would give us 00:30:06.500 --> 00:30:07.679 courage and boldness 00:30:07.679 --> 00:30:09.919 in conversations 00:30:09.919 --> 00:30:10.759 with people. 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:13.500 Help us to remember 00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:17.579 that our lives are 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:19.559 short, our days are 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:21.439 numbered, and 00:30:21.439 --> 00:30:23.039 eternity is coming. 00:30:24.579 --> 00:30:25.619 And it matters so 00:30:25.619 --> 00:30:27.819 much that we know 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:28.279 your son. 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:30.339 Put that on our 00:30:30.339 --> 00:30:30.659 hearts. 00:30:30.660 --> 00:30:31.279 I pray. 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:33.420 And lead us in 00:30:33.420 --> 00:30:35.820 sharing the good 00:30:35.820 --> 00:30:36.600 news of Jesus 00:30:36.600 --> 00:30:37.820 with this community. 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:39.860 We ask for 00:30:39.860 --> 00:30:40.420 creativity. 00:30:40.700 --> 00:30:41.140 We ask for 00:30:41.140 --> 00:30:41.600 wisdom. 00:30:43.120 --> 00:30:44.080 And we ask for 00:30:44.080 --> 00:30:44.920 true love in our 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:45.540 hearts for the 00:30:45.540 --> 00:30:46.560 people here in 00:30:46.560 --> 00:30:46.900 Davidson. 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:50.019 To your name be the 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:50.279 glory. 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:51.720 Amen. 00:31:00.660 --> 00:31:01.140 Yep. 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:06.060 We ask for 00:31:06.100 --> 00:31:06.279 everyone. 00:31:09.560 --> 00:31:10.140 Hyah. 00:31:10.140 --> 00:31:10.700 Truly.