WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.279 Hi again, welcome back to the second of our Questioning Christianity series, where we 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:16.179 take a look at some of the hard questions that are asked today. Maybe you have those 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:19.960 questions or you know people that have had them and we hope this will be a helpful way 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:26.420 to begin to explore that by looking at what the Bible says and having a think together. 00:00:26.420 --> 00:00:33.840 Our question today is, how can you say there is only one way to God? So I'm going to read 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:41.640 a part of the Bible and then we'll think about it and I'll pray and then we'll sing at the end there. 00:00:42.160 --> 00:00:50.120 So our passage today is words of Jesus from John chapter 6 beginning at verse 27. 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:52.859 Where Jesus says, 00:00:52.859 --> 00:00:59.640 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:06.120 give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. Then they asked him, 00:01:06.259 --> 00:01:12.500 What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, The work of God is this, 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:19.060 to believe in the one he has sent. So they asked him, What sign then will you give that we may see 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:25.280 it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, 00:01:25.820 --> 00:01:32.640 he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:37.820 has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:42.939 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:50.560 Sir, they said, always give us this bread. Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:55.480 Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 00:01:56.200 --> 00:02:02.099 But as I told you, you have seen me, and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:08.620 will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven, 00:02:08.620 --> 00:02:15.240 not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:23.140 that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's 00:02:23.140 --> 00:02:30.340 will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:38.000 raise them up at the last day. Those are the words of Jesus. Now, last week, 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:45.180 I was watching a travel documentary where a father and son travelled to Papua New Guinea, 00:02:45.379 --> 00:02:51.840 and while on their travels, they went to a very remote island, were met by a villager there who 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:58.599 showed them around the island and took them to this cave. And in this cave were a series, a large 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:08.840 collection of skeletons and especially of skulls. And he explained that previously his tribe had been 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:15.280 cannibals. They would kill and eat their enemies. And he said, we used to be cannibals until Christian 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:26.019 missionaries came, and then that all stopped. Now, was that a good thing? Or was that an imposition 00:03:26.020 --> 00:03:33.760 of a different set of values? This week, we're going to think about a question, isn't it arrogant 00:03:33.760 --> 00:03:43.760 to say your religion is superior and to try to convert others to it? Perhaps you've heard the 00:03:43.760 --> 00:03:50.180 objection, aren't other religions also equally good at providing fulfilment and meaning for their 00:03:50.180 --> 00:04:00.420 followers. So why impose Christianity on them? Or maybe the argument runs that to claim exclusive 00:04:00.420 --> 00:04:10.260 truth is narrow, it divides people, it can lead to conflict, and indeed it has led to conflict. 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:16.319 So that initially, and certainly on the surface, it might sound much more tolerant to say 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:26.180 all beliefs are equally valid. All religions are equally valid. To borrow the title of a Manic Street 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:36.039 Preachers album, this is my truth, tell me yours. Is it arrogant to say that one religion, the Christian 00:04:36.039 --> 00:04:43.500 religion, has the truth? Let's explore that together. Three questions to briefly touch on. First of all, 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:50.100 is it arrogant to claim there is exclusive truth? Is it arrogant to claim there's only one way to God? 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:57.300 And is it arrogant to try and convert someone else to your view? And all along the way, and especially 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:06.019 as we draw our thoughts towards a close, where does Jesus fit into the arguments? But let's begin with 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:17.439 that question. Is it arrogant to claim there is exclusive truth? Now let's begin by being honest. The claim of 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:26.339 exclusive truth is a big hurdle towards someone accepting the Christian faith. You and I probably know 00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:37.139 people who have used truth as a weapon, as a power play. We know that truth and claiming the truth can be abused, 00:05:37.799 --> 00:05:44.139 that it can be used to tear others down and to create division. Now of course that's not just a problem 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:52.539 for Christianity, but it still remains a hurdle. And I think a sort of an additional layer of complexity, 00:05:52.540 --> 00:06:04.100 complexity as it were, is that we are now considered to be living in a post-truth society. 2016 post-truth was the word 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:17.000 of the year, where how I feel is often regarded as of greater significance than is it true? Where the personal can be 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:24.019 valued more highly than the objective? Now Rebecca McLaughlin in her excellent book, Confronting Christianity, 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:31.779 points out that things can be both personally true and objectively true. One example she cites is the 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:45.959 Me Too movement and those stories of sexual abuse survivors. Their powerful personal stories are just that, 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:55.959 they're personal, but they're also objectively true. So truth can be both personal and objective. In fact, Christian 00:06:55.959 --> 00:07:06.539 testimony, the testimony of a Christian like myself would say, yes, I believe Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that He is my 00:07:06.539 --> 00:07:15.799 only hope in life and death. And on my best days, He shapes everything in my life, how I think and feel and act. And that's 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:24.939 profoundly personal. But I also believe that it's grounded in history, as we thought last week, grounded in the 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:32.460 reliability of the Bible. A truth that is personal and truth that is objective at the same time. Because 00:07:32.460 --> 00:07:40.540 Christianity, as we said last week, and we need to keep saying, is grounded in historical facts. Now we instinctively 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:50.200 know that to deny history is wrong. So I studied history at university and I think it was towards the end of my time 00:07:50.200 --> 00:08:01.660 there, a significant scholar down in England was sort of being discredited because he was a Holocaust denier, 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:11.880 trying to say, trying to suggest that the figures were inflated. We know that's wrong. Turkey's refusal to own its 00:08:11.880 --> 00:08:23.480 genocide of the Kurds in 1930 is wrong. We in the United Kingdom, we need to recognise, own up to, confess our 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:32.440 relationship to slavery in the past. We cannot deny or gloss over history. 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:44.279 Last week, we thought about the fact that Christianity stands or falls on the basis of historical facts that centre 00:08:44.279 --> 00:08:51.800 on the life of Jesus, his coming into the world, his life, his death, and especially the historical facts 00:08:51.799 --> 00:09:00.379 around the resurrection of Jesus. How do I feel about that? How do you feel about that? 00:09:00.979 --> 00:09:08.679 We need to recognise that our feelings don't alter that objective reality of events that happened some 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:19.000 2,000 years ago. Either those events are true or they are false. So the onus falls on us to investigate. 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:31.639 But it's not arrogant to claim there is exclusive truth, particularly if it's grounded in historical facts. 00:09:32.599 --> 00:09:36.819 But here's something that we need to remember as Christians in all of this. 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:49.719 That truth without love comes across as smug and arrogant and is profoundly off-putting. 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:56.639 We would do well to remember the words of Gandhi who famously said, 00:09:56.820 --> 00:10:00.600 I like their Christ, I don't like their Christians. 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:05.960 So we need to watch how we hold on to the truths that we believe in. 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:13.740 Every claim of truth is by necessity exclusive. 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:23.120 Indeed to say there is no such thing as exclusive truth is an exclusive truth claim in and of itself. 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:29.840 So we need to see, sort of taking a bigger picture, Christianity is not the only religion and it's not the only worldview 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:35.820 that makes exclusive truth claims. All truth is by extension exclusive. 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:38.620 Truth always excludes its opposites. 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:41.960 Otherwise, all we have left is personal opinion. 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.200 But truth excludes. 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:51.419 Is it arrogant to claim exclusive truth? 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:55.600 Perhaps we could turn the question on its head. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:02.340 Is it arrogant to claim there is no exclusive truth? 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:11.080 To claim a standpoint where we can say that all the religions and all people in all times have got it wrong 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.639 and we are the enlightened ones. 00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:17.779 So moving from there, let's move to the next question to consider. 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.560 Is it arrogant to claim there is only one way to God? 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:30.319 Now Jesus, again in the book of John, chapter 14, verse 6, says this. 00:11:30.319 --> 00:11:34.500 I am the way, the truth and the life. 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:38.879 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:42.639 Now let's read that again with emphasis. 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:47.599 I am the way, the truth and the life. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:54.240 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:58.300 That's some radical claims from Jesus, isn't it? 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:00.740 Now are those fighting words from Jesus? 00:12:00.920 --> 00:12:02.220 Is this arrogance? 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:08.000 Is it arrogant to claim there is only one way to God? 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:10.580 And that is through Jesus. 00:12:12.180 --> 00:12:13.340 Let's take a step back. 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:21.800 Now you've probably heard at some point, possibly heard the story of a group of blind men who encounter an elephant 00:12:21.800 --> 00:12:26.940 and they begin to examine the elephant to discover what it's like. 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:31.080 And one person takes hold of the trunk and says an elephant is like a snake. 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:35.639 Another wraps its arms around a leg and say an elephant is like a tree. 00:12:36.280 --> 00:12:39.660 Another finds the tusk and say an elephant is like a spear. 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:44.199 Another finds the tail and says an elephant must be like a rope. 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.500 In a sense it's an amusing story but there's an assumption lying behind that story 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:55.620 that the religions of the world hold part of the truth 00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:59.839 but they are blinded to the whole picture. 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:05.360 The storyteller alone sees the whole. 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:08.139 He knows the whole truth. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:10.560 The blind people only see a part. 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:15.680 Now there are significant issues with that story. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:20.000 Not least the fact that it is not respectful 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.659 to the differences that there are between religions. 00:13:24.659 --> 00:13:31.799 When it claims that when there are claims that all roads lead to the same God 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.500 or that all paths to God are equally valid. 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:40.139 It flattens out clear differences and distinctions. 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:41.699 I will think about that in a moment. 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:48.379 But also as the storyteller from a distance claims not to be blind 00:13:48.379 --> 00:13:52.200 claims to be able to see the whole elephant 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:54.160 there is a mocking tone. 00:13:54.800 --> 00:13:57.340 There is indeed a sense of arrogance 00:13:57.340 --> 00:14:02.340 in standing in judgment over other religions. 00:14:02.340 --> 00:14:09.480 When we take a basic review of some of the major world faiths 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:13.399 we recognise there are significant differences 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.560 that they are not the same. 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:21.160 So one of the things that people would do 00:14:21.160 --> 00:14:24.379 to sort of stifle debate and discussion 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:26.960 is say well all religions are equally valid 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:28.180 and should be treated the same. 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:31.440 But when we think about how do the different religions view God? 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:36.220 Well Buddhism as an example would say there is no God. 00:14:36.540 --> 00:14:39.440 Buddha was very clear I am not God do not worship me. 00:14:39.900 --> 00:14:41.440 Hinduism has many gods. 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:45.120 Islam has a God who is one and who is solitary 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:48.260 whereas Christianity has a God who is one 00:14:48.260 --> 00:14:50.380 but that one is made up of three persons 00:14:50.380 --> 00:14:52.720 Father, Son and Holy Spirit known as the Trinity. 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:58.360 Or we come to how do the different religions think about Jesus? 00:14:59.560 --> 00:15:01.260 And some would say he is a prophet 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:04.120 many to say he is worthy of respect 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:05.580 but only in Christianity 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.960 is there the claim from the lips of Jesus 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:10.559 and from the teaching of the Bible 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.139 that he is the Son of God 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:14.399 and that he is the Saviour of the world. 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:17.019 So we can see that there are vast differences 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:19.960 and to flatten the differences 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.200 to treat all religions as a lump 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:25.980 is patronising and unhelpful. 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:31.220 More helpful is to see the struggle that people have 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:33.500 as they think about the differences. 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:36.379 Nabi Al Qureshi 00:15:36.379 --> 00:15:42.620 was a famous recent convert from Islam to Christianity 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:45.539 that he died just a few years ago. 00:15:45.680 --> 00:15:50.840 He wrote the book called Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:55.340 brought up in a conservative Islamic home. 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:59.440 He came to a friendship with a Christian man 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:01.759 and he spent four years 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:06.080 wrestling with objections to the Christian faith, 00:16:06.780 --> 00:16:09.340 wrestling with the claims of Jesus Christ 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:13.120 compared to the teaching of Islam. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:18.399 And he talks about his day of converting from Islam 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:20.500 to Christianity and faith in Jesus 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:25.600 and he says he mourned the impact of that decision 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:28.259 because he recognised the impact 00:16:28.259 --> 00:16:29.580 and the cost it would have 00:16:29.580 --> 00:16:32.019 in terms of family relationships, 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:37.440 in terms of his place in his community. 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:41.800 So it's important for us 00:16:41.800 --> 00:16:47.620 to see that respect recognises 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:49.700 the great differences there are 00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:53.920 between the different religions and world views. 00:16:55.940 --> 00:17:00.780 To say that all religions are equal 00:17:00.780 --> 00:17:04.779 is to ignore the claim of the Bible. 00:17:04.779 --> 00:17:07.440 To say that all religions are the same 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:09.339 is to deny what the Bible says 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:11.579 when it describes itself as revelation 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:14.000 and not speculation. 00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:20.220 So it's not arrogant, 00:17:20.399 --> 00:17:21.779 it's just recognising 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:24.960 that every world view 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:28.519 will claim its truth 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:30.619 to the exclusion of others 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:33.399 and all religions do that. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:35.600 But again, we need to remember 00:17:35.600 --> 00:17:38.200 attitude matters. 00:17:39.600 --> 00:17:41.720 Particularly when it comes to 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:44.759 discussing between religions. 00:17:45.100 --> 00:17:47.100 You know, in our culture, 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:48.400 which is often described as now 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:49.700 an outrage culture, 00:17:50.560 --> 00:17:52.220 where we see cancel culture 00:17:52.220 --> 00:17:54.500 happening a lot, 00:17:54.620 --> 00:17:55.420 we need to see that 00:17:55.420 --> 00:17:56.680 to disagree with someone 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:00.220 does not mean that we disrespect that person. 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:03.779 To take a different view of God 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:04.920 or of Jesus or of faith 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:08.279 does not mean that I hate the other person. 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:13.720 When we treat people as image bearers of God, 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:16.660 when we treat people as worthy of dignity, 00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:18.420 whatever they believe, 00:18:19.420 --> 00:18:21.640 then we should be able to disagree 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:24.180 without disrespect. 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:27.759 It is possible to hold truth 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:29.039 in high regard 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:29.680 and 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.360 to hold people 00:18:31.360 --> 00:18:32.880 in high regard. 00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:34.140 And the Bible would have us 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:35.039 do that. 00:18:36.340 --> 00:18:37.740 And that leads us to think about 00:18:37.740 --> 00:18:40.299 a last question. 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:41.740 Is it arrogant 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:43.680 to try and convert 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:45.519 someone else? 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:47.820 So having recognised 00:18:47.820 --> 00:18:48.600 that everybody 00:18:48.600 --> 00:18:50.060 who claims truth 00:18:50.060 --> 00:18:51.960 is excluding the opposite, 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:53.680 having seen that there are 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:55.400 significant differences 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:57.100 in the truth claims 00:18:57.100 --> 00:18:58.140 between religions, 00:18:58.460 --> 00:18:59.360 should we ever 00:18:59.360 --> 00:19:00.519 cross the boundary 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:01.480 to try and convert 00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:02.319 someone else? 00:19:03.340 --> 00:19:04.160 Maybe you remember 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.259 the story of John Allen Chow, 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:07.200 which hit the headlines 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:09.039 back in 2018. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:11.680 He was killed 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:12.840 as he attempted 00:19:12.840 --> 00:19:14.880 to visit the people 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:16.880 of the Sentinel Islands. 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:19.319 He wanted to share 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:20.299 the message 00:19:20.299 --> 00:19:21.919 Jesus loves you 00:19:21.919 --> 00:19:23.119 with them. 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:25.339 And as he landed, 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:27.919 he was killed. 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:31.059 And as people wrote 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:32.039 their opinion pieces 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:33.480 in newspapers, 00:19:34.419 --> 00:19:35.639 many came to the conclusion 00:19:35.639 --> 00:19:36.759 that Chow was wrong 00:19:36.759 --> 00:19:38.399 and was arrogant 00:19:38.399 --> 00:19:40.379 to try to convert 00:19:40.379 --> 00:19:41.919 these ancient tribes, 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:43.879 to convert those 00:19:43.879 --> 00:19:44.519 who were following 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:45.859 traditional religions 00:19:45.859 --> 00:19:47.480 to Christianity. 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:51.400 arguing in some cases 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:53.839 that there's a connection 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:54.640 between religion 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:55.860 and conflict. 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.180 Maybe you would 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:01.480 agree 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:03.380 with that viewpoint. 00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:04.700 But if we remember 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:05.819 what we just thought about, 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:07.000 we go back to our last point, 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:08.279 to share the truth 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:09.440 in love 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:11.960 is not to be 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:13.440 of necessity 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:14.720 arrogant 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:15.599 or hateful. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:17.500 absolutely sometimes 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:18.899 the Christian church 00:20:18.899 --> 00:20:19.599 has been 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:20.859 arrogant 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:22.539 in the way 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:23.279 that they have 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:24.500 tried to convert people, 00:20:24.619 --> 00:20:25.139 that the church 00:20:25.139 --> 00:20:26.819 has made mistakes 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:27.799 but it doesn't 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:28.879 necessarily have 00:20:28.879 --> 00:20:29.759 to be that way. 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:30.439 And indeed, 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:31.159 sometimes 00:20:31.159 --> 00:20:32.799 we think about 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:33.379 everyday life 00:20:33.379 --> 00:20:35.000 persuading someone 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:36.579 of truth 00:20:36.579 --> 00:20:38.259 can be 00:20:38.259 --> 00:20:38.859 an act 00:20:38.859 --> 00:20:39.459 of 00:20:39.459 --> 00:20:40.439 love. 00:20:40.440 --> 00:20:44.759 I smell gas. 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:46.059 You should get out 00:20:46.059 --> 00:20:46.380 of here. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:49.240 You are ill. 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:50.880 You need 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:51.900 treatment. 00:20:53.120 --> 00:20:54.420 That kind of 00:20:54.420 --> 00:20:55.400 persuasion 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:57.279 is loving. 00:20:59.140 --> 00:20:59.580 Now, 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:00.539 if we are persuaded 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.299 that Christianity 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:02.600 is true, 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:05.220 then we recognise 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:05.920 it has 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:07.019 an urgent 00:21:07.019 --> 00:21:09.100 life or death 00:21:09.100 --> 00:21:10.320 message. 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:11.519 So the truth 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:12.059 has that 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:13.940 motivating quality. 00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:15.700 That we believe 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:17.120 Jesus is Lord 00:21:17.120 --> 00:21:17.740 of all, 00:21:17.820 --> 00:21:18.600 that he is King 00:21:18.600 --> 00:21:19.380 of kings, 00:21:19.840 --> 00:21:20.740 that he is also 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:21.480 the judge 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:22.640 of the living 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:23.460 and the dead, 00:21:23.840 --> 00:21:24.840 that we are 00:21:24.840 --> 00:21:26.140 by nature 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:28.480 enemies of God, 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:29.640 that we have 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:30.700 rebelled against God, 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:31.320 we've broken 00:21:31.320 --> 00:21:32.240 his law 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:33.380 and we stand 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:34.539 under the judgment 00:21:34.539 --> 00:21:35.140 of God 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:36.220 with the certain 00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:36.940 prospect 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:38.220 of eternal 00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:39.120 punishment 00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:40.660 in hell. 00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:41.900 Now, 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:42.340 those are 00:21:42.340 --> 00:21:43.240 difficult 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:45.039 concepts, 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.059 but we believe 00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:47.019 them to be true. 00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:48.440 We also believe 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:49.039 it to be true 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:49.840 that God 00:21:49.840 --> 00:21:50.400 in his love 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:50.840 and mercy 00:21:50.840 --> 00:21:51.779 sent Jesus 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:52.400 to take 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:53.019 our place 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:54.160 and to die 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:55.180 in the place 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:55.880 of every 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:56.680 sinner who 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:57.000 would put 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:57.700 their trust 00:21:57.700 --> 00:21:58.559 in Jesus 00:21:58.559 --> 00:21:59.400 to have 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:00.340 forgiveness 00:22:00.340 --> 00:22:01.080 and eternal 00:22:01.080 --> 00:22:01.620 life. 00:22:01.619 --> 00:22:04.319 so that 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:04.859 the Christian 00:22:04.859 --> 00:22:05.639 message 00:22:05.639 --> 00:22:07.659 has implications 00:22:07.659 --> 00:22:08.319 for now 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:09.379 and has implications 00:22:09.379 --> 00:22:10.079 for life 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:11.139 after death. 00:22:11.219 --> 00:22:11.639 There is an 00:22:11.639 --> 00:22:12.879 urgency to it 00:22:12.879 --> 00:22:14.299 and so part 00:22:14.299 --> 00:22:14.779 of our 00:22:14.779 --> 00:22:16.179 motivation 00:22:16.179 --> 00:22:18.139 is that we 00:22:18.139 --> 00:22:18.599 want to 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:19.279 persuade 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:20.779 of that 00:22:20.779 --> 00:22:21.359 truth 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:22.959 and we want 00:22:22.959 --> 00:22:23.379 to do that 00:22:23.379 --> 00:22:24.000 out of love. 00:22:25.939 --> 00:22:26.599 Some people 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:26.919 would say, 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:27.079 no, 00:22:27.139 --> 00:22:27.559 we should just 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:28.379 keep our views 00:22:28.379 --> 00:22:29.500 out of public 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.019 life. 00:22:31.619 --> 00:22:32.679 failing to 00:22:32.679 --> 00:22:33.119 recognise, 00:22:33.259 --> 00:22:33.459 I think, 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:34.099 that everybody, 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:34.599 whether we're 00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:35.419 religious or 00:22:35.419 --> 00:22:35.739 not, 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:36.739 we all have 00:22:36.739 --> 00:22:37.639 strongly held 00:22:37.639 --> 00:22:38.000 views, 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:38.779 we all come 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:40.039 to a particular 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:41.139 agenda or topic 00:22:41.139 --> 00:22:41.819 with certain 00:22:41.819 --> 00:22:42.539 biases 00:22:42.539 --> 00:22:45.119 and it seems 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:46.019 rather arrogant 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:46.759 to suggest 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.759 that only some 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.359 views are 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:49.219 valid at the 00:22:49.219 --> 00:22:49.559 table, 00:22:50.159 --> 00:22:50.959 only some 00:22:50.959 --> 00:22:51.419 views are 00:22:51.419 --> 00:22:52.239 acceptable in 00:22:52.239 --> 00:22:52.719 public life 00:22:52.719 --> 00:22:53.219 and Christianity 00:22:53.219 --> 00:22:54.059 is not one 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:54.559 of those. 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:57.099 And when we 00:22:57.099 --> 00:22:57.500 think about 00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:58.399 the arrogance 00:22:58.399 --> 00:22:59.379 question to do 00:22:59.379 --> 00:23:00.279 with conversion 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:00.659 as well, 00:23:00.699 --> 00:23:01.079 we need to 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:01.559 recognise 00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:02.139 Christianity 00:23:02.139 --> 00:23:02.759 is not 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:03.159 and never 00:23:03.159 --> 00:23:03.879 has been 00:23:03.879 --> 00:23:04.839 about morality 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:06.039 so we 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:06.419 should never 00:23:06.419 --> 00:23:07.019 come across 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:07.799 it as arrogant 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:09.779 because we 00:23:09.779 --> 00:23:10.220 don't believe 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:11.059 Jesus came 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:11.440 to make 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:12.079 bad people 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:12.599 good, 00:23:13.399 --> 00:23:14.399 we believe 00:23:14.399 --> 00:23:15.059 Jesus came 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:15.399 to make 00:23:15.399 --> 00:23:15.859 spiritually 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:16.579 dead people 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:17.079 alive, 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:18.859 that we 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:19.379 believe the 00:23:19.379 --> 00:23:19.839 only way 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:20.139 that we 00:23:20.139 --> 00:23:20.419 can be 00:23:20.419 --> 00:23:20.700 saved 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:20.940 and be 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:21.460 part of 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:21.799 God's 00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:22.220 family 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:23.119 is because 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:23.460 of his 00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:23.819 grace, 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:24.519 that free 00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:25.500 undeserved 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:26.179 kindness he 00:23:26.179 --> 00:23:26.599 gives us, 00:23:26.659 --> 00:23:27.460 not by our 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:27.879 goodness, 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:28.700 not by our 00:23:28.700 --> 00:23:29.819 moral performance. 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:31.299 Jesus is our 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:31.519 hope, 00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:32.279 not ourselves, 00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:33.119 so that should 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:33.980 always make 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:34.879 us humble 00:23:34.879 --> 00:23:36.480 and Christianity 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:37.599 at its best 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:39.379 humbly follows 00:23:39.379 --> 00:23:40.139 Jesus as 00:23:40.139 --> 00:23:40.399 Lord. 00:23:40.399 --> 00:23:40.659 Now, 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:41.720 where does 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:42.740 Jesus fit 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:44.240 into this 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:44.659 discussion? 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:45.159 We've already 00:23:45.159 --> 00:23:45.899 heard him say, 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:46.379 I am the 00:23:46.379 --> 00:23:46.619 way, 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:47.079 the truth, 00:23:47.139 --> 00:23:47.460 and the life, 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:48.159 no one comes 00:23:48.159 --> 00:23:48.659 to the Father 00:23:48.659 --> 00:23:50.059 except through 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:51.599 me and then 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:52.460 we read 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:53.860 in John 00:23:53.860 --> 00:23:54.779 chapter 6, 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:56.680 verse 27 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:57.039 onwards, 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:58.220 a catalogue 00:23:58.220 --> 00:24:00.160 of exclusive 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:01.340 truth claims. 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:03.279 So we need 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:03.819 to recognise 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:04.640 that Jesus 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:06.860 made exclusive 00:24:06.860 --> 00:24:07.579 claims, 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:09.559 he also 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:10.240 showed 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:11.860 amazing love 00:24:11.860 --> 00:24:13.640 and Christians 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:14.299 look to follow 00:24:14.299 --> 00:24:15.079 in his footsteps. 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:16.460 So Jesus 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:17.180 says, 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:18.340 for example, 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:19.279 in these verses, 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:20.200 I give 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:21.819 eternal life. 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:23.180 He says, 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:24.680 I have 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:25.220 the approval 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:25.640 of God 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:26.220 my Father. 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:27.779 He says, 00:24:27.840 --> 00:24:28.360 if you want 00:24:28.360 --> 00:24:28.960 to please 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:29.559 God, 00:24:30.120 --> 00:24:30.860 you must 00:24:30.860 --> 00:24:31.480 believe in 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:31.740 me. 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:34.340 He compares 00:24:34.340 --> 00:24:34.860 himself to 00:24:34.860 --> 00:24:35.279 bread and 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:35.440 says, 00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:35.980 I am the 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:36.319 bread of 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:36.720 life who 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:37.000 gives 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:37.440 eternal 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:38.259 satisfaction. 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:40.539 He says, 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:41.519 I do 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:42.440 the will 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:42.960 of God. 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:44.980 My people 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:45.660 belong to 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:46.100 me as a 00:24:46.100 --> 00:24:46.519 gift from 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:47.000 God my 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:47.480 Father and 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:47.779 I will 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:48.340 lose none 00:24:48.340 --> 00:24:48.700 of them, 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:49.279 he says. 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:51.840 He says, 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:52.500 to believe 00:24:52.500 --> 00:24:53.220 in him 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:54.519 is to 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:54.919 receive 00:24:54.919 --> 00:24:55.399 eternal 00:24:55.399 --> 00:24:55.859 life, 00:24:56.639 --> 00:24:57.159 is to 00:24:57.159 --> 00:24:57.659 have 00:24:57.659 --> 00:24:58.899 resurrection 00:24:58.899 --> 00:24:59.399 life. 00:25:00.959 --> 00:25:01.279 And so 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:01.500 when you 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:02.159 start listening 00:25:02.159 --> 00:25:02.779 to Jesus, 00:25:02.939 --> 00:25:04.500 the central 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:05.439 figure in 00:25:05.439 --> 00:25:06.199 our faith, 00:25:06.699 --> 00:25:07.240 he makes 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:07.980 those huge 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:08.559 claims, 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:09.759 he is 00:25:09.759 --> 00:25:10.879 unique among 00:25:10.879 --> 00:25:11.819 religious leaders 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:12.720 in saying, 00:25:12.959 --> 00:25:13.179 I am 00:25:13.179 --> 00:25:14.799 God and 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:15.419 I am 00:25:15.419 --> 00:25:16.220 saviour 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:18.360 and I 00:25:18.360 --> 00:25:19.000 have come 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:20.299 to die 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:20.880 in the 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:21.400 place of 00:25:21.400 --> 00:25:21.759 sinners 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:22.740 to give 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:23.220 the gift 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:23.819 of 00:25:23.819 --> 00:25:24.880 eternal 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.380 life. 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:28.380 Jesus 00:25:28.380 --> 00:25:29.279 is a 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:29.660 historical 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:30.100 figure. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:31.000 Everybody 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:31.600 agrees on 00:25:31.600 --> 00:25:31.759 that. 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:33.519 And as 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:33.819 Christians, 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:34.140 we are 00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:34.559 persuaded 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:34.960 that the 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:35.279 Bible 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:36.460 contains 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:37.339 truth. 00:25:39.220 --> 00:25:39.319 And 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:39.500 therefore, 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:40.299 the crucial 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:40.860 question 00:25:40.860 --> 00:25:42.279 for us 00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:42.860 and Jesus 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:43.779 asked it 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:43.980 is, 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:45.399 who do 00:25:45.399 --> 00:25:46.240 you say 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:47.559 I am? 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:48.660 Who do 00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:49.220 we say 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:50.720 Jesus is? 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:51.259 Because if 00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:52.440 Jesus is 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:53.359 God, 00:25:54.139 --> 00:25:55.460 then any 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:55.980 religion, 00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:56.440 any 00:25:56.440 --> 00:25:57.099 worldview 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:57.720 that doesn't 00:25:57.720 --> 00:25:58.399 worship him 00:25:58.399 --> 00:25:58.920 as God 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:00.480 must therefore 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:01.240 be false. 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:04.680 Every 00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:05.279 religion or 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:05.980 worldview that 00:26:05.980 --> 00:26:06.299 doesn't 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:06.980 worship him 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:07.539 as God 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:09.500 fails to 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:10.059 love God 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:10.639 properly 00:26:10.639 --> 00:26:11.740 because they 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:12.279 fail to 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:12.859 love Jesus 00:26:12.859 --> 00:26:13.220 as he 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:14.100 truly is. 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:15.700 Of course, 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:15.960 on the 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:16.420 other hand, 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:16.839 if Jesus 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:17.400 is not 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:17.819 God, 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:18.960 Christianity 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:20.319 fails and 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:21.200 is false. 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:22.940 But the 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:23.420 point is 00:26:23.420 --> 00:26:24.319 that our 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:25.160 whole faith 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:26.759 rests on 00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:28.220 historical 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:29.360 truth. 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:32.500 It's so 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:33.319 important to 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:34.700 examine the 00:26:34.700 --> 00:26:35.480 life, the 00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:36.380 teaching, the 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:37.059 death and 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:38.140 resurrection of 00:26:38.140 --> 00:26:38.480 Jesus. 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:40.779 Because if 00:26:40.779 --> 00:26:41.819 he is 00:26:41.819 --> 00:26:43.079 true and 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:43.419 if what 00:26:43.419 --> 00:26:44.019 he says 00:26:44.019 --> 00:26:44.659 is true, 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:46.679 then you 00:26:46.679 --> 00:26:47.339 and I 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:48.439 need him 00:26:48.439 --> 00:26:49.519 and his 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.919 message has 00:26:50.919 --> 00:26:52.599 life-changing 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:53.799 significance. 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:57.159 Now let's 00:26:57.159 --> 00:26:58.339 pray together 00:26:58.339 --> 00:26:59.099 briefly. 00:27:01.419 --> 00:27:02.839 Dear God, 00:27:02.919 --> 00:27:03.919 we have been 00:27:03.919 --> 00:27:05.139 considering 00:27:05.139 --> 00:27:07.740 some striking 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:08.539 words from 00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:09.019 Jesus. 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:09.079 Jesus. 00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:11.079 When he 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:11.819 claims to 00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:12.259 be the 00:27:12.259 --> 00:27:12.980 only way 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:13.579 to God, 00:27:14.379 --> 00:27:14.980 the way, 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:15.720 the truth 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:16.440 and the 00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:16.759 life, 00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:17.920 the one 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:18.500 who can 00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:20.079 give eternal 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:20.619 life, 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:21.740 giving life 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:22.799 beyond death, 00:27:22.940 --> 00:27:23.920 giving true 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:24.980 and lasting 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:26.399 satisfaction. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:28.860 God 00:27:28.860 --> 00:27:29.160 and yet we 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:30.080 recognize in 00:27:30.080 --> 00:27:30.360 Jesus, 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:30.900 someone who 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:31.519 was never 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:32.820 seen to be 00:27:32.820 --> 00:27:33.420 proud, 00:27:34.300 --> 00:27:34.640 but who 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:35.240 was humble, 00:27:36.080 --> 00:27:36.480 who was 00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:37.060 for the 00:27:37.060 --> 00:27:37.340 weak, 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:37.700 who was 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:38.720 for the 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:39.380 oppressed, 00:27:40.820 --> 00:27:41.420 who didn't 00:27:41.420 --> 00:27:42.180 step on the 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:42.740 heads of 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:43.360 others to 00:27:43.360 --> 00:27:44.080 get ahead, 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:45.240 the one who 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:47.140 willingly came 00:27:47.140 --> 00:27:47.820 to the cross 00:27:47.820 --> 00:27:48.460 to die. 00:27:49.580 --> 00:27:50.100 Lord, as 00:27:50.100 --> 00:27:50.660 Christians we 00:27:50.660 --> 00:27:51.440 would confess 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:52.700 there are times 00:27:52.700 --> 00:27:53.420 when perhaps 00:27:53.420 --> 00:27:54.660 we have used 00:27:54.660 --> 00:27:55.180 the truth 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:56.600 as a weapon 00:27:56.600 --> 00:27:56.980 and we've 00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:57.460 wanted to 00:27:57.460 --> 00:27:58.700 win arguments 00:27:58.700 --> 00:27:59.380 rather than 00:27:59.380 --> 00:27:59.980 wanting to 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:00.560 love people 00:28:00.560 --> 00:28:01.000 well. 00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:03.360 But Lord, 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:03.880 we also 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:04.600 confess there 00:28:04.600 --> 00:28:05.100 are times 00:28:05.100 --> 00:28:06.600 when we 00:28:06.600 --> 00:28:08.279 have failed 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:10.019 to overcome 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:10.900 our own 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:11.980 weakness or 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:12.660 embarrassment 00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:14.019 to deliver 00:28:14.019 --> 00:28:15.480 this life 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:16.259 changing, 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:17.279 life giving 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:18.519 good news, 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:19.360 this declaration 00:28:19.360 --> 00:28:20.180 that Jesus 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:20.640 is the 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:20.980 King. 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:21.079 King. 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:23.380 Pray that 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:23.759 you'd help 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:24.279 each of 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:25.099 us to 00:28:25.099 --> 00:28:26.000 wrestle with 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:26.640 the claims 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:27.299 of truth, 00:28:27.980 --> 00:28:28.539 to be 00:28:28.539 --> 00:28:29.079 willing to 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:29.720 investigate 00:28:29.720 --> 00:28:31.180 and to 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:31.839 explore. 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:34.519 Pray that 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:35.019 you'd help 00:28:35.019 --> 00:28:35.500 us with 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.960 that and 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:37.480 help us to 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:37.860 help one 00:28:37.860 --> 00:28:38.940 another with 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:39.240 that. 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:40.660 We pray in 00:28:40.660 --> 00:28:41.360 Jesus' name. 00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:42.259 Amen. 00:28:44.180 --> 00:28:44.779 So, 00:28:45.160 --> 00:28:46.680 next week 00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:47.940 we will 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:48.700 think about 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:50.340 the claim 00:28:50.340 --> 00:28:50.840 that God 00:28:50.840 --> 00:28:51.539 is good 00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:52.819 and how 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:53.220 we can 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:53.799 marry that 00:28:53.799 --> 00:28:54.620 up with 00:28:54.620 --> 00:28:55.960 all the 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:56.660 evil and 00:28:56.660 --> 00:28:57.340 the suffering 00:28:57.340 --> 00:28:58.480 that we 00:28:58.480 --> 00:28:59.240 see in the 00:28:59.240 --> 00:28:59.440 world. 00:28:59.519 --> 00:28:59.940 One of the 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:00.480 main 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:01.680 objections 00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:03.039 to faith, 00:29:03.100 --> 00:29:03.539 one of the 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:03.980 hardest 00:29:03.980 --> 00:29:05.759 questions to 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:06.440 begin to 00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:07.220 think about. 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:08.700 And so, 00:29:08.819 --> 00:29:09.360 hopefully that 00:29:09.360 --> 00:29:09.819 will be a 00:29:09.819 --> 00:29:10.860 time where 00:29:10.860 --> 00:29:11.240 we can 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:11.779 begin to 00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:12.660 reflect on 00:29:12.660 --> 00:29:12.960 that. 00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:15.500 We'll look 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:15.940 forward to 00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:16.980 that next 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:17.180 week. 00:29:17.259 --> 00:29:17.840 We'll close 00:29:17.840 --> 00:29:19.600 with a 00:29:19.600 --> 00:29:19.920 couple of 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:20.460 songs just 00:29:20.460 --> 00:29:21.000 as we did 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:22.380 last week. 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:23.840 And, yeah, 00:29:23.900 --> 00:29:24.740 look forward to 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:25.440 sharing with you 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:26.059 again same 00:29:26.059 --> 00:29:27.340 time next 00:29:27.340 --> 00:29:27.620 week. 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:29.019 Take care.