WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.440 We're going to read from John and please follow on in your bulletin as Kevin said or it's on the screen behind me. 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:11.240 John chapter 1 verses 35 to 51. 00:00:12.200 --> 00:00:20.620 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:23.160 Behold the Lamb of God. 00:00:24.019 --> 00:00:28.420 The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus. 00:00:28.420 --> 00:00:33.320 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, 00:00:33.760 --> 00:00:35.480 What are you seeking? 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:41.620 And they said to him, Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying? 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:45.480 He said to them, Come and you will see. 00:00:46.219 --> 00:00:52.980 So they came and saw where he was staying and they stayed with him that day for it was about the tenth hour. 00:00:52.979 --> 00:01:00.739 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 00:01:01.599 --> 00:01:08.599 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which means Christ. 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:10.879 He brought him to Jesus. 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:16.359 Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon, the son of John. 00:01:16.819 --> 00:01:20.319 You shall be called Cephas, which means Peter. 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:24.939 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.959 He found Philip and said to him, Follow me. 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:34.459 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 00:01:35.019 --> 00:01:43.000 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, 00:01:43.559 --> 00:01:46.599 Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 00:01:47.699 --> 00:01:52.060 Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? 00:01:52.839 --> 00:01:55.019 Philip said to him, Come and see. 00:01:55.019 --> 00:02:05.879 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit. 00:02:06.979 --> 00:02:09.979 Nathanael said to him, How do you know me? 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:18.579 Jesus answered him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:24.579 Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you are the son of God. 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:26.840 You are the king of Israel. 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:33.480 Jesus answered him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree. 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:35.439 Do you believe? 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:38.840 You will see greater things than these. 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:51.260 And he said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man. 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:53.239 This is the word of God. 00:02:57.079 --> 00:02:57.439 Great. 00:02:57.519 --> 00:02:58.280 Thank you, Julie. 00:02:58.759 --> 00:02:59.239 Good morning. 00:02:59.299 --> 00:03:01.639 Let me pray for us briefly and then we'll dive in. 00:03:01.780 --> 00:03:04.639 Father God, as we come to your word, your word is life. 00:03:04.799 --> 00:03:05.859 Your word is true. 00:03:06.019 --> 00:03:06.959 Your word is real. 00:03:07.079 --> 00:03:07.899 Your word is powerful. 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:09.719 Come and speak to us. 00:03:09.819 --> 00:03:10.859 Come and be in our midst. 00:03:11.359 --> 00:03:12.959 God, we want to hear from you. 00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:18.319 And so let your word come alive to us, I pray, in your wonderful and gracious name. 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:22.079 Some of you might know the name Lee Strobel. 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:25.439 Lee Strobel was an avowed atheist. 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:34.019 He was convinced that people just created God because as the way to, or the idea of God to avoid the fear of death. 00:03:34.799 --> 00:03:37.240 And Lee Strobel was an American. 00:03:37.459 --> 00:03:39.359 He lived a very hedonistic lifestyle. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:41.879 He had no spiritual inclinations whatsoever. 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:44.460 And he writes this about his life. 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:46.479 He said, I lived an immoral life. 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:47.859 Drunken and profane. 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:51.219 Narcissistic and self-destructive in every way. 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:53.840 And he was an award-winning journalist. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:57.519 And yet he says his life was a mess. 00:03:58.060 --> 00:04:03.579 He says that every night when he came home from work, his young daughter feared when he came home because he had such a temper. 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:05.259 He was such an angry man. 00:04:05.259 --> 00:04:09.259 And it was a fearful thing for her to have her dad come home. 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:13.519 But one day his wife, Leslie, does the unthinkable thing. 00:04:14.179 --> 00:04:18.159 A Christian in their apartment block befriends her and invites her to church. 00:04:18.219 --> 00:04:21.740 And she goes to church and she decides to become a follower of Jesus. 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:30.620 And so Lee Strobel, the investigative journalist, decides, I'm going to investigate the claims of Jesus and Christianity and prove my wife wrong. 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:38.680 And so for two years he goes on investigation to prove his wife wrong, Jesus Christ and birth and Christianity a sham. 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:41.620 We'll come back to Lee Strobel's a little later. 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:45.540 We're working our way through John's gospel as Julie said to us. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:47.540 And we've come to an important transition. 00:04:47.699 --> 00:04:48.699 We're at the end of chapter one. 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:53.100 Up until now, we've been hearing about this guy called John the Baptist. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.740 And John the Baptist has been, have an important message. 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:59.680 He's been sharing that Jesus is the Christ. 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:04.340 In the next section we're going to look at next week, Jesus finds that he has some disciples. 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:07.400 At the end of verse 11, chapter 2 says, 00:05:07.860 --> 00:05:10.759 Jesus did the first of his signs at Canaan and Galilee. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:14.439 He manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him. 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:17.639 And so before this, Jesus has no disciples. 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:18.519 There's just John. 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:20.879 Afterwards, Jesus has some disciples. 00:05:21.460 --> 00:05:26.519 And we come at the point, the transition in John's gospel, where Jesus gathers a bunch of followers. 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:32.859 Jesus gathered some people who believe in him and trust in him and follow him and become his disciples. 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:39.259 And it's an important point because for us, we've got to ask, where did these disciples come from? 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:41.359 How did they come to believe? 00:05:41.479 --> 00:05:42.899 How did they come to follow him? 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:50.079 What did Jesus do or say to convince these men, these people, that he really was who he said he was? 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:52.939 How did Jesus gather these disciples? 00:05:53.060 --> 00:06:05.740 And it's an important question for us today because still today, Jesus Christ is calling people from every culture, every background, every language or ethnicity or nationality to come and follow him. 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:08.019 What is it going to take? 00:06:08.599 --> 00:06:11.779 How does Jesus call people to follow him? 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:16.459 Well, Jesus, as I said, is calling people to be his followers. 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:18.639 And this is one of the driving passions of our church. 00:06:18.719 --> 00:06:20.119 It's one of the reasons Watermark exists. 00:06:20.559 --> 00:06:27.139 We want many, many people in Hong Kong, the greatest city in the world, to come to know him and to follow him. 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:33.959 And so in this passage today, we're going to see something of how Jesus calls people to follow him, to know him. 00:06:34.619 --> 00:06:38.379 And so let's look at our Bibles or if you've got a bulletin in front of you. 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:45.740 I want us to notice that the section that Julie read to us, there are two sections in this passage together, two sections that are very similar. 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:48.639 The first one is verse 35 to 42. 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:51.519 And then the second one, verse 43 to 51. 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:55.000 And in both of these sections, a similar thing happens. 00:06:55.480 --> 00:07:01.300 In both of them, people are brought to Jesus through the testimony or the witness of somebody else. 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:01.959 Right? 00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:05.540 And the first one, John tells Andrew, there is the Messiah. 00:07:05.899 --> 00:07:07.300 Andrew goes and calls Simon Peter. 00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:12.060 In the second section, Andrew finds Philip and Philip goes and finds Nathaniel. 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:17.540 In both of these sections, there is a growing understanding of who Jesus is. 00:07:17.960 --> 00:07:23.220 In the first section, you'll remember that Andrew comes to him and calls him rabbi or teacher. 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:27.819 But in the end, he goes to Simon Peter's brother and says, we have found the Messiah. 00:07:28.340 --> 00:07:32.060 So there's this growing understanding of Jesus, not just a rabbi, he's the Messiah. 00:07:32.620 --> 00:07:34.699 And the same thing happens in the second section. 00:07:34.699 --> 00:07:40.319 Remember, Nathaniel comes and he says, who's this Jesus of Nazareth guy? 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:42.439 And does anything good come out of Nazareth anyway? 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:43.500 He's a bit condescending. 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:46.639 But by the end, he says, you are the son of God. 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:48.099 You are the king of Israel. 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:51.039 So even Nathaniel grows in his understanding. 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:58.060 And of course, the last section of both of these sections, Jesus promises something profound is going to happen. 00:07:58.200 --> 00:08:02.660 He says to Simon, you are Simon, you're going to become Peter. 00:08:02.780 --> 00:08:03.960 There's a change that's going to happen. 00:08:04.620 --> 00:08:10.460 And he says to Nathaniel, you will see the angels ascending and descending on the son of God. 00:08:10.840 --> 00:08:13.420 So both of these sections are very similar. 00:08:14.140 --> 00:08:15.060 Why is that? 00:08:15.460 --> 00:08:18.680 Well, John is using repetition to make his point. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:19.860 And what is his point? 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:26.759 John wants to show us the uniqueness of Jesus and how he uniquely calls people to follow him. 00:08:27.520 --> 00:08:32.800 John wants to show us the uniqueness of Jesus and how he uniquely calls people to follow him. 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:33.560 Okay. 00:08:34.060 --> 00:08:38.360 So when we look at this passage, how do people become followers of Jesus? 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:46.240 Well, one very obvious thing, before we dive in too much, a very obvious thing is Jesus reaches people through relationships. 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:47.820 Relationally, right? 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:54.360 I think that's the very obvious thing here is how do Simon, Peter and Nathaniel come to follow Jesus? 00:08:54.900 --> 00:08:57.480 Well, they didn't just have a dream. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:00.560 They came to know him through relationships, right? 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:04.239 John the Baptist points Andrew and another disciple. 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:08.479 They go and find Simon and Peter and Peter becomes a follower of Jesus. 00:09:10.599 --> 00:09:12.739 Philip finds Nathaniel. 00:09:12.819 --> 00:09:14.239 Nathaniel comes a follower of Jesus. 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:19.399 And all throughout the world, throughout the history of the world, this is how really people come to know Jesus. 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:24.039 I would imagine every one of us in the room that call ourselves Christians. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:28.240 I know not all of us are Christians, but every one of us that would call ourselves a Christian. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:30.039 There's been some pivotal relationship. 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:32.360 Some person in your life. 00:09:32.939 --> 00:09:33.819 Maybe a parent. 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:35.039 Or a sibling. 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:36.000 Or a spouse. 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:37.559 Or a colleague. 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:39.019 Or a teacher at school. 00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:40.439 Or a boss. 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:41.579 Or a client. 00:09:41.779 --> 00:09:44.819 Some person that helped you know and follow Jesus. 00:09:44.820 --> 00:09:50.340 And so one of the obvious questions is, who has God brought into your life? 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:52.240 That you might bring them to Christ. 00:09:53.260 --> 00:09:58.580 Who is it that you, like Philip says to Nathaniel, who might you be able to say, come and see? 00:09:59.100 --> 00:10:01.260 Come and see what Jesus has done for me. 00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:06.260 Okay, so the one obvious application is, how does God call people, well, relationally? 00:10:06.680 --> 00:10:11.700 But beyond this very obvious point, in this passage, we're going to see three things that I want us to focus on. 00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:15.220 Three ways that Jesus calls people to follow him. 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:17.720 And you might not be a Christian here this morning. 00:10:17.800 --> 00:10:19.420 Maybe you're on a spiritual journey. 00:10:19.520 --> 00:10:20.140 You're a seeker. 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:23.340 Three ways that Jesus might be calling you. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:25.140 Revealing himself to you. 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:27.280 That you might become a follower. 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:29.740 So, let's dive in and look at it. 00:10:29.780 --> 00:10:32.200 First way Jesus calls us is intelligently. 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:33.640 Intelligently. 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:40.820 Notice how these followers of Jesus, they come to him on the basis of eyewitness testimony. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:45.220 I think this is one of the main points we may need to see in John chapter 1. 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:53.260 The apostle here wants us to see that the belief in Jesus is based on eyewitness testimony. 00:10:53.960 --> 00:11:00.120 When John writes his gospel, John wasn't a fiction writer who decided to sit down and write a novel. 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:04.500 Like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:05.440 I don't know if you know that book. 00:11:05.920 --> 00:11:08.940 It caused a lot of controversy about 15, 20 years ago. 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:14.940 He writes this fictionalized account of how Jesus really wasn't the Messiah and it's all a sham. 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:21.160 But the book caused a great stir because it was kind of pitched as a historical novel. 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:23.240 And everyone thought, he's done his research. 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:23.860 This is true. 00:11:24.180 --> 00:11:25.220 Christianity is a sham. 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:28.040 But actually Dan Brown said, hey, I'm a novelist. 00:11:28.300 --> 00:11:30.879 I sit down to write a fiction book. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:33.779 This isn't trying to be historical evidence. 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:37.680 But John's gospel is not like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:42.940 John didn't write down and say, let me write an aspiring novel that will move people. 00:11:43.700 --> 00:11:50.220 John's gospel is not a Netflix film that is based on roughly true events but being fictionalized. 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:52.540 This is more like a documentary. 00:11:53.460 --> 00:11:54.680 John's done his research. 00:11:54.800 --> 00:11:55.879 He's an eyewitness. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:56.980 He knows. 00:11:57.060 --> 00:11:57.519 He was there. 00:11:57.600 --> 00:11:59.860 He's saying, let me write what happened. 00:12:00.660 --> 00:12:07.600 And if you'll notice, the main character in chapter 1, John the Baptist, is not portrayed as a religious leader or as a great preacher. 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:09.660 He's portrayed as an eyewitness. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:11.920 Listen to how many times John says this. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:12.940 Look at verse 6. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:13.560 He says this. 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.059 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:21.459 He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:25.079 He was not the light but he came to bear witness about the light. 00:12:25.599 --> 00:12:26.199 Verse 15. 00:12:26.439 --> 00:12:28.119 John bore witness about Jesus. 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:28.839 Verse 19. 00:12:29.239 --> 00:12:30.879 This is the testimony of John. 00:12:31.199 --> 00:12:31.839 Verse 32. 00:12:32.199 --> 00:12:33.299 And John bore witness. 00:12:33.479 --> 00:12:34.519 And again, verse 34. 00:12:34.979 --> 00:12:36.779 I have seen and I have borne witness. 00:12:36.979 --> 00:12:38.039 This is the Son of God. 00:12:38.979 --> 00:12:39.959 You see the point here? 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:43.560 John the Baptist was an eyewitness. 00:12:44.040 --> 00:12:48.500 His record is an authentic witness of what he saw and know and encountered. 00:12:48.820 --> 00:12:50.180 That he spoke with Jesus. 00:12:50.540 --> 00:12:52.100 And this is what really happened. 00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:57.160 And how did these five disciples or these five followers of Jesus come to know him? 00:12:57.660 --> 00:12:59.220 Not through psychic meditation. 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:04.220 It's not through hallucination or drug-induced experimentation. 00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:08.980 It's through the logic, rational testimony of eyewitnesses. 00:13:08.980 --> 00:13:10.500 They've come to see. 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:11.440 They've come to experience. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:12.840 They've reasoned with Jesus. 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:14.639 Look at what it says here. 00:13:14.680 --> 00:13:15.300 Verse 41. 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:20.539 It says, Andrew found his brother Simon and he said to him, come we have found the Messiah. 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:21.899 And they brought him to Jesus. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:23.259 Or verse 45. 00:13:23.800 --> 00:13:27.860 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, we found the one that Moses and the prophets wrote about. 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:28.639 Jesus of Nazareth. 00:13:28.920 --> 00:13:29.800 Come and see. 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:32.659 And of course, Nathanael is not convinced at all. 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:34.720 He says, you've got to be kidding me. 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:37.279 Who is this Nazareth guy? 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:39.120 He thinks this is a joke. 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:41.439 And he comes and he reasons with Jesus. 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:42.360 And he talks with him. 00:13:42.500 --> 00:13:43.360 And he questions. 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:44.500 And he asks him things. 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:47.299 And as he comes, he sees Jesus himself. 00:13:47.439 --> 00:13:48.379 He comes to believe. 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:51.299 Jesus doesn't beat him into submission. 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:54.419 Jesus doesn't emotionally manipulate him. 00:13:54.939 --> 00:13:59.240 Jesus doesn't have the smoke machines and the lights dimmed and the E minor chord playing. 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:01.620 And just emotionally manipulate him to following him. 00:14:01.620 --> 00:14:02.840 He reasons with him. 00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:03.580 He argues with him. 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:07.399 And he shows Jesus really is the Christ. 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:17.340 And John wants his readers to know that what he says about Jesus Christ is historically verifiable, historically reliable, and accurate. 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:20.159 The Gospels are not just wishful thinking. 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:22.379 They're reliable facts of history. 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:24.279 John is saying, you can go and ask these people. 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:26.500 Go and find Simon Peter. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.139 Go and find the disciples. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:30.620 You ask them what their account was like. 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:39.100 This is, I'm not sure if you notice here, it says, in our Bible, actually, three times it says, verse 29, the next day, this is what happened. 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:41.639 Verse 35, the next day, then this happened. 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:44.620 Verse 43, then the next day, this happened. 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:48.139 In chapter 2, verse 1, on the third day, there was a wedding. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.080 John is remembering, saying this happened, then this, then this, then this. 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:55.319 This isn't just a fictionalized account of kind of vaguely this happened. 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:57.000 He's keeping a diary. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:58.860 Now, there's symbolism involved. 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:00.220 We'll talk about that next week. 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:02.500 But the point is, this is history. 00:15:02.620 --> 00:15:03.779 This is what actually happened. 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:08.340 Now, we may say, okay, but that's back in that day and age. 00:15:08.379 --> 00:15:10.419 I mean, we can't go and ask Andrew and Philip. 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.539 You know, they'd been dead 2,000 years ago. 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:15.600 So, what eyewitnesses are we meant to trust? 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.419 Well, we have the Bible. 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:20.159 We have the Scriptures. 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:24.899 You see, the Bible is, on one hand, it's God's Word to us. 00:15:25.219 --> 00:15:26.620 That means it's authoritative. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:27.980 We listen to it. 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:29.179 We submit our lives to it. 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:31.159 We align our lives with what God says. 00:15:31.259 --> 00:15:33.000 God wants to speak to us through His Word. 00:15:33.699 --> 00:15:36.059 But the Bible is not just a spiritual book. 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:38.139 It's also a historical document. 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:48.279 It consists of 60, 65, 66 historical documents that are written by, many of them, eyewitnesses of actual effect and what happened. 00:15:49.199 --> 00:15:57.059 And the New Testament wasn't written by 12 guys around a campfire and said, hey, guys, let's write a spiritual book. 00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.419 And we'll tell everyone that it's the Word of God. 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:01.259 Let's convince people about this new religion. 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:04.679 Actually, the Bible is written by many people who didn't know each other. 00:16:05.299 --> 00:16:06.439 They had no relationship. 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:09.700 And they all wrote their own historical account of what happened. 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:11.819 And amazingly, it's unified. 00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:15.559 It comes together with almost zero contradictions. 00:16:16.939 --> 00:16:22.139 The Bible is one of the most reliable historical documents we've got from the ancient world. 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:28.439 In fact, far more reliable than almost most of the historical documents we've got in the Western world of other history that we believe. 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:31.640 Like Julius Caesar and Caesar's Gaelic Wars. 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:34.020 All these historical documents that we take as fact. 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:37.600 The Bible's got infinitely more evidence for its historicity. 00:16:38.180 --> 00:16:39.280 Let me give you one example. 00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:41.960 If you've got a Bible, go to Luke chapter 1. 00:16:43.040 --> 00:16:44.380 This is Luke's gospel. 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:45.800 Luke was a doctor. 00:16:46.300 --> 00:16:48.000 He was evidently very good at research. 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:56.280 And so a prominent member of society, a man called Theophilus, employs Luke to write a historic document of the life of Jesus. 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:57.840 Theophilus has heard about this man. 00:16:57.840 --> 00:16:58.980 Jesus of Nazareth. 00:16:59.160 --> 00:17:01.100 He wants to know if what he's heard is true. 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:03.580 And so he gets Luke to write this document. 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:05.579 Look at how Luke starts his gospel. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:06.400 He says this. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:36.140 See what Luke's saying there? 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:38.180 He's saying, listen, we've all heard about Jesus. 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:43.560 Others have taken upon themselves to write biographies like Mark and Matthew and John. 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:47.460 But I also wanted to do my own research and to find out, is this true? 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:55.380 And I've written an orderly account that you may have certainty concerning the eyewitness historicity that Jesus is who he said he is. 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:57.120 Friends, the point is this. 00:17:57.120 --> 00:17:58.620 How does Jesus come to us? 00:17:59.020 --> 00:18:00.600 He comes to us intelligently. 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:02.420 He comes to us and says, listen to the evidence. 00:18:02.820 --> 00:18:03.620 Examine the evidence. 00:18:03.760 --> 00:18:05.140 Listen to the eyewitnesses. 00:18:06.020 --> 00:18:07.620 On that note, side note here. 00:18:08.120 --> 00:18:12.500 In five weeks time, we're going to have a seminar after church on evidence for the resurrection. 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:16.620 If you're someone that wondering, hey, is it really true that Jesus rose again? 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:19.019 I mean, maybe he just rose in people's hearts. 00:18:19.099 --> 00:18:21.000 Maybe it's just a spiritual resurrection. 00:18:21.199 --> 00:18:23.179 No, no, there's a bodily, physical resurrection. 00:18:23.819 --> 00:18:25.059 Have you ever examined the evidence? 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:28.799 Five weeks time, we're going to talk about that after church in the seminar. 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:33.579 This morning, as we were leaving our house, we had a brief conversation with our neighbor. 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:36.099 We've got a new neighbor across the way from us. 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:45.099 And he was telling us how he has just converted to Judaism because his wife is Jewish and he's converted. 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:47.720 And he said to her, how's that going for you? 00:18:48.159 --> 00:18:49.839 And he said, well, yeah, it's been good. 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:54.279 At the end of the day, all that really matters is whether it adds something to your life. 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:56.220 And in my life, it's really added something. 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:57.059 It's been beneficial. 00:18:57.059 --> 00:19:01.639 Well, it's true that religion and faith should add something to your life. 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:02.579 It should be beneficial. 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:06.399 But at the end of the day, I think what matters is, is it true? 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:07.740 Is it true? 00:19:07.819 --> 00:19:10.339 I mean, if it's not true, it's all just made up nonsense. 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:12.539 And it doesn't matter if it adds value to your life. 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:13.659 If it's not true, it's not true. 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:16.480 Friends, John wants us to know. 00:19:17.179 --> 00:19:18.399 Jesus is who he said he is. 00:19:18.419 --> 00:19:19.039 It's true. 00:19:19.659 --> 00:19:21.240 This isn't just wishful thinking. 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:23.500 This is what he wants us to believe. 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:25.859 Christianity doesn't mean switching off your brains. 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:28.199 Faith and science are not opposed to each other. 00:19:28.639 --> 00:19:29.719 They're not mutually exclusive. 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:33.000 Having faith doesn't mean a leap in the dark. 00:19:33.639 --> 00:19:34.879 Jesus is who he said he is. 00:19:34.939 --> 00:19:36.599 But John says, don't just take it from me. 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:38.479 Ask the eyewitnesses. 00:19:39.219 --> 00:19:41.419 Jesus comes to us intellectually. 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:45.439 Christian faith is, but Christian faith is not merely intellectual. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.099 It's not merely true. 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:48.719 It's also personal. 00:19:48.819 --> 00:19:49.559 That's the second thing. 00:19:49.659 --> 00:19:51.740 Jesus comes to us personally. 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:54.620 Look again at our passage. 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:59.420 Look at Jesus' interactions with both Simon Peter and then Nathaniel. 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:02.759 Look at first what he says to Simon Peter in verse 44. 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:06.460 He says to him here, he says, sorry, verse 42. 00:20:06.620 --> 00:20:09.420 He says, you are Simon, the son of John. 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:11.460 You will be called Kephas or Peter. 00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:17.319 Now it seems this is maybe the first time that Simon, later to be called Peter, is meeting Jesus. 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:22.079 He doesn't know Jesus, and yet Jesus knows all about him. 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:22.559 Right? 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:29.019 And it's as if Jesus is saying, Simon, you are just learning about me, but I know all about you. 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:36.860 And one of the things we read in Luke's gospel, when Simon, later called Peter, discovers that Jesus knows him inside out. 00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:38.619 Actually, Simon's a bit petrified. 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:40.259 He doesn't like the idea of this. 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:43.939 Because Simon, like probably all of us, has got some baggage in his life. 00:20:44.459 --> 00:20:46.339 There's some skeletons in his closet. 00:20:46.479 --> 00:20:49.899 He's not sure if he wants everybody to know him that deeply. 00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:52.459 And so Simon cries out, he says, away from me, Lord. 00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:53.500 I'm a sinful man. 00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:55.639 Jesus, you don't want anything to do with me. 00:20:56.339 --> 00:21:01.799 But Jesus, of course, knows everything about him and hasn't come to embarrass him or shame him. 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:03.859 He's come to meet him with grace. 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:08.359 Jesus is so gracious, he hasn't come to condemn Simon. 00:21:08.859 --> 00:21:10.740 He's come to meet his shame with grace. 00:21:11.639 --> 00:21:13.059 And Jesus knows everything about us. 00:21:13.879 --> 00:21:15.019 He knows our family stories. 00:21:15.159 --> 00:21:15.899 He knows our history. 00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:17.339 He knows our struggles. 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:18.359 He knows our difficulty. 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:22.659 He knows everything about us, and he calls us to follow him as we are. 00:21:23.619 --> 00:21:28.419 I think of the story we're going to talk about in a few weeks' time of Jesus meets a woman at a well one day. 00:21:28.479 --> 00:21:30.419 And the woman is also a life full of shame. 00:21:30.879 --> 00:21:31.779 She's there on her own. 00:21:31.779 --> 00:21:33.779 She's an outcast from the rest of her village. 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.619 And he says to her, hey, why don't you go call your husband? 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:38.139 And she says, I don't have a husband. 00:21:38.899 --> 00:21:40.039 And Jesus says, that's right. 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:43.240 You've had five husbands, and the man you're with now is not really your husband, is he? 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:45.740 Jesus knows everything about her. 00:21:46.139 --> 00:21:48.119 First time he's met her, but he knows her whole story. 00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:53.639 And yet, amazingly, Jesus meets her shame with grace. 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:59.900 And she runs off to the village, and she says, I've just met somebody that knows everything about me and just told me my whole life story. 00:22:00.020 --> 00:22:01.000 Could he be the Messiah? 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:06.500 But for her, the fact that Jesus knows everything about her is not bad news. 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:07.880 It's good news. 00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:12.940 Because for the first time in her life, here is somebody who knows her and yet loves her. 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:19.940 Her whole life, she's been used and abused, taken advantage of by men that don't really care to know her and don't really love her. 00:22:20.340 --> 00:22:26.080 But here is a man that knows her inside out, knows everything about her, and yet loves her. 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:29.699 And he meets her guilt with grace and with kindness. 00:22:30.419 --> 00:22:38.019 And so, what's interesting is, John writes and he says, many from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony. 00:22:38.699 --> 00:22:39.799 The eyewitness testimony. 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:43.839 The point is, Jesus calls us to himself personally. 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:45.539 He doesn't just call us intellectually. 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:51.519 He says, you and your life and your story, I'm interested in you, and I want you to come and follow me. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:53.839 And look at how we see this with Nathaniel. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:54.839 Look at verse 47. 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:55.359 Verse 47. 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:56.919 The point is made clearly. 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:00.759 Remember how condescending Nathaniel is about Jesus? 00:23:00.939 --> 00:23:02.879 He says, honestly, who's this guy from Nazareth? 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:04.059 I mean, like, come on. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:05.559 Why are you bringing me to him? 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:06.879 Verse 47. 00:23:07.159 --> 00:23:14.199 Jesus saw Nathaniel coming towards him and says, ah, behold, here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. 00:23:14.899 --> 00:23:17.019 And Nathaniel says, how do you know me? 00:23:17.659 --> 00:23:17.899 Right? 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:19.399 Have you been watching me? 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:24.720 And Jesus says, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. 00:23:25.399 --> 00:23:27.599 Now, Jesus tells two things about Nathaniel. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:31.299 Firstly, he tells Nathaniel what's going on in his heart. 00:23:31.919 --> 00:23:36.799 He says, Nathaniel, in the deepest part, the most secret place of your heart, I know what's going on in there. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:38.240 I can see you. 00:23:38.299 --> 00:23:39.240 I know you. 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:42.200 But the other thing is, look what else. 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:46.180 He says, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. 00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:50.079 Now, nobody really knows what Nathaniel was doing under this fig tree, right? 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:53.859 But evidently, it was something, Nathaniel wasn't having a nap. 00:23:54.500 --> 00:23:54.740 Okay? 00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:56.659 There was something deep going on. 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:59.099 Nathaniel was obviously wrestling with something. 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:01.480 Maybe he was having arguments with somebody. 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:04.099 Maybe he was praying. 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:05.860 Maybe he was confessing some sin. 00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:06.980 Maybe he was repenting. 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:13.279 Maybe he had just been exposed to something in his life that was out of kilter with his faith, was being exposed. 00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:14.539 And maybe he was repenting. 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:18.339 Maybe he was saying, God, where's this Messiah that you've been promising for all these years? 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:20.099 I thought the Messiah was going to come. 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:24.299 But whatever's going on, Nathaniel is wrestling deeply with something. 00:24:24.699 --> 00:24:28.919 Because Jesus says to him, hey, Nathaniel, I saw you under the fig tree. 00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:29.959 I saw what you're wrestling. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:31.859 I know what is going on inside you. 00:24:31.919 --> 00:24:33.500 And what are Nathaniel's next words? 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:37.359 He says, oh my goodness, you are the son of God. 00:24:37.919 --> 00:24:38.899 You are the king of Israel. 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:42.359 We don't know exactly what Nathaniel is going through, but Jesus knew. 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:48.179 And Jesus put his finger on a very deep and profound part of his life and saying, Nathaniel, I know you. 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:50.360 I've come for you. 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:52.279 I've come that you might follow me. 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:54.860 Friends, what's the point here? 00:24:55.660 --> 00:24:59.600 Jesus knows the best about us and the worst about us. 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:02.799 He knows, and he calls us to himself nonetheless. 00:25:03.100 --> 00:25:04.039 He knows our past. 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:06.080 He knows our failings. 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:08.560 He knows the sins that we've committed. 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:12.920 And he knows the sins that others have committed against us and have left us traumatized. 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:17.000 He knows the things that we've done which we wish we could undo and take back. 00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:20.400 He knows the dreams that we're chasing. 00:25:20.859 --> 00:25:22.900 He knows the longings that we carry. 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:26.440 He knows the things that keep us awake at night and that are on our mind. 00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:29.559 The things that cause us to toss and turn in bed that we can't sleep. 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.079 He knows everything about us. 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:33.740 The best and the worst. 00:25:33.859 --> 00:25:35.200 And he says, come. 00:25:35.940 --> 00:25:36.900 Come and follow me. 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:38.559 Come and experience my grace. 00:25:38.980 --> 00:25:40.059 With all your baggage. 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:41.559 With everything there is about you. 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:43.160 Come, I want you. 00:25:43.740 --> 00:25:44.980 I want you to follow me. 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:46.799 Come and find your rest in me. 00:25:46.860 --> 00:25:49.779 In a sense, Jesus is so unlike us, isn't he? 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:53.400 He doesn't size us up and say, what university did you go to? 00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:54.319 What degree do you have? 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:55.400 What's your job? 00:25:56.339 --> 00:25:57.500 How much do you earn? 00:25:57.500 --> 00:26:01.640 Jesus doesn't go on a dating app to see our profile. 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:07.019 He doesn't do a matchment test before just to see how compatible we are. 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:08.400 Jesus knows everything. 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:09.759 And he says, come. 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:10.839 I want you. 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:12.960 I want you to follow me. 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:16.240 And Jesus calls us personally. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:19.460 However, I must warn you. 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:23.759 In one sense, Jesus calls us to follow him just as we are. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.380 He doesn't ask us to clean up our lives. 00:26:25.460 --> 00:26:27.000 He doesn't say, listen, sort yourselves out. 00:26:27.319 --> 00:26:31.200 And when you've got it all in order, when your life is good, then you can follow me. 00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:32.539 He says, as you are. 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:34.700 With all your baggage, come and follow me. 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:40.039 But on the other hand, he calls us as we are, but he doesn't leave us as we are. 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:43.559 He says, if you're going to follow me, I'm going to change you. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:45.599 And that leads us to the third point. 00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:47.079 Jesus calls us intelligently. 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:48.599 He calls us personally. 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:51.359 But thirdly, he calls us profoundly. 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:54.220 He calls us to change us. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:58.200 This is probably my favorite part of this passage. 00:26:58.419 --> 00:27:01.679 Look at how both these sections end. 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:07.139 They both end with Jesus promising that something profound is going to happen to these two men 00:27:07.139 --> 00:27:09.440 that are thinking about following Jesus. 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:12.700 Look at what he says to Simon Peter, verse 42. 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:16.420 Jesus looks at him and says, you are Simon, son of John. 00:27:16.840 --> 00:27:19.700 You shall be called Kephas, which means Peter. 00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:21.539 What's the significance of this? 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:27.819 In the Bible, whenever Jesus renames somebody or God renames somebody, 00:27:28.180 --> 00:27:29.880 it's because their life is about to change. 00:27:30.360 --> 00:27:33.500 Or whenever somebody's life is about to change, God renames them. 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:35.440 So Abram becomes Abraham. 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:37.860 Jacob becomes Israel. 00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:42.139 Saul becomes Paul. 00:27:42.459 --> 00:27:43.899 Sarai becomes Sarah. 00:27:44.699 --> 00:27:48.059 Whenever there's a profound moment of change, God renames someone. 00:27:48.139 --> 00:27:52.479 It's like he's saying, I'm going to give you not just a new name, but a new identity, a new person. 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:54.959 Something in your heart is going to change. 00:27:54.960 --> 00:28:00.460 You know, in some church traditions, when you get baptized, they ask you, 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:03.240 what name do you want to be called after you're baptized? 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:06.900 And it's kind of saying, your old life is being buried. 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:08.579 You're united with Christ. 00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:10.279 You're dead in his death. 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:12.640 And you're going to be raised out of the water a new person. 00:28:12.819 --> 00:28:15.579 You go into the water of Martha, you come out Mary. 00:28:15.840 --> 00:28:18.140 You go in Saul, you're going to come out Paul. 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:21.480 Some people ask you, do you want a new name when you get baptized? 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:23.759 And it symbolizes God is changing you. 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:25.360 Something deep and profound is happening. 00:28:26.120 --> 00:28:33.599 When Jesus says to Simon, you will be called Peter, he's giving him a new identity, a new calling, a brand new start. 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:41.640 And friends, at the heart of Christianity, in some ways, is the claim that because Jesus Christ is a person, not just an idea, 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:53.700 because he's God, not just merely a man, and because he's good and kind and gracious and merciful, not capricious and arrogant and harsh, 00:28:54.280 --> 00:29:07.880 encountering him changes you profoundly, deeply, in a deep soul heart kind of way, fundamentally, in the depth of our core and in the depth of our being. 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:10.840 It's why the Apostle Paul says, my old life has died. 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:13.420 I've risen with Christ. 00:29:13.520 --> 00:29:16.400 Not self-improvement, death, resurrection. 00:29:16.560 --> 00:29:17.420 I'm a new person. 00:29:18.020 --> 00:29:19.280 God has changed me. 00:29:19.780 --> 00:29:21.340 And that's what's going on with Peter here. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:29.560 Simon Peter, when he follows him, friends, and that, dear friend, is what must happen to all of us who claim to follow Jesus. 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:35.419 When we follow him, he will come and move and he will recalibrate our hearts. 00:29:36.159 --> 00:29:38.139 He will change us in a deep and profound way. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:45.480 Friends, for those of us that follow Jesus, we must examine whether, in fact, has there been any change in our lives? 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:48.339 Is there any evidence of change in our lives? 00:29:49.139 --> 00:29:51.099 Have our tastes, our desires changed? 00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:52.599 Has our language changed? 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:54.839 Have our relationships changed at all? 00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:58.960 Friends, if you're a follower of Jesus, has God actually changed you in any way? 00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:05.519 Scripture tells us that when we encounter the living God, we will not be left the same. 00:30:06.879 --> 00:30:10.960 I think, if you don't mind me saying, I think Jacka at the back is one of the great stories of this. 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:13.379 Jacka became a Christian just under two years ago. 00:30:14.659 --> 00:30:16.000 Her father witnessed to her. 00:30:16.599 --> 00:30:20.619 And one day, she's told testimony, about two years ago, in April, I think it was, 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:23.799 gets on her knees in the living room of her apartment and says, 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:25.519 God, if you are real, I need you. 00:30:25.619 --> 00:30:26.519 I surrender to you. 00:30:26.579 --> 00:30:27.200 Have your way. 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:29.440 God had been chasing her and pursuing her. 00:30:30.299 --> 00:30:34.099 And then Jacka told me, after about a week, she finds her language has changed. 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:36.619 She's suddenly, she's not using the same words she used to use. 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:39.679 And her vocabulary has changed. 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:43.859 And then after a few weeks, actually, her previous desires have changed. 00:30:43.919 --> 00:30:45.859 She goes out with a friend, she still has the same friends, 00:30:46.379 --> 00:30:48.119 but she doesn't do the same things she used to do. 00:30:48.619 --> 00:30:52.759 Actually, her desires, the things that she used to do, doesn't have a desire to do them anymore. 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:55.679 God changed her radically in a couple of weeks. 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:57.500 I think I've told you the story before. 00:30:57.900 --> 00:31:02.560 In the great Welsh revival, 1904 in Wales, they had a big problem in their towns. 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:07.200 Because when revival came, so many people changed and changed their language, 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:11.299 that the owners of the mines and the farms wouldn't swear anymore. 00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:14.920 And the farm animals didn't know how to listen to their instructions, 00:31:15.060 --> 00:31:17.440 because previously, they would only swear at their animals. 00:31:17.740 --> 00:31:19.080 You, beep, beep, beep, beep. 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:19.980 Come and get a beep. 00:31:20.080 --> 00:31:20.560 Move on. 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:24.299 And now, suddenly, they become Christians, and they say, hey, come along. 00:31:24.399 --> 00:31:24.919 Come with me. 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:27.299 And their animals didn't know this new language. 00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:31.159 They'd only been sworn at for all their lives, because God changed the town. 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:34.059 And the bars closed down, because there was no more business. 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:36.359 And the sex industry closed down. 00:31:36.879 --> 00:31:39.200 Friends, Jesus comes, and He changes us. 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:41.720 I heard a story recently of a church I know, 00:31:42.399 --> 00:31:45.440 where they interviewed a guy on stage, and they said, 00:31:45.659 --> 00:31:47.339 how long have you been coming to this church? 00:31:47.899 --> 00:31:50.279 And he said, 15 years I've been a member of this church. 00:31:50.679 --> 00:31:52.679 And how long have you been playing in the worship team? 00:31:53.019 --> 00:31:56.299 Oh, 13 years I've been a musician, a worship leader in this church. 00:31:56.859 --> 00:31:58.039 How long have you been a Christian? 00:31:58.879 --> 00:31:59.799 Only three months. 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:02.859 And for 15 years, he thought he was a Christian. 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:05.819 Came every Sunday, played in the worship team, thought he knew Jesus. 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:07.240 His life hadn't changed. 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.419 But then one day, his eyes was opened. 00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:11.819 And he realized, something's changing in my life. 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:14.799 And he came to realize, actually, he only came to encounter Jesus then. 00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:18.759 Friends, are you someone who thinks you're a Christian, 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:20.980 but actually you've never encountered Jesus? 00:32:21.919 --> 00:32:23.000 Maybe you've been a member here. 00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:25.359 Maybe you're a deacon, a small group leader. 00:32:25.899 --> 00:32:26.819 Maybe you're one of the leaders. 00:32:27.779 --> 00:32:31.599 Friends, when Jesus comes into our life, He changes us profoundly. 00:32:32.259 --> 00:32:34.799 And for some of us, it might be radical, like Jack, in a few weeks. 00:32:34.859 --> 00:32:35.720 You see and notice the difference? 00:32:36.059 --> 00:32:37.139 Some, it's just internal. 00:32:37.419 --> 00:32:40.700 But over the months and the years, it grows more and more external. 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:42.840 Jesus comes and He changes us. 00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:48.620 He calls us to Himself, to encounter Him profoundly, deeply, in a deep heart way. 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:50.240 And we see the same with Nathanael. 00:32:50.440 --> 00:32:52.580 And look at what happens here. 00:32:52.900 --> 00:32:54.840 Nathanael comes to Him and He says, 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:56.759 Jesus, how do you know me? 00:32:57.480 --> 00:32:58.440 And Jesus answered him, 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:01.019 Before Philip called you and you under the fig tree, I saw you. 00:33:01.860 --> 00:33:03.319 Nathanael answered him, verse 49, 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:05.640 Rabbi, you are the Son of God. 00:33:05.720 --> 00:33:06.500 You're the King of Israel. 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:10.420 Jesus said, because I said to you, I saw you, do you believe? 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:15.799 And then, for the first time, Jesus uses the word plural, the word you for plural. 00:33:15.900 --> 00:33:17.180 Now He's talking to all the disciples. 00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:18.180 He's talking to all of us. 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:21.319 And He says, you will see greater things than this. 00:33:21.920 --> 00:33:24.079 And then He said, truly, truly, I say to you, 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:29.700 you all will see heaven opened, the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. 00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:32.039 What on earth is Jesus talking about? 00:33:32.700 --> 00:33:34.799 Well, there's a story in the Old Testament. 00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:35.839 Jacob. 00:33:36.639 --> 00:33:39.399 And Jacob was a bit of a scoundrel. 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:43.399 He was a liar, a cheat, a bit of a deceiver, a manipulator. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:50.119 And Jacob runs away from home because he had cheated his brother, the older brother, out of the family blessing. 00:33:51.059 --> 00:33:52.559 And so Jacob is on the run. 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:55.559 And so he's run away from home and he's sleeping under the stars. 00:33:56.220 --> 00:33:59.819 And one night he's sleeping and he has a dream. 00:33:59.819 --> 00:34:05.720 And in this dream, he sees a staircase or a ladder going up to heaven between earth and heaven. 00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:10.860 And on the staircase are angels ascending and descending, ascending and descending. 00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:13.799 And in his dream, God comes to him and speaks to him. 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:17.599 The God that he doesn't know personally, but he's heard about from his father. 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:22.599 And God speaks to him and says, I'm the God of your fathers, the one who's made promises to your people. 00:34:22.819 --> 00:34:27.719 And then God says, behold, I am with you and I will keep you wherever you go. 00:34:28.119 --> 00:34:29.779 I will bring you back this land. 00:34:29.920 --> 00:34:32.940 I will not leave you until I've done what I promised you. 00:34:32.940 --> 00:34:37.619 And Jacob wakes up from his sleep, wakes up from his dream. 00:34:38.320 --> 00:34:40.360 And he says this. 00:34:40.880 --> 00:34:44.360 He says, surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it. 00:34:45.200 --> 00:34:51.480 And Jacob, the scoundrel, this kind of deceiving, manipulating guy, encounters God for the first time in his life. 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:53.980 And he realizes God is gracious. 00:34:54.179 --> 00:34:55.139 God has come to him. 00:34:55.500 --> 00:34:57.960 And he says, God is in this place, but I did not know it. 00:34:58.139 --> 00:34:59.440 How awesome this place. 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:02.960 This is none other than the house of God, the gate of heaven. 00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:07.059 And in some ways, for the first time, God reveals himself to Jacob. 00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:09.700 And Jacob's life starts to change. 00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:12.099 He doesn't, he's not perfect automatically. 00:35:12.519 --> 00:35:17.579 He then goes to his uncle Laban and his uncle Laban is also a deceitful, manipulative guy. 00:35:18.159 --> 00:35:20.179 Laban cheats to him and lies to him. 00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:23.400 And Jacob doesn't treat Laban the way he would have previously. 00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:24.740 He's faithful. 00:35:25.099 --> 00:35:25.820 He serves. 00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:27.360 He honors his word. 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:30.900 And Jacob is starting to become a different person. 00:35:31.099 --> 00:35:31.680 Do you see what happened? 00:35:32.099 --> 00:35:34.780 He encountered God and he's starting to change. 00:35:35.400 --> 00:35:36.480 But this is what happens. 00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:43.880 When Jacob, at this moment, discovers the God of the universe, the God of all creation is in his midst. 00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:50.099 And he's come down to meet him, not in judgment, but in grace. 00:35:50.099 --> 00:35:52.599 Not to give Jacob what he deserves. 00:35:52.980 --> 00:35:54.860 He's come to save him. 00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:56.719 To rescue him. 00:35:57.259 --> 00:35:58.519 To heal him. 00:35:58.920 --> 00:36:00.319 To change him. 00:36:00.759 --> 00:36:04.860 When Jacob realizes God has come to him, not in judgment, but in grace. 00:36:05.219 --> 00:36:08.239 The wheels of change start to turn in his heart. 00:36:08.779 --> 00:36:10.659 And he starts to become a different person. 00:36:11.619 --> 00:36:11.779 Okay. 00:36:11.780 --> 00:36:14.340 Jesus takes this example. 00:36:14.540 --> 00:36:16.860 Because remember, Jacob saw the angels ascending and descending. 00:36:17.060 --> 00:36:18.300 Jesus takes this example. 00:36:18.540 --> 00:36:20.760 The same scene of angels ascending and descending. 00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:24.900 And for the first time, he speaks to Nathaniel and all the disciples in plural. 00:36:25.040 --> 00:36:26.019 He speaks to you and I. 00:36:26.100 --> 00:36:28.260 And he says, this is what will happen to you. 00:36:28.960 --> 00:36:31.480 When you come to Jesus and you see him. 00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:32.580 And you find out who he is. 00:36:32.600 --> 00:36:33.420 And you follow him. 00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:38.320 What you'll discover is that the God of the universe has come to us. 00:36:38.700 --> 00:36:39.639 In our midst. 00:36:40.200 --> 00:36:41.079 Not in judgment. 00:36:41.700 --> 00:36:43.079 Not to give us what we deserve. 00:36:43.740 --> 00:36:45.039 He's come to save us. 00:36:45.680 --> 00:36:47.000 He's come to rescue us. 00:36:47.579 --> 00:36:48.900 He's come to redeem us. 00:36:49.420 --> 00:36:50.559 He's come to heal us. 00:36:50.940 --> 00:36:53.740 And when that happens, it will change you. 00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:56.940 It will profoundly and deeply change your identity. 00:36:57.440 --> 00:36:58.280 Your view of life. 00:36:58.579 --> 00:36:59.519 How you view yourself. 00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:01.300 It will change your calling, your purpose. 00:37:01.480 --> 00:37:02.240 It will change you. 00:37:03.000 --> 00:37:08.979 Friends, the gospel says that because of our sin and our rebellion to God, we all need to change. 00:37:10.019 --> 00:37:15.119 But the gospel says because Jesus Christ loves us so much, all of us can change. 00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:17.299 Because he came to change us. 00:37:17.819 --> 00:37:19.159 And so how does Jesus call us? 00:37:19.159 --> 00:37:21.299 Not superficially, but deeply. 00:37:22.399 --> 00:37:22.839 Profoundly. 00:37:23.799 --> 00:37:24.239 Purposefully. 00:37:24.639 --> 00:37:27.559 In a way that will recalibrate the core of who we are. 00:37:27.639 --> 00:37:31.519 You know, if something is off-kilter, it needs to be recalibrated. 00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:32.440 It needs to be reset. 00:37:32.820 --> 00:37:33.659 Set to true north. 00:37:33.780 --> 00:37:38.079 Jesus will recalibrate the hearts, our hearts and our lives so that we know him. 00:37:38.400 --> 00:37:44.440 The God of the universe has opened up the heavens and has come down in order to reconcile us to himself that we may know him. 00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:53.400 So at the end of two years, Lee Strobel does an investigation to prove his wife wrong, to prove Christianity a sham. 00:37:54.179 --> 00:37:55.659 But his life changes. 00:37:56.420 --> 00:38:02.519 He comes to believe not only that Jesus Christ is true and real, believes that Christianity is real. 00:38:03.280 --> 00:38:08.639 He decides to commit himself as a follower of Jesus, as a disciple of Jesus, and to call him God and King. 00:38:09.219 --> 00:38:11.279 Listen to how Lee Strobel ends his book. 00:38:11.379 --> 00:38:14.319 He says, or in one of his, sorry, one of his books, he says this. 00:38:14.319 --> 00:38:15.400 I have traveled the world. 00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:17.299 I have searched high and low. 00:38:17.799 --> 00:38:24.859 I have found nothing that satisfies the mind, but also my heart and the deepest longings of my soul, like Jesus does. 00:38:25.500 --> 00:38:28.440 Jesus is not only the truth, the way, the life. 00:38:28.879 --> 00:38:30.279 He is personal to me. 00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:38.920 He is my way, my truth, my life, just as he can be for anyone who reaches out and is willing to follow him. 00:38:39.640 --> 00:38:40.860 So friends, what about you? 00:38:41.860 --> 00:38:43.080 Are you a follower of Jesus? 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:52.300 Jesus is not calling us just to simply follow him in name, someone who vaguely ascends to most of what's in the Bible. 00:38:52.300 --> 00:39:00.980 Well, Jesus is calling us to follow him personally, deeply, profoundly, in a way that changes our lives. 00:39:01.700 --> 00:39:04.920 Jesus comes to us and says, all of you, why don't you come and follow me? 00:39:05.580 --> 00:39:06.539 Embrace the cost. 00:39:07.060 --> 00:39:08.240 Let me meet you personally. 00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:10.039 Let me meet you profoundly. 00:39:10.740 --> 00:39:12.720 Let me meet you in my love. 00:39:13.700 --> 00:39:18.200 Friends, given this understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, would you say you genuinely are a follower of Jesus? 00:39:18.860 --> 00:39:20.500 Or do you just honor him as rabbi? 00:39:20.500 --> 00:39:27.000 Have you, like Simon Peter, you maybe thought of him as a good teacher, but have you come to see him as Lord, as God, as King? 00:39:27.719 --> 00:39:31.659 Jesus has come down that you may know him and follow him like that. 00:39:32.400 --> 00:39:34.880 Why don't we come to him now in prayer and do that together? 00:39:37.659 --> 00:39:40.760 Jesus Christ, we, in this church, love you. 00:39:41.420 --> 00:39:43.300 We don't know you perfectly. 00:39:43.659 --> 00:39:44.840 We want to know you more. 00:39:45.440 --> 00:39:47.619 We don't understand everything about you. 00:39:47.619 --> 00:39:53.199 For all eternity, we'll get to know you and be ravished by you and grow in our love for you. 00:39:53.619 --> 00:39:56.859 But God, thank you so much that you have opened the heavens. 00:39:57.000 --> 00:39:59.619 You have come down in our midst. 00:40:00.259 --> 00:40:05.159 The God of all creation, not to destroy us, but to rescue us, to save us. 00:40:05.819 --> 00:40:10.000 God, this room is full of people who were once lost and are now found. 00:40:10.460 --> 00:40:12.099 Who were once blind, but now see. 00:40:12.179 --> 00:40:13.960 Who were once empty and have now been filled. 00:40:13.960 --> 00:40:19.139 God, we want to follow you wholeheartedly and we want to follow you more. 00:40:19.220 --> 00:40:21.000 We want to continue to follow you. 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:27.280 Not just to start off on the journey, but for the rest of our lives to get to know you deeply, profoundly, wonderfully. 00:40:28.199 --> 00:40:29.460 God, why don't you call us to yourself? 00:40:29.539 --> 00:40:30.619 Why don't you keep on calling us? 00:40:30.659 --> 00:40:34.179 God, those of us that started on the path, but maybe we've drifted, we've wondered. 00:40:34.639 --> 00:40:36.400 Other things have become more important to us. 00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:37.780 Oh God, we pray. 00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:39.519 Why don't you help us? 00:40:39.619 --> 00:40:40.840 Call us back to yourself. 00:40:40.840 --> 00:40:45.980 God, for those of us that don't know you, come and reveal yourself to us. 00:40:46.059 --> 00:40:47.240 Open the eyes of our hearts. 00:40:48.019 --> 00:40:50.160 Help us, God, to see you and to know you. 00:40:51.140 --> 00:40:53.800 Jesus, we want to follow you wholeheartedly. 00:40:54.460 --> 00:40:55.860 Come and help us do that, we pray. 00:40:56.500 --> 00:40:58.120 In your great and wonderful name. 00:40:58.820 --> 00:40:59.100 Amen.