WEBVTT 00:00:00.460 --> 00:00:02.280 Thanks so much, Ian and Susan. 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:06.000 As you've probably worked out, my name's Archie, pastor in training here. 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.400 If you do want to have that open in front of you, John chapter 6, 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:12.380 it's on page 1069 of the Pew Bible. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:14.359 So do get that open in front of you. 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:15.820 And as you do that, let me pray. 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:22.559 Heavenly Father, by your Holy Spirit, 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:26.120 in the hearts of each and every one of us, 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:32.420 in my heart, would you do your work to open our eyes and our ears 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:37.240 that we might see Jesus this morning for who he says that he is, 00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:40.840 that we might hear and believe, 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:46.060 and that we might desire him for your glory. 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:48.420 Amen. 00:00:51.060 --> 00:00:54.100 I wonder who you think Jesus is. 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:56.500 Is he a prophet? 00:00:57.380 --> 00:00:58.600 A good man? 00:00:58.740 --> 00:00:59.520 A teacher? 00:00:59.780 --> 00:01:01.079 A political revolutionary? 00:01:02.620 --> 00:01:03.820 The son of God? 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:08.240 Whoever Jesus was, we know history would tell us 00:01:08.240 --> 00:01:11.420 that two millennia ago he died hanging on a cross. 00:01:12.099 --> 00:01:15.799 And the claim is, of course, that he rose again the first Easter. 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:20.159 But who do you think that he was? 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:24.340 And maybe more importantly for us this morning, 00:01:25.539 --> 00:01:30.620 what do you think or desire that he would do for you today? 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:34.359 That's where we're headed this morning. 00:01:34.459 --> 00:01:35.060 Who is Jesus? 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:37.179 And what has he got for you? 00:01:38.859 --> 00:01:39.939 Let's begin with a story. 00:01:41.259 --> 00:01:45.879 Adolf Beck was a Norwegian man living in London in the 1890s. 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:49.640 He was a short, stout, gray-haired man, and there he is, epic moustache. 00:01:50.659 --> 00:01:52.879 And on an ordinary cold December morning, 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.859 he stepped out of his house only to be blocked by a young woman. 00:01:57.679 --> 00:02:01.959 This young woman accused him of having stolen from her a watch and some jewellery. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:04.819 Outraged, he brushed her aside. 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:05.919 He went on his way. 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.719 But she followed him and continued to make this accusation known. 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:14.400 Before long, Beck appealed to a nearby policeman, 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:16.780 claiming that this woman was harassing him. 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:20.280 The woman demanded that the policeman arrest Beck. 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:22.400 And so they were both taken down to the station. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:23.699 And the story was told. 00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:30.400 She claimed that he had tricked her by claiming to be a wealthy man in order to woo her, 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:36.180 and then borrowing her jewellery and her watch to go and get more expensive equivalents made in her size. 00:02:37.420 --> 00:02:40.180 And it turned out that over the last two years, 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:44.700 22 women had reported almost exactly the same sort of crime. 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:48.020 And when they were asked to pick the man from a lineup, 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:50.759 they all accused Beck. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:53.620 And so at trial, he was found guilty, 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:56.340 sentenced to seven years in prison. 00:02:57.200 --> 00:02:59.340 Five years later, he was released on parole. 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:01.599 But then just three years after that, 00:03:01.659 --> 00:03:06.439 a woman reported a crime identical to those that Beck was originally convicted of. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:08.379 And so he was arrested again. 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:14.640 But at this point, Wilhelm Meyer enters our story. 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:16.640 Because this time, while Beck was in prison, 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:18.219 Meyer was caught red-handed, 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:23.900 caught committing a crime with the same unusual pattern as those Beck had been convicted of. 00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:31.680 He was also short and stout and grey-haired and had an epic moustache. 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:36.280 Turned out, Meyer had been the culprit all along. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:38.819 And Beck was given a pardon. 00:03:39.140 --> 00:03:42.480 He was given £5,000, something like £20,000 in today's money. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.599 Not sure I'd take £20,000 for five years in prison, but there you go. 00:03:46.020 --> 00:03:49.520 It's a terrible case, isn't it, of mistaken identity. 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:53.700 It almost sounds like something from an Arthur Conan Doyle novel. 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:58.080 And it's a familiar storyline, the mistaken identity storyline. 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:01.340 Maybe you know it from some of these films, like The Big Lebowski, 00:04:01.600 --> 00:04:04.780 or The Life of Brian, or Dumb and Dumber, or North by Northwest. 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:06.620 It's a gripping storyline. 00:04:06.820 --> 00:04:08.960 Often it's a hilarious storyline. 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:13.099 But it can be deathly serious. 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:16.900 I mean, it was pretty rubbish for Adolf Beck. 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:21.819 It's even more rubbish for those over the years who have been sentenced to death 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:24.519 and having been executed turned out to be innocent. 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:29.079 If you're the prosecution or the judge or the jury or whatever, 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:32.780 ensuring that you don't have a case of mistaken identity is super important. 00:04:34.819 --> 00:04:35.960 Here's the point. 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:42.479 Getting identity right, there is no case in which this is more important than with Jesus. 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:47.359 Because in those films, the consequences of mistaken identity are often hilarious. 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:51.539 In the case of Beck and Maya, the consequences are pretty brutal. 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:54.039 On death row, it can be life or death. 00:04:54.039 --> 00:05:00.419 Well, here, with Jesus, it is eternal life that is at stake. 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:04.839 If you've got that Bible open in front of you, 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:09.159 if you don't, get it open at chapter 6 and have a look at verse 40. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:12.119 I know this isn't in the passage that we've read, 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:15.279 but it's sort of a preview of where we're going in the next couple of weeks. 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:16.019 Verse 40. 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:22.479 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him 00:05:22.479 --> 00:05:27.259 shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 00:05:27.739 --> 00:05:29.179 You see what's at stake here? 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:34.780 The claim is that Jesus is offering eternal life. 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:37.780 And so we've got to ask, who is this Jesus? 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:39.840 And what does it mean to believe in him? 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:44.060 Even as we begin, who is Jesus? 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:49.100 But you know, the passage that Susan has read for us this morning goes even further than that. 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:50.920 It's not just who is Jesus, 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:55.199 but what would we desire that he would do for us today? 00:05:57.280 --> 00:05:59.580 We've seen over the last few months in John's Gospel 00:05:59.580 --> 00:06:02.340 that Jesus has gathered quite the following. 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:04.740 Have a look in verse 2 of chapter 6. 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:06.460 It's a great crowd. 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:09.700 And why is it that they're following him still in verse 2? 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:11.560 It's because they've seen the signs. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.139 We've seen this sort of language before from John 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:16.759 as people see the signs that Jesus is performing, 00:06:16.900 --> 00:06:19.139 and they're amazed, and they follow him. 00:06:19.139 --> 00:06:22.560 But we've got to ask, and John is encouraging us to ask, 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:24.479 what is it that they want from Jesus? 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:30.219 We'll see in this chapter, again, they see Jesus perform this sign, 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:32.939 and they make it pretty clear what they want from him. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:36.439 But then Jesus gets to teaching. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:38.860 This is really a preview of the next couple of weeks. 00:06:39.479 --> 00:06:41.379 He tells them why he's come. 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:43.620 And see how they react. 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:46.279 Sorry, I know we're jumping about a bit, but down in verse 60. 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.519 See how they react. 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:53.739 On hearing it, many of his disciples, that's not the 12, 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:55.619 that's just those who are following him. 00:06:55.979 --> 00:06:58.699 Many of his disciples said, this is a hard teaching. 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:00.959 Who can accept it? 00:07:01.659 --> 00:07:04.319 And the kicker in verse 66. 00:07:05.579 --> 00:07:09.359 From this time on, many of his disciples turned back 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:11.319 and no longer followed him. 00:07:12.900 --> 00:07:17.600 This teaching from Jesus that we're going to see over the next few weeks 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.319 that reveals what his signs point to 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:24.319 is like a church growth strategy gone very badly wrong. 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:27.980 From a crowd in verse 1 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:32.600 to many no longer following him here in verse 66. 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:36.439 And so I guess a warning for us over the next few weeks. 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:39.600 If we're willing to be really honest with ourselves, 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:41.260 I think this might get quite uncomfortable. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:44.700 As we ask, who is Jesus? 00:07:45.580 --> 00:07:48.560 Like, who do we really believe that he is? 00:07:50.520 --> 00:07:53.280 And what do I desire that he would do for me? 00:07:54.580 --> 00:07:55.580 Why am I here? 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:57.500 Like, what brings me to church? 00:07:57.620 --> 00:07:59.580 Why am I following him? 00:07:59.579 --> 00:08:03.740 Because our answer to those questions, I think, 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:07.099 might be challenged by John over the next couple of weeks. 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:12.139 Let's dive into the text then with those questions in the back of our mind 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:14.079 and see how this story works. 00:08:14.180 --> 00:08:17.060 In verses 1 to 3, John sort of sets the scene. 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:20.479 In verse 1, we get the where this happens. 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:24.039 It's on the far shore of the Sea of Galilee. 00:08:24.479 --> 00:08:26.719 The far shore, i.e. from the scene before. 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:28.360 They're now on the other side of the sea. 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:30.620 That is the Sea of Tiberias. 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:34.320 It's quite strange for John to give us the Roman name of the sea there, 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:35.360 the Sea of Tiberias. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:37.220 Just keep that in your back pocket for later. 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:39.139 But this is where it's happening. 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:43.320 And more specifically, it's up on a mountainside in verse 3. 00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:47.100 And then we also get the when in verse 4. 00:08:47.180 --> 00:08:49.800 The Jewish Passover festival was near. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:53.620 Why does John record these details as he sets the scene? 00:08:53.899 --> 00:08:56.300 I mean, I take it is because this is when and where it happened. 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:57.579 But it's not just random. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:02.819 The original readers of this gospel and the people there at the time, 00:09:02.899 --> 00:09:05.979 their minds would have gone straight to the Exodus here, 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:10.219 to Moses, to that story that Ian has just read for us. 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:13.759 If you know the history of Israel, they were slaves in Egypt. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:17.899 God raises up Moses to be a prophet and a leader for them, 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:19.960 to lead them out of slavery. 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:22.600 And that's where the Passover festival comes from, 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:27.919 as God provides away the Passover lamb for his judgment to come on to Egypt 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:30.759 and not on to his people, the Israelites. 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:36.019 And more than that, the imagery of mountainside is also straight out of that Exodus. 00:09:36.819 --> 00:09:39.480 And mountains come to have this significance for Israel. 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:43.720 It was on a mountain that Moses encountered God, 00:09:44.300 --> 00:09:48.920 where God reveals his name to Moses, the I am who I am. 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:51.440 Again, keep that in your back pocket for later. 00:09:52.700 --> 00:09:54.960 But for now, back in John chapter 6, 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:56.940 the people who have followed Jesus, 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:00.519 what do they desire Jesus to do? 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:02.980 Well, in those first few verses, 00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:07.500 all the stars are aligning for big, Exodus-like, 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:10.480 led-by-Moses things to happen. 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:13.500 And then we get this sign. 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:15.399 See in verse 5, 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:18.700 the people, they have nothing to eat. 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:20.800 And it's such a big crowd in verse 7 00:10:20.800 --> 00:10:23.800 that it would take more than half a year's wages to feed them. 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:26.039 And if you've got a slightly different translation, 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:28.360 you might just have 200 denarii there. 00:10:28.539 --> 00:10:31.320 The translators of the NIV don't bother with the unit. 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:32.400 They just tell us rightly, 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:33.720 and actually probably quite helpfully, 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:35.879 that it's more than half a year's wages for these people. 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:37.220 In other words, 00:10:37.280 --> 00:10:39.680 there's no way to feed this crowd of people. 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:42.520 And then this boy appears in verse 9, 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:46.900 and he has five small barley loaves and two small fish. 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:48.040 Not exactly fine dining, 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:50.820 but a pretty ordinary meal in the ancient Near East. 00:10:51.220 --> 00:10:51.700 And notice, 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:53.120 John makes sure that we know 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:55.840 that they're just very small loaves and small fish. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:57.040 Definitely not enough, 00:10:57.080 --> 00:10:57.580 in other words, 00:10:57.640 --> 00:10:59.540 to feed 5,000 people. 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:03.199 And I guess we know what happens next. 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:03.919 In verse 11, 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:05.019 Jesus takes the loaves, 00:11:05.099 --> 00:11:05.839 he gives thanks, 00:11:06.219 --> 00:11:09.259 and everyone eats as much as they wanted. 00:11:10.439 --> 00:11:10.860 In fact, 00:11:10.959 --> 00:11:12.299 in verses 12 and 13, 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:13.779 there's plenty left over, 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:15.620 and the people are pretty impressed. 00:11:16.699 --> 00:11:18.740 Notice how they react in verse 14. 00:11:20.019 --> 00:11:20.360 Surely, 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:23.219 this is the prophet who has come into the world. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:26.199 And then they try and make him king by force. 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:26.879 They're impressed. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:27.879 We'll come back to that. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.939 Exactly what they desire Jesus to be. 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:34.360 But then we get this second miracle. 00:11:35.059 --> 00:11:36.460 Notice it's the same day. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:37.580 It's in the evening. 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:38.759 But this time, 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:40.700 it's only the disciples who are there. 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:42.659 In verse 15, 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:45.220 Jesus has disappeared up a mountain again, 00:11:45.220 --> 00:11:47.419 and they're on their way back to Capernaum, 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.399 back to the other side of the lake without him. 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:51.259 Have a look at verse 17. 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:52.360 It's dark. 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:54.139 Verse 18, 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:55.539 it's stormy, 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.939 and they row out onto the lake about four or five miles in verse 19. 00:12:00.100 --> 00:12:00.679 In other words, 00:12:00.819 --> 00:12:02.319 they're not in the shallows anymore, 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:05.039 and things are getting pretty hairy. 00:12:06.699 --> 00:12:07.480 And yet, 00:12:07.860 --> 00:12:09.019 there's Jesus, 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:10.899 in verse 19, 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:13.360 walking on the water. 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:15.120 No wonder, 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:15.819 they're frightened. 00:12:16.939 --> 00:12:17.860 And he tells them, 00:12:17.939 --> 00:12:18.240 doesn't he, 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:19.299 not to be afraid. 00:12:19.559 --> 00:12:20.539 They bring him into the boat, 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:21.439 and then all of a sudden, 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:22.220 in verse 21, 00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:23.279 they've reached the other side. 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:24.120 That's the story. 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:25.540 What a day. 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:26.960 Right? 00:12:27.060 --> 00:12:28.019 What a day. 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:30.800 But what are we to make of it? 00:12:31.620 --> 00:12:34.600 What are these two signs supposed to point to? 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:36.820 Well, 00:12:37.060 --> 00:12:41.019 hopefully this will be helpful as we unpack the text under these two headings. 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:41.899 Here are the headings. 00:12:41.899 --> 00:12:43.700 The king they really wanted, 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:46.759 and the king they really needed. 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:49.200 So first, 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:51.600 the king they really wanted. 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:56.399 Two things I think John wants us to see that this crowd wants, 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:58.600 that they want Jesus to be for them. 00:12:58.720 --> 00:12:59.039 Firstly, 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:00.059 a prophet king, 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:01.319 and secondly, 00:13:01.439 --> 00:13:02.559 a military king. 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:04.539 A prophet king. 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:04.779 Again, 00:13:04.819 --> 00:13:07.480 we've seen the Moses imagery in verses three and four, 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:09.019 the echoes of Exodus, 00:13:09.220 --> 00:13:10.639 as Jesus goes up a mountain, 00:13:10.819 --> 00:13:11.879 and it's Passover, 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.220 and then Jesus performs this sign, 00:13:14.919 --> 00:13:16.960 providing bread for the people to eat. 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:18.200 Providing, 00:13:18.340 --> 00:13:18.919 in verse 11, 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:19.620 abundantly, 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.419 so that each would have had as much as they wanted. 00:13:22.939 --> 00:13:23.240 Again, 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:24.340 if you were listening, 00:13:24.539 --> 00:13:26.820 as Ian read from Exodus earlier, 00:13:26.939 --> 00:13:29.419 the people have been led out of slavery in Egypt. 00:13:30.139 --> 00:13:30.980 They're hungry. 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:32.220 They grumble to Moses. 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:33.799 Moses pleads with God. 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:35.360 God sends them quail, 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:36.980 but he also sends them manna, 00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:38.580 bread from heaven. 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:41.860 And did you notice the way that it was described in those verses? 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:45.300 They eat each of them as much as they need. 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:50.139 Do you see in verse 14 who the people think Jesus is then? 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:54.100 Not God himself providing the manna, 00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:57.580 but the prophet who has come into the world. 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:00.920 They think Jesus is a new Moses, 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:02.740 and that's what they want from him. 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:06.560 A man who would provide for their physical hunger, 00:14:06.680 --> 00:14:07.460 their desires, 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:10.220 by pleading to God on their behalf. 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:12.460 A prophet king. 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:16.159 And they also want him to be a military king. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:18.279 See back in verse 1, 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:21.279 John gave us that Roman name for the Sea of Galilee, 00:14:21.419 --> 00:14:23.120 the Sea of Tiberias, 00:14:23.419 --> 00:14:26.120 because Galilee was part of the Roman Empire. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:28.600 Tiberias was the Roman emperor, 00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:29.259 the ruler, 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:29.860 the monarch, 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:32.800 and so this lake has been named after him. 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:37.080 And John wants his readers to be thinking in terms of worldly power, 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.080 and specifically Roman power. 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:41.800 Why? 00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:44.899 Well, just notice two more details in the text. 00:14:45.019 --> 00:14:45.659 In verse 10, 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:46.680 how many people are mentioned? 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:49.120 It's actually quite hard to tell, 00:14:49.180 --> 00:14:49.600 isn't it, 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:50.180 in verse 10, 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:51.820 because it just says 5,000 men. 00:14:52.800 --> 00:14:55.920 And maybe that's recorded that way because it was a patriarchal society, 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:57.959 and it's just numbered by the heads of the household. 00:14:58.199 --> 00:14:58.879 And really, 00:14:58.959 --> 00:15:00.339 we're meant to think many more than that, 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:00.659 10, 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:02.000 maybe 20,000 people. 00:15:02.699 --> 00:15:04.779 But I wonder if there's something more going on here. 00:15:05.939 --> 00:15:06.179 See, 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:07.240 a Roman legion, 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:09.740 that's a unit of fighting men, 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:12.279 numbered 5,000 men. 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:14.559 I don't think that's an accident. 00:15:15.419 --> 00:15:15.959 In other words, 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:20.339 this crowd is a very good number of men to be led by a military king. 00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:20.980 Indeed, 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:22.980 in verse 15, 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:25.740 Jesus knows that that is their intention, 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:28.160 to make him a king by force. 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:34.259 So who do they think Jesus is? 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:38.360 What do they desire that he would do for them? 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:44.180 I think he's a military king to challenge the occupying Romans. 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:44.519 Now, 00:15:44.780 --> 00:15:45.400 the people here, 00:15:45.460 --> 00:15:47.560 they're not doing anything actually all that bad, 00:15:47.680 --> 00:15:48.740 certainly nothing evil. 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:51.159 They've been waiting for the promised prophet king, 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:51.919 the new Moses, 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:53.180 for centuries. 00:15:54.180 --> 00:15:58.620 And they've been waiting for a military king to rescue them from Roman occupation. 00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:01.299 This is the king that they really want. 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.620 I hope we're still asking ourselves the question, 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:07.460 who is Jesus? 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:10.600 Who do we want him to be? 00:16:11.560 --> 00:16:14.720 What do we desire that he would do for us today? 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:18.600 This is who they think Jesus is. 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:21.320 And this is who they really want him to be. 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.200 But for John, 00:16:23.299 --> 00:16:24.799 and this is our second heading, 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:27.519 this is the king that they really needed. 00:16:28.220 --> 00:16:28.480 See, 00:16:28.560 --> 00:16:30.700 Jesus was a prophet king. 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.060 He came with a message from God. 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:34.919 That's really what a prophet was. 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:39.340 And he was a military king in the sense that he came to defeat God's enemies. 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:40.560 Not that enemy, 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:41.240 not the Romans, 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:42.680 but the final enemy, 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:43.580 death. 00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:48.480 And the reason that he could do that is because of who he is. 00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:50.280 As we'll see, 00:16:50.540 --> 00:16:52.500 the king of the universe. 00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:56.780 Notice the imagery in this second scene. 00:16:56.779 --> 00:16:58.339 We saw in verse 18, 00:16:58.439 --> 00:16:59.779 it's a stormy sea, 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:01.620 and the wind is blowing. 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:04.519 We've talked about it before, 00:17:04.639 --> 00:17:05.579 but the sea, 00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:07.500 especially the stormy sea, 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:11.460 it's a sort of anti-God chaos image in the Bible. 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:14.259 Think back to Genesis chapter 1, 00:17:14.259 --> 00:17:15.720 the very first page of the Bible. 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:16.220 Boom, 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:17.440 creation happens. 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:18.900 And the spirit of God, 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:20.400 literally the wind of God, 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:22.119 is hovering over the water. 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:24.039 And from that moment on, 00:17:24.099 --> 00:17:27.980 you have all of these God and water moments where water is chaotic, 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:29.220 but God, 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:30.359 the king of the universe, 00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:31.460 is in control. 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:33.140 I think of them, 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:34.240 Noah and the flood, 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:35.779 the Exodus again, 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:38.680 as they part the Red Sea, 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:40.240 the story of Jonah, 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:42.180 and Job and the Leviathan, 00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:46.220 the entry into the promised land through the river Jordan. 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:50.340 Water in all of those scenes is supposed to depict chaos, 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:54.240 and only the God of the universe can command it. 00:17:55.580 --> 00:17:57.539 Now look at verse 19 again. 00:17:59.620 --> 00:18:02.400 Jesus is walking on the water. 00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:04.900 That is a massive statement from John. 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:11.600 For only one who is fully God and fully man could do that. 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:16.420 Only God can command the waters in this way, 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.500 and only man can walk on them in this way. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:23.299 Next week, 00:18:23.360 --> 00:18:25.519 we're going to hear a song from Kids Church, 00:18:25.580 --> 00:18:26.460 at least I think we are, 00:18:26.840 --> 00:18:27.279 entitled, 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:28.279 Totally God, 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:29.299 Totally Man. 00:18:30.100 --> 00:18:31.759 And the chorus goes like this. 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:33.980 To save the world, 00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:36.120 fulfill God's plan, 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:37.820 he had to be 00:18:37.820 --> 00:18:39.560 totally God, 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:41.460 totally man. 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:44.340 The people in this story, 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:46.920 they wanted Jesus to be their prophet king, 00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:48.299 and their military king, 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:50.600 but he was so much more than that. 00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:52.759 Totally man, 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:53.279 yes, 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:54.880 but totally God, 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:56.700 the king of the universe. 00:18:57.720 --> 00:18:59.660 And he needed to be both. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:01.740 Here's why. 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:03.059 Human beings, 00:19:03.120 --> 00:19:04.200 that's me and you, 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:06.960 we were created by a loving God 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:09.799 to exist in a loving relationship with him. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:12.519 We walked away from that relationship, 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:14.079 we rebelled against him, 00:19:14.120 --> 00:19:16.799 and there was and is a consequence for that. 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:18.779 The loving relationship broken, 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:21.559 and death is the end of that story. 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.799 A consequence then, 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:25.480 that only a human could face. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:28.200 For God cannot die, 00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:30.200 and only a human could die. 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:31.259 See, 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:33.079 a price that only a human could pay. 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:36.859 And so Jesus had to be a human to pay that price. 00:19:38.179 --> 00:19:40.599 He also had to live the perfect life 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:42.139 in relationship with the father 00:19:42.139 --> 00:19:43.460 that we haven't lived, 00:19:43.879 --> 00:19:46.299 because only then could he pay the price 00:19:46.299 --> 00:19:47.460 on our behalf. 00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:51.220 For a man who had not lived the perfect life 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:53.659 would have his own price to pay. 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:55.619 Instead, 00:19:55.819 --> 00:19:56.079 Jesus, 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:57.519 the innocent man, 00:19:57.960 --> 00:19:58.819 pays ours. 00:19:58.819 --> 00:20:02.460 He had to be totally man. 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:04.379 But to do that, 00:20:04.439 --> 00:20:06.439 he also has to be totally God. 00:20:06.539 --> 00:20:08.919 For only by his own divine power 00:20:08.919 --> 00:20:10.139 could he bear the weight 00:20:10.139 --> 00:20:12.059 of the sins of the world on his shoulders. 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:15.439 And only by his own divine power 00:20:15.439 --> 00:20:16.779 could he rise again 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:20.399 and secure eternal life with him. 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:24.299 My rugby coach once said this. 00:20:26.919 --> 00:20:28.039 He once said this. 00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:31.079 We'd been pretty badly beaten on the Saturday. 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:33.599 We were doing some video analysis 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:35.039 of the match on the Tuesday night. 00:20:35.099 --> 00:20:36.559 And he really wanted us to see the good 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:38.039 that we'd done despite being beaten. 00:20:38.139 --> 00:20:38.879 He said this. 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.319 You are never as good as you think you are 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:41.960 when you win. 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:44.000 And you are never as bad 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.539 as you think you are when you lose. 00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:46.579 That is gold. 00:20:47.139 --> 00:20:48.559 I immediately wrote that down. 00:20:48.619 --> 00:20:49.920 Not because it's true about rugby, 00:20:50.379 --> 00:20:51.200 though it is, 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:52.940 but because I knew that one day 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:54.000 it would be a really helpful 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:55.000 gospel illustration. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:56.559 It's true. 00:20:56.879 --> 00:20:57.500 It is true. 00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:58.539 And here's a Christian way 00:20:58.539 --> 00:20:59.880 of putting something very similar. 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:01.799 Graham, our pastor, 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.160 tweeted this earlier this week 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:04.339 from Jerry Bridges. 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:07.339 Your worst days are never so bad 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:08.960 that you are beyond the reach 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:10.160 of God's grace. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.619 And your best days are never so good 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:15.059 that you are beyond the need 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:17.059 of God's grace. 00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:19.059 Aren't those wonderful truths? 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:22.359 No wonder how bad you think 00:21:22.359 --> 00:21:23.220 you are this morning. 00:21:23.299 --> 00:21:24.279 You are not out of reach 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:25.240 of God's grace. 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:27.859 No matter how good you think 00:21:27.859 --> 00:21:28.779 you are this morning, 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:30.900 you still desperately need 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:32.640 God's grace. 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:35.859 And because he is totally God 00:21:35.859 --> 00:21:37.039 and totally man, 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.319 he can offer us forgiveness 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:42.599 and freedom 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:45.819 and forever life with him. 00:21:46.819 --> 00:21:48.019 This is the king 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:49.599 that they really needed. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:51.939 But of course, 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:53.519 the people in John chapter 6, 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:54.779 they don't know it. 00:21:55.419 --> 00:21:56.559 And this sign is supposed 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:57.539 to show them. 00:21:57.639 --> 00:21:58.980 We'll do more of this next week 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:00.079 and what a time it will be 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.339 to do it on Easter Sunday. 00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:03.159 But have a look down 00:22:03.159 --> 00:22:04.599 in verse 20. 00:22:06.139 --> 00:22:07.619 Jesus is dropping breadcrumbs 00:22:07.619 --> 00:22:08.719 for his disciples here. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:09.099 He says, 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:10.599 it is I, 00:22:10.980 --> 00:22:12.039 maybe more helpfully 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:12.719 and literally, 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:14.299 I am. 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:16.839 This is precisely the name 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:17.639 that God reveals 00:22:17.639 --> 00:22:18.859 to Moses on the mountain. 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:20.599 Jesus is saying 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:21.460 to his disciples, 00:22:21.639 --> 00:22:22.220 it's me. 00:22:22.919 --> 00:22:23.859 Don't you get it? 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:24.940 The I am, 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:26.599 the king of the universe. 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:29.500 What does that have to do 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.220 with the multiplication 00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:31.059 of bread? 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:31.720 Well, have a look 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:32.659 at verse 35. 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:34.480 Again, 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:35.619 more of this next week, 00:22:35.700 --> 00:22:36.599 but verse 35, 00:22:37.259 --> 00:22:38.279 I am 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:40.180 the bread of life. 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:42.620 Jesus isn't just 00:22:42.620 --> 00:22:43.779 providing bread for them 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:45.700 to satisfy their physical hunger. 00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:47.420 It is to point to himself 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:49.299 and who he really is. 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:50.759 And ultimately, 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:52.840 this is what is really on offer. 00:22:54.080 --> 00:22:54.519 Him. 00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:57.740 Back in verse 20, 00:22:58.120 --> 00:22:58.720 it is I, 00:22:58.840 --> 00:22:59.779 I am. 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:01.160 Do not be afraid. 00:23:01.360 --> 00:23:02.180 He's saying the king 00:23:02.180 --> 00:23:03.660 of the universe is with you. 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:05.240 You have him. 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:06.700 You don't need to be frightened. 00:23:07.060 --> 00:23:07.799 I am 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:09.000 is here. 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:11.000 This is the king 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:11.740 they really needed. 00:23:13.120 --> 00:23:14.480 The king who would fulfill 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:15.500 their greatest need 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:16.799 to pay the price 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:17.480 for their sin, 00:23:17.580 --> 00:23:18.259 not just so that 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:19.060 they might be forgiven, 00:23:19.840 --> 00:23:20.779 not just so that 00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:22.160 they might get a free pass 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:22.900 to eternity, 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:24.840 but why? 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:27.460 So that they might get him. 00:23:29.299 --> 00:23:30.440 And here we really get 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:31.320 to the point. 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:33.580 Who is Jesus? 00:23:35.060 --> 00:23:36.420 And what do we desire 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:38.279 that he would do for us today? 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:38.460 Right? 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:40.379 It's not just 00:23:40.379 --> 00:23:42.200 who do we think Jesus is. 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:43.940 That is important. 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:46.319 But who do we want 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:47.700 Jesus to be? 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:50.139 There are those, 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:51.059 maybe this is you, 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:52.019 who really want Jesus 00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:53.039 to just be a prophet. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:54.740 That's what Islam 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:55.859 would say about Jesus. 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:56.420 But actually, 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:56.980 I think quite a lot 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:57.799 of my friends think 00:23:57.799 --> 00:23:59.079 about something similar. 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:00.059 Like he was probably 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:00.960 a good guy, 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:02.899 a religious sort of man, 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.420 taught some good moral stuff, 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:06.620 but they just rip God 00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:07.600 right out of it. 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:09.200 Basically just a prophet, 00:24:09.360 --> 00:24:09.800 a teacher. 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:11.700 Maybe that's you. 00:24:13.060 --> 00:24:13.840 There are those, 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:14.680 maybe this is you, 00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:15.880 who primarily want Jesus 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:17.580 to be the social justice guy. 00:24:18.600 --> 00:24:19.720 This is where lots of 00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:21.060 modern liberal Bible scholars 00:24:21.060 --> 00:24:21.940 would go with this. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:23.340 This isn't a miracle at all. 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:23.560 Again, 00:24:23.600 --> 00:24:24.320 they just rip God 00:24:24.320 --> 00:24:25.259 right out of it. 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:26.100 Instead, 00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:27.220 Jesus got the boy 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:27.880 to share 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:28.960 and then others 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:29.860 just copied him. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:31.720 And so those who had plenty 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:32.560 were giving to those 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.259 who had none. 00:24:33.679 --> 00:24:34.779 And everyone is sharing. 00:24:34.919 --> 00:24:36.119 It's social justice, 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:36.480 Jesus. 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:39.240 Maybe that's you. 00:24:40.919 --> 00:24:41.700 There are those, 00:24:41.779 --> 00:24:42.599 maybe this is you, 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.139 who really want Jesus 00:24:44.139 --> 00:24:45.519 to be like a vending machine 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:46.240 of blessings, 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:48.779 giving us all that we want, 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:50.859 answering all of our prayers, 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:52.579 often with a real focus 00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:54.299 on stuff in this life. 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:55.379 Might be silly, 00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:56.500 practical stuff like, 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:57.079 please Jesus, 00:24:57.200 --> 00:24:58.059 help me find the remote 00:24:58.059 --> 00:24:58.799 that I've lost. 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:01.659 It might be deeper stuff 00:25:01.660 --> 00:25:02.240 like healing 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.200 and life transformation 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.279 and peace 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:07.019 or help passing your exams 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:08.320 or whatever else it is. 00:25:08.460 --> 00:25:09.400 Jesus giving us 00:25:09.400 --> 00:25:10.580 all we want today. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.060 It's vending machine Jesus. 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:14.779 Maybe that's you. 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:17.340 There are those, 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:18.740 and I guess this is more of us, 00:25:18.800 --> 00:25:20.160 maybe most of us in the room, 00:25:20.300 --> 00:25:21.480 who really want Jesus 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:23.600 to be the get out of hell free card. 00:25:25.560 --> 00:25:27.279 The get to heaven card. 00:25:28.080 --> 00:25:30.840 The get resurrection life card. 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:32.240 The grace filled, 00:25:32.379 --> 00:25:34.079 forgiveness giving Jesus. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:37.119 We want Jesus to be the one 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:38.559 who died in our place 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:40.959 so that we can live forever. 00:25:42.500 --> 00:25:43.619 Maybe that's you. 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:47.159 Now hear me loud and clear. 00:25:47.939 --> 00:25:50.459 Jesus is all of those things. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:53.279 He is a prophet. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.339 His teachings are incredible, 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:56.319 transformational. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:57.419 Our whole society 00:25:57.419 --> 00:25:58.579 is really built on them. 00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:01.019 He is the ultimate 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:02.480 social justice guy. 00:26:03.419 --> 00:26:04.819 He cares about the downs 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:05.359 and the outs 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:06.639 more than anyone in history, 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:07.799 those in desperate need. 00:26:09.480 --> 00:26:11.199 He does answer prayer 00:26:11.199 --> 00:26:13.199 and give us all that we need. 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:14.099 And of course, 00:26:14.159 --> 00:26:15.500 he offers us eternal life. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:16.299 This is Jesus. 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:19.960 But the irony here, 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:22.099 because all of that 00:26:22.099 --> 00:26:23.399 is from this angle, 00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:26.460 what can he do for me? 00:26:27.840 --> 00:26:29.240 None of that is about him. 00:26:29.320 --> 00:26:30.320 It's about us 00:26:30.320 --> 00:26:33.340 and what we can get from him. 00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:36.660 They're wonderful things, 00:26:36.840 --> 00:26:38.080 wonderful promises, 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:40.960 but the very best thing 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:41.860 on offer here 00:26:41.860 --> 00:26:43.340 is him. 00:26:44.860 --> 00:26:45.880 Dying on the cross, 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:48.060 he gives us himself. 00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:50.659 But we're about to share 00:26:50.659 --> 00:26:52.019 in the bread and the cup together. 00:26:52.179 --> 00:26:53.759 We often call that communion, right? 00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:54.839 And there was a time 00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:56.220 when that language, 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:57.519 communion with Jesus, 00:26:58.139 --> 00:26:59.179 didn't just mean 00:26:59.179 --> 00:27:00.679 eating bread and drinking wine. 00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:02.659 The Puritan John Owen 00:27:02.659 --> 00:27:03.899 wrote an amazing book, 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:05.139 Communion with God. 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:05.919 And there, 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:07.159 he wasn't writing about 00:27:07.159 --> 00:27:07.500 this sacrament 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:09.700 of bread and wine at all. 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:11.299 He was writing about 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:12.039 relationship. 00:27:13.579 --> 00:27:15.220 It was just common language 00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:16.159 for relationship. 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:18.860 In that sacrament, 00:27:19.100 --> 00:27:20.300 God is communicating 00:27:20.300 --> 00:27:21.640 something about himself 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:22.620 to us as we come 00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:23.860 to the bread and the cup together. 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:26.000 But I think we need 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:26.800 to know this morning 00:27:26.800 --> 00:27:28.040 that the primary way 00:27:28.040 --> 00:27:30.080 that this communicative 00:27:30.080 --> 00:27:31.380 relationship between 00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:33.400 creator and creature 00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:35.120 happens as he reveals himself 00:27:35.120 --> 00:27:36.420 to us by his word. 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:39.040 In Deuteronomy chapter 8, 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:40.220 reflecting on the bread 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:40.840 in the wilderness 00:27:40.840 --> 00:27:41.980 exodus thing 00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:43.060 that we've been looking at, 00:27:43.340 --> 00:27:44.560 Moses says this, 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:47.579 man does not live 00:27:47.579 --> 00:27:48.419 on bread alone, 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:51.299 but on every word 00:27:51.299 --> 00:27:52.159 that comes from 00:27:52.159 --> 00:27:53.500 the mouth of the Lord. 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:56.299 If you've been here 00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:57.079 as we've gone through 00:27:57.079 --> 00:27:57.759 John's gospel, 00:27:57.879 --> 00:27:58.539 maybe you remember 00:27:58.539 --> 00:28:00.220 how John uses that language 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:01.359 in John chapter 1. 00:28:02.379 --> 00:28:04.759 The word became flesh 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:06.200 and made his dwelling 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:07.259 among us. 00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:08.819 In other words, 00:28:08.899 --> 00:28:10.919 Jesus is the word. 00:28:11.179 --> 00:28:12.379 This book that we call 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:14.180 the Bible is God's word 00:28:14.180 --> 00:28:15.040 to us 00:28:15.040 --> 00:28:16.280 and that his word 00:28:16.280 --> 00:28:17.860 to us is Jesus. 00:28:18.020 --> 00:28:19.140 It's all about him. 00:28:20.600 --> 00:28:21.960 Every passage of scripture 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:23.300 is about Jesus. 00:28:24.560 --> 00:28:25.300 And so if you want 00:28:25.300 --> 00:28:26.280 to invest in your 00:28:26.280 --> 00:28:27.340 relationship with him, 00:28:27.360 --> 00:28:28.820 you've got to start here. 00:28:30.420 --> 00:28:31.260 Don't run away 00:28:31.260 --> 00:28:31.960 from your Bible 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.660 into the woods 00:28:32.660 --> 00:28:33.500 or into the mountains 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:34.560 and expect to find 00:28:34.560 --> 00:28:35.300 Jesus there 00:28:35.300 --> 00:28:36.900 apart from his word. 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:39.300 Don't hear me wrongly 00:28:39.300 --> 00:28:39.940 as I say that. 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:40.860 There is nothing wrong 00:28:40.860 --> 00:28:41.680 with seeking God 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:42.559 and his creation 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:43.860 or through art 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:44.539 or creativity 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:45.259 or music 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:46.019 or good food 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:46.700 or whatever else. 00:28:46.779 --> 00:28:47.860 We're all wired differently. 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.180 But would you let 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:52.380 the Bible be the place 00:28:52.380 --> 00:28:52.940 where you go 00:28:52.940 --> 00:28:54.279 to commune with him? 00:28:55.860 --> 00:28:57.080 For man does not live 00:28:57.080 --> 00:28:57.880 on bread alone, 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:00.100 but on every word 00:29:00.100 --> 00:29:00.700 that comes from 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:01.900 the mouth of the Lord. 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:04.480 For what it's worth, 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:04.880 for me, 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:06.400 that looks very often 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:07.120 like getting up 00:29:07.120 --> 00:29:07.820 a little earlier 00:29:07.820 --> 00:29:08.759 than I'd like to. 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:10.680 I don't always do this, 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:11.500 but I try to. 00:29:11.879 --> 00:29:13.119 Making an unnecessarily 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:14.420 expensive cup of coffee, 00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:16.579 sitting in my favorite chair, 00:29:17.059 --> 00:29:17.720 and just reading 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:19.460 for 10 or 15 minutes. 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.420 Some of you are like, 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:22.160 are you kidding? 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:23.180 I've got two kids 00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:23.859 under five. 00:29:23.940 --> 00:29:24.879 That is not happening. 00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:25.740 And that's fine. 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:27.700 How you can access 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:28.259 God's word 00:29:28.259 --> 00:29:29.220 might be very different 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:29.779 from that. 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:31.660 But make a habit 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:32.400 of engaging 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:33.400 with God's word. 00:29:33.879 --> 00:29:35.039 Turn it into a habit. 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:36.119 It becomes easier 00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:36.900 and easier 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:37.740 like any habit 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:39.319 the more that you do it. 00:29:41.539 --> 00:29:43.599 We began with this story 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:44.559 of Adolf Beck 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:45.720 and Wilhelm Meyer 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:47.759 where the mistaken identity 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:48.400 storyline 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:49.720 had real consequences. 00:29:49.940 --> 00:29:50.799 And that's true. 00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:53.160 Who Jesus is, 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:53.880 his identity, 00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:56.079 is just so important. 00:29:56.279 --> 00:29:56.579 In fact, 00:29:56.620 --> 00:29:57.900 it's of first importance 00:29:57.900 --> 00:29:59.279 because eternal life 00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:00.079 is on the line. 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:02.539 But more than that, 00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:03.139 it's not only 00:30:03.139 --> 00:30:04.439 who Jesus is, 00:30:05.439 --> 00:30:06.659 but what we would desire 00:30:06.659 --> 00:30:08.099 he would do for us. 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:10.079 It was so encouraging 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:11.480 to hear Bogdan's testimony 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:12.439 as he was baptized 00:30:12.439 --> 00:30:13.220 last Sunday. 00:30:13.299 --> 00:30:13.980 He said lots of 00:30:13.980 --> 00:30:15.099 encouraging things. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:16.839 But what struck me 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:18.199 most was this line. 00:30:19.179 --> 00:30:20.039 As he explained 00:30:20.039 --> 00:30:20.720 the hardships 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:21.659 that he'd faced 00:30:21.659 --> 00:30:22.720 and his time 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:23.259 in hospital 00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:24.019 and how through 00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:24.519 all of that 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:25.199 he had turned up 00:30:25.199 --> 00:30:26.179 to church and prayed, 00:30:26.619 --> 00:30:27.519 but he really knew 00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:28.759 that he was seeking Jesus 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:30.220 for what Jesus could do 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:31.019 for him. 00:30:31.940 --> 00:30:32.960 And then this line, 00:30:33.579 --> 00:30:34.339 as he realized 00:30:34.339 --> 00:30:34.920 how empty 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:36.180 that sort of religion was, 00:30:36.220 --> 00:30:37.039 he turned to Jesus 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:38.539 and in Bogdan's own words, 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:40.059 this might sound crazy, 00:30:40.819 --> 00:30:42.180 but it was the start 00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:43.019 of a relationship. 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:45.879 Maybe that does sound 00:30:45.879 --> 00:30:46.559 crazy to you, 00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:47.839 but that's my story too. 00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:49.720 If you're a Christian 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:50.440 in the room today, 00:30:50.500 --> 00:30:51.500 I guess it's yours. 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:53.579 If I'm really honest, 00:30:53.740 --> 00:30:55.019 Jesus was just another way 00:30:55.019 --> 00:30:55.900 for me to get the things 00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:57.079 that I wanted in life. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:59.359 Not necessarily bad things 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:00.099 and not necessarily 00:31:00.099 --> 00:31:01.059 material things, 00:31:01.160 --> 00:31:02.220 but things for me. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:04.359 Peace and community 00:31:04.359 --> 00:31:05.019 and approval 00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:05.700 and forgiveness, 00:31:05.980 --> 00:31:07.139 even eternal life. 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:09.480 Good things, 00:31:09.639 --> 00:31:10.180 but the offer 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:11.180 is so much more 00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:12.139 than those things. 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:14.279 The offer here, 00:31:14.879 --> 00:31:16.660 what Jesus gives us, 00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:17.619 what he is offering, 00:31:18.059 --> 00:31:18.859 is himself. 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:21.680 And he's the king 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:22.940 that we really need 00:31:22.940 --> 00:31:23.460 this morning. 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:26.359 Let's pray. 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:32.400 Heavenly Father, 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:33.720 we thank you so much 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:35.180 for this wonderful passage 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:36.319 of your words. 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:38.900 We thank you that as we 00:31:38.900 --> 00:31:40.259 have spent time in it together, 00:31:40.420 --> 00:31:41.379 you have been at work 00:31:41.379 --> 00:31:42.460 by your Holy Spirit 00:31:42.460 --> 00:31:44.579 pointing us to your son. 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:47.559 Lord, we thank you so much 00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:48.099 for him. 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:49.680 We thank you as we 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:51.319 come up to Easter 00:31:51.319 --> 00:31:53.059 and celebrate all that he did 00:31:53.059 --> 00:31:54.559 in dying and rising again. 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:57.339 Lord, we thank you 00:31:57.339 --> 00:31:58.119 that we can 00:31:58.119 --> 00:32:00.980 have a relationship 00:32:00.980 --> 00:32:01.559 with him 00:32:01.559 --> 00:32:02.220 because of what 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:02.859 he has done. 00:32:04.359 --> 00:32:05.200 Lord, as we 00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:06.059 think of all the 00:32:06.059 --> 00:32:07.299 wonderful things 00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:08.339 that he does for us 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:08.980 and all the wonderful 00:32:08.980 --> 00:32:10.059 things that he promises 00:32:10.059 --> 00:32:11.039 to do for us 00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:11.740 in this life 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:12.980 and the next, 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:15.059 would you help us 00:32:15.059 --> 00:32:16.059 to keep our eyes 00:32:16.059 --> 00:32:16.940 fixed on him 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:19.139 who is the prize 00:32:19.140 --> 00:32:20.880 and help us 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:22.520 to value Jesus 00:32:22.520 --> 00:32:24.620 above all things 00:32:24.620 --> 00:32:25.480 in this life 00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:27.220 and above all other 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:27.820 things that you 00:32:27.820 --> 00:32:28.720 might give us. 00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:31.220 Help us by your 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:31.800 Holy Spirit 00:32:31.800 --> 00:32:32.880 to desire him 00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:35.040 for we pray 00:32:35.040 --> 00:32:36.140 in his precious name. 00:32:36.140 --> 00:32:37.620 Amen.