WEBVTT 00:00:31.469 --> 00:00:33.289 Thank you to our worship team. What a great new 00:00:33.289 --> 00:00:36.549 song. There were two lines in that song that 00:00:36.549 --> 00:00:39.689 really resonated with me. The first is the line 00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:42.570 that was, teach me to abide. And the implication 00:00:42.570 --> 00:00:45.030 of that is that it's not natural. It's not something 00:00:45.030 --> 00:00:47.409 that you know how to do apart from being taught. 00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:51.829 And I think that speaks to the humanity of us 00:00:51.829 --> 00:00:54.820 all. Amen. Like, you just need... The things, 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:56.140 you know, it's like where Paul says, like, the 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:57.700 things I want to do, I don't do. The things I 00:00:57.700 --> 00:00:59.560 don't want to do, I do. Like, oh, wretched man 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:01.759 that I am. And like, hey, we want to abide, but 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:03.880 it's not something that comes natural for us. 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:08.099 And I think, man, yeah. And the other line in 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:11.379 that is this declaration that I depend on you, 00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:16.000 God. And I've said it before. I think one of 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.959 the most valuable things that you experience 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:23.319 when you travel internationally, especially in... 00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:27.459 very impoverished areas is they don't have all 00:01:27.459 --> 00:01:30.260 of the luxuries, if you will, that we depend 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:33.659 on to just get us through life. And so there's 00:01:33.659 --> 00:01:37.420 this deep dependence upon the Spirit of God in 00:01:37.420 --> 00:01:40.560 ways that are just... It almost feels artificial 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:43.560 because you're like, how is it that you're so 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.459 dependent on the Spirit of God? And it's like, 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:48.260 oh, because you don't have money to bail you 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.200 out, and you don't have a car to bail you out, 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:53.000 and you don't have whatever it is to bail you 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.700 out and to get you through things. And I'm just, 00:01:56.859 --> 00:02:00.359 yeah, I think of that every time, you know, that 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:03.040 I hear that song. It's just this declaration 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.319 of dependence upon God. It's harder for us as 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:07.870 Americans. You need to know that. because we 00:02:07.870 --> 00:02:10.509 just have the stuff, don't we? And we just depend 00:02:10.509 --> 00:02:13.030 on ourselves in so many capacities. Well, that 00:02:13.030 --> 00:02:15.069 has nothing to do with the sermon, so we're off 00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:16.909 to a good start, of course, digressing already. 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:21.039 Really quick, though, before the message, one 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.560 more reminder, maybe another one after this. 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:25.500 Baptism Sunday is coming two weeks from today. 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:27.680 If you can believe it, it'll be March 1st, two 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:31.800 weeks from today. We celebrated the man -made 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:35.419 holiday called Valentine's and overspent our 00:02:35.419 --> 00:02:37.500 money on that, and here we are moving towards 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:41.289 March. Baptism Sunday, we have a number of baptisms 00:02:41.289 --> 00:02:44.689 already lined up and I've met with almost all 00:02:44.689 --> 00:02:47.370 these people a few more meetings ago and my goodness, 00:02:47.409 --> 00:02:49.689 the stories that you're gonna get to hear and 00:02:49.689 --> 00:02:51.889 be a part of are really, really special. So if 00:02:51.889 --> 00:02:54.729 that's of interest to you, I know there's some 00:02:54.729 --> 00:02:56.830 of you, it happens this way every time, like 00:02:56.830 --> 00:02:59.310 you're just, you're scared, you're wrestling 00:02:59.310 --> 00:03:00.750 with it, it's been something that you've been 00:03:00.750 --> 00:03:02.310 thinking about and I just wanna tell you, like 00:03:02.310 --> 00:03:05.050 it's a moment of celebration that if God is calling 00:03:05.050 --> 00:03:07.849 you or poking your heart, you need to respond. 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:10.310 Even if it's just to explore it, just to have 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:12.509 a conversation with me or someone else on our 00:03:12.509 --> 00:03:14.550 team and just say, hey, I'm thinking about this 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:16.169 or my child is thinking about this and I would 00:03:16.169 --> 00:03:18.849 love to express or talk more about that. We're 00:03:18.849 --> 00:03:21.430 here for that. March 1st, two weeks from today, 00:03:21.509 --> 00:03:23.189 it's going to be, I think it's two weeks from 00:03:23.189 --> 00:03:25.889 today. Is that right? Yeah. It's going to be 00:03:25.889 --> 00:03:27.830 tremendous. So I want to just put that out there. 00:03:27.969 --> 00:03:29.870 There's a form on our website that you can go 00:03:29.870 --> 00:03:31.550 and just complete. It comes directly to me or 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:33.830 you can just come talk with us after service 00:03:33.830 --> 00:03:35.889 too. We'd love to connect with you in that way. 00:03:36.030 --> 00:03:39.439 Okay. Into our series, last Sunday we kicked 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:43.580 off a new series entitled Before I Go. It's going 00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:46.020 to end up being a seven -week series with Baptism 00:03:46.020 --> 00:03:48.580 Sunday kind of sandwiched in between there, looking 00:03:48.580 --> 00:03:51.400 specifically at this very intimate moment that 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:53.919 Jesus shared in the upper room, upper room above 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:57.840 this house, random house, where he was in this 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.699 upper room with his disciples the night before 00:03:59.699 --> 00:04:02.379 he was crucified, a moment that is often known 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:05.949 as his farewell discourse. That's the name around 00:04:05.949 --> 00:04:08.050 these chapters of John that we're studying over 00:04:08.050 --> 00:04:10.590 these few weeks. So these are some of, in essence, 00:04:10.689 --> 00:04:12.430 what this means is these are some of his final 00:04:12.430 --> 00:04:14.909 human moments on earth before his death, and 00:04:14.909 --> 00:04:18.069 certainly some of his final words on earth before 00:04:18.069 --> 00:04:20.970 his death. Obviously, of course, before his resurrection. 00:04:21.269 --> 00:04:23.430 We know that after his resurrection, he appeared 00:04:23.430 --> 00:04:27.920 for about 40 days to many people. There's additional 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:31.019 words and things that Jesus did. But before his 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:33.000 death, before his crucifixion, these are his 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.399 final moments. And certainly these are his final 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.759 words with his people, with his disciples. And 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:40.959 last week we started in chapter 13 with Jesus 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:43.319 saying to them, hey, I'm summarizing it. Hey, 00:04:43.339 --> 00:04:45.500 I'm not going to be with you much longer. And 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:48.339 before I go, there's a foundational thing that 00:04:48.339 --> 00:04:50.180 I want to make sure that I give you. And it's 00:04:50.180 --> 00:04:53.480 new. And it's this. Love one another as I have 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:56.519 loved you. That was where he started this whole 00:04:56.519 --> 00:04:58.860 farewell discourse, if you will. And you may 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:01.180 remember I said last week that the placement 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:04.019 of something tells us something about its importance, 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:06.540 right? I don't know how many of you are like 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:09.120 me. If you get an email, you immediately open 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.279 the email and skim the first two lines or maybe 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:13.180 the bottom lines if it's a long email because 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:15.180 you're probably going to get some sense of like... 00:05:15.550 --> 00:05:17.810 What's in this email? Why are they writing me? 00:05:17.910 --> 00:05:20.269 Is it important? Et cetera. Not that all of your 00:05:20.269 --> 00:05:22.430 emails aren't important, of course, but, you 00:05:22.430 --> 00:05:24.129 know, you're just skimming, like, what is this? 00:05:24.149 --> 00:05:26.470 And Jesus, right out of the gate, so to speak, 00:05:26.629 --> 00:05:29.529 at this very, on the front end of these moments 00:05:29.529 --> 00:05:31.550 with his disciple, these very intimate moments, 00:05:31.649 --> 00:05:33.810 I should say, he's like, hey, I'm not going to 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:35.689 be with you much longer. There's some things 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:37.310 I really want to tell you, and the most important 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:39.730 one. It's foundational to everything else that 00:05:39.730 --> 00:05:41.389 I'm going to tell you is this. It's new. Love 00:05:41.389 --> 00:05:44.389 one another as I have loved you. And so that's 00:05:44.389 --> 00:05:46.829 where it started. By the way, side note, but 00:05:46.829 --> 00:05:51.029 we are very encouraged to see a number of you, 00:05:51.069 --> 00:05:52.970 quite a few of you, I don't know, 50 or more 00:05:52.970 --> 00:05:55.610 of you, I think, subscribe to what we've called 00:05:55.610 --> 00:06:01.449 The Carryover. It's a digital, if you will, daily 00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:03.649 devotional that's really tied to the series that 00:06:03.649 --> 00:06:05.269 we're in. How many of you spent some time in 00:06:05.269 --> 00:06:07.069 it this week? I'll close my eyes and reopen them. 00:06:07.470 --> 00:06:11.689 All right, a couple of you. If you love it, give 00:06:11.689 --> 00:06:13.310 all the credit in the world to Preston because 00:06:13.310 --> 00:06:15.410 it's phenomenal. He spent so much time on doing 00:06:15.410 --> 00:06:18.730 that. A lot of you took paper copies too, by 00:06:18.730 --> 00:06:20.829 the way. None of you downloaded the EPUB, and 00:06:20.829 --> 00:06:22.769 Preston was very discouraged about that. But 00:06:22.769 --> 00:06:24.750 I don't even know where to tell you to go to 00:06:24.750 --> 00:06:28.089 do that, so I'm of no help there. But it's been 00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:30.470 encouraging to see your engagement with that 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:32.310 is the point. It's been encouraging for me as 00:06:32.310 --> 00:06:35.139 well. It's been challenging for me. I'm trying 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:37.720 to engage with it the same way that you are. 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:40.060 And so if you haven't subscribed or downloaded, 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:42.019 you really ought to. We're always going to have 00:06:42.019 --> 00:06:45.779 copies for the next week near the door. Not as 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:47.800 many as we did last week, but if you prefer the 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:50.420 analog way of life, then that's there for you. 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:52.899 So it's ready to go. Anyhow, we're moving ahead 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:56.120 is the point in this conversation between Jesus 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:58.730 and his disciples. We're moving ahead. Fresh 00:06:58.730 --> 00:07:00.689 off this new command that Jesus gives them, one 00:07:00.689 --> 00:07:03.209 of the most relatable disciples, in my opinion, 00:07:03.410 --> 00:07:05.910 among the 11 that are still there, because remember, 00:07:06.009 --> 00:07:08.069 Judas has left. He's betrayed Jesus, so it's 00:07:08.069 --> 00:07:11.069 11 of them. And one of the most relatable, if 00:07:11.069 --> 00:07:14.189 you will, disciples, a guy named Peter, keeps 00:07:14.189 --> 00:07:17.029 the conversation going with Jesus. And this is 00:07:17.029 --> 00:07:20.389 what he asked Jesus in verse 36. Lord, Simon 00:07:20.389 --> 00:07:23.870 Peter said to him, where are you going? Jesus 00:07:23.870 --> 00:07:26.050 answered him, where I'm going, you cannot follow 00:07:26.050 --> 00:07:29.620 me now. but you will follow later. Lord, Peter 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:33.060 asks, why can't I follow you now? I will lay 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:35.920 down my life for you. Jesus replied, will you 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.680 lay down your life for me? Truly, I tell you, 00:07:38.699 --> 00:07:40.740 a rooster will not crow until you have denied 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:44.160 me three times. Don't let your hearts be troubled. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:47.459 This is end of chapter 14. Believe in God. Believe 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:49.660 also in me. In my father's house are many rooms. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:51.519 If it were not so, would I have told you that 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:53.399 I'm going to prepare a place for you? And if 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:56.259 I go away and prepare a place for you, I will 00:07:56.259 --> 00:07:59.000 come again and I will take you to myself so that 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.779 where I am, you may also be. You know the way 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:04.480 where I'm going. Lord, Thomas said, we don't 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:06.579 know where you're going. How can we know the 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:09.959 way? Jesus told him, you sang this earlier in 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:12.839 the song, I am the way and the truth and the 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:15.600 life. No one comes to the father except through 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:19.019 me. If you know me, you will also know my father. 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:21.579 From now on, you do not know him and have, you 00:08:21.579 --> 00:08:23.699 do know him, I should say, and have seen him. 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:27.620 Remember, Jesus had dropped these two, what I'll 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:32.259 call kind of big truth bombs on them. And they 00:08:32.259 --> 00:08:34.220 were what? I'm going to be glorified. Remember, 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:36.679 we talked about a child finding a rock and holding 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:38.679 it up and saying, look, look at the incredible 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.600 worth and value of this. And so Jesus said, I'm 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:43.299 going to be lifted up. I'm going to be glorified. 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:45.799 So he told him that. And he had told him, love 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:48.620 one another in a new way. And good old Peter, 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:51.139 presumably kind of speaking on behalf of the 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:53.279 rest of the disciples. I don't know if you, when 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:54.860 you were in school, if you had that friend who 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:57.100 would just say anything, right? And you're like, 00:08:57.179 --> 00:08:58.519 I'm not going to say it. You say it. And there's 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:01.419 always the one, right? Well, the one was Peter. 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:04.019 Hey, Peter, why don't you ask Jesus where he's 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:07.340 going? And so Jesus said, I'm going to be glorified, 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:09.759 love one another in a new way. And Peter, presumably 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:11.919 speaking on behalf of all the rest of the disciples 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.539 and never want to miss an opportunity to say 00:09:14.539 --> 00:09:18.519 something dumb. is like, yeah, that all sounds 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:20.840 cool, but let's go back to the whole you're going 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:24.059 away part, Jesus. Where are you going? Where 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:26.840 are you going? Peter, it seems, just completely 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:30.200 ignores what Jesus had just said. Instead, he 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:32.720 jumps back to the thing that what? Worried him 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:34.919 the most. And that's important for you to understand. 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:38.159 I mean, he heard it. He heard the things that 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:41.080 Jesus said, but the worry of his heart, the... 00:09:41.979 --> 00:09:44.419 preoccupation of his mind, if you will, said 00:09:44.419 --> 00:09:46.919 like, okay, that's all good. We'll figure out 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.700 the love thing. But I want to go back to something 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:50.600 that you said, which is that you're going away. 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:55.539 And where is it that you are going, Jesus? That 00:09:55.539 --> 00:09:58.460 was the question that Peter had for Jesus. What 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:01.200 was Jesus's response? He doesn't tell him where. 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:06.019 Instead, he tells him, you can't come, but you 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:08.879 will later. That's not probably the answer that 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:12.399 Peter wanted. When you get to Tuesday this week 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:14.340 in the addition of the carryover, if you're engaging 00:10:14.340 --> 00:10:16.279 with it, you're going to find this question of 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:20.299 where that is very common in the Gospel of John. 00:10:20.379 --> 00:10:23.179 And we kind of put it under the magnifying glass 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:25.100 for you to go and to do a little bit further 00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:27.600 kind of exploration of this question. But what 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.460 you'll find is that this question of where is 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:33.759 a frequent theme. asked in the book of John. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:35.159 I'm going to give you a few examples of what 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:37.240 I mean. This is in John chapter 1, very first 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.960 chapter. This is right after John the Baptist's 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:43.039 testimony about who Jesus was. He's about to 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:44.980 come onto the scene. His ministry is about to 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:47.820 kind of take off, if you will. And this is the 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:50.440 dialogue. The next day, John was standing with 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:53.120 two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:56.740 by, he said, look, the Lamb of God. The two disciples 00:10:56.740 --> 00:10:58.960 heard him say this and follow Jesus. When Jesus 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:01.000 turned and noticed them following him, he asked 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:03.220 them, what are you looking for? And they said 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:05.000 to him, rabbi, which means teacher. Here's the 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.039 question. Where are you staying? Where are you 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:10.440 staying? John chapter four. This is the conversation 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:12.500 between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:15.240 well. She asked Jesus this. Sir, said the woman, 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:17.820 you don't even have a bucket and the well is 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:20.480 deep. So here it is. Where do you get this living 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:23.700 water that you speak of? You aren't greater than 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:26.639 our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:29.019 and drank from it himself, as did his sons and 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:31.399 livestock. One more example, John chapter 7. 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:34.059 So Jesus is facing opposition in this moment 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:36.559 as he's teaching in the temple. Then Jesus said, 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:40.340 I am only with you for a short time. Then I'm 00:11:40.340 --> 00:11:42.399 going to the one who sent me. You will look for 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.159 me, but you will not find me. And where I am, 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:47.919 you cannot come. Then the Jews said to one another, 00:11:48.059 --> 00:11:50.000 here's the question, where does he intend to 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:52.690 go that we won't find him? He doesn't intend 00:11:52.690 --> 00:11:54.669 to go to the Jewish people dispersed among the 00:11:54.669 --> 00:11:56.970 Greeks and teach the Greeks, does he? Those pagans. 00:11:58.529 --> 00:12:02.029 So you see it by now, right? All throughout John's 00:12:02.029 --> 00:12:03.710 gospel, and I just gave you three examples, but 00:12:03.710 --> 00:12:05.389 all throughout the gospel, and if you, again, 00:12:05.549 --> 00:12:07.850 if you're engaging with us in the carryover Tuesday, 00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:09.549 when you get there, you'll see it. We kind of 00:12:09.549 --> 00:12:11.269 teased it out a little bit more. We want you 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:13.250 to go and see that for yourself. All through 00:12:13.250 --> 00:12:15.169 the gospel, John, there's this recurring question 00:12:15.169 --> 00:12:18.149 directed at Jesus. Where? Where, where, where? 00:12:18.990 --> 00:12:21.409 And I would just say there are a few questions 00:12:21.409 --> 00:12:24.250 that expose our humanity more than the question 00:12:24.250 --> 00:12:28.470 of where. If you have a child under like five 00:12:28.470 --> 00:12:31.190 years old, their favorite question is what? Why? 00:12:31.769 --> 00:12:35.669 Why? Why, mommy? Why, daddy? Like, because I 00:12:35.669 --> 00:12:40.549 said so. For the ninth millionth time. But there 00:12:40.549 --> 00:12:42.690 are a few questions, even as adults, that expose 00:12:42.690 --> 00:12:45.049 our humanity more than the question of where, 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:48.960 if you think about it. Where will I... meet somebody? 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:53.620 Where will I feel safe, maybe emotionally or 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:57.340 physically or mentally? Where will I find community? 00:12:57.899 --> 00:13:00.600 Where is it that my family will be happiest? 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:04.559 Where is a very normal question that we ask probably 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:07.759 more subconsciously than we realize in a variety 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:10.919 of different capacities every single day? The 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:15.679 question of where is wildly human, if you think 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:19.629 about it. And so what was Jesus' reply when Peter, 00:13:19.830 --> 00:13:22.429 very human, very like us, was like, hey, where 00:13:22.429 --> 00:13:25.990 are you going? What was Jesus' reply? Not to 00:13:25.990 --> 00:13:28.169 tell him where, but rather when. And the answer 00:13:28.169 --> 00:13:31.990 was not now, but later. And it's a very similar, 00:13:32.070 --> 00:13:34.029 I'm going to show you this, a very similar tone 00:13:34.029 --> 00:13:35.909 to an earlier question at the beginning of the 00:13:35.909 --> 00:13:38.429 scene. In the upper room, Jesus is preparing 00:13:38.429 --> 00:13:42.250 to wash their feet. He came to Simon Peter. This 00:13:42.250 --> 00:13:44.129 is what it says. This is verses 6 and 7. He came 00:13:44.129 --> 00:13:45.970 to Simon Peter who asked him, Lord, are you going 00:13:45.970 --> 00:13:49.490 to wash my feet? Peter again. Jesus answered 00:13:49.490 --> 00:13:53.450 him, what I am doing you don't realize now, but 00:13:53.450 --> 00:13:55.950 afterwards you will understand. So you see the 00:13:55.950 --> 00:13:58.870 similarity, I hope. In this case, it was like, 00:13:58.950 --> 00:14:01.669 what is it that you're doing? But later, it's 00:14:01.669 --> 00:14:03.549 where is it that you're going? And Jesus' reply 00:14:03.549 --> 00:14:07.100 is very similar. Not now, but later. You don't 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:09.259 understand it now, but you will later. You can't 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:12.080 go with me now, but you will go with me later. 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:15.059 You see the similarities, I trust. But Peter's 00:14:15.059 --> 00:14:18.139 just not going to let it go. He's just not going 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:21.039 to let it go. And in typical Peter fashion, he's 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:23.159 going to write a check that he can't cash with 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:27.299 Jesus. Why can't I go with you was his response. 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:30.120 And then what does he say? I will what? Lay down 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:35.690 my life for you. These are big. Bold words from 00:14:35.690 --> 00:14:38.490 Peter. And I said earlier that if you read through 00:14:38.490 --> 00:14:40.149 the Gospel of John, you pay careful attention, 00:14:40.330 --> 00:14:42.450 you'll find this theme of where throughout the 00:14:42.450 --> 00:14:44.950 book. I'm going to give you a little bit additional 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:46.470 homework if you're interested and you want to 00:14:46.470 --> 00:14:50.009 learn to study your Bible. Go through the Book 00:14:50.009 --> 00:14:51.889 of John and try and identify all the moments 00:14:51.889 --> 00:14:53.990 that are marked by irony in the Book of John. 00:14:54.029 --> 00:14:56.470 Because the John who wrote the, recorded for 00:14:56.470 --> 00:14:58.629 us the Gospel of John, he had a particular knack 00:14:58.629 --> 00:15:00.850 for kind of drawing out the irony of moments. 00:15:01.820 --> 00:15:04.840 And this hollow promise here from Peter to Jesus, 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:07.919 I think is just like dripping with irony. And 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:09.759 we should ask, well, what's ironic about it? 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:12.360 Two things are ironic about it. The first is 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:15.500 that Peter, I'm sorry, Jesus just flat out knows 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:19.580 that Peter is not going to do that. Peter's like, 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:21.480 hey, I'll lay down my life for you. And Jesus 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:23.980 is like, actually, it's gonna be the opposite. 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.200 You're gonna actually deny me three times and 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:29.860 then a rooster's gonna grow. And so Jesus has 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:34.600 this just, In fact, he uses the word truly. What 00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:37.019 does he mean by that? He means I am certain that 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:39.919 this is what's going to happen. So this isn't 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:43.769 just my hunch. This is not just like my suspicion, 00:15:43.990 --> 00:15:47.149 Peter. This is actually a fact. And the fact 00:15:47.149 --> 00:15:49.269 is, you're not going to lay down your life for 00:15:49.269 --> 00:15:51.509 me. In fact, you're going to deny me three times 00:15:51.509 --> 00:15:54.070 before a rooster crows. So there's a lot of irony 00:15:54.070 --> 00:15:56.450 in that. The second thing that I find ironic 00:15:56.450 --> 00:15:58.970 in this scene, and more significantly probably, 00:15:59.250 --> 00:16:02.090 is the irony that it would actually be Jesus 00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:05.309 who would lay down his life for Peter, not Peter 00:16:05.309 --> 00:16:10.399 for Jesus. John chapter 10, verse 11. This is 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:12.600 how Jesus described himself before this scene 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:14.419 in the upper room. I am the good shepherd. The 00:16:14.419 --> 00:16:17.720 good shepherd does what? Lays down his life for 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:21.639 the sheep. The boldness of Peter's, I'll say, 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:24.720 hollow promise is just like infused with irony. 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:29.580 Like, how ironic. And then you get to verse 1 00:16:29.580 --> 00:16:33.840 of chapter 14. And Jesus shifts his words from 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.879 addressing just Peter. So it's like Peter and 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:38.320 Jesus were having this kind of individual moment, 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:41.779 surrounded, of course, by the others. But he 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:44.980 shifts his focus from just addressing Peter to 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:47.980 really all the disciples. And these incredibly 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.799 beautiful words of comfort from Jesus, he's reading 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.500 the room. I mean, what I would give, there's 00:16:54.500 --> 00:16:56.659 no amount of money I would give to be able to 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:58.820 go back in time and just be in the room with 00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:03.019 Jesus. Everything he did, he did perfectly. That's 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:05.220 one thing to say. But he also just had a way, 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:07.980 if you just pick any story you want to in the 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:10.099 Gospels, and you see like Jesus always just had 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:12.420 a way of just knowing the need for the moment. 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.339 He could just read the room. He could read people. 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:18.000 He could sense their true need. He was a master 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:22.880 question asker. He just knew how to do it. And 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:25.319 he's, don't you know, he's just reading the room. 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:28.640 He's even working through Peter's just bold kind 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.410 of arrogance. And he's reading the room, and 00:17:31.410 --> 00:17:33.950 he shifts back, or he draws back from just Peter, 00:17:34.029 --> 00:17:35.349 and he's going to give him all this beautiful 00:17:35.349 --> 00:17:38.589 comfort, words of comfort. He's reading the room. 00:17:38.670 --> 00:17:41.190 He's sensing their, what, anxiety? He's sensing 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:43.150 their fear surrounding his imminent departure. 00:17:43.609 --> 00:17:45.410 And what does he tell them to do in verse 1? 00:17:45.470 --> 00:17:48.250 Don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in 00:17:48.250 --> 00:17:53.470 God. Believe also in me. You could make an argument 00:17:53.470 --> 00:17:55.910 that that's one of the most, like, I don't know, 00:17:56.049 --> 00:18:00.289 duh. verses in the scripture, right? Like, oh, 00:18:00.329 --> 00:18:02.890 thanks. Don't let your heart be troubled. Got 00:18:02.890 --> 00:18:06.930 it. Thanks, Jesus. Never thought of that. But 00:18:06.930 --> 00:18:10.670 it also seems to be different coming from Jesus, 00:18:10.789 --> 00:18:13.990 doesn't it? Like, if you came up to me and said, 00:18:14.089 --> 00:18:17.410 hey, I'm scared because I'm going through whatever, 00:18:17.690 --> 00:18:21.029 I would say, hey, don't be scared. You tell your 00:18:21.029 --> 00:18:22.369 little ones when they're scared at night, like, 00:18:22.430 --> 00:18:24.450 hey, don't be scared. We're here. We got you. 00:18:25.709 --> 00:18:28.829 And we're doing our best as humans to offer words 00:18:28.829 --> 00:18:30.509 of comfort in that moment. But there's something 00:18:30.509 --> 00:18:34.789 different when Jesus says, hey, don't let your 00:18:34.789 --> 00:18:37.930 heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also 00:18:37.930 --> 00:18:39.650 in me. And if you were here with us last week, 00:18:39.670 --> 00:18:42.609 I mentioned that this genre of farewell discourse 00:18:42.609 --> 00:18:45.430 is not unique here to Jesus. In fact, you can 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:47.289 go back in the scripture and you can find several 00:18:47.289 --> 00:18:49.930 different examples. I mentioned Moses. And if 00:18:49.930 --> 00:18:52.529 you go back in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 00:18:52.529 --> 00:18:55.569 31, I'm going to show you this. Moses is giving 00:18:55.569 --> 00:18:57.890 his own farewell discourse essentially to the 00:18:57.890 --> 00:19:00.500 nation of Israel. Listen for similar language 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:03.380 to what Jesus has just said in John 14, Deuteronomy 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:07.500 31 .6. Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:09.920 or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.579 one who will go with you. So he will not leave 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:16.359 you or abandon you. So just draw a parallel with 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:18.339 me here between the two scenes. So the Israelites, 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:22.460 their leader Moses is preparing to leave. The 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:25.339 disciples, their leader Jesus is preparing to 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:27.069 leave. preparing to leave. The Israelites, there's 00:19:27.069 --> 00:19:29.390 a fear of what's in front of them. We don't know 00:19:29.390 --> 00:19:32.009 life without Moses leading us. This is scary. 00:19:32.430 --> 00:19:34.769 The disciples, there's fear of the unknown in 00:19:34.769 --> 00:19:36.630 front of them. Like, Jesus, you are our guy, 00:19:36.789 --> 00:19:38.809 man. We don't know how to do this without you. 00:19:39.690 --> 00:19:42.450 Moses gives them a command to not be afraid. 00:19:43.210 --> 00:19:46.089 Jesus gives them a command to not be afraid. 00:19:47.210 --> 00:19:50.190 And what Jesus is trying to do is he's trying 00:19:50.190 --> 00:19:52.589 to push fear and worry out of their hearts by 00:19:52.589 --> 00:19:54.809 this reassurance that his presence is not permanent, 00:19:54.930 --> 00:19:58.750 but rather to prepare eternity for all who come 00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:05.049 to him by faith. And much has been made like, 00:20:05.089 --> 00:20:07.170 was Jesus giving us a physical description of 00:20:07.170 --> 00:20:08.769 heaven? Because what did he say? In my father's 00:20:08.769 --> 00:20:12.769 house are many rooms. The answer is, I mean, 00:20:12.769 --> 00:20:14.910 this is the honest pastoral answer. I have no 00:20:14.910 --> 00:20:18.180 idea. I have no idea if he's given us a physical 00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:21.440 description of Jesus or of heaven, rather. It 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:25.839 seems unlikely, but rather what he is doing is 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:28.259 he's trying to make a point that it is big enough 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:33.299 for all who come to him by faith, which presumably 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:36.660 at the end of history will be millions, if not 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:41.880 billions of people inhabiting one space, heaven. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:45.279 And by the way, a little fun side theological 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:48.519 nugget here for you if you want it. People will 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:51.140 ask sometimes, like we've had this question come 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:53.119 up in Alpha, for example. People ask, like, did 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:56.059 Jesus really believe that he was God and he was 00:20:56.059 --> 00:20:58.359 one with the Father? Like, he really believed 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:01.059 that. And there's a lot of evidence that you 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:03.220 could pour into. The simple answer is yes. And 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:04.980 there are many places that illustrate that. One 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:06.660 of them is right here in this verse that we just 00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:08.619 read where he says, believe in God, believe also 00:21:08.619 --> 00:21:11.710 in me. What was he saying? We are the same. So 00:21:11.710 --> 00:21:13.869 to believe in one is to believe in both. He was 00:21:13.869 --> 00:21:15.910 equating himself with the Father. So it's just 00:21:15.910 --> 00:21:19.390 a side little theological gift for you. He's 00:21:19.390 --> 00:21:22.009 equating himself with the Father, co -equal. 00:21:22.109 --> 00:21:24.630 And you could digress so much into that to say, 00:21:24.710 --> 00:21:26.710 of course he believed it. Otherwise, he could 00:21:26.710 --> 00:21:28.710 have bypassed the cross because they were essentially 00:21:28.710 --> 00:21:31.230 trying to get him to deny his divinity. Were 00:21:31.230 --> 00:21:35.190 they not? All you got to do is deny this. And 00:21:35.190 --> 00:21:39.650 he's like, no, I am essentially God. Anyhow, 00:21:39.710 --> 00:21:43.950 side note. Jesus is doing his best here to help 00:21:43.950 --> 00:21:45.730 these disciples understand. And when you get 00:21:45.730 --> 00:21:48.289 to verse four, it's just clear that they still 00:21:48.289 --> 00:21:50.390 don't understand. They're looking for a literal 00:21:50.390 --> 00:21:53.269 answer from Jesus. Again, it's like your five 00:21:53.269 --> 00:21:56.109 -year -old is just, but why, but why, but why, 00:21:56.269 --> 00:21:58.170 but why? And you're like, you're not getting 00:21:58.170 --> 00:22:01.450 it. And so first it was Peter like, hey, where 00:22:01.450 --> 00:22:04.460 are you going? And Jesus tries to like walk them 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:06.460 into this. And then you get to verse four or 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:09.299 verse five rather, where Thomas now comes into 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:12.559 the conversation, says this to Jesus, Lord, Thomas 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:15.140 said, we don't know where you're going. How can 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:19.099 we know the way? Thomas represents all of us 00:22:19.099 --> 00:22:22.140 in that moment, right? Like, how is it that if 00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:25.220 we don't know the destination, we can know the 00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:28.960 way to get there? If I'm like, hey, meet me this 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:32.059 afternoon. And you're like, where? And I'm like. 00:22:35.139 --> 00:22:38.180 What street are you going to get on? You don't 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:42.480 even know. It's impossible to meet me if you 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.579 don't know where you're going. But if I tell 00:22:44.579 --> 00:22:47.720 you, meet me at Broadway and Houghton, you know 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:50.579 how to get there. You know the path to take to 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:54.420 get you there. So he's very logical reasoning 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:57.359 here by Thomas. It's just clear that they just 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:59.799 weren't getting it. And so Jesus is going to 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.539 double down. And make it even clearer for them, 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:04.799 what was Jesus' reply? Maybe one of the most 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:06.980 well -known verses in the entire Bible. This 00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:09.759 is how he responds to Thomas. Jesus told him, 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:13.440 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:16.960 comes to the Father except through me. So in 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:20.140 Jesus' response, what was he communicating to 00:23:20.140 --> 00:23:23.420 them? Several things. First, the way. Remember, 00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:26.920 where was their primary concern? The way is not 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:29.180 a literal way, nor is it a set of directions, 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:31.319 but rather a way of life, which is a commitment 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:34.880 to following Jesus. This is where, when Jesus 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.160 starts to talk about the newness of just all 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:41.259 things, this is what he means. You want to understand 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:45.759 this as a literal checklist, and Jesus is instead 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:49.339 saying, I'm inviting you into a surrendered life 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:52.829 in relationship with me. It's a commitment to 00:23:52.829 --> 00:23:54.769 follow Jesus. Jesus said this earlier in John 00:23:54.769 --> 00:23:57.109 chapter 12. If anyone serves me, he must also 00:23:57.109 --> 00:24:00.009 follow me. So this is what he's essentially inviting 00:24:00.009 --> 00:24:03.329 them to do. Come follow me. Where I am, there 00:24:03.329 --> 00:24:05.569 my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, 00:24:05.650 --> 00:24:07.930 the Father will honor him. And so here's what 00:24:07.930 --> 00:24:11.650 I will say to you, friends. If Jesus is, if he's 00:24:11.650 --> 00:24:15.049 anything more than a good teacher or a guide 00:24:15.049 --> 00:24:17.450 to a better place, which I think he is, he's 00:24:17.450 --> 00:24:21.210 actually rather the way to the Father. And I, 00:24:21.349 --> 00:24:26.609 yeah, there's, I have so many, anyhow, I'll let 00:24:26.609 --> 00:24:29.829 it go. But I just have a lot of thoughts on the 00:24:29.829 --> 00:24:34.950 prevailing narrative around the usefulness of 00:24:34.950 --> 00:24:39.730 Jesus. Jesus is not useful to us in the sense 00:24:39.730 --> 00:24:43.190 of like a free ride to heaven. But rather like 00:24:43.190 --> 00:24:45.130 this is what he's inviting us into. Like you 00:24:45.130 --> 00:24:47.880 have to come follow me. You have to surrender 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:49.920 your life to me. You have to walk the narrow 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:53.259 path that Matthew chapter 5 talks about. Few 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:57.240 are those who find it difficult is the way. And 00:24:57.240 --> 00:25:00.539 if I asked you, hey, how do you get to Phoenix? 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:03.720 Like literally, how do you get to Phoenix? You 00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:06.619 would tell me, all right, head down Houghton 00:25:06.619 --> 00:25:08.420 and then take a left. And then when you get to 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:10.500 the freeway, take a ride on an on -ramp and then 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:12.619 just stay on that for a hundred some miles and 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:15.519 you're at Phoenix. Like there's a literal... 00:25:16.630 --> 00:25:20.589 way to Phoenix. If I asked you, like, how do 00:25:20.589 --> 00:25:23.230 you make the honor roll at your school? You probably 00:25:23.230 --> 00:25:27.630 have some, what do you call it, criteria that 00:25:27.630 --> 00:25:28.910 you're aware of. Like, well, you have to have 00:25:28.910 --> 00:25:31.009 at least this many AP classes and you have to 00:25:31.009 --> 00:25:33.569 have at least the minimum GPA, like, et cetera. 00:25:33.829 --> 00:25:37.930 If I asked you, how do you get to heaven? The 00:25:37.930 --> 00:25:39.650 list of directions that you would give me would 00:25:39.650 --> 00:25:41.869 be what? I mean, it would be just a really fun 00:25:41.869 --> 00:25:43.869 experiment to go stand on the street corner downtown 00:25:43.869 --> 00:25:46.400 and say, hey, how do you get to heaven? I would 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:50.059 imagine that you would maybe get some answers 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:52.619 like, well, you got to go to church. You got 00:25:52.619 --> 00:25:55.180 to get baptized. You got to volunteer. You got 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:57.140 to do good things. You got to maybe throw God 00:25:57.140 --> 00:26:00.480 a little bit of your money. Like, how do you 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:02.900 get to Phoenix? One, two, three, and four. How 00:26:02.900 --> 00:26:04.900 do you get to heaven? One, two, three, and four. 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:10.039 No. There is no list. It is a person, and that's 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.740 what Jesus was trying to get them to see. Like, 00:26:12.740 --> 00:26:16.299 there's no checklist to heaven. There's a person 00:26:16.299 --> 00:26:19.759 that gets you to heaven. He's the way, the truth, 00:26:19.819 --> 00:26:21.140 and the life. And that's what he was trying to 00:26:21.140 --> 00:26:23.059 communicate to them in that moment. That's the 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:25.039 way to the Father. That's the way to eternal 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:27.539 life. There is no other way. And so there's just 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:29.759 a couple, maybe one. I don't even remember how 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:31.720 many points I have. Just maybe one point that 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:34.240 I really wanted us to get from this moment between 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:36.380 Jesus and his disciples. And it's this. Salvation 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:41.119 is exclusively found in Jesus. And here's what 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:45.220 I will say. Despite the popular narrative. All 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:48.960 roads don't lead to heaven. All roads don't lead 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:51.660 to heaven. There is an exclusivity to salvation. 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:55.640 And yet, and this is the tension of our church 00:26:55.640 --> 00:27:00.920 that I love so much. And yet, it is available 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:05.140 to any and all who by faith trust in Jesus. So 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:09.619 the exclusivity of it is wide. It will at the 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:11.779 end of history include millions if not billions 00:27:11.779 --> 00:27:14.690 of people. And when you hear the number billion, 00:27:14.750 --> 00:27:17.769 it doesn't seem very exclusive. It is in the 00:27:17.769 --> 00:27:19.930 sense that there's only one way to get there. 00:27:20.009 --> 00:27:22.930 It's by Jesus, by faith in Jesus. But here's 00:27:22.930 --> 00:27:26.109 the good news. He can receive as many as will 00:27:26.109 --> 00:27:30.549 come to him. There's no capacity. He can check 00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:33.819 you in faster than you can show up. There's an 00:27:33.819 --> 00:27:37.500 exclusivity to it that is widely available to 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:40.559 any and all who come to him by faith. And what's 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:42.819 so wild is that later in the book of Acts, so 00:27:42.819 --> 00:27:45.039 this is after Jesus has gone, this is after the 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:46.799 church has been established and it's growing, 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:50.119 this same Peter who was so confused by Jesus' 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:53.940 words earlier in John chapter 14, he now seems 00:27:53.940 --> 00:27:56.519 to have total clarity. Look at what he says in 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.859 Acts chapter 4. There is salvation. This is the 00:27:58.859 --> 00:28:01.900 same Peter. There is salvation in no one else. 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:04.480 For there is no other name under heaven given 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:08.519 to people by which we must be saved. That's the 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:10.660 same Peter. Just think of the irony of that, 00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:13.000 right? Like he was before, he was like, we don't 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:15.779 know the way. And Jesus is like, I am the way, 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:17.680 I am the truth, I am the life. And then later 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:19.779 in Acts chapter four, when now they're kind of 00:28:19.779 --> 00:28:23.480 being put under, when the heat's been turned 00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:25.759 up on them and they're having to give a testimony 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:28.799 and to defend this very faith now that Jesus 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:30.839 has entrusted to them, they're like, hey, we're 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:33.369 pretty clear on this. There is salvation in no 00:28:33.369 --> 00:28:36.609 one else. There is no other name under heaven 00:28:36.609 --> 00:28:39.549 by which people must be saved. Here's what I 00:28:39.549 --> 00:28:43.789 will say. The aim of Christianity is not to get 00:28:43.789 --> 00:28:47.970 more people to go to churches. The aim of Christianity 00:28:47.970 --> 00:28:50.069 is to shepherd people towards surrendering their 00:28:50.069 --> 00:28:52.410 lives to Jesus so that they willingly follow 00:28:52.410 --> 00:28:57.849 him. And obviously as a pastor, I keep up with 00:28:57.849 --> 00:29:02.829 the... trends in the pastoral world and church 00:29:02.829 --> 00:29:07.630 growth strategies. Educators, you spend time 00:29:07.630 --> 00:29:11.029 in that. We all have our niche that we are interested 00:29:11.029 --> 00:29:19.809 in. There's a growing fascination, if you will, 00:29:19.930 --> 00:29:24.589 with how do we get more people to come to church? 00:29:27.049 --> 00:29:30.869 I suppose that's a necessary question for us 00:29:30.869 --> 00:29:34.930 to be asking, but it's easy to get caught up 00:29:34.930 --> 00:29:37.049 in the trap to think that that's the aim of Christianity. 00:29:38.349 --> 00:29:41.009 The aim of Christianity is not to get more people 00:29:41.009 --> 00:29:42.849 to come to churches, but to shepherd people towards 00:29:42.849 --> 00:29:44.690 surrendering their lives to Jesus so that they 00:29:44.690 --> 00:29:46.349 willingly follow him. And you know what that 00:29:46.349 --> 00:29:50.549 often translates to? People coming to church. 00:29:52.369 --> 00:29:57.750 You guys are sharp. And Jesus also claimed here 00:29:57.750 --> 00:30:00.529 in John 14 to be the truth. So similar to what 00:30:00.529 --> 00:30:02.130 we just established, there aren't many truths 00:30:02.130 --> 00:30:04.109 that help us arrive at salvation. There's only 00:30:04.109 --> 00:30:07.470 one, it's found in Jesus. And if you know any 00:30:07.470 --> 00:30:10.190 of the Sermon on the Mount, so that's this sermon, 00:30:10.269 --> 00:30:12.130 if you will, that Jesus gave to this gathered 00:30:12.130 --> 00:30:14.470 group of people. It's in Matthew chapters five 00:30:14.470 --> 00:30:17.390 to seven. There are multiple places where Jesus 00:30:17.390 --> 00:30:19.390 said, you have heard it said, and then what would 00:30:19.390 --> 00:30:24.009 he say? But I tell you. What was he doing? And 00:30:24.009 --> 00:30:27.059 there's like, I don't know. Six or seven of those 00:30:27.059 --> 00:30:29.259 statements at least. You have heard it said, 00:30:29.519 --> 00:30:32.440 love your neighbor as yourself. And then Jesus 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:33.960 would say, but I tell you. And then he would 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:38.660 give them this new, updated, radicalized Jesus 00:30:38.660 --> 00:30:43.539 form of the old law, if you will. What was he 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:45.839 saying? You know the law. That's what he would 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:47.500 say. You have heard it said. That's another way 00:30:47.500 --> 00:30:51.380 of saying, you know the law, but I am superior 00:30:51.380 --> 00:30:55.400 to the law. You have heard it said, you know 00:30:55.400 --> 00:30:59.059 the law, but I tell you, I am superior to the 00:30:59.059 --> 00:31:00.680 law. That's essentially what that translates 00:31:00.680 --> 00:31:04.460 to mean. He also came to fulfill the law and 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:06.059 the prophets. What does that mean? It means that 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:08.359 he becomes the single source of truth, the only 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:10.559 truth, the only true measure of righteousness. 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:13.000 And when we hear that, we're inclined to think, 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:17.500 how arrogant. And not lost on me is the perceived 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:20.440 arrogance of the exclusivity of Christianity. 00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:26.599 Long, run -on sentence. I'm aware of that. But 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:31.880 what gets lost in that is just how wildly generous 00:31:31.880 --> 00:31:35.880 Jesus is with that invitation and becomes the 00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:37.880 single, the true measure of righteousness. And 00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:39.640 so when we hear that, we're inclined to think 00:31:39.640 --> 00:31:42.980 how arrogant, like how restrictive, how whatever, 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:46.099 whatever, whatever. But what did Jesus tell us 00:31:46.099 --> 00:31:48.240 about truth? John chapter 8, 32, you will know 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:51.980 the truth and the truth will set you what? Free. 00:31:51.980 --> 00:31:54.339 It's not actually like you're not signing your 00:31:54.339 --> 00:31:56.420 freedom away by surrendering your life to Jesus. 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:00.539 You're actually taking on freedom in a sense 00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:04.140 that you've never experienced it before. There's 00:32:04.140 --> 00:32:08.339 freedom in truth. And then finally he describes 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:11.700 himself as the life, which is somewhat ironic 00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:13.440 at that moment if you think about it, because 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:15.059 he's just been telling that he's basically going 00:32:15.059 --> 00:32:18.809 to what? Die. This is his farewell discourse. 00:32:19.049 --> 00:32:22.670 And now all of a sudden he's like, I'm the life. 00:32:23.390 --> 00:32:25.630 I'm like, run that by us again one more time. 00:32:26.829 --> 00:32:29.349 The deliverance and freedom he was about to provide 00:32:29.349 --> 00:32:31.789 was not a political or social deliverance, which 00:32:31.789 --> 00:32:34.349 most of the Jews were seeking. And don't you 00:32:34.349 --> 00:32:37.109 know, by osmosis, if you will, by proximity, 00:32:37.289 --> 00:32:39.690 the disciples as well, like, hey, you understand 00:32:39.690 --> 00:32:41.410 everybody's upset, Jesus, because you have not 00:32:41.410 --> 00:32:43.289 delivered us from Rome, and they all thought 00:32:43.289 --> 00:32:48.130 you would. And so they're all seeking this political 00:32:48.130 --> 00:32:51.569 and social deliverance, but a true deliverance 00:32:51.569 --> 00:32:53.609 from a life of bondage to sin and death to a 00:32:53.609 --> 00:32:56.690 life of freedom and eternity is what Jesus was 00:32:56.690 --> 00:33:01.809 ultimately offering them. And there's just one 00:33:01.809 --> 00:33:05.509 last thing. I went really long last week, so 00:33:05.509 --> 00:33:07.269 I'm not going to go long this week. I owe you 00:33:07.269 --> 00:33:11.369 a few minutes. And I just struggled with this 00:33:11.369 --> 00:33:15.990 message because I... It's my job to kind of draw 00:33:15.990 --> 00:33:19.789 out things for us to see. And I just, I felt 00:33:19.789 --> 00:33:22.009 like the text is the text today, if that makes 00:33:22.009 --> 00:33:24.910 sense. And there wasn't a lot of like hidden 00:33:24.910 --> 00:33:28.369 things there that aren't plainly obvious to us. 00:33:29.009 --> 00:33:31.650 But there is one thing that I just kept coming 00:33:31.650 --> 00:33:34.170 back to. And I don't even think it's the main 00:33:34.170 --> 00:33:37.650 point of the text. But if you remember from our 00:33:37.650 --> 00:33:39.650 text last week, Jesus has given them this new 00:33:39.650 --> 00:33:41.410 commandment to love one another as he had loved 00:33:41.410 --> 00:33:44.539 them. And then you fast forward to this text, 00:33:44.599 --> 00:33:46.539 and we just looked at today, and guess what? 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:50.240 I just wanted us to see it. It's easy to miss 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:51.599 because it's not the main point of the text, 00:33:51.680 --> 00:33:54.259 but he again practices and models the very love 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:57.200 that he's called him to. How so? Because now 00:33:57.200 --> 00:34:01.000 it's Peter's turn to deny him. And it's going 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:04.339 to happen just shortly after this whole scene. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.360 So think about it. Judas betrayed him, and Jesus 00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:11.679 is like, Love one another as I have loved you. 00:34:11.780 --> 00:34:14.239 By the way, I'd wash the betrayer's feet, if 00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:19.719 you will. And Peter's going to deny him. And 00:34:19.719 --> 00:34:22.320 yet here in this moment, Jesus is just extending 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:25.559 and modeling the same love, this newness of love, 00:34:25.659 --> 00:34:28.199 not for the people that are lovable per se, but 00:34:28.199 --> 00:34:29.840 the people who will deny you and the people who 00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:32.699 will reject you and betray you and all the things. 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:35.139 And there's two of them in the room and one's 00:34:35.139 --> 00:34:39.420 gone. Peter, well -meaning Peter, well -meaning 00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:41.730 Peter. Just a short time later, he's like, hey, 00:34:41.809 --> 00:34:43.389 you were with the guy. I don't know him. You 00:34:43.389 --> 00:34:46.050 were with the guy. I don't know him. We saw you 00:34:46.050 --> 00:34:48.630 with Jesus. I don't know him. And then the rooster 00:34:48.630 --> 00:34:52.690 crows, and Peter's like, oh, turns out Jesus 00:34:52.690 --> 00:34:58.389 was right. And yet, and yet, he's in the room, 00:34:58.409 --> 00:35:02.429 and Jesus is saying, this is the newness of this 00:35:02.429 --> 00:35:05.460 love. And then if you were to go to the end of 00:35:05.460 --> 00:35:07.840 the book, John chapter 21, you see this incredible 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:11.099 moment where Jesus restores Peter three times. 00:35:11.820 --> 00:35:15.719 Ironic? No. Intentional. Like, do you love me, 00:35:15.739 --> 00:35:17.699 Peter? Yes. Feed my sheep. Do you love me, Peter? 00:35:17.820 --> 00:35:19.619 Lord, you know that I love you. Feed my sheep. 00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:22.860 And then it's this dialogue between him and Jesus. 00:35:22.920 --> 00:35:26.159 And you just see this, like, restoration happen 00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:31.150 in that moment. And so I pointed out to us because 00:35:31.150 --> 00:35:33.230 I wanted you to see that once again, Jesus is 00:35:33.230 --> 00:35:35.210 practicing and modeling the very thing that he 00:35:35.210 --> 00:35:39.389 was calling them and us to. This wasn't just 00:35:39.389 --> 00:35:44.250 like, I'm Jesus, do as I say. It was, I'm Jesus, 00:35:44.429 --> 00:35:48.349 live as I have lived. And they were getting a 00:35:48.349 --> 00:35:51.250 front row seat to this. They were getting a front 00:35:51.250 --> 00:35:53.469 row seat to this between Judas' betrayal and 00:35:53.469 --> 00:35:56.630 Peter's denial and all the other things that 00:35:56.630 --> 00:36:01.750 would transpire. And so I'll close by just maybe 00:36:01.750 --> 00:36:04.829 giving you a couple of rhetorical questions to 00:36:04.829 --> 00:36:11.010 chew on. What is it that you're seeking after 00:36:11.010 --> 00:36:15.610 today? So take that where question that Peter 00:36:15.610 --> 00:36:19.150 had and Thomas as well, and just apply it to 00:36:19.150 --> 00:36:22.090 your own lives. What is it that you're seeking 00:36:22.090 --> 00:36:25.050 today? And I understand I'm asking what, and 00:36:25.050 --> 00:36:27.760 they were asking where, but a lot of times, The 00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:30.440 where is to try and satisfy the what that we're 00:36:30.440 --> 00:36:33.139 looking for, if that makes sense. What is it 00:36:33.139 --> 00:36:35.199 that you're seeking today? Perhaps the question 00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:37.280 of where resonates with you. Like, where can 00:36:37.280 --> 00:36:40.599 I find true happiness? Where can I find true 00:36:40.599 --> 00:36:43.260 peace? Where can I find true contentment? Where 00:36:43.260 --> 00:36:46.820 can I find acceptance? Where can I find true 00:36:46.820 --> 00:36:51.619 life? Those are very normal human questions. 00:36:52.409 --> 00:36:54.510 As a society, we're asking them in some very 00:36:54.510 --> 00:36:59.989 sophisticated, subtle ways. Social media is an 00:36:59.989 --> 00:37:02.650 example of like, where can I find acceptance? 00:37:03.289 --> 00:37:08.630 Where can I find validation for who I am? And 00:37:08.630 --> 00:37:10.510 Jesus gives us that answer with an invitation 00:37:10.510 --> 00:37:12.670 to come follow him. And when we discover and 00:37:12.670 --> 00:37:15.449 surrender to him, we find truth and we find life. 00:37:16.409 --> 00:37:18.690 And I will just tell you that one of my greatest 00:37:18.690 --> 00:37:22.659 fears as a pastor is that you would see the means 00:37:22.659 --> 00:37:26.699 of Christianity as the end, so to speak. In other 00:37:26.699 --> 00:37:29.260 words, if you're checking those boxes, those 00:37:29.260 --> 00:37:33.199 directional boxes of how to get to heaven, that 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:38.179 you would unintentionally pacify your conscience 00:37:38.179 --> 00:37:41.019 to believe that you are in fact following Jesus. 00:37:41.400 --> 00:37:44.559 And I know maybe it's a bold thing to say that 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:48.940 to you, but... More importantly than you coming 00:37:48.940 --> 00:37:52.239 to our church is you surrendering your life to 00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:54.920 Jesus. More importantly than you giving your 00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:59.139 time or your money. That's the fruit that grows 00:37:59.139 --> 00:38:01.500 in your life when you first make that decision 00:38:01.500 --> 00:38:06.260 to surrender to Jesus. And one of my deepest 00:38:06.260 --> 00:38:10.519 desires, maybe a more positive way to say it 00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:12.239 than one of my greatest fears. Let's try this 00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:16.039 route. deepest desires is that you understand 00:38:16.039 --> 00:38:20.539 that you wouldn't see the means of Christianity. 00:38:20.659 --> 00:38:24.260 So the attending, the serving, the giving as 00:38:24.260 --> 00:38:27.420 the end all be all. Does that make sense to you? 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:32.440 But rather that the end is Jesus. That's the 00:38:32.440 --> 00:38:36.059 end. That's what we're after. And in the similar 00:38:36.059 --> 00:38:38.280 capacity that the disciples were confused, we 00:38:38.280 --> 00:38:42.579 get confused ourselves. Where? How do I get there? 00:38:44.069 --> 00:38:46.210 And don't you know that they were just like so 00:38:46.210 --> 00:38:47.889 hopeful in that moment that Jesus would be like, 00:38:47.929 --> 00:38:49.090 all right, well, here's the deal. The Romans 00:38:49.090 --> 00:38:51.150 are going to come and they're going to take me 00:38:51.150 --> 00:38:52.369 and they're probably going to take me to the 00:38:52.369 --> 00:38:55.409 courtyard around the building. And then they're 00:38:55.409 --> 00:38:56.849 probably going to hold me there for 12 hours. 00:38:56.909 --> 00:38:59.289 And then they're going to take me to this hill 00:38:59.289 --> 00:39:01.349 where they're going to crucify me. Like, got 00:39:01.349 --> 00:39:03.230 it. We're with you every step of the way, Jesus. 00:39:03.389 --> 00:39:07.030 We know where you're going now. And we, to some 00:39:07.030 --> 00:39:10.869 capacity, we want that too, don't we? Tell us, 00:39:10.869 --> 00:39:12.630 Jesus, how to get there. And Jesus is like, if 00:39:12.630 --> 00:39:15.730 you find me, you found the way. And so if you 00:39:15.730 --> 00:39:17.829 surrender your life to me, like, guess what? 00:39:18.070 --> 00:39:21.849 You've got it. You've got all you need. And these 00:39:21.849 --> 00:39:23.829 other things that we're inclined to think like, 00:39:23.889 --> 00:39:26.650 that's how I get there, so to speak. Jesus is 00:39:26.650 --> 00:39:28.289 like, no, that's the fruit that grows out of 00:39:28.289 --> 00:39:30.010 your life because you can't help but do those 00:39:30.010 --> 00:39:33.269 things once you surrender to the way, if you 00:39:33.269 --> 00:39:35.889 will. And you've found truth and you've found 00:39:35.889 --> 00:39:38.940 life. Don't get me wrong, like all these things 00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:41.280 that we're inclined to kind of adorn ourselves 00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:45.500 with and do are good, healthy, right, biblical 00:39:45.500 --> 00:39:51.179 things. But if they become the end in themselves 00:39:51.179 --> 00:39:54.800 rather than a means to an end, if you will, then 00:39:54.800 --> 00:39:57.579 we've missed a whole invitation from Jesus. Does 00:39:57.579 --> 00:40:00.099 that make sense? We've missed a whole invitation 00:40:00.099 --> 00:40:06.300 from Jesus if the means become the end. I think 00:40:06.300 --> 00:40:09.099 so much of what is driving this new vision for 00:40:09.099 --> 00:40:12.159 us, this discovering Jesus, deepening faith, 00:40:12.400 --> 00:40:14.460 which by the way, we ran out of those shirts. 00:40:14.559 --> 00:40:16.559 A lot of you ordered them. We have them today 00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:19.199 on the plaza, but only if you special ordered 00:40:19.199 --> 00:40:21.639 them. Don't try and pull one over on us, okay? 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:26.039 We have your names. I'm serious. We only have 00:40:26.039 --> 00:40:27.559 them if you ordered them. They're on the plaza. 00:40:28.239 --> 00:40:30.860 But so much of what is driving this new vision 00:40:30.860 --> 00:40:33.440 for us, discovering Jesus, deepening faith, is... 00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:37.199 this very thing. Like, we don't want our people 00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:41.719 to see the means as the end. Like, the goal is 00:40:41.719 --> 00:40:46.119 Jesus. The aim is Jesus. The destination is Jesus. 00:40:46.300 --> 00:40:49.739 Like, where are you going? We are going to Jesus. 00:40:51.079 --> 00:40:54.440 We might get heaven. We will get heaven in eternity. 00:40:55.880 --> 00:41:00.230 That's a beautiful reality. But that's where 00:41:00.230 --> 00:41:02.329 we're going today is we're going into surrendered 00:41:02.329 --> 00:41:05.690 posture into life with Jesus because he is the 00:41:05.690 --> 00:41:08.230 way, the truth, and the life. Amen? Let's pray 00:41:08.230 --> 00:41:11.250 together. Father, thank you for this moment. 00:41:13.650 --> 00:41:16.650 Thank you for the truth of Jesus. Thank you for 00:41:16.650 --> 00:41:19.070 his boldness to say, I am the way, the truth, 00:41:19.110 --> 00:41:22.449 and the life. It's exclusive, but it is vast. 00:41:24.230 --> 00:41:30.699 And I know, I know for certain. that there are 00:41:30.699 --> 00:41:32.519 multiple types of people in this room today. 00:41:32.619 --> 00:41:36.480 There are some who are just clear. Like, this 00:41:36.480 --> 00:41:39.360 is a decision that is so clear for me. It's one 00:41:39.360 --> 00:41:42.300 that I've made. It's one that I'm, by the Spirit 00:41:42.300 --> 00:41:44.679 of God, doing my best to live into every day. 00:41:46.280 --> 00:41:48.420 There's a second group of people in the room 00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:53.900 who, in good faith, innocently, we'll even say, 00:41:54.019 --> 00:41:58.260 have made... Kind of the directions, the destination. 00:42:00.179 --> 00:42:03.900 Rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus, we've tried 00:42:03.900 --> 00:42:07.960 to, by our works, by our good deeds, by our whatever 00:42:07.960 --> 00:42:14.119 it is, we have tried to work our way to the way 00:42:14.119 --> 00:42:18.280 instead of surrendering. And then I think there's 00:42:18.280 --> 00:42:21.280 yet another group of people in the room who... 00:42:22.639 --> 00:42:25.940 They're just like, I'm not sure I have one clue 00:42:25.940 --> 00:42:30.599 what this means. I'm so grateful that our church 00:42:30.599 --> 00:42:37.199 is a landing place for all people, no matter 00:42:37.199 --> 00:42:40.780 which category you fall into. And so I especially 00:42:40.780 --> 00:42:42.619 pray for my friends in the room who are like, 00:42:42.679 --> 00:42:46.840 I really have no idea what this means. God, I 00:42:46.840 --> 00:42:49.179 pray that today would be a day where they just 00:42:49.179 --> 00:42:52.280 take the next step. We're not trying to get to 00:42:52.280 --> 00:42:54.099 the finish line today. We're trying to just take 00:42:54.099 --> 00:42:58.420 the next step. And so would you give them spirit 00:42:58.420 --> 00:43:02.960 of boldness and courageousness to courage to 00:43:02.960 --> 00:43:06.539 just ask a question, to have a conversation, 00:43:06.760 --> 00:43:13.159 to do the hard work of just exploring what does 00:43:13.159 --> 00:43:15.340 it mean that Jesus is the way, the truth, and 00:43:15.340 --> 00:43:19.619 the life. And I pray for myself and I pray for 00:43:19.619 --> 00:43:22.079 everybody else in this room. If they're human 00:43:22.079 --> 00:43:24.119 like me, God, then this is the prayer we all 00:43:24.119 --> 00:43:26.739 need to pray, which is, would you forgive us 00:43:26.739 --> 00:43:33.800 for pursuing the wrong things? There's a way 00:43:33.800 --> 00:43:36.519 that seems right to man, but its end is destruction. 00:43:38.300 --> 00:43:44.559 And so often, God, so often we get on that path 00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:49.619 with No intention of staying on it. And yet, 00:43:49.699 --> 00:43:53.519 all of a sudden we turn around and we look and 00:43:53.519 --> 00:43:57.880 we just wandered really far. And the things that 00:43:57.880 --> 00:44:02.480 we thought were going to satisfy us have just 00:44:02.480 --> 00:44:06.659 proven to leave us empty handed. And so would 00:44:06.659 --> 00:44:10.019 we, by faith, draw near to you today, trusting 00:44:10.019 --> 00:44:13.559 that in you is... Is the answer to all of our 00:44:13.559 --> 00:44:16.199 where questions in life. Where will I find happiness? 00:44:16.300 --> 00:44:19.119 Where will I find peace? Where will I be content? 00:44:19.400 --> 00:44:23.300 Where will I be accepted? Where will I be made 00:44:23.300 --> 00:44:27.059 whole? Where will I be set free from this addiction? 00:44:29.480 --> 00:44:33.320 All of those where's are resolved in Christ. 00:44:36.119 --> 00:44:39.239 So we just give our hearts to you today by faith. 00:44:40.360 --> 00:44:43.179 Our song is for you, God. And we sing it to you 00:44:43.179 --> 00:44:44.139 now in Jesus' name.