WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.820 Amen. Amen. Good morning. Nice to see you all. 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:12.760 Just a quick note, just to reiterate what Roland said about the men's lunch we're having on the 8th of February, 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:18.600 that's going to be the first step towards hopefully a cycle of events for men. 00:00:18.700 --> 00:00:23.820 So please do come along to that after the service on the Sunday and I'll send out the invitations as he said. 00:00:24.240 --> 00:00:25.340 Erica's not with us this morning. 00:00:25.340 --> 00:00:28.560 she's okay 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:30.660 but she gets periodic pain 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:32.340 in her hands and joints and things 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:34.520 and swelling and anyway 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:36.260 don't need all those details 00:00:36.260 --> 00:00:38.260 but she's not feeling too great 00:00:38.260 --> 00:00:40.500 so she's resting at home 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:42.160 so please pray for her as well 00:00:42.160 --> 00:00:43.620 Roland just mentioned 00:00:43.620 --> 00:00:46.540 when we've done the offering we can then 00:00:46.540 --> 00:00:47.660 move on to the word 00:00:47.660 --> 00:00:50.560 no criticism of what Roland was saying at all 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:51.960 but it's interesting, it just struck me 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:54.080 we're going to move on, we've got another section 00:00:54.080 --> 00:00:56.660 but in actual fact there's so much that's been 00:00:56.660 --> 00:00:58.520 and always when you preach the word 00:00:58.520 --> 00:00:59.960 and you want to hear what God is saying 00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:02.040 because that's the whole point of the message 00:01:02.040 --> 00:01:03.820 you want God to speak 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:05.540 so somebody told me a long time ago 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:08.340 don't be self-conscious or shy 00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:10.140 or apologetic about what you preach 00:01:10.140 --> 00:01:11.920 because if God has given you something to say 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:14.200 it's because people are there that need to hear it 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:17.340 and so we need to know what it is that God is saying 00:01:17.340 --> 00:01:19.360 but through from beginning to end 00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:20.620 you're always looking for those threads 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:22.880 and things that are connecting the dots 00:01:22.880 --> 00:01:25.580 about what it is that God is saying to us as a church, 00:01:25.720 --> 00:01:27.560 not what I'm saying as a preacher, 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:29.600 but what he's saying to all of us as a community. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:31.520 And there's so much been said this morning 00:01:31.520 --> 00:01:33.500 and done that's been so really, you know, 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:35.520 encouraging along the lines of what I've felt 00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:36.960 from the beginning through this week 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:38.520 as I prepared that God has wanted to say. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:40.780 And so I want to thank Graham for his word. 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.100 And I think, you know, we're not just going to leave that there. 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:44.840 I think that's still live with us. 00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:47.820 You know, that's a really important emphasis 00:01:47.820 --> 00:01:50.080 that he's brought in terms of understanding 00:01:50.080 --> 00:01:57.880 our identity in christ and and not uh being resigned not being drawn back from uh you know 00:01:57.880 --> 00:02:04.040 just just into the routines of life and uh and what chioma has shared as well just there's that 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:08.420 um there's a song it always used to make me smile because it starts by saying there must be more 00:02:08.420 --> 00:02:13.360 than this it sounds quite there must be more than this but there there there you know there must be 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:19.300 more than this when we come to our faith in in jesus there must be more to what it means to meet 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:21.280 the living son of God 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:23.480 and have him live in power amongst us 00:02:23.480 --> 00:02:25.600 and have him move in our lives 00:02:25.600 --> 00:02:27.020 and you know the 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:29.560 temptation that Chioma would have 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:31.560 felt would have been resignation 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:33.180 just to, not to resign 00:02:33.180 --> 00:02:35.420 but just to think oh well what can we do 00:02:35.420 --> 00:02:36.520 there's nothing we can do 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.700 the anxiety is king 00:02:39.700 --> 00:02:41.820 and yet choosing faith 00:02:41.820 --> 00:02:43.760 to say there is more than this 00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:45.910 is so much 00:02:45.910 --> 00:02:47.570 is so important 00:02:47.570 --> 00:02:54.070 in our lives and so as we continue in John's gospel we're discovering what it means to 00:02:54.070 --> 00:03:03.480 to see Jesus face to face not just to be part of the system but to meet Jesus and 00:03:03.480 --> 00:03:11.040 the passage that we've come to this morning is in John chapter 1 and verse 29 just a few verses 00:03:11.040 --> 00:03:19.710 is verse 29 to 34 and I'm going to read it now the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and 00:03:19.710 --> 00:03:24.630 said look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world he is the one I was talking about 00:03:24.630 --> 00:03:30.330 when I said a man is coming after me who is far greater than I am for he existed long before me 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:36.810 I did not recognize him as the Messiah but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be 00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:42.430 revealed to Israel. Then John testified, I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven 00:03:42.430 --> 00:03:48.270 and resting upon him. I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, 00:03:48.270 --> 00:03:53.910 he told me, the one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with 00:03:53.910 --> 00:04:01.890 the Holy Spirit. I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the chosen one of God. 00:04:01.890 --> 00:04:04.680 we heard last week from Chris 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:06.760 about the ministry of John the Baptist 00:04:06.760 --> 00:04:08.580 how he understood his identity 00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:10.480 not the Messiah 00:04:10.480 --> 00:04:11.900 he wasn't the main show 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:14.420 he wasn't the big noise 00:04:14.420 --> 00:04:16.540 but he was a signpost 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:17.760 he was a pointer 00:04:17.760 --> 00:04:20.240 someone who would direct people to Jesus 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:21.900 and then fade into the background 00:04:21.900 --> 00:04:24.220 elsewhere he said he must become more 00:04:24.220 --> 00:04:25.840 I must become less 00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:28.840 and so there was no doubt in John's mind 00:04:28.840 --> 00:04:30.840 that even if he didn't get the full picture 00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:32.520 he knew that there was something else 00:04:32.520 --> 00:04:33.940 there was more to it than this 00:04:33.940 --> 00:04:35.560 there was more to it than him 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:37.440 there was more to it than his ministry 00:04:37.440 --> 00:04:39.200 and there was one coming after him 00:04:39.200 --> 00:04:40.320 that was so much greater 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:42.340 and so much more worthy of honour 00:04:42.340 --> 00:04:44.300 that he was a voice announcing 00:04:44.300 --> 00:04:46.700 the coming of the word as Chris said 00:04:46.700 --> 00:04:49.160 just a voice announcing the word 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:51.300 that was coming onto the scene 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:52.500 the word of God 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:53.700 have you ever thought 00:04:53.700 --> 00:04:55.040 I mean John the Baptist is quite 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.580 a mysterious sort of figure 00:04:57.580 --> 00:05:01.820 well, you know, wearing camel's hair 00:05:01.820 --> 00:05:04.720 and eating locusts and honey and all of those things. 00:05:04.780 --> 00:05:06.420 This all sounds a bit strange, 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:10.040 but he had to be quite a remarkable man 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:14.400 to have all the attention, all the fame, all the interest, 00:05:14.580 --> 00:05:17.080 and to consistently point people away from himself 00:05:17.080 --> 00:05:19.160 and say, no, actually, there's somebody coming after me. 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:20.940 That's greater than me. 00:05:20.960 --> 00:05:22.520 Not taking any of it for himself, 00:05:22.760 --> 00:05:24.600 saying there is more to it than this. 00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:27.580 Don't settle for this. 00:05:27.620 --> 00:05:30.950 there's so much more because Jesus is coming 00:05:30.950 --> 00:05:36.900 and that to me is a beautiful depiction of the ministry of the church 00:05:36.900 --> 00:05:39.790 whatever the church can offer you 00:05:39.790 --> 00:05:40.810 whatever we can give 00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:42.370 however connected you are to it 00:05:42.370 --> 00:05:44.970 it's nothing compared to the fullness of knowing Jesus 00:05:44.970 --> 00:05:47.590 and in our culture we've got a lot of focus on church 00:05:47.590 --> 00:05:50.370 you know it's great that there's so many resources and things available 00:05:50.370 --> 00:05:51.150 I go on YouTube 00:05:51.150 --> 00:05:54.830 we listen to preachers and watch what's going on and all of that 00:05:54.830 --> 00:05:57.810 but there's so much focus and attention 00:05:57.810 --> 00:06:00.780 that is on the church. 00:06:00.880 --> 00:06:02.260 And in many ways, things seem to be, 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:03.280 like Chris mentioned last week, 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:05.280 things seem to be breaking apart a little bit. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:07.000 The wheels seem to be coming off a little. 00:06:07.460 --> 00:06:10.000 The sort of the church industry, if you like. 00:06:11.190 --> 00:06:14.570 And because there is so much more to knowing Jesus 00:06:14.570 --> 00:06:18.630 than just having a glitzy, shiny church, 00:06:18.910 --> 00:06:20.290 which is good news for us, isn't it? 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:24.980 John said, I'm not fit to untie the straps of his sandals, 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:27.640 but let Jesus be glorified. 00:06:28.940 --> 00:06:32.940 And so we must never draw our security or our identity 00:06:32.940 --> 00:06:35.040 from anything else other than knowing Jesus. 00:06:35.540 --> 00:06:37.380 Not from the church, not from our activity, 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:40.560 not from our ministry, not from our gifts, our talents. 00:06:41.260 --> 00:06:42.140 None of those things. 00:06:42.580 --> 00:06:44.500 Not what we do, what makes us useful. 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:46.760 All of those things are part of it. 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:50.700 But we have no worthwhile message except Jesus. 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:52.940 Verse 29 says, 00:06:52.940 --> 00:06:55.260 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 00:06:55.260 --> 00:06:59.820 look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:03.100 He is the one I have been talking about. 00:07:04.070 --> 00:07:06.430 And then he goes on to say something really interesting. 00:07:06.510 --> 00:07:08.210 He said, I did not recognize him. 00:07:09.810 --> 00:07:12.110 And then it repeats in these few verses. 00:07:12.330 --> 00:07:14.410 That theme repeats over and over again. 00:07:14.670 --> 00:07:17.070 He said, there is one among you whom you did not recognize. 00:07:17.550 --> 00:07:19.090 I did not know he was the one. 00:07:19.370 --> 00:07:22.130 But God told me, I have been baptizing with water 00:07:22.130 --> 00:07:25.330 so that he might be revealed to Israel. 00:07:26.550 --> 00:07:28.950 And so the question asked as I was going through all of this 00:07:28.950 --> 00:07:32.430 is what makes Jesus remarkable? 00:07:33.380 --> 00:07:36.700 How do we recognise Jesus and his worth in our lives? 00:07:36.760 --> 00:07:37.960 Because it doesn't come naturally. 00:07:38.320 --> 00:07:41.300 Jesus was there and yet they didn't recognise him. 00:07:41.400 --> 00:07:43.900 John was talking about the one that was coming after him. 00:07:43.900 --> 00:07:47.180 We didn't really know what that meant or what he looked like 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:50.600 until God revealed it to him. 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:55.000 And it's possible that Jesus can be standing among us 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.000 and we see nothing out of the ordinary. 00:07:58.530 --> 00:07:59.930 Jesus carries the anointing. 00:08:00.070 --> 00:08:02.810 He carries the mission, but people weren't seeing it. 00:08:03.830 --> 00:08:05.550 And there's something so challenging about this 00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:07.650 because we can be so close to what God is doing 00:08:07.650 --> 00:08:09.870 and still miss who Jesus really is. 00:08:10.510 --> 00:08:12.450 We can be full on. 00:08:12.530 --> 00:08:14.450 We're not just talking about being on the fringe of the church. 00:08:14.590 --> 00:08:17.750 We can be full in the mainstream of the church. 00:08:17.810 --> 00:08:19.030 We can be fully tied up. 00:08:19.390 --> 00:08:22.190 And for people like myself in leadership and ministry, 00:08:22.190 --> 00:08:24.430 that temptation is so real 00:08:24.430 --> 00:08:28.590 that you can just get into the routines of everything 00:08:28.590 --> 00:08:30.270 and you miss Jesus. 00:08:30.430 --> 00:08:31.790 You don't recognise him. 00:08:32.070 --> 00:08:33.970 You don't see him for what he is. 00:08:34.010 --> 00:08:35.130 You're part of the crowd. 00:08:35.430 --> 00:08:36.290 You're in the flow. 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:37.550 You hear the right words. 00:08:37.650 --> 00:08:38.610 You do the right things, 00:08:38.730 --> 00:08:41.990 but you don't quite recognise Jesus. 00:08:43.510 --> 00:08:45.630 And so the question, what makes Jesus remarkable, 00:08:45.850 --> 00:08:46.710 is open when we say, 00:08:47.030 --> 00:08:50.010 what makes him remarkable is when God shows us who he is. 00:08:50.010 --> 00:08:54.790 When God opens up our eyes to see Jesus for who he is. 00:08:54.970 --> 00:09:00.510 So coming to know Jesus is a spiritual thing. 00:09:00.650 --> 00:09:01.870 It's a spiritual encounter. 00:09:02.010 --> 00:09:02.790 It's a revelation. 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:05.310 It's not something that we can sit and we can learn. 00:09:05.370 --> 00:09:06.890 I remember my dad when he, 00:09:07.170 --> 00:09:10.530 I was the first in my family to become a Christian 00:09:10.530 --> 00:09:12.450 and then my mum and dad sort of came after me. 00:09:12.710 --> 00:09:13.810 I hope he doesn't mind if he's watching. 00:09:14.230 --> 00:09:17.790 But, you know, he said he got really interested 00:09:17.790 --> 00:09:19.710 in stuff that I was talking about. 00:09:20.350 --> 00:09:22.410 That's a miracle in itself, isn't it? 00:09:22.590 --> 00:09:25.110 But, you know, he started reading books 00:09:25.110 --> 00:09:27.030 and he got into reading Martin Luther, 00:09:27.030 --> 00:09:28.670 all this before he became a Christian, 00:09:28.810 --> 00:09:29.710 Martin Lloyd-Jones. 00:09:29.910 --> 00:09:33.130 And he just got so confused with everything 00:09:33.130 --> 00:09:36.310 because he was trying to educate himself into faith. 00:09:37.400 --> 00:09:39.700 And somebody said to him one day, 00:09:40.280 --> 00:09:43.440 stop trying to understand everything 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:45.260 and put your faith in Jesus. 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:47.000 And that day he did it. 00:09:47.020 --> 00:09:49.720 And that day he saw Jesus for the first time. 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:52.140 In his heart, in his spirit, he understood. 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:54.760 And some of the things that he'd been trying to understand 00:09:54.760 --> 00:09:57.520 became clear in a way that was impossible 00:09:57.520 --> 00:10:03.940 beforehand. And so coming to know Jesus is a spiritual encounter. And I wonder what you feel 00:10:03.940 --> 00:10:09.300 like sometimes. Do you feel, when you think about the crowds around John the Baptist, how easy it is 00:10:09.300 --> 00:10:15.600 to be just one of the crowd, to be lost in the melee, to think, well, you know, I don't know, 00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:20.980 you know, what my life really, what my life really means. I'm sort of hanging around. I want to see 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:28.950 what's going on, but I don't really feel like I see Jesus. Driven to understand. You want to live 00:10:28.950 --> 00:10:34.010 right. You want to have faith. You want to do the right thing. You order your life. You sort things 00:10:34.010 --> 00:10:39.910 out, but there's something missing. You can't quite see Jesus. He's here. He's around. People say, oh, 00:10:40.070 --> 00:10:46.870 the presence of God was here this morning. You don't really see him. You don't feel him. You 00:10:46.870 --> 00:10:53.720 don't recognize him in the way that other people seem to and what we need in those moments is for 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:58.260 God to open our eyes we don't need to feel that I'm not good enough or I'm not the right sort of 00:10:58.260 --> 00:11:03.340 person or I'm not I haven't got enough faith or I I don't I'm not like all those other people in 00:11:03.340 --> 00:11:08.400 the church all those mature Christians that know everything I'm not like that but you know and I 00:11:08.400 --> 00:11:14.740 could never I've got a long road to walk I've got a high mountain to climb before I can ever get 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:22.050 close to knowing who Jesus is. In actual fact, what you need is for God to open the eyes of your 00:11:22.050 --> 00:11:30.150 heart. You need God to show you who he is. And that can be a moment. That can be, and that is a 00:11:30.150 --> 00:11:36.050 miraculous power. That is something that God does for us. So don't settle. Don't resign, as Graham 00:11:36.050 --> 00:11:43.170 said, to just being, well, this is just me. But know that there is more. There is so much more than 00:11:43.170 --> 00:11:48.350 this. There is so much more to seeing Jesus, to understanding Jesus, to knowing him for yourself 00:11:48.350 --> 00:11:55.580 and it's possible for each and every one. John Wesley, many of you will have heard of John Wesley. 00:11:55.720 --> 00:12:01.900 John Wesley was in the 1700s, the leader of a great revival that led to the establishment of 00:12:01.900 --> 00:12:07.080 the Methodist church and there was like a nationwide and worldwide revivals and awakenings 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:12.280 going on at the time and John Wesley was a big part of that. He, you know, and the hymns that 00:12:12.280 --> 00:12:16.740 we sing, the old hymns that we sing, was certainly Charles Wesley's brother, you know, wrote those. 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:23.340 And so he's a big part of the history of Christianity in our country. But he describes 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:30.920 a moment in his journal on May the 24th, 1738. And this was at a time when he was an ordained minister, 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:37.600 he'd been a missionary, he was highly educated, he was disciplined, he was devout, he was committed 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:43.880 to living a holy life. He preached, he prayed, he fasted, he studied scripture and then he wrote 00:12:43.880 --> 00:12:50.410 these words. In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was 00:12:50.410 --> 00:12:56.390 reading Luther's preface to the epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was 00:12:56.390 --> 00:13:01.630 describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely 00:13:01.630 --> 00:13:08.830 warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:17.870 he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death. A man who was 00:13:17.870 --> 00:13:23.970 steeped in Christianity, and yet in that moment, he's like he saw Jesus for the first time. 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:34.420 So vital that we seek God for all that he has for us. He'd never seen Jesus like that before. 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:37.420 he had an encounter with God 00:13:37.420 --> 00:13:39.120 I remember in my own life 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.460 when I was a young, young, young man 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:43.120 very much younger than I am now 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:44.920 and I'd become a Christian 00:13:44.920 --> 00:13:46.920 and put my faith in God 00:13:46.920 --> 00:13:49.800 and yet I was struggling myself with what it all meant 00:13:49.800 --> 00:13:51.500 there was a battle 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:53.060 and there was a turmoil in my mind 00:13:53.060 --> 00:13:55.600 I wanted to know God, I wanted to see him 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:57.760 but it was just like 00:13:57.760 --> 00:13:59.170 people said 00:13:59.170 --> 00:14:01.190 come to Jesus and it will be great 00:14:01.190 --> 00:14:03.190 become a Christian and you'll see 00:14:03.190 --> 00:14:06.110 you'll get to speak in other languages 00:14:06.110 --> 00:14:08.030 which I thought was great because I was doing French O level 00:14:08.030 --> 00:14:09.550 at the time and you could 00:14:09.550 --> 00:14:12.090 you know 00:14:12.090 --> 00:14:13.630 you'll have peace 00:14:13.630 --> 00:14:16.510 I had none of all that, it was just turmoil and anxiety 00:14:16.510 --> 00:14:17.270 and stuff going on 00:14:17.270 --> 00:14:20.230 it doesn't make sense 00:14:20.230 --> 00:14:22.190 to me and I remember going to sleep one night 00:14:22.190 --> 00:14:24.340 with my head going 00:14:24.340 --> 00:14:26.280 around like a washing machine and thinking 00:14:26.280 --> 00:14:27.760 well what, you know, it's like 00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:30.950 what happens here? So I went to sleep 00:14:30.950 --> 00:14:32.570 and when I woke up the next morning 00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:34.450 without doing anything, without praying anything 00:14:34.450 --> 00:14:35.990 without meditating on anything 00:14:35.990 --> 00:14:39.010 without doing anything religious 00:14:39.010 --> 00:14:40.150 I woke up 00:14:40.150 --> 00:14:42.310 complete peace 00:14:42.310 --> 00:14:44.050 and calm 00:14:44.050 --> 00:14:47.490 followed by a total awareness of the presence of God 00:14:47.490 --> 00:14:49.740 overwhelming 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:52.180 overwhelmed by his love for me 00:14:52.180 --> 00:14:54.480 and overwhelming love for him 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:56.080 and with a determination 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:58.300 and a desire to give my whole life to him 00:14:58.300 --> 00:14:58.900 to do whatever 00:14:58.900 --> 00:15:01.120 I had a little Honda C50 moped 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:03.830 and I remember going down the road 00:15:03.830 --> 00:15:06.370 steaming down the road at 29 miles an hour 00:15:06.370 --> 00:15:07.050 because they were limited 00:15:07.050 --> 00:15:09.610 and just singing to God 00:15:09.610 --> 00:15:12.330 this isn't me, I'm not very demonstrative 00:15:12.330 --> 00:15:12.910 you know me 00:15:12.910 --> 00:15:15.050 and yet I was just overwhelmed 00:15:15.050 --> 00:15:17.090 by the Spirit of God 00:15:17.090 --> 00:15:19.490 and it lasted for two or three days 00:15:19.490 --> 00:15:20.970 it was a long journey 00:15:20.970 --> 00:15:25.750 and I've never experienced anything 00:15:25.750 --> 00:15:26.830 like it since to be honest 00:15:26.830 --> 00:15:28.950 but I remember it for the rest of my life 00:15:28.950 --> 00:15:31.730 because it was a moment when I really saw Jesus in clear focus 00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:33.110 and I just 00:15:33.110 --> 00:15:35.050 would urge you 00:15:35.050 --> 00:15:37.450 not to work at it or whatever 00:15:37.450 --> 00:15:39.430 but just to make that your prayer 00:15:39.430 --> 00:15:41.290 there's a time in the bible 00:15:41.290 --> 00:15:43.250 in the gospels where people came 00:15:43.250 --> 00:15:45.350 and they said we would see 00:15:45.350 --> 00:15:47.430 Jesus, that old lang, we would see Jesus, we want to see 00:15:47.430 --> 00:15:48.790 Jesus, what a prayer 00:15:48.790 --> 00:15:50.930 we want to see Jesus 00:15:50.930 --> 00:15:52.870 if that be our prayer today 00:15:52.870 --> 00:15:55.190 then it's a powerful prayer, we want 00:15:55.190 --> 00:15:57.390 to see Jesus, there's lots going 00:15:57.390 --> 00:15:59.470 on, there's lots we have to do, there's lots of notices 00:15:59.470 --> 00:16:01.250 there's lots in the what's on, there's all of that 00:16:01.250 --> 00:16:03.270 but through it all we want to see Jesus 00:16:03.270 --> 00:16:14.860 John the Baptist represents the ends of hundreds of years of religious understanding he was a 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:20.240 prophet like the old testament prophets what he was announcing was something brand new and so much 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:26.400 more powerful he was saying God himself now is present amongst us and so he was he was like the 00:16:26.400 --> 00:16:32.220 last of a tradition he was the last of a of a style of of ministry and prophet and as he went 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:36.360 through it and he did it all and the crowds gathered around him and he he baptized and he 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:38.580 He preached and he did all that he did. 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:40.740 All of a sudden, he looked up and he said, 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:43.160 look, the Lamb of God, 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:49.300 introducing a new era of encounter, 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:51.700 the embodiment of this good news 00:16:51.700 --> 00:16:53.540 that the angels sang about all those years ago. 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:55.480 Look, the Lamb of God 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:58.880 who takes away the sins of the world. 00:17:01.400 --> 00:17:03.220 And that's why our vision 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:08.510 can never be just to be a good church, 00:17:08.630 --> 00:17:10.410 a popular church, an effective church, 00:17:10.470 --> 00:17:11.830 a well-known church, good people, 00:17:11.830 --> 00:17:16.350 all trying to make a difference all those things are so valuable they're so important but there is 00:17:16.350 --> 00:17:21.170 so much more to it because in actual fact if you think in terms of the youtube ministries that 00:17:21.170 --> 00:17:28.070 there are john the baptist was successful he was a mega church pastor he had crowds going out to him 00:17:28.070 --> 00:17:33.310 he had people gathering around him he had he had such there was something going on he was preaching 00:17:33.310 --> 00:17:38.690 repentance for the forgiveness of sins he was baptizing people in water he was doing all that 00:17:38.690 --> 00:17:47.470 we do and yet still he said there's more still he said this isn't it still in the middle of that 00:17:47.470 --> 00:17:52.010 ministry in the middle of all that popularity and all of that success he was able to say look 00:17:52.010 --> 00:17:58.220 the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world he's coming and we're breaking into a new 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:05.320 era a new order the new the new gospel age that's all about jesus powerful three-dimensional 00:18:05.320 --> 00:18:07.380 encounter. It affects our heads, our 00:18:07.380 --> 00:18:08.820 hearts, our thoughts, our feelings, 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:12.740 everything. You know, we 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:14.820 have a thing where we say, it's not all about feelings. 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:16.040 No, it's not all about feelings. 00:18:17.060 --> 00:18:18.940 Feelings are important. Feelings are a 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:20.900 part of it. Feelings are the things that 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:22.140 actually, once we, 00:18:23.320 --> 00:18:24.820 they're the things that make sense 00:18:24.820 --> 00:18:26.820 to us, once we get things, once we get 00:18:26.820 --> 00:18:27.900 our understanding together. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:30.780 John said, look, the Lamb of 00:18:30.780 --> 00:18:32.660 God, and that's our message. 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:34.480 If you like, when people come 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:36.940 to us and they, for whatever reason, 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:39.460 we join and we connect ourselves 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:40.720 to the community of the church 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:42.860 the message has to be not just at the beginning 00:18:42.860 --> 00:18:45.000 but throughout every day of our lives 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.260 look, the Lamb of God who takes away 00:18:47.260 --> 00:18:49.580 the sin of the world 00:18:49.580 --> 00:18:50.920 Jesus is here 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:53.190 so we don't have a message that says 00:18:53.190 --> 00:18:55.330 join the church for a lifetime 00:18:55.330 --> 00:18:56.870 of trying to overcome your sin 00:18:56.870 --> 00:18:59.790 of trying to be a better person 00:18:59.790 --> 00:19:01.830 of trying to get things straight 00:19:01.830 --> 00:19:04.710 of struggling and battling and all of that 00:19:04.710 --> 00:19:06.580 but Jesus 00:19:06.580 --> 00:19:08.400 the Lamb of God who takes away 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:11.640 the sin of the world. Takes it 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:13.500 away. John Wesley 00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:16.110 said, I knew that he had 00:19:16.110 --> 00:19:24.340 taken away my sin. I 00:19:24.340 --> 00:19:26.320 felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone 00:19:26.320 --> 00:19:28.320 for salvation, and an assurance was given 00:19:28.320 --> 00:19:30.340 me that he had taken away my sins, even 00:19:30.340 --> 00:19:32.320 mine, and saved me from the 00:19:32.320 --> 00:19:34.440 law of sin and death. 00:19:36.670 --> 00:19:37.750 Let our journey of 00:19:37.750 --> 00:19:39.570 faith with Christ be at that 00:19:39.570 --> 00:19:41.770 starting point. He's taken away my sins. 00:19:42.030 --> 00:19:43.650 He said it to the prophet Isaiah, see 00:19:43.650 --> 00:19:45.730 this coal has touched your lips, your guilt is swept 00:19:45.730 --> 00:19:47.770 away. Taken away, your sin is atoned 00:19:47.770 --> 00:19:53.750 for you are free now to serve me as we come to Jesus as we look up and we see Jesus just like 00:19:53.750 --> 00:19:59.430 John Wesley who said why he's done it he's taken it away he's given me an open door to life and 00:19:59.430 --> 00:20:05.730 and an opportunity to live and to and to discover an age of discovery the the to discover the 00:20:05.730 --> 00:20:11.330 unsearchable riches of Christ let that be our life not not trying to get to the starting point let 00:20:11.330 --> 00:20:15.690 let me just let me just overcome all of these problems and then I'll be ready to worship 00:20:15.690 --> 00:20:16.690 no in actual fact 00:20:16.690 --> 00:20:17.850 no that the Lamb of God 00:20:17.850 --> 00:20:19.070 takes all that away 00:20:19.070 --> 00:20:20.430 and gives us an open door 00:20:20.430 --> 00:20:21.230 to life 00:20:21.230 --> 00:20:22.070 and an opportunity 00:20:22.070 --> 00:20:23.370 there might be struggle 00:20:23.370 --> 00:20:24.330 there might be challenge 00:20:24.330 --> 00:20:26.770 there's a process to go through 00:20:26.770 --> 00:20:27.930 but it's all on the basis 00:20:27.930 --> 00:20:30.270 that he has taken it all away from us 00:20:30.270 --> 00:20:31.610 and he's given us life 00:20:31.610 --> 00:20:34.320 and we can settle 00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:35.140 we can resign 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:36.180 to use that word again 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:37.800 for a powerless gospel 00:20:37.800 --> 00:20:40.940 and our expectations can diminish over time 00:20:40.940 --> 00:20:43.870 and we can just become settled 00:20:43.870 --> 00:20:46.620 but Jesus hasn't changed 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:49.900 Somebody said, if God seems far away, guess who moved? 00:20:52.120 --> 00:20:55.000 God told John, the one on whom you see the spirit rest 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:57.240 is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. 00:20:57.700 --> 00:20:59.100 John baptized with water, 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:01.500 preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.120 Jesus brings something else. 00:21:03.520 --> 00:21:06.420 Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:09.920 And again, this is not something that's optional. 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:13.280 This is something that is for some Christians and not others. 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:16.360 Or do you go to a church where they baptize in the Holy Spirit 00:21:16.360 --> 00:21:18.020 or do you go to another church where they don't? 00:21:18.020 --> 00:21:21.820 You know, that doesn't actually make sense when you read the Scripture 00:21:21.820 --> 00:21:26.540 because God revealed to John, he said, 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:29.040 the one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest 00:21:29.040 --> 00:21:31.580 is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. 00:21:32.120 --> 00:21:34.160 Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:35.320 It's what he does. 00:21:36.820 --> 00:21:40.400 If you meet Jesus, that's what he does to you. 00:21:40.740 --> 00:21:42.640 He baptizes you with the Holy Spirit. 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:44.440 He fills you with unimaginable power. 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:48.400 He sweeps away your sin and he gives you power for living a life 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:52.360 that is way beyond anything that the ministry of John the Baptist could offer. 00:21:53.560 --> 00:21:56.880 Jesus said, even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist. 00:21:57.080 --> 00:21:58.920 Not because John the Baptist wasn't a great man, 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:02.960 but because they've understood something of what God is doing, 00:22:03.040 --> 00:22:08.700 that he's taking us on beyond from powerlessness to power, 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:13.460 to be filled, immersed, overwhelmed, swept away and raised up in power. 00:22:14.020 --> 00:22:17.460 And so it's not a restrained thing in our lives when we meet Jesus. 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:20.830 He unleashes power to transform. 00:22:21.170 --> 00:22:25.890 The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. 00:22:26.370 --> 00:22:27.510 What power is that? 00:22:29.800 --> 00:22:32.340 And so the danger is this. 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:36.780 We join the crowds, we be in the flow of what God is doing, 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:40.760 we can worship, serve, attend, believe, we can give, we can pray, 00:22:41.120 --> 00:22:43.400 and yet we still struggle to see him, 00:22:44.360 --> 00:22:46.540 struggle to recognize him for who he really is. 00:22:46.540 --> 00:22:50.500 are we honest enough, humble enough 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:52.080 and open enough to ask God 00:22:52.080 --> 00:22:53.860 to open our eyes 00:22:53.860 --> 00:22:56.460 where are you today, what is going on 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:57.720 in your heart today as you're coming 00:22:57.720 --> 00:23:00.850 like you can come in with all sorts 00:23:00.850 --> 00:23:02.850 of burdens, all sorts of things clouding 00:23:02.850 --> 00:23:04.650 your vision, all sorts of disappointment 00:23:04.650 --> 00:23:06.990 all sorts of discouragement, all sorts of challenge 00:23:06.990 --> 00:23:08.670 maybe you're on top of the world and you're 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:10.610 in total love with Jesus, that's absolutely 00:23:10.610 --> 00:23:11.930 brilliant as well 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:14.110 we always go on the negative side don't we 00:23:14.110 --> 00:23:16.930 carrying all the pain, but that's a reality as well 00:23:16.930 --> 00:23:25.190 Do you get tired of not quite seeing him? 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:31.960 Are you willing to ask simply and honestly to see Jesus afresh? 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:37.540 Maybe the team can come back and we can respond to the word. 00:23:39.290 --> 00:23:42.270 It's a very personal question in a corporate setting. 00:23:42.650 --> 00:23:44.970 It's a very direct question. 00:23:45.130 --> 00:23:46.810 It's a question we need to ask ourselves. 00:23:46.810 --> 00:23:50.470 and it's one, you know, we often look for a response 00:23:50.470 --> 00:23:52.710 and it's great when people respond 00:23:52.710 --> 00:23:56.030 but it's usually a handful, one or two, three or four 00:23:56.030 --> 00:23:58.250 because the bulk of us, we tend to think, 00:23:58.350 --> 00:24:00.030 well, this is what we do. 00:24:00.090 --> 00:24:01.150 We come to church on a Sunday. 00:24:01.310 --> 00:24:04.510 It's not the sort of thing I usually do, which is respond. 00:24:07.130 --> 00:24:08.990 But there's a moment when we have to ask ourselves, 00:24:09.110 --> 00:24:10.930 actually, am I seeing Jesus? 00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:16.010 Am I understanding the fullness of what it means 00:24:16.010 --> 00:24:17.710 to be baptised in the Spirit? 00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:22.210 Am I understanding what it means to live in the reality 00:24:22.210 --> 00:24:24.130 that my sin has been taken away? 00:24:29.210 --> 00:24:33.640 Or are we prepared just to settle for a good thing? 00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:35.460 John's ministry was a good thing. 00:24:36.650 --> 00:24:37.870 It was an effective thing. 00:24:38.090 --> 00:24:42.310 It gave people a sense of understanding and purpose. 00:24:42.470 --> 00:24:45.690 It gave them a sense of new beginning and everything else. 00:24:45.770 --> 00:24:49.090 But John himself was saying, no, Jesus is more. 00:24:49.450 --> 00:24:52.490 Do you know that you've connected with Jesus 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:56.070 or are you just getting into the routines? 00:24:56.250 --> 00:24:58.630 And there's a question for you to ask yourself. 00:24:58.750 --> 00:25:01.150 It's not one for me to keep pushing. 00:25:01.270 --> 00:25:04.090 Let's ask ourselves, are we seeing Jesus? 00:25:04.150 --> 00:25:07.230 And if not, do you have the desire that, 00:25:07.350 --> 00:25:09.530 oh, I want to see, I want to see more, 00:25:09.830 --> 00:25:11.710 I want to see, I want to understand more, 00:25:11.770 --> 00:25:13.190 I want to feel that joy, 00:25:13.190 --> 00:25:18.680 I want to, I want to, I want to see Jesus. 00:25:22.790 --> 00:25:26.560 We're going to worship as we, we're not closing, 00:25:26.560 --> 00:25:27.620 we've got time 00:25:27.620 --> 00:25:29.160 but we're going to worship 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:31.640 and ask ourselves that question 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:35.730 and if there's anything in you 00:25:35.730 --> 00:25:39.220 then you need to ask the question 00:25:39.220 --> 00:25:40.280 you need to ask God 00:25:40.280 --> 00:25:42.460 it's not about receiving ministry from me 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:43.420 or from anybody else 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:45.500 but you're very very welcome 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:49.000 to give legs to your prayer 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:50.860 and come and stand here at the front 00:25:50.860 --> 00:25:53.920 and just ask God to reveal himself to you 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:55.160 Jehovah said 00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:58.560 simple word 00:25:58.560 --> 00:25:59.840 change the whole life 00:25:59.840 --> 00:26:00.780 change the whole album 00:26:00.780 --> 00:26:03.780 and today can be a powerful day like that in your life as well 00:26:03.780 --> 00:26:05.400 and so if you want to come 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:07.580 and if you need to, you know you need to come 00:26:07.580 --> 00:26:08.780 come and respond 00:26:08.780 --> 00:26:12.700 don't worry about what people might think 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:13.400 or anything else 00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:15.140 people are going to be celebrating 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:17.080 because we're all going to be responding in a way 00:26:17.080 --> 00:26:19.530 we're all going to be responding to Jesus 00:26:19.530 --> 00:26:21.250 and so let's just 00:26:21.250 --> 00:26:23.570 spend some time in worship 00:26:23.570 --> 00:26:24.670 and we'll pick it up from there