1 00:00:30,019 --> 00:00:30,859 Man, thank you for that song. 2 00:00:30,884 --> 00:00:31,644 That was beautiful. 3 00:00:31,684 --> 00:00:32,620 It was a new song to me. 4 00:00:32,652 --> 00:00:34,876 I don't think I've ever heard that before, but I really enjoyed 5 00:00:34,900 --> 00:00:35,276 that. 6 00:00:35,380 --> 00:00:37,484 Well, hey, if you have your Bibles, let's turn to John chapter 7 00:00:37,524 --> 00:00:38,564 number 14 this morning. 8 00:00:38,604 --> 00:00:40,024 John chapter number 14. 9 00:00:50,644 --> 00:00:54,468 I know many of you here, but for some of you, I may be a new face 10 00:00:54,596 --> 00:00:56,876 and that's because pastor's letting me preach for the first time 11 00:00:56,900 --> 00:01:01,216 on Sunday morning and maybe for the last time. 12 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:03,764 We don't know yet to be seen, right? 13 00:01:04,144 --> 00:01:07,208 But I have the privilege and the honor of working with the youth 14 00:01:07,256 --> 00:01:12,096 department here and it's a whole lot of fun and it teaches me 15 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,912 almost every single week that I am no longer the 18 year old that 16 00:01:14,928 --> 00:01:15,884 I think I am. 17 00:01:16,264 --> 00:01:19,808 And that came a lot faster than I thought it would like, you 18 00:01:19,816 --> 00:01:22,084 know, that moment where I realized I wasn't. 19 00:01:23,314 --> 00:01:27,162 I'm not old, but I find myself saying that phrase a lot anymore. 20 00:01:27,218 --> 00:01:30,094 By the way, when I talk to the teenagers, I'm like, I'm not old, 21 00:01:30,434 --> 00:01:33,054 but back in my day, you know. 22 00:01:33,754 --> 00:01:35,746 But I have the privilege of working with them and it's a joy 23 00:01:35,770 --> 00:01:37,650 and an honor and I'm happy to be here this morning. 24 00:01:37,722 --> 00:01:42,682 And I'm honestly just so blessed to be in a church that has 25 00:01:42,698 --> 00:01:47,394 a pastor that supports and has a dedication to training and helping 26 00:01:47,434 --> 00:01:50,464 me as I seek to serve the Lord with my life. 27 00:01:50,594 --> 00:01:53,436 So if you're in John Chapter number 14, we'll read that and we'll 28 00:01:53,460 --> 00:01:54,664 get started this morning. 29 00:01:55,844 --> 00:01:56,644 Verse number one. 30 00:01:56,684 --> 00:01:59,196 The Bible says, let not your heart be troubled. 31 00:01:59,300 --> 00:02:01,876 Ye believe in God, believe also in me. 32 00:02:02,060 --> 00:02:04,908 In my Father's house are many mansions. 33 00:02:05,076 --> 00:02:08,932 If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a 34 00:02:08,948 --> 00:02:09,820 place for you. 35 00:02:09,972 --> 00:02:12,652 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again 36 00:02:12,748 --> 00:02:16,180 and I will receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye 37 00:02:16,212 --> 00:02:17,104 may be also. 38 00:02:17,544 --> 00:02:22,856 And whither I go, ye know, and the way ye know. 39 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:28,564 Thomas saith unto him, lord, we know not whither thou goest. 40 00:02:29,024 --> 00:02:30,644 And how can we know the way? 41 00:02:31,304 --> 00:02:35,616 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. 42 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,144 No man cometh unto the Father but by me. 43 00:02:38,264 --> 00:02:41,776 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 44 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:45,298 And from henceforth ye know him and have seen him. 45 00:02:45,426 --> 00:02:48,894 Let's pray this morning and then we'll jump right into the message. 46 00:02:49,274 --> 00:02:50,714 Dear Lord, thank you for this day. 47 00:02:50,794 --> 00:02:52,394 Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be here with your 48 00:02:52,434 --> 00:02:53,578 people and in your house. 49 00:02:53,666 --> 00:02:57,466 God, I pray that you would hide me behind the cross. 50 00:02:57,530 --> 00:02:59,170 Lord, I pray that you would give me the words to say. 51 00:02:59,202 --> 00:03:01,482 Lord, I pray that I'd only say the words you want me to say. 52 00:03:01,578 --> 00:03:04,378 God, I pray that you would help me as I seek to communicate 53 00:03:04,426 --> 00:03:07,898 the truth of this passage to your people here this morning. 54 00:03:07,946 --> 00:03:12,004 Lord, I and I pray that we would live a changed life as a result. 55 00:03:12,084 --> 00:03:13,260 In Jesus name I pray. 56 00:03:13,372 --> 00:03:14,144 Amen. 57 00:03:14,964 --> 00:03:20,020 I had an opening illustration for this, and it was a real life 58 00:03:20,092 --> 00:03:25,924 story where I in college, some friends and I decided to go explore 59 00:03:25,964 --> 00:03:27,704 an abandoned gold mine. 60 00:03:28,604 --> 00:03:33,140 And as I was talking with my wife last night about the story and 61 00:03:33,172 --> 00:03:38,834 I said I should probably add a disclaimer like don't do this, right? 62 00:03:39,134 --> 00:03:42,950 And my wife looked me dead in the eyes and said, most people have 63 00:03:42,982 --> 00:03:48,510 more common sense, you know, what message received. 64 00:03:48,662 --> 00:03:52,206 So I started thinking about another way or another time in my 65 00:03:52,230 --> 00:03:55,114 life where the truth of this scripture has been evident. 66 00:03:55,614 --> 00:03:57,862 And then I realized the answer was sitting right across from me. 67 00:03:57,878 --> 00:03:59,994 And she just told me the wrong way. 68 00:04:00,744 --> 00:04:03,404 There are two different types of people whenever you go to an airport. 69 00:04:05,584 --> 00:04:10,256 I am the type of person that I am happy if I'm flying out at 7 o'clock 70 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,564 at night, I'm happy to be there at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 71 00:04:13,344 --> 00:04:14,520 Get me there at lunchtime. 72 00:04:14,592 --> 00:04:16,312 They have restaurants there, right? 73 00:04:16,408 --> 00:04:20,072 I want to get through security and then I want to go sit down in 74 00:04:20,088 --> 00:04:22,968 the little airplane seats and charge my computer and my phone. 75 00:04:23,016 --> 00:04:25,204 Like I'm going out to the desert, right? 76 00:04:25,514 --> 00:04:27,290 And I like to be at the airport early. 77 00:04:27,362 --> 00:04:30,534 I like to be there with plenty of time to go. 78 00:04:31,314 --> 00:04:36,614 And I have never missed a flight except for one. 79 00:04:37,634 --> 00:04:42,618 And you may notice that the one flight that I've missed was with 80 00:04:42,666 --> 00:04:43,454 my wife. 81 00:04:44,474 --> 00:04:48,414 We had just started dating and at the time she lived up in New Jersey, 82 00:04:48,794 --> 00:04:52,538 and we were flying in and out of Philadelphia, going back out to 83 00:04:52,546 --> 00:04:54,016 the west coast for college. 84 00:04:54,210 --> 00:04:57,516 And I told my wife it was getting to be probably one or two 85 00:04:57,540 --> 00:04:58,284 o'clock in the afternoon. 86 00:04:58,324 --> 00:05:01,944 And I was like, hey, are we going to go to the airport soon? 87 00:05:02,804 --> 00:05:05,860 I don't know how far Philadelphia is, but you know, it's 88 00:05:05,892 --> 00:05:06,572 Philadelphia. 89 00:05:06,628 --> 00:05:08,340 I imagine there's going to be backups. 90 00:05:08,452 --> 00:05:11,924 And she kept saying, no, it's fine, no, it's fine, no, it's fine. 91 00:05:12,084 --> 00:05:14,564 And sure enough, we got in the car and I'm sitting there watching 92 00:05:14,604 --> 00:05:19,228 my watch and my phone and I'm nervously tapping my leg and everything 93 00:05:19,276 --> 00:05:22,664 else, and I'm like, man, I'm going to miss this flight. 94 00:05:23,124 --> 00:05:24,196 And sure enough, I get There. 95 00:05:24,220 --> 00:05:27,224 And I pull up to the gate, and I had missed my flight. 96 00:05:27,964 --> 00:05:31,868 And so I asked the nice lady at the Southwest Airlines desk, I 97 00:05:31,876 --> 00:05:34,224 was like, can you please help me? 98 00:05:34,564 --> 00:05:36,708 I need to get back out to California. 99 00:05:36,876 --> 00:05:38,500 The semester starts tomorrow. 100 00:05:38,612 --> 00:05:40,024 I'm going to miss classes. 101 00:05:40,644 --> 00:05:42,228 I don't want to miss classes for this. 102 00:05:42,276 --> 00:05:44,500 That's for sleeping in when you're tired, right? 103 00:05:44,652 --> 00:05:46,704 Like, I don't want to miss classes for this. 104 00:05:47,064 --> 00:05:50,640 And she rerouted my flight all the way up through O'Hare. 105 00:05:50,672 --> 00:05:52,376 I was supposed to come down to, I think, Denver or something, 106 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:54,312 but she routed my flight up through O'Hare. 107 00:05:54,448 --> 00:05:58,816 And I got on the next plane out, and we flew over to O'Hare. 108 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,040 And that was the first time I'd ever been up in that portion 109 00:06:01,072 --> 00:06:02,040 of the country. 110 00:06:02,232 --> 00:06:06,136 And I'm sitting there on the middle seat, and there's a man next 111 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:06,884 to me. 112 00:06:07,184 --> 00:06:09,044 And we landed in. 113 00:06:09,944 --> 00:06:12,560 And he goes, so is this where you're landing, or is this your next. 114 00:06:12,632 --> 00:06:13,792 Or is this a connector for you? 115 00:06:13,808 --> 00:06:14,776 Are you going to jump on the next flight? 116 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,044 And I said, well, I'm going to jump on a connector flight. 117 00:06:17,454 --> 00:06:19,754 And he said, okay, which one? 118 00:06:20,454 --> 00:06:24,206 And I looked out the window and I said, that one. 119 00:06:24,350 --> 00:06:26,874 And it was pulling out and leaving. 120 00:06:27,934 --> 00:06:29,614 And he said, well, you better go. 121 00:06:29,654 --> 00:06:32,874 And I said, I don't think it really matters anymore, Right. 122 00:06:33,654 --> 00:06:35,046 I'm sure we've all been there. 123 00:06:35,150 --> 00:06:38,406 The dread, the moment of panic when you realize you've missed your 124 00:06:38,470 --> 00:06:40,314 connecting flight, right? 125 00:06:41,094 --> 00:06:46,758 As a Christian, this passage teaches us Jesus is the only way. 126 00:06:46,846 --> 00:06:48,714 In fact, he's the only way back home. 127 00:06:49,054 --> 00:06:50,950 And if you've been in an airplane, especially if you're getting 128 00:06:50,982 --> 00:06:54,622 a connecting flight, that plane is your only way back home, 129 00:06:54,718 --> 00:06:55,354 right? 130 00:06:56,454 --> 00:07:00,902 As I was studying this, I opened up the John 14, and I realized 131 00:07:00,958 --> 00:07:03,270 the verse right before it, John 13:38. 132 00:07:03,302 --> 00:07:06,846 The Bible says Jesus answered him, wilt thou lay down thy life 133 00:07:06,950 --> 00:07:07,726 for my sake? 134 00:07:07,790 --> 00:07:11,230 Very verily I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow till thou 135 00:07:11,262 --> 00:07:12,078 hast denied me thrice. 136 00:07:12,126 --> 00:07:15,138 This is, of course, Peter, Jesus talking to Peter about Peter 137 00:07:15,186 --> 00:07:15,938 denying Christ. 138 00:07:16,026 --> 00:07:21,354 And I thought, wow, that's a really interesting passage to form 139 00:07:21,394 --> 00:07:24,974 the backdrop of this very famous passage in John chapter 14. 140 00:07:25,274 --> 00:07:27,266 And so I went through some commentaries, and I kind of looked 141 00:07:27,290 --> 00:07:30,626 around, and to the best of my knowledge, I can tell this is one 142 00:07:30,690 --> 00:07:33,254 whole conversation between Jesus and his disciples. 143 00:07:33,674 --> 00:07:36,018 And so, as we open up this passage and we begin talking about 144 00:07:36,066 --> 00:07:39,714 this morning, I want you to have in your mind the context of 145 00:07:39,754 --> 00:07:43,784 a disciple who was just told that he was going to deny Christ. 146 00:07:45,964 --> 00:07:49,388 Jesus looks at Peter in his face and he says, peter, you are 147 00:07:49,436 --> 00:07:51,060 going to deny me. 148 00:07:51,252 --> 00:07:54,228 And then we open right up to John, chapter 14, verse 1. 149 00:07:54,396 --> 00:07:56,144 Let not your heart be troubled. 150 00:07:56,564 --> 00:07:58,676 Aren't you thankful we serve a God that doesn't want your heart 151 00:07:58,700 --> 00:07:59,664 to be troubled? 152 00:08:00,884 --> 00:08:03,788 See, I want you to notice first off this morning, there's peace 153 00:08:03,916 --> 00:08:04,940 in the promise. 154 00:08:05,092 --> 00:08:06,572 Peace in the promise. 155 00:08:06,708 --> 00:08:08,346 Let not your heart be troubled. 156 00:08:08,500 --> 00:08:12,274 Ye believe in God, believe also in me. 157 00:08:12,814 --> 00:08:16,278 You see, Jesus looks at Peter and the other disciples, but I believe 158 00:08:16,366 --> 00:08:19,486 primarily Peter here, and he says, hey, don't let your heart be 159 00:08:19,510 --> 00:08:19,926 troubled. 160 00:08:19,990 --> 00:08:22,154 You believe in God, believe also in me. 161 00:08:22,694 --> 00:08:23,918 There's no problem here. 162 00:08:24,006 --> 00:08:25,430 Look, it's fine. 163 00:08:25,462 --> 00:08:27,914 You trust in God, you're trusting in me. 164 00:08:30,814 --> 00:08:34,720 I'm glad Jesus tells us not to be concerned. 165 00:08:34,872 --> 00:08:37,968 First Peter 5, 7 says, cast all your care upon him, for he careth 166 00:08:38,016 --> 00:08:38,764 for you. 167 00:08:39,144 --> 00:08:41,564 Aren't you glad we serve a savior that cares for you? 168 00:08:42,224 --> 00:08:46,312 Not just in this, like, you know, fake top level, yes, I love 169 00:08:46,328 --> 00:08:46,984 you too, brother. 170 00:08:47,024 --> 00:08:49,816 But like Jesus, deeply and truly cares for each and every one 171 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:50,524 of us. 172 00:08:51,264 --> 00:08:53,736 And that's seen and written all over in the passage here. 173 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:55,840 Jesus could have looked at Peter and been like, yeah, Peter, 174 00:08:55,872 --> 00:08:57,644 you're gonna be the one who denies me. 175 00:08:57,984 --> 00:08:58,764 Bye. 176 00:08:59,714 --> 00:09:00,854 Go do your thing. 177 00:09:01,274 --> 00:09:05,298 But instead, Jesus decided to keep him near to him and say, hey, 178 00:09:05,426 --> 00:09:07,014 let not your heart be troubled. 179 00:09:07,554 --> 00:09:09,014 Don't be concerned, Peter. 180 00:09:09,434 --> 00:09:10,574 We're just human. 181 00:09:11,074 --> 00:09:13,654 Everyone makes mistakes, Peter, it's okay. 182 00:09:13,994 --> 00:09:15,266 Let not your heart be troubled. 183 00:09:15,330 --> 00:09:18,034 You believe in God, believe also in me. 184 00:09:18,194 --> 00:09:22,218 You see, this verse tells me that even in the roughest of times, 185 00:09:22,266 --> 00:09:26,014 in the darkest of times in our own life, we can be calm in the crisis. 186 00:09:26,624 --> 00:09:28,864 You ever had a point in your life where you were just in full 187 00:09:28,904 --> 00:09:30,244 blown crisis mode? 188 00:09:31,584 --> 00:09:35,040 I've been there a few times in my life already and I imagine I'm 189 00:09:35,072 --> 00:09:36,764 probably not done with those moments. 190 00:09:37,304 --> 00:09:40,224 But I can tell you times in my life, I can tell you story after 191 00:09:40,304 --> 00:09:45,640 story where there was a crisis moment and I started to panic, to 192 00:09:45,672 --> 00:09:51,124 lose my mind, and I just felt like God's in control. 193 00:09:52,914 --> 00:09:54,694 Whatever happens, happens. 194 00:09:56,914 --> 00:10:01,714 We tell stories all the time from Bible college because that's 195 00:10:01,794 --> 00:10:04,274 primarily and really just college in general is a time in life 196 00:10:04,314 --> 00:10:09,970 where you're broke and you have no money and God can make himself 197 00:10:10,042 --> 00:10:11,746 very, very real and evident to you. 198 00:10:11,810 --> 00:10:13,854 Especially in America when you don't have money. 199 00:10:14,354 --> 00:10:15,618 See, we're blessed as a nation. 200 00:10:15,666 --> 00:10:16,778 We don't typically go hungry. 201 00:10:16,826 --> 00:10:20,170 We don't typically have many of the other afflictions that many 202 00:10:20,242 --> 00:10:21,874 other people in other nations have. 203 00:10:21,994 --> 00:10:24,834 But we can start to feel some of those pressures whenever our money 204 00:10:24,874 --> 00:10:25,730 is gone. 205 00:10:25,922 --> 00:10:28,466 And I remember times in college where I would go up to the 206 00:10:28,490 --> 00:10:30,786 gas station pump, I think I told the teenagers about this a few 207 00:10:30,810 --> 00:10:34,242 weeks ago, where I went to the gas station pump with a dollar in 208 00:10:34,258 --> 00:10:35,214 my bank account. 209 00:10:36,154 --> 00:10:38,882 And you have to go up to the cash register and with a sincere 210 00:10:38,938 --> 00:10:42,254 face, say, $0.75 on pump three, please. 211 00:10:43,484 --> 00:10:44,108 Right? 212 00:10:44,236 --> 00:10:48,412 And the gas, the register guy, he always looks at you like, are 213 00:10:48,428 --> 00:10:49,596 you trying to go to pump four? 214 00:10:49,700 --> 00:10:51,020 Like, where are you trying to go with that? 215 00:10:51,052 --> 00:10:51,484 Right? 216 00:10:51,604 --> 00:10:53,548 Especially with California, with California gas prices, which 217 00:10:53,556 --> 00:10:54,704 is where I went to school. 218 00:10:55,004 --> 00:10:58,860 And you have those moments where you're living in crisis mode, 219 00:10:58,892 --> 00:10:59,464 man. 220 00:10:59,924 --> 00:11:03,492 There's no gas in the car, there's no money in the bank account, 221 00:11:03,668 --> 00:11:04,944 the bills are due. 222 00:11:07,484 --> 00:11:12,836 But we can remain calm even in the thickest of crisis because God 223 00:11:12,860 --> 00:11:13,744 is with us. 224 00:11:15,124 --> 00:11:19,940 God is the one ultimately who is in control of everything in our 225 00:11:19,972 --> 00:11:20,544 life. 226 00:11:21,004 --> 00:11:22,460 We can be calm in the crisis. 227 00:11:22,492 --> 00:11:25,204 But verse number two, we can be confident in the coming place. 228 00:11:25,244 --> 00:11:26,084 Look at verse number two. 229 00:11:26,124 --> 00:11:29,060 In my father's house are many mansions. 230 00:11:29,212 --> 00:11:31,988 If it were not so, I would have told you. 231 00:11:32,156 --> 00:11:34,744 I go to prepare a place for you. 232 00:11:35,494 --> 00:11:36,646 What an interesting passage. 233 00:11:36,670 --> 00:11:39,382 What an interesting way that Jesus decided to comfort the hearts 234 00:11:39,398 --> 00:11:40,118 of their disciples. 235 00:11:40,166 --> 00:11:41,238 Of his disciples. 236 00:11:41,406 --> 00:11:44,174 He said, hey, let now your hearts be troubled and you don't 237 00:11:44,214 --> 00:11:48,070 have to have troubled hearts because there is a place and I'm 238 00:11:48,102 --> 00:11:49,754 going to prepare a place for you. 239 00:11:51,054 --> 00:11:52,834 I really like the wording here. 240 00:11:53,894 --> 00:11:56,022 In my father's house are many mansions. 241 00:11:56,198 --> 00:11:58,862 If it were not so, I would have told you. 242 00:11:58,878 --> 00:11:59,900 It's past tense. 243 00:12:00,062 --> 00:12:01,952 He goes, it is so. 244 00:12:02,128 --> 00:12:03,536 If it were not so, I would have told you. 245 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:04,296 But it is so. 246 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:05,804 So it's there. 247 00:12:06,424 --> 00:12:07,600 It's present tense. 248 00:12:07,672 --> 00:12:10,160 There is a place that God has prepared for us. 249 00:12:10,272 --> 00:12:11,936 A place with many mansions. 250 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,432 The Bible says many mansions. 251 00:12:15,608 --> 00:12:16,872 I looked up that word. 252 00:12:17,008 --> 00:12:21,608 Have you guys ever heard all the discrepancy between people and 253 00:12:21,616 --> 00:12:23,056 their beliefs with this word? 254 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:24,896 Sometimes you'll hear people like, settle in. 255 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,894 They'll be like, it says mansion and I want a mansion. 256 00:12:28,394 --> 00:12:29,162 It's awesome. 257 00:12:29,258 --> 00:12:32,530 You hear some people be like, well, it means that it's just a room 258 00:12:32,562 --> 00:12:33,330 or an abiding place. 259 00:12:33,362 --> 00:12:37,294 And really, if you look at the biblical outline, both of those are 260 00:12:38,394 --> 00:12:39,802 used in the Bible. 261 00:12:39,938 --> 00:12:42,442 However, in this passage, it really is talking about a separated 262 00:12:42,498 --> 00:12:43,202 dwelling place. 263 00:12:43,258 --> 00:12:45,826 So mansion, right? 264 00:12:46,010 --> 00:12:51,610 But I saw on the little third outline there a place where one can 265 00:12:51,642 --> 00:12:52,294 abide. 266 00:12:54,014 --> 00:12:55,354 I Kind of like that. 267 00:12:56,214 --> 00:12:58,014 A place where one can abide. 268 00:12:58,174 --> 00:13:01,754 In my Father's house are many mansions. 269 00:13:02,814 --> 00:13:05,354 Places where we can abide as Christians. 270 00:13:07,094 --> 00:13:10,154 There's no concern, there's no worry. 271 00:13:10,854 --> 00:13:14,034 We can abide with Christ forever. 272 00:13:15,614 --> 00:13:16,614 Isn't that the end goal? 273 00:13:16,654 --> 00:13:23,168 Anyways, now, as the song says, I sure would like one silver 274 00:13:23,216 --> 00:13:25,364 lined, right? 275 00:13:25,704 --> 00:13:30,176 I would like one with the biggest golden television of all 276 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,160 time so I could rewatch live replays of stuff happening on earth 277 00:13:34,192 --> 00:13:34,896 and heaven. 278 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,232 I really hope that is the case because you read some of these Bible 279 00:13:37,288 --> 00:13:40,208 stories and I want to rewatch it right? 280 00:13:40,376 --> 00:13:43,734 We told we were in the Old Testament a few weeks ago and. 281 00:13:43,764 --> 00:13:45,826 And we read the story about the angel that defended Jerusalem 282 00:13:45,850 --> 00:13:47,858 and killed 185,000 soldiers. 283 00:13:47,946 --> 00:13:48,854 One angel. 284 00:13:50,474 --> 00:13:52,014 I kinda wanna see that. 285 00:13:52,874 --> 00:13:55,466 I hope it's available to me to watch, right? 286 00:13:55,650 --> 00:13:57,106 But I hope I have this really cool thing. 287 00:13:57,130 --> 00:14:01,414 But at the end of the day, I can rest assured that my end goal 288 00:14:03,234 --> 00:14:06,338 isn't the wealth of heaven per se. 289 00:14:06,506 --> 00:14:09,934 The end goal isn't living in comfort. 290 00:14:10,644 --> 00:14:14,524 The goal is being near Christ, the one who saved me. 291 00:14:14,684 --> 00:14:16,356 In my Father's house are many mansions. 292 00:14:16,420 --> 00:14:17,956 If it were not so, I would have told you. 293 00:14:18,060 --> 00:14:21,676 By the way, Hebrews chapter 13 says, for we have no continuing city, 294 00:14:21,820 --> 00:14:23,424 but we seek one to come. 295 00:14:24,004 --> 00:14:26,612 You know, as Christians, we are here and we're really just here 296 00:14:26,628 --> 00:14:27,704 for just a moment. 297 00:14:28,204 --> 00:14:32,340 What is your life but even just a vapor, it's here for a moment 298 00:14:32,372 --> 00:14:33,624 and it vanisheth away. 299 00:14:35,494 --> 00:14:37,954 We ought to be living in light of the city that's coming. 300 00:14:38,254 --> 00:14:40,734 So not only is there peace in the promise, but I want you to notice 301 00:14:40,774 --> 00:14:41,518 number two this morning. 302 00:14:41,566 --> 00:14:43,554 There's path to the place. 303 00:14:43,974 --> 00:14:45,110 There's a path to the place. 304 00:14:45,142 --> 00:14:46,950 There is a very noticeable shift in the passage. 305 00:14:46,982 --> 00:14:50,674 If you look at verse number three, the Bible says, and if I go 306 00:14:51,214 --> 00:14:56,454 and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto 307 00:14:56,494 --> 00:14:59,394 myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. 308 00:15:02,704 --> 00:15:03,484 Wow. 309 00:15:04,504 --> 00:15:08,844 So we can rest assured, Christ has prepared a place for us. 310 00:15:11,704 --> 00:15:13,324 But that's not just it. 311 00:15:13,944 --> 00:15:19,224 There's not just a place where Christ is there. 312 00:15:19,384 --> 00:15:20,600 By the way, that's my kid, by the way. 313 00:15:20,632 --> 00:15:21,644 So sorry everyone. 314 00:15:23,864 --> 00:15:27,004 There is a place that God has prepared for us. 315 00:15:29,894 --> 00:15:31,634 And then he gives us this promise. 316 00:15:32,414 --> 00:15:35,774 He says, and if I go and prepare a place for you, by the way, 317 00:15:35,814 --> 00:15:36,674 he has. 318 00:15:37,414 --> 00:15:38,166 He did. 319 00:15:38,270 --> 00:15:40,118 There is a place, there are mansions. 320 00:15:40,246 --> 00:15:45,594 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. 321 00:15:46,374 --> 00:15:47,514 It's a promise. 322 00:15:49,134 --> 00:15:51,726 Have you ever met someone who has promises that you can't rely 323 00:15:51,750 --> 00:15:54,488 on, right? 324 00:15:54,656 --> 00:15:58,424 You ever had people that said things and they said, I promise this 325 00:15:58,464 --> 00:16:03,804 time it'll be different, or, I promise this time I will, whatever. 326 00:16:04,904 --> 00:16:10,656 And you kind of look at them and you say, sure, right? 327 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:11,872 You know what I'm talking about. 328 00:16:12,048 --> 00:16:13,944 Sometimes you put on a good face and you're like, of course. 329 00:16:14,064 --> 00:16:15,536 Yeah, I know. 330 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:18,524 You're going to be on time this time, right? 331 00:16:21,694 --> 00:16:24,514 Jesus is someone that we can rely with his promises. 332 00:16:25,254 --> 00:16:29,354 He looks at it and he says, I will come again. 333 00:16:30,254 --> 00:16:33,902 You may say, well, when's it going to happen? 334 00:16:33,998 --> 00:16:35,198 This happened a long time ago. 335 00:16:35,246 --> 00:16:36,074 I don't know. 336 00:16:36,854 --> 00:16:39,294 But I know that I can rest assured in the promises that Jesus 337 00:16:39,334 --> 00:16:39,886 will come again. 338 00:16:39,910 --> 00:16:41,654 I want you to notice this path to the place. 339 00:16:41,694 --> 00:16:43,390 There is a assurance of arrival. 340 00:16:43,462 --> 00:16:45,006 Jesus said it, that means he'll do it. 341 00:16:45,030 --> 00:16:47,028 And that is all there is to it. 342 00:16:47,166 --> 00:16:49,064 You see, Jesus makes a promise. 343 00:16:49,104 --> 00:16:51,552 And it's reiterated over and over and over again in scriptures. 344 00:16:51,608 --> 00:16:53,968 Paul says in First Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 16, 345 00:16:54,016 --> 00:16:56,712 he says, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a 346 00:16:56,728 --> 00:16:59,648 shout and with the voice of an archangel, with the trump of God. 347 00:16:59,736 --> 00:17:02,576 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 348 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,264 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together 349 00:17:05,304 --> 00:17:07,368 with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 350 00:17:07,416 --> 00:17:09,232 So shall we ever be with the Lord. 351 00:17:09,328 --> 00:17:13,104 You see, Jesus makes a promise that's reiterated over and over again. 352 00:17:13,144 --> 00:17:15,656 He says, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again 353 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:16,464 and receive you unto myself. 354 00:17:16,504 --> 00:17:18,630 And Paul says, yes, he is coming again. 355 00:17:18,752 --> 00:17:21,354 And we which are alive and remain, we're going to be caught 356 00:17:21,394 --> 00:17:23,778 up together with him in the clouds. 357 00:17:23,866 --> 00:17:25,394 And that's where the word rapture comes from. 358 00:17:25,434 --> 00:17:27,334 It literally means caught up. 359 00:17:29,594 --> 00:17:33,054 The only thing I can think of is, like, whenever you're fishing 360 00:17:34,034 --> 00:17:37,618 and you get the fish close to the boat and you put the net in and 361 00:17:37,626 --> 00:17:41,414 you catch them up, snag them right out of the water, right? 362 00:17:42,034 --> 00:17:45,018 That's how I imagine one day I'm just going to be swimming along 363 00:17:45,066 --> 00:17:49,306 in my life, doing what I can, and God's going to say, it's time, 364 00:17:49,450 --> 00:17:50,254 boom. 365 00:17:53,954 --> 00:17:57,346 And I'm going to be in heaven, caught up together with him in the 366 00:17:57,370 --> 00:17:58,094 clouds. 367 00:17:58,594 --> 00:18:01,170 The Bible says this is our blessed hope as Christians. 368 00:18:01,362 --> 00:18:04,794 It's where we can rely and where we can settle down and be at 369 00:18:04,834 --> 00:18:07,614 ease because God is coming again. 370 00:18:09,844 --> 00:18:13,004 What happens with America, I don't care. 371 00:18:13,044 --> 00:18:14,064 I'm going to heaven. 372 00:18:16,444 --> 00:18:18,904 Who wins the next election in 2028? 373 00:18:19,844 --> 00:18:21,464 Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. 374 00:18:22,124 --> 00:18:23,344 God's in control. 375 00:18:25,484 --> 00:18:28,704 Well, what about my 30 year mortgage? 376 00:18:30,484 --> 00:18:34,024 Hey, it's mine to pay until I'm not in the house no more. 377 00:18:35,214 --> 00:18:37,834 Once I'm in the clouds, it's not mine to pay no more. 378 00:18:39,374 --> 00:18:41,314 After that, I don't really care. 379 00:18:41,694 --> 00:18:43,874 Someone else can move in and take care of my chickens. 380 00:18:44,414 --> 00:18:48,406 You see, we can rest assured in the promise. 381 00:18:48,550 --> 00:18:50,114 Jesus is coming again. 382 00:18:51,974 --> 00:18:55,358 So not only is there assurance of arrival, but there is an awareness 383 00:18:55,446 --> 00:18:55,950 of the way. 384 00:18:55,982 --> 00:19:04,048 Look at verse number four and whither I go ye know and the way 385 00:19:04,176 --> 00:19:05,164 ye know. 386 00:19:05,944 --> 00:19:08,896 Now this is so interesting because the disciples are sitting 387 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:10,664 there and they're listening to Jesus teach. 388 00:19:10,784 --> 00:19:13,976 And Jesus is like, and you know where I'm going and you know 389 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:14,552 the way. 390 00:19:14,648 --> 00:19:20,480 And the disciples are sitting there surely mouth agape like me. 391 00:19:20,592 --> 00:19:22,328 No, I don't know where you're going. 392 00:19:22,416 --> 00:19:23,524 I don't know the way. 393 00:19:24,104 --> 00:19:27,368 But Jesus looks at it and I just can't help but think maybe that 394 00:19:27,376 --> 00:19:28,724 was written just for us. 395 00:19:29,594 --> 00:19:31,514 That was written for the Christians who have hindsight. 396 00:19:31,554 --> 00:19:33,266 We can look back and read the scriptures as a whole. 397 00:19:33,290 --> 00:19:34,314 We already believe Jesus. 398 00:19:34,354 --> 00:19:37,058 We already know the truth of God's word and we can look at him 399 00:19:37,066 --> 00:19:39,642 and be like, and the way he, where he goes. 400 00:19:39,698 --> 00:19:42,450 Yeah, we know where he went and the way. 401 00:19:42,562 --> 00:19:43,906 We do know the way. 402 00:19:44,090 --> 00:19:45,494 Jesus is the way. 403 00:19:46,474 --> 00:19:48,818 So not only do we see that, but we see the awareness of the way 404 00:19:48,866 --> 00:19:52,202 by the way God leads and guides us in every step of our life. 405 00:19:52,258 --> 00:19:56,316 Psalm 119, verse 105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a 406 00:19:56,340 --> 00:19:57,664 light into my path. 407 00:19:58,204 --> 00:20:00,444 You know, if there's ever a time in your life where you're unsure 408 00:20:00,484 --> 00:20:02,940 about what you should do, you're ever unsure about which way 409 00:20:02,972 --> 00:20:05,820 or which path you should go, I encourage you to seek the Scriptures 410 00:20:05,852 --> 00:20:08,836 and look in God's word because everything that he needs is right 411 00:20:08,860 --> 00:20:09,044 here. 412 00:20:09,084 --> 00:20:11,024 Everything that he meant to tell you is right here. 413 00:20:11,324 --> 00:20:14,116 I had a friend at one point in my life, he took my Bible. 414 00:20:14,260 --> 00:20:19,092 We were at maybe a college or a conference or sometime and he took 415 00:20:19,108 --> 00:20:21,756 my Bible on the way there and he wrote inside the COVID he said 416 00:20:21,820 --> 00:20:22,732 Bible and he wrote it down. 417 00:20:22,748 --> 00:20:25,344 And he said basic instructions before leaving earth. 418 00:20:25,804 --> 00:20:28,544 I don't know where he got that, but I like that. 419 00:20:29,004 --> 00:20:32,156 See, anything or everything we could ever want to know about God's 420 00:20:32,180 --> 00:20:34,944 world is right here in our hands. 421 00:20:35,444 --> 00:20:37,932 Anything we could ever need to know about our own life, about our 422 00:20:37,948 --> 00:20:40,064 own directioning is right here. 423 00:20:40,764 --> 00:20:43,604 It's been said reading the Bible is the two way conversation 424 00:20:43,644 --> 00:20:45,220 that we have Between God. 425 00:20:45,412 --> 00:20:47,784 If you feel like God is not talking to you. 426 00:20:48,484 --> 00:20:50,264 Have you read the Bible lately? 427 00:20:51,614 --> 00:20:53,234 Have you read His Word? 428 00:20:54,334 --> 00:20:57,670 One thing that always stuck out in my mind is my youth pastor 429 00:20:57,702 --> 00:21:00,470 growing up had a Bible, and he used the same Bible forever. 430 00:21:00,662 --> 00:21:05,614 And on the COVID he had engraved on it, it said, God's love 431 00:21:05,654 --> 00:21:07,474 letter to Jesse Latta. 432 00:21:08,894 --> 00:21:10,046 And that always stuck out in my mind. 433 00:21:10,070 --> 00:21:11,758 I've never seen another Bible with it. 434 00:21:11,886 --> 00:21:13,830 And I've always wondered, like, is it weird for me to steal 435 00:21:13,862 --> 00:21:15,254 that and, like, put it on my Bible now? 436 00:21:15,294 --> 00:21:16,434 Because I kind of like that. 437 00:21:17,684 --> 00:21:20,036 But everything that you could want in God's life, anything that 438 00:21:20,060 --> 00:21:22,864 God wants to tell you is right here in His Word. 439 00:21:23,444 --> 00:21:24,884 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet. 440 00:21:24,924 --> 00:21:26,164 So there's an awareness of the way. 441 00:21:26,204 --> 00:21:29,060 By the way, as Christians today, we ought to know and we ought 442 00:21:29,092 --> 00:21:33,036 to be assured of and know that the way that we ought to seek is 443 00:21:33,060 --> 00:21:34,304 right here in God's Word. 444 00:21:35,124 --> 00:21:37,372 I can't tell you how many times in my own life I've hit an 445 00:21:37,388 --> 00:21:40,100 impasse or I've hit a split decision, and I'm like, ah, I just 446 00:21:40,132 --> 00:21:41,036 don't know what I'm gonna do. 447 00:21:41,060 --> 00:21:42,374 I don't know where I'm gonna go. 448 00:21:42,524 --> 00:21:45,186 And I kind of sit there and I go to everybody else except for God's 449 00:21:45,210 --> 00:21:46,014 Word, right? 450 00:21:46,954 --> 00:21:49,374 Maybe I'm the only one here this morning that's done that. 451 00:21:50,234 --> 00:21:55,214 But I sit there and I look and I go to my friends, I go to the Internet, 452 00:21:55,594 --> 00:21:59,586 I go to the Facebooks, I go everywhere else trying to see what 453 00:21:59,610 --> 00:22:00,894 I should do with my life. 454 00:22:02,034 --> 00:22:03,974 But God's Word gives us the answer. 455 00:22:04,874 --> 00:22:06,786 So there's an awareness of the way. 456 00:22:06,930 --> 00:22:11,720 So this morning, not only do we see promise, we can have peace 457 00:22:11,752 --> 00:22:12,248 in the promise. 458 00:22:12,296 --> 00:22:13,192 Excuse me. 459 00:22:13,368 --> 00:22:15,816 Not only do we see that there is a path to the place, but there 460 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:17,360 is a person as a path. 461 00:22:17,392 --> 00:22:18,644 Look at verse number five. 462 00:22:19,704 --> 00:22:24,072 Then Thomas saith unto him, lord, we know not whither thou goest. 463 00:22:24,208 --> 00:22:27,480 And how can we know the way Thomas looks at Jesus and he goes, 464 00:22:27,552 --> 00:22:29,048 hey, actually, time out real quick. 465 00:22:29,096 --> 00:22:30,456 Nope, don't know what you're talking about. 466 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,568 Don't know where you're going, and I don't know the way. 467 00:22:32,696 --> 00:22:33,724 Please explain. 468 00:22:34,834 --> 00:22:37,738 It's easy to kind of sit here and harp on the disciples for the 469 00:22:37,746 --> 00:22:40,134 way they talked and the way they didn't believe, right? 470 00:22:41,394 --> 00:22:48,250 But if Thomas hadn't have said that, we probably wouldn't have maybe 471 00:22:48,282 --> 00:22:50,694 one of the best verses in all of Scripture. 472 00:22:51,434 --> 00:22:52,426 Look at verse number six. 473 00:22:52,450 --> 00:22:54,506 When Jesus answered, he saith unto him. 474 00:22:54,650 --> 00:22:58,574 I am the way, the truth and the life. 475 00:22:59,194 --> 00:23:02,674 No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 476 00:23:03,854 --> 00:23:06,782 In our Sunday school, our teenagers are working through the 477 00:23:06,798 --> 00:23:07,794 Book of Esther. 478 00:23:08,134 --> 00:23:11,198 And the series is entitled God's Got this. 479 00:23:11,366 --> 00:23:13,742 And we're looking and talking about how all throughout the Book 480 00:23:13,758 --> 00:23:16,782 of Esther, even though the name of God is not specifically mentioned, 481 00:23:16,798 --> 00:23:20,566 we can see God is the director, guiding and leading and 482 00:23:20,590 --> 00:23:23,278 putting in place each and every little event and orchestrating 483 00:23:23,326 --> 00:23:25,314 the whole story to a completion. 484 00:23:26,864 --> 00:23:29,800 I just can't help but think maybe God's at play a little bit 485 00:23:29,832 --> 00:23:30,404 here. 486 00:23:31,184 --> 00:23:34,048 Imagine God the Father in heaven, watching this story unfold 487 00:23:34,096 --> 00:23:35,368 between Jesus and his disciples. 488 00:23:35,416 --> 00:23:38,160 And Jesus says, and I, you know the way and you know where I'm 489 00:23:38,192 --> 00:23:38,624 going. 490 00:23:38,744 --> 00:23:41,564 And God says, okay, Thomas, your turn. 491 00:23:42,144 --> 00:23:44,744 And Thomas looks at him and goes, yeah, no I don't. 492 00:23:44,904 --> 00:23:49,280 And then in a beautiful moment, God allows and God tells 493 00:23:49,312 --> 00:23:49,688 Jesus. 494 00:23:49,736 --> 00:23:53,604 And they say this phrase here, this beautiful phrase. 495 00:23:54,064 --> 00:23:58,364 I am the way, the truth and the life. 496 00:23:58,944 --> 00:24:02,764 It's a phrase that means infinite importance to Christians. 497 00:24:03,344 --> 00:24:06,000 And really, if we had the time, we could sit down and we could 498 00:24:06,032 --> 00:24:07,804 talk about this verse for days. 499 00:24:09,384 --> 00:24:11,904 The phraseology, the exact phrases he used. 500 00:24:11,984 --> 00:24:12,752 I am. 501 00:24:12,848 --> 00:24:14,724 Hey, that's a name of God, isn't it? 502 00:24:15,144 --> 00:24:16,684 I am the way. 503 00:24:18,434 --> 00:24:19,814 I am the truth. 504 00:24:20,714 --> 00:24:22,014 I am the life. 505 00:24:22,634 --> 00:24:24,014 Wow, that's interesting. 506 00:24:25,234 --> 00:24:27,458 You almost can make a three point sermon right out of it. 507 00:24:27,506 --> 00:24:29,174 The way, the truth and the life. 508 00:24:29,874 --> 00:24:30,402 Here we go. 509 00:24:30,418 --> 00:24:31,934 There's some outlining for us. 510 00:24:32,594 --> 00:24:37,418 We have this passage here that conveys this deep spiritual truth. 511 00:24:37,586 --> 00:24:38,794 I want you to notice letter A. 512 00:24:38,834 --> 00:24:40,974 There's an exclusivity to the way. 513 00:24:42,074 --> 00:24:43,934 Jesus didn't say I am a way. 514 00:24:44,454 --> 00:24:46,194 He didn't say I'm the best way. 515 00:24:46,494 --> 00:24:48,594 He said, I am the way. 516 00:24:49,414 --> 00:24:51,914 I love the word, the way. 517 00:24:52,574 --> 00:24:55,910 There's so much illustrated and communicated in just those two 518 00:24:55,942 --> 00:24:56,718 little words. 519 00:24:56,846 --> 00:24:57,754 The way. 520 00:24:58,334 --> 00:24:59,166 What is he? 521 00:24:59,270 --> 00:25:00,834 Well, that means he is the path. 522 00:25:02,094 --> 00:25:05,582 He is the way that we are supposed to go, the direction in 523 00:25:05,598 --> 00:25:08,446 way we are supposed to travel, the place in which we are supposed 524 00:25:08,470 --> 00:25:09,608 to put our trust in. 525 00:25:09,726 --> 00:25:10,332 He's all of it. 526 00:25:10,348 --> 00:25:11,340 He's the way. 527 00:25:11,452 --> 00:25:12,612 A little fun fact for you. 528 00:25:12,668 --> 00:25:15,012 Before they were called Christians, a lot of times they referred 529 00:25:15,028 --> 00:25:16,780 to the early church people, the early Christians. 530 00:25:16,812 --> 00:25:18,624 They called them followers of the way. 531 00:25:19,524 --> 00:25:20,784 I kind of like that. 532 00:25:21,724 --> 00:25:23,904 Are we followers of the way this morning? 533 00:25:25,364 --> 00:25:26,812 Do we look at Jesus Christ? 534 00:25:26,868 --> 00:25:30,264 Are we seeking to emulate everything about him? 535 00:25:31,004 --> 00:25:32,704 Are we followers of the way? 536 00:25:33,044 --> 00:25:35,588 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. 537 00:25:35,636 --> 00:25:37,364 No man Cometh unto the Father, but by me. 538 00:25:37,444 --> 00:25:39,612 I want you to know this morning, Acts chapter 4, verse 12 539 00:25:39,668 --> 00:25:43,284 says, neither is there salvation in any other. 540 00:25:45,784 --> 00:25:49,304 You see, primarily up to this point, I've been talking to those 541 00:25:49,344 --> 00:25:52,680 of us that know Jesus Christ as our personal savior, how we can 542 00:25:52,712 --> 00:25:55,564 have peace in the promises and in the tribulations of life. 543 00:25:55,904 --> 00:25:59,512 But now the passage really does take a turn and it looks at 544 00:25:59,528 --> 00:26:02,216 it and says, I am the way. 545 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:03,964 There's not multiple ways. 546 00:26:04,384 --> 00:26:05,856 He's not kind of the way. 547 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:07,364 He is the only way. 548 00:26:07,924 --> 00:26:11,980 And it presents us with a challenge in our life, a challenge 549 00:26:12,012 --> 00:26:13,436 for ourselves personally. 550 00:26:13,580 --> 00:26:16,504 Where is your faith and trust? 551 00:26:17,284 --> 00:26:18,904 What are you trusting in? 552 00:26:20,004 --> 00:26:21,704 Are you trusting in yourself? 553 00:26:22,484 --> 00:26:24,704 Are you trusting in your good works? 554 00:26:25,084 --> 00:26:28,420 Are you trusting in maybe a prayer you said at one point? 555 00:26:28,452 --> 00:26:30,464 Maybe you're being trusting in a baptism. 556 00:26:30,884 --> 00:26:32,344 What are you trusting in? 557 00:26:32,814 --> 00:26:37,314 Are you trusting in the way, or are you trusting on yourself? 558 00:26:39,814 --> 00:26:44,846 Not only do we have this exclusivity here, but I want you 559 00:26:44,870 --> 00:26:48,270 guys to notice there's revelation through the relationship. 560 00:26:48,302 --> 00:26:49,634 Look at verse number seven. 561 00:26:50,814 --> 00:26:56,794 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father. 562 00:26:57,414 --> 00:27:04,084 Also interesting. 563 00:27:04,464 --> 00:27:06,976 Have you ever met someone who said Jesus never claimed to be equal 564 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:08,084 with God the Father? 565 00:27:09,264 --> 00:27:14,384 I've heard people say that, and not in a mean way, but I genuinely 566 00:27:14,424 --> 00:27:17,004 want to ask him, have you ever read the New Testament? 567 00:27:18,944 --> 00:27:21,576 This sounds a whole lot like being equal with the Father right 568 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:22,164 there. 569 00:27:23,184 --> 00:27:28,444 If ye had known me, ye should have also known my Father. 570 00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:32,884 That sounds a whole lot like it to me. 571 00:27:33,784 --> 00:27:37,688 See, Jesus looks at it and he adds this little conditional statement. 572 00:27:37,856 --> 00:27:44,204 He says, if you know me, then you know my Father. 573 00:27:47,104 --> 00:27:50,120 I've heard people say before, well, I'm just. 574 00:27:50,232 --> 00:27:51,100 I like Jesus. 575 00:27:51,192 --> 00:27:54,084 I'm a Jesus guy that say, awesome. 576 00:27:54,204 --> 00:27:55,692 And you ask them to say, well, what about church? 577 00:27:55,748 --> 00:27:56,908 I'm not a church guy. 578 00:27:57,076 --> 00:27:59,484 Okay, well, how about God the Father and God the Holy Spirit? 579 00:27:59,524 --> 00:28:00,704 I believe in Jesus. 580 00:28:01,964 --> 00:28:05,436 Well, it's the same thing you're saying. 581 00:28:05,620 --> 00:28:07,844 If you know Jesus, you should know God the Father. 582 00:28:07,884 --> 00:28:10,276 And by the way, if you're here this morning and you know Jesus Christ 583 00:28:10,300 --> 00:28:13,224 as your personal savior, you know God the Father. 584 00:28:14,324 --> 00:28:17,972 The Bible says that there is one mediator between God and man. 585 00:28:18,028 --> 00:28:19,624 The man Christ Jesus. 586 00:28:20,194 --> 00:28:24,754 He is the way, the intermediate, the mediator, the interceder 587 00:28:24,794 --> 00:28:30,170 between us and God the Father, we can have direct access to God 588 00:28:30,202 --> 00:28:35,490 the Father because of the man Christ Jesus that's offered to us 589 00:28:35,522 --> 00:28:36,374 through the way. 590 00:28:36,754 --> 00:28:40,654 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father. 591 00:28:41,434 --> 00:28:42,610 It's an interesting wording. 592 00:28:42,642 --> 00:28:43,574 There isn't it? 593 00:28:45,244 --> 00:28:50,024 If you known me, ye should have known my Father. 594 00:28:51,444 --> 00:28:56,464 I wonder how many people kind of live this surface level Christianity. 595 00:28:58,844 --> 00:29:03,076 When I said a prayer at church camp one time, I came forward in 596 00:29:03,100 --> 00:29:10,020 a service one time, but it never dug to the next level where 597 00:29:10,052 --> 00:29:13,694 you have a real relationship with God the Father. 598 00:29:15,634 --> 00:29:17,854 I wonder how many of us here are like that. 599 00:29:18,314 --> 00:29:21,970 I can tell you there was a time in my life where absolutely 600 00:29:22,002 --> 00:29:23,194 I fit the bill of the phrase. 601 00:29:23,234 --> 00:29:29,642 A nominal Christian, someone who is a Christian in name and by 602 00:29:29,658 --> 00:29:32,294 the world's standards, even a Christian, indeed. 603 00:29:32,914 --> 00:29:38,548 Coming to church, being a part of a youth group, going to church 604 00:29:38,596 --> 00:29:44,304 camp, doing all the things that a Christian ought to do. 605 00:29:48,084 --> 00:29:54,068 And I can't explain it, but one day I was sitting there and it 606 00:29:54,076 --> 00:29:56,772 was like I woke up and heard the first message I'd ever heard 607 00:29:56,788 --> 00:29:58,104 in my whole entire life. 608 00:29:59,204 --> 00:30:01,580 And it's like for the first time ever, I was actually hearing 609 00:30:01,612 --> 00:30:06,398 what the preacher was saying, and I was hearing what the Bible 610 00:30:06,446 --> 00:30:10,074 was saying, and I was understanding. 611 00:30:10,414 --> 00:30:15,390 And I came to this realization I didn't have any real relationship 612 00:30:15,422 --> 00:30:16,234 with God. 613 00:30:18,654 --> 00:30:26,334 I had fabricated this phony front, if you would, for what my 614 00:30:26,374 --> 00:30:27,994 life looked like as a Christian. 615 00:30:29,144 --> 00:30:30,644 And beneath it was nothing. 616 00:30:31,224 --> 00:30:37,736 I didn't have the relationship that followed and gave depth to what 617 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:38,056 I said. 618 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:39,044 I believed. 619 00:30:41,744 --> 00:30:48,004 Jesus says, if you know me, ye should have known my Father also. 620 00:30:49,264 --> 00:30:51,164 I love the way this passage ends. 621 00:30:52,384 --> 00:31:00,014 And from henceforth, ye know him and have seen him. 622 00:31:01,474 --> 00:31:06,674 Jesus says, from this point forward, know him and you have seen 623 00:31:06,714 --> 00:31:07,294 him. 624 00:31:08,714 --> 00:31:12,374 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 625 00:31:12,834 --> 00:31:15,374 No man cometh to the Father but by me. 626 00:31:16,034 --> 00:31:19,986 You see, just as I sat at that plane and I sat in the middle seat 627 00:31:20,010 --> 00:31:22,434 and I looked out through the window and I saw my connecting flight 628 00:31:22,474 --> 00:31:28,064 pulling out to leave, I realized I missed it. 629 00:31:30,524 --> 00:31:32,984 I have to go back to the counter and beg again. 630 00:31:34,324 --> 00:31:36,692 I have to go back to the lady and be like, hey, you may have heard 631 00:31:36,708 --> 00:31:38,676 from a colleague back in Philadelphia. 632 00:31:38,860 --> 00:31:40,372 I was at her table earlier. 633 00:31:40,508 --> 00:31:41,604 Now I'm here with yours. 634 00:31:41,684 --> 00:31:42,940 Need to go to California. 635 00:31:43,052 --> 00:31:45,076 Don't want to waste time, don't want to miss classes. 636 00:31:45,140 --> 00:31:47,844 That's for whenever you're tired and want to sleep in, right? 637 00:31:48,004 --> 00:31:51,444 So I had to go back to the counter again and beg again. 638 00:31:56,024 --> 00:32:01,024 Only this time, I'm sorry, there are no more flights leaving 639 00:32:01,064 --> 00:32:01,644 today. 640 00:32:03,504 --> 00:32:05,004 What are you talking about? 641 00:32:05,584 --> 00:32:07,764 This is O'Hare Chicago. 642 00:32:08,544 --> 00:32:11,896 This is the busiest airport in the world, and you're telling me 643 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:15,552 you can't get me on a flight to California to lax, probably the 644 00:32:15,568 --> 00:32:17,204 Fourth busiest airport in the world. 645 00:32:18,374 --> 00:32:20,274 Nope, we're done for the day. 646 00:32:22,694 --> 00:32:25,726 Okay, what are my options? 647 00:32:25,790 --> 00:32:26,654 I was young and naive. 648 00:32:26,694 --> 00:32:29,158 I didn't know that they actually like had to provide amenities 649 00:32:29,206 --> 00:32:30,358 for you if you asked. 650 00:32:30,526 --> 00:32:31,814 So I said, what do I do? 651 00:32:31,854 --> 00:32:33,274 She said, come back tomorrow. 652 00:32:34,174 --> 00:32:35,394 I said, really? 653 00:32:35,814 --> 00:32:37,514 She goes, yep, come back tomorrow. 654 00:32:38,934 --> 00:32:42,974 And I took that and I took my bag, I had a duffel bag and I went 655 00:32:43,014 --> 00:32:45,698 outside the airport and they had the benches sitting outside in 656 00:32:45,706 --> 00:32:46,866 the drop off and pick off. 657 00:32:46,970 --> 00:32:49,754 And I took my duffel bag and I put it around my neck so someone 658 00:32:49,794 --> 00:32:50,562 couldn't take it. 659 00:32:50,658 --> 00:32:52,894 And I went like this and I slept on the bench. 660 00:32:55,594 --> 00:32:58,054 It was actually quite an interesting experience. 661 00:32:58,754 --> 00:33:01,354 The airport gets very scary after night. 662 00:33:01,394 --> 00:33:03,530 I wish I had like tied myself to the bench. 663 00:33:03,562 --> 00:33:07,666 I was scared I was going to get like just, you know, taken with 664 00:33:07,690 --> 00:33:08,970 the bench somewhere else. 665 00:33:09,082 --> 00:33:10,494 I was scared for my life. 666 00:33:11,474 --> 00:33:13,134 But I missed the connecting flight. 667 00:33:15,634 --> 00:33:17,014 Don't miss it this morning. 668 00:33:18,594 --> 00:33:21,610 If you're here today and you don't know for a fact that Jesus 669 00:33:21,642 --> 00:33:23,894 Christ is your personal savior, don't miss it. 670 00:33:26,554 --> 00:33:29,054 We can all relate to the feeling of missing a flight. 671 00:33:29,914 --> 00:33:34,410 The pit in your stomach, the concern, the worry, the, oh, no, 672 00:33:34,562 --> 00:33:36,414 I gotta figure out something else. 673 00:33:36,904 --> 00:33:40,152 Chicago's 30 hours from Los Angeles by car, right? 674 00:33:40,248 --> 00:33:41,256 You gotta figure out something else. 675 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,004 We all understand that feeling. 676 00:33:43,544 --> 00:33:48,440 My question for you today is how much more so when we look at 677 00:33:48,472 --> 00:33:58,208 eternity, when we look forward at forever, how much more so can 678 00:33:58,216 --> 00:34:06,374 you imagine the dread one day when you realize, I've missed it. 679 00:34:08,034 --> 00:34:15,226 I missed the way I was too concerned with my day to day, I was 680 00:34:15,250 --> 00:34:16,194 too concerned with my job. 681 00:34:16,234 --> 00:34:18,654 I was too concerned with whatever. 682 00:34:19,274 --> 00:34:20,494 And we miss it. 683 00:34:21,754 --> 00:34:22,946 Don't miss it. 684 00:34:23,130 --> 00:34:25,454 It's right here, laid out right in front of us. 685 00:34:25,794 --> 00:34:29,944 I am the way, the truth and the life. 686 00:34:30,524 --> 00:34:35,224 No man cometh unto the Father but by me. 687 00:34:36,444 --> 00:34:40,304 You see, that's the good news this morning, isn't it? 688 00:34:41,524 --> 00:34:42,944 But there is bad news. 689 00:34:43,804 --> 00:34:46,284 The Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory 690 00:34:46,324 --> 00:34:52,904 of God, due to that sin, we are separated from God. 691 00:34:53,454 --> 00:34:55,918 The illustration I love to use is the Grand Canyon. 692 00:34:56,006 --> 00:34:58,034 How many of you have ever seen the Grand Canyon before? 693 00:34:58,774 --> 00:35:02,062 It's genuinely the only place that I've ever been in my whole entire 694 00:35:02,118 --> 00:35:07,074 life where I felt true awe and wonder at the creation of earth. 695 00:35:07,414 --> 00:35:09,174 You know, you see the mountains and they're all pretty. 696 00:35:09,214 --> 00:35:11,606 But I'm telling you, you walk up to the Grand Canyon for the first 697 00:35:11,630 --> 00:35:13,594 time and you look over and you see just the. 698 00:35:14,414 --> 00:35:15,514 And it's just. 699 00:35:15,894 --> 00:35:16,674 Wow. 700 00:35:17,614 --> 00:35:21,045 I love the illustration of the Grand Canyon because if we were to 701 00:35:21,069 --> 00:35:23,293 sit out and me and Brother Kushel, the man who prayed earlier, 702 00:35:23,333 --> 00:35:26,333 if we were to set out on a competition to jump across the Grand 703 00:35:26,373 --> 00:35:29,673 Canyon, we would both fail. 704 00:35:31,413 --> 00:35:33,765 And I'm just being honest with you, he would jump further than I 705 00:35:33,789 --> 00:35:34,353 would. 706 00:35:35,133 --> 00:35:37,357 If we were to sit there, we were to run as fast as we can, and 707 00:35:37,365 --> 00:35:38,005 we were to. 708 00:35:38,149 --> 00:35:40,193 And we jumped as far as we could. 709 00:35:40,933 --> 00:35:44,501 He would go further than I would, but we both would not be able 710 00:35:44,517 --> 00:35:45,833 to clear the Grand Canyon. 711 00:35:46,744 --> 00:35:51,040 You see, sin has separated us from God at a Grand Canyon type of 712 00:35:51,072 --> 00:35:51,644 way. 713 00:35:52,224 --> 00:35:55,160 And no matter what we can do in our own lives, we can never bridge 714 00:35:55,192 --> 00:35:56,484 that gap on our own. 715 00:35:57,584 --> 00:35:58,784 We are never, ever. 716 00:35:58,824 --> 00:36:03,880 The Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory 717 00:36:03,912 --> 00:36:04,684 of God. 718 00:36:05,424 --> 00:36:07,120 But there is good news this morning. 719 00:36:07,272 --> 00:36:10,448 There is a way, a truth and a life. 720 00:36:10,496 --> 00:36:11,864 And his name is Jesus. 721 00:36:11,984 --> 00:36:14,576 And you can know him with heads bowed and eyes closed. 722 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:23,936 Let's all stand as the musicians make their way. 723 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:26,504 We're going to pray and then we'll jump into a moment of invitation, 724 00:36:26,544 --> 00:36:27,844 a moment of response. 725 00:36:28,704 --> 00:36:29,644 Let's pray. 726 00:36:31,104 --> 00:36:32,376 Dear Lord, thank you for this day. 727 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:33,776 Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be here. 728 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:35,272 Lord, thank you for this passage. 729 00:36:35,368 --> 00:36:36,984 Thank you for this promise of your word. 730 00:36:37,064 --> 00:36:38,936 Lord, I pray if there's someone here today and they don't 731 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:39,992 know you as your personal. 732 00:36:40,088 --> 00:36:43,270 As their personal savior, God, I pray that today would be the day 733 00:36:43,302 --> 00:36:44,590 they get that right. 734 00:36:44,702 --> 00:36:47,534 Lord, I pray that today would be the day they come to know the 735 00:36:47,574 --> 00:36:49,514 way, the truth and the life. 736 00:36:49,894 --> 00:36:51,766 Lord, thank you for what you've done for us. 737 00:36:51,870 --> 00:36:53,486 Thank you for being that for us. 738 00:36:53,630 --> 00:36:55,194 In Jesus name I pray. 739 00:36:55,614 --> 00:36:56,474 Amen. 740 00:36:57,054 --> 00:36:59,074 As we all sing in verse of invitation. 741 00:37:01,014 --> 00:37:12,920 The cross upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can 742 00:37:13,032 --> 00:37:22,924 hide and its grace so free is sufficient for me. 743 00:37:23,544 --> 00:37:31,888 Are you trusting in the Lord this morning as wide as the sea there's 744 00:37:31,936 --> 00:37:32,480 room. 745 00:37:32,632 --> 00:37:34,364 Do you know where you spend eternity? 746 00:37:38,704 --> 00:37:43,724 There's room at the cross for you. 747 00:37:46,144 --> 00:37:53,084 Though millions have come, there's still room for one. 748 00:37:53,744 --> 00:37:59,124 Yes, there's room at the cross for you. 749 00:38:00,664 --> 00:38:01,400 Thank you so much. 750 00:38:01,432 --> 00:38:02,144 You may be seated. 751 00:38:02,184 --> 00:38:04,256 This morning, as brother Kushel comes and reads announcements, 752 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:06,324 let's prepare for the morning offering. 753 00:38:08,024 --> 00:38:08,952 Thank you, brother King. 754 00:38:09,008 --> 00:38:09,968 That was a blessing. 755 00:38:10,096 --> 00:38:12,896 Isn't it encouraging to know that the Lord has a place prepared 756 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:14,632 for you if you know him as Savior? 757 00:38:14,808 --> 00:38:15,880 That's good. 758 00:38:16,072 --> 00:38:16,880 Just a few things. 759 00:38:16,912 --> 00:38:21,488 Here we have Master Club's crazy night, and that is this Wednesday 760 00:38:21,576 --> 00:38:25,104 on the 20th and it's going to be Zoo night. 761 00:38:25,224 --> 00:38:25,848 Zoo night. 762 00:38:25,896 --> 00:38:27,664 So you can dress up. 763 00:38:27,784 --> 00:38:30,316 They can dress up as an animal, they could dress up as a 764 00:38:30,340 --> 00:38:33,956 zookeeper or anything else that would have to do with zoos. 765 00:38:34,100 --> 00:38:36,116 And some of you parents are thinking they don't have to dress 766 00:38:36,140 --> 00:38:36,868 up as anything. 767 00:38:36,916 --> 00:38:38,340 They already act like animals. 768 00:38:38,492 --> 00:38:39,732 They'll get the picture. 769 00:38:39,868 --> 00:38:42,316 And so I might just send my kids just like they are. 770 00:38:42,420 --> 00:38:43,236 You'll know. 771 00:38:43,380 --> 00:38:45,820 But anyhow, Zoo night is this Wednesday. 772 00:38:45,932 --> 00:38:48,804 Also, we have our midweek service on the week of Thanksgiving 773 00:38:48,884 --> 00:38:51,956 will be moved from Wednesday to Tuesday and that service will 774 00:38:51,980 --> 00:38:56,770 begin at 7pm no Wednesday service during Thanksgiving week. 775 00:38:56,932 --> 00:39:03,606 Also, just to know, we have a Christmas party for heritage adults 776 00:39:03,750 --> 00:39:06,734 and that is going to be Wednesday, December 11th. 777 00:39:06,774 --> 00:39:07,974 It'll start a little earlier. 778 00:39:08,094 --> 00:39:11,990 It'll start at 6:15pm and there's a small cost for that. 779 00:39:12,022 --> 00:39:13,454 It's $10 a person. 780 00:39:13,574 --> 00:39:16,534 And that's gonna basically cover the catering, the cater dinner 781 00:39:16,574 --> 00:39:17,998 that's gonna be from on the border. 782 00:39:18,046 --> 00:39:18,854 So it's gonna be great. 783 00:39:18,894 --> 00:39:19,734 I hope that you can come. 784 00:39:19,774 --> 00:39:22,646 You'll enjoy the meal and there'll be some games and fun things 785 00:39:22,670 --> 00:39:24,044 that will go on that evening. 786 00:39:24,174 --> 00:39:27,216 So please do this though, if you would go to the back information 787 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:30,120 table and sign yourself up for that. 788 00:39:30,152 --> 00:39:33,240 If you plan on attending, that will help us to know how to prepare 789 00:39:33,272 --> 00:39:33,800 for it. 790 00:39:33,912 --> 00:39:36,456 Also, the Walk Through Bethlehem event will be here very 791 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:36,688 soon. 792 00:39:36,736 --> 00:39:38,896 That's December 14th and 15th. 793 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,560 That's a Saturday and a Sunday night and we need all hands on deck 794 00:39:43,592 --> 00:39:43,976 for this. 795 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:48,016 We have probably four, maybe four events during the year where 796 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:50,240 we say all hands on deck. 797 00:39:50,392 --> 00:39:52,296 This is definitely one of those four. 798 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,608 If you would please go to the back table and see the opportunities 799 00:39:55,656 --> 00:39:59,360 that are there where you can sign up to be a helper for that event. 800 00:39:59,472 --> 00:40:01,064 We need all the help we can get. 801 00:40:01,144 --> 00:40:05,384 So it's each night 14th and 15th from 6pm to 8:30. 802 00:40:05,464 --> 00:40:06,384 Please sign up. 803 00:40:06,504 --> 00:40:11,256 Also, if you're interested in helping fund this, we're trying to 804 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:14,648 put some Christmas lights up and decor in the entrances of our 805 00:40:14,696 --> 00:40:15,144 building. 806 00:40:15,264 --> 00:40:18,260 And if you're interested in helping to pay for that, you're welcome 807 00:40:18,292 --> 00:40:19,228 to during the. 808 00:40:19,356 --> 00:40:21,860 During the offering time just to slip in an envelope that says 809 00:40:21,932 --> 00:40:24,732 Christmas decor or Christmas lights or you can write that in the 810 00:40:24,748 --> 00:40:26,764 memo on a check and that would be very helpful. 811 00:40:26,924 --> 00:40:29,932 Also please just continue to remember to pray for the team that's 812 00:40:29,948 --> 00:40:30,836 in Honduras. 813 00:40:30,940 --> 00:40:32,264 We're praying for them. 814 00:40:32,764 --> 00:40:37,188 Tonight is the final opportunity to drop off any Operation 815 00:40:37,276 --> 00:40:39,028 Christmas Child boxes. 816 00:40:39,156 --> 00:40:42,412 And so if you Please would remember that if you have one at 817 00:40:42,428 --> 00:40:44,828 your home, maybe you grabbed one a month ago and you intended 818 00:40:44,876 --> 00:40:46,302 on getting it here last week. 819 00:40:46,428 --> 00:40:49,170 Tonight's the last opportunity, so please get those 820 00:40:49,202 --> 00:40:49,370 here. 821 00:40:49,402 --> 00:40:53,530 We want to be a blessing to children and we want to get the gospel 822 00:40:53,562 --> 00:40:56,706 in their homes and some toys and so please have those boxes prepared 823 00:40:56,730 --> 00:40:57,842 and dropped off this evening. 824 00:40:57,898 --> 00:41:01,890 Latest also we have choir at 4:30 for children's choir and then 825 00:41:01,922 --> 00:41:04,466 also for the adult choir. 826 00:41:04,530 --> 00:41:09,034 4:30 and then visitation Church wide visitation will not be 827 00:41:09,074 --> 00:41:13,756 observed on November 23, the 26th or the 30th. 828 00:41:13,860 --> 00:41:18,316 Our Missionaries of the week this week is Chris and Bonnie Matthews 829 00:41:18,420 --> 00:41:20,476 and then also David and Emmy Merlot. 830 00:41:20,500 --> 00:41:21,716 So remember them in prayer. 831 00:41:21,780 --> 00:41:22,744 Thank you very much. 832 00:41:25,644 --> 00:41:28,796 The Bible says in Luke chapter 6, verse 38, give and it shall be 833 00:41:28,820 --> 00:41:29,892 given unto you. 834 00:41:30,028 --> 00:41:32,224 Good measure, pressed down and shaken together. 835 00:41:32,564 --> 00:41:34,804 Well, as the guys come forward for the morning offering this morning 836 00:41:34,844 --> 00:41:37,572 again, our missionaries of this week are Chris and Bonnie Matthews 837 00:41:37,668 --> 00:41:39,644 and David and Emmy Merlo in Argentina. 838 00:41:39,684 --> 00:41:41,972 By the way, I saw a graphic this past weekend from the Bible 839 00:41:42,028 --> 00:41:43,922 translator, the Baptist Bible translators. 840 00:41:44,068 --> 00:41:48,606 There are 7,000 languages in the world and only 741 of them have 841 00:41:48,630 --> 00:41:49,742 scripture in their language. 842 00:41:49,838 --> 00:41:53,114 What a worthy cause, right brother? 843 00:41:55,334 --> 00:41:56,074 Me. 844 00:41:56,934 --> 00:41:58,766 Let's pray for our offering this morning. 845 00:41:58,950 --> 00:42:00,286 Dear Lord, thank you for this day, Lord. 846 00:42:00,310 --> 00:42:02,390 Thank you for the opportunity to be here with your house this morning. 847 00:42:02,422 --> 00:42:02,582 Lord. 848 00:42:02,598 --> 00:42:03,934 I pray that you'll take this offering. 849 00:42:04,014 --> 00:42:07,270 I pray that you would bless it and use it to fulfill your needs, 850 00:42:07,302 --> 00:42:07,462 Lord. 851 00:42:07,478 --> 00:42:08,494 In Jesus name I pray. 852 00:42:08,574 --> 00:42:09,274 Amen. 853 00:42:09,584 --> 00:42:09,824 Sa.