1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,060 Well, I really am delighted to have the opportunity 2 00:00:02,060 –> 00:00:03,280 of being here with you today 3 00:00:03,280 –> 00:00:06,000 and to share the celebration that you call Christmas. 4 00:00:06,000 –> 00:00:07,920 I understand by the way that there are a few folks 5 00:00:07,920 –> 00:00:11,300 around today, who don’t want to call it by that name, 6 00:00:11,300 –> 00:00:13,140 I have to remind you of course that in my day, 7 00:00:13,140 –> 00:00:15,860 they didn’t call it by that name either. 8 00:00:15,860 –> 00:00:18,040 But when you celebrate the birth of Jesus, 9 00:00:18,040 –> 00:00:20,760 you are celebrating the greatest thing 10 00:00:20,760 –> 00:00:25,200 that has ever happened in the history of the world. 11 00:00:25,200 –> 00:00:26,959 Now first thing I have to say this morning 12 00:00:26,959 –> 00:00:31,400 is that I cannot tell you the stories about shepherds 13 00:00:31,400 –> 00:00:35,040 and about angels for one very simple reason 14 00:00:35,040 –> 00:00:39,040 that I wasn’t there when he was born, 15 00:00:39,040 –> 00:00:44,040 I can only tell you what I heard and what I actually saw. 16 00:00:44,500 –> 00:00:47,020 And that by the way, is why the stories of the shepherds 17 00:00:47,020 –> 00:00:50,860 and the angels are not at the beginning of my gospel. 18 00:00:50,860 –> 00:00:52,099 And you may have noticed, 19 00:00:52,099 –> 00:00:55,020 they’re not at the beginning of Mark’s gospel either. 20 00:00:55,080 –> 00:00:58,360 He after all got most of his information from Peter 21 00:00:58,360 –> 00:01:00,939 and Peter wasn’t there either. 22 00:01:00,939 –> 00:01:04,959 So most of the Christmas story as you have received it 23 00:01:04,959 –> 00:01:07,580 is recorded by the historian Luke, 24 00:01:07,580 –> 00:01:10,580 who of course got it from Mary’s own account 25 00:01:10,580 –> 00:01:13,260 of all that had happened. 26 00:01:13,260 –> 00:01:17,160 What I heard and what I saw goes back to the day 27 00:01:17,160 –> 00:01:18,620 when I was sitting in the boat 28 00:01:18,620 –> 00:01:23,000 with my brother James and my father Zebedee. 29 00:01:23,000 –> 00:01:26,260 Why my grandfather gave him a ridiculous name like that, 30 00:01:26,260 –> 00:01:28,239 I will never understand. 31 00:01:28,239 –> 00:01:30,680 Anyway thankfully dad had merci 32 00:01:30,680 –> 00:01:32,940 and did not pass the name on to me. 33 00:01:33,839 –> 00:01:35,639 We were getting our nets sorted out 34 00:01:35,639 –> 00:01:38,239 for another day fishing when Jesus came by. 35 00:01:38,239 –> 00:01:40,720 Of course we had come to know something about Jesus before 36 00:01:40,720 –> 00:01:44,120 but that day, he really laid it on the line. 37 00:01:44,120 –> 00:01:46,879 He challenged me and my brother to follow him. 38 00:01:46,879 –> 00:01:49,739 Follow me, he said. 39 00:01:49,739 –> 00:01:52,800 And we knew that the point of decision had come. 40 00:01:52,839 –> 00:01:54,739 It was the opportunity of a lifetime 41 00:01:54,739 –> 00:01:56,940 and we did not hesitate. 42 00:01:56,940 –> 00:01:59,220 There was something compelling, 43 00:01:59,220 –> 00:02:03,620 something even irresistible about Jesus 44 00:02:03,620 –> 00:02:06,820 and I knew that I would never be able to live with myself 45 00:02:06,820 –> 00:02:09,699 if I passed up the invitation that he was giving to me. 46 00:02:10,779 –> 00:02:13,800 I have to tell you, I have absolutely no idea 47 00:02:13,800 –> 00:02:16,020 why he called me. 48 00:02:16,020 –> 00:02:17,580 It certainly wasn’t because me and my brother 49 00:02:17,580 –> 00:02:19,660 were some kind of saints because we weren’t 50 00:02:19,660 –> 00:02:20,820 and Jesus knew that. 51 00:02:20,839 –> 00:02:23,339 In fact, when we first started following him, 52 00:02:23,339 –> 00:02:27,080 he gave us a nickname, Boanerges he called us, 53 00:02:27,080 –> 00:02:30,279 which means sons of thunder, well chosen name 54 00:02:30,279 –> 00:02:32,539 because we were both a bit on the fiery side. 55 00:02:33,520 –> 00:02:35,520 It’s embarrassing to think about it now. 56 00:02:36,839 –> 00:02:39,639 One time we were headed into a Samaritan village 57 00:02:39,639 –> 00:02:42,679 where the people were not very welcoming to Jesus. 58 00:02:42,679 –> 00:02:44,539 It made James and me mad. 59 00:02:45,500 –> 00:02:46,580 So I said to Jesus, 60 00:02:46,679 –> 00:02:49,419 do you want us to call down fire from heaven? 61 00:02:50,759 –> 00:02:52,919 Must have been a bit hyper after the success 62 00:02:52,919 –> 00:02:54,919 of our mission when we cast out so many demons, 63 00:02:54,919 –> 00:02:57,440 but Jesus just looked at us. 64 00:02:59,119 –> 00:03:02,160 My brother James and I were in the inner circle with Jesus 65 00:03:02,160 –> 00:03:05,160 along of course, with Peter, as you know, 66 00:03:05,160 –> 00:03:08,419 at all the really important events in the Gospel story, 67 00:03:08,419 –> 00:03:11,899 Jesus took the three of us aside to be with him. 68 00:03:12,800 –> 00:03:14,880 Three always seemed like a bit of a funny number. 69 00:03:14,899 –> 00:03:18,160 I often wish that it was two because when we were walking 70 00:03:18,160 –> 00:03:19,699 along the road one would be on one side, 71 00:03:19,699 –> 00:03:20,500 one would be in the other 72 00:03:20,500 –> 00:03:22,220 and that always left the third one 73 00:03:22,220 –> 00:03:24,240 draggling somewhere behind. 74 00:03:25,619 –> 00:03:28,080 Anyway, I was talking with James about this once 75 00:03:28,080 –> 00:03:30,320 and we wondered whether it would be like that in heaven. 76 00:03:30,320 –> 00:03:31,580 Who was gonna be the third one, 77 00:03:31,580 –> 00:03:32,860 the one left out a little bit, 78 00:03:32,860 –> 00:03:36,039 so neither of us wanted it to be us. 79 00:03:36,039 –> 00:03:38,619 So we asked Jesus one day, could you do us a favor? 80 00:03:39,559 –> 00:03:43,220 In your glory, I said, could you let one of us sit 81 00:03:43,240 –> 00:03:46,199 on your right and the other on your left? 82 00:03:47,300 –> 00:03:48,339 Apparently by the way, 83 00:03:48,339 –> 00:03:50,619 mother had also asked the same question earlier 84 00:03:50,619 –> 00:03:53,580 but I wish that was the only story 85 00:03:53,580 –> 00:03:54,539 that had been recorded. 86 00:03:54,539 –> 00:03:57,380 Unfortunately Mark let the cat out of the bag 87 00:03:57,380 –> 00:04:00,259 in his Gospel that we also asked that question. 88 00:04:00,259 –> 00:04:02,639 I guess that’s because he got his story from Peter 89 00:04:02,639 –> 00:04:05,080 and Peter wasn’t very pleased that we had asked. 90 00:04:05,080 –> 00:04:08,500 Come to that, neither were the rest of the disciples. 91 00:04:08,500 –> 00:04:10,440 They thought that two of us were a right, old pain. 92 00:04:10,440 –> 00:04:11,880 They became so angry with us 93 00:04:11,899 –> 00:04:14,259 that Jesus had to gather the whole group together 94 00:04:14,259 –> 00:04:16,600 and explain that if any of us wanted 95 00:04:16,600 –> 00:04:18,760 to be really great 96 00:04:18,760 –> 00:04:21,859 we needed to learn how to serve everybody else. 97 00:04:21,859 –> 00:04:23,540 Anyway, that’s enough about me. 98 00:04:23,540 –> 00:04:26,040 I’m here to tell you what I heard 99 00:04:26,040 –> 00:04:29,140 and what I saw about Jesus. 100 00:04:29,140 –> 00:04:31,579 And frankly there’s so much I hardly know where to begin. 101 00:04:31,579 –> 00:04:34,140 I’ve been told to keep to time this morning 102 00:04:34,140 –> 00:04:35,739 because it’s Christmas. 103 00:04:35,739 –> 00:04:38,299 So I want to tell you just two things, 104 00:04:38,299 –> 00:04:40,500 I understand by the way the fellow you normally have 105 00:04:40,619 –> 00:04:41,959 who usually says three things. 106 00:04:44,359 –> 00:04:46,600 So rest assured I’ll be more to the point 107 00:04:48,279 –> 00:04:50,399 and I’ll have a word with him before I go. 108 00:04:52,320 –> 00:04:56,480 I want you to know first who Jesus is 109 00:04:56,480 –> 00:05:01,399 and I want you to know second why Jesus came. 110 00:05:01,399 –> 00:05:05,359 Now in my day people had all kinds of ideas about Jesus 111 00:05:05,359 –> 00:05:07,679 just as they do today. 112 00:05:07,679 –> 00:05:10,220 Some regarded him simply as a great teacher, 113 00:05:10,220 –> 00:05:12,239 others regarded him as one of the prophets 114 00:05:12,239 –> 00:05:14,160 come back to life, 115 00:05:14,160 –> 00:05:17,459 others just shrugged and came to no particular conclusion 116 00:05:17,459 –> 00:05:18,899 it’s always been like that. 117 00:05:20,059 –> 00:05:24,540 One day Jesus asked us who we thought he was. 118 00:05:24,540 –> 00:05:26,779 And Peter said, you are the Christ. 119 00:05:26,779 –> 00:05:30,179 You are the son of the living God. 120 00:05:30,179 –> 00:05:32,059 We were convinced that he was the one 121 00:05:32,059 –> 00:05:34,579 who had been promised from the beginning of time 122 00:05:34,579 –> 00:05:36,880 who would be the savior of the world. 123 00:05:37,640 –> 00:05:39,880 But what happened a week later 124 00:05:40,760 –> 00:05:43,940 put it beyond all doubt for me. 125 00:05:45,760 –> 00:05:49,579 Jesus said that he was going up a mountain to pray 126 00:05:49,579 –> 00:05:52,320 and he wanted Peter and James and me to come with him. 127 00:05:53,739 –> 00:05:55,399 It was a fair bit of an old climb 128 00:05:55,399 –> 00:05:56,559 and when we got there, 129 00:05:56,559 –> 00:05:58,040 we were tired and we decided 130 00:05:58,040 –> 00:05:59,440 that we would lie down for a rest. 131 00:05:59,440 –> 00:06:01,920 So Jesus began praying on his own. 132 00:06:03,239 –> 00:06:06,640 And I will never forget what I saw when I woke up. 133 00:06:07,880 –> 00:06:12,880 The whole appearance of his face changed. 134 00:06:13,760 –> 00:06:15,920 His clothes began to shine. 135 00:06:15,920 –> 00:06:20,119 They were brilliant, radiant, light dazzling, 136 00:06:21,279 –> 00:06:23,480 as if light were radiating 137 00:06:23,480 –> 00:06:26,019 from the very essence of his being. 138 00:06:27,119 –> 00:06:31,279 So bright that I could hardly even look at him directly. 139 00:06:32,739 –> 00:06:34,480 There’s only one word that I can use 140 00:06:34,480 –> 00:06:36,339 that would even begin to describe 141 00:06:36,380 –> 00:06:40,220 what I saw to you, it’s the word glory. 142 00:06:40,220 –> 00:06:43,239 What I saw was glorious. 143 00:06:43,239 –> 00:06:46,859 We saw his glory 144 00:06:48,579 –> 00:06:51,619 and I knew right then that I was standing 145 00:06:51,619 –> 00:06:56,459 in the presence of God and telling you what I saw. 146 00:06:59,019 –> 00:07:01,299 Then a cloud appeared, moved towards us. 147 00:07:01,299 –> 00:07:03,500 No there’s nothing unusual about a cloud coming towards you 148 00:07:03,500 –> 00:07:04,880 when you’re on the top of a mountain, 149 00:07:04,880 –> 00:07:06,679 but this was no ordinary cloud. 150 00:07:06,679 –> 00:07:08,440 I knew from the Old Testament 151 00:07:08,440 –> 00:07:10,299 that when God’s immediate presence 152 00:07:10,299 –> 00:07:11,839 was right there with his people, 153 00:07:11,839 –> 00:07:15,700 he came down in a cloud of his glory. 154 00:07:18,760 –> 00:07:23,760 In a matter of seconds, that cloud enveloped us. 155 00:07:23,799 –> 00:07:25,700 We were in the cloud. 156 00:07:25,700 –> 00:07:28,679 It was absolutely terrifying, I can’t tell you. 157 00:07:28,679 –> 00:07:31,839 And I heard an audible voice. 158 00:07:32,779 –> 00:07:34,359 The voice said, 159 00:07:34,359 –> 00:07:39,359 this is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to him, 160 00:07:41,779 –> 00:07:46,779 telling you what I heard and telling you what I saw. 161 00:07:46,920 –> 00:07:49,299 It was the voice of Almighty God 162 00:07:49,299 –> 00:07:53,480 affirming that Jesus is indeed his one and only son, 163 00:07:53,480 –> 00:07:56,700 and that we and everyone else are to listen to him. 164 00:07:58,040 –> 00:08:00,679 I fell to the ground, so did Peter, so did James. 165 00:08:00,679 –> 00:08:03,720 We immediately thought that this was the end of our lives. 166 00:08:03,720 –> 00:08:06,679 We were right there in the presence of God, 167 00:08:06,679 –> 00:08:09,079 and there was so much that was wrong with us. 168 00:08:10,959 –> 00:08:14,959 But the cloud passed, and I’ll never forget it, 169 00:08:14,959 –> 00:08:16,200 Jesus touched my shoulder. 170 00:08:16,200 –> 00:08:17,239 He said, get up. 171 00:08:18,380 –> 00:08:20,720 Do not be afraid. 172 00:08:22,299 –> 00:08:24,200 And when I got up, the cloud had passed. 173 00:08:24,200 –> 00:08:26,279 The brilliant shining had gone. 174 00:08:27,040 –> 00:08:31,920 But the face of Jesus was the familiar face 175 00:08:31,920 –> 00:08:33,320 that I knew once again. 176 00:08:35,400 –> 00:08:39,140 That day I knew for sure who he is. 177 00:08:40,840 –> 00:08:43,780 God in the flesh. 178 00:08:45,679 –> 00:08:48,320 God with us. 179 00:08:48,320 –> 00:08:53,320 God made known to us, God made accessible to us. 180 00:08:53,520 –> 00:08:56,440 We saw his glory. 181 00:08:56,440 –> 00:08:58,200 The glory of the one and only 182 00:08:58,200 –> 00:09:01,919 who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 183 00:09:03,159 –> 00:09:06,039 I have to tell you it is still beyond my grasp 184 00:09:06,039 –> 00:09:10,200 how one who has such glory should hide it, 185 00:09:10,200 –> 00:09:15,200 veil it, and be born taking flesh like ours. 186 00:09:17,760 –> 00:09:19,039 Lying in a manger 187 00:09:19,559 –> 00:09:23,280 and living an ordinary human life 188 00:09:23,280 –> 00:09:26,520 so that we should have the opportunity 189 00:09:26,520 –> 00:09:29,260 of calling him our friend. 190 00:09:31,059 –> 00:09:35,479 Not long after that we were all together in Jerusalem 191 00:09:35,479 –> 00:09:38,179 for the great festival of the Passover. 192 00:09:39,679 –> 00:09:41,520 We were tired after a long day 193 00:09:41,520 –> 00:09:44,479 and nobody could be bothered 194 00:09:44,479 –> 00:09:47,059 as we sat down for a meal to wash the other’s feet. 195 00:09:47,059 –> 00:09:48,760 But when Jesus got up from the table 196 00:09:49,099 –> 00:09:51,119 and began washing the feet of the rest 197 00:09:51,119 –> 00:09:52,859 everybody was embarrassed. 198 00:09:54,539 –> 00:09:57,500 You know, he washed my feet. 199 00:09:57,500 –> 00:10:00,219 It gives me goosebumps even to think about it now. 200 00:10:02,000 –> 00:10:02,820 He did. 201 00:10:04,900 –> 00:10:07,880 And he said to the group of us, you are all clean. 202 00:10:09,559 –> 00:10:12,280 Some of the most beautiful things he ever said, clean! 203 00:10:13,260 –> 00:10:16,479 They have all this wrong with my life, clean! 204 00:10:19,140 –> 00:10:21,419 The amazing thing, when you were next to him, 205 00:10:21,419 –> 00:10:25,440 you always felt that you had so far to go. 206 00:10:25,440 –> 00:10:27,500 So much to be forgiven for. 207 00:10:28,919 –> 00:10:31,580 And yet you knew that you were forgiven 208 00:10:31,580 –> 00:10:34,419 and that he was leading you forward from where you were. 209 00:10:36,159 –> 00:10:38,719 I was sitting next to him that night. 210 00:10:38,719 –> 00:10:41,619 We were all kind of reclining as we did in those days 211 00:10:41,619 –> 00:10:44,919 around a low table, enjoying the meal. 212 00:10:44,919 –> 00:10:47,080 Great celebration, it was. 213 00:10:48,059 –> 00:10:49,659 But, at one point in the meal, 214 00:10:49,659 –> 00:10:53,440 it seemed as if a great sense of trouble and of sorrow 215 00:10:53,440 –> 00:10:56,679 came upon him like a cloud coming down on him. 216 00:10:58,419 –> 00:11:00,400 It took us all by surprise when he said, 217 00:11:00,400 –> 00:11:05,400 I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me. 218 00:11:06,940 –> 00:11:08,520 Everybody was astonished, of course. 219 00:11:08,520 –> 00:11:11,119 They all began saying, is it me, is it me? 220 00:11:12,979 –> 00:11:14,940 I was sitting, as I said, next to Jesus. 221 00:11:14,940 –> 00:11:16,479 And so Peter, a little further away, 222 00:11:16,479 –> 00:11:20,000 caught my eye, he said to me, ask him who it is? 223 00:11:22,260 –> 00:11:26,700 So I leaned back and said quietly, Jesus, who is it? 224 00:11:28,539 –> 00:11:31,640 And he said to me, it’s the one to whom I will give 225 00:11:31,640 –> 00:11:35,239 the piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish. 226 00:11:35,239 –> 00:11:37,280 And then he took a piece of bread, dipped it in the dish, 227 00:11:37,280 –> 00:11:39,299 and he handed it to Judas. 228 00:11:40,900 –> 00:11:41,940 And he took it. 229 00:11:42,539 –> 00:11:45,179 It’s almost as if something seemed to come over him 230 00:11:45,179 –> 00:11:47,640 at that very moment, Jesus said to him, 231 00:11:47,640 –> 00:11:51,179 what you’re going to do, go and do it quickly. 232 00:11:51,179 –> 00:11:54,619 The rest didn’t really know what he was talking about, 233 00:11:54,619 –> 00:11:56,119 thought maybe he was telling Judas 234 00:11:56,119 –> 00:11:57,320 to go and get some bread. 235 00:11:59,020 –> 00:12:00,900 But Judas got up and he walked out. 236 00:12:02,559 –> 00:12:05,799 I knew because Jesus had told me 237 00:12:05,799 –> 00:12:08,460 about the bread he would hand over. 238 00:12:08,520 –> 00:12:09,520 He would hand over. 239 00:12:12,239 –> 00:12:14,840 He spoke to rest of us for a long time after that. 240 00:12:16,599 –> 00:12:20,440 Don’t let your hearts be troubled, he said. 241 00:12:20,440 –> 00:12:21,179 Here’s what you got to do. 242 00:12:22,599 –> 00:12:27,200 You trust God, and you trust me. 243 00:12:28,460 –> 00:12:30,520 I’m going to prepare a place for you. 244 00:12:31,760 –> 00:12:34,679 And I will come back and take you to be with me. 245 00:12:35,539 –> 00:12:39,820 He then spoke of how we had to remain in Him like branches 246 00:12:39,820 –> 00:12:42,840 in a vine drawing life up from Him 247 00:12:42,840 –> 00:12:44,919 as the very source of our own lives. 248 00:12:47,640 –> 00:12:49,739 And then he spoke to us of all kinds of trouble ahead. 249 00:12:51,380 –> 00:12:54,679 He said, if the world hates you, 250 00:12:54,679 –> 00:12:58,679 you just keep in mind that the world hated me first. 251 00:13:01,239 –> 00:13:03,780 And then he prayed for us and we’ll never forget it. 252 00:13:05,559 –> 00:13:08,340 Father, the time has come. 253 00:13:08,340 –> 00:13:10,020 Glorify your son, that your son may glorify you. 254 00:13:12,820 –> 00:13:16,380 Then he prayed that the Father would protect us, 255 00:13:16,380 –> 00:13:19,580 sanctify us and use us as Christ 256 00:13:19,580 –> 00:13:21,419 sent us out into the world. 257 00:13:22,919 –> 00:13:25,580 Then he began to pray for folks like you. 258 00:13:25,580 –> 00:13:27,840 Folks who would live years afterwards, 259 00:13:27,840 –> 00:13:30,179 who in time would come to believe in Him. 260 00:13:30,179 –> 00:13:31,820 And this is what he prayed for you. 261 00:13:32,679 –> 00:13:35,760 He prayed, I want those who you have given me, Father, 262 00:13:35,760 –> 00:13:40,760 to be with me where I am so that they may see my glory. 263 00:13:41,979 –> 00:13:44,460 He prayed that you would see 264 00:13:44,460 –> 00:13:46,320 the glory that we saw on the top 265 00:13:46,320 –> 00:13:48,780 of the mountain for just a moment. 266 00:13:48,780 –> 00:13:50,080 And if you’re following him, 267 00:13:50,080 –> 00:13:52,280 you will see his glory. 268 00:13:52,280 –> 00:13:53,119 You will. 269 00:13:57,619 –> 00:13:59,159 We sang a hymn. 270 00:13:59,619 –> 00:14:01,640 And then we went out across the valley 271 00:14:01,640 –> 00:14:03,179 to a garden called Gethsemane. 272 00:14:04,299 –> 00:14:06,359 Once again, Jesus separated the three of us 273 00:14:06,359 –> 00:14:09,260 from the rest of the group and asked us to pray. 274 00:14:09,260 –> 00:14:11,919 And then he went a little further and he prayed alone. 275 00:14:13,380 –> 00:14:14,940 I gotta admit, there’s a little embarrassing. 276 00:14:14,940 –> 00:14:16,960 I didn’t actually hear what he was saying 277 00:14:16,960 –> 00:14:18,460 when he prayed for the simple reason 278 00:14:18,460 –> 00:14:21,460 that I fell asleep which is one of the reasons 279 00:14:21,460 –> 00:14:25,000 that I’ve not recorded that story in my gospel either. 280 00:14:25,820 –> 00:14:28,260 Peter and James also were asleep. 281 00:14:28,359 –> 00:14:30,799 It has to be said, I was not the only one. 282 00:14:30,799 –> 00:14:34,559 And so in fact, the only way that we know 283 00:14:34,559 –> 00:14:37,640 what Jesus said when he was praying then 284 00:14:37,640 –> 00:14:39,080 is that there was a young man 285 00:14:39,080 –> 00:14:41,299 who was hiding in the bushes. 286 00:14:41,299 –> 00:14:44,080 Mark doesn’t actually name himself in his gospel 287 00:14:44,080 –> 00:14:47,419 but he was there and that’s how we know 288 00:14:47,419 –> 00:14:51,400 that when we were asleep, he prayed, 289 00:14:51,400 –> 00:14:55,080 Father, if it be possible let this cup 290 00:14:55,080 –> 00:14:57,520 be taken from me nevertheless. 291 00:14:58,479 –> 00:15:01,539 Not my will but yours be done. 292 00:15:04,640 –> 00:15:05,460 Now we couldn’t remain sleeping 293 00:15:05,460 –> 00:15:07,299 for long because there was a terrible noise 294 00:15:07,299 –> 00:15:08,320 as a mob arrived. 295 00:15:08,320 –> 00:15:10,979 They had swords and they had clubs 296 00:15:10,979 –> 00:15:12,460 and they had come to arrest him. 297 00:15:12,460 –> 00:15:13,719 Can you imagine this? 298 00:15:13,719 –> 00:15:17,900 The one who radiated glory when it was revealed 299 00:15:17,900 –> 00:15:21,099 was now being tied and bound and led away. 300 00:15:23,940 –> 00:15:27,380 Judas had identified him with a kiss 301 00:15:28,820 –> 00:15:31,320 and the rest of us just ran for our lives. 302 00:15:33,219 –> 00:15:34,940 The next day he was crucified. 303 00:15:36,340 –> 00:15:37,179 I was there. 304 00:15:39,679 –> 00:15:40,820 At the foot of the cross, 305 00:15:40,820 –> 00:15:44,679 I can’t describe the agony of his suffering 306 00:15:44,679 –> 00:15:47,140 but I can tell you what I heard him say. 307 00:15:49,219 –> 00:15:52,780 When they raised him up he said, 308 00:15:52,780 –> 00:15:55,239 Father forgive them. 309 00:15:56,460 –> 00:15:58,219 They do not know what they are doing. 310 00:15:59,119 –> 00:16:00,159 They must be betrayed. 311 00:16:02,340 –> 00:16:03,219 Incredible. 312 00:16:04,539 –> 00:16:09,340 So that was grace touching a world like this. 313 00:16:11,659 –> 00:16:14,799 Then there were two criminals on either side of him. 314 00:16:16,239 –> 00:16:18,380 And in the horror and the agony of it all 315 00:16:18,380 –> 00:16:21,859 they seemed to just add insult to injury 316 00:16:21,859 –> 00:16:25,960 as they heaped abuse upon him from either side. 317 00:16:25,960 –> 00:16:27,739 It went on and it went on 318 00:16:28,020 –> 00:16:32,539 to my surprise one of the two became strangely quiet. 319 00:16:34,440 –> 00:16:37,520 It’s almost as if he realized he was about 320 00:16:37,520 –> 00:16:40,080 to enter the presence of almighty God 321 00:16:40,080 –> 00:16:42,479 and that Jesus next to him was his only hope. 322 00:16:44,260 –> 00:16:46,539 And he turned in his own pain to Jesus. 323 00:16:46,539 –> 00:16:49,580 And he said, Jesus will you remember me 324 00:16:49,580 –> 00:16:51,179 when you come into your kingdom? 325 00:16:53,020 –> 00:16:54,799 And Jesus turning to him said, 326 00:16:54,799 –> 00:16:56,419 I tell you the truth. 327 00:16:57,119 –> 00:17:02,039 Today you will be with me in paradise. 328 00:17:02,919 –> 00:17:07,420 I watched to see how the other criminal would respond. 329 00:17:09,280 –> 00:17:11,800 I watched to see if he now would 330 00:17:11,800 –> 00:17:14,479 also take this moment of opportunity 331 00:17:14,479 –> 00:17:18,180 and ask Christ to give him the life of paradise 332 00:17:18,180 –> 00:17:19,300 and do you know what? 333 00:17:19,300 –> 00:17:20,680 He never did. 334 00:17:23,479 –> 00:17:24,420 I saw him die. 335 00:17:27,060 –> 00:17:29,920 That’s the thing I still cannot understand. 336 00:17:32,739 –> 00:17:35,319 Why some who are brought near to Jesus 337 00:17:35,319 –> 00:17:38,060 grasp and embrace with faith 338 00:17:38,060 –> 00:17:40,979 the opportunity for life that he offers. 339 00:17:40,979 –> 00:17:42,560 There are others who come near him 340 00:17:42,560 –> 00:17:44,219 and have the same opportunity 341 00:17:46,020 –> 00:17:48,219 and just remain the same. 342 00:17:50,979 –> 00:17:54,640 Don’t let that happen to you. 343 00:17:57,040 –> 00:17:59,479 As Jesus’ agony increased, 344 00:18:00,859 –> 00:18:02,699 he cried out, I thirst. 345 00:18:04,599 –> 00:18:07,819 They brought some wine mixed with vinegar 346 00:18:07,819 –> 00:18:09,560 that they put on a sponge on a stick 347 00:18:09,560 –> 00:18:10,439 and held it up to him. 348 00:18:10,439 –> 00:18:12,640 It was a kind of mild anesthetic 349 00:18:12,640 –> 00:18:14,020 that they used to offer people 350 00:18:14,020 –> 00:18:16,339 in the terrible barbarity of that suffering. 351 00:18:16,339 –> 00:18:18,000 But you know, he did not take it. 352 00:18:19,380 –> 00:18:22,079 He experienced every dimension 353 00:18:22,939 –> 00:18:24,459 of that suffering in full. 354 00:18:25,300 –> 00:18:26,719 Of that suffering in full. 355 00:18:29,339 –> 00:18:31,660 Then he looked down at Mary. 356 00:18:33,660 –> 00:18:36,680 The mother in whose arms he once lay. 357 00:18:39,079 –> 00:18:40,540 I was standing next to her. 358 00:18:40,540 –> 00:18:42,479 I can’t describe the grief 359 00:18:42,479 –> 00:18:46,560 that was tearing her heart in two. 360 00:18:48,939 –> 00:18:50,800 There was compassion in the eyes of Jesus 361 00:18:50,800 –> 00:18:54,180 as he looked down to her and her suffering 362 00:18:55,040 –> 00:18:57,579 Looking at her and then looking to me, 363 00:18:58,719 –> 00:19:01,219 he said, Mother, behold your son. 364 00:19:02,540 –> 00:19:07,119 And looking at me, he said, Son, behold your mother. 365 00:19:08,459 –> 00:19:11,719 It was incredible that in the extremity of his suffering, 366 00:19:13,420 –> 00:19:15,219 his compassion was poured out 367 00:19:15,219 –> 00:19:19,219 towards the woman from whom he took his flesh, 368 00:19:19,219 –> 00:19:20,719 now being crucified. 369 00:19:21,060 –> 00:19:23,260 And trusted the care of the one 370 00:19:23,260 –> 00:19:25,060 who had brought him into this world. 371 00:19:26,520 –> 00:19:27,359 To me. 372 00:19:30,319 –> 00:19:32,660 And then the sky grew very, very dark. 373 00:19:34,119 –> 00:19:37,119 I’m telling you what I heard, I’m telling you what I saw. 374 00:19:39,380 –> 00:19:42,459 He entered into, it seemed, a whole new realm, 375 00:19:42,459 –> 00:19:44,560 dimension of his suffering. 376 00:19:44,560 –> 00:19:47,719 It was as if all the devils of hell itself 377 00:19:48,699 –> 00:19:51,719 had come and congregated at that one lonely hill. 378 00:19:53,640 –> 00:19:57,459 “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ He cried. 379 00:19:59,780 –> 00:20:01,319 But then the light returned. 380 00:20:03,160 –> 00:20:05,040 Almost as if the Father was saying 381 00:20:05,040 –> 00:20:06,939 he had not forsaken the Son. 382 00:20:09,260 –> 00:20:12,800 And then Jesus cried out in a loud voice. 383 00:20:12,800 –> 00:20:16,680 One word as we heard it, “‘Teteless thi!” 384 00:20:16,680 –> 00:20:21,300 Which means in your language, it is finished. 385 00:20:22,560 –> 00:20:24,619 He said that with a note of triumph. 386 00:20:26,239 –> 00:20:30,479 Then he said, “‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’” 387 00:20:30,479 –> 00:20:31,599 He said that loudly. 388 00:20:31,599 –> 00:20:33,119 He said it with authority. 389 00:20:33,119 –> 00:20:34,760 He said it with finality. 390 00:20:36,000 –> 00:20:37,560 I’d seen other people die. 391 00:20:39,579 –> 00:20:41,579 Death overcame them, 392 00:20:43,380 –> 00:20:45,520 but he was not overcome by death. 393 00:20:45,680 –> 00:20:48,000 It was as if he marched into it 394 00:20:48,959 –> 00:20:53,079 and laid down his life at the moment of his own choosing. 395 00:20:55,219 –> 00:20:58,660 A guard who was standing right next to me saw it 396 00:20:58,660 –> 00:21:00,260 and was so astonished, he said, 397 00:21:00,260 –> 00:21:03,099 “‘Truly this is the Son of God.’” 398 00:21:05,780 –> 00:21:07,359 We had no idea what to do next. 399 00:21:08,400 –> 00:21:11,339 So we went back to the room, we were staying in Jerusalem, 400 00:21:13,680 –> 00:21:14,800 until Sunday morning. 401 00:21:16,339 –> 00:21:18,319 When we were awakened by Mary Magdalene, 402 00:21:19,239 –> 00:21:20,959 she was in a terrible state. 403 00:21:20,959 –> 00:21:21,939 She had gone to the tomb 404 00:21:21,939 –> 00:21:25,359 and said that the body of Jesus had been taken. 405 00:21:25,359 –> 00:21:26,719 Peter was off like a shot 406 00:21:26,719 –> 00:21:30,180 but between you and me, a little bit out of shape, 407 00:21:30,180 –> 00:21:31,020 Peter. 408 00:21:31,020 –> 00:21:33,839 And so I got to the tomb first. 409 00:21:33,839 –> 00:21:35,739 Let me tell you what I saw. 410 00:21:36,959 –> 00:21:40,119 The cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body 411 00:21:40,119 –> 00:21:41,780 was just lying there. 412 00:21:41,780 –> 00:21:43,280 I stood at the entrance, 413 00:21:43,280 –> 00:21:45,300 then Peter comes along puffing and puffing 414 00:21:45,560 –> 00:21:46,719 and panting, pushes past me, 415 00:21:46,719 –> 00:21:48,079 he goes right in there. 416 00:21:49,239 –> 00:21:50,280 And when I followed him in, 417 00:21:50,280 –> 00:21:52,719 we could both see not only the strips of cloth 418 00:21:52,719 –> 00:21:55,339 but the square sheet 419 00:21:56,599 –> 00:21:58,959 that had been used to cover Jesus’ head. 420 00:21:58,959 –> 00:22:01,280 It was folded, looked like a pillow, 421 00:22:01,280 –> 00:22:03,939 discarded and placed on the stone. 422 00:22:03,939 –> 00:22:07,280 I looked and I knew he was alive. 423 00:22:09,640 –> 00:22:11,400 We wondered what would happen next. 424 00:22:12,839 –> 00:22:13,920 We knew there could be trouble 425 00:22:13,920 –> 00:22:15,280 and we were afraid that the mob 426 00:22:15,420 –> 00:22:16,800 who had demanded the death of Jesus 427 00:22:16,800 –> 00:22:18,160 might now come after us, 428 00:22:18,160 –> 00:22:20,719 so we locked ourselves in an upstairs room, 429 00:22:20,719 –> 00:22:22,680 but that very evening, 430 00:22:22,680 –> 00:22:23,680 the same day, 431 00:22:24,959 –> 00:22:26,000 Jesus came. 432 00:22:27,160 –> 00:22:28,199 He came right into the room 433 00:22:28,199 –> 00:22:30,400 where we were sitting there just talking. 434 00:22:30,400 –> 00:22:31,239 He was there. 435 00:22:31,239 –> 00:22:34,199 He walked right into the very center of the group. 436 00:22:35,500 –> 00:22:37,040 And he said, peace be with you. 437 00:22:38,199 –> 00:22:40,339 We could see the wounds in his hand 438 00:22:41,520 –> 00:22:44,420 and his side where that spear had been thrust. 439 00:22:45,699 –> 00:22:47,920 He said, as the Father has sent me, 440 00:22:49,680 –> 00:22:50,880 so I am sending you. 441 00:22:50,880 –> 00:22:52,599 I’m telling you what I heard. 442 00:22:52,599 –> 00:22:55,239 I’m telling you what I saw. 443 00:22:57,239 –> 00:22:59,680 And, of course, that’s the reason I wrote my gospel, 444 00:23:00,819 –> 00:23:03,239 so that you may know that this Jesus 445 00:23:03,239 –> 00:23:05,459 whose birth you celebrate at Christmas 446 00:23:05,459 –> 00:23:08,880 is indeed the Christ 447 00:23:08,880 –> 00:23:11,040 and the Son of God. 448 00:23:12,439 –> 00:23:13,839 That’s why it doesn’t surprise me 449 00:23:13,920 –> 00:23:15,819 that on the night when He was born, 450 00:23:17,000 –> 00:23:18,719 that angels filled the sky 451 00:23:19,579 –> 00:23:21,959 and that God sent a star in the heavens 452 00:23:21,959 –> 00:23:24,000 to guide even kings 453 00:23:24,920 –> 00:23:26,119 to come and worship Him. 454 00:23:27,439 –> 00:23:29,459 The words the Spirit of God gave me 455 00:23:29,459 –> 00:23:32,439 to express the wonder of this were very 456 00:23:33,800 –> 00:23:35,000 deep indeed. 457 00:23:35,959 –> 00:23:39,640 The word became flesh 458 00:23:41,119 –> 00:23:42,540 and lived among us. 459 00:23:44,339 –> 00:23:45,939 And I could say from the heart, 460 00:23:45,939 –> 00:23:48,319 we saw His glory. 461 00:23:52,500 –> 00:23:55,140 And that just leaves one more thing before I’m through. 462 00:23:57,199 –> 00:23:58,060 Why did He come? 463 00:23:58,060 –> 00:24:00,160 Why is it important to folks like you 464 00:24:00,160 –> 00:24:03,520 now living 2,000 years after He came into the world? 465 00:24:05,040 –> 00:24:06,479 What’s it got to do with you? 466 00:24:08,699 –> 00:24:10,459 I want to answer that question 467 00:24:10,459 –> 00:24:12,400 with just one word that I used 468 00:24:12,400 –> 00:24:14,819 over and over again in my gospel 469 00:24:14,819 –> 00:24:17,680 and in the letters that I wrote, 470 00:24:17,680 –> 00:24:20,040 word that Jesus spoke so many times, 471 00:24:20,040 –> 00:24:23,000 and I recorded what He said, 472 00:24:23,000 –> 00:24:26,239 life, life. 473 00:24:27,660 –> 00:24:30,300 All of us are looking for life. 474 00:24:30,300 –> 00:24:32,699 We are not the first folks to do that. 475 00:24:32,699 –> 00:24:36,160 We’ve all been doing that throughout the generations. 476 00:24:37,239 –> 00:24:39,959 We don’t quite know what it is that we’re looking for, 477 00:24:39,959 –> 00:24:43,680 but we have a sense that there is something more 478 00:24:43,680 –> 00:24:46,680 that we were created for some greater and higher purpose 479 00:24:46,680 –> 00:24:49,400 than just to be born and eat and sleep and learn 480 00:24:49,400 –> 00:24:51,699 and work and love and play and get old and die. 481 00:24:51,699 –> 00:24:53,920 We know that there must be more than this, 482 00:24:53,920 –> 00:24:55,560 and we are searching for it. 483 00:24:55,560 –> 00:24:57,280 We are looking for life. 484 00:24:57,280 –> 00:25:00,300 God has implanted that searching within you. 485 00:25:03,020 –> 00:25:05,160 That’s why Jesus said, 486 00:25:05,160 –> 00:25:08,119 that he had come that we may have life 487 00:25:09,040 –> 00:25:10,880 and that we may have it to the full. 488 00:25:12,300 –> 00:25:14,599 He said, and I wrote it down, 489 00:25:14,599 –> 00:25:17,680 I am the resurrection and the life. 490 00:25:17,680 –> 00:25:20,819 Whoever believes in me will live forever. 491 00:25:22,699 –> 00:25:24,160 On another occasion He said, 492 00:25:24,160 –> 00:25:26,560 when you hear my word and you believe in my name, 493 00:25:26,560 –> 00:25:30,239 you cross over from death to life. 494 00:25:32,560 –> 00:25:33,880 That’s what happened to me. 495 00:25:35,719 –> 00:25:37,319 I look back and I see now 496 00:25:37,439 –> 00:25:40,300 that my life before I started following Jesus 497 00:25:40,300 –> 00:25:42,280 was really only a shadow. 498 00:25:44,219 –> 00:25:47,959 I began to follow him and I discovered what I wrote, 499 00:25:47,959 –> 00:25:52,400 that in him was life and that life is the light of man. 500 00:25:54,880 –> 00:25:56,920 See, a lot of people think that eternal life 501 00:25:56,920 –> 00:25:58,400 is like some kind of possession 502 00:25:58,400 –> 00:26:00,000 that you add to your list of assets, 503 00:26:00,000 –> 00:26:02,760 like a pension policy or an insurance or something, 504 00:26:02,760 –> 00:26:03,640 you know, the kind of thing. 505 00:26:03,640 –> 00:26:05,680 You know, I have a four bedroom house, 506 00:26:05,680 –> 00:26:06,920 a good job in the city, 507 00:26:07,319 –> 00:26:09,859 a Lexus and a good pension and eternal life. 508 00:26:09,859 –> 00:26:12,520 Listen, eternal life is not like that. 509 00:26:14,699 –> 00:26:18,280 Ethernal life is a relationship. 510 00:26:18,280 –> 00:26:20,439 It’s what Jesus taught us. 511 00:26:20,439 –> 00:26:23,560 This is eternal life, he said. 512 00:26:23,560 –> 00:26:25,280 To know the true God 513 00:26:25,280 –> 00:26:28,119 and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. 514 00:26:29,760 –> 00:26:32,859 The way to life now and the way to life forever 515 00:26:32,859 –> 00:26:37,020 beyond the veil of death is to know him and to follow him. 516 00:26:38,680 –> 00:26:41,500 I’d always believed in God like most of you. 517 00:26:43,060 –> 00:26:46,540 But when I started actually following Jesus, 518 00:26:46,540 –> 00:26:50,079 I realized that I was coming to know God. 519 00:26:51,079 –> 00:26:52,939 It’s all the difference in the world. 520 00:26:55,420 –> 00:26:58,180 The amazing thing is that that relationship never ends. 521 00:26:58,640 –> 00:27:01,839 I followed Jesus for about 60 more years or so 522 00:27:01,839 –> 00:27:03,979 after the resurrection and then the time came 523 00:27:03,979 –> 00:27:05,219 when I faced death. 524 00:27:06,500 –> 00:27:08,040 And you know what it was like? 525 00:27:09,459 –> 00:27:12,099 It was just like walking through a curtain 526 00:27:12,099 –> 00:27:13,719 and then on the other side, 527 00:27:13,719 –> 00:27:16,479 I was right there in the presence of Christ. 528 00:27:18,380 –> 00:27:20,959 I’ve been there for the last 2,000 years, your time. 529 00:27:22,060 –> 00:27:24,280 Though nobody’s counting up there of course. 530 00:27:24,400 –> 00:27:25,300 There of course. 531 00:27:27,000 –> 00:27:29,239 And the joy is indescribable. 532 00:27:29,239 –> 00:27:30,640 It is unspeakable. 533 00:27:31,839 –> 00:27:33,359 I’m not allowed to tell you about it. 534 00:27:33,359 –> 00:27:35,660 But even if I was, you wouldn’t be able to understand it. 535 00:27:35,660 –> 00:27:38,239 It is beyond what you’re able to grasp. 536 00:27:41,000 –> 00:27:44,800 And you know all the talk and all the anticipation up there 537 00:27:46,079 –> 00:27:48,439 is about the day when he’s gonna come for you. 538 00:27:50,660 –> 00:27:51,640 We’ll be with him then. 539 00:27:51,640 –> 00:27:54,140 Of course, those of us who have already experienced 540 00:27:54,180 –> 00:27:55,699 the sheer joys of his presence. 541 00:27:55,699 –> 00:27:56,819 We will come with him, 542 00:27:56,819 –> 00:27:58,459 and those who are alive at that time 543 00:27:58,459 –> 00:28:01,000 will be caught up in the air and we will meet together 544 00:28:01,000 –> 00:28:04,260 the whole church, the whole of his people. 545 00:28:04,260 –> 00:28:06,819 We will enter into the fullness of the new life 546 00:28:07,859 –> 00:28:10,219 that he’s come to prepare for all who love him. 547 00:28:12,300 –> 00:28:14,060 That’s my life message. 548 00:28:16,219 –> 00:28:21,119 I want you to know that Jesus is the Christ the son of God. 549 00:28:21,959 –> 00:28:25,420 And the reason I want you to know that 550 00:28:27,079 –> 00:28:29,760 is so that you by believing 551 00:28:30,719 –> 00:28:33,300 may have life in his name. 552 00:28:36,459 –> 00:28:37,959 And I think there’s a lot of folks 553 00:28:37,959 –> 00:28:41,420 who don’t really understand what I meant by believing. 554 00:28:42,719 –> 00:28:46,439 See, a lot of you maybe think that believing 555 00:28:46,439 –> 00:28:50,300 is just accepting something that you didn’t actually see 556 00:28:50,300 –> 00:28:53,699 for yourself like that Tony Blair 557 00:28:53,699 –> 00:28:55,780 is the Prime Minister of Great Britain 558 00:28:55,780 –> 00:28:57,619 or something like that 559 00:28:57,619 –> 00:28:59,739 that you accept though you’ve never actually seen him 560 00:28:59,739 –> 00:29:02,300 but it doesn’t make any difference to your life 561 00:29:02,300 –> 00:29:04,540 and it doesn’t make any demands upon you whatsoever. 562 00:29:04,540 –> 00:29:06,920 That’s not what I meant by believing. 563 00:29:09,540 –> 00:29:11,979 When I speak about believing here’s what I mean. 564 00:29:15,339 –> 00:29:19,540 I mean a commitment to follow. 565 00:29:21,060 –> 00:29:23,060 Like when Jesus said to me, follow me 566 00:29:23,060 –> 00:29:26,219 and because I had put my trust in him already 567 00:29:26,219 –> 00:29:28,579 even at that time I began to follow him 568 00:29:30,060 –> 00:29:33,199 to grow and to learn living life his way. 569 00:29:36,500 –> 00:29:39,619 If it is indeed the case that Jesus 570 00:29:39,619 –> 00:29:42,420 whose birth you celebrate is the son of God 571 00:29:43,760 –> 00:29:48,760 and if he came so that you may have life in his name 572 00:29:50,719 –> 00:29:54,260 then there is no greater calling on your life 573 00:29:54,260 –> 00:29:55,719 than that you should know him 574 00:29:55,719 –> 00:29:57,339 that you should follow him 575 00:29:59,180 –> 00:30:02,060 and there is no greater time for you to begin 576 00:30:03,380 –> 00:30:05,339 than this Christmas 577 00:30:05,339 –> 00:30:07,800 as you celebrate his coming into the world 578 00:30:07,800 –> 00:30:10,859 and I tell you if you begin to follow him 579 00:30:12,060 –> 00:30:13,540 boy, it won’t always be easy 580 00:30:13,540 –> 00:30:18,079 but there is no greater joy in all the world. 581 00:30:21,000 –> 00:30:22,359 That’s what happened to me. 582 00:30:24,760 –> 00:30:25,979 Has it happened to you? 583 00:30:28,459 –> 00:30:31,160 God so loved the world 584 00:30:32,979 –> 00:30:35,880 that he gave his one and only son 585 00:30:37,439 –> 00:30:41,420 that whoever believes in him 586 00:30:42,819 –> 00:30:44,780 should not perish 587 00:30:46,160 –> 00:30:49,500 but have everlasting life.