WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:05.599 Well, if you were uh gone last week, or maybe it's your first time, last Sunday we started a brand new series. 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.640 We're having a conversation about a conversation. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.039 And when you think about it, that's a really common thing. 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:15.039 How many times do you have conversations about conversations that happened in your day? 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:21.519 You get home from work and you say to your spouse or your roommate or someone you live with, you will not believe what so-and-so said today. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:31.920 Or maybe someone says something and it's it's really, really uh intense, it's something that's on the news, it's something that's public, and everybody's talking about what someone else said. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:35.280 We have conversations about conversations all the time. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:37.359 This conversation, though, is really special. 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:43.520 This conversation we're talking about, I believe it's the most important conversation that's ever happened in the history of the world. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:49.280 It's a conversation we have recorded in John chapter 3 between Jesus and this man named Nicodemus. 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:56.159 And in this one conversation, Jesus uniquely lays out his mission and his purpose in the world. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:10.480 In this one conversation, late one night in Jerusalem in some back alley, Jesus clearly explains who he is, why he's come, what he values, what he cares about. 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:16.400 He's never gone into detail like this before, and in fact, he never goes into this kind of detail again. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:18.400 This conversation is really unique. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:26.079 It's the most important conversation in the world because it's the one conversation that gives us clarity into who God really is. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:30.000 It's very important for us as followers of Jesus to have that clarity. 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:37.120 1 Peter 3.15 says this always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.079 How can we give that answer if we're unsure? 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:44.959 About why we follow Jesus, about what it really means to follow Jesus. 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:59.200 Better yet, how can we actually live this life that we're called to live if we don't understand the core concepts, the principles, and the foundational ideas that Jesus built his ministry on. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:00.560 This is very vital. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:12.159 And so I'm very excited to engage in this conversation so that we all walk out of here with a greater confidence, with more hope in the message and the person of Jesus. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:22.800 And if you're here this morning, by the way, and you're not a follower of Jesus, maybe someone dragged you here because they love you, or maybe you didn't realize you were walking into a church and you're like, oh no, why am I here? 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:24.560 That's good, by the way. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:30.319 It's good that you're here for this because I actually want to ask you to come for the next few months, which I know is a lot to ask. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:35.199 But you should be able to make an informed decision about whether or not Jesus is for you. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:43.039 And going through this conversation, you will have the information you need to make that decision in your life because Jesus lays it out here in detail. 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:48.400 So last week we got started looking at the very first 1.5 verses of John chapter 3. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:50.879 I mean, we are moving at a blistering pace. 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:57.520 John 3 1 says this There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:02:59.520 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:01.280 That's as far as we got last week. 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.639 We're not even getting into the conversation part of this conversation. 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:08.800 And we talked last week about the significance of this decision that Nicodemus makes. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:11.280 He decides to come to Jesus. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:13.439 And that is a massive decision. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:14.560 That is a vital decision. 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:16.879 It's one that all of us need to make in our lives. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:24.319 Not just the initial decision to come to Jesus, but the decision daily to come to him with our needs. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:32.560 And today I want to look at one more decision that Nicodemus makes that is absolutely crucial for anyone who wants to have a real relationship with God. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:41.280 Sometimes we get tripped up in our growth as believers because we talk about knowing God in terms of relationship. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:42.080 We say things like that. 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:44.479 That's normal, normal Christian lingo, right? 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:45.680 I have a relationship with God. 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:48.560 I started my relationship with Jesus when I was this old. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:56.479 I have a relationship, and we use that word relationship a lot, but then if we're really honest with ourselves, sometimes it doesn't feel like a real relationship. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.960 Sometimes God seems distant. 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:02.639 Maybe it seems more religious than real. 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:09.199 And we we yearn to have a real relationship with God. 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:15.919 To hear Him, to sense Him, to understand Him, to know Him. 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:26.800 And if you desire to have a real relationship with God, then the decision that Nicodemus makes that leads him to come to Jesus in the first place, if he doesn't make this decision, he never comes. 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:32.240 The decision that we're going to look at today is one that we need to make in our lives on a constant basis. 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:37.680 And if we do, we will experience what it's like to have a real relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:43.040 In order to do that, we have to go a whole point five verses forward. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:43.439 Okay? 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:44.639 So here we go. 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:45.199 John 3. 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:47.360 Let's just go back to the beginning because we haven't gotten that far. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:51.600 John 3 1, there was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:53.759 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:59.519 Rabbi, he said, we all know that God has sent you to teach us your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you. 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:05.360 Here we have this man making a huge decision. 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.319 He is deciding to deal with Jesus. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:14.399 It was his decision to deal with Jesus that led him to come to Jesus in the first place. 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:17.519 Most of the people in his day did not want to deal with Jesus. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:22.319 They wanted to avoid Jesus, they wanted to shut Jesus up, they wanted to kill Jesus. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:29.600 They wanted Jesus out of the picture because they were unwilling to actually sit down and deal with Jesus. 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:32.240 Come to terms with him. 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.720 Grapple with who he really was, who he really is. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:42.240 But Nicodemus makes this decision to come to Jesus, and it's kind of a surprising decision for him to make. 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:44.800 Because you've got to understand some things about Nicodemus and his life. 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:47.439 Number one, it tells us that he was a Pharisee. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:48.720 That says a lot. 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:53.279 There were two major quasi-religious and political groups in Israel at this time. 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:55.360 There were the Sadducees and the Pharisees. 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:57.920 You can almost think about it like Democrats and Republicans, right? 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:02.879 There's two major groups that sort of end up having the majority of influence when it comes to the politics of the area. 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:03.839 That's kind of how it was. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.160 And the Sadducees were really powerful. 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:08.079 They tended to be wealthier. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:10.560 They enjoyed the finest things in life. 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:19.040 They were at the top of their community, and so they were kind of cozy with Rome because even though Rome controlled everything and Rome was the oppressor, they enjoyed a lot of benefits from that. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:20.480 So they were okay with Rome. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:24.399 They didn't like Jesus, by the way, because Jesus was always messing with the status quo. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:25.519 He does that. 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:29.120 And they didn't want the status quo to change because they were at the top. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.040 They wanted things to stay the way they were. 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:35.120 And then you had the Pharisees, and the Pharisees were strict and conservative. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:36.480 They were dogmatic. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:38.000 They were extremely religious. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:42.240 They had all these traditions and rituals that they followed with passion. 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.680 They lived very, very pious lives outwardly. 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:53.360 And they adhered to this insane number of rules that made them feel like they were holier than everyone else. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:55.199 They didn't like Jesus either. 00:06:55.439 --> 00:07:01.360 Because Jesus didn't care much for man-made rules that pretended to be godly, that pretended to be as if they were from God. 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:08.319 That's what religion oftentimes becomes, by the way, is a bunch of rules that people pretend pretend like they originated with God when they didn't. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:09.439 They originated with men. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:12.160 Jesus didn't care for that. 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:15.680 And that bothered them because that threatened their whole way of existence. 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:20.000 So the Pharisees, they didn't like Jesus very much, and Nicodemus is a Pharisee. 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:24.240 Not only is he a Pharisee, it says that he is a religious leader, and that's actually really telling. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:30.720 In fact, the Greek word that we translate leader actually literally translates ruler, and so some other translations will say it differently. 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:36.720 In the NASB, it'll say, Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:42.879 The NIV says it this way, now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, who is a member of the Jewish ruling council. 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:52.480 So what this actually tells us is that not only is Nicodemus a Pharisee, he's actually part of this elite group of Pharisees and Sadducees known as the Sanhedrin. 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.480 The Sanhedrin were like the Supreme Court of that time. 00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:02.959 They had immense power and immense influence over really everything that happened in the land. 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:05.279 And you couldn't just become part of the Sanhedrin. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:05.920 That was impossible. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:08.720 You had to be somebody to be part of the Sanhedrin. 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:11.199 You had to be someone, you had to be someone of influence. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:16.319 It's very likely that Nicodemus is one of the most influential people in all of Israel. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:19.360 That he came from one of the most influential families in Israel. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:25.279 In fact, several years before this, in 63 BC, this area is at war with Rome. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:26.959 And they eventually surrendered to Rome. 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:29.759 That's what people tended to do when they fought Rome. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:39.279 And so the Israelites sent one man to be the ambassador to Pompeii, who was the emperor of Rome at that time, and that ambassador's name was Nicodemus. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:46.240 Now it's not the same Nicodemus, there's no way that could be in terms of timeline, unless this Nicodemus is like 160 years old. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.519 And then we have to just celebrate him coming to Jesus in a different way. 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:50.559 Like, man, he made it. 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:52.559 He walked there and he lived. 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:53.679 This is good. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:02.159 But it's very likely that the Nicodemus in John 3 is related to that Nicodemus because in that time you you tended to keep your family's names intact. 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:08.799 And so in Luke chapter 1, we read the story of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, being born. 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:12.320 And his dad, Zechariah, decides to name him John, and everyone freaks out. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:14.240 And here's what they say in Luke 1.61. 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:15.039 They all go, What? 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.279 when they find out Zechariah's going to name him John. 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:17.759 What? 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.080 There's no one in all your family by that name. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:26.240 Those communities, you would preserve the names of your family within your family. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:39.200 And so here we have a Nicodemus who's a member of the Sanhedrin, and he's a Pharisee, and he's influential, and it's very likely that he came from this family that was so influential that when the Israelites decided to pick one ambassador to send to Rome, it was this man. 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:40.799 He's from that family. 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:50.320 So we need to understand that this person coming to Jesus to have this conversation, this person is as important and as influential and as powerful as they come. 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:52.480 And he goes to Jesus late at night. 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:54.159 Now, why does he go late at night? 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:56.639 Simple, he does not want to be seen. 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:00.240 You ever do something that you don't want people to know you do? 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:01.679 Of course not, right? 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:02.720 We're Christians. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:03.919 We don't do that. 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:06.320 On the way here this morning I got caught. 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:12.159 Um Megan looked in the back seat of our car, and there was a butterfinger wrapper in the backseat of the car. 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:16.480 She asked me, why is there a butterfinger wrapper in the back seat? 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:19.519 And I told her, I cause I ate a butterfinger yesterday. 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:20.159 You know? 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:22.799 We're on this diet that we're doing together. 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:26.720 And uh and I just I cheated. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:28.720 I cheated with that butterfinger. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:31.360 It wasn't worth it in the end. 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:34.799 It's kind of like when you haven't had a candy bar in a while, you're like, oh, yeah. 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:36.720 And then when you eat it, you're like, this isn't that good. 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:37.840 But I kept eating it. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:39.600 I mean it, I just ate it. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:44.080 And so I told Megan, like, ah, I know, I just I'm sorry. 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:46.159 I'm sorry, I want to, no more butterfingers. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.240 I promise I'll stay strong this week. 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:49.919 She said, You better. 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:53.600 See, Nicodemus, he's going at night because he doesn't want to get caught. 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:59.279 He doesn't want someone to see him with Jesus, because to be seen with Jesus, that's a risky thing. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:02.639 To be a Pharisee and be seen with Jesus, that's a risky thing. 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.919 To be one of the Sanhedrin and seen with Jesus, that's even more risky. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:07.519 And Nicodemus has a lot to lose. 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:09.519 So he goes at night so no one sees him. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:15.440 Because you see, right now, Jesus is kind of at the climax of how controversial and scandalous he is. 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:21.200 Just before this, just before this conversation, Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem. 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:33.840 And when he got to the temple, he saw that there were all these people taking advantage of people trying to worship, and they were they were charging vast amounts of money for sacrifices that people had to buy in order to make a sacrifice to God, and they were profiting off this. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:36.480 They were crooks and they were the people in power. 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:40.480 And so Jesus flips their tables over and then he goes and he makes a whip out of leather. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:42.240 He actually takes the time to make a whip. 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:43.200 Think about that. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:47.120 Every single, I don't know if you braid a whip or what, he's like, I'm just I'm so mad right now. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:48.799 I'm just I'm beside myself. 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:50.720 The disciples are like, Jesus, don't use the whip. 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:51.200 Don't go in. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.120 He's like, No, no, no, no, no, no, I'm using this. 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:55.840 And he goes in and with that whip, he drives them all out. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:57.759 I mean, imagine that scene. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:01.600 Imagine how crazy that must have seemed. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:06.879 Imagine how angry the Pharisees and the people who ran the temple were. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:19.519 We know that they they got together after that and they talked about Jesus and they tried to decide how they could get rid of Jesus, and their decision was to have him killed to find a way to get rid of him because they did not want to deal with Jesus anymore. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:25.840 Nicodemus, no doubt, was part of that conversation, being one of their foremost leaders. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:31.759 But something, something inside of Nicodemus could not stay away from Jesus. 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:37.919 He couldn't just go along with the decision that his colleagues had made. 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:40.320 Something in Nicodemus had to see for himself. 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:41.919 He had to go to Jesus. 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.320 He had to come to Jesus and ask questions. 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:48.879 Nicodemus decided to deal with Jesus. 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:52.320 What he says to Jesus is really loaded. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:54.559 When he says, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher who's come from God. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.360 No one could do the miraculous signs that you're doing if God were not with him. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:02.000 It's almost like he's raising up a white flag and saying, Fine, I'll admit it, you're from God. 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:07.679 But he doesn't want to, because Jesus challenges every notion he has of God. 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:10.000 He thinks he's got God down. 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:11.519 He thinks he's an expert on God. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.639 And here comes Jesus, and Jesus is turning everything upside down. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:18.480 And it's like Nicodemus is coming to him saying, I wish I could dismiss you. 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:20.480 I wish I could just cast you aside. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:27.519 I wish I could just say that you're some fake prophet or some flash in the pan leader that's all the rage today, that's going to be gone tomorrow. 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:29.120 You're going to fade into obscurity. 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:32.720 I wish I could just dismiss you, but I can't. 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:39.679 Because I look at what you're doing and I see that there is something undeniable about you. 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:45.759 Nicodemus decides to deal with Jesus. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:48.639 And it changes his life. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:54.240 We live in a world that does not want to deal with Jesus. 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:56.159 It really doesn't. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:01.120 We live in a world that wants to avoid Jesus at all costs. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:03.600 To pretend like Jesus isn't there. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:09.360 A few years ago I was watching Dancing with the Stars with my wife, and let's just pause there for a second. 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.320 Because remember where we are. 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:13.840 This is a rabbit trail, we'll get back. 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:16.639 We're at the world wants to avoid Jesus dancing with the stars. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:17.200 Are we there? 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:18.000 You got it? 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:23.200 I just want you to understand that several years ago that statement would have never come out of my mouth. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.279 I was watching Dancing with the Stars. 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:28.799 And if you've ever seen that show, Stars is apparently a loose term. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.759 It's more like dancing with the, oh yeah, that guy. 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:33.519 That's what that show should be called. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:34.879 But whatever. 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:37.279 See, before I got married, I watched sports. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:38.320 That's what I watched. 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:40.159 And I had settled on two main sports. 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:42.639 I watched college basketball and I watched Major League Baseball. 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.679 And it's super convenient because those sports back up to each other. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:50.399 College basketball begins in late October, right when baseball's ending. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:54.000 And college basketball ends at the beginning of April, right when baseball's starting. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:54.799 And so it's great. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:56.639 I just I just switched from one to the other. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:58.080 And I was married for one year. 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.360 And Megan came to me and she said, This has to stop. 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:03.919 You can pick one. 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:06.720 You can pick one because she said, I can't do it anymore. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:07.519 It never ends. 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:08.240 It never ends. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.720 It's just one season, another season, one season, another season. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:11.679 It never stops. 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.799 And to a casual observer, someone that doesn't care about the sports, it's like deja vu every time I watch a game. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:19.840 It's the same thing over and over again, just with different players. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:20.480 Can't do it. 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:21.440 Pick one. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.320 And I was like, wow, this is a big decision. 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:26.080 This was not part of our vows. 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.360 But everybody keeps saying, happy wife, happy life. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:39.759 And I just nodded my head in agreement, and I thought maybe there's something to that, so I said, fine, I picked college basketball, and I haven't watched baseball in all these years. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:41.679 Hurt for me. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:44.720 I don't miss it that much, but whatever. 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:51.200 It just so happened that right when we got married and I had to make that decision, all of these TV shows were becoming really popular. 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:55.679 These competition elimination shows, and it wasn't just American Idol anymore. 00:15:55.759 --> 00:16:00.159 Now there was like an American Idol for every single occupation a human being could have on the planet. 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:08.240 And so Megan got into HG TV Design Star and Dancing with the Stars and Project Runway and Top Chef. 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:10.480 And we started watching all of these. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:13.200 And then after like a few years, I had some realizations. 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:14.639 I'm like, number one, these never end. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:19.919 It's just a new season after a new season, you know, like sports. 00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:25.759 And to me, the casual observer who doesn't really care about these, it's deja vu. 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:29.679 Every episode is the exact same, just with different contestants. 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:32.080 You know, like sports. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:37.039 And the seasons back up, one, two, one. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.519 It's like as soon as Dancing with the Stars ends, guess what? 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:40.559 Project Runway begins. 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:41.519 It's you know, like sports. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:42.799 I mean, it's just crazy. 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.440 And so I'm tempted to say, hey, pick one. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:48.720 But I will not do that. 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:55.600 If you're single, that whole happy wife, happy life thing, that is true. 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:56.559 That is true. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:58.480 Happy husband is an option. 00:16:58.720 --> 00:16:59.039 Right? 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:01.360 Happy wife is it's a necessity. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:04.720 So she gets she gets her seven of those, and I get my one sport. 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:06.960 But when it's college basketball season, I am ruthless. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:08.079 I don't care what's on. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:13.200 I don't I don't care if we're watching some no-name team play some other no-name team or watching this game. 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.000 So Jesus. 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:17.440 Okay. 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:26.960 Dancing with the stars, culture avoids Jesus like the plague. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:28.799 Watching this episode of Dancing with the Stars. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:35.680 And when you watch an episode of a show like that, they could get the whole thing done in like 30 minutes, but they draw it out for two, two and a half hours, you know, like sports. 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:42.240 And so they have interviews with all the people and they show you these video recaps of their week of practice, and that's what's going on. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:52.000 They're showing this video recap of their uh practice in preparation for their dance, and the person who's the the star happens to be an outspoken Jesus follower, which is cool. 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:58.319 And they're wearing this t-shirt that is just a white shirt with one word on it, but the shirt is blurred out in the video. 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:02.319 And so anytime you see something like that, your brain starts trying to figure out what could that shirt say. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:05.039 And I'm looking at it, I'm like, man, this shirt's blurred out. 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:06.079 What does it say? 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:06.799 What's the word? 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:12.640 And then we figured it out because if they would show her from the side and it only showed one letter or two letters, you could see it. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:19.119 It was only when all the letters were facing forward that they blurred it out, and it became very clear that the word was Jesus. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:21.279 It's just Jesus' name. 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:25.359 But someone decided that, ooh, oh, the name of Jesus. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.519 I don't know, we should let's blur that out. 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:28.799 Like it's a cuss word or something. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.759 Maybe they thought that it was being used in that way, which you can use it. 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:33.759 They thought, wow, that's an expletive on a shirt. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:35.440 Can't put that on TV, but I don't think so. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:42.000 I think they clearly understood, knowing this person's character, that they were kind of wearing Jesus proudly, and they blurred that out. 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:43.599 I remember going, wow. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:44.960 Why? 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:52.079 And then several months later, I'm watching CNN because they have this guy on, they're interviewing. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:56.160 This is right in the wake of all the craziness that happened in Ferguson, Missouri, a while back. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:08.079 And I'm from Missouri, so I paid really close attention to that because it was kind of in my own backyard, and you know, my heart's broken because of all the tension and all the confusion and all the anger on all these different sides, and to see that there's racial tension in this world. 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:11.200 It's just sad when Jesus has brought us together. 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:23.200 In the wake of all that happened in Ferguson, there were countless celebrities that were posting about it and saying things about it, but there was this one guy whose comments rose above the rest. 00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:25.839 And he's this NFL player named Benjamin Watson. 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:35.359 And he posted about what happened in Ferguson, and he talked with more eloquence and depth and sincerity than anyone else in the world was talking about this whole situation with. 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:37.759 And his comments just caught on. 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:42.880 And they they took, they caught fire, it went viral, so much so that CNN had him on to interview him. 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:47.759 And here in a second, I want to show you this one minute and 30-second interview that CNN had with Benjamin Watson. 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:49.200 But I want to tell you this going into it. 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:55.839 Number one, it gets to a point where he begins to talk about Jesus and the gospel, the message of Jesus. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:04.559 I want you to watch the interviewer's face when this happens and the discomfort that this person feels. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:10.559 You're actually gonna see the person doing the interview make an audible sound of disgust. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:17.599 There's one moment where she goes, ugh, as if she's repulsed by what he's saying. 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:25.839 And then ultimately, I want you to see how they choose to deal with the fact that this man is talking about Jesus. 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:26.720 It's interesting. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:28.240 Go ahead and take a look at this. 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:33.519 In the 60 seconds I have remaining with you, sir, I'd just ask you, we talk so much about this on a macro level. 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:34.319 How about on a micro? 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:41.440 On a day-to-day basis, how can we, you know, black, white, whatever, improve this? 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:50.240 Well, I I honestly I think I point to it in the very last paragraph that I read, and and I'm encouraged because things aren't the way they used to be. 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:52.799 You know, we all have grandparents that told us how things were. 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:54.240 We've all seen documentaries. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:21:02.000 We are definitely making progress, but I think on an individual, on a uh on a micro level, the issue is not really skin. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:03.119 The issue is sin. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:09.519 And I firmly believe that the issue is that internally we are flawed, internally, we need salvation from our sin. 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:22.480 Internally, our sin makes us prideful, it makes us judgmental, it makes us prejudice, which leads to racism, it makes us lash out at people that don't look like us, it makes us look past look past evidence to protect people that look like us. 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:24.400 It makes us do all those things. 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:30.880 It makes us lash out in anger, it makes us point it it makes us our sin that's in us makes us do those things. 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.720 And the only the only salvation for this sin is the gospel. 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:40.400 The only way to really cure that what's on the inside is understanding that Jesus Christ died for our sins. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:44.079 And so to me, on a micro level, it's understanding. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:47.519 Oh just like that, we lost him. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.400 I know I heard you guys rapping me, I just couldn't let him go. 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:51.839 Benjamin Watson, thank you so much. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:52.559 Good luck of the game. 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:54.319 Sunday, Emperor Faldin, see you Monday. 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.079 Jim Shudo, up next. 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:58.160 Isn't that amazing? 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.000 And I will say, by the way, my two-year-old daughter is a better actress. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:07.599 Like when my two-year-old daughter lies, she can be pretty convincing. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:10.960 But when she goes, like, oh, ah, technical difficulties, right? 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:13.119 Like, oh, and just like that, wouldn't you know it? 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.240 We lost him. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.279 Oh well. 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:17.440 I mean, it's so clear. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:25.200 It's like you can almost hear a producer or a director in some control room just screaming on the headset, get the guy off the air, get him off the air, get him off the air. 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:26.160 He's talking about Jesus. 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:27.200 Get him off. 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:30.079 And why? 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:36.000 See, Jesus is still scandalous to this day. 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:42.720 And I don't show that to judge the world that we live in. 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:44.640 It breaks my heart. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:49.440 It breaks my heart because we live in this world that is searching for love. 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:56.559 This world is desperate for love and avoiding at all costs the one person who is love. 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:01.200 I heard a pastor say this recently, and it is beautifully worded. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:04.720 It makes no sense to search for love and run from God. 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.880 It makes no sense. 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:10.240 And this world is broken, and this world is hurting. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:17.039 Mental health is at an all-time low, and we have depression, and we have anxiety, and we have fear, and we have worry. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:25.680 And the answer for all of those things, by the way, is love, because perfect love casts out all fear, and Jesus Christ is love personified. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:34.640 But our world doesn't want to deal with Jesus because when you deal with Jesus, you have to come to a conclusion about Jesus. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.039 And he does not leave a lot of wiggle room. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:42.160 People who say they're God don't leave much wiggle room when it comes to dealing with them. 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:43.759 Because either they are or they're not. 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:45.279 Can't kind of be God. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:50.480 Jesus claimed to be the answer for this world. 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:54.960 And this world just doesn't want to deal with him at all. 00:23:55.680 --> 00:24:04.319 The world would rather blur him out and cut him off, stick its fingers in its ears, and just make noise and pretend like he's not there. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:08.319 And it's heartbreaking because he is there. 00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:10.000 And he is the answer. 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:11.279 And he is love. 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:15.920 There's really only one thing that breaks my heart more. 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:21.359 Only one thing that breaks my heart more than the world at large refusing to deal with Jesus. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:28.720 And it's it's people who actually claim to follow Jesus choosing to not deal with Jesus. 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:42.000 Because, see, we have to understand this as Jesus followers that there's this constant pull of religion fighting with us that ultimately wants us to stop dealing with Jesus and just put God in a box. 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:47.119 Because if you have God in a box, you don't have to deal with him anymore. 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:48.720 You get him, it all makes sense. 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:49.920 It's all compartmentalized. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.039 I understand this God. 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:59.279 I don't actually have to deal with him, I don't have to wrestle with him, I don't have to grapple with him, I don't have to come to terms and kind of battle and have conflict in my heart and my mind. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:00.480 I don't have to question him. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:01.599 I don't have to go to him. 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:04.559 I don't have to really deal with God because I got God figured out. 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.240 That's how Nicodemus was. 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:10.480 He thought he had God figured out, and then Jesus showed up and it broke his box. 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:13.359 And he's mad about it. 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:17.039 And so he goes to Jesus saying, like, hey, you broke my box. 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:19.519 So I've got some questions for you. 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:21.920 I don't understand you, I don't get why you're doing it this way. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:25.279 You're gonna see Nicodemus in the weeks to come be sarcastic with Jesus. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:29.359 He's semi-hostile because Jesus broke his box. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:32.079 But see, boxes need to be broken. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:40.720 You'll have people that put God in this angry box, and God is just shaking his finger in judgment at the world, and he's really mad, and he's angry at everything. 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:45.200 He's mad at Disney, he's mad at, you know, he's mad at Target, he's mad at everyone in the world. 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:47.200 He's just mad all the time. 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.400 And here's the reality: sometimes God gets really mad. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:51.839 He's a person. 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:54.000 We're made in his image. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:57.599 Jesus got mad in the temple that day, but it was righteous anger. 00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:00.880 But people like to put God in the angry God box. 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:02.799