What Are You Looking For? | Sunday, April 9, 2023

Amen. Thank you very much. Good morning, Cross Connection Church! He has risen! You can be seated.

Ricky Fowler is not playing in the Masters this year, so I asked him if I could borrow his pants. Good morning to you all! If you are visiting us for the first time here at Cross Connection Church, welcome. My name is Miles, and I am the pastor here at the church. We are glad that you are here this morning. We have been praying for you over the last several weeks, praying that God would move mightily and speak to us.

This morning, we are going to be in the Scriptures, so if you want to take out your Bible, please do so. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will gladly bring you one. For the last couple of months, we have been studying in the Old Testament book of Joshua, which is the sixth book of the Bible. However, today we are going to be in the New Testament Gospel of John. If you open your Bible about two-thirds of the way through, you will find the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. John is where we are going to be shifting gears a little bit this morning, as this is an important day in the life of the church and the church calendar.

What we are going to look at this morning in the Gospel of John involves three different individuals. One of these individuals was looking for a Messiah, another was looking for a man, and the third was looking for a miracle. One for a Messiah, another for a man, and another for a miracle. It may sound strange to put it in those ways, but that is very clearly what we find when we come to this passage of Scripture and the stories within it.

I want to suggest that the quest of these three individuals differs little from the quest of most people. Most people would find themselves looking for one of these three things, even if they may not articulate it in those words. They may not say that they are looking for a Messiah, but there are many people today who are anticipating that one great individual leader will come and right all the political wrongs and address the issues that are going on in our nation or in the world. In fact, at this very moment, there are many people hoping to find their way into that spot, especially as we are now 18 months out from another national election, and of course, it starts early.

Now, here in our country, there are a lot of people who are hoping and thinking that maybe there will be an individual who will come on the scene to right all the injustices, all the political woes and wrongs, and be able to fix everything. They may not say, "I'm looking for a Messiah," but that's really what they are looking for.

Then, there are other people who, again, may not say that they are looking for a man, but there is a hope resonant in their hearts—a deep desire within them that maybe if they found the right person, whoever that might be, that right person would give them joy, bring love and security, and happiness into their lives. If that person were just a little bit more gentle, a little bit more gracious and kinder, then maybe their lives would be complete. They hope to find an individual who would fix everything.

So, they may not explicitly say they are looking for a man, but they are hoping that someone might be able to fill a void and fix all those little things in their lives to make them somehow complete. You might not say that you are looking for a miracle, but you may be one of those people who is saying, "I really need a significant breakthrough in my life. I need something to happen—maybe something natural, maybe something supernatural—that would fix the unworkable situations and circumstances I find myself in."

Again, it may not specifically be a man, a miracle, or a Messiah, but everybody is in search of something. As we look at the stories of individuals in the Gospel of John today, I think we will find ways in which we identify with where they were and what they were going through.

The first story is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 3. If you would open your Bibles to chapter 3 of John, the opening words say that there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi," which means teacher, "we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." This took place two thousand years ago in the nation of Israel when this man came to Jesus by night.

Some questions for him: The nation of Israel was a political mess. We might say that the nation of Israel was like a political dumpster fire. If you have been watching the news recently, it's like all things old or new again; it's just happening exactly the same again. There was this massive political mess for the people of Israel 2,000 years ago. They were in occupied territory of the Roman Empire at the time that this man came to Jesus by night.

They had a national leader; they had a king. However, the king they had was a flagrant, immoral, wicked man. Though he had the title of King of Israel, he was really just a vassal or a puppet of the Roman Empire. He answered to Rome and had very little power; he was just a figurehead. As I said, he was pretty immoral and had done some very wicked things. He had been called on the carpet by a prophetic individual named John the Baptist, who at that moment was in prison because he had called this king out on his immorality.

The people were taxed at every turn in huge ways, taxed by the Roman Empire and also by their own national entity. They were imprisoned, tortured, and sometimes killed if they did not subject themselves perfectly to the Romans. During that time, around every city and throughout the territory of the nation of Israel, there were Roman soldiers. These soldiers could basically conscript you to do anything they wanted. If you did not comply, they could beat you on the spot and potentially imprison or kill you.

Throughout the nation of Israel and along the King's Highway, it was not abnormal to see the crosses of crucifixion. They crucified hundreds and thousands of people every single year in that part of the world. Those crosses were not just a method of execution; they were like a huge billboard to every person in the nation: "Don't screw up, or that might be you." So, they were in occupied territory, they had an immoral king, they were heavily taxed, and woven into that situation were political zealots who were...

Against Rome, who hated Rome, you might find yourself attacked by them if it was suspected that you agreed with Rome. You had to walk this tightrope because, on one side, you had the Roman Empire that might imprison you if you misstepped, and on the other side, you had political zealots in your own nation. If you identified with Rome in any way, you might find yourself under their thumb. The average Jew in Judea in the first century walked this political tightrope and was fearful about what might happen to them every single day. They prayed constantly for one that the prophets foretold would come. They looked forward to and hoped for a Messiah, an anointed one. In their view, this Messiah would come to get rid of the shackles of the Roman Empire. He would establish Israel as a kingdom once again, the kingdom over all kingdoms, to bring in true justice and righteousness. He would rule with justice and righteousness.

If you go back and read the prophetic books of the Old Testament, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, you will find that these were apocalyptic prophets. They looked forward to this coming Messiah who would right all the political wrongs. For the people of Israel, the average Jew in Judea two thousand years ago, this was their daily prayer: the coming of the Messiah. As a result of this heightened anticipation and expectation for the one who would come and restore all political wrongs, anytime someone would come on the scene who might even just in one small way fit the bill, there would be dispatch to them the Messiah Seekers, or shall we say, the Messiah Assessors.

This brings us to Nicodemus. He was like a Messiah Assessor, sent by a group of religious people in Israel, the Pharisees, to identify if Jesus was the Christ. That was his question when he came to Jesus by night in John chapter 3. In the previous chapters of the Gospel of John, there was a prophetic figure I mentioned a moment ago: John the Baptist. He was out in the wilderness and had the look of a prophet. He wasn't wearing orange pants, but he did have a robe made of camel's hair and a leather belt, along with a crazy bushy beard and all sorts of other distinctive features.

People went to hear him preach out in the wilderness. They left the cities to go out in the middle of nowhere to listen to him preach, and they thought he might be the Messiah. The Pharisees dispatched some people; maybe Nicodemus was among those who went to John the Baptist and asked him, "Are you the Christ?" That's what they wanted to know; that's what they were seeking.

Now, this new guy comes on the scene. He is preaching, performing miracles, and doing amazing things. Nicodemus comes to him by night and says, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, because no one could do these signs unless God were with him." As he comes to Jesus with some questions, Jesus breaks Nicodemus's brain with his response.

In this passage, look at John 3:3. Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." I think Nicodemus probably had some prepared questions that he wanted to ask Jesus when he came to him. He starts with some niceties, acknowledging that there is something special about Jesus. He recognizes that Jesus is a young up-and-comer who speaks with authority. There have been rumors going around that he has healed the sick, cast demons out of people, and even healed a leper.

Before Nicodemus can even get to question number one, Jesus says, "Unless you're born again, you're not going to heaven." This kind of broke Nicodemus's brain. You might have seen that emoji with the exploding head; that's what happened to him. He doesn't even know how to respond, and so it starts this conversation, which you can read later in John 3. This back-and-forth between Nicodemus, who was the teacher in Israel at the time, and Jesus builds and crescendos to what is probably the most important saying of Jesus in the Scriptures.

It has become the most famous verse in the Bible, the most translated verse in the Bible. If you've ever watched an NFL game, you probably see it in the end zone: John 3:16. But look at this with me in verse 14. In John 3, leading up to it, Jesus references something from Israel's history back when they were wandering.

The wilderness under Moses was a challenging time for the children of Israel. While they were wandering in the wilderness, as described in the Old Testament book of Numbers, there came a point when venomous snakes invaded their camp. Anyone who was bitten by one of these snakes faced a dire fate; it was like a death sentence. The people approached Moses, their leader, and pleaded for help, saying they needed someone to deal with this snake problem.

As he always did, Moses went to God for guidance. God instructed him to fashion a serpent out of bronze and place it on a pole in the middle of the camp. He told Moses that if anyone was bitten by a snake, they would be healed simply by looking at the serpent on the pole. This may sound a bit crazy and miraculous, but it was fundamentally a test of faith. The question was whether the people would trust in God in this dire situation.

This story from Israel in the book of Numbers serves as a foreshadowing of something very important. Jesus clarifies this for Nicodemus in the passage. In verse 14, He states, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." The title "Son of Man" held significant meaning for someone like Nicodemus. While it may not resonate as much today, for the teacher in Israel, particularly in Jerusalem at that time, it was a title used by the prophets, especially figures like Daniel and Ezekiel, to refer to the Messiah.

Nicodemus approached Jesus because he and the people were seeking a Messiah. He wanted to know if Jesus was the one. Jesus was prepared to answer that question, but He also needed to clarify some misconceptions for Nicodemus and others. The confusion revolved around the purpose of the Messiah's coming. In their minds, the Messiah would come to liberate them from the shackles of Rome and address the immediate issues they faced.

However, Jesus explained that there was something more profound at play. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness when the people were being bitten by snakes, the Son of Man, a title for the Messiah, would also be lifted up. He emphasized that whoever believes in Him, just as the people had to trust in the serpent in the wilderness, would not perish.

Bitten by the serpent would lead you to die, but you would not perish; instead, you would have eternal life. Why? For God so loved the world. Does anybody know this verse? He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

In the larger context of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus here in this passage, this Messiah Assessor in John chapter 3, Jesus basically said to Nicodemus, "I am the Messiah." He uses two amazing titles: one is the Son of Man, who is going to be lifted up. But He also says, "Not only am I the Son of Man, but I am the Son of God." Nicodemus would have known exactly what that means. This is not just a man that he is in the presence of; this is the God-man, this is God incarnate.

He makes this magnificent claim to be the Son of Man and the Son of God, revealing to Nicodemus, who is looking for the Messiah, a very important thing that we should clue into. Point number one, if you're taking notes this morning, there's a sermon guide in your bulletin: the true Messiah came to bring eternal life in an eternal Kingdom.

You see, Nicodemus and all the people of the time were looking for a political leader, just a man who would come and establish an earthly Kingdom and get rid of the Kingdom that was over them, the Roman Empire at that point in time. But in His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says, "Listen, the Son of Man is also the Son of God, and He has come to do something much greater." The true Messiah came to bring eternal life in an eternal Kingdom.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is a magnificent claim that Jesus made to Nicodemus there in John chapter 3: "I am the Son of Man; I am the Son of God." Such a magnificent claim requires significant proof. If you're going to make a claim like that, listen, Jesus, if you read the Gospels, made some pretty magnificent claims—claims that, as C.S. Lewis proposed in one of his books, what he called the trilemma, either make Jesus a liar.

A lunatic or Lord—He is either a liar when He says, "I'm the Son of Man, I'm the Son of God, and I came to establish an eternal Kingdom," or He is completely nuts. Maybe you've met some nutso preachers on the street before. It's possible. He is either a liar, a lunatic, or what He is saying is true, and He is Lord.

With magnificent claims, there need to be significant proofs. The first character in our story comes because he is seeking a Messiah. This brings us to the second seeker, which follows in John chapter 4. It's right after John chapter 3. We come to the second seeker.

Henry read this in John chapter 4, beginning at verse 3. Jesus left Judea and departed again to Galilee, but He needed to go through Samaria. A little geography, if you will: the city of Jerusalem was in a territory called Judea, which is in the southern part of the nation of Israel. It still is today. Jesus lived and did most of His ministry around a lake called the Sea of Galilee in the northern part of the nation.

Between Judea and Galilee was a region called Samaria, and Jews did not go through Samaria. In fact, they would typically, if they were going from Jerusalem to Galilee or from Galilee to Jerusalem, go around Samaria by crossing the Jordan River and following it north. They did not want to go through Samaria because they hated Samaritans. There was a racial tension and animosity that we can't quite comprehend. Samaritans didn't like them much either; there was some tension.

So, Jesus left Judea and was going to Galilee. It says He had to go through Samaria. They didn't have to; a lot of people didn't do that. But there was something He needed to do in Samaria. He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar. Verse 5 says it was near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there.

Jesus, therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour of the day, which is about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink," for His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Jesus' apparently simple request upon this Samaritan woman was not at all a simple request because, as I said, there is some significant racial tension between these two groups of people.

It is difficult to fully comprehend the racial animosity and tension that existed between Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans were loosely connected to the Jewish people. In the 8th century BC, the nation of Israel was nearly destroyed by the Assyrian Empire. When the Assyrians conquered a people, they implemented what I call the Assyrian relocation program. They would take the conquered people and spread them throughout their empire, bringing in other conquered peoples to settle in those areas. This led to intermixing of cultures and the erasure of distinct people groups.

This is exactly how the Samaritans came to be. In the 8th century BC, the Assyrian Empire destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, brought in people from other places, and mixed them with the locals. As a result, the Samaritans were only loosely connected to the Jewish people. They shared some traditions and scriptures, but they were considered somewhat out there. The animosity was so strong that, for Jews in the first century, the term "Samaritan" was often used as an insult. Calling someone a Samaritan was akin to calling them a dog, and there was deep-seated hatred towards them.

Additionally, a Jewish man in the first century would typically avoid any interaction with a woman who was not part of his immediate family. Yet, here is Jesus at a well in Samaria in the middle of the day, encountering a woman who was not just any woman. As you read through the story, you will discover that she did not have the best reputation or background. The reason she came to the well at that time was likely to avoid others; she knew that this was not the usual time for drawing water.

Unfortunately for her, she arrives to find a Rabbi, a Jewish Rabbi, sitting there. He asks her, "Will you give me a drink?" Israel was a political dumpster fire in the first century, and this woman was a hot mess. Jesus strikes up a conversation with her, and as we find in the text, she was seeking a man. I do not say this in a sleazy or cheesy way, but through the conversation with Jesus, we learn that she had had five husbands.

The guy she was with now was not her husband, and she had a background that would not have been the best during that time. We can use all kinds of speculation, and many have, about what led her to this point where she had had five husbands. The likelihood is that she was probably barren and could have no children, which meant she was likely rejected by every man she had ever had. In that day, the only way a woman had any welfare was to have a husband or to have children. Now, she was with a man who was not her husband, and she had had five husbands. She was no doubt looked down upon as one of the worst people in society; she was an outcast.

That's why she comes to the well in the middle of the day. She is not just looking for some sort of intimate relationship when she seeks a man; she is looking for security, a future, and hope. Yet, she has come up with nothing every single time. She is not satisfied in her desire for security and hope, something to quench that deep thirst.

Jesus says to her, "Will you give me a drink?" She responds, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink? You shouldn't be doing this." She corrects his faux pas, and Jesus responds. In verse 10, He answers her, saying, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water."

Jesus indicates to this woman that she is ignorant of two important things: number one, the gift of God, and number two, the Giver of the gift. In their exchange, if you read it later, you'll find that He systematically reveals to her what the gift of God is, leading her to the point where she says, "I want this; give it to me." He tells her that if she knew the gift of God and the one who speaks to her, then she would have asked, and He would have given it to her.

However, she asks, "Would you give this to me?" and He is not ready to give it to her yet because He needs to reveal to her who He is. As He talks with her, He says in verse 13, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again."

Boy, she knew that probably better than anybody. But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. The water that I shall give him will become like a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life.

Remember Jesus in His conversation with Nicodemus? He revealed, "I have come to bring an eternal Kingdom." Now He says to this woman, who has been in search of something that she clearly has not found, "I have something that will quench your thirst and lead to everlasting life."

Point number two, if you're taking notes: the God-man Jesus Christ has come to satisfy our deepest thirst for everlasting life. The amazing thing is that many people don't realize that this is actually what they're deeply thirsting for. They think they're just trying to find something in this life.

We have been indoctrinated in our culture over the last many generations to believe that this life is all there is. We live in a highly naturalistic society that believes this is all there is and that there is nothing more than this.

Anyone you have a conversation with—your neighbor, your co-worker, your friend, or many of your family members—maybe even some of you here this morning, who got invited by a family member or a friend, might think that there is nothing beyond this life. But the fascinating thing is that resident in every single human being is a desire for life beyond this life.

We have this deep thirst, even though we've been told constantly by our culture that it's not real. We still have this deep thirst that goes contrary to the indoctrination of our culture for something more: everlasting life. The God-man Jesus Christ is the only one who satisfies that deep thirst for everlasting life.

She was looking for genuine love, security, a future, and hope, and all of that is only found in Him. No man, earthly Messiah, or any other connection in this world will satisfy that deep longing that we have for everlasting life.

A Jewish rabbi was by the well outside the city of Sychar in Samaria, where he made a magnificent claim. The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (John 4:25). The Jewish people sought a Messiah, and the people in Samaria were desirous of a Messiah as well. She continued, "I know that Messiah is coming, who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will tell us all things."

Then Jesus responded in verse 26, saying to her, "I who speak to you am he." In the original Greek, it states, "I am speaks to you." If you've read the Bible before, in the Old Testament book of Exodus, chapter 3, when God introduced Himself to Moses, Moses asked, "Who shall I tell the people of Israel sent me?" God replied, "I am. Tell them I am sent you." Jesus was making a very clear message of who He is: "I am the Messiah, the one that you have been looking for." This is a serious claim, a magnificent claim. As I said, magnificent claims require significant proofs.

This leads us to our third and final character in the story, which thankfully is just one chapter over in John chapter 5. It says in verse 1, "After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." Now, there was in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, a pool which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches. In these five porches lay a great multitude of sick people—blind, lame, paralyzed—waiting for the moving of the water.

There was a fable that an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had. Now, a certain man was there who had an infirmity for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been in that condition for a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

Israel in the first century, at the time of Jesus, was a political nightmare—a dumpster fire. The woman in John chapter 4 was a hot mess, and this man was desperately hopeless. For 38 years, he had some sort of infirmity.

We don't know exactly what the infirmity is, but the condition of him laying there probably indicates he was paralyzed in some way. Here he is, infirmed with all these other sick people at this place just north of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. You can go to the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda today; it is just a stone's throw away from the Temple Mount.

At this place, there were these pools of water, and there was a running spring of some sort. Apparently, at certain times, the water would be agitated, and the fable was that an angel would come down and stir up the water. Whichever sick person got to the water first would be made well. This is, frankly speaking, the most pitiful situation you could imagine. There were a whole bunch of sick, lame, and maimed people just staring at the water in hopes that it would move.

There were all kinds of places in the ancient world where there were waters with springs that were thought to have some sort of medicinal properties. Normally, they were connected with pagan worship practices and places of pagan worship. This place probably had some connections to pagan practices during that period of time.

A great multitude of sick people—blind, lame, and paralyzed—lay there waiting for the moving of the water because they believed that something would happen here. Whoever got to the water first would be healed. Apparently, there were individuals who had been at this pool and had, at some point in time, been healed; otherwise, you wouldn't have had a great multitude of sick people there.

So, obviously, some people had been made well in some way, or else all the sick people would not still be at this place waiting for the moving of the water. Yet, though there had been people who had been healed of whatever malady they had, none had remained there to render aid to this one who had not. They all left. Even though this place was in the shadow of the Temple, none of the priests, Levites, or religious establishment had come to help any of those who were sick there. They were all waiting for the moving of the waters while the Fountain of Living Waters was moving among the people, performing miraculous signs.

Wonders. This man was desperately hopeless, and his desperate hopelessness implies to me that Jesus's question, "Do you want to be made well?" had to fall on his ears as the most mocking and twisted question ever. I think that his response to Jesus's question indicates that he was probably a little irritated by it.

What is fascinating from this text is just reading between the lines of what's going on here. It seems as though he never shifts his attention from watching the moving of the waters to the guy who's talking to him. As the story goes on, he doesn't know who it was who spoke to him. So here he is, focused on the moving water, and this guy comes and says, "Hey, do you want to be made well?" His response is, "Really? Really, sir? I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

How many times do you suppose this man, who had laid there for a very long time, watched people get to the water sooner than him? How many times had he waited for his miracle and seen others precede him towards theirs? The Old Testament book of Proverbs says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." I think this guy had just a heavy, sick heart as he lay there.

Jesus asks what might appear to him to be a mocking question: "Do you want to be made whole?" Really? Do you think I like the smell of rotting flesh of that leper sitting over there? Do you think I enjoy the moans of the people who are sick all around? Do you think I want to be here day after day and watch other people get to their miracle before me? Do you think I really am enjoying this? Maybe, like, if only there was somebody—hint, hint—who might be able to help me to get to the water. And here you come, asking, "Do you want to be made well?" Perhaps you can identify in some way.

With this man, point number three, if you're taking notes, many find Jesus where all hope for earthly help is gone. There's no doubt in my mind that that's where this guy was.

In verse 8, Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." Immediately, the man was made well; he took up his bed and walked. That day was the Sabbath. You might think that's the end of the story, but it's not the end of the story, and I think it's not even the most important part.

In verse 10, the Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." He answered them and said, "He who made me well said, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" Then they asked, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

Afterward, I love these words: Jesus found him in the temple. I love that because, being in the condition he had been in, he probably had not been able to go to the temple for 38 years. He was not prohibited from going to the temple; they wouldn't help him. He could only go to the pagan place of worship practices around the Pool of Bethesda. But Jesus found him in the temple and said, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

The man departed and told the Jews it was Jesus who made him well. "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." For 38 years, he had been desperately hopeless, waiting for a miracle. Jesus says, "Listen, there's something worse than that. I've made you well of that situation, but there's something worse than that." You're looking for a miracle here for this thing that is before you, which is temporal, but there's something worse than that thing.

Jesus addresses that thing with three individuals in the story.

Nicodemus was looking for someone to come and deal with all the political issues, the chaos, and the turmoil to bring true justice. The woman at the well was looking for someone to bring a future, hope, and security. This man was looking for a miracle, someone to fix the issues, ease the pain, and settle the anxieties. What is it that you're looking for?

The Gospels introduce us to the one whom Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the man at the pool of Bethesda were looking for. Jesus said in John chapter 6, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." In John chapter 7, verse 37, He said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

In John chapter 8, verse 12, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life." John chapter 10, verse 7, states, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly."

I am the Good Shepherd. In John chapter 10, verse 11, the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Verse 14 of the same passage states, "I am the Good Shepherd, and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. I lay down my life for the sheep." In John chapter 11, He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live, and whoever believes in me shall never die."

In John chapter 14, He said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

One of His disciples speaks up and says, "Lord, we don't know what you're talking about. We don't know how to get to what you're talking about." Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

I don't know what you're seeking in your life, but it probably falls under one of these categories: a Messiah, a man, or a miracle in some way, shape, or form. It can be reduced down to that. But I can tell you this: Jesus is the one in whom dwells all the fullness.

Godhead in flesh, in body, and we are complete in Him, only in Him. Now, as I said, significant claims require significant proofs. What is the proof that this is true? Because it sounds so good. What we celebrate on this day is the proof.

It's one thing to say, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the door. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life." Anybody can say words like that, but you have to back that up with something. This Jesus was crucified and killed two thousand years ago on a hilltop outside of Jerusalem. He was laid in a tomb, dead, and three days later, He rose from the dead. He was seen by many, including more than 500 at one point in time. Historians agree the evidence supports that the early disciples believed they had seen the Risen Christ, and His life transformed theirs.

So, when we say, "He is risen," and we say, "He has risen indeed," we are confessing that He has proved that He is not a liar, He is not a lunatic; He truly is the Lord. He says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you also will be saved." That is His call to you today: to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead so that you also will be saved.

For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will not be ashamed. That's what we call the gospel, and gospel means good news. That's the good news! Amen.

I'm going to ask you to stand, and I will ask our worship team to come up and lead us in a song in just a moment. As we close today, I don't know every single one of you, and I don't know what led you to this place in your quest. You're seeking today, but there are some of you who have been seeking for something to satisfy a thirst, to restore some hurt or pain or problem in your life, or to fix the troubles in your life or this world. You've been seeking for something, and all the things that this world has to offer...

Always leave you thirsty, but in Him dwells all the fullness of God in bodily form, and you are complete in Him.

Father, we come before You this morning. We stand here in prayer and ask God that You would move in our midst by Your power and grace. I know that there are people here today who are seeking for something, and they have been left thirsty to this point. They still haven't found what they're looking for.

Lord, I pray that they would call out to You in prayer, confess You as Lord, believe that You were raised from the dead, and experience life more abundantly from You. Does that mean that every problem they have will go away immediately? No, but it does mean that ultimately we will be with You in Your presence, and in Your presence is fullness of joy. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

God, we rejoice in who You are today. As we are in this moment of prayer, if you today would like to receive the free gift of God's grace, His forgiveness, His salvation, would you just lift up your hand high so I can see it?

Anyone here? God bless you. I see many of you here in the middle. God bless you. Lift it up high. Praise the Lord! Many of you are lifting up your hands. The Scriptures say in Romans chapter 10 that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, that He is Lord, we shall be saved.

How do we do that? We do that in prayer. We pray and talk to God, who hears our prayers and answers our prayers. We confess our sins, acknowledging that we have fallen short of His perfect standard of righteousness, and we ask for His forgiveness, which is given to us on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross. He died for our sins, taking your shame, your sin, and your guilt upon Himself so that He might give you His righteousness.

So if that's you today, if you raised your hand high, I want to lead you in a very simple prayer. I invite you to admit that you are a sinner, that you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and that you call out to Him in confession, asking for His grace and forgiveness.

Wherever you are, just pray with me this very simple prayer out loud. Pray with me: Dear Jesus, I recognize that I have fallen short. I have not met Your perfect standard.

I confess that I am a sinner. I thank You that You died for me and that You rose from the dead. I pray that You would forgive me of my sin and help me to follow You by faith.

Before we start the song, I'm going to ask you to do something that may be difficult. If you raised your hand and prayed that prayer, saying, "I want to receive Christ today," I invite you to come up here to the front. I want to pray with you as we sing this song of worship. We have a group of people who want to pray with you, and we have a Bible we want to give to you.

If you raised your hand and said, "I want to follow the Lord. I want Him to forgive me of my sin," and you prayed that prayer, as Anthony leads us in the song, would you come up here and stand with me? Jesus called people publicly, and I'm asking you to step out from where you are. So, Anthony, lead us in a song. If that's you, come down here.