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"Here as in Heaven."
For more information visit : garden.church
Welcome to the Garden Church podcast.
Darren Rouanzoin:Happy Easter. Happy Easter. I'm so glad you made it and got to register for this one. So, we obviously are crammed in here, but we love that you showed up on this special day that we announced to the world that he is risen.
Darren Rouanzoin:I was just testing. I was seeing like how committed are you? Because you know the thing that I wanted to cheer for was May and for baptisms and of course, very very few weekends, can dunk somebody and be like, may the fourth be with you as well. Let's go. That's a Star Wars reference for all of you who don't know.
Darren Rouanzoin:We we have a class for that later this week. We'll let you know. Well, normally, for the guests, we have a bunch of guests here. Normally, I I spend Sundays just grabbing some of a text here from the word and then I dig in and teach context and and preach the word. In fact, next week, I've been gone for three months, on a sabbatical and I just got back but next week we're gonna start, part two of Revelation.
Darren Rouanzoin:So we've been, Let's go. We're cheering for Revelation. And if you missed the first half, like I'm gonna do a couple weeks of review. So you wanna come and kinda get an accelerated teaching through the first few chapters and then we'll we'll kick off into the next section of of the book. But but today it's different.
Darren Rouanzoin:I As I was preparing and praying, know, during my sabbatical, I read lots of sci fi books and, a couple. And and then I kinda got obsessed with Martin Luther and the reformation history, so I read some of that. And then and then I was like got into Billy Graham sermons on Spotify, so I'd be like dead lifting in the gym listening to Billy Graham sermons to get me pumped up. So if you don't know who he is, he's an evangelist, but that's a true story. You know, you're listening to Eight Mile or something like that or maybe Kendrick, but I'm listening to Billy Graham nineteen fifty.
Darren Rouanzoin:Let's go. And I was thinking about that because in our day and age, there's a lot of confusion in our culture right now. And I wanna make a compelling case for why the resurrection of Jesus is not just a religious tradition but the only truth strong enough to hold your life together. That we're constantly being sold to believe, various systems of belief by influencers, ideologies, religions and algorithms. And from Whether it's from ancient belief systems, or whether it's from the modern self help or a progressive political ideology or a spiritual DIY method of doing your own thing, the world offers you an endless amount of paths to peace and purpose and salvation.
Darren Rouanzoin:But what I wanna confront today is that not all paths lead to peace and not all gods are good and not all truths will set you free. And the gods of this modern life like technology and therapy and politics and self optimization promise us freedom and peace but what have we received? Anxiety and loneliness and depression and division and distraction and despair. All of those things saturate our lives like never before. And we are overloaded in this moment with information and we're starving for meaning.
Darren Rouanzoin:So today, what I wanna do is simply present a case that Jesus is the most reasonable, reliable and hope filled response to reality. And the question I want to ask you, I want you to ask is both personal and maybe universal. Is Jesus truly the way, the truth and the life? And to answer that question, I'm gonna look at scripture. I wanna step back and look at the rise of various religious movements throughout history and poke holes at them.
Darren Rouanzoin:I wanna kinda dive into philosophical ideas and poke holes at those as well. And then we'll look at history itself and land in this cultural moment and ask the question, what's truth? Is that alright? So this message is more of a confrontation. Easter is not about bunnies and chocolate eggs or brunch menus.
Darren Rouanzoin:God bless brunch menus. Can't wait. I got one more to get through after this and then we got some brunch. It's a bold declaration in the face of every false promise, the tomb is empty. Jesus is alive and that changes everything.
Darren Rouanzoin:So let me pray. Lord Jesus Christ, we do come under your name. We thank you for that time of worship that we could honor you God. The one true king. The lamb of God who is worthy.
Darren Rouanzoin:In that it wasn't just great music or a set list or emotionalism but that in the midst of your worship you inhabit your praise and you're near to us. We want you to be near to our hearts today. Jesus invade our lives. Disrupt the way we think the world works today As the gospel is proclaimed, may it land on good soil in Jesus name. Amen.
Darren Rouanzoin:Alright. If you're new to church, we say amen, hallelujah when we like something. We boo the preacher when we don't like him. No. I don't boo.
Darren Rouanzoin:Okay? I'm too sensitive. I'm just warming up. Alright? I I need to get ready for the 01:00.
Darren Rouanzoin:So if you have a bible, go to Luke chapter 24 and can you can you just put Let me see those bibles. Those of you that brought bibles, if you don't have one, don't worry I'm not alienating you per se but the words will be on a screen behind me. We're gonna go to Luke 24. It's the end of a gospel and it's, Luke's account of what we're celebrating today. So check this out, verse one.
Darren Rouanzoin:On the first day of the of the week, very early in the morning, the women took spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found that the stone, they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, why do you look for the living among the dead?
Darren Rouanzoin:He is not here. He has risen. The word of the Lord. Yes. This is what we're celebrating, this story and I find it fascinating because this account describes what happened on the first Easter morning.
Darren Rouanzoin:The women were headed to the tomb with spices. They planned to finish the burial of their dead rabbi. They were not anticipating a resurrection even though Jesus said he would raise from the dead three days later. They were confused. In fact, if you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, in the accounts of the resurrection Sunday, Easter Sunday, there's all sorts of doubt misunderstanding.
Darren Rouanzoin:They don't get what they should get. Why on earth, if you're trying to make up a story would you put those details into the account? That's what I love about the gospels. One thing is that the confusion's there because of why this is written. How this is written.
Darren Rouanzoin:The gospel of Luke isn't a myth or a moral fable, it's ancient investigative journalism. Luke, a physician by trade, carefully compiled eyewitness accounts to give an orderly evidence based narrative of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. He writes the misunderstanding. He writes them not getting what's happening because that's actually how it happened. Now that's interesting because when it comes to the reliability of testimony, the New Testament holds up against every other ancient document.
Darren Rouanzoin:If you There's a book by f f Bruce called the New Testament Documents, Are They Reliable? And he says, if we compare the textual state of the New Testament with any other ancient writing, We are astounded at the vast superiority of our evidence. No other document from the ancient world has nearly as much early manuscript support. Why does this matter? Because when it comes to Jesus, we're not dealing with legends being passed down over time.
Darren Rouanzoin:We have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts. Some dated within the decades of Jesus' life, far past surpassing all the other ancient literature out there including Homer's Iliad or, Caesar's Gaelic Wars. We're talking about verifiable history documented within the lifespan of the eyewitnesses. The gospels aren't religious eye, religious wishful thinking. They're grounded in reality.
Darren Rouanzoin:The reports are undeniable. All four gospels have one thing in common. They say Jesus rose from the dead. So whether you wanna trust ancient documents and practice textual criticism and place your theory on that or some TikTok influencer, you decide for yourself what's true. What makes Jesus unlike anyone else in history isn't just what he taught, it's what happened after he died.
Darren Rouanzoin:The first Christians didn't go around spreading a philosophy. They didn't gain wealth or status or power or platforms or social status. They were beaten, imprisoned, hunted, exiled and executed because they claimed to have seen Jesus alive. Think about that. Nobody dies for a metaphor.
Darren Rouanzoin:You don't get crucified because you had good vibes. You die. That was for me. You die because you're utterly convinced about something and that something for them was that Jesus lives. And that's what sets Christianity apart from every other world religion.
Darren Rouanzoin:The resurrection isn't what Christians believe. It's actually the center of reality itself. Jesus isn't a spiritual mentor projection or a myth that's trying to control you through religion. He's not a moral archetype or a life coach. Jesus and the resurrection and the message of Christ was taken around the world by his followers.
Darren Rouanzoin:They crossed every boundary, every nation, and crossed and impacted every world view that they came to. Let me show you. If you have a bible, go to Luke I'm sorry, Acts chapter 17, part two of Luke, season two. Acts 17 verse 16. I wanna show you this because I want you to see what we're doing even in our midst right now.
Darren Rouanzoin:What I'm trying to do is similar to what took place in Acts. There's a guy named Paul, he was an apostle, a radical convert of Jesus. He went around the Roman Empire planting churches and he doesn't just show up and try to fit in. He clashes with the dominant ideologies of his day. Paul goes to the capital of intellect in the ancient world, Athens, a city filled with idols and philosophies and shrines and seekers.
Darren Rouanzoin:And what happens? It says in verse 16, while Paul was waiting for his companions in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. He was moved deeply to see that the place he was in was surrounded by idolatries, idols, statues dedicated to various gods. So he reasoned with them, With the the Jews and the God fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day by, with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and stoic philosophers began to debate him.
Darren Rouanzoin:Some of them asked, what is this Jesus freak trying to say, this babbler. Others remarked, he seems to be advocating for foreign gods. A crime punishable by death in Athens. They said this because of what Paul was preaching, the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Now just pull back for a second.
Darren Rouanzoin:Athens was a city bursting with God's temples and philosophies. Paul didn't go in and try to market Jesus as an option among many. He doesn't try to sound trendy or culturally relevant. He proclaims Jesus and the resurrection. Because in the end, that is the message that cuts through every culture, every philosophy, and every lie that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and raised from the day dead.
Darren Rouanzoin:That is the kind of thing we face today. A culture overflowing with options. Now before I talk about our cultural moment, which I'll get to, don't worry, no one's safe today. I wanna talk about what led to this moment. The things that we struggle with in this moment.
Darren Rouanzoin:I wanna just give you a case so that when you hear the gospel preached, it's not without context. Because every time if you read Acts that the gospel's presented, it's always in response to what's happening in that moment. Whether it's the Holy Spirit falling on people, whether it's whether it's the the Gentiles are being baptized by the Holy Spirit. The the the people when they're when they're witnessing God's activity, when God is moving among them, or they're in a situation where they're confronted with different world religions and systems, the gospel's presented in its context. And for the church, we need to understand what time it is.
Darren Rouanzoin:What time are we facing as the people of God? If you read the book of Romans, it's If you were to summarize the book of Romans by Paul, it's the gospel in a nutshell. But why would Paul write the gospel to the church? Why do we need to hear the gospel today as the church? I'll get back to that in a second.
Darren Rouanzoin:So today, we face these options. So let me let me ask you, does Jesus stand apart? And this is for anyone that's been searching. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It offers a spiritual buffet of millions of gods, countless rituals and karma.
Darren Rouanzoin:Karma determines your next life. So salvation in Hinduism is achieved through the endless cycle of reincarnation. Life after life, climbing towards some unrealistic future ideal of perfection. But Jesus doesn't teach reincarnation, he promises resurrection. He don't He he'd You don't need to be reborn a thousand times, you need to be born again once in him.
Darren Rouanzoin:Buddhism, less ancient but still influential and I'll get to the why it's influential in a second, teaches that the root of suffering is desire. So salvation is simply detachment. Extinguishing desire, dissolving self, yourself into nothingness is the ideal future for nirvana. But Jesus doesn't teach escape from suffering. He he enters your suffering.
Darren Rouanzoin:He he weeps at graves. He touches the untouchable. He suffers on the cross. Jesus doesn't call you to escape from pain and check out. He redeems your pain.
Darren Rouanzoin:Christianity doesn't end with nothingness, emptiness, it begins with an empty tomb. Islam, a popular religion worldwide founded in the seventh century, honors Jesus as a prophet, and I think that's interesting. That they honored Jesus as a prophet, but in their own writings, they deny the crucifixion. In their own writings, it says in the Quran, they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, referring to Jesus. So seven century later, this dominant world religion today, Islam, in their book Quran, they believe that Jesus did not die or did die on a cross.
Darren Rouanzoin:Now here's the problem with that. Every serious historian, regardless of religious belief, affirms that there was a Jesus of Nazareth who was killed by the Romans on a cross under Pontius Pilate. So you have to deny history to accept that belief. Now, most of us maybe we're not familiar with those forms of religions, but let me talk about a very dominant popular religion that has made its way into the church. And and what's happened in the church is something called syncretism.
Darren Rouanzoin:It's it's basically we take modern context, modern religions or other religions and we bring it in and to worship God the same way. Now, this is gonna be frightening for some of you but I need you to see this because this is what's playing out. There's something called new age spirituality. I'm just gonna loop this together, lump this together from with what's going on. So I would say new age spirituality today is a mix of self help, mysticism, and this idea of just be spiritual, follow your intuition, be spiritual not religious, live your truth.
Darren Rouanzoin:You know what I'm saying? But the problem is, and this is what we see today, you were never meant to carry the burden of creating your own truth. Because truth isn't a vibe. Truth is a person. And this generation is drowning in meaning making without surrender surrender.
Darren Rouanzoin:We want wonder without worship. We want power without a king. So what do we do? Well, we reach for crystals and tarot cards and astrology apps and energy readings and mediums. And we try to tap in to the spiritual power out there without spiritual authority.
Darren Rouanzoin:And I need to tell you that not every spirit is holy. Not every voice is true. Scripture says, dear friends, do not believe every spirit but test spirits and see whether they are from God. Let me just say this on a side note. Jesus comes to heal.
Darren Rouanzoin:Yes. But he also comes to deliver people from evil. Yes. Thank you. And the church has tried to opt out of this but we are the institution that gets to deliver people of evil spirits.
Darren Rouanzoin:And there are no neutral territories. They're either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. And what happened in the church is we take these ideas, we think like pop psychology and various ideas that we found on TikTok and we think it's Or or Instagram and we think it's harmless. And we take these belief systems into us and into our mind and ideas and we get trapped by teachings that are marked by Satan. That sounds harsh but I need to come after some of these idols in the room.
Darren Rouanzoin:Jesus himself says, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. So when Jesus in John Gospel presents his ministry, he says, there's an enemy waged against your soul. There's a war warfare working against you. This enemy is Satan, devil, the thief, and he's trying to destroy your life.
Darren Rouanzoin:But I have come so that you may have it, but have it overflowing, filled to the full measure, pouring over kind of life. Anyone want that kind of life? That's what he comes to do, to give us this this kind of life. Now that's that's religion. I'm just speaking to religion.
Darren Rouanzoin:Let me keep going, stick to my notes. Here we go. You guys good at 11:00? Yeah. Okay.
Darren Rouanzoin:Good. If not, doesn't matter. I'm gonna keep preaching. Thanks for the encouragement. But Jesus, if I I've studied lots of world religions, that's what brought me back to faith when I was at UCSB.
Darren Rouanzoin:There was this pursuit of trying to understand truth. And and then I I discovered something else and it was the world of philosophy. And many of us dabble here, but what you have to see is when we get to our modern context, where we're dealing what we're dealing with in the cultural crisis that we face is this modern philosophy has been developed over the years, for centuries and thousands of years. Like, we've been shaped by Socrates and Plato and Seneca, and our worldview has been shaped by so many different thinkers. And so when you look at what's going on right now with our obsession with identity or emotional wellness, you add to that kind of obsession the influence of the sexual revolution, pop psychology, the self help industry, you get what we're dealing with now which is what some call expressive individualism.
Darren Rouanzoin:Which is the belief that the self is sacred, the most sacred, and your deepest purpose is to discover and express your own truth. Here's the truth. Every ancient religion, every modern ideology, every spiritual system that you can construct ultimately will leave you searching for more. Only Jesus satisfies. Only Jesus fills that ache.
Darren Rouanzoin:These great minds throughout history have tried to name the thing, like Aristotle said, the goal of life is eudaimonia, a flourishing through virtue. But Jesus doesn't give you or offer a moral framework, he offers life to the full. Epicurus sought to a life free from pain through simple pleasures, but Jesus offers peace that surpasses understanding, that holds up against the suffering that you will inevitably experience if you live at all. Seneca and the stoics pursued reason in order to steady the soul. But Jesus isn't the source of calm, he is the logos, the divine word behind the universe.
Darren Rouanzoin:Sigmund Freud said, life is simply about pleasure. Many of us live this way through escaping on Netflix and checking out on social media and all the other symptoms, but Jesus offers joy unspeakable, full of glory. Again, a joy that cannot be robbed or taken away with suffering. Carl Jung believed that life is about integrating power from within. Jesus sends a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
Darren Rouanzoin:A power from heaven, not from ego. Jordan Peterson, modern day, and I know some of you are like, don't touch Jordan. He says, life is about carrying the burden of meeting through meaning through responsibility. But Jesus says, come to me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Darren Rouanzoin:You see when you look at philosophy of the world, what you have to understand is Jesus offers grace not karma. Relationship not religion. Resurrection not enlightenment. He doesn't say earn it, he says it's finished. He doesn't ask you to climb to heaven, he brings heaven to you.
Darren Rouanzoin:And let me just say, this is what you're longing for. Yes. The words you're hearing are saturated with the Holy Spirit and your heart longs for it. Not for an idea, an ideology, or a philosophy, or the right practice. You're longing for Jesus himself, the bread of life.
Darren Rouanzoin:The water that satisfies the living water that satisfies those who are thirsty. And if you come to him, it says rivers of living water will flow from within. The human ache inside of all of us is for transformation, change, meaning. Meeting the person that create us. We're longing for that place.
Darren Rouanzoin:And I have to say, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus changes hearts today. You don't have to look far to see that the world is broken. You can look at your own life and recognize right now, do you have habits you wish you can change? I'll be the first to say yes, I do. Anyone else wanna say hi?
Darren Rouanzoin:Hi, I'm Darren. I'm broken. I need change. And here's the good news and I love it. This is good news for some of you today.
Darren Rouanzoin:Jesus can transform your life. He could heal the trauma. He can set you free of addiction. I'm not just talking about a one time prayer. That could happen or he can partner with you in the transformation that you're longing for.
Darren Rouanzoin:He will bring deep family and community that will help you become the person you're created to be, not on a solo journey going inward, but on an external journey with friends to discover God of the universe is as close as your breath. You brothers and sisters, the good news is that Jesus changes hearts today. But he also changed history. History itself bears witness to the resurrection. This is what really brought me to faith.
Darren Rouanzoin:I know this is kind of a strange thing, it's personal for me, that if you were to step back and evaluate movements throughout civilization and history, there's no greater institution that has done more good for humanity than Christianity. Wherever Jesus has been taken seriously, things have gotten better. And you can look at the history. Hospitals began with Christians who saw the image of God in every person. Universities began because Jesus followers wanted to worship God with their mind and they had a they had a value to educating people.
Darren Rouanzoin:Science was sparked by the belief in an ordered creation. One author says, far from holding back science, the church was its most enthusiastic sponsor. Human rights movement, women's dignity, the abolition of slavery, and the ongoing compassionate movements of caring for the poor, all anchored in the teachings of Jesus. History bears witness to the resurrected Christ. Just think about it.
Darren Rouanzoin:We've mapped the human genome. We've we've built AI, launched rockets, space stations in outer space, yet we've never improved on the Sermon on the Mount. No app teaches you humility, no algorithm produces mercy, no artificial intelligence can love sacrificially. Only Jesus does that in you. He forms that within you.
Darren Rouanzoin:Okay. Maybe you don't care about Buddhism and stoicism and who started Harvard and what, you know, what does it matter if Seneca was a philosopher or if Christians started hospitals? Here's the truth. All of these philosophies, all of these world religions and cultural moments have shaped the rise of our modern world view. All the things we're living in.
Darren Rouanzoin:We're standing in the ruins of secular promises. Our culture is on the brink of collapse and the church is on the brink of revival. You don't have to look far to see how broken things are broken things are out there And you don't have to look far right now to see how alive things are inside his church. I was in Melbourne, Australia in January. I was on a sabbatical.
Darren Rouanzoin:I wasn't supposed to but I ended up preaching at my friend Mark's church. And and on my way there, I was in Uber in Melbourne which is like a very secular progressive city of Australia. Known for that. And I've heard from Mark and others like this is you know, a challenging place to be a Christian. So I'm driving in in Uber and it was a thirty minute drive and I I'm always talking in Ubers.
Darren Rouanzoin:I just hold them hostage and and we were talking politics and all sorts of things and he's 48 year old man with two kids divorced. I got that out of him. And he was very talkative. And and then he's like, where am I taking you? As we were talking, I'm like, you're taking me to church.
Darren Rouanzoin:He's like, no way. He's like, I went to church for the first time on Christmas Eve. And I was like, woah, that's crazy. Why did you go to church? He's like, the world is crazy.
Darren Rouanzoin:And I'm trying to raise my kids in the chaos of school systems here. And I just don't know what to do so I went to church. I'm like, that's insane. Yeah. That's amazing.
Darren Rouanzoin:What did you think of church? He's like, well, it was Presbyterian. I love the teaching. Didn't like the worship. So I went to a Pentecostal church the next week.
Darren Rouanzoin:I love the worship. Didn't like the teaching. Like that's great, know. I said, you'll Here's the thing. I'm actually going to preach at this church.
Darren Rouanzoin:And I I think you'll love the worship and I know whether if I'm good or not, you'll love the pastor. He's a great thinker. He's a great teacher. You should come sometime. He goes, wait, what time are you preaching?
Darren Rouanzoin:I said, at ten. He's like, I'll take a couple more people and I'll come back. And he came back. I've invited a lot of Uber drivers. First time is in Melbourne.
Darren Rouanzoin:Right? Secular culture. And let me tell you what happened. He I I see him. I'm like, oh my gosh.
Darren Rouanzoin:I run to the back. I have a seat for him. He sits next to my wife and I. It's time to take communion. The blood and and body and blood of Jesus.
Darren Rouanzoin:The juice and the cracker. I grab one. I grab one for him. I'm like, hey, do you wanna receive communion right now? And he goes, I don't know what communion is.
Darren Rouanzoin:And I share the gospel. I said, do you wanna receive Jesus as Lord and savior? He starts crying, I absolutely do. And he accepts Jesus. He's now at that church.
Darren Rouanzoin:Emailed, got get connected, needs help with his kids, all this stuff. Why do I say that? Lots of reasons, but he named it. Mhmm. World is crazy.
Darren Rouanzoin:Culture is collapsing. And the lies we've been sold are right in front of us and the resurrection exposes the lies. I love what Timothy Keller says. He wrote that every culture has its set of its own idols. What he calls the gods of the secular age.
Darren Rouanzoin:And he says, they're not statues on altars, they're the deep promises behind our obsessions. You'll be safe if you have enough success. You'll be whole if you find the right relationship. You'll matter if you prove yourself. You'll be accepted if you curate the right image.
Darren Rouanzoin:The idol of money promises freedom but leaves us anxious and enslaved. The idol of self tells us to follow our hearts but it leads us to isolation, depression and confusion. The idol of politics promises salvation but only divides and disillusions. The idol of sex promises pleasure but leaves us empty and disconnected. The culture, our culture tells you the highest good is to be your most authentic self.
Darren Rouanzoin:But here's the tragedy. When you turn inward for identity and purpose, you don't find clarity, you find confusion. We were never meant to define ourselves. We were to be named, made to be named by a father, loved by a savior and empowered by the holy spirit. And when you come to Jesus, he doesn't erase your identity, he redeems it.
Darren Rouanzoin:And that's the truth. And if you've heard this sermon, now I've preached it three times, you'll see I keep using the word truth. Truth. And I'm doing it intentionally. Not to make my sermon sound more authoritative, although it is, but as a response to culture.
Darren Rouanzoin:In our day, truth has become relative. The truth is whatever you want it to be, you can have alternative facts, I can have alternative facts. You can call something your truth and treat it like it's unchangeable. But that's not true. Because in the moments of crisis, we know that that feeling is not enough.
Darren Rouanzoin:Like, just a couple weeks ago, I read in the New York Times about the tragic helicopter crash that happened in New York that was captured on film. A family died tragically, a young family. The helicopter a sightseeing helicopter fell into the Hudson and everyone died, the pilot included. It was devastating, heartbreaking. But how did the New York Times cover the article, cover the story?
Darren Rouanzoin:What they what did they demand? They didn't ask for vibes or speculation. They wanted to know what happened. Why did it crash? What went wrong?
Darren Rouanzoin:Was it human error or mechanical error? We don't want a version of some truth, we want the truth. Concrete, clear, in our world of misinformation, alternative facts. You have your truth, I have my truth. We still want more.
Darren Rouanzoin:Why? Because deep in every human heart is this longing to know, to understand, to discover truth. That's in everyone's heart. Why? Because that quest for truth is actually a signpost pointing you to something bigger.
Darren Rouanzoin:That desire to know is pointing people to Jesus. And that's the truth. The meaning of life you're searching for. That purpose. That validation.
Darren Rouanzoin:That belonging. It's found in truth. His name is Jesus. It's found in Jesus. He lived.
Darren Rouanzoin:He died. He rose again. Buddha died. Siddhartha died. Mohammed died.
Darren Rouanzoin:Joseph Smith died. Every other religious and philosophical and political figure throughout history, guess what? They died. Jesus came back from the dead because John 11 says in his words, I am the resurrection and the life. And the one who believes in Jesus will live even though they die.
Darren Rouanzoin:Jesus is not a life coach. Let me make this perfectly clear clear. He's not a philosopher. He's not a teacher of instruction. He's not an accessory to add to your life and fit it into your schedule when it's convenient.
Darren Rouanzoin:He's not a spiritual product to consume. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the lion of Judah. He is the root of David. He is the alpha and the omega.
Darren Rouanzoin:He is the beginning and the end. The author of life that holds death in his hands. He is the only one worthy of opening the scroll. He is the amen, the suffering servant, the son of God, the new Adam, the one true king. He is the word of God who speaks creation into existence.
Darren Rouanzoin:He is the great I am. He is the resurrection and the life. The light of the world. The bread of life. The living water that satisfies.
Darren Rouanzoin:He is the good shepherd. He is the gate through which you enter. The true vine through which you live. And he is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the father except through him.
Darren Rouanzoin:I'll say amen all by myself up here. That's true. So is it true to you? Have you surrendered, Wrestled? Given over?
Darren Rouanzoin:Jumped into the deep end? Are you holding out? You know indecision is a decision. You can go to the airport to get on that flight but that plane leaving is your decision. Jesus invites you into a relationship.
Darren Rouanzoin:He's not asking you to believe in fairy tales or to reject your intellect or to minimize the suffering you've experienced in this life. He's not asking you to neglect reason or reject science or history or philosophy. He's inviting you to have faith. You don't need certainty or sight to walk with Jesus. You need faith.
Darren Rouanzoin:Because we know you can have facts and deny truth more than ever before. Facts are helpful when making a decision but what you need is faith. Faith is about trust. It's about belief. It's about relaxing into what is ultimately true.
Darren Rouanzoin:It's standing, sitting, walking into what you've come to believe to be true. The fact is the tomb is empty, the truth is he is risen. Oh, you're getting better 11, let's go. So at some point you have to, well, me just say this. You just heard the gospel in our context.
Darren Rouanzoin:This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Jesus. And I've come to understand that there's only two responses to the gospel. It's very simple. There's not three, there's not four, there's not 17. There's two responses.
Darren Rouanzoin:Either Jesus is not who he says he is and we are a part of the greatest hoax in human history and we should be sad about that because he's a liar and a lunatic or whatever it is or it's true. If you come to believe that it's not true, just go ahead and live whatever life you wanna live. Find your peace somewhere else And eventually you'll meet Jesus because he's coming back. And But if you believe today that this is true, what do you do? Remember the gospel is not just for the outsiders, it's for the church.
Darren Rouanzoin:The message of Jesus, this presentation is not for just new Christians who've never said yes to Jesus. It's for the church. Why? Because the church is sleeping. Jesus' message, I love Jesus' message that Mark's gospel makes it so simple.
Darren Rouanzoin:He summarizes Mark the gospel writer, summarizes the teachings of Jesus in one sentence or two sentences, one line. However you wanna break it up. He says, the kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of God, God's reign and rule. What life is designed to be?
Darren Rouanzoin:The life that you were intended to live. A life marked by peace and wholeness and justice and healing and righteousness. A life where you have right relationships with each other because you have right relationship with God and yourself. That life which I'll call Shalom Is available not when you go somewhere else when you die. Jesus says it's at hand.
Darren Rouanzoin:It's right here. You can't you have access to it through relationship to Jesus. So that is what That was his good news. His good news wasn't, alright, say this prayer, you get to go to heaven when you die. He said, believe in me, live your life in relationship with me and you will live as though heaven is present in your reality until I come back or until you reach and he brings heaven to earth once and for all.
Darren Rouanzoin:And his response, the other part was a very simple phrase which we've tried to make religious in the church but I wanna I wanna deconstruct it for a second if you will. His response to that message, the gospel, the good news that you have access to this life is to repent and believe. Repent, a very religious word. You love it, I'm sure. Repent all ye sinners.
Darren Rouanzoin:Thou hast they says the Lord. King James, old English. No. Repentance and belief, actually went together as a military term used by other people as well. And repentance, the idea is to change your mind or to change directions.
Darren Rouanzoin:Greeks said, okay, you thought about the world this way, now think this way. New information comes in, change your thinking. Or for the the Hebrew community, it was you were headed in this direction, now you have information, change directions. Some I love this one. Some rabbis say it meant to return home.
Darren Rouanzoin:That's even better. So in view of this information, return, change, think differently, but also believe. Belief is not an intellectual idea. It's like your whole all the atoms in your body, all the the muchness of your your soul, comes to trust in what has been presented. One New Testament scholar says the the best translation for the word believe which is connected to the word trust and faith in the new testament.
Darren Rouanzoin:A better modern translation is to relax in. So change directions and relax in Jesus. And the military term is to just realign your resources, realign your the resources of your soul, redirect the direction you're going, the allegiances of your heart as you follow this new Messiah. So when the gospel is presented to the church, we repent and believe. We stop doing one thing and we do another.
Darren Rouanzoin:Brothers and sisters, do you know what time it is? Like God is moving right now in the nation. I mean, he's moving all over the world. People are coming to faith not because Christians are ministering to outsiders but because God loves his world, his children and creation. But if you're not paying attention, you will miss it.
Darren Rouanzoin:And this is a moment to wake up and reallocate your resources. To redirect the resources of your heart towards Jesus and realign yourselves to his way. And that's the invitation today that I have for the church to repent and believe. I love how it's taught in Revelation. I've been immersed in Revelation.
Darren Rouanzoin:He says, this is to it to the church. Jesus says, those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. I I love that. Yeah. Anyone have kids?
Darren Rouanzoin:When your 11 year old's like, he's not in here. Just don't say this to him. When he's like, you're not being gracious, dad. Jesus gives second and third chances. Good theology, bad talking back.
Darren Rouanzoin:It says, so be earnest and repent. And Jesus says to you today, here I am. I stand at the door of your heart and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me. And that's it.
Darren Rouanzoin:The truth is Jesus is the only way and he's the truth and he's the life. Let's pray. Can I just invite you to close your eyes? And before, we just continue, we're gonna worship in a few moments. Just wanna give some of you, I'm gonna ask all of you just to not move for a second, just close your eyes unless you're in worship.
Darren Rouanzoin:Just wanna speak to some of you. I do, we've been having, we've had over, I don't know how many people, over 30 something people in the last two services accept Jesus for the first time or rededicate their life to Jesus in a public confession. In Matthew Jesus says, whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my father in heaven. I used to be in this place where I I didn't really like teaching or offering a chance for people to publicly respond but I feel as though we are in the time that requires the church to proclaim the gospel and expect a response. That I know God's pulling on your hearts and we need spaces for you, for the people of God and for outsiders to make a commitment and and invite the Lord into their lives to begin the journey.
Darren Rouanzoin:This isn't just the answer, we wanna help form you into Christ likeness over a long period of time through discipleship and community and, local church ministry. But I wanna offer you a chance to confess that Jesus is Lord and raised from the dead. Romans ten says, if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. And everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. So if that's you today, would you just raise your hand?
Darren Rouanzoin:You wanna just say, I'm coming back to Jesus, I wanna give my life to Jesus. Would you raise it up high? I'd like to pray with you and have you pray a prayer in your own heart. Just raise them up high if you're here and you have that. I see I see a couple hands.
Darren Rouanzoin:Just right now is the time. Thank you for your boldness and your courage. I'm just gonna pray this prayer. You can pray to the Lord in your own heart. Just say, dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
Darren Rouanzoin:Would you come into my life and my heart? I confess that you are savior, you are Lord and raised from the dead. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to follow you for the rest of my life. I pray in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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