Jesus Skeptic - Jesus, You, and Experiential Evidence, Part 1

Can we know that Jesus really existed, what evidence is there to support his existence and his outrageous claim that he was God today will begin a new series from a close friend use his skill as an breadwinning investigative journalist answer that question.

You don't want to miss.

Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians the Bible to were so grateful you join us as we begin a new series called skeptic thought by our guest speaker John Dickerson. These changing times Living on the Edge is committed to turning to teacher for fresh biblical perspective on the issues world facing our mission Christians to live like Christians remains the same with church teaching or the occasional divorce bill for those who don't know John is a journalist and lead pastor of connection point Christian church in Indianapolis, Indiana for the next several programs will impact the reliable evidence for Christianity highlight the notable Christians from history turned our world upside down.

Okay, let's join John as he kicks off a series with his message Jesus you and experiential evidence is something that I can guarantee you, and I have in common and it is this you want to be happy. I want to be happy. We all want to be happy, and here's what I mean, I don't just mean that fleeting moment when your team wins the big game. That moment of happiness.

I'm talking about something more significant.

I'm talking about lasting internal fulfillment. I mean, that deep inner peace.

We all wanted and we all chase it in different ways.

Now, when I was a kid, I was absolutely certain how to achieve fulfillment is a very simple path. It was very clear in my mind was anything with four wheels car truck tractor. I'm a car guide to an extreme and when I was a kid every birthday every Christmas. All I wanted was diecast metal car models or tractors or trucks and then as I got older, I added on subscriptions to motor trend car and driver road and track hot Rod magazine writer magazine. I am not exaggerating. I don't think I would know how to read today if it wasn't for fine automotive journalism is now my old child that if I can work with cars when I grow up. That's it. Like that's heaven, what else does a person need in life.

I graduated with my journalism degree at age 20 and by age 23, I was the editor of a newspaper in Scottsdale, Arizona, and being the creative person that I am. I've figured out a way to be in charge of the press fleet. What is the Presley you might ask. It is the motor pool that all the manufacturers Jaguar Porsche Range Rover BMW Audi whenever they have a new model.

They took a certain number of those for journalists to drive and write about so I was in charge of the Presley for the newspaper that I work for what this meant was that is a 23-year-old I could not go and rent an economy car because I was a 25 but I had to do is send an email and a brand-new Audi RS four or whatever else I was in the mood for would comment be delivered at my door kid you not. With a full tank of gas. I could drive it for one week or two or three that I would write my column about it and I would say what I want.

Next goes the supercharged Range Rover. Let's try that and that was literally my life for a number of years and there's a picture of me at the wheel of one of those Audi. Here's what I learned during that time. One cars are awesome to. I also learned that if I was having a really bad day. Let's say my girlfriend just broke up with me and I slid into the leather seat of an AMG Mercedes with a sticker price of $146,000. It was still officially pate, I learned that if I had an entry-level economy car that I was testing that week one. Were you close the door to sound like a tin can in the Windows rollup. In fact when the first hybrids came out.

I remember the first Honda hybrid.

It was Phoenix, Arizona. I stopped at a stoplight. It was 115� out in the air conditioning turned off. Then yet figured out how to have a hybrid where the AC stayed on and how it will detail your point is I learned this, even if it was a really terrible car but I was having a good day and I was fulfilled in purpose and significance that I was still just as happy. You know I got what I had always wanted and I found that I was thirsty for something more.

I wonder if you ever felt that way where you you you give everything you can to get a relationship or promotion or a home or some achievement or some possession and it's not that the thing is necessarily a bad thing, but you finally get what you wanted and you find that you're still unfulfilled. Wonder if you can relate to that. Maybe you thought having a baby would make you happy and instead all that to make you sleep deprived. Maybe you thought the promotion at work would make you happy and instead it's just made you more stressed because now you're always thinking about working there so much responsibility with maybe thought all the bigger house. That'll be the thing and you got the bigger house and now it's like all man maintaining and cleaning and paying the bills on the bigger house. This wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Maybe you thought that I could marry that amazing person that will be happily ever after in and you get married and it's beautiful but it turns out to be a lot of work a lot of hurt feelings. Along the way.

If we live long enough, we all experience this feeling of this lack of fulfillment even after chasing fulfillment. With all that we all want or would you like to discover today how you can find fulfillment that lasts. Would you like to discover today how you can find that kind of inner peace, that whether you get into an economy car or the relationship didn't work out for the promotion didn't go through your okay and that even when those things do go through and they're good but not as good as you thought they'd be.

You have something else inside. Would you want that today want to take it today into the definitive feature of Jesus teaching is he Jesus claims over and over again that he can give you life to the full is one of the unique things about Jesus of all the people in human history. He did not claim to just be a good teacher or a profound spiritual guru or someone who could help you improve your life. He claimed that he is Almighty God. He claimed that he is the one who spoke the universe into existence and that he designed you and he alone can fulfill you and that he freely offers that to you. These are radical claims from a real person who actually lived and I found as a skeptical journalist. I started the very beginning did this guy even land. And once I decided okay. He led then I'd look can we know what he said and once I okay these words are reliable. This is what he said that I started to look at these words. I thought this guys either crazy or is actually God is not really a lot of room in the middle because look what he says here in John chapter 10 to you. He says I've come that you might have life and have it to the full menu talks like that big a business as a real person. Can you imagine being at like a party with some friends and you sit down with a drink and some guy sits down next to you and he turns uses a I've come that you might have life and that you might have life to the foliage we talking about Jesus talked as if he is the creator of the universe. He claims that he's a source of fulfillment that never runs out. Listen to this in John before he put it this way. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again.

He's talking about this very thing that I was talking about with the press, cars, words like man it's fun to drive a new car every week and not have to pay anything for it but there's something deeper and we've all been there. Were you get the car or the house or whatever else and then after a few months or a few years at Seiple.

What's next, and Jesus makes his claim. He says it.

If you will receive me into your life as God and experience me, you'll find the one source of water that you never thirst again radical claims but are they actually true and that's what I want to encourage you to genuinely ask yourself today.

Could Jesus give you a lasting fulfillment that nothing else and no one else can gift what if you could.

I spent probably pick out my college years all the way to my journalism career more than 10 years researching the existence of Jesus in the ancient manuscripts. I'm such a nerd that I went learned ancient Greek because I wanted to know, like, can we trust this thing that's called the Bible.

Have they settled with the original language and I'm such a nerd. I compiled so much evidence and I found that it all falls into really three basic categories there is ancient evidence ancient evidence would be things like Josephus and Sue. Tony is an Tacitus non-Christian writers of Jesus era who described this Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be God and what I found those ancient writings and ancient artifacts it affirmed to me the church didn't make up this Jesus guy.

He clearly lived and there's all sorts of ancient evidence. But then there's external evidence.

External evidence is really the human record from the time Jesus was born until now that we can measure objectively how he has impacted humanity for example every time you fill out something online and you have to put in your birthday and ask you the year that you were born like that here start with a 1900 or 2000 when we know that humanity goes back far longer than that because the year zero on our calendar is the year when Jesus was born. That's how profound his impact is on our world that every time an atheist writes their dates are actually referencing Jesus and there's all sorts of external evidence and will get into that throughout the series, but today I want to talk with you about something that I call internal evidence of first internal might sound subjective and in a sense internal is subjective, but here's the thing you're the subject. There are claims that Jesus makes that you'll never know if they're true or false unless you try. For example, in the word of God. God tells us this you will seek me and you will find me. If you search with all your heart and I reached a point in my quest for fulfillment. In my research of Jesus where I realize that yes, it is intellectually valid as some of the most brilliant people who ever lived have been followers of Jesus, for example, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, CS Lewis, you don't have to be dumb to believe in Jesus it's intellectually valid. However, there comes a point were asked to move from the head to the heart, and I realized as I read these claims of Jesus that I'm never going to know for sure if they work or not. Unless I try them and here's what I mean as a news reporter I learned early on right when I finished my undergrad my first newspaper editor assigned me to write a story about skydiving in Arizona is that I don't want to just be human interest story.

I want the statistics, what percentage of people die.

How high do they bounce off the ground of their parachute doesn't open. That's how twisted my newspaper editor was okay.

Arizona is a skydiving back and that's where I live. There's no clouds in the weather's good, and so I did all this research and is okay John, now that you've done everything about you know the statistics, the facts, I want you to go and go skydiving yourself. I want you to weave that into the story and describe what is it like and I learned that as an investigative reporter that there was the intellectual side to a story.

But then there was the experiential side to every story. Ever example, whenever I was covering crime.

No I would not go and do the crime if that's what you're thinking okay but I would have sources who would get me into the drug house where the heroin was sold so I could see it. I would ride along with the police officers who covered those beats. Why because there's part of any story that is fact and there's part of any of story that you gotta just be there to really know the truth of what's going on and I reached this point in my investigation of Jesus were I needed to do a ride along. I needed to test for myself to see if these claims were actually true.

So I grew up in Michigan and we would often go camping up in Canada and when we did there was this massive lake up there called Lake Matt Nanda. There is a waterfall stream that runs into the lake. It's probably considered a river here and it would vary in width depending on what year and how full the river was this pictures a year where the river was a little bit lower and it wasn't as wide. On one particular year.

I was about nine years old and my three older brothers. They're all incredibly athletic.

Their jocks and I know you think I did not get the G okay I didn't get that gene. I guy got the nerd gene instead. We were at this waterfall. As you can see in the picture.

About halfway down this waterfall goes down these stairs and there probably each. I don't know.

6 to 10 feet high.

If you're up close to the waterfall. There and in the middle. There's this pool and then the waterfall begins again. We were kind of fishing and setting up for a picnic and one of my older brothers incredibly athletic guy decided at the top of the river where the water looks very smooth that he was gonna inch his way across just to demonstrate that he was stronger than the waterfall. I'll never forget because I saw him out of the corner of my eye. One minute I see them in the next. I just hear this push whooshing noise and I look back and he's gone Emmy like that though the waterfall had taken him down a number of those steps and in the middle where there's this big pool water just, you know, going straight down.

It's been very and my other brothers we run there and were waiting like is David's had gonna pop up out of the water. We gain weight is not popping up in if any of you are the youngest in your group in a small home and you always had to share a bedroom you probably know what I was thinking at that moment, it's true. I'm a terrible person. I was thinking if he doesn't pop up to get his bedroom. He did pop up and he lived and everything was fine. But here's the thing. My brothers and I we will never again underestimate the power of moving water. We learned that no matter how strong you are if you step into a powerful current. The current is gonna take you where the current is going and it's a great picture because in the life we all get carried along by different currents so nothing step in the current of popularity or the current of achievement or the current of material possessions or the current of relationship and we think it's going to take is one place, we don't realize it's taking us somewhere else. We all seek to be happy. We all seek to be at peace but so often we find ourselves in these currents that are taking us out of happiness. They're taking us into anxiety and like we can't even get you every drug addict who is ruined their life and their relationships in their career. They'll start off by saying hey I really want to ruin my life and family and career. They start out thinking this feels good. This helps and I know some other people can't control it, but I can in the currents not to take me where it takes everyone else not of us. You don't plan to ruin our lives are planned to be unfulfilled. But there's all these raging currents we step into the current of our dream career or our dream car or dream partner and a lot of those things are not bad things. They just don't take us where we thought they would take us in my life. I spent a lot of years really my college years. All through my 20s. Looking at the different currents of life.

I'm an analytical person and I know it sounds nerdy in weird but I kinda launched out at age 17. From my home of origin to just study like where what actually leads to fulfillment what path am I gonna choose for my life and just trying them all. I could look at other people, let them get tossed around in the white water and decide what current leads where then be intentional about what to step into. I know that's kind analytical and nerdy, but that's part of my journey.

Here's something I realized along the way I'll never know for sure if the current of Jesus can carry me to fulfillment. I'll never know that for sure unless I get into it. There's so much that I can observe from the riverbanks and and I did a lot of observing from the riverbanks did this guy live have his followers been good wherever they've gone around the world has it been generally a good thing for humanity and then as I got to know followers of Jesus. Today there was this fulfillment.

There was this piece but I got to a point where realize I'm never going to know for sure unless I step in. For myself, but here's what I want to ask you today. Could Jesus give you the fulfillment that nobody else and nothing else can the answers you're up you'll never know unless you try this teacher, Joe Dickerson's message Jesus you and experiential evidence of this series is a skeptic chip and Joan will join us here in studio with some additional thoughts of application in just a minute. If someone were to ask you how you know Jesus actually lived or can we really trust the Bible, what would you say in this new series pastor and journalist John Dickerson answers those questions using evidence from multiple reliable sources in the well documented impact of Jesus followers throughout history jungles are credible case for the Christian faith or hope is that this series will help you confidently say Jesus is real. The Bible is true and I can prove it. For more information about Jesus skeptic go to LivingontheEdge.org or the chipping room or call AAA 333-6003 will trips with me in studio Noah chip we just wrapped up the first program in this new series from your friend John Dickerson talk for a minute about why you've invited them to share and what our listeners are going to learn from John while Dave John is a longtime friend. I actually met him shortly after he wrote a very groundbreaking book called the great evangelical recession in the research and that really kind of flew in the face of a lot of current thinking that we were viewing our world through in terms of the health of the church and he sounded some alarms that I thought well will be proved to be very true and through a relationship. After that he actually joined me for about four years of my teaching team here in California and I just watch this brilliant young guy uses skills as an investigative reporter to dig into Scripture and into history in ways that I'd never seen. And so John's great Bible teacher but this particular series.

He actually goes to the roots of a lot of things in America, especially in the Western world that are under attack and he doesn't quote of the people I mean he goes to first-hand resources about Christianity and its impact and were living in a world, especially now with the criticism and cancel culture that we don't know our own history and I think this is for skeptics. This is for people that we care about, especially the next generation who think you know I don't buy into all those who have heard things about Christianity in general. That's the dark side or the negative side, and to be sure there is been seasons of history where Christians have not acted like Christians.

They did not follow the teaching of Jesus. But when you dig deep and see the incredible influence of Christianity. John is asking and answering some of the most pivotal questions in our day and I felt like a Living on the Edge family had to hear this fixture will be sure to join us for this entire series, but also let me encourage you to order John's book, which is the basis for his teaching. He goes deeper into the undeniable evidence for Jesus and how we can more boldly defend our faith to get your copy of Jesus skeptic by John Dickerson go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 Listeners to help special offers. No, here's chip will thanks Dave right now I'm joined by our guest teacher for the series. My longtime friend John Dickerson and John, thanks for allowing us to share the series Jesus skeptic with the Living on the Edge family. I really think they're gonna resonate with this entire series and I believe make a real difference in their life and today you talked about the idea of fulfillment in the many things that offer satisfaction and inevitably leave us wanting. If you were sitting with a couple coffee with one of our listeners and you had just one take away what would you want to share with them yet. Chip.

You know, here's what I want to share and I have to believe in this moment that there's a person who God is speaking to you through the message you just heard you if you're honest have never really tried Jesus, you've never with the band and jumped into the middle of the river to let the current care you've tried other things for fulfillment. But if you're honest you've never really tried Jesus, and if I was sitting across from you right now I with love in my eyes and with the best of intentions in my heart I would say to you, please, for your own good.

Give Jesus a try. I mean really give it a try. You tried other things to lead you to fulfillment.

They haven't worked. Would you really give Jesus a try really call out to him in a way that says Jesus. If your God, if you're there I want to know you. I want to experience you as other thing I'd say chip is that I have to believe that a lot of people listening to this are followers of Jesus, and I know in my life that I need regular times where I examine myself and ask myself the honest question.

What am I really looking to deliver fulfillment in my life and I know for many of you listening if you're honest, I have many days where say wow if I'm honest, it's my financial security or it's a relationship for its consistency in my job. And while those things aren't evil they can't deliver what Jesus cancel. For those of you listening you've known the freedom that Jesus can offer you jumped into the river so to speak. You've trusted in him for your forgiveness you've experienced that I want to encourage you today. Be honest with yourself.

Are you really looking to Jesus or his maybe life gotten a little dry a little apathetic, a little stale because you been looking to something else and if so, you know, just returned to him return to him, see Kim and you'll find them once again. Great word John.

Thanks, before we go I want to remind you that the chipping room up is an easy way to share messages or complete series with others. So whenever you're encouraged by what you hear. I hope you'll pass it along to a friend or loved one who will benefit from it and be sure to tell them how it made a difference in your life will be with us again next time as our guest teacher John Dickerson continues his series Jesus Silva.

This is truly thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge