Participants: J. D. Quinn (Host), Troy Fitzgerald
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000407
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00:01 What is one of the most amazing questions
00:03 that Christ asked His Disciples? 00:05 Standby, we'll be right back. 00:32 Welcome to "Issues & Answers." 00:33 My name is J.D. Quinn. 00:35 As I asked a while ago what is one of the most 00:38 amazing questions that Christ asked of His disciples. 00:41 Today, I have a friend by the name of Troy Fitzgerald 00:45 and he's gonna help us answers that question. 00:47 Troy welcome to "Issues & Answers." 00:49 Oh, good to be here, thank you. 00:51 Please tell our audience something about yourself. 00:55 Well, I have a lovely wife, her name is Julia. 00:59 We've been married 19 years just about here 01:03 and we have two beautiful boys, 12-year-old 01:05 Cameron and Morgan he's 7 years old. 01:09 And they are all boys, I'll bet. 01:11 They are all boys and we live in 01:15 College Place, Walla Walla, Washington 01:18 and I'm the pastor for youth and young adult 01:22 at Walla Walla, University Church, okay. 01:25 I've been there 12 years-- 12 years. 01:27 And they haven't found a way to get rid of me yet. 01:29 Amen, amen, well, just in that little time 01:32 that I've had to share with you, 01:33 you are an easy person to really enjoy and love. 01:37 You know, you can just see Christ through you. 01:40 Praise God, you talk Christ 01:42 and I truly believe in my heart 01:44 that you do the very best that you can do to live, 01:47 to live out your beliefs, thank you. 01:49 Tell us about what we're talking about here, 01:52 one of the most amazing questions 01:55 that Christ asked of His disciples. 01:57 Yeah, as I was going through the questions 01:59 that God asked people 02:00 because it's been a study of mine, 02:03 I keep coming up to the questions 02:07 that Jesus asked His disciples or people 02:10 that he just interacts with. 02:11 Most of the questions of course 02:13 are in the life of Christ, 02:14 there are many in the Old Testament 02:16 but most of them are right there in the New Testament 02:19 with the four gospels. 02:22 As I looked at some of the things 02:23 that Jesus said to the disciples, 02:25 they asked him a lot of questions, 02:27 you know, when is all this gonna happen 02:29 and what do You think about forgiveness 02:32 and there is just a dozen too questions 02:35 that the disciples are always wondering 02:36 about the kingdom and what does this mean 02:39 and what does that mean? 02:41 It's the questions that Christ asked 02:43 His disciples that really give you a glimpse into 02:45 what it means to be a disciple, amen. 02:48 It gives you a glimpse into what Christ hopes for 02:51 and wants them to think and do. 02:54 I think the one that just gets me every time, 02:59 the one question that's I believe was preeminent is 03:07 when Jesus asked the disciples 03:09 as a whole very basic question. 03:12 The first question was 03:14 so what does everybody think of me, 03:16 what is somebody saying about me, 03:19 and disciples murmur, you know, 03:21 well, some say you are Jeremiah, 03:24 some say you are Elijah, John the Baptist 03:29 and then Jesus stops 03:31 and then He asked a more personal question 03:34 and this is the question 03:35 that I think is perhaps one of the most profound. 03:39 He asked a questioned who do you say, that I am? 03:44 The disciples apparently I can only imagine it, 03:47 they get quiet because now it's not what, 03:50 what do the people think of you, 03:52 that's an easy think to answer 03:53 You just paraphrase what's everybody is saying, 03:55 give some options, but it's entirely different 04:01 when you ask somebody to tell you what they think of you. 04:06 Now I had the dull-mindedness to ask 04:13 that question of a girl one time. 04:15 I said, what do you really think of me? 04:21 It didn't turn out very well. 04:24 She said, things like, 04:25 well, I think you're really a nice guy 04:27 but you're good friend but, so you got to be careful 04:32 how you ask that question. 04:34 Jesus was not afraid to ask that question. 04:36 He asked them who do you say I am? 04:42 I believe that's probably one of the biggest questions 04:45 that the Christian church needs to answer. 04:50 What do we think of Christ? 04:52 Beyond all the platitudes and the packaging 04:55 that we've put him in over the years, 04:57 what do we really think of him? 05:00 Because I think everything depends on it. 05:03 Peter--of course all the disciples were quiet, 05:06 but Peter, Peter steps up and he answers. 05:11 And this is one of Peter's moments. 05:14 He has lots of moments in the gospels, 05:18 this is one his big ones 05:21 where he steps forward and he says, 05:23 I believe you are the Christ the son of the living God. 05:30 What do you think to he meant by that? 05:33 Well, whatever he meant he didn't 05:36 really fully understand it you can tell. 05:40 Because only moments later after having said 05:43 this great theologically correct personal statement 05:48 about who Christ is, 05:50 Jesus walks along the road with him 05:53 and he tells his disciples that the chief priests 05:57 and the rulers are gonna put him to death. 06:01 And Peter-- this is that moment 06:02 were Peter just fresh after saying 06:05 that great statement Peter rebukes Jesus 06:10 and says don't talk like that, it can't be so. 06:14 And Jesus said, they get behind me Satan, 06:21 so going back to that moment 06:25 when Peter said those words, 06:28 he didn't fully understand Christ kingdom. 06:31 He didn't understand 06:32 what it meant to be a disciple either. 06:36 He didn't understand 06:37 what the church was supposed to be about. 06:39 He just responded to the best of his ability 06:42 and to where he was at that moment. 06:44 I love the fact that Jesus affirms him 06:47 and the affirmation is what's most profound too 06:51 Jesus tells Peter and the other disciples 06:55 'cause they're probably all nodding in affirmation. 06:58 Jesus says, you did not get this alone. 07:02 This did not come 07:03 because of your own doing Peter, 07:05 God gave that to you, amen. 07:07 And he says and not even-- I'm gonna build my church 07:11 on people like you who stand up 07:14 and speak what you think of me. 07:18 And I'm gonna build my church on that 07:20 and the gates of hell will not overcome it, 07:24 it will not prevail. 07:26 And even though Peter is weak 07:28 and shortsighted and not clued into exactly 07:33 what the kingdom of God is about, 07:36 God's promise in Christ about Peter comes true. 07:42 It hasn't over--the gates of hell have not overcome 07:45 people stepping up and testifying 07:48 as to what they think who Jesus is, amen. 07:52 and I--you know, I would like to 07:55 look at myself in that way, if nothing more than, 07:59 you know, let me tell you 08:01 who I think you are Jesus. 08:03 Superimpose it, write it out. 08:04 In fact I had some young people do that not long ago. 08:08 I said, go through the gospels, 08:12 go through the story of Christ 08:14 and you write out your own gospel 08:17 of what you see, what you think. 08:20 And write it out and compare each others gospels 08:23 because there is a gospel of John. 08:26 John's no better than any of you 08:29 and Peter, you know, is no better than 08:31 any--Right out your gospels of what you think, 08:35 you know, is true and good about God. 08:37 Now to the degree that we're watching 08:40 and paying attention to who Christ is, 08:43 the Lord can inspire of our thoughts 08:45 and I'm not-- we're not trying to create a 08:46 bunch of prophets our there, that's not the point. 08:49 The point is--is that this church grows and continues 08:53 because people think and speak 08:57 what they believe to be good, right, 08:58 and true about Christ. 09:01 Oftentimes people, you know, just think things. 09:06 I think there's been surveys around at least North America 09:09 but I'm sure they've been in other places 09:10 about what people believe, 09:13 believe that Jesus is God, many people do, 09:17 but if that's the case how come 09:18 we're not talking about it more. 09:21 We don't speak up and how come we don't testify. 09:25 I learned the value of this question 09:28 because Jesus isn't asking them to just think about Him, 09:34 He is not even asking them to just believing Him, 09:37 He is saying, speak up. 09:40 If you could say out loud 09:42 what you believe to be true about me, 09:45 you know, there is gonna came a day 09:47 when your life is going to depend 09:49 or your death is gonna depend 09:51 on whether you're willing to do that. 09:54 I always go back, I mean, 09:56 I've never needed a witness 09:59 before like I did one 10:01 I think it was about 10 years ago, 11 years ago. 10:03 I was driving along New Year's Eve, my wife 10:07 and son were up visiting family. 10:10 We had just moved, I was unpacking boxes, 10:12 so I went and grabbed a pizza. 10:13 I was gonna do New Years by myself and 10:16 I'm driving along and all of a sudden 10:19 this 1974 Dodge Dart turns into the middle lane 10:24 and then into my lane, the oncoming lane 10:26 and hits me head-on, and smashes my car, 10:30 I hit the window, I'm all over the place, 10:32 I'm shaken up, then knocked me 10:35 into the juniper bushes along the side of the road. 10:39 I had no idea what happened and I open my eyes 10:43 and I'm just kind of coming to and I see this, 10:47 this very healthy old lady leaving the Dodge Dart 10:53 and I think, well, she is coming 10:55 by to see if I'm okay. 10:57 She walks right by my car and she keeps walking 11:01 and I look over my shoulder 11:02 and she is walking up to the bank. 11:05 She is going to make a deposit at the bank. 11:07 It was New Year's Eve apparently 11:09 she wanted to do that. 11:10 I had no idea what was going on. 11:11 The police, the fireman, 11:12 they're all members of my church, 11:13 they show up, they said what happened pastor Troy 11:15 what's going on here and where is the other person? 11:18 I said, she is in the bank. 11:21 I thought, why is she in the bank? 11:24 I think she has to make a deposit I said 11:26 well, what happened? 11:27 And I tried explaining my story to them 11:30 and they're looking at the car and her car is, 11:33 there is nothing wrong with it, 11:34 the little piece of bumper had been--74 of course 11:38 and hers is made out of real metal 11:41 and mine was made out of tin foil. 11:44 Mine was completed totaled. 11:47 And she came back and I, you know, I felt bad, 11:52 but the lady says, well, I don't know why he hit me, 11:54 I was just turning in and he smashed right in to me. 11:57 It was my word against hers. 11:58 I didn't want to get agitated or anything I said, no, 12:03 I had the right away, you're supposed to wait 12:04 before you turn-in and just at that time, 12:08 a man drove up and pulled up, 12:11 got out of his car and he said these words 12:13 which were like a Calvary coming to my rescue 12:18 I saw, the whole thing 12:21 and of course they vindicated me at that point. 12:27 I don't think they did anything to the woman 12:30 and in fact I met family members 12:32 of that later on in life 12:33 but they just spoke volumes to me about 12:36 what it really means to be a witness. 12:40 You want to know what we can do for God, 12:42 you want to no how to do this? 12:43 God isn't asking us to do anything complicated. 12:46 He's not asking us to know more and then tell. 12:50 He's asking us to write 12:51 where we are at like Peter, amen. 12:53 Testify, because you're not a witness 12:55 if you just think something. 12:57 I can ask you, do you believe? 12:59 And if you just sit there and nod, maybe, 13:01 but you're a witness you become a witness 13:04 when you speak up 13:05 and you testify on behalf of the savior. 13:08 Amen, and I would imagine 13:12 in following this particular vein here 13:14 that there are people out there 13:17 that the Holy Spirit impresses them quickly 13:20 and they're ready to go out and do something for the Lord. 13:24 Yeah and sometimes people are like at that stage 13:27 where they are very new in their faith. 13:29 There maybe people watching right now who say, 13:32 I've never really studied the Bible very much 13:35 but I believe this, I heard this song, 13:37 I heard that story, and I think God is real 13:39 and I know Jesus is loving and all these different things 13:43 but God asked us to testifying now 13:46 about what's going on in our hearts 13:47 and lives just like Peter. 13:49 Now, Peter he didn't know, like we said before, 13:52 he didn't know much about the kingdom 13:54 and the nature of what Christ was really calling him to. 13:57 He thought it was something else 13:58 but it was still worth for Peter to stay 14:01 by Christ side but all down the road 14:04 Peter is making bold claims and statements about 14:08 who he was gonna be and what was gonna happen. 14:10 You may recall, Peter barreling 14:13 out his chest and saying, 14:15 how many times should we forgive 14:17 our neighbor, three times? 14:20 That's what the Pharisees say, 14:21 how about seven? 14:24 Seven, does that impress you? 14:27 And then Jesus said keep counting, 14:29 get out your calculator, 14:30 Simon Peter seven times seventy 14:33 and just keep going until you really understand 14:36 what it's like to give grace away. 14:38 And so Peter fumbled there, he gets out in the boat 14:42 and he wants to walk on water to come to Jesus 14:45 but then the grandeur of the moment 14:47 in his leadership starts to emerge 14:49 and he starts to count how many medals he's gonna get 14:54 by this or but exactly what was going through his head 14:56 but he wasn' focusing on Christ 14:58 and he sank another moment, 15:00 time after time Peter just steps up 15:05 and it becomes very clear 15:07 that he's shortsighted and he fails. 15:09 And the most--the most prominent moment for him was 15:13 when he claimed that not only would he not deny Jesus 15:19 but that he would even die for Jesus 15:23 and then when the moment comes for him to testify, 15:25 do you know this man? 15:27 I saw you, aren't you one of Jesus' disciples, 15:30 all he had to do is nod, but he couldn't do that, 15:34 so in all that he knew and all that he was 15:37 he still failed miserably but Christ and His ministry 15:44 and the work of the church still has not been overcome 15:48 even when imperfect people--amen. 15:51 Share what they know to be good, right, 15:52 and true about Christ, amen. 15:55 I think that the promise that he made 15:59 even afterwards he said to Peter, 16:01 do you love me? 16:02 I mean there's probably the next best question in my mind. 16:05 Do you love me? And Peter answers, 16:08 he says Lord, I love you, 16:11 but, you know, what that means. 16:13 I mean Peter had to not trust his own words at that point. 16:18 He doesn't want to answer with this word. 16:20 He'd rather just answer with his devotion 16:23 but that wasn't the case. 16:25 Christ was asking him to step up. 16:27 And you just see, I mean if this is 16:29 about Peter in that moment 16:31 you see the growth over three years. 16:34 You see him at the temple gate 16:35 after Christ goes to heaven 16:37 and he walks up to the temple gate 16:40 and he knows what to say, look I don't have any silver, 16:43 I don't have any gold, but here's what I have 16:47 and at Pentecost, you know, he got up 16:50 and he said these bold brave words 16:54 about who Christ was and the church 16:58 has not been overcome 17:00 because people are willing to step up, stand up, 17:03 and just say, you know, 17:05 what they believe to be true about Christ. 17:08 It is a simple principle, isn't it? 17:10 Most simple principle, 17:11 you know, and that is you've got to act. 17:15 And then he'll help your, 17:17 you know, but he just wants 17:18 to make sure that you are game. 17:23 Yeah, that's right and even the gospels 17:25 that were written by John at the end of it he says, 17:28 look I could've wrote down a bunch of other things, 17:31 you know, they're lots of other stories 17:32 but I write these things so that you might believe. 17:35 Even in this letter, he says, 17:37 these things that I've touched 17:38 and tasted and handled with my own hands, 17:40 these things about Christ, 17:42 these are the things I proclaim to you. 17:45 I'm not gonna talk about stuff that I don't know. 17:47 I don't know about some things. 17:49 I don't have the answers to all the questions 17:52 people have in life but I do have 17:54 my answer to who is Christ, amen. 17:57 And who is He to me today? 18:00 And I can answer that and we need to answer 18:03 that because God will evolve. 18:05 He will foster and grow and build 18:09 those responses to people 18:10 but that's what changes the minds of people. 18:13 I mean, I bet you can think of countless moments 18:15 in scripture where someone's 18:18 simple testimony made the difference 18:23 and, you know, so I look at--I just look at 18:28 all those times like this Samaritan woman. 18:31 Most certainly, yeah. 18:33 And what did she say? 18:34 I'm just trying to recall what she said. 18:36 She said, I met a man, who knew me, 18:41 I think he might-- could she says, 18:44 I mean is it possible that just 18:47 my question can be a testimony. 18:51 Could he be the one that we're looking for? 18:55 The demoniac that had been healed 18:56 by the Sea of Gennesaret, you know, just go tell them. 19:02 What God has done for you 19:04 and how he's had mercy on you. 19:05 Yeah, but I want to go with you Jesus. 19:07 Yeah, no, I know you're afraid he would say, 19:10 I know you're afraid that demons are gonna comeback, 19:12 I know you're afraid this thing is gonna go away, 19:14 I know you're afraid that Monday morning is gonna come 19:16 and you're gonna be depressed again or oppressed. 19:20 Now the victory is in speaking-- 19:24 and, you know, I probably have mentioned 19:26 this to others before but there's something 19:30 very profound about speaking 19:34 the things that are in here in our mind. 19:37 There is something biochemical 19:41 about saying words that are in our heart, 19:45 like when people who are going 19:46 through recovery for addictions 19:49 and they're trying to resist the temptation 19:52 of whatever it might be, 19:53 one of the things that they tell them is, say no. 19:56 Say it out loud, so your own ears can hear 20:00 what your mind and your mouth is saying. 20:03 It becomes more of a holistic response 20:07 and you can just talk to people who practice that. 20:10 They are emboldened and strengthened 20:12 by just being been able to speak it and to say it. 20:15 And you can even take it a step further 20:18 as your children hear you saying it. 20:21 Yes, you know, 20:23 sometimes to me, that's probably 20:26 the way most of us even gets started 20:28 in our walk with the Lord is by listening to our parents 20:31 to keep those family fires burning. 20:34 Yes. You know, so. 20:36 Yeah, and I believe it was a story 20:38 that was told in the book "Case for Christianity." 20:43 Festo Kivengere is a Christian leader 20:48 and he's been doing prison ministry, 20:50 I think this was in 1974. 20:54 He's been doing this prison ministry 20:56 where he goes in to these prisons in Africa in Uganda 20:59 and he meets with the prisoners 21:01 and he tells them the story of Christ. 21:04 And on one occasion he tells how these three men 21:07 were going to be executed by, 21:11 you know, by gunshot in the middle of a stadium, 21:14 like a soccer stadium and he went to go 21:18 to the execution because he was asked to go, 21:20 he'd shared the gospel with some of the prisoners. 21:24 And here these prisoners-- they're in there 21:25 for crimes that they had done and according to their law 21:28 they were getting their justice, 21:30 so there is no question about that part for them 21:34 but as the pastor comes out on to the field 21:38 to say final words to these three prisoners, 21:42 one of them turns and looks at the pastor 21:45 and he's overjoyed. 21:48 His eyes grow wide and his hands are clanking 21:51 with chains on them 21:52 and he raises them up in the air, 21:53 he says, pastor I'm so glad you came to my execution. 21:58 Those are strange words to say. 22:00 He is not afraid, he is not angry, 22:03 he says, I'm so glad you came, 22:05 I want to thank you for telling me the story of Christ 22:08 because I came to believe that I have been forgiven 22:13 and I have a home in eternity. 22:16 And he's just so filled with excitement. 22:18 His chains are rattling and they are making noise 22:20 and the others next to him are in a similar way 22:24 and so this pastor instead of speaking words to him, 22:27 he speaks words to the guards 22:29 and to the crowd that's gathered there 22:32 for the execution. 22:34 And this prisoner who is so elated 22:37 to know the gospel begins to waves his hands 22:41 with chains attached to him, 22:43 waving back and forth to the crowd, 22:45 and the crowd stunned by this display of joy and hope 22:50 the crowd starts waving back at him. 22:53 What an amazing scene? 22:55 And he goes on to tell the story, he says 22:58 he says go back and tell my wife, 23:01 go tell my children, what you told me, 23:04 tell them that I have received Christ 23:06 and I will wait for them in heaven 23:08 that my Jesus forgave me 23:10 and He's making a home for me 23:12 as you told me in the gospel of John. 23:17 Then the fire-- the shots were fired 23:20 and their lives were ended 23:23 but this pastor goes back and he tells the story 23:27 and throughout that whole Kasese district, 23:32 the gospel just spreads, spreads like wildflower 23:36 because of the story that this man told. 23:39 Amen, so he went to sleep in Jesus 23:42 and what he was wanting to do is just, 23:44 you know, someday, you know, 23:47 he'll be back together again. 23:48 But like Peter, like the woman at the well, 23:52 Like John the gospel writer 23:54 and the revelator, like the demoniac, 23:56 like every other apostle, 24:00 a disciple that has gone before us, 24:03 the reason why we know of Christ. 24:06 It isn't because some book 24:07 magically appeared throughout the centuries. 24:10 This book was written by people. 24:13 Who tell the story of Christ and we know that 24:17 that's the most profound thing. 24:18 People ask me and say, how do you do it? 24:20 How do I-- where do I start? 24:22 I just tell them simply a couple things, 24:24 I just say first of all, 24:27 what was your life like before you met Christ. 24:30 And if you've grownup with him, 24:31 tell them what it was like anyway. 24:33 I've always grown up with Jesus 24:35 but then ask yourself at what moment, 24:39 what pivotal moment did Christ 24:42 and His mercy become so real to you. 24:45 It could be in a church service, 24:46 it could've been on the streets, 24:48 it could been in a Bible study, 24:49 or in a series of meetings, or in a song, 24:51 or just waking down the road, or somewhere in nature, 24:54 somehow, someway God got through to you 24:57 and Christ became real. 25:00 What happened? 25:01 That's the second part 25:03 What was it like before, what happened? 25:05 Now the third thing I always tell people is, 25:09 so what's different now? 25:12 Tell me the story of your life 25:14 and this is what we are taught to do. 25:15 This is the story telling component 25:17 from the Old Testament. 25:19 Moses said tell people how you were a slave in Egypt 25:22 and how God had delivered you. 25:25 Tell them the story of the Red Sea. 25:28 Tell them the great things God has done for you 25:31 I mean, so it just keeps coming up. 25:34 And I think of what Peter said in his first letter, 25:39 in the first chapter, 25:41 you know, he describes 25:43 the tough times that they're going through and he says, 25:45 many of you even though you have not seen Him, 25:50 you love Him, and even though 25:52 you do not see Him now you are being, you know Him 25:56 and you love Him and you believe in Him 25:59 and you are being filled with his inexpressible joy 26:03 which is the assurance of your faith. 26:07 These are words that Peter knows too well 26:12 and when Peter goes to the end-- 26:13 like if you go into Second Peter now 26:15 you start getting glimpses of how his kingdom, 26:19 his idea of the kingdom has really matured 26:21 and Peter says look, I tell you these things 26:25 and I've had my exodus and I'm going home 26:27 and I'm gonna die just like the Lord told me I would, 26:32 but these are my words 26:33 and I'm not walking away from it. 26:35 This is my story and essentially Peter's saying, 26:38 I'm sticking to it. 26:40 Amen, amen and you know it all started with 26:42 "Who do you say that I am?" 26:44 Who do you say that I am? 26:45 And so I just appeal to every believer out there 26:49 even if you only believe a little bit, 26:52 even if you only got a little bit of support to stand on, 26:58 even if you have only a story or a song. 27:03 For some people all they have in spite of all the evidence 27:07 that's out there all they have is the notion 27:10 that God really is that good. 27:12 Paul talks about that too. 27:15 He says there are some people 27:16 that all they're gonna have is the blossoming 27:17 of a flower to know that I am God 27:19 but those of us who have this book, 27:21 we have Christ, we have the story, 27:24 and we have these words, and those words as we know 27:28 who Christ is to us, we speak it, 27:33 we have to testify to it. 27:35 As we do that, that's what changes the world 27:38 and that's what transforms the nature of our work 27:42 as a church throughout the centuries. 27:45 Lesson fantastic, you know, so just thank you 27:49 for the gift that you're sharing with us. 27:51 Praise God, yeah. 27:53 We enjoyed you being here, appreciate you coming, 27:56 and we look forward to seeing you another time. 27:58 Glad to be back here. 27:59 Just want to once again 28:01 thank you for being with us 28:03 today on "Issues & Answers." 28:05 We love each one of you 28:07 and just pray that God blesses you abundantly. |
Revised 2014-12-17