Do You Know This Man

INTRODUCTION: "The Biggest Trial in History" (A short skit)

This is the biggest trial in history, bigger than the O.J. trial, the Menedez brothers, Susan Smith, The Oklahoma bombing, or President Clinton’s trial. T.V. cameras, reporters, microphones and 35 mm cameras are everywhere in the courtroom. The room is packed, not even any standing room left. The defendant sits quietly starring straight ahead with a look of calmness, yet uncertainty on his face. The crowd is loud but suddenly as if everybody in the courtroom knew the doors were about to be opened, they hushed as the doors creaked open and YOU, step into the back of the courtroom. You can feel every eye in the room burn a hole through you as everyone turns to look at you, everyone except the defendant. He just sits there starring straight ahead into space, so it seems. Your eyes immediately find Him but you quickly turn them to the people around you that are still watching as you slowly ease into your seat in the courtroom. Someone is on trial today and you are the STAR witness. The crowd begins to get loud again until the sound of a pounding wooden gavel pierces the noise and quietens the crowd. The defendant’s attorney steps up and says, "I call my first witness to the stand. I call Mr./Ms. ________

The attorney turns to you as you sit down on the stand. He leans forward looking you square in the eyes and ask you the biggest question of your life. "Do you know this man?" He then turns and points to the defendant, JESUS CHRIST.

Application: One day we will all be on trial for how we lived our life and who we lived it for. One day God will ask us that question, what will our answer be? If you call yourself a Christian people are looking at you daily and asking themselves this question. Does ________ __________ know Jesus, or does he just fake it.

SCRIPTURE TEXT: Matthew 10: 32, 33 (NLT)

32 "If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. 33 But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven. [1]

Here are three ways that people will know whether we know Jesus or not and three ways that will help us stay on track with our relationship with Jesus. The first of which is……………… you say you know Jesus through……………

I. YOUR WORDS

Matthew 12:36, 37 (NLT)

36 And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned." [2]

A. YOUR WORDS NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S WORDS

1. Who do YOU say Jesus is? (Matthew 16:13:18)

2. What is YOUR relationship to Jesus? Or with Jesus?

3. It’s who your mom or day says Jesus is. It’s not what they have taught you but what do you know of Him and what do you think.

4. For far too long young people have been thinking they could get by on mom and dads relationship with God. You must find Jesus for yourself. You must have a relationship with Him yourself.

5. It’s not even about what the Youth Pastor says about Jesus. What do you say?

"What’s your testimony of who Jesus is? Can your words prove that you know Him or do you even want people to know that you do?"

B. THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS

PROVERBS 18:21 (NKJV)

21Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. [3]

1. Your words concerning Jesus have great power on all those around you, not just the words about Jesus but your everyday talk has the power to convince people whether or not you know this man?

2. Your testimony is your verbal declaration of your witness of who Jesus is.

3. Your words, or testimony of who Jesus is can change the eternal destiny of a person’s life.

ACTS 26:28,29 (NTL)

28 Agrippa interrupted him. "Do you think you can make me a Christian so quickly?"

29 Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains." [4]

4. Could you stand in a courtroom full of people and by just the words you speak prove to those in the room that you know Jesus? Can you confess Him before men? If you can’t then you don’t know this man.

II. BY YOUR WORKS

JAMES 2: 14-17 (NLT)