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GETTING STARTED
Loading the player...If all we had was history to prove that Jesus existed and was somebody very special, it would be enough; but it’s not all we have, there is something more. It’s called prophecy.
It's not what he looked like that made him special. It's what he said and did that made him stand out from the crowd.
- No halo
- No special light
- No spooky music
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PIT STOP
Do the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, help convince you that he was somebody very special?
Looking into the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled can be both fascinating and exciting; many people have been convinced by them.
If you were asked to explain the true identity of Jesus, what would you say?
The evidence is certainly pointing to someone very special. The gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) the people who knew him best, eventually came to believe that Jesus was God on earth.
If there is a God, what would be the best way for him to show us what he’s like?
Next stepIf God became human, then we would have proof. We’d have evidence that he existed and we could get to know what he is like. If God became human then we could form a meaningful relationship with him. Jesus is God’s clearest revelation about himself.
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BACK ON TRACK
Loading the player...What would God have to do to answer life’s biggest questions for you? Something quite radical I’d guess, like show up on earth!
The Old Testament - the books of the Bible written before Jesus was born.
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FINDING DIRECTION
When Jesus fell to sleep in the back of a boat he didn’t look like he was anyone special, but what he did when woke up got everyone talking.
Mark Chapter 4 verse 35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?"
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Why were the disciples so afraid? (v38)
They thought they were going to die.
What can we learn about Jesus’ identity from verse 38 (he was asleep)? What can we learn about his identity from verse 39 (he calmed a storm)?
The sleeping Jesus shows us the human side of his identity; he was tired after a busy day. The wave-calming Jesus shows us the God side of his identity; the wind and waves obey him. Jesus was both human and God at the same time.
If you were in that boat how would you have reacted to the huge waves?
Terrified maybe! The reaction of the disciples was quite natural; it was a terrifying, life-threatening situation.
If you were in that boat how would you have reacted to seeing Jesus calm the storm?
Amazement maybe! Wow! Did you notice in the story that the lake became completely calm? This was not a bit of good luck or perfect timing, it was a miracle.
What didn’t the disciples have and why is it so important? (v40)
They didn’t have faith; they didn’t believe that Jesus was God on earth. They would not have been so afraid if they’d believed that they had God in the boat with them.
How would you answer the question the disciples asked in verse 41?
Remember how faith made all the difference to the paralysed man and the criminal on the cross. Faith can make all the difference to your life too.
If Jesus really was God in human form, how significant could that be?
Next stepWe don’t have to play guessing games about the existence of God anymore. We can know that God is real and we can know that he cares, that he’s interested in us. That’s significant!
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ARE WE THERE YET?
Loading the player...When you examine the evidence, it leads you to an obvious and logical conclusion. If he wasn’t mad, and he wasn’t bad – then Jesus must have been God on earth. It’s what the disciples eventually came to believe about Jesus, but what about you? What do you believe? Do you have any faith?
Faith isn't believing in something that isn't real. That's stupidity.
- It's historical
- It's radical
- It's logical