Is true change possible

Joel Chia

Real lives • Sermon • Submitted 8 months ago • Presented 8 months ago

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Notes

Transcript

Interview

Video

AD (2min)

1. Darren, thanks for taking the time out to share your story with us today. What do you do today ? What do you do in free time?

Past (6min)

2. Great. Life wasn’t always like that. Do you mind sharing with us what was it like growing up?

3. Spent 30 odd years in and out of prision. What were some of the charges you were charged with?

Whatever you’re comfortable sharing, why did you do it?

4. More than half your life in Prison. What was it like?

Routine?

Culture?

Living conditions?

5. We’re thinking about change and transformation today. Throughout the 30 years, what did you try to do in order to change?

6. I didn’t actually prepare you for this question, but why do you think you couldn’t change?

Jesus (5min)

6. We’re going to back track a little and speak about your experience with Christianity. Share when you were first aware of the person of Jesus?

7. You mentioned, that it had a impact at the age of 20. Can you share more? But still didn’t keep you out.

8. Here’s the big question. You were trying everything to change, rehab, loving family outside, etc. How did you get from prison to where you are today?

9. What attracted and continues to attracts you to Jesus?

Present (3min)

10. How does Jesus help you today? Has things been easy since coming out of prison?

11. Thank you so much Darren for your time. Last question: People here who are thinking about this personal transformation. Any final advice for people here?

Applause. Thanks for being willing to share.

Talk: The resistant

Q: How do we change?

A: Following the light

SW: Follow the light

Introduction

Q: How does society, schools, workplaces think about transformation?

Trade secret? eLearning programmes and exams.

(A) Entering Uni. Do eLearning on consent? What is? What is not?

Watch the video.

Do a quiz.

Complete? Consent expert.

No more sexual misconduct on campus.

Trade secret: eLearning

(L) same true for the workplace

(A) Think exams end after Uni? Think again. Ask, architects, lawyers, accountants.

Sell and deal with Corporate Clients.

What do you have to do before you’re allowed? Yes. Exams. 6 of them.

Hardest exam was Ethics exam. 55% pass rate.

(A) Grim exam venue. “The office.” Dull. Grey. Place: no life.

People herded into room full of computers.

1h clicking away. mouse hover over submit. click.

Head out. Grumpy lady. Hands you your result immediately.

And the great moment comes. See the big “PASS”

The great transformation happens.

Before you were unethical.

Now you are ethical.

Now you can sell products to your corporate customers because you have a badge that says “ETHICAL”

Don’t get me wrong. Not saying eLearning and Exams = pointless.

Maybe if you are a sceptic, you will say it’s pointless.

There is still some value in educating and providing information.

But even the most charitable: “often, a tickbox exercise” “virtue signalling”

(A) Imagine: if an exam had a way to uncover what really goes on inside.

Instead of a consent quiz

Score: “How much you value the other person over satisfying own sexual desires?”

Maybe everyone will fail the quiz.

Instead of an ethics exam

Score: “do you care more about money or serve the customer?

Maybe there will be no one to do the job.

We know

Surface transformation: Diet. Gym routine. New habits.

Difficult but possible.

True transformation: Desires. Wants. Needs.

Much harder. if not impossible.

No button to press to turn greed off.

No dial to turn to reduce lust

No switch to push to turn pride off.

True transformation: much hard. if not impossible.

What do you think about true transformation?

Speak directly.

Are there things you dislike about yourself?

Are there things you wish you could change?

What do you think? What have you tried?

Do you agree that it is very hard if not impossible?

Or are you much more optimistic? Quite doable.

Encourage put aside assumptions for now. Make a fair assessment on this topic.

(L) let’s take Darren’s lead. Meet person of Jesus.

Context

Each evening. Look at eyewitness account of Jesus. Written by his friend called john.

John spend about three years with Jesus. Hang out. Went to pub together. Travelled together. Learned from him.

Over time, convinced that he was no ordinary man

His teaching.

See inside a person

His miracles.

In public. For the world to see.

Miracles that only God could do.

Ultimately, witness the most extraordinary thing

Died publicly on a Roman Cross

Rose from the grave, appeared to 500 witnesses

Changed the course of human history.

John recorded the life of Jesus at the risk of his own life.

Today’s episode: issue of transformation

Jesus’ arrival = change. Old ways go. New ways come in.

Change that had to happen on a national level

Change that has to happen on an individual level.

Jesus’ arrival means change.

After the wedding, Jesus goes to the Jerusalem temple and cracks the whip.

Corruption that was happening. Change needed to happen.

But I’m sure you can guess what happens after.

Do you think people like change? No.

The religious leader of the people, a man named Nicodemus, comes to confront Jesus.

He does not like change.

And so Jesus gives his analysis of WHY people don’t like to change.

Why transformation doesn’t happen.

ARGUMENT

1. People loved the darkness

Look at John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

Did you spot the problem? People loved the darkness

(A) Every been in total darkness?

Enter dark cave. Further and further away from entrance. No light.

Up to a point. Close / open eyes, no diff.

Look at hands? nothing.

Disorientating. Scramble around. Where’s right? Where’s left?

That’s Jesus’ assessment of the problem: Darkness.

(L) not just individual but the whole world. The light comes into the world. But people loved the darkness.

(A) On google maps. Looking at UCL Campus. Zoom out

London. United Kingdom. Continental Europe.

View from space. Half earth sun. half earth darkness

“SNAP!” Sun stops giving life. All the stars turn off.

the whole world. Plunged into the depths of a cave. Plunged into total darkness.

The world scrambling around in the dark. Where’s right? Where’s left?

Outcome? Utter chaos.

(L) And I’m assuming that you get by now. described here: Not photons and lightwaves but a metaphor.

Metaphor to describe Nicodemus in front of him. and the people in front of him. Why they are resistant to change.

Darkness not physical but moral

Darkness is like being in a cave, but what you can’t see is the truth

Not where’s right or where’s life

but What is right and what is wrong

Darkness extends to the whole world is chaos. Everyone scrambling around in the dark.

What is true for us, is true for us

What is true for you all, is true for you all.

(A) A mere two hundred years ago: Slavery seen as a positive good.

(A) Louis Perry. Case against sexual revolution. 70/80s. Damage. non-Xn.

Who knows what society deems as good today will not be seen as evil in the future?

Darkness is me deciding deciding what is right for me

Take the crown off God’s head, place it on mine

I decide what is right. You cannot tell me others.

(L) worst thing is?

We love the darkness.

John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

We love the self-autonomy

We love deciding what is right in our own eyes

we love acting out our desires with no restrictions

People love staying in the dark because their works are evil

(A) let’s talk about hotel bathrooms.

Love. Powerful shower. Love a good shower.

Hate. Mirrors. Magnify. Lights. Super bright lights.

Imagine: Ugly pimple.

Worst place? Tip of your nose. Swells. no foundation or concealer can cover up.

Do you want a hotel bathroom?

Expose the ugly pimp.

Expose the yellow pus that is collecting.

No. You rather stay in the dark because it hides the ugliness outside.

likewise, we love the darkness. because it hides the ugliness inside.

Not saying

We have no capacity for good.

Even good is tarnished.

Dark.

Do you see?

True transformation: hard, maybe impossible.

Not about routines. Atomic habits.

Issue: is darkness. And often, we love the dark.

(PAUSE)

I wonder what you make of Jesus’ analysis? Why people don’t change?

It may sound extreme. But I wonder whether there might be a ring of truth to it?

I wonder whether you’re open to the possibility of considering his analysis.

Problem? People loved the darkness?

Solution to darkness? Is light.

2. Follow the Light

John 3:19–21 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

(L) but WHO is the light?

John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

(A) We are back in the cave. total darkness. Raise hands. Can’t see a thing

Voice say “Let there be light!”

Bright light pours into the cave.

Blazing light hits your eyes. it hurts. Immediately cover your eyes to go back into darkness.

Light hurts. When we’ve been in darkness for too long. Light hurts.

Likewise, when the truth shines. It hurts. When we’ve been in darkness for too long.

But the solution to darkness is light

(pause)

(L) But here’s what we might be thinking.

How do we know that this light is good?

How do I know that this isn’t just another claim to truth?

(L) listen again to what Jesus says

“I AM the light of the world”

Did you notice what Jesus says?

“I AM” the light.

Light is not physical but moral. Moral absolute truth.

But truth here is personified

“I AM” light

Strange concept. But actually really helpful

If light is a person -> you can verify the light as you verify the person

Is the person good? Then the light that is shining is good

Is Jesus good? If you read on in John’s gospel

Absolutely clear that he is good

He stands up to evil

He meets people in their need

He defends those who are his

He loves those who are his

He lays down his life for his friends

Darren said “He is the most amazing person I have met”

“strength. power. authority. commitment.”

“he did not seek his own glory”

JESUS is Good

His truth is good

The LIGHT is good.

REINFORCEMENT

Binary.

no switch. Much more drastic.

LAND

If you are fine with the way you are, that’s alright. Feel free to ignore what JEsus is saying.

But if you’re not comfortable with who you are.

What are you going to do about it?

How does transformation, true transformation happen?

True transformation

is not achieved by eLearning or exams

is not surface change

is not a tickbox exercise

True transformation cannot be solved by

Running a campaign

Doing a PR exercise

or mere education

True transformations happens when someone

Comes out of the darkness and follows the light

“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. WHOEVER FOLLOWS ME WILL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE.”

Darren. Aged 50. encountered the light. decided to come out of darkness and follow the like.

The question is: will YOU follow the light?

Closing

This book

Yours to keep. Take it back. Read it. Come to an informed opinion about Jesus

Suggestion: pencil. mark. tick agree. cross disagree. ? don’t understand.

Ask your friend who invited you to buy you a coffee. Ask your questions.

Perhaps something was said by ___ or myself. Struck a cord.

Few lines: Jesus, I admit I need help to deal with death. Help me to encounter you and so obtain the life you promise.

Come speak to me after.

Thank you. stay around chat. Come speak to me after.

Questions

now

time

work

family

Growing up

home situation

Understanding sentences

Press into life sentence

reason.

Life in prison

How did you try to change? Why couldn’t you?

Jesus

First met

experience at 20

What finally made the difference

What attracts you

Life now

How Jesus motivates you to change

Talk

Intro

(A) Exams.

(A) Exam of our desires. fail.

^issue is much more complicated.