DO YOU KNOW JESUS?

Pastor Maselo Mosomane

I was in a Christian book shop one Saturday to buy myself a new bible. My old bible is old indeed. It is falling apart. Sometimes this happens when I am on the podium preaching. I’ve always been putting this off but this time I gathered my courage and held my neck tight and straight and walked into the book shop. When I was at the counter finalising the transaction; I saw a young man right there behind the counter. I asked him this question; ‘Do you know Jesus?’ He hesitated a little and answered; “Yes.” I quickly made a follow up and asked; ‘where is He?’ Before he could utter a word his eyes grew bigger and rolled three times faster. He looked confused by my question. After much consideration he attempted to give it a shot. He struggled through it like a multiple choice question in an exam room and finally said; “in heaven”

The next Sunday I asked five ladies the same question. We have a feeding scheme at our church. After every service on Sunday we gather at the public park and feed the hungry. These five ladies pitched up too. My wife and other ladies in the church served them food. While they were seated and enjoying the meal, I asked them the same question; ‘Do you know Jesus?’ All of them openly confessed that they do not know Him. I shared the Word with them and when I asked if they wanted to know Him, all of them raised their hand. I prayed with them and they received Him. They receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Let’s come back to our friend at the book shop I met that Saturday. He pretended to know Jesus. When I asked him where Jesus is he got confused and said this through his confusion; “in heaven.”

There are many people who when confronted with this simple question would not know what to say. Some would try to sound good and say yes though in their heart they know they don’t know Him. Some would show a religious boldness and say, yes! But my friend the answer is not in the mouth. The answer is in the heart and comes through the mouth. The bible says; “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” Romans 10:8. The answer to this question should not only be in your mouth; it’s got to be in your mouth and in your heart too. It’s not good enough to know what to say or what answers to give when asked. The answer must come from your heart. The answer must first be in your heart and then in your mouth. What does this mean? It means you believe and then speak. Even in the natural, good and honest answers are not those that fly out of the mouth but those that flow from the heart and out through the mouth. This is what the Spirit meant in 2 Corinthians 4:13; “I believed and therefore I spoke.” We also believe and therefore speak.

The guy at the book shop spoke before he believed. It does not work that way. It’s like you are putting a card in front of the horse. If you speak without believing or before you believe; your words lack power to manifest what you say. The power of the word is in your heart and your heart is where believing takes place. You believe with your heart; not with your mouth. We don’t believe with our mouths.

Jesus only comes into your life when the mouth and the heart cooperate and work in harmony. How? Heart first; then mouth. Believing first; then talking. It does not matter how much or how long you speak; as long as what you say does not come from what you believe in your heart; no matter how correct your words may be, the power of the word will not be released. Words are spoken across the human lips but power is released from the heart. Unless this sequence is followed, your words will always be powerless. How many words do you speak per day? How much power do you release per day? Think about it. Unless what you say comes from what you believe in your heart; you are like a sounding cymbal.

Why did this guy at the book shop hesitated before He could give the answer? He hesitated because he did not have the answer in his heart and he first had to formulate it in his mind. Remember; the word is not said to be in the mind and in the mouth. The Scripture does not say the word is in the mouth and in the mind. It has nothing to do with the mind. He said when he answered me; “yes, I know Jesus” When I asked him where He is he said; “in heaven.” It is true, He is in heaven. But when you come to know Him, He comes and stays in your heart. When you believe in Him as Saviour, He comes and stays in your heart. He comes and be Lord in your heart and then in your life. You don’t know Him until He is in your heart. You may give good and intelligent answers; I agree, but as long as He is not in your heart, you don’t know Him.

The five ladies at the public park did not hide anything; they came out open and said; “No, we don’t know Jesus.” When I shared the Word with them, they believed in their hearts. I shared the Word about Jesus; who He is and what He can do for them. When they heard that Jesus can save their lives and forgive their sins, they believed in their hearts. They demonstrated their faith (i.e. they believed what I said Jesus is able to do for them) When I asked them to pray with me, they were ready to speak with their mouths what they believe in their hearts. Jesus revealed Himself to them by coming into their hearts and saved them from their sins.

Friend; how long have you been dodging this question? Sometimes it was asked by people like me; sometimes by a silent question in your heart. DO YOU KNOW JESUS? I am not talking about belonging to a church; I am talking about knowing Jesus. DO YOU KNOW JESUS?

It’s time you stop sticking your head in the sand of arguments or hiding in fox holes of tradition and answer this question with all honesty. You may be like that guy in the book shop and pretend you know Him, but that silent voice inside will not keep quiet until you tell him the truth. Or you can be like those five ladies at the public park and tell it like it is and say; “No.” You see, it is only when you give an honest answer that He will introduce Himself to you.

If you insist that you know Him when you have never met Him and He has never introduced Himself to you; you are deceiving yourself. You might have heard others say He is Jesus but you don’t know Him personally. You only depend on what others say. But if you can open up to Him and say; “Jesus, I don’t know you. I want to know you. May you please introduce yourself to me?” He will sure introduce Himself to you.

How do you do that? First be honest to admit that you don’t know Him. Second; listen to what the Word says about Him. This is going to come by preachers who will tell you about Him. Third; believe what they tell you about Him. Fourth; confess what you believe in your heart about Him. What does this mean? Simple; say out with your mouth what you believe in your heart about who Jesus is. You may probably need someone to help. Humble yourself and have someone who knows Him lead you into His presence. If you follow these steps; my friend you will come to know who Jesus is. DO YOU KNOW JESUS?

        PRAYER FOR SALVATION

Here is a prayer you can pray

Lord; I've just been confronted with this question; DO YOU KNOW JESUS? I've never thought of this before. I'm not sure I can say with certainty that I know you. This question is scarring me and I feel I need to know more. I want to know you Lord. It is true; I am a sinner. I've been really bad. Forgive me and allow me to start afresh. I now believe  Jesus is the Son of God. I accept your plan of salvation and receive Jesus in my heart today. I confess with my mouth and say Jesus is Lord. Thank you for not turning me away. I believe you have heard my prayer and forgiven me all my sins. I therefore say I AM SAVED. I AM SAVED! PRAISE GOD I AM SAVED!

Amen