I Know Who You Are Do You Know Who You Will Be — Carter Conlon

Now tonight I have a very simple word I want to share with you and it's a long title though. It's in it. Here's the title of the word. I know who you are. Do you know who you will be? I know who you are.

The Transforming Encounter With Jesus

Do you know who you will be if you go to the book of John, please chapter 1 and we're going to start there gospel of John Chapter 1 and I'm gonna pray first and I'm gonna start reading at verse 40 to 42 then verse 45 to 51 father.

I want to thank you again tonight God That every time we open your word. The promise is that the entrance of your words brings light. So tonight God, would you would you just help us to open the door everyone who's listening?

To open the door to allow your words to enter our hearts and our minds and our Spirit and become part of our fabric. Help us Lord to get beyond just learning and to actually learned begin to experience you through the promises of your word.

God Almighty, I thank you that you're going to do something profound and powerful tonight. I bring my life to you one more time and ask you to take this little life and just Make the words that I speak bigger than anything.

I am God help me that I may in turn help somebody tonight who's listening and I thank you for it in Jesus name. Amen, I know who you are. Do you know who you will be? I'm thinking I'm talking tonight to people that I spend time throughout the day reading the prayer requests that come into Times Square Church, and it's time to pray org and I I look at them and Everyone who writes in you seem to be keenly aware of who you are.

You're depressed. You're addicted. Your family is is is disheveled. You're struggling in your mind. Whatever the situation is. You're fighting a besetting sin. You feel worthless. You see I know who you are just by by reading The prayer requests that you send in these this seems to be in some cases.

It's an all-consuming battle that's going on in your life. It's affecting everything that you are and everything that's around you, but my question to you tonight is Do you know? Who you will be now, let me explain this as we begin to read John chapter 1 beginning at verse 40.

One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him we've found the Messiah which is translated the Christ now. This is incredible.

I mean this this would be. I don't know if there's any other thing in the world that would actually compare to it. We've we found the Messiah this this was the promise for the people of God of that season.

This is what they lived for this was their all-in-all. It's like somebody ran into the Sanctuary tonight said Jesus has returned. He's in the parking lot. It would be that it would be that profound.

Come out and see him and so he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, he said you are Simon the son of Jonah you shall be called Cephas which is translated a Stone and so my point is real simple tonight when we first encounter Jesus.

We are something but if we have an honest face-to-face encounter with the Son of God. The promise is that we shall be something else. You you can't have an encounter with Jesus and stay the same way you are.

There is a change that happens inside the heart now. Let's continue on verse 45. Now Philip found Nathanael and said to him we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph verse 46 and Nathanael said to him can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Philip said to him come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and said to him behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no deceit. Nathanael said to him. How do you know me? Now Nathanael obviously knew he was essentially at his core an honest man and he's talking to the Son of God now says how is it?

How do you know me. And Jesus answered and said before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree. I saw you. And I don't. I don't understand the fullness of that particular statement. Something was something Was in the heart of Nathanael when he was under the fig tree as it was.

That led him to an understanding that only the Son of God could have known that I was there and what I was thinking. Perhaps he felt all alone like some of you are are feeling tonight that have written in your prayer request and you're lonely.

Maybe Nathanael just felt alone and he was all by himself. I don't know. But the point is that even though he might have been alone in that place in his life Jesus saw him and I want you to know tonight those that are online and you feel alone in your room and your car.

And your home and your heart in your life. Jesus sees you there. You're not hidden from him and he looks at you lovingly and he looks at you longingly. He's always wanted fellowship with you. Verse 49 says Nathanael answered and said to him rabbi.

You are the Son of God. You're the king of Israel. We we always like to think that Peter was the first one who got that revelation. It was actually Nathanael. You remember when after all the seasons of traveling and seeing the dead raised and walking on water He finally said to his disciples.

Who do you say that? I am and Peter said you're the Christ you're the son of the Living God and and we always say wow. And even Jesus said only the Father could have revealed that to you. But Nathanael had that revelation Way before Peter and right in the beginning that he was the Son of God and the king of Israel.

Why did he have that revelation? He had it because he had a an honest heart and if you and I are willing to approach the Son of God with an honest Heart something happens to us. There's an eye seven ointing that is given to us and we begin to see first of all who it is that we are talking To and Jesus answered and said to him in verse 50.

Because I said to you I saw you under the fig tree. Do you believe you will see greater things than these and he said to him most assuredly? I say to you hereafter. You will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

In other words, you will begin to understand the power that has been given to me the access to the throne of God. The power of heaven that is in my hands and you will begin to understand that I am the Son of God.

I'm able to do anything that I say I can do and I can do in you and through you anything. That you will open your heart and let me do there's there's a vision. There's a revelation that's given to people who Don't approach God with a deceitful heart a duplicitous heart.

The reason that so many sit and languish in the church throughout the ages is because many people come to Christ with terms and conditions or maybe a Feigned dedication may I put it that like I'm all in but only you know in reality It's only to this point and no farther and God knows it because there's a there's a there's a guile in the sense The original King James says in Israelite in whom there is no guile.

In other words, no crookedness. You're not saying one thing and meaning another you're actually Nathaniel. You're an honest man and because you're an honest man I can speak to you and you will in your heart give an honest assessment of The words that I speak before you actually go into the battle and begin to walk with me and you will understand what I'm saying.

You'll understand where it is I'm leading you to go and you will also see the power the exceeding greatness of the power that is available to those Who walk with me with an honest heart and a truthful heart?

New Creation in Christ

Now in the New Testament 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17 one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible Says therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold all things have become new if Christ has come to you.

If you and I are willing to come to Christ with an honest heart this incredible promise. This is what actually this is the promise that actually won me to Christ in the first place. Over 40 years ago when the person who was sharing Christ with me told me this verse that if you open your heart to Jesus Christ if You honestly receive him as your Lord and Savior.

You will become a new creation you the old things that have had power in your life the old things that have governed your future the old things that as We prayed for the old habits the old things that can't you can't put away will suddenly lose their power lose their hold and all things Inside of you will become new.

You'll be in effect born again. You'll be given a new life. You'll have a new future. The promise that was revealed to the prophets in the Old Testament. Is that God said I'll give you a new heart a new mind and a new spirit.

You'll be born again. The old things in your life will pass away and all things will become new. And I remember thinking in my heart when that was first shared with me at the age of 24. God is it possible?

Because I seemingly can't escape the boundaries that are all around me the boundaries that were placed around me by other people. The boundaries that that I perceive about my own life and and what it will or won't amount to the things that I feel I can do.

The things that I feel I can't do the things that are really defining my present and And paving away a very Confusing way for my future. Is it possible that I can actually become a new creation? And I remember meditating on this and thinking about it.

And then I went into the Gospel of John and I read the Gospel of John for myself and I prayed this prayer. I said Jesus if if this is true If I can be forgiven and if I I can have a new future if I can be made into a different person.

I don't like the person I'm becoming. I don't like the way I treat others. I don't like the amount that I'm drinking. I don't like the thoughts in my mind. I Have a sense that I'm going on a downward trajectory.

And it's just going to get worse in the future and I seem to be powerless to change and powerless to stop. I'm I'm being dragged into this darkness and I can't stop myself from going there. Jesus could it be true that I could have a new life and I read the Gospel of John as an unsaved man and I said show me just show me.

But I saw something when I read the Gospel of John. That this life is contingent on one condition that when I come to Christ as my Savior I don't play games with him. I Give him my whole heart as much as I'm able.

I give him my whole life and I receive his word as truth and the guide for my life from this day forward. I saw something that nobody ever taught me. I read it in the Word of God that not only will Jesus if I turn to him.

Not only would he wash away my my sin not only would he guarantee me an eternity in heaven. But his blood had purchased me and my life was no longer my own. I now belong to the Son of God and he had the right to my future.

You see before my future can change. I have to give the rights to my future to the Son of God. That's what it was about Nathaniel. He was an honest man and I had an honest assessment in a sense of myself and came to an honest conclusion about what Was required to experience the the fullness in a sense of the salvation that God was setting before me.

I read in the book of John that not only would he come to give me eternal life, but he would give me an abundant life. He would give me a reason to live on the earth. He would take me out of the mediocrity of my present trajectory and give me something that could not only satisfy my heart but would bring glory to his name as well and bring others out of darkness and into the same freedom that I know.

I Knew my life would never be the same again. If I if I yield it to the Son of God, my life would never be the same again. And I remember stopping on the side of the road May 12 1978 and here was my prayer.

Oh Jesus if what this man has told me is the truth. Now this is the context of having read the Gospel of John and having an understanding of what is required. If it's true that I can be forgiven and have a new life.

Then I open my heart and I invite you into my life to be my Lord and my Savior. And that was it. That was my prayer. Didn't feel a thing a lot of people talk about the fuzzies they get or whatever it is when they pray.

At that moment in their journey with finding God and but I didn't feel a thing nothing. I just put my car and drive and I went to work. I worked my shift and I went home and I went to bed. Not feeling any different but the next morning as God lives the next morning.

I Woke up and when my feet touched the floor, I knew I was a different man. Something had happened inside of my life if any man is in Christ. May I put it this way if Christ is in any man or woman that person becomes a new creation.

The old things in their life are passed away behold. All things have become new. The old path will try to hang on for a little while the old path will try to can Convince you that it's still alive, but it's not.

It has passed away. It's dead. It no longer has the right to your future and all things are become new. So, how do we experience these all things and these new things? You know, sometimes we we want it we want it immediately and.

Yielding Beyond Human Strength

And as Peter did in the initially at least he tried to he tried to do it in his own strength. He tried to follow God in his own strength and and we do that. Don't we. I did it. Some of you online tonight you're doing it right now and others in the sanctuary you tried that and some go a long distance.

But eventually we all failed because this kingdom you can't walk in this kingdom by natural human strength or wisdom. It's not by might it's not by power, but it's by my spirit says the Lord in 1st Samuel chapter 10.

I'm just going to read it to you verses 5 to 7. Now Samuel Saul had just been anointed King. He's going to be the king over Israel and Samuel the Prophet speaking for God Gives him a word about what will give him the strength to become the man that he's called to be now.

We all know Saul Didn't quite walk this out the way he should have but he was given every opportunity to do this. This was the beginning of his his ministry as it was verse 5 of 1st Samuel chapter 10.

He says after that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine Garrison is and it will happen. When you've come to the city you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument a Tambourine a flute and a harp before them and they will be prophesying.

Well, that's that's in a sense what happened to you tonight those that are listening online. You come into this prayer meeting and you've got a guy with a guitar a stringed instrument. You've got somebody else with a keyboard.

You got somebody with a drum set and they're playing and they're singing and now I'm prophesying to you. About what God will do in your life if you will yield your life to him. So you're actually experiencing the same thing that Saul did.

Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you. Hallelujah, you talk about why we say stay and pray why we say open your heart to God. Give up trying to win this battle in your own strength. Give up trying to get out of this prison.

Let God open the door and let you out. Give up trying to be strong in your own strength give up trying to formulate the plans of your own life and and stretch your hands. Out and yield your life to the Son of God who can't and never will fail you.

Then he said the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you. This is why we are believing that through these connect and fellowship groups. There's going to be a spiritual awakening in this generation at least, you know, we will do our part.

We're not the only players in town. There's other churches other places other people praying and God's gonna bring it all together in one and I'm I see in my spirit Homes igniting all over the world. I see the fire of God burning not in big buildings.

No longer in mega churches. But the fire of God burning in homes men and women coming alive in God the young and the old the rich the poor prophesying that means speaking in unison with God speaking the things that God is speaking given an understanding like Nathaniel of the work and the word and the will and the ways of God.

And Seeing the incredible power that's available to walk in this newness of life that we are called to in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

That's exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit of the Lord came upon 120 failures that had gathered in an upper room and when they came out of the upper room and went into the marketplace.

What were they doing. The Spirit of the Lord had come upon them and they were speaking in unison with God. About the wonderful works that God had done is doing and is preparing to do. They were simply walking and speaking in unison with God and they had this incredible vision like Nathaniel of the power of God and the ability of God to do things that can't be done by ordinary men and women with any amount of ordinary strength or natural wisdom.

And Let it be he says in verse 7 when these signs come to you that you do as occasion demands for God is with you. And When you have begun to prophesy when you are in agreement with God when you are believing that you are what God says you are.

When you are believing that you're going where God says you're going when you're believing that you have the power to do what God says. You will do. When all of these things come into your life, then as God leads you go through that door.

Because God is now with you the old things have passed away and all things have become new. I know what you are, but do you know what you will be? Praise be to God. You will not be as you are when you open your heart to Jesus Christ.

You will be turned into another man another woman young or old. It doesn't matter and you will become the person that God intended you to be right from the womb. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God glory. Glory.

Glory. Glory to the name of Jesus. Hallelujah, hallelujah. So Jesus encounters you or you encounter him tonight and he says I know Who you are. This is who you are, but this is who you will be. Praise be to God and the Holy Spirit will show you.

He'll guide you line by line brick by brick step by step. As you get into the Word of God and by the power of God's Holy Spirit. You begin to believe that every promise in this book now belongs to you suddenly.

Everything that was impossible becomes possible. Every place it was impassable. Now just as the Red Sea parted for the children of God now God makes a way for you to go and do What you could never hope to do in any amount of your own natural strength.

Oh Bless God. Bless God. All that is required is that you and I Approach him with an honest heart. Finally give up trying to do it in our own strength. Say Jesus you are the Son of God and you are the king of my life.

You have the rights to my future. I Not going to use you to try to Build up my plan for my life. But I yield my plan and now I embrace Whatever it is that you have for my life. You know, we we don't fully understand what that is.

But as we walk out in faith with an honest heart a new creation in Christ Jesus. God is the one who makes it happen in each one of our lives. In John chapter 3 There was a religious leader named Nicodemus.

Born Again by Water and the Spirit

He came to Jesus at night probably because he was embarrassed to be seen with him in the daytime. But he said rabbi. We know that you're a teachers come from God. For no one can do these signs that you do unless unless God is with him and Jesus answered and said to him most most assuredly I say to you.

This is John 3 3 now unless one is born again He cannot see the kingdom of God. You know the word see really implies he can't perceive it. He's outside of it until he's born again. Now this this this man is teaching the people about God.

But he himself is outside of where the power of God really is and the purpose of God is he can't see it. It's not just it's not just it has the implication of entering into the kingdom of heaven for eternity, but it also has a now Implication when you look at the the context of the word.

It means it means to intellectually perceive you can't unless you're born again. You can't intellectually perceive the kingdom of God. You don't know how the kingdom of God works like you're. Nathaniel was told by Christ you're going to see something about the kingdom of God because You have an honest heart.

You're going to see something that you can't see if Your heart is not honest. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born and Jesus answered and said most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you you must be born again. Then he goes on to say the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound.

But you can't tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit? He's telling Nicodemus you're being carried by your natural reasoning by natural religion by natural study but when you're born of the Spirit.

You're going to be carried by the presence of God. And you're going to be carried into places you you never thought you were going to go and you're going to become a person you never thought You could ever be.

You have to be born again. By the Spirit of God you've had a natural birth He said to Nicodemus and you've got a whole wagonload of religion. But that won't get you into heaven and it won't get you into the place Where you begin to understand the power of God's kingdom and the change and purpose that comes into a life that is given to him.

You must be born again. You see it implies in a sense a humility. It implies an admission. That religion can't save me. Self-effort can't save me. I can change all of my exterior garments. He probably looked really nice on the outside that can't save me.

I can know the Hebrew meanings of half the words of the Bible that can't save me. I have to come to Christ admitting that I can't save myself. Admitting that I need a Savior admitting without guile Without deceit that there's no way into the kingdom of heaven both here on the earth and into eternity until I bend my knee before the Son of God and Recognize him as my Lord and my Savior.

Until I believe that God so loves me that he sent his only begotten Son to die on a cross that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life until I believe that he came to do what I can't do for myself and I begin as Nathaniel did to confess him as my Lord and as my Savior.

Surrendering the Future to Christ

When I do that my heart Being open to the Son of God the Spirit of God comes the Holy Spirit of God the third person of God and Takes up his residence inside My earth and body and I become a new creation washed clean of all of the sin and all the restrictions that it brought into my life all the death that was being born inside of me is Suddenly washed away.

It loses its power and I become a new creation in Christ Jesus born again by the Spirit of God. No longer bound by the things of this world no longer constrained by old habits old thoughts old words old deeds.

But just as a newborn, babe. Coming into this world for the first time being born again by the Spirit of God Means just starting anew and starting afresh. Being the person that God always wanted me to be.

You see we are here tonight and We have sung to you on this platform and I have prophesied to you About what your life could be see that's prophesying. All I'm doing is agreeing with God about what you will be if you will open your heart to Jesus Christ.

That's that's prophesying. That's what it is. I'm telling you you will be a new creation. I'm speaking to you about your future now. But what will happen in your life? God will take you so much farther Than you ever believed you could.

The Bible tells us that when he when he rose from the dead Jesus Christ when he rose he took your captivity captive and he gave he just showered you with gifts things That only God's Spirit can give to you that you can never get yourself by any amounts of human effort.

Abilities that will be given you that are given you by God himself gifts of God. So that the excellency of the power that's in your life as the Bible says is not of you. But it's of God's Spirit within you.

Your message will be like mine to you tonight that what God has done for me. He will do for you. You will so know him that you will start speaking to other people and saying you know, I want you to know that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead raised me and Gave me a new life and he can give you a new life.

You're just going to be keeping it real simple. It starts by yielding your life to Christ. Omae challenge you my friend, you know, I when I pull over on the side of the road I wasn't sure that this was a hundred percent true and my prayer began with if I Said Jesus if this is true, but it was a sincere if it was a Nathanael if It was without guile or deceit if this is true.

You know, I give you my life, you know, you think maybe to be saved you have to come to a definitive point in your life. You know where you just say I know this is and some people get there, but I wasn't there.

It was an if but it was good enough. God took my if and saved me. Hallelujah. The Holy Spirit was not offended by my if it was a sincere if and he came and took his residence Inside my life and I became a new creation.

And the old things began to pass away and all things Began to become new. So I'm prophesying to you tonight. You have a future. You have a hope. If you will open your heart and I'm gonna lead you in a prayer, but there's no formula to this.

This isn't mystical. I mean you you you can form your own words. You can form your own if. But I'm gonna just lead you in a prayer tonight and ask you maybe just make it your own. I see somebody. See you through the camera tonight.

I see you. And you're it's not even a kitchen. It's not a living room. It's kind of a room between the two you're sitting on a little brown couch and you're looking at the screen and You were wondering the whole time could this be true but God is meeting you right now and showing you it is true.

So you bow your heart to God tonight you watch what the Lord Jesus will do for you.