Let me ask you a question…Do you really know Jesus?

Now, most people in this room would instantly say, “Yes, of course.” And you probably will see this entire message as some type of salvation message, and you’ll probably zone out since you feel like you’re good on this.

What I’ve found in over 27 years of being a pastor is that many people say they know Jesus, and they say they are Christians, but they have a limited view of or lack of understanding of what it really means for Jesus to be Lord of their lives.

So many people know Jesus like I know Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter is one of the greatest baseball players who has ever lived. You can disagree with me, but I have never seen a player in my entire lifetime who, in their retirement year, was honored by every single baseball team in Major League Baseball during his last game at their stadium. You might not think he's one of the greatest, but his peers did.

I've seen Jeter play a decent number of times for somebody who lives in Texas. I've seen him in Houston, I've seen him playing the Rangers in Arlington, but one of my most favorite experiences was when me and my friend Jonathan drove to New York to be at game one of the World Series against Philadelphia in the new stadium in 2009.

I was a fan of Derek Jeter because I was a fan of Yogi Berra. I did a book report on Yogi Berra in the eighth grade and I loved the grandeur of the Yankees in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and it just so happened that my 8th grade year was the same year Derek Jeter was coming on the scene and I saw so much in Derek that I also admired in those older Yankees. That first game of the World Series, Yogi Berra walked out onto the field. I was in awe. It was incredible!

We saw Jeter play a couple games that week and then I was back when Mariano Rivera retired, and I got to see Jeter one more time.

I followed his stats, and my appreciation for him was strengthened by plays like him diving into the stands to catch that foul ball, the flip that got Giambi out at home plate, the jump throw that changed the game, and even moments like when Jeter hit his 3000th hit, which was a homerun to left centerfield. I remember it because I was watching it on my phone while we were walking around shopping in Kohl's in Beaumont, Texas.

I've seen him play, I've loved the highlights, I even have one of his rookie cards, but as much as I know about him, I don't know him. I can't get Derek Jeter on the phone right now. And at this point in my life, the only way I'm gonna ever get to hang out with Derek Jeter is if I have enough money to invite him to an event I'm hosting. If anybody wants to donate, let me know after service.

It’s the same for most people with Jesus, innit? Every single one of us can be placed pretty effectively in one of two categories: We know about him, or we know him.

A lot of people know about Jesus. For instance:
- He is the central figure of Christianity where it is believed he is the Son of God and the promised Messiah.
- He was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary and her husband Joseph, a carpenter.
- He grew up in the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
- At about age 30, he began his public ministry after being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
- He chose 12 disciples to follow and learn from him.Jesus is famous for teaching with authority, often using parables to explain spiritual truths about the Kingdom of God, love, forgiveness, and faith.
- He performed many miracles: healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, feeding thousands with a few loaves and fish, walking on water, calming storms, raising the dead, and casting out demons.
- His teachings emphasized loving God and loving your neighbor as the greatest commandments, along with mercy, humility, turning the other cheek, and the Golden Rule.
- He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, arrested, tried by religious leaders and Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and crucified in Jerusalem around AD 30–33.
- Christians believe he rose from the dead on the third day, appeared to his disciples, and later ascended to heaven.His death and resurrection are seen as the means of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God for those who believe in him.

These are the facts that many people know about Jesus.

- Jeter is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits, doubles, games played, stolen bases, times on base, plate appearances, and at bats.
- His accolades include 14 All-Star selections, 5 Gold Glove Awards, 5 Silver Slugger Awards, 2 Hank Aaron Awards, and a 2009 Roberto Clemente Award.
- Jeter was the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits and finished his career sixth in MLB history in career hits, second all-time among right-handed hitters behind Hank Aaron, and first among shortstops.
- In 2017, the Yankees retired his uniform number 2.In the 1992 draft, Hall of Fame pitcher and Houston Astros scout Hal Newhouser, evaluated Jeter extensively and lobbied team management to select him. They refused and selected Phil Nevin, who in 12 years of baseball only garnered one accolade: appearing in the 2001 All Star game. Newhouser felt so strongly about Jeter's potential that he quit his job with the Astros in protest after they ignored his drafting advice.
- Jeter would go on to be the Captain, Captain Clutch, Mr. November, and 5 time WS champ.

I know facts, but that’s it. I don’t know the things that fuel him or the intimate details of how he acts with his family. I don’t know what he’d order at Saltgrass. I don’t have a single inside joke with him.

I know all the details, but I don’t know what his presence feels like.

I can’t help but believe so many people have this same type of relationship with Jesus, and the same awkwardness that might exist if I ever met Jeter face to face, we feel when we try to interact with God through prayer. We just don’t know how to act because we don’t really know him.

And then we read the Word and we try to imagine how God is or responds
based on what we know about him through information, rather than understanding what he is saying to us personally.

There’s a big difference between knowing and knowing about Jesus.

So let me ask you again…do you really know Jesus?

I genuinely believe you want to. That's a part of why you're here right now. And what's great is that the message today can help you whether you really know Jesus or you just know about him, Because your next step is the same.

How you know Jesus more is by going deeper. What do I mean by that?

Luke 5:1-11
1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Go out where it is deeper. What's so special about the deep? Why does Jesus say go deeper? Jesus says, “To catch some fish.”

Let me share a few things with you this morning about how going deeper helps you go beyond knowing info to really knowing Jesus.

1. The deep is full of life.
If you look at the words of this scripture, Jesus clearly says that the fish were in the deep, and that's the reason for going deeper. Truth is, when it comes to our lakes and oceans, the life is in the deep. Go watch an Attenborough program on the ocean. It is mesmerizing and awe-inspiring and incredibly scary!

The same is true with Jesus. Take a scripture like John 3:16 For God to loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever should believe in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. What a powerful verse. A life-changing verse. Eternity changing verse.

The shallows along the shoreline is understanding that God loves you and is willing to go to the extreme to reconcile you to himself. Most people know that God loves them. But is that all there is to God's love? Just that he does?

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It’s more than just blanket love. It is love in spite of your brokenness. It’s “I still want you even if you don’t want me.”

One more step deeper. Isaiah 53:3-6, 10-11
3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

I am using God’s love as an example, but just like there are countless fish in the sea, there is an unlimited array of depth to God and his Word.

But the question isn’t is there life in the depths. It’s are you willing to go deeper?

2. The deep is challenging.
This summer, we have the opportunity to swim in the ocean at Destin and in the lake, both Inks Lake and Lake Somerville. Truth be told, I hate the ocean. I don't like all the sand, I don't like the fact that there are animals in the ocean that can swallow you whole. Mainly, I hate the stress of my kids being dragged out to sea.

The lake is much more comfortable to me. I grew up on a lake, and while there are some creepy crawlies in a lake as well, I feel like at least I'm not going to be eaten in one bite by a shark.

What's interesting about both is that when you are in the deep, its a challenge. Forget what critters might be out there for a moment and just think about the fact that you can't touch the bottom, that you have to tread water, that if you are going to enjoy the deep, you either have to be a really good swimmer, or you have something upon which you can anchor.

The fish may have been out in the deep water, but it was a challenge to let down the net. As Peter let down those nets, he didn't expect anything that would be challenging. But according to the text, there were so many fish that it began breaking the nets.

You ever felt like that? Have you ever ventured out into the deep of God and let down only for something to come out of the deep that forced you to change, to rethink how you've been acting, to forgive, to break that negative thought pattern or addiction? Have you ever sat down to read the word and wanted some comfortable, shallow truth that made you feel good, but rather God used that Bible verse to challenge the very core of the nature of who you are that made you swallow your pride and become more self-aware than you ever wanted to be? And that moment you feel exactly like Peter, who looked down at his net and realized something has come out of the deep that I am now responsible for.

If you are expecting to be a productive follower of Jesus Christ and built into that expectation is the notion that you will never be challenged, you've only ventured up to your ankles in the depths of who God really is.

There's something interesting about all of Paul's writings in the New Testament. The Bible has them listed by length, longest to shortest. If you list them chronologically, you see something pretty incredible over the course of Paul's life.
~ 48AD Galatians 1:1 Paul, and apostle, sent not from men, nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God, the father.
~ 55AD 1 Corinthians 15:9 I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle.
~ 61AD Ephesians 3:8 I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people
~ 63AD 1 Timothy 1:15 Christ just came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
To me, that sounds like the journey of a person who has refused to stay in the comfort of the shallows, who has been willing to, repeatedly, venture into the depth of who God is. He wasn't becoming more negative about himself. He was becoming more grateful to God. He was going deeper.

The challenge of the depth is not designed to destroy you. It's designed to make you more reliant upon God. Just ask Simon Peter: the deeper you go, the more reliant you have to become upon Jesus.

3. The deep is where real relationship can happen.
You've probably learned the majority of the information you know about Jesus in church. You've probably developed the majority of your relationship with Jesus in adversity.

There are two main ways relationships deepen.
The first is through time spent with.
This is an easy one that you no doubt understand. Even in natural relationships, they grow the more time you spend with another person.

But second, deep relationships are often formed in adversity.
We see this in our natural relationships as well where two friends go through some type of ordeal, or there's something that challenges their friendship, and after they've come through it most often those relationships are exponentially stronger. Psychologists called this relational resilience.

I am willing to bet you have had some pretty adverse moments in your relationship with Jesus, and I bet those tough moments strengthened your relationship with him.

Romans 5:3-5
3 …we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

James 1:2-4
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Paul, James, and Peter all give the same advice:
Adversity isn’t fun, but in those deep moments when all you have to cling to is Jesus, that’s when the real relationship can happen.

The deep is full of life, it's challenging, it's where strong relationship can happen, awesome. That's great. Thank you so much Pastor Jason. But how do I go deeper?

Every move towards the deep begins with a single step.
So just ask the Holy Spirit right now: what step do you want me to take?

Some of you haven't even given your life to him yet. You may have even prayed a prayer at some point, but you were still living on your own terms and in a way that only pleases you, but you understand right now that if you were going to have a relationship with Jesus, you're gonna have to go all in. If that’s you, Pray this with me: Jesus, I confess you as the Lord. I repent of my sin. I believe you died for me and rose again. Save me. In Jesus name.

Some of you need to sign up for Alpha today, you need to jump on a serve team, you need to do something as simple as praying every night with your family before they go to bed, maybe it's getting baptized. There is a whole list of things you can do to take a next step.

Some of you know you have things that you're doing right now, sin in your life, iniquity that you need to stop today. You need deliverance from these things. You need to repent and turn away from them. You need to forgive someone or ask forgiveness from someone. We can't do that for you, but we can pray with you, we can encourage you, we can help keep you accountable.

All of these are single next steps that you can take to go deeper.

I can encourage you, I can show you the step, I can ask you to take the step. Jesus can do all of those things as well. The Holy Spirit can speak to your heart in this very moment about the step you need to take.

But just like Peter had to be willing to push out into the deep and to put out his nets, you have to be willing to take the step.

I asked you before do you really know Jesus.

Let me ask you now do you really want to go deeper?

Here’s your chance to respond.