1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,120 Go ahead and open your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 13, if you will. 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:07,520 Matthew 13. We're going to be in verse 44 in just a moment. Matthew 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:12,040 13:44. We are on our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Those 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:15,280 of you who might be joining us as the semester is getting cranked 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,840 up, we are going through chapter by chapter, verse by verse 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,480 through the Gospel of Matthew. We're done with Matthew. We're going 7 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,280 to go on to Mark, and we're done with Mark. We're going to go 8 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,440 on to Luke, and we're done with Luke, we're going to go on to 9 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:29,090 John. And over the next several years, my goal and hope is 10 00:00:29,090 --> 00:00:32,530 that we get to drink deeply of King Jesus week after week after 11 00:00:32,530 --> 00:00:35,890 week, and that by the time we're done with this journey, there 12 00:00:35,890 --> 00:00:39,210 is a body of people who are utterly obsessed with King Jesus. 13 00:00:39,770 --> 00:00:42,450 That's my hope and my prayer, and we're going to stick to it and 14 00:00:42,450 --> 00:00:44,970 keep learning what he has to say. But before I jump into the passage, 15 00:00:45,530 --> 00:00:49,610 I want to tell you, maybe, maybe I want to defend myself a little 16 00:00:49,610 --> 00:00:53,200 bit before I get into the passage. So I've heard some people 17 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,440 grumble a little bit about my leadership. Don't worry, it's not 18 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,600 that severe. I'm not gonna get that heavy. But really, it's because 19 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:07,160 I push hard is what I'm told anyway, that I keep asking for a 20 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,760 lot. Like, Jason, you keep demanding more and more from us. 21 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,560 Like, you want me to give like 10% is not enough for you, Jason. 22 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,120 Now you want me to give like 20% of my income away. You want me 23 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,600 to adopt four kids. You want me to go on 12 mission trips a year. 24 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,740 You want me to make mentor out in the schools. You want me to serve 25 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:25,300 you cause us to give up our Sunday morning worship to go serve 26 00:01:25,300 --> 00:01:28,340 in the schools and whatever. You have such high demands for us, 27 00:01:28,340 --> 00:01:33,420 Jason. When are you going to slow down? Okay, if you feel that 28 00:01:33,420 --> 00:01:38,380 way, I want you to hear me out. There is going to come a moment 29 00:01:38,380 --> 00:01:41,940 one day when you are going to stand before King Jesus and you're 30 00:01:41,940 --> 00:01:46,950 going to wish I pushed you harder. I promise you there is coming 31 00:01:46,950 --> 00:01:50,910 a day when your one regret will be that I didn't ask for more, 32 00:01:51,550 --> 00:01:53,950 that I didn't demand more, that I didn't push, or you're gonna 33 00:01:53,950 --> 00:01:56,750 go, jason, you should have pushed us more. Because now that 34 00:01:56,750 --> 00:01:59,390 I see what I get in return for everything I gave up, I realize it's 35 00:01:59,390 --> 00:02:02,870 worth it. You should have pushed us more. I just want you to 36 00:02:02,870 --> 00:02:07,870 hear that Because I want you to know why I do what I do. I will 37 00:02:07,870 --> 00:02:12,150 one day stand before Almighty God. And I'm afraid he's gonna say, 38 00:02:12,150 --> 00:02:17,400 you should have pushed him more. I believe today God wants to 39 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:22,680 show us why the call to follow Jesus is so high. Because it's going 40 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,160 to be absolutely worth it. He tells us that through two quick parables 41 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,680 in Matthew, chapter 13, verse 44 through 46. I want you to see 42 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,680 what he has to say about the kingdom of God and why it's worth 43 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:39,080 it. Let's read it. Matthew 13, beginning in verse 44. The kingdom 44 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,300 of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found 45 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:45,980 and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he 46 00:02:45,980 --> 00:02:49,460 has and buys that field again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant 47 00:02:49,460 --> 00:02:52,340 in search of fine pearls who, on finding one pearl of great value, 48 00:02:52,420 --> 00:02:56,740 went and sold all that he had and bought it. Okay, we're going 49 00:02:56,740 --> 00:02:59,700 to pause just after those couple of parables. One of the things 50 00:02:59,700 --> 00:03:04,220 I love about Jesus is that he just. He can say so much in such 51 00:03:04,220 --> 00:03:08,620 a little amount of time. It's both super simple and unbelievably 52 00:03:08,620 --> 00:03:11,840 complex at one time. I mean, you read these two parables and you 53 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,680 get his idea. He's saying, the kingdom of God is incredibly valuable, 54 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,680 worth giving up everything for. But he has two words or two 55 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,720 ideas in there that are just these little nuggets that help you 56 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,720 see a nuanced understanding of just how beautiful the kingdom of 57 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,800 God is. The first one was about the treasure when it says, 58 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,880 and in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has so he can buy 59 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:38,650 that field in his joy. He's not reluctant. He's not going, why 60 00:03:38,650 --> 00:03:41,170 are you forcing me to give up everything I have to buy that field? 61 00:03:41,810 --> 00:03:45,170 It says that he is unbelievably overjoyed, like with 62 00:03:45,170 --> 00:03:48,130 joy and excitement, oh, my goodness, I get to give up everything 63 00:03:48,130 --> 00:03:52,010 because I'm gonna get something so much more. He knew what 64 00:03:52,010 --> 00:03:54,690 he was giving up because he knew even more what he was gaining. 65 00:03:55,410 --> 00:03:59,450 And in joy, he gave it up. See, this is where I think we get 66 00:03:59,450 --> 00:04:03,340 off. This is where people get frustrated, where they start obeying 67 00:04:03,340 --> 00:04:06,100 God because they think that's what you're supposed to do as a good 68 00:04:06,100 --> 00:04:08,060 Christian. And you don't realize the reward that's coming 69 00:04:08,060 --> 00:04:13,540 back, but it is absolutely worth it. Maybe I could illustrate 70 00:04:13,540 --> 00:04:17,980 it for you. Is there anybody in the room who has a $1 bill? Anybody? 71 00:04:18,700 --> 00:04:20,940 Okay, I saw that hand go up in the back. Can you pull? You have 72 00:04:20,940 --> 00:04:26,820 it on you right now. Yeah, you got it. Okay, go ahead and come over 73 00:04:26,820 --> 00:04:33,330 here if you don't mind. Got a $1 bill over here. Now is it legit? 74 00:04:33,330 --> 00:04:38,290 Are you sure you're not trying to fake me out, are you? Okay, come 75 00:04:38,290 --> 00:04:40,610 on up here. Don't trip up the steps because that'd be super embarrassing. 76 00:04:40,610 --> 00:04:45,370 But we gonna make it up here. Tell me your name. Jake. Jake. All 77 00:04:45,370 --> 00:04:49,690 right, Jake. Yeah, there you go. Okay, put your dollar out. Let 78 00:04:49,690 --> 00:04:51,530 me see it. I want you to hold it. I don't want anybody to think 79 00:04:51,530 --> 00:04:54,090 I'm taking something from you. It's upside down. Go ahead and flip 80 00:04:54,090 --> 00:04:59,080 it for me. Yeah, there we go. That looks legit. Now would you give 81 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:04,440 me that $1 bill? Sure. Do you do it reluctantly or happily? Okay. 82 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,240 You're not smiling, but okay. Well, I want to give you something. 83 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,120 Okay. What's this $50 bill? It's a $50 bill. You gave me one, 84 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,800 I'm gonna give you 50. You wanna take it? Are you sure? I'm 85 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:26,500 sure. Is that a good deal? Not for me. You're right. But for you. 86 00:05:27,460 --> 00:05:31,780 Take it. Have it. Let's give them a hand. Yeah, take it. Okay, 87 00:05:34,740 --> 00:05:38,340 so I want you to know that was not your tithes and offerings. That 88 00:05:38,340 --> 00:05:41,980 was my money. And my kids aren't going to eat this afternoon. 89 00:05:41,980 --> 00:05:46,100 But we'll be fine. Sure be all right. Come looking for you later. 90 00:05:48,290 --> 00:05:52,290 I did it in the first service, So I have $2 now to my name. But 91 00:05:55,490 --> 00:06:01,210 so Jake. Is that right? Is that the. So you know Jake would 92 00:06:01,210 --> 00:06:05,250 have been a fool if he didn't give me his $1 and take the 50. Like 93 00:06:05,410 --> 00:06:07,970 that's just a no brainer. You don't have to pray over that decision. 94 00:06:08,930 --> 00:06:12,370 His one thing he was worried about was taking money from me. But 95 00:06:12,370 --> 00:06:16,200 he knew that was going to be worth it. Literally. 50x return on 96 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:21,720 investment. This is what Jesus is talking about. That when we invest 97 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:26,000 in the kingdom of God, when we give up something so much less we 98 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,560 can't even believe how wild and beautiful what we get back is 99 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,440 going to be over what we gave up. So I'm going to give you two 100 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,200 points today. They're going to come pretty quick. Here's the first 101 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:36,120 one. I want you to write this down. Take a picture, whatever you 102 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:40,280 got to do. What God calls us to relinquish pales in comparison 103 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:44,800 to what God promises to reward. Whatever he's calling you, 104 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:49,000 that $1 bill he's calling you to let go of, it pales in comparison. 105 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,560 You can't even imagine in fact, Paul talks about this. He says 106 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:58,200 that whatever I have to suffer in this life is not even worth comparing 107 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,240 to the glory that's gonna be revealed to me. The suffering of 108 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,920 this present time, the things I have to give up, and they pale 109 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:08,080 in comparison to what's coming my way. That's how the kingdom of 110 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,610 God works. Whatever God requires you to give up pales in 111 00:07:11,610 --> 00:07:15,930 comparison to this beautiful, eternal, unbelievable reward that 112 00:07:15,930 --> 00:07:20,210 he wants to give you. That's why with joy, he sells everything 113 00:07:20,210 --> 00:07:24,370 he has. So if you don't have joy in the service to your king, 114 00:07:24,770 --> 00:07:27,570 that shows me you might not be understanding what the kingdom of 115 00:07:27,570 --> 00:07:30,730 God is really like. But then there's a second little nuance he 116 00:07:30,730 --> 00:07:35,224 gives to this. It's in verses 40, really in verse 45, but in 45, 117 00:07:35,316 --> 00:07:39,480 46, when he talks about the merchant. Cause it says doesn't say 118 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,760 with joy he sells. I think it gives a different nuance. He says, 119 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,000 and this merchant was searching for a pearl of great value. 120 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,000 Now, let me tell you why that's a nuanced difference. Because 121 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:55,040 it meant this guy hadn't yet seen the treasure. He's a merchant, 122 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,720 and in his mind he has the image of this perfect pearl. And 123 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,520 he is literally combing the world, hunting over the world, searching 124 00:08:04,540 --> 00:08:07,700 for that beautiful thing he has in his mind. And that's why when 125 00:08:07,700 --> 00:08:10,500 he comes upon it, he knows immediately what it's worth, Sells 126 00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:13,300 everything he has so that he can get that pearl. He didn't have 127 00:08:13,300 --> 00:08:17,460 to see it. He knew it existed and he went hunting for it. This 128 00:08:17,460 --> 00:08:21,900 right here, this is what I think our main problem is. You and 129 00:08:21,900 --> 00:08:25,500 I don't have the holy imagination enough to believe there's 130 00:08:25,500 --> 00:08:27,900 a pearl that's so great, we'll go search the whole world to find 131 00:08:27,900 --> 00:08:32,110 it. You gotta be able to imagine in your mind something worth 132 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:35,550 all that before you go hunting for it. And this is where we fail. 133 00:08:35,550 --> 00:08:39,470 We can't even conceive of a kingdom that is so glorious and beautiful 134 00:08:39,470 --> 00:08:41,830 that we would gladly search the whole world and give up everything 135 00:08:41,830 --> 00:08:45,429 in order to have it. We can't even picture it in our minds. And 136 00:08:45,429 --> 00:08:49,230 so we settle for something so much less. I'm actually disturbed 137 00:08:49,230 --> 00:08:54,990 by most of the culture's idea of what eternal life is like. In 138 00:08:54,990 --> 00:08:57,750 fact, I saw a cartoon that really, I think, depicts how far 139 00:08:57,750 --> 00:09:00,880 too many people view it. Let's bring that up there. This is what 140 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:05,200 most people think of when they think of eternal life. Oh, God, this 141 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,640 is boring. Sitting on a cloud, the harp next to you for all eternity. 142 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:12,760 Napping, strumming your harp and falling back to sleep again. 143 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,400 A fate worse than death. Listen, if that's your idea of eternal 144 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,400 life, I'm go ahead and tell you it does not make sense to give 145 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:23,600 up anything in this world in order to gain that. But that is not 146 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,000 what the Bible teaches eternal life is, and the kingdom of God is. 147 00:09:27,750 --> 00:09:32,190 I want to correct some mistaken theology that has permeated 148 00:09:32,190 --> 00:09:34,750 the church and it's this idea that when you die, you become an 149 00:09:34,750 --> 00:09:38,430 angel. I want to go and tell you when you die, you do not become 150 00:09:38,430 --> 00:09:42,750 an angel. Angels are heavenly beings that exist. And then there's 151 00:09:42,750 --> 00:09:47,190 human beings that exist and we don't become angels that sit on clouds 152 00:09:47,190 --> 00:09:52,630 and play harps. When we die, our body goes in the ground and our 153 00:09:52,630 --> 00:09:55,790 soul is present with Jesus. And we wait for the time when Christ 154 00:09:55,790 --> 00:09:58,540 returns and, and our bodies are lifted up from the grave and 155 00:09:58,540 --> 00:10:01,260 we are reunited. And it says that out of heaven will come a new 156 00:10:01,260 --> 00:10:03,500 earth that will descend down to the earth. And we will live on 157 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:06,580 this new earth for all eternity. But this new earth is gonna 158 00:10:06,580 --> 00:10:10,060 be the best of everything you could possibly imagine. It's gonna 159 00:10:10,060 --> 00:10:13,540 be the most amazing tasting food you've ever had. That's gonna 160 00:10:13,540 --> 00:10:16,100 be yours. You're gonna run and you're not gonna grow weary. You're 161 00:10:16,100 --> 00:10:18,340 never gonna get a sore knee, you're never gonna have cancer, you're 162 00:10:18,340 --> 00:10:21,220 never gonna have death or pain or suffering or tears. It's gonna 163 00:10:21,220 --> 00:10:23,140 be everything you've always wanted. But right here on this earth 164 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,880 that you experience to the fullest degree, that's what he's 165 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:31,760 promising us. He's promising us something so beautiful we can't 166 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:37,240 even conceptualize it. The problem is, because we can't conceptualize 167 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:42,320 it, we end up settling for something so much less. There's a 168 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,120 quote from a guy, C.S. lewis. Many of you are familiar with this 169 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,320 quote. I've quoted it before. I want to say it right, so I'm going 170 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,690 to see if I can pull it up here. But here's what he says. He 171 00:10:51,690 --> 00:10:54,850 says, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, 172 00:10:55,330 --> 00:10:58,770 but too weak. We are half hearted creatures fooling around 173 00:10:58,770 --> 00:11:01,490 with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered 174 00:11:01,490 --> 00:11:04,130 us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in 175 00:11:04,130 --> 00:11:06,450 a slum. Because you cannot imagine what is meant by the offer 176 00:11:06,450 --> 00:11:11,930 of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased. This is our 177 00:11:11,930 --> 00:11:14,610 problem. We're so easily pleased because we can't even imagine. 178 00:11:14,850 --> 00:11:17,890 All the more that God has And so we're making mud pies, and we're 179 00:11:17,890 --> 00:11:21,100 filling ourselves without thinking, that's enough. I mean, 180 00:11:21,100 --> 00:11:23,980 how many times have we gotten. Maybe I'm just confessing to you 181 00:11:23,980 --> 00:11:27,180 right now. How many times have I got overly excited when I hear 182 00:11:27,180 --> 00:11:31,780 the ring go off? And I go, ooh, an Amazon box. Yay. Like, I 183 00:11:31,780 --> 00:11:35,100 get a little too excited about whatever's inside that box. I forgot 184 00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:37,500 what I ordered. Cause I ordered so much from Amazon. It's 185 00:11:37,500 --> 00:11:42,420 like Christmas Day every time Amazon comes. Or somebody gifted 186 00:11:42,420 --> 00:11:46,670 me a pair of shoes, which I love them. I get a little too excited 187 00:11:46,670 --> 00:11:50,510 about a pair of shoes sometimes. Like, I'm satisfied with 188 00:11:50,510 --> 00:11:55,910 a pair of shoes. I'm satisfied by things that I don't need to be 189 00:11:55,910 --> 00:11:59,990 satisfied with. Someone who pays me a compliment, makes me feel 190 00:11:59,990 --> 00:12:02,710 good about myself. I get hungry for it. I want to be satisfied. 191 00:12:02,710 --> 00:12:06,510 And I'm eating mud pies. A car I drive, a house I live in, a vacation. 192 00:12:06,510 --> 00:12:09,390 I take all these little things, and I settle for those things, 193 00:12:09,390 --> 00:12:12,630 these little pleasure hits. Because sometimes I forget there's 194 00:12:12,630 --> 00:12:14,990 something so much more. And so whenever that thing is threatened, 195 00:12:14,990 --> 00:12:17,230 when God wants to take that thing away, I get frustrated and 196 00:12:17,230 --> 00:12:19,910 angry with God. Don't take away my pleasure hit. Don't take 197 00:12:19,910 --> 00:12:23,590 away my mud pie. Because I can't even conceptualize there's 198 00:12:23,590 --> 00:12:28,110 something so much better. That's our problem. We can't dream 199 00:12:28,110 --> 00:12:32,870 it. And the reason why is because it takes great faith to believe 200 00:12:33,750 --> 00:12:36,190 that there's a kingdom out there because of the kingdom we live 201 00:12:36,190 --> 00:12:39,320 in right now. This is where Jesus ended last week with the whole 202 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,400 parable of the wheat and the weeds. If you were here last week, 203 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,520 then you remember me talking about the fact that you have the 204 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:46,960 kingdom of God. That's the wheat, and you have the kingdom of 205 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,960 darkness. Those are the weeds, and they're intertwined. We're on 206 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,200 earth right now, side by side. So this is the already but not yet 207 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:55,640 kingdom of God. It's already here, but it's not yet fully here. 208 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,160 And so we don't see its power and its glory quite yet because it's 209 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:00,800 interspersed with the kingdom of darkness. So we can't even imagine 210 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,530 how much more there is out there. And that this is our problem. 211 00:13:05,250 --> 00:13:07,770 We live in this world and we can't imagine something so beautiful 212 00:13:07,770 --> 00:13:12,570 and perfect. And so we settle for less. Jesus is trying to teach 213 00:13:12,570 --> 00:13:16,890 us to dream for more. But it requires faith to see it, because 214 00:13:16,890 --> 00:13:21,730 we won't yet have it by sight. I'm curious. Have any of you seen 215 00:13:21,810 --> 00:13:24,850 the First Santa Claus movie. Raise your hand if you've seen the 216 00:13:24,850 --> 00:13:27,570 first Santa Claus movie. Okay? Bunch of sinners out there. No, I'm 217 00:13:27,570 --> 00:13:31,250 just kidding. I love it. Y' all know I love Christmas movies. 218 00:13:31,330 --> 00:13:34,130 And about this season right now, August, I'm already thinking 219 00:13:34,130 --> 00:13:36,470 about Christmas, like my light plan for my house and stuff like 220 00:13:36,470 --> 00:13:39,790 that, and the mapping out of Christmas movies. But there's a line 221 00:13:39,790 --> 00:13:45,510 in the Santa Claus that is. It's super fun. It's when Scott Calvin 222 00:13:45,510 --> 00:13:48,710 is in the North Pole and he's looking out over, and he goes, is 223 00:13:48,710 --> 00:13:51,350 that a polar bear down there directing traffic? And it's just 224 00:13:51,350 --> 00:13:54,710 this glorious thing. And this little elf, Judy, comes up and he 225 00:13:54,710 --> 00:13:58,030 goes, I see it, but I don't believe it. And Judy says, no, you're 226 00:13:58,030 --> 00:14:01,230 looking at the strong. Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing. 227 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,080 It's a fun line. I love it. It's one of my favorite. And then 228 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,680 I realized that's got a lot of theological truth to it. Judy just 229 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:12,560 didn't know it. This is the second point I want you to write 230 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:17,880 down about the kingdom of God. We don't see the kingdom of God in 231 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:20,920 order to believe in it. We believe in the kingdom of God in 232 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:26,760 order to see it. This is where we get off. We think, okay, God, 233 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:29,480 when I see your kingdom, when I see your power, when I see everything 234 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,280 work out right the way that I want it, then I'll believe in your 235 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,900 kingdom. That's why I need you to fix on my problems, God. Show 236 00:14:34,900 --> 00:14:37,460 me your power, heal my circumstances, then I'll believe 237 00:14:37,460 --> 00:14:40,740 in your kingdom. But that is not how it works. Faith never works 238 00:14:40,740 --> 00:14:44,340 that way. It is believing in the kingdom of God that opens your 239 00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:47,100 eyes. To be able to see what is hidden with your physical eyes, 240 00:14:48,060 --> 00:14:51,100 you have to believe the kingdom exists or you will never 241 00:14:51,100 --> 00:14:56,140 see it. That requires faith. The author of Hebrews mentioned this. 242 00:14:56,140 --> 00:14:59,180 Chapter 11, verse 6. Without faith, it is impossible to please 243 00:14:59,180 --> 00:15:01,520 God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he 244 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,840 exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him the 245 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,160 reward. It's gonna be worth it. You have to have faith to believe 246 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,680 he exists and that the reward is worth it. That's how you see the 247 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:17,520 kingdom. It requires faith. So the question is, do you have enough 248 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:21,000 faith? Do you have enough faith to have holy imagination and 249 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,640 believe there really is a kingdom that good, that whatever 250 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,960 he would ask you to give up, you'd be willing to give up? Because 251 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:31,520 you recognize it's just mud pies and he's got a holiday at sea 252 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,600 ready for you. You know, I want to forewarn you. Your answer 253 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,360 to that question has unbelievable implications. There's 254 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,360 a fork that God presents to every single one of us. And it's 255 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:49,560 a fork between unbelievable, unimaginable, wildest dream, bliss 256 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:56,720 and unfathomable, horrible, worst nightmare. And there is no 257 00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:01,600 middle ground between the two, the two roads that we're on. And 258 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,880 they determine which one we end at. I think sometimes people 259 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,880 think like, if I follow Jesus, my life will be slightly better. 260 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,080 If I don't follow him, my life will be slightly worse. But that 261 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,080 is not the way Jesus parses it out. You're about to see him do something 262 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:18,160 pretty jolting. He tells two back to back parables about the greatness 263 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,040 of the kingdom of God, and then the next parable is to talk 264 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,400 about the horror of hell itself. Listen to how he puts these 265 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:27,960 parables together. There's a reason why he does it. We're going 266 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:32,440 to move on. Verse 47 says again, the kingdom of heaven is like 267 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,440 a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 268 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,480 And when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted 269 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:41,880 the good into containers, but threw away the bad. So it will be 270 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,680 at the end of the age, the angels will come out and separate 271 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:47,810 the evil from the righteous and, and throw them into the fiery 272 00:16:47,810 --> 00:16:51,490 furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 273 00:16:52,370 --> 00:16:55,370 Now I want you to notice verse 50. I want you to keep your eyes 274 00:16:55,370 --> 00:16:58,770 fixed on it. And those of you who have your Bible open, keep your 275 00:16:58,770 --> 00:17:02,770 eye on verse 50, but go back to verse 42 as well. And I want to 276 00:17:02,770 --> 00:17:05,010 read verse 42. Keep that slide up on the screen, if you don't mind. 277 00:17:05,010 --> 00:17:08,650 I want you to see something. I'm reading verse 42, but you look 278 00:17:08,650 --> 00:17:13,740 at verse 50. Verse 42 says, and throw them into the fiery furnace. 279 00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:17,340 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That 280 00:17:17,340 --> 00:17:22,420 seem pretty, pretty similar. It's exact verbatim in Greek, every 281 00:17:22,420 --> 00:17:24,860 letter the exact same way. When he was talking about the wheat 282 00:17:24,940 --> 00:17:28,860 and the weeds, and he says, the end of the weeds is that they're 283 00:17:28,860 --> 00:17:30,380 going to be thrown into the fiery furnace. In that place there 284 00:17:30,380 --> 00:17:32,180 will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I told you last week he 285 00:17:32,180 --> 00:17:36,140 was talking about hell. It's a real place and you don't want to 286 00:17:36,140 --> 00:17:40,390 go there. Now, just a few verses later, he says it verbatim. 287 00:17:41,750 --> 00:17:43,310 I'm going to throw you into the fiery furnace. And that place 288 00:17:43,310 --> 00:17:46,990 will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In just a few short verses. 289 00:17:46,990 --> 00:17:50,830 Jesus talks about hell twice. I said this last week. I'm going 290 00:17:50,830 --> 00:17:54,630 to say it again. Jesus talked a lot about hell because he didn't 291 00:17:54,630 --> 00:17:58,950 want anybody to go there. But do not think that just because it's 292 00:17:58,950 --> 00:18:00,990 not politically correct to talk about hell that it's not a real 293 00:18:00,990 --> 00:18:06,880 place. It is your worst nightmare on steroids. And Jesus 294 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:11,040 is saying, the kingdom of God is beyond your wildest dreams good, 295 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:15,600 and hell is beyond your wildest nightmare bad. And you have 296 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,040 a choice to make. Which one are you going to? I just want to 297 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:22,320 make sure you understand how clear and grave the decision is. 298 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:29,000 Which road are you on? Jesus earlier I mentioned this often because 299 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,440 I think he makes it so clear back in the Sermon on the Mount when 300 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,040 he says, yeah, you got the broad gate and the easy way that 301 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,720 leads to destruction, and there are many who are on that road. 302 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,240 But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. And 303 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,960 those who find it are few. Two roads, no middle ground. Which one 304 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:49,280 are you on? Now, I want you to be really cautious about what you 305 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,840 answer here, because I hear back all the time people who think 306 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:57,880 they're on the right road because they were born Christians. 307 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,280 You hear me mention this often because I think it's such a severe 308 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:03,120 problem in the church, especially in the United States of 309 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:06,880 America, where it's pretty safe to be a Christian. This is not 310 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,280 happening in the Middle east, where you have to give up your life 311 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,440 to be a follower of Jesus and your family rejects you and many 312 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,000 die for their faith in Jesus because they're not going to do that. 313 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,800 It's not easy. But here it can actually, at least for now, be easy 314 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:22,800 to claim to be a follower of Jesus. And there are so many who 315 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,200 say, no, no, I'm a follower of Jesus. I was born in my Christian 316 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:29,160 home. I. I love Jesus. I go to church, put up with your long sermons, 317 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:34,400 Jason. I'm a Christian. I'm on the right road. Here's what I want 318 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:40,080 you to hear. The only way to be on the right road is to know who 319 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:45,160 Jesus is and to know why he came to earth. If you don't really 320 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,760 know who he is and why he came, you cannot be on the right 321 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,840 road. And if you don't believe me, Matthew, as he puts this gospel 322 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:56,250 together, is about to show the 2 discrepancy. He's going to show 323 00:19:56,250 --> 00:19:59,410 the disciples who are doing their best to understand who Jesus 324 00:19:59,410 --> 00:20:02,290 is and why he came. And then you're going to see people from his 325 00:20:02,290 --> 00:20:05,730 own hometown, who do not know who he is and do not understand why 326 00:20:05,730 --> 00:20:09,010 he came. And you're going to see the end between the two. So let's 327 00:20:09,010 --> 00:20:12,610 look first of all at the disciples, verses 51 and 52. Listen 328 00:20:12,610 --> 00:20:16,850 to how Jesus responds. Jesus now turns to his disciples and he 329 00:20:16,850 --> 00:20:20,500 says, have you understood all these things they said to him? Yes. 330 00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:23,980 And he said to them, therefore, every scribe who has been 331 00:20:23,980 --> 00:20:26,180 trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house 332 00:20:26,260 --> 00:20:30,740 who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. Now 333 00:20:30,820 --> 00:20:33,260 Jesus asked them, do you understand what I'm saying? They 334 00:20:33,260 --> 00:20:36,260 answer, yes. They probably should have said no, because they 335 00:20:36,260 --> 00:20:39,100 don't really understand what he's talking about. But you notice 336 00:20:39,100 --> 00:20:43,260 he doesn't chide them. He doesn't say, oh, you're wrong. He 337 00:20:43,260 --> 00:20:45,820 agrees with them because he knows they're trying to the best 338 00:20:45,820 --> 00:20:48,690 of their ability to understand all the teachings about the kingdom 339 00:20:48,690 --> 00:20:51,370 of God. That there is a kingdom that is beautiful and glorious 340 00:20:51,370 --> 00:20:53,730 and there is a place of destruction, and we don't want to 341 00:20:53,730 --> 00:20:56,810 go there. They understand that much. They believe in who Jesus is 342 00:20:56,810 --> 00:21:00,250 and what he's trying to teach them. He says, therefore, because 343 00:21:00,250 --> 00:21:03,370 you believe you are like a master of a house who brings out 344 00:21:03,370 --> 00:21:07,010 of your treasure what is new and what is old. That's a really 345 00:21:07,010 --> 00:21:09,170 confusing statement. And because I haven't figured out what 346 00:21:09,170 --> 00:21:13,860 it means, I want to keep on moving. No, I honestly, I thought 347 00:21:13,860 --> 00:21:17,500 I was gonna have to say that because I pored over this. I studied. 348 00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:21,380 I'm like, I don't know what you mean by that, Jesus. And it wasn't 349 00:21:21,380 --> 00:21:23,620 until later on in the week that I finally felt like the Lord 350 00:21:23,620 --> 00:21:25,780 granted me understanding of that. But I'm not gonna tell you 351 00:21:25,780 --> 00:21:27,620 yet. Put a pin in it. I'm gonna come back to it in a moment. 352 00:21:27,620 --> 00:21:29,860 It's gonna be important in a second. First of all, though, I want 353 00:21:29,860 --> 00:21:33,140 you to see what it looks like when people don't understand who 354 00:21:33,140 --> 00:21:36,820 Jesus is and don't believe why he came to this earth. And that's 355 00:21:36,820 --> 00:21:39,960 people in his own hometown, Nazareth. Let's finish up the passage 356 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,960 picking up in verse 53. And when Jesus had finished these parables, 357 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,560 he went away from there and coming to his hometown, he taught 358 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,720 them in the synagogue so that they were astonished and said, where 359 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,880 did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this 360 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:57,560 the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his 361 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,960 brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Are not all his 362 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,280 sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things. 363 00:22:04,810 --> 00:22:08,370 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, a prophet 364 00:22:08,370 --> 00:22:11,610 is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household. 365 00:22:12,170 --> 00:22:15,850 And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 366 00:22:17,130 --> 00:22:20,210 So super interesting, the people who were the most familiar 367 00:22:20,210 --> 00:22:24,970 with Jesus were the most likely to reject him. This is why 368 00:22:24,970 --> 00:22:28,170 growing up in church, being familiar with Jesus is not enough. 369 00:22:28,970 --> 00:22:32,090 In fact, sometimes being familiar with Jesus breeds contempt 370 00:22:32,150 --> 00:22:36,740 and and not connection with Jesus. They knew who this guy Jesus 371 00:22:36,740 --> 00:22:39,820 was. Here's what's interesting. And they didn't even 372 00:22:39,820 --> 00:22:43,300 deny the fact that Jesus had incredible power. Did you notice 373 00:22:43,300 --> 00:22:46,500 what they said in verse 54? They didn't say, no man, this man 374 00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:49,260 is not wise, he doesn't have power. They said, where did this 375 00:22:49,260 --> 00:22:53,340 man get this wisdom? And where did these mighty works come from? 376 00:22:53,660 --> 00:22:55,460 By the way, when it says mighty works, it's talking about 377 00:22:55,460 --> 00:23:00,280 miracles. They know that this guy Jesus is, is wise beyond any 378 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,920 other human they've met and has mighty power beyond anything 379 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:05,960 they've ever seen. They just don't know where it came from. And 380 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:07,960 the reason why they don't know where it came from is because they 381 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:11,240 had grown up with this brother. This was Jesus. The first 382 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,600 thing they say is not this, the carpenter's son. Most believe 383 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,320 that because they didn't say the name Joseph, that likely he was 384 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,720 already passed away at this point and Jesus had taken over the 385 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:24,560 family business. Now, according to Jewish pattern of life, 386 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,120 at the time of Jesus, when you bar mitzvahed, when you were 13, 387 00:23:27,830 --> 00:23:31,830 you would begin to apprentice under your father in his trade. So 388 00:23:31,830 --> 00:23:34,630 Joseph was a carpenter. By the way, in biblical times, carpenter 389 00:23:34,630 --> 00:23:37,350 meant both woodworker and stone worker. So they would do both 390 00:23:37,350 --> 00:23:40,830 of those trades. And they had a local shop right there in the little 391 00:23:40,830 --> 00:23:44,150 village of Nazareth where they would work. And so at the age of 392 00:23:44,150 --> 00:23:48,150 13, there's little Jesus working right alongside his daddy, 393 00:23:48,150 --> 00:23:51,390 learning the trade. Now, at some point, Joseph likely passes 394 00:23:51,390 --> 00:23:55,190 away. And so Jesus has been the local carpenter right there in 395 00:23:55,190 --> 00:23:57,830 Nazareth. Now I want you to stop and think about this. So at 396 00:23:57,830 --> 00:24:01,390 this point now, there's some debate about exactly what year Jesus 397 00:24:01,390 --> 00:24:05,510 was born. But when you put all the events taking place, most likely 398 00:24:05,510 --> 00:24:09,350 Jesus is somewhere between 30 to 35 years old when this is happening. 399 00:24:10,230 --> 00:24:15,030 So let's just say, you know, he's at least 33 around there. That 400 00:24:15,030 --> 00:24:17,790 means that he has been the local carpenter in Nazareth for the 401 00:24:17,790 --> 00:24:22,420 last 20 years. Like these people took their broken chair to 402 00:24:22,420 --> 00:24:29,220 Jesus and he fixed it. He was as ordinary as they come, he was 403 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:35,940 like lower than ordinary. Just, that's Jesus. We know his mama 404 00:24:35,940 --> 00:24:38,660 and we know the whole scandal of Mary. I mean, we know Jesus story. 405 00:24:39,220 --> 00:24:42,020 He said, aren't his siblings with us? And they don't even believe 406 00:24:42,020 --> 00:24:45,780 in him. What did this guy get off thinking he's got all this power 407 00:24:45,780 --> 00:24:49,890 and wisdom and where did that come from? Because they thought they 408 00:24:49,890 --> 00:24:54,690 knew him. They rejected him. You know, it's interesting though, 409 00:24:55,490 --> 00:24:57,970 what actually led them to reject him wasn't just that they 410 00:24:57,970 --> 00:25:00,850 were familiar with him. It's that he didn't fit the bill of what 411 00:25:00,850 --> 00:25:05,250 they were looking for. Because every single Jew was looking for 412 00:25:05,250 --> 00:25:10,130 a conquering soldier to come who could rally the troops against 413 00:25:10,290 --> 00:25:15,630 the enemy Rome and solve the their broken circumstances. I mention 414 00:25:15,630 --> 00:25:19,670 this every week because it's the context you need to have. Rome 415 00:25:19,670 --> 00:25:23,630 is oppressing them. Their life is overwhelmingly painful and they're 416 00:25:23,630 --> 00:25:27,550 just hoping for some relief from Almighty God. And they're waiting 417 00:25:27,550 --> 00:25:30,630 for a Messiah to come with incredible wisdom and supernatural 418 00:25:30,630 --> 00:25:35,430 power who can overcome rally the troops, overcome Rome, and finally 419 00:25:35,430 --> 00:25:38,880 solve their problems and give them all the things they want. They 420 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:41,560 want to be rich, they want to be comfortable, they want to taste 421 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:44,760 fine foods, they want to be at ease. They want the conveniences 422 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,320 of life they see Rome having. They want all these things and they 423 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:49,320 think the Messiah is going to bring it to them. And they're looking 424 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:53,720 at this guy Jesus going, are you kidding me? The carpenter? You 425 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,640 think he's going to come lead the soldiers against Rome, please. 426 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:04,120 And it says in verse 57, they took offense at him. That word offense 427 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:07,720 in Greek is skandelizo. Obviously it's where the word scandal 428 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:12,040 comes from. So they didn't just dismiss Jesus, but it was a 429 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,920 scandal in little Nazareth that Jesus would claim to be somebody 430 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,480 like the Messiah with that wisdom and power. It was a whole 431 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:23,160 scandal in Nazareth. Like that guy, give me a break. Because he 432 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:26,120 didn't come. He didn't come ready or willing or able to do what 433 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:30,800 they were hoping for. Truth be told, what they were wanting were 434 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:35,000 mud pies. They wanted good food, they wanted power, they wanted 435 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,960 convenience. They wanted to be the ones telling Rome what to do. 436 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:42,120 They wanted mud pies. But Jesus came to bring them a holiday 437 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:47,280 at sea. They just couldn't tell, but the disciples could. That's 438 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,480 what verses 51 and 52 were about. Remember I told you when they 439 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,520 said yes, he said, well, you're going to be like a master 440 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:55,040 of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and what 441 00:26:55,040 --> 00:27:01,920 is old. What Jesus was trying to teach there to his disciples is 442 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,760 that he was the new fulfillment of the ancient covenant. 443 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,360 You see, they weren't looking for fulfillment of the covenant, 444 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:12,720 the old Covenant, by the way, that's the law of Moses, the Torah. 445 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,600 You read that in the Pentateuch, the first five books 446 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,640 of the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 447 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,320 all these laws of Moses, which ultimately are trying to teach the 448 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,520 people of God how to be in right relationship with the holy 449 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,360 God. There's this massive sacrificial system. You have blood 450 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:29,970 everywhere, all these animals dying to make them right with Almighty 451 00:27:29,970 --> 00:27:35,170 God. This whole system was set up for one day to be fulfilled in 452 00:27:35,170 --> 00:27:38,610 the perfect animal that would finally satisfy the full wrath of 453 00:27:38,610 --> 00:27:44,050 God. And Jesus didn't come to lead a rebellion against Rome. He 454 00:27:44,050 --> 00:27:47,370 came to be the Lamb of God, sacrificed so that the law could 455 00:27:47,370 --> 00:27:50,690 finally be fulfilled. He gave them this all the way back in Matthew 456 00:27:50,690 --> 00:27:53,820 chapter five, when he started in to the Sermon on the Mount. When 457 00:27:53,820 --> 00:27:56,340 he said, I didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. 458 00:27:57,220 --> 00:27:59,740 He says, truly, truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass 459 00:27:59,740 --> 00:28:02,860 away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all 460 00:28:02,860 --> 00:28:06,940 is accomplished. I came to fulfill the law, the new fulfillment 461 00:28:06,940 --> 00:28:10,540 of the old covenant, because that's what you need. You think you 462 00:28:10,540 --> 00:28:13,140 need me to change your circumstances, but here's the problem. 463 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:15,820 As soon as I change your circumstances, you screw it all up 464 00:28:15,820 --> 00:28:18,580 again. Because the problem in your circumstances, it's your heart. 465 00:28:19,230 --> 00:28:23,190 And you keep taking your heart everywhere with you. I came not to 466 00:28:23,190 --> 00:28:26,710 heal your circumstances, but to heal your heart, to do what you 467 00:28:26,710 --> 00:28:29,350 need most. And the only way I can do that is not by being your 468 00:28:29,350 --> 00:28:32,750 conquering king, but by being the Lamb of God who was sacrificed 469 00:28:32,750 --> 00:28:35,670 so that the wrath of God could be absorbed and you could be in right 470 00:28:35,670 --> 00:28:39,510 relationship with Almighty God. I came to do what you cannot 471 00:28:39,510 --> 00:28:46,040 do, what you don't even want. Because I love you that much. This 472 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:50,800 is why Jesus says to us today, do you understand what I'm teaching 473 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,880 you? Cause it's so hard to see it when the whole world is telling 474 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:59,440 us, eat the mud pie. Eat the mud pie. Eat the mud pie. And Jesus 475 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:03,000 is saying, I got something so much better for you. But it requires 476 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:07,640 faith. Faith to believe that there's something out there worth 477 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:12,000 more. Because until you have faith, you're only going to get angrier 478 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,440 and angrier at God when he takes away the mud pies so that you 479 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:19,400 can actually see the glory of his kingdom. I See this all the time. 480 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,920 The reason why in our country the health, wealth and prosperity 481 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:27,840 gospel is exploding is because we're revealing this is what we really 482 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:32,360 want and expect from God. I want you that anytime I pray, I demand 483 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,560 that you're going to heal me when I need to be healed, that you're 484 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,340 going to bless me with wealth beyond measure, that you're gonna 485 00:29:38,340 --> 00:29:41,220 prosper me in every way that I want. And if you don't, I get frustrated 486 00:29:41,220 --> 00:29:44,420 with you, God, because my expectation is you're gonna solve 487 00:29:44,420 --> 00:29:49,060 all my problems. And I want you to know in the Bible, God nowhere 488 00:29:49,060 --> 00:29:54,300 promises in this life to fix all our circumstances. He promises 489 00:29:54,300 --> 00:29:59,180 to heal our hearts. And we have to believe that him doing the 490 00:29:59,180 --> 00:30:01,060 hard work is worth it, or we're just gonna get angrier and 491 00:30:01,060 --> 00:30:05,990 angrier with God. I had a moment recently to get a glimpse 492 00:30:06,310 --> 00:30:10,470 of the goodness of God through him stripping away some things, how 493 00:30:10,470 --> 00:30:12,910 he took some things away so that I could see his glory in a new 494 00:30:12,910 --> 00:30:16,430 way. It happened, and I've shared a number of times about my 495 00:30:16,430 --> 00:30:19,110 climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with my eldest daughter, Abby. But 496 00:30:19,350 --> 00:30:22,790 God gave me a gift on that mountain, and the gift came through 497 00:30:22,790 --> 00:30:25,070 some really hard circumstances. I've shared some with 498 00:30:25,070 --> 00:30:28,990 you, but it was a very difficult thing. Not primarily, or 499 00:30:28,990 --> 00:30:31,710 not even only because of the physicality of it and the altitude 500 00:30:31,710 --> 00:30:35,250 sickness, but also because I didn't have any of the comforts and 501 00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:39,050 conveniences I'm used to. So we're going on a mountain, and there 502 00:30:39,050 --> 00:30:42,530 is no running water, which means we don't shower for six days. 503 00:30:43,410 --> 00:30:48,770 That bus when we were done was pretty much the picture he was given 504 00:30:48,770 --> 00:30:53,250 of hell. It was bad. You didn't know how bad you smelled. 505 00:30:53,250 --> 00:30:56,330 We all got confined in one space. It was rugged, though. You 506 00:30:56,330 --> 00:30:58,850 go on six days, your hair is all like. I don't even want to describe 507 00:30:58,850 --> 00:31:02,770 it. It was pretty ugly. You don't have any electricity while 508 00:31:02,770 --> 00:31:05,450 you're going along, so you have a headlamp at night to try to. 509 00:31:05,450 --> 00:31:08,530 You're tripping over plants and rocks and stuff like that. When 510 00:31:08,530 --> 00:31:11,250 it was time to brush your teeth at nighttime, by the way, it 511 00:31:11,250 --> 00:31:15,250 was so amazingly cold. In our sleeping bag, puffer jacket, gloves, 512 00:31:15,250 --> 00:31:17,650 beanie. You could see your breath inside the tent. I don't know 513 00:31:17,650 --> 00:31:19,970 if you've ever been tenting before, but if you go tent camping, 514 00:31:19,970 --> 00:31:23,130 like, there's not that much between you and outside. It's just 515 00:31:23,130 --> 00:31:25,850 cloth. So it's pretty much just as cold inside the tent as it 516 00:31:25,850 --> 00:31:28,720 is outside the tent. And that's what we were doing every night. 517 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,600 And we'd go every night sometime around 8, 9, 10 o' clock 518 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,400 to go brush our teeth. Cause you know, fur starts to build on 519 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:37,520 your teeth, you don't brush it. So we got our toothpaste and 520 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,080 toothbrush and it's super cold. And you got your water bottle 521 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:42,000 and your hand shaking. You're trying to pour it over and it's just 522 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,000 getting all over your hand. You're freezing, brushing. And on 523 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,520 the third night, we were at 14,200ft. The overall climb was gonna 524 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:53,160 be to 19,300. But we were on the third night in that campsite 525 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:56,780 and we're brushing our teeth, we got little headlamps on and. And 526 00:31:56,780 --> 00:32:01,140 I'm freezing, I'm chattering, shaking. And I don't know, I don't 527 00:32:01,140 --> 00:32:03,500 know if it was a prompting from the spirit or what, but I felt 528 00:32:03,500 --> 00:32:06,340 like the spirit said, turn off your light and look up. So I went 529 00:32:07,220 --> 00:32:11,180 and I looked up. Now at this point now at 14,000ft, we're above 530 00:32:11,180 --> 00:32:17,220 all the clouds and I saw a night sky like I had never seen in 531 00:32:17,220 --> 00:32:20,860 my life before. In fact, my friend Kaz took a picture of it. 532 00:32:20,860 --> 00:32:22,740 I want you to see what it looked like. I want you to show that 533 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,520 that's really what it looked like. We're in those tents down there 534 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:30,320 in the bottom. You have Mount Mwenzi in the background. And above 535 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:36,720 it you could literally see the Milky Way. It was breathtaking. And 536 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:40,400 as if God just to delight us on cue, right as Abby and I look 537 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,040 up, cause I go, abby, turn off your light and look up. And we look 538 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,480 up and see a shooting star goes right across the horizon. And 539 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:51,210 I put my arm around my daughter and I say, abby, can you 540 00:32:51,210 --> 00:32:56,530 believe our God? He spoke that into being in the beginning of the 541 00:32:56,530 --> 00:33:00,890 Bible. He just said, let there be light. And that was created. We're 542 00:33:00,890 --> 00:33:04,250 seeing light from. I'm like this animated next to my daughter, 543 00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:06,850 people trying to sleep in the tents. Cause I'm so overwhelmed by 544 00:33:06,850 --> 00:33:12,570 it. Like we're seeing light from millions of years away. Excuse 545 00:33:12,570 --> 00:33:17,140 me, millions of years away. And it's just now arriving. And that 546 00:33:17,140 --> 00:33:22,700 right there, that endless expanse my God created, the glory 547 00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:27,420 of the kingdom of God was visible by looking up. And do you 548 00:33:27,420 --> 00:33:31,020 know why I could see it? Because I wasn't looking down at 549 00:33:31,020 --> 00:33:35,420 a glowing phone. Because I wasn't comfortable inside my air 550 00:33:35,420 --> 00:33:40,180 conditioned house looking up at a popcorn ceiling. Instead of 551 00:33:40,180 --> 00:33:44,180 the glory of the splendor of the kingdom of God, it took God taking 552 00:33:44,180 --> 00:33:47,140 away My comforts and conveniences. All the things that 553 00:33:47,140 --> 00:33:51,420 I most want for me to see a glimpse of the glory of his kingdom. 554 00:33:52,940 --> 00:33:58,820 God takes away things not because he wants to punish you, but 555 00:33:58,820 --> 00:34:01,700 because he wants to free you to look up and see the glory of his 556 00:34:01,700 --> 00:34:04,740 kingdom. Because we're too busy looking down at all our comforts 557 00:34:04,740 --> 00:34:08,140 and conveniences. In fact, the very things that we're asking God 558 00:34:08,140 --> 00:34:12,580 to give us can impede us from seeing the very glory of God. And 559 00:34:12,580 --> 00:34:17,060 he loves us too much to fill our tummies with mud pies when he 560 00:34:17,060 --> 00:34:20,780 wants to give us the glory of his kingdom. I just think there are 561 00:34:20,780 --> 00:34:23,180 some of you who need to say, okay, God, I'm gonna stop arguing 562 00:34:23,180 --> 00:34:26,340 with you and being angry at you. I know what you're doing now. 563 00:34:27,380 --> 00:34:29,660 You're trying to get me to look up into the night sky and see 564 00:34:29,660 --> 00:34:34,940 the glory of your kingdom. I just wonder, will you have faith 565 00:34:34,940 --> 00:34:38,970 enough to do it? Without faith, it is impossible to see the 566 00:34:38,970 --> 00:34:44,330 kingdom of God. But would you be willing? The Apostle Paul, he 567 00:34:44,330 --> 00:34:46,690 says something absolutely profound. I want to finish with this 568 00:34:46,690 --> 00:34:50,410 verse. Comes in the book of Philippians, chapter three. It's 569 00:34:50,410 --> 00:34:52,210 verses seven and eight, actually, two verses right here. 570 00:34:54,130 --> 00:34:59,290 Verse seven, Philippians three. He says, but whatever gain 571 00:34:59,290 --> 00:35:02,980 I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count 572 00:35:02,980 --> 00:35:05,740 everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ 573 00:35:05,740 --> 00:35:08,900 Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things 574 00:35:08,900 --> 00:35:13,860 and count them as rubbish. In order that I may gain Christ all 575 00:35:13,860 --> 00:35:16,700 the stuff this world has to offer me, he says I count as rubbish. 576 00:35:17,260 --> 00:35:20,660 I'm willing to give it up, all of it, because I want Christ and 577 00:35:20,660 --> 00:35:25,540 his kingdom, because I believe there's something worth more. And 578 00:35:25,540 --> 00:35:29,870 that's what he's asking. When I ask you to take wild steps of faith, 579 00:35:29,870 --> 00:35:32,270 to be willing to go overseas, to take the gospel to a place that 580 00:35:32,270 --> 00:35:34,550 doesn't want to hear it, will you go? Stop pushing me or will you 581 00:35:34,550 --> 00:35:37,990 go? Okay, I'm ready to see all the more he has. If you want me to 582 00:35:37,990 --> 00:35:40,110 give up vacation, if you want me to give up finances, if you want 583 00:35:40,110 --> 00:35:42,590 me to give up my perfect little American Dream home and disrupt 584 00:35:42,590 --> 00:35:44,830 it with bringing a child in, if you want me to give up an hour 585 00:35:44,830 --> 00:35:46,750 a week to go mentor to school, if you want me to do all these things 586 00:35:46,750 --> 00:35:50,870 that are a part of this God, I say yes because I want to give up. 587 00:35:51,030 --> 00:35:53,990 You know, Jim Elliot, missionary says this. He is no fool 588 00:35:53,990 --> 00:35:56,350 who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot 589 00:35:56,350 --> 00:35:59,390 lose. And God is saying, would you be willing to give these things 590 00:35:59,390 --> 00:36:03,510 up? Because I have something so much more. It just takes faith. 591 00:36:05,030 --> 00:36:08,590 And you're going, where does that faith come from? That faith 592 00:36:08,590 --> 00:36:11,870 comes from belief in the Gospel of Jesus. Because we have 593 00:36:11,870 --> 00:36:15,110 a king who didn't just tell us what to do, but he did it himself. 594 00:36:16,070 --> 00:36:19,550 He had faith when he came to earth and took on flesh, that when 595 00:36:19,550 --> 00:36:21,990 his daddy said, I want you to go die on a cross, I want you to 596 00:36:21,990 --> 00:36:24,980 give up everything, including your own life. And even when he said, 597 00:36:24,980 --> 00:36:27,380 I don't want to do it, Daddy, if there's any other way for this 598 00:36:27,380 --> 00:36:31,060 cup to pass from me. But his statement, not your will, not my 599 00:36:31,060 --> 00:36:34,020 will, yours be done, was saying, but I trust you can't see 600 00:36:34,020 --> 00:36:37,020 it yet, God, but I trust you. And I'm willing to give up everything 601 00:36:37,020 --> 00:36:41,500 in this life if that's how I get the kingdom. And when you see 602 00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:46,140 a king who does that, you say, I'm willing to follow suit. I trust 603 00:36:46,140 --> 00:36:50,230 you. We have on this stage a baptistry, and we have it for one 604 00:36:50,230 --> 00:36:55,430 reason. This is the picture of God's call for us to follow Jesus 605 00:36:56,310 --> 00:37:00,550 means to live like he lived. And the way he lived was being willing 606 00:37:00,550 --> 00:37:03,590 to give up everything for the sake of something worth so much more. 607 00:37:04,310 --> 00:37:07,990 This is why the symbol has to be a baptistery. It can't be a patch 608 00:37:07,990 --> 00:37:10,510 you put on a jacket, it's not a certificate you put on the wall. 609 00:37:10,510 --> 00:37:14,910 It has to be a symbol that you come and die. Jesus says, if anyone 610 00:37:14,910 --> 00:37:17,230 wants to be my disciple, he has to deny himself, pick up his 611 00:37:17,230 --> 00:37:22,020 cross and follow me. The cross is the picture of death. And so the 612 00:37:22,020 --> 00:37:27,020 symbol of following Jesus is not just crossing your heart, hoping 613 00:37:27,020 --> 00:37:29,180 it's coming up here and saying, I'm gonna come in and I'm 614 00:37:29,180 --> 00:37:32,180 gonna die with King Jesus. Because when I die with him, I give 615 00:37:32,180 --> 00:37:35,820 up my rights to everything. But when I'm resurrected, I'm resurrected 616 00:37:35,820 --> 00:37:39,220 into a brand new kingdom that though right now I only see it in 617 00:37:39,220 --> 00:37:41,300 part. One day I'm gonna see it in full and I know it's gonna be 618 00:37:41,300 --> 00:37:46,380 completely worth it. Do you have that kind of faith? I believe 619 00:37:46,380 --> 00:37:48,460 there are some of you who are here today. And the reason God's 620 00:37:48,460 --> 00:37:50,660 gonna give you that kind of faith is because you're so fed up 621 00:37:50,660 --> 00:37:53,580 with the world, it has not satisfied you. You're like the book 622 00:37:53,580 --> 00:37:56,580 of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, who says, I've tried everything under 623 00:37:56,580 --> 00:38:01,860 the sun and it's useless and it doesn't satisfy. It's all Vanity, 624 00:38:01,860 --> 00:38:04,740 Vanity does not fulfill me. There are some of you who've tried 625 00:38:04,740 --> 00:38:07,420 drugs, you've tried sex, you've tried alcohol, you've tried 626 00:38:07,740 --> 00:38:09,940 work, you've tried success, you've tried everything. And it's 627 00:38:09,940 --> 00:38:14,750 left you broken and empty because you're eating mud pies. And 628 00:38:14,750 --> 00:38:18,550 today is the day you say, at the end of yourself, this world has 629 00:38:18,550 --> 00:38:20,590 nothing to offer me, King Jesus. I believe what you have to 630 00:38:20,590 --> 00:38:24,630 offer is true. And by faith I give up all of myself to get all 631 00:38:24,630 --> 00:38:29,110 of you. If you're ready to do that, come and die and be raised 632 00:38:29,110 --> 00:38:32,510 again. Then we have the Baptistry with warm water ready for 633 00:38:32,510 --> 00:38:35,190 you today. What'll happen is you'll come down in just a moment 634 00:38:35,190 --> 00:38:37,670 and you'll tell one of the prayer team down front and we'll 635 00:38:37,670 --> 00:38:39,710 talk with you in council. And if you're ready, we'll give you shorts 636 00:38:39,710 --> 00:38:42,490 to change into and a T shirt that says Jesus in my place, just 637 00:38:42,490 --> 00:38:46,450 like that Baptistry says. And you can declare your faith in Jesus 638 00:38:46,450 --> 00:38:50,890 today before you even leave. Today can be the day when you step 639 00:38:50,890 --> 00:38:54,210 into the kingdom of God. Just gotta come. I can't make it happen 640 00:38:54,210 --> 00:38:57,450 for you. I'm gonna invite you in just a moment to do it. One last 641 00:38:57,450 --> 00:39:00,450 thing I wanna say, though, there are some of you who are here 642 00:39:00,850 --> 00:39:03,050 and you're carrying heavy burdens. You know that every time 643 00:39:03,050 --> 00:39:06,010 at the end of service, we have a time for prayer. But I wanna make 644 00:39:06,010 --> 00:39:08,010 sure you understand what you're doing when you come and receive. 645 00:39:08,010 --> 00:39:12,800 Prayer for your circumstances. You're not saying, God, I love you 646 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:16,360 only if you heal my circumstances. But you are saying, 647 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,720 lord, you want me to put my circumstances into your hands. You 648 00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:22,680 know, at the very end of it, it said, and Jesus did not do many 649 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:27,080 miracles because of their unbelief, their lack of faith. Actually, 650 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:31,280 in Mark, chapter 6, verse 5, it says Jesus could not do many miracles 651 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:34,400 because of their lack of faith. It's not because Jesus didn't 652 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:38,710 have power, but it's because Jesus only works with faith. And 653 00:39:38,710 --> 00:39:43,510 when faith is absent his power, it's like bringing a torch, 654 00:39:43,910 --> 00:39:47,550 but there's no wood to burn. The heat can come, but unless there's 655 00:39:47,550 --> 00:39:52,070 wood to catch fire, it's not gonna burn. Our prayers, our faith, 656 00:39:52,070 --> 00:39:54,310 that's the wood we're heaping on the pile so that when the heat 657 00:39:54,310 --> 00:39:57,310 of King Jesus comes, it bursts into flame and mighty power and we 658 00:39:57,310 --> 00:40:01,310 see him do what only he can do. I don't want you to sit back 659 00:40:01,310 --> 00:40:05,600 in your problems and struggles unbelief and miss the miracle working 660 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,560 power of God. I want you to come before him and say, okay, here's 661 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,640 my need. I'm putting wood on the fire. I'm coming in faith, asking 662 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,240 you to do what only you can do. God, if you fix my problems, 663 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:18,000 I'll praise you. If you don't, I'll trust you. But I lay it at your 664 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,880 feet. That's what I'm offering for you. I want you to stand to your 665 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:24,160 feet right now, inviting the prayer team to come. If you're ready 666 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:27,320 to respond, if you're ready to say, I'm ready to come pray. I'm 667 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:30,880 ready to put my faith in what Jesus can do and trust in him no 668 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:34,110 matter how he responds, you can come, let us pray for you. If 669 00:40:34,110 --> 00:40:36,430 you're coming here going, I haven't lived for King Jesus, I need 670 00:40:36,430 --> 00:40:38,550 to repent. You can get down on the steps and you can bow down and 671 00:40:38,550 --> 00:40:42,510 say, forgive me for living for this world instead of for your kingdom, 672 00:40:42,510 --> 00:40:46,270 God forgive me, you can do that. Or if you're coming to say, 673 00:40:46,270 --> 00:40:48,870 I'm ready to place my faith in Jesus Christ, I'm ready for him to 674 00:40:48,870 --> 00:40:52,070 be king. This world cannot satisfy. I believe only he can. And 675 00:40:52,310 --> 00:40:55,590 I'm ready to come die and be raised in Christ, you can come, let 676 00:40:55,590 --> 00:40:58,870 us know. We'll help you take the step of faith. Now's the time.