1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,960 We're gonna keep learning about this kingdom in the Gospel 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:04,040 of Matthew, chapter eight. 3 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:06,640 Go ahead and open your Bibles to Matthew Chapter eight. 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,400 And while we're, while we're coming into this every Sunday, we 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,360 have a number of guests, by the way, just as Reggie said, so 6 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,239 grateful you're here with us, those of you worshiping with us online, 7 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:17,760 so grateful that you're joining us. 8 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,200 We're on a journey right now going to the Gospel of Matthew just 9 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:21,760 chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 10 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:24,120 Last week we covered the first half of chapter eight. 11 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,400 We're moving on to the second half of chapter eight this morning 12 00:00:27,250 --> 00:00:28,530 now to make sure we're all caught up. 13 00:00:28,530 --> 00:00:30,210 Just want you to know what happened last week. 14 00:00:30,690 --> 00:00:34,250 So Jesus has just come down from the Sermon on the Mount area. 15 00:00:34,250 --> 00:00:36,090 He was on the mountain, he preached the Sermon on the Mount. 16 00:00:36,090 --> 00:00:40,490 He comes down and immediately he just starts displaying unbelievable 17 00:00:40,490 --> 00:00:43,210 power, like lightning bolts shooting out of his eyeballs kind 18 00:00:43,210 --> 00:00:43,450 of power. 19 00:00:43,450 --> 00:00:46,650 He heals a leper, he heals a centurion surgeon just by speaking 20 00:00:46,650 --> 00:00:46,810 it. 21 00:00:46,810 --> 00:00:49,650 When that dude's, that servant's somewhere else, he casts 22 00:00:49,650 --> 00:00:51,290 out the fever from Peter's mother in law. 23 00:00:51,290 --> 00:00:52,250 He casts out some demons. 24 00:00:52,250 --> 00:00:55,770 I mean, he's just on a roll and everybody is looking at him going, 25 00:00:55,770 --> 00:00:56,690 who is this guy, man? 26 00:00:56,690 --> 00:00:57,530 He's something special. 27 00:00:58,490 --> 00:01:02,970 They know he's special, but they still don't quite know who Jesus 28 00:01:02,970 --> 00:01:03,290 is. 29 00:01:03,770 --> 00:01:06,370 It's real early in his ministry and they can't quite figure 30 00:01:06,370 --> 00:01:06,890 him out. 31 00:01:07,130 --> 00:01:10,730 And the reason, you know, they don't quite know who he is is because 32 00:01:10,730 --> 00:01:13,930 how they respond to him when, when they're supposed to follow him, 33 00:01:14,650 --> 00:01:18,410 how they respond when it's supposed to be that I've given myself 34 00:01:18,410 --> 00:01:19,810 to you kind of discipleship. 35 00:01:19,810 --> 00:01:23,130 We're about to jump in and see two people come on the stage. 36 00:01:23,290 --> 00:01:26,630 One of them this overly zealous who says he's going to follow 37 00:01:26,630 --> 00:01:28,470 Jesus, but his faith is super shallow. 38 00:01:28,470 --> 00:01:31,230 And then a person who's underlyzealous who doesn't even want 39 00:01:31,230 --> 00:01:33,030 to follow Jesus because his faith is shallow. 40 00:01:33,270 --> 00:01:36,390 And you're going to begin to see in these two people some of our 41 00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:38,150 problem when it comes to following Jesus. 42 00:01:38,630 --> 00:01:39,630 So let's begin. 43 00:01:39,630 --> 00:01:42,310 Matthew, chapter 8, verse 18, first three verses. 44 00:01:42,310 --> 00:01:45,430 Let's see this first guy that we meet, verse 18. 45 00:01:45,590 --> 00:01:48,950 Now, when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go 46 00:01:48,950 --> 00:01:49,910 over to the other side. 47 00:01:50,310 --> 00:01:53,760 And a scribe came up and said to him, teacher, I will follow you 48 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:54,600 wherever you go. 49 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,560 And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have 50 00:01:58,560 --> 00:01:58,880 nests. 51 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,000 But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. 52 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:02,120 Okay, we'll stop there. 53 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,600 Guy comes and it says he's a scribe. 54 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,120 And he says, I'll go wherever you go, I'm going with you, Jesus. 55 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,000 Now, it's really intriguing that the first person to come up 56 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:14,760 to Jesus in this moment would be a scribe. 57 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,200 Because all over the Gospel of Matthew, scribes are like the anti 58 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,630 Jesus people, the scribes and Pharisees, they're the ones who stand 59 00:02:21,630 --> 00:02:22,430 against Jesus. 60 00:02:22,430 --> 00:02:24,830 So it's intriguing that a scribe would be the one to come up 61 00:02:24,830 --> 00:02:26,830 and say, I'll go wherever you go, Jesus. 62 00:02:27,390 --> 00:02:30,910 Now, something you have to know about scribes is they were really 63 00:02:31,070 --> 00:02:33,230 highly regarded people in Judaism. 64 00:02:33,630 --> 00:02:34,790 They were copyists. 65 00:02:34,790 --> 00:02:38,470 And they would copy the law of God, the law of Moses, and many scribes 66 00:02:38,470 --> 00:02:41,470 would have a certain portion that they would copy over and over 67 00:02:41,470 --> 00:02:41,950 and over. 68 00:02:41,950 --> 00:02:45,550 And they could tell you every single dot, every single line, every 69 00:02:45,550 --> 00:02:46,580 single bit of the law, every. 70 00:02:46,730 --> 00:02:49,850 And because of it, they weren't just copyists, they were 71 00:02:49,850 --> 00:02:50,370 teachers. 72 00:02:50,370 --> 00:02:51,890 They were interpreters of the law. 73 00:02:51,890 --> 00:02:54,970 They were highly regarded people because of how well they knew. 74 00:02:54,970 --> 00:02:59,490 Many of them had huge portions of the law of Moses memorized because 75 00:02:59,490 --> 00:03:00,730 they had written it so many times. 76 00:03:01,450 --> 00:03:03,810 So it's intriguing that this guy would come up to Jesus and say, 77 00:03:03,810 --> 00:03:04,810 I want to follow you. 78 00:03:05,530 --> 00:03:08,610 But you might not notice his arrogance when you first read it 79 00:03:08,610 --> 00:03:10,890 until you understand the context of what he's doing. 80 00:03:11,850 --> 00:03:15,630 So in that day, if you wanted to become a rabbi, you had to come 81 00:03:15,630 --> 00:03:17,470 under the teaching of another rabbi. 82 00:03:17,790 --> 00:03:20,990 Now, rabbis in ancient Judaism were like the PhDs. 83 00:03:21,310 --> 00:03:25,190 They were highly regarded people, very educated, and they were 84 00:03:25,190 --> 00:03:26,190 very influential. 85 00:03:26,670 --> 00:03:29,870 And so if an apprentice, if somebody wanted to become a future 86 00:03:29,870 --> 00:03:32,270 rabbi, what they would do is they would sit under the teaching 87 00:03:32,270 --> 00:03:35,430 of various rabbis and they would see which one do they connect 88 00:03:35,430 --> 00:03:37,550 with, which one would advance their career the most. 89 00:03:37,710 --> 00:03:40,470 And then if they found a rabbi, they would basically submit 90 00:03:40,470 --> 00:03:42,750 an application, kind of like you're getting into a PhD program. 91 00:03:42,910 --> 00:03:44,420 They that I want to come under you. 92 00:03:44,980 --> 00:03:48,140 And if he's a good rabbi, he'll have 100 or more people who 93 00:03:48,140 --> 00:03:49,260 would request to come under him. 94 00:03:49,260 --> 00:03:52,060 And he would pick a small handful, maybe 10 to 12. 95 00:03:52,060 --> 00:03:53,380 Think about Jesus and his 12. 96 00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:56,660 And they would get to learn under him and become future rabbis. 97 00:03:57,460 --> 00:03:58,900 That was the way it would work. 98 00:03:59,620 --> 00:04:03,740 And so you have this scribe and he comes up to Jesus, but notice 99 00:04:03,740 --> 00:04:04,340 what he says. 100 00:04:05,460 --> 00:04:09,380 He doesn't say, if you'll take me, I'll choose to follow you. 101 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:11,320 He says, I'll follow you. 102 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,160 Wherever you go, here's what he's saying. 103 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:16,320 Jesus, it's your lucky day. 104 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:17,680 You just won a scribe. 105 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:19,760 I'm gonna be your follower. 106 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,240 I know I don't actually have to apply for this thing. 107 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:23,640 Cause, I mean, I'm a scribe. 108 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:24,480 You want me. 109 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,160 So I just wanted you to know I'm gonna follow you wherever you 110 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:27,320 go. 111 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:28,600 I'm gonna be your apprentice. 112 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:29,680 Lucky you, Jesus. 113 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:32,680 You don't even see it when you first read it. 114 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,640 But there's this arrogance as he's coming, thinking that he's providing 115 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:36,480 a gift to Jesus. 116 00:04:37,150 --> 00:04:39,830 And the reason he's coming to Jesus is because he's just found 117 00:04:39,830 --> 00:04:42,030 the rabbi who will most advance his career. 118 00:04:42,270 --> 00:04:43,950 See, that's how you picked a rabbi. 119 00:04:44,190 --> 00:04:48,430 You had to find somebody who was either wise, who was powerful, 120 00:04:48,750 --> 00:04:52,950 who was connected, or someone who could make your career advance. 121 00:04:52,950 --> 00:04:54,270 It looked really good on your resume. 122 00:04:54,270 --> 00:04:55,310 Think of the apostle Paul. 123 00:04:55,310 --> 00:04:58,470 He tells in his early life that he was trained under Gamaliel. 124 00:04:58,470 --> 00:05:01,950 That carried a lot of weight in Judaism, because the rabbi you 125 00:05:01,950 --> 00:05:04,020 choose, it's like the doctoral program. 126 00:05:04,020 --> 00:05:06,260 If you go to Harvard to get it, whoa, that's a big deal. 127 00:05:06,740 --> 00:05:09,220 If you go to Podunk somewhere else and get it, people go, I don't 128 00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:10,340 even know that's a real PhD. 129 00:05:11,860 --> 00:05:14,540 Who you hitch your train up to is going to matter immensely. 130 00:05:14,540 --> 00:05:17,100 And so he's just heard Jesus teach a sermon on the mount and said, 131 00:05:17,100 --> 00:05:19,220 that dude's got wisdom like nobody else. 132 00:05:19,220 --> 00:05:22,580 He's just been casting lightning bolts out of his eyeballs. 133 00:05:22,580 --> 00:05:23,460 Unbelievable power. 134 00:05:23,540 --> 00:05:26,740 I want to hitch my wagon to this guy because he's going to advance 135 00:05:26,740 --> 00:05:27,460 my career. 136 00:05:28,430 --> 00:05:33,950 Which is why Jesus answer is, listen, friend, I know the only reason 137 00:05:33,950 --> 00:05:36,030 you're coming to me is because you think this is going to look good 138 00:05:36,030 --> 00:05:37,070 on your resume. 139 00:05:37,550 --> 00:05:38,790 You think it's going to benefit you. 140 00:05:38,790 --> 00:05:39,870 Let me go ahead and help you out. 141 00:05:40,910 --> 00:05:46,190 Foxes may have holes, birds may have nests, but as for me, I 142 00:05:46,190 --> 00:05:47,310 got nothing for you. 143 00:05:47,870 --> 00:05:49,550 I got no place to lay my head. 144 00:05:49,790 --> 00:05:52,750 I'm going to be a traveling vagabond rabbi. 145 00:05:52,750 --> 00:05:54,670 I don't have institutional authority. 146 00:05:55,130 --> 00:05:56,090 You're not going to get ahead. 147 00:05:56,490 --> 00:05:59,210 You're not going to get any kind of advancement in your career. 148 00:05:59,210 --> 00:06:00,530 In fact, it's going to be the opposite. 149 00:06:00,530 --> 00:06:03,330 It is career suicide to hit your wagon to me. 150 00:06:03,330 --> 00:06:04,410 You just need to know that. 151 00:06:05,690 --> 00:06:08,330 And apparently this guy said, peace, I'm out. 152 00:06:08,890 --> 00:06:12,330 He doesn't follow Jesus, you see, he was just trying to follow 153 00:06:12,330 --> 00:06:15,450 Jesus for what he could get out of this rabbi Jesus. 154 00:06:15,930 --> 00:06:18,250 And what a danger we have. 155 00:06:19,050 --> 00:06:22,760 That so Many of us come to Jesus because what we'll get out 156 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:23,160 of it. 157 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:25,320 Well, I know, I know, man. 158 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:26,080 He'll take care of me. 159 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,800 I know he'll fit me in and meet my needs and provide for me. 160 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:31,000 It's going to be for me. 161 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,240 And the moment Jesus says, no, I'm not about you and giving you 162 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,200 everything you want, so many people say, peace, I'm out. 163 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:40,200 I was in it for what he gave me. 164 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,080 And if he's not going to give me what I want, I'll choose somebody 165 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:42,440 else. 166 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,760 I'll switch religions, I'll switch philosophies, I'll do something 167 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,610 else because I'm only in it for what I get out of it. 168 00:06:49,330 --> 00:06:50,450 That was the first guy. 169 00:06:51,010 --> 00:06:53,730 And Jesus said, I don't accept shallow followers. 170 00:06:54,770 --> 00:06:57,210 I don't accept people who come to me only for what they get out 171 00:06:57,210 --> 00:06:57,490 of me. 172 00:06:57,490 --> 00:07:00,330 Like they can use me up like I'm some kind of genie in a bottle. 173 00:07:00,330 --> 00:07:01,970 You can just rub and get what you want. 174 00:07:02,130 --> 00:07:04,530 I don't choose shallow followers. 175 00:07:05,330 --> 00:07:07,130 It was true for the guy who was overly zealous. 176 00:07:07,130 --> 00:07:09,250 It was true for the guy who was underly zealous, the one we're 177 00:07:09,250 --> 00:07:10,210 about to come to next. 178 00:07:10,370 --> 00:07:12,050 And you're going to see his shallow faith. 179 00:07:12,460 --> 00:07:16,420 In verses 21 and 22, it says, another of the disciples said to 180 00:07:16,420 --> 00:07:19,100 him, lord, let me first go and bury my father. 181 00:07:19,580 --> 00:07:23,060 And Jesus said to him, follow me and leave the dead to bury their 182 00:07:23,060 --> 00:07:23,580 own dead. 183 00:07:24,380 --> 00:07:26,700 I gotta stop here and go, that sounds pretty cruel. 184 00:07:27,980 --> 00:07:29,380 I mean, you should go like Jesus. 185 00:07:29,380 --> 00:07:30,500 Come on, man, chill out. 186 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:31,540 The dude just lost his dad. 187 00:07:31,540 --> 00:07:33,020 Let him go bury his dad first. 188 00:07:34,060 --> 00:07:35,980 But there's one thing you gotta remember. 189 00:07:36,300 --> 00:07:38,060 I want to remind you who Jesus is. 190 00:07:38,590 --> 00:07:43,390 He's the man who took on the cross to pay for our sin and shame. 191 00:07:44,110 --> 00:07:46,270 And he's invited us into his family. 192 00:07:46,590 --> 00:07:50,430 He is not about to be cruel and mean and hurtful. 193 00:07:51,150 --> 00:07:53,190 He's not doing that to this man over here. 194 00:07:53,190 --> 00:07:55,470 We know Jesus way too well to assume that's what he's doing. 195 00:07:55,630 --> 00:07:58,670 There's some debate about why Jesus said what he said, but most 196 00:07:58,750 --> 00:08:03,230 believe that what's likely going on is that this guy's father 197 00:08:03,230 --> 00:08:04,430 wasn't actually dead yet. 198 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:09,520 He was saying, let me wait until my father dies so that when 199 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,880 I bury him, I receive his inheritance. 200 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,960 And once I have that money, then I'll be able to travel around 201 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:15,800 with you, Jesus. 202 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,320 But it's not really convenient for me right now. 203 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,160 So when I get some things together, then I'll come and I'll 204 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:23,720 follow You. 205 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:25,240 And what does Jesus say? 206 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,240 He said, let the spiritually dead people go bury their own dead. 207 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,600 Let those people who aren't alive to me go do that kind of stuff. 208 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,200 But you follow me right now. 209 00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:36,120 I cannot tell you how many people over the decades of being 210 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,400 a pastor I have met who said, I know, man. 211 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:40,560 God's working in my life, and I know I need to follow him, but 212 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:40,960 I just. 213 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:42,560 I'm not quite ready yet. 214 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,760 Maybe next Sunday, maybe next month, maybe next year. 215 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:48,519 I gotta clean some things up in my life. 216 00:08:48,519 --> 00:08:49,960 I gotta get some things figured out first. 217 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,520 I gotta make sure that more people could be here for my baptism. 218 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:53,520 I gotta do something else. 219 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:53,840 Just. 220 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:55,760 It's not convenient for me right now. 221 00:08:57,930 --> 00:09:00,490 And we miss everything that the Lord has for us. 222 00:09:01,690 --> 00:09:02,330 I'm curious. 223 00:09:02,330 --> 00:09:04,570 How many of you in this room are parents? 224 00:09:04,570 --> 00:09:05,930 Raise your hand if you're a parent. 225 00:09:06,730 --> 00:09:07,850 Okay, A lot of you. 226 00:09:07,850 --> 00:09:12,050 How many of you were actually ready to have a child because it 227 00:09:12,050 --> 00:09:12,850 was convenient for you? 228 00:09:12,850 --> 00:09:13,450 Raise your hand. 229 00:09:14,970 --> 00:09:15,930 It was convenient for you? 230 00:09:15,930 --> 00:09:16,330 Okay. 231 00:09:16,330 --> 00:09:17,770 It was not convenient for me. 232 00:09:18,090 --> 00:09:19,210 Go ahead and tell you that. 233 00:09:20,570 --> 00:09:21,490 I hear this all the time. 234 00:09:21,490 --> 00:09:23,850 There are some people who desperately want to have children 235 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:25,140 and they can't. 236 00:09:25,940 --> 00:09:28,420 And it harms their heart so deeply. 237 00:09:28,740 --> 00:09:32,580 And there are other people who keep using these cues. 238 00:09:32,580 --> 00:09:35,500 When I get a little bit more money in the bank account, when we 239 00:09:35,500 --> 00:09:37,900 get a little more stability in our life, when things are worse, 240 00:09:37,900 --> 00:09:39,220 then we'll have some children. 241 00:09:40,019 --> 00:09:41,620 I want to go ahead and tell you how this works. 242 00:09:41,860 --> 00:09:43,980 If you're waiting until you have enough money, it's convenient. 243 00:09:43,980 --> 00:09:47,020 You ain't never going to have children because they never become 244 00:09:47,020 --> 00:09:49,140 convenient and they always cost more than you have. 245 00:09:50,190 --> 00:09:51,230 I've got six of them. 246 00:09:51,390 --> 00:09:56,350 And I can tell you that gospel truth, it's the same thing with Christ. 247 00:09:57,310 --> 00:10:00,350 If you're waiting until it's convenient, until everything's figured 248 00:10:00,350 --> 00:10:02,910 out and worked out, you ain't ever gonna follow Jesus Christ. 249 00:10:03,630 --> 00:10:05,550 He says, don't wait till it's convenient. 250 00:10:05,870 --> 00:10:06,990 Follow me now. 251 00:10:07,550 --> 00:10:08,830 Come to me now. 252 00:10:10,270 --> 00:10:13,670 You see, they were missing it because they thought they could come 253 00:10:13,670 --> 00:10:15,470 to Jesus with some shallow faith. 254 00:10:15,710 --> 00:10:18,150 I'm coming to you for what I get out of it, or I'm coming to you 255 00:10:18,150 --> 00:10:18,950 when it's convenient. 256 00:10:18,950 --> 00:10:19,790 But if it's not. 257 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,760 And apparently this guy didn't follow Jesus either because it just 258 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:25,000 wasn't convenient for him. 259 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:27,400 But here's what I want you to understand. 260 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,640 The only people who really follow Jesus are those who do it 261 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:34,040 when it's hard, not when it's easy. 262 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:35,800 Or maybe you can Think about it this way. 263 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:36,720 I got three points for you. 264 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:37,560 Here's the first one. 265 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,200 The true test of discipleship is following Jesus when it's costly, 266 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:43,480 not when it's convenient. 267 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:48,440 I want you to maybe write that down, maybe jot that on your notes, 268 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:49,080 on your phone. 269 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:50,320 You need to know this. 270 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:55,360 The true test of your discipleship, of your followership, 271 00:10:55,360 --> 00:11:00,880 of Jesus, is following him when it's costly, not when it's convenient. 272 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:05,920 Anybody can follow Jesus when it's convenient, when it feels beneficial. 273 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,080 But the moment it gets costly, that's when you discover whether 274 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,000 you're really following him for his sake or for your own sake. 275 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:15,920 And God's going to test every single one of us on that one. 276 00:11:16,910 --> 00:11:19,870 There will be moments when it's not going to be convenient. 277 00:11:20,510 --> 00:11:22,910 And the question is, will we follow him anyway? 278 00:11:23,230 --> 00:11:26,150 There are going to be moments when storms come rolling in, and 279 00:11:26,150 --> 00:11:28,350 the question is, are we still going to trust in Jesus? 280 00:11:28,990 --> 00:11:31,550 In fact, this is exactly where Matthew goes next. 281 00:11:32,270 --> 00:11:35,550 You're going to see his disciples follow him literally right 282 00:11:35,550 --> 00:11:39,190 into the storm, so they can learn the test of their own discipleship. 283 00:11:39,190 --> 00:11:40,350 Let's keep on moving in the story. 284 00:11:40,750 --> 00:11:42,070 Pick back up in verse 23. 285 00:11:42,070 --> 00:11:42,910 Here's what it says next. 286 00:11:44,180 --> 00:11:46,740 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 287 00:11:47,060 --> 00:11:49,540 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the 288 00:11:49,540 --> 00:11:51,140 boat was being swamped by the waves. 289 00:11:51,540 --> 00:11:55,020 But he was asleep, and they went and woke him, saying, save us, 290 00:11:55,020 --> 00:11:56,180 Lord, we are perishing. 291 00:11:56,500 --> 00:11:59,220 And he said to them, why are you afraid, O you of little faith? 292 00:11:59,780 --> 00:12:02,620 Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was 293 00:12:02,620 --> 00:12:03,380 a great calm. 294 00:12:03,540 --> 00:12:06,500 And the men marveled, saying, what sort of man is this that even 295 00:12:06,740 --> 00:12:08,740 winds and sea obey him? 296 00:12:09,530 --> 00:12:10,330 Now, let's stop there. 297 00:12:11,610 --> 00:12:15,930 That last question that they asked, what sort of man is this? 298 00:12:16,810 --> 00:12:18,250 That's the million dollar question. 299 00:12:19,610 --> 00:12:22,010 They're basically saying, who is this guy? 300 00:12:23,050 --> 00:12:26,570 Who in the world is this guy that the winds and the waves obey 301 00:12:26,570 --> 00:12:26,890 him? 302 00:12:28,730 --> 00:12:31,370 I want you to hear me as clearly as I can. 303 00:12:31,370 --> 00:12:35,450 Your answer to that question will determine absolutely everything 304 00:12:35,450 --> 00:12:38,130 about your life, your eternity. 305 00:12:39,330 --> 00:12:41,090 Who is Jesus? 306 00:12:41,970 --> 00:12:43,010 Who is he, really? 307 00:12:43,810 --> 00:12:47,050 Because if you don't have that figured out, you'll never be able 308 00:12:47,050 --> 00:12:47,810 to follow Him. 309 00:12:48,130 --> 00:12:49,170 Not when it gets hard. 310 00:12:50,690 --> 00:12:51,650 Who is Jesus? 311 00:12:51,650 --> 00:12:53,730 This story actually tells us who he is. 312 00:12:53,970 --> 00:12:56,610 There are some details in it that you might miss that are really 313 00:12:56,610 --> 00:13:00,010 powerful in training us in understanding who Jesus is and what 314 00:13:00,010 --> 00:13:00,370 he can do. 315 00:13:00,370 --> 00:13:04,800 So the first thing is, it says that there was a great storm on the 316 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:06,360 Sea of Galilee, and they're in a boat. 317 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:09,720 Now, I've had the privilege of going with Pastor Gary to Israel. 318 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,840 And we were there in the Sea of Galilee. 319 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,600 Now, I don't know if you know this or not, but it's not a sea like 320 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:16,120 ocean. 321 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:16,760 It's a lake. 322 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:17,880 It's a really big lake. 323 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:20,240 And you can see right across it. 324 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,360 And there are kind of mountains all the way around it. 325 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,760 And because of those mountains, it's lower than sea level. 326 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,200 Sometimes storm clouds can kind of get stuck in those mountains 327 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,350 and they'll just start swirling and storms can come almost 328 00:13:32,350 --> 00:13:33,150 out of nowhere. 329 00:13:33,150 --> 00:13:36,430 My wife and I were there and it was like crystal clear glass. 330 00:13:36,430 --> 00:13:38,590 And then out of nowhere, the storm came rolling in. 331 00:13:38,590 --> 00:13:41,550 And it was huge waves that were crusting over the side. 332 00:13:42,350 --> 00:13:43,430 Just this massive storm. 333 00:13:43,430 --> 00:13:45,030 And I was trying to picture what it would be like. 334 00:13:45,030 --> 00:13:45,829 I have it on my phone. 335 00:13:45,829 --> 00:13:48,990 You hear the wind just blowing like crazy. 336 00:13:49,470 --> 00:13:52,230 And you gotta remember they didn't have like massive boats and 337 00:13:52,230 --> 00:13:52,590 barges. 338 00:13:52,590 --> 00:13:55,270 They had this little bitty fishing boat that would have just 339 00:13:55,270 --> 00:13:57,390 been up and down, just tossed around. 340 00:13:58,820 --> 00:14:02,740 And this would happen on an ordinary case when a storm came in. 341 00:14:03,060 --> 00:14:07,940 But there's a word in here that is unusual when it says a great 342 00:14:07,940 --> 00:14:08,500 storm. 343 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:10,740 The word actually in Greek is seismos. 344 00:14:11,300 --> 00:14:13,300 Think of seismic activity. 345 00:14:13,860 --> 00:14:16,020 The word seismos literally means earthquake. 346 00:14:17,140 --> 00:14:21,020 What it's saying is probably not a physical earthquake, but in 347 00:14:21,020 --> 00:14:23,860 the Bible, when the word earthquake, seismos is used, it's 348 00:14:23,860 --> 00:14:26,340 almost always talking about something apocalyptic, something 349 00:14:26,340 --> 00:14:27,180 supernatural. 350 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:31,060 In other words, this was not likely just a weather pattern. 351 00:14:31,060 --> 00:14:34,580 This was something from the pit of hell itself, an apocalyptic 352 00:14:34,580 --> 00:14:35,220 move of the enemy. 353 00:14:35,220 --> 00:14:37,500 Because remember, the devil knows that Jesus is in that boat 354 00:14:37,740 --> 00:14:39,900 and he wants him dead along with all his disciples. 355 00:14:40,460 --> 00:14:45,420 And so this is probably some demonic gale force wind and massive 356 00:14:45,420 --> 00:14:48,700 waves that scared these people who grew up on the water. 357 00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:49,820 These are fishermen. 358 00:14:49,980 --> 00:14:52,820 They knew the waves, they knew the storms, and they're scared to 359 00:14:52,820 --> 00:14:54,140 death thinking they're about to die. 360 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:56,480 There's something supernatural going on. 361 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,400 But I love my favorite part of the whole story is what Jesus is 362 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:01,600 doing. 363 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:02,400 Did you notice it? 364 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:08,000 That brother is just dead asleep in the boat. 365 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:09,760 This is not a yacht. 366 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,760 He's not like down in the bed covered up. 367 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,240 Like water is splashing all over his face. 368 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:18,000 And his disciples are freaking out and he is dead asleep. 369 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,600 That's what you call a peace that surpasses understanding. 370 00:15:23,530 --> 00:15:26,290 I don't know if you know this or not, but, like, sleep is like 371 00:15:26,290 --> 00:15:27,930 the truest sign of peace. 372 00:15:28,890 --> 00:15:31,370 There are some of us, and I'm one of them who struggles sometimes 373 00:15:31,370 --> 00:15:31,930 with sleep. 374 00:15:33,210 --> 00:15:33,770 It's interesting. 375 00:15:33,770 --> 00:15:34,570 You can ask my wife. 376 00:15:34,570 --> 00:15:37,650 It literally started to happen the day the baton was passed on to 377 00:15:37,650 --> 00:15:39,010 me, about nine years ago. 378 00:15:39,010 --> 00:15:40,210 When I became the pastor of this church. 379 00:15:40,210 --> 00:15:43,930 All of a sudden I couldn't sleep anymore because of the pressure. 380 00:15:44,010 --> 00:15:45,290 It's hard sometimes. 381 00:15:45,930 --> 00:15:48,490 There are many of you who have stressful jobs or circumstances in 382 00:15:48,490 --> 00:15:48,810 your life. 383 00:15:48,810 --> 00:15:50,810 And one of the first places you start to see it well up is that 384 00:15:50,810 --> 00:15:55,150 you don't sleep well because anxiety robs us of peace. 385 00:15:55,550 --> 00:15:57,030 Sleep is a symbol of peace. 386 00:15:57,030 --> 00:15:59,790 And there is no stronger symbol than Jesus in the middle of 387 00:15:59,790 --> 00:16:02,190 a storm with waves crashing on him and he's dead asleep. 388 00:16:02,910 --> 00:16:04,670 But think about why he's that way. 389 00:16:05,630 --> 00:16:08,590 He knows who he is and what the Father is doing. 390 00:16:09,310 --> 00:16:12,270 He knows that any moment he can stand up and just calm the storms. 391 00:16:12,670 --> 00:16:13,590 So he's not afraid. 392 00:16:13,590 --> 00:16:15,230 He knows his destiny. 393 00:16:15,230 --> 00:16:17,670 The Father's asking him to go to the cross and he's going to die. 394 00:16:17,670 --> 00:16:18,830 He's not going to die on a boat. 395 00:16:19,340 --> 00:16:21,260 He's not worried one iota. 396 00:16:21,420 --> 00:16:25,140 He's completely at peace because he knows who he is and what 397 00:16:25,140 --> 00:16:25,660 he can do. 398 00:16:26,300 --> 00:16:28,700 But the disciples, they don't. 399 00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:31,340 They don't yet know who this guy is. 400 00:16:31,500 --> 00:16:35,139 And so they are freaking out, screaming, we're perishing, we're 401 00:16:35,139 --> 00:16:35,500 dying. 402 00:16:35,580 --> 00:16:36,220 Save us. 403 00:16:36,780 --> 00:16:39,580 Because they just don't know who Jesus is and what he can do. 404 00:16:39,980 --> 00:16:41,340 They lack faith. 405 00:16:41,340 --> 00:16:42,700 That's why he said what he said. 406 00:16:43,100 --> 00:16:45,020 He said, why are you afraid? 407 00:16:45,340 --> 00:16:46,780 Oh, you of little faith? 408 00:16:47,860 --> 00:16:49,460 He's actually answering his own question. 409 00:16:49,940 --> 00:16:51,780 He says, why are you afraid? 410 00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:53,540 And that he uses a noun. 411 00:16:53,780 --> 00:16:55,220 Use small faith ones. 412 00:16:56,580 --> 00:17:00,260 The reason you're afraid is because your faith is small in me. 413 00:17:01,060 --> 00:17:04,500 You don't know who I am and you don't know what I can do. 414 00:17:05,620 --> 00:17:10,300 And I want to go ahead and tell you every time fear and anxiety 415 00:17:10,300 --> 00:17:12,900 well up inside of you and inside of me. 416 00:17:12,900 --> 00:17:14,180 That robs us of peace. 417 00:17:15,030 --> 00:17:18,790 It is showing us someplace in our life where we don't know who 418 00:17:18,790 --> 00:17:20,870 Jesus is and what he can do. 419 00:17:22,150 --> 00:17:24,590 Maybe you could write it down this way, just a way to remember 420 00:17:24,590 --> 00:17:24,870 it. 421 00:17:25,510 --> 00:17:30,790 Any surge of fear and chaos is the direct result of some shortage 422 00:17:30,790 --> 00:17:31,510 of faith in Christ. 423 00:17:33,510 --> 00:17:35,110 I want you to see how these part together. 424 00:17:35,270 --> 00:17:40,070 Any surge of fear, any welling up of fear in your life when there's 425 00:17:40,070 --> 00:17:44,830 some chaos going on, always the direct result of some place where 426 00:17:44,830 --> 00:17:46,550 you're falling short on your faith in Christ. 427 00:17:47,270 --> 00:17:50,830 Any surge of fear and chaos is the direct result of some shortage 428 00:17:50,830 --> 00:17:51,590 of Faith in Christ. 429 00:17:52,070 --> 00:17:53,270 100% of the time. 430 00:17:54,070 --> 00:17:57,150 Now, I'm not saying you don't believe in Jesus Christ if you have 431 00:17:57,150 --> 00:17:57,510 fear. 432 00:17:58,070 --> 00:18:00,550 I'm not saying if you have an anxious thought, well, you must not 433 00:18:00,550 --> 00:18:01,230 be a believer. 434 00:18:01,230 --> 00:18:02,550 You have no faith in Jesus. 435 00:18:02,630 --> 00:18:06,350 What I'm saying is that God has given you a gift when you have 436 00:18:06,350 --> 00:18:07,350 fear and anxiety. 437 00:18:07,350 --> 00:18:10,660 And that gift is, is to examine a compartment of your life 438 00:18:10,740 --> 00:18:13,820 that you have either not invited Jesus into, or you don't 439 00:18:13,820 --> 00:18:17,140 see what Jesus can do in that situation because of who he is. 440 00:18:18,100 --> 00:18:20,260 So is it a fear in your work? 441 00:18:20,740 --> 00:18:22,180 A fear with one of your children? 442 00:18:22,820 --> 00:18:24,380 Is it a fear in your finances? 443 00:18:24,380 --> 00:18:27,020 Is a fear of some kind of struggle that you can't seem to overcome? 444 00:18:27,020 --> 00:18:31,700 Whatever that thing is, that compartment God is revealing to you, 445 00:18:32,180 --> 00:18:35,980 a place where you are not trusting in who God is and how he 446 00:18:35,980 --> 00:18:37,620 can move in that area of your life. 447 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,280 It's a gift, a painful gift, but it's a gift. 448 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:44,640 Now, I want to forewarn you about that particular gift. 449 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,160 It's a dangerous gift because you can weaponize that gift. 450 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,240 I'm telling you from experience that you can do that. 451 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,040 My wife is looking at me right now, and she's biting her pen because 452 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,360 she doesn't want me to tell what I'm about to tell, because she 453 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:00,040 doesn't want me to look bad. 454 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,920 That's why she don't want me to tell it, because I made this mistake 455 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:05,040 just this week. 456 00:19:05,930 --> 00:19:08,490 Just a couple days ago, my wife and I were sitting together 457 00:19:08,490 --> 00:19:11,410 and we were talking, and she was just sharing something that she 458 00:19:11,410 --> 00:19:12,290 was feeling anxious about. 459 00:19:12,290 --> 00:19:15,210 And I got all Holy Roller on her, and I said, let me tell you 460 00:19:15,210 --> 00:19:15,770 this great point. 461 00:19:15,770 --> 00:19:17,610 You need to know you should write this down, Virginia. 462 00:19:18,970 --> 00:19:19,730 I didn't say that. 463 00:19:19,730 --> 00:19:20,050 I didn't. 464 00:19:20,050 --> 00:19:20,650 I wanted to. 465 00:19:20,650 --> 00:19:21,290 I didn't say that. 466 00:19:21,930 --> 00:19:24,690 But I'm talking about, you know, there's a surge of fear in 467 00:19:24,690 --> 00:19:26,650 this chaotic moment you're having. 468 00:19:26,650 --> 00:19:28,650 Baby, it's probably some shortage of faith in Christ. 469 00:19:30,810 --> 00:19:31,100 I. 470 00:19:31,250 --> 00:19:33,650 I tell her this truth, and she immediately went. 471 00:19:34,850 --> 00:19:37,810 I mean, it was like laser beam. 472 00:19:38,290 --> 00:19:40,610 If I wasn't married to you, I might kill you right now. 473 00:19:42,050 --> 00:19:43,250 And I realized something. 474 00:19:43,890 --> 00:19:46,810 I had just turned that truth into a weapon to beat my wife over 475 00:19:46,810 --> 00:19:47,250 the head. 476 00:19:47,810 --> 00:19:50,010 Because what it felt like to her is I was saying, you have no 477 00:19:50,010 --> 00:19:50,250 faith. 478 00:19:50,250 --> 00:19:50,730 That's your problem. 479 00:19:50,730 --> 00:19:51,410 You just don't believe. 480 00:19:52,770 --> 00:19:54,850 She didn't need me to tell her that in that moment. 481 00:19:55,810 --> 00:19:58,530 And what I realized is, this is a danger point for you. 482 00:19:58,530 --> 00:20:00,650 When I tell you that truth, you can leave this place and you 483 00:20:00,650 --> 00:20:01,810 start going, oh, yeah, you're afraid. 484 00:20:01,810 --> 00:20:02,050 Why? 485 00:20:02,050 --> 00:20:02,650 You don't have faith. 486 00:20:02,650 --> 00:20:03,000 You're afraid. 487 00:20:03,310 --> 00:20:03,950 You don't have faith. 488 00:20:04,110 --> 00:20:05,710 You start condemning everybody else. 489 00:20:05,870 --> 00:20:07,870 When the only person you're supposed to be looking at is the 490 00:20:07,870 --> 00:20:08,590 one in the mirror. 491 00:20:09,390 --> 00:20:12,190 This is a tool not for you to condemn others, but for you to look 492 00:20:12,190 --> 00:20:14,110 in the mirror and say, what is the Lord trying to show you? 493 00:20:15,070 --> 00:20:18,310 So don't say, well, Jason said, don't you do that about anybody 494 00:20:18,310 --> 00:20:18,670 else. 495 00:20:19,230 --> 00:20:21,430 You just look in the mirror every time you have fear and anxiety, 496 00:20:21,430 --> 00:20:23,870 and you ask yourself, what am I learning about myself? 497 00:20:24,350 --> 00:20:26,150 And how do I need to invite Jesus in here? 498 00:20:26,150 --> 00:20:28,110 Because there's some place where I'm not trusting in who Jesus 499 00:20:28,110 --> 00:20:29,560 is and what he can do. 500 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:32,280 That's what was happening with the disciples. 501 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,680 They didn't really know who he was and what he could do. 502 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:37,200 That's why Jesus did what he did. 503 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,840 In response, he says, why do you have such little faith? 504 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:42,320 Why are you afraid? 505 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:43,320 Because you don't know who I am. 506 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,240 Then he stands up and he shows them who he is. 507 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:46,080 It doesn't say. 508 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:47,400 It only says he rebukes it. 509 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:49,560 But in Mark, it says, he says two words. 510 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:51,680 Peace and be still. 511 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:53,080 Be still is one word in Greek. 512 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:54,770 Peace, be still. 513 00:20:55,250 --> 00:20:56,130 Those two words. 514 00:20:56,290 --> 00:20:59,770 And then it says that the storm doesn't, like, slowly dissipate 515 00:20:59,770 --> 00:21:00,410 and the waves. 516 00:21:00,410 --> 00:21:01,010 Slowly. 517 00:21:01,010 --> 00:21:04,450 It says, immediately the storm is gone. 518 00:21:04,770 --> 00:21:09,090 And it goes from massive waves to, like, glass, supernaturally. 519 00:21:09,969 --> 00:21:12,610 And that's why they go, who is this guy? 520 00:21:14,370 --> 00:21:17,850 Their minds are blowing because in all their life, they have 521 00:21:17,850 --> 00:21:21,460 only ever heard of one person who had power over the winds and 522 00:21:21,460 --> 00:21:21,900 the waves. 523 00:21:23,100 --> 00:21:25,580 One person who could separate the Red Sea. 524 00:21:25,580 --> 00:21:26,620 And it wasn't Moses. 525 00:21:26,620 --> 00:21:27,900 It was Yahweh God. 526 00:21:28,300 --> 00:21:32,100 Only one person who could bring the storm upon Jonah to make 527 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:33,300 him have to jump overboard. 528 00:21:33,300 --> 00:21:34,460 And it was not Jonah. 529 00:21:34,460 --> 00:21:35,660 It was Yahweh God. 530 00:21:35,820 --> 00:21:36,380 One person. 531 00:21:36,540 --> 00:21:39,460 When you read all the Psalms and you see there's a person who 532 00:21:39,460 --> 00:21:40,860 has power over the winds and the waves. 533 00:21:40,860 --> 00:21:42,860 It is Yahweh God and Yahweh alone. 534 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:47,270 And now they see this man who speaks to the winds and the waves, 535 00:21:47,270 --> 00:21:48,950 and they go, who is this guy? 536 00:21:49,830 --> 00:21:52,790 Could he be Yahweh God among us? 537 00:21:53,750 --> 00:21:57,470 Jesus is revealing himself so that they would have the faith to 538 00:21:57,470 --> 00:22:01,030 trust him and pay whatever price to follow him. 539 00:22:02,230 --> 00:22:05,710 Now, you would think that anybody who saw the supernatural 540 00:22:05,710 --> 00:22:08,670 power of God would come down before him and bow down and say, 541 00:22:08,670 --> 00:22:09,310 you must be king. 542 00:22:09,310 --> 00:22:10,230 We're going to follow you. 543 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:12,800 But if you thought that, you'd be dead wrong. 544 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:15,640 Because we're about to see the last story that we're going to deal 545 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,360 with and how people who should have bowed down to Jesus didn't. 546 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:21,640 Let's move on, move to verse 28. 547 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:23,040 We're going to read from 28 to 33. 548 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:25,960 It says, and when he came to the other side of the country of 549 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,360 the Gadarenes, two demon possessed men met him coming out 550 00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:31,920 of the tombs so fierce that no one could pass that way. 551 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,840 And behold, they cried out, what have you to do with us, O son 552 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:35,360 of God? 553 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,320 Have you come here to torment us before the time Now, a herd of 554 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:43,160 many pigs was feeding at some distance from them, and the demons 555 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,560 begged him, saying, if you cast us out, send us away into the 556 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:46,320 herd of pigs. 557 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:47,840 And he said to them, go. 558 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,440 So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd 559 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,720 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 560 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,240 The herdsmen fled and going into the city, they told everything, 561 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,960 especially what happened to the demon possessed men. 562 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:02,160 Now we're going to pause there. 563 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:06,990 So you have a moment now when Jesus displays his glory on the biggest 564 00:23:06,990 --> 00:23:10,070 level, not just over nature now, but over the entire demonic 565 00:23:10,070 --> 00:23:10,390 world. 566 00:23:11,190 --> 00:23:13,830 Now, he has been casting out demons up to this point, but he's 567 00:23:13,830 --> 00:23:16,670 been doing a one by one, like, okay, you cast out that demon, you 568 00:23:16,670 --> 00:23:17,670 cast out that demon. 569 00:23:18,470 --> 00:23:21,750 But this particular situation was totally different. 570 00:23:21,830 --> 00:23:24,350 Doesn't tell us in Matthew, but if you go over to the Gospel 571 00:23:24,350 --> 00:23:27,590 of Mark, Jesus asks one of those demoniacs, what's your name? 572 00:23:27,990 --> 00:23:28,670 To the demon? 573 00:23:28,670 --> 00:23:31,770 And the demon answers, legion, because we are many. 574 00:23:32,570 --> 00:23:37,810 Now, legion was the term for a group of soldiers in the Roman imperial 575 00:23:37,810 --> 00:23:39,770 army of 6,000 soldiers. 576 00:23:40,890 --> 00:23:44,730 So likely there were several thousand demons in these two people. 577 00:23:45,370 --> 00:23:49,290 This is why they had incredibly supernatural strength. 578 00:23:49,450 --> 00:23:52,490 Again, Matthew doesn't tell us, but Mark says that they were 579 00:23:52,490 --> 00:23:55,610 bound with metal chains and they would break them like they were 580 00:23:55,610 --> 00:23:56,090 putty. 581 00:23:56,740 --> 00:23:59,740 Supernatural strength because of the raw power of these demons 582 00:23:59,740 --> 00:24:01,220 that are inside of these two men. 583 00:24:02,020 --> 00:24:04,900 Now I'm going to take a little break here and do a little bunny 584 00:24:04,900 --> 00:24:05,180 throw. 585 00:24:05,180 --> 00:24:07,460 I think this is worth hearing before I move back to the story. 586 00:24:08,420 --> 00:24:10,900 There are three things we learn about demons in this that I 587 00:24:10,900 --> 00:24:11,860 think are really, really important. 588 00:24:12,500 --> 00:24:15,220 The first thing we learn is that demons are real. 589 00:24:16,740 --> 00:24:20,500 Jesus was speaking to demons and he claimed they're real. 590 00:24:20,980 --> 00:24:22,710 So either Jesus is lying or. 591 00:24:22,780 --> 00:24:23,820 Or demons are real. 592 00:24:24,540 --> 00:24:28,220 And I'm pretty sure that Jesus wasn't lying, which means that demons 593 00:24:28,220 --> 00:24:28,700 are real. 594 00:24:29,420 --> 00:24:33,300 There are so many people that I meet that think that that's just 595 00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:34,380 what they thought way back then. 596 00:24:34,380 --> 00:24:35,020 Cause they didn't know. 597 00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:36,020 They didn't understand things. 598 00:24:36,020 --> 00:24:38,020 You know, they just didn't have science and explanations. 599 00:24:38,020 --> 00:24:40,300 So they blamed everything on the demons. 600 00:24:41,420 --> 00:24:44,620 Well, that may be true to some degree, but Jesus said demons were 601 00:24:44,620 --> 00:24:44,940 real. 602 00:24:46,140 --> 00:24:49,420 So the demonic forces are real. 603 00:24:50,620 --> 00:24:53,900 Second thing you learn about demons in this is that they actually 604 00:24:53,900 --> 00:24:56,140 know who Jesus is way more than his disciples. 605 00:24:57,100 --> 00:24:59,740 It's unusual, but if you read the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, 606 00:24:59,740 --> 00:25:02,980 Luke and John, the highest view of Jesus comes from the mouth 607 00:25:02,980 --> 00:25:03,580 of demons. 608 00:25:04,060 --> 00:25:05,220 I mean, notice what happened. 609 00:25:05,220 --> 00:25:06,700 The disciples go, who is this guy? 610 00:25:06,700 --> 00:25:07,860 And what do the demons say? 611 00:25:07,860 --> 00:25:09,100 You are the Son of God? 612 00:25:09,660 --> 00:25:11,860 Have you come early because we know you are the Son of God. 613 00:25:11,860 --> 00:25:14,300 They know who Jesus is when his disciples don't. 614 00:25:15,510 --> 00:25:17,550 But just because they know who Jesus is doesn't mean they submit 615 00:25:17,550 --> 00:25:17,910 to him. 616 00:25:18,550 --> 00:25:21,750 The third thing you learn about demons in this particular passage 617 00:25:22,070 --> 00:25:23,430 is they have one purpose. 618 00:25:24,150 --> 00:25:25,750 To steal, kill and destroy. 619 00:25:25,990 --> 00:25:27,590 Just like their master, the devil. 620 00:25:28,390 --> 00:25:29,470 That's why they exist. 621 00:25:29,470 --> 00:25:29,870 I mean, look. 622 00:25:29,870 --> 00:25:30,710 Look at how they behave. 623 00:25:31,269 --> 00:25:34,550 Here they are, and they're oppressing and possessing these two 624 00:25:34,550 --> 00:25:34,870 men. 625 00:25:35,270 --> 00:25:37,470 And these two men are so dangerous, people can't even walk 626 00:25:37,470 --> 00:25:38,790 by because they can get harmed by them. 627 00:25:38,790 --> 00:25:40,390 It doesn't tell us in Matthew, but in Mark. 628 00:25:40,390 --> 00:25:41,990 It tells us they would even hurt themselves. 629 00:25:42,410 --> 00:25:43,730 Because that's what the demons are trying to do. 630 00:25:43,730 --> 00:25:46,010 Hurt themselves and everybody else around them. 631 00:25:46,010 --> 00:25:50,250 And then whenever he casts the demons into the pigs, what happens? 632 00:25:50,250 --> 00:25:51,370 All the pigs die. 633 00:25:51,610 --> 00:25:52,010 Why? 634 00:25:52,250 --> 00:25:53,850 Because the demons have one goal. 635 00:25:53,850 --> 00:25:54,650 To destroy. 636 00:25:54,890 --> 00:25:57,530 So they take all the pigs and they go into the Sea of Galilee and 637 00:25:57,530 --> 00:25:59,250 there's just pig carcasses everywhere. 638 00:25:59,250 --> 00:26:00,330 Because that's what demons do. 639 00:26:00,330 --> 00:26:02,490 They steal, they kill and they destroy. 640 00:26:03,210 --> 00:26:04,730 Now, here's why you need to hear this. 641 00:26:05,610 --> 00:26:09,330 I see way too many people playing around with the occult and 642 00:26:09,330 --> 00:26:11,850 the demonic like it's some kind of game or entertainment. 643 00:26:12,860 --> 00:26:16,380 And we don't even realize that we're cracking the door open because 644 00:26:16,380 --> 00:26:18,820 we're playing around with Ouija boards and stuff like that, 645 00:26:18,820 --> 00:26:20,620 letting the demonic come inside of us. 646 00:26:20,620 --> 00:26:22,300 And they have one goal. 647 00:26:23,580 --> 00:26:26,380 They want to steal everything God is doing in your life. 648 00:26:26,940 --> 00:26:28,219 They want to kill your body. 649 00:26:28,219 --> 00:26:29,580 They want to destroy your soul. 650 00:26:29,740 --> 00:26:32,620 How dare we let them in when we know who they are? 651 00:26:34,300 --> 00:26:38,180 We must recognize the danger of the demonic forces in this world 652 00:26:38,180 --> 00:26:42,220 around us because they're real and they want to harm the people 653 00:26:42,220 --> 00:26:42,780 of God. 654 00:26:44,380 --> 00:26:46,460 But that doesn't mean we should be afraid of them. 655 00:26:47,980 --> 00:26:51,500 Because we know what the story tells us about who's really in charge. 656 00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:56,220 And those of us who are in Christ Jesus know that all Jesus 657 00:26:56,220 --> 00:26:58,460 had to do was say one word, go. 658 00:26:59,340 --> 00:27:02,660 And thousands and thousands of demons had to flee those two men 659 00:27:02,660 --> 00:27:06,360 and go into the herd of pigs be killed. 660 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,600 They had to submit to Jesus because they knew he's the high commander 661 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:11,320 of the universe. 662 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,520 Now listen, if you're not in Christ, then you have reason to be 663 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:15,960 afraid. 664 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:18,360 You should get that right before this service is over. 665 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,880 But if you are in Christ Jesus, you don't have to be afraid 666 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:23,880 of the demonic forces. 667 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,360 You just come under the blood of Jesus Christ and you let him be 668 00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:30,360 in charge and he overcomes the enemy. 669 00:27:31,250 --> 00:27:33,570 That's exactly what he shows his disciples right here. 670 00:27:34,370 --> 00:27:35,810 All he had to say, go. 671 00:27:36,450 --> 00:27:37,330 And they were gone. 672 00:27:38,130 --> 00:27:42,610 And here's these two men in their right mind, completely transformed. 673 00:27:42,690 --> 00:27:45,810 The whole town comes over, they look right at these demon possessed 674 00:27:45,810 --> 00:27:49,170 people and you think they would go, oh Jesus, we must worship 675 00:27:49,170 --> 00:27:49,410 you. 676 00:27:49,410 --> 00:27:50,210 You are God. 677 00:27:51,410 --> 00:27:52,530 Well, let's see how they respond. 678 00:27:52,530 --> 00:27:54,850 Verse 34, finish up the passage. 679 00:27:55,810 --> 00:27:58,530 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. 680 00:27:58,700 --> 00:28:01,650 And, and when they saw him, they fell down and worshiped him. 681 00:28:02,930 --> 00:28:04,530 No, no, actually that's not what it says. 682 00:28:05,730 --> 00:28:07,850 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. 683 00:28:07,850 --> 00:28:10,530 And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. 684 00:28:12,770 --> 00:28:14,929 If that's not the biggest kick in the pants right there, I don't 685 00:28:14,929 --> 00:28:15,490 know what is. 686 00:28:16,770 --> 00:28:20,850 Jesus does the greatest of miracles in the demonic world. 687 00:28:21,410 --> 00:28:22,930 They all see his divine power. 688 00:28:22,930 --> 00:28:25,570 They know these two men and they see how changed they are. 689 00:28:26,010 --> 00:28:28,170 And instead of saying we worship you, they say, get out of 690 00:28:28,170 --> 00:28:29,130 here, we don't want you here. 691 00:28:29,690 --> 00:28:32,650 Now what in the world would compel them to do that? 692 00:28:33,850 --> 00:28:34,970 The answer is simple. 693 00:28:35,530 --> 00:28:38,770 Because Jesus was messing their business up and they wanted 694 00:28:38,770 --> 00:28:39,370 him gone. 695 00:28:40,010 --> 00:28:41,730 And what you need to know is he's. 696 00:28:41,730 --> 00:28:43,170 He's in what's called the Decapolis. 697 00:28:43,170 --> 00:28:45,530 This was the Gentile region on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 698 00:28:45,530 --> 00:28:46,490 These were not Jewish people. 699 00:28:46,810 --> 00:28:50,210 That's why they're dealing in swine, because Jewish people couldn't 700 00:28:50,210 --> 00:28:51,210 be around pigs. 701 00:28:51,780 --> 00:28:52,900 But these are Gentiles. 702 00:28:53,060 --> 00:28:55,460 And it says, it doesn't say it in Matthew, but in Mark it says there 703 00:28:55,460 --> 00:28:59,940 are probably around 2000 herd of pigs there or heads of pigs there 704 00:28:59,940 --> 00:29:00,660 in that area. 705 00:29:00,660 --> 00:29:03,820 This was likely the herd of the entire village, not just like 706 00:29:03,820 --> 00:29:04,740 one person's herd. 707 00:29:05,140 --> 00:29:09,140 And so the entire village lost all their income from their pig business. 708 00:29:09,940 --> 00:29:13,260 And they come over there and they realize this guy is meddling 709 00:29:13,260 --> 00:29:14,340 with their little kingdom. 710 00:29:14,420 --> 00:29:15,460 And they don't like it. 711 00:29:15,860 --> 00:29:16,820 So they say, get out. 712 00:29:18,010 --> 00:29:20,970 And that right there shows us one of the greatest dangers of all. 713 00:29:22,010 --> 00:29:26,010 You and I can experience the truth that Jesus is king, but the 714 00:29:26,010 --> 00:29:28,650 moment he starts meddling with our little kingdom, we want him out. 715 00:29:30,970 --> 00:29:32,490 Listen, I want you to hear this. 716 00:29:33,130 --> 00:29:36,130 This is a danger for every one of us in this room because we might 717 00:29:36,130 --> 00:29:38,170 not know whose kingdom we're actually building. 718 00:29:38,810 --> 00:29:39,850 Ours or Jesus. 719 00:29:40,410 --> 00:29:42,730 The Lord revealed this to me the other day in a really painful 720 00:29:42,730 --> 00:29:43,050 way. 721 00:29:44,010 --> 00:29:47,250 It was when I was at Dallas Baptist University preaching in chapel. 722 00:29:47,250 --> 00:29:48,690 I get to go there from time to time. 723 00:29:48,690 --> 00:29:49,450 Go Pats. 724 00:29:49,530 --> 00:29:54,090 And I was over there preaching and I was super excited about it. 725 00:29:54,170 --> 00:29:56,330 I've done it probably, I don't know, eight or nine times. 726 00:29:56,970 --> 00:29:59,010 And every time I go, it's a beautiful moment. 727 00:29:59,010 --> 00:30:01,490 And we get more DBU students in the church, which I absolutely 728 00:30:01,490 --> 00:30:01,770 love. 729 00:30:02,170 --> 00:30:04,850 But this time before going, I felt like the Lord telling me that 730 00:30:04,850 --> 00:30:07,050 I wasn't supposed to preach a normal sermon. 731 00:30:07,770 --> 00:30:09,130 He wanted me to do something different. 732 00:30:09,130 --> 00:30:12,680 What he wanted me to do, I believed, was to go over there and 733 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:14,800 just open with a word of prayer saying, lord, let your word 734 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:15,200 be enough. 735 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,640 And then just to quote from memory the book of Ephesians 1 through 736 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:18,960 6. 737 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,840 And then to close in prayer saying, let your word work in Jesus 738 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:23,120 name, amen and send people off. 739 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:28,800 And I was nervous but excited and I thought, okay, Lord, you're 740 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:29,600 going to do something special. 741 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,040 I'm ready to serve you. 742 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,800 So that particular Wednesday morning, we normally do staff prayer 743 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:34,320 at nine. 744 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,400 I said, staff, let's go over to DBU altogether and we'll have 745 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:38,760 prayer over there on campus. 746 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:40,930 And then we can all come to the church Chapel at 10 o' clock 747 00:30:40,930 --> 00:30:41,850 and it'll be a great time. 748 00:30:42,490 --> 00:30:44,770 So we're there at 9am and we're praying with the staff. 749 00:30:44,770 --> 00:30:46,370 And I'm there and others are praying. 750 00:30:46,370 --> 00:30:49,370 But I have this impression from the Lord. 751 00:30:49,930 --> 00:30:53,050 Not an audible voice, but very strong impression that the Lord was 752 00:30:53,050 --> 00:30:56,170 saying, jason, I just want you to have a heads up. 753 00:30:56,970 --> 00:30:58,970 I'm going to make you mess up. 754 00:30:58,970 --> 00:31:02,650 When you deliver the book of Ephesians, I'm going to make you 755 00:31:02,970 --> 00:31:04,090 stumble over the words. 756 00:31:04,090 --> 00:31:06,010 Which, by the way, was hard to hear. 757 00:31:06,090 --> 00:31:07,210 One, I'm a perfectionist. 758 00:31:07,590 --> 00:31:09,270 And two, I've been working on this thing for like a year. 759 00:31:09,590 --> 00:31:12,270 I know the book of Ephesians backwards and forwards. 760 00:31:12,270 --> 00:31:13,750 I know it so exceptionally well. 761 00:31:14,710 --> 00:31:16,310 And you know, my first answer is, why? 762 00:31:16,390 --> 00:31:17,910 Why, Lord, would you do that to me? 763 00:31:18,390 --> 00:31:20,150 And his answer back was kind. 764 00:31:20,150 --> 00:31:23,430 He just said, well, Jason, if You deliver it flawlessly, they're 765 00:31:23,430 --> 00:31:25,190 going to be more impressed with you than my word. 766 00:31:25,830 --> 00:31:28,350 And so I'm going to allow you to mess up so they'll be more impressed 767 00:31:28,350 --> 00:31:29,670 with my word than with you. 768 00:31:31,030 --> 00:31:35,480 And my answer back was comical, now that I look at it. 769 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:40,280 But I said to the Lord, well, Lord, you're infinite in power. 770 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,720 You can make me deliver it perfectly and still cause them to 771 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:43,680 be impressed with your word. 772 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:44,880 So why don't you do that instead? 773 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:48,160 Literally, that's what I pray. 774 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,480 And I felt the Lord chuckle at me. 775 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,120 That happens from time to time when I'm praying. 776 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,440 And then the Lord said, he was kind, and he said, no, Jason, you 777 00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:57,840 don't understand. 778 00:31:59,050 --> 00:32:00,330 I'm doing this for your sake, too. 779 00:32:01,450 --> 00:32:04,170 Because you see, Jason, you're okay building my kingdom as long 780 00:32:04,170 --> 00:32:05,530 as your kingdom is built with it. 781 00:32:06,090 --> 00:32:08,370 But if I want to build my kingdom at the expense of yours, 782 00:32:08,370 --> 00:32:09,290 you're not okay with it. 783 00:32:09,370 --> 00:32:10,970 Shows me you're building the wrong kingdom. 784 00:32:12,090 --> 00:32:14,489 You want to talk about a thousand daggers in my back on that 785 00:32:14,489 --> 00:32:14,810 one. 786 00:32:16,010 --> 00:32:17,570 All I could say was, touche, Lord. 787 00:32:17,570 --> 00:32:18,010 You're right. 788 00:32:18,410 --> 00:32:20,650 I don't know how much this is going to hurt, but be gentle. 789 00:32:21,370 --> 00:32:25,140 I go up there trembling, and I start. 790 00:32:25,540 --> 00:32:29,020 And within six verses, I lose my place and have to go find it back 791 00:32:29,020 --> 00:32:31,260 in the book, which I never mess up. 792 00:32:31,260 --> 00:32:32,740 In the first chapter of the book of Ephesians. 793 00:32:32,740 --> 00:32:34,780 It's like the Lord just showing off, going like, I'm in control 794 00:32:34,780 --> 00:32:35,460 of this, Jason. 795 00:32:36,340 --> 00:32:38,860 Now, by the grace of God, I was able to finish the rest of it 796 00:32:38,860 --> 00:32:39,500 fairly well. 797 00:32:39,500 --> 00:32:43,540 And God did what he wanted to do, but he reminded me or showed 798 00:32:43,540 --> 00:32:45,460 me and exposed in me where my heart is. 799 00:32:45,460 --> 00:32:50,580 My tendency, I have a tendency to only build his kingdom when mine 800 00:32:50,580 --> 00:32:51,940 gets to be built with it. 801 00:32:52,650 --> 00:32:55,410 That struggles so much when he wants to build his kingdom at the 802 00:32:55,410 --> 00:32:56,250 expense of mine. 803 00:32:56,890 --> 00:32:58,090 But he has to do it. 804 00:32:58,650 --> 00:33:01,050 Not just in me, in you, too. 805 00:33:01,770 --> 00:33:03,290 Third point I want you to write down. 806 00:33:03,290 --> 00:33:05,610 It's a hard one, but here's what it is. 807 00:33:06,170 --> 00:33:10,970 Jesus must build his kingdom at the expense of yours, or you're 808 00:33:10,970 --> 00:33:12,250 really only building your kingdom. 809 00:33:13,770 --> 00:33:19,130 Jesus must build his kingdom at the expense of your kingdom. 810 00:33:19,810 --> 00:33:23,210 That's the only way you know you're building his kingdom instead 811 00:33:23,210 --> 00:33:23,810 of your own. 812 00:33:25,250 --> 00:33:25,810 Listen. 813 00:33:26,130 --> 00:33:27,730 Hear me, friends. 814 00:33:28,690 --> 00:33:33,010 There's a great danger that every single one of us has into trying 815 00:33:33,010 --> 00:33:34,610 to use Jesus for our own benefit. 816 00:33:34,610 --> 00:33:38,410 That's the first would be disciple who said, yeah, I want to 817 00:33:38,410 --> 00:33:40,570 follow you because it's going to look good on my resume, because 818 00:33:40,570 --> 00:33:42,050 he was building his own kingdom. 819 00:33:42,930 --> 00:33:45,210 And when Jesus said, you're not going to build your kingdom, 820 00:33:45,210 --> 00:33:47,130 you're going to build my kingdom because I'm the king, he 821 00:33:47,130 --> 00:33:47,490 was out. 822 00:33:48,570 --> 00:33:51,410 Or that next one who said, when it's convenient for me, I'll 823 00:33:51,410 --> 00:33:54,530 come to you because then it'll be easy for me. 824 00:33:54,530 --> 00:34:00,730 And Jesus said, no, you do it now because I'm the king and you 825 00:34:00,730 --> 00:34:03,130 serve me or you're not a part of my kingdom. 826 00:34:04,410 --> 00:34:08,170 I want you to hear this as clearly as I can possibly say this. 827 00:34:09,770 --> 00:34:12,730 If you're not willing to build his kingdom at the expense of yours, 828 00:34:12,730 --> 00:34:15,490 then he's not your king, and therefore you are not a part of his 829 00:34:15,490 --> 00:34:15,930 kingdom. 830 00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:18,380 It's that plain and simple. 831 00:34:19,500 --> 00:34:23,540 Every single one of us has a throne on top of our heart, and there 832 00:34:23,540 --> 00:34:25,420 was somebody sitting on top of that throne. 833 00:34:26,380 --> 00:34:29,260 It is either me or it is King Jesus. 834 00:34:31,020 --> 00:34:35,420 There are too many people that I meet that treat Jesus as if he's 835 00:34:35,420 --> 00:34:35,980 their wingman. 836 00:34:35,980 --> 00:34:36,340 Oh, man. 837 00:34:36,340 --> 00:34:37,700 My homeboy Jesus, he's with me. 838 00:34:37,700 --> 00:34:39,100 When I have trouble, I go to him. 839 00:34:39,260 --> 00:34:40,700 He's always there for me. 840 00:34:41,980 --> 00:34:42,620 He's my bro. 841 00:34:42,620 --> 00:34:43,470 He's my wingman. 842 00:34:43,860 --> 00:34:45,540 Jesus ain't nobody's wingman. 843 00:34:45,860 --> 00:34:48,020 If we're lucky, we get to be his wingman. 844 00:34:48,340 --> 00:34:49,300 He's the king. 845 00:34:49,380 --> 00:34:50,340 We're the servants. 846 00:34:50,900 --> 00:34:52,220 He's gotta be on the throne. 847 00:34:52,220 --> 00:34:55,620 But the only way he can get on the throne is if we dethrone ourselves. 848 00:34:56,740 --> 00:35:00,740 And the only way peace comes to us is if we dethrone ourselves 849 00:35:01,060 --> 00:35:04,460 and say, when I am on the throne, I screw up my life over and 850 00:35:04,460 --> 00:35:05,220 over and over. 851 00:35:05,220 --> 00:35:10,380 This storm is caused by my own life and I'm perishing in this storm. 852 00:35:10,380 --> 00:35:12,100 Oh, Jesus, save me. 853 00:35:13,380 --> 00:35:14,580 You're getting off the throne. 854 00:35:14,740 --> 00:35:16,340 You're putting Jesus on the throne. 855 00:35:16,740 --> 00:35:20,260 That's when you experience the peace that surpasses all understanding. 856 00:35:20,820 --> 00:35:24,180 That's when he takes over and you experience just how good it is 857 00:35:24,580 --> 00:35:25,780 to be a part of his family. 858 00:35:26,900 --> 00:35:30,660 Listen, Jesus doesn't call us to come under his leadership because 859 00:35:30,660 --> 00:35:31,540 he's arrogant. 860 00:35:32,100 --> 00:35:34,180 He does it because he deserves that post. 861 00:35:34,260 --> 00:35:36,020 Because didn't he do the same thing? 862 00:35:37,950 --> 00:35:39,510 He did not build his own kingdom. 863 00:35:39,510 --> 00:35:40,990 He built the kingdom of his father. 864 00:35:41,790 --> 00:35:44,590 He came to Earth not to build his own kingdom, but to be. 865 00:35:44,750 --> 00:35:50,590 To be rejected, spat on, made fun of, ridiculed, tortured and murdered. 866 00:35:51,310 --> 00:35:53,710 All that to build his father's kingdom. 867 00:35:53,950 --> 00:35:55,870 And in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, I don't want 868 00:35:55,870 --> 00:36:00,990 to do this, but, Daddy, I trust you and I will not be afraid 869 00:36:01,470 --> 00:36:02,750 because your plan is perfect. 870 00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:07,320 Jesus showed us what it looks like to actually be a follower of 871 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,240 the Father's ways, because he did it when it was the highest cost, 872 00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:11,400 not when it was convenient. 873 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:14,840 And therefore he turns around and says, would you follow me? 874 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:16,840 Would you let me be king? 875 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,599 Would you experience what I could do in your life when you let 876 00:36:19,599 --> 00:36:20,520 me in the boat? 877 00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:24,760 Because I can calm every single storm doesn't mean he's going 878 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:26,120 to take away every single situation. 879 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,960 It may be like Peter, who walked on the water when the waves 880 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:29,560 were still going. 881 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:32,330 As long as he was looking at Jesus, he was at peace. 882 00:36:32,890 --> 00:36:37,570 Jesus can bring peace in the middle of the circumstances when 883 00:36:37,570 --> 00:36:40,810 he's standing in your boat, but you got to invite him in. 884 00:36:41,450 --> 00:36:42,730 I'm going to give you that opportunity. 885 00:36:42,730 --> 00:36:44,890 This baptistery is on this stage for one purpose. 886 00:36:45,690 --> 00:36:47,930 It gives you a chance to dethrone yourself. 887 00:36:48,570 --> 00:36:49,690 It's a picture of death. 888 00:36:50,330 --> 00:36:52,730 You saying, that guy who was on the throne, he's dead and gone. 889 00:36:53,130 --> 00:36:55,730 And when you come up out of that water, it's a picture that Jesus 890 00:36:55,730 --> 00:36:56,810 is now on this throne. 891 00:36:57,700 --> 00:36:58,820 And I want myself to know it. 892 00:36:58,820 --> 00:37:01,220 And everybody else, it's me drawing a line in the sand. 893 00:37:01,220 --> 00:37:02,260 I've kicked myself off. 894 00:37:02,260 --> 00:37:03,300 I put Jesus on. 895 00:37:05,220 --> 00:37:08,420 There are some of you, and you know that you need to take the step. 896 00:37:08,420 --> 00:37:12,020 You have known it for months, and you're just like that second 897 00:37:12,020 --> 00:37:12,740 disciple. 898 00:37:13,140 --> 00:37:15,300 But it's just not convenient for me right now. 899 00:37:16,020 --> 00:37:19,380 Maybe next week, maybe next month, maybe next year. 900 00:37:20,500 --> 00:37:23,820 Jesus says, let the spiritually dead keep on waiting. 901 00:37:23,820 --> 00:37:31,750 You follow me now, today, some of you need to stop playing around 902 00:37:31,750 --> 00:37:36,910 with this and finally get afraid enough to say, I'm perishing. 903 00:37:36,910 --> 00:37:37,990 Jesus, save me. 904 00:37:38,790 --> 00:37:39,710 And he can save you. 905 00:37:39,710 --> 00:37:39,990 Today. 906 00:37:41,110 --> 00:37:42,870 You're gonna have a chance in just a moment. 907 00:37:43,670 --> 00:37:46,230 One last thing before I invite you to come. 908 00:37:46,230 --> 00:37:49,550 There are some of you, perhaps many of you, in this room, and you 909 00:37:49,550 --> 00:37:52,350 are going through storms just like those people in that boat. 910 00:37:52,750 --> 00:37:55,830 And it feels like wave after wave is just hidden upon you. 911 00:37:55,830 --> 00:37:57,630 And you don't know how you're going to overcome that addiction. 912 00:37:57,630 --> 00:38:00,190 You don't know how to overcome that mountain of debt. 913 00:38:00,510 --> 00:38:02,950 You don't know how you're going to overcome that broken relationship 914 00:38:02,950 --> 00:38:03,590 and marriage. 915 00:38:03,590 --> 00:38:05,630 You don't know how you're going to fix that thing at work. 916 00:38:05,630 --> 00:38:07,230 You don't know how you're going to solve that problem. 917 00:38:07,470 --> 00:38:08,310 You have no idea. 918 00:38:08,310 --> 00:38:10,590 If it just feels like you're drowning and you're overwhelmed, 919 00:38:11,470 --> 00:38:15,470 I want to remind you that's the time to call out to Jesus. 920 00:38:16,750 --> 00:38:22,950 They at least said perishing Jesus, save us now. 921 00:38:22,950 --> 00:38:26,750 Their faith was so small, they had no idea who he was. 922 00:38:28,430 --> 00:38:32,750 Yet Jesus still calmed the storm with their little bitty faith. 923 00:38:33,710 --> 00:38:35,830 You don't have to have gargantuan faith. 924 00:38:35,830 --> 00:38:37,150 You just got to come to Jesus. 925 00:38:38,110 --> 00:38:40,350 So if you're here this morning and you're in some kind of storm 926 00:38:40,350 --> 00:38:44,710 and you need the Lord to bring peace to solve your problem, or maybe 927 00:38:44,710 --> 00:38:46,670 just to bring peace to your heart in the middle of the problem, 928 00:38:47,980 --> 00:38:48,860 you don't have to believe big. 929 00:38:48,860 --> 00:38:50,220 You just have to believe in the right person. 930 00:38:50,780 --> 00:38:52,820 It's not the size of your faith that matters. 931 00:38:52,820 --> 00:38:55,180 It's the one in whom you have faith that matters. 932 00:38:55,980 --> 00:38:57,460 And it's time to exercise that faith. 933 00:38:57,460 --> 00:38:59,260 I want to encourage you to stand to your feet right now. 934 00:38:59,820 --> 00:39:01,580 I want to invite the prayer team to come around. 935 00:39:02,300 --> 00:39:05,180 This is a chance for you to remember who Jesus Christ is. 936 00:39:06,060 --> 00:39:09,460 Not to rush out of here, not to think I'm talking to somebody 937 00:39:09,460 --> 00:39:09,980 else but you. 938 00:39:09,980 --> 00:39:13,850 If you need prayer today, you're in the middle of a storm and 939 00:39:13,850 --> 00:39:16,370 you need the power of Jesus to bring peace in the storm. 940 00:39:16,770 --> 00:39:18,850 You come, let us know, we'll join hands and we'll pray for you. 941 00:39:18,850 --> 00:39:20,690 If you need to come bow down, you can do that, too. 942 00:39:21,410 --> 00:39:26,290 But most importantly, if you know that you need Jesus to be king 943 00:39:26,290 --> 00:39:28,050 of your life, because he's not. 944 00:39:28,530 --> 00:39:30,450 There's just too many compartments in your life. 945 00:39:30,850 --> 00:39:32,690 You don't find any place where he's really Lord. 946 00:39:32,690 --> 00:39:33,810 You're still living for yourself. 947 00:39:33,810 --> 00:39:36,850 It's time to dethrone yourself and to put Jesus on the throne. 948 00:39:37,410 --> 00:39:39,730 If that's you, you can come, let us know. 949 00:39:40,050 --> 00:39:41,570 We'll help you take that step of faith. 950 00:39:41,890 --> 00:39:43,010 Respond as you need to.