WEBVTT 00:00:09.160 --> 00:03:37.639 Thank you. in the car I heard a story about a 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:40.919 Bible college classroom where there was a group 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:44.060 of students, about 25 students, and a seasoned 00:03:44.060 --> 00:03:47.180 professor. And it struck the professor that the 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:50.539 class seemed to be not real dialed in. They weren't 00:03:50.539 --> 00:03:53.099 real excited about learning the things of God 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:55.180 and what it was that they needed to know. Now, 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:56.719 it's a Bible college class. To get into Bible 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.539 college, you have to share your testimony. You 00:03:58.539 --> 00:04:01.060 have to profess to be a Christian. Theoretically, 00:04:01.060 --> 00:04:04.819 you have to be baptized. And so he thought, well, 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:06.900 they should be pretty fired up about the things 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:08.439 of God. Those are the people that you expect 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:10.020 to be pretty fired up. When I was in Bible college, 00:04:10.139 --> 00:04:12.199 pretty much all of my classes, everybody was 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.120 pretty fired up. We would debate and struggle 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.740 over difficult topics, and we would ask questions 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:19.199 that one week no one could answer, and then we'd 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:20.980 all come back next week, and we'd talk about 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:24.879 it again to have the answers. But this professor 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:27.019 said, well, I think my class is not very fired 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:28.480 up about the things of God, and I don't understand 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:34.199 why that is. So he hatched a plan. What he decided 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:36.279 was at his next class he would come in and he 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:39.300 would bring the very largest Beautiful doughnuts 00:04:39.300 --> 00:04:42.360 that he could get We got these great big doughnuts 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:45.019 I didn't understand exactly what a great big 00:04:45.019 --> 00:04:47.220 doughnut is until two years ago when Aaron and 00:04:47.220 --> 00:04:48.839 I went down to a golf tournament and they had 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:51.420 doughnuts that were big as your head actual doughnuts 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:53.139 same kind of just like you'd get like a frosted 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:54.980 doughnut or glazed doughnut whatever they were 00:04:54.980 --> 00:04:57.420 literally this big and We had to split one. It 00:04:57.420 --> 00:05:00.540 was way too big for to eat one And anyway, so 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:01.740 he brought in these great big donuts, and he 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:03.759 put one on each student's desk before the students 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.800 came in the classroom. And then he asked one 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:09.120 of the students to stay after the week that he 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.899 was plotting this, and he said, next week I'd 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:14.920 like you to be part of an object lesson. He said, 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:16.680 how many push -ups do you think you can do? And 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:20.399 he said, I don't know, probably a couple hundred. 00:05:21.100 --> 00:05:23.379 Easy. He was a guy who was very physical, well 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:24.759 -built, whatever. He said, I'm not going to do 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:26.600 a couple hundred. And he said, so next week I 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:29.329 would like you to do... maybe 300 push -ups. 00:05:30.370 --> 00:05:32.290 And he's like, I don't think I can do 300 push 00:05:32.290 --> 00:05:33.610 -ups. And he said, but nonetheless, I would like 00:05:33.610 --> 00:05:35.410 you to commit to do that. Can you do that? And 00:05:35.410 --> 00:05:37.490 he said, oh, I can sure give it my best. I'll 00:05:37.490 --> 00:05:40.050 give it my best try. So the next week he comes 00:05:40.050 --> 00:05:41.750 into class and the donuts are on the desk and 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:43.829 the student comes into this town just like normal. 00:05:44.670 --> 00:05:46.230 And the students are all like, what are the donuts 00:05:46.230 --> 00:05:47.870 for? Did we do something good? And they're excited 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:49.589 for the first time ever because there's donuts, 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:51.149 right? They're not so excited about learning 00:05:51.149 --> 00:05:52.370 the word of God, but they're excited about the 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:55.910 donuts. And the young man's name was due to do 00:05:55.910 --> 00:05:59.180 the push -ups. His name was Bob. And everybody 00:05:59.180 --> 00:06:02.279 noticed that on Bob's desk there was no donut. 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:06.579 And Bob raised his hand and said, I didn't get 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:10.860 a donut. And he said, no. But I would ask you 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:13.000 to come forward. And he did because he'd been 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:15.519 prearranged to do so. And then he went to the 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:17.199 first student in the first desk at the right 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:19.480 -hand side. And he said, no one's allowed to 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:21.459 eat these donuts. And he said, but I ask you, 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:25.759 Bob, would you do 10 push -ups so that... whatever 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.060 her name was, Sally can eat her donut. And Bob's 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:29.920 like, oh, sure. And he flops down on the floor, 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:31.319 and he does the 10 push -ups, no problem, jumps 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:33.300 back up, and he's beaming, he's excited, and 00:06:33.300 --> 00:06:35.100 Sally starts eating her donut, and she's happy, 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:37.720 working down the row. Each student, he says, 00:06:37.819 --> 00:06:41.459 would you do 10 push -ups so that Ron can eat 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:43.199 his donut? Would you do 10 push -ups so that 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:45.740 Kerry can eat his donut? Would you do 10 push 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:47.379 -ups, and he's going down the row, and it's going 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:48.980 pretty good. I mean, he's able to do 10 push 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:50.639 -ups at a time, not really a problem, but it's 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:51.980 kind of getting up there. He's getting to the 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:54.680 point where... He's done 150 push -ups, and they 00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:56.939 can see now he's sweating, and his face is red, 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.839 and his muscles are changing shape a little bit 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:04.480 from the hard workout. And about midway through, 00:07:04.579 --> 00:07:06.560 they're like, I want to do my own push -ups. 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:08.759 The next guy, he's a pretty physical guy. He's 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:09.980 like, I want to do my own push -ups. I'm sorry 00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:12.839 you can't. Only Bob can do the push -ups today. 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:16.399 So Bob, will you do 10 push -ups so Jeff can 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:19.259 eat his donut? And Jeff's like, I won't eat it. 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:21.019 If I can't do the push -ups, I'm not going to 00:07:21.019 --> 00:07:24.009 eat the donut. And he said, will you do 10 push 00:07:24.009 --> 00:07:26.230 -ups so Jeff can eat the donut that Jeff refuses 00:07:26.230 --> 00:07:28.810 to eat? And he drops down on the floor and he 00:07:28.810 --> 00:07:30.509 does the 10 push -ups. And Jeff just sits there 00:07:30.509 --> 00:07:33.430 fuming. And it goes about like that for the last 00:07:33.430 --> 00:07:35.370 10 students. One student gets up and he says, 00:07:35.449 --> 00:07:37.649 I'm not going to participate in this object lesson. 00:07:37.750 --> 00:07:40.089 You can see Bob's obviously struggling. He's 00:07:40.089 --> 00:07:44.709 sweaty. He's red -faced. Sweat's dripping off 00:07:44.709 --> 00:07:47.920 his nose at about 220 push -ups. And so the kid 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:50.860 gets up and he throws his donut in the garbage 00:07:50.860 --> 00:07:53.699 can. And he says, I will not. And then he said, 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:56.199 Bob, don't do the push -ups. And Bob says, I 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:59.379 have to do the push -ups. I have to. And he's 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:01.540 like, but I'm not taking a donut. I don't have 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:03.060 a donut. It's not a donut. I'm not going to eat 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:07.199 it. I'm not going to do it. And Bob says, I have 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:09.019 to do the push -ups. So he gets down and he does 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:10.779 the push -ups. And the kid sits down and he's 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:13.199 fuming. So now about a little under half the 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.220 class. The ones that kind of figured it out. 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:16.720 So the first half of the class, they eat the 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:18.500 donut. They're enjoying the heck out of it. By 00:08:18.500 --> 00:08:22.120 now, her entire donut's gone, you know, and they're 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.579 sort of processing what's going on. And the last 00:08:24.579 --> 00:08:27.300 few students become downright irate. They're 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:30.720 ready to cuss out the teacher. Now, they're not 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:32.019 doing that because it's Bible college and we 00:08:32.019 --> 00:08:33.379 don't do that in Bible college, but they're very 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:37.000 angry with the teacher. And those last ten push 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.039 -ups, that was really something for Bob to do 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.279 those push -ups. And he does the push -ups. And 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:42.740 then he goes back and he sits down in the seat, 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:44.649 which is empty. He doesn't even have a donut. 00:08:47.210 --> 00:08:49.730 And the class is waiting for the professor to 00:08:49.730 --> 00:08:51.169 say something, and the professor doesn't say 00:08:51.169 --> 00:08:58.929 anything. And then finally, after a long silence, 00:08:58.970 --> 00:09:01.289 the professor says, the gospel is like this. 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:09.389 Jesus Christ died for you. Even if you want to 00:09:09.389 --> 00:09:12.259 do it for yourself, you can't. Even if after 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:14.820 you realize that you decide to do some of it 00:09:14.820 --> 00:09:19.759 for yourself, you can't. His sacrifice is sufficient. 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:26.000 And they look at Bob and they're like, that's 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:27.960 amazing. And they realize Bob doesn't even have 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:30.600 a donut. And some of the people near Bob try 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:32.720 to give him their donut, the ones that they, 00:09:32.820 --> 00:09:39.000 and he's refusing. You see, Jesus didn't need. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.399 to be saved. And that was part of why he did 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:46.580 the saving. So in this season, as we're two weeks 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:49.179 away from Easter, we would be prudent, I think, 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:52.440 to look at the story of Jesus' crucifixion. It 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:54.000 would certainly be foolish not to look at it 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:56.580 at some point in time before we look at his resurrection, 00:09:56.820 --> 00:09:58.799 which occurred essentially on what we call Easter 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:01.480 morning or Resurrection Sunday. We're going to 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:03.960 do that today, but we're going to hone in on 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:07.580 just two key points. And then we're going to 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:09.480 bring those together and see something that I 00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:12.100 think, I hope, some of you may have already seen 00:10:12.100 --> 00:10:18.399 it in Scripture, but many of us have not. The 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:25.480 first point is Jesus was declared innocent. So 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:27.159 if you have your Bibles, maybe a little Hoot 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.759 or Hallelujah, go with me to Luke chapter 23. 00:10:30.179 --> 00:10:34.610 Amen. This is God's Word. By doing that, that 00:10:34.610 --> 00:10:36.649 might be hard for you, but by doing that, you 00:10:36.649 --> 00:10:40.009 are divorcing yourself of your own ideas and 00:10:40.009 --> 00:10:43.350 submitting yourself to the ideas of God. This 00:10:43.350 --> 00:10:45.909 is God's Word. Whether or not I get it right, 00:10:46.009 --> 00:10:48.669 what comes out of God's Word is life -affecting. 00:10:49.070 --> 00:10:51.149 By the way, we sang the song Heart of Worship. 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:54.330 That is the song that we sang at camp many years 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:57.250 ago. And I was saying to God, God, You tell me 00:10:57.250 --> 00:10:58.690 what to do and I'll do it, whatever it is. And 00:10:58.690 --> 00:11:00.169 I had said that to Him a hundred times. God, 00:11:00.250 --> 00:11:01.570 tell me what to do and I'll do it, whatever it 00:11:01.570 --> 00:11:04.559 is. And God said back to me, you say that, but 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:07.580 you don't do it. And I was like, no, no, I do. 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:09.960 I do. I was like, started to argue with God saying, 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:12.000 no, I do do what you tell me to do. God, honestly, 00:11:12.039 --> 00:11:14.799 I do. And then God flashed in my mind images 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:16.779 of all the things that he had told me to do. 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:18.759 Little things like go tell that person hello. 00:11:19.779 --> 00:11:22.539 Witness to that person. Give that person your 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:26.019 Bible. Things like that that had happened in 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.320 the preceding years. And at about 13 visions 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:31.080 of that. I was crumbling. I was falling apart, 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:33.059 wondering if I was even a Christian. Tears were 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:38.659 streaming down my face. From then, I have tried, 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:43.720 and I probably failed, but I've tried and succeeded 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:46.960 a lot too, to always do what it is that God called 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:48.779 me to do. And this sermon is different from any 00:11:48.779 --> 00:11:50.899 sermon that I've ever written in all the decades 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:53.700 that I've now been preaching. And it's that way 00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:55.419 because this is the way God told me to structure 00:11:55.419 --> 00:11:57.980 it. So I hope it means something to you. It does 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:01.370 to me. because to me it looks like I did what 00:12:01.370 --> 00:12:04.129 God told me to do. All right. So first look at, 00:12:04.169 --> 00:12:06.429 and we're going to skip through Luke 23. I'm 00:12:06.429 --> 00:12:08.169 going to give you a couple of other texts. You 00:12:08.169 --> 00:12:09.850 can mark them. You can flip there. We won't be 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:11.929 there long. So it's how you want to handle it 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:14.549 is up to you. Okay. So Luke 23 in verse four, 00:12:14.750 --> 00:12:17.490 then Pilate, who was the governor, of course, 00:12:17.529 --> 00:12:19.350 he doesn't say that. It says, then Pilate said 00:12:19.350 --> 00:12:22.389 to the chief priests and the crowds, I find no 00:12:22.389 --> 00:12:25.259 guilt in this man. So he's talking about Jesus. 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.299 He renders the verdict. I find no guilt in this 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:30.600 man. In that day, in that moment in time, there 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.360 was only one person on the earth who had jurisdiction 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:35.600 over top of Jesus who could have found him guilty. 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:39.200 The Jews didn't have that. In fact, they all 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:40.700 even say, look, we don't have the right to put 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:42.799 him to death. We brought him to you to do that 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:44.179 because we don't have the right to do that. So 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:47.159 Pilate was the guy and his verdict was, I find 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.259 no guilt in this man. And then down in chapter 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:54.539 23, verses 14 to 16, he says, and said to them, 00:12:54.659 --> 00:12:57.480 you brought this man to me as one who incites 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.840 the people to rebellion. And behold, having examined 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:04.080 him before you, I have found no guilt in this 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:06.960 man regarding the charges which you make against 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.909 him. No, nor has Herod. For he sent him back 00:13:10.909 --> 00:13:14.850 to us, and behold, nothing deserving death has 00:13:14.850 --> 00:13:17.830 been done by him. Therefore, I will punish him 00:13:17.830 --> 00:13:21.490 and release him. So it's interesting that he 00:13:21.490 --> 00:13:23.029 was going to go ahead and punish him, because 00:13:23.029 --> 00:13:24.750 obviously there were some problems, right? There 00:13:24.750 --> 00:13:27.330 was a crowd here rioting somehow because of Jesus. 00:13:27.470 --> 00:13:29.649 But he was not going to kill him. He said, no 00:13:29.649 --> 00:13:32.929 punishment worthy of death. Then down in verse 00:13:32.929 --> 00:13:36.169 22, still in the chapter 23 of the book of Luke, 00:13:36.269 --> 00:13:39.190 it says, And he said to them the third time, 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:43.820 Why? What evil has this man done? I have found 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:46.700 in him no guilt demanding death. Therefore, I 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:50.539 will punish him and release him. Over in John 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:54.320 19, verses 4 and 6, John writes it this way. 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:58.139 Pilate brings Jesus out, telling the crowd for 00:13:58.139 --> 00:14:01.019 a third time that he finds no basis for a charge. 00:14:01.259 --> 00:14:05.440 In Matthew 27, 24, Pilate washes his hands, declaring 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.730 himself innocent of this man's blood. That's 00:14:08.730 --> 00:14:10.990 after he was warned by his wife to have nothing 00:14:10.990 --> 00:14:13.330 to do with Jesus because she had suffered in 00:14:13.330 --> 00:14:15.490 a dream because of the righteous man who Jesus 00:14:15.490 --> 00:14:20.169 was. Luke 23, 41, the criminal hanging alongside 00:14:20.169 --> 00:14:24.490 Jesus declares, this man has done nothing wrong. 00:14:25.350 --> 00:14:27.850 Now, you know, there's an old saying, it takes 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:31.250 one to know one. So Pilate was the guy who had 00:14:31.250 --> 00:14:33.509 the authority to crucify Jesus, but here is a 00:14:33.509 --> 00:14:36.049 thief being crucified who could have looked at 00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:39.490 Jesus and known that Jesus was something unclean, 00:14:39.490 --> 00:14:41.049 that he was worthy of the crucifixion, right? 00:14:41.190 --> 00:14:43.950 But he looks at Jesus and says, this man has 00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:46.690 done nothing wrong. He admits his own guilt as 00:14:46.690 --> 00:14:49.149 he's being crucified, but of Jesus he says, this 00:14:49.149 --> 00:14:51.970 man has done nothing wrong. And then in Luke 00:14:51.970 --> 00:14:56.250 23, 47, the Roman centurion declares, as he sees 00:14:56.250 --> 00:15:00.340 Jesus die, and Jesus' final words, It is finished. 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:04.159 The Roman centurion declares, certainly this 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:08.559 man was innocent. And so you've got the governor, 00:15:08.659 --> 00:15:15.299 the thief, and the executioner, all saying Jesus 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:18.860 was innocent. But then now notice this. In Matthew 00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:23.279 27, 26, it says that Pilate releases Barabbas 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:28.620 and orders Jesus scourged and crucified. In John 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:32.399 19, 6, Pilate delivers Jesus to them to be crucified. 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:35.679 In Luke 23, 24, and 25, that's in that same chapter 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.379 we're looking at, Pilate decides to grant the 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:40.860 demand of the crowd and hands Jesus over to be 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:43.679 crucified. So what we have is a verdict. The 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:48.480 verdict is innocent, punishable perhaps, and 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:51.980 releasable. That's the verdict. And then we have 00:15:51.980 --> 00:15:55.039 a punishment delivered, scourging and death. 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.139 We see two characters in the story essentially 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:03.179 going at it. And I submit to you, and it's a 00:16:03.179 --> 00:16:04.600 little bit of a metaphor, but I submit to you 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:07.679 they are brothers. Israel as a son of God. Remember 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:11.279 it said of Israel, out of Egypt I have called 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.480 my son. Talking about Israel. The people of Israel 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:17.419 were considered essentially a son of God. And 00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:21.460 they cry out for the destruction of Jesus. But 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:24.620 notice that it is Jesus' blood that will actually 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:27.610 spare even them. If they will ever be saved, 00:16:27.730 --> 00:16:29.809 it will be by the blood of Jesus, the very one 00:16:29.809 --> 00:16:32.889 that they crucified. The theme of two brothers 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:35.830 runs like a thread through the whole Bible. And 00:16:35.830 --> 00:16:39.330 there are two brothers here in this story. The 00:16:39.330 --> 00:16:42.149 theme usually follows a subversion of expectations. 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:46.009 The older natural heir, the older natural brother, 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:49.950 fails or is rejected while the younger chosen 00:16:49.950 --> 00:16:53.389 one receives the blessing. That occurs over and 00:16:53.389 --> 00:16:55.990 over again. The pattern... finds its ultimate 00:16:55.990 --> 00:16:59.049 fulfillment here. So all of these stories that 00:16:59.049 --> 00:17:00.669 I'm going to give you in very brief synopsis 00:17:00.669 --> 00:17:03.649 here, we're pointing to what we're reading about 00:17:03.649 --> 00:17:06.829 in Luke 23 and the other Gospels, the conflict 00:17:06.829 --> 00:17:10.390 between two brothers, Israel and Jesus Christ. 00:17:11.990 --> 00:17:14.690 You may or may not know the stories, so I'll 00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:16.529 give you a basic summary of the story, and then 00:17:16.529 --> 00:17:18.509 in a moment I'll come back and show you how they 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:21.130 relate very well to what we're seeing in Jesus' 00:17:21.309 --> 00:17:24.009 crucifixion. There was the story of Cain and 00:17:24.009 --> 00:17:27.529 Abel. Cain offers the fruit of the ground, which 00:17:27.529 --> 00:17:30.789 you could call human effort, and responds to 00:17:30.789 --> 00:17:34.589 rejection of his offering with murder. Abel offers 00:17:34.589 --> 00:17:38.450 a blood sacrifice, a good lamb, the best of lambs 00:17:38.450 --> 00:17:41.029 from his flock, and he becomes the first martyr. 00:17:43.930 --> 00:17:47.390 Like Abel, Jesus' sacrifice is accepted by God 00:17:47.390 --> 00:17:51.970 and his blood is shed by his brother, his own 00:17:51.970 --> 00:18:00.480 people. However, in Hebrews 12, 24, it says that 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:03.900 Jesus' blood speaks a better word than the blood 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:06.859 of Abel, because Abel's blood cried out for justice, 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:13.259 but Jesus' blood cries out for forgiveness. You 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:23.940 see the difference? Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:31.130 was a... natural son achieved according to the 00:18:31.130 --> 00:18:35.549 flesh. His dad didn't want to wait for the promise 00:18:35.549 --> 00:18:39.730 and went seeking after the son that God had promised 00:18:39.730 --> 00:18:44.069 him. Well, Isaac was the child of promise, the 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:46.589 one that God actually intervened divinely to 00:18:46.589 --> 00:18:51.579 create. At the trial, the religious leaders rely 00:18:51.579 --> 00:18:54.900 on their physical lineage. They all could trace 00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:57.000 their lineage back to Abraham and say, well, 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:59.220 my father's father's father's father's father 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:01.019 was named, and my father's father's father's 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:02.799 father's father was named, and we can taste the 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:05.279 line all the way back to Abraham, and therefore 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:08.319 we are Israel. We are the people who will receive 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:12.880 the promise. We are the ones. They were relying 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.740 on their physical lineage to condemn Jesus. Jesus 00:19:16.740 --> 00:19:19.519 represents the new covenant of promise, the children 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:22.349 of the flesh. persecute the child of promise, 00:19:22.589 --> 00:19:28.470 just as Ishmael mocked Isaac. In Genesis 16, 00:19:28.609 --> 00:19:31.210 you can read this story. You see the conflict 00:19:31.210 --> 00:19:37.490 and the expulsion. And then in Galatians 4, it 00:19:37.490 --> 00:19:40.410 talks about the flesh versus the promise of God. 00:19:41.289 --> 00:19:45.250 The brothers Jacob and Esau. Esau despised his 00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:48.359 birthright for a temporary meal. He said, What 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:51.099 good will my birthright do me if I die of starvation 00:19:51.099 --> 00:19:53.359 while I'm waiting for soup? Or whatever else, 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:56.259 while I'm making my food, etc. Jacob, meanwhile, 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:59.299 sought after the promise. Even though Jacob was 00:19:59.299 --> 00:20:01.880 a deceiver, he sought after a promise with all 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:05.059 that he was. He went after, risked his life, 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:08.559 lied, cheated, and stole to get the promise. 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:14.119 Right? Israel, like Esau, traded their birthright 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.940 for a mess of pottage. Like stability and favor 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:23.200 from Rome. They cried, we have no king but Caesar. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.279 Think about that. Considering what we study in 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:28.900 the book of Judges. How they were after a king 00:20:28.900 --> 00:20:30.660 already when Gideon, they asked Gideon to be 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:33.480 king. And Gideon said, I will not be king, not 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:38.160 me nor my sons. Right? And when Samuel was high 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.279 priest, and they asked Samuel to anoint for them 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:44.299 a king, and he said, I don't want to do it. The 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:48.410 king of God's people, Is God. And God said don't 00:20:48.410 --> 00:20:50.910 worry about it. They're not rejecting you. They're 00:20:50.910 --> 00:20:52.910 rejecting me. Go ahead and anoint for them a 00:20:52.910 --> 00:20:55.630 king. And they got Saul. The king of God's people 00:20:55.630 --> 00:20:57.849 was supposed to be God. And they traded their 00:20:57.849 --> 00:21:01.789 birthright. Having God as their king. For their 00:21:01.789 --> 00:21:04.589 political favor with Rome. And their kingdom 00:21:04.589 --> 00:21:10.309 as it existed under their control. You can read 00:21:10.309 --> 00:21:13.490 about the birth and prophecy. Surrounding Jacob 00:21:13.490 --> 00:21:16.740 and Esau in Genesis 25. You can see him sell 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:19.140 his birthright in Genesis 25. And then you can 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:23.039 see the stolen blessing in Genesis 27. The story 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:26.200 of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph is the beloved 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.960 of his father. The coat of many colors and all 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:33.180 that. His brothers are envious. And they plot 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:38.319 his death. And they sell him for... How much, 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:42.619 Arden? 30 pieces of silver. And how much did 00:21:42.619 --> 00:21:49.390 the Jews pay... Judas to betray Jesus. Holly, 00:21:49.509 --> 00:21:52.950 30 pieces of silver, right? See the parallel? 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:57.289 This is perhaps the most direct parallel. Jesus 00:21:57.289 --> 00:22:00.190 was sold for 30 pieces of silver by his own. 00:22:00.309 --> 00:22:03.150 Just as the brothers told Jacob that Joseph was 00:22:03.150 --> 00:22:05.430 dead while he was actually being prepared to 00:22:05.430 --> 00:22:08.329 save them. It was through Joseph that God saved 00:22:08.329 --> 00:22:11.609 all his people, right? And they were all brought 00:22:11.609 --> 00:22:14.740 into Egypt. During the famine that would have 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:19.019 destroyed them all, Israel rejected Jesus, not 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:21.980 realizing His death was the very mechanism for 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:25.819 their future salvation. You can read about the 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:28.579 envy in the plot in Genesis 37, the selling for 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:31.500 silver in Genesis 37, and the revelation and 00:22:31.500 --> 00:22:35.500 salvation in Genesis 45. Then there was David 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:37.779 and... Eliab, this was probably a little less 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:39.579 known, although it might be a little more known 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:41.440 if you recently saw the movie David that came 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:44.259 out in theaters and is now on, I think it's on 00:22:44.259 --> 00:22:48.359 Angel, right? Eliab had the outward appearance 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.940 of a king, but he had a heart of fear and resentment. 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:54.740 David, the youngest, was a man who would be called 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:57.900 later after God's own heart. During the trial, 00:22:58.119 --> 00:23:00.819 the Sanhedrin and the high priest, the Eliabs, 00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:05.259 looked for the part of spiritual authority. but 00:23:05.259 --> 00:23:09.259 lacked the Spirit. Jesus appeared unimpressive. 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:12.400 And Isaiah 52 says this about Him. It says that 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:14.720 Jesus was marred or would be, because it was 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:16.779 a prophecy, and that's what happened, marred 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:22.000 beyond human recognition. And as that, Jesus 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:27.220 faced the true King, the true Goliath, the human 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:30.599 King, which was actually sin and death, not even 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:32.319 the people that were crying out for the crucifixion. 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:36.430 He was defeating sin and death. Two more. The 00:23:36.430 --> 00:23:38.390 prodigal son. Maybe you've heard of this one. 00:23:38.490 --> 00:23:40.809 The prodigal son and the elder brother. The younger 00:23:40.809 --> 00:23:44.549 son squanders his life, but returns in repentance. 00:23:44.970 --> 00:23:47.549 The elder brother remains faithful in works, 00:23:47.650 --> 00:23:50.970 but is filled with self -righteousness and resentment 00:23:50.970 --> 00:23:53.130 at his father's mercy toward his younger brother. 00:23:55.250 --> 00:23:57.809 In the passion narrative, the stories that we're 00:23:57.809 --> 00:24:00.829 reading today, the outcasts and Gentiles, the 00:24:00.829 --> 00:24:04.269 younger brothers, begin to recognize Jesus. While 00:24:04.269 --> 00:24:06.609 the religious establishment, the elder brother, 00:24:06.789 --> 00:24:10.730 stands outside the party of the kingdom angry 00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:14.170 that God would offer grace to the unworthy people 00:24:14.170 --> 00:24:17.670 through Jesus. And Jesus would say, the tax collectors 00:24:17.670 --> 00:24:19.690 and whore mongers will come and sit down in the 00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:22.190 kingdom of God before you. And he said that to 00:24:22.190 --> 00:24:23.869 those who were of the religious establishment. 00:24:24.710 --> 00:24:29.180 You can read that story in Luke 15. And actually 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:31.599 read the verses that very clearly explain the 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.359 resentment of the older brother in Luke 15, 25 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:38.019 to 32. And then much more closer to the present 00:24:38.019 --> 00:24:39.380 time of what we're actually looking like, we 00:24:39.380 --> 00:24:42.519 see Barabbas and Jesus. And these are like shadow 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:45.980 brothers. Though not biological brothers, they 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:49.039 are presented as a binary choice for the family 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:52.319 of Israel. Barabbas literally means son of the 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:56.599 father. That's what Barabbas means. And so they 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:59.160 were choosing. between a son of the father who 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:03.640 uses violence and the true son of the father 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:07.160 who used self -sacrificial love, by choosing 00:25:07.160 --> 00:25:10.140 Barabbas, Israel fulfills the archetype of choosing 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:13.140 the fleshly older brother over the spiritual 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:16.000 one that God was offering. You can read about 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.319 those choices in Matthew 27, Mark 15. So the 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:23.160 contrast is this. Ishmael was born according 00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:25.680 to the flesh. Isaac was the child of promise. 00:25:27.870 --> 00:25:31.589 Jacob was the older brother essentially of the 00:25:31.589 --> 00:25:35.890 flesh. I'm sorry, Esau. Esau was the older brother 00:25:35.890 --> 00:25:38.269 of the flesh and Jacob was the younger brother 00:25:38.269 --> 00:25:40.849 and wound up with the birthright and the blessing. 00:25:42.890 --> 00:25:45.970 Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau, David 00:25:45.970 --> 00:25:50.609 and Eliab, Barabbas and Jesus, they all point 00:25:50.609 --> 00:25:55.460 us to this understanding. That Jesus Christ was 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:57.880 accomplishing something as the younger brother. 00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:01.480 Something for the younger brother, which would 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:04.920 be the kingdom. Something desperately needed. 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:08.279 Isaiah 52. In Isaiah 53, we have a beautiful 00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:11.160 picture of Jesus' crucifixion written hundreds 00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:13.759 of years before his birth. But in Isaiah 52, 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:16.519 we have these. It says, Behold, my servant will 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:19.640 prosper. He will be high and lifted up and greatly 00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:22.730 exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, 00:26:22.829 --> 00:26:25.289 my people. That's talking about Israel. So there 00:26:25.289 --> 00:26:27.329 was a time, especially in Solomon's day, where 00:26:27.329 --> 00:26:29.609 all the world was looking at God's people and 00:26:29.609 --> 00:26:31.829 saying, maybe we should be like that. Maybe we 00:26:31.829 --> 00:26:33.569 should have their God. Look at all the wisdom. 00:26:33.690 --> 00:26:36.049 Look at all the power and authority and wealth 00:26:36.049 --> 00:26:39.450 and goodness that exists in Israel. And all the 00:26:39.450 --> 00:26:42.190 world was looking to the point that like a queen 00:26:42.190 --> 00:26:45.809 traveled a thousand miles just to hear the wisdom 00:26:45.809 --> 00:26:48.160 of Solomon. And all the world was looking and 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:50.619 says, And just as they were astonished at you, 00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:54.160 my people, so his appearance was marred more 00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:57.579 than any man and his form than the sons of man. 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:01.319 Thus he will sprinkle many nations. Kings will 00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:04.460 shut their mouths on account of him. For what 00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:08.700 had not been told them, they will see. He's talking 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:12.119 about us. And what they had not heard, they will 00:27:12.119 --> 00:27:15.460 understand. You see, Jesus was doing all of this 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:17.880 so that there could be a declaration of innocence 00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:24.160 that would catch our attention. And also a punishment 00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:28.200 that would catch our attention. And also a door 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:30.940 open that we would enter a kingdom whereby we 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:34.019 would become a shining light to all the world 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:37.420 that they might enter the kingdom. Pilate's declaration 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:40.000 of Jesus' innocence meant nothing to the Jews. 00:27:43.690 --> 00:27:46.470 In this story, Pilate's our Gentile representative 00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:52.930 as governor, just as we are governors of our 00:27:52.930 --> 00:27:57.690 own choice. But the promise, the prophecy fulfilled, 00:27:57.930 --> 00:28:00.250 the clear pattern of God's saving, all of these 00:28:00.250 --> 00:28:03.690 things remain true even if a person chooses to 00:28:03.690 --> 00:28:06.910 know better than God, which is exactly what's 00:28:06.910 --> 00:28:10.849 happening. There will come a time where people 00:28:10.849 --> 00:28:14.420 will be looking back on a road, That clearly 00:28:14.420 --> 00:28:18.160 leads to destruction a wide way. And the off 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:21.880 ramps will be painfully obvious. And for that 00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:24.200 reason alone there would be weeping and gnashing 00:28:24.200 --> 00:28:27.319 of teeth. I've mentioned a couple of times the 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:29.220 first sermon that I ever wrote. I told you that 00:28:29.220 --> 00:28:31.440 I wrote the whole thing out on 23 note cards 00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:33.420 front and back. And I stood up in front of the 00:28:33.420 --> 00:28:35.940 people at the Gospel Rescue Mission in downtown 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:38.819 Toledo. The backside of downtown Toledo. And 00:28:38.819 --> 00:28:40.480 I read the front of the first card and then I 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:42.230 flipped it over and I read the back of it. First 00:28:42.230 --> 00:28:43.569 card. And then I read the front of the second 00:28:43.569 --> 00:28:44.890 card. I flipped it over and I read the back of 00:28:44.890 --> 00:28:46.910 the second card. And my whole sermon was written 00:28:46.910 --> 00:28:49.210 out in my text. And I really didn't look anyone 00:28:49.210 --> 00:28:52.029 in the eye. I didn't have any illustrations except 00:28:52.029 --> 00:28:53.710 the whole sermon was sort of one illustration. 00:28:53.990 --> 00:28:56.029 And I haven't mentioned to you what that one 00:28:56.029 --> 00:29:02.970 illustration was. And it was this. I told them 00:29:02.970 --> 00:29:05.990 in that sermon that I had a vision, a thought, 00:29:06.029 --> 00:29:07.890 if you will, that I thought was from God. And 00:29:07.890 --> 00:29:10.369 I still to this day believe it was of a man riding 00:29:10.369 --> 00:29:12.500 in a truck. He's driving a truck. He's in the 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:15.099 driver's seat. Next to him in the passenger seat 00:29:15.099 --> 00:29:20.460 is a being. Not quite a man. Suspicious in nature. 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:24.859 And as the man is driving down the road, he keeps 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:28.339 passing exits. And the person in the passenger 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:30.059 seat, the being in the passenger seat is saying 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:32.180 to him, not this exit. Not this exit. Don't get 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:35.000 off now. Stay on the road. Keep going. Go faster. 00:29:35.019 --> 00:29:36.880 Go straight. You're going the right way. Keep 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:39.079 going. Keep going. Not this exit. Not this exit. 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:41.920 Not this exit. And then in the end of the dream, 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:44.119 the truck goes off a cliff and crashes and the 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:48.059 man driving dies. He is destroyed, utterly destroyed. 00:29:50.440 --> 00:29:53.480 But when he crashes, he looks over as his truck 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:55.240 is just about to hit the rocks at the bottom 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.119 of the cliff. He looks over and there's no one 00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:00.920 in the passenger seat. That's the dream. That's 00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:03.059 the vision that I shared in the very first sermon 00:30:03.059 --> 00:30:06.779 I ever wrote, 23 postcards front and back. And 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:10.000 I talked about how we encounter obvious vestiges 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:12.539 of the gospel. John 3 .16, for God so loved the 00:30:12.539 --> 00:30:16.980 world. Romans 10 .9 and 10, if you believe with 00:30:16.980 --> 00:30:20.759 your heart and confess with your mouth. And of 00:30:20.759 --> 00:30:23.039 course Romans 6 .23 where it says that the gift 00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:25.059 of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ his 00:30:25.059 --> 00:30:27.559 son. In the second half of the verse, as the 00:30:27.559 --> 00:30:30.680 first half of the verse reminds us that the wages 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:33.390 of sin is death. And Romans 3 .23, which tells 00:30:33.390 --> 00:30:35.869 us that all have sinned and fall short of the 00:30:35.869 --> 00:30:38.589 glory of God. And it goes on, all throughout 00:30:38.589 --> 00:30:41.430 the Bible, over and over again. There are bits 00:30:41.430 --> 00:30:44.849 of light, enough to see by, enough to understand 00:30:44.849 --> 00:30:50.769 that God is calling to humans, one and all. And 00:30:50.769 --> 00:30:54.009 the exits are available. You could be here today, 00:30:54.150 --> 00:30:56.410 still doing it your own way, still headed for 00:30:56.410 --> 00:30:58.609 destruction, still not having submitted your 00:30:58.609 --> 00:31:01.700 life to the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is another 00:31:01.700 --> 00:31:05.640 exit. And somebody's with you. Some spirit, some 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:07.720 flesh, some nature, some teaching, some mental 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:09.779 state. And you're going, well, I don't really 00:31:09.779 --> 00:31:11.500 have to pay too much attention right now. It's 00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:16.660 not really about me. I'm good. Yesterday I heard 00:31:16.660 --> 00:31:19.539 Holly sharing the beginnings of the gospel testimony 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:21.700 in the pantry. And the guy that she was talking 00:31:21.700 --> 00:31:26.059 to said, I'm good about that. I'm all good. I'm 00:31:26.059 --> 00:31:29.180 fine. I'm okay. I really don't need that. See 00:31:29.180 --> 00:31:30.579 what he was doing there? I don't know where he 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:32.059 was getting it from. Probably could have been 00:31:32.059 --> 00:31:33.579 his flesh, could have been a demon, evil spirit, 00:31:33.680 --> 00:31:35.099 a teaching somewhere along the lines that he 00:31:35.099 --> 00:31:37.039 bought, whatever. But nobody's good about all 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:43.480 that. This eternal message has lasting ramifications. 00:31:43.660 --> 00:31:46.539 It's not like one thunderous earthquake that 00:31:46.539 --> 00:31:49.839 took place in approximately 33, 34 A .D. And 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:51.759 then after that, down here, I say, oh yeah, I 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:53.119 want to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:54.940 And then after that, I just rock it into heaven 00:31:54.940 --> 00:31:58.109 50 years later. The moment I realize that these 00:31:58.109 --> 00:32:02.450 rays of light, these quakes after the quake, 00:32:02.470 --> 00:32:05.349 mean I have to do something, mean I have to be 00:32:05.349 --> 00:32:06.930 something, mean I have to receive something, 00:32:07.009 --> 00:32:09.890 mean I cannot do it myself. Then from that moment 00:32:09.890 --> 00:32:11.730 on, I'm being changed with every breath, every 00:32:11.730 --> 00:32:14.170 thought. Not changed to be like the world. Oh 00:32:14.170 --> 00:32:16.869 boy, they'll like to can you if they can. But 00:32:16.869 --> 00:32:19.769 changed to be like Jesus. Transforming a little 00:32:19.769 --> 00:32:22.130 bit more each day to be like the living Christ. 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:27.400 And there will come a moment in time when people 00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:29.200 will look back on the road of their life and 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:31.539 they'll say, oh gosh, right there it was. I could 00:32:31.539 --> 00:32:33.160 have got off right there. Right there it was. 00:32:33.160 --> 00:32:35.900 I could have got from the wide way to the narrow 00:32:35.900 --> 00:32:40.980 way and I just never did. You are part of this. 00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:44.559 You know in your heart that God can do this. 00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:48.220 That His claims are true and that His love for 00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:54.019 you and for me would be no call to punishment 00:32:54.019 --> 00:32:56.740 like this if it were not for his justice needing 00:32:56.740 --> 00:33:00.819 to be satisfied. There was a payment that needed 00:33:00.819 --> 00:33:04.180 to be paid for sins. Kid yourself not, you are 00:33:04.180 --> 00:33:08.940 a sinner, born and bred. Your situation, your 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:12.200 flesh, your desires, your parents, your teachers, 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:15.619 all the way along, a thousand, a million, infinite 00:33:15.619 --> 00:33:19.440 possible impetuses for you to become and be a 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:24.910 sinner in your flesh. But also, kid yourself 00:33:24.910 --> 00:33:29.650 not, an opportunity has been prepared. A payment 00:33:29.650 --> 00:33:35.789 has been made. The Apostle Paul, who started 00:33:35.789 --> 00:33:41.950 so many of the New Testament churches and wrote 00:33:41.950 --> 00:33:44.529 a third of the New Testament as he was inspired 00:33:44.529 --> 00:33:51.529 by the Holy Spirit, says it this way. He says, 00:33:51.589 --> 00:33:55.690 it's not as though God's word had failed. For 00:33:55.690 --> 00:33:58.690 not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 00:34:01.529 --> 00:34:04.170 Nor because they are his descendants are they 00:34:04.170 --> 00:34:08.329 all Abraham's children. On the contrary, it is 00:34:08.329 --> 00:34:11.349 through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 00:34:11.349 --> 00:34:13.210 And that's in quotes. It is through Isaac that 00:34:13.210 --> 00:34:15.170 your offspring will be reckoned. In other words, 00:34:15.230 --> 00:34:17.730 it's not the children by physical descent who 00:34:17.730 --> 00:34:19.920 are God's children. but it is the children of 00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:22.099 the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 00:34:24.360 --> 00:34:28.000 For this was how the promise was stated, quote, 00:34:28.179 --> 00:34:30.599 at the appointed time I will return and Sarah 00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:33.239 will have a son, unquote. Not only that, but 00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:36.559 Rebekah's children were conceived at the same 00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:40.119 time by our father Isaac. Yet before the twins 00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:42.920 were born or had done any good or bad, in order 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:46.090 that God's purpose in election might stand, nor 00:34:46.090 --> 00:34:49.730 not by works, but by him who calls, she was told, 00:34:49.889 --> 00:34:52.550 the older will serve the younger. Rebekah is 00:34:52.550 --> 00:34:56.010 the mother of Jacob and Esau. Just as it is written, 00:34:56.130 --> 00:35:02.730 Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. What then shall 00:35:02.730 --> 00:35:07.190 we say? Is God unjust? Not at all. For he says 00:35:07.190 --> 00:35:09.909 to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have 00:35:09.909 --> 00:35:12.289 mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will 00:35:12.289 --> 00:35:18.050 have compassion. It does not therefore depend 00:35:18.050 --> 00:35:20.730 on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 00:35:21.050 --> 00:35:25.090 For scripture says to Pharaoh, I raised you up 00:35:25.090 --> 00:35:27.409 for this very purpose that I might display my 00:35:27.409 --> 00:35:30.070 power in you, that my name might be proclaimed 00:35:30.070 --> 00:35:32.909 in all the earth. Therefore God has mercy on 00:35:32.909 --> 00:35:34.849 whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom 00:35:34.849 --> 00:35:37.849 he wants to harden. One of you will say to me, 00:35:37.909 --> 00:35:41.090 then why does God still blame us for who is able 00:35:41.090 --> 00:35:45.039 to resist his will? But who are you? a human 00:35:45.039 --> 00:35:48.400 being to talk back to God? Shall what is formed 00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:50.460 say to the one who formed it, why did you make 00:35:50.460 --> 00:35:54.460 me this? Does not the potter have the right to 00:35:54.460 --> 00:35:56.860 make out of the same lump of clay some pottery 00:35:56.860 --> 00:35:59.619 for special purposes and some for common use? 00:35:59.880 --> 00:36:02.719 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath 00:36:02.719 --> 00:36:05.400 and make his power known, bore with great patience 00:36:05.400 --> 00:36:07.780 the objects of his wrath, prepared for destruction? 00:36:08.820 --> 00:36:11.980 What if he did this? to make the riches of his 00:36:11.980 --> 00:36:14.420 glory known to the objects of his mercy whom 00:36:14.420 --> 00:36:16.780 he prepared in advance for glory. Let me translate 00:36:16.780 --> 00:36:20.179 that for you. What if God did everything that 00:36:20.179 --> 00:36:24.260 we're reading about today so that it would be 00:36:24.260 --> 00:36:29.320 abundantly clear to us how much God loves us 00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:33.340 and what he has already done for us? That's what 00:36:33.340 --> 00:36:36.130 he wrote. He wrote it this way. What if he did 00:36:36.130 --> 00:36:38.590 this to make the riches of his glory known to 00:36:38.590 --> 00:36:40.989 the objects of his mercy, that's us, whom he 00:36:40.989 --> 00:36:45.610 prepared in advance for glory? Even us, whom 00:36:45.610 --> 00:36:49.110 he also called, not only from the Jews, but also 00:36:49.110 --> 00:36:51.989 from the Gentiles. As he says in Hosea, I will 00:36:51.989 --> 00:36:54.389 call them my people who are not my people, and 00:36:54.389 --> 00:36:57.489 I will call her my beloved one who is not my 00:36:57.489 --> 00:37:02.829 loved one. In the very place where it was said 00:37:02.829 --> 00:37:06.210 to them, you are not my people, that there they 00:37:06.210 --> 00:37:08.530 will be called the children of the living God. 00:37:09.590 --> 00:37:12.269 Paul is still speaking here. He says, Isaiah 00:37:12.269 --> 00:37:15.289 cries out concerning Israel, though the number 00:37:15.289 --> 00:37:17.710 of the Israelites be like the sand of the sea, 00:37:17.889 --> 00:37:27.019 only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord 00:37:27.019 --> 00:37:29.840 will carry out his sentence on earth with speed 00:37:29.840 --> 00:37:35.920 and finality. It is just as Isaiah said previously. 00:37:37.139 --> 00:37:40.039 Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, 00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:43.059 we would have become like Sodom. We would have 00:37:43.059 --> 00:37:49.280 become like Gomorrah. And then he makes this 00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:51.659 super clear, Israel's unbelief that was happening 00:37:51.659 --> 00:37:53.619 at the time of the crucifixion. He said, what 00:37:53.619 --> 00:37:56.949 then shall we say? That the Gentiles, that's 00:37:56.949 --> 00:37:59.670 us, who did not pursue righteousness have obtained 00:37:59.670 --> 00:38:03.210 it, a righteousness that is by faith? But the 00:38:03.210 --> 00:38:06.469 people of Israel who pursued the law as the way 00:38:06.469 --> 00:38:08.349 of righteousness have not attained their goal? 00:38:08.630 --> 00:38:11.610 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith, 00:38:11.690 --> 00:38:15.090 but as if it were by works. They thought they 00:38:15.090 --> 00:38:17.650 were going to get in by a set of rules, not by 00:38:17.650 --> 00:38:19.449 a savior that they needed. That's what he's saying. 00:38:20.909 --> 00:38:25.969 They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it 00:38:25.969 --> 00:38:30.769 is written, he quotes, See, I lay in Zion a stone 00:38:30.769 --> 00:38:33.070 that causes people to stumble and a rock that 00:38:33.070 --> 00:38:36.130 makes them fall. And the one who believes in 00:38:36.130 --> 00:38:39.510 him will never be put to shame. And he was talking 00:38:39.510 --> 00:38:43.090 about Jesus. See, Paul understood that there 00:38:43.090 --> 00:38:46.230 were two brothers in the conflict. One of them 00:38:46.230 --> 00:38:48.789 was the brother that was Israel. It was the descendants 00:38:48.789 --> 00:38:51.489 of Jacob who would be called Israel. It was the 00:38:51.489 --> 00:38:54.219 descendants of Abraham in the flesh. passed down 00:38:54.219 --> 00:38:56.920 their lineage, father to son to son to father 00:38:56.920 --> 00:38:59.500 to son to father and so on. And down it went 00:38:59.500 --> 00:39:02.340 until the day of Jesus when the Messiah finally 00:39:02.340 --> 00:39:05.820 came and everything that they have received essentially 00:39:05.820 --> 00:39:08.300 stood in the way of everything that they were 00:39:08.300 --> 00:39:15.659 meant to be. What about you? Jason, has everything 00:39:15.659 --> 00:39:18.960 that you have received stood in the way of everything 00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:23.400 that you were meant to be? Josh? Has everything 00:39:23.400 --> 00:39:25.360 that you have received stood in the way of everything 00:39:25.360 --> 00:39:30.920 you were meant to be? Carrie? I'll tell you that's 00:39:30.920 --> 00:39:34.579 true for me. At 25 years old, I realized that 00:39:34.579 --> 00:39:37.920 I had so much. Now, I owed a lot to the bank, 00:39:37.940 --> 00:39:39.840 right? I had a mortgage and I had two car payments. 00:39:40.260 --> 00:39:42.239 But I had a house and two cars and a beautiful 00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:44.860 child and one on the way. And I realized that 00:39:44.860 --> 00:39:48.800 everything that I had received was now standing 00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:51.119 in the way of everything that I had meant to 00:39:51.119 --> 00:39:55.599 be. that God had meant for me to be. And maybe 00:39:55.599 --> 00:39:58.260 that's where you're sitting today. You're sitting 00:39:58.260 --> 00:40:00.039 at the crux of the moment of trying to figure 00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:03.599 out, but what if this following Jesus thing, 00:40:03.860 --> 00:40:07.280 what if this accepting the blood of Christ to 00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:10.199 cover my sins thing, what if this receiving God's 00:40:10.199 --> 00:40:13.460 Holy Spirit thing makes me into a man or a woman 00:40:13.460 --> 00:40:16.760 that has to not have some of the good things 00:40:16.760 --> 00:40:23.550 that I feel like I have received from God? Do 00:40:23.550 --> 00:40:29.889 you think Jesus felt that very way? Do you think 00:40:29.889 --> 00:40:35.969 Jacob felt that way? As he fled from Esau. As 00:40:35.969 --> 00:40:38.289 he worked for seven years for the wife that he 00:40:38.289 --> 00:40:39.769 really wanted, and then had to work for seven 00:40:39.769 --> 00:40:42.690 more years as he was deceived. He said, the funny 00:40:42.690 --> 00:40:45.329 thing about a deceiver is they're pretty easily 00:40:45.329 --> 00:40:48.090 deceived. He said, no, no, that doesn't make 00:40:48.090 --> 00:40:49.769 any sense. So a liar knows a liar, right? It 00:40:49.769 --> 00:40:51.550 takes one to know one. A liar knows a liar, but 00:40:51.550 --> 00:40:55.349 here's the fact of it. When you know you're wrong, 00:40:55.630 --> 00:41:00.130 the enemy, demons, evil spirits, your flesh, 00:41:00.289 --> 00:41:04.150 your mind, can use that against you because you've 00:41:04.150 --> 00:41:06.809 spent so much time covering up that wrong that 00:41:06.809 --> 00:41:10.210 you wind up being the older brother. And your 00:41:10.210 --> 00:41:13.829 heart is not with the father, but rather defending 00:41:13.829 --> 00:41:17.429 yourself against the younger brother. Oh, but 00:41:17.429 --> 00:41:19.230 here's the comfort in it. If you've been doing 00:41:19.230 --> 00:41:23.199 that, There is a way to realize that you're doing 00:41:23.199 --> 00:41:29.460 it and stop. Do you want to be like Esau? Do 00:41:29.460 --> 00:41:31.280 you want to be like Joseph's older brothers? 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:34.159 Or like Eliab who didn't understand that his 00:41:34.159 --> 00:41:36.019 younger brother who was faithfully following 00:41:36.019 --> 00:41:40.039 God had it right? Do you realize Eliab was in 00:41:40.039 --> 00:41:42.820 the army of the Israelites for weeks while they 00:41:42.820 --> 00:41:44.860 waited for somebody to come and fight Goliath? 00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:47.170 And he couldn't just say to himself, as he was 00:41:47.170 --> 00:41:48.789 serving his father's interests, as he was serving 00:41:48.789 --> 00:41:50.610 his kingdom, as he was part of the army, he couldn't 00:41:50.610 --> 00:41:52.449 just say to himself, this is really God's fight, 00:41:52.510 --> 00:41:55.110 I'm going to go do it. And then when David came, 00:41:55.250 --> 00:41:58.110 he mocked David for thinking that David could 00:41:58.110 --> 00:42:02.190 do what God was calling him to do. You want to 00:42:02.190 --> 00:42:04.690 be Elliot? You want to be Esau? You want to be 00:42:04.690 --> 00:42:09.289 Joseph's older brothers? You want to throw Jesus 00:42:09.289 --> 00:42:11.650 in a well? You want to sell him for 30 pieces 00:42:11.650 --> 00:42:17.420 of silver? The next time you have the opportunity 00:42:17.420 --> 00:42:19.940 to be the man or woman that God wants you to 00:42:19.940 --> 00:42:22.280 be, to walk out your faith, to walk by faith, 00:42:22.320 --> 00:42:25.280 not by sight, you're doing nothing less than 00:42:25.280 --> 00:42:29.420 choosing again between being like Jacob or being 00:42:29.420 --> 00:42:31.639 like Esau, being like Abel or being like Cain. 00:42:32.920 --> 00:42:35.480 But if you'll come to God and say, God, I need. 00:42:36.360 --> 00:42:39.019 I need you. I need more of you. I need your presence. 00:42:39.380 --> 00:42:42.179 I need to follow you. I need to have you as Lord. 00:42:42.730 --> 00:42:45.190 I need you to be king. I will not take a human 00:42:45.190 --> 00:42:48.869 king. I'll have no other master and not serve 00:42:48.869 --> 00:42:52.690 between two. I'll have just one. Just one master 00:42:52.690 --> 00:42:56.510 who is God. You know, the funny thing is, Jesus 00:42:56.510 --> 00:43:01.349 said you can't have money and God as master because 00:43:01.349 --> 00:43:03.849 you have two men. No man can serve two masters 00:43:03.849 --> 00:43:05.510 because you wind up loving the one and hating 00:43:05.510 --> 00:43:07.570 the other. You see, that's what happened. Israel 00:43:07.570 --> 00:43:09.489 got to the point where they had two masters. 00:43:09.650 --> 00:43:11.590 Don't think that they didn't believe in God. 00:43:13.900 --> 00:43:18.280 The problem was, they believed in God, and they 00:43:18.280 --> 00:43:22.619 stopped fearing God. They stopped recognizing 00:43:22.619 --> 00:43:26.280 that God had a way already planned that He was 00:43:26.280 --> 00:43:28.480 going to carry out the salvation of all men. 00:43:31.940 --> 00:43:35.079 They stopped waiting for God to do it God's way, 00:43:35.239 --> 00:43:40.599 and they said, we'll not have God as king, Caesar 00:43:40.599 --> 00:43:43.429 is our only king. You see, He said if you have 00:43:43.429 --> 00:43:45.750 two masters, you'll wind up loving the one and 00:43:45.750 --> 00:43:49.829 hating the other. And Israel faced off with God 00:43:49.829 --> 00:43:55.429 in the flesh and hated Him. And I'm here to say 00:43:55.429 --> 00:43:58.050 to you, if you call yourself a Christian, you 00:43:58.050 --> 00:44:00.210 need to understand that Jesus, when He said you 00:44:00.210 --> 00:44:02.650 cannot have two masters, that Jesus, when He 00:44:02.650 --> 00:44:05.650 said that, was speaking to people, His disciples, 00:44:05.789 --> 00:44:08.719 who were ready. by their human profession anyway, 00:44:08.820 --> 00:44:11.800 to die with Him as necessary. They left their 00:44:11.800 --> 00:44:16.780 homes, left their pillows, left their comfort, 00:44:17.000 --> 00:44:19.679 left their families, and were following Him around, 00:44:19.920 --> 00:44:24.739 sometimes despised, fearful at any moment to 00:44:24.739 --> 00:44:29.960 be arrested or to be stoned. I submit to you 00:44:29.960 --> 00:44:31.800 that until it got close to Jesus' crucifixion, 00:44:31.800 --> 00:44:33.420 they never even considered the fact that they 00:44:33.420 --> 00:44:36.139 might wind up crucified. But then when Jesus 00:44:36.139 --> 00:44:37.940 is crucified, you know they consider the fact 00:44:37.940 --> 00:44:40.760 because when we next see Jesus appearing to them, 00:44:40.800 --> 00:44:43.940 they'll be hiding behind closed doors, waiting. 00:44:44.719 --> 00:44:46.619 Why were they hiding? Because they thought, well, 00:44:46.679 --> 00:44:48.880 we might be crucified too. We might suffer like 00:44:48.880 --> 00:44:56.099 Jesus. I'm asking you, why would you hide? We 00:44:56.099 --> 00:44:59.320 are to be like the younger brother. We are the 00:44:59.320 --> 00:45:03.300 church. We are God's people. And God did what 00:45:03.300 --> 00:45:06.519 he did on that day. that Jesus would have his 00:45:06.519 --> 00:45:11.320 innocence declared not once, but four times by 00:45:11.320 --> 00:45:14.159 Pilate, then by a thief on the cross next to 00:45:14.159 --> 00:45:16.400 him and a Roman soldier, and that we would be 00:45:16.400 --> 00:45:18.500 able to look back almost 2 ,000 years later and 00:45:18.500 --> 00:45:20.460 read those accounts and know that he was declared 00:45:20.460 --> 00:45:26.860 as innocent. Jesus died an innocent man, but 00:45:26.860 --> 00:45:32.119 also God the Son, and thereby paid for our mistakes. 00:45:32.940 --> 00:45:35.360 And if you will have that cleansing, if you will 00:45:35.360 --> 00:45:38.380 have that Lord, then there is nothing more that 00:45:38.380 --> 00:45:42.360 you can do to make yourself any more acceptable 00:45:42.360 --> 00:45:48.000 to Him or loved by Him. Which means, if you're 00:45:48.000 --> 00:45:51.159 living a version of Christianity that says you've 00:45:51.159 --> 00:45:53.579 got to do, you've got to be, or else you're not 00:45:53.579 --> 00:45:56.880 His, that's not the version of Christianity that 00:45:56.880 --> 00:46:00.219 Jesus taught. The version of Christianity that 00:46:00.219 --> 00:46:02.159 Jesus taught was the one that says you will do. 00:46:03.329 --> 00:46:05.889 You will follow my commands because you love 00:46:05.889 --> 00:46:07.510 me. You will follow the commands of my father 00:46:07.510 --> 00:46:10.090 because you love me. You will put your hand to 00:46:10.090 --> 00:46:12.130 the plow and not look back because you love me. 00:46:12.449 --> 00:46:15.710 You will. So if you're still in that place where 00:46:15.710 --> 00:46:17.489 you're wrestling as to whether you will or not, 00:46:17.590 --> 00:46:20.329 and more often you are than you're not, then 00:46:20.329 --> 00:46:23.090 probably you're not even following Jesus. You're 00:46:23.090 --> 00:46:26.110 following your own idea of who Jesus is, which 00:46:26.110 --> 00:46:28.429 is very dangerous because you're passing off 00:46:28.429 --> 00:46:30.190 off ramps where you could get over here and go. 00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:34.219 To Jesus in earnest and follow him alone in earnest. 00:46:35.239 --> 00:46:38.440 And the road eventually comes to an end. Jesus 00:46:38.440 --> 00:46:41.039 said it this way. He said, there is a wide road. 00:46:42.739 --> 00:46:46.360 But it's a narrow gate at the end. And there'll 00:46:46.360 --> 00:46:48.739 be lots of people on the road like little lemmings 00:46:48.739 --> 00:46:50.920 following it and saying, ah, we're going this 00:46:50.920 --> 00:46:53.900 way. This is the way the road goes. We're going 00:46:53.900 --> 00:46:55.260 this way. And they'll get to the end of the road 00:46:55.260 --> 00:46:57.780 and they can't get through the narrow gate. Because 00:46:57.780 --> 00:47:00.000 they ran into a wall. They can't even find the 00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:02.079 narrow gate. They had so many opportunities to 00:47:02.079 --> 00:47:04.320 get on the narrow way, pardon me, and they did 00:47:04.320 --> 00:47:10.480 not. I come to you today in the tradition of 00:47:10.480 --> 00:47:15.760 Paul, in the tradition of Jesus, in the tradition 00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:21.159 of Abraham, in the tradition of Isaac, in the 00:47:21.159 --> 00:47:24.900 tradition of Jacob, in the tradition of Abel. 00:47:26.190 --> 00:47:30.190 In the tradition of David, asking you to become 00:47:30.190 --> 00:47:34.449 like a younger brother as well. Reach your hands 00:47:34.449 --> 00:47:39.010 out to God and say, God, I am willing. God, I 00:47:39.010 --> 00:47:44.429 am your servant. I see maybe that there are other 00:47:44.429 --> 00:47:48.889 things in my life that take up space, that take 00:47:48.889 --> 00:47:54.250 up time, that take up importance. And I turn 00:47:54.250 --> 00:47:56.809 from those things, one and all, and all the ones 00:47:56.809 --> 00:47:58.329 that I can't name, not everyone you can name, 00:47:58.409 --> 00:48:01.349 but everyone that exists. And I turn to God and 00:48:01.349 --> 00:48:03.929 God alone. I turn to you through your son, Jesus 00:48:03.929 --> 00:48:07.530 Christ. And I now see the gospel story in a new 00:48:07.530 --> 00:48:10.789 light. In a light to see that it was an older 00:48:10.789 --> 00:48:17.389 brother and a younger brother. A fleshly brother 00:48:17.389 --> 00:48:22.230 and a brother of the Spirit. And not everyone 00:48:22.230 --> 00:48:29.010 is of Israel who was born of Israel. But everyone 00:48:29.010 --> 00:48:34.489 who chooses the pathway of the promise of the 00:48:34.489 --> 00:48:38.510 younger brother, then I choose it. I choose it 00:48:38.510 --> 00:48:40.449 for myself, and if you choose it for yourself 00:48:40.449 --> 00:48:42.889 and for your family, then the word says, repent 00:48:42.889 --> 00:48:45.309 and be baptized, and you and your whole household 00:48:45.309 --> 00:48:50.949 will be impacted. But if you're depending in 00:48:50.949 --> 00:48:53.590 any way, shape, or form on yourself to make it 00:48:53.590 --> 00:48:56.869 through, then sometime or other along the road, 00:48:57.070 --> 00:48:59.829 someone smarter, someone quicker, someone with 00:48:59.829 --> 00:49:02.670 a better plan is going to come. They're going 00:49:02.670 --> 00:49:06.750 to take advantage of you. If you reason today 00:49:06.750 --> 00:49:09.250 that it makes good sense to have Jesus alone 00:49:09.250 --> 00:49:13.969 as Lord, someday you can reason that it no longer 00:49:13.969 --> 00:49:16.590 makes good sense to have Jesus as Lord. And if 00:49:16.590 --> 00:49:18.690 you can someday reason it no longer makes sense. 00:49:19.230 --> 00:49:21.590 to have Jesus as Lord, then you're not getting 00:49:21.590 --> 00:49:25.690 saved today. But if right now, if you would trust 00:49:25.690 --> 00:49:28.110 in faith, the God of the universe, see that his 00:49:28.110 --> 00:49:33.329 plan is beautifully orchestrated and absolutely 00:49:33.329 --> 00:49:38.210 intentional, that we might know there were two 00:49:38.210 --> 00:49:44.250 brothers that day. And we have chosen the younger 00:49:44.250 --> 00:49:47.230 brother, the brother of promise, who was actually 00:49:47.230 --> 00:49:50.800 the older brother. Because he's been around since 00:49:50.800 --> 00:49:55.460 the beginning. I ask the praise team to come 00:49:55.460 --> 00:49:57.599 at this time and lead us in our closing hymn. 00:49:57.880 --> 00:49:59.840 If you're here today and you see in yourself 00:49:59.840 --> 00:50:02.239 a need to make a profession, a need to say, I 00:50:02.239 --> 00:50:04.039 believe with my heart, I want to confess with 00:50:04.039 --> 00:50:05.940 my mouth that Jesus Christ is love and Savior, 00:50:06.199 --> 00:50:12.360 then you come and respond. If you see in yourself 00:50:12.360 --> 00:50:13.920 today that you are a follower, you say, I'm a 00:50:13.920 --> 00:50:15.579 follower of the Lord Jesus, but I also realize 00:50:15.579 --> 00:50:18.380 that I'm sort of like dividing my attention. 00:50:19.039 --> 00:50:22.599 between God and these other things, whatever 00:50:22.599 --> 00:50:25.099 they might be. You probably don't even have to 00:50:25.099 --> 00:50:26.840 make a list. You just know that's the tendency 00:50:26.840 --> 00:50:32.159 of your heart. That you depend today on God first. 00:50:32.340 --> 00:50:36.719 That never put himself first in your life. Become 00:50:36.719 --> 00:50:42.840 like a younger brother, a child of promise. So 00:50:42.840 --> 00:50:45.219 let it be. Would you stand with me then and sing 00:50:45.219 --> 00:50:46.840 this song? The Lord speak in your heart. You 00:50:46.840 --> 00:50:49.190 respond in some way. You're here, you need to 00:50:49.190 --> 00:50:51.110 be baptized, you need to join the church, you 00:50:51.110 --> 00:50:54.469 need help finding a church home. If you don't 00:50:54.469 --> 00:50:56.170 think this is the one that's right for you, whatever 00:50:56.170 --> 00:50:59.230 it might be, call the ministry. Whatever it might 00:50:59.230 --> 00:51:00.170 be, be responsible.