1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Welcome to Go Church Beirut. 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,000 Your place to love, grow, and go. 3 00:00:05,940 --> 00:00:10,500 Get ready to hear an inspiring message recorded during a Go Church Beirut gathering. 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,160 Follow me. 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:21,560 This is the next series that we're kind of digging into and 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,200 that phrase, this title, 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:27,760 is very... 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,320 It's a very New Testament for lack of a better word. 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,320 And 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,360 when we started talking about this series, I 11 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:48,720 obviously, it kind of immediately goes to Matthew chapter 4, a verse in Matthew chapter 4. 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,600 Matthew chapter 4 verse 19 is 13 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,600 very early in 14 00:00:54,600 --> 00:01:00,600 the ministry of Jesus and he is when he first calls 15 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:06,640 Simon, Peter, and his brother Andrew into discipleship. 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,640 Jesus said, follow me, it's very simple. 17 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:16,800 Follow me. 18 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,880 And I will make you 19 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,400 you fishers of people. 20 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:26,840 Through this month, we're gonna 21 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:33,320 break this verse into three pieces. You can kind of see them there. Step one, follow me. 22 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,080 Step two, he's gonna make us something that we're not. 23 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:46,560 In fact, in that making, it means change. And that's what we're gonna talk about today. And then 24 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:52,440 when he said to Peter, I'm gonna make you a fisher of people. 25 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,160 What? 26 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,640 He was a fisher of fish. That was his business. 27 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,280 If we'll make a decision to follow Jesus, 28 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:14,920 that simple decision will bring us into a place that we could not arrive on our own. 29 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,560 The place that God actually created us to be. 30 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:30,120 The place where our blessing is. The place where our happiness is. 31 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:37,400 In fact, in Psalms, the Bible describes it as our wealthy place. 32 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:41,560 Did you know the Bible says that? 33 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:50,360 About you. There is this place of blessing. And that place of blessing is for you. 34 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:53,960 But how do you get there? 35 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:57,480 You have to follow. 36 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,480 So I want to talk about this today. 37 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:11,160 And I'm gonna show you a couple of pictures and videos to try to help look at this. 38 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:20,040 I love history. Everybody knows I love history. And recently, Tony Cook was here. He did our 39 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,720 experience, Ramaday. If you don't have those recordings, I want to make sure you get them. 40 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:36,600 He shared this photo that he snapped when he was in Rome. And next to this statue, next to this 41 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:45,000 statue that he took a picture of, it says, the earliest symbol of the Christian faith 42 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:54,280 was that of a shepherd carrying a sheep. I didn't know that. Did you know that? 43 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:02,840 Today, we often think the symbol that's most associated with Christianity is a cross. 44 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:11,480 But during the first couple centuries of Christianity, Christians were being crucified. 45 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:22,200 So crosses were less popular, especially as jewelry. The statue that is in Rome is a reproduction. 46 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:29,000 But this picture, you see the older one, this actually dates from about 70 AD. 47 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,840 That's about the time the apostle Paul went home to be with the Lord. 48 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:50,280 A shepherd carrying sheep. Think about this. The notion of follow me was so in the mind of the early 49 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:57,720 church that it is how it is the shorthand they used or the symbols that they used between one 50 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:12,040 another. He's the good shepherd. And I'm his sheep. Let's look at that next image. 51 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:20,440 This is a question. What does it mean to follow? If you think about it, it's not that difficult to 52 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:28,520 define. It means someone else is leading. Someone else is deciding which way to go. 53 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:34,520 Have you ever followed someone and thought, do they know where they're going? 54 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,720 Have you ever driven behind Joseph? No, I'm just... 55 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,960 You're following someone. They're like, just follow me. I'll show you which way to go. 56 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:49,960 And then you've made four left-hand turns and think, okay, wait a minute, something's wrong. 57 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:59,480 When you say, follow me, you put someone else in charge of where you're going. 58 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:06,520 Someone else needs to make the decision. 59 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:15,320 Now, Jesus said, I'm the good shepherd. 60 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:25,320 Richard's favorite chapter in the Bible, John chapter 10. He said, I am the good shepherd. 61 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:33,720 Jesus is the good shepherd. In fact, you can look through John chapter 10 and find seven 62 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:45,640 reasons why he is the good shepherd. He's very good. Here's the question though. Are we good at being sheep? 63 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:57,720 What do you think? The Bible says, in Matthew chapter 9, it says that when Jesus saw the 64 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:06,520 multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep 65 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:13,480 that have no shepherd. Weary and scattered. 66 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:27,000 You find someone, hey, how are you? To be honest, I'm kind of weary and I feel very scattered. 67 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:38,440 When Jesus looked at the multitudes in himself, in his heart, he was moved with compassion for 68 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:47,240 them because they were in that state. What is the answer for that state? The answer is a shepherd, 69 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:59,960 the good shepherd. He leads us. He calls us by name. He gives us life more abundantly. 70 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:11,560 He makes it so that we never perish. He is very good. He's very good at his job. 71 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:21,480 He is the good shepherd. But how about us? What about our part? How are we at following? 72 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:28,440 How are we at following? Look at the next image there. 73 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:41,880 Sheep need a shepherd. This is a cute little picture, right? Now, I wouldn't say, I did grow up on a 74 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:49,640 farm but we didn't have sheep. We had rabbits. We had a lot of other things but we didn't have 75 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:57,720 sheep. But I do know this. This is not what sheep look like automatically. 76 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:05,800 This is what sheep look like when they have been around their shepherd. 77 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:19,000 Sheep by themselves left to their own devices. A sheep, little fluffy lamb, decides to make its 78 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:26,840 own decisions. It's not going to look like this. If you see a sheep like this, you can know one 79 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:33,480 thing. This sheep has spent some time with a good shepherd. 80 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:51,240 Now, hold this in your mind. The early church, when they wanted to explain, what is it like 81 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:58,920 to follow Jesus? Have you seen a shepherd? Yeah? You know the little sheep? Yeah? It's like that. 82 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:04,280 You're the sheep. He's the shepherd and he's really good. 83 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:12,840 But not all the sheep look like this. In fact, let's look at this picture. 84 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:20,200 Or, well, let's look at this video. Thanks. This is a video of a shepherd 85 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:28,360 rescuing a sheep that is in a ditch. The sheep's very happy. Yay! I'm free. I'm stuck. 86 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:39,320 Now, does this look familiar? Jesus is the good shepherd and I am the sheep of his pasture. 87 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:51,320 And he delivers me out of all my destruction. And I say, Yay! I'm free. And then I fall right 88 00:10:51,320 --> 00:11:01,720 back into what he delivered me from. Sheep need a shepherd. You notice here this shepherd, 89 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:09,160 he's got some equipment, right? He's got a strap that he's using to pull the sheep 90 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:17,960 out. But the sheep has a decision to make. Stick with the shepherd or do its own thing. 91 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:24,440 Look at this video. So here's a shepherd with a funny hat. And oh! 92 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:32,520 Now here's the sheep and they're like, Nope, we're not going to listen to our shepherd. 93 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:39,720 We're going to do our own thing. Oh yeah. And another thing, shepherd, take that. 94 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:45,800 This looks painful, doesn't it? It's kind of funny to sit here and watch it, but I don't think the 95 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:56,440 shepherd's laughing. Look at the next picture. Or this verse here. This is a passage of scripture 96 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:04,680 very familiar from Isaiah. We like sheep have gone astray. 97 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:15,000 When we leave the shepherd, what happens? We experience things the shepherd did not plan for us. 98 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:20,440 The shepherd wants to get us out of the ditch. 99 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:28,920 Right? So he works and he pulls us out of the ditch and we're like, Yay! And then we get right back in. 100 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:36,280 The shepherd is like, Hey, let's get across this road. And we're going to go over here and we're 101 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:41,320 going to eat some green grass. And the sheep are like, No, we're going to knock you down. We're 102 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:52,360 going to go our own way. I want to introduce you to a sheep named Shrek. This is a funny picture. 103 00:12:54,040 --> 00:13:05,720 Shrek the sheep. Now Shrek decided, you know what? I don't need a shepherd. I'm going to go my own way. 104 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:17,800 And so for six years Shrek lived on his own. He ate what he wanted to eat. And he lived where he 105 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:25,960 wanted to live. He just went his own way. And when he was found by the shepherd, think about this, 106 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:35,640 the shepherd found him. When he was found, he was carrying 27 kilos of extra weight. 107 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:41,800 Do you ever feel like you're carrying some extra weight? It's a little heavy. How many of you want 108 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:52,680 to lose 27 kilos? You need to get with your shepherd. You know, inside of all that wool 109 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:58,360 is a bunch of stuff that we don't want any part of. Bugs, sticks. 110 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:09,880 This isn't a healthy Shrek. Shrek is kneading his shepherd. But his shepherd finds him 111 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,080 and cleans him up. And they've made him a jacket. 112 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:26,040 It's a nice jacket. Sheep knead a shepherd. Why follow me? Jesus says in Matthew chapter four, 113 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:35,000 he said, Hey, you guys follow me and I'll make you into something you can't even imagine today. 114 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:44,840 Why follow me? Because otherwise we're going to look like Shrek carrying around extra weight 115 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:50,760 and experiencing things that are shepherd, the good shepherd never intended. 116 00:14:53,240 --> 00:15:02,120 He has a plan for you. His plan is to bring you to that place that today you don't even know what it is. 117 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:14,600 But it's awesome. The Bible describes it as your wealthy place, your laughing place. 118 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:25,720 How do I get there? Stop making your own decisions and follow him. Follow him. 119 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:33,000 Jesus asked this question and I think it's good to pause and think about it. 120 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:41,560 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, 121 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:48,520 astray means like Shrek, you know what? Go this way. I'm going to go this way. I'm going to eat 122 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,880 what I want to eat. I'm going to live what I want to where I want to live. I'm going to do what I 123 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:58,520 want to do. I don't need what that shepherd has given. I can do my own thing. Jesus said, 124 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:06,600 what do you think? A guy has a hundred sheep. One of them goes astray. Does he not leave the 99 and 125 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:14,920 go into the mountains and look for where Shrek is? And if he should find it assuredly, I say to you, 126 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:21,960 he rejoices more over that sheep than the 99. Shrek's brothers and sisters didn't get a jacket with 127 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:32,440 their name on it. He celebrates. He's like, yay, I found him. I found Shrek. 128 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:44,440 Even so, Jesus said, even so, it is not the will of your father who is in heaven 129 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:52,760 that one of these little ones will perish. I mentioned Tony Cook. He made a comment 130 00:16:54,120 --> 00:17:00,840 sharing this verse. He said, you know, that doesn't make sense if you're a sheep farmer to leave 99. 131 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,600 Think about it from a business perspective. From a business perspective, there is more 132 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:12,440 cash value in the 99 that are doing what you told them to do than the one Shrek 133 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:20,760 that is off in the wilderness. It doesn't make sense unless you're the one that's lost. 134 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,800 If you're the one that's lost, you're the one that's carrying the extra weight, 135 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:34,280 you're the one that's experiencing things that the shepherd, the good shepherd, never intended, 136 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:37,640 then it makes a lot of sense. 137 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:49,800 Do you see what Jesus said? It is not the will of your father that one would perish. 138 00:17:53,000 --> 00:18:01,480 It is possible to know the will of God. And if you get close to him, you'll learn that his will 139 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:11,000 is that you get into the place he's called you because that's the place of blessing for you. 140 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:16,600 It is possible to know the will of God. And I'll tell you what it is right now. It's that no one 141 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:26,120 would perish. The closer you get to him, the more you'll be concerned about people that don't yet 142 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:40,120 know Jesus. It is not the will of God that even one would perish. And that includes you. 143 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:52,600 And that's the message of the gospel. Jesus is the shepherd that goes and finds the one that decides, 144 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:58,920 I'm just going to do my own thing. And he says, Hey Habibi, I have a jacket for you. 145 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:05,560 It's got your name on it. You want to come with me. And he'll take all of that extra weight off of 146 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:15,480 us and move us into the place that he's always prepared. That's the gospel. And that's the message 147 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:25,000 for us. What does it mean to follow him? It means that when he finds us, where he finds us, 148 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:34,280 we don't make excuses. We just go. Sorry, Mr. Shepherd. You know, I've been here in this cave 149 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:39,240 for six years. I've been hearing around this extra weight. It's better for you just to go to the 150 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:47,720 other ones that have listened. I'm too far gone. No one is too far gone because he is so good. 151 00:19:49,400 --> 00:20:01,560 He's so good. So wherever we are, when we hear him say, follow me, here's the answer. Follow him. 152 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:10,280 Skip ahead a little bit just for time's sake. I want to look at this verse in Jeremiah, 153 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:13,800 Jeremiah chapter three. 154 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:27,000 No matter where we find ourselves, here's the answer. Go to him. Follow him. 155 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:33,800 How do I do that? What do you mean? Follow him. 156 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:40,680 But I have to wait until like I'm in a boat and he comes to me like Simon Peter and says, 157 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:49,800 follow me. No, he says here, return. Oh, backsliding children. That doesn't sound very nice. 158 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:59,960 He says, the Lord, and I will give you shepherds according to my heart who will feed you with 159 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:11,560 knowledge and understanding. The Lord takes personal responsibility to make sure you have access 160 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:25,560 to shepherds, under shepherds that have his heart. How do I follow Jesus? We follow Jesus 161 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:37,320 by becoming part of a local body of believers. Discipleship happens in church, not in the building, 162 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:45,640 but in the relationships that we form as we grow together and follow him together. And Jesus said 163 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:52,600 here, I'm making it my personal responsibility to make sure that there are shepherds that will 164 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:59,720 feed you with knowledge and revelation. You know what that means? You're not limited to what I know. 165 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:08,200 You're not limited to my ability to study or hear from him because he will work through the whole 166 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:17,720 church family by the Holy Spirit to get you exactly what you need. Guess what happens if you get fed 167 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:26,280 knowledge and understanding by a shepherd? The next verse. Then it will come to pass that you'll be 168 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:35,160 multiplied and increased in the land. You can expect once you become part of a local church 169 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:47,160 following his leadership, you can expect multiplication, increase, and a manifestation of the glory of God. 170 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:54,040 If you read this, this is a clumsy translation I chose to be honest, but 171 00:22:54,040 --> 00:23:03,160 multiplication, increase, that sounds good. Where's multiplication and increase? It's where you come to 172 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:10,760 when you follow him. He says it won't be that people say where's the Ark of the Covenant? What's that 173 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:17,800 talking about? Talking about the manifest presence of God. This morning during worship, we just had a 174 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:30,520 taste of it, but his presence can fill your bedroom. His presence can fill your car. His presence can 175 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:41,320 fill your life. Oh, I want that. How do I get that? Follow him. How do I follow him? Get involved in a local assembly. 176 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:53,320 Discipleship happens at church. And you're not limited to what the guy with the microphone or the girl with the microphone knows. 177 00:23:53,320 --> 00:24:05,320 Jesus takes personal responsibility to feed you with knowledge and revelation so that you are increased and multiplied. 178 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:21,320 That's a promise. So I have two questions and I'll finish. What does it cost to be a disciple? 179 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:29,320 What do you think? How much does it cost? Being a disciple sounds pretty good. Multiplication and increase, that sounds pretty good. 180 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:45,320 But, you know, anybody, anybody ever been in business? What's the bottom line? What is the cost? I like what you're selling, but how much is it? 181 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:55,320 A lot of people would probably say, you know what? It's free. Is it though? Is it free? 182 00:24:55,320 --> 00:25:15,320 Let's look at what Jesus said. Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 13. He said, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls. 183 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:39,320 Verse 46 says, who, the merchant, when he found one pearl of a great price, does what? He goes and sells all that he had and made it his own. 184 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:53,320 How much does it cost to be a disciple of Jesus? Everything. How much did Peter pay? Everything. 185 00:25:53,320 --> 00:26:02,320 Jesus said, if you want to follow me, lose your life. 186 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:15,320 Woo, glory. Do you know why that's good news? Because yours is going to come to an end. But if you take his, then you'll live by his faith. 187 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:27,320 Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. 188 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:33,320 How much does it cost to be a disciple? Everything. 189 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:46,320 The merchant finds the pearl and says, there's more value in that than everything that I have. So I'm going to give up everything that I have to get that. 190 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:54,320 That is what it means to be a disciple. 191 00:26:54,320 --> 00:27:15,320 Many of you have already done that. You've committed your life. You've given your faith, your allegiance. You've declared Jesus Lord. Some of you, maybe you haven't. You can today. 192 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:24,320 But a second question is what does it take to remain his disciple? 193 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:41,320 This is what I want to get to and we'll finish with. When we looked at Abel, we spent some time on this passage of Scripture from Mark chapter 14 in our grow groups. So you're all familiar with it. 194 00:27:41,320 --> 00:28:00,320 I want to go back and look here. Mark chapter 14 describes Mary bringing Jesus an expensive, the Bible describes in the book of John, very costly box of perfume. 195 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:17,320 We know because it's recorded that the approximate cost in today's dollars would be about as much as it would take for a man working for an entire year. Very costly. 196 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:26,320 She brought this box of perfume and broke it over Jesus. 197 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:35,320 We're familiar with the story. We looked at this in Abel. We talked about it from Mary's side, the giving side. 198 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:40,320 But I want to look at the discipleship side, the follow me side. 199 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:47,320 With this question, what does it take to remain his disciple? 200 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:56,320 And I'm just going to tell you, I'm not talking to one person, but I am talking to you. 201 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:06,320 And if you'll listen, this will take you from where you are to a new level in him. 202 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:21,320 Mark chapter 14, some of those present were indignant to one another. Why this waste of perfume? 203 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:28,320 Verse five, and they rebuked her harshly. 204 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:42,320 Imagine sitting there, you're between Bartholomew and Thaddeus. Suddenly the room smells amazing and it's really kind of like overpowering. 205 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:53,320 And the disciples that are around him, some of them present, who is them present? The disciples. 206 00:29:53,320 --> 00:30:05,320 These are the ones that Jesus spent some time like all night long praying about, who to choose. 207 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:12,320 Some of them says we're indignant. That word indignant means they didn't act right. 208 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:19,320 And they rebuked her harshly. Hey, what you're doing is wrong. 209 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:24,320 This is a waste. Why did you do this? Think about this. 210 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:32,320 All these fellows in the room decided that this thing that Mary's doing is too good for Jesus. 211 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:42,320 This is too much. This is too expensive. He's not worth it. 212 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:47,320 He wouldn't want you to do that. This is a waste. 213 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:53,320 The Bible says that they are not acting right. Let's look at what Jesus said. 214 00:30:53,320 --> 00:31:01,320 He said, leave her alone. 215 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,320 So you have all the disciples. They're all there. 216 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:19,320 Mary breaks this box, pours it out. The value that was contained in the box is now spent. 217 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:28,320 And they are harshly rebuking her. Jesus turns to them and he says, leave her alone. 218 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:34,320 Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing. 219 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:41,320 You know what that is? That's correction. 220 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:50,320 That's the shepherd, the good shepherd. You know the good shepherd in John chapter 10? Shepherding. 221 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:54,320 That's John chapter 10, the good shepherd. He says, I am the good shepherd. 222 00:31:54,320 --> 00:32:02,320 He's talking now to his sheep and he's saying, hey, get back in line. 223 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:10,320 This is correction. 224 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:16,320 He corrects the disciples. 225 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,320 In front of Mary, they're telling Mary, you're wrong. 226 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:29,320 And then now he's like, no, you're wrong. You're wrong. 227 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:33,320 This is the good shepherd. Shepherding. 228 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:42,320 This is the good shepherd catching shrek before he wanders off. 229 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:47,320 And now look what happens. The next verse. 230 00:32:47,320 --> 00:33:03,320 Then Judas, Minhu'ui, one of the 12. Judas, wait a minute. Judas is one of the 12. 231 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:09,320 What does that mean? That means in John chapter 7, when Jesus stood up and said, 232 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:16,320 all you who are thirsty come to me and drink and out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. 233 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,320 Judas is one of those that has his hand up saying, come rest on us. 234 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:26,320 Come rest on us, Holy Spirit. You're all that I want. You're all that I want. 235 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:36,320 He's one of the 12. Him, one of the 12, got corrected. 236 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:40,320 Jesus said, you're wrong. 237 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:46,320 And Judas, one of the 12, went to the chief priests for a purpose. 238 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:53,320 What's the purpose? To betray the shepherd, the good shepherd that is trying to rescue him. 239 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:58,320 Because he's off. He's going his own way. He's going astray. 240 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:05,320 The good shepherd tries to correct him. What's he do? Nope. That is wrong. 241 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:15,320 This is too much. I won't change. 242 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:22,320 And Judas, one of those with their hand up, just, you're all that I want. 243 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:31,320 All that I want now starts looking for an opportunity to hand Jesus over. 244 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:36,320 What does it cost to be a disciple? Everything. 245 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:42,320 What does it cost to remain a disciple? 246 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:48,320 Well, let me ask it this way. How are you with being corrected? 247 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:52,320 How do you handle that? 248 00:34:52,320 --> 00:35:00,320 Just smile, look right ahead. I'm not talking to one person, but I am talking to you. 249 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:08,320 Proverbs chapter 12, verse one, it says, whoever loves instruction, this is a Bible verse. 250 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:14,320 Whoever loves instruction, loves knowledge. That sounds pretty good. 251 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:21,320 But the one who hates correction is stupid. 252 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:28,320 Look it up. The Bible uses the word stupid. 253 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:32,320 What is that in the air of it? What will it, right? 254 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:36,320 Hey, how are you about being corrected? 255 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:40,320 You know, actually, I kind of just prefer being right. 256 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:46,320 I prefer that someone just tell me, you know what, what you think is right. 257 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:52,320 The way you look is right. The way you act is right. I kind of like that. 258 00:35:52,320 --> 00:36:02,320 That's what Shrek did. Shrek is like, you know what, I'm kind of tired of this guy with the staff and, you know, telling me what to do. 259 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:10,320 How are you with correction? Let's look again at the video. 260 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:14,320 Look at the video. 261 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:25,320 You know, this is what a lot of, this is honestly, this is why the church globally is so weak. 262 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:34,320 Because when there's correction, the sheep turn and say, I'm not going to listen to that. 263 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:38,320 I don't have to do what you say. 264 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:46,320 I can hear from God on my own. I can be just as good a Christian if I just sit at home and watch YouTube videos. 265 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:52,320 I don't have to give 10% of my income. 266 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:58,320 I don't have to read the Bible every day. He still loves me. 267 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:08,320 I don't have to tell other people about my faith. 268 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:12,320 Y'all want me to talk about something else? 269 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:23,320 Jesus is the good shepherd. How are we doing at being sheep? 270 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:28,320 Do we follow him? 271 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:40,320 And when he corrects us, how do we handle it? 272 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:48,320 You know, when it comes to a place where you have to make a change, 273 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:57,320 that's where you really discover if he is your shepherd. 274 00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:02,320 Let me ask you another way. 275 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:08,320 What is it that you've decided is too good for him? 276 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:14,320 What is it that you've decided is too precious? 277 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:19,320 You've very broken this very costly box over Jesus. 278 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:25,320 Not just Judas, the other disciples too. They're like, this is a waste. 279 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:31,320 What is it that's too good for him? 280 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:36,320 Have you ever heard, not you, someone say, man, 281 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:47,320 I couldn't imagine leaving my home where I grew up and going to northern Syria 282 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:52,320 and starting a church in my home. I just can't imagine doing that. 283 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:58,320 I like my comfort. I like things the way I know them. 284 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:02,320 I couldn't leave my family. I have family responsibilities. 285 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:10,320 Okay, so that's what you've decided is too expensive. 286 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:14,320 What is it, what is the habit that you really enjoy 287 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:22,320 that you would be unwilling to give up for Jesus? 288 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:26,320 What is the thing that, you know, I love Jesus. 289 00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:28,320 I'm happy to come to church when it's convenient for me. 290 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:36,320 But this one thing, don't talk to me about it. 291 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:44,320 What is it that we would say, I'm not going to give that to him? 292 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:55,320 Him who? The one who gave it all for us. 293 00:39:55,320 --> 00:40:03,320 In our grow groups, we're going to talk about practically what it means to follow Jesus. 294 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:11,320 The end of following him is to enter a place where you experience things that he planned 295 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:16,320 from before the foundation of the earth. 296 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:21,320 But the cost is everything. 297 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:30,320 And what it takes to remain his disciple is when, not if, when you're corrected. 298 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:35,320 You say, yeah, you know what, I was wrong. 299 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:39,320 And I'm going to change. 300 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:48,320 I'm going to ask Roy to come and he's going to wrap things up for us. 301 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:55,320 As we finish, Joseph said something really powerful in the podcast. 302 00:40:55,320 --> 00:41:04,320 He's the thing that's made the biggest difference in his life is putting himself in a position 303 00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:11,320 where he can learn and grow. 304 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:14,320 Think about that. 305 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:18,320 What position are you in? 306 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:25,320 Are you in the position where you're ready and you're you already know everything? 307 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:28,320 Or are you in the position to be corrected? 308 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:34,320 Are you in the position ready to change? 309 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:38,320 Thank you for joining us at Go Church Beirut. 310 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:48,320 Go Church Beirut exists so that everyone can experience the unconditional love of God, grow in his love, and go with his love to their world. 311 00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:55,320 To stay connected with all that is happening at Go Church, follow us on social media at Go Church Beirut. 312 00:41:55,320 --> 00:42:10,320 And if no one told you yet today, we love you and expect God's best for you.