1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,440 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:23,060 To get connected or to give online go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church. 3 00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:27,360 If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text 4 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,840 change me to 970-00. 5 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,360 Thank you and enjoy the message. 6 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,040 Well thank you everyone. 7 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,080 So good to be back. 8 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:42,640 You know I just want to start by saying thank you to the incredible team that we have here 9 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:43,640 at HCV. 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:51,400 Yeah, can you give them a hand please? 11 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:57,160 I may have been gone for three weeks but this place never missed a beat. 12 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:02,400 I showed up to the backpack giveaway yesterday with no job, no agenda. 13 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,880 I just walked around and no one knew who I even was. 14 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,520 So it was incredible. 15 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:13,240 I think I only had to answer one pastoral question and I didn't even know how to answer 16 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,280 that. 17 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,140 So that means I must be doing something really good but no seriously like Tracy said thank 18 00:01:20,140 --> 00:01:23,140 you for all those that gave. 19 00:01:23,140 --> 00:01:26,620 Thank you to all those that served. 20 00:01:26,620 --> 00:01:30,720 There was many times yesterday that I just kind of stood in awe. 21 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,920 I'm probably going to cry. 22 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:43,240 I mean there's nothing like watching a little kid run down the hallway with a football backpack 23 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:48,800 or a bluey backpack and they're actually excited about going to school. 24 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,700 You know and I thought I always hated school. 25 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:54,220 These kids love it. 26 00:01:54,220 --> 00:01:58,480 But it's just amazing to see the excitement on their face and they think they show up 27 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:04,580 just for a backpack and then they're in the back of the campus jumping on moon bounces 28 00:02:04,580 --> 00:02:08,000 and eating hot dogs and it's just never ending. 29 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:15,800 But let me just encourage you, you are making a difference for God in this community. 30 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:23,600 And it doesn't need me to be around for any of that to happen because you are the church 31 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:25,920 and you are doing the stuff. 32 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:28,900 So thank you so much. 33 00:02:28,900 --> 00:02:34,500 It was good to be away for a few weeks to get refreshed and I'm invigorated and I'm 34 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:38,960 excited for all that God is going to do in your life this morning. 35 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:44,360 So last Sunday we kicked off a new series for the month of August called Questions Jesus 36 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,200 Asked. 37 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:51,720 Rudy addressed the question, who do you say that I am? 38 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:57,800 And I sat right back there in the back and wonderfully cried three or four times through 39 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:04,540 the entire talk and I'm just thankful for Rudy's testimony, how God has changed his 40 00:03:04,540 --> 00:03:11,280 life and how he's brought us to this family and that we are all a part of that family. 41 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:12,280 Amen. 42 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:21,480 Today I will be addressing Jesus' question, what do you want me to do for you? 43 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,320 What do you want me to do for you? 44 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:33,320 And Jesus conveniently asked that question twice to two different people in Mark chapter 45 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,040 10. 46 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,240 So a different question I want to pose for everyone as we start our talk this morning. 47 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:45,560 Do you ever feel like you're swimming upstream in this thing called life? 48 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:51,880 Do you ever feel like a salmon that is just going against the grain and you just kind 49 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,880 of never feel like you're going to make it? 50 00:03:55,880 --> 00:04:01,760 Or to put it another way, do you ever feel like just getting through a normal day of 51 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,840 life is a challenge? 52 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:11,000 Like everything is against you and every decision you make just isn't quite right. 53 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:17,280 And see the issue is for many of us we wake up every morning and after having our cup 54 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:24,960 of coffee or whatever routine it is that you do, we make a plan as to what our best, most 55 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,460 productive day will look like. 56 00:04:28,460 --> 00:04:33,600 Then about halfway through said day we find ourselves overwhelmed mentally and sometimes 57 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:42,160 physically because we packed so much into our schedule, appointments, meetings, tasks. 58 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:47,480 We created a to do list of things we wanted to get done in said day and when we don't 59 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:54,840 accomplish everything on that list, we feel like the day is wasted. 60 00:04:54,840 --> 00:05:01,080 Now for others of you, maybe you're watching online, you feel kind of empty. 61 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,020 Maybe you're working a job that doesn't bring you purpose or joy. 62 00:05:05,020 --> 00:05:10,880 Maybe you're in a relationship that feels one sided and not life giving. 63 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:16,360 And it's as if as though there's something more for you in this thing called life, but 64 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:24,800 there's this current pushing against you that doesn't allow for the joy and the purpose 65 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,760 to be experienced. 66 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:33,120 And here's the reality for many of us gathered and of course watching online. 67 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,680 We have control issues. 68 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:41,440 In fact, we're all control freaks. 69 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:46,160 And I'm not even going to ask you to raise your hand if you're a control freak because 70 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:47,800 none of you will. 71 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,720 Oh, we're in church. 72 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:52,240 And Jesus wants me to be humble. 73 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,480 I'm not a control freak, Chris. 74 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,800 Am I right? 75 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,560 We want to control our lives. 76 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:08,080 We want to be the ones to decide where we go, who we talk to and what this thing called 77 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,460 life is all about. 78 00:06:10,460 --> 00:06:19,600 We want to control every aspect of our lives because when we're in control, we feel powerful. 79 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:24,360 And friends, I'm one of them. 80 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:30,140 But the problem in this desire for control is that when we live this way, it begins to 81 00:06:30,140 --> 00:06:32,520 shape how we view God. 82 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:38,280 See, it impacts our relationship with Jesus because we don't give him and we don't give 83 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:46,200 the Holy Spirit room to work or move in our lives because we are in control. 84 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:50,840 But there's an opposite to control and it's called surrender. 85 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:58,640 And if we learn to daily embrace surrender, that too can impact how we view God. 86 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:03,240 And like I said earlier, today we'll be looking at Mark chapter 10 and in our text today, 87 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:08,960 Mark will tell two stories, two accounts, comparing and contrasting the response to 88 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:14,960 the same question, what do you want me to do for you? 89 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,760 Friends, that's a huge question. 90 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:26,480 I mean, just imagine for a second that this very morning you woke up a little early. 91 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,980 You actually had a few minutes to yourself. 92 00:07:29,980 --> 00:07:33,600 Maybe you pour yourself a cup of coffee or had a drink of water. 93 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:39,880 You take a deep breath only to discover and look across the table and realize that Jesus 94 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:42,960 is joining you for morning breakfast. 95 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:49,920 It completely changes your routine and he looks directly at you, directly at your heart 96 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:56,320 and says, what do you want me to do for you? 97 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,000 What would your response be? 98 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,680 How would you answer? 99 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:09,320 And see, what we're going to discover this morning is that Jesus asks the same question, 100 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:17,480 uses the same exact words and two very different encounters that produces meaning about how 101 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,440 we should be living our lives. 102 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,280 So let's set the stage for what we're about to read. 103 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:31,680 Jesus and his disciples, they're walking toward Jerusalem with a large crowd of people following. 104 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,360 This is very near the end of Jesus's earthly ministry. 105 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:41,760 And as they're walking, Jesus is teaching and reminding the disciples of what is about 106 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,320 to happen to him. 107 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:50,880 Now unfortunately, they still don't understand the sacrifice that he has to make for humanity. 108 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:57,760 After three years of sharing life with Jesus, the disciples believe that Jesus is going 109 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,100 to be an earthly king. 110 00:09:01,100 --> 00:09:05,240 Now the crazy thing is Jesus knows what they're thinking. 111 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,120 He knows the thoughts of their hearts. 112 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:14,080 He not only knows their thoughts, but he knows passion week is coming. 113 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:22,460 So he continues to teach them about serving others, what it means to be a living sacrifice. 114 00:09:22,460 --> 00:09:27,080 Because after all, remember the disciples, they're going to be the church. 115 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,400 That is how the church would be started. 116 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:35,840 So he pulls the disciples to the side and he begins to share what is going to happen 117 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:40,280 to him in the coming days in Jerusalem. 118 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:48,440 Now for many people, for many of us, when we read the gospel accounts, we begin to think 119 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:53,040 of the disciples as, are they just not very smart? 120 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,120 Like, it's not that hard guys. 121 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:57,720 Why can't you get it? 122 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,040 And it's almost as if we judge them. 123 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,800 But here's the reality. 124 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,640 You and me, we identify a lot more with the disciples than we do Jesus. 125 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:11,120 And you say, well, Chris, how do you know that? 126 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,960 Well, while I was away on vacation, I was taking a walk on the beach. 127 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,000 I had just done my devotionals and I was going through the book of John. 128 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:30,680 At the end of John, John writes these words, all of the books in the world, think about 129 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:39,040 all the libraries in the world, cannot contain all of the miracles and the good that Jesus 130 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:40,880 did while he was here. 131 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:48,800 And as I was walking on the beach, that thought kind of hit me right in the face like, that's 132 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,560 mind blowing. 133 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:57,280 Three years, he did more good than all the books of the world can contain. 134 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,720 So who do we identify more with? 135 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:05,320 The disciples. 136 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:11,560 Because if we're honest, just like I said in my opener, every day can be a struggle. 137 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:16,880 So Jesus, he reveals to the disciples his plan for the redemption of the world. 138 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,200 He looks at them, remember he pulled them aside. 139 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:23,320 He says, I'm going to be taken into custody, beaten down across and be raised on the third 140 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:24,320 day. 141 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:25,320 Pretty straightforward, right? 142 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,280 Remember he pulled them aside. 143 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:30,040 They were in their little huddle. 144 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,560 He's preparing them for what is about to happen. 145 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:37,760 And this is how two of them respond, which leads us to our first thought. 146 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:42,100 See the desire for control is nothing more than pride. 147 00:11:42,100 --> 00:11:47,560 The desire for control is worth nothing more than pride, Mark 10, 35. 148 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:53,200 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, or as some of you know, the sons of thunder, 149 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,240 came to him, teacher. 150 00:11:55,240 --> 00:12:01,080 They said, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. 151 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:08,080 So you have these two brothers that just listened to Jesus say, he was about to lay down his 152 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:14,280 life for humanity and their first statement out of their mouth is, Hey Jesus, we want 153 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,960 you to do for us whatever we want. 154 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,340 We want you to do whatever we want. 155 00:12:21,340 --> 00:12:27,040 And I don't know if there was a more prideful statement in the entire Bible than these two 156 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:32,240 guys walking with Jesus saying, Hey, I know you're the Messiah and all, but I have this 157 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:33,320 list of wants. 158 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:34,320 Let's talk about them. 159 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:41,320 And yet here they are as they're walking along. 160 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:45,880 That is their say, that's what they say to Jesus as he was preparing to suffer and die 161 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:49,280 for all of humanity. 162 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:55,760 And listen, we can make fun and judge and call these two out because of the question 163 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,760 that they just asked. 164 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:05,480 But if we really look at it, at least they were honest. 165 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:08,640 We need to celebrate their honesty. 166 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:14,600 We need to celebrate that we can come before God and reveal to him all of our imperfections, 167 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:20,200 all of our negativity, all of our struggles, because we must remember Jesus's question. 168 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,460 What do you want me to do for you? 169 00:13:23,460 --> 00:13:28,600 And we must realize that James and John, they unfortunately had this genie mentality with 170 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:30,120 Jesus. 171 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:35,700 And for many people in today's American church, we have it too. 172 00:13:35,700 --> 00:13:37,040 We give our life to Jesus. 173 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,200 We're promised this abundant life. 174 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,080 We're in the relationship with the God of the universe. 175 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:46,120 And there are times that we want to leverage that relationship. 176 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,460 And this is simply what James and John are doing. 177 00:13:48,460 --> 00:13:54,360 They were experiencing a once in a lifetime opportunity and they were trying to leverage 178 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:58,760 their relationship with Jesus to benefit themselves. 179 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,480 And I wonder, have you ever tried to do that? 180 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:10,080 Have you ever come to God in prayer and have this list of ones, hey God, I really need 181 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:11,080 you to make this happen. 182 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:12,920 Hey God, I need this breakthrough. 183 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:14,520 I need this freedom, God. 184 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,080 Then we sprinkle in the needs of others. 185 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:20,440 Oh yeah, God bless so and so and meet their needs. 186 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:27,120 And then bang, we're back with what we need. 187 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:33,360 And unfortunately, as a genie mentality toward God, we're trying to leverage our relationship 188 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:38,360 with him for our benefit and for our selfish ambitions. 189 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,440 And these two disciples, they wanted to control their destiny. 190 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:49,560 They were trying to determine what their life would look like. 191 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,540 So what they really desired was not Jesus. 192 00:14:52,540 --> 00:14:55,720 They desired to have control. 193 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,120 And at the very heart of control is what? 194 00:14:58,120 --> 00:14:59,840 It's pride. 195 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:04,440 And they were looking at Jesus saying, hey, I want you to do whatever we want. 196 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:09,620 In other words, hey Jesus, I know what is best for our lives. 197 00:15:09,620 --> 00:15:14,340 You are here to give us what we want and what we need. 198 00:15:14,340 --> 00:15:21,520 And dare I say, control is simply a mirage. 199 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,960 And friends, I'm not talking about the famous hotel in Las Vegas that many of you thought 200 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:29,320 about, okay, the Heathens, right? 201 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,020 I'm talking about a real mirage, right? 202 00:15:32,020 --> 00:15:36,140 An optical illusion caused by an atmospheric condition. 203 00:15:36,140 --> 00:15:39,680 The appearance of water in a desert on a hot road, right? 204 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,640 This is often seen in the cartoons that I grew up with. 205 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:47,200 Everyone, anyone remember Bugs Bunny? 206 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:49,600 I grew up watching Bugs Bunny. 207 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:54,120 And I still remember the scene when he's in the desert and he's trying to survive and 208 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:59,960 he's tired and he's weak and he looks up and he sees a water with a palm tree. 209 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,280 I'm not sure where the palm tree came from, but there's water. 210 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,200 And he's excited and he starts running for it and he jumps into it only to jump into 211 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,880 sand. 212 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:15,200 And I still remember him drinking sand. 213 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:23,320 See, we have to realize control is just a mirage. 214 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:27,940 And if we continue to try to control our lives, friends, this is what it's going to look like. 215 00:16:27,940 --> 00:16:36,360 Check out this cartoon I found. 216 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:40,720 Next mirage, five miles. 217 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,560 We become exhausted looking for the next mirage. 218 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,280 And you say, Chris, what's that mean? 219 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:50,680 Looking for the next thrill. 220 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:56,240 Looking for the new job, looking for the raise, looking for ambition, looking for that right 221 00:16:56,240 --> 00:17:00,720 relationship and we crawl and we walk and we press on. 222 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:10,960 And friends, we become exhausted because we want control. 223 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,840 And if you really pause to think about it, we don't control anything. 224 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:19,280 It doesn't matter if it's your marriage or your money or your kids or your job. 225 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:23,880 There's no magic formula or right actions that will produce perfection. 226 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:24,880 How do I know that? 227 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:29,360 Well, for those of you that have children, okay? 228 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:40,720 You can read the book, the 10 ways to raise healthy, dependent, excited, God-filled children. 229 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,520 Guess what? 230 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,880 They're not going to listen. 231 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,500 They're going to make bad choices. 232 00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:50,760 They're going to be defiant. 233 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:55,400 Do you know how I know that? 234 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,440 Because you are. 235 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:03,000 And if we do it, they're going to do it. 236 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,560 Control is a mirage. 237 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:12,600 And in Isaiah 55, God reminds us, my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. 238 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:17,320 He says, Lord, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine for just as the 239 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:21,120 heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts 240 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:24,040 higher than your thoughts. 241 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:31,320 So James and John, they take their shot, they request that Jesus does what they ask. 242 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,400 And I almost picture Jesus responding with a chuckle. 243 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:39,800 It's like a laugh, like, okay, what do you want me to do for you? 244 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:46,040 He asked in verse 36, and they replied, let one of us sit at your right and the other 245 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:51,280 at your left in your glory. 246 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:58,200 In other words, Jesus, we know you came to be the Messiah, the ruling victorious King. 247 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,760 And in the disciples' minds, they thought Rome was going to be defeated. 248 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:07,360 Rome was going to fall and Jesus was going to rule as King of Israel. 249 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:08,720 That was the picture in their minds. 250 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:14,520 So James and John, they're saying, hey, I want to sit at your right and your left because 251 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:18,080 those were the two places of prestige. 252 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:21,720 And they literally are saying, we want those places. 253 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:23,920 We want the two places of honor. 254 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:29,060 We want the power, the money, the influence, and the fame that comes along with following 255 00:19:29,060 --> 00:19:34,400 you because guess what, Jesus, we've given up three years of our lives following you 256 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:40,440 and we deserve it. 257 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:44,080 Now I believe James and John also realize they're a part of the inner circle, right? 258 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:46,240 They're not Andrew. 259 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,560 They're James and John. 260 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:50,920 They're the sons of thunder. 261 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,400 They think they deserve this. 262 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,720 And not only were they in the inner circle, many scholars believe that these two were 263 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:57,880 related to Jesus. 264 00:19:57,880 --> 00:19:59,280 They were probably cousins. 265 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,880 So you can almost see James and John. 266 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:04,120 They're like, man, we're in the inner circle. 267 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:05,600 You can see their conversation. 268 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,040 We're family. 269 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:08,440 Peter's got nothing on us. 270 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:13,760 I mean, they throw him under the bus, forget about Peter, like pushing him out of the way 271 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:14,760 of prominence. 272 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:18,960 And they say, no, we want the power. 273 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:27,160 See, here's the reality, church, if all of us pause and reflect on our lives for a minute, 274 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:29,980 we can all relate. 275 00:20:29,980 --> 00:20:37,120 But the truth is they're lying to themselves because they're simply pursuing the world. 276 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:41,080 And then Jesus gently puts them in their place. 277 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,840 And I love how he does it in Mark 10, 38 to 40. 278 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:44,840 I just lost my microphone. 279 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:45,840 I'm out of practice. 280 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:46,840 Sorry. 281 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:52,200 Trying to sit down to be calm because I'm so excited about coming back and not kick 282 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:53,640 my microphone off. 283 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:54,640 I'm so sorry. 284 00:20:54,640 --> 00:21:02,760 Let me put it back on for you. 285 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,520 Sit down again. 286 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,840 I have a lot of excitement when I get back from vacation. 287 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:16,320 I'm trying to get a little on it. 288 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,120 The truth is that James and John, they are living for themselves. 289 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:20,720 They're pursuing the world. 290 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:22,140 And notice Jesus's response. 291 00:21:22,140 --> 00:21:24,920 You don't know what you're asking, Jesus said. 292 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:29,240 Can you drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with? 293 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:33,640 And in their ignorance, of course, they were saying, oh, yes, we can. 294 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,120 Jesus said to them, you will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism that 295 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:40,840 I am baptized with, but you sit at my right or left. 296 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:45,880 It's not for me to grant these places belong to those to whom they have been prepared. 297 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:51,920 So Jesus looked at them size and says, you don't even know what you're asking. 298 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,960 You don't have all your information correct. 299 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:55,960 You know, there's dots. 300 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:56,960 You think you're connecting. 301 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,200 You're not even close. 302 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:03,940 You are answering and asking questions that you cannot answer. 303 00:22:03,940 --> 00:22:08,520 And when Jesus points to his cup and his baptism, he's talking about his suffering, his death. 304 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:13,320 I mean, look at Mark 14, 36, just a couple of verses later, Abba father, he said, everything 305 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:14,440 is possible for you. 306 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:19,200 Take this cup, this suffering, this death from me. 307 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,160 Yet not that I will, but what you will. 308 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:27,760 So when he's referencing the cup and the baptism, he's pointing to the suffering and the death 309 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:28,760 that he would experience. 310 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:36,400 And he's explaining to the two brothers that you don't get it, but in the future, this 311 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:38,600 is how you will die. 312 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,040 Both of you will be persecuted, suffer and die. 313 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:45,560 And we discover in Acts chapter 12, that James is in fact the first disciple that is martyred 314 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,200 for his faith. 315 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:52,240 And John, of course, is exiled on the Island of Patmos as a prisoner for most of his life 316 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:53,880 where he would eventually die. 317 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,960 Now here's the crazy thing, friends. 318 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:01,160 We can't just single out James and John, which leads us to our next stop. 319 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,520 Humanity pursues power and status. 320 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:07,520 Listen to the other 10 disciples response. 321 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:09,360 Mark 10, 41. 322 00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:15,080 When the 10 heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 323 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:22,460 In other words, the other 10 were frustrated and mad because James and John asked the question 324 00:23:22,460 --> 00:23:27,000 that they wanted to ask. 325 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:32,840 They were jealous because James and John actually spoke out loud what they were thinking in 326 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:35,360 their head. 327 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:38,280 And this is the human condition. 328 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:43,900 We're constantly focused on how we can make our lives better, how we can get ahead of 329 00:23:43,900 --> 00:23:45,240 someone else. 330 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:53,520 And I love how Jesus meets our human condition with patience, gently challenging us with 331 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,280 the true meaning of life. 332 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:57,840 Listen to Mark 10, 42 to 45. 333 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:02,800 Jesus called them together and said, you know that those who are regarded as rulers of the 334 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:08,200 Gentiles lord it over them and their high officials exercise authority over them, not 335 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:09,880 so with you. 336 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:15,640 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants 337 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,640 to be first must be a slave to all. 338 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:22,840 For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life 339 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,800 as a ransom for many. 340 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:30,920 See Jesus meets their failure with gentle teaching and correction. 341 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,800 Friends that's the mark of a true shepherd, right? 342 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:34,800 He wants their faith. 343 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:40,160 He wants their relationship with him to grow, their understanding to develop. 344 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:46,120 He says, I know the world tells you every day church that it's all about power and prestige 345 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:52,760 and success and status and worth and fame, but not so with you church. 346 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,840 You're called to be different. 347 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,800 He says the first will be last. 348 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:07,000 And then he points to himself and he says, even the son of man came not to be served. 349 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:12,600 In other words, God came into this world not to be served, but to serve and to give his 350 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:14,920 life for all. 351 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,880 And dare I say it's very important for us to remember Jeremiah 17 nine. 352 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:25,720 The human heart is the most deceitful of all things. 353 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:27,240 Desperately wicked. 354 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:30,120 Who really knows how bad it is? 355 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:36,560 Now the cool thing about this story is that Mark quickly contrasts this encounter with 356 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:42,360 the disciples, this prideful self-focused request with the story of blind Bartimaeus, 357 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:44,960 which leads us to our next song. 358 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:49,760 See submission is humility. 359 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:53,560 Submission is simply humility. 360 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,720 Remember Jesus just challenges disciples to live with humble hearts. 361 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:02,040 Then in Mark 10 46 to 48 we read, then they reached Jericho and as Jesus and his disciples 362 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,600 left town, a large crowd followed him. 363 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:09,520 A blind beggar named Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road. 364 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:14,040 So Jesus and the disciples, they walked through the city of Jericho and on the outskirts of 365 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,640 the city is typically where you would find beggars. 366 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:22,800 In other words, people who could not enter the marketplace or the temple because of their 367 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:24,840 condition, their physical condition. 368 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:29,920 They were unclean people who could not earn a living on their own and they were forced 369 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:35,040 to live on the outskirts of the city and as travelers came through the city, they would 370 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,000 beg for money. 371 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,200 Now many people don't realize they would actually earn a pretty decent living because in the 372 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:47,120 Jewish faith, it was a sign of righteousness to give money to the poor, to the beggars 373 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:48,120 that were in need. 374 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,560 Jericho, of course, is a very wealthy town. 375 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:57,080 It was on the route to Jerusalem, had excellent climate year round, so many beggars, the outskirts 376 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:01,280 would have been filled with beggars. 377 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:04,760 And when Jesus came through Jericho with his disciples, remember there would have been 378 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:10,280 a buzz and excitement, a large crowd following, word would have gone out. 379 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:11,560 Jesus is coming. 380 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:17,060 Jesus coming through town and though Bartimaeus did not see Jesus, he would have heard about 381 00:27:17,060 --> 00:27:22,560 all the miracles, heard about all the good that he was performing. 382 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,160 And let's continue. 383 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:30,520 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, Jesus, son 384 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,280 of David, have mercy on me. 385 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:35,880 Be quiet. 386 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:40,800 Many of the people yelled at him, but he only shouted louder, son of David, have mercy on 387 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:41,800 me. 388 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:42,800 Right? 389 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:46,040 He finds out Jesus is walking by, so he begins to cry out. 390 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:51,040 He begins to scream, have mercy on me. 391 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:58,480 And see, son of David is a Messianic term, so Bartimaeus understands who Jesus is. 392 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:04,160 And in his desperation, he cries out as loud as he can. 393 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:09,160 Now everyone around him, imagine the crowd. 394 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,640 I believe even disciples, think about how the disciples interacted with children. 395 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:16,440 You're looking at him like, shut up. 396 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,760 Don't you know this is Jesus? 397 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:21,240 He can almost picture it. 398 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:23,560 The crowd is indignant. 399 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:26,400 Why are you screaming? 400 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:31,720 But this man, he needed that mercy. 401 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:37,160 He needed that grace, that healing, so he cries out. 402 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:42,620 And you can see it, it's the same heart as the tax collector in Luke 18, Luke 18, 13, 403 00:28:42,620 --> 00:28:48,280 but the tax collector stood in the distance, didn't even lift his eyes to heaven and he 404 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:49,280 prayed instead. 405 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:53,280 He beat his chest in sorrow. 406 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:59,520 God be merciful for me, for I am a sinner. 407 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:03,640 See contrasting to the disciples, Bartimaeus enters this relationship with Jesus, this 408 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:06,640 encounter with Jesus with the heart of what? 409 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:07,640 Submission. 410 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:15,240 And the crazy thing is he's not even crying out for his sight to be healed. 411 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:16,920 He doesn't ask to be healed again. 412 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:18,480 I want you to heal my sight. 413 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:23,520 He's crying out, have mercy on me. 414 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:29,040 Friends, that's a heart of submission. 415 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:36,320 If the very core of control is pride, the very core of submission is humility. 416 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:42,280 And Bartimaeus, he finds himself at a place of humility modeling for us that Jesus wants 417 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,920 us to have the same attitude toward life. 418 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:50,900 That friends, when we wake up every morning, we don't have to be self-sufficient. 419 00:29:50,900 --> 00:29:56,760 We don't have to make the best plan, but we can be God sufficient. 420 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,920 And as the man cries out to Jesus, he acknowledges him. 421 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:05,240 Notice Jesus says, Mark 10, 49 and 51, Jesus heard him. 422 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,600 He stopped and said, tell him to come here. 423 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:13,960 So they called the blind man, the same man, the same people that are telling him to shut 424 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:15,360 up. 425 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:18,640 Now they're like, oh, cheer up. 426 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:19,800 Come on. 427 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:20,800 He's calling you. 428 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:26,000 Jesus, now think about this. 429 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,920 He's on the way to the cross. 430 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:35,040 He's about to experience the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday. 431 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,560 He has all these important things to do. 432 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:42,200 Yet when he hears Bartimaeus crying out, what does he do? 433 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:47,120 He stops and he engages him. 434 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:55,560 A man that had been ostracized by society for years, but not by Jesus, not in this moment 435 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,640 or ever. 436 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:04,640 Jesus invites him to lay all of his pain at his feet. 437 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:09,960 And friends, this is the same invitation Jesus gives to you and me to lay our pain, our heartache, 438 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:18,000 our suffering, our negativity at his feet because he is God. 439 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:24,560 You must realize prayer is not a place to be perfect. 440 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:28,440 It's a place to be honest. 441 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:34,480 And in our honesty, God moves. 442 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:35,480 Let's continue. 443 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:39,880 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up and came to Jesus. 444 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:41,520 Now notice here's the question. 445 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:45,920 What do you want me to do for you? 446 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:46,920 Jesus asked. 447 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:52,040 And it's almost as if I just read the same question first to James and John and now to 448 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:57,560 Bartimaeus and they're completely different. 449 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:02,760 With James and John, it was like sarcasm. 450 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,880 It's kind of like when you ask your wife if she is okay. 451 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,000 Newsflash, husbands, okay. 452 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,000 Let me clue you in. 453 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:15,440 And soon to be husbands if you ever date. 454 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:22,360 If you ask your wife if she is okay and her response is, I am fine. 455 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:23,640 She's not fine. 456 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:29,600 So for all of you to think, oh, she's good. 457 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:33,280 She's never fine. 458 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:34,520 Jess is good. 459 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:35,660 She's bad. 460 00:32:35,660 --> 00:32:43,680 She's having a frustrating day, but she's never fine. 461 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,200 To Bartimaeus, he cries out one more time. 462 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:52,760 My Rabbi, the blind man said, I want to see. 463 00:32:52,760 --> 00:33:03,120 So in his desperation, Bartimaeus lets Jesus into his greatest pain, knowing that Jesus 464 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,960 is the only hope of experiencing healing. 465 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:19,480 Our final thought before we answer the question, a surrendered heart trusts in God's plan. 466 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:24,120 And notice what Jesus says to him in Mark 10, 52. 467 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:29,240 Go for your faith has healed you. 468 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:35,920 Instantly the man could see and he followed Jesus down the road. 469 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:43,880 Jesus, he looks at Bartimaeus and he says, your faith has made you well. 470 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:48,200 Now when this is translated from the Greek, the Greek word used there is sozo and it means 471 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,200 saved, healed and delivered. 472 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:56,120 And what Jesus is saying to this man is this is a complete healing. 473 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:58,800 It's not just your sight. 474 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:07,080 Your faith in Jesus has a healing effect on his entire body, on his outlook of life. 475 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:11,680 It's a holistic healing that Jesus offers each of us as we won't walk through this thing 476 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:14,180 called life. 477 00:34:14,180 --> 00:34:17,960 This man received his healing, right? 478 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:22,480 He could have grabbed his stuff, high five Jesus said, thank you, returned to his family 479 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:23,740 and friends. 480 00:34:23,740 --> 00:34:28,680 He could have got a job making good money, but what does he choose to do? 481 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:33,080 He chooses to find. 482 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:37,840 And see, that's the difference between Bartimaeus and the disciples and how they approached 483 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:39,760 Jesus. 484 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:46,960 The disciples, they approached him with a heart of pride, but Bartimaeus approached him with 485 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:48,720 the heart of what? 486 00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:50,240 Submission. 487 00:34:50,240 --> 00:34:55,720 And what is interesting in both cases, Jesus is working to heal their sight. 488 00:34:55,720 --> 00:35:00,480 Like many people don't see that with Bartimaeus, it's easier to see because Jesus healed his 489 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:01,480 what? 490 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:08,620 His physical sight, but the disciples, he is trying to heal the sight in their hearts. 491 00:35:08,620 --> 00:35:14,220 He wants their hearts to be healed, their outlook on life to be healed. 492 00:35:14,220 --> 00:35:19,020 He's trying to get them to see that you're focusing on the wrong things. 493 00:35:19,020 --> 00:35:21,680 Stop putting your hope in the world. 494 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:29,120 Jesus wants them and us to see that in this world, we're going to be told every single 495 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:33,720 day that you should pursue fame and prestige. 496 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:36,800 That's success. 497 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,840 Jesus is saying no. 498 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:46,880 The key to life is humility and submission. 499 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:51,200 And when you walk in that, you will experience abundant life. 500 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:56,440 And in both cases, we see what is inside of them will eventually come out. 501 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:58,880 The disciples, they are full of what? 502 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:00,180 Pride and control. 503 00:36:00,180 --> 00:36:03,120 They wanted to tell Jesus what was best. 504 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:06,680 We see this because eventually it comes out, right? 505 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:14,520 That 11 of the 12 disciples abandoned Jesus when everything goes wrong. 506 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:17,120 Only John was present at the crucifixion of Jesus. 507 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,760 The other 11, gone. 508 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:26,920 But when Bartimaeus receives his sight, all he wants to do is follow. 509 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:34,480 His only expectation was that Jesus was someone that gave him mercy. 510 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,720 See, he was full of humility. 511 00:36:38,720 --> 00:36:43,280 And I want to challenge you that control always leads to disappointment because we try to 512 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,160 tell God what is best for our lives. 513 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:50,720 And he looked at us and says, you don't have all the information. 514 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:54,240 You don't know what tomorrow will bring. 515 00:36:54,240 --> 00:37:02,160 But a surrendered heart leads to a trust that God will trump all the world has to offer. 516 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:06,600 I love how God calls himself the great I am in the Old Testament. 517 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:08,760 We read this in Exodus 3, 14. 518 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:10,840 God replied to Moses, I am who I am. 519 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:13,520 Remember Moses asked him, what do I tell the people? 520 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:14,600 What is your name? 521 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:15,960 Say this to the people of Israel. 522 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:19,940 I am has sent me to you. 523 00:37:19,940 --> 00:37:25,000 And I believe church that God wants us to begin to refer to God as I am. 524 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,760 And you say why? 525 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:34,720 Because when God is I am, then we are not. 526 00:37:34,720 --> 00:37:40,280 And life is so much more easier when we allow God to control our lives, when we get out 527 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:44,880 of the way and daily offer it to him. 528 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:52,220 Here's my plan, God is it best? 529 00:37:52,220 --> 00:37:54,080 How will you respond? 530 00:37:54,080 --> 00:38:01,000 Because I believe Jesus is asking all of us that simple question. 531 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,080 What do you want me to do for you? 532 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:09,340 Now Jesus responded the same way to two people that came to him fully submitted in search 533 00:38:09,340 --> 00:38:10,960 of healing. 534 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:16,200 He said these exact words to two people go for your faith has healed you. 535 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,080 These were the words that he used for Bartimaeus. 536 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:23,400 Does anybody know the other person that he said those exact words to? 537 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:27,840 No service didn't know either. 538 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:31,800 The woman with the issue of blood. 539 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:33,560 One person knew it. 540 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,560 And 400. 541 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:44,880 Chris, I'm a God am I failing? 542 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:46,720 The woman with the issue of blood. 543 00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:51,160 And see, I feel that we can learn a lot from her actions. 544 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:54,480 Because when God asks us when he's inviting us when he's looking at us this morning and 545 00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:59,560 saying what do you want for me, we can look at her life and pattern our response after 546 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:00,560 it. 547 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:02,040 And the first response is this. 548 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,160 Don't be limited by your circumstances church. 549 00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:09,640 A woman in the crowd had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding. 550 00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:13,440 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors and over the years she had spent everything 551 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:15,020 she had to pay them. 552 00:39:15,020 --> 00:39:17,220 But she had not gotten any better. 553 00:39:17,220 --> 00:39:19,960 In fact, she had gotten worse. 554 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:25,760 Don't let your past or society's restrictions define your future. 555 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:31,320 Remember in those times women were considered unclean for being on their period. 556 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:37,000 So a woman with such a large medical condition would literally have been ostracized by everyone 557 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,920 within her community, including her family. 558 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:42,300 They wanted nothing to do with her. 559 00:39:42,300 --> 00:39:44,840 She would have been on the fringes of society. 560 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:50,720 However, the Bible says that prior to her encounter with Jesus, she had spent her savings 561 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:53,680 trying to seek out a cure for her ailment to no avail. 562 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:58,080 See oftentimes it's taught that this woman was poor and forgotten. 563 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,100 This woman wasn't poor. 564 00:40:00,100 --> 00:40:02,100 She was wealthy. 565 00:40:02,100 --> 00:40:05,760 Well to do in fact, because she spent all of her earnings trying to heal her medical 566 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:07,280 condition. 567 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:13,480 She is willing to do whatever it took to receive her healing. 568 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:20,200 And dare I say some of you have to stop living in the past. 569 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:22,760 You have to forgive someone. 570 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:24,760 You have to forgive yourself. 571 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:32,840 You have to choose to move past the restrictions that society says that you are doing wrong. 572 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:37,680 And the only way to do that is to go against the grain. 573 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,200 Which leads us to our next step. 574 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:41,200 Be audacious. 575 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:43,640 Everyone say audacious. 576 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:46,160 Isn't that a cool word? 577 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:47,720 Love it. 578 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:49,320 She had heard about Jesus. 579 00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:53,360 So she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 580 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:57,480 So she thought to herself, if I can just touch his room, I will be healed. 581 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:01,660 Immediately the bleeding stopped and she could feel in her body that she had been healed 582 00:41:01,660 --> 00:41:03,600 of her terrible condition. 583 00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:09,920 See this woman made up her mind that she was going to seek Jesus and claim her healing. 584 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:15,920 Not by asking him, but by touching the hem of his garment. 585 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:21,500 And the crazy thing is she was doing this because she knew she was breaking the law. 586 00:41:21,500 --> 00:41:26,720 Just going out in public means that she had to hide and maintain a low profile. 587 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:31,720 In fact be anonymous because she would have been ostracized. 588 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:37,440 And as she was going to find him, there was such a large crowd that she had to still crawl 589 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:43,120 and push and move people out of the way just to get close enough. 590 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:49,600 And once she did, she touched his garment, she was healed. 591 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,520 Now listen to these two different definitions. 592 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:58,820 Unorthodox or non-traditional is defined as not conforming to the rules, traditions or 593 00:41:58,820 --> 00:42:03,040 modes of conduct as of doctrine, religion or philosophy. 594 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:08,040 The status quo is defined as the existing state or condition. 595 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:12,840 So when people upset the status quo, they're literally going against the normalized patterns 596 00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:13,840 of society. 597 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:19,400 They're railing against, well this is how it has to be done. 598 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:24,380 And if the woman with the issue of blood had accepted the restrictions placed upon her, 599 00:42:24,380 --> 00:42:26,960 she wouldn't have received her healing. 600 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:30,800 If the woman with the issue of blood had allowed her failures from the past attempts, remember 601 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:37,340 she spent all of her money trying to attain her healing. 602 00:42:37,340 --> 00:42:40,520 She would not have obtained her blessing. 603 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:49,320 She comes to Jesus failures in awe and she says, I won't be stopped. 604 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,120 You have to be audacious. 605 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:54,920 She leads us to our next step. 606 00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:56,160 You have to have faith. 607 00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:58,940 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him. 608 00:42:58,940 --> 00:43:03,440 So he turned around in the crowd and asked, who touched my robe? 609 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:04,560 Here's the disciples again. 610 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:05,560 Look at the disciples. 611 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:06,560 Look at all these people. 612 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:11,560 What do you mean who touched you? 613 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:17,960 They still don't get it. 614 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:21,980 They're still focused on themselves. 615 00:43:21,980 --> 00:43:24,600 But Jesus kept on looking around to see who had done it. 616 00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:28,840 And the frightened woman trembling at the realization of what had happened to her came 617 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:33,240 and fell on her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 618 00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:37,640 Notice what he says to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. 619 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:40,240 There it is. 620 00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:41,240 Go in peace. 621 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:43,680 Your suffering is over. 622 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:49,120 Tells the woman that her faith in God healed her. 623 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:55,640 And that God is moved to action by what? 624 00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:56,640 Our faith. 625 00:43:56,640 --> 00:44:00,760 And the same goes for Bartimaeus. 626 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,760 What did Bartimaeus do? 627 00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:10,360 He screamed out, have mercy on me. 628 00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:15,600 And his faith healed his sight. 629 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:18,680 Which leads us to our final step, friends. 630 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:24,040 We learn from the woman at the Yeshua blood that we have to reach out. 631 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:27,520 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd, touched his 632 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:32,960 robe, for she thought to herself, if God just touches his robe, I'll be healed. 633 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:39,680 And this woman's story can teach us to reach out to Jesus for help with any issue, church. 634 00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:46,560 Doesn't matter what you're facing, your pride, your anger, your divorce, your relationship, 635 00:44:46,560 --> 00:44:54,640 your brokenness, your children, your financial issues, your drug addictions, your pornography 636 00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:55,640 addiction. 637 00:44:55,640 --> 00:45:00,080 God can set you free. 638 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:02,560 Are you willing to reach out? 639 00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:05,720 Are you willing to be different? 640 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:10,160 Because the last time I checked, for some of you, if this is your first time here, we 641 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:12,600 love you, your family. 642 00:45:12,600 --> 00:45:15,400 If you've only been here a couple of weeks, we love you, your family. 643 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:16,400 I've never met you. 644 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:17,400 My name's Chris. 645 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,320 I'm a pastor here. 646 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:27,040 But one thing you're going to quickly learn with me being around is that this church is 647 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:30,740 not traditional. 648 00:45:30,740 --> 00:45:34,200 And we believe in going after Jesus. 649 00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:36,940 And we believe in reaching out to Jesus. 650 00:45:36,940 --> 00:45:44,720 And we believe it's okay to shout, have mercy on me. 651 00:45:44,720 --> 00:45:46,480 It's okay. 652 00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:57,120 But for some of you, you get caught up in the traditions of the way church should be. 653 00:45:57,120 --> 00:46:03,380 And God says, no, be free. 654 00:46:03,380 --> 00:46:06,880 Reach out and receive your healing. 655 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:09,720 I mean, listen to Isaiah. 656 00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:12,520 Listen to Isaiah. 657 00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:16,480 For I am about to do something new, church. 658 00:46:16,480 --> 00:46:17,920 I have already begun it. 659 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:18,920 Do you not see it? 660 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:21,600 I will make a path through the wilderness. 661 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:26,040 I will create rivers in a dry wasteland. 662 00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:30,040 There's no impossible. 663 00:46:30,040 --> 00:46:36,920 I believe that you are working now. 664 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:42,880 Oh, pour it out.