WEBVTT 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.289 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.289 --> 00:00:16.589 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.769 --> 00:00:19.809 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:22.989 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.210 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:31.050 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:35.490 by this week's sermon. Our scripture that we're 00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:37.710 going to read today comes from the Gospel of 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:40.829 Mark. including four scenes surrounding the events 00:00:40.829 --> 00:00:44.450 of Palm Sunday that we have today. I invite you 00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:48.710 guys to go along with me as I read. Listen, he 00:00:48.710 --> 00:00:51.649 said, we're going to Jerusalem where the son 00:00:51.649 --> 00:00:53.890 of man will be betrayed to the leading priest 00:00:53.890 --> 00:00:58.030 and the teachers of religious law. They will 00:00:58.030 --> 00:01:00.950 sentence him to die and hand him over to the 00:01:00.950 --> 00:01:04.870 Romans. They will mock him, spit on him, flock 00:01:04.870 --> 00:01:08.030 him with a whip and kill him. But after three 00:01:08.030 --> 00:01:11.829 days, he would rise again. Then James and John, 00:01:12.010 --> 00:01:15.109 the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. 00:01:15.489 --> 00:01:19.209 Teacher, they said, we want you to do us a favor. 00:01:20.329 --> 00:01:23.790 What is your request? He asked. They replied, 00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:27.209 when you sit on your glorious throne, we want 00:01:27.209 --> 00:01:31.469 to sit in places of honor next to you. One on 00:01:31.469 --> 00:01:34.909 your right and the other on your left. But Jesus 00:01:34.909 --> 00:01:37.790 said to them, You don't know what you're asking. 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:41.370 Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of 00:01:41.370 --> 00:01:45.310 suffering I'm about to drink? Are you able to 00:01:45.310 --> 00:01:48.549 be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must 00:01:48.549 --> 00:01:52.930 be baptized with? Oh, yes, they replied. We're 00:01:52.930 --> 00:01:57.430 able. Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus 00:01:57.430 --> 00:02:00.489 and his disciples left the town, a large crowd 00:02:00.489 --> 00:02:04.069 followed him, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:07.849 was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus 00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:11.370 heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began 00:02:11.370 --> 00:02:16.090 to shout, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:20.669 me. Be quiet. Many of the people yelled at him, 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:25.289 but he only shouted louder. Son of David, have 00:02:25.289 --> 00:02:28.830 mercy on me. When Jesus heard him, he stopped 00:02:28.830 --> 00:02:32.669 and said, tell him to come here. So they called 00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:36.840 the blind man. Cheer up, they said. Come on, 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:40.719 he's calling you. Bartimaeus threw aside his 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:44.360 coat and jumped up and came to Jesus. What do 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:48.479 you want me to do for you? Jesus asked. My rabbi, 00:02:48.539 --> 00:02:52.500 the blind man said, I want to see. And Jesus 00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:56.219 said to him, go, for your faith has healed you. 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.000 And sadly, the man could see and he followed 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:02.960 Jesus down the road. As Jesus and his disciples 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:05.800 approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:08.439 of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:13.560 Jesus sent two of them on ahead. Go into the 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:16.960 village over there. He told them, as soon as 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:19.520 you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:23.479 there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:26.080 bring it here. Then they brought the coat to 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.719 Jesus and threw the garments over it, and he 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.460 sat on it. Many in the crowd spread their garments 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:36.639 on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.939 branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:42.800 in the center of the procession, and the people 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:46.819 all around him were shouting, Praise God! Blessings 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:48.620 on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:52.039 Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:56.830 David! Praise God in highest heaven! When they 00:03:56.830 --> 00:03:59.330 arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the 00:03:59.330 --> 00:04:01.949 temple and began to drive out the people buying 00:04:01.949 --> 00:04:05.669 and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked 00:04:05.669 --> 00:04:08.069 over the table of the money changers and the 00:04:08.069 --> 00:04:11.469 shares of those selling doves. And he stopped 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:14.990 everyone from using the temple as a marketplace. 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:20.009 He said to them, the scriptures declare, my temple 00:04:20.009 --> 00:04:23.189 will be called a house of prayer for all nations. 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:26.329 But you have turned it into a den of thieves. 00:04:27.250 --> 00:04:29.490 When the leading priests and teachers of religious 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:33.129 law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning 00:04:33.129 --> 00:04:36.470 how to kill him. But they were afraid of him 00:04:36.470 --> 00:04:39.430 because the people were so amazed at his teaching. 00:04:40.610 --> 00:04:42.769 Thank you, church. And this is the word of our 00:04:42.769 --> 00:04:48.009 Lord. Today is a unique day. Some of you may 00:04:48.009 --> 00:04:50.449 not follow the church calendar, but we are right 00:04:50.449 --> 00:04:53.769 in Holy Week. This is the launch of Holy Week. 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:57.569 So this Sunday is what we call Palm Sunday or 00:04:57.569 --> 00:05:00.910 the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. 00:05:01.790 --> 00:05:05.089 The kingdom that comes that collides with our 00:05:05.089 --> 00:05:08.430 own kingdoms as Jesus comes in and really turns 00:05:08.430 --> 00:05:11.910 things right side up, but it feels upside down. 00:05:12.889 --> 00:05:16.529 And as we heard from that passage, The religious 00:05:16.529 --> 00:05:21.250 leaders are going to condemn Jesus. The crowd 00:05:21.250 --> 00:05:24.769 is going to abandon him. His disciples are going 00:05:24.769 --> 00:05:28.269 to betray him. And then Jesus is ultimately going 00:05:28.269 --> 00:05:32.230 to be crucified. And then next Sunday, we are 00:05:32.230 --> 00:05:34.310 remembering and celebrating the fact that he 00:05:34.310 --> 00:05:38.430 has risen from the dead. So this week is the 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:41.970 most powerful condensed week of remembering what 00:05:41.970 --> 00:05:46.240 it is that shapes and forms our faith. And the 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:49.100 gospels all recount this. All four of the gospels 00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:52.480 recount this story of the triumphal entry. But 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:54.759 they all hit it from a different side. And you 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:57.480 might want to think about this almost like a 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.300 stereo that's coming at you from surround sound. 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.420 Different parts and pieces of it. So if you read 00:06:03.420 --> 00:06:05.199 it and you're like, oh, this one's different 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:08.540 than that one. It's intentional. There's a reason 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:10.759 why these gospel writers are doing this. They're 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.220 wanting to draw your attention to it in a different 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:17.139 way. This morning, our focus is Mark. Why did 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:19.899 I choose Mark for the passage? Mark is a straightforward, 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:23.279 no messing around, starts right away with Jesus 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:26.019 calling his disciples and just moves along in 00:06:26.019 --> 00:06:28.740 action. He doesn't do what John does going into 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:31.620 these deep philosophical considerations about 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:34.459 who God is and all of the implications of it. 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:38.079 But what Mark has done is he places Christ in 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:40.180 the center of the story and then invites you 00:06:40.180 --> 00:06:43.540 and me to watch as different disciples come in 00:06:43.540 --> 00:06:47.220 contact with Jesus. What do they do when they 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:53.579 come in contact with Jesus? You're invited to 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:56.899 consider that this morning as well as we welcome 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:59.250 in the king. What does it look like for your 00:06:59.250 --> 00:07:01.389 heart to turn towards Jesus? So would you pray 00:07:01.389 --> 00:07:03.850 for me as we invite the Holy Spirit to move within 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:10.509 us this morning? God, as we have just been declaring 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:14.569 in music, we recognize that you are the reason 00:07:14.569 --> 00:07:17.410 that we have gathered. You are the reason that 00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:20.170 we have been called back to you. You have done 00:07:20.170 --> 00:07:22.389 the heavy lifting of the work to restore relationship 00:07:22.389 --> 00:07:25.500 with us. And so this morning, we just want to 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:27.939 say, Holy Spirit, that you are invited to move 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:29.939 within us. Would you open our eyes to see you? 00:07:29.980 --> 00:07:32.379 Would you open our ears to hear you? And would 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:35.000 you open our hearts once again to be tender towards 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:38.560 who you are, God? We want to increasingly be 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:41.620 shaped into the image of your son, Jesus. And 00:07:41.620 --> 00:07:44.000 we want that to be reflected to the world around 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:47.060 you. So do what you need to do in this time through 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:49.120 your word. We pray this in the wonderful name 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:57.089 of Jesus. This is the beautiful country or city 00:07:57.089 --> 00:07:59.569 of Guayaquil in the beautiful country of Ecuador. 00:07:59.930 --> 00:08:02.350 My family and I got to live a number of years 00:08:02.350 --> 00:08:06.689 there. And in 2016, almost exactly 10 years ago 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:11.089 to this day, we were attending a school drama. 00:08:11.610 --> 00:08:14.290 And so we were in the meeting, gathering like 00:08:14.290 --> 00:08:17.509 this and watching this drama go on. And all of 00:08:17.509 --> 00:08:20.189 a sudden, something disrupted our evening. The 00:08:20.189 --> 00:08:23.800 room began to kind of shake. slightly. Now, we're 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:25.839 in Ecuador where earthquakes are quite common. 00:08:25.939 --> 00:08:27.360 In fact, somebody came up and they said, hey, 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:29.220 do you remember this is about a year ago that 00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:32.759 the earthquake hit Ecuador, the same time. And 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:34.980 so we knew this earthquake was hitting us, but 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:37.460 then it started to get increasingly strong and 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:39.320 violent to the point where everybody got up and 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:41.019 they said, okay, let's make our way downstairs 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:43.899 and outside to the football pitch where there's 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:47.480 a place of gathering out there. So we made our 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:49.440 way out and we gathered there. And it was in 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:54.179 the next hours and days and weeks that we came 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:57.240 to find out that this earthquake registered 7 00:08:57.240 --> 00:08:59.820 .8 on the Richter scale, a massive earthquake. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:04.960 But it was down in the coastal area. And over 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:08.059 700 people lost their lives in this earthquake. 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:13.840 And tens of thousands of buildings were destroyed. 00:09:13.899 --> 00:09:17.840 They collapsed. Now, what ended up happening 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:19.659 in this country is people were thinking, okay, 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:22.720 yes, this was a strong earthquake. And those 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:24.799 who understand earthquakes and what they do, 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:27.080 depending on how deep they are and where they're 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:31.159 located, were saying the damage was disproportionate 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:35.539 to the level of shaking. In fact, there should 00:09:35.539 --> 00:09:38.080 have been way less damage. It was a strong earthquake, 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.639 but not strong enough to knock down tens of thousands 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:46.259 of buildings. Why did this happen? So the people 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:48.399 began to ask this question and people looked 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:51.259 into it. And what they discovered requires you 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:53.220 and I to do a little bit of research. So some 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:55.600 of you may fully understand this, but let me 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.460 walk us through this. In order to create or to 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:01.840 build a concrete building, you have to have certain 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:04.039 ingredients that you put together, right? The 00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:07.340 cement, you put sand in it and small rocks or 00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:10.200 stones, and then you mix water into it to then 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:13.480 cause this chemical reaction that firms up the 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:17.039 concrete. But there's an essential element that 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:20.639 is needed, which is rebar, reinforced steel bars 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:22.779 that go in the inside of it. And this picture 00:10:22.779 --> 00:10:25.679 shows it. So on the floor of a cement building, 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:28.019 and as they stack them, they'll put rebar, and 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:30.879 then the cement covers that. Same with the pillars. 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:33.320 There's rebar in the center, and the cement covers 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:36.460 it. Now, we can't see the rebar in these buildings. 00:10:36.820 --> 00:10:40.259 We can't see it. But it is absolutely essential 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:45.080 for this. Now, what they discovered in Ecuador 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:48.820 was that most of the buildings that were damaged 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:52.740 were along the coastal area. So what had happened 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:55.039 was those who were building these buildings had 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:58.779 taken sand along the beach because it's readily 00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:02.240 accessible. But sand along the beach has what 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:06.519 in it? Salt and water. So they had mixed this 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:10.740 salty sand into the mixture. And that had then 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:14.820 corroded from the inside out the steel bars that 00:11:14.820 --> 00:11:18.820 were meant to safely keep the building up. Those 00:11:18.820 --> 00:11:21.799 who were living in it at the time had these beautiful 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:26.039 colored houses and it looked fine. But something 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:28.940 was happening on the inside that was not okay. 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:32.600 And it was slowly corroding from the inside out. 00:11:34.090 --> 00:11:38.110 And what Palm Sunday is, is actually a response 00:11:38.110 --> 00:11:41.269 of Jesus to say, you and I have a problem that 00:11:41.269 --> 00:11:44.769 we may or may not be aware of. We journey through 00:11:44.769 --> 00:11:47.610 life and like those colorful buildings, it looks 00:11:47.610 --> 00:11:51.570 like everything is just fine. But there's something 00:11:51.570 --> 00:11:55.149 deep inside that needs addressing. And the king 00:11:55.149 --> 00:11:58.210 comes into that and he turns everything upside 00:11:58.210 --> 00:12:01.789 down, not because he's punishing, but because 00:12:01.789 --> 00:12:04.649 he's helping you and I to understand that something 00:12:04.649 --> 00:12:07.929 is deeply broken within us. But how do you receive 00:12:07.929 --> 00:12:10.049 something you don't even know you need or can't 00:12:10.049 --> 00:12:13.009 see? Well, let's journey forward and look at 00:12:13.009 --> 00:12:14.850 these different disciples in the gospel of Mark. 00:12:16.029 --> 00:12:17.909 We're going to look at four different encounters 00:12:17.909 --> 00:12:20.090 with Jesus, and we're going to ask the question, 00:12:20.230 --> 00:12:22.730 what does it look like for you to encounter Jesus 00:12:22.730 --> 00:12:24.970 as well? So let's look at these disciples while 00:12:24.970 --> 00:12:27.909 you ask that question. Let's pick the easiest 00:12:27.909 --> 00:12:31.289 ones, the actual 12 disciples that were following 00:12:31.289 --> 00:12:33.750 Jesus. Okay? Do you think they're going to do 00:12:33.750 --> 00:12:35.610 a pretty good job responding with the heart of 00:12:35.610 --> 00:12:38.720 discipleship to Jesus? They should. They've been 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:41.519 walking with Jesus for three years. They know 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:44.460 what he likes to eat, how he walks, where he 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:47.000 sleeps, where he likes to rest, his teaching 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:49.059 and his stories. They're familiar with this. 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:53.120 There's a proximity that is there. So I'm going 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:55.580 to put my money on this group. They've got the 00:12:55.580 --> 00:12:57.600 true heart of discipleship. I'm pretty sure that 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:00.679 they're going to respond correctly, right? These 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:03.059 people know Jesus. In fact, Jesus called them 00:13:03.059 --> 00:13:06.519 to follow him. maybe they're going to respond 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:10.220 in a way that is a true heart of discipleship. 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:15.679 But as Polo read that passage for us, it's almost 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:18.980 shocking what happens. So Jesus has taken all 00:13:18.980 --> 00:13:21.759 of this time to prepare them for the events of 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:25.799 Palm Sunday. If I called you and said, hey, would 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:27.879 you join me on this week where you and I are 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:31.039 going to suffer, sacrifice, be betrayed, die 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.299 on the cross, who's with me? Right? Nobody's 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:36.840 going to follow him. So Jesus carefully, like, 00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:39.059 walked them into this. And he says, hey, these 00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:40.580 are the things that are going to happen. We're 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:42.220 going to go to Jerusalem where the Son of Man 00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:43.940 is going to be betrayed to the leading priest. 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:49.419 And he says exactly what will happen. How do 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:53.379 they respond? Lord, help me to follow you, right? 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:57.120 No. They say, hey, can we ask you something? 00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:03.899 When you get into your kingdom, Could you have 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:06.320 a sit on your glorious, or sit next to you in 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:09.519 places of honor, one on your right and one on 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:15.320 your left? I don't think you could miss this 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:19.059 moment worse. This is like two totally different 00:14:19.059 --> 00:14:21.779 things happening at the same time. Jesus, who 00:14:21.779 --> 00:14:24.870 came and said, I did not come to serve, but to 00:14:24.870 --> 00:14:28.029 give up my life. I did not come to be served, 00:14:28.110 --> 00:14:30.649 but to give up my life as a ransom for many. 00:14:31.370 --> 00:14:34.370 And they're like, hey, can we have special seats? 00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:40.250 It's a complete miss in this kingdom. Now, we 00:14:40.250 --> 00:14:43.529 laugh at that. And yet you and I have something 00:14:43.529 --> 00:14:46.529 within us that moves us towards self -promotion. 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:51.049 But Jesus comes and he gently disrupts. their 00:14:51.049 --> 00:14:53.490 journey forward and says, hey, I've got something 00:14:53.490 --> 00:14:57.669 that's actually much better for you. I realize 00:14:57.669 --> 00:15:00.230 that you really want a place of honor. You really 00:15:00.230 --> 00:15:02.190 want to be recognized. You really want people 00:15:02.190 --> 00:15:04.149 to think highly of you. And you think I'm the 00:15:04.149 --> 00:15:07.210 key to that. But I've got something much better 00:15:07.210 --> 00:15:09.490 for you, something internal that I'm going to 00:15:09.490 --> 00:15:13.509 come and fix. So let's place the disciples on 00:15:13.509 --> 00:15:15.269 the side and let's look at our next group of 00:15:15.269 --> 00:15:17.629 people. The next group of people is the crowd. 00:15:18.269 --> 00:15:20.490 The crowd that is gathered around. And what are 00:15:20.490 --> 00:15:23.750 they yelling out? Okay, a little louder. What 00:15:23.750 --> 00:15:26.690 are they yelling out? Hosanna, right? And then 00:15:26.690 --> 00:15:28.809 we just did this. We just yelled out Hosanna. 00:15:28.870 --> 00:15:32.269 But what does Hosanna actually mean? How many 00:15:32.269 --> 00:15:33.809 of you woke up this morning and thought, hmm, 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:38.529 what does Hosanna mean? It actually means, it's 00:15:38.529 --> 00:15:41.990 a form of praising the Messiah, but the literal 00:15:41.990 --> 00:15:46.919 translation would be, save now. Save now. So 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:49.860 they are, in one sense, they are enacting what 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:52.000 they should be. They know that the Messiah is 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:55.220 coming and they are declaring, hey, Messiah, 00:15:55.460 --> 00:16:00.700 would you save us now? Save now. But on the other 00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:02.720 side, there's something that is being revealed 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:06.759 in what the crowd is asking for here. And you 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:09.340 begin to realize that this story continues to 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:11.840 unfold because what does this crowd do just a 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:16.220 matter of hours later? Their Hosanna turns into 00:16:16.220 --> 00:16:20.639 crucify him. How do you change from Hosanna, 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:24.799 save now, to crucify him? It's about the heart's 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.539 allegiance and where our heart is given to. And 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:31.179 so what Jesus does is when he comes to address 00:16:31.179 --> 00:16:34.620 the people and bring his kingdom, he helps them 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:37.720 to see that their self -preserving way of life, 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:40.460 their allegiance to self -preserving needs to 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:44.750 be handed over to him, the true king. Now, both 00:16:44.750 --> 00:16:47.250 of these things, self -preserving and self -promoting, 00:16:47.330 --> 00:16:49.909 are things that we just engage in quite naturally. 00:16:50.710 --> 00:16:53.450 But I want you to look at what the implications 00:16:53.450 --> 00:16:57.090 of Jesus encountering this kingdom does. He disrupts 00:16:57.090 --> 00:16:59.610 it, and he invites them to see that, hey, there's 00:16:59.610 --> 00:17:02.110 a deeper thing going on inside of you that I 00:17:02.110 --> 00:17:06.210 need to address, and that's why I've come. Well, 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:09.009 let's pick an easier crowd to pick on, right? 00:17:09.230 --> 00:17:11.890 These are the religious leaders, and we know 00:17:11.890 --> 00:17:14.529 them. But before we even get to them, think about 00:17:14.529 --> 00:17:18.809 what it is that they are known for. Their knowledge 00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:21.609 about God, they knew the scriptures really well, 00:17:21.710 --> 00:17:26.450 as well as their maturity. So they seem to be 00:17:26.450 --> 00:17:29.230 pretty good candidates for having a true heart 00:17:29.230 --> 00:17:31.920 of discipleship, right? They know a lot about 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.579 God and they are mature. Their life has demonstrated 00:17:34.579 --> 00:17:38.140 a transformation. So we think, hey, these people 00:17:38.140 --> 00:17:40.759 have got to be getting it. But when Jesus comes 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:44.200 in, he does something to rock their world, to 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.680 help them to see that they are actually putting 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:48.539 their trust in something that they should not 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:51.339 be putting their trust in. How does he disrupt 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:54.700 their world? Well, he walks into the temple. 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:59.359 And imagine walking into ECB and there's one 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:02.420 of our overflow rooms that is for the nations, 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:06.299 right? This is a special part that has been designated 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:08.859 for the least, the last, the lost to come and 00:18:08.859 --> 00:18:11.299 be able to engage and encounter God in that space. 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.839 And the religious leaders who are responsible 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:17.539 for caring for this space have allowed people 00:18:17.539 --> 00:18:20.880 to set up businesses and markets in that area. 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.420 What does that mean for the least, the last, 00:18:23.420 --> 00:18:28.220 and the lost? They have no place in God's temple. 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:32.220 They are pushed out of God's temple. Do you see 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:34.799 why Jesus is so angry when he walks into this? 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:38.160 The religious leaders were supposed to be guarding 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.279 this space for the nations to come in and then 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.880 receive the good news of who God was to the Israelites 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.440 passed along to them. And instead they had used 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:49.519 it for their own gain and it was for their own 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:52.660 profit. So yes, they had a lot of knowledge and 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:54.680 maturity, but something was happening inside. 00:18:54.819 --> 00:18:57.039 And this is why Jesus, when he walks in and he 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:59.019 turns the tables over and you know this scene 00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:02.500 and he's got a whip in his hand, it's like, who 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:04.759 is this Jesus? Where's the guy that was like 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.059 sitting with the kids just a couple stories back 00:19:07.059 --> 00:19:09.759 and like, hey, let the children come to me. What 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:14.180 has happened in this space? Well, he addresses 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:16.319 it. The scriptures declare, my temple will be 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:19.660 called a house of prayer for all nations. But 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:22.440 you have turned it into a den of thieves. What 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:24.900 is he addressing? He's addressing their self 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:27.259 -protecting way of living. So they have taken 00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:30.380 their position as a leader and used it to profit 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:33.240 themselves and to help protect their way of life. 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:36.380 And Jesus encounters them in that space and he 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:39.529 says, hey, I want something more for you. I've 00:19:39.529 --> 00:19:42.190 been calling you for all of these years to something 00:19:42.190 --> 00:19:45.349 different, something better, something more secure. 00:19:46.049 --> 00:19:48.329 And so we look at all of these three different 00:19:48.329 --> 00:19:51.329 ways and we say, yeah, to walk in the way of 00:19:51.329 --> 00:19:54.210 God, I should be familiar with Jesus and I should 00:19:54.210 --> 00:19:58.059 be close to him. Yes, I should praise and have 00:19:58.059 --> 00:20:01.240 passion about following him. Yes, I should have 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:05.160 a sense of understanding of his word and I should 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:07.720 have maturity. But these are not necessarily 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.900 the signs of a transformed heart. These are like 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:15.279 the outside walls on the building. And so God 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:18.299 instead wants us to get to what is inside. Do 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:20.940 we have anybody left in the story that we can 00:20:20.940 --> 00:20:24.119 turn to as an example? Who is left in this space? 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:28.279 The blind man, the blind man. And what does he 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:31.799 do? We have Bartimaeus. Okay, so Bartimaeus is 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:35.259 currently sitting outside of the city of Jericho. 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:37.980 So Jericho is the north part of Jerusalem, just 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:40.299 north of Jerusalem. And you come out of the city 00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:42.519 of Jericho and you make your way down and then 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:48.319 back up to the city of Jerusalem. And Bartimaeus 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.779 is actually placed right outside of Jericho. 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:55.470 Why? The city is considered the place where everyone 00:20:55.470 --> 00:20:57.829 belongs, the place where there's protection, 00:20:58.089 --> 00:21:00.210 the place where somebody of significance gets 00:21:00.210 --> 00:21:04.049 to live. Bartimaeus is blind. He's a beggar. 00:21:04.109 --> 00:21:06.650 He doesn't have a place in the city. He's marginalized. 00:21:06.690 --> 00:21:09.829 And he's placed himself on the road intentionally, 00:21:10.109 --> 00:21:12.789 hoping that people traveling between these two 00:21:12.789 --> 00:21:15.490 cities will help him make it through the day. 00:21:16.269 --> 00:21:18.630 And that's where the story picks up. So what 00:21:18.630 --> 00:21:23.039 happens with Bartimaeus? Bartimaeus, this blind 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:27.299 beggar, he hears that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby 00:21:27.299 --> 00:21:31.440 and he begins to shout out, Jesus, son of David, 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:36.480 have mercy on me. What does the crowd say? Be 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:41.519 quiet. But he only shouted louder, son of David, 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:46.579 have mercy on me. When Jesus heard him, he stopped 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:50.700 and he said, tell him to come here. Look at the 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:54.910 response. It's different. Jesus is not disrupting 00:21:54.910 --> 00:21:56.769 what is happening in this point. In fact, this 00:21:56.769 --> 00:22:00.869 blind beggar's life has been disrupted from the 00:22:00.869 --> 00:22:04.470 very get -go. He has nothing to found himself 00:22:04.470 --> 00:22:07.690 on. So he's ready to accept what is actually 00:22:07.690 --> 00:22:11.750 needed to transform his life. And then he cries 00:22:11.750 --> 00:22:16.609 out, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Now, 00:22:16.630 --> 00:22:21.460 this is a packed quote. Jesus means what? God 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:25.579 saves or Yeshua, Joshua, God saves. Son of David 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:28.519 is calling back to the last king that came into 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:31.019 Jerusalem on a donkey, which was King David. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:33.599 And it was out of his generation that there was 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:35.940 supposed to be the Messiah. So this is saying 00:22:35.940 --> 00:22:39.920 God and Messiah. And then he says, here's my 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:44.420 heart. Have mercy on me. And it's the combination 00:22:44.420 --> 00:22:47.039 of all three of those together that reflects 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:51.039 the posture of true discipleship. And that's 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:56.740 what we see when we encounter Bartimaeus. So 00:22:56.740 --> 00:23:00.579 he's undone and he is overcome, but Jesus welcomes 00:23:00.579 --> 00:23:03.380 him because he comes with a sense of trust and 00:23:03.380 --> 00:23:08.559 dependence. Trust and dependence. My daughter 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:11.500 Maya, when she was two years old, was known. 00:23:12.890 --> 00:23:16.049 for as soon as we parked in a parking lot, she 00:23:16.049 --> 00:23:18.470 actually had figured out how to undo her own 00:23:18.470 --> 00:23:20.890 car seat, which these are supposed to only be 00:23:20.890 --> 00:23:22.809 adults that do this, but she had figured it out. 00:23:22.910 --> 00:23:25.630 And she would, basically we would park and then 00:23:25.630 --> 00:23:27.430 she would get out the door and boom, she was 00:23:27.430 --> 00:23:31.250 out of there. So we had to make this agreement 00:23:31.250 --> 00:23:33.650 with her where we said, listen, when we park 00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:38.329 in a parking lot, wait, wait to hold the hand 00:23:38.329 --> 00:23:40.910 of an adult. So it can be dad, it can be mom, 00:23:40.970 --> 00:23:42.430 it can be one of your grandpa and grandma's, 00:23:42.430 --> 00:23:44.190 uncle's, aunt's, whatever it is. But wait to 00:23:44.190 --> 00:23:47.130 hold the hand of an adult. What are we doing? 00:23:47.710 --> 00:23:49.769 We're protecting her. We're caring for her. We 00:23:49.769 --> 00:23:53.009 know what is the possibility of what could happen 00:23:53.009 --> 00:23:56.049 in a parking lot like that. And so we would say, 00:23:56.109 --> 00:23:58.329 wait to hold your hand. And so she would wait 00:23:58.329 --> 00:24:00.190 and we would hold her hand and walk along with 00:24:00.190 --> 00:24:04.450 her. Well, one time I said, hey, Maya, you're 00:24:04.450 --> 00:24:06.130 not holding anybody's hand. You need to hold 00:24:06.130 --> 00:24:07.869 somebody's hand. And she looks at us and she 00:24:07.869 --> 00:24:12.049 goes. Yes, I am. Maya hold Maya's hand. She was 00:24:12.049 --> 00:24:14.490 literally holding her own hand at this point. 00:24:14.950 --> 00:24:17.450 And she's like, hey, I can figure out this system. 00:24:17.490 --> 00:24:19.230 You give me a system, I'll figure out another 00:24:19.230 --> 00:24:22.470 system. Welcome to parenthood. I did not read 00:24:22.470 --> 00:24:26.069 that in any of my manuals on how to parent. But 00:24:26.069 --> 00:24:29.480 in a sense, this is what God does with us. God 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:31.460 is here and he's like, hey, I want to care for 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:33.380 you. I want to protect you. And the way for you 00:24:33.380 --> 00:24:37.359 to live in a flourishing way is for you and me 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:40.880 to be so intimately combined that the very breath 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:42.839 that is coming out of your mouth, you realize 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:45.880 is God's work in and through you. And what do 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:49.920 we do? Phil holds Phil's hand. Phil's going to 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:51.839 do what Phil needs to do as he goes forward. 00:24:52.750 --> 00:24:54.950 And we forget about it again and again and again. 00:24:55.049 --> 00:24:58.210 And God graciously comes to us again and again 00:24:58.210 --> 00:25:00.710 and again. And he takes it apart and he says, 00:25:00.809 --> 00:25:03.930 you need to hold my hands. I'm going to be the 00:25:03.930 --> 00:25:07.250 one who cares for you. This is what it is to 00:25:07.250 --> 00:25:10.569 be undone and overcome. And we have the most 00:25:10.569 --> 00:25:14.490 unlikely person, this blind beggar, be the one 00:25:14.490 --> 00:25:16.650 who actually gets to show us what it looks like 00:25:16.650 --> 00:25:20.509 to enter the kingdom in a way of true heart posture 00:25:20.509 --> 00:25:25.549 discipleship. So what marks your encounters with 00:25:25.549 --> 00:25:30.289 Jesus and his kingdom? And be honest. We all 00:25:30.289 --> 00:25:32.849 do this. Even preparing for this sermon, I'm 00:25:32.849 --> 00:25:35.049 like, okay, I want to protect myself. I want 00:25:35.049 --> 00:25:37.009 to promote myself. I want to preserve myself. 00:25:37.230 --> 00:25:40.049 What does it look like for me to take grab of 00:25:40.049 --> 00:25:43.930 this? And God is like, no, would you open your 00:25:43.930 --> 00:25:46.509 hands and let me do what I need to do in and 00:25:46.509 --> 00:25:49.410 through this time? Because I'm more interested 00:25:49.410 --> 00:25:52.890 on restoring you in a complete and full way than 00:25:52.890 --> 00:25:56.349 what you think you need. And there's the difference. 00:25:57.029 --> 00:25:59.849 One is all about me thinking I know what I need. 00:25:59.970 --> 00:26:02.710 And the other is about God saying, hey, I'm going 00:26:02.710 --> 00:26:05.029 to come and restore things from the inside out 00:26:05.029 --> 00:26:09.589 in an upside down way that will last for eternity. 00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:16.559 So we may find ourselves participating in life 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:18.920 in ways that look like these beautiful buildings 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:22.319 in Ecuador with painted walls. And we think, 00:26:22.380 --> 00:26:25.339 Lord, if I just have something else to add to 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:28.059 my life, it's going to be better. Just give me 00:26:28.059 --> 00:26:30.460 that one more thing and then I'll be complete. 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:33.039 Just do this other thing and it's going to be 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:36.359 fine. But God comes and he says, you know what? 00:26:36.579 --> 00:26:39.039 There's something that I want to do deep inside 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:42.240 you, which is to restore my own deep personal 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.200 love and relationship towards you. And that is 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:47.599 where your complete peace will be found. That 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:50.519 is where your shalom will be found. And so there 00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:53.720 can be gentle shakes to help us to identify that 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:56.140 where we realize, okay, Lord, would you do it 00:26:56.140 --> 00:26:59.619 again? Have mercy on me. Son of David, have mercy 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:03.240 on me. How do you respond to these disruptions? 00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:08.299 Because quite honestly, they're annoying. They're 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:11.200 annoying at best and they're absolutely destructive 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:15.400 at worst. But when these disruptions come along, 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.259 you and I have the invitation to either cry out, 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:22.460 Hosanna, or to cry out, have mercy. Save me now 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:24.920 from this. Paint another thing over the wall. 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:26.759 Just cover that crack. I don't want to know what's 00:27:26.759 --> 00:27:30.160 going on. Or we can say, Lord. encounter me in 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:32.480 the deepest parts of where I am, and transform 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:38.380 me from the inside out. Now, we may find ourselves 00:27:38.380 --> 00:27:41.099 thinking this. We may think, okay, so Jesus came. 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:46.079 We just celebrated Holy Week, and we remember 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.960 that he died on the cross, so it's done, right? 00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:53.009 He declared it is finished. So you and I say 00:27:53.009 --> 00:27:55.430 this prayer and we say, Lord, have mercy on me, 00:27:55.509 --> 00:27:57.569 forgive me. And then I just journey through life 00:27:57.569 --> 00:28:00.849 thinking that it's going to be okay, right? Well, 00:28:00.990 --> 00:28:04.049 Paul here is going to give us a very strong rebuke. 00:28:04.089 --> 00:28:07.849 He's talking to the church in Galatia. But you 00:28:07.849 --> 00:28:11.329 know what? This is what he's talking about. And 00:28:11.329 --> 00:28:14.029 just read it with or listen as I read it over 00:28:14.029 --> 00:28:16.190 you. This is Paul talking to the church in Galatia 00:28:16.190 --> 00:28:18.450 with the problem that we find ourselves in again 00:28:18.450 --> 00:28:21.099 and again. Phil's going to do it. I've got this 00:28:21.099 --> 00:28:22.720 covered. I'm going to be the one to make this 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:25.640 happen. So Paul says, oh, foolish Galatians, 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:30.559 who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:33.299 of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to 00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:35.819 you as if you had seen a picture of his death 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:38.799 on the cross. You were staring at the sacrifice 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:40.859 that was done on your behalf that you didn't 00:28:40.859 --> 00:28:43.119 have to do it. And yet you go back and you try 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:46.160 to do it yourself. And he goes on and he says, 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:48.920 let me ask you this one question. Did you receive 00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:54.480 the Holy Spirit by obeying? No, of course not. 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:56.740 You received the Holy Spirit because you believed 00:28:56.740 --> 00:29:01.059 the message you heard through Jesus Christ. It's 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:03.400 that, Lord, have mercy on me. You are the one 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:05.880 who did it. Let me receive that and not try to 00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:08.279 do it on my own again. And he continues on. He 00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:10.720 said, how foolish can you be after starting your 00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:13.039 Christian lives in the spirit? Why are you now 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:16.279 trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:19.640 And we do this again and again and again. We 00:29:19.640 --> 00:29:22.799 try with our own effort to do that. And God graciously 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:26.039 comes and he says, let me lift that burden from 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:29.339 you again. Let me lift it from you. And the key 00:29:29.339 --> 00:29:32.119 to where we find this is at this last part of 00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:36.279 this section in Galatians. Have you experienced 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:39.880 so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, 00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:43.900 was it? In the same way, Abraham believed God 00:29:43.900 --> 00:29:46.220 and God counted him as righteous because of his 00:29:46.220 --> 00:29:48.940 faith. The real children of Abraham, they are 00:29:48.940 --> 00:29:52.920 those who put their faith in God, trust and dependence. 00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:57.130 So now we need to go back. Hundreds of years 00:29:57.130 --> 00:30:00.150 to Abraham and look at his life. What did it 00:30:00.150 --> 00:30:03.809 look like for Abraham to be put up as this example 00:30:03.809 --> 00:30:07.170 like Bartimaeus of somebody who we are to model 00:30:07.170 --> 00:30:11.950 our lives after? Well, it's an upside down way. 00:30:12.769 --> 00:30:16.089 It is upside down and it makes us feel disoriented. 00:30:16.089 --> 00:30:22.549 And here's why. God encounters Abraham in Genesis 00:30:22.549 --> 00:30:27.829 15. And he encounters him in a way that he says, 00:30:27.869 --> 00:30:30.829 hey, I want to bind myself in relationship to 00:30:30.829 --> 00:30:34.009 you. Because of my great love for you, I want 00:30:34.009 --> 00:30:36.730 to bind myself in relationship to you. The closest 00:30:36.730 --> 00:30:39.750 thing you and I have to this experience now is 00:30:39.750 --> 00:30:41.910 what we would call like a marriage covenant. 00:30:42.509 --> 00:30:44.849 So you would have the husband and the wife up 00:30:44.849 --> 00:30:46.910 here, and you'd say, until death does us part, 00:30:46.990 --> 00:30:49.049 and sickness and unhealth, and you would give 00:30:49.049 --> 00:30:51.029 this covenant back and forth with one another. 00:30:51.170 --> 00:30:54.730 It's basically promising how I plan to take care 00:30:54.730 --> 00:30:56.589 of this other person, and I'm going to love you. 00:30:56.609 --> 00:30:59.490 We're going to be connected, right? So God has 00:30:59.490 --> 00:31:02.049 made a covenant with Abraham, and he's engaged 00:31:02.049 --> 00:31:05.509 in a way of promising with him, but it's a very 00:31:05.509 --> 00:31:08.769 strange way. So I'm going to give you a little 00:31:08.769 --> 00:31:11.130 bit of context for it before I show the image. 00:31:11.690 --> 00:31:14.650 Because the image is quite shocking. So hold 00:31:14.650 --> 00:31:17.589 on to that. Here's what the people used to do 00:31:17.589 --> 00:31:19.890 back in the ancient Near East to make an agreement 00:31:19.890 --> 00:31:22.630 with each other. They would make an agreement 00:31:22.630 --> 00:31:25.970 by, they didn't have signed papers or chat GBT 00:31:25.970 --> 00:31:28.390 to help them create a lawyer -based document 00:31:28.390 --> 00:31:31.250 that could hold this together. And this wasn't 00:31:31.250 --> 00:31:32.829 like a marriage covenant. This was something 00:31:32.829 --> 00:31:35.329 different. This was two groups of people that 00:31:35.329 --> 00:31:37.109 were saying, hey, how does it look like to agree 00:31:37.109 --> 00:31:40.970 to one another? So they came together. And they 00:31:40.970 --> 00:31:43.569 would take animals and they would cut these animals 00:31:43.569 --> 00:31:46.789 in half. Oh, gruesome. Put it on two different 00:31:46.789 --> 00:31:49.589 sides. And so there's this trail of animals. 00:31:49.730 --> 00:31:52.009 And then the blood would come into the center 00:31:52.009 --> 00:31:55.369 of that space. And then the two parties would 00:31:55.369 --> 00:31:59.609 walk. I love seeing the faces. The two parties 00:31:59.609 --> 00:32:04.250 would walk through the blood. And they would 00:32:04.250 --> 00:32:06.750 look to their left and their rights at these 00:32:06.750 --> 00:32:10.619 animals. And it was a visual representation of 00:32:10.619 --> 00:32:14.640 saying, if I break my agreement with you, may 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:19.720 this happen to me. Whoa, that is a strong agreement. 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:22.720 By the way, if anybody wants me to do their wedding, 00:32:22.799 --> 00:32:27.980 we're going to try this one for the next. That's 00:32:27.980 --> 00:32:33.400 a strong agreement. So Abraham is called into 00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:37.279 this covenant relationship with God. And God 00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:40.160 says, okay, I'm going to bring you to this place 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:42.319 and I want you to bring these certain set of 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:44.839 animals. And I want you to cut them in half and 00:32:44.839 --> 00:32:47.839 place them next to each other. So Abraham does 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:50.720 this. He puts them there and God says, I'm going 00:32:50.720 --> 00:32:53.200 to then fulfill what I've said I'm going to do 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:56.539 with you. But one detail that's really important 00:32:56.539 --> 00:32:58.460 at the beginning, God had just promised land 00:32:58.460 --> 00:33:00.440 to Abraham and Abraham's like, how are you going 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:02.200 to do this? He's doubting. He's saying, Lord, 00:33:02.299 --> 00:33:04.940 you just promised me children, but I don't know 00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:07.539 how you're going to make the land possible. So 00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:10.480 he brings his doubt to God and he's like, how 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:12.759 are you going to do this? So God calls him to 00:33:12.759 --> 00:33:15.220 this covenant, gets these animals, places them 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:19.059 there. And then you know what God does? He puts 00:33:19.059 --> 00:33:25.200 Abram to sleep. Genesis 15. You can go back and 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:28.920 read it after the service. He puts Abram to sleep. 00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:32.480 It's like this deep darkness comes over him in 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:35.240 the end part of the day. And Abram's sleeping 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:38.319 over there on the side. And who's making his 00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:42.359 way through the covenant agreement? One person. 00:33:42.839 --> 00:33:47.460 God. Well, three in one. And he's saying, may 00:33:47.460 --> 00:33:50.519 I take on the responsibility of the covenant 00:33:50.519 --> 00:33:53.460 I guarantee you are going to break. Brothers 00:33:53.460 --> 00:33:56.220 and sisters, that is the best news you've ever 00:33:56.220 --> 00:33:59.519 heard. That is a deal that nobody will ever make 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:02.140 with you. And the God of the universe, the one 00:34:02.140 --> 00:34:04.859 who holds everything in his hands, reached out 00:34:04.859 --> 00:34:08.280 to make that deal with you and me. How did he 00:34:08.280 --> 00:34:10.219 do that? Well, he didn't call you and do this 00:34:10.219 --> 00:34:13.980 animal thing, right? He instead did it in a different 00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:18.059 way. And this is exactly what Holy Week is saying. 00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:21.239 So Jesus enters into this space and it's horrific. 00:34:21.300 --> 00:34:23.800 There's a lot of sacrifice that he's doing. But 00:34:23.800 --> 00:34:25.860 the blind beggar, what does it say at the end 00:34:25.860 --> 00:34:27.800 of his section? It says his eyes were healed 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:30.860 and he followed Jesus on the road or on the way. 00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:33.619 That was the phrase that was used for discipleship. 00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:37.320 On the way. I'm a person of the way. So he follows 00:34:37.320 --> 00:34:41.019 Jesus on this road as Jesus goes and then ends 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:44.460 up. being sacrificed on the cross and his blood 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:47.739 is spilt. And Jesus in that moment is taking 00:34:47.739 --> 00:34:51.280 on the very infractions, the very breaking of 00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:53.380 the covenant, the way that you and I again and 00:34:53.380 --> 00:34:56.119 again and again turn back to ourself. And we 00:34:56.119 --> 00:34:59.000 say, I got this. I don't need you, God. And he's 00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:01.039 saying, you know what? I know that you think 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:03.039 you got this, but I love you more than that. 00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:05.500 And I'm going to come and keep disrupting your 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:08.280 life to call you once again, again and again 00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:11.880 and again. to my deep and profound, unfailing, 00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:15.840 merciful love for you. So you might ask, well, 00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:18.400 Pastor Phil, what do I do about this? Maybe the 00:35:18.400 --> 00:35:20.699 best thing is to go take a nap. Not right now, 00:35:20.739 --> 00:35:22.760 please, but maybe the best thing is to go take 00:35:22.760 --> 00:35:26.639 a nap like Abram. I know that sounds ridiculous, 00:35:26.820 --> 00:35:31.599 but we strive and we try so hard again and again 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:34.590 and again. And I know this, I'm guilty of this. 00:35:34.750 --> 00:35:36.969 And what God has said is, I've done this for 00:35:36.969 --> 00:35:40.150 you. Would you just soak in my love? And that 00:35:40.150 --> 00:35:42.530 love will then change you from the inside out 00:35:42.530 --> 00:35:46.309 to fix the problem that you cannot fix. You will 00:35:46.309 --> 00:35:48.530 end up becoming more and more like Jesus just 00:35:48.530 --> 00:35:52.050 naturally out of it when you soak in what I have 00:35:52.050 --> 00:35:55.050 done for you. And that's why the church has taken 00:35:55.050 --> 00:35:57.110 this week and said, hey, this is an important 00:35:57.110 --> 00:35:59.630 time for us to remember what Jesus has done. 00:35:59.969 --> 00:36:03.090 So participate in it. And what I'd like to invite 00:36:03.090 --> 00:36:08.250 you and I to do as we close this time is to really 00:36:08.250 --> 00:36:11.289 posture yourself like Bartimaeus, to just allow 00:36:11.289 --> 00:36:14.309 yourself to look to Christ and say, Lord, this 00:36:14.309 --> 00:36:17.610 morning, how did I enter into this day thinking 00:36:17.610 --> 00:36:21.130 that I could do it by myself, that I didn't need 00:36:21.130 --> 00:36:23.469 your help, that I didn't need your goodness and 00:36:23.469 --> 00:36:26.250 your sacrifice for me? How am I doing that maybe 00:36:26.250 --> 00:36:29.340 right now as I'm breathing? What does that look 00:36:29.340 --> 00:36:31.119 like? And so I'm going to pray a prayer over 00:36:31.119 --> 00:36:33.840 you, and I just invite you to listen to that. 00:36:34.159 --> 00:36:38.039 If you want, you can undo your hands and lift 00:36:38.039 --> 00:36:39.900 them to the side here in a posture of saying, 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:42.960 may my body reflect what my heart and soul desires 00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:46.440 from God. And here's the prayer as an adaption 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:54.340 from Psalm 139. Spirit of God, would you search 00:36:54.340 --> 00:37:00.159 me and know me? Would you reveal anything within 00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:03.940 me that is anxious, that's fearful, or grasping 00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:08.719 for control? Would you show me the places where 00:37:08.719 --> 00:37:12.480 I am striving in my own strength or resisting 00:37:12.480 --> 00:37:17.000 your invitation to trust? Lord, please shine 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:20.780 your light on what is hidden. Heal what is wounded. 00:37:21.539 --> 00:37:25.550 Steady what is unsteady in me. And lead me in 00:37:25.550 --> 00:37:28.710 the way of Jesus, the way of surrender, the way 00:37:28.710 --> 00:37:48.550 of peace, and the way of love. Amen. we welcome 00:37:48.550 --> 00:37:51.989 you to engage by sending us an email to office 00:37:51.989 --> 00:37:56.929 at ecb .asia. If God is calling you to support 00:37:56.929 --> 00:37:59.570 our ministries, you will find giving options 00:37:59.570 --> 00:38:03.349 on our website. And remember to join us next 00:38:03.349 --> 00:38:05.050 week. God bless you.