WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.419 So, we say that we are a family of servant missionaries, 00:00:04.540 --> 00:00:09.060 right? And that's our identity, that's who God 00:00:09.060 --> 00:00:11.240 has made us because of who he is and what he's 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:15.919 done. And so, we as a people, individually and 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:17.820 corporately, need to live our life on mission. 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:21.620 And so, one of the ways that I've attempted to 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:26.120 do this is, for myself in person, is I coach 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:32.289 track. And so this week I was down in Homer on 00:00:32.289 --> 00:00:35.649 a track meet. And one of the habits that I've 00:00:35.649 --> 00:00:39.210 gotten into is to really just pray. I was praying 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:41.509 on the way down. I was praying, you know, even 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:43.109 during that time, Lord, give me opportunities 00:00:43.109 --> 00:00:47.509 to be a radiant reflection of you, to shine Jesus. 00:00:48.670 --> 00:00:50.469 And, you know, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, will 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:53.130 you do something? And so that was my prayer. 00:00:53.289 --> 00:00:56.549 And, man, we had a long day of kids and I was 00:00:56.549 --> 00:00:59.750 tired. And I had this long drive back from Homer 00:00:59.750 --> 00:01:03.549 last night. And one of the guys that I was working 00:01:03.549 --> 00:01:06.450 with was a former athlete who was there helping 00:01:06.450 --> 00:01:10.689 run the meet. And he comes up to me. And it's 00:01:10.689 --> 00:01:13.709 somebody that I had actually had the opportunity 00:01:13.709 --> 00:01:16.489 to share Jesus with. And we baptized him here 00:01:16.489 --> 00:01:21.459 two years ago. And he hasn't really walked a 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:23.359 whole lot with the Lord. I mean, on and off. 00:01:24.500 --> 00:01:30.219 But he said to me, he says, hey, can I ride back 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:34.260 with you? You know, all the flesh in Caleb went, 00:01:34.459 --> 00:01:38.780 oh, no, man, I need that quiet time. And I'm 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:42.700 going to listen to this audio book. And so I'm 00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:47.540 thinking. Don't be selfish. I like him. I really 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:49.579 do. I wanted to hang out with him. But I was 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:52.879 just tired. You know how we get that way? And 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:57.359 I felt the Holy Spirit say, suck it up, buttercup. 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:02.480 He's riding with you. And so I said, yeah, of 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:06.760 course. And we got in the truck, and he opened 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:11.659 up his heart from Homer to Anchorage. And God 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:13.939 worked in that moment. And I felt like, I was 00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:17.680 like thinking about it. We were, as we hit Russian 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:21.319 River, I was like, all right, this whole conversation 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:23.240 is going to be all about Jesus because that's 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:25.360 what the Lord has opened that door. And so we 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:27.699 just began to talk about the Lord and just in 00:02:27.699 --> 00:02:30.740 the future, his future and what God was wanting 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.020 to do in his life. And, you know, I thought, 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:36.840 I was driving into Anchorage. I thought, thank 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:38.639 you, Lord, for not missing that opportunity. 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.400 in my own selfishness that's exactly where it 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:46.199 would have gone I felt and God just kind of said 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.300 see you've been asking me and I gave it so I 00:02:49.300 --> 00:02:51.099 just wanted to share share it not because I I 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.360 had nothing to do with this I just wanted to 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:55.580 be you know we say that we want to be obedient 00:02:55.580 --> 00:02:59.319 to the Lord we want to serve him but we ask the 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:01.039 Lord hey give me an opportunity and then one 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:03.919 comes some has always come when you're not really 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:07.800 ready right And that's exactly what happened. 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:10.159 So I wanted to share that, not to show that I 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:12.439 did something awesome, but it's just a reminder 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:18.139 to me that God uses us as we lay ourselves before 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:21.280 him. So like I said, it has nothing to do with 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:24.159 where we're going to go today. But let's start 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:25.240 off with prayer. If you don't have one of those 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:27.180 Bibles, those blue Bibles, they're free. Grab 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:29.379 one in the back there. It's the Gospel of John. 00:03:29.460 --> 00:03:31.740 That's where we're at. But let's pray together, 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:38.979 and then we'll just jump into this. Lord, as 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:43.560 we come before you, starting with myself, I pray 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:49.039 that you will, by your spirit, bring to life 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:53.280 this text for us. Personally in our own life, 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:56.400 maybe corporately in our church or in our gospel 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:02.080 communities. Lord, you've reminded me. It's been 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:03.719 a really good heart check for me personally, 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:05.719 and I pray that it will continue to be that, 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:07.639 but it will also be that way for us as a church. 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:13.240 This is a powerful text, and it's a part of Scripture 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.759 that I'm so glad is there because it reminds 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:22.839 me of where I need to be putting my focus, where 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:25.959 the attention needs to be. So I pray as we open 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:28.300 it, unpack it today, that you will speak to us. 00:04:28.860 --> 00:04:33.949 In your name, amen. All right, so we're in our 00:04:33.949 --> 00:04:38.949 journey through John, and John chapter 20, verse 00:04:38.949 --> 00:04:43.870 31, tells us the purpose of this book. And we're 00:04:43.870 --> 00:04:45.370 going to be there a long time, and I'll probably 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:48.829 come back to this verse multiple times throughout 00:04:48.829 --> 00:04:53.810 our journey in John. But John chapter 20, verse 00:04:53.810 --> 00:04:57.550 30 and 31 give us this snapshot of why this book 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:01.370 exists and what John is up to. And he says this, 00:05:01.389 --> 00:05:05.990 verse 20, or verse 30. Jesus performed many other 00:05:05.990 --> 00:05:09.269 signs in the presence of his disciples that are 00:05:09.269 --> 00:05:12.610 not written in this book. But these that are 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:17.329 written are so that you may believe that Jesus 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:20.750 is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, 00:05:20.829 --> 00:05:25.730 you may have life in his name. Underline life. 00:05:25.850 --> 00:05:30.160 That's really important. In his name. See, your 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:35.720 view of God, my view of God affects every aspect 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:40.120 of your life whether you believe it or not. I 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:42.300 mean, you can have a really small view of God 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:45.139 and it will ripple into the rest of your life. 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:48.339 If you have a real small view of God, you'll 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:51.740 have a really big view of yourself. And it's 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:54.339 kind of like that scale, right? So when my view 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:59.490 of God gets bigger, actually get a smaller view 00:05:59.490 --> 00:06:01.509 of myself because I see him for who he really 00:06:01.509 --> 00:06:06.089 is and I see who I am. And so John starts off 00:06:06.089 --> 00:06:10.449 this gospel by telling us that Jesus is God. 00:06:10.490 --> 00:06:12.709 He wants us to see the really big view of God 00:06:12.709 --> 00:06:15.910 because it really helps us balance because we 00:06:15.910 --> 00:06:19.990 naturally move God out of the way in our life. 00:06:20.850 --> 00:06:25.620 We put ourselves, our agendas. our desires in 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:27.420 front of god that's what we do in our sinful 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:30.579 broken nature and so we need to be reminded all 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:32.959 the time like who's the authority who's who's 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:39.180 really god and john wants our view of jesus just 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:44.379 to grow bigger and bigger that's what this book 00:06:44.379 --> 00:06:47.459 really does for us it constantly is pushing a 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:51.850 bigger view of jesus and so One of the things 00:06:51.850 --> 00:06:54.829 you'll see in John is this multiple signs, they 00:06:54.829 --> 00:06:57.949 call them signs, or miracles. And every time 00:06:57.949 --> 00:07:01.750 you see a miracle, it's to reveal the glory of 00:07:01.750 --> 00:07:05.470 God. So we always oftentimes see miracles and 00:07:05.470 --> 00:07:07.509 go, boy, I wish we could experience those today. 00:07:08.430 --> 00:07:10.949 Well, John is telling us when those existed, 00:07:11.089 --> 00:07:13.189 the purpose of those, and he says, you know, 00:07:13.230 --> 00:07:16.209 there was a lot more that happened. We're not 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:19.569 even writing down in this book. But the ones 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:23.110 that are there, I'm highlighting those so that 00:07:23.110 --> 00:07:29.850 you see how big and how glorious God is. It's 00:07:29.850 --> 00:07:32.550 not even that much about the person that's being 00:07:32.550 --> 00:07:34.509 healed or whatever it is happening. It's about 00:07:34.509 --> 00:07:36.250 the glory of God, although those are important, 00:07:36.389 --> 00:07:40.069 right? So last week, we saw the first of Jesus' 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:45.750 signs. Jesus is at this wedding celebration. 00:07:46.620 --> 00:07:49.259 And he turns water into amazing wine. And it's 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:53.120 the softest, gentlest little sign. Because a 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:54.980 lot of the other ones he does are kind of like, 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.420 whoa, you just healed somebody of leprosy or 00:07:57.420 --> 00:08:00.839 whatever it is. He starts off with a party. And 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:03.899 I love this. Because he starts off saying that 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:09.199 Jesus is the greater joy. He brings joy to our 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:14.660 life. If we begin to fix our eyes on Jesus, other 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:17.220 things... Other joys of this world, not that 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:21.240 they're not important, but they are lesser. And 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:23.040 Jesus says, I'm the greater joy. And that's how 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.759 he starts off in John after that. And now Jesus 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:30.079 tells us right after that celebration that we 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:33.419 looked at last week, he tells us about another 00:08:33.419 --> 00:08:38.720 celebration, and that's the Passover. Jesus highlights 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:41.720 all three of the Passovers in John. And they're 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:44.610 really, they're like. They're like really critical 00:08:44.610 --> 00:08:47.929 moments in the three years of Jesus' ministry. 00:08:48.110 --> 00:08:51.970 Every time there's a Passover, it's a pretty 00:08:51.970 --> 00:08:55.429 important point. In fact, Jesus' crucifixion 00:08:55.429 --> 00:08:57.769 and resurrection come during the Passover. So 00:08:57.769 --> 00:09:00.250 it's a really important time. And so John highlights 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:04.450 those. And what he wants us to see in these verses 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:09.610 today is another angle of Jesus. So as we think 00:09:09.610 --> 00:09:11.809 about this story we're looking at, remember last 00:09:11.809 --> 00:09:16.340 week. the angle we had of Jesus, because he kind 00:09:16.340 --> 00:09:19.559 of puts those two angles together to help broaden 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.259 our view of who this Jesus is. And so if you 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:24.399 think about, you know, as you're reflecting about 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:28.139 last week, the week of Cana, the wedding in Cana, 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:30.919 and now we have this totally different story 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:34.259 about Jesus, and the whole point is to put Jesus 00:09:34.259 --> 00:09:38.429 at the center. He's at the center. And I think 00:09:38.429 --> 00:09:40.929 for me this week, as I keep asking myself, is 00:09:40.929 --> 00:09:43.450 Jesus really at the center, Caleb, of your life? 00:09:45.529 --> 00:09:49.889 At the wedding feast, he's a party maker, right? 00:09:51.669 --> 00:09:55.049 Tim Keller says at the wedding feast, Jesus is 00:09:55.049 --> 00:09:57.769 a party maker. At the Passover, he's now a party 00:09:57.769 --> 00:10:04.590 pooper. It's opposite. Jesus at the wedding feast 00:10:04.590 --> 00:10:08.279 acts quietly, kind of behind the scenes. But 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:10.000 then at the Passover, we're going to see that 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.679 Jesus goes public. It's very dramatic. It's the 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:14.879 opposite of what we see in the wedding feast. 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:21.340 Jesus at the wedding adds to your life. At the 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:27.200 Passover, he throws out of your life. He brings 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:32.240 joy at the wedding, and he disturbs at the Passover. 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.980 And both views of Jesus are really important. 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:44.720 Look at verse 13. The Jewish Passover was near. 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:47.940 And so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And Jerusalem's 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:50.399 kind of on this hill. And so when it says he 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:54.159 goes up, it literally means he goes up onto this 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:57.919 rise. Okay? The Jewish people, the Passover was 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:02.019 a huge deal. It was a very big deal for the nation. 00:11:02.700 --> 00:11:06.279 Like the wedding celebration. Passover was a 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:09.299 week -long event. And one thing I love about 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:12.240 the Jewish culture, especially in the Bible days, 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.960 is they really liked celebrations. They liked 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:18.240 to party. They weren't an individualistic society. 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:20.940 They were very communal in the way they operated. 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:22.980 And so when they did things, they actually had 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:26.179 a really good week of celebration. And it involved 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:28.960 feasts and all that. And everything had meaning 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:32.840 to it, right? And so you see this. And so even 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:35.730 this... Passover, the Jewish tradition required 00:11:35.730 --> 00:11:38.090 that the month before, it would take a whole 00:11:38.090 --> 00:11:40.710 month of preparation to get ready for this one 00:11:40.710 --> 00:11:47.389 event. This is once a year celebration to remember 00:11:47.389 --> 00:11:53.049 your redemption. How God redeemed you as a person. 00:11:53.529 --> 00:11:57.509 How he redeemed a nation. Freedom from bondage 00:11:57.509 --> 00:12:02.730 and slavery. by god over pharaoh in egypt that's 00:12:02.730 --> 00:12:05.110 what it was looking backwards over the time when 00:12:05.110 --> 00:12:08.230 god made them into something big and and he said 00:12:08.230 --> 00:12:10.169 i want you to celebrate this every year and i 00:12:10.169 --> 00:12:12.590 think this is really important it's really important 00:12:12.590 --> 00:12:15.330 for you and i to have our eyes off of our current 00:12:15.330 --> 00:12:18.049 situation and looking back to what god has done 00:12:18.049 --> 00:12:20.629 and he says i want you to do that but i want 00:12:20.629 --> 00:12:25.210 you to remember how i rescued you as a people 00:12:25.210 --> 00:12:30.399 and so people would come from from all over Jerusalem. 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:34.000 It estimates, now you just, I was trying to think 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:37.799 of, how do I put this into perspective? Think 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:43.019 about Seward. You ever been to Seward? Can you 00:12:43.019 --> 00:12:46.679 imagine a million people converging? Now, I know 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:49.200 the 4th of July is a pretty big event at Seward, 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:53.419 but Jerusalem is not a big community. It's probably 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:57.399 similar to the size. A million people will come 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:02.899 from outside into this one place. And the first 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:06.860 place you would go to was at the center of the 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:10.559 town, which was the temple. The temple was the 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:12.679 place where God dwelt. And so they would all 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:17.399 come like a pilgrimage for an entire week and 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:21.480 celebrate. But the first place you would go would 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:24.340 be... to the place where God dwelt. And there 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:27.559 was where you got to meet with God. And it was 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:32.720 the holy place. It was the center of their worship. 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:37.440 The most important place on earth. And when you 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.799 would come to the temple, you would start off 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:43.820 by paying your taxes and getting, bringing, either 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:46.159 you would bring a sacrifice or you would buy 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:49.220 a sacrifice because then the sacrifice was kind 00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:52.529 of the center point, right? You and God were 00:13:52.529 --> 00:13:56.309 going to get right with each other. This is before 00:13:56.309 --> 00:13:59.429 Jesus became our lamb. And so they would come, 00:13:59.490 --> 00:14:02.169 and the sacrificial system that God had put in 00:14:02.169 --> 00:14:04.529 place would require that you would bring this 00:14:04.529 --> 00:14:09.529 unblemished animal, like a baby lamb. Not a baby, 00:14:09.610 --> 00:14:12.169 but a one -year -old lamb. Perfect. It's your 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:16.309 best. You only brought your best. Or you would, 00:14:16.409 --> 00:14:18.309 if you were coming from a long ways, you would... 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:22.080 bring money to buy the very best. And then that 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:24.799 very best, you would take that lamb, and that 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:27.980 lamb would become your representative. It would 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:31.580 represent you. And upon that lamb, all of your 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:37.019 sin would be laid. Everything. Everything in 00:14:37.019 --> 00:14:39.480 those dark thoughts of your brain, all the things, 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:41.759 deeds you've done, all that sin would be laid 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:46.659 upon that lamb. And it's graphic. This would 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:48.960 be happening over and over and over. And they 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:51.879 would take that lamb and they'd slit its throat. 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:59.379 And out of its throat would flow blood. And it 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:02.879 was a representation of the payment for your 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:07.279 sin. And it was meant to leave an impression 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:11.759 that it costs something. Your sin costs something. 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:17.549 It's that lamb would have to pay. the price for 00:15:17.549 --> 00:15:20.950 your sin, for my sin. Everybody held the deal 00:15:20.950 --> 00:15:26.450 with God on a very personal level. Heavy, but 00:15:26.450 --> 00:15:29.330 also it was a picture forward of the celebration 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:32.090 of what God had done, that he had made a way 00:15:32.090 --> 00:15:36.129 for them to be made right. And the Passover was 00:15:36.129 --> 00:15:41.509 a very holy, very sacred event that focused on 00:15:41.509 --> 00:15:45.840 the worship of God, our Redeemer. Okay. So when 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:48.600 Jesus comes to Jerusalem, he's doing exactly 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:50.559 the same. Where does he go first? To the temple. 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:54.740 That's where everybody went first. And then they 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.600 would celebrate. So Jesus goes to the temple, 00:15:57.700 --> 00:16:01.299 and this is what he finds. Look at verse 14. 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:05.840 And in the temple, he found people selling oxen, 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:09.759 sheep, and doves. And he also found the money 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.539 changers sitting there. Now, this seems weird, 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:18.820 because it is. Here's the problem. When Jesus 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:21.820 arrives, the temple doesn't look like a place 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:25.200 of worship, a place where God dwells. It looks 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:27.500 like a business or a market. And it's not that 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:29.259 these things, we won't even go into the fact 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:31.500 that there was, yeah, there's probably, they 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:34.379 were skimming off the top. It's really the place 00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:38.080 at first. Because... There was a system for you. 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.179 You were traveling from a long ways. You brought 00:16:40.179 --> 00:16:44.200 your money. You had to first take Roman money 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:46.620 and turn it into Jewish currency. And there was 00:16:46.620 --> 00:16:48.340 a whole lot of things that went on with that. 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:52.759 And Jesus is not confronting that. But you had 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:57.299 to buy the sacrifice. But it's inside the temple. 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:02.799 Inside the temple, he finds the money changers. 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:06.980 He finds that they're using The system that God 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:11.000 had put in for his worship to defraud God's people. 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:16.059 Uh -oh. See, God had put a system in place and 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.740 they had moved away from that. And there are 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:20.859 a few things that we see going on here. from 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:23.240 the other gospels, because the gospels address 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.160 this. Some people think this event is the same 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:28.599 as the end of the gospel. Others think there's 00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:31.920 two different clearings of the temple. I actually 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.400 kind of lean that way, thinking that he's done 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.079 it twice because there's some differences. Either 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.660 way, it doesn't matter. It's the same kind of 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:41.119 approach. But here's what we know. Number one, 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:46.640 that Jesus sees self -centered worshipers. He 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:49.400 walks in and goes, what is going on in the house? 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:54.400 Matthew chapter 21 verse 13 says, he said to 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:59.099 them, it is written, my house shall be a house 00:17:59.099 --> 00:18:03.160 of prayer. But you're making it a den of thieves. 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.359 See, it's not that Jesus is anti -business or 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:11.640 anti -making money. It's the fact that they were 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:14.640 taking advantage of the system for their own 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:18.859 gain. Who was front and center? They were. And 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:21.700 that really bothers Jesus. And the second thing 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:25.640 we see is it's also where they were conducting 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:29.559 business. They were in the court of the Gentiles. 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:32.200 Now, the temple is different. Like in the outer 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:34.519 court is where the Gentiles could come in. If 00:18:34.519 --> 00:18:36.160 you're Jewish, you can go to the inner courts. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.740 But the Gentiles, that's where they would come 00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:41.259 to meet God. And where did they set up shop? 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:47.539 It was in that outer court. Livestock. money 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:50.380 changers, everything, business was there. No 00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:53.839 longer a place for the Gentiles to come and to 00:18:53.839 --> 00:19:01.980 worship God. And it had made a place of worship, 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:07.519 a place of commerce. And the focus was not on 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:09.700 God anymore, it was on themselves. And you know, 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:11.559 I was really kind of thinking, this is how it 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:16.519 goes with my life. I don't... One day you decide, 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:19.119 I have no more God. I just want to focus on Caleb. 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:21.640 It's a drift, isn't it? You just kind of drift. 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.059 And before you know it, you're focusing again 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:33.099 back on yourself and not on God. And so the shift 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:39.400 had happened. Think about who Jesus is as you 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:42.470 look at this next part. John tells us really 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:46.809 importantly in chapter 1 who Jesus is. And now 00:19:46.809 --> 00:19:51.049 think about that as we read this verse 15. So 00:19:51.049 --> 00:19:53.690 Jesus goes in, he sees this situation, the setting. 00:19:53.769 --> 00:19:58.849 He says, after this, making a whip out of cords, 00:19:59.130 --> 00:20:03.289 he drove everyone out of the temple with their 00:20:03.289 --> 00:20:07.190 sheep and their oxen. He also poured over the 00:20:07.190 --> 00:20:09.990 money -changing coins and overturned their tables. 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:13.829 He told those who were selling doves, get these 00:20:13.829 --> 00:20:17.069 things out of here. Stop turning my house, my 00:20:17.069 --> 00:20:20.670 father's house, into a marketplace. Okay, can 00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:22.569 you picture this scene? You've got to use your 00:20:22.569 --> 00:20:28.490 imagination in this scene. Jesus is red -hot 00:20:28.490 --> 00:20:33.589 with anger. He's red -hot with anger. There's 00:20:33.589 --> 00:20:37.049 nothing gentle about this Jesus. He reaches down. 00:20:37.630 --> 00:20:40.930 He sees what's going on. He reaches down. Somehow 00:20:40.930 --> 00:20:43.170 he weaves together. And there's all sorts of 00:20:43.170 --> 00:20:45.069 theories about this. Here's the point. He makes 00:20:45.069 --> 00:20:51.990 a whip. And he knows how to use it. So he quickly 00:20:51.990 --> 00:20:53.849 puts this together. And you can just kind of 00:20:53.849 --> 00:20:57.190 picture this scene where the whip begins to crack 00:20:57.190 --> 00:20:59.710 and the livestock go crazy and the tables are 00:20:59.710 --> 00:21:03.190 being flipped over. And many go... things are 00:21:03.190 --> 00:21:05.150 going all over the floor and the chaos is in 00:21:05.150 --> 00:21:08.349 there and he's driving people out. Jesus goes 00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:13.289 fight club on the temple, in the temple. I mean, 00:21:13.309 --> 00:21:15.609 this is one of the coolest, at least for me, 00:21:15.730 --> 00:21:17.390 it's one of the coolest scenes of what I think 00:21:17.390 --> 00:21:20.029 of Jesus. Now let me ask you a question. What 00:21:20.029 --> 00:21:23.970 do you think about this Jesus? This is not your 00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:27.289 normal picture of Jesus. Flowing robes and blonde 00:21:27.289 --> 00:21:30.950 hair. Whatever painting you have the image of 00:21:30.950 --> 00:21:33.210 Jesus. What do you think when you think about 00:21:33.210 --> 00:21:36.769 this image of Jesus? What do you think? Huh? 00:21:37.329 --> 00:21:46.930 Strong. Yeah. Don't mess with him. Fierce. Does 00:21:46.930 --> 00:21:48.710 this kind of shatter your little view of Jesus? 00:21:49.049 --> 00:21:51.789 I think in a North American church, we don't 00:21:51.789 --> 00:21:55.609 generally think of Jesus this way. This might 00:21:55.609 --> 00:21:58.269 just shatter. I mean, Jesus is, don't get me 00:21:58.269 --> 00:22:02.170 wrong, he is gentle and loving. He's caring and 00:22:02.170 --> 00:22:11.369 compassionate. But he's not really domesticated. 00:22:12.529 --> 00:22:19.390 This is a different view of Jesus. What causes 00:22:19.390 --> 00:22:26.069 Jesus to have this righteous anger? It was the 00:22:26.069 --> 00:22:29.910 religious irreverence of the Jews. toward God 00:22:29.910 --> 00:22:36.369 the Father. It bothered him. It angered him. 00:22:38.990 --> 00:22:43.630 See, to glorify God is to make sure that he was 00:22:43.630 --> 00:22:47.849 the center of your life. That he is the most 00:22:47.849 --> 00:22:51.349 weighty thing in your life. And that was the 00:22:51.349 --> 00:22:56.509 purpose of the temple. To say, God, you are at 00:22:56.509 --> 00:22:59.630 the center of my life. you are what's at the 00:22:59.630 --> 00:23:02.269 center of our community you're the center of 00:23:02.269 --> 00:23:06.089 how i make decisions god you get all the glory 00:23:06.089 --> 00:23:10.990 you know what glory means weight heavy it's it's 00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:14.289 the weightiest thing in your life and he says 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:18.690 you guys are not doing that and that just bothers 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:23.630 jesus one of the commentators said this there's 00:23:24.089 --> 00:23:26.390 Therefore, the sin of the money changers and 00:23:26.390 --> 00:23:29.230 the religious authorities lay in the fact that 00:23:29.230 --> 00:23:31.630 while they would loudly proclaim the holiness 00:23:31.630 --> 00:23:34.809 and otherness of God, like they're good at giving 00:23:34.809 --> 00:23:38.329 it nice words. That's what he says. They deny 00:23:38.329 --> 00:23:42.309 it in practice. See, our Lord's whip deposes 00:23:42.309 --> 00:23:44.650 everything that distracts from the communication 00:23:44.650 --> 00:23:48.230 of God's glory, especially in worship. Another 00:23:48.230 --> 00:23:50.490 way of saying this is, what really got after 00:23:50.490 --> 00:23:55.960 Jesus? was that they were given lip service to 00:23:55.960 --> 00:24:02.900 Jesus, but really, they were putting themselves 00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:11.940 at the center. So, and I think what's going on 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:14.700 with them is that their view of God got smaller. 00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:19.140 And their view of their agendas got bigger. It 00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:21.759 was about them having a small view of God, that 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:25.650 this is, it was about, deflating God and his 00:24:25.650 --> 00:24:29.910 ways and inflating you and your ways, this makes 00:24:29.910 --> 00:24:38.190 Jesus angry. Okay. Let me not like to talk about 00:24:38.190 --> 00:24:42.109 Jesus this way. This is what's here. It's right 00:24:42.109 --> 00:24:45.049 in God's word. This is how he operates. The ultimate 00:24:45.049 --> 00:24:47.369 source of Jesus' anger, though, before you get 00:24:47.369 --> 00:24:50.769 thinking like he's ticked off, his ultimate source 00:24:50.769 --> 00:25:00.950 of his anger? was love. A love for God. Many 00:25:00.950 --> 00:25:03.529 times our anger is driven from, because when 00:25:03.529 --> 00:25:05.490 we get angry, it's because it's driven from a 00:25:05.490 --> 00:25:09.349 love for ourselves. Isn't it? Fighting in your 00:25:09.349 --> 00:25:11.930 marriage, fighting in your workplace, not getting 00:25:11.930 --> 00:25:15.549 along with each other, that's because we're selfish. 00:25:16.970 --> 00:25:24.029 What bothers Jesus, what makes Jesus angry, This 00:25:24.029 --> 00:25:28.069 is love for God. That's a different kind of anger. 00:25:30.390 --> 00:25:33.029 So as the disciples were watching all of this 00:25:33.029 --> 00:25:36.849 happen, and the Spirit brought Psalm 69, verse 00:25:36.849 --> 00:25:39.750 9, to their minds of one of them. And it says 00:25:39.750 --> 00:25:42.490 this in verse 17. And his disciples remembered 00:25:42.490 --> 00:25:47.369 that it was written, zeal for your house will 00:25:47.369 --> 00:25:50.589 consume me. And they're like, ah, I've seen this 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:55.839 about Jesus. Heard about this. Zeal. See, the 00:25:55.839 --> 00:26:00.039 Greek word for consume means to be eaten up. 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:06.400 The Hebrew word for it is in a flame. So Jesus 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:09.859 is consumed with this zeal for the glory of God 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:14.160 in his house. He's just eaten up. He's just overtaken 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:17.259 because the glory of God is that big a deal. 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:24.160 Jesus was consumed. The zeal for the glory of 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:31.579 God. Now the Jewish leaders now in their selfishness 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:37.619 confront Jesus. Let's just look at verse 18. 00:26:38.299 --> 00:26:43.200 So the Jews replied to him, what sign will you 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:47.000 show us for doing these things? This is almost 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:50.900 comical if you start to understand. What did 00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:54.059 they ask you? What sign? Give us a sign. Like, 00:26:54.079 --> 00:27:01.220 you know, they want to know, like, really, whose 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:06.339 authority do you have to do all this stuff? And 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:11.059 they demanded that Jesus justify himself. Now, 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:17.799 their question really ignores whether Jesus was 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:20.079 just in doing it. Now, who was supposed to take 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:23.940 care of the temple? Religious leaders. Whose 00:27:23.940 --> 00:27:26.299 job was it to make sure that that outer court 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:29.599 was there to give glory to God in the inner courts? 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:34.779 Who was it? It was their job. And so, they're 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:37.599 not asking the question, hmm, oh yeah, you're 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:42.740 right. They don't do any self -examination. They're 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:45.019 not saying, no, maybe he was justified in what 00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:47.400 he just did. Oh, that's right. We're not supposed 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:53.500 to have stuff going on in here. No. Their authority, 00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:57.640 their authority is being challenged by Jesus 00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:03.259 and his authority. And their response was not 00:28:03.259 --> 00:28:07.480 humility. It was to justify it, right? So Jesus 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:11.180 offers, so what Jesus says, he's so, this is 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:13.799 so funny to me. Look what he says, he says, I'll 00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:17.440 offer you a sign. Let's do this, all right? Jesus 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:20.359 answered, destroy this temple and I'll raise 00:28:20.359 --> 00:28:24.720 it up in three days. Can you just imagine their 00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:28.740 faces when he says that? Just, just temple, just 00:28:28.740 --> 00:28:34.200 destroy it. I'll show you. Like, really? Therefore, 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:39.220 the Jews said, this temple took 46 years to build, 00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:44.900 and you will raise it up in three days? Jesus 00:28:44.900 --> 00:28:48.640 is saying, how bad do you want a sign? Knock 00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:53.119 down your temple, and I'll rebuild it. See, Jewish 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.200 leaders had already missed the sign, though. 00:28:57.619 --> 00:29:00.220 But the disciples got it. That's what's unique 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:03.250 about that verse in front. His disciples see 00:29:03.250 --> 00:29:07.950 that the sign is the zeal is authority for the 00:29:07.950 --> 00:29:13.329 zeal, for the house. And they've missed it. So 00:29:13.329 --> 00:29:15.730 Jesus challenges the religious leader in this 00:29:15.730 --> 00:29:19.089 cryptic fashion. He says, here's what Jesus is. 00:29:19.170 --> 00:29:23.650 And then John tells us, thankfully, what this 00:29:23.650 --> 00:29:26.690 is all about. Even the disciples at this point 00:29:26.690 --> 00:29:29.650 don't get it. Obviously, the Jewish leaders don't 00:29:29.650 --> 00:29:33.109 get it. Look at verse 21. But he was speaking 00:29:33.109 --> 00:29:37.950 about the temple of his body. So when he was 00:29:37.950 --> 00:29:40.329 raised from the dead, his disciples remembered 00:29:40.329 --> 00:29:45.549 that he had said this. And they believed the 00:29:45.549 --> 00:29:49.450 scriptures and the statements Jesus had made. 00:29:49.670 --> 00:29:54.210 They went, oh. Remember when he popped off and 00:29:54.210 --> 00:29:56.569 made this sarcastic remark to the Jewish leaders 00:29:56.569 --> 00:29:59.009 about, I need to tear down your temple. He's 00:29:59.009 --> 00:30:01.480 actually referring about himself. He's talking 00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:07.859 like this is me. I'm the temple. John said, we 00:30:07.859 --> 00:30:11.220 didn't get it at first. But now we realize he 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:14.299 was referring to his body. Now two things about 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:17.359 the temple and Jesus' body. Number one is this. 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:24.240 The temple is where God meets man. God meets 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:29.359 man. jesus is god and through him god has come 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:33.720 to man in a new and unique way and he's just 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:37.579 foreshadowing like yeah the temple that's me 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:42.740 you're gonna you're gonna tear me down john john 00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:45.039 chapter 1 verse 14 which we've already read the 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.220 word became flesh and dwelt among us and we observed 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:51.460 his glory the glory of the one and only son from 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:55.390 the father full of grace and truth So the temple 00:30:55.390 --> 00:30:59.349 is the place that God meets with us. And who 00:30:59.349 --> 00:31:04.230 is that temple now? It's Jesus. Second thing 00:31:04.230 --> 00:31:08.210 is the temple was where sacrifices for sin was 00:31:08.210 --> 00:31:12.569 offered to God. And Jesus, in this situation, 00:31:12.670 --> 00:31:18.690 says, I am the ultimate sacrifice. The sacrifice 00:31:18.690 --> 00:31:21.089 offered once and for all for all the sins of 00:31:21.089 --> 00:31:24.589 the whole world. John chapter 1, verse 29, the 00:31:24.589 --> 00:31:27.890 next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and 00:31:27.890 --> 00:31:30.930 said, look, the Lamb of God who takes away the 00:31:30.930 --> 00:31:36.150 sin of the world. See, the sign was that after 00:31:36.150 --> 00:31:40.089 the Jewish leaders had turned, torn down his 00:31:40.089 --> 00:31:43.470 body, he would raise up in three days. He says, 00:31:43.490 --> 00:31:48.630 I am that now. The resurrection of Jesus is the 00:31:48.630 --> 00:31:52.160 ultimate sign of his authority. What they were 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:53.680 asking is, what authority do you have to tear 00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:55.500 down the temple? He says, I am the authority. 00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:59.940 And you're going to tear me down, and I'm going 00:31:59.940 --> 00:32:08.279 to rise again. I am the authority. So being a 00:32:08.279 --> 00:32:13.259 Christian means two, you claim two really big 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:19.319 things about Jesus. Number one, he is your savior. 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:24.799 That he's your savior. That he is the lamb of 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:28.740 God upon which all of our sins are put upon. 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:32.539 Your sin, my sin, is all was placed upon his 00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:35.799 back. And he went to the cross. His blood was 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:42.460 shed. It's like that lamb. He did it for you. 00:32:42.539 --> 00:32:45.180 He is your savior. That's what it means to say 00:32:45.180 --> 00:32:51.829 Jesus is my savior. It means I was a mess. Before 00:32:51.829 --> 00:32:58.309 Jesus. I was going straight to the pit of hell 00:32:58.309 --> 00:33:02.130 because of my sin. Because of Jesus, my rescuer, 00:33:02.150 --> 00:33:07.509 my redeemer. Because of what Jesus did, he passed 00:33:07.509 --> 00:33:12.250 over. He made a way for me to know the God of 00:33:12.250 --> 00:33:16.009 the universe. He's your savior. And then we say 00:33:16.009 --> 00:33:18.150 that he is your Lord. When we do baptism, we 00:33:18.150 --> 00:33:20.970 ask this question like, Who is Jesus to you? 00:33:21.029 --> 00:33:23.430 Well, he's my Savior. And then we say, he is 00:33:23.430 --> 00:33:27.569 my Lord. And this means that he is the authority 00:33:27.569 --> 00:33:32.410 of your life. See, we like the first one, don't 00:33:32.410 --> 00:33:35.509 we? We like the fact that Jesus is our Savior. 00:33:35.970 --> 00:33:38.369 But the Lord one is a lot harder when we really 00:33:38.369 --> 00:33:41.809 dig into it. Because it means that he's the authority 00:33:41.809 --> 00:33:46.210 of my life. Whatever is the authority in your 00:33:46.210 --> 00:33:53.109 life becomes our... priority. Whatever is authority 00:33:53.109 --> 00:33:57.730 in your life becomes our priority. That's what 00:33:57.730 --> 00:34:00.789 it means to make Jesus Lord of your life. Doesn't 00:34:00.789 --> 00:34:02.750 mean you're perfect at it. Doesn't mean you struggle 00:34:02.750 --> 00:34:05.049 with it and fall away from it. It just means 00:34:05.049 --> 00:34:08.210 that that is what is at the center. That's the 00:34:08.210 --> 00:34:15.389 first place you go is to the authority. And you 00:34:15.389 --> 00:34:20.389 humbly look and say, I got some work to do. I've 00:34:20.389 --> 00:34:22.929 moved Jesus out of being the authority of my 00:34:22.929 --> 00:34:25.909 life. I want to be in the authority. And the 00:34:25.909 --> 00:34:27.929 question I have been, I want to leave with you 00:34:27.929 --> 00:34:30.269 is the question I've been asking myself all week. 00:34:31.110 --> 00:34:33.429 I think it's one of the most important questions, 00:34:33.530 --> 00:34:35.769 whether you are a Christian or you're not yet. 00:34:39.630 --> 00:34:46.239 Is Jesus the authority in your life? Is Jesus 00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:51.559 and his ways, his goodness, good news, his way 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:54.519 of operating, is it the authority in our life? 00:34:57.099 --> 00:35:00.280 Or have we allowed other things to creep in? 00:35:02.260 --> 00:35:05.019 We just allowed them to come in because they 00:35:05.019 --> 00:35:09.920 make us very good. And honestly, like, I always 00:35:09.920 --> 00:35:13.099 say this, guys, that I don't feel like I can 00:35:13.099 --> 00:35:15.500 get up here and preach this unless it's working 00:35:15.500 --> 00:35:18.300 me first. So this is the question I have to ask 00:35:18.300 --> 00:35:20.800 because, you know, if I'm really honest, I love 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:25.139 Jesus as my Savior. But I don't always like him 00:35:25.139 --> 00:35:29.599 as my authority. And that's where the day -by 00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:33.380 -day surrendering to the Lord really matters. 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:36.519 Because I'm surrendering to him as authority. 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:40.489 I'm surrendering to him is where I find... my 00:35:40.489 --> 00:35:44.349 put, my hope. Because what gets in the way is 00:35:44.349 --> 00:35:49.429 me and my brokenness. And I think one of the 00:35:49.429 --> 00:35:53.630 reasons we celebrate communion, why God says, 00:35:53.730 --> 00:36:01.289 Jesus has put this in place for us, is that we 00:36:01.289 --> 00:36:06.010 need to reset our attention on Jesus as our authority. 00:36:07.210 --> 00:36:11.059 We're really good at justifying our sin. We're 00:36:11.059 --> 00:36:13.840 really good. And he says, you see what I did 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:20.039 for your sin? I went to the cross. I laid my 00:36:20.039 --> 00:36:28.780 body down. I became your sacrifice. I was the 00:36:28.780 --> 00:36:35.539 one whose blood was shed for you. But I want 00:36:35.539 --> 00:36:40.239 you to make me your authority. That's... Because 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:45.539 that's what is right. That's what works. I was 00:36:45.539 --> 00:36:49.039 talking with my friend on the drive back last 00:36:49.039 --> 00:36:53.659 night. And we were driving in my truck and I 00:36:53.659 --> 00:36:56.619 said, you know, talking about seeing our lives 00:36:56.619 --> 00:37:00.239 go a different direction than the brokenness 00:37:00.239 --> 00:37:02.300 that you grew up in or whatever. And saying, 00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:05.739 I want to go different. I want to make a different 00:37:05.739 --> 00:37:08.670 path. And I said, you know, I'm driving my Toyota 00:37:08.670 --> 00:37:10.929 Tundra. And I said, you know, the person that 00:37:10.929 --> 00:37:14.429 knows this Toyota Tundra the best is the one 00:37:14.429 --> 00:37:18.909 who made it. I don't know it very well. I just 00:37:18.909 --> 00:37:21.710 drive it. I think it would make sense I went 00:37:21.710 --> 00:37:24.489 to the one who made it if I really want to know 00:37:24.489 --> 00:37:27.670 about it. And Jesus says, I am that authority 00:37:27.670 --> 00:37:33.949 in your life. I am the one that knows all about 00:37:33.949 --> 00:37:40.579 it. I know you. I know what's best for you. See, 00:37:40.679 --> 00:37:43.420 one of the things about, and I'll close with 00:37:43.420 --> 00:37:48.199 this, our life as a church, our life as individuals, 00:37:48.440 --> 00:37:52.199 needs to be marked by repentance on a regular 00:37:52.199 --> 00:37:55.639 basis. What I mean by that is, you acknowledge 00:37:55.639 --> 00:37:58.760 your sin, you don't just keep hanging on to it. 00:37:59.619 --> 00:38:03.139 You know it's not the best. But I'd rather just 00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:04.920 a lyric because it's convenient. It makes sense 00:38:04.920 --> 00:38:08.679 mentally to me. But repentance is saying, I see 00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:12.099 this way of doing it. I know that I'm not letting 00:38:12.099 --> 00:38:14.440 God be authority in my life, that I'm putting 00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:16.579 and choosing something else. By the way, where 00:38:16.579 --> 00:38:18.079 does that take us? That takes us all the way 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:21.880 back to Genesis, doesn't it? Genesis 3, God said, 00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:23.860 don't do this. And we went, ah, but we know better. 00:38:25.079 --> 00:38:29.340 But repentance is taking that thing, that sin. 00:38:29.440 --> 00:38:31.400 This is what the Pharisees. This is what the 00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:33.219 religious leader should have done. They went, 00:38:33.300 --> 00:38:39.679 oh, you're right. We have made this place not 00:38:39.679 --> 00:38:42.380 what it's supposed to be. And so repentance is 00:38:42.380 --> 00:38:47.780 saying, first of all, here's my sin, and I lay 00:38:47.780 --> 00:38:50.900 it at your feet, Jesus, and I turn, and I put 00:38:50.900 --> 00:38:55.599 my focus, my energy, and my direction on my Savior 00:38:55.599 --> 00:38:59.599 as Lord of my life, and I move this way from 00:38:59.599 --> 00:39:02.460 it. Friends, this is a daily process for a lot 00:39:02.460 --> 00:39:07.260 of us. It is for me. There's a thought goes across 00:39:07.260 --> 00:39:11.559 my head that's not right. Okay, my lady, I give 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:14.019 that back to you. I run to the one who is the 00:39:14.019 --> 00:39:19.559 authority. We are sinners, but we have been saved 00:39:19.559 --> 00:39:23.920 by grace. And we have been saved to give our 00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:28.119 attention and our affection to the one who deserves 00:39:28.119 --> 00:39:33.920 our authority. Be our authority. This is what 00:39:33.920 --> 00:39:37.639 the Jewish leader should have done. Instead, 00:39:37.880 --> 00:39:41.440 they hung on to that and eventually crucified 00:39:41.440 --> 00:39:49.239 Jesus. So, this morning as the band comes up, 00:39:49.300 --> 00:39:52.679 it's simple to me. Where I have to go, where 00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:55.099 I think we need to go as a church, and that is 00:39:55.099 --> 00:39:57.920 just to search our hearts and say, you can come 00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:00.599 up. To search our hearts and to say, like, okay, 00:40:00.659 --> 00:40:04.920 what areas is Jesus not the authority in my life? 00:40:05.900 --> 00:40:10.219 How can I surrender that to him? Nothing complicated, 00:40:10.320 --> 00:40:12.280 nothing magical, emotional here. It's just you 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:14.539 and God, and that's where it starts with me and 00:40:14.539 --> 00:40:19.039 you. And we say, as your children, as followers 00:40:19.039 --> 00:40:23.619 of Jesus, I know I need to go back to that. So, 00:40:23.679 --> 00:40:26.539 if there's sin in your life, right where you 00:40:26.539 --> 00:40:29.039 sit, just go get real with it. And say, God, 00:40:29.059 --> 00:40:32.519 here it is. And then turn. Don't just keep living 00:40:32.519 --> 00:40:37.000 in that sin. Move away from it. And move to Jesus. 00:40:38.519 --> 00:40:46.500 Let's pray. We acknowledge this morning, Jesus, 00:40:46.619 --> 00:40:50.940 that you are the authority. That you're not only 00:40:50.940 --> 00:40:59.309 our Savior, but you are our Lord. And it's only 00:40:59.309 --> 00:41:02.550 because of you that we can even approach our 00:41:02.550 --> 00:41:08.010 Heavenly Father. And it's because of what you've 00:41:08.010 --> 00:41:14.090 done that we can enter in to that intimate relationship 00:41:14.090 --> 00:41:18.489 with our God. But we know that our sin and our 00:41:18.489 --> 00:41:23.849 selfishness and our self -worship just drives 00:41:23.849 --> 00:41:28.030 that away. And so today as we sit here and we... 00:41:28.360 --> 00:41:30.420 We begin to lift our voices. Will you help us 00:41:30.420 --> 00:41:32.900 identify those areas in our life where we need 00:41:32.900 --> 00:41:38.179 to lay them down in repentance and say, Jesus, 00:41:38.260 --> 00:41:43.780 I want you because you died for me. Because you 00:41:43.780 --> 00:41:49.280 paid the price for me. You are my lamb. Your 00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:51.840 body was broken and your blood was shed for me. 00:41:53.699 --> 00:41:56.360 And so I lay that down and give it to you and 00:41:56.360 --> 00:42:00.920 I pick you up. Today again. As the ultimate authority. 00:42:02.860 --> 00:42:05.699 In my life. Amen.